Ionization Engineering of Hydrogels Enables Highly Efficient Salt‑Impeded Solar Evaporation and Night‑Time Electricity Harvesting

Interfacial solar evaporation holds immense potential for brine desalination with low carbon footprints and high energy utilization.Hydrogels,as a tunable material platform from the molecular level to the macroscopic scale,have been considered the most promising candidate for solar evaporation.However,the simultaneous achievement of high evaporation efficiency and satisfactory tolerance to salt ions in brine remains a challenging scientific bottleneck,restricting the widespread application.Herein,we report ionization engineering,which endows polymer chains of hydrogels with electronegativity for impeding salt ions and activating water molecules,fundamentally overcoming the hydrogel salt-impeded challenge and dramatically expediting water evaporating in brine.The sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate-modified carbon black is chosen as the solar absorbers.The hydrogel reaches a ground-breaking evaporation rate of 2.9 kg m−2 h−1 in 20 wt%brine with 95.6%efficiency under one sun irradiation,surpassing most of the reported literature.More notably,such a hydrogel-based evaporator enables extracting clean water from oversaturated salt solutions and maintains durability under different high-strength deformation or a 15-day continuous operation.Meantime,on the basis of the cation selectivity induced by the electronegativity,we first propose an all-day system that evaporates during the day and generates salinity-gradient electricity using waste-evaporated brine at night,anticipating pioneer a new opportunity for all-day resource-generating systems in fields of freshwater and electricity.

Mechanical responses of anchoring structure under triaxial cyclic loading

Dynamic load on anchoring structures(AS)within deep roadways can result in cumulative damage and failure.This study develops an experimental device designed to test AS under triaxial loads.The device enables the investigation of the mechanical response,failure mode,instability assessment criteria,and anchorage effect of AS subjected to combined cyclic dynamic-static triaxial stress paths.The results show that the peak bearing strength is positively correlated with the anchoring matrix strength,anchorage length,and edgewise compressive strength.The bearing capacity decreases significantly when the anchorage direction is severely inclined.The free face failure modes are typically transverse cracking,concave fracturing,V-shaped slipping and detachment,and spallation detachment.Besides,when the anchoring matrix strength and the anchorage length decrease while the edgewise compressive strength,loading rate,and anchorage inclination angle increase,the failure intensity rises.Instability is determined by a negative tangent modulus of the displacement-strength curve or the continued deformation increase against the general downward trend.Under cyclic loads,the driving force that breaks the rock mass along the normal vector and the rigidity of the AS are the two factors that determine roadway stability.Finally,a control measure for surrounding rock stability is proposed to reduce the internal driving force via a pressure relief method and improve the rigidity of the AS by full-length anchorage and grouting modification.

Failure transition of shear-to-dilation band of rock salt under triaxial stresses

Great potential of underground gas/energy storage in salt caverns seems to be a promising solution to support renewable energy.In the underground storage method,the operating cycle unfortunately may reach up to daily or even hourly,which generates complicated pressures on the salt cavern.Furthermore,the mechanical behavior of rock salt may change and present distinct failure characteristics under different stress states,which affects the performance of salt cavern during the time period of full service.To reproduce a similar loading condition on the cavern surrounding rock mass,the cyclic triaxial loading/unloading tests are performed on the rock salt to explore the mechanical transition behavior and failure characteristics under different confinement.Experimental results show that the rock salt samples pre-sent a diffused shear failure band with significant bulges at certain locations in low confining pressure conditions(e.g.5 MPa,10 MPa and 15 MPa),which is closely related to crystal misorientation and grain boundary sliding.Under the elevated confinement(e.g.20 MPa,30 MPa and 40 MPa),the dilation band dominates the failure mechanism,where the large-size halite crystals are crushed to be smaller size and new pores are developing.The failure transition mechanism revealed in the paper provides additional insight into the mechanical performance of salt caverns influenced by complicated stress states.

Mechanical properties and acoustic emission characteristics of soft rock with different water contents under dynamic disturbance

Uniaxial compression tests and cyclic loading acoustic emission tests were conducted on 20%,40%,60%,80%,dry and saturated muddy sandstone by using a creep impact loading system to investigate the mechanical properties and acoustic emission characteristics of soft rocks with different water contents under dynamic disturbance.The mechanical properties and acoustic emission characteristics of muddy sandstones at different water contents were analysed.Results of experimental studies show that water is a key factor in the mechanical properties of rocks,softening them,increasing their porosity,reducing their brittleness and increasing their plasticity.Under uniaxial compression,the macroscopic damage characteristics of the muddy sandstone change from mono-bevel shear damage and‘X’type conjugate bevel shear damage to a roadway bottom-drum type damage as the water content increases.Dynamic perturbation has a strengthening effect on the mechanical properties of samples with 60%and less water content,and a weakening effect on samples with 80%and more water content,but the weakening effect is not obvious.Macroscopic damage characteristics of dry samples remain unchanged,water samples from shear damage and tensile–shear composite damage gradually transformed into cleavage damage,until saturation transformation monoclinic shear damage.The evolution of acoustic emission energy and event number is mainly divided into four stages:loading stage(Ⅰ),dynamic loading stage(Ⅱ),yield failure stage(Ⅲ),and post-peak stage(Ⅳ),the acoustic emission characteristics of the stages were different for different water contents.The characteristic value of acoustic emission key point frequency gradually decreases,and the damage degree of the specimen increases,corresponding to low water content—high main frequency—low damage and high water content—low main frequency—high damage.

Damage evolution of rock-encased-backfill structure under stepwise cyclic triaxial loading

Rock-encased-backfill(RB)structures are common in underground mining,for example in the cut-andfill and stoping methods.To understand the effects of cyclic excavation and blasting activities on the damage of these RB structures,a series of triaxial stepwise-increasing-amplitude cyclic loading experiments was conducted with cylindrical RB specimens(rock on outside,backfill on inside)with different volume fractions of rock(VF=0.48,0.61,0.73,and 0.84),confining pressures(0,6,9,and 12 MPa),and cyclic loading rates(200,300,400,and 500 N/s).The damage evolution and meso-crack formation during the cyclic tests were analyzed with results from stress-strain hysteresis loops,acoustic emission events,and post-failure X-ray 3D fracture morphology.The results showed significant differences between cyclic and monotonic loadings of RB specimens,particularly with regard to the generation of shear microcracks,the development of stress memory and strain hardening,and the contact forces and associated friction that develops along the rock-backfill interface.One important finding is that as a function of the number of cycles,the elastic strain increases linearly and the dissipated energy increases exponentially.Also,compared with monotonic loading,the cyclic strain hardening characteristics are more sensitive to rising confining pressures during the initial compaction stage.Another finding is that compared with monotonic loading,more shear microcracks are generated during every reloading stage,but these microcracks tend to be dispersed and lessen the likelihood of large shear fracture formation.The transition from elastic to plastic behavior varies depending on the parameters of each test(confinement,volume fraction,and cyclic rate),and an interesting finding was that the transformation to plastic behavior is significantly lower under the conditions of 0.73 rock volume fraction,400 N/s cyclic loading rate,and 9 MPa confinement.All the findings have important practical implications on the ability of backfill to support underground excavations.

Liquefaction susceptibility and deformation characteristics of saturated coral sandy soils subjected to cyclic loadings-a critical review

Coral sandy soils widely exist in coral island reefs and seashores in tropical and subtropical regions.Due to the unique marine depositional environment of coral sandy soils,the engineering characteristics and responses of these soils subjected to monotonic and cyclic loadings have been a subject of intense interest among the geotechnical and earthquake engineering communities.This paper critically reviews the progress of experimental investigations on the undrained behavior of coral sandy soils under monotonic and cyclic loadings over the last three decades.The focus of coverage includes the contractive-dilative behavior,the pattern of excess pore-water pressure(EPWP)generation and the liquefaction mechanism and liquefaction resistance,the small-strain shear modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus and damping,the cyclic softening feature,and the anisotropic characteristics of undrained responses of saturated coral sandy soils.In particular,the advances made in the past decades are reviewed from the following aspects:(1)the characterization of factors that impact the mechanism and patterns of EPWP build-up;(2)the identification of liquefaction triggering in terms of the apparent viscosity and the average flow coefficient;(3)the establishment of the invariable form of strain-based,stress-based,or energy-based EPWP ratio formulas and the unique relationship between the new proxy of liquefaction resistance and the number of cycles required to reach liquefaction;(4)the establishment of the invariable form of the predictive formulas of small strain modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus;and(5)the investigation on the effects of stress-induced anisotropy on liquefaction susceptibility and dynamic deformation characteristics.Insights gained through the critical review of these advances in the past decades offer a perspective for future research to further resolve the fundamental issues concerning the liquefaction mechanism and responses of coral sandy sites subjected to cyclic loadings associated with seismic events in marine environments.

Constructing long-cycling crystalline C_(3)N_(4)-based carbonaceous anodes for sodium-ion battery via N configuration control

Carbon nitrides with two-dimensional layered structures and high theoretical capacities are attractive as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries while their low crystallinity and insufficient structural stability strongly restrict their practical applications.Coupling carbon nitrides with conductive carbon may relieve these issues.However,little is known about the influence of nitrogen(N)configurations on the interactions between carbon and C_(3)N_(4),which is fundamentally critical for guiding the precise design of advanced C_(3)N_(4)-related electrodes.Herein,highly crystalline C_(3)N_(4)(poly(triazine imide),PTI)based all-carbon composites were developed by molten salt strategy.More importantly,the vital role of pyrrolic-N for enhancing charge transfer and boosting Na+storage of C_(3)N_(4)-based composites,which was confirmed by both theoretical and experimental evidence,was spot-highlighted for the first time.By elaborately controlling the salt composition,the composite with high pyrrolic-N and minimized graphitic-N content was obtained.Profiting from the formation of highly crystalline PTI and electrochemically favorable pyrrolic-N configurations,the composite delivered an unusual reverse growth and record-level cycling stability even after 5000 cycles along with high reversible capacity and outstanding full-cell capacity retention.This work broadens the energy storage applications of C_(3)N_(4) and provides new prospects for the design of advanced all-carbon electrodes.

Assessment of liquefaction potential based on shear wave velocity:Strain energy approach

Liquefaction assessment based on strain energy is significantly superior to conventional stress-based methods.The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the correlation between shear wave velocity and strain energy capacity of silty sands.The dissipated energy until liquefaction occurs was calculated by analyzing the results of three series of comprehensive cyclic direct simple shear and triaxial tests on Ottawa F65,Nevada,and Firoozkuh sands with varying silt content by weight and relative densities.Additionally,the shear wave velocity of each series was obtained using bender element or resonant column tests.Consequently,for the first time,a liquefaction triggering criterion,relating to effective overburden normalized liquefaction capacity energy(WL=s’c)to effective overburden stresscorrected shear wave velocity(eVs1)has been introduced.The accuracy of the proposed criteria was evaluated using in situ data.The results confirm the ability of shear wave velocity as a distinguishing parameter for separating liquefied and non-liquefied soils when it is calculated against liquefaction capacity energy(WL=s’c).However,the proposed WL=s’c-Vs1 curve,similar to previously proposed cyclic resistance ratio(CRR)-Vs1 relationships,should be used conservatively for fields vulnerable to liquefaction-induced lateral spreading.

Cyclic Beam Direction of Arrival Estimation Method for Ship Propeller Noise

In underwater acoustic applications,the conventional cyclic direction of arrival algorithm faces challenges,including a low signal-to-noise ratio and high bandwidth when compared with modulated frequencies.In response to these issues,this paper introduces a novel,robust,and broadband cyclic beamforming algorithm.The proposed method substitutes the conventional cyclic covariance matrix with the variance of the cyclic covariance matrix as its primary feature.Assuming that the same frequency band shares a common steering vector,the new algorithm achieves superior detection performance for targets with specific modulation frequencies while suppressing interference signals and background noise.Experimental results demonstrate a significant enhancement in the directibity index by 81%and 181%when compared with the traditional Capon beamforming algorithm and the traditional extended wideband spectral cyclic MUSIC(EWSCM)algorithm,respectively.Moreover,the proposed algorithm substantially reduces computational complexity to 1/40th of that of the EWSCM algorithm,employing frequency band statistical averaging and covariance matrix variance.

Electrorefining of aluminum in urea-imidazole chloride-aluminum chloride ionic liquids

The electrochemical behavior of Al(Ⅲ)in urea-1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride-aluminum chloride(urea-BMIC-AlCl_(3))ionic liquids,and the effect of potential and temperature on the characterization of cathode products,current efficiency and energy consumption of aluminum electrorefining have been investigated.Cyclic voltammetry showed that the electrochemical reduction of Al(Ⅲ)was a one-step three-electron-transfer irreversible reaction,and the electrochemical reaction was controlled by diffusion.The diffusion coefficient of Al(Ⅲ)in urea-BMIC-AlCl_(3)ionic liquids at 313 K was 1.94×10^(−7)cm^(2)/s.The 7075 aluminum alloy was used as an anode for electrorefining,and the cathode products were analyzed by XRD,SEM and EDS.The results from XRD analysis indicated that the main phase of the cathode products was aluminum.The results from SEM and EDS characterization revealed that the cathode product obtained by electrorefining−1.2 V(vs.Al)was dense and uniform,and the mass fraction of aluminum decreased from 99.61%to 99.10%as the experimental temperature increased from 313 K to 333 K.In this work,the optimum experimental conditions were−1.2 V(vs.Al)and 313 K.At this time,the cathode current efficiency was 97.80%,while the energy consumption was 3.72 kW·h/kg.

Ultra‑Stable Sodium‑Ion Battery Enabled by All‑Solid‑State Ferroelectric‑Engineered Composite Electrolytes

Symmetric Na-ion cells using the NASICON-structured electrodes could simplify the manufacturing process,reduce the cost,facilitate the recycling post-process,and thus attractive in the field of large-scale stationary energy storage.However,the long-term cycling performance of such batteries is usually poor.This investigation reveals the unavoidable side reactions between the NASICON-type Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)(NVP)anode and the commercial liquid electrolyte,leading to serious capacity fading in the symmetric NVP//NVP cells.To resolve this issue,an all-solid-state composite electrolyte is used to replace the liquid electrolyte so that to overcome the side reaction and achieve high anode/electrolyte interfacial stability.The ferroelectric engineering could further improve the interfacial ion conduction,effectively reducing the electrode/electrolyte interfacial resistances.The NVP//NVP cell using the ferroelectric-engineered composite electrolyte can achieve a capacity retention of 86.4%after 650 cycles.Furthermore,the electrolyte can also be used to match the Prussianblue cathode NaxFeyFe(CN)_(6−z)·nH_(2)O(NFFCN).Outstanding long-term cycling stability has been obtained in the all-solid-state NVP//NFFCN cell over 9000 cycles at a current density of 500 mA g^(-1),with a fading rate as low as 0.005%per cycle.

Enhancing capacitive deionization performance and cyclic stability of nitrogen-doped activated carbon by the electro-oxidation of anode materials

Electrode materials with high desalination capacity and long-term cyclic stability are the focus of capacitive deionization(CDI) community. Understanding the causes of performance decay in traditional carbons is crucial to design a high-performance material. Based on this, here, nitrogen-doped activated carbon(NAC) was prepared by pyrolyzing the blend of activated carbon powder(ACP) and melamine for the positive electrode of asymmetric CDI. By comparing the indicators changes such as conductivity, salt adsorption capacity, pH, and charge efficiency of the symmetrical ACP-ACP device to the asymmetric ACP-NAC device under different CDI cycles, as well as the changes of the electrochemical properties of anode and cathode materials after long-term operation, the reasons for the decline of the stability of the CDI performance were revealed. It was found that the carboxyl functional groups generated by the electro-oxidation of anode carbon materials make the anode zero-charge potential(E_(pzc)) shift positively,which results in the uneven distribution of potential windows of CDI units and affects the adsorption capacity. Furthermore, by understanding the electron density on C atoms surrounding the N atoms, we attribute the increased cyclic stability to the enhanced negativity of the charge of carbon atoms adjacent to quaternary-N and pyridinic-oxide-N.

Experimental study of the damage characteristics of rocks containing non-penetrating cracks under cyclic loading

The damage evolution process of non-penetrating cracks often causes some unexpected engineering disasters.Gypsum specimens containing non-penetrating crack(s)are used to study the damage evolution and characteristics under cyclic loading.The results show that under cyclic loading,the relationship between the number of non-penetrating crack(s)and the characteristic parameters(cyclic number,peak stress,peak strain,failure stress,and failure strain)of the pre-cracked specimens can be represented by a decreasing linear function.The damage evolution equation is fitted by calibrating the accumulative plastic strain for each cycle,and the damage constitutive equation is proposed by the concept of effective stress.Additionally,non-penetrating cracks are more likely to cause uneven stress distribution,damage accumulation,and local failure of specimen.The local failure can change the stress distribution and relieve the inhibition of non-penetrating crack extension and eventually cause a dramatic destruction of the specimen.Therefore,the evolution process caused by non-penetrating cracks can be regarded as one of the important reasons for inducing rockburst.These results are expected to improve the understanding of the process of spalling formation and rockburst and can be used to analyze the stability of rocks or rock structures.

Identification of optimal composition with superior electrochemical properties along the zero Mn^(3+)line in Na_(0.75)(Mn-Al-Ni)O_(2)pseudo ternary system

Biphasic layered oxide cathodes,known for their superior electrochemical performance,are prime candidates for commercializing in Na-ion batteries.Herein,we unveil a series of P3/P2 monophasic and biphasic Al-substituted Na_(3/4)Mn_(5-x/8)Al_(2x/8)Ni_(3-x/8)O_(2)layered oxide cathodes that lie along the‘zero Mn^(3+)line’in the Na_(3/4)(Mn-Al-Ni)O_(2)pseudo-ternary system.The structural analysis showed a larger Na^(+)conduction bottleneck area in both P3 and P2 structures with a higher Al3+content,which enhanced their rate performance.In each composition,the P3/P2 biphasic compound with nearly equal fractions of P3 and P2 phases outperformed their monophasic counterparts in almost all electrochemical performance parameters.Operando synchrotron XRD measurements obtained for the monophasic P3 and biphasic P2/P3 samples revealed the absence of the O3 phase during cycling.The high structure stability and faster Na^(+)transport kinetics in the biphasic samples underpins the enhancement of electrochemical properties in the Al-substituted P3/P2 cathodes.These results highlight fixed oxidation state lines as a novel tool to identify and design layered oxide cathodes for Na-ion batteries in pseudo-ternary diagrams involving Jahn-Teller active cations.

Shear behavior of single-joint bolted sandstone subjected to dryewet cycles:Experimental and analytical approaches

A series of direct shear tests under constant normal loading conditions were carried out on specimens of bolted sandstone single-joint treated with different numbers of dryewet cycles.The experimental results show that the peak shear strength and shear stiffness of bolted sandstone joints were significantly reduced after 12 dryewet cycles.The decrease in the shear strength of rough joints is more significant than that of flat joints.Due to the decrease in the strength of the surrounding rock,the deformation characteristics of the bolts are significantly affected by the number of dryewet cycles performed.With an increase in the number of dryewet cycles,the plastic hinge length of the bolt gradually increases,resulting in an increase in the corresponding shear displacement when the bolt breaks.Compared with the tensileeshear failure mode of the bolts in flat joints,the tensileebending failure mode arises for bolts in rough joints.A shear curve model describing the whole process of bolted rock joints is established based on the deterioration of rock mechanical parameters caused by dry‒wet cycles.The model proposed considers the change in the friction angle of the joint surface with the shear displacement,which is applied to the derivation of the model by introducing the dynamic evolutionary friction angle parameter.The reasonably good agreement between a predicted curve and the corresponding experimental curve indicates that this method can effectively predict the shear strength of a bolted rock joint involving rough joint under dryewet cycling conditions.

Theoretical investigation on axial cyclic performance of monopile in sands using interface constitutive models

Cyclic loads generated by environmental factors,such as winds,waves,and trains,will likely lead to performance degradation in pile foundations,resulting in issues like permanent displacement accumulation and bearing capacity attenuation.This paper presents a semi-analytical solution for predicting the axial cyclic behavior of piles in sands.The solution relies on two enhanced nonlinear load-transfer models considering stress-strain hysteresis and cyclic degradation in the pile-soil interaction.Model parameters are calibrated through cyclic shear tests of the sand-steel interface and laboratory geotechnical testing of sands.A novel aspect involves the meticulous formulation of the shaft loadtransfer function using an interface constitutive model,which inherently inherits the interface model’s advantages,such as capturing hysteresis,hardening,degradation,and particle breakage.The semi-analytical solution is computed numerically using the matrix displacement method,and the calculated values are validated through model tests performed on non-displacement and displacement piles in sands.The results demonstrate that the predicted values show excellent agreement with the measured values for both the static and cyclic responses of piles in sands.The displacement pile response,including factors such as bearing capacity,mobilized shaft resistance,and convergence rate of permanent settlement,exhibit improvements compared to non-displacement piles attributed to the soil squeezing effect.This methodology presents an innovative analytical framework,allowing for integrating cyclic interface models into the theoretical investigation of pile responses.

Fatigue properties and damage constitutive model of salt rock based on CT scanning

To investigate the macroscopic fatigue properties and the mesoscopic pore evolution characteristics of salt rock under cyclic loading,fatigue tests under different upper-limit stresses were carried out on salt rock,and the mesoscopic pore structures of salt rock before and after fatigue tests and under different cycle numbers were measured using CT scanning instrument.Based on the test results,the effects of the cycle number and the upper-limit stress on the evolution of cracks,pore morphology,pore number,pore volume,pore size,plane porosity,and volume porosity of salt rock were analyzed.The failure path of salt rock specimens under cyclic loading was analyzed using the distribution law of plane porosity.The damage variable of salt rock under cyclic loading was defined on basis of the variation of volume porosity with cycle number.In order to describe the fatigue deformation behavior of salt rock under cyclic loading,the nonlinear Burgers damage constitutive model was further established.The results show that the model established can better reflect the whole development process of fatigue deformation of salt rock under cyclic loading.

Emerging mechanisms and implications of c GAS-STING signaling in cancer immunotherapy strategies

The intricate interplay between the human immune system and cancer development underscores the central role of immunotherapy in cancer treatment.Within this landscape,the innate immune system,a critical sentinel protecting against tumor incursion,is a key player.The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase(c GAS)and stimulator of interferon genes(STING)pathway has been found to be a linchpin of innate immunity:activation of this signaling pathway orchestrates the production of type I interferon(IFN-α/β),thus fostering the maturation,differentiation,and mobilization of immune effectors in the tumor microenvironment.Furthermore,STING activation facilitates the release and presentation of tumor antigens,and therefore is an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy.Current strategies to activate the STING pathway,including use of pharmacological agonists,have made substantial advancements,particularly when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors.These approaches have shown promise in preclinical and clinical settings,by enhancing patient survival rates.This review describes the evolving understanding of the c GAS-STING pathway's involvement in tumor biology and therapy.Moreover,this review explores classical and non-classical STING agonists,providing insights into their mechanisms of action and potential for optimizing immunotherapy strategies.Despite challenges and complexities,the c GAS-STING pathway,a promising avenue for enhancing cancer treatment efficacy,has the potential to revolutionize patient outcomes.

Dynamic failure process of expanded polystyrene particle lightweight soil under cyclic loading using discrete element method

Expanded polystyrene(EPS)particle-based lightweight soil,which is a type of lightweight filler,is mainly used in road engineering.The stability of subgrades under dynamic loading is attracting increased research attention.The traditional method for studying the dynamic strength characteristics of soils is dynamic triaxial testing,and the discrete element simulation of lightweight soils under cyclic load has rarely been considered.To study the meso-mechanisms of the dynamic failure processes of EPS particle lightweight soils,a discrete element numerical model is established using the particle flow code(PFC)software.The contact force,displacement field,and velocity field of lightweight soil under different cumulative compressive strains are studied.The results show that the hysteresis curves of lightweight soil present characteristics of strain accumulation,which reflect the cyclic effects of the dynamic load.When the confining pressure increases,the contact force of the particles also increases.The confining pressure can restrain the motion of the particle system and increase the dynamic strength of the sample.When the confining pressure is held constant,an increase in compressive strain causes minimal change in the contact force between soil particles.However,the contact force between the EPS particles decreases,and their displacement direction points vertically toward the center of the sample.Under an increase in compressive strain,the velocity direction of the particle system changes from a random distribution and points vertically toward the center of the sample.When the compressive strain is 5%,the number of particles deflected in the particle velocity direction increases significantly,and the cumulative rate of deformation in the lightweight soil accelerates.Therefore,it is feasible to use 5%compressive strain as the dynamic strength standard for lightweight soil.Discrete element methods provide a new approach toward the dynamic performance evaluation of lightweight soil subgrades.

Sodium Nitrate/Formamide Deep Eutectic Solvent as Flame-Retardant and Anticorrosive Electrolyte Enabling 2.6 V Safe Supercapacitors with Long Cyclic Stability

Safe operation of electrochemical capacitors(supercapacitors)is hindered by the flammability of commercial organic electrolytes.Non-flammable Water-in-Salt(WIS)electrolytes are promising alternatives;however,they are plagued by the limited operation voltage window(typically≤2.3 V)and inherent corrosion of current collectors.Herein,a novel deep eutectic solvent(DES)-based electrolyte which uses formamide(FMD)as hydrogen-bond donor and sodium nitrate(NaNO_(3))as hydrogen-bond acceptor is demonstrated.The electrolyte exhibits the wide electrochemical stability window(3.14 V),high electrical conductivity(14.01 mScm^(-1)),good flame-retardance,anticorrosive property,and ultralow cost(7%of the commercial electrolyte and 2%of WIS).Raman spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory calculations reveal that the hydrogen bonds between the FMD molecules and NO_(3)^(-)ions are primarily responsible for the superior stability and conductivity.The developed NaNO_(3)/FMD-based coin cell supercapacitor is among the best-performing state-of-art DES and WIS devices,evidenced by the high voltage window(2.6 V),outstanding energy and power densities(22.77 Wh kg^(-1)at 630 W kg^(-1)and 17.37 kW kg^(-1)at 12.55 Wh kg^(-1)),ultralong cyclic stability(86%after 30000 cycles),and negligible current collector corrosion.The NaNO_(3)/FMD industry adoption potential is demonstrated by fabricating 100 F pouch cell supercapacitors using commercial aluminum current collectors.