Precursor engineering enables high-performance all-inorganic CsPbIBr_(2) perovskite solar cells with a record efficiency approaching 13%

All-inorganic CsPbIBr_(2) perovskite has attracted widespread attention in photovoltaic and other optoelectronic devices because of its superior thermal stability.However,the deposition of high-quality solutionprocessed CsPbIBr_(2) perovskite films with large thicknesses remains challenging.Here,we develop a triple-component precursor(TCP) by employing lead bromide,lead iodide,and cesium bromide,to replace the most commonly used double-component precursor(DCP) consisting of lead bromide and cesium iodide.Remarkably,the TCP system significantly increases the solution concentration to 1.3 M,leading to a larger film thickness(~390 nm) and enhanced light absorption.The resultant CsPbIBr_(2) films were evaluated in planar n-i-p structured solar cells,which exhibit a considerably higher optimal photocurrent density of 11.50 mA cm^(-2) in comparison to that of DCP-based devices(10.69 mA cm^(-2)).By adopting an organic surface passivator,the maximum device efficiency using TCP is further boosted to a record efficiency of 12.8% for CsPbIBr_(2) perovskite solar cells.

Research on Preparation and Electrochemical Performance of the High Compacted Density Ni-Co-Mn Ternary Cathode Materials

The high compacted density LiNi0.5-xCo0.2Mn0.3MgxO2 cathode material for lithium-ion batteries was synthesized by high temperature solid-state method, taking the Mg element as a doping element and the spherical Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3 (OH)2, Li2CO3 as raw materials. The effects of calcination temperature on the structure and properties of the products were investigated. The structure and morphology of cathode materials powder were analyzed by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM). The electrochemical properties of the cathode materials were studied by charge-discharge test and cyclic properties test. The results show that LiNi0.4985Co0.2Mn0.3 Mg0.0015O2 cathode material prepared at calcination temperature 930°C has a good layered structure, and the compacted density of the electrode sheet is above 3.68 g/cm3. The discharge capacity retention rate is more than 97.5% after 100 cycles at a charge-discharge rate of 1C, displaying a good cyclic performance.

Determination of Benzo[a]pyrene in Edible Oil by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence Detector (HPLC-FL)

In this study, an optimized high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector (HPLC-FL) method for the determination of benzo[a]pyrene in edible oil was established. HPLC was performed with Thermo Fisher Scientific C18 column (250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm) as the chromatographic column and acetonitrile and water as the mobile phase, and the excitation wavelength and emission wavelength of fluorescence detector were 286 and 430 nm, respectively. The response was high, and the linear range was 0.5-10.0 ng/ml. The lowest limit of detection was 0.11 ng/ml, and the average recovery was 92.5%. This method is suitable for quantitative analysis of benzo[a]pyrene content in edible oil.

Toward high-sulfur-content,high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries:Review of materials and technologies

Lithium sulfur batteries(LSBs)are recognized as promising devices for developing next-generation energy storage systems.In addition,they are attractive rechargeable battery systems for replacing lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)for commercial use owing to their higher theoretical energy density and lower cost compared to those of LIBs.However,LSBs are still beset with some persistent issues that prevent them from being used industrially,such as the unavoidable dissolution of lithium polysulfide intermediates during electrochemical reactions and large volume expansion(up to 80%)upon the formation of Li_(2)S,resulting in serious battery life and safety limitations.In the process of solving these problems,it is necessary to maintain a high sulfur content in the cathode materials to ensure that the LSBs have high energy densities and excellent cycle performance.In this review,the novel preparation methods and cathode materials used for preparing LSBs in recent years are reviewed considering the sulfur content and cycle performance.In addition,the problems and difficulties in practically applying cathode materials are described,and the development trend is discussed.

Performance evaluation of CLM5.0 in simulating liquid soil water in high mountainous area,Northwest China

The model performance in simulating soil water content(SWC) is crucial for successfully modeling earth’s system,especially in high mountainous areas.In this study,the performance of Community Land Model 5.0(CLM5.0) in simulating liquid SWC was evaluated against observations from nine in-situ sites in the upper reach of the Heihe River Watershed(HRW),Northwest China.The CLM5.0 shows reliable performance in the study area with correlation coefficients(R) ranging between 0.79–0.93,root mean standard errors(RMSE)ranging between 0.044–0.097 m^(3)/m^(3),and the mean bias(BIAS) ranging between-0.084–0.061 m^(3)/m^(3).The slightly worse performance of CLM5.0 than CLM4.5 on alpine meadow and grassland is mainly caused by the revised canopy interception parameterization.The CLM5.0 overestimates interception and underestimates evapotranspiration(ET) on both alpine meadow and grassland during the growth period.The systematical overestimations at all the grassland sites indicate that the underestimation of ET is much larger than the overestimation of interception on grassland during growth period,while the errors of simulated interception and ET are partially canceled out on alpine meadow.Moreover,the underestimation of ET is more responsible for the overestimation of SWC than the overestimation of interception in the high mountainous area.It is necessary to estimate reasonable empirical parameter α(proportion of leaf water collection area) in interception parameterization scheme and further improve the dry surface layerbased soil evaporation resistance parameterization introduced in CLM5.0 in future researches.The performance of CLM5.0 is better under completely frozen stage than thawing stage and freezing stage,because of low variations of liquid SWC caused by extremely low hydraulic conductivity of soils.The underestimation of liquid SWC under frozen state is caused by underestimation of soil temperature,which leads to more ice mass and less liquid water in total water content.

A High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Five Index Components in Danhong Injection

The purpose of this study was to establish a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the simultaneous determination of sodium danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, and 4-coumaric acid in Danhong injection. The chromatographic method employed was as follows: the column was a Welch Ultimate XB-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 10 μm), the mobile phase was a gradient elution of 0.4% formic acid aqueous solution (A) and acetonitrile (B), the detection wavelengths were 280 nm for sodium danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, and salvianolic acid B and 326 nm for 4-coumaric acid and rosmarinic acid, the sample volume was 10 μL, the flow rate was 1.0 mL/min, and the column temperature was 35°C. This method can realize the separation and determination of sodium danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, and 4-coumaric acid within 50 minutes. The linear relationships of the five peak areas and their concentrations are good (R2> 0.9997). The precision RSD values are all less than 1.0%. The reproducibility RSD values are all less than 1.3%. The stability RSD values are all less than 2.2%. The recovery values ranged from 92.4% to 99.4%. This method is simple, accurate, and reproducible. It can be used for the determination of sodium danshensu, protocatechuic aldehyde, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, and 4-coumaric acid in Danhong injection.

Air-Stable,Eco-Friendly RRAMs Based on Lead-Free Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)Perovskite Quantum Dots for High-Performance Information Storage

Development of lead-free halide perovskites that are innocuous and stable has become an attractive trend in resistive random access memory(RRAM)fields.However,their inferior memory properties compared with the lead-based analogs hinder their commercialization.Herein,the lead-free Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)perovskite quantum dot(PQD)-based RRAMs are reported with outstanding memory performance,where Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)quantum dots(QDs)are synthesized via a modified ligand-assisted recrystallization process.This is the first report of applying Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)QDs as the switching layer for RRAM device.The Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)QD device demonstrates nonvolatile resistive switching(RS)effect with large ON/OFF ratio of 105,low set voltage of-0.45 V,as well as good reliability,reproducibility,and flexibility.Concurrently,the device exhibits the notable tolerance toward moisture,heat and light illumination,and long-term stability of 200 days.More impressively,the device shows the reliable light-modulated RS behavior,and therefrom the logic gate operations including"AND"and"OR"are implemented,foreboding its prospect in logic circuits integrated with storage and computation.Such multifunctionality of device could be derived from the unique 2D layered crystal structure,small particle size,quantum confinement effect,and photoresponse of Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)QDs.This work provides the strategy toward the high-performance RRAMs based on stable and eco-friendly perovskites for future applications.

Simultaneous Determination of 14 β-Receptor Agonists Residues in Mutton by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS)

[Objectives]A high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS)method was established for the determination of 14β-receptor agonist residues in mutton.[Methods]Samples were hydrolyzed byβ-glucuronidase and extracted with 5%acetic acid-acetonitrile(1:99,V/V)solution.An Eclipse plus C 18 column was used for separation,and the MRM mode was used for qualitative analysis,and the external standard method was used for quantitative analysis of matrix standard solutions.[Results]Under the optimal conditions,the retention time of the 14 kinds ofβ-receptor agonists ranged from 1.0 to 9.5 min.When the mass concentration was in the range of 0.05-0.50μg/ml,the linear relationship ofβ-receptor agonists was good,with correlation coefficients(r)≥0.9992.The detection limits of the method were in the range of 0.04-0.87μg/kg,and the quantitative limits were in the range of 0.35-1.86μg/kg.The average recovery values were in the range of 82.8%-108.9%,with RSDs(n=6)in the range of 1.9%-6.7%.[Conclusions]The method is simple,sensitive,reproducible,accurate,and can be used for simultaneous determination of the 14 kinds ofβ-receptor agonist residues in mutton.

A review of high performance computing applications in high-speed rail systems

Further improving the railway innovation capacity and technological strength is the important goal of the 14th Five-Year Plan for railway scientific and technological innovation.It includes promoting the deep integration of cutting-edge technologies with the railway systems,strengthening the research and application of intelligent railway technologies,applying green computing technologies and advancing the collaborative sharing of transportation big data.The high-speed rail system tasks need to process huge amounts of data and heavy workload with the requirement of ultra-fast response.Therefore,it is of great necessity to promote computation efficiency by applying High Performance Computing(HPC)to high-speed rail systems.The HPC technique is a great solution for improving the performance,efficiency,and safety of high-speed rail systems.In this review,we introduce and analyze the application research of high performance computing technology in the field of highspeed railways.These HPC applications are cataloged into four broad categories,namely:fault diagnosis,network and communication,management system,and simulations.Moreover,challenges and issues to be addressed are discussed and further directions are suggested.

Preface to Special Issue on Towards High Performance Ga_(2)O_(3) Electronics: Epitaxial Growth and Power Devices(Ⅰ)

There is currently great optimism within the electronics community that gallium oxide(Ga_(2)O_(3)) ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors have unprecedented prospects for eventually revolutionizing a rich variety of power electronic applications. Specially, benefiting from its ultra-high bandgap of around 4.8 eV, it is expected that the emerging Ga_(2)O_(3) technology would offer an exciting platform to deliver massively enhanced device performance for power electronics and even completely new applications.

Highly reinforce the interface stability using 2-Phenyl-1H-imidazole-1-sulfonate electrolyte additive to enhance the high temperature performance of LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)/graphite batteries

This work develops 2-Phenyl-1H-imidazole-1-sulfonate(PHIS)as a multi-functional electrolyte additive for H2O/HF scavenging and film formation to improve the high temperature performance of LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)/graphite batteries.After 450 cycles at room temperature(25℃),the discharge capacity retentions of batteries with blank and PHIS-containing electrolyte are 56.03%and 94.92%respectively.After 230 cycles at high temperatures(45℃),their values are 75.30%and 88.38%respectively.The enhanced electrochemical performance of the batteries with PHIS-containing electrolyte is supported by the spectroscopic characterization and theoretical calculations.It is demonstrated that this PHIS electrolyte additive can facilitate the construction of the electrode interface films,remove the H2O/HF in the electrolyte,and improve the electrochemical performance of the batteries.This work not only develops a sulfonate-based electrolyte but also can stimulate new ideas of functional additives to improve the battery performance.

Challenges of the Performance Standards of the International Finance Corporation in Financing the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network and the Way Forward: The Case of Standard Gauge Railway in Tanzania

Financing of the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network (AIHSRN) through Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Projects is very expensive. As a result, most of the African countries seek financial supports from the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). However, conditions provided by the IFIs through the Performance Standards (PS) of the International Financial Corporation (IFC) increase cost of the projects and thus, it becomes a burden to most of the African countries. This study aimed to explore the causes of IFC-PS through the SGR Projects that escalate costs and how to address them. The Tanzania SGR Lot 1 Project that covered 205 km from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro was selected as a case study. The methods used for data collection involved literature review, focus group discussions and interviews. The results and findings show a gap between the IFC-PS and the National Laws and Regulations that escalates costs of the projects if funds from the IFIs were to be secured. To bridge the gap, it is recommended that the African countries should engage into negotiations with the IFIs to agree to waive IFC-PS conditions that escalate costs provided they are adequately covered in the national laws and regulations;engagement of locally established national and regional financial institutions;and the responsible government institutions in the African countries should sit together for assessment and review of the IFC-PS against the national laws and regulations.

Boosting the Performance Gain of Ru/C for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Via Surface Engineering

The surface properties of catalysts determine the intrinsic activity and adaptability.Ruthenium is regarded as a potential candidate to substitute platinum for water electrolysis due to the low cost and analogous electronic structures while it suffers from severe dissolution and stability problems.Herein,the modification of Ru/C with atomically dispersed cobalt atoms is achieved via a simple thermal doping method.The newly formed amorphous shell with Ru-Co sites on the Ru/C catalyst improved the hydrogen evolution reaction activity and stability significantly.Impressively,the obtained Co1Ru@Ru/CN_(x)catalyst exhibited an overpotential as low as 30 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)in an alkaline medium,which is among the best HER catalysts reported so far.The oxygen oxophile Co prevents the fast oxidation and dissolution of Ru species,ensuring outstanding long-term durability up to 70 h.Theoretical calculations reveal that the Ru-Co coordination acts as a more active site for water dissociation than the Ru-Ru.Meanwhile,the"Ru-Co shell/Ru core"structures show high adaptability for the reaction conditions.This simple doping strategy offers prospects for scalable preparation of highly active electrocatalysts.

Dynamic Performance of High Speed Solenoid Valve with Parallel Coils

The methods of improving the dynamic performance of high speed on/off solenoid valve include increasing the magnetic force of armature and the slew rate of coil current, decreasing the mass and stroke of moving parts. The increase of magnetic force usually leads to the decrease of current slew rate, which could increase the delay time of the dynamic response of solenoid valve. Using a high voltage to drive coil can solve this contradiction, but a high driving voltage can also lead to more cost and a decrease of safety and reliability. In this paper, a new scheme of parallel coils is investigated, in which the single coil of solenoid is replaced by parallel coils with same ampere turns. Based on the mathematic model of high speed solenoid valve, the theoretical formula for the delay time of solenoid valve is deduced. Both the theoretical analysis and the dynamic simulation show that the effect of dividing a single coil into N parallel sub-coils is close to that of driving the single coil with N times of the original driving voltage as far as the delay time of solenoid valve is concerned. A specific test bench is designed to measure the dynamic performance of high speed on/off solenoid valve. The experimental results also prove that both the delay time and switching time of the solenoid valves can be decreased greatly by adopting the parallel coil scheme. This research presents a simple and practical method to improve the dynamic performance of high speed on/off solenoid valve.

Looking Ahead——A New Generation of High Performance Refractory Ceramics

It is expected that in the new century, to cope with developments of new high temperature technologies , a new generation of high performance refractory ceramics will e-merge and flourish which should include the following (1) oxide and nonoxide composites characterized by a unique combination of high hot strength , high thermal shock resistance and high corrosion resistance ; (2) free CaO bearing basic refractories capable of purifying molten metal for improving cleanliness and of absorbing contaminants from waste gases for reducing environmental pollution ; (3) free flowing zero cement castables with improved thermome-chanical properties , thermal shock resistance and corrosion resistance and gradient castables with varying matrix composition and varying texture.

Novel method for the determination of five carbamate pesticides in water samples by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with high performance liquid chromatography

A novel method for the determination of five carbamate pesticides （metolcarb, carbofuran, carbaryl, isoprocard and diethofencard） in water samples was developed by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction （DLLME） coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector （HPLC-DAD）. Some experimental parameters that influence the extraction efficiency were studied and optimized to obtain the best extraction results. Under the optimum conditions for the method, the calibration curve was linear in the concentration range from 5 to 1000 ng mL^-1 for all the five carbamate pesticides, with the correlation coefficients （r^2） varying from 0.9984 to 0.9994. Good enrichment factors were achieved ranging from 80 to 177- fold, depending on the compound. The limits of detection （LODs） （S/N = 3） were ranged from 0.1 to 0.5 ng mL^-1. The method has been successfully applied to the analysis of the pesticide residues in environmental water samples.

Effect of SAP on Properties of High Performance Concrete under Marine Wetting and Drying Cycles

The internal curing effect of superabsorbent polymer(SAP) on the properties of high performance concrete(HPC) under marine wetting and drying cycles(WD cycles) was investigated. Compressive strength, hydration and chloride migration were experimentally investigated and the results were evaluated by compasison with those under fresh water curing(FW). Water absorption and porosity were also evaluated only under WD cycles. The results showed the important influence of wetting and drying cycles on the properties of SAP modified HPC properties. Carefully designed, SAP minimized the long-term compressive strength of HPC under marine WD cycles. The hydration rate was faster in the initial curing, but became lower as compared with that cured in FW. In addition, SAP improved the long-term water absorption resistance and chloride migration resistance of HPC under marine WD cycles. The examination of the porosity showed a lower increase of the volume of capillary pores in SAP modified HPC under long term WD cycles compared with that without SAP. Therefore, internal curing by SAP could improve the durability properties of HPC under marine WD cycles.

Microstructure and Wear Performance of High Volume Fraction Carbide M_7C_3 Reinforced Fe-based Composite Coating Fabricated by Plasma Transferred Arc Welding

The fabrication of high volume fraction （HVF） M7C3 （M=Cr, Fe） reinforced Fe-based composite coating on ASTM A36 steel plate using plasma transferred arc （PTA） welding was studied. The results showed that the volume fraction of carbide M7C3 was more than sixty percent, and the relative wear resistance of the coating tested on a block-on-ring dry sliding tester at constant load （100 N） and variable loads （from 100 to 300 N） respectively was about 9 and 14 times higher than that of non-reinforced a-Fe coating. In addition, under constant load condition the friction coefficients （FCs） of two coatings increased first and then decreased with increasing sliding distance. However, under variable loads condition the FCs of non-reinforced a-Fe based coating increased gradually, while that of HVF MTC3 reinforced coating decreased as the load exceeded 220 N. The worn surface of non-reinforced a-Fe based coating was easily deformed and grooved, while that of the HVF M7C3 reinforced coating was difficult to be deformed and grooved.

Pore Size Distribution of High Performance Metakaolin Concrete

The Compressive strength, porosity and pore size distribution of high performance metakaolin (MK) concrete were investigated. Concretes containing 0,5% , 10% and 20% metakaolin were prepared at a water / cementitious material ratio ( W/C) of 0. 30. In parallel, concrete mixtures with the replacement of cement by 20% fly ash or 5 and 10% silica fume were prepared for comparison. The specimens were cured in water at 27℃ for 3 to 90 days. The results show that at the early age of curing (3 days and 7 days), metakaolin replacements increase the compressive strength, but silica fume replacement slightly reduces the compressive strength. At the age of and after 28 days , the compressive strength of the concrete with metakaolin and silica fume replacement increases. A strong reduction in the total porosity and average pore diameter were observed in the concrete with MK 20% and 10% in the first 7 days.

Simultaneous determination of three curcuminoids in Curcuma longa L.by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detection

A novel method for analysis of three active components curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin in Curcuma longa L. was developed by HPLC coupled with electrochemical detection. Three curcuminoids were well separated on a C18 column and detected with high sensitivity. A mobile phase containing acetonitrile and 10 mM Na2HPO4-H3PO4 （pH 5.0） （50：50, v/v） was used. Good linearity was obtained in the range of 0.208-41.6, 0.197-39.4, and 0.227-114μM for curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin respectively. The limit of detection reached up to 10 ？ 8 M, which was lower than that by UV detection. The relative standard deviations （RSDs） ranged from 1.06%to 1.88%for intra-day precision and from 4.30%to 5.79%for inter-day precision, respectively. The proposed method has been applied in real herb sample and recoveries ranging from 86.3%to 111%were obtained.