Greatly enhanced corrosion/wear resistances of epoxy coating for Mg alloy through a synergistic effect between functionalized graphene and insulated blocking layer

The poor corrosion and wear resistances of Mg alloys seriously limit their potential applications in various industries.The conventional epoxy coating easily forms many intrinsic defects during the solidification process,which cannot provide sufficient protection.In the current study,we design a double-layer epoxy composite coating on Mg alloy with enhanced anti-corrosion/wear properties,via the spin-assisted assembly technique.The outer layer is functionalized graphene(FG)in waterborne epoxy resin(WEP)and the inner layer is Ce-based conversion(Ce)film.The FG sheets can be homogeneously dispersed within the epoxy matrix to fill the intrinsic defects and improve the barrier capability.The Ce film connects the outer layer with the substrate,showing the transition effect.The corrosion rate of Ce/WEP/FG composite coating is 2131 times lower than that of bare Mg alloy,and the wear rate is decreased by~90%.The improved corrosion resistance is attributed to the labyrinth effect(hindering the penetration of corrosive medium)and the obstruction of galvanic coupling behavior.The synergistic effect derived from the FG sheet and blocking layer exhibits great potential in realizing the improvement of multi-functional integration,which will open up a new avenue for the development of novel composite protection coatings of Mg alloys.

Thin polymer electrolyte with MXene functional layer for uniform Li^(+) deposition in all-solid-state lithium battery

Solid polymer electrolyte(SPE) shows great potential for all-solid-state batteries because of the inherent safety and flexibility;however, the unfavourable Li+deposition and large thickness hamper its development and application. Herein, a laminar MXene functional layer-thin SPE layer-cathode integration(MXene-PEO-LFP) is designed and fabricated. The MXene functional layer formed by stacking rigid MXene nanosheets imparts higher compressive strength relative to PEO electrolyte layer. And the abundant negatively-charged groups on MXene functional layer effectively repel anions and attract cations to adjust the charge distribution behavior at electrolyte–anode interface. Furthermore,the functional layer with rich lithiophilic groups and outstanding electronic conductivity results in low Li nucleation overpotential and nucleation energy barrier. In consequence, the cell assembled with MXene-PEO-LFP, where the PEO electrolyte layer is only 12 μm, much thinner than most solid electrolytes, exhibits uniform, dendrite-free Li+deposition and excellent cycling stability. High capacity(142.8 mAh g-1), stable operation of 140 cycles(capacity decay per cycle, 0.065%), and low polarization potential(0.5 C) are obtained in this Li|MXene-PEO-LFP cell,which is superior to most PEO-based electrolytes under identical condition. This integrated design may provide a strategy for the large-scale application of thin polymer electrolytes in all-solid-state battery.

A whole process damage constitutive model for layered sandstone under uniaxial compression based on Logistic function

Bedding structural planes significantly influence the mechanical properties and stability of engineering rock masses.This study conducts uniaxial compression tests on layered sandstone with various bedding angles(0°,15°,30°,45°,60°,75°and 90°)to explore the impact of bedding angle on the deformational mechanical response,failure mode,and damage evolution processes of rocks.It develops a damage model based on the Logistic equation derived from the modulus’s degradation considering the combined effect of the sandstone bedding dip angle and load.This model is employed to study the damage accumulation state and its evolution within the layered rock mass.This research also introduces a piecewise constitutive model that considers the initial compaction characteristics to simulate the whole deformation process of layered sandstone under uniaxial compression.The results revealed that as the bedding angle increases from 0°to 90°,the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of layered sandstone significantly decrease,slightly increase,and then decline again.The corresponding failure modes transition from splitting tensile failure to slipping shear failure and back to splitting tensile failure.As indicated by the modulus’s degradation,the damage characteristics can be categorized into four stages:initial no damage,damage initiation,damage acceleration,and damage deceleration termination.The theoretical damage model based on the Logistic equation effectively simulates and predicts the entire damage evolution process.Moreover,the theoretical constitutive model curves closely align with the actual stress−strain curves of layered sandstone under uniaxial compression.The introduced constitutive model is concise,with fewer parameters,a straightforward parameter determination process,and a clear physical interpretation.This study offers valuable insights into the theory of layered rock mechanics and holds implications for ensuring the safety of rock engineering.

Study the Structural, Electronic, Optical Properties of CZTS Compound after Doping Ba at Zn Site and Si at Sn Site Using Density Functional Theory (DFT)

The structural, electronic, and optical properties of Cu2Zn1−xBaxSn1−ySiyS4 compounds have been calculated using GGA-PBE function within the framework of Density Functional Theory (DFT). In the present work, lattice parameters remained the same, that is tetragonal crystal structure for 0% and 100% doping concentration. The electronic band gap of Cu2Zn1−xBaxSn1−ySiyS4 compounds has been gradually increased for continuous increment of doping concentration where the highest electronic band gap is 1.117 eV for Cu2BaSiS4 structure. Moreover, the band gap changes from direct to indirect band gap with the increase of doping concentration in the parent compound. The absorption coefficient has been found to be high (> 104 cm−1) in UV-region for all the doping concentration which makes the studied compound as a potential candidate of absorber layer in the UV detector. The theoretical study of the effect of double doping in the CZTS compound is very interesting for improving the quality of it and it would be a reference for the theoretical and experimental researchers.

A novel dual-functional layer exhibiting exceptional protection and photocatalytic activity by organic functionalization of plasma electrolyzed layer

The formation of inorganic-organic hybrids(IOH)on the metallic substrates would play a decisive role in improving their structural and functional features.In this work,the growth of organic coating(OC)consisting of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid(3-CCA)and albumin(ALB)on the inorganic layer(IC),produced by plasma electrolysis of AZ31 Mg alloy,led to enabling organically synergistic reactions on the porous inorganic surface,forming a flake-like structure sealing the structural defects of IC.Synergistic actions between OC and IC endow the flake-like structures with chemical protection and photocatalytic performance.Upon contact with a corrosive solution,the IOH layer possesses stable morphologies that delay the corrosive degradation of the whole structure.The electrochemical stability of the sample produced by immersion IC in the organic solution for 10 h(IOH2 sample)was superior to the other samples as it had the lowest corrosion current density(1.69×10^(−10)A·cm^(−2))and the highest top layer resistance(1.2×10^(7)Ω·cm^(2)).Moreover,the IOH layer can photodegrade the organic pollutants in model wastewater,where the highest photocatalytic efficiency of 99.47%was found in the IOH2 sample.Furthermore,computational calculations were performed to assess the relative activity of different parts of the ALB and 3-CCA structures,which provide helpful information into the formation mechanism of the IOH materials.

Recent progress in functionalized layered double hydroxides and their application in efficient electrocatalytic water oxidation

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs), a class of anionic clays consisting of brucite-like host layers and interlayer anions, have been widely investigated in the last decade due to their promising applications in many areas such as catalysis, ion separation and adsorption. Owing to the highly tunable compositi on and uniform distribution of metal cations in the brucite-like layers, as well as the facile exchangeability of intercalated anions, LDHs can be modified and functionalized to form various nanostructures/composites through versatile processes such as anion intercalation and exfoliation, decoration of nanoparticles, selfassembly with other two-dimensional (2D) materials, and controlled growth on conductive supports (e.g., nanowire arrays, nano tubes, 3D foams). In this article, we briefly review the recent advances on both the LDH nano structures and functionalized composites toward the applications in energy conversion, especially for water oxidation.

Free vibration of functionally graded material beams with surface-bonded piezoelectric layers in thermal environment

Free vibration of statically thermal postbuckled functionally graded material （FGM） beams with surface-bonded piezoelectric layers subject to both temperature rise and voltage is studied. By accurately considering the axial extension and based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, geometrically nonlinear dynamic governing equations for FGM beams with surface-bonded piezoelectric layers subject to thermo-electro- mechanical loadings are formulated. It is assumed that the material properties of the middle FGM layer vary continuously as a power law function of the thickness coordinate, and the piezoelectric layers are isotropic and homogenous. By assuming that the amplitude of the beam vibration is small and its response is harmonic, the above mentioned non-linear partial differential equations are reduced to two sets of coupled ordinary differential equations. One is for the postbuckling, and the other is for the linear vibration of the beam superimposed upon the postbuckled configuration. Using a shooting method to solve the two sets of ordinary differential equations with fixed-fixed boundary conditions numerically, the response of postbuckling and free vibration in the vicinity of the postbuckled configuration of the beam with fixed-fixed ends and subject to transversely nonuniform heating and uniform electric field is obtained. Thermo-electric postbuckling equilibrium paths and characteristic curves of the first three natural frequencies versus the temperature, the electricity, and the material gradient parameters are plotted. It is found that the three lowest frequencies of the prebuckled beam decrease with the increase of the temperature, but those of a buckled beam increase monotonically with the temperature rise. The results also show that the tensional force produced in the piezoelectric layers by the voltage can efficiently increase the critical buckling temperature and the natural frequency.

Intercalation Assembly Method and Intercalation Process Control of Layered Intercalated Functional Materials

Layered intercalated functional materials of layered double hydroxide type are an important class of functional materials developed in recent years. Based on long term studies on these materials in the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering in Beiiing University of Chemical Technology, the orinciole for the design of controlled intercalation processes in the light of tuture production processing requirements has been developed. Intercalation assembly methods and technologies have been invented to control the intercalation process for preparing layered intercalated materials with various structures and functions.

Influence of active constrained layer damping on the coupled vibration response of functionally graded magneto-electro-elastic plates with skewed edges

This article makes the first attempt in assessing the influence of active constrained layer damping(ACLD)treatment towards precise control of frequency responses of functionally graded skew-magneto-electroelastic(FGSMEE)plates by employing finite element methods.The materials are functionally graded across the thickness of the plate in terms of modest power-law distributions.The principal equations of motion of FGSMEE are derived via Hamilton’s principle and solved using condensation technique.The effect of ACLD patches are modelled by following the complex modulus approach(CMA).Additionally,distinctive emphasis is laid to evaluate the influence of geometrical skewness on the attenuation capabilities of the plate.The accuracy of the current analysis is corroborated with comparison of previous researches of similar kind.Additionally,a complete parametric study is directed to understand the combined impacts of various factors like coupling fields,patch location,fiber orientation of piezoelectric patch in association with skew angle and power-law index.

Study of the Electrical Double Layer of a Spherical Micelle: Functional Theoretical Approach

By using the iterative method in functional theory, an analytic expression of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PB eq.), which describes the distribution of the potential of electrical double layer of a spherical micelle, has been carried out under the general potential condition for the first time. The method also can give the radius, the surface potential, and the thickness of the layer.

Recent progress on electrolyte functional additives for protection of nickel-rich layered oxide cathode materials

In advantages of their high capacity and high operating voltage,the nickel(Ni)-rich layered transition metal oxide cathode materials(LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Mn_(z)O_(2)(NCMxyz,x+y+z=1,x≥0.5)and LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.15)Al_(0.05)O_(2)(NCA))have been arousing great interests to improve the energy density of LIBs.However,these Nirich cathodes always suffer from rapid capacity degradation induced by unstable cathode-electrolyte interphase(CEI)layer and destruction of bulk crystal structure.Therefore,varied electrode/electrolyte interface engineering strategies(such as electrolyte formulation,material coating or doping)have been developed for Ni-rich cathodes protection.Among them,developing electrolyte functional additives has been proven to be a simple,effective,and economic method to improve the cycling stability of Nirich cathodes.This is achieved by removing unfavorable species(such as HF,H_(2)O)or constructing a stable and protective CEI layer against unfavorable reactive species(such as HF,H_(2)O).Herein,this review mainly introduces the varied classes of electrolyte functional additives and their working mechanism for interfacial engineering of Ni-rich cathodes.Especially,key favorable species for stabilizing CEI layer are summarized.More importantly,we put forward perspectives for screening and customizing ideal functional additives for high performance Ni-rich cathodes based LIBs.

Plasmonic sensor with self-reference capability based on functional layer film composed of Au/Si gratings

We propose a simple one-dimensional grating coupling system that can excite multiple surface plasmon resonances for refractive index(RI)sensing with self-reference characteristics in the near-infrared band.Using theoretical analysis and the finite-difference time-domain method,the plasmonic mechanism of the structure is discussed in detail.The results show that the excited resonances are independent of each other and have different fields of action.The mode involving extensive interaction with the analyte environment achieves a high sensitivity of 1236 nm/RIU,and the figure of merit(FOM)can reach 145 RIU-1.Importantly,the mode that is insensitive to the analyte environment exhibits good self-reference characteristics.Moreover,we discuss the case of exchanging the substrate material with the analyte environment.Promising simulation results show that this RI sensor can be widely deployed in unstable and complicated environments.

Analytical solution of axisymmetric contact problem about indentation of a circular indenter into a soft functionally graded elastic layer

The paper addresses a contact problem of the theory of elasticity,i.e.,the penetration of a circular indenter with a flat base into a soft functionally graded elastic layer.The elastic properties of a functionally graded layer arbitrarily vary with depth,and the foundation is assumed to be elastic,yet much harder than a layer.Approximated analytical solution is constructed,and it is shown that the solutions are asymptotically exact both for large and small values of characteristic dimensionless geometrical parameter of the problem.Numerical examples are analyzed for the cases of monotonic and nonmonotonic variations of elastic properties.Numerical results for the case of homogeneous layer are compared with the results for nondeformable foundation.

Mg/Fe site-specific dual-doping to boost the performance of cobalt-free nickle-rich layered oxide cathode for high-energy lithium-ion batteries

Layer-type LiNi0.9Mn0.1O2is promising to be the primary cathode material for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)due to its excellent electrochemical performance.Unfortunately,the cathode with high nickel content suffers from severely detrimental structural transformation that causes rapid capacity attenuation.Herein,site-specific dual-doping with Fe and Mg ions is proposed to enhance the structural stability of LiNi0.9Mn0.1O2.The Fe3+dopants are inserted into transition metal sites(3b)and can favorably provide additional redox potential to compensate for charge and enhance the reversibility of anionic redox.The Mg ions are doped into the Li sites(3a)and serve as O_(2)^(-)-Mg^(2+)-O_(2)^(-)pillar to reinforce the electrostatic cohesion between the two adjacent transition-metal layers,which further suppress the cracking and the generation of harmful phase transitions,ultimately improving the cyclability.The theoretical calculations,including Bader charge and crystal orbital Hamilton populations(COHP)analyses,confirm that the doped Fe and Mg can form stable bonds with oxygen and the electrostatic repulsion of O_(2)^(-)-O_(2)^(-)can be effectively suppressed,which effectively mitigates oxygen anion loss at the high delithiation state.This dual-site doping strategy offers new avenues for understanding and regulating the crystalline oxygen redox and demonstrates significant potential for designing high-performance cobalt-free nickel-rich cathodes.

Graphene effectively activating "dead" water molecules between manganese dioxide layers in potassium-ion battery

Aqueous potassium-ion batteries(APIBs),recognized as safe and reliable new energy devices,are considered as one of the alternatives to traditional batteries.Layered MnO_(2),serving as the main cathode,exhibits a lower specific capacity in aqueous electrolytes compared to organic systems and operates through a different reaction mechanism.The application of highly conductive graphene may effectively enhance the capacity of APIBs but could complicate the potassium storage environment.In this study,a MnO_(2) cathode pre-intercalated with K~+ions and grown on graphene(KMO@rGO) was developed using the microwave hydrothermal method for APIBs.KMO@rGO achieved a specific capacity of 90 mA h g^(-1) at a current density of 0.1 A g^(-1),maintaining a capacity retention rate of>90% after 5000 cycles at 5 A g^(-1).In-situ and exsitu characterization techniques revealed the energy-storage mechanism of KMO@rGO:layered MnO_(2)traps a large amount of "dead" water molecules during K~+ions removal.However,the introduction of graphene enables these water molecules to escape during K~+ ions insertion at the cathode.The galvanostatic intermittent titration technique and density functional theory confirmed that KMO@rGO has a higher K~+ions migration rate than MnO_(2).Therefore,the capacity of this cathode depends on the interaction between dead water and K~+ions during the energy-storage reaction.The optimal structural alignment between layered MnO_(2) and graphene allows electrons to easily flow into the external circuit.Rapid charge compensation forces numerous low-solvent K~+ions to displace interlayer dead water,enhancing the capacity.This unique reaction mechanism is unprecedented in other aqueous battery studies.

A Probing Model of Secret Key Generation Based on Channel Autocorrelation Function

Secret key generation(SKG)is a promising solution to the problem of wireless communications security.As the first step of SKG,channel probing affects it significantly.Although there have been some probing schemes,there is a lack of research on the optimization of the probing process.This study investigates how to optimize correlated parameters to maximize the SKG rate(SKGR)in the time-division duplex(TDD)mode.First,we build a probing model which includes the effects of transmitting power,the probing period,and the dimension of sample vectors.Based on the model,the analytical expression of the SKGR is given.Next,we formulate an optimization problem for maximizing the SKGR and give an algorithm to solve it.We conclude the SKGR monotonically increases as the transmitting power increases.Relevant mathematical proofs are given in this study.From the simulation results,increasing appropriately the probing period and the dimension of the sample vector could increase the SKGR dramatically compared to a yardstick,which indicates the importance of optimizing the parameters related to the channel probing phase.

A Practical Regular LDPC Coded Scheme for Physical-Layer Information Security

In this paper,we aim to design a practical low complexity low-density parity-check(LDPC)coded scheme to build a secure open channel and protect information from eavesdropping.To this end,we first propose a punctured LDPC coded scheme,where the information bits in a codeword are punctured and only the parity check bits are transmitted to the receiver.We further propose a notion of check node type distribution and derive multi-edge type extrinsic information transfer functions to estimate the security performance,instead of the well-known weak metric bit error rate.We optimize the check node type distribution in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)gap and modify the progressive edge growth algorithm to design finite-length codes.Numerical results show that our proposed scheme can achieve a lower computational complexity and a smaller security gap,compared to the existing scrambling and puncturing schemes.

Synergistic interaction between redox-active electrolytes and functionalized carbon in increasing the performance of electric double-layer capacitors

The increasing demand of high-performance supercapacitors has aroused great interest in developing specific capacitance and energy density. Active carbon （AC） has attracted much attention as a promising electrode material for electric double-layer capacitors （EDLCs）. Here, a facile strategy has been employed to fabricate high-performance EDLCs using the surface-oxygen functionalized active carbon （FAC） as an electrode and 2 M KOH with K3Fe（CN）6 as an electrolyte. In this system, K3Fe（CN）6 was used as a redox additive to enhance the performance of EDLCs. A 38.5% increase in specific capacitance （207.7 F g-1） was achieved compared with the KOH electrolyte without adding K3Fe（CN）G （152.9 F g-1）, due to the synergistic effects between oxygenic functional groups and redox electrolyte. These findings provide an alternative route to improve the performance of EDLCs, which are promising candidates for the broad applications of high-performance supercapacitors.

Intercalation Assembly and Chemical Product Engineering of Layered Intercalated Functional Materials Based on Efficient Utilization of Magnesium Resources in Salt Lakes

1 Introduction Magnesium salts are very important by-product of salt lake industry in West China.Nearly 200 million cubic meters of waste brine are released to the environment

Dynamic stiffness matrix of a poroelastic multi-layered site and its Green's functions

Few studies of wave propagation in layered saturated soils have been reported in the literature.In this paper,a general solution of the equation of wave motion in saturated soils,based on one kind of practical Blot's equation, was deduced by introducing wave potentials.Then exact dynamic-stiffness matrices for a poroelastic soil layer and half- space were derived,which extended Wolf's theory for an elastic layered site to the case of poroelasticity,thus resolving a fundamental problem in the field of wave propagation and soil-structure interaction in a poroelastic layered soil site.By using the integral transform method,Green's functions of horizontal and vertical uniformly distributed loads in a poroelastic layered soil site were given.Finally,the theory was verified by numerical examples and dynamic responses by comparing three different soil sites.This study has the following advantages:all parameters in the dynamic-stiffness matrices have explicitly physical meanings and the thickness of the sub-layers does not affect the precision of the calculation which is very convenient for engineering applications.The present theory can degenerate into Wolf's theory and yields numerical results approaching those for an ideal elastic layered site when porosity tends to zero.