Harness High-Temperature Thermal Energy via Elastic Thermoelectric Aerogels

Despite notable progress in thermoelectric(TE)materials and devices,developing TE aerogels with high-temperature resistance,superior TE performance and excellent elasticity to enable self-powered high-temperature monitoring/warning in industrial and wearable applications remains a great challenge.Herein,a highly elastic,flame-retardant and high-temperature-resistant TE aerogel,made of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)/single-walled carbon nanotube(PEDOT:PSS/SWCNT)composites,has been fabricated,displaying attractive compression-induced power factor enhancement.The as-fabricated sensors with the aerogel can achieve accurately pressure stimuli detection and wide temperature range monitoring.Subsequently,a flexible TE generator is assembled,consisting of 25 aerogels connected in series,capable of delivering a maximum output power of 400μW when subjected to a temperature difference of 300 K.This demonstrates its outstanding high-temperature heat harvesting capability and promising application prospects for real-time temperature monitoring on industrial high-temperature pipelines.Moreover,the designed self-powered wearable sensing glove can realize precise wide-range temperature detection,high-temperature warning and accurate recognition of human hand gestures.The aerogel-based intelligent wearable sensing system developed for firefighters demonstrates the desired self-powered and highly sensitive high-temperature fire warning capability.Benefitting from these desirable properties,the elastic and high-temperature-resistant aerogels present various promising applications including self-powered high-temperature monitoring,industrial overheat warning,waste heat energy recycling and even wearable healthcare.

Synergistic effect of Zr and Mo on precipitation and high-temperature properties of Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys

This study focuses on finding a solution to the sharp decline in mechanical properties of Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys due to rapid coarsening of traditional intermediate phases at high temperature.A new type of modified al oy,to be used in automobile engines at high temperatures,was prepared by adding Zr and Mo into Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy.The synergistic effects of Zr and Mo on the microstructure evolution and high-temperature mechanical properties were studied.Results show that the addition of Zr and Mo generates a series of intermetallic phases dispersed in the alloy.They can improve the strength of the alloy by hindering dislocation movement and crack propagation.In addition,some nano-strengthened phases show coherent interfaces with the matrix and improve grain refinement.The addition of Mo greatly improves the heat resistance of the alloy.The extremely low diffusivity of Mo enables it to improve the thermal stability of the intermetallic phases,inhibit precipitation during aging,reduce the size of the precipitates,and improve the heat resistance of the alloy.

HZSM-5 zeolites undergoing the high-temperature process for boosting the bimolecular reaction in n-heptane catalytic cracking

High-temperature treatment is key to the preparation of zeolite catalysts.Herein,the effects of hightemperature treatment on the property and performance of HZSM-5 zeolites were studied in this work.X-Ray diffraction,N2physisorption,27Al magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance(MAS NMR),and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia results indicated that the hightemperature treatment at 650℃ hardly affected the inherent crystal and texture of HZSM-5zeolites but facilitated the conversion of framework Al to extra-framework Al,reducing the acid site and enhancing the acid strength.Moreover,the high-temperature treatment improved the performance of HZSM-5 zeolites in n-heptane catalytic cracking,promoting the conversion and light olefins yield while inhibiting coke formation.Based on the kinetic and mechanism analysis,the improvement of HZSM-5 performance caused by high-temperature treatment has been attributed to the formation of extra-framework Al,which enhanced the acid strength,facilitated the bimolecular reaction,and promoted the entropy change to overcome a higher energy barrier in n-heptane catalytic cracking.

Novel Method for Evaluating the Aging of Aviation Turbine Engine Oils via High-Temperature Bearing Deposit Tests

Aviation turbine engine oils require excellent thermal-oxidative stability because of their high-temperature environments.High-temperature bearing deposit testing is a mandatory method for measuring the thermal-oxidative performance of aviation lubricant oils,and the relevant apparatus was improved in the present study.Two different commercial aviation turbine engine oils were tested,one with standard performance(known as the SL oil)and the other with high thermal stability,and their thermal-oxidative stability characteristics were evaluated.After 100 h of high-temperature bearing testing,the SL oil was analyzed by using various analytical techniques to investigate its thermal-oxidative process in the bearing test,with its thermal-oxidative degradation mechanism also being discussed.The results indicate that the developed high-temperature bearing apparatus easily meets the test requirements of method 3410.1 in standard FED-STD-791D.The viscosity and total acid number(TAN)of the SL oil increased with the bearing test time,and various deposits were produced in the bearing test,with the micro-particles of the carbon deposits being sphere-like,rod-like,and sheet-like in appearance.The antioxidant additives in the oil were consumed very rapidly in the first 30 h of the bearing test,with N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine being consumed faster than dioctyldiphenylamine.Overall,the oil thermal-oxidative process involves very complex physical and chemical mechanisms.

High-performance and robust high-temperature polymer electrolyte membranes with moderate microphase separation by implementation of terphenyl-based polymers

Acid loss and plasticization of phosphoric acid(PA)-doped high-temperature polymer electrolyte membranes(HT-PEMs)are critical limitations to their practical application in fuel cells.To overcome these barriers,poly(terphenyl piperidinium)s constructed from the m-and p-isomers of terphenyl were synthesized to regulate the microstructure of the membrane.Highly rigid p-terphenyl units prompt the formation of moderate PA aggregates,where the ion-pair interaction between piperidinium and biphosphate is reinforced,leading to a reduction in the plasticizing effect.As a result,there are trade-offs between the proton conductivity,mechanical strength,and PA retention of the membranes with varied m/p-isomer ratios.The designed PA-doped PTP-20m membrane exhibits superior ionic conductivity,good mechanical strength,and excellent PA retention over a wide range of temperature(80–160°C)as well as satisfactory resistance to harsh accelerated aging tests.As a result,the membrane presents a desirable combination of performance(1.462 W cm^(-2) under the H_(2)/O_(2)condition,which is 1.5 times higher than that of PBI-based membrane)and durability(300 h at 160°C and 0.2 A cm^(-2))in the fuel cell.The results of this study provide new insights that will guide molecular design from the perspective of microstructure to improve the performance and robustness of HT-PEMs.

Controllable Condensation of Aromatics and Its Mechanisms in Carbonization

In order to obtain liquefied products with higher yields of aromatic molecules to produce mesophase pitch,a good understanding of the relevant reaction mechanisms is required.Reactive molecular dynamics simulations were used to study the thermal reactions of pyrene,1-methylpyrene,7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzopyrene,and mixtures of pyrene with 1-octene,cyclohexene,or styrene.The reactant conversion rates,reaction rates,and product distributions were calculated and compared,and the mechanisms were analyzed and discussed.The results demonstrated that methyl and naphthenic structures in aromatics might improve the conversion rates of reactants in hydrogen transfer processes,but their steric hindrances prohibited the generation of high polymers.The naphthenic structures could generate more free radicals and presented a more obvious inhibition effect on the condensation of polymers compared with the methyl side chains.It was discovered that when different olefins were mixed with pyrene,1-octene primarily underwent pyrolysis reactions,whereas cyclohexene mainly underwent hydrogen transfer reactions with pyrene and styrene,mostly producing superconjugated biradicals through condensation reactions with pyrene.In the mixture systems,the olefins scattered aromatic molecules,hindering the formation of pyrene trimers and higher polymers.According to the reactive molecular dynamics simulations,styrene may enhance the yield of dimer and enable the controlled polycondensation of pyrene.

Integrated multi-scale approach combining global homogenization and local refinement for multi-field analysis of high-temperature superconducting composite magnets

Second-generation high-temperature superconducting(HTS)conductors,specifically rare earth-barium-copper-oxide(REBCO)coated conductor(CC)tapes,are promising candidates for high-energy and high-field superconducting applications.With respect to epoxy-impregnated REBCO composite magnets that comprise multilayer components,the thermomechanical characteristics of each component differ considerably under extremely low temperatures and strong electromagnetic fields.Traditional numerical models include homogenized orthotropic models,which simplify overall field calculation but miss detailed multi-physics aspects,and full refinement(FR)ones that are thorough but computationally demanding.Herein,we propose an extended multi-scale approach for analyzing the multi-field characteristics of an epoxy-impregnated composite magnet assembled by HTS pancake coils.This approach combines a global homogenization(GH)scheme based on the homogenized electromagnetic T-A model,a method for solving Maxwell's equations for superconducting materials based on the current vector potential T and the magnetic field vector potential A,and a homogenized orthotropic thermoelastic model to assess the electromagnetic and thermoelastic properties at the macroscopic scale.We then identify“dangerous regions”at the macroscopic scale and obtain finer details using a local refinement(LR)scheme to capture the responses of each component material in the HTS composite tapes at the mesoscopic scale.The results of the present GH-LR multi-scale approach agree well with those of the FR scheme and the experimental data in the literature,indicating that the present approach is accurate and efficient.The proposed GH-LR multi-scale approach can serve as a valuable tool for evaluating the risk of failure in large-scale HTS composite magnets.

Cross-upgrading of biomass hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis for high quality blast furnace injection fuel production:Physicochemical characteristics and gasification kinetics analysis

The paper proposes a biomass cross-upgrading process that combines hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis to produce high-quality blast furnace injection fuel.The results showed that after upgrading,the volatile content of biochar ranged from 16.19%to 45.35%,and the alkali metal content,ash content,and specific surface area were significantly reduced.The optimal route for biochar pro-duction is hydrothermal carbonization-pyrolysis(P-HC),resulting in biochar with a higher calorific value,C=C structure,and increased graphitization degree.The apparent activation energy(E)of the sample ranges from 199.1 to 324.8 kJ/mol,with P-HC having an E of 277.8 kJ/mol,lower than that of raw biomass,primary biochar,and anthracite.This makes P-HC more suitable for blast furnace injection fuel.Additionally,the paper proposes a path for P-HC injection in blast furnaces and calculates potential environmental benefits.P-HC of-fers the highest potential for carbon emission reduction,capable of reducing emissions by 96.04 kg/t when replacing 40wt%coal injec-tion.

Seasonal Prediction of Extreme High-Temperature Days in Southwestern China Based on the Physical Precursors

Extreme high temperatures frequently occur in southwestern China,significantly impacting the local ecological system and economic development.However,accurate prediction of extreme high-temperature days(EHDs)in this region is still an unresolved challenge.Based on the spatiotemporal characteristics of EHDs over China,a domain-averaged EHD index over southwestern China(SWC-EHDs)during April-May is defined.The simultaneous dynamic and thermodynamic fields associated with the increased SWC-EHDs are a local upper-level anticyclonic(high-pressure)anomaly and wavy geopotential height anomaly patterns over Eurasia.In tracing the origins of the lower boundary anomalies,two physically meaningful precursors are detected for SWC-EHDs.They are the tripolar SST change tendency from December-January to February-March in the northern Atlantic and the February-March mean snow depth in central Asia.Using these two selected predictors,a physics-based empirical model prediction was applied to the training period of 1961–2005 to obtain a skillful prediction of the EHDs index,attaining a correlation coefficient of 0.76 in the independent prediction period(2006–19),suggesting that 58%of the total SWC-EHDs variability is predictable.This study provides an estimate for the lower bound of the seasonal predictability of EHDs as well as for the hydrological drought over southwestern China.

Research on the impact of high-temperature aging on the thermal safety of lithium-ion batteries

Understanding the thermal safety evolution of lithium-ion batteries during high-temperature usage conditions bears significant implications for enhancing the safety management of aging batteries.This work investigates the thermal safety evolution mechanism of lithium-ion batteries during high-temperature aging.Similarities arise in the thermal safety evolution and degradation mechanisms for lithium-ion batteries undergoing cyclic aging and calendar aging.Employing multi-angle characterization analysis,the intricate mechanism governing the thermal safety evolution of lithium-ion batteries during high-temperature aging is clarified.Specifically,lithium plating serves as the pivotal factor contributing to the reduction in the self-heating initial temperature.Additionally,the crystal structure of the cathode induced by the dissolution of transition metals and the reductive gas generated during aging attacking the crystal structure of the cathode lead to a decrease in thermal runaway triggering temperature.Furthermore,the loss of active materials and active lithium during aging contributes to a decline in both the maximum temperature and the maximum temperature rise rate,ultimately indicating a decrease in the thermal hazards of aging batteries.

Study on the effect of thermal deformation on the liquid seal of high-temperature molten salt pump in molten salt reactor

The high-temperature molten salt pump is the core equipment in a molten salt reactor that drives the flow of the molten salt coolant.Rotor stability is key to the continuous and reliable operation of the molten salt pump,and the liquid seal at the wear ring can affect the dynamic characteristics of the rotor system.When the molten salt pump is operated in the hightemperature molten salt medium,thermal deformation of the submerged parts inevitably occurs,changing clearance between the stator and rotor,affecting the leakage and dynamic characteristics of the seal.In this study,the seal leakage,seal dynamic characteristics,and rotor system dynamic characteristics are simulated and analyzed using finite element simulation software based on two cases of considering the effect of seal thermal deformation effect or not.The results show a significant difference in the leakage characteristics and dynamic characteristics of the seal obtained by considering the effect of seal thermal deformation and neglecting the effect of thermal deformation.The leakage flow rate decreases,and the first-order critical speed of the seal-bearing-rotor system decrease after considering the seal’s thermal deformation.

High-temperature stress suppresses allene oxide cyclase 2 and causes male sterility in cotton by disrupting jasmonic acid signaling

Cotton(Gossypium spp.) yield is reduced by stress. In this study, high temperature(HT) suppressed the expression of the jasmonic acid(JA) biosynthesis gene allene oxide cyclase 2(GhAOC2), reducing JA content and causing male sterility in the cotton HT-sensitive line H05. Anther sterility was reversed by exogenous application of methyl jasmonate(MeJA) to early buds. To elucidate the role of GhAOC2 in JA biosynthesis and identify its putative contribution to the anther response to HT, we created gene knockout cotton plants using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Ghaoc2 mutant lines showed male-sterile flowers with reduced JA content in the anthers at the tetrad stage(TS), tapetum degradation stage(TDS), and anther dehiscence stage(ADS). Exogenous application of MeJA to early mutant buds(containing TS or TDS anthers) rescued the sterile pollen and indehiscent anther phenotypes, while ROS signals were reduced in ADS anthers. We propose that HT downregulates the expression of GhAOC2 in anthers, reducing JA biosynthesis and causing excessive ROS accumulation in anthers, leading to male sterility. These findings suggest exogenous JA application as a strategy for increasing male fertility in cotton under HT.

Breaking the temperature limit of hydrothermal carbonization of lignocellulosic biomass by decoupling temperature and pressure

Hydrothermal carbonization(HTC) of lignocellulosic biomass is a promising technology for the production of carbon materials with negative carbon emissions. However, the high reaction temperature and energy consumption have limited the development of HTC technology. In conventional batch reactors, the temperature and pressure are typically coupled at saturated states. In this study, a decoupled temperature and pressure hydrothermal(DTPH) reaction system was developed to decrease the temperature of the HTC reaction of lignocellulosic biomass(rice straw and poplar leaves). The properties of hydrochars were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction(XRD), thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA), etc. to propose the reaction mechanism. The results showed that the HTC reaction of lignocellulosic biomass could be realized at a low temperature of 200℃ in the DTPH process, breaking the temperature limit(230℃) in the conventional process. The DTPH method could break the barrier of the crystalline structure of cellulose in the lignocellulosic biomass with high cellulose content, realizing the carbonization of cellulose and hemicellulose with the dehydration, unsaturated bond formation, and aromatization. The produced hydrochar had an appearance of carbon microspheres, with high calorific values, abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, a certain degree of graphitization, and good thermal stability. Cellulose acts not only as a barrier to protect itself and hemicellulose from decomposition, but also as a key precursor for the formation of carbon microspheres. This study shows a promising method for synthesizing carbon materials from lignocellulosic biomass with a carbon-negative effect.

Influence of carbonization temperature on cobalt-based nitrogendoped carbon nanopolyhedra derived from ZIF-67 for nonoxidative propane dehydrogenation

Propylene is a significant basic material for petrochemicals such as polypropylene,propylene oxide,etc.With abundant propane supply from shale gas,propane dehydrogenation(PDH)becomes extensively attractive as an on-purpose propylene production route in recent years.Nitrogen-doped carbon(NC)nanopolyhedra supported cobalt catalysts were synthesized in one-step of ZIF-67 pyrolysis and investigated further in PDH.XPS,TEM and N_(2) adsorption-desorption were used to study the influence of carbonization temperature on as-prepared NC supported cobalt catalysts.The temperature is found to affect the cobalt phase and nitrogen species of the catalysts.And the positive correlation was established between Co0 proportion and space time yield of propylene,indicating that the modulation of carbonization temperature could be important for catalytic performance.

Carbon Emission Effects Driven by Evolution of Chinese Dietary Structure from 1987 to 2020

Exploring carbon emission effects based on the evolution of residents’ dietary structure to achieve the carbon neutrality goal and mitigate climate change is an important task.This study took China as the research object(data excluding Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan) and used the carbon emission coefficient method to quantitatively measure the food carbon emissions from 1987–2020,then analyzed the carbon emission effects under the evolution of dietary structure.The results showed that during the study period,the Chinese dietary structure gradually changed to a high-carbon consumption pattern.The dietary structure of urban residents developed to a balanced one,while that of rural residents developed to a high-quality one.During the study period,the per capita food carbon emissions and total food consumption of Chinese showed an increasing trend.The per capita food carbon emissions of residents in urban and rural showed an overall upward trend.The total food carbon emissions in urban increased significantly,while that in rural increased first and then decreased.The influence of beef and mutton on carbon emissions is the highest in dietary structure.Compared with the balanced dietary pattern,the food carbon emissions of Chinese residents had not yet reached the peak,but were evolving to a high-carbon consumption pattern.

A 3–5μm broadband YBCO high-temperature superconducting photonic crystal

Photonic crystal structures have excellent optical properties,so they are widely studied in conventional optical materials.Recent research shows that high-temperature superconducting periodic structures have natural photonic crystal features and they are favourable candidates for single-photon detection.Considering that superconductors have completely different properties from conventional optical materials,we study the energy level diagram and mid-infrared 3μm–5μm transmission spectrum of two-dimensional superconducting photonic crystals in both superconducting and quenched states with the finite element method.The energy level diagram of the circular crystal column superconducting structure shows that the structure has a large band gap width in both states.At the same fill factor,the circular crystal column superconducting structure has a larger band gap width than the others structures.For lattice structures,the zero transmission point of the square lattice structure is robust to the incident angle and environmental temperature.Our research has guiding significance for the design of new material photonic crystals,photon modulation and detection.

Enhancement of the Mechanical Performance of SiCf/Phenolic Composites after High-temperature Pyrolysis Using ZrC/B_(4)C Particles

The composites were prepared by modifying silicon carbide fiber with particles of zirconium carbide(ZrC)and boron carbide(B_(4)C)and incorporating them into a phenolic resin matrix.The influence of ZrC and B_(4)C on the mechanical performance of SiCf/phenolic composites after high-temperature pyrolysis was studied through flexural performance test.The results show that the composite material has good thermal stability and high-temperature mechanical properties.After static ablation at 1400℃ for 15 minutes,the flexural strength of the composite material reaches 286 MPa,which is still 7.3%higher than at room temperature,indicating that the composite material still has good mechanical properties even after heat treatment at 1400℃.

Construction and Application of a Regional Kilometer-Scale Carbon Source and Sink Assimilation Inversion System(CCMVS-R)

CO_(2)is one of the most important greenhouse gases(GHGs)in the earth’s atmosphere.Since the industrial era,anthropogenic activities have emitted excessive quantities of GHGs into the atmosphere,resulting in climate warming since the 1950s and leading to an increased frequency of extreme weather and climate events.In 2020,China committed to striving for carbon neutrality by 2060.This commitment and China’s consequent actions will result in significant changes in global and regional anthropogenic carbon emissions and therefore require timely,comprehensive,and objective monitoring and verification support(MVS)systems.The MVS approach relies on the top-down assimilation and inversion of atmospheric CO_(2)concentrations,as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)Inventory Guidelines in 2019.However,the regional high-resolution assimilation and inversion method is still in its initial stage of development.Here,we have constructed an inverse system for carbon sources and sinks at the kilometer level by coupling proper orthogonal decomposition(POD)with four-dimensional variational(4DVar)data assimilation based on the weather research and forecasting-greenhouse gas(WRF-GHG)model.Our China Carbon Monito ring and Verification Support at the Regional level(CCMVS-R)system can continuously assimilate information on atmospheric CO_(2)and other related information and realize the inversion of regional and local anthropogenic carbon emissions and natural terrestrial ecosystem carbon exchange.Atmospheric CO_(2)data were collected from six ground-based monito ring sites in Shanxi Province,China to verify the inversion effect of regio nal anthropogenic carbon emissions by setting ideal and real experiments using a two-layer nesting method(at 27 and 9 km).The uncertainty of the simulated atmospheric CO_(2)decreased significantly,with a root-mean-square error of CO_(2)concentration values between the ideal value and the simulated after assimilation was close to 0.The total anthropogenic carbon emissions in Shanxi Province in 2019 from the assimilated inversions were approximately 28.6%(17%-38%)higher than the mean of five emission inventories using the bottomup method,showing that the top-down CCMVS-R system can obtain more comprehensive information on anthropogenic carbon emissions.

The Research for Surface Properties of Steel Slag Powder and High-Temperature Rheological Properties of Asphalt Mortar

In order to evaluate the feasibility of steel slag powder as filler,the coating properties of steel slag and limestone aggregate were compared by water boiling test,the micro morphology difierences between steel slag powder and mineral powder(limestone powder)were compared by scanning electron microscope(SEM),and the high-temperature rheological properties of asphalt mortar with difierent ratio of filler quality to asphalt quality(F/A)and difierent substitution rates of mineral powder(S/F)were studied by dynamic shear rheological test.The results show that the surface microstructure of steel slag powder is more abundant than that of mineral powder,and the adhesion of steel slag to asphalt is better than that of limestone.At the same temperature,the lower the ratio of S/F is,the greater the rutting factor and complex modulus will be.In addition,the complex modulus and rutting factor of the asphalt mortar increase with the increase of F/A,and the filler type and F/A have a negligible efiect on the phase angle.

Synthesis of phosphonated graphene oxide by electrochemical exfoliation to enhance the performance and durability of high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The doping of functionalized graphene oxide(GO)in the membranes becomes a promising method for improving the performance of high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells(HT-PEMFC).Phosphonated graphene oxide(PGO)with a P/O ratio of 8.5%was quickly synthesised by one-step electrochemical exfoliation based on a three-dimensiaonal(3D)printed reactor and natural graphite flakes.Compared with the GO prepared by the two-step electrochemical exfoliation method,the PGO synthesized by the one-step electrochemical exfoliation can better improve the performance of the membrane-electrode-assembly(MEA)based on the polybenzimidazole(PBI)membrane in the HTPEMFC.The doping of 1.5 wt%GO synthesised by electrochemical exfoliation with the 2-step method or reactor method in PBI increased the peak power density by 17.4%or 35.4%compared to MEA based on pure PBI membrane at 150℃,respectively.In addition,the doping of PGO in PBI improves its durability under accelerated stress test(AST).