Graphene quantum dots as sulfiphilic and lithiophilic mediator toward high stability and durable life lithium-sulfur batteries

The development of lithium-sulfur(Li-S) battery as one of the most attractive energy storage systems among lithium metal batteries is seriously hindered by low sulfur utilization, poor cycle stability and uneven redeposition of Li anode. It is necessary to propose strategies to address the problems as well as improve the electrochemical performance. One of the effective solutions is to improve the sulfiphilicity of sulfur cathode and the lithiophilicity of the Li anode. Herein, we reported that a synergistic functional separator(graphene quantum dots(GQDs)-polyacrylonitrile(PAN) @polypropylene(PP) separator)improved the electrochemical activity of sulfur cathode as well as the stability of Li anode. GQDs induced uniform Li^(+)nucleation and deposition, which slowed down the passivation of Li anode and avoided shortcircuit. Further, three-dimensional network constructed by electrospinning nanofibers and the polar functional groups of GQDs could both effectively inhibit the shuttle of LiPSs and improve the sulfur utilization. The stability of Li-S battery was improved by the synergistic effect. In addition, GQDs and electrospinning nanofibers protector increased lifetime of separators. Benefiting from the unique design strategy, Li//Li symmetric battery with GQDs-PAN@PP separators exhibited stably cycling for over 600 h. More importantly, the Li-S full batteries based GQDs-PAN@PP separators enabled high stability and desirable sulfur electrochemistry, including high reversibility of 558.09 mA h g^(-1)for 200 cycles and durable life with a low fading rate of 0.075% per cycle after 500 cycles at 0.5 C. Moreover, an impressive areal capacity of 3.23 mA h cm^(-2)was maintained under high sulfur loading of 5.10 mg cm^(-2). This work provides a new insight for modification separator to improve the electrochemical performance of Li-S/Li metal batteries.

Modeling Boundary and Edge Effect of Chloride Diffusion for Durability Design of Concrete Structures Exposed in Marine Environment

According to the Fick＇s second law of diffusion, six analytical solutions of chloride profile in concrete were studied and discussed with regard to different boundary and initial conditions. In those analytical solutions, the most prevailing error-function solution which is based on semi-infinite assumption is the simple one, but may under-estimate the chloride content in concrete and over-rate the life time prediction of concrete structures. The experimental results show that compared with other solutions, the chloride content in concrete predicted by error-function model is the minimum, and the calculation difference produced by different analytical models should not be ignored. The influence of models on chloride content prediction is more than other environment and material coefficients in some time. In order to get a more realistic prediction model, modification to error-function model is suggested based on analysis and calculation examples concerning the boundary and edge effect.

Experimental Investigation on Contribution of CFRP Attachment to Durability of Reinforced Concrete Structure Subjected to Chloride Attack

The function of externally-bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer （CFRP） in preventing chloride from entering into concrete is verified by experiment. The results show that externally-bonded CFRP can be considered as a part of corrosion prevention system of strengthened concrete structures subjected to chloride ingress, and the contribution of CFRP should be considered in evaluation of durability of reinforced concrete structures with externally-bonded CFRP. With the effective shielding function of CFRP considered, an equation for residual lifetime prediction of concrete structures with externally-bonded CFRP is derived from Fick＇s dispersion law. CFRP has two functions for coastal concrete structures, including strengthening and increasing durability as part of corrosion prevention system.

Safety estimation of high-pressure hydraulic cylinder using FSI method

Hydraulic cylinder is a primary component of the hydraulic valve systems.The numerical study of hydraulic cylinder to evaluate the stress analysis,the life assessment and the performance of operation characteristics in hydraulic cylinder were described.The calculation of safety factor,fatigue life,piston chamber pressure,rod chamber pressure and the change of velocity of piston with flow time after the beginning of hydraulic cylinder were incorporated.Numerical analysis was performed using the commercial CFD code,ANSYS with unsteady,dynamic mesh model,two-way FSI(fluid-structure interaction)method and k-εturbulent model.The internal pressure in hydraulic cylinder through stress analysis show higher than those of the yield strength.