Towards advanced zinc anodes by interfacial modification strategies for efficient aqueous zinc metal batteries

Developing sustainable and clean energy sources(e.g.,solar,wind,and tide energy)is essential to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.Due to the discontinuous and inco nsistent nature of common clean energy sources,high-performance energy storage technologies are a critical part of achieving this target.Aqueous zinc metal batteries(AZMBs)with inherent safety,low cost,and competitive performance are regarded as one of the promising candidates for grid-scale energy storage.However,zinc metal anodes(ZMAs)with irreversible problems of dendrite growth,hydrogen evolution reaction,self-corrosio n,and other side reactions have seriously hindered the development and commercialization of AZMBs.An increasing number of researchers are focusing on the stability of ZMAs,so assessing the effectiveness of existing research strategies is critical to the development of AZMBs.This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals and challenges of AZMBs.Resea rch strategies for interfacial modification of ZMAs are systematically presented.The features of artificial interfacial coating and in-situ interfacial coating of ZMAs are compared and discussed in detail,as well as the effect of modified interfacial ZMA on the full-battery performance.Finally,perspectives are provided on the problems and challenges of ZMAs.This review is expected to offer a constructive reference for the further development and commercialization of AZMBs.

Surface modification of magnesium alloys using thermal and solid-state cold spray processes:Challenges and latest progresses

Potential engineering applications of magnesium(Mg)and Mg-based alloys,as the lightest structural metal,have made them a popular subject of study.However,the inferior corrosion and wear characteristics significantly limit their application range.It is widely recognized that surface treatment is the most commonly utilized technique for remarkably improving a substrate’s surface characteristics.Numerous methods have been introduced for the surface treatment of Mg and Mg-based alloys to improve their corrosion behavior and tribological performance.Among these,thermal spray(TS)technology provides several methods for deposition of various functional metallic,ceramic,cermet,or other coatings tailored to particular conditions.Recent researches have shown the tremendous potential for thermal spray coated Mg alloys for biomedical and industrial applications.In this context,the cold spray(CS)method,as a comparatively new TS coating technique,can generate the coating layer using kinetic energy rather than combined thermal and kinetic energies,like the high-velocity oxy-fuel(HVOF)spray method.Moreover,the CS process,as a revolutionary method,is able to repair and refurbish with a faster turnaround time;it also provides solutions that do not require dealing with the thermal stresses that are part of the other repair processes,such as welding or other TS processes using a high-temperature flame.In this review paper,the recently designed coatings that are specifically applied to Mg alloys(primarily for industrial applications)employing various coating processes are reviewed.Because of the increased utilization of CS technology for both 3D printed(additively manufactured)coatings and repair of structurally critical components,the most recent CS methods for the surface treatment,repair,and refurbishment of Mg alloys as well as their benefits and restrictions are then discussed and reviewed in detail.Lastly,the prospects of this field of study are briefly discussed,along with a summary of the presented work.

Component modification of steel slag in air quenching process to improve grindability

A new solution called component modification in-process was introduced to the difficult grinding of air quenching steel slag by a series of experiments. The results show that the fly ash added into the molten steel slag before air quenching can more effectively improve the slag's grindability than milltailings, which is the other modification agent tested under the same conditions. The role of fly ash is strengthened as its proportion increases, although the degree of promotion is gradually reduced. As a result of the reaction between fly ash and steel slag at high temperature, some new mineral phases and vitreous bodies with fine grindability promote the slag grinding easily. This work is helpful to making a comprehensive utilization of steel slag and maximize its economic efficiency in China.

Preparation and modification of VO_2 thin film on R-sapphire substrate by rapid thermal process

The VO2 thin film with high performance of metal-insulator transition （MIT） is prepared on R-sapphire substrate for the first time by magnetron sputtering with rapid thermal process （RTP）. The electrical characteristic and THz transmittance of MIT in VO2 film are studied by four-point probe method and THz time domain spectrum （THz-TDS）. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, atomic force microscopy （AFM）, and search engine marketing （SEM） are employed to analyze the crystalline structure, valence state, surface morphology of the film. Results indicate that the properties of VO2 film which is oxidized from the metal vanadium film in oxygen atmosphere are improved with a follow- up RTP modification in nitrogen atmosphere. The crystallization and components of VO2 film are improved and the film becomes compact and uniform. A better phase transition performance is shown that the resistance changes nearly 3 orders of magnitude with a 2-~C hysteresis width and the THz transmittances are reduced by 64% and 60% in thermal and optical excitation respectively.

Electro-pulse modification and reheating process for production of thixotropic microstructure in AlSi_7Mg alloy

Electro-pulse modification(EPM) was used to change the dendritic structure of AlSi7Mg alloy to globular one.The effects of the modified temperature,electro-pulse frequency and time on the solidified structure were examined.The results show that these parameters play an important role in the solidified microstructures.That is to say,under the same modified temperature,the solidified microstructure will be improved greatly with the increase of electro-pulse frequency and time,but when they exceed to limit values,the solidified microstructure will become worse,resulting from the decrease of the ratio of nucleation.The experimental results indicate that the suitable modified temperature of AlSi7Mg alloy is 720 °C,and the appropriate electro-pulse frequency and time are 5 Hz and 40 s,respectively.Then the microstructures produced by suitable EPM process were reheated at temperatures between liquidus and solidus,the primary-Al grains ripen further and become more spherical,which is favorable to the semi-solid forming of AlSi7Mg alloy.

Reduce Plasticizer Migration by Modification of PVC during Reactive Processing

Plasticizers in plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are generally physically added into PVC by compounding so that they can be rapidly leached from PVC articles during service. This results in their migration into the human environment with potentially serious consequences and lower effectiveness of the additives in PVC. Potentially the chemical modification of PVC during processing via reactive processing procedure is one of the most attractive solutions to these problems. In this paper, we will report our work in exploring an environmentally friendly and cost-effective reactive processing approach for chemically binding plasticizer into PVC chains. Our research results indicate that it is possible to reduce the plasticizer migration from a plasticized PVC by chemically binding of a certain plasticizer into PVC chains via reactive processing. Thus, high levels of binding of DBM,a maleate plasticizer, to PVC may be reached in less than 10 min under prevailing reactive processing conditions. The extent of binding of DBM as a function of the loading shows two peaks: one at a relatively low loading (less than 0.12 mol·kg^-1 PVC) tends to 100%, the other in the high loading region (more than 1.5 mol·kg^-1 PVC) approaches around 50%. The DBM modified PVC polymer exhibits behaviours as a plasticized PVC but its bound plasticising groups would not be leached by solvent extraction.

Construction and modification of chloroplast ultrastructure of a special albino rice mutant W25 during the seedling greenish process

W25 was a gamma-irradiation induced albinorice mutant line, which only expressed in thespecial temperatures (see figure). At 30 Cand 35 C, the seedling leaves of W25 showedgreenish or normal green, but they exhibitedalbino at 25℃, which could be greenish afterthe fourth leaf extension and recovered to be

Application of Fuzzy Modification Strategy in MRAC

Based on a simplified model reference adaptive control(SMRAC) algorithm a parameter modification algorithm according to fuzzy laws is proposed in this paper. The method makes the adaptive parameters in SMRAC only rely on the status of performance error. Thus it eliminates the influences of gain coefficients in SMRAC and the amplitude of input signal on the dynamic characteristics. Experiments on various step amplitudes and loads show that the performances of SMRAC are improved by incorporating fuzzy modification method.

Mechanism and reservoir simulation study of the autothermic pyrolysis in-situ conversion process for oil shale recovery

The autothermic pyrolysis in-situ conversion process (ATS) consumes latent heat of residual organic matter after kerogen pyrolysis by oxidation reaction, and it has the advantages of low development cost and exploitation of deep oil shale resources. However, the heating mechanism and the characteristic of different reaction zones are still unclear. In this study, an ATS numerical simulation model was proposed for the development of oil shale, which considers the pyrolysis of kerogen, high-temperature oxidation, and low-temperature oxidation. Based on the above model, the mechanism of the ATS was analyzed and the effects of preheating temperature, O_(2) content, and injection rate on recovery factor and energy efficiency were studied. The results showed that the ATS in the formation can be divided into five characteristic zones by evolution of the oil and O_(2) distribution, and the solid organic matter, including residue zone, autothermic zone, pyrolysis zone, preheating zone, and original zone. Energy efficiency was much higher for the ATS than for the high-temperature nitrogen injection in-situ conversion process (HNICP). There is a threshold value of the preheating temperature, the oil content, and the injection rate during the ATS, which is 400 °C, 0.18, and 1100 m3/day, respectively, in this study.

Comparative study on high temperature deformation behavior and processing maps of Mg-4Zn-1RE-0.5Zr alloy with and without in-situ sub-micron sized TiB2 reinforcement

Mg-4Zn-1RE-0.5Zr (ZE41) Mg alloy is extensively used in the aerospace and automobile industries.In order to improve the applicability and performance,this alloy was engineered with in-situ Ti B2reinforcement to form Ti B2/ZE41 composite.The high temperature deformation behavior and manufacturability of the newly developed Ti B2/ZE41 composite and the parent ZE41 Mg alloy were studied via establishing constitutive modeling of flow stress,deformation activation energy and processing map over a temperature range of 250℃-450℃ and strain rate range of 0.001 s-1-10 s-1.The predicted flow stress behavior of both materials were found to be well consistent with the experimental values.A significant improvement in activation energy was found in Ti B2/ZE41 composite (171.54 k J/mol) as compared to the ZE41 alloy (148.15 k J/mol) due to the dispersed strengthening of in-situ Ti B2particles.The processing maps were developed via dynamic material modeling.A wider workability domain and higher peak efficiency (45%) were observed in Ti B2/ZE41 composite as compared to ZE41 alloy (41%).The Dynamic recrystallization is found to be the dominating deformation mechanism for both materials;however,particle stimulated nucleation was found to be an additional mode of deformation in Ti B2/ZE41 composite.The twinning and stress induced cracks were observed in both the materials at low temperature and high strain rate.A narrow range of instability zone is found in the present Ti B2/ZE41 composite among the existing published literature on Mg based composites.The detailed microstructural characterization was carried out in both workability and instability domains to establish the governing deformation mechanisms.

Connotation and strategic role of in-situ conversion processing of shale oil underground in the onshore China

In-situ conversion processing (ICP) of shale oil underground at the depth ranging from 300 m to 3 000 m is a physical and chemical process caused by using horizontal drilling and electric heating technology, which converts heavy oil, bitumen and various organic matter into light oil and gas in a large scale, which can be called"underground refinery". ICP has several advantages as in CO2capture, recoverable resource potential and the quality of hydrocarbon output. Based on the geothermal evolution mechanism of organic materials established by Tissot et al., this study reveals that in the nonmarine organic-rich shale sequence, the amount of liquid hydrocarbon maintaining in the shale is as high as 25%in the liquid hydrocarbon window stage (R o less than 1.0%), and the unconverted organic materials (low mature-immature organic materials) in the shale interval can reach 40%to 100%. The conditions of organic-rich shale suitable for underground in-situ conversion of shale oil should be satisfied in the following aspects, TOC higher than 6%, R o ranging between 0.5%and 1%, concentrated thickness of organic-rich shale greater than 15 meters, burial depth less than 3 000 m, covering area bigger than 50 km2, good sealing condition in both up-and down-contacting sequences and water content smaller than 5%, etc. The shale oil resource in China’s onshore region is huge. It is estimated with this paper that the technical recoverable resource reaches 70-90 billion tons of oil and 60-65 trillion cubic meters of gas. The ICP of shale oil underground is believed to be a fairway to find big oil in the source kitchen in the near future. And it is also believed to be a milestone to keep China long-term stability of oil and gas sufficient supply by putting ICP of shale oil underground into real practice in the future.

Data processing and preliminary results of the Chang'e-3 VIS/NIR Imaging Spectrometer in-situ analysis

The Chang＇e-3 Visible and Near-infrared Imaging Spectrometer （VNIS） is one of the four payloads on the Yutu rover. After traversing the landing site during the first two lunar days, four different areas are detected, and Level 2A and 2B ra- diance data have been released to the scientific community. The released data have been processed by dark current subtraction, correction for the effect of temperature, radiometric calibration and geometric calibration. We emphasize approaches for re- flectance analysis and mineral identification for in-situ analysis with VNIS. Then the preliminary spectral and mineralogical results from the landing site are derived. After comparing spectral data from VNIS with data collected by the Ma instrument and samples of mare that were returned from the Apollo program, all the reflectance data have been found to have similar absorption features near 1000 nm except lunar sample 71061. In addition, there is also a weak absorption feature between 1750-2400nm on VNIS, but the slopes of VNIS and Ma reflectance at longer wavelengths are lower than data taken from samples of lunar mare. Spectral parameters such as Band Centers and Integrated Band Depth Ratios are used to analyze mineralogical features. The results show that detection points E and N205 are mixtures of high-Ca pyroxene and olivine, and the composition of olivineat point N205 is higher than that at point E, but the compositions of detection points S3 and N203 are mainly olivine-rich. Since there are no obvious absorption features near 1250 nm, plagioclase is not directly identified at the landing site.

Modification to poloidal charge exchange recombination spectroscopy measurement in JT-60U tokamak

With consideration of the effects of the atomic process and the sight line direction on the charge exchange re-combination spectroscopy （CXRS）, a code used to modify the poloidal CXRS measurement on Tokamak-60 Upgrade （JT-60U） in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute is developed, offering an effective tool to modify the measurement and analyse experimental results further. The results show that the poloidal velocity of ion is overestimated but the ion temperature is underestimated by the poloidal CXRS measurement, and they also indicate that the effect of observation angle on rotation velocity is a dominant one in a core region （r/a 〈 0.65）, whereas in an edge region where the sight line is nearly normal to the neutral beam, the observation angle effect is very small. The difference between the modified velocity and the neoclassical velocity is not larger than the error in measurement. The difference inside the internal transport barrier （ITB） region is 2-3 times larger than that outside the ITB region, and it increases when the effect of excited components in neutral beam is taken into account. The radial electric field profile is affected greatly by the poloidal rotation term, which possibly indicates the correlation between the poloidal rotation and the transport barrier formation.

Fabrication of in-situ TiC reinforced composite coating via plasma transferred arc process

In this work, the in-situ TiC panicles reinforced composite coating was prepared by plasma transferred arc process on the surface of Q235 steel. Microstructures, phase composition and wear property of the coating were investigated. The results showed that the composite coating consisted mainly of T-Ni, TiC, Cr23C6, Cr7C3, Ni3Si, CrB, Cr5B3 and FeNi3 phases, and was characterized by fine TiC panicles embedded in Ni matrix. The wear resistance of composite coating was significantly improved compared with that of the steel substrate. The wear volume loss of the substrate was 443 mm3, which was about 9 times as that of in-situ TiC particles reinforced composite coating （49 mm3 ）. It is mainly attributed to the presence of chromium carbide particles and in-situ TiC particles and their favorable combination with Ni matrix.

Surface Modification of NaCl Particles with Metal Films Using the Polygonal Barrel-Sputtering Method

In this study, the surfaces of NaCl particles were modified with metal films using the polygonal barrel-sputtering method. When Pt was sputtered on NaCl particles, the individual particles changed from white to metallic. Characterization of the treated samples indicated that thin Pt metal films were uniformly deposited on the NaCl particles. Immersion of the treated NaCl particles in water revealed that they floated to the surface of the water with the increase in the immersion time, although their original cubic shapes remained unchanged. The floating phenomenon of the Pt-coated NaCl particles, as mentioned above, suggests that NaCl was dissolved by the permeation of water through invisible defects such as grain boundaries in the Pt films, leading to the formation of hollow particle-like materials. It should be noted that uniform film deposition on the NaCl particles could also be achieved by sputtering with Au or Cu. Based on the obtained results, our sputtering method allows uniform surface modification of water-soluble and water-reactive powders that cannot be treated by conventional wet process using water.

IN-SITU HVEM STUDY ON PHASE TRANSITION OF YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-x) SUPERCONDUCTING COMPOUND IN PROCESS OF HEATING

In-situ HVEM observation on phase transition of the YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-x) superconducting compound in pro- cess of heating was carried out,and high temperature X-ray diffraction analysis in air and X-ray diffraction phase analysis for the sample treated in vacuum condition were made.The results showed that the temperature of phase transition is related to oxygen content in the sample and in general,is 100℃ to 120℃ lower in vacu- um condition than in air.At 320℃ to 350℃ twin bands begin to disappear,and some Cu_2O are formed on the surface of the sample and transit from orthorhombic YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-x) to arthorhombic Y_2BaCuO_5 compound. This transition was completed at about 500℃.Above 900℃,this compound consists of the Y_2BaCuO_5, BaCuO_2,Y_2O_3 and some other minor compounds.No phase transition was observed during cooling the sample.

Preparation Process of Plumbagin Nanomicelle In-situ Gel

[Objectives]To prepare plumbagin nanomicelle(PLB-N)in-situ gel,and optimize the formulation and process.[Methods]PLB-N was prepared by self-assembly method,and the optimal formulation of PLB-N in-situ gel was determined by orthogonal experiment design and single factor method.[Results]The optimal preparation process for PLB-N was a drug to lipid ratio of 1:3,a Tween 80 content of 5%,an ethanol content of 7.5%of the hydration medium,a magnetic stirring speed of 2200 rpm,a stirring time of 30 min,and an ultrasound time of 10 min.The optimal formulation of PLB-N in-situ gel was 22%of poloxamer 407,6%of poloxamer 188,and 1:1 of PLB-N to water.The encapsulation efficiency of PLB-N prepared with the optimal formula was(95.8%±0.4%),and the average particle size was(75.19±1.14)nm,and the Zeta potential was(-20.73±1.19)mv.[Conclusions]PLB-N in-situ gel had stable and reliable preparation process,uniform content,and broad application prospects.

Investigation on Thermal and Dimensional Stability of Epoxy Resin In-Situ Modified by Cyanate Ester Resin and Polydimethylsiloxane

The thermal and dimensional stability of epoxy resin(EP)in-situ modified by cyanate ester(CE)and polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)are investigated by means of experiments and numerical simulation.Thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA)and differential scanning calorimeter(DSC)are used to analyze the heat resistance of the modified EP.The dimensional stability is characterized by the volume shrinkage of the series PDMS/CE/EP obtained by the density method.The chemical structure of the PDMS/CE/EP is analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).The results of TGA and DSC indicate that the thermal stability of PDMS/CE/EP decreases firstly and then increases with the increase in the amount of CE.The addition of PDMS shows a slight effect on the thermal stability.The 40%CE makes the blending system exhibit the lowest initial decomposition temperature,which reduces by 15.5%and 40.8%compared with pure EP and CE,respectively.The FTIR results suggested that the influence of CE on the thermal stability of the modified EP is mainly ascribed to the generation of oxazolidinone ring with low thermal stability and the increase in the triazine ring with high thermal stability.The volume shrinkage measurement results show that the introduction of CE and PDMS are both beneficial to the improvement of the dimensional stability of the blending systems.The in-situ addition of 80%CE shows the lowest volume shrinkage of6.11%.The thermal stress distribution of PDMS/CE/EP generated during the solidification process is simulated by the finite element analysis.The results suggested that the introduction of 80%CE into EP results in the lowest thermal stress in the blending system,which indicates that the system has the lowest volume shrinkage,which agrees well with the experimental results.

Research progress in friction stir processing of magnesium alloys and their metal matrix surface composites: Evolution in the 21^(st )century

Rising concerns about climate change drive the demand for lightweight components.Magnesium(Mg)alloys are highly valued for their low weight,making them increasingly important in various industries.Researchers focusing on enhancing the characteristics of Mg alloys and developing their Metal Matrix Composites(MMCs)have gained significant attention worldwide over the past decade,driven by the global shift towards lightweight materials.Friction Stir Processing(FSP)has emerged as a promising technique to enhance the properties of Mg alloys and produce Mg-MMCs.Initially,FSP adapted to refine grain size from the micro to the nano level and accelerated the development of MMCs due to its solid-state nature and the synergistic effects of microstructure refinement and reinforcement,improving strength,hardness,ductility,wear resistance,corrosion resistance,and fatigue strength.However,producing defect-free and sound FSPed Mg and Mg-MMCs requires addressing several variables and their interdependencies,which opens up a broad range of practical applications.Despite existing reviews on individual FSP of Mg,its alloys,and MMCs,an attempt has been made to analyze the latest research on these three aspects collectively to enhance the understanding,application,and effectiveness of FSP for Mg and its derivatives.This review article discusses the literature,classifies the importance of Mg alloys,provides a historical background,and explores developments and potential applications of FSPed Mg alloys.It focuses on novel fabrication methods,reinforcement strategies,machine and tool design parameters,material characterization,and integration with other methods for enhanced properties.The influence of process parameters and the emergence of defects are examined,along with specific applications in mono and hybrid composites and their microstructure evolution.The study identifies promising reinforcement materials and highlights research gaps in FSP for Mg alloys and MMCs production.It concludes with significant recommendations for further exploration,reflecting ongoing advancements in this field.

Characterization of physicochemical and immunogenic properties of allergenic proteins altered by food processing:a review

Food allergens are mainly naturally-occurring proteins with immunoglobulin E(IgE)-binding epitopes.Understanding the structural and immunogenic characteristics of allergenic proteins is essential in assessing whether and how food processing techniques reduce allergenicity.We here discuss the impacts of food processing technologies on the modification of physicochemical,structural,and immunogenic properties of allergenic proteins.Detection techniques for characterizing changes in these properties of food allergens are summarized.Food processing helps to reduce allergenicity by aggregating or denaturing proteins,which masks,modifies,or destroys antigenic epitopes,whereas,it cannot eliminate allergenicity completely,and sometimes even improves allergenicity by exposing new epitopes.Moreover,most food processing techniques have been tested on purified food allergens rather than food products due to potential interference of other food components.We provide guidance for further development of processing operations that can decrease the allergenicity of allergenic food proteins without negatively impacting the nutritional profile.