Superfast and solvent-free core-shell assembly of sulfur/carbon active particles by hail-inspired nanostorm technology for high-energy-density Li-S batteries

The demand on low-carbon emission fabrication technologies for energy storage materials is increasing dramatically with the global interest on carbon neutrality.As a promising active material for metal-sulfur batteries,sulfur is of great interest due to its high-energy-density and abundance.However,there is a lack of industry-friendly and low-carbon fabrication strategies for high-performance sulfur-based active particles,which,however,is in critical need by their practical success.Herein,based on a hail-inspired sulfur nano-storm(HSN)technology developed in our lab,we report an energy-saving,solvent-free strategy for producing core-shell sulfur/carbon electrode particles(CNT@AC-S)in minutes.The fabrication of the CNT@AC-S electrode particles only involves low-cost sulfur blocks,commercial carbon nanotubes(CNT)and activated carbon(AC)micro-particles with high specific surface area.Based on the above core-shell CNT@AC-S particles,sulfur cathode with a high sulfur-loading of 9.2 mg cm^(-2) delivers a stable area capacity of 6.6 mAh cm^(-2) over 100 cycles.Furthermore,even for sulfur cathode with a super-high sulfur content(72 wt%over the whole electrode),it still delivers a high area capacity of 9 mAh cm^(-2) over50 cycles in a quasi-lean electrolyte condition.In a nutshell,this study brings a green and industryfriendly fabrication strategy for cost-effective production of rationally designed S-rich electrode particles.

Effect of minor Sc and Zr addition on microstructure and properties of ultra-high strength aluminum alloy

The Al-9Zn-2.8Mg-2.5Cu-xZr-ySc alloys （x=0, 0.15%, 0.15%; y=0, 0.05%, 0.15%）, produced by low-frequent electromagnetic casting technology, were subjected to homogenization treatment, hot extrusion, solution and aging treatment. The effects of minor Sc and Zr addition on microstructure, recrystallization and properties of alloys were studied by optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that Sc and Zr addition can refine grains of the as-cast alloy by precipitation of primary Al3（Sc,Zr） particles formed during solidification as heterogeneous nuclei. Secondary Al3（Sc,Zr） precipitates formed during homogenization treatment strongly pin the movement of dislocation and subgrain boundaries, which can effectively inhibit the alloys recrystallization. Compared with the alloy without Sc and Zr addition, the Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr alloy with 0.05%Sc and 0.15%Zr shows the increase in tensile strength and yield strength by 172 MPa and 218 MPa, respectively. Strengthening comes from the contributions of precipitation, substructure and grain refining.

About Radiation in ^natGd for Neutron Capture Therapy

In the present work, based on publications dedicated to ^natGd natural gadolinium isotopes, characteristics of secondary particles are analysed in details for various neutron-induced reactions. Characteristics of the secondary particles produced in these reactions that make significant contribution to absorbed dose are estimated. It is also established that the main contribution to the absorbed dose is made by secondary particles produced in interactions of neutrons and ^155Gd and ^157Gd isotopes. From comparison of gamma-radiation spectra it is defined that the amount of γ-quanta with energies 0-400 keV （i.e. effective γ-quanta） produced in the （n,γ）-reaction by ^155Gd is higher than that by ^157Gd. Compared spectra of other particles （internal conversion electrons, Auger electrons, x-ray radiation） have shown that earlier used average values of their energy must be defined more precisely. When biological objects are irradiated for approximately 30 minutes by epithermal neutrons in the ^natGd NCT （Gadolinium-based neutron-capture therapy）, one should take into account energies of secondary particles produced by ^152Gd, ^154Gd, ^156Gd, ^158Gd and ^160Gd isotopes as they have high linear energy transfer （LET）. It is demonstrated that when combined, all these secondary particles can make significant contribution to the absorbed dose at neutron-irradiation of biological objects by the ^natGd NCT technique.

Solidification behavior of 6061 wrought aluminum alloy during rheo-diecasting process with self-inoculation method

The semisolid slurry of the 6061 wrought aluminum alloy was prepared by the self-inoculation method（SIM）. The effects of the isothermal holding parameters on microstructures of rheo-diecastings were investigated, and the solidification behavior of 6061 wrought aluminum alloy during the rheo-diecasting process was analyzed using OM, SEM, EDS and EBSD. The results indicate that the isothermal holding process during slurry preparation has great effect on primary α（Al） particles（α1）, but has little effect on the microstructure of secondary solidification in the process of thin-walled rheo-diecasting. Nucleation is expected to take place in the entire remaining liquid when the remaining liquid fills the die cavity, and the secondary solidification particles（α2） are formed after the process of stable growth, unstable growth and merging. The solute concentration of remaining liquid is higher than that of the original alloy due to the existence of α1 particles, hence the contents of Mg and Si in α2 particles are higher than those in α1 particles.

Effects of microstructural heterogeneity on fatigue properties of cast aluminum alloys

Cast Al alloys are widely employed for engine components,structural parts,gear box,chassis,etc.and subjected to mechanical cyclic load during operation.The accurate fatigue life prediction of these alloys is essential for normal operation as fatigue cracks initiated during operation induce the lubrication oil leak and serious safety hazard.Microstructural heterogeneity,including shrinkage/gaspores and secondary phase particles,is the most detrimental factor that affects fatigue life of cast Al alloys.The approximate fatigue life cycles could be estimated based on the size distribution and locations of shrinkage pores/defects.The relationship between crack population and stress was reported by statistical distributions and the cumulative probability for cast Al alloys fail at a certain stress could be predicted by combination of Paris law and pore size distribution.Pore depth was found to dominate the stress field around the pore on the surface and the maximum stress increases sharply when the pore intercepted with the surface at its top.The microstructure of cast Al alloys usually is composed of primary Al dendrites,eutectic silicon,Fe-rich particles and other intermetallic particles are dependent upon alloy composition and heat treatment.The coalescence of microcracks initiated from the fractured secondary phases was clearly found and can accelerate the initiation and propagation of the fatigue cracks.A link between defect features and the fatigue strength needs to be established through a good understanding of the fatigue damage mechanisms associated with the microstructural features under specific loading conditions.This paper reviews the influences of shrinkage/gaspores and secondary phase particles,formed during casting process,on the fatigue life of Al-Si-Mg cast Al alloys.

Promoting sludge granulation by putting xonotlite into the UASB reactors during starting-up stage

Four reactors of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) were concurrentlyoperated to examine the effects of the xonotlite secondary particles on promoting the sludgegranulation during the starting-up stage at room temperature. The results show that the putting ofthe xonotlite secondary particles into the UASB reactors can increase the basicity of the reactingliquid significantly. The particles can act as the media for biomass accumulation. Thus, thegranulation process of the sludge within the reactor can be largely promoted by the specialperformances of the particles both in physical and chemical aspects.

Nano-refinement of the face-centered cubic Zr(Fe,Cr)_(2)secondary phase particles in Zircaloy-4 alloy via localized-shearing/bending-driven fracture under high-temperature compression

Nanoparticles are extensively introduced to improve the mechanical,physical,and chemical properties of alloys.In the present study,the underlying nano-refinement mechanisms of face-centered cubic Zr(Fe,Cr)_(2)secondary phase particles(SPPs)that precipitated in Zircaloy-4 alloy under high-temperature compression were investigated in detail by utilizing high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM)and conventional TEM techniques.The frequently observed Zr(Fe,Cr)_(2)SPPs were incoherent with the matrix and exhibited brittle fracture behaviors without measurable plasticity.HRTEM observations revealed two mechanisms underlying the nano-refinement of incoherent micro-sized SPPs via localized shear fracture on{11¯2}SPP and nanoprecipitate-assisted bending fracture,respectively.The latter was,for the first time,found to occur when the movements of large SPPs were blocked by nanometer-sized SPP during alloy deformation.Accordingly,two force models were proposed to visualize their potential nano-refinement processes.The knowledge attained from this study sheds new light on the deformation behaviors of Zr(Fe,Cr)_(2)SPPs and their associated size refinement mechanisms under high-temperature compression,and is expected to greatly benefit the process optimization of zirconium alloys to achieve precipitate nano-refinement.

Effects of seed particles Al2O3, Al2（SO4）3 and H2SO4 on secondary organic aerosol

Seed particles Al2O3, Al2（SO4）3 and H2SO4 were selected to investigate their effects on secondary aerosol （SA） formation in toluene/NOx photooxidation under sulfur dioxide （SO2） and ammonia （NH3）. Effect of seed particles on SA formation was related to their acid-base properties and the presence of acid or alkaline gases. Under NH3-poor condition, SA formation increased with increasing SO2 concentration due to the acid-catalyzing effect of the oxidation products of SO2 （i.e. H2SO4）, The enhancing effect of SO2 became unobvious under NH3-rieh condition, because NH3 would eliminate the acid-catalyzing effect by neutralizing the acid products. Acidic seeds H2SO4 accelerated SA formation under either SO2 or NH3 condition. Weak acidic Al2（SO4）3 seeds didn＇t affect obviously on SA formation. The inhibiting effect of amphoteric seeds Al2O3 on SA formation was related to the presence of SO2 / NH3 due to their acid-base property. Under NH3-poor condition, the inhibiting effect of Al2O3 on SA formation decreased with increasing concentration of SO2, while under NH3-rich condition, the inhibiting effect wasn＇t remarkable.

Composition and mixing state of water soluble inorganic ions during hazy days in a background region of North China

Knowledge of haze particles in background areas of North China is limited, although they have been studied well in urban settings. Atmospheric aerosol particles were collected at a background site in the North China Plain during 16–31 January, 2011. Water soluble inorganic ions of PM2.5 and physicochemical characteristics of individual particles on hazy and clean days were measured by Ion Chromatography(IC) and Transmission Electron Microscopy(TEM), respectively. Average PM2.5 mass concentration was 50.4±29.9 μg m?3 with 62.5±26.8 μg m?3 on hazy days and 19.9±11.5 μg m?3 on clean days. SO42?, NO3?, and NH4+ with a combined mass concentration of 19.0±11.5 μg m?3 accounted for 69.8%–89.4% of the total water soluble inorganic ions. Size distributions of SO42? and NH4+ showed one unimodal peak at 0.56–1.8 μm on hazy days, whereas NO3? appeared as bimodal peaks at 0.56–1.8 and 5.6–10 μm, respectively. Individual particle analyses showed that the dominant aerosols were a mixture of sulfate, nitrate, and carbonaceous species, which together determine their mixing states. 48-h air mass back trajectories on hazy days suggested that air masses crossed the polluted continental areas(such as Jing-jin-ji region and Shandong province) and entrained ground air pollutants 11–19 hours before reaching the background area. During long-range transport particles undergo ageing and tend to be internally mixed mainly due to condensation in the background atmosphere. Our results suggest that hygroscopic and optical properties of these aerosol particles in the background area differ substantially from those in urban areas.

Temporal evolution of charged and neutral nanoparticle concentrations during atmospheric new particle formation events and its implications for ion-induced nucleation

Time series of nanoparticle number concentration during new particle formation （NPF） events in the urban environment of Brisbane, Australia, showed that the formation of charged particles often occurred before that of neutral particles. We monitored 241 days during the calendar year 2012 over which NPF events were observed on 108 days. We studied the times at which the charged and neutral particle concentrations in the size range 1.8-3.2 nm reached their peak values and found that they were clearly different in 50 events with the peak neutral particle concentration lagging behind the charged particle concentration during 42 of these events with a mean time lag of 245-12 rain. While the charged particles were more likely to form before the neutral particles, once lbrmed, the growth rate of the particles did not depend on their charge. While ion-induced nucleation is not the dominant mechanism of NPF in the atmosphere, our observations suggest that the presence of ions in the atmosphere plays a role that cannot be ignored.

Haze insights and mitigation in China: An overview

The present article provides an overview of the chemical and physical features of haze in China, focusing on the relationship between haze and atmospheric fine particles, and the formation mechanism of haze. It also summarizes several of control technologies and strategies to mitigate the occurrence of haze. The development of instruments and the analysis of measurements of ambient particles and precursor concentrations have provided important information about haze formation. Indeed, the use of new instruments has greatly facilitated current haze research in China. Examples of insightful results include the relationship between fine particles and haze, the chemical compositions and sources of particles, the impacts of the aging process on haze formation, and the application of technologies that control the formation of haze. Based on these results, two relevant issues need to be addressed： understanding the relationship between haze and fine particles and understanding how to control PM2.5.

Occurrence,evolution and degradation of heavy haze events in Beijing traced by iodine-127 and iodine-129 in aerosols

Heavy haze events have become a serious environment and health problem in China and many developing countries,especially in big cities,like Beijing.However,the factors and processes triggered the formation of secondary particles from the gaseous pollutants are still not clear,and the processes driving evolution and degradation of heavy haze events are not well understood.Iodine isotopes(127Ⅰand129Ⅰ)as tracers were analyzed in time series aerosol samples collected from Beijing.It was observed that the127Ⅰconcentrations in aerosols peaked during the heavy haze events.The conversion of gaseous iodine to particular iodine oxides through photochemical reactions provides primary nuclei in nucleation and formation of secondary air particles,which was strengthened as the external iodine input from the fossil fuel burning in the south/southeast industrial cities and consequentially induced heavy haze events.Anthropogenic ^(129)Ⅰconcentrations peaked during clean air conditions and showed high levels in spring and later autumn compared to that in summer.^(129)Ⅰoriginated from the direct air discharges and re-emissions from contaminated seawaters by the European nuclear fuel reprocessing plants was transported to Beijing by the interaction of Westerlies and East Asian winter monsoon.Three types of mechanisms were found in the formation and evolution of heavy haze events in Beijing by the variation of ^(127)Ⅰand ^(129)Ⅰ,i.e.,iodine oxides intermediated secondary air particles,dust storm and mixed mode by both secondary air particles and dust storm induced processes.

Organic aerosol molecular composition and gas–particle partitioning coefficients at a Mediterranean site(Corsica)

Molecular speciation of atmospheric organic matter was investigated during a short summer field campaign performed in a citrus fruit field in northern Corsica（June 2011）. Aimedat assessing the performance on the field of newly developed analytical protocols, this work focuses on the molecular composition of both gas and particulate phases and provides an insight into partitioning behavior of the semi-volatile oxygenated fraction. Limonene ozonolysis tracers were specifically searched for, according to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry（GC–MS） data previously recorded for smog chamber experiments. A screening of other oxygenated species present in the field atmosphere was also performed. About sixty polar molecules were positively or tentatively identified in gas and/or particle phases. These molecules comprise a wide range of branched and linear, mono and di-carbonyls（C_3–C7）,mono and di-carboxylic acids（C_3–C_18）, and compounds bearing up to three functionalities.Among these compounds, some can be specifically attributed to limonene oxidation and others can be related to α- or β-pinene oxidation. This provides an original snapshot of the organic matter composition at a Mediterranean site in summer. Furthermore, for compounds identified and quantified in both gaseous and particulate phases, an experimental gas/particle partitioning coefficient was determined. Several volatile products, which are not expected in the particulate phase assuming thermodynamic equilibrium, were nonetheless present in significant concentrations. Hypotheses are proposed to explain these observations, such as the possible aerosol viscosity that could hinder the theoretical equilibrium to be rapidly reached.