Theoretical Modeling and Surface Roughness Prediction of Microtextured Surfaces in Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Milling

Textured surfaces with certain micro/nano structures have been proven to possess some advanced functions,such as reducing friction,improving wear and increasing wettability.Accurate prediction of micro/nano surface textures is of great significance for the design,fabrication and application of functional textured surfaces.In this paper,based on the kinematic analysis of cutter teeth,the discretization of ultrasonic machining process,transformation method of coordinate systems and the cubic spline data interpolation,an integrated theoretical model was established to characterize the distribution and geometric features of micro textures on the surfaces machined by different types of ultrasonic vibration-assisted milling(UVAM).Based on the theoretical model,the effect of key process parameters(vibration directions,vibration dimensions,cutting parameters and vibration parameters)on tool trajectories and microtextured surface morphology in UVAM is investigated.Besides,the effect of phase difference on the elliptical shape in 2D/3D ultrasonic elliptical vibration-assisted milling(UEVAM)was analyzed.Compared to conventional numerical models,the method of the cubic spline data interpolation is applied to the simulation of microtextured surface morphology in UVAM,which is more suitable for characterizing the morphological features of microtextured surfaces than traditional methods due to the presence of numerous micro textures.The prediction of surface roughness indicates that the magnitude of ultrasonic amplitude in z-direction should be strictly limited in 1D rotary UVAM,2D and 3D UEVAM due to the unfavorable effect of axial ultrasonic vibration on the surface quality.This study can provide theoretical guidance for the design and fabrication of microtextured surfaces in UVAM.

N-P fertilization did not reduce AMF abundance or diversity but alter AMF composition in an alpine grassland infested by a root hemiparasitic plant

Fertilization has been shown to have suppressive effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) and root hemiparasites separately in numerous investigations, but its effects on AMF in the presence of root hemiparasites remain untested. In view of the contrasting nutritional effects of AMF and root hemiparasites on host plants, we tested the hypothesis that fertilization may not show strong suppressive effects on AMF when a plant community was infested by abundant hemiparasitic plants. Plants and soil samples were collected from experimental field plots in Bayanbulak Grassland, where N and P fertilizers had been applied for three continuous years for control against a spreading root hemiparasite, Pedicularis kansuensis. Shoot and root biomass of each plant functional group were determined. Root AMF colonization levels, soil spore abundance, and extraradical hyphae length density were measured for three soil depths(0 e10 cm, 10 e20 cm, 20 e30 cm). Partial 18 S r RNA gene sequencing was used to detect AMF diversity and community composition. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between relative abundance of different AMF genera and environmental factors using Spearman's correlation method. In contrast to suppressive effects reported by many previous studies, fertilization showed no significant effects on AMF root colonization or AMF species diversity in the soil. Instead, a marked increase in soil spore abundance and extraradical hyphae length density were observed. However, fertilization altered relative abundance and AMF composition in the soil. Our results support the hypothesis that fertilization does not significantly influence the abundance and diversity of AMF in a plant community infested by P. kansuensis.

Patent portfolio analysis model based on legal status information

Purpose:This research proposes a patent portfolio analysis model based on the legal status information to chart out a competitive landscape in a particular field,enabling organizations to position themselves within the overall technology landscape.Design/methodology/approach:Three indicators were selected for the proposed model:Patent grant rate,valid patents rate and patent maintenance period.The model uses legal status information to perform a qualitative evaluation of relative values of the individual patents,countries or regions’ technological capabilities and competitiveness of patent applicants.The results are visualized by a four-quadrant bubble chart To test the effectiveness of the model,it is used to present a competitive landscape in the lithium ion battery field.Findings:The model can be used to evaluate the values of the individual patents,highlight countries or regions’ positions in the field,and rank the competitiveness of patent applicants in the field.Research limitations:The model currently takes into consideration only three legal status indicators.It is actually feasible to introduce more indicators such as the reason for invalid patents and the distribution of patent maintenance time and associate them with those in the proposed model.Practical implications:Analysis of legal status information in combination of patent application information can help an organization to spot gaps in its patent claim coverage,as well as evaluate patent quality and maintenance situation of its granted patents.The study results can be used to support technology assessment,technology innovation and intellectual property management.Originality/value:Prior studies attempted to assess patent quality or competitiveness by using either single patent legal status indicator or comparative analysis of the impacts of each indicator.However,they are insufficient in presenting the combined effects of the evaluation indicators.Using our model,it appears possible to get a more complete and objective picture of the current competitive situation.

Engineering Cu_(1.96)S/Co_(9)S_(8) with sulfur vacancy and heterostructure as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting

Defect and interface engineering have been recognized as efficient strategies for developing high-performance electrocatalysts.However,it is still challenging to couple defect and interface engineering in transition metal sulfides and understand their dynamic evolution process during electrocatalysis.Herein,we developed one-step pyrolysis of bimetallic sulfide to construct S vacancy-rich Cu_(1.96)S/Co_(9)S_(8) heterostructure by controlling the critical decomposition temperature.The as-synthesized Cu_(1.96)S/Co_(9)S_(8) exhibits excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic performance,with a low overpotential of 99 and 200 mV at 10 mA cm−2 towards hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER)in 1.0 mol/L KOH electrolyte,respectively.A symmetric two-electrode cell with Cu_(1.96)S/Co_(9)S_(8) delivered a current density of 10 mA cm^(−2) at a low voltage of 1.43 V and showed long-term stability for 200 h.A series of in/ex-situ techniques revealed that the electrochemical reconfiguration only appeared in the OER process,resulting in the CoOOH/CuO and SO42−species promoting OER performance.Meanwhile,the S vacancy and heterostructure interface in Cu_(1.96)S/Co_(9)S_(8) were proved to optimize the electronic structure and the adsorption of intermediates for HER by density function theory(DFT)simulations.This work provides a promising strategy to construct metal sulfides with rich defects and heterogeneous interfaces and understand their dynamic evolution process for electrochemical storage and conversion devices.