Effects of Al and Co doping on the structural stability and high temperature cycling performance of LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_(4) spinel cathode materials

The poor structural stability and capacity retention of the high-voltage spinel-type LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_(4)(LNMO)limits their further application.Herein,Al and Co were doped in LNMO materials for a more stable structure and capacity.The LNMO,LiNi_(0.45)Al_(0.05)Mn_(1.5)O_(4)(LNAMO)and LiNi_(0.45)Co_(0.05)Mn_(1.5)O_(4)(LNCMO)were synthesized by calcination at 900℃ for 8 h,which was called as solid-phase method and applied universally in industry.XRD,FT-IR and CV test results showed the synthesized samples have cation disordering Fd-3m space group structures.Moreover,the incorporation of Al and Co increased the cation disordering of LNMO,thereby increasing the transfer rate of Li+.The SEM results showed that the doped samples performed more regular and ortho-octahedral.The EDS elemental analysis confirmed the uniform distribution of each metal element in the samples.Moreover,the doped samples showed better electrochemical properties than undoped LNMO.The LNAMO and LNCMO samples were discharged with specific capacities of 116.3 mA·h·g^(-1)and 122.8 mA·h·g^(-1)at 1 C charge/discharge rate with good capacity retention of 95.8% and 94.8% after 200 cycles at room temperature,respectively.The capacity fading phenomenon of the doped samples at 50℃ and 1 C rate was significantly improved.Further,cations doping also enhanced the rate performance,especially for the LNCMO,the discharge specific capacity of 117.9 mA·h·g^(-1)can be obtained at a rate of 5 C.

DIMENSIONAL INSTABILITY OF LD31 Al ALLOY WELDMENTS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND AFTER THERMAL CYCLES

The unstable dimensional distortion of LD31 aluminum alloy weldments at room temperature and after thermal cycles was studied by use of light interference and CMM(three-coordinate measuring machines). At the same time, distortion mechanism was analyzed from the viewpoint of mechanics and micro structure. Experimental results show that there exists obvious difference of unstable dimensional distortion between LD31 welded specimens under two conditions mentioned above. Under room temperature, dimensional variation of welded specimens will decrease gradually and finally tends to be stable during 200h after welding. The relative elongation of welded specimen is 3.0×10-5; After thermal cycles, distortion of welded specimen is much larger than that at room temperature. After 11 thermal cycles, the dimension will tend to be stable. Dimensional unstable distortion of weldments mainly results from temperature condition, microstructure variation and relaxation of welding residual stress.

Effect of sintering temperature on cycling performance and rate performance of LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_2

LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 powder was prepared by mixing LiOH·H2O and co-precipitated Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1（OH）2 at a molar ratio of 1：1.05, followed by sintering at different temperatures. The effects of temperature on the morphology, structure and electrochemical performance were extensively studied. SEM and XRD results demonstrate that the sintering temperature has large influence on the morphology and structure and suitable temperature is very important to obtain spherical materials and suppresses the ionic distribution. The charge-discharge tests show that the electrochemical performance of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 powders becomes better with the increase of temperature from 700 ℃ to 750 ℃ and higher temperature will deteriorate the performance. Although both of materials obtained at 750 ℃ and 780 ℃ demonstrate almost identical cyclic stability at 2C rate, which delivers 71.9%retention after 200 cycles, the rate performance of powder calcined at 780 ℃ is much poorer than that at 750 ℃. The XRD results demonstrate that the poor performance is ascribed to more severe ionic distribution caused by higher temperature.

On Multi-Timescale Variability of Temperature in China in Modulated Annual Cycle Reference Frame

The traditional anomaly （TA） reference frame and its corresponding anomaly for a given data span changes with the extension of data length. In this study, the modulated annual cycle （MAC）, instead of the widely used climatological mean annual cycle, is used as an alternative reference frame for computing climate anomalies to study the multi-timescale variability of surface air temperature （SAT） in China based on homogenized daily data from 1952 to 2004. The Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition （EEMD） method is used to separate daily SAT into a high frequency component, a MAC component, an interannual component, and a decadal-to-trend component. The results show that the EEMD method can reflect historical events reasonably well, indicating its adaptive and temporally local characteristics. It is shown that MAC is a temporally local reference frame and will not be altered over a particular time span by an exten-sion of data length, thereby making it easier for physical interpretation. In the MAC reference frame, the low frequency component is found more suitable for studying the interannual to longer timescale variability （ILV） than a 13-month window running mean, which does not exclude the annual cycle. It is also better than other traditional versions （annual or summer or winter mean） of ILV, which contains a portion of the annual cycle. The analysis reveals that the variability of the annual cycle could be as large as the magnitude of interannual variability. The possible physical causes of different timescale variability of SAT in China are further discussed.

Effects of thermomechanical cycling on the shape memory behavior and transformation temperatures of a Ni50.2Ti49.8 alloy

The effects of thermomechanical cycling on the shape memory behavior and transformation temperatures of a Ni50.2Ti49.8 alloy under a constant applied stress of 300 MPa were investigated, k is believed that thermomechanical cycling induces defects such as dislocations, which evidently affect the shape memory behavior and transformation temperatures. The recovery strain decreases with increasing number of thermomechanical cycles, whereas the irreversible plastic strain increases, especially in the initial few cycles. The stored elastic strain energy has an important influence on transformation temperatures, the A5^σ decreases and the M5^σ increases with increasing number of thermomechanical cycles. The recovery strain, irreversible plastic strain, A5^σ , and M5^σ reach a saturation value after several cycles.

Temperature cycling and its effect on mechanical behaviours of highporosity chalks

Temperature history can have a significant effect on the strength of water-saturated chalk.In this study,hydrostatic stress cycles are applied to understand the mechanical response of chalk samples exposed to temperature cycling between each stress cycle,compared to the samples tested at a constant temperature.The total accumulated strain during a stress cycle and the irreversible strain are reported.Chalk samples from Kansas (USA) and Mons (Belgium),with different degrees of induration (i.e.amount of contact cementation),were used.The samples were saturated with equilibrated water (polar) and nonpolar Isopar H oil to quantify water weakening.All samples tested during 10 stress cycles with varying temperature (i.e.temperature cycled in between each stress cycle) accumulated more strain than those tested at constant temperatures.All the stress cycles were performed at 30 ℃.The two chalk types behaved similarly when saturated with Isopar H oil,but differently when saturated with water.When saturated with water,the stronger Kansas chalk accumulated more total strain and more irreversible strain within each stress cycle than the weaker Mons chalk.

Unrevealing the effects of low temperature on cycling life of 21700-type cylindrical Li-ion batteries

The low-temperature performance of Li-ion batteries(LIBs) has important impacts on their commercial applications. Besides the metallic lithium deposition, which is regarded as one of the main failure mechanisms of the LIBs at low temperatures, the synergistic effects originating from the cathode, anode, electrolyte, and separators to the batteries are still not clear. Here, the 21700-type cylindrical batteries were evaluated at a wide range of temperatures to investigate the failure mechanism of batteries. Voltage relaxation, and the post-mortem analysis combined with the electrochemical tests, unravel that the capacity degradation of batteries at low temperature is related to the lithium plating at graphite anodes,the formation of unsatisfied solid deposited/decomposed electrolyte mixture phase on the anode, the precipitation of solvent in the electrolytes and the block of separator pores, and the uneven dissolved transition metal-ions from the cathode. We hope this finding may open up a new avenue to alleviate the capacity degradation of advanced LIBs at low temperatures and shed light on the development of outstanding low-temperature LIBs via simultaneous optimization of all the components including electrodes, electrolytes and separators.

Reproductive Cycle and Seasonal Variations in Lipid Content and Fatty Acid Composition in Gonad of the Cockle Fulvia mutica in Relation to Temperature and Food

From March 2004 to February 2005,seasonal variations in lipid content and fatty acid composition of gonad of the cockle Fulvia mutica(Reeve) were studied on the eastern coast of China in relation to the reproductive cycle and environment conditions(e.g.,temperature and food availability).Histological analysis as well as lipid and fatty acid analyses were performed on neutral and polar lipids of the gonad.Results showed that gametogenesis occurred in winter and spring at the expense of lipids previously accumulated in summer and autumn,whereas spawning occurred in summer(20.4-24.6℃).The seasonal variation in lipid content was similar to that of the mean oocyte diameter.In both neutral and polar lipids,the 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 levels were relatively higher than saturated fatty acids,and polyunsaturated fatty acids were abundant,with series n-3 as the predominant component.Seasonal variations in the 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 levels and the principal n-3 fatty acids were clearly related to the reproductive cycle.The ∑(n-3) and ∑(n-6) values were relatively high during January-May,and the associated unsaturation index was significantly higher than that in other months.The results suggest that fatty acids play an important role in the gametogenesis of F.mutica.

ROLE OF EQUATORIAL PACIFIC OCEAN SUBSURFACE OCEANIC TEMPERATURE MODE IN ENSO CYCLE

Based on the simple ocean data assimilation(SODA) reanalysis dataset from the University of Maryland and the method of Empirical Orthogonal Functions(EOF),the characteristics of interannual and interdecadal variabilities of the equatorial Pacific subsurface oceanic temperature anomaly(SOTA) are captured.The first and second modes of the equatorial Pacific SOTA in the interannual and interdecadal variations are found respectively and the effect of the second mode on the ENSO cycle is discussed.Results show that the first mode of SOTA's interannual and interdecadal variabilities exhibit a dipole pattern,indicating that the warm and cold temperature anomalies appear simultaneously in the equatorial subsurface Pacific.The second mode shows coherent large-scale temperature anomalies in the equatorial subsurface Pacific,which is a dominant mode in the evolution of ENSO cycle.The temporal series of the second mode has a significant lead correlation with the Ni?o-3.4 index,which can make a precursory prediction signal for ENSO.The function of this prediction factor in SOTA is verified by composite and case analyses.

Research and Prediction on the Properties of Concrete at Cryogenic Temperature Based on Gray Theory

To solve the cryogenic temperature problems faced by all-concrete liquefied natural gas(ACLNG)storage tanks during servicing,a low temperature resistant and high strength concrete(LHC)was designed from the perspectives of reducing water-binder ratio,removing coarse aggregates,optimizing composite mineral admixture and utilizing steel fibers.The variation laws of compressive and tensile strength,elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio for C60 concrete and LHC were compared and analyzed under the temperatures from 10 to-165℃through uniaxial compression and tensile tests.The rapid freezing method was adopted to analyze the evolution process of mass and relative dynamic elastic modulus loss rates for C60 and LHC in 0-300 freeze-thaw cycles.The gas permeability test was carried out,and the laws of gas permeability coefficient varied with temperature and cryogenic freeze-thaw cycles were obtained.Then,the grey dynamic model GM(1,1)was used to predict the variation laws of physical and mechanical parameters on the basis of the test data.The test results demonstrate that the compressive strength,elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio for both C60 and LHC increase significantly from 10 to-165℃,but the specific variation laws are difierent,and there is a phenomenon that some parameters decrease after reaching a critical temperature range for C60.The uniaxial tensile strength increases first and then decreases as temperature decreases,and finally increases slightly at-165℃for both C60 and LHC.The mass and relative dynamic elastic modulus loss rates of LHC are much lower than that of C60 under different freeze-thaw cycles.The gas permeability coefficient of C60 declines gradually with the drop of temperature,and increases gradually with the number of freeze-thaw cycles while the gas permeability coefficient of LHC basically remains stable and is much lower than that of C60.Therefore,such a conclusion can be drawn that LHC has better properties at cryogenic temperature.On the premise of providing consistent functional mode,GM(1,1)can predict the test data with high accuracy,which well reflects the variation laws of relevant parameters.

Quantifying the response of surface urban heat island to urbanization using the annual temperature cycle model

Urban heat island(UHI),driving by urbanization,plays an important role in urban sustainability under climate change.However,the quantification of UHI’s response to urbanization is still challenging due to the lack of robust and continuous temperature and urbanization datasets and reliable quantification methods.This study proposed a framework to quantify the response of surface UHI(SUHI)to urban expansion using the annual temperate cycle model.We built a continuous annual SUHI series at the buffer level from 2003 to 2018 in the Jing-Jin-Ji region of China using MODIS land surface temperature and imperviousness derived from Landsat.We then investigated the spatiotemporal dynamic of SUHI under urban expansion and examined the underlying mechanism.Spatially,the largest SUHI interannual variations occurred in suburban areas compared to the urban center and rural areas.Temporally,the increase in SUHI under urban expansion was more significant in daytime compare to nighttime.We found that the seasonal variation of SUHI was largely affected by the seasonal variations of vegetation in rural areas and the interannual variation was mainly attributed to urban expansion in urban areas.Additionally,urban greening led to the decrease in summer daytime SHUI in central urban areas.These findings deepen the understanding of the long-term spatiotemporal dynamic of UHI and the quantitative relationship between UHI and urban expansion,providing a scientific basis for prediction and mitigation of UHI.

Amplitude—Phase Characteristics of the Annual Cycle of Surface Air Temperature in the Northern Hemisphere

The amplitude-phase characteristics (APC) of surface air temperature (SAT) annual cycle (AC) in the Northern Hemisphere are analyzed. From meteorological observations for the 20th century and meteorological reanalyses for its second half, it is found that over land negative correlation of SAT AC amplitude with annual mean SAT dominates. Nevertheless, some exceptions exist. The positive correlation between these two variables is found over the two desert regions: in northern Africa and in Central America. Areas of positive correlations are also found for the northern Pacific and for the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. Southward of the characteristic annual mean snow-ice boundary (SIB) position, the shape of the SAT AC becomes more sinusoidal under climate warming. In contrast, northward of it, this shape becomes less sinusoidal. The latter is also found for the above-mentioned two desert regions. In the Far East (southward of about 50?N), the SAT AC shifts as a whole: here its spring and autumn phases occur earlier if the annual mean SAT increases. From energy-balance climate considerations, those trends for SAT AC APC in the middle and high latitudes are associated with the influence of the albedo-SAT feedback due to the SIB movement. In the Far East the trends are attributed to the interannual cloudiness variability, and in the desert regions, to the influence of a further desertification and/or scattering aerosol loading into the atmosphere. In the north Pacific, the exhibited trends could only be explained as a result of the influence of the greenhouse-gases loading on atmospheric opacity. The trends for SAT AC APC related to the SIB movement are simulated reasonably well by the climate model of intermediate complexity (IAP RAS CM) in the experiment with greenhouse gases atmospheric loading. In contrast, the tendencies resulting from the cloudiness variability are not reproduced by this model. The model also partly simulates the tendencies related to the desertification processes.

Giant reversible barocaloric effects with high thermal cycle stability in epoxybonded(MnCoGe)_(0.96)(CuCoSn)_(0.04) composite

Hexagonal MnMX-based(M=Co or Ni,X=Si or Ge)alloys exhibit giant reversible barocaloric effects.However,giant volume expansion would result in the as-cast MnMX ingots fragmenting into powders,and inevitably bring the deterioration of mechanical properties and formability.Grain fragmentation can bring degradation of structural transformation entropy change during cyclic application and removal of pressure.In this paper,giant reversible barocaloric effects with high thermal cycle stability can be achieved in the epoxy bonded(MnCoGe)0.96(CuCoSn)0.04 composite.Giant reversible isothermal entropy change of 43.0 J·kg^(−1)·K^(−1) and adiabatic temperature change from barocaloric effects(ΔT_(BCE))of 15.6 K can be obtained within a wide temperature span of 30 K at 360 MPa,which is mainly attributed to the integration of the change in the transition temperature driven by pressure of−101 K·GPa^(−1) and suitable thermal hysteresis of 11.1 K.Further,the variation of reversibleΔ_(TBCE) against the applied hydrostatic pressure reaches up to 43 K·GPa^(−1),which is at the highest level among the other reported giant barocaloric compounds.More importantly,after 60 thermal cycles,the composite does not break and the calorimetric curves coincide well,demonstrating good thermal cycle stability.

Supercapacitor electrode based on few-layer h-BNNSs/rGO composite for wide-temperature-range operation with robust stable cycling performance

Currently,developing supercapacitors with robust cycle stability and suitability for wide-temperature-range operations is still a huge challenge.In the present work,few-layer hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets(h-BNNSs)with a thickness of 2−4 atomic layers were fabricated via vacuum freeze-drying and nitridation.Then,the h-BNNSs/reduced graphene oxide(rGO)composite were further prepared using a hydrothermal method.Due to the combination of two two-dimensional(2D)van der Waals-bonded materials,the as-prepared h-BNNSs/rGO electrode exhibited robustness to wide-temperature-range operations from−10 to 50℃.When the electrodes worked in a neutral aqueous electrolyte(1 M Na2SO4),they showed a great stable cycling performance with almost 107%reservation of the initial capacitance at 0℃ and 111% at 50℃ for 5000 charge−discharge cycles.

Simulated Sensitivity of the Tropical Cyclone Eyewall Replacement Cycle to the Ambient Temperature Profile

In this study, the impacts of the environmental temperature profile on the tropical cyclone eyewall replacement cycle are examined using idealized numerical simulations. It is found that the environmental thermal condition can greatly affect the formation and structure of a secondary eyewall and the intensity change during the eyewall replacement cycle. Simulation with a warmer thermal profile produces a larger moat and a prolonged eyewall replacement cycle. It is revealed that the enhanced static stability greatly suppresses convection, and thus causes slow secondary eyewall formation. The possible processes influencing the decay of inner eyewall convection are investigated. It is revealed that the demise of the inner eyewall is related to a choking effect associated with outer eyewall convection, the radial distribution of moist entropy fluxes within the moat region, the enhanced static stability in the inner-core region, and the interaction between the inner and outer eyewalls due to the barotropic instability. This study motivates further research into how environmental conditions influence tropical cyclone dynamics and thermodynamics.

A PROBABILISTIC ASSESSMENT OF TEMPERATURE EFFECTSON THE LOW CYCLE FATIGUE BEHAVIOUR OF 1Cr_(18)Ni_9Ti STEEL WELD METAL

Based on the test results obtained from the single-step test and the incremental-step test at room temperature and 240℃, a probabilistic assessment of temperature effects on the cyclic stress-strum response and the fatigue life of 1Cr18Ni9Ti steel weld metal is performed. In orber to assess the temperature effect on cyclic stress amplitude where there is a scatter of the material cyclic constitution, a probabilistic assessment approach on the basis of probabilistic modified Ramberg-Osgood relations is introduced.The investigation shows that the cyclic stress amplitude and the scatter of cyclic stress amplitude data are decreased at 240℃. Similarly, from the consideration of the fatigue life scatter a probabilistic assessment of temperature effect on the fatigue life is suggested on the basis of probabilistic Langer S-N relations. The investigation shows that the crack initiation life is increased and the scatter of crack initiation life data is decreased at 240℃.

Subsurface temperature anomalies in the North Pacific Ocean associated with the ENSO cycle

Multi-year Simple Ocean Data Assimilation （SODA） and National Centers for Environmental Prediction （NCEP） datasets were used to investigate the leading patterns of subsurface ocean temperature anomalies （SOTA） and the corresponding atmospheric circulation structure in the Pacific Ocean （20°S-60°N）. In this paper, the evolution of North Pacific SOTA associated with El Nifio-southern oscillation （ENSO）, and their relationship with the overlying zonal/meridional atmospheric circulations were elucidated. The results indicate that： （1） there are two dominant modes for the interannual variability of the North Pacific SOTA. The primary mode is the dipole pattern of the central and western North Pacific SOTA associated with the leading mode of ENSO, and the second mode is the zonal pattern related to the second mode of ENSO. These two modes consist of the temporal-spatial variation of the SOTA in the North Pacific. （2） During the developing phase of the El Nifio event, positive （negative） SOTA appears in the western （central） portion of the North Pacific Ocean. During the mature and decaying phase of the E1 Nifio event, the western positive center and the central negative center continue to be maintained and enhanced. Meanwhile, the position of the western positive center slightly changes, and the central negative center moves eastward slowly. After the El Nifio event vanishes, the positive SOTA disappears, and the central negative SOTA becomes weak and remains in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The results for La Nifia are generally the opposite. （3） During the El Nifio/La Nifia cycle, formation and evolution of the SOTA, with opposite signs in central and western North Pacific Ocean, resulted from vertical movement of the two northern branches of the Hadley Cell with opposite direction, as well as the positive feedback of the air-sea interaction induced by dynamic processes in the mid-latitudes. The former gives rise to the initial SOTA, and the latter intensifies SOTA. Under the forcing of these two processes, SOTA evolution is formed and sustained during the El Nino/La Nina events. Also discussed herein as background for the ENSO cycle are the possible connections among the West Pacific subtropical high, the strength of the Kuroshio near the East China Sea, the Kuroshio meanders south of Japan, the Aleutian Low, and cold advection in the central North Pacific Ocean.

Microstructure studies of air-plasma-spray-deposited CoNiCrAlY coatings before and after thermal cyclic loading for high-temperature application

In the present study, bond-coats for thermal barrier coatings were deposited via air plasma spraying（APS） techniques onto Inconel 800 and Hastelloy C-276 alloy substrates. Scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, and atomic force microscopy（AFM） were used to investigate the phases and microstructure of the as-sprayed, APS-deposited Co Ni Cr Al Y bond-coatings. The aim of this work was to study the suitability of the bond-coat materials for high temperature applications. Confirmation of nanoscale grains of the γ/γ′-phase was obtained by TEM, high-resolution TEM, and AFM. We concluded that these changes result from the plastic deformation of the bond-coat during the deposition, resulting in Co Ni Cr Al Y bond-coatings with excellent thermal cyclic resistance suitable for use in high-temperature applications. Cyclic oxidative stability was observed to also depend on the underlying metallic alloy substrate.

A Steady-State Evaluation of Simple Organic Rankine Cycle (SORC) with Low-Temperature Grade Waste Heat Source

The low-grade heat source recovery is usually constrained by the physical characteristics of the hot fluid medium. The present work focuses on the importance of energy recovery from low-temperature waste energy sources and its conversion to useful electrical power. The thermal performance analysis is based on the utilization of R-123, R-134a, R-290, R-245fa, R-1234ze-E, and R-1233zd-E fluids in a simple organic Rankine cycle (SORC). A waste energy source from an industrial sector is suggested to be available at a temperature greater than 110 °C. A hypothetical organic Rankine cycle of 10 kW nominal heat recovery was implemented to evaluate the cycle performance. It operates at evaporation and condensation temperatures of 90 °C and 45 °C, respectively. The selected vapor superheat degree at the expander entrance was 5 °C - 15 °C, and the liquid was subcooled by 5 °C at the discharge port of condenser. The estimated first law cycle thermal efficiency fell in the range of 6.4% - 7.7%. The results showed that the thermal efficiencies of R-134a, R-123, R-245fa, R-1233zd-E, and R-1234ze-E were higher than that of R-290 by 10% - 14%, 11% - 12%, 9% - 12%, 4% - 7% and 1% - 3%, respectively. R-1233zd-E, R-1234ze-E, and R-290 showed close thermal efficiency values, and it fell in the range of 6.7% - 7% for the (SORC) at a superheat degree of 15 °C. At the same superheat degree, the corresponding range of thermal efficiency for R-134a, R-123 and R-245fa fell within 7.5% - 7.7%. R-134a possessed the highest net power output of the (SORC);it reached a value of 0.91 kW as predicted at 15 °C superheat degree. Increasing the expander volumetric efficiency value by 10% improved the cycle thermal efficiency by 10% - 12%.