Pool-Forming Stages and Enrichment Models of Medium- to High-Rank Coalbed Methane

The pool-forming mechanism of coalbed methane has its own characteristics.In this paper, based on studies on the typical coal-bearing basins in China,it is pointed out that the reservoir formation of medium- to high-rank coalbed methane has experienced three critical stages：the coalbed methane generation and adsorption stage,the coalbed adsorption capacity enhancement stage,and the coalbed methane desorption-diffusion and preservation stage.The regional tectonic evolution, hydrodynamic conditions and sealing conditions play important roles in the stage of coalbed methane desorption-diffusion and preservation.Medium- to high-rank coalbed methane has three types of enrichment models,that is,the most favorable,the relatively favorable,and the unfavorable enrichment models.

Hierarchical Carbon Microtube@Nanotube Core-Shell Structure for High-Performance Oxygen Electrocatalysis and Zn-Air Battery

Zinc-air batteries(ZABs)hold tremendous promise for clean and efficient energy storage with the merits of high theoretical energy density and environmental friendliness.However,the performance of practical ZABs is still unsatisfactory because of the inevitably decreased activity of electrocatalysts when assembly into a thick electrode with high mass loading.Herein,we report a hierarchical electrocatalyst based on carbon microtube@nanotube core-shell nanostructure(CMT@CNT),which demonstrates superior electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction with a small potential gap of 0.678 V.Remarkably,when being employed as air-cathode in ZAB,the CMT@CNT presents an excellent performance with a high power density(160.6 mW cm^−2),specific capacity(781.7 mAhgZn^−1)as well as long cycle stability(117 h,351 cycles).Moreover,the ZAB performance of CMT@CNT is maintained well even under high mass loading(3 mg cm−2,three times as much as traditional usage),which could afford high power density and energy density for advanced electronic equipment.We believe that this work is promising for the rational design of hierarchical structured electrocatalysts for advanced metal-air batteries.

Instant formation of excellent oxygen evolution catalyst film via controlled spray pyrolysis for electrocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting

The retarded kinetics of oxygen evolution on electrodes is a bottleneck for electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems.NiFe-based electrocatalysts provide a cost-effective choice to confront this challenge.However,there is a lack of facile techniques for depositing compact catalytic films of high coverage and possessing a state-of-the-art performance,which is especially desired in photoelectrochemical(PEC)systems.Herein,we demonstrate a spray pyrolysis(SP)route to address this issue,featuring the kinetic selective preparation towards the desired catalytic-active material.Differing from reported SP protocols which only produce inactive oxides,this approach directly generates a unique composite film consisting of NiFe layered oxyhydroxides and amorphous oxides,exhibiting an overpotential as small as 255 mV(10 mA cm^(−2))and a turnover frequency of∼0.4 s^(−1)per metal atom.By using such a facile protocol,the surface rate-limiting issue of BiVO_(4)photoanodes can be effectively resolved,resulting in a charge injection efficiency of over 90%.Considering this deposition directly start from simple nitrates but only takes several seconds to complete,we believe it can be developed as a widely applicable and welcomed functionalization technique for diverse electrochemical devices.

Lithofacies paleogeography restoration and its significance of Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous in southern margin of Junggar Basin,NW China

In view of the difficulties in the study of lithofacies paleogeography and the low reliability of the distribution range of sedimentary sand bodies in the prototype basin caused by less deep drilling, complex seismic imaging and low degree of exploration in the southern margin of Junggar Basin, NW China. A new method based on the source to sink idea was used to restore lithofacies paleogeography and predict glutenite distribution. In the restoration, apatite fission track age was used to define range and uplift time of macro-provenance;the range of provenance area and the migration process of lake shoreline were restored based on the quantitative relationship between gravel diameter and transportation distance, tectonic shortening and other geological parameters;drilling cores and field outcrop sedimentary structures were analyzed, and a series of maps of lithofacies paleogeographic evolution and distribution range of glutenite bodies were compiled. It is concluded that from Early Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, in the southern margin of Junggar Basin, the provenance area gradually expanded from south to north, the lake basin expanded, shrunk and expanded, and the paleoclimate changed from humid to drought to humid. The western section always had proximal fan delta deposits from the southern ancient Tianshan provenance developed, and in the middle and eastern sections, the provenance areas evolved from far source to near source, mainly river-delta, braided delta, fan delta and other sediments developed. The boundary between provenance areas of the western and middle sections is speculated to be Hongche fault zone. In an angle open to the northwest with the current basin edge line, the restored ancient lake shoreline controlled the heterogeneity of reservoirs in the delta plain belt and delta front belt on its both sides. The ancient lake shoreline, current stratigraphic denudation line and current basin margin line limit the types and scope of favorable reservoirs.This understanding provides an important geological basis for oil and gas exploration in the deep lower source-reservoir assemblage at the southern margin of Junggar Basin.

Structural limiting factors of mixed-valent tin oxides in photoelectrochemical application:A comparative exploration

Photoelectrocatalytic(PEC)materials for harvesting solar energy can be discovered from existing photocatalytic semiconductors.Nonetheless,mixed valence tin oxides,a group of widely reported visible light active photocatalysts,can hardly be developed into efficient PEC photoelectrodes.To overcome this difficulty by clarifying its origin,two typical mixed valence tin oxides,Sn^(2+):SnO_(2) microrods and porous Sn_(3)O_(4) particles were deliberately prepared as the models.Sn^(2+):SnO_(2) microrods of less porosity exhibited a photocurrent over ten times higher than Sn_(3)O_(4) particles.Photo-electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed this was due to their charge kinetics difference,specifically the internal transport/-transfer responding to the morphology.Moreover,hydroxyl residuals from synthesis were found to be very inhibitive for the PEC efficiency as well,which was in coherence with our TGA and Raman spectroscopic study.These finding experimentally proved the necessity of reconsidering the surface area,crystallinity,and defects when developing photocatalysts into efficient PEC structures.

Identification of petroleum aromatic fraction by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry(GC×GC-TOFMS) is commercially available in the 1990s,with the characteristics of large peak capacity,high resolution,high sensitivity,etc.However,its application to the petroleum and geological analyses is just emerging in China and overseas.In this research,the analytical method for petroleum aromatic fraction using GC×GC-TOFMS is set up,via the choice of the column system and optimization of setting parameters,such as temperature programming,modulation time,hot pulse time,flow rate of carrier gas,data acquisition rate and data processing.The results indicate that different polar compounds of aromatic fraction distribute as bands on structured GC×GC chromatogram.Within each band,homologous compounds appear as a roof-tile structure based on the number of substituent residues.The aromatic compounds are identified and characterized according to the GC×GC chromatogram and mass spectra.According to the polarity and the number of rings,aromatic compounds are spatially present on one chromatogram,which directly reflects the distribution characteristics of complex compounds of aromatic hydrocarbons.In addition,quantitative analysis is favored as some overlapped peaks on traditional GC-MS chromatogram have been separated completely on GC×GC.Some heterocyclic atom aromatic compounds at trace level can be clearly identified using this method,for polarity differences from other interfered aromatic compounds.The development of this method and chromatogram recognition offer petroleum geologists a practical example for the application performance of GC×GC-TOFMS.

Comparison of geochemical parameters derived from comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry and conventional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The saturated and aromatic hydrocarbon fractions of crude oil samples have been analyzed by using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) and conventional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In order to investigate the consistency and discrepancy of the obtained data from the two instruments, some petroleum geochemical parameters have been compared. A comparison of 23 geochemical parameters indicates that 10 parameters are comparable from the two instruments with less than 5% deviations. Therefore, GC×GC-TOFMS is equivalent to conventional GC-MS in some geochemical parameter acquisitions. However, the other 13 parameters are discrepant, including gammacerane / αβ-hopane, Ts/Tm, 2-ethyl-naphthalene / 1-ethyl-naphthalene (ENR), (2, 6-dimethyl-naphthalene +2,7-dimethyl-naphthalene) / 1,5-dimethyl-naphthalene (DNR), etc. Furthermore, compared to GC× GC-TOFMS, some low concentration compounds could not be detected by the conventional GC-MS, which results in the missing of related geochemical data. Normally, this is caused by the limited separation power and peak capacity of the conventional GC column. Besides, the co-eluting peak integrations are also affected significantly due to the incomplete separation of the compounds. Some low concentration compounds might not be detected because of the interference from the baseline noise or from other substances. GC×GC-TOFMS prevails in compound separation against the conventional GC-MS by avoiding co-elution, which achieves more accurate and precise peak area measurement with the presence of a true baseline. So petroleum geochemical parameters obtained from the GC×GC-TOFMS are more reliable than those from the conventional GC-MS. GC×GC-TOFMS may become one of the most effective analytical tools for the oil and gas geochemical study.

Synchronous drying and cooling in central Asia duringlate Oligocene

Aridification of central Asia during late Oligocene and Early Miocene has been documented by numerous eolian records from the North Pacific and central Asia. However, direct evidence of aridity from the interior of the arid zone is still rather scarce. To better reconstruct the climate history in central Asia during the late Oligocene, we have analyzed ostracod assemblages and gypsum content in the sediments from the lacustrine Jingou River section in the northern Tianshan Mountains. Our results show that the cold water species Candona cf. Neglecta and Pseudocandona albicans replaced the warm water species Ilyocypris bradyi and Ilyocypris sp. to become the dominant species at 23.8 Ma, indicating significant cooling in central Asia at that time. At the same time, a substantial increase in gypsum content indicates the intensification of central Asian drying. The synchronous cooling and drying approximately coincided with the Oi2b.1 and/or Mi1 events, implying a causal linkage between late Oligocene global cooling and central Asian aridity.

The impact of crystal defects towards oxide semiconductor photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation for sustainable clean energy and fuel production is a potential solution to the demands of organic pollutant removal and growing energy consumption.Development of high performance photoanodes,which is a key component in the system,is one of the central topics in the area.The crystal defect is an old concept but fruiting new understanding witli promotive impact to the development of high performance photoanodes.In this review,we elucidated the typical defects involved in the photoanode with the position where they play the roles in the structure and how the properties of photoanode are influenced.In addition,we summarized the feasible protocols to maximize the pros but reduce the cons brought by having defects to the photoanode performance based on recent most prominent researcli advancements in the field.Finally,we briefly sketched the future perspective with the challenges of this topic when in the scenario of possible developments into practical applications.

TiO_(2)/CuPc/NiFe-LDH photoanode for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting

Photoelectrochemical(PEC)water splitting is a promising approach for renewable hydrogen production.However,the practical PEC solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency is still low owing to poor light absorption and rapid recombination of charge carriers in photoelectrode.In this work,we report a ternary photoanode with simultaneously enhancement of light absorption and water oxidation efficiency by introducing copper phthalocyanine(CuPc)and nickel iron-laye red double hydroxide(NiFe-LDH)on TiO_(2)(denoted as TiO_(2)/CuPc/NiFe-LDH).An experimental study reveals that CuPc loading on TiO_(2)bring strong visible light absorption;NiFe-LDH as an oxygen evolution reaction catalyst efficiently accelerates the surface water oxidation reaction.This synergistic effect of CuPc and NiFe-LDH gives enhanced photocurrent density(2.10 mA/cm^(2)at 0.6 V vs.SCE)and excellent stability in the ternary TiO_(2)/CuPc/NiFeLDH photoanode.