Leakage Proof,Flame-Retardant,and Electromagnetic Shield Wood Morphology Genetic Composite Phase Change Materials for Solar Thermal Energy Harvesting

Phase change materials(PCMs)offer a promising solution to address the challenges posed by intermittency and fluctuations in solar thermal utilization.However,for organic solid-liquid PCMs,issues such as leakage,low thermal conductivity,lack of efficient solar-thermal media,and flamma-bility have constrained their broad applications.Herein,we present an innova-tive class of versatile composite phase change materials(CPCMs)developed through a facile and environmentally friendly synthesis approach,leveraging the inherent anisotropy and unidirectional porosity of wood aerogel(nanowood)to support polyethylene glycol(PEG).The wood modification process involves the incorporation of phytic acid(PA)and MXene hybrid structure through an evaporation-induced assembly method,which could impart non-leaking PEG filling while concurrently facilitating thermal conduction,light absorption,and flame-retardant.Consequently,the as-prepared wood-based CPCMs showcase enhanced thermal conductivity(0.82 W m^(-1)K^(-1),about 4.6 times than PEG)as well as high latent heat of 135.5 kJ kg^(-1)(91.5%encapsula-tion)with thermal durability and stability throughout at least 200 heating and cooling cycles,featuring dramatic solar-thermal conversion efficiency up to 98.58%.In addition,with the synergistic effect of phytic acid and MXene,the flame-retardant performance of the CPCMs has been significantly enhanced,showing a self-extinguishing behavior.Moreover,the excellent electromagnetic shielding of 44.45 dB was endowed to the CPCMs,relieving contemporary health hazards associated with electromagnetic waves.Overall,we capitalize on the exquisite wood cell structure with unidirectional transport inherent in the development of multifunctional CPCMs,showcasing the operational principle through a proof-of-concept prototype system.

Flame-retardant ammonium polyphosphate/MXene decorated carbon foam materials as polysulfide traps for fire-safe and stable lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are one of the most promising modern-day energy supply systems because of their high theoretical energy density and low cost.However,the development of high-energy density Li-S batteries with high loading of flammable sulfur faces the challenges of electrochemical performance degradation owing to the shuttle effect and safety issues related to fire or explosion accidents.In this work,we report a three-dimensional(3D)conductive nitrogen-doped carbon foam supported electrostatic self-assembled MXene-ammonium polyphosphate(NCF-MXene-APP)layer as a heat-resistant,thermally-insulated,flame-retardant,and freestanding host for Li-S batteries with a facile and costeffective synthesis method.Consequently,through the use of NCF-MXene-APP hosts that strongly anchor polysulfides,the Li-S batteries demonstrate outstanding electrochemical properties,including a high initial discharge capacity of 1191.6 mA h g^(-1),excellent rate capacity of 755.0 mA h g^(-1)at 1 C,and long-term cycling stability with an extremely low-capacity decay rate of 0.12%per cycle at 2 C.More importantly,these batteries can continue to operate reliably under high temperature or flame attack conditions.Thus,this study provides valuable insights into the design of safe high-performance Li-S batteries.

Insight Into the Separation-of-Variable Methods for the Closed-Form Solutions of Free Vibration of Rectangular Thin Plates

The separation-of-variable(SOV)methods,such as the improved SOV method,the variational SOV method,and the extended SOV method,have been proposed by the present authors and coworkers to obtain the closed-form analytical solutions for free vibration and eigenbuckling of rectangular plates and circular cylindrical shells.By taking the free vibration of rectangular thin plates as an example,this work presents the theoretical framework of the SOV methods in an instructive way,and the bisection–based solution procedures for a group of nonlinear eigenvalue equations.Besides,the explicit equations of nodal lines of the SOV methods are presented,and the relations of nodal line patterns and frequency orders are investigated.It is concluded that the highly accurate SOV methods have the same accuracy for all frequencies,the mode shapes about repeated frequencies can also be precisely captured,and the SOV methods do not have the problem of missing roots as well.

Structural Modal Parameter Recognition and Related Damage Identification Methods under Environmental Excitations: A Review

Modal parameters can accurately characterize the structural dynamic properties and assess the physical state of the structure.Therefore,it is particularly significant to identify the structural modal parameters according to the monitoring data information in the structural health monitoring(SHM)system,so as to provide a scientific basis for structural damage identification and dynamic model modification.In view of this,this paper reviews methods for identifying structural modal parameters under environmental excitation and briefly describes how to identify structural damages based on the derived modal parameters.The paper primarily introduces data-driven modal parameter recognition methods(e.g.,time-domain,frequency-domain,and time-frequency-domain methods,etc.),briefly describes damage identification methods based on the variations of modal parameters(e.g.,natural frequency,modal shapes,and curvature modal shapes,etc.)and modal validation methods(e.g.,Stability Diagram and Modal Assurance Criterion,etc.).The current status of the application of artificial intelligence(AI)methods in the direction of modal parameter recognition and damage identification is further discussed.Based on the pre-vious analysis,the main development trends of structural modal parameter recognition and damage identification methods are given to provide scientific references for the optimized design and functional upgrading of SHM systems.

Flame-retardant Mechanism of Magnesium Oxychloride in Epoxy Resin

Flame-retardant mechanism of magnesium oxychloride （M OC） in EP was in-vestigated by limiting oxygen index （LOI）, XRD, SEM, TG-DTG and DSC. The results show that MOC performed well as an inorganic flame-retardant in EP. When the content of MOC is 50%, the LOI of EP reaches 29.6% and mass of residual char reaches 9.6%. The flame retarde mechanism of MOC is due to the synergies of diluting, cooling, catalyzing char forming and obstructing effects.

3D flame-retardant skeleton reinforced polymer electrolyte for solid-state dendrite-free lithium metal batteries

For solid polymer electrolytes(SPEs),improving their mechanical and electrochemical properties is the key to obtaining batteries with higher safety and higher energy density.Herein,a novel synergistic strategy proposed is preparing a 3D flame-retardant skeleton(3DPA)and adding nano-multifunctional fillers(Li-ILs@ZIF-8).In addition to providing mechanical support for the polyethylene oxide(PEO)matrix,3DPA also has further contributed to the system’s flame retardancy and further improved the safety.Simultaneously,the electrochemical performance is fully guaranteed by rigid Li-ILs@ZIF-8,which provides fast migration channels forLi^(+),reduces the crystallinity of PEO and effectively inhibits lithium dendrites.The limiting oxygen index of the optimal sample(PL3Z/PA)is as high as 20.5%,and the ionic conductivity reaches 2.89×10^(-4) and 0.91×10^(-3) S cm^(-1) at 25 and 55°C,respectively.The assembled Li|PL3Z/PA|Li battery can be cycled stably for more than 1000 h at a current density of 0.1 m A cm^(-2) without short circuit being pierced by lithium dendrites.The specific capacity of the LFP|PL3Z/PA|Li battery was 160.5 m Ah g^(-1) under a current density of 0.5 C,and the capacity retention rate was 90.0%after 300 cycles.

Comparison of Flame-retardancy Property and Mechanism between a Phosphate Ester and a Phosphoramine Flame-retardants

A halogen-free flame-retardant (hydroquinone bis (N,N’-diarylphosphoramidate),4N-HDP) containing phosphorus-nitrogen was synthesized.Its structure was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR),nuclear magnetic resonance (^(1)H-NMR and^(31)P-NMR).Thermogravimetric analysis (TG),limiting oxygen index (LOI),UL-94 vertical burning test (UL-94),thermogravimetric-infrared instrument (TG-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to compare the flame-retarding performance and mechanism of hydroquinone bis (diphenyl phosphate) (HDP) and 4N-HDP.TG,IR and TG-IR were used for comparative analysis,indicating that both HDP and 4N-HDP are flame-retardants,and the gas phase and condensed phase act synergistically.In the pyrolysis process,it is divided into two steps:the first step is the breakage of large molecules to small molecules;the second step is the gasification and carbonization of small molecules,and eventually produces phosphate ester and non-flammable gases.Through the comparison of various results,it could be found that 4N-HDP has better flame-retarding performance compared to HDP in the composite with polycarbonate (PC).

A new flame-retardant polymer electrolyte with enhanced Li-ion conductivity for safe lithium-sulfur batteries

Flame-retardant polymer electrolytes(FRSPEs)are attractive due to their potential for fundamentally settling the safety issues of liquid electrolytes.However,the current FRSPEs have introduced large quantity of flame-retardant composition which cannot conduct lithium ions,thus decreasing the Li-ion conductivity.Here,we synthesize a novel liquid monomer 2-((bis((2-oxo-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methoxy)phosphoryl)oxy)ethyl acrylate(BDPA)for preparing FRSPE by in-situ polymerization,in which PBDPA polymer can not only conduct lithium ions,but also prevent burning.The prepared FRSPE demonstrated outstanding flame-retardant property,favorable lithium-ion conductivity of 5.65×10^(-4) S cm^(-1) at ambient temperature,and a wide electrochemical window up to 4.5 V.Moreover,the Li/in-situ FRSPE/S@pPAN cell exhibited favorable electrochemical performances.We believe that this work provides an effective strategy for establishing high-performance fireproof quasi-solid-state battery system.

Property of Polyimide/Flame-Retardant Viscose Blended Fabrics

Although polyimide fibers are excellent intrinsic flame-retardant fibers, their price is so high that they are rarely used in clothing. To expand their application, the polyimide fibers were blended with flame-retardant viscose fibers at a ratio of 30∶70, and the blended yarns were woven with flame-retardant polyester filaments. Fabrics with different parameters, including fabric weaves, warp yarn densities, and fabric layers, were designed, and the effects of those fabric parameters on mechanical properties and flame-retardant properties were tested and analyzed. The results show that the tearing load of the fabrics is affected by fabric weaves, warp yarn densities, and fabric layers, and the tearing load of the weft mountain weave fabric and the twill weave fabric is higher than that of the plain weave fabric. The bursting load of the fabric increases with the increase of warp yarn densities and layers. Among the tested fabric samples, the triple-layer twill fabric has the best flame-retardant performance, which meets the standard of flame-retardant protective fabric Grade B1 level. The research of this paper would provide guidance for the development and production of polyimide blended fabrics.

SYNTHESES AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CYCLIC ORGANIC BORONATE ESTERS AS FLAME-RETARDANTS

Some organoboron compounds as flame-retardants for fiber materials were prepared.Flame-retarding properties of these compounds determined by the Oxygen-Index Method weregood.These new compounds were characterized by IR,~1H NMR spectrum and elementalanalysis.

Flame-retardant oligomeric electrolyte additive for self-extinguishing and highly-stable lithium-ion batteries:Beyond small molecules

Preparing both safe and high-performance lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) based on commonly used commercial electrolytes is highly desirable,yet challenging.To overcome the poor compatibility of conventional small-molecular flame-retardants as electrolyte additives for safe LIBs with graphite anodes,in this study,we propose and design a novel low-cost flame-retardant oligomer that achieves an accurate and complete reconciliation of fire safety and electrochemical performance in LIBs.Owing to the integration of phosphonate units and polyethylene glycol(PEG) chains,this oligomer,which is a phosphonatecontaining PEG-based oligomer(PPO),not only endows commercial electrolytes with excellent flame retardancy but also helps stabilize the electrodes and Li-ion migration.Specifically,adding 15 wt% of PPO can reduce 70% of the self-extinguishing time and 54% of total heat release for commercial electrolytes.Moreover,LiFePO_(4)/lithium and graphite/lithium cells as well as LiFePO_(4)/graphite pouch full cells exhibit good long-term cycling stability.

A Review on Sources,Extractions and Analysis Methods of a Sustainable Biomaterial:Tannins

Condensed and hydrolysable tannins are non-toxic natural polyphenols that are a commercial commodity industrialized for tanning hides to obtain leather and for a growing number of other industrial applications mainly to substitute petroleum-based products.They are a definite class of sustainable materials of the forestry industry.They have been in operation for hundreds of years to manufacture leather and now for a growing number of applications in a variety of other industries,such as wood adhesives,metal coating,pharmaceutical/medical applications and several others.This review presents the main sources,either already or potentially commercial of this forestry by-materials,their industrial and laboratory extraction systems,their systems of analysis with their advantages and drawbacks,be these methods so simple to even appear primitive but nonetheless of proven effectiveness,or very modern and instrumental.It constitutes a basic but essential summary of what is necessary to know of these sustainable materials.In doing so,the review highlights some of the main challenges that remain to be addressed to deliver the quality and economics of tannin supply necessary to fulfill the industrial production requirements for some materials-based uses.

A comparison study on structure-function relationship of polysaccharides obtained from sea buckthorn berries using different methods:antioxidant and bile acid-binding capacity

In this study,the structural characters,antioxidant activities and bile acid-binding ability of sea buckthorn polysaccharides(HRPs)obtained by the commonly used hot water(HRP-W),pressurized hot water(HRP-H),ultrasonic(HRP-U),acid(HRP-C)and alkali(HRP-A)assisted extraction methods were investigated.The results demonstrated that extraction methods had significant effects on extraction yield,monosaccharide composition,molecular weight,particle size,triple-helical structure,and surface morphology of HRPs except for the major linkage bands.Thermogravimetric analysis showed that HRP-U with filamentous reticular microstructure exhibited better thermal stability.The HRP-A with the lowest molecular weight and highest arabinose content possessed the best antioxidant activities.Moreover,the rheological analysis indicated that HRPs with higher galacturonic acid content and molecular weight showed higher viscosity and stronger crosslinking network(HRP-C,HRP-W and HRP-U),which exhibited stronger bile acid binding capacity.The present findings provide scientific evidence in the preparation technology of sea buckthorn polysaccharides with good antioxidant and bile acid binding capacity which are related to the structure affected by the extraction methods.

Drilling-based measuring method for the c-φ parameter of rock and its field application

The technology of drilling tests makes it possible to obtain the strength parameter of rock accurately in situ. In this paper, a new rock cutting analysis model that considers the influence of the rock crushing zone(RCZ) is built. The formula for an ultimate cutting force is established based on the limit equilibrium principle. The relationship between digital drilling parameters(DDP) and the c-φ parameter(DDP-cφ formula, where c refers to the cohesion and φ refers to the internal friction angle) is derived, and the response of drilling parameters and cutting ratio to the strength parameters is analyzed. The drillingbased measuring method for the c-φ parameter of rock is constructed. The laboratory verification test is then completed, and the difference in results between the drilling test and the compression test is less than 6%. On this basis, in-situ rock drilling tests in a traffic tunnel and a coal mine roadway are carried out, and the strength parameters of the surrounding rock are effectively tested. The average difference ratio of the results is less than 11%, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method for obtaining the strength parameters based on digital drilling. This study provides methodological support for field testing of rock strength parameters.

Efficient slope reliability and sensitivity analysis using quantile-based first-order second-moment method

This paper introduces a novel approach for parameter sensitivity evaluation and efficient slope reliability analysis based on quantile-based first-order second-moment method(QFOSM).The core principles of the QFOSM are elucidated geometrically from the perspective of expanding ellipsoids.Based on this geometric interpretation,the QFOSM is further extended to estimate sensitivity indices and assess the significance of various uncertain parameters involved in the slope system.The proposed method has the advantage of computational simplicity,akin to the conventional first-order second-moment method(FOSM),while providing estimation accuracy close to that of the first-order reliability method(FORM).Its performance is demonstrated with a numerical example and three slope examples.The results show that the proposed method can efficiently estimate the slope reliability and simultaneously evaluate the sensitivity of the uncertain parameters.The proposed method does not involve complex optimization or iteration required by the FORM.It can provide a valuable complement to the existing approximate reliability analysis methods,offering rapid sensitivity evaluation and slope reliability analysis.

Material point method simulation of hydro-mechanical behaviour in twophase porous geomaterials: A state-of-the-art review

The material point method(MPM)has been gaining increasing popularity as an appropriate approach to the solution of coupled hydro-mechanical problems involving large deformation.In this paper,we survey the current state-of-the-art in the MPM simulation of hydro-mechanical behaviour in two-phase porous geomaterials.The review covers the recent advances and developments in the MPM and their extensions to capture the coupled hydro-mechanical problems involving large deformations.The focus of this review is aiming at providing a clear picture of what has or has not been developed or implemented for simulating two-phase coupled large deformation problems,which will provide some direct reference for both practitioners and researchers.

Deciphering gastric inflammation-induced tumorigenesis through multi-omics data and AI methods

Gastric cancer(GC), the fifth most common cancer globally, remains the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Inflammation-induced tumorigenesis is the predominant process in GC development;therefore, systematic research in this area should improve understanding of the biological mechanisms that initiate GC development and promote cancer hallmarks. Here, we summarize biological knowledge regarding gastric inflammation-induced tumorigenesis, and characterize the multi-omics data and systems biology methods for investigating GC development. Of note, we highlight pioneering studies in multi-omics data and state-of-the-art network-based algorithms used for dissecting the features of gastric inflammation-induced tumorigenesis, and we propose translational applications in early GC warning biomarkers and precise treatment strategies. This review offers integrative insights for GC research, with the goal of paving the way to novel paradigms for GC precision oncology and prevention.

Volumetric lattice Boltzmann method for pore-scale mass diffusionadvection process in geopolymer porous structures

Porous materials present significant advantages for absorbing radioactive isotopes in nuclear waste streams.To improve absorption efficiency in nuclear waste treatment,a thorough understanding of the diffusion-advection process within porous structures is essential for material design.In this study,we present advancements in the volumetric lattice Boltzmann method(VLBM)for modeling and simulating pore-scale diffusion-advection of radioactive isotopes within geopolymer porous structures.These structures are created using the phase field method(PFM)to precisely control pore architectures.In our VLBM approach,we introduce a concentration field of an isotope seamlessly coupled with the velocity field and solve it by the time evolution of its particle population function.To address the computational intensity inherent in the coupled lattice Boltzmann equations for velocity and concentration fields,we implement graphics processing unit(GPU)parallelization.Validation of the developed model involves examining the flow and diffusion fields in porous structures.Remarkably,good agreement is observed for both the velocity field from VLBM and multiphysics object-oriented simulation environment(MOOSE),and the concentration field from VLBM and the finite difference method(FDM).Furthermore,we investigate the effects of background flow,species diffusivity,and porosity on the diffusion-advection behavior by varying the background flow velocity,diffusion coefficient,and pore volume fraction,respectively.Notably,all three parameters exert an influence on the diffusion-advection process.Increased background flow and diffusivity markedly accelerate the process due to increased advection intensity and enhanced diffusion capability,respectively.Conversely,increasing the porosity has a less significant effect,causing a slight slowdown of the diffusion-advection process due to the expanded pore volume.This comprehensive parametric study provides valuable insights into the kinetics of isotope uptake in porous structures,facilitating the development of porous materials for nuclear waste treatment applications.

Uncertainties of landslide susceptibility prediction: Influences of random errors in landslide conditioning factors and errors reduction by low pass filter method

In the existing landslide susceptibility prediction(LSP)models,the influences of random errors in landslide conditioning factors on LSP are not considered,instead the original conditioning factors are directly taken as the model inputs,which brings uncertainties to LSP results.This study aims to reveal the influence rules of the different proportional random errors in conditioning factors on the LSP un-certainties,and further explore a method which can effectively reduce the random errors in conditioning factors.The original conditioning factors are firstly used to construct original factors-based LSP models,and then different random errors of 5%,10%,15% and 20%are added to these original factors for con-structing relevant errors-based LSP models.Secondly,low-pass filter-based LSP models are constructed by eliminating the random errors using low-pass filter method.Thirdly,the Ruijin County of China with 370 landslides and 16 conditioning factors are used as study case.Three typical machine learning models,i.e.multilayer perceptron(MLP),support vector machine(SVM)and random forest(RF),are selected as LSP models.Finally,the LSP uncertainties are discussed and results show that:(1)The low-pass filter can effectively reduce the random errors in conditioning factors to decrease the LSP uncertainties.(2)With the proportions of random errors increasing from 5%to 20%,the LSP uncertainty increases continuously.(3)The original factors-based models are feasible for LSP in the absence of more accurate conditioning factors.(4)The influence degrees of two uncertainty issues,machine learning models and different proportions of random errors,on the LSP modeling are large and basically the same.(5)The Shapley values effectively explain the internal mechanism of machine learning model predicting landslide sus-ceptibility.In conclusion,greater proportion of random errors in conditioning factors results in higher LSP uncertainty,and low-pass filter can effectively reduce these random errors.

Experimental study on secondary air mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed with a multitracer-gas method

A multitracer-gas method was proposed to study the secondary air(SA)mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed(CFB)using carbon monoxide(CO),oxygen(O_(2)),and carbon dioxide(CO_(2))as tracer gases.Experiments were carried out on a cold CFB test rig with a cross-section of 0.42 m×0.73 m and a height of 5.50 m.The effects of superficial velocity,SA ratio,bed inventory,and particle diameter on the SA mixing were investigated.The results indicate that there are some differences in the measurement results obtained using different tracer gases,wherein the deviation between CO and CO_(2) ranges from 42%to 66%and that between O_(2) and CO_(2) ranges from 45%to 71%in the lower part of the fluidized bed.However,these differences became less pronounced as the bed height increased.Besides,the high solid concentration and fine particle diameter in the CFB may weaken the difference.The measurement results of different tracer gases show the same trends under the variation of operating parameters.Increasing superficial velocity and SA ratio and decreasing particle diameter result in better mixing of the SA.The effect of bed inventory on SA mixing is not monotonic.