An in-situ self-etching enabled high-power electrode for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Sluggish storage kinetics is considered as the main bottleneck of cathode materials for fast-charging aqueous zinc-ion batteries(AZIBs).In this report,we propose a novel in-situ self-etching strategy to unlock the Palm tree-like vanadium oxide/carbon nanofiber membrane(P-VO/C)as a robust freestanding electrode.Comprehensive investigations including the finite element simulation,in-situ X-ray diffraction,and in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy disclosed it an electrochemically induced phase transformation mechanism from VO to layered Zn_(x)V_(2)O_5·nH_(2)O,as well as superior storage kinetics with ultrahigh pseudocapacitive contribution.As demonstrated,such electrode can remain a specific capacity of 285 mA h g^(-1)after 100 cycles at 1 A g^(-1),144.4 mA h g^(-1)after 1500 cycles at 30 A g^(-1),and even 97 mA h g^(-1)after 3000 cycles at 60 A g^(-1),respectively.Unexpectedly,an impressive power density of 78.9 kW kg^(-1)at the super-high current density of 100 A g^(-1)also can be achieved.Such design concept of in-situ self-etching free-standing electrode can provide a brand-new insight into extending the pseudocapacitive storage limit,so as to promote the development of high-power energy storage devices including but not limited to AZIBs.

Syntheses and properties of associative acrylamide copolymers containing short hydrophobic chains used in a friction reducer for slick-water fracturing

Two allyldimethylalkyl quaternary ammonium salt(AQAS)monomers,N,N-dimethylallylphenylpropylammonium bromide(AQAS1)and N,N-dimethylallylnonylammonium bromide(AQAS2),were synthesized and used to prepare modified polyacrylamide materials.Two new drag reducers were synthesized from acrylamide(AM),sodium acrylate(Na AA)and a cationic modified monomer(AQAS1 or AQAS2)via aqueous solution polymerization,and the copolymers were named P(AM/Na AA/AQAS1)and P(AM/Na AA/AQAS2),respectively.The structures of the drag reduction agents were confirmed by IR and1H NMR spectroscopies.The molecular weight(Mw)of P(AM/Na AA/AQAS1)was 1.79×10^(6)g/mol.When the copolymer concentration was 1000 mg/L and the flow rate was 45 L/min,in fresh water the highest drag reduction rate was 75.8%,in 10,000 mg/L Na Cl solution the drag reduction rate decreased to 72.9%.The molecular weight of P(AM/Na AA/AQAS2)was 3.17×10^(6)g/mol.When the copolymer concentration was500 mg/L and the flow rate was 45 L/min,the drag reduction rate reached 75.2%,and in 10,000 mg/L Na Cl solution the drag reduction rate was 73.3%,decreased by approximately 1.9%.The drag reduction rate for partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide(HPAM)was also investigated,and the results showed that the drag reduction rates for 500 and 1000 mg/L HPAM solutions were merely 43.2%and 49.0%in brine,respectively.Compared with HPAM,both of the above copolymers presented better drag reduction capacities.

A micro-crosslinked amphoteric hydrophobic association copolymer as high temperature-and salt-resistance fluid loss reducer for water-based drilling fluids

During ultradeep oil and gas drilling,fluid loss reducers are highly important for water-based drilling fluids,while preparing high temperature-and salt-resistance fluid loss reducers with excellent rheology and filtration performance remains a challenge.Herein,a micro-crosslinked amphoteric hydrophobic association copolymer(i.e.,DADC)was synthesized using N,N-dimethyl acrylamide,diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride,2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid,hydrophobic monomer,and pentaerythritol triallyl ether crosslinker.Due to the synergistic effects of hydrogen bonds,electrostatic interaction,hydrophobic association,and micro-crosslinking,the DADC copolymer exhibited outstanding temperature-and salt-resistance.The rheological experiments have shown that the DADC copolymer had excellent shear dilution performance and a certain degree of salt-responsive viscosity-increasing performance.The DADC copolymer could effectively adsorb on the surface of bentonite particles through electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonds,which bring more negative charge to the bentonite,thus improving the hydration and dispersion of bentonite particles as well as the colloidal stability of the drilling fluids.Moreover,the drilling fluids constructed based on the DADC copolymer exhibited satisfactory rheological and filtration properties(FLHTHP=12 m L)after aging at high temperatures(up to200℃)and high salinity(saturated salt)environments.Therefore,this work provided new insights into designing and fabricating high-performance drilling fluid treatment agents,demonstrating good potential applications in deep and ultradeep drilling engineering.

Roller Screw and Threaded Chain Speed Reducer: An Experimental Evaluation

We are developing a speed reducer that can be considered a transformation of a worm gear reducer: the worm is replaced by an inverted roller screw, and the gear is replaced by a threaded chain drive. This configuration lessens wear, increases load capacity, and improves efficiency. The threaded chain consists of nut-shaped links. This paper presents the results of tests carried out on a prototype with a reduction ratio of 46.

基于REDUCE理论的高校图书馆服务营销高质量发展研究

在高校图书馆高质量发展的背景下,服务营销高质量发展是提升图书馆服务利用效率,助力图书馆整体内涵式变革的重要举措。面向高校图书馆服务营销效能的提升需要,结合REDUCE理论创新高校图书馆服务营销理念,从心理抗拒、禀赋效应、距离、不确定性和补强证据五个维度分析高校用户利用图书馆服务的决策障碍,提出相对应的用户决策障碍化解路径指南,旨在为图书馆服务营销行动的高质量开展提供方法指引,有效促进用户利用图书馆服务,提升图书馆用户服务的核心价值。

An open-end high-power microwave-induced fracturing system for hard rock

Microwave pre-treatment is considered as a promising technique for alleviating cutter wear. This paper introduces a high-power microwave-induced fracturing system for hard rock. The test system consists of a high-power microwave subsystem (100 kW), a true triaxial testing machine, a dynamic monitoring subsystem, and an electromagnetic shielding subsystem. It can realize rapid microwave-induced fracturing, intelligent tuning of impedance, dynamic feedback under strong microwave fields, and active control of microwave parameters by addressing the following issues: the instability and insecurity of the system, the discharge breakdown between coaxial lines during high-power microwave output, and a lack of feedback of rock-microwave response. In this study, microwave-induced surface and borehole fracturing tests under true triaxial stress were carried out. Experimental comparisons imply that high-power microwave irradiation can reduce the fracturing time of hard rock and that the fracture range (160 mm) of a 915-MHz microwave source is about three times that of 2.45 GHz. After microwave-induced borehole fracturing, many tensile cracks occur on the rock surface and in the borehole: the maximum reduction of the P-wave velocity is 12.8%. The test results show that a high-power microwave source of 915 MHz is more conducive to assisting mechanical rock breaking and destressing. The system can promote the development of microwave-assisted rock breaking equipment.

Impact of amplified spontaneous emission noise on the SRS threshold of high-power fiber amplifiers

Impact of amplified spontaneous emission(ASE)noise on the stimulated Raman scattering(SRS)threshold of highpower fiber amplifiers is demonstrated numerically through a spectral evolution approach.The simulation results confirm that ASE noise in the Raman wavelength band could reduce the SRS threshold of high-power fiber amplifiers significantly.As for ASE noise originated the main amplifier,it becomes stronger and reduces the SRS threshold at shorter operation wavelength below 1052 nm.As for ASE noise originated from the seed laser,it reduces the SRS threshold at different operation wavelength under the condition that the Raman ratio is over-90 dB in the seed laser.The theoretical method and results in this work could provide a well reference to extend the operation wavelength of high-power fiber lasers.

Subsea Compensation of Pressure Based on Reducer Bellows

In this study,the pressure compensation mechanism of a reducer bellows is analyzed.This device is typically used to reduce the size of undersea instruments and improve related pressure resistance and sealing capabilities.Here,its axial stiffness is studied through a multi-fold approach based on theory,simulations and experiments.The results indicate that the mechanical strength of the reducer bellows,together with the oil volume and temperature are the main factors influencing its performances.In particular,the wall thickness,wave number,middle distance,and wave height are the most influential parameters.For a certain type of reducer bellows,the compensation capacity attains a maximum when the wave number ratio is between 6:6 and 8:4,the wall thickness is 0.3 mm,and the wave height is between 4–5 mm and 5–6 mm.Moreover,the maximum allowable ambient pres-sure of the optimized reducer bellows can reach 62.6 MPa without failure,and the maximum working water depth is 6284 m.

On the Mean Value of High-Powers of a Special Character Sum Modulo a Prime

In this paper,we use the elementary methods,the properties of Dirichlet character sums and the classical Gauss sums to study the estimation of the mean value of high-powers for a special character sum modulo a prime,and derive an exact computational formula.It can be conveniently programmed by the“Mathematica”software,by which we can get the exact results easily.

Synthesis and Performance of an Associative Anti-shear Drag Reducer Based on Hydrogen Bond Association of Dodecyl Methacrylate

Using K2S2O8-Na2SO3 as the redox initiation system,a hydrogen-bond-association-based dodecyl methacrylate system associative anti-shear drag reducer was synthesised by standard emulsion polymerisation.The reaction process was simple and gentle as well as safe and stable.Molecular design was carried out using molecular dynamics simulation methods.The results of infrared spectroscopy,thermogravimetric analysis,differential scanning calorimetry,gel chromatography,and laser light scattering showed that the reaction polymerisation was relatively complete,the product was uniform,the molecular weight distribution was controllable,and the synthesised polymer had good flexibility.The donor lauryl methacrylate-styrene-methacrylic acid(LMA-St-MAA)and acceptor lauryl methacrylate-styrene-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate(LMA-St-DMA)polymers had an associative intermolecular interaction force,which increased the molecular cluster size of the associative system complex.The complex had good shear resistance,and the test results of the tube pump shear test showed that the synthesised associative oil-soluble polymer drag reduction system exhibited better drag reduction rate performance than poly-α-olefins over repeated cycles.The research results provide a reference plan for minimising the number of station-to-station inputs,thereby ensuring the stability of oil pipelines and reducing transportation costs.

Preparation of Poly-α-Olefin Microcapsule Particles Coated with Polyurethane as a Drag Reducer Based on Interface Polymerization

The molecular behavior of polyurethane(PU)coating materials during the surface adsorption of poly-α-olefin as a drag reducing polymer was explored by a molecular dynamics simulation.Three different PU capsule wall materials were synthesized using two reaction monomers,and a poly-α-olefin/PU drag reducer microcapsule was prepared based on interface polymerization.The structure,morphology,thermal stability,compressive strength,and drag reduction performance of the microcapsules were characterized and compared.The results showed that a non-bonding interaction induced the adsorption of the PU coating material,poly-α-olefin and PU then fused at the interface,and the PU coating material was embedded into the inner grooves of poly-α-olefin in the form of a local mosaic,thereby forming a stable core–shell structure.The morphological characterization indicated that PU and poly-α-olefin could form microcapsule structures.The thermal decomposition temperature of the microcapsule was dependent on the type of capsule wall material.The microcapsule structure had a slight effect on poly-α-olefin drag reduction.The system enabled poly-α-olefin to exist in powdered particles through microcapsulation,and had a good dispersion effect that facilitated storage and transport processes.The method effectively inhibited the accumulation and bonding of poly-α-olefin at room temperature.

Aggregation-regulated bioreduction process of graphene oxide by Shewanella bacteria

The bioreduction of graphene oxide(GO)using environmentally functional bacteria such as Shewanella represents a green approach to produce reduced graphene oxide(rGO).This process differs from the chemical reduction that involves instantaneous molecular reactions.In bioreduction,the contact of bacterial cells and GO is considered the rate-limiting step.To reveal how the bacteria-GO integration regulates rGO production,the comparative experiments of GO and three Shewanella strains were carried out.Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,Raman spectroscopy,and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the reduction degree and the aggregation degree.The results showed that a spontaneous aggregation of GO and Shewanella into the condensed entity occurred within 36 h.A positive linear correlation was established,linking three indexes of the aggregation potential,the bacterial reduction ability,and the reduction degree(ID/IG)comprehensively.

Magnesium fertilizer application increases peanut growth and pod yield under reduced nitrogen application in southern China

This study investigated the effect of magnesium application on peanut growth and yield under two nitrogen(N)application rates in acidic soil in southern China.The chlorophyll content,net photosynthetic rate and dry matter accumulation of the N-sensitive cultivar decreased under reduced N treatments,whereas no effect was observed on the relevant indicators in the N-insensitive variety GH1026.Mg application increased the net photosynthetic rate by increasing the expression of genes involved in chlorophyll synthesis and Rubisco activity in the leaves during the pegging stage under 50%N treatment,while no effect on the net photosynthetic rate was observed under the 100%N treatment.The rate of dry matter accumulation at the early growth stage,total dry matter accumulation and pod yield at harvest increased after Mg application under 50%N treatment by increasing the transportation of assimilates from stems and leaves to pods in both peanut varieties,whereas no effect was found under 100%N treatment.Moreover,Mg application increased the NUE under 50%N treatment.No improvement of NUE in either peanut variety was found under 100%N treatment,while Mg application under the 50%N treatment can obtain a higher economic benefit than the 100%N treatment.In acidic soil,application of 307.5 kg ha^(-1)of Mg sulfate fertilizer under 50%reduced nitrogen application is a suitable fertilizer management measure for improving carbon assimilation,NUE and achieve high peanut yields in southern China.

MATRICES OVER A REDUCED RING AS SUMS OF THREE TRIPOTENTS

In this paper,we study reduced rings in which every element is a sum of three tripotents that commute,and determine the integral domains over which every n£n matrix is a sum of three tripotents.It is proved that for an integral domain R,every matrix in M_(n)(R)is a sum of three tripotents if and only if R■Zp with p=2,3,5 or 7.

Ultrahydrophobic melamine sponge via interfacial modification with reduced graphene oxide/titanium dioxide nanocomposite and polydimethylsiloxane for oily wastewater treatment

Three-dimensional(3D)porous absorbents have attracted significant attention in the oily wastewater treatment technology due to their high porosity and elasticity.Given their amphiphilic surface,they have a propensity to simultaneously absorb water and oil,which restricts their range of applications.In this study,a reduced graphene oxide and titanium dioxide nanocomposite(rGO/TiO_(2))was used to fabricate an ultra-hydrophobic melamine sponge(MS)through interfacial modification using a solution immersion technique.To further modify it,poly-dimethylsiloxane(PDMS)was grafted onto its surface to establish stronger covalent bonds with the composite.The water contact angle of the sponge(rGO/TiO_(2)/PDMS/MS)was 164.2°,which satisfies the condition for ultrahydrophobicity.The evidence of its water repellency was demonstrated by the Cassie-Baxter theory and the lotus leaf effect.As a result of the increased density of rGO/TiO_(2)/PDMS/MS,it recorded an initial capacity that was 2 g/g lower than the raw MS for crude oil absorption.The raw MS retained 53% of its initial absorption capacity after 20 cycles of absorption,while rGO/TiO_(2)/PDMS/MS retained 97%,suggesting good recyclability.Excellent oil and organic solvent recovery(90%-96%)was demonstrated by rGO/TiO_(2)/PDMS/MS in oil-water combinations.In a continuous separation system,it achieved a remarkable separation efficiency of 2.4×10^(6)L/(m^(3)·h),and in turbulent emulsion separation,it achieved a demulsification efficiency of 90%-91%.This study provides a practical substitute for massive oil spill cleaning.

New UN initiative to reduce disaster risk with AI

A new United Nations initiative aims to ensure that advanced digital technologies in fields such as artificial intelligence(AI)boost resilience to natural hazards and reduce disaster risks.

A guidance and control design with reduced information for a dual-spin stabilized projectile

In this paper,an integrated guidance and control method based on an adaptive path-following controller is proposed to control a spin-stabilized projectile with only translational motion information under the constraint of an actuator,uncertainties in aerodynamic parameters and measurements,and control system complexity.Owing to the fairly high rotation speed,the dynamic model of this missile is strongly nonlinear,uncertain and coupled in pitch,yaw and roll channels.A theoretical equivalent resultant force and uncertainty compensation method are comprehensively used to realize decoupling of pitch and yaw.In response to the strong nonlinear and time-varying characteristics of the dynamic system,the quasi-linear model whose parameters are obtained by interpolation of points selected as the segmentation points in the trajectory envelope,is used for calculation in each step.To cope with the system uncertainty caused by model approximation,parameter uncertainty and ballistic interference,an extended state estimator is used to compensate the output feedback according to the test ballistic angle.In order to improve the tracking efficiency and ensure the tracking error convergence with only translational motion information,the virtual guide point,whose derivative is deduced according to the Lyapunov principle,is calculated in real time according to the projection relationship between the real-time position and the reference trajectory,and a virtual line-of-sight angle and the backstepping method are used for the design of the guidance and control system.In order to avoid the influence of control input saturation on the guidance and control performance due to the actuator limitation and improve the robustness of the system,an anti-saturation compensator is designed according to the two-step method.The feasibility and effectiveness of the path-following controller is verified through closed-loop flight simulations with measurement,control,and condition uncertainties.The results indicate that the designed controller can converge to the reference path and evidently decrease the distance between the impact point and target under different uncertainties.

Preparation and performance evaluation of the slickwater using novel polymeric drag reducing agent with high temperature and shear resistance ability

Slickwater fracturing fluids are widely used in the development of unconventional oil and gas resources due to the advantages of low cost,low formation damage and high drag reduction performance.However,their performance is severely affected at high temperatures.Drag reducing agent is the key to determine the drag reducing performance of slickwater.In this work,in order to further improve the temperature resistance of slickwater,a temperature-resistant polymeric drag reducing agent(PDRA)was synthesized and used as the basis for preparing the temperature-resistant slickwater.The slickwater system was prepared with the compositions of 0.2 wt%PDRA,0.05 wt%drainage aid nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether phosphate(NPEP)and 0.5 wt%anti-expansion agent polyepichlorohydrindimethylamine(PDM).The drag reduction ability,rheology properties,temperature and shear resistance ability,and core damage property of slickwater were systematically studied and evaluated.In contrast to on-site drag reducing agent(DRA)and HPAM,the temperature-resistant slickwater demonstrates enhanced drag reduction efficacy at 90℃,exhibiting superior temperature and shear resistance ability.Notably,the drag reduction retention rate for the slickwater achieved an impressive 90.52%after a 30-min shearing period.Additionally,the core damage is only 5.53%.We expect that this study can broaden the application of slickwater in high-temperature reservoirs and provide a theoretical basis for field applications.

Development of Direct Reduced Iron in China:Challenges and Pathways

The steel industry is considered an important basic sector of the national economy,and its high energy consumption and carbon emissions make it a major contributor to climate change,especially in China.The majority of crude steel in China is produced via the energy-and carbon-intensive blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace(BF–BOF)route,which greatly relies on coking coal.In recent years,China’s steel sector has made significant progress in energy conservation and emission reduction,driven by decarbonization policies and regulations.However,due to the huge output of crude steel,the steel sector still produces 15%of the total national CO_(2) emissions.The direct reduced iron(DRI)plus scrap–electric arc furnace(EAF)process is currently considered a good alternative to the conventional route as a means of reducing CO_(2) emissions and the steel industry’s reliance on iron ore and coking coal,since the gas-based DRI plus scrap–EAF route is expected to be more promising than the coal-based one.Unfortunately,almost no DRI is produced in China,seriously restricting the development of the EAF route.Here,we highlight the challenges and pathways of the future development of DRI,with a focus on China.In the short term,replacing natural gas with coke oven gas(COG)and byproduct gas from the integrated refining and chemical sector is a more economically feasible and cleaner way to develop a gas-based route in China.As the energy revolution proceeds,using fossil fuels in combination with carbon capture,utilization,and storage(CCUS)and hydrogen will be a good alternative due to the relatively low cost.In the long term,DRI is expected to be produced using 100%hydrogen from renewable energy.Both the development of deep processing technologies and the invention of a novel binder are required to prepare high-quality pellets for direct reduction(DR),and further research on the one-step gas-based process is necessary.

Development of a Novel Noise Reduction Algorithm for Smart Checkout RFID System in Retail Stores

This paper presents a smart checkout system designed to mitigate the issues of noise and errors present in the existing barcode and RFID-based systems used at retail stores’checkout counters.This is achieved by integrating a novel AI algorithm,called Improved Laser Simulator Logic(ILSL)into the RFID system.The enhanced RFID system was able to improve the accuracy of item identification,reduce noise interference,and streamline the overall checkout process.The potential of the systemfor noise detection and elimination was initially investigated through a simulation study usingMATLAB and ILSL algorithm.Subsequently,it was deployed in a small-scale environment to validate its real-world performance.Results show that RFID with the proposed new algorithm ILSL and AI basket is capable of accurately detecting the related itemswhile eliminating noise originating fromunrelated objects,achieving an accuracy rate of 88%.