Zirconium-based metal-organic framework UiO-66 was successfully prepared by solvothermal method,and UiO-66 was modified by adding regulators such as formic acid,acetic acid,and hydrochloric acid.The NH_(3)-SCR reactiv...Zirconium-based metal-organic framework UiO-66 was successfully prepared by solvothermal method,and UiO-66 was modified by adding regulators such as formic acid,acetic acid,and hydrochloric acid.The NH_(3)-SCR reactivity of the samples was evaluated by the denitration activity evaluation system,and the UiO-66 and the regulator-modified UiO-66 were characterized by XRD,SEM,BET,FTIR,TG,NH_(3)-TPD,etc.,the effects of regulator types on the structure and properties of UiO-66 were investigated.The experimental results show that,after adding the modifier,the morphology of UiO-66 changes from irregular quadrilateral with serious agglomeration to particles with regular crystal shape and good dispersibility,and the crystal morphology of the catalyst is improved.In addition,after adding the modifier,UiO-66 has a larger specific surface area and stronger surface acidity,which optimizes the catalytic performance of UiO-66.The catalytic performance test results of NH_(3)-SCR show that the low-temperature activity of UiO-66 is poor,and it only shows a certain catalytic activity at higher temperatures.The catalytic activity of UiO-66 was significantly improved after adding the regulator.Among them,the UiO-66-HCl modified with hydrochloric acid had the best catalytic activity,and the denitration rate reached 70%when the denitration temperature was 380℃.展开更多
To address the issues of reduced performance and shortened lifespan during the low-carbonizating process of Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories,nano-crystalline ZrC modified graphite was prepared using Zr powder and flake grap...To address the issues of reduced performance and shortened lifespan during the low-carbonizating process of Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories,nano-crystalline ZrC modified graphite was prepared using Zr powder and flake graphite as raw materials,with NaCl and NaF mixed salt serving as the medium.The flake graphite was gradually replaced by ZrC modified graphite in the preparation of Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories,and its impact on the material’s structure and properties was investigated.The results indicate that,compared to samples with only flake graphite,the introduction of 1 mass%to 5 mass%nano-crystalline ZrC modified graphite can significantly enhance the mechanical performance of low-carbon Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories.When 5 mass%ZrC modified graphite is added,the mechanical properties of the samples are optimal,with the cold modulus of rupture and elastic modulus reaching 22.5 MPa and 65.0 GPa,respectively.展开更多
A new Fe3C-N-doped reduced graphene oxide(Fe3C-N-rGO)prepared by a facile method is used as a separator for high performance lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries.The Fe3C-N-rGO is coated on the surface of commercial polyprop...A new Fe3C-N-doped reduced graphene oxide(Fe3C-N-rGO)prepared by a facile method is used as a separator for high performance lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries.The Fe3C-N-rGO is coated on the surface of commercial polypropylene separator(Celgard 2400)close to the sulfur cathode.The special nanotubes are in-situ catalyzed by Fe3C nanoparticles.They could entrap lithium polysulfides(Li PSs)to restrain the shuttle effect and reduce the loss of active material.The battery with the modified separator and sulfur cathode shows an excellent cycle performance.It has a high rate performance,580.5 mAh/g at the high current rate of 4 C relative to 1075 mAh/g at 0.1 C.It also has an initial discharge capacity of 774.8 m Ah/g measured at 0.5 C and remains 721.8 mAh/g after 100 cycles with a high capacity retention of 93.2%.The outstanding performances are notable in recently reports with modified separator.展开更多
Quantum chemistry calculations of La , Ca modified and pure PbTiO\-3 nanocrystals were carried out by means of the cluster model in DFT DVM calculating program on which the regularity of the charge distribution was...Quantum chemistry calculations of La , Ca modified and pure PbTiO\-3 nanocrystals were carried out by means of the cluster model in DFT DVM calculating program on which the regularity of the charge distribution was drawn. The analysis of the density of state(DOS) showed that when the cubic phase PbTiO 3 nanocrystal is changed into tetragonal phase, the interaction among Ti 3d , O 2p , and Pb 6p atomic orbitals causes the dipole moment and spontaneous polarization on the axis of the crystal, which resulted in the appearance of ferroelectric phase. At the same time, the dipole moment and the intensity of the spontaneous polarization were calculated as well.展开更多
The attractive utilization route for one-step catalytic oxidation of dimethyl ether to dimethoxymethane was successfully carried out over the H3PW12O40(40%)/SiO2 catalyst, modified by Cs, K, Ni, and V. The Cs modifi...The attractive utilization route for one-step catalytic oxidation of dimethyl ether to dimethoxymethane was successfully carried out over the H3PW12O40(40%)/SiO2 catalyst, modified by Cs, K, Ni, and V. The Cs modification of H3PW12O40(40%)/SiO2 gave the most promising result of 20% dimethyl ether conversion and 34.8% dimethoxymethane selectivity. Dimethoxymethane could be synthe- sized via methoxy groups decomposed from dimethyl ether through the synergistic effect between the acid sites and the redox sites of Cs modified H3PW12O40(40%)/SiO2.展开更多
A simple modified analytic EAM model for bcc Fe and fcc Al was used to calculate the lattice constant and elastic constants of B2 FeAl and DO3 Fe3Al alloys. The formation energies of ...A simple modified analytic EAM model for bcc Fe and fcc Al was used to calculate the lattice constant and elastic constants of B2 FeAl and DO3 Fe3Al alloys. The formation energies of vacancy and antisite were also calculated. The present calculations are in agreement with the experimental data and the theoretical results obtained by other authors.展开更多
Artificial zeolite was modified by nano-Fe3O4 for development of functional adsorbents.Subsequently,adsorbents such as calcium cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 microspheres (Ca-MS),calcium cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 modified zeol...Artificial zeolite was modified by nano-Fe3O4 for development of functional adsorbents.Subsequently,adsorbents such as calcium cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 microspheres (Ca-MS),calcium cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 modified zeolite microspheres (Ca-MZS) and iron cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 modified zeolite microspheres (Fe-MZS) were prepared and compared for their adsorption performance.The effects of adsorbent dosage,solution pH,initial concentration and ion content on the removal of Cu^2+ from wastewater are investigated,and the adsorption kinetics and isotherms for the adsorbent materials were analyzed.The experimental results indicate that for the initial concentration of Cu^2+ of 30 mg/L,the adsorption is noted to be most stable.The optimal initial pH for adsorbing Cu^2+ is observed to be 5.5.At an optimal dosage of Ca-MZS of 900 mg/L,the adsorption capacity is measured to be 28.25 mg/g,along with the removal rate of 72.49%.The addition of Na+ and K+ affects the adsorption of Cu^2+.For the Na^+ and K^+ concentration of 0.2 mmol/L,the Cu^2+ removal rate by Ca-MZS drops to 11.94% and 22.12%,respectively.As compared with the adsorbents such as Natural Zeolite (NZ),Ca-MS and Fe-MZS,Ca-MZS demonstrates the best removal effect in solution,where the removal rate reaches 84.27%,with the maximum adsorption capacity of 28.09 mg/g.The Cu^2+ adsorption kinetics of Ca-MZS is observed to follow the Elovich kinetic model,with the adsorption isotherm data fitting the Freundlich isotherm model by using the non-linear method.展开更多
The hot corrosion behaviour of a modified Ti3Al-based alloy under thin Na2SO4deposit film was investigated at910and950°C in air.The corrosion product was identified by XRD and its morphologies on the surface and ...The hot corrosion behaviour of a modified Ti3Al-based alloy under thin Na2SO4deposit film was investigated at910and950°C in air.The corrosion product was identified by XRD and its morphologies on the surface and cross-section were observed bySEM.The alloy suffered from considerable hot corrosion attack.The mass gain versus time curves obtained by TGA exhibited tworegions of different kinetics.The whole corroded layer consisted of loose and porous mixture oxides of TiO2,Nb2O5and Al2O3.Numerous small nodules of corrosion product were observed.An illustrative schematic was established to describe the formationprocess of such nodules.It seemed that the refractory oxides played a significantly important role in determining the development ofhot corrosion attack.展开更多
To improve the cyclic stability at high temperature and thermal stability, the spherical Al2O3-modified Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2 was synthesized by a modified co-precipitation method, and the physical and electrochemic...To improve the cyclic stability at high temperature and thermal stability, the spherical Al2O3-modified Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2 was synthesized by a modified co-precipitation method, and the physical and electrochemical properties were studied. The TEM images showed that Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2 was modified successfully with nano-Al2O3. The discharge capacity retention of Al2O3-modified Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2 maintained about 99% after 200 cycles at high temperature(55 ℃), while that of the bare one was only 86%. Also, unlike bare Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2, the Al2O3-modified material cathode exhibited good thermal stability.展开更多
A novel type of Fe3O4 nanoparticles modified glass carbon electrode(Fe3O4/GCE) was constructed and the electrochemical properties of N-(4-nitro-2-phenoxyphenyl)methanesulfonamide(nimesulide) were studied on the ...A novel type of Fe3O4 nanoparticles modified glass carbon electrode(Fe3O4/GCE) was constructed and the electrochemical properties of N-(4-nitro-2-phenoxyphenyl)methanesulfonamide(nimesulide) were studied on the Fe3O4/GCE.In 0.4mol/L HAc-NaAc buffer solution(pH=5.0),the electrode process of nimesulide was irreversible at bare GCE and Fe3O4/GCE.The Fe3O4/GCE exhibited a remarkable catalytic and enhancement effect on the reduction of nimesulide.The reduction peak potential of nimesulide shifted positively from-0.683 V at bare GCE to-0.625 V at Fe3O4/GCE,and the sensitivity was increased by ca.3 times.Some experimental conditions were optimized.The linear range between the peak current and the concentration of nimesulide was 2.6×10-6 "1.0×10-4mol/L(R=0.993) with a detection limit of 1.3×10-7mol/L.This method has been used to determine the content of nimesulide in medical tablets.The recovery was determined to be 96.9% "101.9% by means of standard addition method.The method is comparable to UV-Vis spectrometry.展开更多
A modified piano key weir with a rounded nose and a parapet wall (MPKW) can improve the discharge capacity significantly compared to a standard piano key weir. However, the optimum of the inlet/outlet width ratio (Wi/...A modified piano key weir with a rounded nose and a parapet wall (MPKW) can improve the discharge capacity significantly compared to a standard piano key weir. However, the optimum of the inlet/outlet width ratio (Wi/Wo) on the discharge efficiency of MPKW is still not investigated numerically. The present work utilized the numerical modeling to investigate and analyze the effects of the inlet/outlet key width ratios on the hydraulic characteristics and discharge capacity of the MPKW. To validate the numerical model with the experimental data, the results indicate that the average relative error is 2.96%, which confirms that the numerical model is fairly well to predictthe specifications of flow over on the MPKW. Numerical simulation results indicated that the discharge capacity of the MPKW can be improved up to 8.5% by optimizing the Wi/Wo ratio ranging from 1.53 to 1.67 even if the other parameters of the MPKW keep unchanged. A big Wi/Wo ratio generally leads to an increase in discharge capacity at low heads and a little effect on the discharge efficiency at high heads. The discharge efficiency of the inlet and outlet crests increases up to 9.6% for high heads, while discharge efficiency of the lateral crest decreases up to 23.5% compared with the reference model. The findings of the study revealed that the intrinsic influencing mechanism of the Wi/Wo ratio on the discharge performance of MPKWs.展开更多
The aim of the present work was to investigate the luminescent properties of europium-doped lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO3) powder prepared by Modified Pechini (MP) method. Samples were prepared at different Eu3+ concent...The aim of the present work was to investigate the luminescent properties of europium-doped lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO3) powder prepared by Modified Pechini (MP) method. Samples were prepared at different Eu3+ concentrations and calcined at 1600°C. Structural and morphology characterizations were obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Luminescent properties were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and thermoluminescent phenomena. The XRD pattern shows pure lanthanum aluminate oxide LaAlO3 with a rhombohedral structure. Photoluminescence studies of the powders was related to 4f → 4f(5D0 → 7Fi) (i = 1, 2, 3, 4) transitions of Eu3+ ion, the most intense emission of Eu3+ in LaAlO3 was registered for the transition 5D0 → 7F1, for 5% of Eu3+. The recorded TL glow curves of excited samples showed a main TL peak, the main peak appeared its maximum as a function of excitation energy. The investigation demonstrates that polycrystalline LaAlO3:Eu3+ powders calcined at 1600°C have interesting luminescent characteristics.展开更多
基金Funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2016YFC0209302)。
文摘Zirconium-based metal-organic framework UiO-66 was successfully prepared by solvothermal method,and UiO-66 was modified by adding regulators such as formic acid,acetic acid,and hydrochloric acid.The NH_(3)-SCR reactivity of the samples was evaluated by the denitration activity evaluation system,and the UiO-66 and the regulator-modified UiO-66 were characterized by XRD,SEM,BET,FTIR,TG,NH_(3)-TPD,etc.,the effects of regulator types on the structure and properties of UiO-66 were investigated.The experimental results show that,after adding the modifier,the morphology of UiO-66 changes from irregular quadrilateral with serious agglomeration to particles with regular crystal shape and good dispersibility,and the crystal morphology of the catalyst is improved.In addition,after adding the modifier,UiO-66 has a larger specific surface area and stronger surface acidity,which optimizes the catalytic performance of UiO-66.The catalytic performance test results of NH_(3)-SCR show that the low-temperature activity of UiO-66 is poor,and it only shows a certain catalytic activity at higher temperatures.The catalytic activity of UiO-66 was significantly improved after adding the regulator.Among them,the UiO-66-HCl modified with hydrochloric acid had the best catalytic activity,and the denitration rate reached 70%when the denitration temperature was 380℃.
文摘To address the issues of reduced performance and shortened lifespan during the low-carbonizating process of Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories,nano-crystalline ZrC modified graphite was prepared using Zr powder and flake graphite as raw materials,with NaCl and NaF mixed salt serving as the medium.The flake graphite was gradually replaced by ZrC modified graphite in the preparation of Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories,and its impact on the material’s structure and properties was investigated.The results indicate that,compared to samples with only flake graphite,the introduction of 1 mass%to 5 mass%nano-crystalline ZrC modified graphite can significantly enhance the mechanical performance of low-carbon Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories.When 5 mass%ZrC modified graphite is added,the mechanical properties of the samples are optimal,with the cold modulus of rupture and elastic modulus reaching 22.5 MPa and 65.0 GPa,respectively.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant no.51672075,21271069,51772092,51704106)Science and Technology Program of Hunan Province(Grant no.2015JC3049)
文摘A new Fe3C-N-doped reduced graphene oxide(Fe3C-N-rGO)prepared by a facile method is used as a separator for high performance lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries.The Fe3C-N-rGO is coated on the surface of commercial polypropylene separator(Celgard 2400)close to the sulfur cathode.The special nanotubes are in-situ catalyzed by Fe3C nanoparticles.They could entrap lithium polysulfides(Li PSs)to restrain the shuttle effect and reduce the loss of active material.The battery with the modified separator and sulfur cathode shows an excellent cycle performance.It has a high rate performance,580.5 mAh/g at the high current rate of 4 C relative to 1075 mAh/g at 0.1 C.It also has an initial discharge capacity of 774.8 m Ah/g measured at 0.5 C and remains 721.8 mAh/g after 100 cycles with a high capacity retention of 93.2%.The outstanding performances are notable in recently reports with modified separator.
文摘Quantum chemistry calculations of La , Ca modified and pure PbTiO\-3 nanocrystals were carried out by means of the cluster model in DFT DVM calculating program on which the regularity of the charge distribution was drawn. The analysis of the density of state(DOS) showed that when the cubic phase PbTiO 3 nanocrystal is changed into tetragonal phase, the interaction among Ti 3d , O 2p , and Pb 6p atomic orbitals causes the dipole moment and spontaneous polarization on the axis of the crystal, which resulted in the appearance of ferroelectric phase. At the same time, the dipole moment and the intensity of the spontaneous polarization were calculated as well.
基金Foundation items:the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.20373085)the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province(No.20051023)
文摘The attractive utilization route for one-step catalytic oxidation of dimethyl ether to dimethoxymethane was successfully carried out over the H3PW12O40(40%)/SiO2 catalyst, modified by Cs, K, Ni, and V. The Cs modification of H3PW12O40(40%)/SiO2 gave the most promising result of 20% dimethyl ether conversion and 34.8% dimethoxymethane selectivity. Dimethoxymethane could be synthe- sized via methoxy groups decomposed from dimethyl ether through the synergistic effect between the acid sites and the redox sites of Cs modified H3PW12O40(40%)/SiO2.
文摘A simple modified analytic EAM model for bcc Fe and fcc Al was used to calculate the lattice constant and elastic constants of B2 FeAl and DO3 Fe3Al alloys. The formation energies of vacancy and antisite were also calculated. The present calculations are in agreement with the experimental data and the theoretical results obtained by other authors.
基金Funded by the Science Foundation of Hubei Province of China(2015CFB706)。
文摘Artificial zeolite was modified by nano-Fe3O4 for development of functional adsorbents.Subsequently,adsorbents such as calcium cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 microspheres (Ca-MS),calcium cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 modified zeolite microspheres (Ca-MZS) and iron cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 modified zeolite microspheres (Fe-MZS) were prepared and compared for their adsorption performance.The effects of adsorbent dosage,solution pH,initial concentration and ion content on the removal of Cu^2+ from wastewater are investigated,and the adsorption kinetics and isotherms for the adsorbent materials were analyzed.The experimental results indicate that for the initial concentration of Cu^2+ of 30 mg/L,the adsorption is noted to be most stable.The optimal initial pH for adsorbing Cu^2+ is observed to be 5.5.At an optimal dosage of Ca-MZS of 900 mg/L,the adsorption capacity is measured to be 28.25 mg/g,along with the removal rate of 72.49%.The addition of Na+ and K+ affects the adsorption of Cu^2+.For the Na^+ and K^+ concentration of 0.2 mmol/L,the Cu^2+ removal rate by Ca-MZS drops to 11.94% and 22.12%,respectively.As compared with the adsorbents such as Natural Zeolite (NZ),Ca-MS and Fe-MZS,Ca-MZS demonstrates the best removal effect in solution,where the removal rate reaches 84.27%,with the maximum adsorption capacity of 28.09 mg/g.The Cu^2+ adsorption kinetics of Ca-MZS is observed to follow the Elovich kinetic model,with the adsorption isotherm data fitting the Freundlich isotherm model by using the non-linear method.
基金Projects(51271191,51571205)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘The hot corrosion behaviour of a modified Ti3Al-based alloy under thin Na2SO4deposit film was investigated at910and950°C in air.The corrosion product was identified by XRD and its morphologies on the surface and cross-section were observed bySEM.The alloy suffered from considerable hot corrosion attack.The mass gain versus time curves obtained by TGA exhibited tworegions of different kinetics.The whole corroded layer consisted of loose and porous mixture oxides of TiO2,Nb2O5and Al2O3.Numerous small nodules of corrosion product were observed.An illustrative schematic was established to describe the formationprocess of such nodules.It seemed that the refractory oxides played a significantly important role in determining the development ofhot corrosion attack.
基金Funded by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(863 Program)(No.2015AA034600)Province Science and Technology in Anhui(No.1301021011)
文摘To improve the cyclic stability at high temperature and thermal stability, the spherical Al2O3-modified Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2 was synthesized by a modified co-precipitation method, and the physical and electrochemical properties were studied. The TEM images showed that Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2 was modified successfully with nano-Al2O3. The discharge capacity retention of Al2O3-modified Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2 maintained about 99% after 200 cycles at high temperature(55 ℃), while that of the bare one was only 86%. Also, unlike bare Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2, the Al2O3-modified material cathode exhibited good thermal stability.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.21065001)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province,China(Nos.0639025,0991084)+2 种基金the Support Program for 100 Young and Middle-aged Disciplinary Leaders in Higher Education Institutions of Guangxi Province,China(No.RC20060703005)the Project of Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Forest Chemicals of Guangxi Province,China(No.GXFC08-06)the Fund of Education Department of Guangxi Province,China(No.200812MS074)
文摘A novel type of Fe3O4 nanoparticles modified glass carbon electrode(Fe3O4/GCE) was constructed and the electrochemical properties of N-(4-nitro-2-phenoxyphenyl)methanesulfonamide(nimesulide) were studied on the Fe3O4/GCE.In 0.4mol/L HAc-NaAc buffer solution(pH=5.0),the electrode process of nimesulide was irreversible at bare GCE and Fe3O4/GCE.The Fe3O4/GCE exhibited a remarkable catalytic and enhancement effect on the reduction of nimesulide.The reduction peak potential of nimesulide shifted positively from-0.683 V at bare GCE to-0.625 V at Fe3O4/GCE,and the sensitivity was increased by ca.3 times.Some experimental conditions were optimized.The linear range between the peak current and the concentration of nimesulide was 2.6×10-6 "1.0×10-4mol/L(R=0.993) with a detection limit of 1.3×10-7mol/L.This method has been used to determine the content of nimesulide in medical tablets.The recovery was determined to be 96.9% "101.9% by means of standard addition method.The method is comparable to UV-Vis spectrometry.
文摘A modified piano key weir with a rounded nose and a parapet wall (MPKW) can improve the discharge capacity significantly compared to a standard piano key weir. However, the optimum of the inlet/outlet width ratio (Wi/Wo) on the discharge efficiency of MPKW is still not investigated numerically. The present work utilized the numerical modeling to investigate and analyze the effects of the inlet/outlet key width ratios on the hydraulic characteristics and discharge capacity of the MPKW. To validate the numerical model with the experimental data, the results indicate that the average relative error is 2.96%, which confirms that the numerical model is fairly well to predictthe specifications of flow over on the MPKW. Numerical simulation results indicated that the discharge capacity of the MPKW can be improved up to 8.5% by optimizing the Wi/Wo ratio ranging from 1.53 to 1.67 even if the other parameters of the MPKW keep unchanged. A big Wi/Wo ratio generally leads to an increase in discharge capacity at low heads and a little effect on the discharge efficiency at high heads. The discharge efficiency of the inlet and outlet crests increases up to 9.6% for high heads, while discharge efficiency of the lateral crest decreases up to 23.5% compared with the reference model. The findings of the study revealed that the intrinsic influencing mechanism of the Wi/Wo ratio on the discharge performance of MPKWs.
文摘The aim of the present work was to investigate the luminescent properties of europium-doped lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO3) powder prepared by Modified Pechini (MP) method. Samples were prepared at different Eu3+ concentrations and calcined at 1600°C. Structural and morphology characterizations were obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Luminescent properties were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and thermoluminescent phenomena. The XRD pattern shows pure lanthanum aluminate oxide LaAlO3 with a rhombohedral structure. Photoluminescence studies of the powders was related to 4f → 4f(5D0 → 7Fi) (i = 1, 2, 3, 4) transitions of Eu3+ ion, the most intense emission of Eu3+ in LaAlO3 was registered for the transition 5D0 → 7F1, for 5% of Eu3+. The recorded TL glow curves of excited samples showed a main TL peak, the main peak appeared its maximum as a function of excitation energy. The investigation demonstrates that polycrystalline LaAlO3:Eu3+ powders calcined at 1600°C have interesting luminescent characteristics.