Analysis of the Boundary Stability of a Diffusion-Reaction System on a Nanolayer

In this paper, the focus is on the boundary stability of a nanolayer in diffusion-reaction systems, taking into account a nonlinear boundary control condition. The authors focus on demonstrating the boundary stability of a nanolayer using the Lyapunov function approach, while making certain regularity assumptions and imposing appropriate control conditions. In addition, the stability analysis is extended to more complex systems by studying the limit problem with interface conditions using the epi-convergence approach. The results obtained in this article are then tested numerically to validate the theoretical conclusions.

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous CeO_2/Al_2O_3-supported Au nanoparticle catalysts: Effects of CeO_2 nanolayers on catalytic activity in soot oxidation

A series of catalysts consisting of three‐dimensionally ordered macroporous(3DOM)x‐CeO2/Al2O3‐supported Au nanoparticles(x=2,10,20,and40wt%)were successfully synthesized using a reduction‐deposition method.These catalysts were characterized using scanning electron microscopy,the Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller method,X‐ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy,ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy,and temperature‐programmed reduction by H2.Au nanoparticles of mean particle size5nm were well dispersed and supported on the inner walls of uniform macropores.The3DOM structure improved the contact efficiency between soot and the catalyst.An Al‐Ce‐O solid solution was formed in the multilayer support,i.e.,x‐CeO2/Al2O3,by the incorporation of Al3+ions into the CeO2lattice,which resulted in the creation of extrinsic oxygen vacancies.Strong interactions between the metal(Au)and the support(Ce)increased the amount of active oxygen species,and this promoted soot oxidation.The catalytic performance in soot combustion was evaluated using a temperature‐programmed oxidation technique.The presence of CeO2nanolayers in the3DOM Au/x‐CeO2/Al2O3catalysts clearly improved the catalytic activities in soot oxidation.Among the prepared catalysts,3DOM Au/20%CeO2/Al2O3showed high catalytic activity and stability in diesel soot oxidation.

Very-High Color Rendering Index Hybrid White Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with Double Emitting Nanolayers

A very-high color rendering index white organic light-emitting diode(WOLED) based on a simple structure was successfully fabricated. The optimized device exhibits a maximum total efficiency of 13.1 and 5.4 lm/W at 1,000 cd/m2. A peak color rendering index of 90 and a relatively stable color during a wide range of luminance were obtained. In addition, it was demonstrated that the 4,40,400-tri(9-carbazoyl) triphenylamine host influenced strongly the performance of this WOLED.These results may be beneficial to the design of both material and device architecture for high-performance WOLED.

Alternating nanolayers as lithiophilic scaffolds for Li-metal anode

Nanostructured scaffolds offer promising opportunities in enabling dendrite-free long-cycle life Li metal anode.The rational design and controllable synthesis of scaffolding architectures are imperative for development of rechargeable Li metal batteries.In this study,we explore the fabrication and application of a tin monoxide/graphene hybrid architecture as a lithiophilic host for high-performance Li metal anode.Using a polymer-assisted sonochemical synthesis route,we tuned the thickness of SnO nanolayers and the nanostructure of alternatively stacking thin SnO nanosheet/graphene(SnO-NS/G) heterostructure.Offering abundant nucleation sites,fast ion transport tunnels,and 3D-conductivity,the unique 2D-2D architecture enables stable lithium plating-stripping cycling with low nucleation overpotential and high coulombic efficiency(CE).Hosted by SnO-NS/G scaffold,the resulting Li metal anode exhibits stable cycling over 200 cycles at 0.5 mA cm^(-2)(2 mAh).Full cell pairing high-mass-loading cathode LiCoO_(2)(LCO)(12 mg cm^(-2)) with SnO-NS/G hosted Li metal anode delivers high energy density of 402 Wh kg^(-1) and stable cyclability of over 100 cycles.We elucidate the structure-property relationship between nanolayer thickness and Li-metal plating behaviors,giving new insight on structuring 2D-nanomaterials with ideal architectures for stable lithium metal batteries.

Perforated nitrogen-rich graphene-like carbon nanolayers supported Cu-In catalyst for boosting CO_(2) electroreduction to CO

The combination of a powerful CO_(2)-enriching carrier and robust active component provides a new idea for the construction of efficient catalysts for electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction.Herein,novel perforated nitrogen-rich graphene-like carbon nanolayers(PNGC)are prepared from biomass derivatives,which promotes the oriented deposition of In-doped Cu_(2)(OH)_(3)(NO_(3))nanosheet patches.A robust Cu-In/PNGC composite catalyst is then obtained via simple in-situ electrochemical reduction.Unsurprisingly,CuIn/PNGC exhibits a CO Faradaic efficiency(FECO)of 91.3%and a remarkable CO partial current density(jCO)of 136.4 m A cm^(-2)at a moderate overpotential of 0.59 V for electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR).DFT calculations and experimental studies indicate that the strong carrier effect of PNGC makes PNGC carried Cu-In nanosheets improved the adsorption capacity of CO_(2)gas,reconfigured electronic structure,and reduced free energy of key intermediate formation,thereby the CO_(2)activation and conversion are promoted.

A dynamic infiltration technique to synthesize nanolayered cathodes for high performance and robust solid oxide fuel cells

Solution infiltration is a popular technique for the surface modification of solid oxide fuel cell(SOFC)cathodes.However,the synthesis of nanostructured SOFC cathodes by infiltration is a tedious process that often requires several infiltration and high temperature(≥500℃)calcination cycles.Moreover,fabricating large-area nanostructured cathodes via infiltration still requires serious attention.Here,we propose a facile and scalable urea assisted ultrasonic spray infiltration technique for nanofabrication of SOFC cathodes.It is demonstrated that by using urea as a precipitating agent,the calcination after each infiltration cycle can be omitted and the next infiltration can be performed just after a drying step(≤100℃).Finally,the precipitates can be converted into a desired catalyst phase in single calcination thus,a nanostructured cathode can be fabricated in a much faster manner.It is also shown that the low calcination temperature of the cathode(≤900℃)can produce highly durable SOFC performance even without employing a Ce_(0.9)Gd_(0.1)O_(2)(GDC)diffusion barrier layer which provides the ease of SOFC fabrication.While coupling with an ultrasonic spray technique,the urea assisted infiltration can be scaled up for any desired cathode area.La_(0.6)Sr_(0.4)Co_(0.2)Fe_(0.8)O_(3) nanolayered cathode was fabricated and it was characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)techniques.SEM showed the formation of a nanolayer cathode just after 5 cycles of the urea assisted infiltration while the XRD and TEM confirmed the phase and stoichiometric uniformity of the 100 nm cathode nanolayer.The effectiveness of the newly developed technique was further verified by the stable operation of a GDC buffer layer free SOFC having an active cathode area of 25 cm^(2) during a 1200 h durability test.The research outcomes propose urea assisted ultrasonic spray infiltration as a facile,scalable,and commercially viable method for the fabrication of durable nanostructured SOFC cathodes.

Significant reduction in friction and wear of a high-entropy alloy via the formation of self-organized nanolayered structure

Sliding wear-induced nanolayering and its positive impact on wear resistance have been observed in conventional binary alloys with a matrix of high stacking fault energy(SFE),but this concept has never been reported in high-entropy alloys(HEAs)with low SFE.Here,we design and fabricate a(CoCrFeNi)_(90)Ag_(10)HEA,consisting of a face-center-cubic(fcc)CoCrFeNi HEA matrix with low SFE and uniformly dispersed Ag precipitates.In comparison with CoCrFeNi,a significant reduction in friction and wear was found in(CoCrFeNi)_(90)Ag_(10)HEA through the spontaneous formation of nanolayered subsurface microstructure during wear.The finding suggests a novel approach for designing HEAs that can achieve low friction and wear.

Orientation of LDPE Crystals from Microscale to Nanoscale via Microlayer or Nanolayer Coextrusion

Abstract The microlayer or nanolayer coextrusion of hundreds or thousands of alternating low density polyethylene （LDPE）/polystyrene （PS） microlayers or nanolayers were used to study the orientation of LDPE crystals in the confined quasi-two-dimensional or two-dimensional space. The clear and continuous layer structures from microscale to nanoscale can be found in SEM images. The morphology evolution of LDPE crystals in the confined microlayer or nanolayer can he varied from 3D spherulites, 2D spherulites, stacked edge-on lamellar, to single edge-on lamellar. Due to the orientation of the LDPE crystals, the tensile strength of the films increases obviously when the layer thickness reduces to nanoscale. The 2D small angle X-ray scattering （SAXS） patterns can reflect the average degree of orientation of LDPE in the confined layers. The stacking of LDPE lamellae is suppressed in interlamination and oppositely in parallel to the extrusion direction. The specific orientation function f can be calculated from the patterns. The infrared dichroism further confirms the mutation of the orientation of LDPE crystals from microscale to nanoscale in the confined space.

Solid-State Diffusion Bonding of NbSS/Nb5Si3 Composite Using Ni/Al and Ti/Al Nanolayers

Diffusion bonding of refractory Nb–Si-based alloy was performed with Ni/Al and Ti/Al nanolayers under the condition of 1473 K/30 MPa/60 min.The NbSS/Nb5Si3 in situ composite with the nominal composition of Nb–22 Ti–16 Si–3 Cr–3 Al–2 Hf was used as the parent material.The joint microstructures were examined by using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer.Shear test was conducted for the bonded joints at room temperature.Within the joint bonded with Ni/Al multilayer,element diffusion occurred between the base metal and the nanolayer,with the reaction products of AlNb2+Ni3 Al,NiAl and AlNi2 Ti phases.The average shear strength was 182 MPa.While using Ti/Al multilayer,the interface mainly consisted of TiAl,(Ti,Nb)Al and(Ti,Nb)2 Al phases,and the corresponding joints exhibited an increased strength of 228 MPa.In this case,the fracture mainly took place in the TiAl phase and presented a typical brittle characteristic.

ZnS nanolayer coated hollow carbon spheres with enhanced rate and cycling performance for Li-S batteries

Conductive carbon structure has been considered as a promising sulfur-hosting material as the cathode of lithium-sulfur batteries.However, the issue of polysulfide shuttling requires an additional component to help restrict and convert sulfur substances.Herein, in this work, hollow and porous carbon nanospheres(HCS) are synthesized by a template method and a high-temperature carbonization treatment. A thin layer of ZnS coating is then deposited on the HCS-based sulfur(ZnS@HCS/S) cathode with controlled thickness, and the overall electrochemical properties are systematically evaluated. Results show that with 30 nm-thick ZnS coating, the cathode reveals an improved capacity of 1411 m A h g^(-1), and higher capacities from 0.2 to 3 C rate compared with bare HCS/S cathode. Moreover, the ZnS coating also enhances the cycling stability of ZnS@HCS/S cathode over 280 cycles at 0.5 C, with only 0.2% capacity decay per cycle. This work demonstrates potential applications for high-performance lithiumsulfur batteries.

Intrinsic ferromagnetism in CoBr2 nanolayers:a DFT+U and Monte Carlo study

The intrinsic ferromagnetism of CoBr2 bulk was investigated using DFT(density functional theory)combined with the full potential linear augmented plane wave method and Monte Carlo simulations.The ground state of CoBr2 exhibits ferromagnetic behavior and a semiconductor character.We used the generalized gradient approximation(GGA)and GGA+U(Hubbard correction)approximations to determinate the magnetic moment.The magnetic moment reached the experimental value and was in good agreement with the other theoretical values.The value obtained was used as an input to a Monte Carlo study to calculate the thermal magnetization and magnetic hysteresis cycles.Ferromagnetic behavior was observed and was found to be due to an positive exchange interaction.These results lead us to believe that this material could be a promising spintronic material.

Shear instability in heterogeneous nanolayered Cu/Zr composites

Ultrastrong nanolayered metallic composites are usually subjected to low ductility due to plastic instability during deformation.Here we investigated the shear instability of a newly designed heterogeneous nanolayered Cu/Zr composites by microindentation.The heterogeneity in size was generated by inserting a few thin Cu-Zr bilayers with an individual layer thickness of 2.5-10 nm into the interface region of the Cu/Zr layered composites with an individual layer thickness of 100 nm.The microindentation tests showed that multiple shear bands appeared in the heterogeneous composite with one bilayer,whereas only a single shear band was formed in that with two or three bilayers.Most importantly,the layer strain in the multi-shear band region is much smaller than that in the single-shear band area.For example,the strain of the 100 nm layers within the shear band in the composite with one 10 nm bilayer could reach as low as 2.8,which was less than half of that in the composite with three 10 nm bilayers,i.e.,6.1.These fndings demonstrated that strain delocalization can be achieved through shear band multiplication if an appropriate number of thin bilayers were used as interlayers in the 100 nm Cu/Zr composites.Besides,compared with the homogeneous composite with an individual layer thickness of 100 nm and the bimodal composite which is composed of alternating one 100 nm Cu-Zr bilayer and two 10 nm CuZr bilayers,the heterogeneous composite with one bilayer displayed a higher strength(2.15 GPa)and a favorable resistance to strain localization.

Long-range attractive forces extending from the alumina’s nanolayer surface in aqueous solutions

Aluminum oxide-hydroxide nanolayer with a thickness of approximately 1.2 nm is electroadhesively deposited onto silicious support material with large surface area of about 50 m2/g,forming a highly electropositive composite of boehmite nanolayer in the form of monocrystalline oxide/hydroxide(α-Al2O3·H2O)on the second electronegative solid.The composite can be viewed as a sphere with a rough surface and charge density of approximately 0.08 C/m2.This creates a significant electric field with negligible screening(ka
1)in the region close to the surface of the nanocomposite.This field attracts nano-and micron-sized particles from as far as 200μm in a few seconds,many orders of magnitude greater than conventional Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek(DLVO)theory,which predicts only nanometer-scale effects arising from the presence of the surface.The strong electric field on the surface is then able to retain small particles such as viruses,atomically thin sheets of graphene oxide,RNA,DNA,proteins,dyes as well as heavy metals such as cobalt,arsenic,and lead.Alumina’s nanolayer surface can be further functionalized by adding other submicron or nano-sized particles to target a specific contaminant.An example is shown where alumina nanolayer is coated with nano-sized iron monohydrate to yield an arsenic sorbent that shows high sorption capacity.

Pristine point of zero charge (p.p.z.c.) and zeta potentials of boehmite’s nanolayer and nanofiber surfaces

The pristine point of zero charge(p.p.z.c)and zeta potential as a function of pH of boehmite oxide/hydroxide(α-Al_(2)O_(3)·H_(2)O)have been determined for three filter media.The active component in the first two filter media is boehmite nanofibers,only 2 nm in diameter and about 300 nm long.Boehmite nanofibers create high zeta potential(ζtrue≥46 mV)in aqueous solutions in the pH range of 3–8.The p.p.z.c.values were determined to be 11.60±0.15 for nanofibers grafted onto microglass fibers and 11.40±0.15 for agglomerated nanofibers.In the third filter media,a boehmite nanolayer in the form of monocrystalline oxide/hydroxide with a thickness of approximately 1.2 nm is electroadhesively deposited onto siliceous support material with large surface area of about 50 m^(2)/g,therefore forming a highly electropositive composite of boehmite nanolayer on the second highly electronegative solid.Boehmite’s oxide-hydroxide nanolayer surface creates high zeta potential(ζtrue≥50 mV)in aqueous solutions in the pH range of 3–8.The p.p.z.c.value was determined to be 11.38±0.15.The reported values are within accuracy,but they are much higher than the values reported in the literature.X-ray powder diffraction data were supplemented by microscopy,infrared spectroscopy in order to characterize fully synthetic boehmite surfaces.

Synthesis ofγ-MnOOH nanorods by successive ionic layer deposition method and their capacitive performance

It was first shown in the present study that layers of manganite γ-Mn OOH can be deposited on the surface of a substrate by its multiple successive treatment by the solutions of MnSO;and K;S;O;using the successive ionic layer deposition（SILD） technique. Their analysis was carried out by the XRD, XPS, FT-IR,SEM and EDX methods. It has shown that the synthesized layers are formed by aggregates of nanorods up to 80–100 nm in length and approximately 8–10 nm in diameter. A probable sequence of chemical reactions leading to the formation of a layer of the given morphology is suggested. Testing of performance of supercapacitors with nickel foam electrodes incorporating the γ-Mn OOH layers in the 0.1 M KOH electrolyte at 1 A/g indicated the specific capacitance equal to 1120 F/g. After 1000 work cycles the observed degradation of this value was less than 3%.

Thermal conductivity modeling of water containing metal oxide nanoparticles

The nano particles have demonstrated great potential to improve the heat transfer characteristics of heat transfer fluids.Possible parameters responsible for this increase were studied. The heat transfer profile in the nanolayer region was combined with other parameters such as volume fraction, particle radius thermal conductivity of the fluid, particle and nanolayer, to formulate a thermal conductivity model. Results predicting the thermal conductivity of nanofluids using the model were compared with experimental results as well as studies by other researchers. The comparison of the results obtained for the Cu O/water and Ti O2/water nanofluids studied shows that the correlation proposed is in closest proximity in predicting the experimental results for the thermal conductivity of a nanofluid. Also, a parametric study was performed to understand how a number of factors affect the thermal conductivity of nanofluids using the developed correlation.

Two-dimensional atomically thin Pt layers on MXenes: The role of electronic effects during catalytic dehydrogenation of ethane and propane

Atomically thin Pt nanolayers were synthesized on the surface of Mo2TiC2 MXenes and used for the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethane and propane into ethylene and propylene,two important chemicals for the petrochemical industry.As compared with Pt nanoparticles,the atomically thin Pt nanolayer catalyst showed superior coke-resistance(no deactivation for 24 h),high activity(turnover frequencies(TOFs)of 0.4–1.2 s^(-1)),and selectivity(>95%)toward ethylene and propylene.The unique Pt nanolayer has a similar geometric surface to Pt nanoparticles,enabling the investigations of the electronic effect on the catalytic performance,where the geometric effect is negligible.It is found that the electronic effect plays a critical role in dehydrogenative product selectivity and catalyst stability.The metal–support interaction is found dependent on the substrate and metal components,providing wide opportunities to explore high-performance MXene-supported metallic catalysts.

g-C_(3)N_(4) encapsulated ZrO_(2) nanofibrous membrane decorated with CdS quantum dots: A hierarchically structured, self-supported electrocatalyst toward synergistic NH3 synthesis

The advancement of electrocatalytic N2 reduction reaction (NRR) toward ambient NH3 synthesis lies in the development of more affordable electrocatalysts than noble metals. Recently, various nanostructures of transition metal compounds have been proposed as effective electrocatalysts;however, they exist in the form of loose powders, which have to be immobilized on a matrix before serving as the electrode for electrolysis. The matrix, being it carbon paper, carbon cloth or metal foam, is electrocatalytically inactive, whose introduction inevitably raises the invalid weight while sacrificing the active sites of the electrode. Herein, we report on the fabrication of a flexible ZrO2 nanofibrous membrane as a novel, self-supported electrocatalyst. The heteroatom doping can not only endow the nanofibrous membrane with excellent flexibility, but also induce oxygen vacancies which are responsible for easier adsorption of N2 on the ZrO2 surface. To improve the electrocatalytic activity, a facile SILAR approach is employed to decorate it with CdS quantum dots (QDs), thereby tuning its Fermi level. To improve the conductivity, a g-C3N4 nanolayer is further deposited which is both conductive and active. The resulting hierarchically structured, self-supported electrocatalyst, consisting of g-C3N4 encapsulated ZrO2 nanofibrous membrane decorated with CdS QDs, integrates the merits of the three components, and exhibits a remarkable synergy toward NRR. Excellent NH3 yield of 6.32 × 10−10 mol·s−1cm−2 (−0.6 V vs. RHE) and Faradaic efficiency of 12.9% (−0.4 V vs. RHE) are attained in 0.1 M Na2SO4.

Generation mechanism of 100 MG magnetic fields in the interaction of ultra-intense laser pulse with nanostructured target

Experimental and simulation data[Moreau et al.,Plasma Phys.Control.Fusion 62,014013(2019);Kaymak et al.,Phys.Rev.Lett.117,035004(2016)]indicate that self-generated magnetic fields play an important role in enhancing the flux and energy of relativistic electrons accelerated by ultra-intense laser pulse irradiation with nanostructured arrays.A fully relativistic analytical model for the generation of the magnetic field based on electron magneto-hydrodynamic description is presented here.The analytical model shows that this self-generated magnetic field originates in the nonparallel density gradient and fast electron current at the interfaces of a nanolayered target.A general formula for the self-generated magnetic field is found,which closely agrees with the simulation scaling over the relevant intensity range.The result is beneficial to the experimental designs for the interaction of the laser pulse with the nanostructured arrays to improve laser-to-electron energy coupling and the quality of forward hot electrons.

Fast Degradation of Green Pollutants Through Nanonets and Nanofibers of the Al-Doped Zinc Oxide

In this study, series of nanolayered structures of Zn–Al LDHs were prepared by urea hydrolysis. Nanofibers and nanonets of the Al-doped ZnO were formed via the decomposition of the nanolayers under high pressure and temperature. Nanospheres were also prepared for comparison. The different morphologies of the prepared nanomaterials were confirmed by several techniques. An improvement for the optical properties of the doped zinc oxides was observed through narrowing of their band gap energies because of transforming the nanolayers to nanonets and nanofibers. The photocatalytic activities of the prepared nanomaterials were studied through photocatalytic degradation of the pollutants of acid green dyes. Complete decolorization and mineralization of green dyes happened in the presence of the nanolayers and nanospheres within 4–6 h,while the nanonets and the nanofibers achieved the complete decolorization and degradation of the dyes at shorter time 1.3 h. These results could be explained though the kinetic study of the photocatalytic degradation of dyes. It was concluded that the nanonets and the nanofibers were very effective for the photocatalytic degradation of pollutants.