Disordered Structure and Reversible Phase Transformation from K-Birnessite to Zn-Buserite Enable High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-lon Batteries

The layeredδ-MnO_(2)(dMO)is an excellent cathode material for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries owing to its large interlayer distance(~0.7 nm),high capacity,and low cost;however,such cathodes suffer from structural degradation during the long-term cycling process,leading to capacity fading.In this study,a Co-doped dMO composite with reduced graphene oxide(GC-dMO)is developed using a simple cost-effective hydrothermal method.The degree of disorderness increases owing to the hetero-atom doping and graphene oxide composites.It is demonstrated that layered dMO and GC-dMO undergo a structural transition from K-birnessite to the Zn-buserite phase upon the first discharge,which enhances the intercalation of Zn^(2+)ions,H_(2)O molecules in the layered structure.The GC-dMO cathode exhibits an excellent capacity of 302 mAh g^(-1)at a current density of 100 mAg^(-1)after 100 cycles as compared with the dMO cathode(159 mAhg^(-1)).The excellent electrochemical performance of the GC-dMO cathode owing to Co-doping and graphene oxide sheets enhances the interlayer gap and disorderness,and maintains structural stability,which facilitates the easy reverse intercalation and de-intercalation of Zn^(2+)ions and H_(2)O molecules.Therefore,GC-dMO is a promising cathode material for large-scale aqueous ZIBs.

MEASUREMENT AND CORRELATION OF PARTITION COEFFICIENTS OF UROKINASE IN AQUEOUS TWO-PHASE PEG-POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE SYSTEM

Partition coefficients of Urokinase(UK)were measured in aqueous two-phase systems con-taining polyethylene glycol and potassium phosphate at 273.2K.Based on the Diamond-Hsu model,a modified expression was obtained for the correlation of enzyme partitioning in theabove-mentioned systems.Utilizing a modified form,the partitioning data of UK and heteroproteinwere correlated.The results show that the modified model is simple gives good precision.and will fa-cilitate engineering scale-up of aqueous two-phase systems for certain proteins purification.

Thermodynamic modeling and phase diagram prediction of salt lake brine systemsⅡ.Aqueous Li^(+)-Na^(+)-K^(+)-SO_(4)^(2-) and its subsystems

It is still a challenging task to accurately and temperature-continuously express the thermodynamic properties and phase equilibrium behaviors of the salt-lake brine with multi-component,multitemperature and high concentration.The essential subsystem of sulfate type brine,aqueous Li^(+)-Na^(+)-K^(+)-SO_(4)^(2-) and its subsystems across a temperature range from 250 K to 643 K are investigated with the improved comprehensive thermodynamic model.Liquid parameters(Δg_(IJ),Δh_(IJ),and ΔC_(p,IJ))associated with the contributions of Gibbs energy,enthalpy,and heat capacity to the binary interaction parameters,i.e.the temperature coefficients of eNRTL parameters formulated with a Gibbs Helmholtz expression,are determined via multi-objective optimization method.The solid constantsΔ_(f)G_(k)°^((298.15))andΔ_(f)H_(k)°^((298.15))of11 solid species occurred in the quaternary system are rebuilt from multi-temperature solubilities.The modeling results show the accurate representation of(1)solution properties and binary phase diagram at temperature ranges from eutectic points to 643 K;(2)isothermal phase diagrams for Li_(2)SO_(4)-Na_(2)SO_(4)-H_(2)O,Li_(2)SO_(4)-K_(2)SO_(4)-H_(2)O and Na_(2)SO_(4)-K_(2)SO_(4)-H_(2)O ternary systems.The predicted results of complete structure and polythermal phase diagram of ternary systems and the isothermal phase diagrams of quaternary system excellently match with the experimental data.

Thermodynamic modeling and phase diagram prediction of salt lake brine systems.Ⅰ. Aqueous Mg^2+–Ca^2+–Cl^- binary and ternary systems

Salt lake brine is a complex salt-water system under natural environment.Although many models can express the thermodynamic properties and phase equilibrium of electrolyte aqueous solution,the multi-temperature characteristics and predictability are still the goals of model development.In this study,a comprehensive thermodynamic model system is re-established based on the eNRTL model and some improvements:(1) new expression of long-range electrostatic term with symmetrical reference state is proposed to handle the electrolyte solution covering entire concentration range;(2) the temperature dependence of the binary interaction parameters is formulated with a Gibbs Helmholtz expression containing three temperature coefficients,the liquid parameters,which associated with Gibbs energy,enthalpy,and heat capacity contribution;and(3) liquid parameters and solid species data are regressed from properties and solubility data at full temperature range.Together the activity coefficient model,property models and parameters of liquid and solid offer a comprehensive thermodynamic model system for the typical bittern of MgCl2-CaCl2-H2 O binary and ternary systems,and it shows excellent agreement with the literature data for the ternary and binary systems.The successful prediction of complete phase diagram of ternary system shows that the model has the ability to deal with high concentration and high non-idealitv system,and the ability to extrapolate the temperature.

Experimental Study on Aqueous Phase Entrainment in a Mixer-settler with Double Stirring Mode

The mixer-settler is a core device of solvent extraction for separating rare earth elements. There are some adverse effects like high rare earth accumulation and poor production efficiency during industrial production. Current researches usually focus on changing the structure of the mixer-settler without making a breakthrough towards gravity clarification. In this paper, in order to improve the efficiency of clarification, a mixer-settler with double stirring mode was designed and manufactured by adding a stirring device in the settler after reducing the volume of the settler. The innovation of this research involves adopting the ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer to investigate the quantity of aqueous phase entrainment at the settler outlet in order to measure the clarification degree. Experimental results show that the clarification effect with stirring is better than that without stirring. The clarification effect is ameliorated as the stirring speed increases. Generally, the clarification effect shows a best condition when the offset distance is 12.5 cm, making the phase entrainment reduced to less than 0.1%. When the clearance over the tank bottom is 7 cm and 10 cm, respectively, the quantity of aqueous phase entrainment is better than the case with a clearance of 4 cm. The results show that the stirring paddle close to the mixed phase zone can better promote the two-phase separation.

Metallic vanadium trioxide intercalated with phase transformation for advanced aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries have broad application prospects due to the eco-friendliness,cost-economy and high safety.However,the scarcity of high-performance cathodes with outstanding rate capability and long lifespan has affected their development.Herein,we report a metallic vanadium trioxide material intercalated with phase transformation as cathode applied in aqueous zinc-ion batteries.It offers satisfactory electrochemical performances with a high specific capacity(435 mAh g^(-1) at 0.5 A g^(-1)),decent power density(5.23 kW kg^(-1))and desired energy density(331 Wh kg^(-1)),as well as good cyclability.The superior performance originates from the stable structure and fast Zn^(2+)diffusion,enabled by the pre-intercalation of Zn^(2+)and water molecules.

Inhibiting the phase transition of WO_(3)for highly stable aqueous electrochromic battery

Aqueous electrochromic battery(ECB)has shown intense potential for achieving energy storage and saving simultaneously.While tungsten oxide(WO_(3))is the most promising EC material for commercialization,the cycling stability of WO_(3)-based aqueous ECBs is currently unsatisfactory due to the repeated phase transition during the redox process and the corrosion by acidic electrolytes.Herein,we present a titanium-tungsten oxide alloy(Ti-WO_(3))with controllable morphology and crystal phase synthesized by a facile hot injection method to overcome the challenges.In contrast to conventional monoclinic WO_(3),the Ti-WO_(3)nanorods can stably maintain their cubic crystal phase during the redox reaction in an acidic electrolyte,thus leading to dramatically enhanced response speed and cycling stability,Specifically,when working in a well-matched hybrid Al^(3+)/Zn^(2+)aqueous electrolyte,our phasetransition-free cubic Ti-WO_(3)exhibits an ultra-high cycling stability(>20000 cycles),fast response speed(3,95 s/4,65 s for bleaching/coloring),as well as excellent discharge areal capacity of 214.5 mA h m^(-2),We further fabricate a fully complementa ry aqueous electrochromic device,for the first time,using a Ti-WO_(3)/Prussian blue device architecture.Remarkably,the complementary ECB shows>10000 stable operation cycles,attesting to the feasibility of our Ti-WO_(3)for practical applications.Our work validates the significance of inhibiting the phase transitions of WO_(3)during the electrochromic process for realizing highly cyclable aqueous ECB,which can possibly provide a generalized design guidance for other high-quality metallic oxides for electrochemical applications.

Stability and activity of carbon nanofiber-supported catalysts in the aqueous phase reforming of ethylene glycol

Nickel, cobalt, copper and platinum nanoparticles supported on carbon nano-fibers were evaluated with respect to their stability, catalytic activity and selectivity in the aqueous phase reforming of ethylene glycol （230 ℃, autogenous pressure, batch reactor）. The initial surface-specific activities for ethylene glycol reforming were in a similar range but decreased in the order of Pt （15.5 h-1 ） 〉Co（13.0 h 1 ） 〉Ni（5.2 h-1） while the Cu catalyst only showed low dehydrogenation activity. The hydrogen molar selectivity decreased in the order of Pt （53%）〉Co（21%）〉Ni （15%） as a result of the production of methane over the latter two catalysts. Over the Co catalyst acids were formed in the liquid phase while alcohols were formed over Ni and Pt. Due to the low pH of the reaction mixture, especially in the case of Co （as a result of the formed acids）, significant cobalt leaching occurs which resulted in a rapid deactivation of this catalyst. Investigations of the spent catalysts with various techniques showed that metal particle growth is responsible for the deactivation of the Pt and Ni catalysts. In addition, coking might also contribute to the deactivation of the Ni catalyst.

Vanadium oxide nanospheres encapsulated in N-doped carbon nanofibers with morphology and defect dual-engineering toward advanced aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Vanadium-based electrodes are regarded as attractive cathode materials in aqueous zinc ion batteries(ZIBs)caused by their high capacity and unique layered structure.However,it is extremely challenging to acquire high electrochemical performance owing to the limited electronic conductivity,sluggish ion kinetics,and severe volume expansion during the insertion/extraction process of Zn^(2+).Herein,a series of V_(2)O_(3)nanospheres embedded N-doped carbon nanofiber structures with various V_(2)O_(3)spherical morphologies(solid,core-shell,hollow)have been designed for the first time by an electrospinning technique followed thermal treatments.The N-doped carbon nanofibers not only improve the electrical conductivity and the structural stability,but also provides encapsulating shells to prevent the vanadium dissolution and aggregation of V_(2)O_(3)particles.Furthermore,the varied morphological structures of V_(2)O_(3)with abundant oxygen vacancies can alleviate the volume change and increase the Zn^(2+)pathway.Besides,the phase transition between V_(2)O_(3)and Zn_XV_(2)O_(5-m)·n H_(2)O in the cycling was also certified.As a result,the as-obtained composite delivers excellent long-term cycle stability and enhanced rate performance for coin cells,which is also confirmed through density functional theory(DFT)calculations.Even assembled into flexible ZIBs,the sample still exhibits superior electrochemical performance,which may afford new design concept for flexible cathode materials of ZIBs.

Mixed phase sodium manganese oxide as cathode for enhanced aqueous zinc-ion storage

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries have been regarded as a promising alternative to large-scale energy storage, due to associated low-cost, improved safety and environmental friendliness. However, a high-performance cathode material for both rate capability and specific capacity is still a challenge. One kind of the more promising candidates are sodium manganese oxide(NMO) materials, although they suffer from individual issues and need to be further improved. Herein, we present a novel mixed phase NMO material composed of nearly equal amounts of Na(0.55)Mn2O4 and Na(0.7)MnO(2.05). The structured configuration with particle size of 200–500 nm is found to be beneficial towards improving the ion diffusion rate during the charge/discharge process. Compared with Na(0.7)MnO(2.05) and Na(0.55)Mn2O4, the mixed phase NMO demonstrates an enhanced rate capability and excellent long-term cycling stability with a capacity retention of 83% after 800 cycles. More importantly, the system also delivers an impressive energy density and power density, as 378 W·h·kg^-1 at 68.7 W·kg^-1, or 172 W·h·kg^-1 at 1705 W·kg^-1. The superior electrochemical performance is ascribed to the fast Zn^2+ diffusion rate because of a large ratio of capacitive contribution(63.9% at 0.9 m V·s^-1). Thus, the mixed phase route provides a novel strategy to enhance electrochemical performance, enabling mixed phase NMO as very promising material towards large-scale energy-storage applications.

ITO nano-powders prepared by microwave-assisted co-precipitation in aqueous phase

By using microwave-assisted co-precipitation in aqueous phase, adding surface activation agent PEG-6000 into the mixture of InCl3 solution and SnCl4 solution, and dropping the ammonia solution with the density (volume ratio) of 1-0 to 1-4, ITO precursor was prepared at different reaction system temperatures of 35 ℃-85 ℃, then ITO nano-powder was obtained after it was calcinated at 800 ℃ for 1 h. The morphology of ITO nano-powder was characterized by SEM and its electrical conductivity was determined by conductivity meter. The effects of different temperatures and ammonia concentration in microwave-assisted reaction system on its morphology and electric conductivity were discussed. The experimental results indicate that with the dilution of the ammonia solution or the rise of reacting system temperature, the morphology of ITO particles is transformed from spherical to rod-like one with the decline of its electric conductivity. And the electric conductivity of ITO nano-powders with spherical morphology is higher than that of ITO nano-powders with rod-like morphology.

Novel Vesicular Aqueous Two-Phase Systems

The interesting phenopmena of two aqueous phases coexisting in dilute aqueous solutions of sodium undecenoate-dodecyltrimethylammo brodride ndxture and sodium laurate-dodecyltrimethylammonium brondde mixture were investigated. Vesicles existing in both phases were shown by TEM images. The vesicles are dispersed in lower phase and flocculated in upper phase. Multilamellar structure of vesicles was found in the upper phase of sodium laurate-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide system.

Partitioning and purification of extracellular β-1,3-1,4-glucanase in aqueous two-phase systems

The partition behaviors of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase, α-amylase and neutral proteases from clarified and whole fermentation broths of Bacillus subtilis ZJF-1A5 were investigated. An aqueous two-phase system （polyethylene glycol （PEG）/MgSO4） was examined with regard to the effects of PEG molecular weight （MW） and concentration, MgSO4 concentration, pH and NaC1 concentration on enzyme partition and extraction. The MW and concentration of PEG were found to have significant effects on enzyme partition and extraction with low MW PEG showing the greatest benefit in the partition and extraction of β-glucanase with the PEG/MgSO4 system. MgSO4 concentration influenced the partition and extraction of β-glucanase significantly, pH had little effect on β-glucanase or proteases partition but affected a-amylase partition when pH was over 7.0. The addition of NaCl had little effect on the partition behavior of β-glucanase but had very significant effects on the partitioning of α-amylase and on the neutral proteases. The partition behaviors of β-glucanase, α-amylase and proteases in whole broth were also investigated and results were similar to those obtained with clarified fermentation broth. A two-step process for purifying β-glucanase was developed, which achieved β-glucanase recovery of 65.3% and specific activity of 14027 U/mg, 6.6 times improvement over the whole broth.

Effect of two-step solid solution on microstructure andδphase precipitation of Inconel 718 alloy

Inconel 718 is the most popular nickel-based superalloy and is extensively used in aerospace,automotive,and energy indus-tries owing to its extraordinary thermomechanical properties.The effects of different two-step solid solution treatments on microstructure andδphase precipitation of Inconel 718 alloy were studied,and the transformation mechanism fromγ″metastable phase toδphase was clarified.The precipitates were statistically analyzed by X-ray diffractometry.The results show that theδphase content firstly increased,and then decreased with the temperature of the second-step solid solution.The changes in microstructure andδphase were studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.An intragranularδphase formed in Inconel 718 alloy at the second-[100]_(δ)[011]γ step solid solution temperature of 925℃,and its orientation relationship withγmatrix was determined as//and(010)_(δ)//(111)γ.Furthermore,the Vickers hardness of different heat treatment samples was measured,and the sample treated by second-step solid solution at 1010℃ reached the maximum hardness of HV 446.84.

An aqueous BiI_(3)-Zn battery with dual mechanisms of Zn^(2+)(de)intercalation and I^(-)/I_(2)redox

The development of aqueous battery with dual mechanisms is now arousing more and more interest.The dual mechanisms of Zn^(2+)(de)intercalation and I^(-)/I_(2)redox bring unexpected effects.Herein,differing from previous studies using Zn I_(2)additive,this work designs an aqueous Bi I_(3)-Zn battery with selfsupplied I^(-).Ex situ tests reveal the conversion of Bi I_(3)into Bi(discharge)and Bi OI(charge)at the 1st cycle and the dissolved I^(-)in electrolyte.The active I^(-)species enhances the specific capacity and discharge medium voltage of electrode as well as improves the generation of Zn dendrite and by-product.Furthermore,the porous hard carbon is introduced to enhance the electronic/ionic conductivity and adsorb iodine species,proven by experimental and theoretical studies.Accordingly,the well-designed Bi I_(3)-Zn battery delivers a high reversible capacity of 182 m A h g^(-1)at 0.2 A g^(-1),an excellent rate capability with 88 m A h g^(-1)at 10 A g^(-1),and an impressive cyclability with 63%capacity retention over 20 K cycles at 10 A g^(-1).An excellent electrochemical performance is obtained even at a high mass loading of 6 mg cm^(-2).Moreover,a flexible quasi-solid-state Bi I_(3)-Zn battery exhibits satisfactory battery performances.This work provides a new idea for designing high-performance aqueous battery with dual mechanisms.

Renewable Hydrogen Produced from Different Renewable Feedstock by Aqueous-Phase Reforming Process

Aqueous phase reforming (APR) of biomass derived feedstock producing hydrogen was reviewed. The APR process was discussed based on different feedstock categories such as sugars, polyols and ethanol. The mechanism of APR was analyzed referring to different structures of feedstock. The reaction pathways of APR were investigated. The usage of catalysts should be judged by feedstock on the requirement including C-C bond cleavage, water-gas shift (WGS) reaction, and catalyst maintenance. The prospects were concluded based on the recent works from bimetallic catalysts and high efficient supports. Examples of significant challenges of reducing catalyst cost and increasing catalyst stability have been discussed. The modification and utilization of alkane selectivity of APR processes for liquid fuel production was also investigated.

Chlorine-radical Induced Oxidation of Glyoxal and Glyoxal-S(IV) Adducts in the Aqueous Phase

A laser flash photolysis study of the reactivity of Cl˙with glyoxal, glyoxal mono- and dibisulfite adducts, 1-hydroxy-2, 2-diol-ethanesulfonate and 1, 2-dihydroxy-1, 2-ethanedi sulfonate in the aqueous phase was carried out. The obtained rate constants can be used for atmospheric modeling.

Reaction mechanism of aqueous-phase conversion of γ-valerolactone(GVL) over a Ru/C catalyst

The present work explores the reaction pathways of γ-valerolactone(GVL) over a supported ruthenium catalyst. The conversion of GVL in aqueous phase over a 5% Ru/C catalyst was investigated in a batch reactor operating at 463 K under 500–1000 psi of H2. The main reaction products obtained under these conditions were 2-butanol(2-BuOH), 1,4-pentanediol(1,4-PDO), 2-methyltetrahydrofuran(2-MTHF) and 2-pentanol(2-PeOH). A complete reaction network was developed, identifying the primary and/or secondary products. In this reaction network, production of 2-BuOH via decarbonylation of a ring-opened surface intermediate CH3CH(O*)–(CH2)2–CO*is clearly the dominant pathway. From the evolution of products as a function of reaction time and theoretical(DFT) calculations, a mechanism for the formation of intermediates and products is proposed. The high sensitivity of 2-BuOH production to the presence of CO, compared to a much lower effect on the production of the other products indicates that the sites responsible for decarbonylation are particularly prone to CO adsorption and poisoning. Also, since the decarbonylation rate is not affected by the H2 pressure it is concluded that the direct decarbonylation path of the CH3CH(O*)–(CH2)2–CO*intermediate does not required a previous dehydrogenation step, as is the case in decarbonylation of short alcohols.

Effects of Hydrophobicity of Ethylene Oxide-Propylene Oxide Copolymers on Phase Diagrams of Aqueous Two-Phase Systems and Partition Behaviors of Cephalexin and 7-Aminodeacetoxicephalos-poranic Acid

A series of ethylene oxide (EO)-propylene oxide (PO) randomco-polymers (EOPO) were used to form aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS)with ammonium sulfate. Effects of EOPO's properties on the phaseseparation behaviors and on the partition of cephalexin and7-aminodesacetoxicephalosporanic acid (7-ADCA) in ATPS wereinvestigated. Both the molar mass and molar ratio of EO to PO of EOPOcould greatly influence partition behaviors of cephalexin and 7-ADCAas well as the binodal curve of ATPS.

Phase evolution of plasma sprayed Al_2O_3-13%TiO_2 coatings derived from nanocrystalline powders

Commercial nanosized alumina and titania particles were selected as raw materials to prepare the blended slurry with composition of A1203-13%TiO2 （mass fraction）, which were reconstituted into micrometer-sized granules by spray drying, subsequently sintering at different temperatures to form nanostructured feedstock for thermal spraying, and then A1203-13%TiO2 nanocoatings were deposited by plasma spraying. The evolution of morphology, microstructure, and phase transformation of the agglomerated powder and as-sprayed coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results show that A1203 retains the same a phase as the raw material during sintering, while TiO2 changes from anatase to futile. During plasma spraying, some a-A1203 phases solidify to form metastable y-A1203, and the volume fraction of a-A1203 decreases as CPSP increases. However, peaks of the TiO2 phase are not observed from the as-sprayed coatings except for the coatings sprayed at the lower CPSP. As the CPSP increases, nanostructured TiO2 is dissolved easily in y-A1203 or z-A1203＇TiO2 phase. After heat treatment, y-A1203 in the coatings transforms to a-A1203, and rutile is precipitated.