Silk fibroin-based biopolymer composite binders with gradient binding energy and strong adhesion force for high-performance micro-sized silicon anodes

Micro-sized silicon anodes have shown much promise in large-scale industrial production of high-energy lithium batteries.However,large volume change(>300%)of silicon anodes causes severe particle pulverization and the formation of unstable solid electrolyte interphases during cycling,leading to rapid capacity decay and short cycle life of lithium-ion batteries.When addressing such issues,binder plays key roles in obtaining good structural integrity of silicon anodes.Herein,we report a biopolymer composite binder composed of rigid poly(acrylic acid)(PAA)and flexible silk fibroin(SF)tailored for micro-sized silicon anodes.The PAA/SF binder shows robust gradient binding energy via chemical interactions between carboxyl and amide groups,which can effectively accommodate large volume change of silicon.This PAA/SF binder also shows much stronger adhesion force and improved binding towards high-surface/defective carbon additives,resulting in better electrochemical stability and higher coulombic efficiency,than conventional PAA binder.As such,micro-sized silicon/carbon anodes fabricated with novel PAA/SF binder exhibit much better cyclability(up to 500 cycles at 0.5 C)and enhanced rate capability compared with conventional PAA-based anodes.This work provides new insights into the design of functional binders for high-capacity electrodes suffering from large volume change for the development of nextgeneration lithium batteries.

Improving the wear resistance of plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO)coatings applied on Mg and its alloys under the addition of nano-and micro-sized additives into the electrolytes:A review

As an efficient surface modification approach,the plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO)technique can boost the capability of wear protection in Mg and its alloys by applying a hard and thick ceramic coating.In this procedure,more efficient protection can be acquired via adding additives(in the form of particle,powder,sheet,etc.)into solutions and producing composite coatings.These additives result in more efficient protection against wear via getting stuck in the cracks and pores of coatings and rising the thickness,hardness,and diminishing the porosity size and content.The efficiency of each additive can be changed owing to its intrinsic properties like melting point,size,participation type(reactive,partly reactive,or inert)and potential of zeta.In this review,the effects of distinct additives in nano-and micro-scale size on wear behavior of PEO coatings on Mg and its alloys is going to be reviewed.

Preparation of micro-sized and uniform spherical Ag powders by novel wet-chemical method

A novel wet-chemical method was presented for the preparation of the micro-sized and uniform spherical Ag powders on a mass-production scale.The well-defined particles were synthesized by mixing the iron(II) sulfate heptahydrate solution with silver nitrate solution directly by high-speed stirring at room temperature.It is found that a large number of micro-sized and uniform spherical particles with rough surfaces are obtained.The mass ratio of iron(II) sulfate heptahydrate to silver nitrate greatly affects the shape of particles,and when it is relatively low,spherical particles cannot be obtained.The reaction temperature has a great impact on the particle size.As the reaction temperature increases from 8 to 15°C,the mean diameter of particles decreases from 3.5 to 1.6 μm.The additive n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone improves the surface smoothness and compactness of the particles while the particle size is kept unchanged.Scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffractometry and energy dispersive X-ray analysis were used to characterize the particle products.

ULTRASONIC SEPARATION OF MICRO-SIZED INCLUSIONS IN MOLTEN METAL

The coagulation time and position of micro-sized non-metallic inclusions in molten metal during ultrasonic separation process were investigated, and the motion course of micro-sized non-metallic inclusions in an ultrasonic standing wave field was numerically simulated. The results of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation show that the movement of inclusions depends on the balance between the acoustic radiation force, effective buoyancy force and viscous drag force. It is presented that micro-sized inclusions, agglomerated at antinode-planes may be removed further with horizon tal ultrasound.``

In-plane micro-sized energy storage devices:From device fabrication to integration and intelligent designs

The rapid development of micro-electronics raises the demand of their power sources to be simplified,miniaturized and highly integratable with other electronics on a chip.In-plane Micro-sized energy storage devices(MESDs),which are composed of interdigitated electrodes on a single chip,have aroused particular attentions since they could be easily integrated with other miniaturized electronics,reducing the complexity of overall chip design via removing complex interconnections with bulky power sources.This review highlights the achievements in the device fabrication of in-plane MESDs,as well as their integration and intelligent designs.We also discussed the current challenges and future perspectives for the development of in-plane MESDs.

Experiments and computer simulation analysis of impact behaviors of micro-sized abrasive in waterjet cutting of thin multiple layered materials

The abrasive waterjet (AWJ) is now widely used in the advanced cutting processes of polymers,metals,glass,ceramics and composite materials like thin multiple-layered material (TMM).Various research and development efforts have recently been made to understand the science of AWJ.However,the interaction mechanism between a workpiece and high-velocity abrasive particles still remains a complicated problem.In this work,the material removal mechanisms of AWJ such as micro penetration and micro dent were experimentally investigated.In addition,a new computer simulation model considering high strain rate effect was proposed to understand the micro impact behavior of high-velocity micro-sized abrasives in AWJ cutting.

Wettability Control between Oleophobic/Superhydrophilic and Superoleophilic/Superhydrophobic Characteristics on the Modified Surface Treated with Fluoroalkyl End-Capped Oligomers/Micro-Sized Polystyrene Particle Composites

Fluoroalkyl end-capped vinyltrimethoxysilane-N,N-dimethylacrylamide cooligomer [RF-(CH2-CHSi(OMe)3)x-(CH2-CHC(=O)NMe2)y-RF;RF = CF(CF3)OC3F7: RF-(VM)x-(DMAA)y-RF] was synthesized by reaction of fluoroalkanoyl peroxide [RF-C(=O)O-O(O=)C-RF] with vinyltrimethoxysilane (VM) and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA). The modified glass surface treated with the cooligomeric nanoparticles [RF-(VM-SiO3/2)x-(DMAA)y-RF] prepared under the sol-gel reaction of the cooligomer under alkaline conditions was found to exhibit an oleophobic/superhydrophilic property, although the corresponding fluorinated homooligomeric nanoparticles [RF-(VM-SiO3/2)n-RF] afforded an oleophobic/hydrophobic property on the modified surface under similar conditions. RF-(VM-SiO3/2)n-RF/RF-(VM-SiO3/2)x-(DMAA)y-RF/PSt (micro-sized polystyrene particles) composites, which were prepared by the sol-gel reactions of the corresponding homooligomer and cooligomer in the presence of PSt particle under alkaline conditions, provided an oleophobic/superhydrophilic property on the modified surface. However, it was demonstrated that the surface wettability on the modified surface treated with the RF-(VM-SiO3/2)n-RF/RF-(VM-SiO3/2)x-(DMAA)y-RF/PSt composites changes dramatically from oleophobic/superhydrophilic to superoleophilic/superhydrophilic and superoleophilic/superhydrophobic characteristics, increasing with greater feed ratios (mg/mg) of the RF-(VM)n-RF homooligomer in homooligomer/cooligomer from 0 to 100 in the preparation of the composites. Such controlled surfac

Micro-sized nanoaggregates:Spray-drying-assisted fabrication and applications

The applications of nanoparticles suffer from their extremely small size and intrinsic trend of agglom-eration.Rearranging nanoparticles to form micro-sized nanoaggregates(MNAs)with increased size,ordered structure,as well as controllable size,shape,and morphology is a crucial step in various fields of science and technology to maintain the unique characteristics of nanoparticles while obtaining greatly enhanced or new performance at the microscale.The structure of MNAs prominently affects their functionality,which is determined by the arrangement of nanoparticles and the interaction between primary particles.Several methods have been proposed to prepare the MNAs,in which spray-drying technology stands out considering the feasibility,scalability for industry,cost,and efficiency.Forced assembly of nanoparticles through spray-drying under tunable process parameters yields diverse physical properties and structural arrangements of nanoparticles of the MNAs,they therefore exhibit enormous potential in a wide range of application fields.This review presents the construction and applications of spray-dried MNAs.The factors that influence the size,morphology,and structure of the MNAs are discussed in detail.In addition,the outstanding application performance resulting from the tightly packed nanoparticles in regular-shaped MNAs obtained by the spray-drying process is illustrated.

Frictional Behavior of a Micro-sized Superconducting Fiber in a Low-Temperature Medium： Experimental and Computational Analysis

The purpose of the current study is to explore the frictional behavior of a micro- sized superconducting fiber at the low-temperature condition. At first, a highly precise tribometer composed of a superconducting fiber wrapping around a cylinder made of pure Cu was immersed in liquid nitrogen. The force and displacement resolutions of the experimental system were as high as 0.01 mN and 0.03 ~m, respectively. The NbTi fibers with diameters ranging from 22.9 to 115 ~m were used in the experiments, and their frictional behaviors in three media, i.e., liquid nitrogen, air and water, were systemically investigated. It was found that the frictional force in air showed a remarkable size effect. The existence of water medium could significantly reduce the frictional force, but could not eliminate the size effect. For the samples with the same diameter, the frictional force in liquid nitrogen was about 1.4 times of that in air, accompanied with remark- able stick-slip phenomenon. Notably, the fiber＇s frictional behavior in liquid nitrogen showed no dependence on diameter. In order to interpret these phenomena, the frictional behaviors of the fibers in air, water and liquid nitrogen were simulated using a modified spring-slider model, by taking into account the influence of hydrophilicity on surface roughness, and the influence of surface roughness on the fiber＇s frictional behavior. The simulation results were consistent with the experimental data qualitatively.

Performance experiment and numerical prediction on the optimization design of the micro-sized water turbine for the hose reel irrigator

In order to significantly improve the efficiency of driving water turbine used in hose reel irrigator,a new water turbine structure was proposed by the method of performance test and numerical calculation.The internal flow characteristics of original water turbine were analyzed,and it was found that unreasonable design of main flow passage components such as inlet,outlet and runner could not effectively translated pressure energy of upper stream into impact kinetic energy of blade,and gave rise to low energy conversion efficiency of water turbine.The inadequate internal flow and uneven pressure distribution were also not conducive to energy conversion efficiency.Then a new structure of water turbine structure was presented,in which the inlet has a tangential nozzle jet and the outlet is in axial direction.The computational analysis showed that the nozzle jet at the inlet of the new water turbine runner,which makes jet flow mainly concentrate in the impacted blade passage,can reduce the loss of flow kinetic energy.The axial outflow increases the distance of inflow in the runner,which is more conducive to the runner blades work.Performance experiments on both original and new water turbines showed that the highest efficiency of the new turbine is almost 20 percentages higher than that of the original turbine,and the new turbine is nearly triple output power over the original turbine.The internal flow characteristic analysis and the performance experiment were conducted to assess the feasibility of the replacement of the original water turbine by the new water turbine.

Microwave Application Shape Anisotropy of Micro-sized Bamboo Blind Shape

Electromagnetic anisotropic characteristics in micro-sized water bamboo blind shape are observed by high frequency electromagnetic computation,which is applied to the material constants estimation.In assuming that the micro-sized unit structure is repeated in 3-dimensional space and its size is much smaller than the electromagnetic wave length,the micro-sized electromagnetic field calculation is carried out.If the micro-structure shapes of the material are different even if they are the same volume rate,different dielectric constant characteristics are provided.The reasons are considered to be a generation of de-electrification within the dielectric material.

Abnormal characteristics and effectiveness evaluation of the micro-seismic signal before the Debao MS4.8 earthquake

The Debao MS4.8 earthquake occurred in western Guangxi on August 5,2021,near where the Jingxi MS5.2 earthquake occurred in 2019.To study the increasing seismicity in western Guangxi,it is necessary to determine whether there was an anomaly related to the earthquake source near the Pingxiang gravity station,which is located approximately 100 km from the epicenter of the Debao MS4.8 earthquake.In this study,the R-value scoring method was used to analyze the anomaly and evaluate the prediction efficiency of the double frequency(DF)micro-seismic signal vertical displacement(referred to as vertical displacement,VD)and the absolute value of monthly extreme rate(referred to as the monthly rate).Results show that earthquakes larger than MS4.0 in the 350 km range from the Pingxiang station tend to coincide with yearly typhoons,and the VD of micro-seismic signals correspondingly changes from low to high.The Debao MS4.8 earthquake occurred during a gradual VD increase from 0.05×10^(-6)to 0.10×10^(-6)m.When discussing the relationships among R,the rate threshold,and the effective duration of prediction,the rate threshold of the micro-seismic signal converges from 0.00039×10^(-6)to 0.00031×10^(-6)m/month,the effective duration of prediction is approximately 6-10 months,and R also converges from 0.29 to 0.31.By comparing the results of three gPhone gravity stations in Guangxi,we found that the increase of short-term VD before the Debao earthquake was related to the enhancement of the DF micro-seismic signal excited by the typhoon.When the typhoon track was perpendicular to the coastline of China,the possibility of an earthquake occurring was increased.This study provides evidence and reference for the future occurrence period of earthquakes above MS4.0 in western Guangxi.

NiMo/Al_2O_3 catalyst containing nano-sized zeolite Y for deep hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation of diesel

Two mixed-matrix NiMo/Al2O3 catalysts containing nano-and micro-sized zeolite Y have been prepared to explore the size effect of zeolite Y particle on the hydrodesulfurization（HDS）and hydrodenitrogenation（HDN）activities of fluid catalytic cracking（FCC）diesel.They were characterized by SEM,BET,XRD,H2-TPR,NH3-TPD and HRTEM.The results show that the catalyst containing nano-sized zeolite Y possesses larger average pore diameter,higher pore volume,weaker and lesser acid sites,more easily reducible metal phases,shorter MoS2 slabs and more slab layers than the catalyst containing micro-sized zeolite Y.The catalysts were also evaluated with a high-pressure fixed-bed reactor using real FCC diesel as feed.The results display that the catalyst containing nano-sized zeolite Y bears higher HDS and HDN activities and exhibits higher relative rate constant for the removal of total sulfur or nitrogen than the one containing micro-sized zeolite.

3D hierarchically porous NiO/Graphene hybrid paper anode for long-life and high rate cycling flexible Li-ion batteries

With the rapid emergence of wearable devices, flexible lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) are much more needed than ever. Free-standing graphene-based composite paper electrodes with various active materials have appealed wide applications in flexible LIBs. However, due to the prone-to-restacking feature of graphene layers, a long cycle life at high current densities is rather difficult to be achieved. Herein, a unique threedimensional(3D) hierarchically porous NiO micro-flowers/graphene paper(fNiO/GP) electrode is successfully fabricated. The resulting fNiO/GP electrode shows superior long-term cycling stability at high rates(e.g., storage capacity of 359 mAh/g after 600 cycles at a high current density of 1 A/g). The facile 3D porous structure combines both the advantages of the graphene that is highly conductive and flexible to ensure rapid electrons/ions transfer and buffer the volume expansion of NiO during charge/discharge,and of the micro-sized NiO flowers that induces hierarchical between-layer pores ranging from nanomicro meters to promote the penetration of the electrolyte and prevent the re-stacking of graphene layers. Such structural design will inspire future manufacture of a wide range of active materials/graphene composite electrodes for high performance flexible LIBs.

Prevascularized Micro‑/Nano‑Sized Spheroid/Bead Aggregates for Vascular Tissue Engineering

Efficient strategies to promote microvascularization in vascular tissue engineering,a central priority in regenerative medicine,are still scarce;nano-and micro-sized aggregates and spheres or beads harboring primitive microvascular beds are promising methods in vascular tissue engineering.Capillaries are the smallest type and in numerous blood vessels,which are distributed densely in cardiovascular system.To mimic this microvascular network,specific cell components and proangiogenic factors are required.Herein,advanced biofabrication methods in microvascular engineering,including extrusion-based and droplet-based bioprinting,Kenzan,and biogripper approaches,are deliberated with emphasis on the newest works in prevascular nano-and micro-sized aggregates and microspheres/microbeads.

Integrated hydraulic fracturing techniques to enhance oil recovery from tight rocks

Two main challenges exist in enhancing oil recovery rate from tight oil reservoirs,namely how to create an effective complicated fracture network and how to enhance the imbibition effect of fracturing fluid.In response to the challenges,through modeling experiment in laboratory and evaluation of field application results,a set of integrated efficient fracturing and enhanced oil recovery(EOR)techniques suitable for tight oil development in China has been proposed.(1)Fracturing with temporary plugging agents to realize stimulation in multiple clusters,to form dense fracture network,and thus maximizing the drainage area;(2)Supporting induced fractures with micro-sized proppants during the prepad fluid fracture-making stage,to generate dense fracture network with high conductivity;(3)Using the liquid nanofluid as a fracturing fluid additive to increase oil-water displacement ratio and take advantage of the massive injected fracturing fluid and maximize the oil production after hydraulic fracturing.

Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometric determination of eight life elements in human blood samples

A direct and simple method for the clinic muti-element determination of human blood sample by Zeeman graphite furnace atomic absorption spectropho-tometry is reported. No pretreatment of the sample is necessary other than simple dilution of the sample with aqueous solution of Triton X-100. The detection limits of the elements investigated fall in the range of 0.1- 4.4 μg/L with a relative standard deviation ranging from 1.6 for zinc to 3.73% for lead. Micro liters of samples are sufficient for the determination of each element.

Facile Preparation of Fluoroalkyl End-Capped Vinyltrimethoxysilane Oligomer/Sand Composites Possessing Superoleophilic/Superhydrophobic Characteristic: Application to Oil/Water Separation and Selective Removal of Fluorinated Aromatic Compounds from Aqueous Methanol Solution

Fluoroalkyl end-capped vinyltrimethoxysilane oligomer [RF-(CH2-CHSi(OMe)3)n-RF: n = 2, 3, RF = CF(CF3)OC3F7: RF-(VM)n-RF], was applied to the facile preparation of the corresponding oligomer/sand (Ottawa sand: OS) composites [RF-(VM-SiO3/2)n-RF/OS] through the sol-gel reaction of the oligomer in the presence of micro-sized OS particles (590 - 840 μm) under alkaline conditions at room temperature. FE-SEM (Field Emission Scanning Electron Micrograph) images showed that the obtained composites consist of the RF-(VM-SiO3/2)n-RF oligomeric nanoparticles and the micro-sized OS particles. Interestingly, the RF-(VM-SiO3/2)n-RF/OS composites thus obtained can provide the superoleophilic/superhydrophobic characteristic on the composite surface, applying to the separation of not only the mixture of oil/water but also the W/O emulsion to isolate the transparent colorless oil. The fluorinated oligomeric OS composites were also found to be applicable to the selective removal of fluorinated aromatic compounds from an aqueous methanol solution. Especially, it was demonstrated that the fluorinated OS composites can supply a higher efficient and smooth separation ability for the separation of the mixture of oil and water than that of the corresponding fluorinated micro-sized controlled silica gel (μ-SiO2) composites (average particle size: 9.5 μm), which were prepared under similar conditions. In addition to the separation of oil/water, the fluorinated OS composites provided higher and more selective removal ability for the fluorinated aromatic compounds from aqueous solutions than that of the μ-SiO2 composites.

Beyond electrode materials structure design:Binders play a vital role for battery application of micro-size electroactive materials

Micrometre-sized electroactive particles with high tapping density show significant potential for commercial application since they effectively alleviate low Coulombic efficiency and excessive solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)issues brought by nanostructures.Furthermore,optimizing the electrode architecture using novel design concepts can improve the energy density.Beyond the electrode material structure design strategy,binder plays a vital role in providing the mechanical stability and regulating the charge transport.This highlight presents the latest development to design high-capacity batteries by optimizing the binder structures in electrodes and emphasizes the significance of binder design for further commercial application.

Five Basic Insights into the Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak

This article analyzes the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak,and puts forward with five basic insights concerning the degree of the impact,its duration,its key areas,and its quantitative calculation,among other aspects.The article holds that it is necessary to have a more objective understanding and judgement of how the virus affects the economy,particularly gross domestic product(GDP)growth for 2020Q1 and the entire year.Only on the basis of reasonable analysis can we better grasp measures required to cope with the economic impact,combined with more targeted policy launch and adjustment,so as to speed economic recovery to its normal level.