Microstructure design of advanced magnesium-air battery anodes

Metal-air battery is an environmental friendly energy storage system with unique open structure.Magnesium(Mg)and its alloys have been extensively attempted as anodes for air batteries due to high theoretical energy density,low cost,and recyclability.However,the study on Mg-air battery(MAB)is still at the laboratory level currently,mainly owing to the low anodic efficiency caused by the poor corrosion resistance.In order to reduce corrosion losses and achieve optimal utilization efficiency of Mg anode,the design strategies are reviewed from microstructure perspectives.Firstly,the corrosion behaviors have been discussed,especially the negative difference effect derived by hydrogen evolution.Special attention is given to the effect of anode micro-structures on the MAB,which includes grain size,grain orientation,second phases,crystal structure,twins,and dislocations.For further improvement,the discharge performance,long period stacking ordered phase and its enhancing effect are considered.Meanwhile,given the current debates over Mg dendrites,the potential risk,the impact on discharge,and the elimination strategies are discussed.Microstructure control and single crystal would be promising ways for MAB anode.

Aryldiazonium salts can serve as nitrogen-based Lewis acid catalysts and their applications in the formation of photoactive charge transfer complexes

We report the Lewis acid catalysis of aryldiazonium salts,and their Lewis acidity applications in photogeneration of aryl radicals under additive-,photocatalyst-and transition metal-free conditions.In this visible light-mediated transformation,the Lewis acidic character of aryldiazonium salts enables access to the photoactive charge transfer complex with dichalcogenides.The usefulness and versatility of this new protocol are demonstrated through the chalcogenation of a variety of aryldiazonium salts.

Microstructure and properties of gradient nitrided layer on Ti6Al4V alloys

The vacuum electromagnetic induction nitriding technology was applied to prepare a gradient nitrided layer on the surface of a Ti6Al4V alloy,which possesses TiN andα-Ti(N)phases.Moreover,transmission electron microscopy was conducted to confirm the presence of numerous high-density stacking faults caused by TiN and Ti_(2)N phases distributed on the surface of the alloy,along with a large number of basal stacking faults inside.A highdensity stacking fault led to serious distortion of lattice fringes.Lattice and numerous edge dislocations caused by defects were observed in the subsurface layer.For the surface layer,the Vickers hardness reached HV_(0.25)1211.30and the residual compressive stress increased,while the nano-hardness increased to 14.07 from 5.31 GPa in the substrate.The micrometre scratch test results indicated that the plasticity and hardness of the nitrided layer changed in a gradient.The 50-μm effective hardened layer depth and surface compressive stress of the Ti6Al4V alloy were enhanced by the stacking faults.

Temperature-dependent optical properties of low-loss plasmonic SrMoO_(3)thin films

SrMoO_(3)(SMO)thin films are deposited on LaAlO_(3)substrates by magnetron sputtering.The effects of ambient temperature on the structural,electrical,and optical properties of the films are investigated.As the temperature increases from 23℃ to 800℃,the SMO film exhibits high crystallinity and low electrical resistivity,and the real part of dielectric functions becomes less negative in the visible and near-IR wavelength range,and the epsilon near zero(ENZ)wavelength increases from460 nm to 890 nm.The optical loss of the SMO film is significantly lower than that of Au,and its plasmonic performance is comparable to or even higher than TiN in the temperature range of 23℃ to 600℃.These studies are critical for the design of high-temperature SMO-based plasmonic devices.

Pd nano-catalyst supported on biowaste-derived porous nanofibrous carbon microspheres for efficient catalysis

Environmental pollution caused by the presence of aromatic aldehydes and dyes in wastewater is a serious global concern. An effective strategy for the removal of these pollutants is their catalytic conversion, possibly to valuable compounds. Therefore, the design of efficient, stable and long-lifetime catalysts is a worthwhile research goal. Herein, we used nanofibrous carbon microspheres (NCM) derived from the carbohydrate chitin present in seafood waste, and characterized by interconnected nanofibrous networks and N/O-containing groups, as carriers for the manufacture of a highly dispersed, efficient and stable Pd nano-catalyst (mean diameter ca. 2.52 nm). Importantly, the carbonised chitin’s graphitized structure, defect presence and large surface area could promote the transport of electrons between NCM and Pd, thereby endowing NCM supported Pd catalyst with high catalytic activity. The NCM supported Pd catalyst was employed in the degradation of some representative dyes and the chemoselective hydrogenation of aromatic aldehydes;this species exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stability, as well as applicability to a broad range of aromatic aldehydes, suggesting its potential use in green industrial catalysis.

Hydriding/dehydriding behaviors of La_2Mg_(17)-10 wt.%Ni composite prepared by mechanical milling

The structure and hydriding/dehydriding behaviors ofLa2Mgl7-10 wt.%Ni composite prepared by mechanical milling were investigated. Compared with the tin-milled sample, the as-milled alloys were ready to be activated and the kinetics of hydrogen ab- sorption was relatively fast even at environmental temperature. The composite milled for 10 h absorbed 3.16 wt.% hydrogen within 100 s at 290 K. The kinetic mechanisms ofhydriding/dehydriding reactions were analyzed by using a new model. The results showed that hydrogenation processes for all composites were controlled by hydrogen diffusion and the minimum activation energy was 15.3 kJ/mol H2 for the composite milled for 10 h. Mechanical milling changed the dehydriding reaction rate-controlling step from surface penetration to diffusion and reduced the activation energy from 204.6 to 87.4 kJ/mol H2. The optimum milled duration was 5 h for desorption in our trials.

Direct photolysis of N-methoxypyridiniums for the pyridylation of carbon/heteroatom-hydrogen bonds

Current synthetic methods for the functionalization of pyridinium salts usually rely on transition metals,oxidants and/or photocatalysts.To date,no direct photolysis method exists under photocatalyst-,transition metal-and oxidant-free conditions.We herein demonstrate the first direct photolysis of N-methoxypyridinium salts for the selective assembly of various pyridines by using a series of common feedstocks,including amine-boranes,unactivated alkanes,phosphine oxides,amides,silanes and aldehydes.

Pd-modified SmFeO_(3)with hollow tubular structure under light shows extremely high acetone gas sensitivity

Currently,SmFeO_(3)-based sensors are an effective platform for detecting acetone gas.However,they require high operating temperatures,which increases energy consumption and safety hazards,and their response is low when the gas concentration is at 10^(-9)(PPB),which cannot meet the requirements of using exhaled breath to pre-diagnose diabetes.Herein,Pd-SmFeO_(3)hollow nanotubes with an extremely high specific surface area and porosity were synthesized by electrospinning.After Pd doping,the specific surface area improved by more than two times,and the acetone response improved by more than three times.In addition,the response further improved by more than 1.5 times,and the optimum operating temperature reduced by 100℃under light irradiation.Moreover,the relative humidity adaptability,long-term stability,and selectivity of the material were significantly improved after Pd doping or light irradiation.Finally,the acetone concentration in a person’s exhaled breath was detected by a Pd-SmFeO_(3)-based gas sensor,and the error was less than 10%compared to that obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method.