Mesoporous molecular sieve confined phase change materials with high absorption,enhanced thermal conductivity,and cooling energy charging/discharging capacity

The biggest challenge for organic phase change materials(PCMs)used in cold energy storage is to maintain high heat storage capacity while reducing the leakage risk of PCMs during the phase transition process.This is crucial for expanding their applications in the more demanding cold storage field.In this study,novel formstable low-temperature composite PCMs are prepared with mesoporous materials,namely SBA-15 and CMK-3(which are prepared using the template method),as supporting matrices and dodecane as the PCM.Owing to the combined effects of capillary forces within mesoporous materials and interactions among dodecane molecules,both dodecane/SBA-15 and dodecane/CMK-3 exhibit outstanding shape stability and thermal cycling stability even after 200 heating/cooling cycles.In comparison to those of dodecane/SBA-15,dodecane/CMK-3 exhibits superior cold storage performance and higher thermal conductivity.Specifically,the phase transition temperature of dodecane/CMK-3 is-8.81℃ with a latent heat of 122.4 J·g^(-1).Additionally,it has a thermal conductivity of 1.21 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1),which is 9.45 times that of dodecane alone.All these highlight its significant potential for applications in the area of cold energy storage.

Improved Initial Charging Capacity of Na-poor Na0.44MnO2 via Chemical Presodiation Strategy for Low-cost Sodium-ion Batteries

Sodium-ion batteries(SIBs)are promising for grid-scale energy storage applications due to the natural abundance and low cost of sodium.Among various Na insertion cathode materials,Na0.44MnO2 has attracted the most attention because of its cost effectiveness and structural stability.However,the low initial charge capacity for Na-poor Na0.44MnO2 hinders its practical applications.Herein,we developed a facile chemical presodiated method using sodiated biphenly to transform Na-poor Na0.44MnO2 into Na-rich Na0.66MnO2.After presodiation,the initial charge capacity of Na0.44MnO2 is greatly enhanced from 56.5 mA·h/g to 115.7 mA·h/g at 0.1 C(1 C=121 mA/g)and the excellent cycling stability(the capacity retention of 94.1%over 200 cycles at 2 C)is achieved.This presodiation strategy would open a new avenue for promoting the practical applications of Na-poor cathode materials in sodium-ion batteries.

Hierarchical platinum–iridium neural electrodes structured by femtosecond laser for superwicking interface and superior charge storage capacity

The interfacial performance of implanted neural electrodes is crucial for stimulation safety and the recording quality of neuronal activity.This paper proposes a novel surface architecture and optimization strategy for the platinum–iridium(Pt–Ir)electrode to optimize electrochemical performance and wettability.A series of surface micro/nano structures were fabricated on Pt–Ir electrodes with different combinations of four adjustable laser-processing parameters.Subsequently,the electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,cyclic voltammetry,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,and wetting behavior.The results show that electrode performance strongly depends on the surface morphology.Increasing scanning overlap along with moderate pulse energy and the right number of pulses leads to enriched surface micro/nano structures and improved electrode performance.It raises the maximum charge storage capacity to 128.2 mC/cm^(2) and the interface capacitance of electrodes to 3.0×10^(4)μF/cm^(2) for the geometric area,compared with 4.6 mC/cm^(2) and 443.1μF/cm2,respectively,for the smooth Pt–Ir electrode.The corresponding optimal results for the optically measured area are 111.8 mC/cm^(2) and 2.6×10^(4)μF/cm^(2),which indicate the contribution of fner structures to the ablation profle.The hierarchical structures formed by the femtosecond laser dramatically enhanced the wettability of the electrode interface,giving it superwicking properties.A wicking speed of approximately 80 mm/s was reached.Our optimization strategy,leading to superior performance of the superwicking Pt–Ir interface,is promising for use in new neural electrodes.

Investigation of the Behavior of a Photovoltaic Cell under Concentration as a Function of the Temperature of the Base and a Variable External Magnetic Field in 3D Approximation

The photovoltaic (PV) cell performances are connected to the base photogenerated carriers charge. Some studies showed that the quantity of the photogenerated carriers charge increases with the increase of the solar illumination. This situation explains the choice of concentration PV cell (C = 50 suns) in this study. However, the strong photogeneration of the carriers charge causes a high heat production by thermalization, collision and carriers charge braking due to the electric field induced by concentration gradient. This heat brings the heating of the PV cell base. That imposes the taking into account of the temperature influence in the concentrator PV cell operation. Moreover, with the proliferation of the magnetic field sources in the life space, it is important to consider its effect on the PV cell performances. Thus, when magnetic field and base temperature increase simultaneously, we observe a deterioration of the photovoltage, the electric power, the space charge region capacity, the fill factor and the conversion efficiency. However the photocurrent increases when the base temperature increases and the magnetic field strength decreases. It appears an inversion phenomenon in the evolution of the electrical parameters as a function of magnetic field for the values of magnetic field B> 4×10-4 T.

Synthesis of SiOx Nano-Powders Using a Microwave Plasma Torch at Atmospheric Pressure

The silicon oxide nano-powders (SiOx-NPs) were obtained in an atmospheric microwave plasma torch using a gas-phase silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) with N2 and H2. The gas-phase SiCl4 was injected with H2 gas into the microwave plasma torch generated by N2 and air swirl gas, and then the dark brown powders were deposited on the inner wall of a quartz tube. The sample was analyzed by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and an X-ray diffraction (XRD). The average size and oxidation x values of synthesized SiOx-NPs were approximately 230 nm and 0.91, respectively. Furthermore, the volumetric charge capacity is 1127 mAh/g and has 89.2% retention after 100 cycles.

In-Vitro and In-Vivo Electrical Characteristics of a Penetrating Microelectrode Array for Optic Nerve Electrical Stimulation

The Chinese C-Sight team aims to restore vision to blind patients by means of stimulating the optic nerve with a penetrating microelectrode array. A biocompatible, implantable microwire array was developed having four platinum-iridium shafts, each 100μm in diameter. This penetrating microwire array is described in this paper, including its fabrication techniques and its in-vitro electrical characteristics. Every set of four shafts was spaced 0.4mm from center to center, comprising two short shafts that were 0.3mm long and two that were 0.9mm long. This design was intended to stimulate ganglion cell axons at different depths within the optic nerve. In-vitro electrochemical impedance testing results showed that the impedance at 1kHz ranged from 8 to 10kΩ at room temperature. The voltage responses of the arrays to current pulse stimulation indicated a charge-injection capacity of 210μC/cm2. Finally, in-vivo acute animal experiments showed that the amplitude of the electrically evoked potentials (EEPs) measured in primary visual cortex could be as large as 100 μV upon direct stimulation of the optic nerve.