Effects of Al and Co doping on the structural stability and high temperature cycling performance of LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_(4) spinel cathode materials

The poor structural stability and capacity retention of the high-voltage spinel-type LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_(4)(LNMO)limits their further application.Herein,Al and Co were doped in LNMO materials for a more stable structure and capacity.The LNMO,LiNi_(0.45)Al_(0.05)Mn_(1.5)O_(4)(LNAMO)and LiNi_(0.45)Co_(0.05)Mn_(1.5)O_(4)(LNCMO)were synthesized by calcination at 900℃ for 8 h,which was called as solid-phase method and applied universally in industry.XRD,FT-IR and CV test results showed the synthesized samples have cation disordering Fd-3m space group structures.Moreover,the incorporation of Al and Co increased the cation disordering of LNMO,thereby increasing the transfer rate of Li+.The SEM results showed that the doped samples performed more regular and ortho-octahedral.The EDS elemental analysis confirmed the uniform distribution of each metal element in the samples.Moreover,the doped samples showed better electrochemical properties than undoped LNMO.The LNAMO and LNCMO samples were discharged with specific capacities of 116.3 mA·h·g^(-1)and 122.8 mA·h·g^(-1)at 1 C charge/discharge rate with good capacity retention of 95.8% and 94.8% after 200 cycles at room temperature,respectively.The capacity fading phenomenon of the doped samples at 50℃ and 1 C rate was significantly improved.Further,cations doping also enhanced the rate performance,especially for the LNCMO,the discharge specific capacity of 117.9 mA·h·g^(-1)can be obtained at a rate of 5 C.

Defect chemistry engineering of Ga-doped garnet electrolyte with high stability for solid-state lithium metal batteries

Ga-doped Li_(7)La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12)(Ga-LLZO)has long been considered as a promising garnet-type electrolyte candidate for all-solid-state lithium metal batteries(ASSLBs)due to its high room temperature ionic conductivity.However,the typical synthesis of Ga-LLZO is usually accompanied by the formation of undesired LiGaO_(2) impurity phase that causes severe instability of the electrolyte in contact with molten Li metal during half/full cell assembly.In this study,we show that by simply engineering the defect chemistry of Ga-LLZO,namely,the lithium deficiency level,LiGaO_(2) impurity phase is effectively inhibited in the final synthetic product.Consequently,defect chemistry engineered Ga-LLZO exhibits excellent electrochemical stability against lithium metal,while its high room temperature ionic conductivity(~1.9×10^(-3)S·cm^(-1))is well reserved.The assembled Li/Ga-LLZO/Li symmetric cell has a superior critical current density of 0.9 mA·cm^(-2),and cycles stably for 500 hours at a current density of 0.3 mA·cm^(-2).This research facilitates the potential commercial applications of high performance Ga-LLZO solid electrolytes in ASSLBs.

Facile synthesis of composite polyferric magnesium-silicate-sulfate coagulant with enhanced performance in water and wastewater

The coagulation process is a widely applied technology in water and wastewater treatment.Novel composite polyferric mag-nesium-silicate-sulfate(PFMS)coagulants were synthesized using Na_(2)SiO_(3)·9H_(2)O,Fe_(2)(SO_(4))_(3),and MgSO_(4) as raw materials in this paper.The effects of aging time,Fe:Si:Mg,and OH:M molar ratios(M represents the metal ions)on the coagulation performance of the as-pre-pared PFMS were systematically investigated to obtain optimum coagulants.The results showed that PFMS coagulant exhibited good co-agulation properties in the treatment of simulated humic acid-kaolin surface water and reactive dye wastewater.When the molar ratio was controlled at Fe:Si:Mg=2:2:1 and OH:M=0.32,the obtained PFMS presented excellent stability and a high coagulation efficiency.The removal efficiency of ultraviolet UV254 was 99.81%,and the residual turbidity of the surface water reached 0.56 NTU at a dosage of 30 mg·L^(-1).After standing the coagulant for 120 d in the laboratory,the removal efficiency of UV254 and residual turbidity of the surface wa-ter were 88.12%and 0.68 NTU,respectively,which accord with the surface water treatment requirements.In addition,the coagulation performance in the treatment of reactive dye wastewater was greatly improved by combining the advantages of magnesium and iron salts.Compared with polyferric silicate-sulfate(PFS)and polymagnesium silicate-sulfate(PMS),the PFMS coagulant played a better decolor-ization role within the pH range of 7-13.

Study of the Stability of Beef Tallow at High Temperatures and Comparison with Other Fatty Materials

Beef tallow is a byproduct of the slaughter industry. As a consequence, meat producer countries obtain a high amount of this low value-added fatty material. In Uruguay, it is generally used for food purposes or for biodiesel production. Globally, around half of the beef tallow produced worldwide is used for the manufacturing of food. To the best of our knowledge there are no published studies concerning the stability of beef tallow when exposed to high temperatures. The aim of this work was to study some Uruguayan beef tallow brands and compare its stability with that of the most frequently used frying oils in Uruguay （sunflower high oleic, rice bran and sunflower oil） to assess its suitability for frying. Stability was assessed by the oxidative stability index and thermoxidation in absence of food. Even though beef tallow＇s inherent stability indicated that it should be highly stable to oxidation, the majority of the analyzed samples exhibited a similar or lower stability than sunflower high oleic. This might be explained by a different composition in pro-oxidants and/or antioxidants between the beef tallows and the oils. According to the thermoxidation assays, which are carried out in similar conditions to those of a frying process, three of the beef tallow samples, sunflower high oleic and rice bran oil would be similarly suitable for frying, while sunflower oil and the other two samples of beef tallow evidenced a lower thermoxidative stability, thus not being recommended for this use.

Stability of Titanium-aluminium Nitride (Ti_2AlN) at High Pressure and High Temperatures

The stability of Ti2AlN at high pressure of 5 GPa and different temperatures of 700-1 600 ℃ was investigated using X-ray diffraction （XRD）,scanning electron microscopy （SEM） equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS）.Ti2AlN was found to be stable at temperatures as high as 1 400 ℃under 5 GPa for 20 min,and was proved that it held better structure stability than Ti2AlC under 5 GPa through comparative experiments of Ti2AlN and Ti2AlC （representative compounds of M2AX phases （211 phase））.The reaction process at high pressure had some difference from that at ambient pressure/vacuum,and Ti2AlN directly decomposed to TiN and TiAl at 5 GPa and 1 500 ℃ for 20 min.Moreover,the mechanism of phase segregation was discussed.In addition,the behavior of Ti2AlN contacting with Zr at high pressure and high temperature （HPHT） was also studied.

Study of High-Temperature Stability of Pyrochlore Zirconates

Based on defect chemistry theory and molecular dynamics,the defect formation energy and its relationship with the mechanism of pyrochlore-fluorite phase change were investigated,so as to reveal the underlying mechanism of high-temperature stability of pyrochlore zirconates.Results showed that with the rise of the atom mass of A,the defect formation energies decreased that meant the crystal structure tended to become more disordered.Noticeably,the first nearest cation antisite dominated the pyrochlore disorder transformation process.In addition,it was found that the diffusion of oxygen atoms was far higher than that of cations,and was increased with the temperature,thus also promoting the pyrochlore-fluorite transformation process.

High temperature polyimide nanocomposites containing twodimensional nanofillers for improved thermal stability and capacitive energy storage performance

Future electronic devices toward high integration and miniaturization demand reliable operation of dielectric materials at high electric fields and elevated temperatures.However,the electrical deterioration caused by Joule heat generation remains a persistent challenge to overcome.Here,the solution-processed polyimide(PI)nanocomposites with unique two-dimensional(2D)alumina nanoplates are reported.Substantial improvements in the breakdown strength,charge–discharge efficiency and discharged energy density at elevated temperatures have been demonstrated in the composites,owing to simultaneously suppressed conduction loss and increased thermal conductivity upon the incorporation of 2D Al_(2)O_(3) nanofillers possessing excellent dielectric insulation and thermophysical properties.The predominance of Al_(2)O_(3) nanoplates in enhancing thermal stability and high-temperature capacitive performance over nanoparticles and nanowires is validated experimentally and is further rationalized via finite element simulations.Notably,the Al_(2)O_(3) nanoplates filled PI nanocomposite exhibits a hightemperature capability up to 200℃ and remarkable efficiency(e.g.≥95% at 200 MV/m)over a wide temperature range,which outperforms commercial dielectric polymers and rivals the state-of-the-art polyimide nanocomposites.

Two-way shape memory effect and its stability in Ti-Ni-Hf high temperature shape memory alloy

The two-way shape memory effect（TWSME） in a Ti36Ni49Hf15 high temperature shape memory alloy（SMA） was systematically studied by bending tests. In the TiNiHf alloy, the martensite deformation is an effective method to get two-way shape memory effect even with a small deformation strain. The results indicate that the internal stress field formed by the bending deformation is in the direction of the preferentially oriented martensite variants formed during the bending deformation. Upon cooling the preferentially oriented martensite variants form under such an oriented stress field, which should be responsible for the generation of the two-way shape memory effect. Proper training process benefits the formation of the oriented stress field, resulting in the improvement of the two-way shape memory effect. A maximum TWSME of 0.88% is obtained in the present alloy.

Transient multi-physics behavior of an insert high temperature superconducting no-insulation coil in hybrid superconducting magnets with inductive coupling

A transient multi-physics model incorporated with an electromagneto-thermomechanical coupling is developed to capture the multi-field behavior of a single-pancake(SP)insert no-insulation(NI)coil in a hybrid magnet during the charging and discharging processes.The coupled problem is resolved by means of the finite element method(FEM)for the magneto-thermo-elastic behaviors and the Runge-Kutta method for the transient responses of the electrical circuits of the hybrid superconducting magnet system.The results reveal that the transient multi-physics responses of the insert NI coil primarily depend on the charging/discharging procedure of the hybrid magnet.Moreover,a reverse azimuthal current and a compressive hoop stress are induced in the insert NI coil during the charging process,while a forward azimuthal current and a tensile hoop stress are observed during the discharging process.The induced voltages in the insert NI coil can drive the currents flowing across the radial turns where the contact resistance exists.Therefore,it brings forth significant Joule heat,causing a temperature rise and a uniform distribution of this heat in the coil turns.Accordingly,a thermally/mechanically unstable or quenching event may be encountered when a high operating current is flowing in the insert NI coil.It is numerically predicted that a quick charging will induce a compressive hoop stress which may bring a risk of buckling instability in the coil,while a discharging will not.The simulations provide an insight of hybrid superconducting magnets under transient start-up or shutdown phases which are inevitably encountered in practical applications.

Effects of Composition and Thermal Cycle on Transformation Behaviors,Thermal Stability and Mechanical Properties of CuAlAg Alloy

The phase transformation behavior, mechanical properties, and the thermal stability of CuAlAg alloy were studied and minor rare earth (0.1 wt pct La+Ce) was added to improve the mechanical property of the studied alloy. It was found that Ag addition in the CuAl binary alloy can improve the stability of martensitic transformation and high Al content leads to the disappearing of martensitic transformation. The tensile strength and strain of the Cu-10.6AI-5.8Ag (wt pct) alloy were measured to be 383.5 MPa and 0.86%, respectively. With rare earth addition, the tensile strain increased from 0.86% to 1.47%. The CuAlAg alloy did not exhibit martensitic transformation on the second heating process. Its poor thermal stability still needs to be improved.

Prospect of HDR geothermal energy exploitation in Yangbajing,Tibet,China,and experimental investigation of granite under high temperature and high pressure

Hot dry rock （HDR） geothermal energy, almost inexhaustible green energy, was first put forward in the 1970s. The development and testing of HDR geothermal energy are well reported in USA, Japan, UK, France and other countries or regions. In this paper, the geological characters of Yangbajing basin were first analyzed, including the continental dynamic environments to form HDR geothermal fields in Tibet, the tectonic characteristics of south slope of Nyainqentanglha and Dangxiong-Yangbajing basin, and the in-situ stresses based on the investigations conducted, and then the site-specific mining scheme of HDR geothermal resources was proposed. For the potential development of HDR geothermal energy, a series of experiments were conducted on large-scale granite samples, 200 mm in diameter and 400 mm in length, at high temperature and high triaxial pressure for cutting fragmentation and borehole stability. For the borehole stability test, a hole of 40 mm in diameter and 400 mm in length was aforehand drilled in the prepared intact granite sample. The results indicate that the cutting velocity obviously increases with temperature when bit pressure is over a certain value, while the unit rock-breaking energy consumption decreases and the rock-breaking efficiency increases with temperature at the triaxial pressure of 100 MPa. The critical temperature and pressure that can result in intensive damage to granite are 400-500℃ and 100-125 MPa, respectively.

High thermal stability of diamond-cBN-B_4C-Si composites

Improving the thermal stability of diamond and other superhard materials has great significance in various applications. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of bulk diamond–cBN–B4C–Si composites sintered at high pressure and high temperature（HPHT, 5.2 GPa, 1620–1680 K for 3–5 min）. The results show that the diamond, cBN, B4C,BxSiC, SiO2 and amorphous carbon or a little surplus Si are present in the sintered samples. The onset oxidation temperature of 1673 K in the as-synthesized sample is much higher than that of diamond, cBN, and B4C. The high thermal stability is ascribed to the covalent bonds of B–C, C–N, and the solid-solution of BxSiC formed during the sintering process. The results obtained in this work may be useful in preparing superhard materials with high thermal stability.

Effect of yttrium and manganese addition on catalytic soot combustion activity and anti-high-temperature stability of CeO_(2) catalyst

In order to analyze the influence of the addition of yttrium and manganese on the soot combustion performance and high temperature stability of CeO_(2) catalyst,a series of Y/Mn-modified CeO_(2) catalysts were prepared.The effects of structural properties,textural properties,oxygen vacancies,Ce^(3+),surface adsorbed oxygen species,reduction properties and desorption properties of oxygen species on the activity were analyzed by various characterization methods.The results of the activity test show that the addition of manganese is beneficial to enhancement of the activity,while the addition of yttrium increases the amount of reactive oxygen species,but decreases the activity.After aging at 700℃,the activity of the CeMn catalyst decreases most sharply,while the catalytic activity of the CeY catalyst can be maintained to a certain extent.Interestingly,the addition of yttrium and manganese at the same time can stabilize the activity.The fundamental reason is that yttrium and manganese move to the surface of the solid solution after aging,which increases the reduction performance of the catalyst,thus contributing to the increase of activity.Although the activity of CeYMn catalyst decreases after aging at 800℃,it is still higher than that of other catalysts aged at 700℃.

Noble-Metal-Free Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts Working at High Current Densities over 1000 mA cm^(-2):From Fundamental Understanding to Design Principles

Alkaline water electrolysis provides a promising route for"green hydrogen"generation,where anodic oxygen evolution reaction(OER)plays a crucial role in coupling with cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction.To date,the development of highly active and durable OER catalysts based on earth-abundant elements has drawn wide attention;nevertheless,their performance under high current densities(HCDs≥1000 mA cm^(-2))has been less emphasized.This situation has seriously impeded large-scale electrolysis industrialization.In this review,in order to provide a guideline for designing high-performance OER electrocatalysts,the effects of HCD on catalytic performance involving electron transfer,mass transfer,and physical/chemical stability are summarized.Furthermore,the design principles were pointed out for obtaining efficient and robust OER electrocatalysts in light of recent progress of OER electrocatalysts working above 1000 mA cm^(-2).These include the aspects of developing self-supported catalytic electrodes,enhancing intrinsic activity,enhancing the catalyst-support interaction,engineering surface wettability,and introducing protective layer.Finally,summaries and outlooks in achieving OER at industrially relevant HCDs are proposed.

Characteristics of urea under high pressure and high temperature

The properties of urea under high pressure and high temperature(HPHT) are studied using a China-type large volume cubic high-presentation apparatus(CHPA)(SPD-6 × 600).The samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), x-ray diffraction(XRD), and Raman spectroscopy.By directly observing the macroscopic morphology of urea with SEM, it is confirmed that the melting point of urea rises with the increase of pressure.The XRD patterns of urea residues derived under different pressures show that the thermal stability of urea also increases with the increase of pressure.The XRD pattern of the urea residue confirms the presence of C3H5N5O(ammeline) in the residue.A new peak emerges at 21.80°, which is different from any peak of all urea pyrolysis products under normal pressure.A more pronounced peak appears at 708 cm^-1 in the Raman spectrum, which is produced by C-H off-plane bending.It is determined that the urea will produce a new substance with a C-H bond under HPHT, and the assessment of this substance requires further experiments.

Heat stability of winter wheat depends on cultivars, timing and protective methods

Heat stress negatively affects wheat production in many regions of the world.At present,sensitivity to heat stress remains one of the least understood aspects of wheat genetics and breeding,and measures for preventing heat stress are understudied.In this study,we used three cultivars of winter wheat(GY2018,SL02-1 and SY20)to evaluate the effect of heat stress at different days after anthesis(DAA)on yield and quality.Heat stability of the cultivars were analyzed and evaluated for the effects of two kinds of regulators on wheat under heat stress conditions.Heat treatment at 7 DAA led to the most substantial reduction in yield while GY2018 had the best heat stability with respect to yield,and demonstrated the most positive effects on several quality traits including protein content,sedimentation volume and glutenin and gliadin contents.Heat treatment at 14 DAA had the least reduction in yield,while SY20 had the best heat stability with respect to yield and heat treatment had minimal effects on quality.Heat treatment at 21 DAA had only a limited effect on yield,while SL02-1 had the best heat stability with respect to yield,but it showed the most negative effects on quality.Stable time at 14 DAA and protein content at 21 DAA can be used as indicators for detecting the stability of quality under heat stress.Among the three studied cultivars,SY20 was the most sensitive to heat stress with the stable time decreasing from 26.4 to 9.1 min,a higher sedimentation volume at 7 DAA,and a lowerγ-gliadin content which increased 2.4-fold under high-temperature treatment.The addition of various regulators had different effects:potassium dihydrogen phosphate(KDP)was more protective of yield with heat stress at 7 DAA,while Duntianbao(DTB)had better effects on quality with heat stress at 21 DAA.

A novel polymer gel with high-temperature and high-salinity resistance for conformance control in carbonate reservoirs

Plugging agents have been widely used to enhance oil recovery in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs.However,the harsh conditions of fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs yield a significant challenge in maintaining a long-term stabilization of plugging agents.In this work,we developed an anti-hightemperature and high-salinity polymer gel(APG)with excellent resistance to high temperature(140℃)and ultra-high salinity(240000 mg/L).The rheology and microstructure of APG were characterized before and after gelation.Core plugging tests on fractured cubic cores were conducted to quantify the plugging performance of the gel system.Experimental results showed that the Sclerglucan and Cobalt(Ⅱ)Chloride Hexahydrate filled the three-dimensional(3-D)network with various morphologies,providing extra protection to the cross-linking points of the 3D network structure of APG and thus,leading to a prolongation of the dehydration time.The dehydration rate of APG was only 5%within 30days,and the strength of APG could be maintained at a rigid or near-rigid level over 150 days.Moreover,APG exhibited satisfactory shear and scour resistance.Core plugging tests showed that APG could achieve a plugging rate of 90%and demonstrate ignorable minor damage to the substrate.Our results indicate that APG can serve as a great candidate in channel plugging in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs where fractures are fully developed.

Temperature effect on performance of nanoparticle/surfactant flooding in enhanced heavy oil recovery

Recently,nanoparticles have been used along with surfactants for enhancing oil recovery.Although the recent studies show that oil recovery is enhanced using nanoparticle/surfactant solutions,some effective parameters and mechanisms involved in the oil recovery have not yet been investigated.Therefore,the temperature effect on the stability of nanoparticle/surfactant solutions and ultimate oil recovery has been studied in this work,and the optimal concentrations of both SiO2 nanoparticle and surfactant(sodium dodecyl sulfate)have been determined by the Central Composite Design method.In addition,the simultaneous effects of parameters and their interactions have been investigated.Study of the stability of the injected solutions indicates that the nanoparticle concentration is the most important factor affecting the solution stability.The surfactant makes the solution more stable if used in appropriate concentrations below the CMC.According to the micromodel flooding results,the most effective factor for enhancing oil recovery is temperature compared to the nanoparticle and surfactant concentrations.Therefore,in floodings with higher porous medium temperature,the oil viscosity reduction is considerable,and more oil is recovered.In addition,the surfactant concentration plays a more effective role in reservoirs with higher temperatures.In other words,at a surfactant concentration of 250 ppm,the ultimate oil recovery is improved about 20%with a temperature increase of 20°C.However,when the surfactant concentration is equal to 750 ppm,the temperature increase enhances the ultimate oil recovery by only about 7%.Finally,the nanoparticle and surfactant optimum concentrations determined by Design-Expert software were equal to 46 and 159 ppm,respectively.It is worthy to note that obtained results are validated by the confirmation test.

ATP负载杂环两性共聚物型超高温降失水剂的合成与性能评价

现有AMPS共聚物类降失水剂高温稀释降黏作用明显,对固井水泥浆的超高温沉降稳定性尤其不利。对此,合成了一种凹凸棒土(ATP)负载杂环两性共聚物型超高温固井降失水剂ATP-FLA以减弱共聚物的高温分散副作用。对负载前后的产品进行了综合性能对比,结果表明,在150~240℃范围内,加有4.0%~6.0%负载型降失水剂ATP-FLA、2.0%~4.0%悬浮剂的水泥浆API失水量不大于40 mL,沉降密度差不大于0.03 g/cm^(3),超高温稳定性良好。在240℃、120 MPa下养护后的水泥浆流性指数达到0.8976,浆体高温稠度高,剪切阻力大。同时,利用超高温固井现场水泥浆对ATPFLA进行了适应性评价,结果表明其能够在有效控制API失水量的同时不影响水泥浆的其他性能。此外,利用分子动力学模拟研究了杂环两性共聚物FLA的作用机理。模拟分析结果表明,杂环两性共聚物FLA相比于常规阴离子型共聚物的优势在于其减弱了自身分子链受环境中金属离子的“去水化”效应干扰,更耐金属离子进攻,使其更加适应水泥浆体系的碱金属离子溶液环境。

Synthesis and Characterization of Ordered Mesoporous Aluminosilicate Molecular Sieves with High Stability in High-Temperature Steam

The ordered mesoporous aluminosilicate molecular sieve （MASMS-1） stable in the high-temperature steam has been successfully synthesized from the assembly of diluted ZSM-5-type precursor with mesoporous MCM-41. The material was characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, FE-SEM, TEM, FT-IR spectroscopy and 27A1 MAS NMR techniques. This mesoporous material shows high stability in the high-temperature steam [H2O （φ=20%） in N2 at 800 ℃ for 4 h], which might be ascribed to the synergistic effect of both thick walls containing zeolite-like five-membered ring subunits and highly condensed surface silanol groups.