Self‑Assembly of Binderless MXene Aerogel for Multiple‑Scenario and Responsive Phase Change Composites with Ultrahigh Thermal Energy Storage Density and Exceptional Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

The severe dependence of traditional phase change materials(PCMs)on the temperature-response and lattice deficiencies in versatility cannot satisfy demand for using such materials in complex application scenarios.Here,we introduced metal ions to induce the self-assembly of MXene nanosheets and achieve their ordered arrangement by combining suction filtration and rapid freezing.Subsequently,a series of MXene/K^(+)/paraffin wax(PW)phase change composites(PCCs)were obtained via vacuum impregnation in molten PW.The prepared MXene-based PCCs showed versatile applications from macroscale technologies,successfully transforming solar,electric,and magnetic energy into thermal energy stored as latent heat in the PCCs.Moreover,due to the absence of binder in the MXene-based aerogel,MK3@PW exhibits a prime solar-thermal conversion efficiency(98.4%).Notably,MK3@PW can further convert the collected heat energy into electric energy through thermoelectric equipment and realize favorable solar-thermal-electric conversion(producing 206 mV of voltage with light radiation intensity of 200 mw cm^(−2)).An excellent Joule heat performance(reaching 105℃with an input voltage of 2.5 V)and responsive magnetic-thermal conversion behavior(a charging time of 11.8 s can achieve a thermal insulation effect of 285 s)for contactless thermotherapy were also demonstrated by the MK3@PW.Specifically,as a result of the ordered arrangement of MXene nanosheet self-assembly induced by potassium ions,MK3@PW PCC exhibits a higher electromagnetic shielding efficiency value(57.7 dB)than pure MXene aerogel/PW PCC(29.8 dB)with the same MXene mass.This work presents an opportunity for the multi-scene response and practical application of PCMs that satisfy demand of next-generation multifunctional PCCs.

Controllable thermal rectification design for buildings based on phase change composites

Phase-change material(PCM)is widely used in thermal management due to their unique thermal behavior.However,related research in thermal rectifier is mainly focused on exploring the principles at the fundamental device level,which results in a gap to real applications.Here,we propose a controllable thermal rectification design towards building applications through the direct adhesion of composite thermal rectification material(TRM)based on PCM and reduced graphene oxide(rGO)aerogel to ordinary concrete walls(CWs).The design is evaluated in detail by combining experiments and finite element analysis.It is found that,TRM can regulate the temperature difference on both sides of the TRM/CWs system by thermal rectification.The difference in two directions reaches to 13.8 K at the heat flow of 80 W/m^(2).In addition,the larger the change of thermal conductivity before and after phase change of TRM is,the more effective it is for regulating temperature difference in two directions.The stated technology has a wide range of applications for the thermal energy control in buildings with specific temperature requirements.

DAMAGE DETECTION FOR COMPOSITE STRUCTURE UNDER TEMPERATURE CHANGES USING LAMB WAVES

A two-step method is proposed for detection and identification of invisible impact damage in composite structure under temperature changes using Lamb waves.First,a statistical outlier analysis is employed to distinguish whether the changes of Lamb wave signals are induced by damage within a monitoring area or are only affected by temperature changes.Damage indices are defined after the Lamb wave signals are processed by Fourier transform,and a Monte Carlo procedure is used to obtain the damage threshold value for the damage indices at the undamaged state.If the damage indices in the operation state exceed the threshold value,the presence of damage is determined.Then,a probabilistic damage imaging algorithm displaying probabilities of the presence of damage within the monitoring area is adopted to fuse information collected from multiple actuator-sensor paths to identify the location of damage.Damage indices under damaged state are used to generate the diagnostic image.Experimental study on a stiffened composite panel with random temperature changes is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Role of Composite Phase Change Material on the Thermal Performance of a Latent Heat Storage System: Experimental Investigation

Paraffin wax is a perfect phase change material(PCM)that can be used in latent heat storage units(LHSUs).The utilization of such LHSU is restricted by the poor conductivity of PCM.In the present work,a metal foam made of aluminium with PCM was used to produce a composite PCM as a thermal conductivity technique in PCM⁃LHSU and water was used as heat transfer fluid(HTF).An experimental investigation was carried out to evaluate the heat transfer characteristics of LHSU using pure PCM and composite PCM.The study included time⁃dependent visualization of the PCM during the melting and solidification processes.Besides,a thermocouple network was placed inside the heat storage to record the temperature profile during each process.Results showed that better performance could be obtained using composite PCM⁃LHSU for both melting and solidification processes.The melting time of composite PCM⁃LHSU was about 83%faster than that of a simple PCM⁃LHSU,and the percentage decreasing in the solidification time was about 85%due to the provision of metal foam.

Fly Ash/Paraffin Composite Phase Change Material Used to Treat Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Expansive Soil in Cold Regions

Phase change materials(PCMs)can store large amounts of energy in latent heat and release it during phase changes,which could be used to improve the freeze-thaw performance of soil.The composite phase change material was prepared with paraffin as the PCM and 8%Class C fly ash(CFA)as the supporting material.Laboratory tests were conducted to reveal the influence of phase change paraffin composite Class C fly ash(CFA-PCM)on the thermal properties,volume changes and mechanical properties of expansive soil.The results show that PCM failed to establish a good improvement effect due to leakage.CFA can effectively adsorb phase change materials,and the two have good compatibility.CFA-PCM reduces the volume change and strength attenuation of the soil,and 8 wt.%PCM is the optimal content.CFA-PCM turns the phase change latent heat down of the soil and improves its thermal stability.CFA-PCM makes the impact small of freeze-thaw on soil pore structure damage and improves soil volume change and mechanical properties on a macroscopic scale.In addition,CFA-8 wt.%PCM treated expansive soil has apparent advantages in resisting repeated freeze-thaw cycles,providing a reference for actual engineering design.

Preparation of Composite Phase Change Material Based on Sol-Gel Method and Its Temperature-Adjustable Textile

In this study,the sol-gel method was introduced to prepare the composite phase change material (CPCM). The CPCM was added to fabric with coating techniques and the thermal activity of modified fabric was studied. In addition,the thermal property and the microstructure of CPCM were also discussed in detail by means of polarization microscope and differential scanning calorimeter,respectively. According to the analysis of main influencial factors of the property of CPCM,the optimal preparing technique was determined. It was proved that CPCM could exhibit a good thermal property while phase transformation process took place,and a better appearance of the fabric modified with CPCM could be obtained due to the fact that in a warm circumstance,the liquid-state phase change material could be firmly enwrapped and embedded in the three-dimensional network all the time during the phase transformation. Besides,the fabric treated with CPCM had a high phase-transition enthalpy and an appropriate phase-transition temperature. As a result,a desirable temperature-adjustable function appeared.

Design of a graphene oxide@melamine foam/polyaniline@erythritol composite phase change material for thermal energy storage

At present,only a single modification method is adopted to improve the shortcomings of erythritol(ET)as a phase change material(PCM).Compared with a single modification method,the synergistic effect of multiple modification methods can endow ET with comprehensive performance to meet the purpose of package,supercooling reduction,and enhancement of thermal conductivity.In this work,we innovatively combine graphene oxide(GO)nanosheet modified melamine foam(MF)and polyaniline(PANI)to construct a novel ET-based PCM by blending and porous material adsorption modification.PANI as the nucleation center can enhance the crystallization rate,thereby reducing the supercooling of ET.Meanwhile,GO@MF foam can not only be used as a porous support material to encapsulate ET but also as a heat conduction reinforcement to improve heat storage and release rate.As a result,the supercooling of GO@MF/PANI@ET(GMPET)composite PCM decreases from 91.2℃ of pure ET to 57.9℃ and its thermal conductivity(1.58 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1))is about three times higher than that of pure ET(0.57 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1)).Moreover,after being placed at 140℃ for 2 h,there is almost no ET leakage in the GMPET composite PCM,and the mass loss ratio is less than 0.75%.In addition,the GMPET composite PCM displays a high melting enthalpy of about 259 J·g^(-1) and a high initial mass loss temperature of about 198℃.Even after the 200th cycling test,the phase transition temperature and the latent heat storage capacity of the GMPET PCM all remain stable.This work offers an effective and promising strategy to design ET-based composite PCM for the field of energy storage.

Preparation and Properties of 1-octadecanol/1,3:2,4-di-(3,4-dimethyl) Benzylidene Sorbitol/Expanded Graphite Form-stable Composite Phase Change Material

A 1-octadecanol（OD）/1,3:2,4-di-（3,4-dimethyl） benzylidene sorbitol（DMDBS）/expander graphite（EG） composite was prepared as a form-stable phase change material（PCM） by vacuum melting method. The results of field emission-scanning electron microscopy（FE-SEM） showed that 1-octadecanol was restricted in the three-dimensional network formed by DMDBS and the honeycomb network formed by EG. X-ray diffraction（XRD） and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR） results showed that no chemical reaction occurred among the components of composite PCM in the preparation process. The gel-to-sol transition temperature of the composite PCMs containing DMDBS was much higher than the melting point of pure 1-octadecanol. The improvements in preventing leakage and thermal stability limits were mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of the three-dimensional network formed by DMDBS and the honeycomb network formed by EG. Differential scanning calorimeter（DSC） was used to determine the latent heat and phase change temperature of the composite PCMs. During melting and freezing process the latent heat values of the PCM with the composition of 91% OD/3% DMDBS/6% EG were 214.9 and 185.9 kJ·kg-1, respectively. Its degree of supercooling was only 0.1 ℃. Thermal constant analyzer results showed that its thermal conductivity（κ） changed up to roughly 10 times over that of OD/DMDBS matrix.

Preparation and Characterization of CA-MA Eutectic/Silicon Dioxide Nanoscale Composite Phase Change Material from Water Glass via Sol-Gel Method

This work mainly involved the preparation of a nano-scale form-stable phase change material（PCM） consisting of capric and myristic acid（CA-MA） binary eutectic acting as thermal absorbing material and nano silicon dioxide（nano-SiO_2） serving as the supporting material. Industrial water glass for preparation of the nano silicon dioxide matrix and CA-MA eutectic mixture were compounded by single-step sol-gel method with the silane coupling agent. The morphology, chemical characterization and form stability property of the composite PCM were investigated by transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, Fourier-transform infrared（FT-IR） spectroscopy and polarizing microscopy（POM）. It was indicated that the average diameter of the composite PCM particle ranged from 30-100 nm. The CA-MA eutectic was immobilized in the network pores constructed by the Si-O bonds so that the composite PCM was allowed no liquid leakage above the melting temperature of the CA-MA eutectic. Differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） and thermogravimetric analysis（TGA） measurement were conducted to investigate the thermal properties and stability of the composite PCM. From the measurement results, the mass fraction of the CA-MA eutectic in the composite PCM was about 40%. The phase change temperature and latent heat of the composite were determined to be 21.15 ℃ and 55.67 J/g, respectively. Meanwhile, thermal conductivity of the composite was measured to be 0.208 W·m^（-1）·K^（-1） by using the transient hot-wire method. The composite PCM was able to maintain the surrounding temperature close to its phase change temperature and behaved well in thermalregulated performance which was verified by the heat storage-release experiment. This kind of form-stable PCM was supposed to complete thermal insulation even temperature regulation by the dual effect of relatively low thermal conductivity and phase change thermal storage-release properties. So it can be formulated that the nanoscale CA-MA/SiO_2 composite PCM with the form-stable property, good thermal storage capacity and relatively low thermal conductivity can be applied for energy conservation as a kind of thermal functional material.

Devonian Sea-Level Change Rhythms in South China and Coupling Relationships Among the Earth-spheres

Twenty orthosequences and their corresponding sea-level change (SLC) cycles have been recognized in the Devonian overlying the Caledonian unconformity, of which 9, 5.5 and 5.5 occurred in the Lower, Middle and Upper Devonian respectively. They can be grouped into 4 orthosequence sets, in which the maximum flooding surfaces lie in the sulcutus Zone (D12), perbonus Zone (D13), Middle and Upper varcus Zone (D22) and gigas Zone (D21) respectively. Four instant palaeogeographical reconstructions of South China have been made in the Emsian and Givetian. Devonian sea-level change rhythms of South China can be divided into 3 categories: the autorhythmic, the worldwide and regional allorhythmic, and the coupling-rhythmic. They developed respectively in the Famennian, Pragian, Eifelian, Lochkovian, Emsian, Givetian, Frasnian and the F / F (between the Frasnian and Famennian) event. The cause of the worldwide allorhythmic SLC of the Pragian and Eifelian under comparatively dry, warm and tranquil conditions may be related to the pulsating expanding and contracting of the oceanic basin volume or the earth volume pulsation, rather than the common glaciation and plate tectonism. The coupling-rhythmic SLC related to the F/ F event is a sensitive indicator of the interaction between terrestrial and extraterrestrial factors, and coordinated action among the earth-spheres.

The role of atmospheric aerosol composition in climate change

The chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols has been investigated. Contributions ofsulfate and soot in aerosols to the atmospheric extinction are studied. Discussions are made on the problems of aerosol emitted from volcano, forest fires in northern China, 1987 and oil field fires in Kuwait, 1991. It is indicated that the changes in concentration, particle size, and chemical composition of aerosol after those events could have impacts on the climate change either regionally or globally and that the impact of aerosol particles on climate change could compensate for some temperature increase caused by greenhouse gases and the increase of surface intensity of ultraviolet radiation due to ozone layer depletion.

Improving the Interfacial Mechanical Property of Fiber Reinforced Cement with Dielectric Barrier Discharge 2: Morphological and Compositional Changes of the Fiber Surface

The morphological and compositional changes of the PP fibers pretreated with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)are investigated with SEM, XPS and IR. The result shows that the etching effect is the main reason for the improvement of the result of pull-out test of the fibercement composite reported in a previous paper and the oxidation of the fiber surface also favors the adhesion between the fiber and the matrix.

Impacts of climate change and human activities on vegetation dynamics on the Mongolian Plateau, East Asia from 2000 to 2023

The Mongolian Plateau in East Asia is one of the largest contingent arid and semi-arid areas of the world.Under the impacts of climate change and human activities,desertification is becoming increasingly severe on the Mongolian Plateau.Understanding the vegetation dynamics in this region can better characterize its ecological changes.In this study,based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)images,we calculated the kernel normalized difference vegetation index(kNDVI)on the Mongolian Plateau from 2000 to 2023,and analyzed the changes in kNDVI using the Theil-Sen median trend analysis and Mann-Kendall significance test.We further investigated the impact of climate change on kNDVI change using partial correlation analysis and composite correlation analysis,and quantified the effects of climate change and human activities on kNDVI change by residual analysis.The results showed that kNDVI on the Mongolian Plateau was increasing overall,and the vegetation recovery area in the southern region was significantly larger than that in the northern region.About 50.99%of the plateau showed dominant climate-driven effects of temperature,precipitation,and wind speed on kNDVI change.Residual analysis showed that climate change and human activities together contributed to 94.79%of the areas with vegetation improvement.Appropriate human activities promoted the recovery of local vegetation,and climate change inhibited vegetation growth in the northern part of the Mongolian Plateau.This study provides scientific data for understanding the regional ecological environment status and future changes and developing effective ecological protection measures on the Mongolian Plateau.

Composition change and capacitance properties of ruthenium oxide thin film

Ru O2·n H2O film was deposited on tantalum foils by electrodeposition and heat treatment using Ru Cl3·3H2O as precursor.Surface morphology, composition change and cyclic voltammetry from precursor to amorphous and crystalline RuO2·n H2O films were studied by X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transformation infrared spectrometer, differential thermal analyzer, scanning electron microscope and electrochemical analyzer, respectively. The results show that the precursor was transformed gradually from amorphous to crystalline phase with temperature. When heat treated at 300 °C for 2h, RuO2·n H2O electrode surface gains mass of2.5 mg/cm2 with specific capacitance of 782 F/g. Besides, it is found that the specific capacitance of the film decreased by roughly20% with voltage scan rate increasing from 5 to 250 m V/s.

Climate-environmental Deteriorations in a Greenhouse Earth System:Causes and Consequences of Short-Term Cretaceous Sea-Level Changes(a Report on IGCP 609)

Anthropogenic global warming and resulting sea-level rise in response to enhanced atmospheric greenhouse gases and melting of the Earth’s continental ice shields have become issues of continuously growing interest for the scientific community as well as the public,pointing to threads of societies in a future greenhouse Earth System.

Quantitative Analysis of Composition Change in AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Using CF-LIBS After Laser Material Processing

The concentration of elements in molten metal of AZ31 magnesium alloy after long pulsed Nd：YAG laser processing was quantitatively analyzed by using calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy （CF-LIBS）. The composition change in AZ31 magnesium alloy under different laser pulse width was also investigated. The experimental results showed that CF-LIBS can obtain satisfactory quantitative or semi-quantitative results for matrix or major elements, while only qualitative analysis was possible for minor or trace elements. Moreover, it is found that the chemical composition of molten metal will change after laser processing. The concentration of magnesium in molten metal is lower than that present in the base metal. The Mg loss increases with an increase of pulse width in the laser processing. This result shows that the selective vaporization of different elements is affected by the pulse width during laser processing.

Transgressions and the sea-level changes of the western Taiwan Strait since the Late Pleistocene

The sedimentary sequences since the Late Pleistocene can be divided into Layers E, D, C, B, A from old to young according to systematic analysis of grain-size, pollen and spore, diatom, foraminifera, radiocarbon dating and paleogeomagnetism of 16 sedimentary cores from the sea area of the western Taiwan Strait. The results proved the existences of the Langqi transgression (upper section of Layer D) formed in middle and late stages of early Wurm glacial period, Fuzhou transgression (Layer C) formed in Wurm sub-interglacial period and Changle transgression (Layer A) formed in postglacial period. It was also the first time to discover the Jinmen transgression (Layer E) formed in Riss -Wurm interglacial period. In this paper it is proposed that most part of the Taiwan Strait emerged as land in the early stage of early Wurm glacial period, and was still under sublittoral environment in late Wurm glacial period, as well as the existence of Dongshan Continental Bridge was in 8×103 a BP.

Analysis of Temporal Changes in Botanical Composition of a Long-term Grazing Experiment in Nixinasuno, Japan

In order to understand the temporal changes of botanical composition in grassland ecosystem, and to clarify the relation between these changes and environmental impacts, such as climatic factors and artificial disturbance, a grazing trail was carried out during a 21-year period from 1974 at a sown grassland of the National Grassland Research Institute, located in Nishinasuno, the central area of Japan. The data sets of biomass for each mouth(from April to November)of the 21 year period were analyzed in this paper. The botanical composition of aboveground biomass varied greatly with both season and year. The biomass ratio of improved herbage species to invaded native plants gradually decreased each year. This may have been owing to meteorological factors, such as low air-temperature in winter, dry and hot summers, grassland management(including grazing intensity and fertilizer application), and inter-specific competition between native and introduced herbage plants.

Sedimentary Features and Sea-Level Changes Reflected in Drill Holes in the Zhuhai Area

Abstract Experimental examinations and analyses have been made of the sediments from drill holes in the Zhuhai area, Guangdong Province. The studies show that there occurred four transgressions in this area over the historical times. The first transgression occurred at 7500 a B.P., with the maxium sea level up to about 1 m above the present level. The second transgression occurred at 5750 a B.P., with the sea level possibly 4 m higher than the present. The third and fourth transgressions took place at 4650 a B.P. and 2600 a B.P. respectively, which lasted for a long time with multiple fluctuations. The fifth transgression is in process. It could be predicted that the sea level at Zhuhai would rise by 15–20 cm in the coming 50 years.

Preliminary research on sea-level changes of the South China coast since late Epipleistocene

Several views on sea-level changes of the South China coast are briefly introduced in this paper. On the basis of 236 samples whose ages are determined by 14C chronological method and their sites are corrected with ancient water depth and crustal deformation, a basic model about sea-level changes of the South China coast since late Epipleistocene is set up. This model basically accords with the general cognitions of predecessors, i. e. it not only represents the common characteristics of sea-level changes of the East China coast but has some features of the South China coast itself. In general, this model is relatively close to the Fairbridge's curve, indicating that the sea-level undulations exist since 6 ka ago but the ranges of undulations are slightly larger than those of Fairbridge's curve.