Research progress on carbon-based zinc-ion capacitors

Zinc-ion capacitors(ZICs),which consist of a capacitor-type electrode and a battery-type electrode,not only possess the high power density of supercapacitors and the high energy density of batteries,but also have other advantages such as abundant resources,high safety and environmental friendliness.However,they still face problems such as insufficient specific capacitance,a short cycling life,and narrow operating voltage and temperature ranges,which are hindering their practical use.We provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamental theory of carbon-based ZICs and summarize recent research progress from three perspectives:the carbon cathode,electrolyte and zinc anode.The influence of the structure and surface chemical properties of the carbon materials on the capacitive performance of ZICs is considered together with theoretical guidance for advancing their development and practical use.

Recent advances in immobilized enzymes on nanocarriers

Recent progress in nanotechnology has provided high-performance nanomaterials for enzyme immobilization.Nanobiocatalysts combining enzymes and nanocarriers are drawing increasing attention because of their high catalytic performance,enhanced stabilities,improved enzyme-substrate affinities,and reusabilities.Many studies have been performed to investigate the efficient use of cellulose nanocrystals,polydopamine-based nanomaterials,and synthetic polymer nanogels for enzyme immobilization.Various nanobiocatalysts are highlighted in this review,with the emphasis on the design,preparation,properties,and potential applications of nanoscale enzyme carriers and nanobiocatalysts.

Effects of two modification methods on the mechanical properties of wood flour/recycled plastic blends composites: addition of thermoplastic elastomer SEBS-g-MAH and in-situ grafting MAH

The effect of maleic anhydride grafted styrene-ethylene- buty-lene-styrene block copolymer （SEBS-g-MAH） and in-situ grafting MAH on mechanical, dynamic mechanical properties of wood flour/recycled plastic blends composites was investigated. Recycled plastic polypro-pylene （PP）, high-density polyethylene （HDPE） and polystyrene （PS）, were mixed with wood flour in a high speed blender and then extruded by a twin/single screw tandem extruder system to form wood flour/recycled plastic blends composites. Results show that the impact properties of the composites were improved more significantly by using SEBS-g-MAH compatibilizer than by using the mixtures of MAH and DCP via reactive blending in situ. However, contrary results were ob-served on the tensile and flexural properties of the corresponding com-posites. In General, the mechanical properties of composites made from recycled plastic blends were inferior to those made from virgin plastic blends, especially in elongation break. The morphological study verified that the interfacial adhesion or the compatibility of plastic blends with wood flour was improved by adding SEBS-g-MAH or in-situ grafting MAH. A better interfacial bonding between PP, HDPE, PS and wood flour was obtained by in-situ grafting MAH than the addition of SEBS-g-MAH. In-situ grafting MAH can be considered as a potential way of increasing the interfacial compatibility between plastic blends and wood flour. The storage modulus and damping factor of composites were also characterized through dynamic mechanical analysis （DMA）.

Effects of preparation temperature on electrochemical performance of nitrogen-enriched carbons

The activated nitrogen-enriched novel carbons (NENCs) were prepared by direct carbonization using polyaniline coating activated mesocarbon microbead composites as the precursor. Herein the influences of the carbonization temperature on the structure and morphology of the NENCs samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm at 77 K. The electrochemical properties of the supercapacitors were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cycle life, leakage current and self-discharge measurements in 6 mol/L KOH solution. The results demonstrate that the NENC samples carbonized at 600 °C show the highest specific capacitance of 385 F/g at the current density of 1 A/g and the lowest ESR value (only 0.93?). Furthermore, the capacity retention ratio of the NENCs-600 supercapacitor is 92.8 % over 2500 cycles.

Effects of chitosan coating on biocompatibility of Mg-6%Zn-10%Ca_3(PO_4)_2 implant

A Mg?6%Zn?10%Ca3(PO4)2 composite with a chitosan coating was prepared to study its in vivo biodegradation properties. The chitosan dissolved in a 0.2% acetic acid solution was applied on the surface of Mg?6%Zn?10%Ca3(PO4)2 composite specimens and solidified at 60 °C for 30 min to form the coating. The cytotoxicity evaluation of chitosan coated specimens is at level 0, which indicates that such coating is safe for cellular applications. The in vivotests of chitosan coated composite show that the concentration of metal ions from the composite measured in the venous blood of Zelanian rabbits is less than that from the uncoated composite specimens. The chitosan coating impedes the in vivo degradation of the composite after surgery. The in vivo testing also indicates that the chitosan coated composite is harmless to important visceral organs, including the heart, kidneys and liver of the rabbits. The new bone formation surrounding the chitosan coated composite implant shows that the composite improves the concrescence of the bone tissues. And the chitosan coating is an effective corrosion resistant layer that reduces the hydrogen release of the implant composite, thereby decreasing the subcutaneous gas bubbles formed.

SECCL-based research on prefabricated chunks in achieving oral English fluency

Fluency on oral English has always been the goal of Chinese English learners. Language corpuses offer great convenience to language researches. Prefabricated chunks are a great help for learners to achieve oral English fluency. With the help of computer software, chunks in SECCL are categorized. The conclusion is in the process of chunks acquiring, emphasis should be on content-related chunks, especially specific topic-related ones. One effective way to gain topic-related chunks is to build topic-related English corpus of native speakers.

Influence of synthesis temperature on electrochemical performance of polyoxomolybdate as cathode material of lithium ion battery

In order to improve the electrochemical performance of polyoxomolybdate Na3[AlMo6O24H6]（NAM） as the cathode material of lithium ion battery, the NAM materials with small particle size were synthesized by elevatingthe synthesistemperaturein the solution.The as-prepared NAM materials were investigated by FT-IR, XRD, SEM and EIS. Their discharge-charge and cycle performance were also tested. The resultsshowthat the particle size decreasesto less than10μm at the temperature ofhigher than 40℃.When synthesized at 80℃,the NAMwiththe smallest particle size （-3μm）exhibitsthe best electrochemical performance such ashigh initial discharge capacity of 409 mA·h/gandcoulombic efficiency of 95% in the first cycle at 0.04C.

Influence of KOH activation techniques on pore structure and electrochemical property of carbon electrode materials

Taking the selection of coal-tar pitch as precursor and KOH as activated agent, the activated carbon electrode material was fabricated for supercapacitor.The surface area and the pore structure of activated carbon were analyzed by Nitro adsorption method. The electrochemical properties of the activated carbons were determined using two-electrode capacitors in 6 mol/L KOH aqueous electrolytes. The influences of activated temperature and mass ratio of KOH to C on the pore structure and electrochemical property of porous activated carbon were investigated in detail. The reasons for the changes of pore structure and electrochemical performance of activated carbon prepared under different conditions were also discussed theoretically. The results indicate that the maximum specific capacitance of 240 F/g can be obtained in alkaline medium, and the surface area, the pore structure and the specific capacitance of activated carbon depend on the treatment methods; the capacitance variation of activated carbon cannot be interpreted only by the change of surface area and pore structure, the lattice order and the electrolyte wetting effect of the activated carbon should also be taken into account.

A Novel TiNi/AlSi Composite with High Strength and High Damping Capacity

A novel TiNi/AlSi composite with high compressive strength and high damping capacity was obtained by infiltrating Al-12%Si alloy into porous TiNi alloy.It had been found that the high compressive strength (440 MPa) of TiNi/AlSi composite is due to the increase of effective carrying area after infiltrating Al-12%Si alloy,while the high damping capacity is contributed to TiNi carcass,Al-12%Si filling material and micro- slipping at the interface.

Enhancement of lithium storage capacity and rate performance of Se-modified MnO/Mn3O4 hybrid anode material via pseudocapacitive behavior

To improve rate and cycling performance of manganese oxide anode material,a precipitation method was combined with thermal annealing to prepare the Mn O/Mn3O4/Se Ox(x=0,2)hybrid anode by controlling the reaction temperature of Mn2O3 and Se powders.At 3 A/g,the synthesized Mn O/Mn3O4/Se Ox anode delivers a discharge capacity of 1007 m A·h/g after 560 cycles.A cyclic voltammetry quantitative analysis reveals that 89.5%pseudocapacitive contribution is gained at a scanning rate of 2.0 m V/s,and the test results show that there is a significant synergistic effect between Mn O and Mn3O4 phases.

A Soil Temperature Control System for Sapling Study in Alpine Region

A soil temperature control system was designed for sapling study in alpine region and tested in summer, 2009. The system consisted of a power switch, voltage regulator, microcomputer timer, safety relays, temperature control device, temperature sensors, heating cables, fireproofing plastic pipes (PVC), 108 heavy-duty plastic containers and seedlings. The heating cables were held in six 2-layer PVC frames with 25 cm wide, 320 cm long and 25 cm high and three 1-layer frames with 25 cm wide and 320 cm long for 15°C soil temperature treatment, half of the 2-layer frames were used for 20°C and 25°C soil temperature treatments, respectively. Each of the frames was installed at each of ditches with 30 cm wide, 330 cm long and 30 cm deep in size. 12 seedling containers with 20 cm top diameter, 18cm bottom diameter and 25 cm high were homogenously placed at each of the ditches, and spaces between the containers were filled with natural soil. The system was economic, and could increase soil temperatures obviously and uniformly, the maximal and minimal standard errors of soil temperatures were ±0.28 and ±0.05°C at 10cm depth in the containers within each of all the ditches. In the system, aboveground environment was natural, diurnal and monthly soil temperatures varied with changing air temperature, the research results may be better to know the eco-physiological and growth responses of alpine saplings/seedlings to soil warming than that in greenhouse, laboratory, infrared heat lamp and open top chamber.

Comparison of Gas Distribution Properties of Conventional and High Capacity Structured Packings

This paper presents the results of an experimental study carried out using large scale equipment to observe the effect of geometry on gas distribution properties of a high capacity corrugated sheet structured packing （Montz-pak B 1-250M） and to compare it with that of its conventional counterpart （Montz-pak B1-250）. Although the high capacity packing exhibits a significantly lower overall pressure drop, the gas distribution performance is similar to that of the conventional packing, and in both cases consistently good one.

Electrochemical lithium storage performance of three-dimensional foam-like biocarbon/MoS2 composites

Molybdenum disulfide(MoS2)was loaded on biocarbon using waste camellia dregs(CDs)as the carbon source,which was further coated with dopamine hydrochloride to construct biocarbon/MoS2 electrode composites.The electrochemical lithium storage performance of the composites with different MoS2 contents was investigated.SEM results demonstrated that the composite had a three-dimensional foam-like structure with MoS2 as the interlayer.XRD and HRTEM tests revealed that MoS2 interlayer spacing in the composite was expanded.XPS analysis showed that new Mo—N bonds were formed in the active material.The electrochemical tests showed that the composite with a MoS2 content of 63%had a high initial specific capacity of 1434 mA·h/g at a current density of 100 mA/g.After a long cycle at a high current,it also showed good cycling stability and the capacity retention was nearly 100%.In addition,it had good lithium ion deintercalation ability in the electrochemical kinetics test.

Effect of different heat transfer fluids on discharging performance of phase change material included cylindrical container during forced convection

In the present work,effects of various heat transfer fluids on the discharging performance of a phase change material(PCM) included cylindrical container are numerically assessed during forced convection.The heat transfer fluid air,hydrogen,water and nanofluid with alumina particles are used and the the geometric variation of the PCM embedded region is also considered.The finite element method is used as the solver.Dynamic features of heat exchange with various phases are explored for different heat transfer fluid types,Reynolds number(between 100 and 300) and PCM embedded region geometric variation(h_(x)between 0.01 d_(1) and 0.65 d_(1),hybetween 0.1 h_(1) and 0.4 h_(1)).It is observed that discharging time is significantly influenced by the heat transfer fluid type while full phase transition time for air is obtained as more than 10 times when hydrogen is utilized as heat transfer fluid.The best performance is achieved with nanofluid.When the PCM integrated region size is reduced,discharging time is generally reduced while due to the form of the geometry,vortex formation is established in the PCM region.This results in performance degeneration at the highest radius and height of the inner cylinder.Discharging time increases by about 12% when radius of the inner cylinder is increased from h_(x)=0.35 d_(1) to h_(x)=0.45 d_(1).Dynamic features of PCM temperature and liquid fraction are affected with Reynolds number while discharging time is reduced by about 48% when configurations with the lowest and highest Reynolds number are compared.

Impact of Particle Size, Thermal Processing, Fat Inclusion and Moisture Addition on Pellet Quality and Protein Solubility of Broiler Feeds

The present study evaluated the effect of feed particle size, thermal processing, several levels of fat inclusion and moisture addition on pellet quality and protein solubility in potassium hydroxide （KOH） in a corn, soybean meal and animal by products based broiler diets. The different processing factors were combined in a 2 x 4 x 4 x 2 factorial arrangement in an eight randomized block consisting of eight production series： two particle sizes （coarse： 1,041 microns and medium： 743 microns）, four fat inclusion levels at the mixer （15, 25, 35 and 45 g/kg of feed）, four moisture addition levels in the conditioner （0, 7, 14 and 21 g/kg of feed） and two thermal processing treatments （conditioner-pellet press treatment or conditioner-expander-pellet treatment） which resulted in 64 different processed feeds. For the determination of the pellet durability index （PDI）, the amount of intact pellets and protein solubility determinations, eight feed samples （replicates） were collected for each treatment. The data were transformed using a variation of Box-Cox transformation in order to fit a normal distribution （p 〉 0.05）. Adding moisture up to 21 g/kg of feed in the conditioner improved pellet quality of the diets （p 〈 0.05）. Expansion of diets before pelleting improved （P 〈 0.05） PDI and amount of intact pellets by 26% and 31%, respectively, as compared to a simple conditioning-pelleting feed processing. Expander treatment （at 110 ℃） decreased （p 〈 0.05） protein solubility in KOH from 686 g/kg to 643 g/kg total protein as compared to pelleting process （at 80-82 ℃）. The amount of intact pellets reduced from 773 g/kg to 746 g/kg of feed （/7 〈 0.05） as particle size increased from medium to coarse grinding. Pellet quality was significantly reduced with fat inclusion levels higher than 35 g/kg of diet.

Rejection of Permacol~ mesh used in abdominal wall repair:A case report

Permacol mesh has shown promise when used in abdominal wall repair,especially in the presence of a contaminated surgical field.This biomaterial,derived from porcine dermis collagen,has proposed advantages over synthetic materials due to increased biocompatibility and reduced foreign body reaction within human tissues.However,we present a case report describing a patient who displayed rejection to a Permacol mesh when used in the repair of abdominal wound dehiscence following an emergency laparotomy.Review of the English language literature using PubMed and Medline, showed only two previously published cases of explantation of Permacoldue to sepsis or wound breakdown. The authors believe this is the first case of severe foreign body reaction leading to rejection of Permacol.Both animal and human studies show conflicting evidence of biocompatibility.There are several reports of successful use of Permacolto repair complex incisional herniae or abdominal walls in the presence of significant contamination.It appears from the literature that Permacolis a promising material,but as we have demonstrated,it has the potential to evoke a foreign body reaction and rejection in certain subjects.

Study on J-integral with SENB specimens in a condenser material

A series of tests was performed with three-point single-edge-notched-bend (SENB) specimens in a condenser material (Titanium alloy). Results show that the J-integral values of welded joint and HAZ are obviously smaller than those of the base metal. It signifies that the welding process can result in a reduced toughness of Titanium alloy and the effect of crack orientation on toughness value is not negligible for engineering applications. Besides, the J-integral values of L-T direction specimens are much higher than those of L-S ones. The J-integral values of rolled ring are:JC-R>JC-L>JL-R.

Application of Electrical Capacitance Tomography to the Concentration Measurement in a Cyclone Dipleg

Accurate solid concentration measurement plays a key role in the process industry. Measurements analyzed offline can be used to estimate process efficiencies, to identify problems in a flow, and to validate computational models. Online measurements can be used for active control. Electrical capacitance tomography （ECT） is a unique measuring technique with great potential in multiphase flow measurement. Experimental studies are carried out on a solid concentration measurement in a cyclone separator dipleg, using ECT. In this experiment eight electrodes are selected for the ECT sensor that is placed on the straight tube of the dipleg. The fluctuating characteristics according to the screw feeder and the effect of the airflow rate from the top of the cyclone are analyzed. The feasibility andreliability of the method are verified by the experimental results.

BAP Spray and Plastic Container Responses on Asparagus officmalis L. Crown Growth

The aims of this work were to study the effect of two different plastic containers on asparagus growth and the effect of early applied 6-benzilaminepurine （BAP） on crown growth during the first two years after seed germination. Although there was not found a root restriction effect with the use of plastic containers, there were significant differences between plants grown in plastic seedbed or single pots which suggesting an unusual and unexpected asparagus autotoxicity. The results showed that crown fresh weight, total dry weight, relative growth ratio （RGRroot）, root：shoot ratio and photosynthetic shoot number increased in BAP-sprayed plants over the controls without treatment as a result of a change in photosynthate partitioning towards the root system. The BAP snravs seem to be a ~reater effect under conditions with favor autotoxicitv such as the seedbed than in single pot crown-grown.