Regulating interfacial chemistry and kinetic behaviors of F/Mo co-doping Ni-rich layered oxide cathode for long-cycling lithium-ion batteries over-20°C-60°C

Ni-rich layered oxide cathodes have shown promise for high-energy lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)but are usually limited to mild environments because of their rapid performance degradation under extreme temperature conditions(below0°C and above 50 °C).Here,we report the design of F/Mo co-doped LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(FMNCM)cathode for high-performance LIBs from-20 to 60°C.F^(-) doping with high electronegativity into the cathode surface is found to enhance the stability of surface lattice structure and protect the interface from side reactions with the electrolyte by generating a LiF-rich surface layer.Concurrently,the Mo^(6+) doping suppresses phase transition,which blocks Li^(+)/Ni^(2+) mixing,and stabilizes lithium-ion diffusion pathway.Remarkably,the FMNCM cathode demonstrates excellent cycling stability at a high cutoff voltage of 4.4 V,even at 60°C,maintaining 90.6%capacity retention at 3 C after 150 cycles.Additionally,at temperatures as low as-20°C,it retains 77.1%of its room temperature capacity,achieving an impressive 97.5%capacity retention after 500 cycles.Such stable operation under wide temperatures has been further validated in practical Ah-level pouch-cells.This study sheds light on both fundamental mechanisms and practical implications for the design of advanced cathode materials for wide-temperature LIBs,presenting a promising path towards high-energy and long-cycling LIBs with temperatureadaptability.

Preparation of Co/S co-doped carbon catalysts for excellent methylene blue degradation

S and Co co-doped carbon catalysts were prepared via pyrolysis of MOF-71 and thiourea mixtures at 800℃at a mass ratio of MOF-71 to thiourea of 1:0.1 to effectively activate peroxymonosulfate(PMS)for methylene blue(MB)degradation.The effects of two different mixing routes were identified on the MB degradation performance.Particularly,the catalyst obtained by the alcohol solvent evaporation(MOF-AEP)mixing route could degrade 95.60%MB(50 mg/L)within 4 min(degradation rate:K=0.78 min^(-1)),which was faster than that derived from the direct grinding method(MOF-DGP,80.97%,K=0.39 min^(-1)).X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the Co-S content of MOF-AEP(43.39at%)was less than that of MOF-DGP(54.73at%),and the proportion of C-S-C in MOF-AEP(13.56at%)was higher than that of MOF-DGP(10.67at%).Density functional theory calculations revealed that the adsorption energy of Co for PMS was -2.94 eV when sulfur was doped as C-S-C on the carbon skeleton,which was higher than that when sulfur was doped next to cobalt in the form of Co-S bond(-2.86 eV).Thus,the C-S-C sites might provide more contributions to activate PMS compared with Co-S.Furthermore,the degradation parameters,including pH and MOF-AEP dosage,were investigated.Finally,radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR)measurements revealed that ^(1)O_(2)might be the primary catalytic species,whereas·O~(2-)might be the secondary one in degrading MB.

Interconnected carbon nanocapsules with high N/S co-doping as stable and high-capacity potassium-ion battery anode

Carbonaceous materials have drawn much attention in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to their low price and superior physicochemical properties. However, the application of carbonaceous materials in PIB anodes is hindered by sluggish kinetics and large volume expansion. Herein, N/S co-doped carbon nanocapsule (NSCN) is constructed for superior K+ storage. The NSCN possesses 3D nanocapsule framework with abundant meso/macropores, which guarantees structural robustness and accelerates ions/electrons transportation. The high-level N/S co-doping in carbon matrix not only generates ample defects and active sites for K+ adsorption, but also expands interlayer distance for facile K+ intercalation/deintercalation. As a result, the NSCN electrode delivers a high reversible capacity (408 mAh g^(−1) at 0.05 A g^(−1)), outstanding rate capability (149 mAh g^(−1) at 5 A g^(−1)) and favorable cycle stability (150m Ah g^(−1) at 2 A g^(−1) after 2000 cycles). Ex situ TEM, Raman and XPS measurements demonstrate the excellent stability and reversibility of NSCN electrode during potassiation/depotassiation process. This work provides inspiration for the optimization of energy storage materials by structure and doping engineering.

First-principles investigation of N-Ag co-doping effect on electronic properties in p-type ZnO

The geometric structure, band structure and density of states of pure, Ag-doped, N-doped, and N-Ag codoped wurtzite ZnO have been investigated by the first-principles ultra-soft pseudopotential method based on the density functional theory. The calculated results show that the carrier concentration is increased in the ZnO crystal codoped by N and Ag, and the codoped structure is stable and is more in favour of the formation of p-type ZnO.

Interior and Exterior Decoration of Transition Metal Oxide Through Cu^(0)/Cu^(+) Co-Doping Strategy for High-Performance Supercapacitor

Although CoO is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors due to its high theoretical capacitance,the practical applications still suffering from inferior electrochemical activity owing to its low electrical conductivity,poor structural stability and inefficient nanostructure.Herein,we report a novel Cu0/Cu+co-doped CoO composite with adjustable metallic Cu0 and ion Cu+via a facile strategy.Through interior(Cu+)and exterior(Cu0)decoration of CoO,the electrochemical performance of CoO electrode has been significantly improved due to both the beneficial flower-like nanostructure and the synergetic effect of Cu0/Cu+co-doping,which results in a significantly enhanced specific capacitance(695 F g^(-1) at 1 A g^(-1))and high cyclic stability(93.4%retention over 10,000 cycles)than pristine CoO.Furthermore,this co-doping strategy is also applicable to other transition metal oxide(NiO)with enhanced electrochemical performance.In addition,an asymmetric hybrid supercapacitor was assembled using the Cu0/Cu+co-doped CoO electrode and active carbon,which delivers a remarkable maximal energy density(35 Wh kg^(-1)),exceptional power density(16 kW kg^(-1))and ultralong cycle life(91.5%retention over 10,000 cycles).Theoretical calculations further verify that the co-doping of Cu^(0)/Cu^(+)can tune the electronic structure of CoO and improve the conductivity and electron transport.This study demonstrates a facile and favorable strategy to enhance the electrochemical performance of transition metal oxide electrode materials.

Enhancement of photoluminescence of Ba_2SiO_4:Eu^(2+) by co-doping of La^(3+) or Y^(3+)

Green light-emitting Ba2SiO4：Eu^2＋ phosphors co-doped with La or Y were synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction technique in reductive atmosphere（a mixture of 5% H2 and 95% N2）.The results showed that the co-doping of La and Y could greatly enhance the fluorescence intensity of Ba2SiO4：Eu2＋ phosphors.The optimum doping concentration expressed by the x value in（Ba0.985-1.5xREx）2SiO4：0.03Eu^2＋（RE=La or Y） was determined to be of 0.05.The excitation and emission peaks of all as-synthesized phosphors were wide bands.The excitation bands ranged from 250 to 400 nm, which matched well with the wavelength of near ultraviolet white light-emitting diodes（LED） chip and could be used as a potential candidate for the fabrication of white LED.The emission bands from 450 to 550 nm were typical 5d-4f transition emission of Eu^2＋ and displayed un-symmetry profiles because of the two substitution sites of Ba^2＋ with Eu^2＋.

A bi-functional strategy involving surface coating and subsurface gradient co-doping for enhanced cycle stability of LiCoO_(2) at 4.6 V

Layered LiCoO_(2)(LCO)acts as a dominant cathode material for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)in 3C products because of its high compacted density and volumetric energy density.Although improving the high cutoff voltage is an effective strategy to increase its capacity,such behavior would trigger rapid capacity decay due to the surface or/and structure degradation.Herein,we propose a bi-functional surface strategy involving constructing a robust spinel-like phase coating layer with great integrity and compatibility to LiCoO_(2) and modulating crystal lattice by anion and cation gradient co-doping at the subsurface.As a result,the modified LiCoO_(2)(AFM-LCO)shows a capacity retention of 80.9%after 500 cycles between 3.0and 4.6 V.The Al,F,Mg enriched spinel-like phase coating layer serves as a robust physical barrier to effectively inhibit the undesired side reactions between the electrolyte and the cathode.Meanwhile,the Al,F,Mg gradient co-doping significantly enhances the surficial structure stability,suppresses Co dissolution and oxygen release,providing a stable path for Li-ions mobility all through the long-term cycles.Thus,the surface bi-functional strategy is an effective method to synergistically improve the electrochemical performances of LCO at a high cut-off voltage of 4.6 V.

Boosting electrocatalytic activity for CO_(2) reduction on nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts by co-doping with phosphorus

Electrochemical reduction of CO_(2)(CERR)to value-added chemicals is an attractive strategy for greenhouse gas mitigation,and carbon recycles utilization.Conventional metal catalysts suffered from low durability and sluggish kinetics impede the practical application.On the other hand,doped carbon materials recently demonstrate superior catalytic performance in CERR,which shows the potential to diminish the problems of metal catalysts to some extent.Herein,we present the design and fabrication of nitrogen(N),phosphorus(P)co-doped metal-free carbon materials as an efficient and stable electrocatalyst for reduction of CO_(2) to CO,which exhibits an excellent performance with a high faradaic efficiency of 92%(-0.55 V vs.RHE)and up to 24 h stability.A series of characterizations including TEM and XPS verified that nitrogen and phosphorous are successfully incorporated into the carbon matrix.Moreover,the comparisons between co-doping and single doping catalysts reveal that co-doping can significantly increase CERR performance.The improved catalytic activity is attributed to the synergetic effects between nitrogen and phosphorous dopants,which effectively modulate properties of the active site.The density functional theory(DFT)calculations were also performed to understand the synergy effects of dopants.It is revealed that the phosphorous doping can significantly lower the Gibbs free energy of COOH^(*)formation.Moreover,the introduction of the second dopants phosphorous can reduce the reaction barrier along the reaction path and cause polarization of density of states at the Fermi level.These changes can greatly enhance the activity of the catalysts.From a combined experimental and computational exploration,current work provides valuable insights into the reaction mechanism of CERR on N,P co-doped carbon catalysts,and the influence from synergy effects between dopants,which paves the way for the rational design of novel metal-free catalysts for CO2 electro-reduction.

First-principles study of metallic carbon nanotubes with boron/nitrogen co-doping

Using the first-principles calculations, we investigate the electronic band structure and the quantum transport properties of metallic carbon nanotubes （MCNTs） with B/N pair co-doping. The results about formation energy show that the B/N pair co-doping configuration is a most stable structure. We find that the electronic structure and the transport properties are very sensitive to the doping concentration of the B/N pairs in MCNTs, where the energy gaps increase with doping concentration increasing both along the tube axis and around the tube, because the mirror symmetry of MCNT is broken by doping B/N pairs. In addition, we discuss conductance dips of the transmission spectrum of doped MCNTs. These unconventional doping effects could be used to design novel nanoelectronic devices.

Tungsten and phosphate polyanion co-doping of Ni-ultrahigh cathodes greatly enhancing crystal structure and interface stability

The Ni-ultrahigh cathode material is one of the best choices for further increasing energy-density of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),but they generally suffer from the poor structure stability and rapid capacity fade.Herein,the tungsten and phosphate polyanion co-doped LiNi_(0.9)Co_(0.1)O_(2)cathode materials are successfully fabricated in terms of Li(Ni_(0.9)Co_(0.7))_(1-x)W_(x)O_(2-4y)(PO_(4))_(y) by the precursor modification and subsequent annealing.The higher bonding energy of W—O(672 kJ·mol^(-1))can extremely stabilize the lattice oxygen of Ni-rich oxides compared with Ni—O(391.6 kJ·mol^(-1))and Co—O(368 kJ·mol^(-1)).Meanwhile,the stronger bonding of Ni—(PO_(4)^(3-))vs.Ni—O could fix Ni cations in the transition metal layer,and hence suppressing the Li/Ni disorder during the charge/discharge process.Therefore,the optimized Li(Ni_(0.9)Co_(0.1))_(0.99)W_(0.01)O_(1.96)(PO_4)_(0.01)delivers a remarkably extended cycling life with 95.1%retention of its initial capacity of 207.4 mA·h·g^(-1)at 0.2 C after 200 cycles.Meantime,the heteroatoms doping does not sacrifice the specific capacity even at different rates.

Theoretical study on the improvement of the doping efficiency of Al in 4H-SiC by co-doping group-IVB elements

The p-type doping efficiency of 4 H silicon carbide(4 H-SiC)is rather low due to the large ionization energies of p-type dopants.Such an issue impedes the exploration of the full advantage of 4 H-SiC for semiconductor devices.In this study,we show that co-doping group-IVB elements effectively decreases the ionization energy of the most widely used p-type dopant,i.e.,aluminum(Al),through the defect-level repulsion between the energy levels of group-IVB elements and that of Al in 4 H-SiC.Among group-IVB elements Ti has the most prominent effectiveness.Ti decreases the ionization energy of Al by nearly 50%,leading to a value as low as~0.13 eV.As a result,the ionization rate of Al with Ti co-doping is up to~5 times larger than that without co-doping at room temperature when the doping concentration is up to 10^(18)cm^(-3).This work may encourage the experimental co-doping of group-IVB elements such as Ti and Al to significantly improve the p-type doping efficiency of 4 H-SiC.

Integration of pore structure modulation and B,N co-doping for enhanced capacitance deionization of biomass-derived carbon

Biomass-derived carbon has demonstrated great potentials as advanced electrode for capacitive deionization(CDI),owing to good electroconductivity,easy availability,intrinsic pores/channels.However,conventional simple pyrolysis of biomass always generates inadequate porosity with limited surface area.Moreover,biomass-derived carbon also suffers from poor wettability and single physical adsorption of ions,resulting in limited desalination performance.Herein,pore structure optimization and element co-doping are integrated on banana peels(BP)-derived carbon to construct hierarchically porous and B,N co-doped carbon with large ions-accessible surface area.A unique expansionactivation(EA)strategy is proposed to modulate the porosity and specific surface area of carbon.Furthermore,B,N co-doping could increase the ions-accessible sites with improved hydrophilicity,and promote ions adsorption.Benefitting from the synergistic effect of hierarchical porosity and B,N co-doping,the resultant electrode manifest enhanced CDI performance for NaCl with large desalination capacity(29.5 mg g^(-1)),high salt adsorption rate(6.2 mg g^(-1)min^(-1)),and versatile adsorption ability for other salts.Density functional theory reveals the enhanced deionization mechanism by pore and B,N co-doping.This work proposes a facile EA strategy for pore structure modulation of biomass-derived carbon,and demonstrates great potentials of integrating pore and heteroatoms-doping on constructing high-performance CDI electrode.

Efficiently enhanced energy storage performance of Ba_(2)Bi_(4)Ti_(5)O_(18) film by co-doping Fe^(3+)and Ta^(5+)ion with larger radius

We present an efficient strategy,that is the co-substitution of Fe^(3+)and Ta^(5+)ions with large radius for Ti^(4+)ion,to enhance energy storage performance of Ba_(2)Bi_(4)Ti_(5)O_(18) film.For the films co-doped with Fe^(3+)and Ta^(5+)ions,the maximum polarization under the same external electric field is improved because the radius of Fe^(3+)and Ta^(5+)ions is larger than that of Ti^(4+)ion.Moreover,due to the composition and chemical disorder,the relaxor properties are also slightly improved,which can not be achieved by the film doped with Fe^(3+)ions only.What is more,for the films doped with Fe^(3+)ion only,the leakage current density increases greatly due to the charge imbalance,resulting in a significant decrease in breakdown strength.It is worth mentioning that the breakdown strength of Fe^(3+)and Ta^(5+)ions co-doped film does not decrease due to the charge balance.Another important point is the recoverable energy storage density of the films co-doped with Fe^(3+)and Ta^(5+)ions has been greatly improved based on the fact that the maximum external electric field does not decrease and the maximum polarization under the same external electric field increases.On top of that,the hysteresis of the polarization has also been improved.Finally,the co-doped films with Fe^(3+)and Ta^(5+)ions have good frequency and temperature stability.

MnO_(2) nanosheet modified N, P co-doping carbon nanofibers on carbon cloth as lithiophilic host to construct high-performance anodes for Li metal batteries

Lithium (Li) metal batteries have attracted much attention owing to its ultra-high energy density.However,as important part of Li metal batteries,Li anodes still face many challenges,mainly including uncontrolled dendritic Li formation,dramatical volume variation and serious pulverization.Herein,manganese dioxide (MnO_(2)) nanosheet modified nitrogen (N),phosphorus (P) co-doping carbon nanofibers(NPC) on carbon cloth (CC)(MnO_(2)@NPC-CC) is successfully fabricated through electrodeposition approach and further treated with Li by the molten-infusion method to prepare Li based Mn@NPC-CC(Li-Mn@NPC-CC) electrode.The synergy of MnO_(2) and NPC obviously increases the reaction rate between MnO_(2)@NPC-CC and Li and guides even Li distribution over infusion process.Additionally,theoretical calculation,simulation and experimental results further indicate that N,P,Mn multi-doping effectively improves the superior lithiophilicity of Li-Mn@NPC-CC,which induces uniform Li deposition/dissolution to suppress dendrite growth over cycles.Moreover,conductive and porous NPC matrix not only effectively improves the stability of Li-Mn@NPC-CC,but also provides abundant spaces to accelerate the transfer of ion/electron and buffer electrode dimension variation during cycling.Hence,Li-Mn@NPC-CC-based symmetric cells exhibit extra-long cycling life (over 2200 h) with small hysteresis of 20 mV.When the LiMn@NPC-CC anode couples with air,Li iron phosphate (LiFePO_(4)),or hard carbon (C) cathode,the assembled full cells exhibit outstanding performance with low hysteresis and stable cycling properties.Especially,the corresponding pouch-typed Li–air cells also exhibit good performance at different bending angles and even power a series of electronic devices.

Vacancy defect MoSeTe embedded in N and F co-doped carbon skeleton for high performance sodium ion batteries and hybrid capacitors

Sodium-ion batteries(SIBs) and hybrid capacitors(SIHCs) have garnered significant attention in energy storage due to their inherent advantages,including high energy density,cost-effectiveness,and enhanced safety.However,developing high-performance anode materials to improve sodium storage performa nce still remains a major challenge.Here,a facile one-pot method has been developed to fabricate a hybrid of MoSeTe nanosheets implanted within the N,F co-doped honeycomb carbon skeleton(MoSeTe/N,F@C).Experimental results demonstrate that the incorporation of large-sized Te atoms into MoSeTe nanosheets enlarges the layer spacing and creates abundant anion vacancies,which effectively facilitate the insertion/extraction of Na^(+) and provide numerous ion adsorption sites for rapid surface capacitive behavior.Additionally,the heteroatoms N,F co-doped honeycomb carbon skeleton with a highly conductive network can restrain the volume expansion and boost reaction kinetics within the electrode.As anticipated,the MoSeTe/N,F@C anode exhibits high reversible capacities along with exceptional cycle stability.When coupled with Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)@C(NVPF@C) to form SIB full cells,the anode delivers a reversible specific capacity of 126 mA h g^(-1) after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g^(-1).Furthermore,when combined with AC to form SIHC full cells,the anode demonstrates excellent cycling stability with a reversible specific capacity of50 mA h g^(-1) keeping over 3700 cycles at 1.0 A g^(-1).In situ XRD,ex situ TEM characterization,and theoretical calculations(DFT) further confirm the reversibility of sodium storage in MoSeTe/N,F@C anode materials during electrochemical reactions,highlighting their potential for widespread practical application.This work provides new insights into the promising utilization of advanced transition metal dichalcogenides as anode materials for Na^(+)-based energy storage devices.

Influence of La-Mn-Al Co-Doping on Dielectric Properties and Structure of BST Thick Film

A new sol-gel process is applied to fabricate the BST （BaxSr1-xTiO3） sol and nano-powder of La-Mn-Al co-doping with Ba/Sr ratio 65/35, and the BST thick film is prepared in the Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate. The powder and thick film are characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. The influence of La-Mn-Al co-doping on the dielectric properties and micro-structure of BST thick film is analyzed. The results show that the La, Mn, and Al ions can take an obvious restraint on the growth of BaSrTiO3 grains. The polycrystalline particles come into being during the crystallization of thick film, which may improve the uniformity and compactness of thick film. The influence of unequal-valence and doping amount on the leakage current, dielectric loss, and dielectric property are mainly discussed. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of thick film are 1200 and 0.03, respectively, in the case of 1mol% La doping, 2mol% Mn doping, and 1mol% Al doping.

Preparation, Characterization and Photocatalytic Activity of Fe, La Co-doped Nanometer Titanium Dioxide Photocatalysts

A series of photocatalysts of un-doped, single-doped and co-doped nanometer titanium diox- ide （TiO2） have been successfully prepared by template method using Fe（NO3）3.9H2O, La（NO3）3.6H2O, and tetrabutyl titanate as precursors and glucan as template. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and N2 adsorption-desorption measurement were employed to characterize the morphology, crystal structure and surface structure of the samples. The photo-absorbance of the obtained catalysts was measured by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, and the photocatalytic activities of the prepared samples under UV and visible light were estimated by measuring the degradation rate of methyl orange in an aqueous solution. The characterizations indicated that the prepared photocatalysts consisted of anatase phase and possessed high surface area of ca. 163-176 m2/g. It was shown that the Fe and La co-doped nano-TiO2 could be activated by visible light and could thus be used as an effective catalyst in photo-oxidation reactions. The synergistic effect of Fe and La co-doping played an important role in improving the photocatalytic activity. In addition, the possibility of cyclic usage of co-doped nano-TiO2 was also confirmed, the photocatalytic activity of codoped nano-TiO2 remained above 89.6% of the fresh sample after being used four times.

Preparation, Characterization, Photocatalytic Activity of S and Ag co-Doped Mesoporous Titania Photocatalysts

In order to improve the photocatalytic performance of mesoporous titania under visible light, a series of photocatalysts of S and Ag co-doped mesoporous titania have been successfully prepared by template method using thiourea, AgNO3 and tetrabutyl titanate as precursors and Pluronic P123 （EO20PO70EO20） as template. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements, and UV-visible spectroscopy （UV-Vis） were employed to characterize the morphology, crystal structure, surface structure, and optical absorption properties of the samples. The microcrystal of the photocatalysts consisted of anatase phase and was approximately present in the form of spherical particle. The photocatalytic performance was studied by photodegradation methyl orange （MO） in water under UV and visible light irradiation. The calcination temperature and the doping content influenced the photoactivity. In addition, the possibility of cyclic usage of co-doped mesoporous titania was also confirmed, the photocatalytic activity of mesoporous titania remained above 89% of that of the fresh sample after being used four times. It was shown that the co-doped mesoporous titania could be activated by visible light and could thus be potentially applied for the treatment of water contaminated by organic pollutants. The synergistic effect of sulfur and silver co-doping played an important role in improving the photocatalytic activity.

Designing Electronic Structures of Multiscale Helical Converters for Tailored Ultrabroad Electromagnetic Absorption

Atomic-scale doping strategies and structure design play pivotal roles in tailoring the electronic structure and physicochemical property of electromagnetic wave absorption(EMWA)materials.However,the relationship between configuration and electromagnetic(EM)loss mechanism has remained elusive.Herein,drawing inspiration from the DNA transcription process,we report the successful synthesis of novel in situ Mn/N co-doped helical carbon nanotubes with ultrabroad EMWA capability.Theoretical calculation and EM simulation confirm that the orbital coupling and spin polarization of the Mn–N4–C configuration,along with cross polarization generated by the helical structure,endow the helical converters with enhanced EM loss.As a result,HMC-8 demonstrates outstanding EMWA performance,achieving a minimum reflection loss of−63.13 dB at an ultralow thickness of 1.29 mm.Through precise tuning of the graphite domain size,HMC-7 achieves an effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)of 6.08 GHz at 2.02 mm thickness.Furthermore,constructing macroscale gradient metamaterials enables an ultrabroadband EAB of 12.16 GHz at a thickness of only 5.00 mm,with the maximum radar cross section reduction value reaching 36.4 dB m2.This innovative approach not only advances the understanding of metal–nonmetal co-doping but also realizes broadband EMWA,thus contributing to the development of EMWA mechanisms and applications.