Laser processing effects on Ti−45Nb alloy surface,corrosive and biocompatible properties

The Ti−45Nb(wt.%)alloy properties were investigated in relation to its potential biomedical use.Laser surface modification was utilized to improve its performance in biological systems.As a result of the laser treatment,(Ti,Nb)O scale was formed and various morphological features appeared on the alloy surface.The electrochemical behavior of Ti−45Nb alloy in simulated body conditions was evaluated and showed that the alloy was highly resistant to corrosion deterioration regardless of additional laser surface modification treatment.Nevertheless,the improved corrosion resistance after laser treatment was evident(the corrosion current density of the alloy before laser irradiation was 2.84×10^(−8)A/cm^(2),while that after laser treatment with 5 mJ was 0.65×10^(−8)A/cm^(2))and ascribed to the rapid formation of a complex and passivating bi-modal surface oxide layer.Alloy cytotoxicity and effects of the Ti−45Nb alloy laser surface modification on the MRC-5 cell viability,morphology,and proliferation were also investigated.The Ti−45Nb alloy showed no cytotoxic effect.Moreover,cells showed improved viability and adherence to the alloy surface after the laser irradiation treatment.The highest average cell viability of 115.37%was attained for the alloy laser-irradiated with 15 mJ.Results showed that the laser surface modification can be successfully utilized to significantly improve alloy performance in a biological environment.

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.

通信局(站)能耗监控电量计量仪表技术规范的探讨

从分析通信用电表和电力行业电表区别入手,对通信用电表性能影响较大的一些技术参数进行了说明,并根据实例介绍了相关技术参数的应用,最后提出了相关建议。

Effect of surface treatment for aluminum foils on discharge properties of lithium-ion battery

Aluminum foils having thicknesses of 10-20 μm are commonly employed as current collectors for cathode electrodes in Li-ion batteries. The effects of the surface morphology of the foil on battery performance were investigated by using a foil with roughened surface by chemical etching and a plain foil with smooth surface on both sides. For high-conductivity LiCoO2 active materials with large particle size, there are no significant differences in battery performance between the two types of foils. But for low-conductivity LiFePO4 active materials with small particle size, high-rate discharge properties are significantly different. The possibility shows that optimizing both the surface morphology of the aluminum foil and particle size of active material leads to improvement of the battery performance.

Job shop scheduling problem with alternative machines using genetic algorithms

The classical job shop scheduling problem(JSP) is the most popular machine scheduling model in practice and is known as NP-hard.The formulation of the JSP is based on the assumption that for each part type or job there is only one process plan that prescribes the sequence of operations and the machine on which each operation has to be performed.However,JSP with alternative machines for various operations is an extension of the classical JSP,which allows an operation to be processed by any machine from a given set of machines.Since this problem requires an additional decision of machine allocation during scheduling,it is much more complex than JSP.We present a domain independent genetic algorithm(GA) approach for the job shop scheduling problem with alternative machines.The GA is implemented in a spreadsheet environment.The performance of the proposed GA is analyzed by comparing with various problem instances taken from the literatures.The result shows that the proposed GA is competitive with the existing approaches.A simplified approach that would be beneficial to both practitioners and researchers is presented for solving scheduling problems with alternative machines.

Restructuring of well-defined Pt-based electrode surfaces under mild electrochemical conditions

Since the 1980s,single-crystal Pt electrodes with well-defined surface structures have been deemed stable under mild electrochemical conditions(e.g.,in the potential region of electric double layers,underpotential deposition of hydrogen,or mild hydrogen evolution/OH adsorption)and have served as model electrodes for unraveling the structure-performance relation in electrocatalysis.With the advancement of in situ electrochemical microscopy/spectroscopy techniques,subtle surface restructuring under mild electrochemical conditions has been achieved in the last decade.Surface restructuring can considerably modify electrocatalytic properties by generating/destroying highly active sites,thereby interfering with the deduction of the structure-performance relation.In this review,we summarize recent progress in the restructuring of well-defined Pt(-based)electrode surfaces under mild electrochemical conditions.The importance of the meticulous structural characterization of Pt electrodes before,during,and after electrochemical measurements is demonstrated using CO adsorption/oxidation,hydrogen adsorption/evolution,and oxygen reduction as examples.The implications of present findings for correctly identifying the reaction mechanisms and kinetics of other electrocatalytic systems are also briefly discussed.

Preparation and characterization of spinel LiMn_2O_4 nanorods as lithium-ion battery cathodes

The hydrothermal synthesis of single-crystallineβ-MnO2 nanorods and their chemical conversion into single-crystalline LiMn2O4 nanorods by a simple solid-state reaction were reported.This method has the advantages of producing pure,single-phase and crystalline nanorods.The LiMn2O4 nanorods have an diameter of about 300 nm.The discharge capacity and cyclic performance of the batteries were investigated.The LiMn2O4 nanorods show better cyclic performance with a capacity retention ratio of 86.2% after 100 cycles.Battery cyclic studies reveal that the prepared LiMn2O4 nanorods have high capacity with a first discharge capacity of 128.7 mA·h/g.

HIGH EMISSION PERFORMANCE IMPREGNATED DISPENSER CATHODE

In order to obtain higher emission performance than that of a traditional M-type cathode, we have developed a new type impregnated dispenser cathode. The new cathode is impregnated with a new active substance with molar ratio of 26BaO·29SrO·8Sc2O3 ·7CaO·Al2O3 . This paper introduces the emission performance, surface active material, and work function of the new cathode. At 1100℃B , the DC current density and pulse current density are 30.6±1.0 A/cm2 and 171.6±2.8 A/cm2 , respectively, 2.1 and 5.4 times of that of an M-type cathode. The work function of the new cathode is 1.668± 0.002 eV. High concentration O-Al-Sc-Sr-Ba and O-Al-Sc-Ba are found in the pores and at pore edges, respectively. By comparing the emission performances and surface characteristics of as-polished and as-cleaned cathodes, it is proposed that, the emission around pore ends forms the major part of the total emission for the new cathodes.

IEC 62059 Standards' Application in Reliability Prediction and Verification of Smart Meters

This article introduces the current situation of the smart then describes the relationship of meter reliability characteristics meter＇s reliability and the failure mechanisms at first, and combined with its Bathtub Curve. It also introduces both the feasible failure tree model for meter lifecycle prediction based on actual experiences and meter reliability prediction methodology by SN 29500 norms based on this model. This article also brings forward that it is necessary that the ＂Learning Factor＂ shall be adopted in meter reliability prediction for new materials, new process, and customized parts by referring to GJB/Z299C. Thereafter, this article also tries to apply IEC 62059 and JB/T 50070 to introduce the feasible method for the lifecycle prediction result verification by accelerated lifecycle test. Furthermore, the article also explores ways to increase the firmware reliability in smart meter.

Effects of Sintering Atmosphere on the Microstructure and Surface Properties of Symmetric TiO2 Membranes

The effects of sintering atmosphere on the properties of symmetric TiO2 membranes are studied with regard to sintering behavior, porosity, mean pore size, surface comPosition. and surface charge properties. The exerimental results show that the symmetric TiO2 membranes display better sintering activity in the air than in argon, and the mean pore diameters and porosities of the membrane sintered in argon are higher than those of the membrane sintered in the air at the same temperature. The surface compositions of the symmetric TiO2 membrane sintered in the air and in argon at different temperatures, as studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, are discussed in terms of their chemical composition, with particular emphasis on the valence state of the titanium ions. The correlation between the valence state of the titanium ions at the surface and the surface charge properties is examined.It is found that the presence of Ti^3＋, introduced at the surface of the symmetric TiO2 membranes by sintering in a lower partial pressure of oxygen, is related to a significant decrease in the isoelectric point. TiO2 with Ti^4＋ at the interface has an isoelectric point of 5.1, but the non-stoichiometric TiO2-x with Ti^3＋ at the interface has a lower isoelectric point of 3.6.

Implementation of Spreadsheet Modeling to Compare the Annual Energy Performance and Cost of Microgeneration Systems

This paper presents the investigation of energy and cost saving of microgeneration systems which consist of conventional, load sharing, renewable energy and hybrid-renewable energy systems application featuring single detached house and office buildings by implementing spreadsheet modeling. Microsoft excel is employed as the spreadsheet application in this study. The system performance of each case is calculated under typical weather of ottawa, canada. These cases are calculated and analyzed in terms of thermal/cooling load （building demand） and natural gas/electricity consumption （energy supply） as well as the financial part by involving several parameters which are initial cost, annual energy consumption cost, annual operational and maintenance cost, inflation rate, and return on investment. Moreover, a house and an office have the same geometry of 200 mE. Total of seven cases modeling are developed; Case-1- a house with boiler and chiller, Case-2- an office with boiler and chiller, Case-3-a simple sum of Case l and Case 2, Case-4- a load-sharing model, Case-5- a load-sharing with GSHP （ground source heat pump）, Case-6- a load-sharing with ground source heat pump-fuel cell hybrid system （FC-GSHP）and Case-7- a load-sharing with GSHP--photovoltaic hybrid system （PVT-GSHP）. As the results, it will be observed the efficiency of the load-sharing, renewable energy, hybrid-renewable energy implementation comparing to the conventional system.

Calculation of Surface Excitation Parameters by a Monte Carlo Method

Electron inelastic mean free path （IMFP） is an important parameter for surface chemical quantification by surface electron spectroscopy techniques. It can be obtained from analysis of elastic peak electron spectroscopy （EPES） spectra measured on samples and a Monte Carlo simulation method. To obtain IMFP parameters with high accuracy, the surface excitation effect on the measured EPES spectra has to be quantified as a surface excitation parameter （SEP）, which can be calculated via a dielectric response theory. However, such calculated SEP does not include influence of elastic scattering of electrons inside samples during their incidence and emission processes, which should not be neglected simply in determining IMFP by an EPES method. In this work a Monte Carlo simulation method is employed to determine surface excitation parameter by taking account of the elastic scattering effect. The simulated SEPs for different primary energies are found to be in good agreement with the experiments particularly for larger incident or emission angles above 60° where the elastic scattering effect plays a more important role than those in smaller incident or emission angles. Based on these new SEPs, the IMFP measurement by EPES technique can provide more accurate data.

Dielectric Properties of Colossal Permittivity Materials： An Update

During the last 10 years, a lot of interests have been devoted to the so-called CDC （colossal dielectric constant） materials. The first materials exhibiting this behavior were the perovskite-based ceramics on the CCTO （CaCuaTi4012） composition. Relative dielectric permittivity can attain values up to （or even larger than） 105. Nevertheless, their dielectric losses are too high, the lower values ranging 10%, in a narrow frequency range, thus limiting their applications. The underlying physical mechanisms at the origin of the CDC are still under study. The analysis of broadband impedance spectroscopy measurements leads most of the authors to propose an interracial polarization mechanism （at the electrodes or at internal barriers）, there is a limited number of complementary electrical characterization techniques, which, up to now, comfort the proposed interracial polarization mechanisms. In the present work, I-V and time-domain polarization are used to characterize these materials. One of the main results is the observation of a non-symmetrical response of these materials related to the direction of the polarization. These results are observed for both macroscopic level on bulk polycrystalline material and within individual grains of the same samples. These results do not fit current accepted models for polarization for CDC materials.

Surface performance of workpieces processed by electrical discharge machining in gas

The surface performance of workpieces processed by electrical discharge machining in gas(dry EDM)was studied in this paper.Firstly,the composition,micro hardness and recast layer of electrical discharge machined(EDMed)surface of 45 carbon steels in air were investigated through different test analysis methods.The results show that the workpiece surface EDMed in air contains a certain quantity of oxide,and oxidation occurs on the workpiece surface.Compared with the surface of workpieces processed in kerosene,fewer cracks exist on the dry EDMed workpiece surface,and the surface recast layer is thinner than that obtained by conventional EDM.The micro hardness of workpieces machined by dry EDM method is lower than that machined in kerosene,and higher than that of the matrix.In addition,experiments were conducted on the surface wear resistance of workpieces processed in air and kerosene using copper electrode and titanium alloy electrode.The results indicate that the surface wear resistance of workpieces processed in air can be improved,and it is related with tool material and dielectric.

Effect of Properties of Carbon Materials on Performance of VRLA Batteries

In the present study, the relationship between properties of different carbon materials and their impact on performance of VRLA （valve regulated lead acid） battery was studied. The material properties undertaken for the study are： surface area, conductivity and water absorption of the carbon. The electrode morphology revealed the uniform distribution of active material when high surface area carbon was added to NAM （negative active material）. The porosity of the plate also exhibited changes with respect to type of carbon materials added. The study further revealed that, the addition of high surface area carbon （-1,400 m^2/g） improves the charge acceptance of the battery with higher loading. Further improvement in charge acceptance was observed with addition of graphite to higher surface area carbon. Nevertheless, the float current of the battery got affected due to graphite loading and found there was no impact on shelf life of the battery in all the cases. The study demonstrates the need for customized ＂carbon formulation＂ to obtain the maximum performance out of the battery.

Synthesis, characterization of triphenyltin grafted on SBA-15mesoporous silica and its catalytic performance for the synthesis of 4-methylacetophenone

The production of Ph3Sn–O–SBA-15(Ph3Sn SBA)was achieved by heating triphenyltin chloride and SBA-15in N-methylpyrrolidone at 190°C for 5 h using triethylamine as a catalyst.The composition,structure,and surface physical and chemical properties of Ph3Sn SBA were characterized using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy(ICP-AES),13C,119Sn and29Si solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)spectroscopy in situ pyridine infrared spectroscopy(Py-IR),N2adsorption–desorption isotherms,X-ray diffraction(XRD)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The results of ICP-AES and organic elemental analysis showed that the grafting yield of Sn was 17%(by mass)for Ph3Sn SBA.The elemental analysis and solid-state NMR results for Ph3Sn SBA were consistent with grafting of triphenyltin on SBA-15.The N2adsorption–desorption,XRD and TEM analyses showed that Ph3Sn SBA retained an ordered hexagonal mesoporous structure,resulting in decreases in the surface area,pore size and mesopore volume,and an increase in acidity as compared with SBA-15.The Hammett acidity function(H0)value and the number of acid sites for Ph3Sn SBA,obtained by the Hammett methods,were 2.77–3.30 and 2.07 mmol·g-1,respectively.The Friedel–Crafts acylation of toluene and acetic anhydride over Ph3Sn SBA was investigated.The yield of methylacetophenone(MAP)and the selectivity for 4-methylacetophenone(PMAP)were 79.56%and 97.12%,respectively,when the conditions were n(toluene):n(anhydride)=2.0:1.0 with 6%(by mass)catalyst,and heating under reflux for 5 h.The PMAP selectivity still reached 93.11%when Ph3Sn SBA was used for the fifth time under the same reaction conditions.

Mg2＋-ion Conducting Polymer Electrolytes： Materials Characterization and All-Solid-State Battery Performance Studies

For All-Solid-State battery applications, Mg2＋-ion conducting polymer electrolytes and Mg-metal electrode are currently considered as alternate choices in place of Li＋-ion conducting polymer electrolytes/Li-metal electrode. Present paper reports fabrication of All-Solid-State battery based on the following Mg2＋-ion conducting nano composite polymer electrolyte （NCPE） films： [85PEO： 15Mg（C104）2] ＋ 5% TiO2 （〈 100 nm）, [85PEO： 15Mg（CIO4）2] ＋ 3% SiO2（-8 nm）. [85PEO： 15Mg（CIO4）2] ＋ 3% MgO （〈 100 nm）, [85PEO：15Mg（C1O4）2] ＋ 3% MgO （-44 μm）. NCPE films were prepared by hot-press technique. Solid Polymer Electrolyte （SPE） composition： [85PEO： 15Mg（CIO4）2], identified as high conducting film at room temperature, has been used as ISt--phase host and nano/micro particles of active （MgO）/passive （SiO2, TiO2） fillers as IInd-phase dispersoid. Filler particle dependent conductivity studies identified above mentioned NCPE films as optimum conducting composition （OCC） at room temperature. Ion transport behavior of SPE/NCPE film materials was investigated previously. Present paper reports materials characterization and cell performance studies on All-Solid-State batteries： Mg （Anode） Ⅱ SPE or NCPE films tt C＋MnO2＋Electrolyte （Cathode）. Open circuit voltage （OCV） obtained was in the range： 1.79-1.92 V. The batteries were discharged at room temperature under different load conditions and some important battery parameters have been evaluated from plateau region of cell-potential discharge profiles. All the batteries performed quite satisfactorily specially under low current drain states.

Self-assembled Carbon Nanotube/Silicone Composite Films and Their Electrical Properties for Electrical Device

Novel composites were synthesized using AEPTES （3-（2-aminoethylamino）propyltriethoxysilane）, which behaves as an excellent dispersant for MWCNTs （multiwall carbon nanotubes） in polymer film matrices. The thickness of the synthesized nanocomposite films ranged from 50 to 70 lam, having well-dispersed MWCNTs. Increasing the AEPTES concentration from 0.0196 to 0.0300 M, increased the amine content and the dispersion of MWCNTs. The film synthesized at 0.0300 M AETPES exhibited the greatest degree of dispersion among the three samples, which is consistent with a self-assembled silane group interacting with the MWCNT surface.

Analysis on the Applicability of Meter Data Acquisition Methods Based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process

The choice of meter data acquisition methods has important significance for the electric energy management. Based on the comprehensive analysis of several meter data acquisition methods, this paper assess the performance of each one by analytic hierarchy process. We can draw a conclusion by calculating＂ The local automatic meter reading, the prepaid electric energy metering and the remote automatic meter reading have almost the same performance. They are better than the manual meter reading and the vehicle mounted mobile automatic meter reading. So we can choose any one of the three. Among them, the prepaid electric energy metering performs best. This can be a reference for grid company＇ s decision.

Activated pyrolysed bacterial cellulose as electrodes for supercapacitors

In this paper, the bacterial celluloses(BCs) were pyrolysed in nitrogen and then activated by KOH to form a porous three- dimension-network electrode material for supercapacitor applications. Activated pyrolysed bacterial cellulose(APBC) samples with enlarged specific surface area and enhanced specific capacitances were obtained. In order to optimize electrochemical properties, APBC samples with different alkali-to-carbon ratios of 1, 2 and 3 were tested in two electrodes symmetrical capacitors. The optimized APBC sample holds the highest specific capacitance of 241.8 F/g, and the energy density of which is 5 times higher than that of PBC even at a current density of 5 A/g. This work presents a successful practice of preparing electrode material from environment-friendly biomass, bacterial cellulose.