Anion Defects Engineering of Ternary Nb-Based Chalcogenide Anodes Toward High-Performance Sodium-Based Dual-Ion Batteries

Sodium-based dual-ion batteries(SDIBs) have gained tremendous attention due to their virtues of high operating voltage and low cost, yet it remains a tough challenge for the development of ideal anode material of SDIBs featuring with high kinetics and long durability. Herein, we report the design and fabrication of N-doped carbon film-modified niobium sulfur–selenium(NbSSe/NC) nanosheets architecture, which holds favorable merits for Na^(+) storage of enlarged interlayer space, improved electrical conductivity, as well as enhanced reaction reversibility, endowing it with high capacity, high-rate capability and high cycling stability. The combined electrochemical studies with density functional theory calculation reveal that the enriched defects in such nanosheets architecture can benefit for facilitating charge transfer and Na+ adsorption to speed the electrochemical kinetics. The NbSSe/NC composites are studied as the anode of a full SDIBs by pairing the expanded graphite as cathode, which shows an impressively cyclic durability with negligible capacity attenuation over 1000 cycles at 0.5 A g^(-1), as well as an outstanding energy density of 230.6 Wh kg^(-1) based on the total mass of anode and cathode.

Defects and doping engineering towards high performance lead-free or lead-less perovskite solar cells

Up to now, perovskite solar cells(PSCs) have reached a certified 25.5% efficiency. As a promising photo-electric material, the metal halide perovskite possesses many outstanding properties such as tunable bandgap, long diffusion length, high absorption coefficient and carrier mobility. In spite of these remarkable properties, defects are inevitable during the solution processing. Therefore, many efforts have been made to reduce defects in perovskite films and thus improve the performance of devices. Among them,substitution or doping engineering is one of the most studied methods. Meanwhile, due to the poor stability of the organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite and the toxicity of Pb-based perovskite materials, all inorganic perovskite and lead-less or lead-free perovskite have emerged as promising materials. Here,we focus on the defect engineering especially substitutions on different sites in an ABX_(3) structure. The particular attention is devoted towards lead-less or lead-free perovskites, and we discuss several common elements or groups used to partially replace Pb^(2+). It is noted that proper elemental doping at different sites is an important guarantee for obtaining high-performance lead-less or lead-free PSCs.

Abnormal enhancement to the quality factors of carbon nanotube via defects engineering

Low quality(Q) factor is often the limiting factor for high performance carbon nanotube(CNT) resonators. The most commonly used approach to enhance the Q factor of CNTs is to reduce/eliminate the intrinsic defects.Herein, we show surprisingly that hole defects of suitable size and position are able to enhance the Q factor of CNT, which strongly contradicts to the common notion that the presence of defects promote intrinsic dissipation via defects dissipation. By analyzing the strain distribution, we find that such abnormal enhancement in Q factor of defected CNT originates from a coupling competition mechanism between the atomic mismatch around defected atoms and the thermoelastic damping. Although the presence of holes will introduce an additional defect dissipation source, suitable holes are capable of reducing the energy dissipation arisen from the thermoelastic damping, through changing the spatial strain field of defected CNT. This coupling competition mechanism provides a new route for designing high performance CNT resonators via defects engineering.

Experimental Study on Low Intensity Ultrasound and Tissue Engineering to Repair Segmental Bone Defects

In order to evaluate the efficacy of low intensity ultrasound and tissue engineering technique to repair segmental bone defects, the rabbit models of 1.5-cm long rabbit radial segmental osteoperiosteum defects were established and randomly divided into 2 groups. All defects were implanted with the composite of calcium phosphate cement and bone mesenchymal stem cells, and ad- ditionally those in experimental group were subjected to low intensity ultrasound exposure, while those in control group to sham exposure. The animals were killed on the postoperative week 4, 8 and 12 respectively, and specimens were harvested. By using radiography and the methods of biomechanics, histomorphology and bone density detection, new bone formation and material degradation were observed. The results showed that with the prolongation of time after operation, serum alkaline phosphatase （AKP） levels in both groups were gradually increased, especially in experimental group, reached the peak at 6th week （experimental group： 1,26 mmol/L; control group： 0.58 mmol/L）, suggesting the new bone formation in both two group, but the amount of new bone formation was greater and bone repairing capacity stronger in experimental group than in control group. On the 4th week in experimental group, chondrocytes differentiated into woven bone, and on the 12th week, remodeling of new lamellar bone and absorption of the composite material were observed. The mechanical strength of composite material and new born density in experimental group were significantly higher than in control group, indicating that low intensity ultrasound could not only effectively increase the formation of new bone, but also accelerate the calcification of new bone. It was concluded that low intensity ultrasound could evidently accelerate the healing of bone defects repaired by bone tissue engineering.

Repair of Sheep Metatarsus Defects by Using Tissue-engineering Technique

Tissue-engineering bone with porous β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) ceramic and autologous bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) was constructed and the effect of this composite on healing of segmental bone defects was investigated. 10-15 ml bone marrow aspirates were harvested from the iliac crest of sheep, and enriched for MSC by density gradient centrifugation over a Percoll cushion (1.073 g/ml). After cultured and proliferated, tissue-engineering bones were constructed with these cells seeded onto porous β-TCP, and then the constructs were implanted in 8 sheep left metatarsus defect (25 mm in length) as experimental group. Porous β-TCP only were implanted to bridge same size and position defects in 8 sheep as control group, and 25 mm segmental bone defects of left metatarsus were left empty in 4 sheep as blank group. Sheep were sacrificed on the 6th, 12th, and 24th week postoperatively and the implants samples were examined by radiograph, histology, and biomechanical test. The 4 sheep in blank group were sacrificed on the 24th week postoperatively. The results showed that new bone tissues were observed either radiographic or histologically at the defects of experimental group as early as 6th week postoperatively, but not in control group, and osteoid tissue, woven bone and lamellar bone occurred earlier than in control group in which the bone defects were repaired in “creep substitution” way, because of the new bone formed in direct manner without progression through a cartilaginous intermediate. At the 24th week, radiographs and biomechanical test revealed an almost complete repair of the defect of experimental group, only partly in control group. The bone defects in blank group were non-healing at the 24th week. It was concluded that engineering bones constructed with porous β-TCP and autologous MSC were capable of repairing segmental bone defects in sheep metatarsus beyond “creep substitution” way and making it healed earlier. Porous β-TCP being constituted with autologous MSC may be a good option in healing critical segmental bone defects in clinical practice and provide insight for future clinical repair of segmental defect.

Static Analysis Techniques for Fixing Software Defects in MPI-Based Parallel Programs

The Message Passing Interface (MPI) is a widely accepted standard for parallel computing on distributed memorysystems.However, MPI implementations can contain defects that impact the reliability and performance of parallelapplications. Detecting and correcting these defects is crucial, yet there is a lack of published models specificallydesigned for correctingMPI defects. To address this, we propose a model for detecting and correcting MPI defects(DC_MPI), which aims to detect and correct defects in various types of MPI communication, including blockingpoint-to-point (BPTP), nonblocking point-to-point (NBPTP), and collective communication (CC). The defectsaddressed by the DC_MPI model include illegal MPI calls, deadlocks (DL), race conditions (RC), and messagemismatches (MM). To assess the effectiveness of the DC_MPI model, we performed experiments on a datasetconsisting of 40 MPI codes. The results indicate that the model achieved a detection rate of 37 out of 40 codes,resulting in an overall detection accuracy of 92.5%. Additionally, the execution duration of the DC_MPI modelranged from 0.81 to 1.36 s. These findings show that the DC_MPI model is useful in detecting and correctingdefects in MPI implementations, thereby enhancing the reliability and performance of parallel applications. TheDC_MPImodel fills an important research gap and provides a valuable tool for improving the quality ofMPI-basedparallel computing systems.

Repair of sciatic nerve defects using tissue engineered nerves

In this study, we constructed tissue-engineered nerves with acellular nerve allografts in Sprague-Dawley rats, which were prepared using chemical detergents-enzymatic digestion and mechanical methods, in combination with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells of Wistar rats cultured in vitro, to repair 15 mm sciatic bone defects in Wistar rats. At postoperative 12 weeks, electrophysiological detection results showed that the conduction velocity of regenerated nerve after repair with tissue-engineered nerves was similar to that after autologous nerve grafting, and was higher than that after repair with acellular nerve allografts. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that motor endplates with acetylcholinesterase-positive nerve fibers were orderly arranged in the middle and superior parts of the gastrocnemius muscle; regenerated nerve tracts and sprouted branches were connected with motor endplates, as shown by acetylcholinesterase histochemistry combined with silver staining. The wet weight ratio of the tibialis anterior muscle at the affected contralateral hind limb was similar to the sciatic nerve after repair with autologous nerve grafts, and higher than that after repair with acellular nerve allografts. The hind limb motor function at the affected side was significantly improved, indicating that acellular nerve allografts combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell bridging could promote functional recovery of rats with sciatic nerve defects.

Properties of passive nano films on zircaloy-4 affected by defects induced by hydrogen permeation

In this work, hydrogen absorption and the permeation behavior of the passive layer formed on zircaloy-4 are in- vestigated. Potentiodynamic polarization, Mott-Schottky analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Raman scattering spectroscopy are employed to characterize the passive defects before and after hydrogen permeation. It is found that the nanoscale passive ZrO2 films play an important role in the resistance against corrosion; hydrogen impingement, however, reduces the passive impedance towards hydrothermal oxidation. The increase of defects （vacancies） in passive film is probably attributed to the degradation. We believe that this finding will provide valuable insight into the understanding of the corrosion mechanism of zircaloys used in light water reactors.

Solid-State Reaction and Vacancy-Type Defects in Bilayer Fe/Hf Studied by the Slow Positron Beam

The positron annihilation lifetimes and the Doppler broadening by slow positron beam are measured in thin Fe films with thickness 500 nm, a thin Hf film with thickness 100 nm, and the bilayer Fe (50 nm)/Hf (50 nm) on quartz glass substrate. We have analyzed the behavior in vacancy-type defects in each layer through some deposition temperatures and annealing. It is observed that the thin Fe film, the thin Hf film, and the bilayer Fe (50 nm)/Hf (50 nm) already contain many vacancy-type defects. We have investigated the change of densities of the vacancy-carbon complex and the small vacancy-cluster with carbons, through solid-state amorphization of Fe (50 nm)/Hf (50 nm) bilayer.

Chitosan conduits combined with nerve growth factor microspheres repair facial nerve defects

Microspheres containing nerve growth factor for sustained release were prepared by a compound method, and implanted into chitosan conduits to repair 10-mm defects on the right buccal branches of the facial nerve in rabbits. In addition, chitosan conduits combined with nerve growth factor or normal saline, as well as autologous nerve, were used as controls. At 90 days post-surgery, the muscular atrophy on the right upper lip was more evident in the nerve growth factor and normal sa- line groups than in the nerve growth factor-microspheres and autologous nerve groups. Electro- physiological analysis revealed that the nerve conduction velocity and amplitude were significantly higher in the nerve growth factor-microspheres and autologous nerve groups than in the nerve growth factor and normal saline groups. Moreover, histological observation illustrated that the di- ameter, number, alignment and myelin sheath thickness of myelinated nerves derived from rabbits were higher in the nerve growth factor-microspheres and autologous nerve groups than in the nerve growth factor and normal saline groups. These findings indicate that chitosan nerve conduits com- bined with microspheres for sustained release of nerve growth factor can significantly improve facial nerve defect repair in rabbits.

Recent Development in Defects Engineered Photocatalysts:An Overview of the Experimental and Theoretical Strategies

Recently,defect architectured photocatalysis is proved to be the most versatile choice for high solar to chemical energy conversion processes.Defect engineering strategies are of great demand to effectively tune the electronic microstructure and surface morphologies of semiconductors to boost charge carrier concentration and extend light harvesting capability.This review provides a comprehensive insight to various kinds of defects along with their synthesis procedures and controlling mechanism to uplift photocatalytic activity.In addition,the contribution made by defects and material optimization techniques toward electronic band structure of the photocatalyst,the optimal concentration of defects,the key adsorption processes,charge distribution,and transfer dynamics have been explained in detail.Further,to clarify the relationship between photocatalytic activity and defect states in real,a comprehensive outlook to the versatile photocatalytic applications has been presented to highlight current challenges and future applications.Defect engineering therefore stands as the next step toward advancement in the design and configuration of modern photocatalysts for high efficiency photocatalysis.

Construction of a three-dimensional bionic nerve conduit containing two neurotrophic factors with separate delivery systems for the repair of sciatic nerve defects

Previous studies of nerve conduits have investigated numerous properties, such as conduit luminal structure and neurotrophic factor incorporation, for the regeneration of nerve defects. The present study used a poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid） （PLGA） copolymer to construct a three-dimensional （3D） bionic nerve conduit, with two channels and multiple microtubule lumens, and incorporating two neurotrophic factors, each with their own delivery system, as a novel environment for peripheral nerve regeneration. The efficacy of this conduit in repairing a 1.5 cm sciatic nerve defect was compared with PLGA-alone and PLGA-microfilament conduits, and autologous nerve transplantation. Results showed that compared with the other groups, the 3D bionic nerve conduit had the fastest nerve conduction velocity, largest electromyogram amplitude, and shortest electromyogram latency. In addition, the nerve fiber density, myelin sheath thickness and axon diameter were significantly increased, and the recovery rate of the triceps surae muscle wet weight was lowest. These findings suggest that 3D bionic nerve conduits can provide a suitable microenvironment for peripheral nerve regeneration to efficiently repair sciatic nerve defects. p

Simultaneous passivation of bulk and interface defects through synergistic effect of anion and cation toward efficient and stable planar perovskite solar cells

Bulk and interface carrier nonradiative recombination losses impede the further improvement of power conversion efficiency(PCE)and stability of perovskite solar cells(PSCs).It is highly necessary to develop multifunctional strategy to minimize surface and interface nonradiative recombination losses.Herein,we report a bulk and interface defect passivation strategy via the synergistic effect of anions and cations,where multifunctional potassium sulphate(K_(2)SO_(4))is incorporated at SnO_(2)/perovskite interface.We find that K^(+)ions in K_(2)SO_(4)diffuse into perovskite layer and suppress the formation of bulk defects in perovskite films,and the SO_(4)^(2-)ions remain located at interface via the strong chemical interaction with SnO_(2)layer and perovskite layer,respectively.Through this synergistic modification strategy,effective defect passivation and improved energy band alignment are achieved simultaneously.These beneficial effects are translated into an efficiency increase from 19.45%to 21.18%with a low voltage deficit of0.53 V mainly as a result of boosted open-circuit voltage(V_(oc))after K_(2)SO_(4)modification.In addition,the K_(2)SO_(4)modification contributes to ameliorated stability.The present work provides a route to minimize bulk and interface nonradiative recombination losses for the simultaneous realization of PCE and stability enhancement by rational anion and cation synergistic engineering.

Engineering an extracellular matrix-functionalized,load-bearing tendon substitute for effective repair of large-to-massive tendon defects

A significant clinical challenge in large-to-massive rotator cuff tendon injuries is the need for sustaining high mechanical demands despite limited tissue regeneration,which often results in clinical repair failure with high retear rates and long-term functional deficiencies.To address this,an innovative tendon substitute named“BioTenoForce”is engineered,which uses(i)tendon extracellular matrix(tECM)’s rich biocomplexity for tendon-specific regeneration and(ii)a mechanically robust,slow degradation polyurethane elastomer to mimic native tendon’s physical attributes for sustaining long-term shoulder movement.Comprehensive assessments revealed outstanding performance of BioTenoForce,characterized by robust core-shell interfacial bonding,human rotator cuff tendon-like mechanical properties,excellent suture retention,biocompatibility,and tendon differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells.Importantly,BioTenoForce,when used as an interpositional tendon substitute,demonstrated successful integration with regenerative tissue,exhibiting remarkable efficacy in repairing large-to-massive tendon injuries in two animal models.Noteworthy outcomes include durable repair and sustained functionality with no observed breakage/rupture,accelerated recovery of rat gait performance,and>1 cm rabbit tendon regeneration with native tendon-like biomechanical attributes.The regenerated tissues showed tendon-like,wavy,aligned matrix structure,which starkly contrasts with the typical disorganized scar tissue observed after tendon injury,and was strongly correlated with tissue stiffness.Our simple yet versatile approach offers a dual-pronged,broadly applicable strategy that overcomes the limitations of poor regeneration and stringent biomechanical requirements,particularly essential for substantial defects in tendon and other load-bearing tissues.

A conoscopic holography-based 3D measurement system for analyzing defects in steel plate surface

A conoscopic holography-based 3D measurement system for analyzing the defects on the surface of steel plates was introduced in this paper. The hardware, which is automated through software, performs sampling of the steel plate surface. Through the software interface,point-cloud data of the steel plate surface are obtained and reconstructed to form a 3D image of the steel plate surface. The software allows automatic analysis of steel plate surface detects through identification of the bulges and depressions. In addition, the software can also automatically calculate the defect information ,such as the deepest point, volume, opening area, opening length, and so on, thereby determining the defect size. The results determined by this 3D measurement system were found to be in good agreement with the actual values.

Activation of iridium site by anchoring ruthenium atoms on defects for efficient anodic catalyst in polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers

1.Introduction Hydrogen is an ideal energy carrier to tackle the energy crisis and greenhouse effect,because of its high energy density and low emission.The production,storage and transportation of hydrogen are key factors to the practical application of hydrogen energy.As the scientific and technological understanding of the electrochemical devices was advancing in the past few decades,water electrolyzers based on the proton exchange membrane (PEM) have attracted much focus for its huge potential on the production of hydrogen via water splitting.PEM electrolyzers use perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA) based membranes as the electrolyte.

Solid solution strategy modulated defects engineering of(Cr_(1-x)V_(x))_(2)AlC MAX phase toward superior electromagnetic wave absorption

Defects engineering is an effective strategy for manipulating electromagnetic parameters and enhancing electromagnetic wave(EMW)absorption capacity.However,the relationship between them is not clear,especially in solid solution structures.In this work,a series of(Cr_(1-x)V_(x))_(2)AlC MAX phase solid solutions with layered structure were prepared via tuning the ratio of Cr and V to explore their EMW absorption performance.The experimental results indicated that the doping of V atoms at the M-site could effectively regulate its impedance matching and EMW absorption properties by introducing appropriate numbers of defects in the crystal,such as twin boundaries,dislocations and lattice distortions.Among them,if Cr:V=3:1,Cr_(1.5)V_(0.5)AlC,as radar absorption materials,could reach a strong reflection loss of-51.8 dB at the frequency of 12.8 GHz under an ultra-thin thickness of 1.3 mm.The reflection loss value could attain-10 dB in a wide frequency range of 2.7-18 GHz and thickness range of 1-5 mm.In addition,after high temperature and acid-alkali immersion treatment,this sample still had good EMW absorption capability,and the effective absorption bandwidth was enhanced from 2.3 to 2.6 GHz after concentrated acid immersion or 3.1 GHz after concentrated alkali immersion.This work has great reference significance for the research and development of high-performance MAX-based EMW absorption materials in harsh environments.

Defect Engineering:Can it Mitigate Strong Coulomb Effect of Mg^(2+)in Cathode Materials for Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries?

Rechargeable magnesium batteries(RMBs)have been considered a promising“post lithium-ion battery”system to meet the rapidly increasing demand of the emerging electric vehicle and grid energy storage market.However,the sluggish diffusion kinetics of bivalent Mg^(2+)in the host material,related to the strong Coulomb effect between Mg^(2+)and host anion lattices,hinders their further development toward practical applications.Defect engineering,regarded as an effective strategy to break through the slow migration puzzle,has been validated in various cathode materials for RMBs.In this review,we first thoroughly understand the intrinsic mechanism of Mg^(2+)diffusion in cathode materials,from which the key factors affecting ion diffusion are further presented.Then,the positive effects of purposely introduced defects,including vacancy and doping,and the corresponding strategies for introducing various defects are discussed.The applications of defect engineering in cathode materials for RMBs with advanced electrochemical properties are also summarized.Finally,the existing challenges and future perspectives of defect engineering in cathode materials for the overall high-performance RMBs are described.