Polar interaction of polymer host-solvent enables stable solid electrolyte interphase in composite lithium metal anodes

The lithium(Li) metal anode is an integral component in an emerging high-energy-density rechargeable battery.A composite Li anode with a three-dimensional(3 D) host exhibits unique advantages in suppressing Li dendrites and maintaining dimensional stability.However,the fundamental understanding and regulation of solid electrolyte interphase(SEI),which directly dictates the behavior of Li plating/stripping,are rarely researched in composite Li metal anodes.Herein,the interaction between a polar polymer host and solvent molecules was proposed as an emerging but effective strategy to enable a stable SEI and a uniform Li deposition in a working battery.Fluoroethylene carbonate molecules in electrolytes are enriched in the vicinity of a polar polyacrylonitrile(PAN) host due to a strong dipole-dipole interaction,resulting in a LiF-rich SEI on Li metal to improve the uniformity of Li deposition.A composite Li anode with a PAN host delivers 145 cycles compared with 90 cycles when a non-polar host is employed.Moreover,60 cycles are demonstrated in a 1:0 Ah pouch cell without external pressure.This work provides a fresh guidance for designing practical composite Li anodes by unraveling the vital role of the synergy between a 3 D host and solvent molecules for regulating a robust SEI.

Electronic and optical properties of CdS/CdZnS nanocrystals

Cd1-xZnxS nanocrystals are prepared by a co-precipitation method with different atomic fractions of Zn. The texture, structural transformation and optical properties with increasing x value in Cd1-xZnxS are studied with scanning electron microscopy, electron diffraction patterning, and absorption spectra respectively. Quantum confinement in a strained CdS/Cd1-xZnxS related nanodot with various Zn content values is investigated theoretically. Binding energies on exciton bound CdS/CdxZn1-xS quantum dot are computed, with consideration of the internal electric field induced by the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarizations, and thereby the interband emission energy is calculated as a function of the dot radius. The optical band gap from the UV absorption spectrum is compared with the interband emission energy computed theoretically. Our results show that the average diameter of composite nanoparticles ranges from 3 nm to 6 nm. The X-ray diffraction pattern shows that all the peaks shift towards the higher diffracting angles with an increase in Zn content. The lattice constant gradually decreases as the Zn content increases. The strong absorption edge shifts towards the lower wavelength region and hence the band gap of the films increases as the Zn content increases. The values of the absorption edge are found to shift towards the shorter wave length region and hence the direct band gap energy varies from 2.5 eV for the CdS film and 3.5 eV for the ZnS film. Our numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

用盐酸从矿泥中浸出稀土的动力学控制分析

某风化矿泥含稀土在2%～5%,且稀土以氧化物形式存在于矿泥中。用盐酸加热浸取可将稀土浸出,转化为氯化稀土,再用草酸沉淀回收稀土。分析了盐酸浸出稀土的条件和动力学,其速率常数k=(760+0.64×1/ro2)exp(-10500/RT),表观活化能为10.5kJ/mol,是一个典型的内扩散控制过程。温度越高,矿泥粒度越细,越有利于稀土的回收。

有机金属卤化物钙钛矿太阳能电池的研究进展

2009年CH3NH3PbI3太阳能电池问世,因其具备制备工艺相对简单、光电转换率高等优点,引起了国内外研究者极大的关注.近几年,有机金属卤化物钙钛矿太阳能电池发展迅速,光伏性能不断得到提高.然而CH3NH3PbI3电池器件受钙钛矿材料本身禁带宽度的限制,对太阳光的吸收光谱不够宽,并且其重要组成部分的Pb元素,具有一定毒性.因此制备带隙更窄、环境友好及化学稳定性好的有机金属卤化物钙钛矿太阳能电池具有重要的应用价值.本文评述了以寻找Pb的替代元素、提高入射光吸收效率、改善太阳能电池光伏性能为目标所进行的钙钛矿材料禁带宽度调控方面的研究成果,比较了有机、无机空穴传输材料和无空穴传输材料钙钛矿太阳能电池的光伏性能,讨论了界面结构在电子和空穴输运过程中的重要性.介绍了目前在CH3NH3Pb I3及类似有机金属卤化物钙钛矿材料的原子结构、能带结构和禁带宽度等理论研究方面的进展,讨论了常见计算方法的优缺点和需要注意的问题,为开展有机金属卤化物钙钛矿的理论研究提供了思路.最后提出该领域目前存在的问题以及对未来的展望.

Dissimilar titanium/aluminum friction stir welding lap joints by experiments and numerical simulation

Dissimilar stir welding （FSW） lap joints were produced by friction out of Ti6A14V titanium alloy and AA2024 aluminum alloy sheets. The joints, welded with varying tool rotation and feed rate, were studied by ana- lyzing the maximum shear strength, Vickers microhardness and optical observations. A dedicated numerical model, able to take into account the presence of the two different alloys, was used to highlight the effects of the process parameters on temperature distribution, strain distribution, and material flow. The combined analysis of experimental measurements and numerical predictions allowed explaining the effects of tool rotation and feed rate on the material flow. It was found that tool rotation had a larger impact on the joint effectiveness with respect to feed rate. A competition between material mixing and heat input occurs with increasing tool rotation, resulting in higher joint strength when lower values of tool rotation are used.

Highly transmitted silver nanowires-SWCNTs conductive flexible film by nested density structure and aluminum-doped zinc oxide capping layer for flexible amorphous silicon solar cells

Indium tin oxide(ITO)is widely used in transparent conductive films(TCFs);however,several disadvan-tages,such as high cost and toxicity of indium,limit its applications.Therefore,it is necessary to develop other materials that can replace ITO.Silver nanowires or single walled carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs)have attracted considerable interest owing to their unique electrical,optical,and thermal stabilities,and thus,they are ideal for transparent electrodes for flexible or stretchable devices.In this study,we develop a novel architecture of composite TCFs on a polyethylene naphthalate(PEN)flexible substrate.Herein,the silver nanowires-SWCNTs films with nested density structure were fabricated through ultrasonic spraying technology by varying the spraying width.For achieving enhanced transmittance,we combined the larger irregular grids and holes with fewer nanowires stacked in the longitudinal direction,more optical chan-nels,and good carrier transport.Thereafter,aluminum-doped zinc oxide(AZO)was used as capping to the structure for enhancing the optical properties of the TCFs.The silver nanowires-SWCNTs/AZO(ASA)bilayer was obtained in the optimized architecture,which showed superior optoelectronic performance to that shown by commercial ITO with a high optical transmittance of 92%at the wavelength of 550 nm and low sheet resistance of 17/sq.In the specially structured conductive film,the significant improvement in the transmittance and uniformity of the sheet resistance was attributed to the effective nanowire junc-tion contact compared to that in ordinary structure of silver nanowires,which reduced the mean density of small clusters of nanowires.Compared with the silver nanowires-SWCNTs films,the ASA bilayer film exhibited excellent resistance to boiling,mechanical bending(10,000 cycles),and CO_(2)plasma.Moreover,the sheet resistance of ASA changed slightly after the tape tests,thereby illustrating a strong adhesion to the PEN substrate after the enclosure of AZO.Meanwhile,the AZO capping layer can enhance the op-tical transmittance between 600 and 1500 nm.In addition,the amorphous silicon photovoltaic devices with flexible ASA TCFs exhibited a power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 8.67%.After bending for 3000 times,the PCE was decreased to 8.20%,thereby demonstrating the potential of developed films to replace traditional ITO.

Embedding ultrasmall Ag nanoclusters in Luria-Bertani extract via light irradiation for enhanced antibacterial activity

Ultrasmall silver nanoclusters(Ag NCs)with rich surface chemistry and good biocompatibility are promising in antibacterial application,however,further development of Ag NCs for practical settings has been constrained by their relatively weak antibacterial activity.Using the nutritionally-rich medium for bacteria(e.g.,Luria-Bertani(LB)medium)to coat active Ag NCs could further improve their antibacterial activity.Here,we provide a delicate design of a highly efficient Ag NCs@ELB antibacterial agent(ELB denotes the extract of LB medium)by anchoring Ag NCs inside the ELB species via light irradiation.The as-designed Ag NCs with bacterium-favored nutrients on the surface can be easily swallowed by the bacteria,boosting the production of the intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS,about 2-fold of that in the pristine Ag NCs).Subsequently,a higher concentration of ROS generated in Ag NCs@ELB leads to enhanced antibacterial activity,and enables to reduce the colony forming units(CFU)of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria with 3–4 orders of magnitude less than that treated with the pristine Ag NCs.In addition,the Ag NCs@ELB also shows good biocompatibility.This study suggests that surface engineering of active species(e.g.,Ag NCs)with nutritionally-rich medium of the bacteria is an efficient way to improve their antibacterial activity.

Boron nitride microsphere/epoxy composites with enhanced thermal conductivity

As modern electronics are developed towards miniaturisation,high-degree integration and intelligentisation,a large amount of heat will be generated during the operation of devices.How to efficiently remove needless heat is becoming more and more crucial for the lifetime and performance of electronic devices.Many efforts have been made to improve the thermal conductivity of polymer composites,which is an important component of electronics.Herein,the authors report on preparation of boron nitride micosphere/epoxy composites.The cross-plane thermal conductivity of the resultant composites is up to 1.03 Wm‒1K‒1.This is attributed to the thermally conductive network formed by the peeled hexagonal boron nitride flakes.Thanks to the superior thermal stability of boron nitride micosphere,the boron nitride micosphere/epoxy composite shows a decreased coefficient of thermal expansion(53.47 ppm/K)and an increased glass transition temperature(147.2℃)compared with the pure epoxy resin.In addition,the boron nitride micosphere/epoxy composite exhibits a lower dielectric constant compared with that of the hexagonal boron nitride/epoxy composite.This strategy can potentially pave the way for the design and fabrication of materials with high cross-plane thermal conductivity and lower dielectric properties.