Unraveling the Fundamental Mechanism of Interface Conductive Network Influence on the Fast‑Charging Performance of SiO‑Based Anode for Lithium‑Ion Batteries

Progress in the fast charging of high-capacity silicon monoxide(SiO)-based anode is currently hindered by insufficient conductivity and notable volume expansion.The construction of an interface conductive network effectively addresses the aforementioned problems;however,the impact of its quality on lithium-ion transfer and structure durability is yet to be explored.Herein,the influence of an interface conductive network on ionic transport and mechanical stability under fast charging is explored for the first time.2D modeling simulation and Cryo-transmission electron microscopy precisely reveal the mitigation of interface polarization owing to a higher fraction of conductive inorganic species formation in bilayer solid electrolyte interphase is mainly responsible for a linear decrease in ionic diffusion energy barrier.Furthermore,atomic force microscopy and Raman shift exhibit substantial stress dissipation generated by a complete conductive network,which is critical to the linear reduction of electrode residual stress.This study provides insights into the rational design of optimized interface SiO-based anodes with reinforced fast-charging performance.

Lithium nitrate regulated carbonate electrolytes for practical Li-metal batteries: Mechanisms, principles and strategies

Li-metal batteries(LMBs)regain research prominence owing to the ever-increasing high-energy requirements.Commercially available carbonate electrolytes exhibit unfavourable parasitic reactions with Limetal anode(LMA),leading to the formation of unstable solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)and the breed of Li dendrites/dead Li.Significantly,lithium nitrate(LiNO_(3)),an excellent film-forming additive,proves crucial to construct a robust Li_(3)N/Li_(2)O/Li_(x)NO_(y)-rich SEI after combining with ether-based electrolytes.Thus,the given challenge leads to natural ideas which suggest the incorporation of LiNO_(3) into commercial carbonate for practical LMBs.Regrettably,LiNO_(3) demonstrates limited solubility(~800 ppm)in commercial carbonate electrolytes.Thence,developing stable SEI and dendrite-free LMA with the incorporation of LiNO_(3) into carbonate electrolytes is an efficacious strategy to realize robust LMBs via a scalable and cost-effective route.Therefore,this review unravels the grievances between LMA,LiNO_(3)and carbonate electrolytes,and enables a comprehensive analysis of LMA stabilizing mechanism with LiNO_(3),dissolution principle of LiNO_(3) in carbonate electrolytes,and LiNO_(3) introduction strategies.This review converges attention on a point that the LiNO_(3)-introduction into commercial carbonate electrolytes is an imperious choice to realize practical LMBs with commercial 4 V layered cathode.

Utilizing hybrid faradaic mechanism via catalytic and surface interactions for high-performance flexible energy storage system

Improving the capacitance and energy density is a significant challenge while developing practical and flexible energy storage system(ESS).Redox mediators(RMs),as redox-active electrolyte additives,can provide additional energy storing capability via electrochemical faradaic contribution on electrodes for high-performance flexible ESSs.Particularly,determining effective material combinations between electrodes and RMs is essential for maximizing surface faradaic redox reactions for energy-storage performance.In this study,an electrode-RM system comprising heterostructured hybrid(carbon fiber(CF)/MnO_(2)) faradaic electrodes and iodine RMs(I-RMs) in a redox-active electrolyte is investigated.The CF/MnO_(2)with the 1-RMs(CF/MnO_(2)-I) induces dominant catalytic faradaic interaction with the I-RMs,significantly enhancing the surface faradaic kinetics and increasing the overall energy-storage performance.The CF/MnO_(2)-I ESSs show a 12.6-fold(or higher) increased volumetric energy density of 793.81 mWh L^(-1)at a current of 10 μA relative to ESSs using CF/MnO_(2)without I-RMs(CF/MnO_(2)).Moreover,the CF/MnO_(2)-I retains 93.1% of its initial capacitance after 10,000 cycles,validating the excellent cyclability.Finally,the flexibility of the ESSs is tested at different bending angles(180° to 0°),demonstrating its feasibility for flexible and high-wear environments.Therefore,CF/MnO_(2)electrodes present a practical material combination for high-performance flexible energy-storage devices owing to the catalytic faradaic interaction with I-RMs.

Stabilization Mechanism of Calcium Lignosulphonate Used in Expansion Sensitive Soil

A series of tests were performed to investigate the macroscopic properties and the stabilization mechanism of calcium lignosulphonate modified expansive soil.Compared with natural soil,soil modified by 4%calcium lignosulphonate showed 56.5%increased 28 days unconfined compressive strength and 23.8%decreased free expansion rate.The X-ray diffraction analysis results indicate the existence of cation exchange and the reduction of montmorillonite interplanar spacing.The X-computed tomography results demonstrate that calcium lignosulphonate decreased the porosity and optimized the pore distribution.The calcium lignosulphonate also increased the stability of the suspension system according to the Zeta potential results.Moreover,the results of rheological tests show that the moderate amount of calcium lignosulphonate enhanced the yield stress and the plastic viscosity,proving the formation of a strong connection between soil particles.

Mechanism of progressive failure of a slope with a steep joint under the action of freezing and thawing:model test

The stability of slope rock masses is influenced by freeze-thaw cycles in cold region,and the mechanism of stability deterioration is not clear.In order to understand the damage and progressive failure characteristics of rock masses under the action of freezing and thawing,a model test was conducted on slope with steep joint in this study.The temperature,frost heaving pressure and deformation of slope rock mass were monitored in real-time during the test and the progressive failure mode was studied.The experimental results show that the temperature variations of cracking and the rock mass of a slope are different.There are obvious latent heat stages in the temperature-change plot in the crack,but not in the slope rock masses.The frost heaving effect in the fracture is closely related to the constraint conditions,which change with the deformation of the fracture.The frost heaving pressure fluctuates periodically during freezing and continues to decrease during thawing.The surface deformation of the rock mass increases during freezing,and the deformation is restored when it thaws.Freeze-thaw cycling results in residual deformation of the rock mass which cannot be fully restored.Analysis shows that the rock mass at the free side of the steep-dip joint rotates slightly under the frost heaving effect,causing fracture propagation.The fracture propagation pattern is a circular arc at the beginning,then extends to the possible sliding direction of the rock mass.Frost heaving force and fracture water pressure are the key factors for the failure of the slope,which can cause the crack to penetrate the rock mass,and a landslide ensues when the overall anti-sliding resistance of the rock mass is overcome.

Effects of the precipitation of stabilizers on the mechanism of grain fracturing in a zirconia metering nozzle

The mechanism of grain fracturing in a zirconia metering nozzle used in the continuous casting process was studied. The phase composition, microstructure, and chemical composition of the residual samples were studied using an X-ray fluorescence analyzer, scanning electron microscope, and electron probe. Results revealed that the composition, structure, and mineral phase of the original layer, transition layer, and affected layer of the metering nozzle differed because of stabilizer precipitation and steel slag permeation. The stabilizer MgO formed low-melting phases with steel slag and impure SiO2 on the boundaries（pores） of zirconia grains; consequently, grain fracturing occurred and accelerated damage to the metering nozzle was observed.

Preparation and stabilization mechanism of carbon dots nanofluids for drag reduction

During the development of low or ultra-low permeability oil resources,the alternative energy supply becomes a prominent issue.In recent years,carbon dots(CDs)have drawn much attention owing to their application potential in oil fields for reducing injection pressure and augmenting oil recovery.However,carbon dots characterized of small size,high surface energy are faced with several challenges,such as self-aggregation and settling.The preparation of stably dispersed carbon dots nanofluids is the key factor to guarantee its application performance in formation.In this work,we investigated the stability of hydrophilic carbon dots(HICDs)and hydrophobic carbon dots-Tween 80(HOCDs)nanofluids.The influences of carbon dots concentration,sorts and concentration of salt ions as well as temperature on the stability of CDs were studied.The results showed that HICDs are more sensitive to sort and concentration of salt ions,while HOCDs are more sensitive to temperature.In addition,the core flooding experiments demonstrated that the pressure reduction rate of HICDs and HOCDs nanofluids can be as high as 17.88%and 26.14%,respectively.Hence,the HICDs and HOCDs nanofluids show a good application potential in the reduction of injection pressure during the development of low and ultra-low permeability oil resources.

Synthesis of ZnO quantum dots and their agglomeration mechanisms along with emission spectra based on ageing time and temperature

The ZnO quantum dots（QDs） were synthesized with improved chemical solution method.The size of the ZnO QDs is exceedingly uniform with a diameter of approximately 4.8 nm,which are homogeneously dispersed in ethanol.The optical absorption edge shifts from 370 nm of bulk material to 359 nm of QD materials due to the quantum size effect,while the photoluminescence peak shifts from 375 nm to 387 nm with the increase of the density of ZnO QDs.The stability of ZnO QDs was studied with different dispersion degrees at 0？C and at room temperature of 25？C.The agglomeration mechanisms and their relationship with the emission spectra were uncovered for the first time.With the ageing of Zn O QDs,the agglomeration is aggravated and the surface defects increase,which leads to the defect emission.

An upgraded polymeric composite with interparticle chemical bonding microstructure toward lithium-ion battery separators with enhanced safety and electrochemical performances

A composite separator of SiC/PVDF-HFP was synthesized for lithium-ion batteries with high thermal and mechanical stabilities.Benefiting from the nanoscale,high hardness,and melting point of SiC,SiC/PVDFHFP with highly uniform microstructure was obtained.This polarization caused by barrier penetration was significantly restrained.Due to the Si-F bond between SiC and PVDF-HFP,the structural stability has been obviously enhanced,which could suppress the growth of lithium(Li) dendrite.Furthermore,some 3D reticulated Si nanowires are found on the surface of Li anode,which also greatly inhibit Li dendrites and result in irregular flakes of Li metal.Especially,the shrinkage of 6% SiC/PVDF-HFP at 150℃ is only 5%,which is notably lower than those of PVDF-HFP and Celgard2500.The commercial LiFePO_(4) cell assembled with 6% SiC/PVDF-HFP possesses a specific capacity of 157.8 mA h g^(-1) and coulomb efficiency of 98% at 80℃.In addition,the tensile strength and modulus of 6% SiC/PVDF-HFP could reach 14.6 and 562 MPa,respectively.And a small deformation(1000 nm) and strong deformation recovery are obtained under a high additional load(2.3 mN).Compared with PVDF-HFP and Celgard2500,the symmetric Li cell assembled with 6% SiC/PVDF-HFP has not polarized after 900 cycles due to its excellent mechanical stabilities.This strategy provides a feasible solution for the composite separator of high-safety batteries with a high temperature and impact resistance.

An ab Initio Study of Mechanical and Electronic Properties of Stable Phases of CsXBr3 (X = Ge, Si) Compounds for Solar Cell Applications

Utilising the density functional theory, the mechanical and electrical characteristics of Cesium Germanium Bromide, CsGeBr3 and Cesium Silicon Bromide CsSiBr3 compounds were computed. The complicated and unique physical and chemical properties of these materials include the ideal geometric property, a limited electronic band structure, a charge density distribution, and specific van Hove singularities in the electronic density of states. With the use of the quantum espresso code and pseudo-potentials taken from the quantum espresso data repository, we have applied density functional theory. Plane Wave (PW) basis set and Projector Augmented Wave (PAW) pseudo potentials were used to compute the ground state energy. For the exchange correlation, where plane wave basis sets are used to expand the electronic structure wave function, the Generalised Gradient Approximation (GGA) was employed. For the computation of mechanical behaviour, including the bulk modulus and elastic constants with their derivatives, Thermo_pw was used as a post-processing algorithm. The theoretical framework that is being taught gives a thorough understanding of the many qualities and possible uses for solar cells and other opto-electronic devices. Both the cubic (high-temperature) and tetragonal (low-temperature) phases of CsGeBr3 were discovered to have an appropriate gap for solar cells. The edge-sharing monoclinic phase exhibits a greater distortion of the band structure than the cubic phase, which has a lower total energy and a somewhat bigger electronic gap. Although our estimations are less definite because the matching silicon-based compounds have not yet been created, they nonetheless point to a small gap for cubic CsGeBr3 of about 0.2 - 0.8 eV.

Rare Earth Stearates as Thermal Stabilizers for Rigid Poly(vinyl chloride)

A series of stearates with different rare-earth ion were investigated as thermal stabilizers for rigid PVC at 180 ℃ in air. Their stabilizing efficiency was based on measuring the rate of dehydrochlorination. The resulted revealed the higher stabilizing efficiency of the investigated rare-earth stearates as thermal stabilizers for rigid PVC compared with the thermal stabilizers for industry: calcium stearate, zinc stearate, butyl stannum mercaptide, phosphite esters, β-diketone and epoxidized sunflower oil. This was well illustrated by longer incubation period (T_S) values and lower rate of dehydrochlorination. The stable efficiency was affected by the nature of rare-earth element's individual electronic shell. The mechanism for the stabilizing effect of rare-earth stearates was proposed. The result was experimentally proved based on IR spectrum.

MINTEQ modeling for evaluating the leaching behavior of heavy metals in MSWI fly ash

At present,all kinds of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash stabilization technology has been reported and successfully applied in many countries.However,leaching procedures are very different that the technologies lack uniform standard,and it is even impossible to predict the long-term stabilization.Geochemical model can explain the environmental stabilization based on chemical phase and thermodynamic crystal structure,and it is also able to guide the development of environment-friendly stabi...

MECHANICAL STABILIZATION OF DEFORMED AUSTENITEDURING CONTINUOUS COOLING TRANSFORMATION IN AC-Mn-Cr-Ni-Mo PLASTIC DIE STEEL

The influence of prior austenite deformed at different temperature on the subsequent continuous cooling bainitic transformation has been investigated in an C-Ma-Cr-Ni-Mo plastic die steel. The results show that the prior deformation in low temperature region of austenite retards significantly the bainitic transformation. For the same continuous cooling schedule, as austenite deformed at lower temperature, the quantity of the classical sheaf-like bainite becomes less. The present results show that severe deformation leads to mechanical stabilization of austenite and causes the difficulty of bainitic ferrite propagation into the austenite.

The geomechanics of Shenhua carbon dioxide capture and storage(CCS) demonstration project in Ordos Basin,China

Carbon dioxide(CO2) capture and storage(CCS) is considered widely as one of promising options for CO2emissions reduction,especially for those countries with coal-dominant energy mix like China.Injecting and storing a huge volume of CO2in deep formations are likely to cause a series of geomechanical issues,including ground surface uplift,damage of caprock integrity,and fault reactivation.The Shenhua CCS demonstration project in Ordos Basin,China,is the first and the largest full-chain saline aquifer storage project of CO2in Asia.The injection started in 2010 and ended in 2015.during which totally 0.3 million tonnes(Mt) CO2was injected.The project is unique in which CO2was injected into 18 sandstone formations simultaneously and the overlying coal seams will be mined after the injection stopped in 2015.Hence,intense geomechanical studies and monitoring works have been conducted in recent years,including possible damage resulting from the temperature difference between injected CO2and formations,injection induced stress and deformation change,potential failure mode and safety factor,interaction between coal mining and CO2geological storage,determination of injection pressure limit,and surface monitoring by the interferometric synthetic aperture radar(InSAR) technology.In this paper,we first described the background and its geological conditions of the Shenhua CCS demonstration project.Then,we gave an introduction to the coupled thermo-hydro-mechano-chemical(THMC) processes in CO2geological storage,and mapped the key geomechanical issues into the THMC processes accordingly.Next,we proposed a generalized geomechanical research flowchart for CO2geological storage projects.After that,we addressed and discussed some typical geomechanical issues,including design of injection pressure limit.CO2injection induced near-field damage,and interaction between CO2geological storage and coal mining,in the Shenhua CCS demonstration project.Finally,we concluded some insights to this CCS project.

A novel approach to study the interactions between polymeric stabilized micron-sized oil droplets by optical tweezers

The well understanding of interaction forces between single dispersed droplets is crucial to the understanding of emulsion stabilization mechanism.Recently,many studies have reported the direct quantitative measurements of interaction forces between 20-200μm single droplet coated polymers by atomic force microscope(AFM).These studies have revealed many important results about the relationship of the interaction forces and the droplet deformation.However,these studies of the quantitative relationship between the measured interaction forces and the separation distance of the front end of the droplet have rarely been reported.Optical tweezer instrument can make it possible to establish the quantitative relationship between the measured force and the separation distance of the front end of the droplet,which will make better understanding of the interaction mechanisms between droplets.Due to the differences of the measuring mechanism between atomic force microscopy(AFM)and optical tweezers,the theory model of AFM measurements cannot be fitted with the force measurement by optical tweezers.We have made an exhaustive comparison of the measuring differences between AFM and optical tweezer instrument in this work.Moreover,we built a numerical model to derive the repulsive pressure through the measured force curve in order to quantify the measured force of two micron-sized oil droplet coated polymers by optical tweezers.Furthermore,the novel method can be extended to other micron-sized emulsion systems,and these findings will be a vital progress on quantitative force measurements between micron-sized droplets.

Experimental evaluation of mechanically stabilized earth walls with recycled crumb rubbers

Traditional techniques for treatment of waste rubber, such as burning, generate some highly non- degradable synthetic materials that cause unrepairable environmental damages by releasing heavy metals, such as arsenic, chromium, lead, manganese and nickel. For this, scrap tires are used as light- weight alternative materials in many engineering applications, such as retaining wall backfilling. In the present study, 90 laboratory models were prepared to evaluate the stability of mechanically stabilized earth （MSE） walls with plate anchors. Then, the bearing capacity and horizontal displacements of the retaining walls were monitored by exerting a static loading to investigate the effects of adding different contents （5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt% and 20 wt%） of recycled crumb rubber （RCR） to the fill of a mechanically stabilized retaining wall with plate anchors. To visualize the critical slip surface of the wall, the particle image velocimetry （PIV） technique was employed. Results showed that the circular anchor plates almost continually provided a higher bearing capacity and wall stability than the square plates. Moreover, the backfill with 15 wt% RCR provided the maximum bearing capacity of the wall. Increasing the weight percentage of RCR to 20 wt% resulted in a significant reduction in horizontal displacement of the wall, which occurred due to the decrease in lateral earth pressure against the whole walls. An increase in RCR content resulted in the decrease in the formation of failure wedge and the expansion of the wall slip surface, and the failure wedge did not form in the sand mixtures with 15 wt% and 20 wt% RCRs.

Curing Kinetics, Mechanical Properties and Thermal Stability of Epoxy/Graphene Nanoplatelets(GNPs) Powder Coatings

Epoxy/graphene nanoplatelets（GNPs） powder coatings were fabricated using ultrasonic predispersion of GNPs and melt-blend extrusion method. The isothermal curing kinetics of epoxy/GNPs powder coating were monitored by means of real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR） with a heating cell. The mechanical properties of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings had been investigated, by evaluating their fracture surfaces with field-emission scanning electron microscopy（FE-SEM） after three-point-bending tests. The thermal stability of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings was studied by thermo-gravimetric analysis（TGA）. The isothermal curing kinetics result showed that the GNPs would not affect the autocatalytic reaction mechanism, but the loading of GNPs below 1.0 wt % additive played a prompting role in the curing of the epoxy/GNPs powder coatings. The fracture strain, fracture toughness and impact resistance of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings increased dramatically at low levels of GNPs loading（1 wt %）, indicating that the GNPs could improve the toughness of the epoxy/GNPs powder coatings. Furthermore, from FE-SEM studies of the fracture surfaces, the possible toughening mechanisms of the epoxy/GNPs cured coatings were proposed. TGA result showed that the incorporation of GNPs improved the thermal stability of the cured coatings. Hence, the GNPs modified epoxy can be an efficient approach to toughen epoxy powder coating along with improving their thermal stability.

TEMPERED BAINITE EMBRITTLEMENT IN SOME STRUCTURAL STEELS

The variations of microstructures and mechanical properties of steels 15CrMnMoV, 18Mn2CrMoB,18Cr2Ni4W,30CrMnSi,30CrMnSiNi2 and 40CrMnSiMoV,which were tempered at different temperatures after austempering and continuous cooling at given rates, have been investigated.Based on the experimental results,the behaviour and mechanism of tempered bainite embrittlement(TBE)have been discussed.Finally,the theoretical and prac- tical basis for selecting the optimum tempering temperature of steels with bainite structure af- ter heat treatment are proposed.

Engineering rock mechanics practices in the underground powerhouse at JinpingⅠhydropower station

Based on the analyses of data obtained from the underground powerhouse at Jinping I hydropower station, a comprehensive review of engineering rock mechanics practice in the underground powerhouse is first conducted. The distribution of strata, lithology, and initial geo-stress, the excavation process and corresponding rock mass support measures, the deformation and failure characteristics of the surrounding rock mass, the stress characteristics of anchorage structures in the cavern complex, and numerical simulations of surrounding rock mass stability and anchor support performance are presented. The results indicate that the underground powerhouse of Jinping I hydropower station is characterized by high to extremely high geo-stresses during rock excavation. Excessive surrounding rock mass deformation and high stress of anchorage structures, surrounding rock mass unloading damage, and local cracking failure of surrounding rock masses, etc., are mainly caused by rock mass excavation. Deformations of surrounding rock masses and stresses in anchorage structures here are larger than those found elsewhere： 20% of extensometers in the main powerhouse record more than 50 mm with the maximum at around 250 mm observed in the downstream sidewall of the transformer hall. There are about 25% of the anchor bolts having recorded stresses of more than 200 MPa. Jinping I hydropower plant is the first to have an underground powerhouse construction conducted in host rocks under extremely high geo-stress conditions, with the ratio of rock mass strength to geo-stress of less than 2.0. The results can provide a reference to underground powerhouse construction in similar geological conditions.

Modification of Liquid Silicone Rubber by Octavinyl-polyhedral Oligosilsesquioxanes and Silicon Sol

To develop an efficient and bio-compatible way to improve the thermal and mechanical properties of addition type liquid silicone rubber（LSR）, a series of modified LSR samples were prepared by introducing octavinyl-polyhedral oligosilsesquioxanes（VPOSS） and high purity silicon sol singly or in combination before vulcanization. Significant correlation was found between the loading rate of VPOSS and thermal properties. However, mechanical properties were negatively correlated with VPOSS content within the range experimented, which may be ascribed to material defect caused by uneven distribution and aggregation. Furthermore, test results approved that the introducing of silicon sol indeed affected the stabilities of the polymer by restraining the material defect caused by the aggregation of POSS molecules and improving cross link density. For example, adding 10%-20% of silicon sol into VPOSS（1.0%） modified LSR will increase tear resistance by 43.9%-85.7%, elongation at break by 31.7%-57.3%, residue at 800 ℃ in N2 atmosphere by 32.0%-37.9%, residue at 650 ℃ in air atmosphere by 70.9%-91.6%, respectively. This work proves that, to incorporate VPOSS into LSR by hydrosilylation, and to use silicon sol as dispersant and reinforce filler can become an efficient way to improve the mechanical property, thermal stability and bio-compatibility of LSR in the future.