Recent Advances in Stability Improvement Strategies of M-N_(x)/C Catalysts Towards Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Although fuel cells possess advantages of high energy conversion efficiency and zero-carbon emission,their large-scale commercialization is restricted by expensive and scarce platinum(Pt)catalysts.Metal-nitrogen-carbon(M-Nx/C)catalysts are hailed as the most promising candidates to replace Pt due to their considerable oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)activity and low cost.Despite tremendous progress in terms of active site identification and activity improvement being achieved in the past few decades,the M-Nx/C catalysts still suffer from insufficient durability,which drastically limits their practical application.In this regard,understanding degradation mechanisms and customizing stabilization strategies are of significant importance yet challengeable.In this review,we summarize the recent advances in the stability improvement of M-Nx/C catalysts.The stability test protocols of the M-Nx/C are firstly introduced.Subsequently,with the combination of advanced ex situ and in situ characterization techniques and density functional theory calculation,we present a comprehensive overview of the main degradation mechanisms during ORR process.Aiming at these deactivation issues,a variety of novel improvement strategies are developed to enhance the stability of M-Nx/C.Finally,the current challenges and prospects to design highly stable M-Nx/C catalysts are also proposed.

Enhancing the crystallinity and stability of perovskite solar cells with 4-tert-butylpyridine induction for efficiency exceeding 24%

Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)have emerged as a promising photovoltaic technology because of their high light absorption coefficient,long carrier diffusion distance,and tunable bandgap.However,PSCs face challenges such as hysteresis effects and stability issues.In this study,we introduced a novel approach to improve film crystallization by leveraging 4-tert-butylpyridine(TBP)molecules,thereby enhancing the performance and stability of PSCs.Our findings demonstrate the effective removal of PbI_(2)from the perovskite surface through strong coordination with TBP molecules.Additionally,by carefully adjusting the concentration of the TBP solution,we achieved enhanced film crystallinity without disrupting the perovskite structure.The TBP-treated perovskite films exhibit a low defect density,improved crystallinity,and improved carrier lifetime.As a result,the PSCs manufactured with TBP treatment achieve power conversion efficiency(PCE)exceeding 24%.Moreover,we obtained the PCE of 21.39%for the 12.25 cm^(2)module.

GENERALIZED TRANSFER FUNCTION OF CONTROL SYSTEM AND AN IMPROVEMENT ON THE DECISION METHOD OF MOVEMENT STABILITY

In this paper the definitions of generalized transfer functios of control system and itscontinuity are presented.Using generalized transfer function as a tool,a set of theorems fordeciding movement stability have been constructed.Thus basing understanding of thecharacteristics of a control dynamics system on its measured procedure will simplify thedecision method of movement stability problems.

Effects of switching frequency and leakage inductance on slow-scale stability in a voltage controlled flyback converter

The effects of both the switching frequency and the leakage inductance on the slow-scale stability in a voltage controlled flyback converter are investigated in this paper. Firstly, the system description and its mathematical model are presented. Then, the improved averaged model, which covers both the switching frequency and the leakage inductance, is established, and the effects of these two parameters on the slow-scale stability in the system are analyzed. It is found that the occurrence of Hopf bifurcation in the system is the main reason for losing its slow-scale stability and both the switching frequency and the leakage inductance have an important effect on this slow-scale stability. Finally, the effectiveness of the improved averaged model and that of the corresponding theoretical analysis are confirmed by the simulation results and the experimental results.

Improvement of Laser Frequency Stabilization for the Optical Pumping Cesium Beam Standard

A method is presented to improve the laser frequency stabilization for the optical pumping cesium clock. By comparing the laser frequency stabilization of different schemes, we verify that the light angle is an important factor that limits the long-term frequency stability. We minimize the drift of the light angle by using a fiber- coupled output, and lock the frequency of a distributed-feedback diode laser to the fluorescence spectrum of the atomic beam. The measured frequency stability is about 3.5 ×10^-11 at i s and reaches 1.5 × 10^-12 at 2000s. The Allan variance keeps going down for up to thousands of seconds, indicating that the medium- and long-term stability of the laser frequency is significantly improved and perfectly fulfills the requirement for the optical pumping cesium clock.

Small-signal Stability Analysis and Improvement with Phase-shift Phase-locked Loop Based on Back Electromotive Force Observer for VSC-HVDC in Weak Grids

Voltage source converter based high-voltage direct current(VSC-HVDC)transmission technology has been extensively employed in power systems with a high penetration of renewable energy resources.However,connecting a voltage source converter(VSC)to an AC weak grid may cause the converter system to become unstable.In this paper,a phase-shift phaselocked loop(PS-PLL)is proposed wherein a back electromotive force(BEMF)observer is added to the conventional phaselocked loop(PLL).The BEMF observer is used to observe the voltage of the infinite grid in the stationaryαβframe,which avoids the problem of inaccurate observations of the grid voltage in the dq frame that are caused by the output phase angle errors of the PLL.The VSC using the PS-PLL can operate as if it is facing a strong grid,thus enhancing the stability of the VSC-HVDC system.The proposed PS-PLL only needs to be properly modified on the basis of a traditional PLL,which makes it easy to implement.In addition,because it is difficult to obtain the exact impedance of the grid,the influence of shortcircuit ratio(SCR)estimation errors on the performance of the PS-PLL is also studied.The effectiveness of the proposed PSPLL is verified by the small-signal stability analysis and timedomain simulation.

Antimony doped CsPbI_(2)Br for high-stability all-inorganic perovskite solar cells

All-inorganic perovskites,adopting cesium(Cs+)cation to completely replace the organic component of A-sites of hybrid organic–inorganic halide perovskites,have attracted much attention owing to the excellent thermal stability.However,all-inorganic iodine-based perovskites generally exhibit poor phase stability in ambient conditions.Herein,we propose an efficient strategy to introduce antimony(Sb^(3+))into the crystalline lattices of CsPbI_(2)Br perovskite,which can effectively regulate the growth of perovskite crystals to obtain a more stable perovskite phase.Due to the much smaller ionic radius and lower electronegativity of trivalent Sb^(3+)than those of Pb^(2+),the Sb^(3+)doping can decrease surface defects and suppress charge recombination,resulting in longer carrier lifetime and negligible hysteresis.As a result,the all-inorganic perovskite solar cells(PSCs)based on 0.25%Sb^(3+)doped CsPbI_(2)Br light absorber and screen-printable nanocarbon counter electrode achieved a power conversion efficiency of 11.06%,which is 16%higher than that of the control devices without Sb^(3+)doping.Moreover,the Sb^(3+)doped all-inorganic PSCs also exhibited greatly improved endurance against heat and moisture.Due to the use of low-cost and easy-to-process nanocarbon counter electrodes,the manufacturing process of the all-inorganic PSCs is very convenient and highly repeatable,and the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.This work offers a promising approach to constructing high-stability all-inorganic PSCs by introducing appropriate lattice doping.

THE USING OF THE REHABILITATION MACHINE ON HAND-ARM STABILITY IN IMPROVING ADL

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Stability-improvement Method of Cascaded DC-DC Converters with Additional Voltage-error Mutual Feedback Control

The interaction between the source and load converters in cascaded DC-DC converters may cause instability.Thus,improving the stability of cascaded DC-DC converters is important.To solve the above-mentioned problem,a flowchart to improve the control method is established by calculating the eigenvalue sensitivity of a time-domain model of cascaded DC-DC converters.Further,an additional voltage-error mutual feedback control method is firstly proposed based on the flowchart provided in this study to improve the stability of cascaded DC-DC converters.Subsequently,the influence of the proposed mutual feedback control on the stability of cascaded DC-DC converters is analyzed.Finally,the effectiveness of the proposed control method is verified by simulation and experiment.

Improvement of thermal stability of ZrSiON based solar selective absorbing coating

Solar selective absorbing coatings(SSACs)are required to have not only excellent optical property but also outstanding thermal stability for high temperature applications.The optical properties of Mo/ZrSiN/ZrSiON/SiO_(2) SSAC had been optimized successfully before.Herein,we are focusing on the evaluation and mechanism of thermal stability of this multilayer coating for its potential applications in concentrated solar power(CSP)systems.Fortunately,the coating exhibits excellent thermal stability after aging at 400℃ for 1500 h in vacuum.At aging temperature of 500℃ for 1000 h or 600℃ for 300 h in vacuum,the slight inter-diffusion between Mo layer and stainless steel(SS)substrate occurs.At higher aging temperature of 700℃ for 100 h in vacuum,the serious inter-diffusion between Mo layer and SS substrate leads to invalidation of the coating,which has been evidenced by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry(RBS)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)technologies.Additionally,this coating also has an outstanding thermal stability after aging at 400℃for 300 h in air.A heating-cooling cycling(HCC)treatment evidences the good thermal stability of this coating working in cold environment(60℃).The results reveal that this coating can be a promising candidate not only for CSP system in high temperatures but also for usage in cold environment.

Fibula pro-tibia vs standard locking plate fixation in an ankle fracture saw bone model

BACKGROUND Locking plate fixation in osteoporotic ankle fractures may fail due to cut-out or metalwork failure.Fibula pro-tibia fixation was a technique prior to the advent of locking plates that was used to enhance stability in ankle fractures by achieving tri or tetra-cortical fixation.With locking plates,the strength of this fixation construct can be further enhanced.There is lack of evidence currently on the merits of tibiapro-fibula augmented locking plate fixation of unstable ankle fractures.AIM To assess if there is increased strength to failure,in an ankle fracture saw bone model,with a fibula pro-tibia construct when compared with standard locking plate fixation.METHODS Ten osteoporotic saw bones with simulated supination external rotation injuries were used.Five saw bones were fixed with standard locking plates whilst the other 5 saw bones were fixed with locking plates in a fibula pro-tibia construct.The fibula pro-tibia construct involved fixation with 3 consecutive locking screws applied across 3 cortices proximally from the level of the syndesmosis.All fixations were tested in axial external rotation to failure on an electromagnetic test frame(MTS 858 Mini-Bionix test machine,MTS Corp,Eden Praire,MN,United States).Torque at 30 degrees external rotation,failure torque,and external rotation angle at failure were compared between both groups and statistically analyzed.RESULTS The fibula pro-tibia construct demonstrated a statistically higher torque at 30 degrees external rotation(4.421±0.796 N/m vs 1.451±0.467 N/m;t-test P=0.000),as well as maximum torque at failure(5.079±0.694N/m vs 2.299±0.931 N/m;t-test P=0.001)compared to the standard locking plate construct.The fibula pro-tibia construct also had a lower external rotation angle at failure(54.7±14.5 vs 67.7±22.9).CONCLUSION The fibula pro-tibia locking plate construct demonstrates biomechanical superiority to standard locking plates in fixation of unstable ankle fractures in this saw bone model.There is merit in the use of this construct in patients with unstable osteoporotic ankle fractures as it may aid improved clinical outcomes.

ZnO Surface Passivation with Glucose Enables Simultaneously Improving Efficiency and Stability of Inverted Polymer:Non-fullerene Solar Cells

The power conversion efficiency(PCE)of polymer solar cells(PSCs)has exceeded 19%due to the rapid progress of photoactive organic materials,including conjugated polymer donors and the matched non-fullerene acceptors(NFAs).Due to the high density of oxygen vacancies and the consequent photocatalytic reactivity of ZnO,structure inverted polymer solar cells with the ZnO electron transport layer(ETL)usually suffer poor device photostability.In this work,the eco-friendly glucose(Glu)is found to simultaneously improve the efficiency and stability of polymer:NFA solar cells.Under the optimal conditions,we achieved improved PCEs from 14.77%to 15.86%for the PM6:Y6 solar cells.Such a PCE improvement was attributed to the improvement in J_(SC) and FF,which is ascribed to the smoother and more hydrophobic surface of the ZnO/Glu surface,thereby enhancing the charge extraction efficiency and inhibiting charge recombination.Besides,UV-Vis absorption spectra analysis revealed that glucose modification could significantly inhibit the photodegradation of Y6,resulting in a significant improvement in the stability of the device with 92%of its initial PCE after aging for 1250 h.The application of natural interface materials in this work brings hope for the commercial application of organic solar cells and provides new ideas for developing new interface materials.

Reducing surficial and interfacial defects by thiocyanate ionic liquid additive and ammonium formate passivator for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells

Organic–inorganic metal halide perovskites have attained extensive attention owing to their outstanding photovoltaic performances,but the existence of numerous defects in crystalline perovskites is still a serious constraint for the further development of perovskite solar cells(PSCs).In particular,the rapid crystallization guided by anti-solvents leads to plenty of surficial and interfacial defects in perovskite films.Herein,we report the adoption of a pseudo-halide anion based ionic liquid additive,1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate(BMIMSCN)for growing ternary cation(CsFAMA,where FA=formamidinium and MA=methylammonium)perovskites with large-scale crystal grains and strong preferential orientation via the enhanced Ostwald ripening.Meanwhile,a novel halide-free passivator,benzylammonium formate(BAFa),was employed as a buffering layer on the perovskite films to suppress surface-dominated charge recombination.As a result,the cooperative effects of BMIMSCN additive and BAFa passivator lead to significant enhancements on fluorescence lifetime(from 79.41 to 201.01 ns),open-circuit voltage(from 1.13 to 1.19 V),photoelectric conversion efficiency(from 18.90%to 22.33%).Moreover,the BMIMSCN/BAFa-CsFAMA PSCs demonstrated greatly improved stability against moisture and heat.This work suggests a promising strategy to improve the quality of perovskite materials via reducing the surficial and interfacial defects by the synergistic effects of lattice doping and interface engineering.