Tuning the crystallinity of titanium nitride on copper-embedded carbon nanofiber interlayers for accelerated electrochemical kinetics in lithium-sulfur batteries

The development of lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries is hindered by the disadvantages of shuttling of polysulfides and the sluggish redox kinetics of the conversion of sulfur species during discharge and charge.Herein,the crystallinities of a titanium nitride(TiN)film on copper-embedded carbon nanofibers(Cu-CNFs)are regulated and the nanofibers are used as interlayers to resolve the aforementioned crucial issues.A low-crystalline TiN-coated Cu-CNF(L-TiN-Cu-CNF)interlayer is compared with its highly crystalline counterpart(H-TiN-Cu-CNFs).It is demonstrated that the L-TiN coating not only strengthens the chemical adsorption toward polysulfides but also greatly accelerates the electrochemical conversion of polysulfides.Due to robust carbon frameworks and enhanced kinetics,impressive highrate performance at 2 C(913 mAh g^(-1)based on sulfur)as well as remarkable cyclic stability up to 300 cycles(626 mAh g^(-1))with capacity retention of 46.5%is realized for L-TiN-Cu-CNF interlayer-configured Li-S batteries.Even under high loading(3.8 mg cm^(-2))of sulfur and relatively lean electrolyte(10μL electrolyte per milligram sulfur)conditions,the Li-S battery equipped with L-TiN-Cu-CNF interlayers delivers a high capacity of 1144 mAh g^(-1)with cathodic capacity of 4.25 mAh cm^(-2)at 0.1 C,providing a potential pathway toward the design of multifunctional interlayers for highly efficient Li-S batteries.

In Situ Formed Tribofilms as Efficient Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Interlayers for Stabilizing Lithium Metal Anodes

The practical application of Li metal anodes(LMAs)is limited by uncontrolled dendrite growth and side reactions.Herein,we propose a new friction-induced strategy to produce high-performance thin Li anode(Li@CFO).By virtue of the in situ friction reaction between fluoropolymer grease and Li strips during rolling,a robust organic/inorganic hybrid interlayer(lithiophilic LiF/LiC_(6)framework hybridized-CF_(2)-O-CF_(2)-chains)was formed atop Li metal.The derived interface contributes to reversible Li plating/stripping behaviors by mitigating side reactions and decreasing the solvation degree at the interface.The Li@CFO||Li@CFO symmetrical cell exhibits a remarkable lifespan for 5,600 h(1.0 mA cm^(-2)and 1.0 mAh cm^(-2))and 1,350 cycles even at a harsh condition(18.0 mA cm^(-2)and 3.0 mAh cm^(-2)).When paired with high-loading LiFePO4 cathodes,the full cell lasts over 450 cycles at 1C with a high-capacity retention of 99.9%.This work provides a new friction-induced strategy for producing high-performance thin LMAs.

Diffusion Bonding of Tungsten to Copper and Its Alloy with Ti Foil and Ti/Ni/Ti Multiple Interlayers

Ti foil and Ti/Ni/Ti multiple interlayers were selected for the bonding of tungsten to copper and CuCrZr alloy.Theeffects of processing conditions on the microstructures and shear strength of the joints were investigated.When Tifoil is used for bonding of tungsten to pure copper but not transformed into liquid solution during the holding time,the strength of the joints is relatively low because of the multiple compound layers with brittleness formed in thebonding zone.The strength of the joints increases significantly if the Ti foil is transformed into liquid solution and ismostly extruded out of the bonding zone.The same phenomena are found in the case when Ti/Ni/Ti multi-interlayersare used for bonding tungsten to CuCrZr alloy.

Major Tectono-thermal Events in the Yangtze Craton: Insights from U-Pb-Lu-Hf Isotope Records in Zircons from End-Permian Volcanic Interlayers in Southwest China

The in situ zircon U-Pb-Lu-Hf isotope records from end-Permian volcanic interlayers in southwest China,integrated with previous studies,restructure the evolutionary history of the Yangtze Craton from Precambrian to Late Paleozoic.This includes early continental crust formation before 3.0 Ga and massive juvenile crustal growth at 2.6-2.4 Ga;large-scale crustal reworking at 2.1-1.7 Ga;Neoproterozoic crust addition at 1.1 to 0.7 Ga;collision and subduction along the craton margin between 700-541 Ma;Early Ordovician to Late Silurian magmatism;and large tectono-thermal events in the Middle Carboniferous to end-Permian.Some zircons with T(MD2)ages from 4.40 to 4.01 Ga and lower initial176Hf/177Hf values of 0.280592 to 0.280726 may imply the existence of Hadean crust relics beneath the Yangtze Craton and their provenances could be associated with Hadean crustal remelting.This study further clarifies that the Precambrian-age zircons between the end-Permian volcanic interlayers,the complexes in the western margin of the Yangtze Craton,and the sedimentary Kangdian Basin,may share an affinity based on similar U-Pb age spectra and Hf isotope features.It also shows that the Neoproterozoic tectono-thermal event may be associated with large-scale tectono-rifting activity,which is different from the Grenville-age continental collision between Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks in South China.The above findings support the inference of a widespread Archean basement extending to the western Yangtze Craton and a provenance in the Kangdian Basin that is derived from the weathering and erosion of Paleoproterozoic continental crust.

Finite element analysis of overlay incorporating stress absorbing membrane interlayers against reflective cracking

A wheel tracking test was modelled to gain better understanding of the deflection and stress-strain distribution in an overlaid cracked pavements with and without membrane interlayer （SAMI）. For this purpose, commercial finite element software Abaqus 6.7-1 was used. Two different models were considered, one incorporating stress absorbing membrane interlayers （SAMIs） and the other without SAMI. In the study, full bond condition was assumed for the boundaries between the layers, and a linear elastic model was used for the analysis. The results show that introduction of SAMI caused greater deflection of the pavement. It is found that although with SAMIs, low stiffness is required, a very low stiffness may yield undesirable results. The results show that the introduction of SAMIs results in high strain concentration around the crack region, whilst the strain in the overlay is smaller than the values predicted in the models without SAMIs.

Diffusion Bonding of Ti-6Al-4V to QAl 10-3-1.5 with Ni/Cu Interlayers

Ti-6Al-4V and QAl 10-3-1.5 diffusion bonding has been carried out with Ni/Cu interlayers. The diffusionbonded joints are evaluated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS） and microhardness test. Intermetallic compounds at the interface zone are detected by X-ray diffraction （XRD）. Interracial microstructure of TiNi＋CuTi3＋α-Ti forms at the Ni/Ti-6Al-4V transition zone and Cu （ss. Ni） solid solution forms between Ni/Cu interlayers. The thickness of reaction layer （TiNi） increases with bonding time by a parabolic law： y^2=Koexp（-150000/RT）t, and K0=2.g×10^-7 m^2/s is figured out from the experiment data.

Si and Mg pair-doped interlayers for improving performance of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors grown on Si substrate

We report a novel structure of A1GaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistors （HFETs） with a Si and Mg pair- doped interlayer grown on Si substrate. By optimizing the doping concentrations of the pair-doped interlayers, the mobility of 2DEG increases by twice for the conventional structure under 5 K due to the improved crystalline quality of the conduction channel. The proposed HFET shows a four orders lower off-state leakage current, resulting in a much higher on/off ratio （ - 10^9）. Further temperature-dependent performance of Schottky diodes revealed that the inhibition of shallow surface traps in proposed HFETs should be the main reason for the suppression of leakage current.

Comparative study of different properties of GaN films grown on(0001) sapphire using high and low temperature AlN interlayers

Comparative study of high and low temperature AlN interlayers and their roles in the properties of GaN epilayers prepared by means of metal organic chemical vapour deposition on （0001） plane sapphire substrates is carried out by high resolution x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. It is found that the crystalline quality of GaN epilayers is improved significantly by using the high temperature A1N interlayers, which prevent the threading dislocations from extending, especially for the edge type dislocation. The analysis results based on photoluminescence and Ruman measurements demonstrate that there exists more compressive stress in GaN epilayers with high temperature AlN interlayers. The band edge emission energy increases from 3.423 eV to 3.438 eV and the frequency of the Raman shift of E2（TO） moves from 571.3 cm-1 to 572.9 cm-1 when the temperature of AlN interlayers increases from 700 ℃ to 1050 ℃. It is believed that the temperature of AlN interlayers effectively determines the size, the density and the coalescence rate of the islands, and the high temperature AlN interlayers provide large size and low density islands for GaN epilayer growth and the threading dislocations are bent and interactive easily. Due to the threading dislocation reduction in GaN epilayers with high temperature AlN interlayers, the approaches of strain relaxation reduce drastically, and thus the compressive stress in GaN epilayers with high temperature AlN interlayers is high compared with that in GaN epilayers with low temperature AlN interlayers.

Amorphous SiO_2 interlayers for deposition of adherent diamond films onto WC-Co inserts

Amorphous Si O2（a-Si O2） films were synthesized on WC-Co substrates with H2 and tetraethoxysilane（TEOS） via pyrolysis of molecular precursor.X-ray diffraction（XRD） pattern shows that silicon-cobalt compounds form at the interface between a-Si O2 films and WC-Co substrates.Moreover,it is observed by transmission electron microscope（TEM） that the a-Si O2 films are composed of hollow mirco-spheroid a-Si O2 particles.Subsequently,the a-Si O2 films are used as intermediate films and chemical vapor deposition（CVD） diamond films are deposited on them.Indentation tests were performed to evaluate the adhesion of bi-layer（a-Si O2 ＋ diamond） films on cemented carbide substrates.And the cutting performance of bi-layer（a-Si O2 ＋ diamond） coated inserts was evaluated by machining the glass fiber reinforced plastic（GFRP）.The results show that a-Si O2 interlayers can greatly improve the adhesive strength of diamond films on cemented carbide inserts;furthermore,thickness of the a-Si O2 interlayers plays a significant role in their effectiveness on adhesion enhancement of diamond films.

Microstructure,strength and welding window of aluminum alloy-stainless steel explosive cladding with different interlayers

Aluminum 5052(Al 5052)-stainless steel 316(SS 316)plates were explosively cladded with Al 1100,pure copper and SS 304 interlayers.The operational parameters viz.,standoff distance,explosive mass ratio(mass ratio of the explosive to the flyer plate)and inclination angle were varied and the results were presented.The advent of interlayer relocates the lower boundary of the welding window,and enhances the welding regime by 40%.A triaxial welding window,considering the influence of the third operational parameter,was developed as well.Use of interlayer transforms the continuous molten layer formed in the traditional Al 5052-SS 316 explosive clad interfaces into a smooth interface devoid or with a slender presence of intermetallic compounds.The microhardness,ram tensile and shear strengths of the interlayered clads are higher than those of the traditional explosive clads,and the maximum values are witnessed for stainless steel interlaced Al 5052-SS 316 explosive clads.

Research on reservoir bed heterogeneity,interlayers and seal layers and controlling factors of 2+3 sands of upper second member,Shahejie Formation,in the west of the Pucheng Oilfield

Terminal fans have formed the sedimentary system of the 2＋3 sands of the upper second member, Shahejie formation in the west of the Pucheng Oilfield, Bohai Bay Basin, East China. Based on well logging data and physical properties of the reservoir beds, the 2＋3 sands were divided into 16 sublayers. The heterogeneity of reservoir beds and distribution of interlayers and seal layers in the 2＋3 sands were investigated. The intra-layer heterogeneity and inter-layer heterogeneity primarily belong to the severely heterogeneous classification. The spatial differentiation of sedimentary microfacies resulted in a change of reservoir bed heterogeneity, strong in the middle and southern parts, weak in the northern part. Spatial distribution of interlayers and seal layers is dominated by sedimentary microfacies, and they are thick in north-eastern and middle parts, thin in the south-western part.

Visualization of flow behavior in ore-segregated packed beds with fine interlayers

Ore particles,especially fine interlayers,commonly segregate in heap stacking,leading to undesirable flow paths and changeable flow velocity fields of packed beds.Computed tomography(CT),COMSOL Multiphysics,and MATLAB were utilized to quantify pore structures and visualize flow behavior inside packed beds with segregated fine interlayers.The formation of fine interlayers was accompanied with the segregation of particles in packed beds.Fine particles reached the upper position of the packed beds during stacking.CT revealed that the average porosity of fine interlayers(24.21%)was significantly lower than that of the heap packed by coarse ores(37.42%),which directly affected the formation of flow paths.Specifically,the potential flow paths in the internal regions of fine interlayers were undeveloped.Fluid flowed and bypassed the fine interlayers and along the sides of the packed beds.Flow velocity also indicated that the flow paths easily gathered in the pore throat where flow velocity(1.8×10^-5 m/s)suddenly increased.Fluid stagnant regions with a flow velocity lower than 0.2×10^-5 m/s appeared in flow paths with a large diameter.

Flexible PEDOT:PSS nanopapers as“anion-cation regulation”synergistic interlayers enabling ultra-stable aqueous zinc-iodine batteries

Aqueous zinc-iodine(Zn-I_(2))batteries are promising candidates for low-cost grid-scale energy storage systems.However,the long-term stability and energy density of the Zn-I_(2)batteries are largely hindered by the lack of feasible and scalable methods that coherently suppress polyiodide shuttling and Zn dendrites growth,especially at high current densities.Herein,a flexible,thin and lightweight poly(3,4-ethy lenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate(PEDOT:PSS)nanopaper is designed as an“anion-cation regulation”synergistic interlayer to tackle the above issues.The PEDOT:PSS interlayer exhibits a 3D nanofibrous network with uniformly distributed mesopores,abundant polar groups and intrinsic conductivity,which renders an even Zn^(2+)flux at Zn anode and facilitates homogeneous current distributions at I_(2)cathode.Meanwhile,such interlayer can act as physiochemical shield to enhance the utilization of I_(2)cathode via the coulombic repulsion and chemical adsorption effect against polyiodide shuttling.Thus,long-term dendrite-free Zn plating/stripping is achieved at simultaneous high current density and high areal capacity(550 h at 10 m A cm^(-2)/5 m Ah cm^(-2)).Zn-I_(2)batteries harvest a high capacity(230 m Ah g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1))and an ultralong lifespan(>20000 cycles)even at 10 A g^(-1).This work demonstrates the potential use of the multifunctional interlayers for Zn-I_(2)battery configuration innovation by synergistic regulation of cations and anions at the electrodes/electrolyte interface.

Load transfer laws of tensile anchors in rock masses with weak interlayers based on a shear-slipping updating model

The load transfer characteristics of a tensile anchor in the rock mass with weak interlayers were investigated,considering the nonuniform stress of the horizontally layered rock mass along anchors.An improved shear-slipping model was proposed to describe the stress evolution characteristics of the bolt-rock interface.Based on the improved model,analytical solutions of the axial force,shear stress distribution and load-displacement relationship considering the residual stress stage were established.The effects of the stratigraphic sequence,pulling force and bolt diameter on the stress distribution of the anchorage interface were evaluated by using analytical solutions.The results were verified by applying the finite difference numerical simulation method.The sensitivity of each parameter to the axial force and shear stress of the rock bolt was determined based on calculation of the sensitivity coefficient.The study results show that the axial force and shear stress tend to decrease nonuniformly along the rock bolt towards the anchorage depth.Due to the existence of weak interlayers,the shear stress mutates at the weak and hard rock interface,and the axial force appears to“rebound”at the bottom of the anchored section.Lithology has more significant effects on the axial force and shear stress at the bottom of the anchor than at the top of the anchor.The pulling force is more sensitive to the anchor stress than stratigraphic sequence when the bolt diameter is determined.This study provides a theoretical framework for the fundamental problem of tensile bolts in horizontally or vertically laminated rock masses,providing a theoretical basis for anchor design.

Fullerene-based electrode interlayers for bandgap tunable organometal perovskite metal–semiconductor–metal photodetectors

Perovskite photoconductor-type photodetector with metal–semiconductor–metal(MSM) structure is a basic device for photodetection applications. However, the role of electrode interlayer in MSM-type perovskite devices is less investigated compared to that of the pin diode structure. Here, a systematic investigation on the influence of phenyl-C_(61)-butyric acid methyl ester(PCBM) and indene-C_(60) bisadduct(ICBA) interfacial layers for MSM perovskite photodetectors is reported.It is found that the fullerene-based interlayer significantly enhances the photocurrent of the MSM photodetectors. On one hand, the PCBM interlayer is more suitable for CH_3 NH_3 PbI_3 photodetector, with the responsivity two times higher than that of the device with ICBA interlayer. The ICBA layer, on the other hand, becomes more effective when the band gap of perovskite is enlarged with bromine composition, denoted as CH_3 NH_3 Pb(I_(1-x)Br_x)_3(0 ≤ x ≤1). It is further found that the specific detectivity of photodetectors with ICBA interlayer becomes even higher than those with PCBM when the bromine compositional percentage reaches 0.6(x > 0.6).

Fine Characterization Method for Interlayers in Complex Meander River Sandstone Reservoir: A Case Study of Um7 Sand of C Oilfield in Bohai Bay Area

Taking the Um7 meandering river complex sandstone reservoir of Bohai Bay C oilfield as an example, the interlayer type is defined according to the interlayer lithology and sedimentary genesis, and the identification mode of different types of interlayer is established, and the interlayer comparison of the whole area is carried out by using this mode. The results show that the interlayer can be further defined as the stable distributed interlayer and the randomly distributed interlayer according to the morphology of the interlayer. The distribution characteristics of the two types of interlayers are characterized by the well-to-well comparison method and the data analysis method, and the three-dimensional characterization is carried out. The results more closely reflect the spatial distribution of the interlayer, but also are closer to the underground real situation.

Solid polymer electrolyte-based high areal capacity all-solid-state batteries enabled with ceramic interlayers

Solid polymer electrolytes(SPEs)based all-solid-state batteries(ASSBs)have attracted extensive attention as a promising candidate for next-generation energy storage systems.Typical ASSBs require high fabrication pressure to achieve high areal capacity,under which,however,SPEs struggle and risk damage or failure due to their low mechanical strength.There is also a lack of study on complex stress and strain SPEs experience during ASSB cell assembly processes.Here,ceramic solid electrolytes are selected as interlayers to address the stress-strain conditions during assembling.As a result,high areal capacity ASSBs with a LiCoO2 loading of 12 mg·cm^(-2) were assembled with SPE-based composite electrolytes.Around 200 cycles were carried out for these cells at a current density of 1 mA·cm^(-2) under room temperature.The capacity decay of the battery at 200 cycles is observed to be as low as 0.06% per cycle.This work identifies a critical issue for application of SPEs in ASSBs and provides a potential strategy for the design of SPE-based ASSBs with high specific energy and long cycle life.

Understanding the Interfacial Energy Structure and Electron Extraction Process in Inverted Organic Solar Cells with Phosphine-Doped Cathode Interlayers

Comprehensive Summary Cathode interlayers(CILs)play an essential role in achieving efficient organic solar cells(OSCs).However,the electronic structure at the electrode/CIL/active layer interfaces and the underlying mechanisms for electron collection remain unclear,which becomes a major obstacle to develop high-performance CILs.Herein,we investigate the relationship of the electron collection abilities of four cross-linked and n-doped CILs(c-NDI:P0,c-NDI:P1,c-NDI:P2,c-NDI:P3)with their electronic structure of space charge region at heterojunction interface.By accurately calculating the depletion region width according to the barrier height,doping density and permittivity,we put forward that the optimal thickness of CIL should be consistent with the depletion region width to realize the minimum energy loss.As a result,the depletion region width is largely reduced from 13 nm to 0.8 nm at the indium tin oxide(ITO)/c-NDI:P0 interface,resulting in a decent PCE of 17.7%for the corresponding inverted OSCs.

Accelerating lithium-sulfur battery reaction kinetics and inducing 3D deposition of Li_(2)S using interactions between Fe_(3)Se_(4)and lithium polysulfides

Although lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs)exhibit high theoretical energy density,their practical application is hindered by poor conductivity of the sulfur cathode,the shuttle effect,and the irreversible deposition of Li_(2)S.To address these issues,a novel composite,using electrospinning technology,consisting of Fe_(3)Se_(4)and porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers was designed for the interlayer of LSBs.The porous carbon nanofiber structure facilitates the transport of ions and electrons,while the Fe_(3)Se_(4)material adsorbs lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)and accelerates its catalytic conversion process.Furthermore,the Fe_(3)Se_(4)material interacts with soluble LiPSs to generate a new polysulfide intermediate,Li_(x)FeS_(y)complex,which changes the electrochemical reaction pathway and facilitates the three-dimensional deposition of Li_(2)S,enhancing the reversibility of LSBs.The designed LSB demonstrates a high specific capacity of1529.6 mA h g^(-1)in the first cycle at 0.2 C.The rate performance is also excellent,maintaining an ultra-high specific capacity of 779.7 mA h g^(-1)at a high rate of 8 C.This investigation explores the mechanism of the interaction between the interlayer and LiPSs,and provides a new strategy to regulate the reaction kinetics and Li_(2)S deposition in LSBs.

Nacre-inspired MXene-based film for highly sensitive piezoresistive sensing over a broad sensing range

As the main component of wearable electronic equipment,flexible pressure sensors have attracted wide attention due to their excellent sensitivity and their promise with respect to applications in health monitoring,electronic skin,and human-computer interactions.However,it remains a significant challenge to achieve epidermal sensing over a wide sensing range,with short response/recovery time and featuring seamless conformability to the skin simultaneously.This is critical since the capture of minute electrophysiological signals is important for health care applications.In this paper,we report the preparation of a nacre-like MXene/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose(CMC)nanocomposite film with a“brick-and-mortar”interior structure using a vacuum-induced self-assembly strategy.The synergistic behavior of the MXene“brick”and flexible CMC“mortar”contributes to attenuating interlamellar self-stacking and creates numerous variable conductive pathways on the sensing film.This resulted in a high sensitivity over a broad pressure range(i.e.,0.03-22.37 kPa:162.13 kPa^(-1);22.37-135.71 kPa:127.88 kPa^(-1);135.71-286.49 kPa:100.58 kPa^(-1)).This sensor also has a low detection limit(0.85 Pa),short response/recovery time(8.58 ms/34.34 ms),and good stability(2000 cycles).Furthermore,we deployed pressure sensors to distinguish among tiny particles,various physiological signals of the human body,space arrays,robot motion monitoring,and other related applications to demonstrate their feasibility for a variety of health and motion monitoring use cases.