Effects of inherent alkali and alkaline earth metals on nitrogen transformation during steam gasification of Shengli lignite

This work evaluated the effects of inherent alkali and alkaline earth metals on nitrogen transformation during steam gasification of Shengli lignite at the temperature of 873-1173 K in a fluidized-bed/fixed-bed quartz reactor. The results indicated that the alkali metal Na and alkaline earth metals Ca, Mg in coal have different effects on inherent nitrogen transformation to NH3, HCN and char-N during the lignite steam gasification. Specifically during the steam gasification of Shengli lignite, Na and Ca, Mg not only catalyze the inherent nitrogen conversions to NH3, but also promote the secondary reactions of the nascent char-N as well as the generation of NH3 from the generated HCN, meanwhile they also inhibited the inherent nitrogen conversion to HCN and char-N. The presence of Na, Ca and Mg hindered the formation of oxidized nitrogen (N-X) functional groups, but enhanced pyridinic nitrogen (N-6) and quaternary nitrogen's (N-Q) formation in char.

Transformation of alkali and alkaline-earth metals during coal oxy-fuel combustion in the presence of SO_2 and H_2O

The occurrence modes of alkali and alkaline-earth metals（AAEMs） in coal relate to their release behavior and ash formation during combustion. To better understand the transformation of AAEMs,the release behavior of water-soluble,HCl-soluble,HCl-insoluble AAEMs during Shenmu coal（SM coal） oxy-fuel combustion in the presence of SO2 and H2O in a drop-tube reactor was investigated through serial dissolution using H2O and HCl solutions. The results show that the release rates of AAEMs increase with an increase in temperature under the three atmospheres studied. The high release rates of Mg and Ca from SM coal are dependent on the high content of soluble Mg and Ca in SM coal. SO2 inhibits the release rates of AAEMs,while H2O promotes them. The effects of SO2 and H2O on the Na and K species are more evident than those on Mg and Ca species. All three types of AAEMs in coal can volatilize in the gas phase during coal combustion. The W-type AAEMs release excessively,whereas the release rates of I-type AAEMs are relatively lower. Different types of AAEM may interconvert through different pathways under certain conditions. Both SO2 and H2O promote the transformation reactions. The effect of SO2 was related to sulfate formation and the promotion by H2O occurs because of a decrease in the melting point of the solid as well as the reaction of H2O.

Effect of Alkali Metal Ions(Li＋, Na＋ and K＋) on the Luminescent Properties of ZnTiO3：Eu3＋ Phosphors

A series of red emitting ZnTiO3 phosphors co-doped with Eu3＋） and alkali metal ions（Li＋, Na＋ and K＋） was prepared by sol-gel method. The crystal structure of the phosphors was investigated by using X-ray diffraction（XRD） and transmission electron microscopy（TEM） after annealing at 700 ℃. The results show that the crystal structure belongs to the hexagonal phase of ZnTiO3 with space group R-3：R. The influence of site occupancy of different alkali metal ions on the emission of ZnTiO3：Eu3＋） phosphors was investigated in detail. The emission intensity was significantly enhanced by introducing alkali metal ions. In contrast to Eu3＋） singly doped ZnTiO3, the red emission intensities of ZnTiO3：Eu3＋） with 4 mol% alkali metal ions（Li＋, Na＋, K＋） were enhanced by about 2.1, 1.7 and 1.4 times, respectively. In addition, the Commission Internationale Ed I＇eclairage（CIE） chromaticity coordinates of ZnTiO3：Eu3＋）, Li＋（0.672, 0.328） are quite similar to the National Television Standard Committee（NTSC） standard values for the red（0.670, 0.380）.

METALLIC PHASE AND INSULATING CHARACTER OF ALKALI-EARTH METAL DOPED C60①

The three dimensional EHMO crystal orbital calculations for crystalline Ba6 C60,Ca3 C60 and Ca5 C60 are reported.The ground state of partially doped Ca3 C60 is found to be insulating with an indrect energy gap of 0.5eV.In contrast,the Ca5 C60 forms a metallic conducting phase with a set of three half-filled bands crossing the Fermi level which is Found to locate close to a peak of the density of state. The character of crystal orbitals near the Fermilevel for both Ca3 C60 and Ca5 C60 is completely carbon-like.In both cases the Ca3 atoms are almost fully ionized and C60 molecules form a stable negative charge state with six to ten additional electrons.The conductivity of Ba6 C60 is resuted from the incomplete charge tranfer.The valance charge of every Ba ion is about 0.33.The total charge tranfer of six Ba atoms is almost the same as that of five Ca atoms.

Coordination and Supramolecular Assemblies from Alkali+-Cucurbit[5]uril-[CdCl_(4)]^(2-)Systems

Thispaper has investigated the coordination and supramolecular assemblies of alkali metal ions,cucurbit[5]uril(Q[5]),and[CdCl_(4)]^(2-)to confirm whether[CdCl_(4)]^(2-)can produce the“honeycomb effect”,induce coordination of alkali metal ions to Q[5],and form linear coordination polymers.In this work,the effect of alkali metal ions on the construction of Q[5]-Cd^(2+)ion system under acidic conditions was investigated.Five complexes were successfully obtained by solvent evaporation method.Among the five crystal structures obtained,it can be observed that the presence of[CdCl_(4)]^(2-)did not result in the complexation of alkali metal ions by the Q[5]molecule.Instead,a bowl-like Cd^(2+)@Q[5]complex was formed.Indeed,[CdCl_(4)]^(2-)did not produce the honeycomb effect but led to the formation of Q[5]-based honeycomb frameworks with hexagonal cellsoccupied by[CdCl_(4)]^(2-).The experimental results show that cadmium ion showed stronger ability to coordinate to Q[5]in HCl solution.

Selective exchange of alkali metal ions on EAB zeolite

EAB zeolite was successfully prepared and applied to selective adsorption of Li^(+),Na^(+)and K^(+)ions.The physical and chemical properties of the adsorbent were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray fluorescence(XRF),scanning electron microscope(SEM)and thermogravimetry(TG)methods.The ion exchange behaviours for Li^(+),Na^(+)and K^(+)ions in monomcomponent and multicomponent solutions were studied.In independent ion exchange,the ion exchange capacities ratiosα(/Na/Li)andα(K/Li)were 3.8 and 6.2,respectively.In competitive ion exchange,the selectivitiesβ(Na/Li)andβ(K/Li)increased with the initial concentrations and reached 409 and 992 when the initial concentrations was 100 mmol/L.The thermodynamic study results showed that Gibbs free energy change(ΔGΘ)of ion exchange reaction between Li-EAB and K^(+)was-34.96 kJ/mol,indicating that ion exchange of K^(+)ions was more energetically favourable than Li^(+)ions.The calculation results showed that the energy barriers of ion exchange increased in the order K^(+)Na^(+)<Li^(+).The study shows that EAB zeolite is potential to be used in the separation of alkali ions.

Effect of alkali metal ions on the formation mechanism of HCN during pyridine pyrolysis

The catalytic effects of alkali metal ions(Na^(+)and K^(+))on NO_(x)precursor formation during coal pyrolysis were investigated using the N-containing compound pyridine as a model compound.Density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)level of theory were conducted to elucidate the mechanism of pyridine pyrolysis and the pathways for HCN formation.The calculation results indicate that Na^(+)and K^(+)have distinct influences on different pyrolysis reactions;these alkali metal ions facilitate the initial hydrogen transfer from C_(1)to N and C_(2),whereas they hinder the other hydrogen migration reactions.Both Na^(+)and K^(+)significantly reduce the activation energies for C–C bond breakage and triple-bond formation,whereas they increase the activation energies for the isomerization reactions.The different effects essentially result from the distinct charge distributions induced by the two ions.Due to the distinct influences on the different reactions,the rate-determining steps are modulated,affecting the competitiveness of the different possible pathways of HCN formation.The formation of HCN from pyridine is promoted in the presence of Na^(+)and K^(+)because all the overall activation energies are decreased for different pathways.The calculation results agree well with previous experimental studies.Thus,the findings offer a new and promising approach to reveal the formation mechanism of NO_(x)and facilitate the control of NO_(x)for coal utilization.

Calculation of Interaction Parameters from Immiscible Phase Diagram of Alkali Metal or Alkali Earth Metal-Halide System by Means of Subregular Solution Model

In this paper, the interaction parameters in the subregular solution model, λ1 and λ2, are regarded as a linear function of temperature, T. Therefore, the molar excess Gibbs energy of A-B binary system may be reexpressed as follows:Gm^E=xAxB[(λ11+λ12T)+(λ21+λ22T)xB]The calculation of the model parameters, λ11, λ12, λ21and λ22, was carried out numerically from the phase diagrams for 11 alkali metal-alkali halide or alkali earth metal-halide systems. In addition, artificial neural network trained by known data has been used to predict the values of these model parameters. The predicted results are in good agreement with the .calculated ones. The applicability of the subregular solution model to the alkali metal-alkali halide or alkali earth metal-halide systems were tested by comparing the available experimental composition along the boundary of miscibility gap with the calculated ones which were obtained by using genetic algorithm. The good agreement between the calculated and experimental results across the entire liquidus is valid evidence in support of the model.

Effect of Doped Alkali Metal Ions on the SO_(2) Capture Performance of MnO_(2) Desulfurization Materials at Low Temperature

Sulfur dioxide(SO_(2))emissions from diesel exhaust pose a serious threat to the environment and human health.Thus,desulfurization technology and the performance of desulfurization materials must be improved.In this study,MnO_(2) was modified with various alkali metal ions using the impregnation method to enhance its SO_(2) capture performance.The composites were characterized intensively by scanning electron microscopy,energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction spectroscopy,and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory.The SO_(2) capture performance of these composites were measured via thermogravimetry,and the effect of doping with alkali metal ions on the SO_(2) capture performance of MnO_(2) was investigated.Results showed that the SO_(2) capture performance of MnO_(2) could be enhanced by doping with alkali metal ions,and the MnO_(2) composite doped with LiOH(2.0 mol/L)had the best SO_(2) capture capacity(124 mgSO_(2)/gMaterial),which was 18%higher than that of pure MnO_(2).Moreover,the type and concentration of alkali metal ions had varying effects on the SO_(2) capture performance of MnO_(2).In our experiment,the SO_(2) capture performance of the MnO_(2) doped with NaOH,LiCl,Na2CO3,K2CO3,and Li2CO3 composites were worse than that of pure MnO_(2).Therefore,the influences of the type and concentration of alkali metal ions to be doped into desulfurization materials must be considered comprehensively.

Gallium-based anodes for alkali metal ion batteries

Alkali metal ion batteries(AMIBs)are playing an irreplaceable part in the energy revolution,due to their intrinsic advantages of large capacity/power density and abundance of alkali metal ions in the earth’s crust.Despite their great promise,the inborn deficiencies of commercial graphite and other anodes being researched so far call for the quest of better alternatives that exhibit all-round performance with the balance of energy/power density and cycling stability.Gallium-based materials,with impressive capacity utilization and self-healing ability,provide an anticipated solution to this conundrum.In this review,an overview on the recent progress of gallium-based anodes and their storage mechanism is presented.The current strategies used as engineering solutions to meet the scientific challenges ahead are discussed,in addition to the insightful outlook for possible future study.

Two-dimensional organic cathode materials for alkali-metal-ion batteries

With the increasing demand for large-scale battery systems in electric vehicles（EVs） and smart renewable energy grids, organic materials including small molecules and polymers utilized as electrodes in rechargeable batteries have received increasing attraction. In recent years, two-dimensional（2D） organic materials possessing planar layered architecture exhibit optional chemical modification, high specific surface area as well as unique electrical/magnetic properties, which have been emerging as the promising functional materials for wide applications in optoelectronics, catalysis, sensing, etc. Integrating with high-density redox-active sites and hierarchical porous structure, significant achievements in 2D organic materials as cathode materials for alkali-metal-ion batteries have been witnessed. In this review, the recent progress in synthetic approaches, structure analyses, electrochemical characterizations of 2D organic materials as well as their application in alkali-metal-ion batteries containing lithium ion battery（LIB）, lithium sulfur battery（LSB）, lithium air battery（LAB） and sodium ion battery（SIB） are summarized systematically,and their current challenges including cycling stability and electron conductivity for cathode materials in battery fields are also discussed.

First-principles study on β-GeS monolayer as high performance electrode material for alkali metal ion batteries

Based on the density functional theory calculations,we have investigated the feasibility of two-dimensionalβ-GeS monolayer as high-performance anodes for alkali metal ion batteries.The results show that the electrical conductivity of β-GeS monolayer can be enhanced after adsorbing the alkali metal atoms owing to the semiconductor-to-metal transition.The low diffusion barriers of alkali metal atoms on the β-GeS surface indicate a rapid charge/discharge rate without metal clustering.Moreover,the low average open-circuit voltage(0.211 V)and a high theoretical capacity(1024 mAh·g^(-1))for Na suggest that theβ-GeS monolayer is a promising anode material for Na-ion batteries with high performance.

Revealing the structure design of alloyed based electrodes for alkali metal ion batteries with in situ TEM

Alloyed based anode materials with high theoretical specific capacity and low reaction potential are considered to be highly potential high-energy density anode materials for alkali metal ion batteries(AMIBs).Thus,the design of alloyed based materials with high electrochemical performance has attracted great attention.Among the numerous characterization methods for guiding electrode materials design,in situ transmission electron microscopy(TEM)gradually plays an irreplaceable role due to its high temporal and spatial resolution in directly observing the change of morphology,crystal structure and element evolutions.Herein,we reviewed the two current research hotspots and mainly focused on the structure design of alloyed based electrode material under the guidance of in situ TEM.Specifically,various nanostructure designs of alloyed based electrode materials with guidance of in situ TEM were employed to solve the key scientific issues of the violent volume change during alloying/dealloying processes for enhanced electrochemical performances.Mainly through introducing buffer space in the electrode material to reduce volume change to improve structural stability,including porous structure(0 D),nanotube structure(1 D),simple hollow structure,yolk-shell structure and some hybrid hollow structures(3 D).Furthermore,the direct guidance of in situ TEM is expected for creating new opportunities to nextgeneration electrode material design for AMIBs.

Understanding charge transfer of Li^+ and Na^+ ions scattered from metal surfaces with high work function

For Li^＋ and Na^＋ ions scattered from high work function metal surfaces, efficient neutralization is observed, and it cannot be explained by the conventional free electron model. In order to explain these experimental data, we investigate the velocity-dependent neutral fraction with the modified Brako–Newns（BN） model. The calculated results are in agreement with the experimental data. We find that the parallel velocity effect plays an important role in neutralizing the Li^＋ and Na^＋ ions for large angle scattering. The nonmonotonic velocity behavior of neutral fraction is strongly related to the distance-dependent coupling strength between the atomic level and metal states.

Evolution and deformability of inclusions in Al-killed steel with rare earth-alkali metals(Ca or Mg) combined treatment

The quality of stainless steel is closely related to the deformability of inclusions,which is significantly affected by their compositions.The present study first inve stigated the evolution of inclusion compositions in AI-killed steel with rare earth-alkali metals(Ca or Mg)combined treatme nt through four laboratory-scale experiments.The Ce contents in the final steel are 0.0080 wt%,0.015 wt%,0.016 wt%and 0.010 wt%,respectively.The Mg content is 0.0014 wt%in Ce-Mg combined treated steel,and the Ca content is0.0015 wt%in Ce-Ca combined treated steel.The deformability of inclusions in both Ce_(2)O_(3)-Al_(2)O_(3)-CaO and Ce_(2)O_(3)-Al_(2)O_(3)-MgO systems was subsequently evaluated by calculating their Young's modulus at low temperature.The results show that irregular Al_(2)O_(3)and MgAl_(2)O_(4)with poor deformability are modified to CeAlO_(3)and Ce_(2)O_(3)by Ce treatment,resulting in the decrease of Young's modulus of inclusions.The deformability of inclusions is further improved due to the transformation from lumped-like CeAlO_(3)to spherical CaO-Al_(2)O_(3)-Ce_(2)O_(3)caused by Ca treatment,and some of these inclusions are the ones with low liquidus temperature.Thermodynamic analysis was used to discuss the control condition of the formation and evolution of inclusions.Accordingly,the appropriate addition amounts of Al,Mg,Ce,and Ca are expected to control inclusion compositions and properties,including deformability and liquidus temperature,thereby improving the steel performance.

Role of carbon matrix heteroatoms at synthesis of carbons for catalysis and energy applications

The conceptual ideas about the positive effects of N- and O-heteroatoms on the reactivity of carbons in gasification processes, their catalytic activity in electron transfer reactions, as well as the performance of the electrode double-layer supercapacitors due to their electron-donating influence on the 7r-conjugated system of graphene layers have been developed. This influence decreases both work function and band gap of carbons, and also significantly affects their electron-donating properties. As a result of our investigations based on quantum chemical calculations of model graphene clusters with N- and O-heteroatoms in different positions, prognostic data have been obtained. These data have been confirmed by our experimental results of catalytic activity of corresponding carbons in H202 decomposition reaction, their reactivity in gasification processes, and also their performance as electrodes in supercapacitors.

Luminescence properties of alkali metal ions sensitized Ca FCl:Tb^(3+) nanophosphors

A series of CaFCl：Tb3＋ and CaFCI：Tb3＋,A＋ （A=Li, Na and K） nanophosphors were synthesized by the one-step sol-gel method, which were reported for the first time. The sample consisted of monodisperse particles, the average size of which was 37 nm. The emissions of Tb3＋ ions and oxygen defects OF＇ were demonstrated in the CaFCl：Tb3＋ samples. The former was made up of several peaks at 488, 545, 587 and 623 nm, ascribed to 5D4→7FJ （j=6-3） transitions of Tb3＋ ions. The latter was shown as a broad band peaked at about 450 nm. Alkali metal ions A＋ （A=Li, Na and K） were introduced as the charge compensators to improve the luminescence of samples. The influence of charge compensators on the emissions of Tb3＋ ions and oxygen defects OF＇ was investigated by the measurement of fluorescence spectra and luminescence decay curves. The results indicated that all the charge compensators weakened the defects emission. Furthermore, Li＋ ion was the best charge compensator, because it not only reduced the defects emission but also increased the emission intensity of Tb3＋ significantly. Our results suggested that this nanophosphor sensitized by the charge compensator might broaden potential applications of rare-earth doped CaFCl.

Hydrothermal synthesis of mixed rare earth-alkali metal or ammonium fluorides

The recent results on hydrothermal synthesis of mixed rare earth-alkali or ammonium fluorides were presented. The initial ratios of the starting materials, pH value and reaction temperature were the critical factors for obtaining the single-phase product. Four main types of complex rare earth fluorides, AREF4, A2REF5, ARE2F7 and ARE3F10 (A=Na+, K+, Rb+, NH4+), appeared in the primary hydrothermal reactions. The correlation between cation sizes and the formation of mixed rare earth fluorides under mild hydro...

Simulation study on dynamics of A- to B-form transition in aqueous DNA solution:Effect of alkali metal counterions

DNA and its conformational transition can be used to design nanometer-scale structures, nano-tweezers and nanomechanical devices. Experiments and molecular simulations have been used to study the concentration effect on the A-DNA→B-DNA conformational transition, but a systematical investigation on counterion effect on the dynamics of this transition has not been reported up to now. In present work, restrained and unrestrained molecular dynamics （MD） simulations have been performed to characterize the stability of DNA conformations and the dynamics of A-DNA→B-DNA transitions in aqueous solutions with different alkali metal counterions. The DNA duplex d（CGCGAATTCGCG）2, coion Cl- and counterions Li＋, Na＋, K＋, Rb＋ and Cs~ as well as water molecule were considered using the PARM99 force field in the AMBER8 package. It was found that B-form DNA is more stable than A-form DNA in aqueous electrolyte solutions with different alkali metal counterions. In- creasing KCI concentration in solution hinders the A-DNA^B-DNA transition and the transition times for different alkali metal counterions conform to neither the simple sequence related to naked ion size nor to hydrated diameter, but an apparently abnormal sequence of K＋ 〈 Rb＋ 〈 Cs＋ 〈 Na＋ 〈 Li＋. This abnormal sequence can be well understood in terms of an electrostatic model based on the effective cation diameters and the modified mean-spherical approximation （MMSA）. The present results provide valuable information for the design of DNA-based nanomaterials and nanodevices.