A general synthesis of inorganic nanotubes as high-rate anode materials of sodium ion batteries

Ino rganic tubular materials have an exceptionally wide range of applications,yet developing a simple and universal method to controllably synthesize them remains challenging.In this work,we report a vaporphase-etching hard-template method that can directly fabricate tubes on various thermally stable oxide and sulfide materials.This synthesis method features the introduction of a vapor-phase-etching process to greatly simplify the steps involved in preparing tubular materials and avoids complicated postprocessing procedures.Furthermore,the in-situ heating transmission electron microscopy(TEM)technique is used to observe the dynamic formation process of TiO_(2-x) tubes,indicating that the removal process of the Sb2S3 templates first experienced the Rayleigh instability,then vapor-phase-etching process.When used as an anode for sodium ion batteries,the TiO_(2-x) tube exhibits excellent rate performance of134.6 mA h g^(-1) at the high current density of 10 A g^(-1) and long-term cycling over 7000 cycles.Moreover,the full cell demonstrates excellent cycling performance with capacity retention of 98%after 1000 cycles,indicating that it is a promising anode material for batteries.This method can be expanded to the design and synthesis of other thermally-stable tubular materials such as ZnS,MoS_(2),and SiO_(2).

Characterization of transient groundwater flow through a high arch dam foundation during reservoir impounding

Numerous deep underground projects have been designed and constructed in China, which are beyond the current specifications in terms of scale and construction difficulty. The severe failure problems induced by high in situ stress, such as rockburst, spalling, damage of deep surrounding rocks, and timedependent damage, were observed during construction of these projects. To address these problems, the dynamic design method for deep hard rock tunnels is proposed based on the disintegration process of surrounding rocks using associated dynamic control theories and technologies. Seven steps are basically employed：（i） determination of design objective,（ii） characteristics of site, rock mass and project, and identification of constraint conditions,（iii） selection or development of global design strategy,（iv）determination of modeling method and software,（v） preliminary design,（vi） comprehensive integrated method and dynamic feedback analysis, and（vii） final design. This dynamic method was applied to the construction of the headrace tunnels at Jinping II hydropower station. The key technical issues encountered during the construction of deep hard rock tunnels, such as in situ stress distribution along the tunnels, mechanical properties and constitutive model of deep hard rocks, determination of mechanical parameters of surrounding rocks, stability evaluation of surrounding rocks, and optimization design of rock support and lining, have been adequately addressed. The proposed method and its application can provide guidance for deep underground projects characterized with similar geological conditions.

A mussel-inspired delivery system for enhancing self-healing property of epoxy coatings

Dopamine(DA), one type of mussel-inspired biological molecules with adhesive nature and corrosion inhibitor property, are often used to functionalize the surfaces of various materials. Herein, we report the application of polydopamine(PDA) microcapsules as novel nanocontainers for the purpose, loading corrosion inhibitor(benzotriazole) in its shell structure, and then were embedded into epoxy coatings to provide self-healing and anti-corrosion protection for carbon steel. Fast release of benzotriazole in acidic environment caused by local corrosion and the chelating effect of PDA-Fe^(3+)can synergistically promote the formation of protective film on bare steel surface, which endows coatings with self-healing functionality. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS), local electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(LEIS), and spray tests were conducted to evaluate the active inhibition and corrosion resistance of the loaded coatings. The scratched coating with incorporation of nanocontainers presented better protection performance, exhibiting increased Ro(oxide layer resistance) and R ct(charge transfer resistance) during initial immersion periods. The EIS tests in long-term immersion were also performed to confirm the anti-corrosion effect of composited coatings. These results demonstrated that benzotriazole-decorated PDA capsules dramatically enhanced the self-healing properties and anti-corrosion performance of epoxy coatings with the synergistic help of PDA and benzotriazole.