Coupling interface constructions of hollow Co-Mo mixed multiple oxidation states heterostructure for high-performance aprotic Li-O_(2) battery

Constructing interfaces in heterostructures is effective for modulating the electronic properties of electrocatalysts.The hollow CoMoO_(4)-Co_(3)O_(4) heterostructure(HCMCH)was prepared as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for Li-O_(2) battery.The different components in CoMoO_(4)-Co_(3)O_(4) heterostructure presented the efficient coupling and enhanced the electrocatalytic activity for aprotic oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER),in which it improved the obviously reduced overpotential of 300 mV(compared with the pure Ketjen black(KB)electrode),enhanced reversibility of 80%capacity retention after 6 full cycles and the superior cyclability of more than 200 cycles with an optimized strategy.The battery performance of the HCMCH was not only associated with the unique hollow structure and rich active sites but also with coupling interface constructions synergetic effects attaching to the improving conductivity and optimized the discharge conversion.These results suggested that this HCMCH electrocatalyst was a promising candidate for the Li-O_(2) battery and it gave a novel insight for high performance electrocatalyst designing.

Monitoring and engineering interface coupling between monolayer WS_(2)and substrate through controllably introducing interfacial strain

The interface properties in two-dimensional(2D)layered materials and their van der Waals(vdW)homo-/heterostructures are of importance in both uncovering novel physical phenomena and optimizing device performance.Despite considerable research interest and enthusiasm direct toward the interlayer coupling in 2D homo-and heterostructures,there is limited research on the coupling at the 2D layered material-substrate interface.This limitation is due to the challenges in achieving direct detection.Currently,the coupling mechanisms at the 2D layered material-substrate interface is ambiguous,which needs greater attention.In this study,we have systematically investigated the interface coupling between monolayer WS_(2)and its supported substrates using high-temperature and high-vacuum in-situ Raman spectroscopy through monitoring the low-frequency Raman mode of monolayer WS_(2).Our findings reveal that both interfacial spacing and strain can significantly affect the coupling strength between the monolayer WS_(2)and the supported substrate.More notably,we found that the strategic introduction of appropriate interfacial strain can effectively enhance the interface coupling.Consequently,we have succeeded in achieving effective regulation of the sample-substrate coupling via a convenient way of controlling the cooling process during annealing.Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the coupling correlation between 2D layered materials and substrates,which is of great significance for the design and optimization of high-performance devices based on 2D layered semiconductors.

Enhancing catalytic toluene oxidation over MnO2@Co3O4 by constructing a coupled interface

Herein,a bottom-down design is presented to successfully fabricate ZIF-derived Co3O4,grown in situ on a one-dimensional(1D)α-MnO2 material,denoted as α-MnO2@Co3O4.The synergistic effect derived from the coupled interface constructed betweenα-MnO2 and Co3O4 is responsible for the enhanced catalytic activity.The resultantα-MnO2@Co3O4 catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity at a T90%(temperature required to achieve a toluene conversion of 90%)of approximately 229℃,which is 47 and 28℃ lower than those of the pureα-MnO2 nanowire and Co3O4-b obtained via pyrolysis of ZIF-67,respectively.This activity is attributed to the increase in the number of surface-adsorbed oxygen species,which accelerate the oxygen mobility and enhance the redox pairs of Mn^4+/Mn^3+ and Co^2+/Co^3+.Moreover,the result of in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy suggests that the gaseous oxygen could be more easily activated to adsorbed oxygen species on the surface of α-MnO2@Co3O4 than on that of α-MnO2.The catalytic reaction route of toluene oxidation over theα-MnO2@Co3O4 catalyst is as follows:toluene→benzoate species→alkanes containing oxygen functional group→CO2 and H2O.In addition,the α-MnO2@Co3O4 catalyst shows excellent stability and good water resistance for toluene oxidation.Furthermore,the preparation method can be extended to other 1D MnO2 materials.A new strategy for the development of high-performance catalysts of practical significance is provided.

Formulations of a hydromechanical interface element

A hydromechanical interface element is proposed for the consideration of the hydraulic-mechanical coupling effect along the interface.The fully coupled governing equations and the relevant finite element formulations are derived in detail for the interface element.All the involved matrices are of the same form as those of a solid element,which makes the incorporation of the model into a finite element program straightforward.Three examples are then numerically simulated using the interface element.Reasonable results confirm the correctness of the proposed model and motivate its application in hydromechanical contact problems in the future.

Magnetoelectric effects in multiferroic laminated plates with imperfect interfaces

Two-dimensional （2D） equations for multiferroic （MF） laminated plates with imperfect interfaces are established in this paper. The interface between two adjacent sublayers, which are not perfectly bonded together, is modeled as a general spring-type layer. The mechanical displacements, and the electric and magnetic potentials of the two adjacent layers are assumed to be discontinuous at the interface. As an example, the influences of imperfect interfaces on the magnetoelectric （ME） coupling effects in an MF sandwich plate are investigated with the established 2D governing equations. Numerical results show that the imperfect interfaces have a significant impact on the ME coupling effects in MF laminated structures.

Integration of 2D layered CdS/WO_(3) S-scheme heterojunctions and metallic Ti_(3)C_(2) MXene-based Ohmic junctions for effective photocatalytic H_(2) generation

The rapid recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs,insufficient active sites,and strong photocorrosion have considerably restricted the practical application of Cd S in photocatalytic fields.Herein,we designed and constructed a 2D/2D/2D layered heterojunction photocatalyst with cascaded 2D coupling interfaces.Experiments using electron spin resonance spectroscopy,ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy,and in-situ irradiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were conducted to confirm the 2D layered CdS/WO_(3) step-scheme(S-scheme)heterojunctions and CdS/MX ohmic junctions.Impressively,it was found that the strong interfacial electric fields in the S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts could effectively promote spatially directional charge separation and transport between CdS and WO_(3) nanosheets.In addition,2D Ti_(3)C_(2) MXene nanosheets with a smaller work function and excellent metal conductivity when used as a co-catalyst could build ohmic junctions with Cd S nanosheets,thus providing a greater number of electron transfer pathways and hydrogen evolution sites.Results showed that the highest visible-light hydrogen evolution rate of the optimized MX-Cd S/WO_(3) layered multi-heterostructures could reach as high as 27.5 mmol/g/h,which was 11.0 times higher than that of pure CdS nanosheets.Notably,the apparent quantum efficiency reached 12.0% at 450 nm.It is hoped that this study offers a reliable approach for developing multifunctional photocatalysts by integrating S-scheme and ohmic-junction built-in electric fields and rationally designing a 2D/2D interface for efficient light-to-hydrogen fuel production.

The influence of interface exchange coupling on the demagnetization process for perpendicularly oriented FePt/α-Fe/FePt trilayers

The influence of the interface exchange coupling on the magnetization reversal process for a FePt/α-Fe/FePt tri-layer structure has been studied through a micromagnetic approach.The analytical formula of the nucleation field has been derived.It is found that the nucleation field increases as the interface coupling constant rises.Especially when the thickness of the soft layer is small,the influence of the exchange coupling on the nucleation field is significant.The angular distributions of the magnetization for various exchange coupling constants have been obtained by numerical calculation.It is found that the angular distribution of the magnetization is discontinuous at the interface of the hard and soft layers.In the meantime,the pinning field decreases with the increase of the thickness of the soft layer and the exchange coupling constant.

Ultra-Low-Dose Pre-Metallation Strategy Served for Commercial Metal-Ion Capacitors

Sacrificial pre-metallation strategy could compensate for the irreversible consumption of metal ions and reduce the potential of anode,thereby elevating the cycle performance as well as open-circuit voltage for full metal ion capacitors(MICs).However,suffered from massive-dosage abuse,exorbitant decomposition potential,and side effects of decomposition residue,the wide application of sacrificial approach was restricted.Herein,assisted with density functional theory calculations,strongly coupled interface(M-O-C,M=Li/Na/K)and electron donating group have been put forward to regulate the band gap and highest occupied molecular orbital level of metal oxalate(M_(2)C_(2)O_(4)),reducing polarization phenomenon and Gibbs free energy required for decomposition,which eventually decrease the practical decomposition potential from 4.50 to 3.95 V.Remarkably,full sodium ion capacitors constituted of commercial materials(activated carbon//hard carbon)could deliver a prominent energy density of 118.2 Wh kg^(−1)as well as excellent cycle stability under an ultra-low dosage pre-sodiation reagent of 15-30 wt%(far less than currently 100 wt%).Noteworthily,decomposition mechanism of sacrificial compound and the relative influence on the system of MICs after pre-metallation were initially revealed by in situ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry,offering in-depth insights for comprehending the function of cathode additives.In addition,this breakthrough has been successfully utilized in high performance lithium/potassium ion capacitors with Li_(2)C_(2)O_(4)/K_(2)C_(2)O_(4) as pre-metallation reagent,which will convincingly promote the commercialization of MICs.

Modified two-grid method for solving coupled Navier-Stokes/Darcy model based on Newton iteration

A new decoupled two-gird algorithm with the Newton iteration is proposed for solving the coupled Navier-Stokes/Darcy model which describes a fluid flow filtrating through porous media. Moreover the error estimate is given, which shows that the same order of accuracy can be achieved as solving the system directly in the fine mesh when h = H2. Both theoretical analysis and numerical experiments illustrate the efficiency of the algorithm for solving the coupled problem.

Effect of initial phase on the Rayleigh–Taylor instability of a finite-thickness fluid shell

Rayleigh–Taylor instability(RTI) of finite-thickness shell plays an important role in deep understanding the characteristics of shell deformation and material mixing. The RTI of a finite-thickness fluid layer is studied analytically considering an arbitrary perturbation phase difference on the two interfaces of the shell. The third-order weakly nonlinear(WN) solutions for RTI are derived. It is found the main feature(bubble-spike structure) of the interface is not affected by phase difference. However, the positions of bubble and spike are sensitive to the initial phase difference, especially for a thin shell(kd < 1), which will be detrimental to the integrity of the shell. Furthermore, the larger phase difference results in much more serious RTI growth, significant shell deformation can be obtained in the WN stage for perturbations with large phase difference. Therefore, it should be considered in applications where the interface coupling and perturbation phase effects are important, such as inertial confinement fusion.

Enhanced ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism in Bi_(0.9)Ba_(0.1)FeO_3/La_(2/3)Sr_(1/3)MnO_3 heterostructure grown by pulsed laser deposition

Bi0.9Ba0.lFeO3 （BBFO）/La2/3Srl/3MnO3 （LSMO） heterostructures are fabricated on LaA103 （100） substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Giant remnant polarization value （~ 85 μC/cm2） and large saturated magnetization value （~ 12.4 emu/cm3） for BBFO/LSMO heterostructures are demonstrated at room temperature. Mixed ferroelectric domain structures and low leakage current are observed and in favor of enhanced ferroelectrie properties in the BBFO/LSMO het- erostructures. The magnetic field-dependent magnetization measurements reveal the enhancement in the magnetic moment and improved magnetic hysteresis loop originating from the BBFO/LSMO interface. The heterostructure is proved to be effective in enhancing the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic performances in multiferroic BFO films at room temperature.

The First-Order Comprehensive Sensitivity Analysis Methodology (1^st-CASAM) for Scalar-Valued Responses: II. Illustrative Application to a Heat Transport Benchmark Model

This work illustrates the application of the 1st-CASAM to a paradigm heat transport model which admits exact closed-form solutions. The closed-form expressions obtained in this work for the sensitivities of the temperature distributions within the model to the model’s parameters, internal interfaces and external boundaries can be used to benchmark commercial and production software packages for simulating heat transport. The 1st-CASAM highlights the novel finding that response sensitivities to the imprecisely known domain boundaries and interfaces can arise both from the definition of the system’s response as well as from the equations, interfaces and boundary conditions that characterize the model and its imprecisely known domain. By enabling, in premiere, the exact computations of sensitivities to interface and boundary parameters and conditions, the 1st-CASAM enables the quantification of the effects of manufacturing tolerances on the responses of physical and engineering systems.

Interface-facilitated energy transport in coupled Frenkel-Kontorova chains

The role of interface couplings on the energy transport of two coupled Frenkel-Kontorova （FK） chains is explored through numerical simulations. In general, it is expected that the interface cou- plings result in the suppression of heat conduction through the coupled system due to the additional interface phonon-phonon scattering. In the present paper, it is found that the thermal conductivity increases with increasing intensity of interface interactions for weak inter-chain couplings, whereas the heat conduction is suppressed by the interface interaction in the case of strong inter-chain couplings. Based on the phonon spectral energy density method, we demonstrate that the enhance- ment of energy transport results from the excited phonon modes （in addition to the intrinsic phonon modes）, while the strong interface phonon-phonon scattering results in the suppressed energy transport.

A review on all-perovskite multiferroic tunnel junctions

Although the basic concept was proposed only about 10 years ago,multiferroic tunnel junctions(MFTJs)with a ferroelectric barrier sandwiched between two ferromagnetic electrodes have already drawn considerable interests,driven mainly by its potential applications in multi-level memories and electric field controlled spintronics.The purpose of this article is to review the recent progress of all-perovskite MFTJs.Starting from the key functional properties of the tunneling magnetoresistance,tunneling electroresistance,and tunneling electromagnetoresistance effects,we discuss the main origins of the tunneling electroresistance effect,recent progress in achieving multilevel resistance states in a single device,and the electrical control of spin polarization and transport through the ferroelectric polarization reversal of the tunneling barrier.