A high Li-ion diffusion kinetics in multidimensional and compact-structured electrodes via vacuum filtration casting

Manufacturing process,diffusion co-efficient and areal capacity are the three main criteria for regulating thick electrodes for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).However,simultaneously regulating these criteria for LIBs is desirable but remains a significant challenge.In this work,niobium pentoxide(Nb_(2)O_(5))anode and lithium iron phosphate(LiFePO_(4))cathode materials were chosen as the model materials and demonstrate that these three parameters can be simultaneously modulated by incorporation of micro-carbon fibers(MCF)and carbon nanotubes(CNT)with both Nb_(2)O_(5) and LFP via vacuum filtration approach.Both as-prepared MNC-20 anode and MLC-20 cathode achieves high reversible areal capacity of≈5.4 m A h cm^(-2)@0.1 C and outstanding Li-ion diffusion coefficients of≈10~(-8)cm~2 s~(-1)in the half-cell configuration.The assembled MNC-20‖MLC-20 full cell LIB delivers maximum energy and power densities of244.04 W h kg^(-1)and 108.86 W kg^(-1),respectively.The excellent electrochemical properties of the asprepared thick electrodes can be attributed to the highly conductive,mechanical compactness and multidimensional mutual effects of the MCF,CNT and active materials that facilitates rapid Li-ion diffusion kinetics.Furthermore,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),symmetric cells analysis,and insitu Raman techniques clearly validates the enhanced Li-ion diffusion kinetics in the present architecture.

Ablation behaviour and mechanical performance of ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC modified carbon/carbon composites prepared by vacuum infiltration combined with reactive melt infiltration

The development of advanced aircraft relies on high performance thermal-structural materials,and carbon/carbon com-posites(C/C)composited with ultrahigh-temperature ceramics are ideal candidates.However,the traditional routes of compositing are either inefficient and expensive or lead to a non-uniform distribution of ceramics in the matrix.Compared with the traditional C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the reactive melt infiltration of ZrSi_(2),C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the vacuum infiltration of ZrB_(2) combined with reactive melt infiltration have the higher content and more uniform distribution of the introduced ceramic phases.The mass and linear ablation rates of the C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites were respectively 68.9%and 29.7%lower than those of C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by reactive melt infiltration.The ablation performance was improved because the volatilization of B_(2)O_(3),removes some of the heat,and the more uniformly distributed ZrO_(2),that helps produce a ZrO2-SiO2 continu-ous protective layer,hinders oxygen infiltration and decreases ablation.

Bismuth-Complex-Incorporated Nanocellulose Sheet for Biomedical Application:A Review on New Nanocellulose Composites

Antibiotic resistance is one of the major issues in the medical field and a potential threat to human health.However,newly emerging antimicrobial compounds failed to combat antimicrobial resistance developed by bacterial pathogens.Recently,a bismuth-based complex has been developed to eradicate antimicrobial-resistant microorganism infections.The complex is known as organobismuth(III)phosphinate,which is said to be a potential broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent.This complex has been incorporated into the nanocellulose suspension to fabricate a biomedical composite for various applications.The composite can be fabricated by two methods namely vacuum filtration and spray coating.In this paper,the surface and topography of the composite are investigated and discussed in terms of SEM micrographs and their antimicrobial potential.This review focuses on the organo-bismuth nanocellulose composite and its biomedical application in the future.

Highly Reversible Li–Se Batteries with Ultra-Lightweight N,S-Codoped Graphene Blocking Layer

The desire for practical utilization of rechargeable lithium batteries with high energy density has motivated attempts to develop new electrode materials and battery systems. Here, without additional binders we present a simple vacuum filtration method to synthesize nitrogen and sulfur codoped graphene(N,S-G) blocking layer, which is ultra-lightweight, conductive, and free standing. When the N,S-G membrane was inserted between the catholyte and separator, the lithium–selenium(Li–Se)batteries exhibited a high reversible discharge capacity of 330.7 mAh g^(-1) at 1 C(1 C = 675 mA g^(-1)) after 500 cycles and high rate performance(over 310 mAh g^(-1) at 4 C) even at an active material loading as high as ～5 mg cm^(-2). This excellent performance can be ascribed to homogenous dispersion of the liquid active material in the electrode, good Li^+-ion conductivity, fast electronic transport in the conductive graphene framework, andstrong chemical confinement of polyselenides by nitrogen and sulfur atoms. More importantly, it is a promising strategy for enhancing the energy density of Li–Se batteries by using the catholyte with a lightweight heteroatom doping carbon matrix.

Relationships between Diatom Abundances in Rat Organs and in Environmental Waters

Objective:A diagnosis of drowning remains one of the most challenging issues in forensic science,especially for decomposed bodies.Diatom analysis is considered as an encouraging method for diagnosing drowning.In this study,we developed a drowned rat model using different diatom densities in water.Methods:A total of 120 adult Sprague-Dawley rats were used and divided into six groups,wherein experimental groups 1-5 were drowned rats(group A)and postmortem submersion rats(group B)that were submerged in water with five different Cyclotella sp.diatom densities,while the remaining group was used as a blank control.The combination of microwave digestion and vacuum filtration method was used to accomplish efficient tissue digestion and ascertain higher accuracy of diatom determinations within organs.Results:The abundances of diatoms in the lungs,livers,and kidneys were significantly different.The diatom abundances in the lungs,livers,and kidneys were directly proportional to the water diatom densities,and specific quantitative relationships could be approximated by separate regression equations for each organ type.However,the trends associated with the diatom increases among organs slightly differed.In addition,the diatom abundances in the lungs,livers,and kidneys were all positively correlated.Diatoms were not observed in the postmortem submersion groups nor in the blank control groups.Conclusion:The results of this study provide valuable information for establishing a quantitative diatom framework for informing future forensic medicine efforts.

Preparation of Nano-composites Membranes with Graphic Oxides and Polylactic Acid

Organic polymer materials were used as a layer of adhesive into the graphene sheet between the layers to enhance the interaction force between the nano-structure to achieve excellent mechanical properties and barrier properties. PLA with good flowability and easy processing was selected. The mechanical properties and barrier properties of the graphene-based composites were improved by the use of PLA for good flowability, making it easy to enter the GO layer as a binder. Three methods of preparation of GO/PLA homogeneous composite membranes were designed by vacuum filtration. The experimental results show that the injection of PLA as a molecular binder into the GO layer can effectively mimic the nano-structure, and enhance the intergranular force of the graphene molecules and the compatibility with the polymer matrix.

Enhancing the thermal conductivity of nanofibrillated cellulose films with 1D BN belts formed by in-situ generation and sintering of BN nanosheets

The rapid miniaturization and high integration of modern electronic devices have brought an increasing demand for polymer-based thermal management materials with higher thermal conductivity.Boron nitride nanosheets(BNNs)have been widely used as thermally conductive fillers benefiting from the extremely high intrinsic thermal conductivity.However,the small lateral size and weak interface bonding of BNNs enabled them to only form thermally conductive networks through physical overlap,resulting in high interfacial thermal resistance.To address this issue,an innovative strategy based on interface engineering was proposed in this study.High-aspect-ratio boron nitride belts(BNbs)were successfully synthesized by carbon thermal reduction nitridation method through the in-situ generation and sintering of BNNs.The surface of BNb showed the sintering of numerous smaller-sized BNNs,which precisely addresses the issue of weak interfacial bonding between BNNs.On this basis,the as-synthesized BNbs were combined with nano-fibrillated cellulose(NFC)to prepare NFC/BNb composite films through a facile vacuum filtration process.Due to the thermally conductive network formed by the horizontal oriented arrangement of BNb and their particular morphological advantages,the NFC/BNb films demonstrated significantly higher in-plane thermal conductivity than that of NFC/BNNs films,achieving the highest value of 19.119 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1) at a 20 wt%filling fraction.In addition,the NFC/BNb films also exhibited superior thermal stability,mechanical strength,flexibility,and electrical insulation performance,suggesting the significant application potential of the designed BNb fillers in the thermal management field.

Bio-inspired clay nanosheets/polymer matrix/mineral nanofibers ternary composite films with optimal balance of strength and toughness

Although remarkable progress has been witnessed in mimicking the nacre-like architecture in laboratory,it remains a great challenge for understanding the unique balancing mechanism of toughness and strength in biological materials. Here,taking advantage of the synergistic effect of different dimensional nanoscale building blocks,we fabricate nacre-like films that reconcile high strength and toughness.The obtained ternary lamellar composite films are constructed by one-dimensional xonotlite nanowires and two-dimensional montmorillonite nanosheets with the assistance of poly（vinyl alcohol）. The ternary composite films show high strength（（241.8±10.2）MPa） and toughness（（5.85±0.46） MJ m^-3）,both of which are higher than that of the single nanofibrillar xonotlite network films or the binary montmorillonite/poly（vinyl alcohol） composite films. The excellent mechanical properties of the nacre-like ternary composite films are aroused by the synergistic toughening mechanism of the different dimensional building blocks. This strategy provides a facile approach to integrate the nacre-like composite films with potential applications in tissue engineering scaffold,strong air barrier coatings,and fire-retardant packing materials.

Surfactant-assisted fabrication of graphene frameworks endowing epoxy composites with superior thermal conductivity

With the rapid growth in electronic device performance,there has been an increasing demand for thermally conductive polymer composites to handle the thermal management issue,thus contributing to the great importance to develop the graphene framework,which is evaluated as the most promising reinforcements for enhancing the thermal conductivity of polymer.Vacuum filtration is a common method to fabricate graphene framework,whereas,it is available to prepare a framework with centimeter-scale thickness by filtrating the graphene-water dispersion,due to the fact of sample cracking caused by the mismatch of surface tension between graphene and water.In this work,a surfactantassisted strategy was proposed by adjusting the surface tension of the water close to that of graphene first,then performing a conventional filtration process,to fabricate graphene framework.As a result,a thick graphene framework(thickness:3 cm)was successfully prepared,and after embedding into epoxy,the framework endows the composite(13.6 wt%)with a high in-plane thermal conductivities of12.4 W/mK,which is equivalent to≈64 times higher than that of neat epoxy.Our method is simple and compatible with the conventional filtration process,suggesting great potential for the mass-production of graphene framework to meet the practical application requirements.