Thermo-Electrochemical Cells Based on Carbon Nanotube Electrodes by Electrophoretic Deposition

Drawbacks of low efficiency and high cost of the electrode materials have restricted the wide applications of the thermo-electrochemical cells(TECs). Due to high specific areas and electrical conductivities, the low cost multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWNTs) are promising alternative electrode materials. In this work, the MWNT films of up to 16 cm^2 were synthesized on stainless steel substrates by the electrophoretic deposition(EPD) to make the thermo-electrochemical electrodes. MWNT electrodes based on TECs were characterized by cyclic voltammetry and the long-term stability tests with the potassium ferri/ferrocyanide electrolyte. The TECs reached the current density of 45.2 A m^(-2) and the maximum power density of 0.82 W m^(-2). The relative power conversion efficiency of the MWNT electrode is 50 % higher than that for the Pt electrode. Meanwhile, the TECs was operated continuously for 300 h without performance degradation. With the priorities of low cost and simple fabrication, EPD-based MWNT TECs may become commercially viable.

Mesozoic–Cenozoic Volcanic Cycle and Volcanic Reservoirs in East China

There are widespread Mesozoic–Cenozoic terrestrial volcanic activities in East China,and they produced favorable geologic factors for the volcanic reservoirs.To reveal the spatio-temporal evolution of regional volcanisms and their tectonic setting,we subdivide Mesozoic–Cenozoic volcanic activities into 6 volcanic cycles(Ⅰ–Ⅵ),and summarize the temporal-spatial distribution,rock association and tectonic setting of each cycle.The Cycle I forms a post-orogenic intraplate bimodal volcanic association.The cyclesⅡandⅢinclude arc volcanic associations formed in compressional and extensional subduction environments,respectively.The CycleⅣcontains a post-orogenic arc bimodal association.The CycleⅤis a basaltic association of tholeiite series under initial rift setting,and the CycleⅥis basaltic association of alkaline series under typical rift setting.The volcanic strata between each cycle are bounded by regional unconformity.The above 6 volcanic cycles correspond to 6 sequential stages of tectonic evolutions from the Early Jurassic post-orogeny,the Mid-Jurassic–Cretaceous subduction of the paleo-Pacific Plate to the Cenozoic marginal rifting.According to the geological characteristics of volcanic reservoirs in different volcanic cycles,it is put forward that the CycleⅤis the major formation period of volcanic reservoirs in East China and should be the focus of exploration,and that the volcanic reservoirs of the CycleⅣare also worthy of attention.

Self-powered lead-free quantum dot plasmonic phototransistor with multi-wavelength response

Because they possess excellent visible light absorption properties, lead-free colloidal copper-based chalcogenide quantum dots(QDs) have emerged in photoelectronic fields. By means of localized surface plasmonic resonance(LSPR), the absorption properties of QDs can be enhanced. In this paper, we fabricate a lead-free CuInSe2 QD field effect phototransistor(FEpT) by utilizing the LSPR enhancement of Au nanoparticles(NPs). The plasmonic FEpT demonstrates responsivity up to 2.7 μA· W^(-1) and a specific detectivity of 7 × 10~3 Jones at zero bias under illumination by a 532 nm laser, values that are enhanced by approximately 200% more than devices without Au NPs. Particularly, the FEpT exhibits a multi-wavelength response, which is photoresponsive to 405, 532,and 808 nm irradiations, and presents stability and reproducibility in the progress of ON–OFF cycles.Furthermore, the enhancement induced by Au NP LSPR can be interpreted by finite-difference time domain simulations. The low-cost solution-based process and excellent device performance strongly underscore leadfree CuInSe2 QDs as a promising material for self-powered photoelectronic applications, which can be further enhanced by Au NP LSPR.