Ultrasonic Plasma Engineering Toward Facile Synthesis of Single-Atom M-N4/N-Doped Carbon(M=Fe,Co) as Superior Oxygen Electrocatalyst in Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries

As bifunctional oxygen evolution/reduction electrocatalysts,transition-metal-based single-atom-doped nitrogen-carbon(NC)matrices are promising successors of the corresponding noblemetal-based catalysts,offering the advantages of ultrahigh atom utilization effciency and surface active energy.However,the fabrication of such matrices(e.g.,well-dispersed single-atom-doped M-N4/NCs)often requires numerous steps and tedious processes.Herein,ultrasonic plasma engineering allows direct carbonization in a precursor solution containing metal phthalocyanine and aniline.When combining with the dispersion effect of ultrasonic waves,we successfully fabricated uniform single-atom M-N4(M=Fe,Co)carbon catalysts with a production rate as high as 10 mg min-1.The Co-N4/NC presented a bifunctional potential drop ofΔE=0.79 V,outperforming the benchmark Pt/C-Ru/C catalyst(ΔE=0.88 V)at the same catalyst loading.Theoretical calculations revealed that Co-N4 was the major active site with superior O2 adsorption-desorption mechanisms.In a practical Zn-air battery test,the air electrode coated with Co-N4/NC exhibited a specific capacity(762.8 mAh g(-1))and power density(101.62 mW cm^(-2)),exceeding those of Pt/C-Ru/C(700.8 mAh g^(-1) and 89.16 mW cm^(-2),respectively)at the same catalyst loading.Moreover,for Co-N4/NC,the potential difference increased from 1.16 to 1.47 V after 100 charge-discharge cycles.The proposed innovative and scalable strategy was concluded to be well suited for the fabrication of single-atom-doped carbons as promising bifunctional oxygen evolution/reduction electrocatalysts for metal-air batteries.

The Advantages of Non-Thermal Plasma for Detonation Initiation Compared with Spark Plug

In this paper,the characteristics of detonation combustion ignited by AC-driven non-thermal plasma and spark plug in air/acetylene mixture have been compared in a doubletube experiment system.The two tubes had the same structure,and their closed ends were installed with a plasma generator and a spark plug,respectively.The propagation characteristics of the flame were measured by pressure sensors and ion probes.The experiment results show that,compared with a spark plug,the non-thermal plasma obviously broadened the range of equivalence ratio when the detonation wave could develop successfully,it also heightened the pressure value of detonation wave.Meanwhile,the detonation wave development time and the entire flame propagation time were reduced by half.All of these advantages benefited from the larger ignition volume when a non-thermal plasma was applied.

Study of Pulsed Plasma in a Crossed Flow Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor for Improvement of NO_x Removal in Raw Diesel Engine Exhaust

Improved performance of plasma in raw engine exhaust treatment is reported. A new type of reactor referred to as of cross-flow dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） was used, in which the gas flow is perpendicular to the corona electrode. In raw exhaust environment, the cross-flow （radial-flow） reactor exhibits a superior performance with regard to NOx removal when compared to that with axial flow of gas. Experiments were conducted at different flow rates ranging from 2 L/min to 25 L/min. The plasma assisted barrier discharge reactor has shown encouraging results in NOx removal at high flow rates.

Application of platelet-rich plasma with stem cells in bone and periodontal tissue engineering

Presently, there is a high paucity of bone grafts in the United States and worldwide. Regenerating bone is of prime concern due to the current demand of bone grafts and the increasing number of diseases causing bone loss. Autogenous bone is the present gold standard of bone regeneration. However, disadvantages like donor site morbidity and its decreased availability limit its use. Even allografts and synthetic grafting materials have their own limitations. As certain specific stem cells can be directed to differentiate into an osteoblastic lineage in the presence of growth factors(GFs), it makes stem cells the ideal agents for bone regeneration.Furthermore, platelet-rich plasma(PRP), which can be easily isolated from whole blood, is often used for bone regeneration, wound healing and bone defect repair. When stem cells are combined with PRP in the presence of GFs, they are able to promote osteogenesis. This review provides in-depth knowledge regarding the use of stem cells and PRP in vitro, in vivo and their application in clinical studies in the future.

Advances in the surface modification techniques of bone-related implants for last 10 years

At the time of implanting bone-related implants into human body,a variety of biological responses to the material surface occur with respect to surface chemistry and physical state.The commonly used biomaterials(e.g.titanium and its alloy,Co–Cr alloy,stainless steel,polyetheretherketone,ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and various calcium phosphates)have many drawbacks such as lack of biocompatibility and improper mechanical properties.As surface modification is very promising technology to overcome such problems,a variety of surface modification techniques have been being investigated.This review paper covers recent advances in surface modification techniques of bone-related materials including physicochemical coating,radiation grafting,plasma surface engineering,ion beam processing and surface patterning techniques.The contents are organized with different types of techniques to applicable materials,and typical examples are also described.