A homogeneous and mechanically stable artificial diffusion layer using rigid-flexible hybrid polymer for high-performance lithium metal batteries

Artificial solid electrolyte interphase(SEI) is promising to inhibit uncontrollable lithium dendrites and enable long cycling stability for lithium metal batteries. However, the essential mechanical stability is limited since organic layers generally have low modulus whereas intrinsic brittleness for inorganic ones remains a great concern. Polymer-based SEIs with rigid and flexible chains in adequate mechanical properties are supposed to address this issue. Herein, a homogeneous and mechanically stable diffusion layer is achieved by blending rigid chains of polyphenylene sulfone(PPSU) with flexible chains of poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF) in a hybrid membrane, enabling uniform diffusion and stabilizing the lithium metal anode. The Li||Cu cell with the protected electrode exhibits a long lifetime more than 450 cycles(0.5 m A cm^(-2), 1.0 m A h cm^(-2))(fourfold longer than the control group) with higher average Coulombic efficiency of 98.7%. Enhanced performances are also observed at Li||Li and full cell configurations. The improved performances are attributed to the controlled morphology and stable interphase, according to scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and electrochemical impedance. This research advances the idea of uniform lithium plating and provides a new insight on how to create a homogeneous and mechanically stable diffusion layer using rigid-flexible polymers.

Effects of Bionic Volute Tongue on Aerodynamic Performance and Noise Characteristics of Centrifugal Fan Used in the Air-conditioner

The aerodynamic noise generated by the centrifugal fan used in the air conditioner is related to the comfort of human living and working,which can be controlled by using the bionic design and optimization of key components of centrifugal fan.Inspired by the non-smooth leading edge of long-eared owl wing,eight kinds of volute tongues are proposed to reduce the aerodynamic noise of a centrifugal fan.The flow and sound characteristics are numerically investigated by incorporating computational fluid dynamics and computational aero-acoustics.The optimal result exhibits a noise reduction of up to 1.5 dB with a slight increase in mass flow rate.The acoustic characteristics,with respect to the sound pressure level,power spectral density,and sound directivity are discussed.The time-domain,frequency-domain,and root mean square values of pressure fluctuation are monitored and analyzed to assess the unsteady flow interaction between the volute tongue and impeller.The intensity and scale of vortices in the centrifugal fan are suppressed in the upstream and downstream of the bionic volute tongue,and the turbulence effect on the surface of the volute tongue becomes even and weak.

Evaluation and Hydrological Application of CMADS Reanalysis Precipitation Data against Four Satellite Precipitation Products in the Upper Huaihe River Basin, China

Satellite-and reanalysis-based precipitation products are important data source for precipitation, particularly in areas with a sparse gauge network. Here, five open-access precipitation products, including the newly released China Meteorological Assimilation Driving Datasets for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool(SWAT) model(CMADS)reanalysis dataset and four widely used bias-adjusted satellite precipitation products [SPPs;i.e., Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission(TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis 3B42 Version 7(TMPA 3B42V7), Climate Prediction Center(CPC) morphing technique satellite–gauge blended product(CMORPH-BLD), Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station Data(CHIRPS), and Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks–Climate Data Record(PERSIANN-CDR)], were assessed. These products were first compared with the gauge observed data collected for the upper Huaihe River basin, and then were used as forcing data for streamflow simulation by the Xin’anjiang(XAJ) hydrological model under two scenarios with different calibration procedures. The performance of CMADS precipitation product for the Chinese mainland was also assessed. The results show that:(1) for the statistical assessment, CMADS and CMORPH-BLD perform the best, followed by TMPA 3B42V7, CHIRPS, and PERSIANN-CDR, among which the correlation coefficient(CC) and rootmean-square error(RMSE) values of CMADS are optimal, although it exhibits certain significant negative relative bias(BIAS;-22.72%);(2) CMORPH-BLD performs the best in capturing and detecting rainfall events, while CMADS tends to underestimate heavy and torrential precipitation;(3) for streamflow simulation, the performance of using CMADS as input is very good, with the highest Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE) values(0.85 and 0.75 for calibration period and validation period, respectively);and(4) CMADS exhibits high accuracy in eastern China while with significant negative BIAS, and the performance declines from southeast to northwest. The statistical and hydrological evaluations show that CMADS and CMORPH-BLD have high potential for observing precipitation. As high negative BIAS values showed up in CMADS evaluation, further study on the error sources from original data and calibration algorithms is necessary. This study can serve as a reference for selecting precipitation products in datascarce regions with similar climates and topography in the Global Precipitation Measurement(GPM) era.