Fast Measurement of Dielectric Conductivity for Space Application by Surface Potential Decay Method

Surface potential decay of polymers for electrical insulation can help to determine the dark conductivity for spacecraft charging analysis. Due to the existence of radiation-induced conductivity, it decays fast in the first few hours after irradiation and exponentially slowly for the remaining time. The measurement of dark conductivity with this method usually takes the slow part and needs a couple of days. Integrating the Fowler formula into the deep dielectric charging equations, we obtain a new expression for the fast decay part. The experimental data of different materials, dose rates and temperatures are fitted by the new expression. Both the dark conductivity and the radiation-induced conductivity are derived and compared with other methods. The result shows a good estimation of dark conductivity and radiation-induced conductivity in high-resistivity polymers, which enables a fast measurement of dielectric conductivity within about 600 rain after irradiation.

Anion Defects Engineering of Ternary Nb-Based Chalcogenide Anodes Toward High-Performance Sodium-Based Dual-Ion Batteries

Sodium-based dual-ion batteries(SDIBs) have gained tremendous attention due to their virtues of high operating voltage and low cost, yet it remains a tough challenge for the development of ideal anode material of SDIBs featuring with high kinetics and long durability. Herein, we report the design and fabrication of N-doped carbon film-modified niobium sulfur–selenium(NbSSe/NC) nanosheets architecture, which holds favorable merits for Na^(+) storage of enlarged interlayer space, improved electrical conductivity, as well as enhanced reaction reversibility, endowing it with high capacity, high-rate capability and high cycling stability. The combined electrochemical studies with density functional theory calculation reveal that the enriched defects in such nanosheets architecture can benefit for facilitating charge transfer and Na+ adsorption to speed the electrochemical kinetics. The NbSSe/NC composites are studied as the anode of a full SDIBs by pairing the expanded graphite as cathode, which shows an impressively cyclic durability with negligible capacity attenuation over 1000 cycles at 0.5 A g^(-1), as well as an outstanding energy density of 230.6 Wh kg^(-1) based on the total mass of anode and cathode.

Surface structure evolution of cathode materials for Li-ion batteries

Lithium ion batteries are important electrochemical energy storage devices for consumer electronics and the most promising candidates for electrical/hybrid vehicles. The surface chemistry influences the performance of the batteries significantly. In this short review, the ewlution of the surface struture of the cathode materials at different states of the pristine, storage and electrochemical reaclions are summarized. The main methods for the surface modification are also introduced.

Generation of tripartite Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering by cascaded nonlinear process

A scheme is proposed to generate genuine tripartite Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen(EPR)steering in cascaded nonlinear process of the fourth-harmonic generation.The second-harmonic is generated by the first double-frequency process in an optical superlattice.Then,the fourth-harmonic is produced by the second cascaded double-frequency process through quasi-phase-matching technique in the same optical superlattice.The genuine tripartite EPR steering among the pump,the second-harmonic,and the fourth-harmonic beams can be obtained by this cascaded nonlinear process according to a criterion for genuine multipartite quantum steering.The quantum steering properties are discussed by adjusting the parameters related to the cascaded nonlinear system.The present research provides a reference scheme and data for obtaining good multipartite EPR steering in experiment and can advance the applications of quantum steering in the quantum information processing.

A Novel Two-step Frequency Offset Estimator for OFDM

Based on an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(OFDM) training symbol with L identical parts, a novel carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimator is proposed for OFDM systems. The CFO is estimated in two steps, fine estimate and coarse estimate. In the first step, the fine estimation is performed based on the principle of minimum variance. However, the fine estimation has ambiguity since its estimate range is limited. In the second step, the coarse estimation is obtained, which results in a larger estimate range but less precision. Using the coarse estimation, the ambiguity of fine estimation is resolved. To fully use the correlation among L identical parts, the fine estimation resolved the ambiguity and the coarse estimation are optimally combined to obtain the final estimation. Furthermore, the estimation variance of the proposed method is derived. Simulation results demonstrate that the novel two-step estimator outperforms the conventional two-step estimator in terms of estimate performance and computational complexity.

Enabling high-efficiency ethanol oxidation on NiFe-LDH via deprotonation promotion and absorption inhibition

Nucleophile oxidation reaction(NOR), represented by ethanol oxidation reaction(EOR), is a promising pathway to replace oxygen evolution reaction(OER). EOR can effectively reduce the driving voltage of hydrogen production in direct water splitting. In this work, large current and high efficiency of EOR on a Ni, Fe layered double hydroxide(NiFe-LDH) catalyst were simultaneously achieved by a facile fluorination strategy. F in NiFe-LDH can reduce the activation energy of the dehydrogenation reaction, thus promoting the deprotonation process of NiFe-LDH to achieve a lower EOR onset potential. It also weakens the absorption of OH-and nucleophile electrooxidation products on the surface of NiFe-LDH at a higher potential, achieving a high current density and EOR selectivity, according to density functional theory calculations. Based on our experiment results, the optimized fluorinated NiFe-LDH catalyst achieves a low potential of 1.386 V to deliver a 10 mA cm^(-2)EOR. Moreover, the Faraday efficiency is greater than 95%, with a current density ranging from 10 to 250 mA cm^(-2). This work provides a promising pathway for an efficient and cost-effective NOR catalyst design for economic hydrogen production.

Research progress in failure mechanisms and electrolyte modification of high-voltage nickel-rich layered oxide-based lithium metal batteries

High-voltage nickel(Ni)-rich layered oxide-based lithium metal batteries(LMBs)exhibit a great potential in advanced batteries due to the ultra-high energy density.However,it is still necessary to deal with the challenges in poor cyclic and thermal stability before realizing practical application where cycling life is considered.Among many improved strategies,mechanical and chemical stability for the electrode electrolyte interface plays a key role in addressing these challenges.Therefore,extensive effort has been made to address the challenges of electrode-electrolyte interface.In this progress,the failure mechanism of Ni-rich cathode,lithium metal anode and electrolytes are reviewed,and the latest breakthrough in stabilizing electrode-electrolyte interface is also summarized.Finally,the challenges and future research directions of Ni-rich LMBs are put forward.

A self-powered system to electrochemically generate ammonia driven by palladium single atomelectrocatalyst

The utilization of single atoms(SAs)as trifunctional electrocatalyst for nitro-gen reduction,oxygen reduction,and oxygen evolution reactions(NRR,ORR,and OER)is still a formidable challenge.Herein,we devise one-pot synthesized palladium SAs stabilized on nitrogen-doped carbon palladium SA electrocat-alyst(Pd-SA/NC)as efficient trifunctional electrocatalyst for NRR,ORR,and OER.Pd-SA/NC performs a robust catalytic activity toward NRR with faradaic efficiency of 22.5%at-0.25 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE),and the relative Pd utilization efficiency is enhanced by 17-fold than Pd-NP/NC.In addition,the half-wave potential reaches 0.876 V versus RHE,amounting to a 58-time higher mass activity than commercial Pt/C.Moreover,the overpotential at 10 mA cm-2 is as low as 287 mV for Pd-SA/NC,outperforming the commer-cial IrO2 by 360 times in turnover frequency at 1.6 V versus RHE.Accordingly,the assembled rechargeable zinc-air battery(ZAB)achieves a maximum power den-sity of 170 mW cm-2,boosted by 2.3 times than Pt/C–IrO2.Two constructed ZABs efficiently power the NRR-OER system to electrochemically generate ammonia implying its superior trifunctionality.

Hierarchically mesoporous carbon spheres coated with a single atomic Fe-N-C layer for balancing activity and mass transfer in fuel cells

Novel cost-effective fuel cells have become more attractive due to the demands for rare and expensive platinum-group metal(PGM)catalysts for mitigating the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).The high-cost PGM catalyst in fuel cells can be replaced by earth-abundant transition-metalbased catalysts,that is,an Fe-N-C catalyst,which is considered one of the most promising alternatives.However,the performance of the Fe-N-C catalyst is hindered by the low catalytic activity and poor stability,which is caused by insufficient active sites and the lack of optimization of the triple-phase interface for mass transportation.Herein,a novel Fe–N–C catalyst consisting of mono-dispersed hierarchically mesoporous carbon sphere cores and single Fe atom-dispersed functional shells are presented.The synergistic effect between highly dispersed Fe-active sites and well-organized porous structures yields the combination of high ORR activity and high mass transfer performance.The half-wave potential of the catalyst in 0.1M H_(2)SO_(4) is 0.82 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode,and the peak power density is 812 mW·cm^(−2) in H_(2)–O_(2) fuel cells.Furthermore,it shows superior methanol tolerance,which is almost immune to methanol poisoning and generates up to 162 mW·cm^(−2) power density in direct methanol fuel cells.

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Based on ZnO Films

In order to improve the performance of the dye-sensitized solar cells based on ZnO films, ZnO nanoparticles of different sizes were prepared by two methods. Some surfactants were added into the particles to form three types of ZnO pastes. Electrodes of various thickness applied to dye-sensitized solar cell were prepared starting from each of those pastes by the screen-printing method. The performance of dye-sensitized solar cells was optimized via both the selected particle size and film thickness. The reason of the inefficiency was explained by the infrared and ultraviolet- visible absorption spectra.

Performance of bifacial HIT solar cells on n-type silicon substrates

The performance of amorphous silicon(a-Si:H) /crystalline silicon(c-Si) heterojunction is studied,and the effects of the emitter layer thickness,doping concentration,intrinsic layer thickness,back heavily-doped n layer,interface state and band offset on the optical and electrical performance of bifacial heterojunction with intrinsic thin-layer(HIT) solar cells on ntype silicon substrates are discussed.It is found that the HIT solar cells on n-type substrates can obtain a higher conversion efficiency than those on p-type substrates by calculating the band diagrams and parameters of HIT solar cells.

Improvement on the interface properties of p-GaAs/n-InP heterojunction for wafer bonded four-junction solar cells

The p-GaAs/n-InP heterojunction was fabricated by direct wafer bonding technology. The optimized atomic level contact between GaAs and InP is critical for getting good ohmic contact and removing the bubbles or voids at the interface, which is helpful to enhance the efficiency of wafer bonded multi-junction solar cells. Through the surface megasonic cleaning and the plasma treatment, we have achieved the high quality bonding interface without bubbles or voids and with interface resistivity of about 0.1 ohms/cm^2. A GaInP/GaAs//InGaAsP/InGaAs 4-junction solar cell was prepared with the high efficiency of 34.4%(AM0)at 1 sun.

Preparation of carbon nanotube/epoxy composite films with high tensile strength and electrical conductivity by impregnation under pressure

Based on the production of a carbon nanotube (CNT) assembly, a new technique is developed for preparing CNT/epoxy (EP) composite films with high tensile strength and electrical conductivity. CNTs are synthesized by floating catalyst spray pyrolysis. After self-assembling into a hollow cylindrical assembly, CNTs are drawn and wound on a rotating drum to form a uniform CNT film. EP resin solutions of different concentrations are used to fill into the pores within the film under different pressures and form composite films after hot-press curing. The permeability of the EP resin and thus the interfacial bonding between the CNT and the EP resin are studied by varying the concentration of the EP resin solution and the pressure used for impregnation. Under optimal preparation conditions, the composite film contains CNTs of a high content of 59 wt.%, and shows a high tensile strength of 1.4 GPa and a high electrical conductivity of 1.4x10^5 S·m^-1, 159% and 309% higher than those of the neat CNT film, respectively.

Morphology-dependent electrocatalytic performance of Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3) for electro-oxidation of methanol in alkaline medium

Electrochemically synthesized nanosphere,nanorod and nanotube Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3) at optimized temperature and current density are characterized with XRD,SEM,TEM,XPS.Crystal lattices of the three types Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3) detected by HRTEM are well matched with the simulation analysis results from Materials Studio 6.0 based on the inorganic crystal structure database(ICSD)data and the modified XRD lattice parameters.The ratios of Fe/Mo on the surface resulted from XPS analysis are 1.47,1.63 and 2.22 respectively for nanosphere,nanorod and nanotube.The mixture of Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3) with polytetrafluoroethylene dispersion are coated on glass carbon substrate as electrode for electrocatalytic performance test by cyclic voltammetries in 0.1 mol/L KOH and 1 mol/L methanol electrolyte.Methanol oxidation peak current density of the Nanotube-Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3)/GCEs electrode is 3.27 mA/cm^(2) higher than 2.8 mA/cm^(2) of platinum foil electrode,which shows enhanced catalytic activity of Nanotube-Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3)/GCEs.The cyclic stability in terms of peak current retention are 91%,92%and 88%respectively for Nanosphere-Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3)/GCE,Nanorod-Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3)/GCE and Nanotube-Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3)/GCE electrode after 220 cycles.It is concluded that nanosized Fe_(2)(MoO_(4))_(3) could be promising alternative non-noble electro-catalysts for electro-oxidation of methanol in alkaline medium.

Structure adapting of bulk FeS_(2) micron particles and the corresponding anode for high performance sodium-ion batteries

The practical application of Pyrite iron disulfide (FeS_(2)) as anode material of sodium-ion battery is limitedby its low electronic conductivity, large volume changes during charge/discharge. To overcome thesechallenges, a novel structure design single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) composited polyaniline(PANI)-wrapped FeS_(2) (FeS_(2)-PANI-SWCNTs) electrodes are successfully achieved in this work. PANI canprotect the FeS_(2) particles from collapse and offer a protective layer to relive the polysulfides shuttlingeffect, and also promote the electron and Naþ diffusion during the chemical conversion process. Underthe dual protection of PANI and SWCNTs, the FeS_(2)-PANI-SWCNTs film electrode demonstrates a goodstructural integrity, which accounts for the excellent rate capability and long cycling performance. Inaddition, the PANI coating and SWCNT network in the fabricated electrode can synergistically anchorpolysulfides and therefore strongly suppress shuttle effect during the chargeedischarge processes,resulting in less capacity loss. The anode with a loading 3.2 mg cm 2 of FeS_(2) coated with PANI exhibitsthe initial coulombic efficiency of 81.5% and delivers a specific capacity of 625.8 mAh g^(-1) after 100 cyclesat 200 mA g^(-1). High flexible and binder-free FeS_(2)-PANI-SWCNTs film anode demonstrates a reversiblecapacity of 537 mAh g^(-1) after 550 cycles at 1 A g^(-1). This research may offer an efficient method toimprove electrochemical performance of the metal sulfides in sodium-ion batteries.

Synergistic effect between Co single atoms and Pt nanoparticles for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution

In the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions,the efficiency of the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)in alkaline conditions has been a significant challenge,primarily due to the sluggish dissociation of water molecules on platinum(Pt)catalysts.Addressing this critical issue,our study introduces an innovative Pt-Co@NCS catalyst.This catalyst synergistically combines Pt nanoparticles with Co single atoms on a nitrogen-doped carbon scaffold,overcoming the traditional bottleneck of slow water dissociation.Its unique porous concave structure and nitrogen-enriched surface not only provide abundant anchoring sites for Co atoms but also create a conducive hydrophilic environment around the Pt particles.This design leads to a drastic improvement in the water dissociation process,as demonstrated by CO stripping and deuterium labeling experiments.Achieving an outstanding current density of 162.8 mA cm^(−2) at−0.1 V versus RHE,a Tafel slope of 26.2 mV dec^(−1),and a superior nominal mass activity of 15.75 mAμgPt^(−1),the Pt-Co@NCS catalyst represents a significant step forward in enhancing alkaline HER efficiency,indicating promising advancements in the field.

通过电解液添加剂构筑富含LiF/Li_(2)CO_(3)异质结构的电极-电解质界面以实现4.5V锂金属电池的稳定循环

高压Li||LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM811)电池的循环性能取决于电极和电解质之间的界面稳定性.然而,在高电压下实现它们是具有挑战性的本文以五氟苯乙烯(PFBE)为添加剂,通过电解液工程稳定了4.5VLi||NCM811电池.添加剂PFBE有助于在NCM811阴极和锂金属阳极表面形成高导锂和机械坚固的富含无机组分LiF/Li_(2)CO_(3)的异质结构界面.这种电极-电解质界面(EEIs)明显缓解了富镍层状阴极中不可逆相变、应力积累引起的微裂纹和过渡金属溶解.同时,有效地控制了锂金属阳极表面锂枝晶的生长,结果表明,4.5VLi||NCM811电池在0.5C(100mAg)下循环600次后,容量保持率为61.27%.此外,在含有这种电解质添加剂中循环的Li||NCM811软包电池可以实现稳定的、高达~485Whkg^(-1)的能量密度.

Steering CO_(2)electrolysis selectivity by modulating the local reaction environment:An online DEMS approach for Cu electrodes

Electrochemical CO_(2)reduction is a typical surface-mediated reaction,with its reaction kinetics and product distributions largely dependent on the dynamic evolution of reactive species at the cathode–catholyte interface and on the resultant mass transport within the hydrodynamic boundary layer in the vicinity of the cathode.To resolve the complex local reaction environment of branching CO_(2)reduction pathways,we here present a dif-ferential electrochemical mass spectroscopic(DEMS)approach for Cu electrodes to investigate CO_(2)mass trans-port,the local concentration gradients of buffering anions,and the Cu surface topology effects on CO_(2)electrolysis selectivity at a temporal resolution of~400 ms.As a proof of concept,these tuning knobs were validated on an anion exchange membrane electrolyzer,which delivered a Faradaic efficiency of up to 40.4%and a partial current density of 121 mA cm^(-2)for CO_(2)-to-C_(2)H_(4)valorization.This methodology,which bridges the study of fundamental surface electrochemistry and the upgrading of practical electrolyzer performance,could be of general interest in helping to achieve a sustainable circular carbon economy.

High-throughput characterization methods for lithium batteries

The development of high-performance lithium ion batteries requires the discovery of new materials and the optimization of key components.By contrast with traditional one-by-one method,high-throughput method can synthesize and characterize a large number of compositionally varying samples,which is able to accelerate the pace of discovery,development and optimization process of materials.Because of rapid progress in thin film and automatic control technologies,thousands of compounds with different compositions could be synthesized rapidly right now,even in a single experiment.However,the lack of rapid or combinatorial characterization technologies to match with high-throughput synthesis methods,limit the application of high-throughput technology.Here,we review a series of representative highthroughput characterization methods used in lithium batteries,including high-throughput structural and electrochemical characterization methods and rapid measuring technologies based on synchrotron light sources.

A Nonresonant Hybridized Electromagnetic-Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Irregular and Ultralow Frequency Blue Energy Harvesting

As a promising renewable energy source,it is a challenging task to obtain blue energy,which is irregular and has an ultralow frequency,due to the limitation of technology.Herein,a nonresonant hybridized electromagnetic-triboelectric nanogenerator was presented to efficiently obtain the ultralow frequency energy.The instrument adopted the flexible pendulum structure with a precise design and combined the working principle of electromagnetism and triboelectricity to realize the all-directional vibration energy acquisition successfully.The results confirmed that the triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG)had the potential to deliver the maximum power point of about 470μW while the electromagnetic nanogenerator(EMG)can provide 523 mW at most.The conversion efficiency of energy of the system reached 48.48%,which exhibited a remarkable improvement by about 2.96 times,due to the elastic buffering effect of the TENG with the double helix structure.Furthermore,its ability to collect low frequency wave energy was successfully proven by a buoy in Jialing River.This woke provides an effective candidate to harvest irregular and ultralow frequency blue energy on a large scale.