Ion–Electron Coupling Enables Ionic Thermoelectric Material with New Operation Mode and High Energy Density

Ionic thermoelectrics(i-TE) possesses great potential in powering distributed electronics because it can generate thermopower up to tens of millivolts per Kelvin. However,as ions cannot enter external circuit, the utilization of i-TE is currently based on capacitive charge/discharge, which results in discontinuous working mode and low energy density. Here,we introduce an ion–electron thermoelectric synergistic(IETS)effect by utilizing an ion–electron conductor. Electrons/holes can drift under the electric field generated by thermodiffusion of ions, thus converting the ionic current into electrical current that can pass through the external circuit. Due to the IETS effect, i-TE is able to operate continuously for over 3000 min.Moreover, our i-TE exhibits a thermopower of 32.7 mV K^(-1) and an energy density of 553.9 J m^(-2), which is more than 6.9 times of the highest reported value. Consequently, direct powering of electronics is achieved with i-TE. This work provides a novel strategy for the design of high-performance i-TE materials.

The rise of supercapacitor diodes:Current progresses and future challenges

Supercapacitor has been widely known as a representative electrochemical energy storage device with high power density and long lifespan.Recently,with the deeper understanding of its charge storage mechanism,unidirectional-charging supercapacitor,also called supercapacitor diode(CAPode),is successfully developed based on the ion-sieving effect of its working electrode towards electrolyte ions.Because CAPode integrates mobile ion and mobile electron in one hybrid circuit,it has a great potential in the emerging fields of ion/electron coupling logic operations,human–machine interface,neural network interaction,and in vivo diagnosis and treatment.Accordingly,we herein elucidate the working mechanism and design philosophy of CAPode,and summarize the electrode materials that are suitable for constructing CAPode.Meanwhile,some other supercapacitor-based devices beyond CAPode are also introduced,and their potential applications are instructively presented.Finally,we outline the challenges and chances of CAPode-related techniques.

Experiment and analysis of the neutralization of the electron cyclotron resonance ion thruster

An electron cyclotron resonance ion thruster must emit an electron current equivalent to its ion beam current to prevent the thruster system from being electrically charged. This operation is defined as neutralization. The factors which influence neutralization are categorized into the ion beam current parameters, the neutralizer input parameters, and the neutralizer position. To understand the mechanism of neutralization, an experiment and a calculation study on how these factors influence thruster neutralization are presented. The experiment results show that the minimum bias voltage of the neutralizer was -60 V at the ion beam current of 80 mA for the argon propellant, and a critical gas flow rate existed, below which the coupling voltage increased sharply. Based on the experiment, the neutralization was analyzed by means of a onedimensional calculation model. The computation results show that the coupling voltage was influenced by the beam divergence and the negative potential zone near the grids.

Zonal Flows and Geodesic Acoustic Mode Oscillations in Tokamaks and Helical Systems

This paper reviews the theoretical foundations of zonal flow, putting emphasis on the linear response function of plasma to the external flow drive. An extension of the theory is made in order to apply it to helical systems and to study the properties of the zonal flow in the low frequency range. Further refinement of the theory is made incorporating the orbital effects of particles more precisely, and the role of neoclassical polarization current is identified.

Ab initio MRCI+Q study on potential energy curves and spectroscopic parameters of low-lying electronic states of CS^+

Carbon monosulfide molecular ion （CS＋）, which plays an important role in various research fields, has long been attracting much interest. Because of the unstable and transient nature of CS＋, its electronic states have not been well investigated. In this paper, the electronic states of CS＋ are studied by employing the internally contracted multireference configuration interaction method, and taking into account relativistic effects （scalar plus spin–orbit coupling）. The spin–orbit coupling effects are considered via the state-interacting method with the full Breit–Pauli Hamiltonian. The potential energy curves of 18 Λ–S states correlated with the two lowest dissociation limits of CS＋ molecular ion are calculated, and those of 10 lowest Ω states generated from the 6 lowest Λ–S states are also worked out. The spectroscopic constants of the bound states are evaluated, and they are in good agreement with available experimental results and theoretical values. With the aid of analysis of Λ–S composition of Ω states at different bond lengths, the avoided crossing phenomena in the electronic states of CS＋ are illuminated. Finally, the single ionization spectra of CS （X1Σ＋） populating the CS＋（X2Σ1/2＋, A2Π3/2, A2Π1/2, and B2Σ1/2＋） states are simulated. The vertical ionization potentials for X2Σ1/2＋, A2Π3/2, A2Π1/2, and B2Σ1/2＋ states are calculated to be 11.257, 12.787, 12.827, and 15.860 eV, respectively, which are accurate compared with previous experimental results, within an error margin of 0.08 eV^0.2 eV.