High interfacial-energy heterostructure facilitates large-sized lithium nucleation and rapid Li+desolvation process

High interfacial energy Li^(0)-electrolyte interface contributes to larger Li^(0) nucleation embryos and a more stable interface,so the interfacial energy is essential for highly reversible Li^(0) deposition/stripping.Herein,a high interfacial-energy artificial solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)with rich LiF embedded in lithiated poly-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid(PAMPS-Li)network is designed to realize favorable Li^(0) nucleation and rapid desolvation of Li+simultaneously.The Li-F bonds in LiF(001)exhibit stronger ion-dipole interactions with Li atoms,offering higher interfacial energies.When the growth surface energy and total interfacial energy of Li^(0) are balanced,the high interfacial energy SEI with abundant LiF can promote the formation of larger Li^(0) nucleation embryos.In addition,the PAMPS-Li with immobilized anions presents weaker interaction with Li^(0) and possesses higher polymer-Li interfacial energy,and its amide and sulfonic acid groups exhibit higher binding energies with Li^(+).Therefore,PAMPS-Li can easily promote the Li+to escape from the solvent sheath and weaken the desolvation energy barrier.The highly reversible Li^(0) deposition behavior with restricted side reactions is achieved based on the synergistic modification of high interfacial energy SEI with heterostructure.Most importantly,lifespan of multi-layered Li^(0) pouch cell(330 Wh kg-1)with a low N/P ratio(1.67)is over 100 cycles,verifying its potential practical application.

Plasma polymerized acetylene deposition using a return corona enhanced plasma reactor

A corona based weakly ionized plasma source was developed to deposit plasma polymerized acetylene coating at atmospheric pressure. The plasma source included a distinctive point-topoint geometry consisting of an array of high voltage needles and an array of protrusions placed over a grounded screen. The geometry facilitated various corona discharge modes that included return corona to contribute plasma polymerized acetylene deposition downstream from the corona section. Scanning probe techniques were used to investigate deposition on both the leading surface and the trailing surface of substrates. Deposition was initiated as distinct nodules that merged to form a thin plasma polymerized coating.

Effects of Sb Content on Solidification Pathways and Grain Size of AZ91 Magnesium Alloy

The phase constitution and solidification pathways of AZ91＋xSb（x = 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, in wt%） alloys were investigated through ways of microstructure observation, thermal analysis technique, and thermodynamic calculation. It was found that the non-equilibrium solidification microstructure of AZ91＋xSb（x = 0.1, 0.5, 1） is composed of a-Mg matrix, b-Mg17Al12 phase, and intermetallic compound Mg3Sb2. The grain size of the alloys with different Sb contents was quantitatively determined by electron backscattered diffraction technique which shows no grain refinement in Sb-containing AZ91 alloy. Thermodynamic calculations are in reasonable agreement with thermal analysis results, showing that the Mg3Sb2 phase forms after a-Mg nucleation, thus impossible acts as heterogeneous nucleus for a-Mg dendrite. Besides,the solid fraction at dendrite coherency point（fDCPs） determined from thermal analysis decreases slightly with increasing Sb content, which is consistent with the fact that Sb does not refine the grain size of AZ91 alloy.

Analytical Investigation of Prior Austenite Grain Size Dependence of Low Temperature Toughness in Steel Weld Metal

Prior austenite grain size dependence of the low temperature impact toughness has been addressed in the bainitic weld metals by in situ observations.Usually,decreasing the grain size is the only approach by which both the strength and the toughness of a steel are increased.However,low carbon bainitic steel with small grain size shows a weakening of the low temperature impact toughness in this study.By direct tracking of the morphological evolution during phase transformation,it is found that large austenite grain size dominates the nucleation of intragranular acicular ferrite,whereas small austenite grain size leads to grain boundary nucleation of bainite.This kinetics information will contribute to meet the increasing low temperature toughness requirement of weld metals for the storage tanks and offshore structures.

Luminescent nanoscale metal–organic frameworks for chemical sensing

Metal–organic frameworks（MOFs） are a fascinating class of crystalline materials constructed from selfassembly of metal cations/clusters and organic ligands. Both metal and organic components can be used to generate luminescence, and can further interact via antenna effect to increase the quantum yield,providing a versatile platform for chemical sensing based on luminescence emission. Moreover, MOFs can be miniaturized to nanometer scale to form nano-MOF（NMOF） materials, which exhibit many advantages over conventional bulk MOFs in terms of the facile tailorability of compositions, sizes and morphologies, the high dispersity in a wide variety of medium, and the intrinsic biocompatibility. This review will detail the development of NMOF materials as chemical sensors, including the synthetic methodologies for designing NMOF sensory materials, their luminescent properties and potential sensing applications.