Long-term performance of recycled asphalt mixtures containing high RAP and RAS

The application of reclaimed asphalt pavement(RAP)and reclaimed asphalt shingles(RAS)on asphalt pavement can reduce the asphalt paving cost,conserve energy and protect the environment.However,the use of high contents of RAP and RAS in asphalt pavement may lead to durability issues,especially the fatigue cracking and thermal cracking.It is necessary to conduct a series of analyses on asphalt mixtures containing high RAP and RAS,and seek methods to enhance their long-term performance.This paper provides a comprehensive over-view of the long-term performance of recycled asphalt mixtures containing high contents of RAP and RAS.The findings in this research show that rutting resistance of high recycled asphalt mixtures is not a concern,whereas their resistance to fatigue and thermal cracking is not conclusive.Recycling agents can be used to improve the thermal cracking resistance of high recycled asphalt mixtures.An optimum decision on recycling agents will improve the durability properties of high recycled asphalt mixtures.It is recommended that to use a balanced mixture design approach with testing of the blended asphalt binders will provide better understanding of long-term performance of recycled asphalt mixtures containing high RAP and RAS.

Boosting the Performance Gain of Ru/C for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Via Surface Engineering

The surface properties of catalysts determine the intrinsic activity and adaptability.Ruthenium is regarded as a potential candidate to substitute platinum for water electrolysis due to the low cost and analogous electronic structures while it suffers from severe dissolution and stability problems.Herein,the modification of Ru/C with atomically dispersed cobalt atoms is achieved via a simple thermal doping method.The newly formed amorphous shell with Ru-Co sites on the Ru/C catalyst improved the hydrogen evolution reaction activity and stability significantly.Impressively,the obtained Co1Ru@Ru/CN_(x)catalyst exhibited an overpotential as low as 30 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)in an alkaline medium,which is among the best HER catalysts reported so far.The oxygen oxophile Co prevents the fast oxidation and dissolution of Ru species,ensuring outstanding long-term durability up to 70 h.Theoretical calculations reveal that the Ru-Co coordination acts as a more active site for water dissociation than the Ru-Ru.Meanwhile,the"Ru-Co shell/Ru core"structures show high adaptability for the reaction conditions.This simple doping strategy offers prospects for scalable preparation of highly active electrocatalysts.

On the Polygonal Wear Evolution of Heavy-Haul Locomotive Wheels due to Wheel/Rail Flexibility and Its Mitigation Measures

Wheel polygonal wear can immensely worsen wheel/rail interactions and vibration performances of the train and track,and ultimately,lead to the shortening of service life of railway components.At present,wheel/rail medium-or high-frequency frictional interactions are perceived as an essential reason of the high-order polygonal wear of railway wheels,which are potentially resulted by the flexible deformations of the train/track system or other external excitations.In this work,the effect of wheel/rail flexibility on polygonal wear evolution of heavy-haul locomotive wheels is explored with aid of the long-term wheel polygonal wear evolution simulations,in which different flexible modeling of the heavy-haul wheel/rail coupled system is implemented.Further,the mitigation measures for the polygonal wear of heavy-haul locomotive wheels are discussed.The results point out that the evolution of polygonal wear of heavy-haul locomotive wheels can be veritably simulated with consideration of the flexible effect of both wheelset and rails.Execution of mixed-line operation of heavy-haul trains and application of multicut wheel re-profiling can effectively reduce the development of wheel polygonal wear.This research can provide a deep-going understanding of polygonal wear evolution mechanism of heavy-haul locomotive wheels and its mitigation measures.

Performance Evaluation of Low-Carbon and Clean Transformation of China’s Coal Economy

In China,the oversupply of coal occurred in 2009,and from that year onwards,China’s coal economy began a low-carbon and clean transformation.Evaluating transformation performance is the research goal of this paper.The data collection for this paper includes data on deep processing of Chinese coal products from 2009 to 2020,as well as data on asset structure evolution and financial performance of 34 listed companies in the Chinese coal mining.Entropy value method is used to calculate the entropy value of low-carbon transformation,and the regression analysis is used to study the performance of cleaner transformation,the conclusion is as follows:(1)From 2009 to 2020,in China’s total energy consumption,coal consumption accounted for 71.6%in 2009 and 56.8%in 2020,the goals set by the state have been achieved.(2)The national goal of reducing the proportion of coal consumption and reducing carbon emissions has forced the transformation of deep processing of coal products.The transformation of coal enterprises towards low-carbon and clean production has achieved remarkable results.(3)From 2009 to 2020,the non coal industry income of 34 listed companies in China’s coal mining industry increased by 8.21%annually.At the same time,the asset structure was adjusted,and nearly 80%of the asset structure evolution showed an orderly development trend.(4)The regression analysis results show that the entropy value of coal deep processing products and the entropy value of asset structure adjustment are significantly related to transformation performance.The paper proposes to summarize the successful experience of China’s coal energy economic transformation,lay a foundation for achieving the carbon peak and carbon neutral goals in the future,further increase the intensity of coal deep processing,increase the proportion of clean energy in total energy consumption,and strive to control asset operation towards the goal of increasing the proportion of non coal industry income.

Study on hydrogen evolution performance of the carbon supported PtRu alloy film electrodes

The carbon supported PtRu alloy film electrodes having Pt about 0.10 mg/cm2 or even less were prepared by ion beam sputtering method （IBSM）. It was valued on the hydrogen analyse performance, the temperature influence factor and the stability by electroanalysis hydrogen analyse method. It was found that the carbon supported PtRu alloy film electrodes had higher hydrogen evolution performance and stability, such as the hydrogen evolution exchange current density （j0） was increase as the temperature （T） rised, and it overrun 150 mA/cm2 as the trough voltage in about 0.68V, and it only had about 2.8% decline in 500 h electrolytic process. The results demonstrated that the carbon supported PtRu alloy film electrodes kept highly catalytic activity and stability, and it were successfully used in pilot plant for producing H2 on electrolysis of H2S.

Synergistic Effect of Dual-Doped Carbon on MO_(2)C Nanocrystals Facilitates Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution

Molybdenum carbide(MO_(2)C)materials are promising electrocatalysts with potential applications in hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)due to low cost and Pt-like electronic structures.Nevertheless,their HER activity is usually hindered by the strong hydrogen binding energy.Moreover,the lack of water-cleaving site's makes it difficult for the catalysts to work in alkaline solutions.Here,we designed and synthesized a B and N dual-doped carbon layer that encapsulated on MO_(2)C nanocrystals(MO_(2)C@BNC)for accelerating HER under alkaline condition.The electronic interactions between the MO_(2)C nanocrystals and the multiple-doped carbon layer endow a near-zero H adsorption Gibbs free energy on the defective C atoms over the carbon shell.Meanwhile,the introduced B atoms afford optimal H_2O adsorption sites for the water-cleaving step.Accordingly,the dual-doped MO_(2)C catalyst with synergistic effect of non-metal sites delivers superior HER performances of a low overpotential(99 mV@10 mA cm^(-2))and a small Tafel slope(58.1 mV dec^(-1))in 1 M KOH solution.Furthermore,it presents a remarkable activity that outperforming the commercial 10%Pt/C catalyst at large current density,demonstrating its applicability in industrial water splitting.This study provides a reasonable design strategy towards noble-metal-free HER catalysts with high activity.

A Long-Term Numerical Model of Morphodynamic Evolution and Its Application to the Modaomen Estuary

Because of the influence of human activities, the evolution of the Modaomen Estuary is no longer a purely natural process. We used a long-term morphodynamic model （PRD-LTMM-10） to study the evolution of the estuary from 1977 to 1988. The model incorporated modules for riprap-siltation promotion and waterway dredging. The model can simulate the morphodynamic evolutionary processes occurring in the Modaomen Estuary during the period of interest. We were able to isolate the long-term influences of various human engineering activities and the roles of natural factors in estuarine evolution. The governance projects had the largest effect on the natural development of the estuary, resulting in larger siltation on the west side. Installation of riprap and reclamation of submerged land resulted in scouring of the main Hengzhou Channel causing deep trough out-shift. Severe siltation narrowed the upper end of the Longshiku Deep Trough.

Dimensionality regulation in tin halide perovskite solar cells: Toward high performance and stability

Tin halide perovskites(THPs)have received extensive attention due to their low toxicity and excellent optoelectronic properties,and are considered to be the most promising alternatives to develop efficient lead-free perovskite solar cells.However,due to the unique and inherent characteristics of Sn^(2+)being easily oxidized to Sn^(4+)and fast crystallization,tin perovskite solar cells(TPSCs)show relatively poor performance and stability,compared to the lead counterparts.Recently,the introduction of bulky organic spacers into three-dimensional(3D)THPs for dimensional regulation can not only prevent the intrusion of water and oxygen,but also inhibit the self-doping effect and ion migration.In this review,we will detail how dimensional regulation enables TPSCs with high performance and superior stability.First,we summarize the intrinsic properties of THPs and analyze the root causes of their poor performance and instability.Next,we discuss the specific structure and types of the dimensional regulation strategy.Then,the mechanism of dimensional regulation is discussed in detail,mainly from inhibiting the Sn^(2+)oxidation,optimizing crystallization,passivating defects,and improving energy level alignment.Finally,future challenges and prospects for dimensional regulation are elaborated to help researchers develop more efficient and stable TPSCs.

Metal-organic framework derived NiFe_(2)O_(4)/FeNi_(3)@C composite for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

Reducing the cost and improving the electrocatalytic activity are the key to developing high efficiency electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Here,bimetallic NiFe-based metal-organic framework(MOF)was prepared by solvothermal method,and then used as precursor to prepare NiFe-based MOF-derived materials by pyrolysis.The effects of different metal ratios and pyrolysis temperatures on the sample structure and OER electrocatalytic performance were investigated and compared.The experimental results showed that when the metal molar ratio was Fe:Ni=1:5 and the pyrolysis temperature was 450℃,the sample(FeNi_(5)-MOF-450)exhibits a composite structure of Ni Fe_(2)O_(4)/FeNi_(3)/C and owns the superior electrocatalytic activity in OER.When the current density is 100 mA·cm^(-2),the overpotential of the sample was 377 mV with Tafel slope of 56.2 mV·dec^(-1),which indicates that FeNi_(5)-MOF-450 exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance than the commercial RuO_(2).Moreover,the long-term stability of FeNi_(5)-MOF-450 further promotes its development in OER.This work demonstrated that the regulatory methods such as component optimization can effectively improve the OER catalytic performance of NiFe-based MOF-derived materials.

Noble-Metal-Free Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts Working at High Current Densities over 1000 mA cm^(-2):From Fundamental Understanding to Design Principles

Alkaline water electrolysis provides a promising route for"green hydrogen"generation,where anodic oxygen evolution reaction(OER)plays a crucial role in coupling with cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction.To date,the development of highly active and durable OER catalysts based on earth-abundant elements has drawn wide attention;nevertheless,their performance under high current densities(HCDs≥1000 mA cm^(-2))has been less emphasized.This situation has seriously impeded large-scale electrolysis industrialization.In this review,in order to provide a guideline for designing high-performance OER electrocatalysts,the effects of HCD on catalytic performance involving electron transfer,mass transfer,and physical/chemical stability are summarized.Furthermore,the design principles were pointed out for obtaining efficient and robust OER electrocatalysts in light of recent progress of OER electrocatalysts working above 1000 mA cm^(-2).These include the aspects of developing self-supported catalytic electrodes,enhancing intrinsic activity,enhancing the catalyst-support interaction,engineering surface wettability,and introducing protective layer.Finally,summaries and outlooks in achieving OER at industrially relevant HCDs are proposed.

Evolution of Microstructure and Mechanical Property during Long-Term Aging in Udimet 720Li

Thermal stabilities of microstructure and mechanical property have been investigated on super- alloy U72OLi, which is of great interest of application for jet engine and land-based turbine disc. The results showed that, the primary and secondary γ’?particles maintain good thermal stability at 650 and 7000C with aging time up to 3000 h, while the tertiary γ’?is apparently dependent on aging temperature and time. The tertiary γ’?particles undergo a procedure of coarsening, dissolution and eventually complete disappearance with the increasing of aging time and temper- ature. They exhibit unusual high sensibility upon aging temperature, which is attributed to the lattice misfit between the γ’?precipitates and the matrix in the alloy. The grain boundary phase M23C6 remains stable without forming of sigma phase even with aging time up to 3000 h at 700℃. Microhardness decreases apparently with increasing aging time and aging temperature. Theoretical analysis based on dislocation mechanism indicates that the change of microhardness should be attributed to the evolution of the tertiary γ’?during aging.

Technical development and long-term performance observations of long-life asphalt pavement: A case study of Shandong Province

Based on the investigation of long-life asphalt pavement at home and abroad,the development of long-life asphalt pavement technology in Shandong Province,China is reviewed in this paper.The structural combination char-acteristics of typical long-life asphalt pavement in Shandong Province and their popularization and application are introduced.The application effect of combined base long-life asphalt pavement,which has been widely promoted,is evaluated.At the same time,taking the Binda perpetual pavement test road in Shandong Province as an example,the dynamic response and long-term performance evolution of long-life asphalt pavement are analyzed over a period of more than 17 years.Sections S1,S2,and S3 present information about full-depth asphalt pavement.Section S4 describes combined base asphalt pavement.The results show that the maximum strain of S1–S4 is within the endurance strain limit.S1,S2,S3 and S4 are all expected to be long-life asphalt pavements.In the current study,Sections S1–S4 were maintained in good condition during a service period of more than 17 years with no structural cracks and good deflection,rutting,and IRI indexes.The deflection index was stable without growth,and the IRI was also relatively stable following the opening to traffic.The rutting depth un-derwent a slight cumulative increase within 8 years of opening,and then stabilized.The average rutting depth over the 17-year period was less than 15 mm.Therefore,S1–S4 meet the design standards required for use as long-life pavements.From the perspectives of resource saving,energy saving,and emission reduction and service performance,full-depth asphalt pavement can be considered to represent a new generation of green and durable pavement structures with great future promotion potential.

Long-term Performance of Moderate Heat Portland Cement with Double-expansive Sources

The long-term performance of moderate heat Portland cement with double-expansive sources （DE cement） in the system of high MgO clinker and gypsum was studied by XRD, SEM/EDAX and test methods for strength and expansion of cement. Results indicate that the periclase particle, whose size was 5-7.5μm in DE cement clinker containing 4.8 % MgO, existed individually. The periclase hydration in hardened DE cement paste started at about 60 days and completed up to 2 000 days, and ettringite in the paste was stable from 3 days to 2 000 days. Under the conditions of 4.5%-5.0 % MgO in clinker and 2.8%-3.4 %SO3 in cement, ettringite expansion and brucite expansion in DE cement paste had a continuity, entirety and stability. At the ages of 90, 365,730 and 2 000 days the expansion of the paste reached 0.07%-0.11%, 0.16%-0.21%, 0.21%-0.27 %, and 0.29%-0.38%, respectively. The results suggest that by using this cement in mass concrete it may compensate its temperature shrinkage and autogenous shrinkage to some extent.

Full-scale multi-functional test platform for investigating mechanical performance of track–subgrade systems of high-speed railways

Motivated by the huge practical engineering demand for the fundamental understanding of mechanical characteristics of high-speed railway infrastructure,a fullscale multi-functional test platform for high-speed railway track–subgrade system is developed in this paper,and its main functions for investigating the mechanical performance of track–subgrade systems are elaborated with three typical experimental examples.Comprising the full-scale subgrade structure and all the five types of track structures adopted in Chinese high-speed railways,namely the CRTS I,the CRTS II and the CRTS III ballastless tracks,the double-block ballastless track and the ballasted track,the test platform is established strictly according to the construction standard of Chinese high-speed railways.Three kinds of effective loading methods are employed,including the real bogie loading,multi-point loading and the impact loading.Various types of sensors are adopted in different components of the five types of track–subgrade systems to measure the displacement,acceleration,pressure,structural strain and deformation,etc.Utilizing this test platform,both dynamic characteristics and long-term performance evolution of high-speed railway track–subgrade systems can be investigated,being able to satisfy the actual demand for large-scale operation of Chinese high-speed railways.As examples,three typical experimental studies are presented to elucidate the comprehensive functionalities of the full-scale multi-functional test platform for exploring the dynamic performance and its long-term evolution of ballastless track systems and for studying the long-term accumulative settlement of the ballasted track–subgrade system in high-speed railways.Some interesting phenomena and meaningful results are captured by the developed test platform,which provide a useful guidance for the scientific operation and maintenance of high-speed railway infrastructure.

Understanding of performance degradation of LiNi0.80Co0.10Mn0.10O2 cathode material operating at high potentials

Inferior cycling stability, poor safety, and gas generation are long lasting problems of Ni-rich Li Ni0.80 Co0.10 Mn0.10 O2(NCM811) cathode material. Although much effort has been made, mechanisms for the above problems are poorly understood. Studying the cycling and float-charging characteristics of Li/NCM811 cells in high voltage conditions(4.5 V and 4.7 V, respectively), in this work we find that nearly all known problems with NCM811 material can be attributed to the oxidation of lattice oxygen occurring in the capacity region corresponding to H2 → H3 phase transition. While contributing to overall capacity,the oxidation of lattice oxygen results in a loss of oxygen through oxygen evolution and relative reactions between active oxygen evolution intermediates and electrolyte solvents. It is the loss of oxygen that results in irreversible layered-spinel-rocksalt phase transition, secondary particle cracking, and performance degradation. The conclusions of this work suggest that the priority for further research on NCM811 material should give to the suppression of oxygen evolution, followed by the use of the anti-oxygen electrolyte being chemically stable against the active oxygen evolution intermediates.

Synthesis of new EVA graft copolymer and its pour point depressant performance evaluation for Daqing crude oil

EVA was widely used as the pour point depressant for waxy oil.In order to improve its effect,some graft copolymerization methods should be used to modify EVA's property.EVA has long side chains and nitrogen polar groups to enforce its adaptability and effect of waxy oil.The pure amine,maleicanhydride and their reaction product were tested using infrared spectra and the NMR spectral.The results show that when the modified EVA is added into oil,the wax deposits not only on the main chain but also on the side chains.And the polar groups have the function to avoid and resist the wax crystals connection each other to form the net.Using the reaction product of maleicanhydride and high carbonic amine(C12,C16,C18 amine) as the graft component,the toluene as the solvent and BPO as the initiator,the series of new EVA graft copolymer with special side chains are prepared under controlled condition.A series of cylmaleimide exist indeed in modified EVA and the highest grafted percentage is 18.8%.EVA-16,the new graft copolymer,is better than EVA about 3 ℃ more in depressant the pour-point of Daqing waxy crude oil.

Engineering Ruthenium-Based Electrocatalysts for Effective Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

The investigation of highly effective,durable,and cost-effective electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)is a prerequisite for the upcoming hydrogen energy society.To establish a new hydrogen energy system and gradually replace the traditional fossil-based energy,electrochemical water-splitting is considered the most promising,environmentally friendly,and efficient way to produce pure hydrogen.Compared with the commonly used platinum(Pt)-based catalysts,ruthenium(Ru)is expected to be a good alternative because of its similar hydrogen bonding energy,lower water decomposition barrier,and considerably lower price.Analyzing and revealing the HER mechanisms,as well as identifying a rational design of Ru-based HER catalysts with desirable activity and stability is indispensable.In this review,the research progress on HER electrocatalysts and the relevant describing parameters for HER performance are briefly introduced.Moreover,four major strategies to improve the performance of Ru-based electrocatalysts,including electronic effect modulation,support engineering,structure design,and maximum utilization(single atom)are discussed.Finally,the challenges,solutions and prospects are highlighted to prompt the practical applications of Rubased electrocatalysts for HER.

Evolutionary Trajectory Planning for an Industrial Robot

This paper presents a novel general method for computing optimal motions of an industrial robot manipulator （AdeptOne XL robot） in the presence of fixed and oscillating obstacles. The optimization model considers the nonlinear manipulator dynamics, actuator constraints, joint limits, and obstacle avoidance. The problem has 6 objective functions, 88 variables, and 21 constraints. Two evolutionary algorithms, namely, elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm （NSGA-II） and multi-objective differential evolution （MODE）, have been used for the optimization. Two methods （normalized weighting objective functions and average fitness factor） are used to select the best solution tradeoffs. Two multi-objective performance measures, namely solution spread measure and ratio of non-dominated individuals, are used to evaluate the Pareto optimal fronts. Two multi-objective performance measures, namely, optimizer overhead and algorithm effort, are used to find the computational effort of the optimization algorithm. The trajectories are defined by B-spline functions. The results obtained from NSGA-II and MODE are compared and analyzed.

A Study of the Structural Evolution and Strength Damage Mechanisms of PishaSandstone Cement Soil Modified with Fly Ash

In the present study,in order to investigate the effects of fly ash on the structural evolution and strength damage mechanism of Pisha-sandstone cement soil,unconfined compressive strength tests of Pisha-sandstone cement soil with different fly ash content levels and various ages were carried out.The apparent morphology,microstructures,and chemical compositions of the samples were observed and analyzed using ultra-depth three-dimensional microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,and XRD methods.The results revealed that the unconfined compressive strength levels of Pisha-sandstone cement soil samples displayed increasing trends with the increases in fly ash content and age.For example,when the fly ash content levels were increased from 12%to 15%,the strength of Pisha-sandstone cement soil had only slightly increased under the curing ages of 7,28,and 60 days.In addition,the unconfined compressive strength levels of the samples with 15%fly ash content only increased 0.02%,0.51%,and 0.54%,respectively,when compared with the samples containing 12%fly ash.It was observed that with the increases in the fly ash content,the number of pores on the outer surfaces of the samples were significantly reduced.Also,the height differences of cross-sectional gullies were reduced,and the apparent morphology was observed to be flatter.Since cement hydration creates a strong alkaline environment for reaction systems,the active degrees of the pozzolanic reactions of the fly ash were stimulated in this study.Moreover,a significant amount of the C-S-H gel phase and the stable five-membered ring structure of the mordenite and ettringite were generated,which connected the loose Pisha-sandstone particles to form a skeleton.The internal microstructures were then observed to be denser and more uniform.At the same time,the micro-pores were filled and refined by the unreacted micro-bead fly ash.Consequently,the defects in the internal microstructures were improved.Also,based on the Weibull distribution,a damage evolution model of the Pisha-sandstone cement soil was established.The analysis results of the damage variable D values during the initial damage stage,damage evolution stage,and residual damage stage of the damage process showed that the damage variables during all three stages displayed decreasing trends with the increases in the fly ash content levels and age.Therefore,based on this study’s findings,it was considered that the incorporation of fly ash could effectively improve the damage degrees of Pisha-sandstone cement soil under external force conditions.

Enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction in Sr doped BiFeO_(3) by achieving the coexistence of ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism at room temperature

The perovskite transition metal oxide(TMO) has been considered in electrocatalysis for the modern clean energy technologies as its high electrochemical activity and low cost. The atomic scale engineering to the local stoichiometry of single crystal TMO provides a clue of the relation between electronic structure and catalytic performance. Here we report a hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) activity enhancement ~ 1761% of Bi_(0.85)Sr_(0.15)FeO_3 compared to the pure BiFeO_3. By the systemic investigation of the Sr doping level of Bi_(1-x)Sr_xFeO_3(BSFO), it is found that the HER enhancement originates from the improvement of ferromagnetism of BSFO without obvious scarification of the ferroelectricity at the room temperature. The multiple ferroic orderings in BSFO are beneficial for HER activity, which offers the strengthen of hybridization of Fe 3d and O2 p orbitals from the view of ferromagnetism, and the assistance of electron drift by spontaneous electric polarization. Our study not only affords the strategy of developing multiple ferroic orderings in TMO, but also facilitates the atomic scale understanding of the improved HER activity.