Unlocking the potential of ultra-thin two-dimensional antimony materials:Selective growth and carbon coating for efficient potassium-ion storage

Antimony-based anodes have attracted wide attention in potassium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical specific capacities(∼660 mA h g^(-1))and suitable voltage platforms.However,severe capacity fading caused by huge volume change and limited ion transportation hinders their practical applications.Recently,strategies for controlling the morphologies of Sb-based materials to improve the electrochemical performances have been proposed.Among these,the two-dimensional Sb(2D-Sb)materials present excellent properties due to shorted ion immigration paths and enhanced ion diffusion.Nevertheless,the synthetic methods are usually tedious,and even the mechanism of these strategies remains elusive,especially how to obtain large-scale 2D-Sb materials.Herein,a novel strategy to synthesize 2D-Sb material using a straightforward solvothermal method without the requirement of a complex nanostructure design is provided.This method leverages the selective adsorption of aldehyde groups in furfural to induce crystal growth,while concurrently reducing and coating a nitrogen-doped carbon layer.Compared to the reported methods,it is simpler,more efficient,and conducive to the production of composite nanosheets with uniform thickness(3–4 nm).The 2D-Sb@NC nanosheet anode delivers an extremely high capacity of 504.5 mA h g^(-1) at current densities of 100 mA g^(-1) and remains stable for more than 200 cycles.Through characterizations and molecular dynamic simulations,how potassium storage kinetics between 2D Sb-based materials and bulk Sb-based materials are explored,and detailed explanations are provided.These findings offer novel insights into the development of durable 2D alloy-based anodes for next-generation potassium-ion batteries.

The corrosion characteristic and mechanism of Mg-5Y-1.5Nd-xZn-0.5Zr(x=0,2,4,6 wt.%)alloys in marine atmospheric environment

The microstructure and precipitated phases of as-cast Mg-5Y-1.5Nd-x Zn-0.5Zr(x=0,2,4,6 wt.%)alloys were investigated by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,energy-dispersive spectrometry and X-ray Diffraction.The exposure corrosion experiment of these magnesium alloys was tested in South China Sea and KEXUE vessel atmospheric environment.The corrosion characteristic and mechanism of magnesium alloys of Mg-5Y-1.5Nd-x Zn-0.5Zr(x=0,2,4,6 wt.%)alloys were analyzed by weight loss rate,corrosion depth,corrosion products and corrosion morphologies.The electrochemical corrosion tests were also measured in the natural seawater.The comprehensive results showed that Mg-5Y-1.5Nd-4Zn-0.5Zr magnesium alloy existed the best corrosion resistance whether in the marine atmospheric environment and natural seawater environment.That depended on the microstructure,type and distribution of precipitated phases in Mg-5Y-1.5Nd-4Zn-0.5Zr magnesium alloy.Sufficient quantity anodic precipitated phases in the microstructure of Mg-5Y-1.5Nd-4Zn-0.5Zr alloy played the key role in the corrosion resistance.

Facet Engineering of Advanced Electrocatalysts Toward Hydrogen/Oxygen Evolution Reactions

The electrocatalytic water splitting technology can generate highpurity hydrogen without emitting carbon dioxide,which is in favor of relieving environmental pollution and energy crisis and achieving carbon neutrality.Electrocatalysts can effectively reduce the reaction energy barrier and increase the reaction efficiency.Facet engineering is considered as a promising strategy in controlling the ratio of desired crystal planes on the surface.Owing to the anisotropy,crystal planes with different orientations usually feature facet-dependent physical and chemical properties,leading to differences in the adsorption energies of oxygen or hydrogen intermediates,and thus exhibit varied electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER).In this review,a brief introduction of the basic concepts,fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanisms as well as key evaluating parameters for both HER and OER are provided.The formation mechanisms of the crystal facets are comprehensively overviewed aiming to give scientific theory guides to realize dominant crystal planes.Subsequently,three strategies of selective capping agent,selective etching agent,and coordination modulation to tune crystal planes are comprehensively summarized.Then,we present an overview of significant contributions of facet-engineered catalysts toward HER,OER,and overall water splitting.In particular,we highlight that density functional theory calculations play an indispensable role in unveiling the structure–activity correlation between the crystal plane and catalytic activity.Finally,the remaining challenges in facet-engineered catalysts for HER and OER are provided and future prospects for designing advanced facet-engineered electrocatalysts are discussed.

The decisive role of adsorbed OH^(*)in low‐potential CO electro‐oxidation on single‐atom catalytic sites

CO impurity-induced catalyst deactivation has long been one of the biggest challenges in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells,with the poisoning phenomenon mainly attributed to the overly strong adsorption on the catalytic site.Here,we present a mechanistic study that overturns this understanding by using Rh-based single-atom catalysis centers as model catalysts.We precisely modulated the chelation structure of the Rh catalyst by coordinating Rh with C or N atoms,and probed the reaction mechanism by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.Direct spectroscopic evidence for intermediates indicates that the reactivity of adsorbed OH^(*),rather than the adsorption strength of CO^(*),dictates the CO electrocatalytic oxidation behavior.The RhN_(4)sites,which adsorb the OH^(*)intermediate more weakly than RhC4 sites,showed prominent CO oxidation activity that not only far exceeded the traditional Pt/C but also the RhC4 sites with similar CO adsorption strength.From this study,it is clear that a paradigm shift in future research should be considered to rationally design high-performance CO electro-oxidation reaction catalysts by sufficiently considering the water-related reaction intermediate during catalysis.

Hardening effect and precipitation evolution of an isothermal aged Mg-Sm based alloy

The age-hardening behavior and precipitation evolution of an isothermal aged Mg-5Sm-0.6Zn-0.5Zr(wt.%) alloy have been systematically investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and atomic-resolution high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy(HAADF-STEM). The Vickers hardness of the present alloy increases first and then decreases with ageing time. The sample aged at 200 ℃ for 10 h exhibits a peak-hardness of 90.5 HV. In addition to the dominant β_(0)’ precipitate(orthorhombic,a = 0.642 nm, b = 3.336 nm and c = 0.521 nm) formed on {11-20}α planes, a certain number of γ’’ precipitate(hexagonal, a = 0.556 nm and c = 0.431 nm) formed on basal planes are also observed in the peak-aged alloy. Significantly, the basal γ’’ precipitate is more thermostable than prismatic β_(0)’ precipitate in the present alloy. β_(0)’ precipitates gradually coarsened and were even likely to transform into β_(1) phase(face centered cubic, a = 0.73 nm) with the increase of ageing time, which accordingly led to a gradual decrease in number density of precipitates and finally resulted in the decreased hardness and mechanical property in the over-aged alloys.

Intratympanic injection of hydrogel nanodrug for the prevention and treatment of sensorineural hearing loss

Safe and efficient drug delivery to the inner ear has always been the focus of prevention and treatment of sensorineural deafness.The rapid development of nanodrug delivery systems based on hydrogel has provided a new opportunity.Among them,thermo-sensitive hydrogels promote the development of new dosage form for intratympanic injection.This smart biomaterial could transform to semisolid phase when the temperature increased.Thermo-sensitive hydrogel nanodrug delivery system is expected to achieve safe,efficient,and sustained inner ear drug administration.This article introduces the key techniques and the latest progress in this field.

In-Situ Microscopic FTIR Spectroelectrochemistry of Ascorbic Acid in Poly(ethylene glycol)/LiClO_4 Electrolyte Paste and in the Presence of Dispersed Cobalt Hexacyanoferrate Microcrystalline Powder

In-situ microscopic FTIR spectroelectrochemical technique(MFTIRs) was applied to studying the electrochemical oxidation of ascorbic acid(AA) in poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) paste at a 100 μm diameter Pt disk electrode. Using this technique, the catalytic ability of cobalt hexacyanoferrate(CoHCF) microcrystalline toward AA oxidation was also studied. It was found that the dispersed CoHCF powder in the PEG paste can generate well shaped thin layer cyclic voltammetric waves with the peak height proportional to the scan rate, corresponding to the Fe centered redox reactions. This oxidation step catalyzed the AA oxidation. Also, this pasted CoHCF powder generated well resolved in situ MFTIRs spectra, by which a chemical interaction between CC bond of AA ring and CoHCF lattice was revealed. A corresponding surface docking mechanism for the catalytic reaction has been proposed.

Synthesis, Fluorescence and Electrochemistry of Three New Ruthenium(Ⅱ) Complexes

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Electrochemistry of Hydroquinone Derivatives at Metal and Iodine-modified Metal Electrodes

The difference in the electrochemical behavior of hydroquinone and pyrocatechol at platinum and gold surfaces was analyzed using voltammetry and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results show that the hydroquinone derivatives are adsorbed on a gold surface with vertical orientation, which makes the electron transfer between the bulk species and the electrode surface easier than that in the case of flat adsorption of hydroquinone derivatives that occurs at a platinum electrode. The formation of the vertical conformation and the rapid process of electron transfer were also confirmed by quantum chemistry calculations. In addition, the pre-adsorbed iodine on the electrodes played a key role on the adsorbed configuration and electron transfer of redox species.

Preparation and Characterization of Nanocrystalline CeO_2 by Precipitation Method

CeO 2 nanocrystalline particulates with different sizes were prepared by precipitation method using ethanol as dispersive and protective reagent. XRD spectra show that the synthesized CeO 2 has cubic crystalline structure of space group O 5 H-F M3M, when calcination temperature is in the range of 250～800 ℃. TEM images reveal that CeO 2 particles are spherical in shape. The average size of the particles increases with the increase of calcination temperature. Thermogravimetric analysis indicates that the weight loss of precursor mainly depends on the calcination temperature, and little depends on the calcination time. Measurements of CeO 2 relative density show that the relative density of CeO 2 nanocrystalline powders increases with increasing CeO 2 particle size.

Application of Rare Earths in Thermal Barrier Coating Materials

稀土元素是有包括使小型化的电子学为应用程序做 themessential 的特殊性质的一系列矿物质，计算机硬盘， displaypanels ，导弹指导，污染控制催化剂，H_2存储和热障碍涂层( TBG )的另外的先进 materials.Theuse 有潜力由提供在金属性的底层 andthe hot-gas.Yttria ( Y_2O_3 )之间的热屏蔽的层扩大一台煤气的汽轮机的工作温度和 thelife 。

Relationship between Crystal Structure and Luminescence Properties of (Y_(0.96-x)Ln_xCe_(0.04))_3Al_5O_(12) (Ln=Gd, La, Lu) Phosphors

The doping effects of La^3＋, Gd^3＋ and Lu^3＋ on the crystal structure and luminescence properties of （Yo96-x LnxCe0.04）3Al5O12（Ln = Gd, La, Lu） phosphors were studied. The X-ray diffraction patterns presented that with the inerease of the doping concentrations of La^3＋ and Gd^3＋ ions, the d-value of （Y0.96-xLnxCe0.04）3Al5O12 （Ln = Gd, La） inereased and the larger the doping ion, the stronger the effect would be. The doping amount causing phase transition in （Y0.96-xLnxCe0.04）3Al5O12 decreased with the inerease of the ionic radii of the doping lanthanide ions （La^3＋： 0.106 nm, Gd^3＋： 0. 094 nm, Lu^3＋ ： 0.083 nm）. The bigger doping ion of Gd^3＋ made the emission of （Y0.96-xGdxCe0.04）3Al5O12 move to red spectral region, but the smaller one of Lu^3＋ made it blue.

Preparation of Rare Earth Hydroxide and Oxide Nanoparticles by Precipitation Method

A series of rare earth hydroxide and oxide nanoparticles have been prepared by precipitation method with alcohol as the dispersive and protective reagent. Transmission electron microscope （TEM） images indicate that the particles are spherical in shape and smaller than 100 nm in size. The crystallite sizes of cubic Ln2O3 have lanthanide shrinking effect, while average crystal lattice distortion rates possess lanthanide swelling effect. The diffraction peak intensity of heavy rare earth oxide nanometer powders is remarkably stronger than that of light rare earth oxide nanometer powders. The variation of diffraction intensity with atomic number presents an inverted W type, forming a double peak structure. Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectrums reveal that Ln2O3 nanopowders have higher surface activity than that of ordinary Ln2O3 powders. The UV-vis spectra show that Ln-O bond of these particles is slightly blue-shifted, and its absorption intensity decreases.

Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Total Flavonoids from Leaves of Acanthopanax Senticosus Harms

The herbal plant Acanthopanax Senticosus Harms is natural herb of Changbaishan in Jilin Province of China, which belongs to the Araliaceae family. As the ingredients of folk medicine, it has long been used to treat a variety of human diseases, such as cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, tumor, isochemic heart diseases, hypertension, rheumatic arthritis, etc. E2,33. Flavonoids, a class of constituent compounds, which have a broad distribution in the nature and are found in Acanthopanax Senticosus Harms, have gained particular attention. A number of studies have shown that flavonoid compounds have wide biological activities, such as anti-aging, anticancer, anti-HIV,

Coating of Al_2O_3 on layered Li(Mn_(1/3)Ni_(1/3)Co_(1/3))O_2 using CO_2 as green precipitant and their improved electrochemical performance for lithium ion batteries

Li（Mn1/3Ni1/3Co1/3）O2 cathode materials were fabricated by a hydroxide precursor method. A1203 was coated on the surface of the Li（Mn1/3Ni1/3Co1/3）O2 through a simple and effective one-step electrostatic self-assembly method. In the coating process, a NaHCO3- H2CO3 buffer was formed spontaneously when CO2 was introduced into the NaAlO2 solution. Compared with bare Li（Mn1/3Ni1/3Co1/3）O2, the surface-modified samples exhibited better cycling performance, rate capability and rate capability retention. The Al2O3-coated Li（Mn1/3Ni1/3Co1/3）O2 electrodes delivered a discharge capacity of about 115 mAh.g-1 at 2 A.g-1, but only 84 mAh.g-1 for the bare one. The capacity retention of the Al2O3-coated Li（Mn1/3Ni1/3Co1/3）O2 was 90.7% after 50 cycles, about 30% higher than that of the pristine one.

Improvement of Fracture Toughness Lanthanum Zirconate

La2Zr2O7 （LZ） is a promising thermal barrier coating material for the high temperature applications. The fracture toughness and microhardness of nanocrystalline LZ （n-LZ）, microcrystalline LZ （m-LZ） and LZ-5mol%8YSZ （LZ-5-8YSZ） composite （8YSZ for zirconia stabilized by 8 mol% ytrria） were studied. The n-LZ had a thermal expansion coefficient of （9.6±0.4）×10 -6 K -1 （200～1000℃） and fracture toughness of （1.98±0.07） MPa·m 1/2 which are obviously higher than those of the m-LZ （ （9.1±0.4）×10 -6 K -1 and （1.40±0.23） MPa·m 1/2, respectively）, indicating that nanofication was an efficient way to increase the toughness and thermal expansion coefficient of LZ. The composite LZ-5-8YSZ had a higher fracture toughness （（1.88±0.30） MPa·m 1/2） than LZ, which was close to that of 8YSZ densified by superhigh pressure （SHP）.

Photoluminescence properties of LaF_3:Eu^(3+) nanoparticles prepared by refluxing method

The europium-doped LaF3 nanoparticles were prepared by refluxing method in glycerol/water mixture and characterized with X-ray diffraction（XRD）, field emission scanning electron microscopy（FE-SEM）, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrum, and photoluminescence spectra.The results of XRD indicated that the obtained LaF3：Eu^3＋ nanoparticles were well crystallized with a hexagonal structure.The FE-SEM image illustrated that the LaF3：Eu^3＋ nanoparticles were spherical with an average size around 30 nm.Under irradiation of UV light, the emission spectrum of LaF3：Eu^3＋ nanoparticles exhibited the characteristic line emissions arising from the 5D0→7FJ（J=1, 2, 3, 4） transitions of the Eu3＋ ions, with the dominating emission centered at 590 nm.In addition, the emissions from the 5D1 level could be clearly observed due to the low phonon energies（-350 cm^-1） of LaF3 matrix.The optimum doping concentration for LaF3：Eu3＋ nanoparticles was determined to be 20mol.%.

Modifying microstructures and tensile properties of Mg-Sm based alloy via extrusion ratio

Microstructure and tensile properties of a Mg-Sm-Zn-Zr alloy with various extrusion ratios(ERs)of 6.9,10.4 and 17.6 were systematically investigated.It was identified that,greater ER increased dynamic recrystallization(DRX)fraction and coarsened DRX grains,which further suggests weakened basal fiber texture for the studied alloy.This is mainly due to the rising temperature from massive deformation heat when hot-extrusion.As a result,greater ER corresponds to a decreased strength but improved ductility.Finally,transmission electron microscopy(TEM)observations reveal that the dominant intermetallic phase,Mg_(3)Sm,is metastable,and it will transform into Mg_(41)Sm_(5)during extrusion with high-ER.This transformation leads to the accumulation of surplus Sm and Zn atoms,which induces the precipitation of Sm Zn_(3)phase at the surface of Mg_(41)Sm_(5)matrix.

Preparation and luminescent properties of CaAl_2O_4:Eu^(3+),R^+(R=Li,Na,K) phosphors

CaAl2O4:Eu3+,R+(R=Li+,Na+,K+) red phosphors were synthesized by solid state reaction method.X-ray diffraction(XRD) and photoluminescence(PL) were employed to characterize their structural and luminescent properties.It was found that the optimal sintering temperature and sintering time were 1200 °C and 4 h,respectively.The optimal concentration of doped Eu3+ was 3 mol.%.Furthermore,under ultraviolet excitation with a wavelength of 254 nm,these samples showed red luminescence which were probably attributed to...

Microstructure and mechanical properties of die-cast AZ91D magnesium alloy by Pr additions

Mg-9Al-xPr(x=0.4,0.8 and 1.2,mass fraction,%)magnesium alloys were prepared by high-pressure die-casting technique.The effects of Pr on the microstructures of die-cast Mg-9Al based alloy were investigated by XRD and SEM.Needle-like Al11Pr3 phase and polygon Al6Mn6Pr phase are found in the microstructure.With 0.4%Pr addition,fine needle-like Al11Pr3 phase and a small amount of polygon Al6Mn6Pr phase near the grain boundary are found in the microstructure.Increasing Pr addition to 0.8%, lots of coarse needle-like Al11Pr3 phase within grain and polygon Al6Mn6Pr phase on grain boundary are observed.Further increasing Pr addition,the size of needle-like Al11Pr3 phase decreases,while the size of polygon Al6Mn6Pr relatively increases.The mass fraction of Pr at around 0.8%is considered to be suitable to obtain the optimal mechanical properties.The optimal mechanical properties are mainly resulted from grain boundary strengthening obtained by precipitates and solid solution.