Lattice Boltzmann study of the interaction between a single solid particle and a thin liquid film

The isothermal single-component multi-phase lattice Boltzmann method(LBM)combined with the particle motion model is used to simulate the detailed process of liquid film rupture induced by a single spherical particle.The entire process of the liquid film rupture can be divided into two stages.In Stage 1,the particle contacts with the liquid film and moves into it due to the interfacial force and finally penetrates the liquid film.Then in Stage 2,the upper and lower liquid surfaces of the thin film are driven by the capillary force and approach to each other along the surface of the particle,resulting in a complete rupture.It is found that a hydrophobic particle with a contact angle of 106.7°shows the shortest rupture duration when the liquid film thickness is less than the particle radius.When the thickness of the liquid film is greater than the immersed depth of the particle at equilibrium,the time of liquid film rupture caused by a hydrophobic particle will be increased.On the other hand,a moderately hydrophilic particle can form a bridge in the middle of the liquid film to enhance the stability of the thin liquid film.

Dual-aligned porous electrodes for enhanced hydrogen evolution in alkaline water electrolysis

The efficiency of water electrolysis is significantly affected by the bubbles on the surface and inside the electrode.To enhance the gas-liquid transfer within the porous electrodes,we developed an innovative design termed dual-aligned porous electrode(D-APE),achieved by integrating magnetic alignment with freeze casting techniques.This paper investigates the hydrogen evolution performance of porous electrodes prepared using four different methods:evaporation,magnetic-aligned evaporation,freeze casting,and dual-aligned methods.The findings demonstrate that the magnetic-aligned process effectively alters the electrode structure,resulting in improved hydrogen evolution performance.Notably,among all the examined electrodes,the D-APE exhibits the highest hydrogen evolution performance,with further enhancements observed with prolonged the time of magnetic alignment.Furthermore,a comparison is made between electrodes prepared using the freeze casting method and the dual-aligned method at various thickness.The results show that the thinner D-APE exhibits excellent hydrogen evolution performance at high current density.Moreover,the D-APE demonstrates significantly improved material utilization rates compared to the conventional freeze casting method,offering promising prospects for enhancing the efficiency of water electrolysis.