Boosting the Performance Gain of Ru/C for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Via Surface Engineering

The surface properties of catalysts determine the intrinsic activity and adaptability.Ruthenium is regarded as a potential candidate to substitute platinum for water electrolysis due to the low cost and analogous electronic structures while it suffers from severe dissolution and stability problems.Herein,the modification of Ru/C with atomically dispersed cobalt atoms is achieved via a simple thermal doping method.The newly formed amorphous shell with Ru-Co sites on the Ru/C catalyst improved the hydrogen evolution reaction activity and stability significantly.Impressively,the obtained Co1Ru@Ru/CN_(x)catalyst exhibited an overpotential as low as 30 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)in an alkaline medium,which is among the best HER catalysts reported so far.The oxygen oxophile Co prevents the fast oxidation and dissolution of Ru species,ensuring outstanding long-term durability up to 70 h.Theoretical calculations reveal that the Ru-Co coordination acts as a more active site for water dissociation than the Ru-Ru.Meanwhile,the"Ru-Co shell/Ru core"structures show high adaptability for the reaction conditions.This simple doping strategy offers prospects for scalable preparation of highly active electrocatalysts.

Effect of Surface Roughness on Lubrication Performance of Bump-Type Gas Foil Bearings

Taking bump-type gas foil bearings as the research object,a deformation model of bump foil and a thin-plate finite element model of top foil were proposed.By solving Reynolds equation and energy equation,the pressure distribution and the temperature distribution of gas films in foil bearings were obtained.Further,a numerical method for calculating the lubrication performance of gas foil bearings with considering the surface roughness was proposed.With a specific example,effects of the surface roughness on the bearing lubrication performance were parametrically studied.The results indicate that rougher journal surface can lead to larger fluctuation of the lubrication performance,while surface roughness of top foil has few effects on the fluctuation.Moreover,the mean values of performance parameters almost remain constant at different values of surface roughness.

Corrugated surface microparticles with chitosan and levofloxacin for improved aerodynamic performance

Corrugated surface microparticles comprising levofloxacin(LEV),chitosan and organic acid were prepared using the 3-combo spray drying method.The amount and the boiling point of the organic acid affected the degree of roughness.In this study,we tried to improve the aerodynamic performance and increase aerosolization by corrugated surface microparticle for lung drug delivery efficiency as dry powder inhaler.HMP175 L20 prepared with 175 mmol propionic acid solution was corrugated more than HMF175 L20 prepared with 175 mmol formic acid solution.The ACI and PIV results showed a significant increase in aerodynamic performance of corrugated microparticles.The FPF value of HMP175 L20 was 41.3%±3.9%compared with 25.6%±7.7%of HMF175 L20.Corrugated microparticles also showed better aerosolization,decreased x-axial velocity,and variable angle.Rapid dissolution of drug formulationswas observed in vivo.Lowdoses administered to the lungs achieved higher LEV concentrations in the lung fluid than high doses administered orally.Surface modification in the polymer-based formulation was achieved by controlling the evaporation rate and improving the inhalation efficiency of DPIs.

Bamboo Fiber Modified Asphalt Mixture Proportion Design and Road Performances Based on Response Surface Method

In order to comprehensively utilize the remaining bamboo residue of bamboo products,this paper presents a research on recycling the bamboo fibers from bamboo residue for improving the performance of the asphalt mixtures.First of all,the basic performance parameters of sinocalamus affinis fiber,phyllostachys pubescens fiber,green bamboo fiber were tested and analyzed,and the optimal content and length were put forward.Then,the mix ratio design of the bamboo fiber modified asphalt mixture was further designed through the response surface method,and was verified the rationality of the mix ratio.Finally,the mixture specimens were made according to the experimental design mix ratio,and the high temperature,low temperature performance and moisture susceptibility of the bamboo fiber modified mixtures asphalt were tested.The results showed that the high temperature performance,low temperature performance and moisture susceptibility of bamboo fiber modified asphalt mixtures were improved compared with the performance of SBS modified asphalt mixture.When the length of bamboo fiber is 7.25 mm and the content of 0.22%,the road performance of the asphalt mixture was optimal.Consequentially,the decomposition of bamboo residue into bamboo fiber and its application in asphalt pavement can improve the reuse of bamboo waste,with remarkable environmental benefits and great promotion value.

Cycling performance of layered oxide cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries

Layered oxide is a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries because of its high-capacity,high operating voltage,and simple synthesis.Cycling performance is an important criterion for evaluating the application prospects of batteries.However,facing challenges,including phase transitions,ambient stability,side reactions,and irreversible anionic oxygen activity,the cycling performance of layered oxide cathode materials still cannot meet the application requirements.Therefore,this review proposes several strategies to address these challenges.First,bulk doping is introduced from three aspects:cationic single doping,anionic single doping,and multi-ion doping.Second,homogeneous surface coating and concentration gradient modification are reviewed.In addition,methods such as mixed structure design,particle engineering,high-entropy material construction,and integrated modification are proposed.Finally,a summary and outlook provide a new horizon for developing and modifying layered oxide cathode materials.

Recent progress of surface coating on cathode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) have received substantial attention in the last 10 years,as they offer great promise as power sources that can lead to the electric vehicle (EV) revolution in the next 5 years.Since the cathode serves as a key component in LIB,its properties significantly affect the performance of the whole system.Recently,the cathode surface modification based on coating technique has been widely employed to enhance the electrochemical performances by improving the material conductivity,stabilising the physical structure of materials,as well as preventing the reactions between the electrode and electrolyte.In this work,we reviewed the present of a number of promising cathode materials for Li-ion batteries.After that,we summarized the very recent research progress focusing on the surface coating strategies,mainly including the coating materials,the coating technologies,as well as the corresponding working mechanisms for cathodes.At last,the challenges faced and future guidelines for optimizing cathode materials are discussed.In this study,we propose that the structure of cathode is a crucial factor during the selection of coating materials and technologies.

Cooperative effect of surface alloying and laser texturing on tribological performance of lubricated surfaces

The cooperative effect of laser surface texturing(LST) and double glow plasma surface alloying on tribological performance of lubricated sliding contacts was investigated.A Nd:YAG laser was used to generate microdimples on steel surfaces. Dimples with the diameter of 150μm and the depth of 30-35μm distributed circumferentially on the disc surface.The alloying element Cr was sputtered to the laser texturing steel surface by double glow plasma technique.A deep diffusion layer with a thickness of 30μm and a high hardness of HV900 was formed in this alloy.Tribological experiments of three types of samples(smooth,texturing and texturing+alloying) were conducted with a ring-on-disc tribometer to simulate the face seal.It is found that,in comparison with smooth steel surfaces,the laser texturing samples significantly reduce the friction coefficient.Moreover,the lower wear rate of the sample treated with the two surface techniques is observed.

Surface property variations in flotation performance of calcite particles under different grinding patterns

Based on the working principles of particle bed comminution, particles produced by high-pressure grinding rolls （HPGR） have surface properties different from particles produced by other grinding patterns, which exert great influence on mineral flotation. Flotation performances of calcite particles under different grinding patterns involving the use of HPGR, a jaw crusher, a dry ball mill, a wet ball mill, and a wet rod mill were studied using single mineral flotation tests. The surface properties of the particles under different grinding patterns were characterized to determine the flotation performance variation in terms of specific surface area, particle size distribution, AFM, XPS, and zeta potential. The results show that particles ground by HPGR exhibited improved flotation performance within the lower range of grinding fineness in both NaOL and dodecyl amine flotation systems compared to the particles prepared using other grinding patterns. Specific surface area, particle size distribution, surface roughness, Fe（III） contamination, binding energy, and zeta potential are greatly influenced by grinding patterns, which is the main cause of the flotation performance variation.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTROCHEMICAL PERFORMANCES OF Mm(NiCoMnAl)_5 ELECTRODES BY SURFACE MODIFICATION

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Enhanced high-temperature performance of Li-rich layered oxide via surface heterophase coating

Li-rich layered oxides have become one of the most concerned cathode materials for high-energy lithiumion batteries, but they still suffer from poor cycling stability and detrimental voltage decay, especially at elevated temperature. Herein, we proposed a surface heterophase coating engineering based on amorphous/crystalline Li3 PO4 to address these issues for Li-rich layered oxides via a facile wet chemical method. The heterophase coating layer combines the advantages of physical barrier effect achieved by amorphous Li3 PO4 with facilitated Li+diffusion stemmed from crystalline Li3 PO4. Consequently, the modified Li(1.2) Ni(0.2) Mn(0.6) O2 delivers higher initial coulombic efficiency of 92% with enhanced cycling stability at 55 °C(192.9 mAh/g after 100 cycles at 1 C). More importantly, the intrinsic voltage decay has been inhibited as well, i.e. the average potential drop per cycle decreases from 5.96 mV to 2.99 mV. This surface heterophase coating engineering provides an effective strategy to enhance the high-temperature electrochemical performances of Li-rich layered oxides and guides the direction of surface modification strategies for cathode materials in the future.

Using the surface panel method to predict the steady performance of ducted propellers

A new numerical method was developed for predicting the steady hydrodynamic performance of ducted propellers. A potential based surface panel method was applied both to the duct and the propeller, and the interaction between them was solved by an induced velocity potential iterative method. Compared with the induced velocity iterative method, the method presented can save programming and calculating time. Numerical results for a JD simplified ducted propeller series showed that the method presented is effective for predicting the steady hydrodynamic performance of ducted propellers.

Effect of Machined Surface Integrity on Fatigue Performance of Metal Workpiece:A Review

Fatigue performance is a serious concern for mechanical components subject to cyclical stresses,particularly where safety is paramount.The fatigue performance of components relies closely on their surface integrity because the fatigue cracks generally initiate from free surfaces.This paper reviewed the published data,which addressed the effects of machined surface integrity on the fatigue performance of metal workpieces.Limitations in existing studies and the future directions in anti-fatigue manufacturing field were proposed.The remarkable surface topography(e.g.,low roughness and few local defects and inclusions)and large compressive residual stress are beneficial to fatigue performance.However,the indicators that describe the effects of surface topography and residual stress accurately need further study and exploration.The effect of residual stress relaxation under cycle loadings needs to be precisely modeled precisely.The effect of work hardening on fatigue performance had two aspects.Work hardening could increase the material yield strength,thereby delaying crack nucleation.However,increased brittleness could accel-erate crack propagation.Thus,finding the effective control mechanism and method of work hardening is urgently needed to enhance the fatigue performance of machined components.The machining-induced metallurgical structure changes,such as white layer,grain refinement,dislocation,and martensitic transformation affect the fatigue performance of a workpiece significantly.However,the unified and exact conclusion needs to be investigated deeply.Finally,different surface integrity factors had complicated reciprocal effects on fatigue performance.As such,studying the comprehensive influence of surface integrity further and establishing the reliable prediction model of workpiece fatigue performance are meaningful for improving reliability of components and reducing test cost.

Application and dynamical performance simulation of tooth surface measured data of hypoid gear

The tooth surface shape of hypoid gear is very complicated, and tooth surface accuracy of hypoid gear can be measured by using the latticed measurement and scanning measurement. Advantages and disadvantages of the two measurement patterns are compared and application of their measurement data on hypoid gear＇s quality management is analyzed. How to use these measurement data to simulate the dynamical performance of hypoid gear is researched, and the intelligent predicton of the dynamical performance indexes of contact spot, root stress, vibration exciting forces and load distribution and hertz contact stress on the tooth surface are carried out. This research work has an important guiding sense to design and ma- chine hypoid gear with low vibration and noise.

Effect of surface free energy of acetylene black powder on air electrode performance

The effects of acetylene black powder surface free energy on air electrode electrochemical performance and lifetime were studied.The acetylene black was immersed in 30%H_(2)O_(2)at room temperature and the changes of functional groups and surface free energy were investigated by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy(XPS)and powder contact angle(CA).The air electrode performance was characterized by the potential polarization curves and the lifetime was measured by constant-current discharge.It shows that,its surface free energy is the lowest when the acetylene black is immersed in H_(2)O_(2)for 240 h.The polarization potential of the air electrode prepared by the pretreated acetylene black is 0.25 V(vs.Hg/HgO),0.21 V lower than the air electrode with untreated acetylene black when the working current density is 100 mA·cm^(-1).And its lifetime is over 800 h at 80 mA·cm^(-1).The pretreatment of acetylene black for proper time by H_(2)O_(2)is favorable for the stability of the tri-phase reaction interface of air electrode and improvement of its performance.

Surface performance of workpieces processed by electrical discharge machining in gas

The surface performance of workpieces processed by electrical discharge machining in gas(dry EDM)was studied in this paper.Firstly,the composition,micro hardness and recast layer of electrical discharge machined(EDMed)surface of 45 carbon steels in air were investigated through different test analysis methods.The results show that the workpiece surface EDMed in air contains a certain quantity of oxide,and oxidation occurs on the workpiece surface.Compared with the surface of workpieces processed in kerosene,fewer cracks exist on the dry EDMed workpiece surface,and the surface recast layer is thinner than that obtained by conventional EDM.The micro hardness of workpieces machined by dry EDM method is lower than that machined in kerosene,and higher than that of the matrix.In addition,experiments were conducted on the surface wear resistance of workpieces processed in air and kerosene using copper electrode and titanium alloy electrode.The results indicate that the surface wear resistance of workpieces processed in air can be improved,and it is related with tool material and dielectric.

Interlaminar Bonding Performance of UHPC/SMA Based on Diagonal Shear Test

To evaluate various interlaminar bonding reinforcement techniques used for steel bridge decks,the UHPC surface was roughened with shot blasting(SB),transverse grooving(TG)and surface embedded stone(S),epoxy resin(E),epoxy asphalt(EA)and high viscosity high elasticity asphalt(HV)as interlayer bonding materials.In addition,a diagonal shear test was conducted using a self-designed diagonal shear jig.The effects of adhesive layer materials type,surface texture type,and different loading rates on the interlaminar bonding performance of UHPC/SMA combination specimens were investigated.The experimental study showed that the peak shear strength and shear modulus of the combined specimen decreased gradually with the decrease of thermosetting of the adhesive layer materials.The peak shear fracture energy of E was greater than that of HV and EA.The synergistic effect of the contact force generated by the roughing of the UHPC surface,the friction force,and the bonding force provided by the adhesive layer material can significantly improve the interlaminar shear performance of the assemblies.The power-law function of shear strength and shear modulus was proposed.The power-law model of peak shear strength and loading rate was verified.The shear strength and predicted shear strength satisfy the positive proportional functions with scale factors of 0.985,1.015,0.961,and 1.028,respectively.

Marine antifouling behavior of the surfaces modified by dopamine and antibacterial peptide

Marine biofouling causes serious harms to surfaces of marine devices in transportation,aquaculture,and offshore construction.Traditional antifouling methods pollute the environment.A novel and green antifouling strategy was developed to prevent effectively the adhe sion of bacteria and microalgae.An antifouling surface was fabricated via coating Turgencin BMox2(TB)onto dopamine-modified 304stainless steel(304 SS).The surface physical and chemical properties before and after modification were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FTIR),X-ray photoelectron spectrometer(XPS),contact angle measurement(CA),3D optical profilometer,ellipsometer,and atomic force microscope(AFM).Antimicrobial peptide was coated onto the surface of 304 SS successfully,and the surface morphology and wettability of the modified sample were modified.Moreover,cytocompatibility of the peptide was evaluated by co-culture of peptide and cells,indicating promising cell biocompatibility at the modified sample surface.At last,antifouling performance and electrochemical corrosion were tested.Results show that the adhesion rates of Vibrio natriegens and Phaeodactylum tricornutum on the antifouling surface were reduced by 99.85% and 67.93%,respectively from those of untreated samples.Therefore,the modified samples retained superior corrosion resistance.The study provide a simply and green way against biofouling on ship hulls and marine equipment.

Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-Based Hybrid Phase and Code Modulation for Symbiotic Radio

Reconfigurable intelligent surface(RIS)-assisted symbiotic radio is a spectrum-and energy-efficient communication paradigm,in which an RIS performs passive beamforming to enhance active transmission,while using the electromagnetic waves from the active transmission for additional information transfer(i.e.,passive transmission).In this paper,a hybrid RIS-based modulation,termed hybrid phase and code modulation(HPCM),is proposed to improve the reliability of RIS-assisted symbiotic radio.In RIS-HPCM,the RIS simultaneously performs direct sequence spread spectrum and passive beamforming on incident signals.Moreover,both the spreading code and phase offset are exploited to carry the RIS’s own information.A low-complexity detector is designed,in which the receiver first detects the spreading codes and then demodulates the constellation symbols.We analyze the bit error rate(BER)performance of RIS-HPCM over Rician fading channels.BER upper bounds and approximate BER expressions are derived in closed-form for maximum-likelihood and low-complexity detectors,respectively.Simulation results in terms of BER verify the analysis and show the superiority of RIS-HPCM over the existing RIS-based modulation.

Enhancing reversibility of LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_(4)by regulating surface oxygen deficiency

Oxygen deficiency has crucial effects on the crystal structure and electrochemical performance of spinel oxide lithium electrode materials such as LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_(4)(LNMO)cathode.In particular,the oxygen stoichiometry on the crystal surface differs from that on the crystal interior in LNMO.The detection of local oxygen loss in LNMO and its correlation with the crystal structure and the cycling stability of LNMO remain challenging.In this study,the effect of oxygen deficiency in LNMO controlled by sintering temperature on the surface crystal structure and electrochemical performance of LNMO is comprehensively investigated.The high concentration of oxygen vacancies segregates at the surface regions of LNMO forming a thin rock‐salt and/or deficient spinel surface layer.The atomic‐level surface structure reconstruction was demonstrated by annular dark‐field and annular brightfield techniques.For the synthesis of LNMO,the higher sintering temperature results in higher crystallinity but the higher oxygen deficiency in LNMO.The high crystallinity of LNMO would increase the thermal stability of LNMO cathodes while the high content of oxygen deficiency would decrease the surface structural stability of LNMO.Therefore,the LNMO sintered at a medium temperature of 850°C achieved the best capacity retention.The results suggest a competitive function mechanism between oxygen stoichiometry and the crystallinity of LNMO on the cycling performance of LNMO.

Surface-induced Microstructure and Performance Changes in P3HT Ultrathin Films

In this work,poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT)ultrathin films(P3HT-T)were prepared by spin-coating a dilute P3HT solution(in a toluene:o-dichlorobenzene(Tol:ODCB)blend with a volume ratio of 80:20)with ultrasonication and the addition of the nucleating agent bicycle[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-dicarboxylic acid disodium salt(HPN-68L)on glass,Si wafers and indium tin oxide(ITO)substrates.The electrical and mechanical properties of the P3HT-T ultrathin films were investigated,and it was found that the conductivity and crack onset strain(COS)were simultaneously improved in comparison with those of the corresponding pristine P3HT film(P3HT-0,without ultrasonication and nucleating agent)on the same substrate,regardless of what substrate was used.Moreover,the conductivity of P3HT-T ultrathin films on different substrates was similar(varying from 3.7 S·cm^(-1)to 4.4 S·cm^(-1)),yet the COS increased from 97%to 138%by varying the substrate from a Si wafer to ITO.Combining grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray diffraction(GIXRD),UV-visible(UV-Vis)spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy(AFM),we found that the solid order and crystallinity of the P3HT-T ultrathin film on the Si wafer are highest,followed by those on glass,and much lower on ITO.Finally,the surface energy and roughness of three substrates were investigated,and it was found that the polar component of the surface energyγp plays a critical role in determining the crystalline microstructures of P3HT ultrathin films on different substrates.Our work indicates that the P3HT ultrathin film can obviously improve the stretchability and simultaneously retain similar electrical performance when a suitable substrate is chosen.These findings offer a new direction for research on stretchable CP ultrathin films to facilitate future practical applications.