An Organic Solvent-Assisted Intercalation and Collection (OAIC) for Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene with Controllable Sizes and Improved Yield

A good method of synthesizing Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)(MXene)is critical for ensuring its success in practical applications,e.g.,electromagnetic interference shielding,electrochemical energy storage,catalysis,sensors,and biomedicine.The main concerns focus on the moderation of the approach,yield,and product quality.Herein,a modified approach,organic solvent-assisted intercalation and collection,was developed to prepare Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) flakes.The new approach simultaneously solves all the concerns,featuring a low requirement for facility(centrifugation speed<4000 rpm in whole process),gram-level preparation with remarkable yield(46.3%),a good electrical conductivity(8672 S cm^(−1)),an outstanding capacitive performance(352 F g^(−1)),and easy control over the dimension of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) flakes(0.47–4.60μm^(2)).This approach not only gives a superb example for the synthesis of other MXene materials in laboratory,but sheds new light for the future mass production of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene.

Assembly of peptide nanostructures with controllable sizes

Controlled peptide assembly offers significant promise to develop synthetic supramolecular nanostructures to display material and biological properties that mimic protein assemblies in nature.Despite the progress in forming peptide nanostructures of various morphology,there exists a distinct gap between natural and synthetic assembly systems in terms of size control.Constructing nanostructures with a narrow size distribution that can be tuned over a wide range of length-scales is essential for applications that require precise spacing between objects.This approach provides the opportunity to correlate materials and biological properties of interest with assembly size.In this review,we discuss representative endeavors over the past two decades for design of size-controllable peptide nanostructures using tunable building blocks.Other mechanisms for size control,e.g.,molecular frustration,template-directed peptide assembly,and multi-component peptide co-assembly,will also be discussed.We also demonstrate the applicable scopes of these strategies and suggest potential future avenues for scientific advances in this field.

Boosting kinetic separation of ethylene and ethane on microporous materials via crystal size control

The adsorptive separation of C_(2)H_(4)and C_(2)H_(6),as an alternative to distillation units consuming high energy,is a promising yet challenging research.The great similarity in the molecular size of C_(2)H_(4)and C_(2)H_(6)brings challenges to the regulation of adsorbents to realize efficient dynamic separation.Herein,we reported the enhancement of the kinetic separation of C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)by controlling the crystal size of ZnAtzPO_(4)(Atz=3-amino-1,2,4-triazole)to amplify the diffusion difference of C_(2)H_(4)and C_(2)H_(6).Through adjusting the synthesis temperature,reactant concentration,and ligands/metal ions molar ratio,ZnAtzPO4 crystals with different sizes were obtained.Both single-component kinetic adsorption tests and binary-component dynamic breakthrough experiments confirmed the enhancement of the dynamic separation of C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)with the increase in the crystal size of ZnAtzPO_(4).The separation selectivity of C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)increased from 1.3 to 98.5 with the increase in the crystal size of ZnAtzPO_(4).This work demonstrated the role of morphology and size control of adsorbent crystals in the improvement of the C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)kinetic separation performance.

Non-injection gram-scale synthesis of cesium lead halide perovskite quantum dots with controllable size and composition

Metal-halide perovskites are novel optoelectronic materials that are considered good candidates for solar harvesting and light emitting applications. In this study, we develop a reproducible and low-cost approach for synthesizing high- quality cesium lead halide perovskite （CsPbX3, X = CI, Br, and I or C1/Br and I/Br） nanocrystals （NCs） by direct heating of precursors in octadecene in air. Experimental results show that the particle size and composition of as-prepared CsPbX3 nanocrystals can be successfully tuned by a simple variation of reaction temperature. The emission peak positions of the as-prepared nanocrystals can be conveniently tuned from the UV to the NIR （360-700 nm） region, and the quantum yield of the as-obtained samples （green and red emissions） can reach up to 87%. The structures and chemical compositions of the as-obtained NCs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis. This proposed synthetic route can yield large amounts of high-quality NCs with a one-batch reaction, usually on the gram scale, and could pave the way for further applications of perovskite-based light-emitting and photovoltaic solar cells.

Micromagnetic studies of perpendicular recording FePt media with controllable grain size distributions

A 3-dimensional(3D)micromagnetic model combined with Fast Fourier Transform(FFT)method was built up to study the writability in the L1_(0)FePt perpendicular medium.The effects of controllable grain size distributions were studied by grain growth simulation.It is found that the cross-track-averaged magnetization changes little between the L1_(0)FePt medium with uniform or non-uniform grain size distribution.

Size control and its mechanism of SnAg nanoparticles

Sn3.5Ag （mass fraction, %） nanoparticles were synthesized by an improved chemical reduction method at room temperature. 1,10-phenanthroline and sodium borohydride were selected as the surfactant and reducing agent, respectively. It was found that no obvious oxidation of the synthesized nanoparticles was traced by X-ray diffraction. In addition, the results show that the density of primary particles decreases with decreasing the addition rate of the reducing agent. Moreover, the slight particle agglomeration and slow secondary particle growth can result in small-sized nanoparticles. Meanwhile, the effect of surfactant concentration on the particle size can effectively be controlled when the reducing agent is added into the precursor at an appropriate rate. In summary, the capping effect caused by the surfactant molecules coordinating with the nanoclusters will restrict the growth of the nanoparticles. The larger the mass ratio of the surfactant to the precursor is, the smaller the particle size is.

Grain Size Control of Semisolid A356 Alloy Manufactured by Electromagnetic Stirring

To investigate the possibility of substituting the mechanical stirring system with electromagnetic stirring (EMS) system for aluminum rheo die-casting, the EMS under the different stirring cooling conditions was carried out. It was found that in the early period of solidification, the dendrite breakages led to a fine primary phase. When dendrites grew coarsely, the effect of ripening on grain size overwhelmed that of dendrite breakage. It was also found that the high cooling rate favored large nucleation rate, and led to a fine primary phase. But high cooling rate also made the growth rate of the dendrite arm, which prevented the dendrite arm from being sheared off. Therefore there were a suitable stirring time and suitable cooling rate to obtain the best rheo die-casting structure. Qualified semisolid A356 aluminum alloy was successfully manufactured with short time EMS.

Preparation and UV property of size-controlled monodisperse nickel nanoparticles (<10 nm) by reductive method

Nickel nanoparticles （〈10 nm） were success fully synthesized using a reductive method of nickel chloride with sodium borohydride in the ethanol/poly vinylpyrrolidone （PVP） system. The effects of three fac tors, such as the concentration of the nickel ions, the time of reaction, and the amount of PVP （surfactant）, were discussed. The possible growth process of the particles and optimum reactive conditions was also investigated. The result of transmission electron microscopy （TEM） reveals that these nickel nanoparticles are spherical. The average diameter could be controlled as 25 nm under selected conditions. Highresolution TEM and energydispersive spectroscopy results indicates that the nickel nanoparticles are pure. The UVvisible light absorption spectrum shows that the peaks of nickel nanoparticles moves toward the short wavelength along with the decrease of sizes.

Control of Crystal Size and Morphology of Calcium Carbonate Crystal Polymorphism

Calcium carbonate, the main component of lime, has been widely used in industry due to its stability and economy. Calcium carbonate has three types of crystalline polymorphism, calcite, aragonite and vaterite, each with different properties. Therefore, the control of crystal polymorphism is required for industrial applications. In addition, the control of crystal size and shape is similarly required for different applications. In this study, the effect of SrCO3 on the size control of fine aragonite-type calcium carbonate crystals by uniform urea precipitation and the effect of SrCO3 addition was investigated by adding solid strontium carbonate and dissolved strontium carbonate. The addition of solid strontium carbonate affected the crystal polymorphism and size of the calcium carbonate produced, depending on the properties of the solid particles and the amount of SrCO3 added. Experiments on the addition of dissolved SrCO3 showed that the supersaturation formation rate could be controlled to control the crystal polymorphism.

Fuzzy Mathematics for Raw Silk Size Control

With photographing and experiments, this paper divides the cocoon layers into three categories according to their colors, establishes three-color membership function based on fuzzy mathematics, constructs fuzzy sets which satisfy the range of size control by using the ordinary set and attached frequency of threecolor cocoons combination, then achieves the ordinary sets of range of size control by choosing λ-cut. Under these ordinary sets, each end does duality relative level, then sets up relative matrix and overall sequence and finds the membership function to judge whether the size control is mormal.

Optimized Runge-Kutta Methods with Automatic Step Size Control for Compressible Computational Fluid Dynamics

We develop error-control based time integration algorithms for compressible fluid dynam-ics(CFD)applications and show that they are efficient and robust in both the accuracy-limited and stability-limited regime.Focusing on discontinuous spectral element semidis-cretizations,we design new controllers for existing methods and for some new embedded Runge-Kutta pairs.We demonstrate the importance of choosing adequate controller parameters and provide a means to obtain these in practice.We compare a wide range of error-control-based methods,along with the common approach in which step size con-trol is based on the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy(CFL)number.The optimized methods give improved performance and naturally adopt a step size close to the maximum stable CFL number at loose tolerances,while additionally providing control of the temporal error at tighter tolerances.The numerical examples include challenging industrial CFD applications.

Facile synthesis of two-dimensional MoS_(2)/WS_(2) lateral heterostructures with controllable core/shell size ratio by a one-step chemical vapor deposition method

Heterostructures based on two-dimensional(2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides(TMDCs) possess unique electronic and optical properties, which open up unprecedented opportunities in nanoscale optoelectronic devices. Synthesizing high-quality 2D TMDC heterostructures with different core/shell size ratios is of great significance for practical applications. Here, we report a simple one-step chemical vapor deposition(CVD) method for fabricating MoS2/WS2 lateral heterostructures with controllable core/shell size ratio. An ultrathin MoO3/WO3 film prepared by thermal evaporation was used as the precursor, and a step-like heating process was adopted to separately grow MoS2 and WS2 monolayers by taking advantage of the different melting points of MoO3 and WO3 sources. High-quality MoS2/WS2 lateral heterostructures with sharp interfaces were fabricated by optimizing the key growth parameters. Furthermore, the core/shell size ratio of heterostructures could be easily controlled by changing the thickness ratio of MoO3/WO3 film, and an approximately linear dependence between them is revealed. Compared with MoS2 or WS2 monolayers, the MoS2/WS2 heterostructure exhibited a shortened exciton lifetime owing to the type-Ⅱ energy band alignment, which is conducive to the application of high-performance devices. This work provides a facile strategy for the synthesis of 2D lateral heterostructures with controllable size ratio.

Large-scale controllable fabrication of aluminum nanobowls for surface plasmon-enhanced fluorescence

Al nanoparticles(NPs)exhibit excellent localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR)properties and have been considered a promising alternative to plasmonic Au or Ag NPs.However,it remains difficult to fabricate Al NPs with uniform size and controllable morphology over a large area on substrates,which seriously hinders the in-depth exploration of their properties and applications.Herein,we have developed a self-assembly nanoparticle template method to realize the controllable preparation of bowl-shaped Al NPs(Al nanobowls(Al NBs))with tunable sizes from 36 to 131 nm on the substrate surface,accompanied by tunable LSPR spectral responses from 272 to 480 nm.Among them,131 nm Al NBs exhibit superior fluorescence enhancement ability(1932.2-fold)and a low detection limit(78.6 pM)towards 5-carboxyfluorescein,exceeding comparable Ag NBs and Au nanospheres(NSs).This can be attributed to the strong electromagnetic enhancement induced by the LSPR effect and the effective inhibition of fluorescence quenching caused by the self-passivated oxide layer.Therefore,the successful fabrication of Al NBs on substrates is of vital significance for their promising applications,including surface-enhanced spectroscopy,sensitive fluorescence detection,light-harvesting devices,biosensing,and ultraviolet(UV)plasmonics.

Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles with tunable cavity for plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution

Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles with different cavity sizes have great potential for improving photocatalytic performance due to their tunable plasmon effect.In this study,galvanic replacement was combined with co-reduction with the reaction kinetics processes regulated to rapidly synthesize Au-Ag hollow alloy nanoparticles with tunable cavity sizes.The position of the localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR)peak could be effectively adjusted between 490 nm and 713 nm by decreasing the cavity size of the Au-Ag hollow nanoparticles from 35 nm to 20 nm.The plasmon-enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution of alloy nanoparticles with different cavity sizes was investigated.Compared with pure P25(TiO2),intact and thin-shelled Au-Ag hollow nanoparticles(HNPs)-supported photocatalyst exhibited an increase in the photocatalytic H2 evolution rate from 0.48μmol h^−1 to 4μmol h^−1 under full-spectrum irradiation.This improved photocatalytic performance was likely due to the plasmon-induced electromagnetic field effect,which caused strong photogenerated charge separation,rather than the generation of hot electrons.

Composition-controlled synthesis of platinum and palladium nanoalloys as highly active electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation

Platinum and palladium(PtPd)alloy nanoparticles(NPs)are excellent catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells.In this study,we developed PtPd alloy NPs through the co‐reduction of K2PtCl4and Na2PdCl4in a polyol synthesis environment.During the reaction,the feed molar ratio of the two precursors was carried over to the final products,which have a narrow size distribution with a mean size of approximately4nm.The catalytic activity for methanol oxidation reactions possible depends closely on the composition of as‐prepared PtPd alloy NPs,and the NPs with a Pt atomic percentage of approximately75%result in higher activity and stability with a mass specific activity that is7times greater than that of commercial Pt/C catalysts.The results indicate that through composition control,PtPd alloy NPs can improve the effectiveness of catalytic performance.

Mechanics criterion and factors affecting overburden stability in solid dense filling mining

The effect of controlling strata movement in solid filling mining depends on the filling rate of the goal. However, the mechanical property of the overburden in the backfill stope and the designed size of the backfill mining workface should also be considered. In this study, we established a main roof strata model with loads in accordance with the theory of key strata to investigate the stability of the overburden in solid dense filling mining. We analyzed the stress distribution law of the main roof strata based on elastic thin plate theory. The results show that the position of the long side midpoint of the main roof strata failed more easily because of tensile yield, indicating that this position is the area where failure is likely to occur more easily. We also deduced the stability mechanics criterion of the main roof strata based on tensile yield criterion. The factors affecting the stability of the overburden in solid dense filling mining were also analyzed, including the thickness and elasticity modulus of the main roof strata, overlying strata loads, advanced distance and length of workface, and elastic foundation coefficient of backfill body. The research achievements can provide an important theoretical basis for determining the designed size of the solid dense filling mining workface.

Influence of Block Copolymer on Formation and Acid Resistant Properties of Hybrid CaCO_3 Particles

Block copolymer polystyrene-b-poly（acrylic acid）（PS-b-PAA） was used as structural template for the synthesis of CaCO3 microparticles. Through this procedure, acid resistant hybrid CaCO3 micro- spheres were obtained. Acid resistant properties of this type of hybrid CaCO3 were studied. Size measurement shows that the acid resistant properties of the hybrid particles are different in different solutions, such as HCl, EDTA, and H2SO4 solutions.

Preparation and Stability Evaluation of Size-Controllable PDHCA-β-CD Nanoparticles as Drug Carrier

A novel biocompatible polymer was prepared by grafting the derivate of β-cyclodextrin （6-SH-β-CD） onto poly（3,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid） （PDHCA） via Michael addition. PDHCA-β-CD nanoparticles were prepared by the self-assembly of amphiphilic PDHCA-β-CD polymer with N,N-dimethylformamide （DMF） as good solvent and water as poor solvent. The PDHCA-β-CD nanoparticles were monodispersed with spherical morphology as shown in the scanning electron microscopic （SEM） images in accord with the result of dynamic light scattering （DLS） measurement. The size of the nanoparticles could be controlled from 60 to 180 nm by tuning the grafting degree （GD） of PDHCA-β-CD polymer and also significantly influenced by the amount of water used during the process. These as-prepared nanoparticles were stable without any significant change in the particle size after six-months＇ storage and even after being irradiated by UV at 2〉280 nm for hours. The formation mechanism of PDHCA-β-CD nanoparticles was explored. The content of doxombicin （DOX） loaded onto the nanoparticles was up to 39% with relatively high loading efficiency （approximately 78.8% of initial DOX introduced was loaded）. In vitro release studies suggested that DOX released slowly from PDHCA-β-CD nanoparticles. These features strongly support the potential of developing PDHCA-β-CD nanoparticles as carriers for the controlled delivery of drug.

Adaptive explicit Magnus numerical method for nonlinear dynamical systems

Based on the new explicit Magnus expansion developed for nonlinear equations defined on a matrix Lie group, an efficient numerical method is proposed for nonlinear dynamical systems. To improve computational efficiency, the integration step size can be adaptively controlled. Validity and effectiveness of the method are shown by application to several nonlinear dynamical systems including the Duffing system, the van der Pol system with strong stiffness, and the nonlinear Hamiltonian pendulum system.

The Preparation of Ultra-fine Calcium Carbonate and Its properties Study

This article adopts the double decomposition method, select the appropriate experimental conditions and operation process, respectively add appropriate amount of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose （CMC） as crystal control agent to study the influence of crystalline of ultrafine calcium carbonate. The experimental results show that the different concentrations of CMC as crystal control agent on the morphology and crystal structure of calcium carbonate have obvious effect, which emerge morphology change from square to spherical, crystalline transition from calcite to aragonite. Thus, the results provide experimental data and theoretical basis for the use of different additives, and provide experimental basis and feasible solution for this kind of reaction.