Residual alkali-evoked cross-linked polymer layer for anti-air-sensitivity LiNi_(0.89)Co_(0.06)Mn_(0.05)O_(2)cathode

High-energy density lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)with layered high-nickel oxide cathodes(LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Mn_(1-x-y)O_(2),x≥0.8)show great promise in consumer electronics and vehicular applications.However,LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Mn_(1-x-y)O_(2)faces challenges related to capacity decay caused by residual alkalis owing to high sensitivity to air.To address this issue,we propose a hazardous substances upcycling method that fundamentally mitigates alkali content and concurrently induces the emergence of an anti-air-sensitive layer on the cathode surface.Through the neutralization of polyacrylic acid(PAA)with residual alkalis and then coupling it with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane(KH550),a stable and ion-conductive cross-linked polymer layer is in situ integrated into the LiNi_(0.89)Co_(0.06)Mn_(0.05)O_(2)(NCM)cathode.Our characterization and measurements demonstrate its effectiveness.The NCM material exhibits impressive cycling performance,retaining 88.4%of its capacity after 200 cycles at 5 C and achieving an extraordinary specific capacity of 170.0 mA h g^(-1) at 10 C.Importantly,this layer on the NCM efficiently suppresses unfavorable phase transitions,severe electrolyte degradation,and CO_(2)gas evolution,while maintaining commendable resistance to air exposure.This surface modification strategy shows widespread potential for creating air-stable LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Mn_(1-x-y)O_(2)cathodes,thereby advancing high-performance LIBs.

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.

Lithium-Ion Charged Polymer Channels Flattening Lithium Metal Anode

The concentration difference in the near-surface region of lithium metal is the main cause of lithium dendrite growth.Resolving this issue will be key to achieving high-performance lithium metal batteries(LMBs).Herein,we construct a lithium nitrate(LiNO_(3))-implanted electroactiveβphase polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene(PVDF-HFP)crystalline polymorph layer(PHL).The electronegatively charged polymer chains attain lithium ions on the surface to form lithium-ion charged channels.These channels act as reservoirs to sustainably release Li ions to recompense the ionic flux of electrolytes,decreasing the growth of lithium dendrites.The stretched molecular channels can also accelerate the transport of Li ions.The combined effects enable a high Coulombic efficiency of 97.0%for 250 cycles in lithium(Li)||copper(Cu)cell and a stable symmetric plating/stripping behavior over 2000 h at 3 mA cm^(-2)with ultrahigh Li utilization of 50%.Furthermore,the full cell coupled with PHL-Cu@Li anode and Li Fe PO_(4) cathode exhibits long-term cycle stability with high-capacity retention of 95.9%after 900 cycles.Impressively,the full cell paired with LiNi_(0.87)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.03)O_(2)maintains a discharge capacity of 170.0 mAh g^(-1)with a capacity retention of 84.3%after 100 cycles even under harsh condition of ultralow N/P ratio of 0.83.This facile strategy will widen the potential application of LiNO_(3)in ester-based electrolyte for practical high-voltage LMBs.

Air tightness of compressed air storage energy caverns with polymer sealing layer subjected to various air pressures

During the operation of compressed air storage energy system,the rapid change of air pressure in a cavern will cause drastic changes in air density and permeability coefficient of sealing layer.To calculate and properly evaluate air tightness of polymer sealing caverns,the air-pressure-related air density and permeability must be considered.In this context,the high-pressure air penetration in the polymer sealing layer is studied in consideration of thermodynamic change of the cavern structure during the system operation.The air tightness model of compressed air storage energy caverns is then established.In the model,the permeability coefficient and air density of sealing layer vary with air pressure,and the effectiveness of the model is verified by field data in two test caverns.Finally,a compressed air storage energy cavern is taken as an example to understand the air tightness.The air leakage rate in the caverns is larger than that using air-pressure-independent permeability coefficient and air density,which is constant and small in the previous leakage rate calculation.Under the operating pressure of 4.5-10 MPa,the daily air leakage in the compressed air storage energy cavern of Yungang Mine with high polymer butyl rubber as the sealing material is 0.62%,which can meet the sealing requirements of compressed air storage energy caverns.The air tightness of the polymer sealing cavern is mainly affected by the cavern operating pressure,injected air temperature,cavern radius,and sealing layer thickness.The cavern air leakage rate will be decreased to reduce the cavern operating pressure the injection air temperature,or the cavern radius and sealing layer thickness will be increased.

Improved performance of polymer solar cells by using inorganic, organic, and doped cathode buffer layers

The interface between the active layer and the electrode is one of the most critical factors that could affect the device performance of polymer solar cells. In this work, based on the typical poly（3-hexylthiophene）：[6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester （P3HT：PCBM） polymer solar cell, we studied the effect of the cathode buffer layer （CBL） between the top metal electrode and the active layer on the device performance. Several inorganic and organic materials commonly used as the electron injection layer in an organic light-emitting diode （OLED） were employed as the CBL in the P3HT：PCBM polymer solar cells. Our results demonstrate that the inorganic and organic materials like Cs2CO3, bathophenanthroline （Bphen）, and 8-hydroxyquinolatolithium （Liq） can be used as CBL to efficiently improve the device performance of the P3HT：PCBM polymer solar cells. The P3HT：PCBM devices employed various CBLs possess power conversion efficiencies （PCEs） of 3.0%-3.3%, which are ca. 50% improved compared to that of the device without CBL. Furthermore, by using the doped organic materials Bphen：Cs2CO3 and Bphen：Liq as the CBL, the PCE of the P3HT：PCBM device will be further improved to 3.5%, which is ca. 70% higher than that of the device without a CBL and ca. 10% increased compared with that of the devices with a neat inorganic or organic CBL.

POROUS MEMBRANE TEMPLATED SYNTHESIS OF POLYMER PILLARED LAYER

The anodic porous alumina membranes with a definite pore diameter and aspect ratio were used as templates tosynthesize polymer pillared layer structures. The pillared polymer was produced in the template membrane pores, and thelayer on the template surfaces. Rigid cured epoxy resin, polystyrene and soft hydrogel were chosen to confirm themethodology. The pillars were in the form of either tubes or fibers, which were controlled by the alumina membrane pore surface wettability. The structural features were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy results.

Nacre-inspired interface structure design of polymer bonded explosives toward significantly enhanced mechanical performance

Realizing effective enhancement to the structure of interface region between explosive crystals and polymer binder plays a key role in improving the mechanical properties of the current polymer bonded explosives(PBXs).Herein,inspired by the structure of natural nacre which possesses outstanding mechanical performance,a kind of nacre-like structural layer is constructed in the interface region of PBXs composites,making use of two-dimensional graphene sheets and one-dimensional bio-macromolecules of cellulose as inorganic and organic building blocks,respectively.Our results reveal that the constructed nacre-like structural layer can effectively improve the interfacial strength and then endow the PBXs composites with significantly enhanced mechanical properties involving of creep resistance,Brazilian strength and fracture toughness,demonstrating the obvious advantage of such bioinspired interface structure design strategy.In addition,the thermal conduction performance of PBXs composites also exhibits noticeable enhancement due to the remarkable phonon transport capability endowed by the asdesigned nacre-like structural layer.We believe this work provides a novel design route to conquer the issue of weak interfacial strength in PBXs composites and greatly increase the comprehensive properties for better meeting the higher requirements proposed to the explosive part of weapon equipment in new era.

Layered Foam/Film Polymer Nanocomposites with Highly Efficient EMI Shielding Properties and Ultralow Reflection

Lightweight,high-efficiency and low reflection electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding polymer composites are greatly desired for addressing the challenge of ever-increasing electromagnetic pollution.Lightweight layered foam/film PVDF nanocomposites with efficient EMI shielding effectiveness and ultralow reflection power were fabricated by physical foaming.The unique layered foam/film structure was composed of PVDF/SiCnw/MXene(Ti_(3)C_(2)Tx)composite foam as absorption layer and highly conductive PVDF/MWCNT/GnPs composite film as a reflection layer.The foam layer with numerous heterogeneous interfaces developed between the SiC nanowires(SiCnw)and 2D MXene nanosheets imparted superior EM wave attenuation capability.Furthermore,the microcellular structure effectively tuned the impedance matching and prolonged the wave propagating path by internal scattering and multiple reflections.Meanwhile,the highly conductive PVDF/MWCNT/GnPs composite(~220 S m^(−1))exhibited superior reflectivity(R)of 0.95.The tailored structure in the layered foam/film PVDF nanocomposite exhibited an EMI SE of 32.6 dB and a low reflection bandwidth of 4 GHz(R<0.1)over the Kuband(12.4-18.0 GHz)at a thickness of 1.95 mm.A peak SER of 3.1×10^(-4) dB was obtained which corresponds to only 0.0022% reflection efficiency.In consequence,this study introduces a feasible approach to develop lightweight,high-efficiency EMI shielding materials with ultralow reflection for emerging applications.

Polymer light-emitting devices using poly(ethylene oxide) as an electron injecting layer

The performance of polymer light emitting devices(PLEDs)based on polyvinyl carbazole(PVK)is improved by introducing a nanoscale interfacial thin layer,made of poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO),between the calcium cathode and the PVK emissive layer.It is believed that the PEO layer plays a key role in enhancing the device performance.In comparison to the device with Ca/Al as the cathode,the performance of the PLED with PEO/Ca/Al cathode,including the driving voltage,luminance efficiency is significantly improved.These improvements are attributed to the introduction of a thin layer of PEO that can lower the interfacial barrier and facilitate electron injection.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a New 2D Layered Cadmium(II) Coordination Polymer:[Cd(bimc)_2]_n(bimc=1H-Benzimidazole-5-carboxylate)

A new coordination polymer [Cd（bimc）2]n was obtained by the reaction of Hbimc with Cd（NO3） 2·4H2O in NaOH solution, and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and singlecrystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal belongs to orthorhombic, space group Pbcn with a = 12.533（4）, b = 15.705（5）, c = 15.200（5） A, V= 2991.8（15） A^3, Mr = 434.68, Z = 8, Dc = 1.930 g/cm^3, F（000） = 1712,μ（MoKa） = 1.492 mm^-1, the final R = 0.0410 and wR = 0.0804 for 1661 observed reflections （I 〉 2σ（I））. The Cd atom exhibits a distorted six-coordinate CdNzOa octahedral coordination geometry. The complex molecules are linked by both μ2-（η2-O, O^-）, NI and μ2-（η2-O, O^-）, N3 coordination modes of ligands to form cross-like wave （4, 4） layer structures which are further stacked through interlayer hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking interactions in an offset fashion to form a 3D supramolecular structure.

Synthesis and Characterization of Proton-conducting Polymer Electrolytes Based on Acrylonitrile-Styrene Sulfonic Acid Copolymer/Layered Double Hydroxides Nanocomposltes

Acrylonitrile-sodium styrene sulfonate copolymer/layered double hydroxides nanocomposites were prepared by in situ aqueous precipitation copolymerization of acrylonitrile(AN)and sodium styrene sulfonate(SSS)in the presence of 4-vinylbenzene sulfonate intercalated layered double hydroxides(MgAl-VBS LDHs)and transferred to acrylonitrile-styrene sulfonic acid(AN-SSA)copolymer/LDHs nanocomposites as a proton-conducting polymer electrolyte.MgAl-VBS LDHs were prepared by a coprecipitation method,and the structure and composition of MgAl-VBS LDHs were determined by X-ray diffraction(XRD),infrared spectroscopy,and elemental analysis.X-ray diffraction result of AN-SSS copolymer/LDHs nanocomposites indicated that the LDHs layers were well dispersed in the AN-SSS copolymer matrix.All the AN-SSS copolymer/LDHs nanocomposites showed significant enhancement of the decomposition temperatures compared with the pristine AN-SSS copolymer,as identified by the thermogravimetric analysis.The methanol crossover was decreased and the proton conductivity was highly enhanced for the AN-SSA copolymer/LDHs nanocomposite electrolyte systems.In the case of the nanocomposite electrolyte containing 2%(by mass)LDHs,the proton conductivity of 2.60×10 -3 S·m -1 was achieved for the polymer electrolyte.

Continuous Deformation Monitoring by Polymermatrix Carbon Fiber Sensitive Layer

Composite made of short-cut carbon fiber mat and vinyl ester resin was observed to be an effective sensor for tensile strain up to 6 000με. Based on its strain sensitivity, a skin-like sensitive layer which can continuously cover the structural surface to sense strain in large area was developed. The sensitive layer was applied to continuously monitor the deformation of a simply supported beam. The result indicates that the fractional change in electrical resistance of the sensitive layer reversibly reflects the beam deformation in each section and describes the distribution of the average strain of the beam. The effect of temperature change on the monitoring was studied by monitoring tests conducted at different temperatures ranging from 20 to 80 ℃, which reveals temperature sensitivity in the sensitive layer and the temperature dependence of the piezoresistive behavior when the temperature exceeds 50 ℃. By the application of differential conaection principle, a method for temperature compensation was established and the gauge factor for the monitoring was dramatically increased. This method was verified experimentally.

Preparation, Characterization and Frictional Properties of Silane Self-Assembled Elastomeric Nanocomposite Polymer Layers

A novel surface modification method was proposed to improve the tribological property of Si. Multilayers were grown on Si（100） substrate by self-assembling monolayer （SAMs） method and filtered catholic vacuum arc （FCVA） technique. The film composition and structure were characterized by using x-ray photoelectron spectroscope （XPS） and Raman spectroscopy （Raman）. Surface morphology and the roughness were also analyzed by an atomic force microscope （AFM） and a scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The frictional behaviors of the films were evaluated by a UMT tester. Results showed that elastomeric nanocomposite monolayer prepared by SAM was uniformly distributed and isotropy, and the diamond-like carbon （DLC） film was successfully deposited by the FCVA technique. The friction coefficients of the prepared samples were in the range of 0.108-0.188. Furthermore, the friction coefficient slightly increased but the surface quality of the wear trace was improved after adding the copolymer elastomeric macromolecules SEBS on aminopropyl-triethoxysilane （APS） layer due to the inherent long chain of SEBS which abated the immediate impulsion at the interface and changed the kinetic energy into elastic potential energy, and stored it in SEBS.

MoO_3/Ag/Al/ZnO intermediate layer for inverted tandem polymer solar cells

We report an MoO3/Ag/Al/ZnO intermediate layer connecting two identical bulk heterojunction subcells with a poly（3-hexylthiophene） and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （P3HT and PCBM） active layer for inverted tan- dem polymer solar cells. The highly transparent intermediate layer with an optimized thickness realizes an Ohmic contact between the two subcells for effective charge extraction and recombination. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 3.76% is obtained for the tandem cell under 100 mW/cm2 illumination, which is larger than that of a single cell （3.15%）. The open-circuit voltage of the tandem cell （1.18 V） approaches double that of the single cell （0.61 V）.

Cinnamate-functionalized hyperbranched polymer as liquid crystal photo-alignment layer

In this work, 4-methoxylcinnamoyl chloride was reacted with a commercial hyperbranched polymer （Boltom-TM H30） to prepare a hyperbranched photosensitive polymer （H30-Ci）. The polymer was characterized by UV absorption spectrum and 1H- NMR spectrum. After processed by Linearly Polarized Polymerization （LPP） method, the spin-coated films of H30-Ci were used as photo-alignment layers to assemble liquid crystal （LC） cells containing nematic liquid crystal （5CB）. The observation by polarized microscope showed that the H30-Ci blended with a linear polymer （BP-AN-Ci） photo-alignment layers could align LC molecules in a very uniform way.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a Novel Two-dimensional Layered Polymer [Zn(μ-O_2CCH=CHCO_2)(C_3H_4N_2)(H_2O)]_n

The title complex [Zn(-O2CCH=CHCO2)(C3H4N2)(H2O)]n was prepared by the reaction of zinc carbonate with maleic acid and imidazole in an aqueous-alcohol solution at 333 K, and its crystal structure has been solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group Pc with a = 5.3858(7), b = 22.685(3), c = 7.6782(1) ? = 92.261(2)o, V = 937.4(2) 3, Z = 1, C14H16N4O10Zn2, Mr = 531.05, Dc = 1.882 g/cm3, = 2.623 mm1, F(000) = 532, the final R = 0.0372 and wR = 0.0930 for 1926 observed reflections with I>2s(I). The central zinc atom is five-coordinated in a distorted square pyramidal environment to three oxygen atoms of two different maleate ligands, a nitrogen atom of the imi- dazole ligand and an oxygen atom of water. In the complex two carboxylate groups of the maleate ligands have two coordination modes. One acts as a bidentate chelate ligand and the other a monoatomic monodentate ligand to bridge two zinc centers. As a result, 1-D infinite polymeric chains are formed, which are linked together by pairs of OH…O hydrogen bonds between the coordination water OH groups and carboxylate oxygen atoms to construct a 2-D layered polymer, and the layer structure is stabilized by p-p stacking of the imidozel ligands.

Atomic layer deposition of ultrathin layered TiO_2 on Pt/C cathode catalyst for extended durability in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

This study shows the preparation of a TiO2 coated Pt/C（TiO2/Pt/C） by atomic layer deposition（ALD）,and the examination of the possibility for TiO2/Pt/C to be used as a durable cathode catalyst in polymer electrolyte fuel cells（PEFCs）. Cyclic voltammetry results revealed that TiO2/Pt/C catalyst which has 2 nm protective layer showed similar activity for the oxygen reduction reaction compared to Pt/C catalysts and they also had good durability. TiO2/Pt/C prepared by 10 ALD cycles degraded 70% after 2000 Accelerated degradation test, while Pt/C corroded 92% in the same conditions. TiO2 ultrathin layer by ALD is able to achieve a good balance between the durability and activity, leading to TiO2/Pt/C as a promising cathode catalyst for PEFCs. The mechanism of the TiO2 protective layer used to prevent the degradation of Pt/C is discussed.

Effects of Annealing Conditions on ZnO Buffer Layer for Inverted Polymer Solar Cells

A solution-processed zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film as the buffer layer with optimized processes especially the annealing conditions for inverted polymer solar cells (PSCs) has been demonstrated. Firstly the thickness of ZnO buffer layer was optimized, and different annealing conditions including temperature and time have also been taken into consideration. And the best Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) 3.434% was observed when the ZnO buffer layer was spin–coated at 1500 rpm and annealed at 275℃ for 5 min, and AFM results showed that morphology of this ZnO film has the best uniformity which was beneficial to form high quality polymer composite active layer.

Effect of Crystallinity of Fullerene Derivatives on Doping Density in the Organic Bulk Heterojunction Layer in Polymer Solar Cells

Polymer solar cells （PSCs） based on poly（3-hexylthiophene） （P3HT） and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM） are fabricated by using 1,8-diiodooctane （DIO） as a solvent additive to control the doping density of the PSCs. It is shown that the processing of DIO does not change the doping density of the P3HT phase, while it causes a dramatic reduction of the doping density of the PCBM phase, which decreases the doping density of the whole blend layer from 3.7 × 10^16 cm-3 to 1.2 ×10^16 cm-3. The reduction of the doping density in the PCBM phase originates from the increasing crystallinity of PCBM with DIO addition, and it leads to a decreasing doping density in the blend film and improves the short circuit current of the PSCs.

THE STRUCTURE AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES IN POLYMER-LAYERED SILICATE NANOCOMPOSITES

The polymer-layered silicate nanocom- posites (PLSN) are preparedby the polymer melt interca- lation in layered silicate. By theanalyses of XRD, DSC, IR, NMR and Ac in pedance measurements etc, theex- Perimental results show that polymer (PEO) can intercalate Intothe silicate interlayer in melt state, which leads to the Addition ofthe repeated distance of silicate.