Two-dimensional MnN utilized as high-capacity anode for Li-ion batteries

When developing high performance lithium-ion batteries,high capacity is one of the key indicators.In the last decade,the progress of two-dimensional(2 D) materials has provided new opportunities for boosting the storage capacity.Here,based on first-principles calculation method,we predict that MnN monolayer,a recently proposed 2 D nodal-loop halfmetal containing the metallic element Mn,can be used as a super high-capacity lithium-ion batteries anode.Its theoretical capacity is above 1554 mA-h/g,more than four times that of graphite.Meanwhile,it also satisfies other requirements for a good anode material.Specifically,we demonstrate that MnN is mechanically,dynamically,and thermodynamically stable.The configurations before and after lithium adsorption exhibit good electrical conductivity.The study of Li diffusion on its surface reveals a very low diffusion barrier(～ 0.12 eV),indicating excellent rate performance.The calculated average open-circuit voltage of the corresponding half-cell at full charge is also very low(～0.22 V),which facilitates higher operating voltage.In addition,the lattice changes of the material during lithium intercalation are very small(～ 1.2%-～4.8%),which implies good cycling performance.These results suggest that 2 D MnN can be a very promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries.     

Attenuation length measurements of a liquid scintillator with LabVIEW and reliability evaluation of the device

An attenuation length measurement device was constructed using an oscilloscope and LabVIEW for signal acquisition and processing. The performance of the device has been tested in a variety of ways. The test results show that the set-up has a good stability and high precision (sigma/mean reached 0.4 percent). Besides, the accuracy of the measurement system will decrease by about 17 percent if a filter is used. The attenuation length of a gadolinium-loaded liquid scintillator (Gd-LS) was measured as 15.10±0.35 m where Gd-LS was heavily used in the Daya Bay Neutrino Experiment. In addition, one method based on the Beer-Lambert law was proposed to investigate the reliability of the measurement device, the R-square reached 0.9995. Moreover, three purification methods for Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) production were compared in the experiment.     

A novel acquisition method for nuclear spectra based on pulse area analysis

A novel simple method based on pulse area analysis (PAA) is presented for acquisition of nuclear spectra by a digitizer. The PAA method can be used as a substitute for the traditional method of pulse height analysis (PHA). In the PAA method a commercial digitizer was employed to sample and sum in the pulse, and the area of the pulse is proportional to the energy of the detected radiation. The results of simulation and experiment indicate the great advantages of the PAA method, especially as the count rate is high and the shaping time constant is small. When the shaping time constant is 0.5 μs, the energy resolution of PAA is about 66% better than that of PHA.     

Laser induced self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of TiNi alloy

TiNi alloy, especially porous TiNi, a good biocompatible material, can be made by laser induced self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). A 40-W CO2 laser was used to ignite the powders of Ti and Ni, and TiNi intermetallic compound was synthesized by SHS in a reaction kettle of stainless steel. High-speed photography, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate and analyze the reaction process, phase composing, and microstructure of the product, respectively. The influence factors on the reaction process and the product were discussed. The results indicate that laser induced SHS is an efficient, energy-saving method; The phase ingredient of the product consists of TiNi, Ti2Ni, and Ni3Ti. With the increase of the preparing pressure of the sample, the reacting rate decreases; With the increase of the laser power and the preheating temperature, the reacting rate increases. Under the condition of 30℃/min, the synthesis reaction had been carried out consistently and     

First-principles study of interphase Ni3Sn in Sn--Ni alloy for anode of lithium ion battery

This paper investigates the mechanism of Li insertion into interphase Ni3Sn in Ni-Sn alloy for the anode of lithium ion battery by means of the first-principles plane-wave pseudopotential. Compared with other phases, it is found that the Ni3Sn has larger relative expansion ratio and lower electrochemical potential, with its specific plateaus voltage around 0.3 eV when lithium atoms are filled in all octahedral interstitial sites, and the relative expansion ratio increasing dramatically when the lithiated phase transits from octahedral interstitial sites to tetrahedral interstitial sites. So this phase is a devastating phase for whole alloy electrode materials.     

Amorphization Induced High Magneto-Caloric Effect of Gd55Al20Ni25 Ternary Alloy

We report the amorphization induced high magneto-caloric effect （MCE） of recently developed Gd55Al15Ni30 bulk metallic glass （BMG）. The magnetic properties of the Gd55Al15Ni30 BMG are investigated in comparison with that of its crystalline counterpart. It is found that amorphization can increase the saturation magnetization and decrease the hysteresis of Gd55Al15Ni30 alloys, which indicate the possible enhancement of MCE. The magnetic entropy changes and the refrigerant capacity of the BMG as well as the crystalline samples is calculated directly from isothermal magnetic measurements. The results show the amorphization induced high MCE of the alloy and the excellent refrigerant efficiency of Gd55Al15Ni30 bulk metallic glass.     

A Super High Resolution Distance Measurement Method Based on Phase Comparison

Phase comparison method can enhance the measurement resolution to 10^-13/T in time domain. This method can also be used in distance measurement in the navigation and positioning. We propose a super high-resolution distance measurement based on linear phase comparison method. A high resolution scheme is put forward on the basis of the research of major factors concerning the phase comparison in the distance measurement. Conversion of a high-linearity phase difference to voltage and high-resolution voltage meter make it possible to obtain a very high phase measurement resolution. When the purpose is to measure distance, the phase noise of frequency source used in the measurement can be reduced partly. Thus this method is favourable for high resolution distance measurement. The precision of the distance measurement can reach 0.1c ps with c being the velocity of light in vacuum.     

High precision Zernike modal gray map reconstruction for liquid crystal corrector

This paper proposes a new Zernike modal gray map reconstruction algorithm used in the nematic liquid crystal adaptive optics system. Firstly, the new modal algorithm is described. Secondly, a single loop correction experiment was conducted, and it showed that the modal method has a higher precision in gray map reconstruction than the widely used slope method. Finally, the contrast close-loop correction experiment was conducted to correct static aberration in the laboratory. The experimental results showed that the average peak to valley (PV) and root mean square (RMS) of the wavefront corrected by mode method were reduced from 2.501\lambda (\lambda =633~nm) and 0.610\lambda to 0.0334\lambda and 0.00845\lambda , respectively. The corrected PV and RMS were much smaller than those of 0.173\lambda and 0.048\lambda by slope method. The Strehl ratio and modulation transfer function of the system corrected by mode method were much closer to diffraction limit than with slope method. These results indicate that the mode method can take good advantage of the large number of pixels of the liquid crystal corrector to realize high correction precision.     

Laser induced self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of TiNi alloy

TiNi alloy, especially porous TiNi, a good biocompatible material, can be made by laser induced selfpropagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). A 40-W CO2 laser was used to ignite the powders of Ti and Ni, and TiNi intermetallic compound was synthesized by SHS in a reaction kettle of stainless steel.High-speed photography, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate and analyze the reaction process, phase composing, and microstructure of the product, respectively. The influence factors on the reaction process and the product were discussed. The results indicate that laser induced SHS is an efficient, energy-saving method; The phase ingredient of the product consists of TiNi,Ti2Ni, and Ni3Ti. With the increase of the preparing pressure of the sample, the reacting rate decreases;With the increase of the laser power and the preheating temperature, the reacting rate increases. Under the condition of 30℃/min, the synthesis reaction had been carried out consistently and completely.     

Experimental research on sound pulse propagation and channel match in shallow water

Theoretical and experimental research of low frequency pulse compression and channel match in shallow water sound channel were carried out based on 2000-Winter Yellow Sea experiment. Using pulse compression method, signals with high signal to noise ratio (SNR) were received over range of 110 kilometers in the experiment. The SNR gain in the process is consistent with the theoretical prediction. The experimental measurement indicated that the channel is highly coherent over a length of 500 s. Channel match method was used to compensate the degradation of pulse compression SNR caused by the multi-path propagation. And the SNR gain in the channel match process can be theoretically predicted. Experimental results show that low frequency pulse compression and channel match method can be used in shallow water sound channel to improve the SNR.     

Sn3InSb4合金嵌Li性能的第一性原理研究

采用第一性原理超软赝势平面波方法计算了Sn₃InSb₄的嵌Li性能,得到各种嵌Li相的嵌Li形成能、理论质量比容量、体积膨胀率、能带结构、态密度和差分电荷密度等.从能量角度分析,Li在嵌入时,优先占据晶胞的四面体间隙位置,然后逐步挤出处于节点位置的Sn原子和In原子.在嵌Li过程中,材料表现出较大的体积膨胀率(11.74%-43.40%),这是导致Sn₃InSb₄作为Li离子电极材料循环性能差的重要原因.态密度计算表明,体系的导电性能首先随嵌Li量的增加而增加,当所有的间隙位置被Li填满,发生Sn的替换反应时,富Li态合金相的导电性反而下降.     

Nanostructured Ni3Sn2 thin film as anodes for thin film rechargeable lithium batteries

Thin film Ni₃Sn₂ anodes were deposited on a Cu substrate by e-beam evaporator at room temperature. The deposited films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). They were tested as anodes for thin film rechargeable lithium batteries. These film electrodes exhibited an excellent cycle performance over 500 cycles. Ni₃Sn₂ films remained without undergoing any crystallographic phase change during cycling.     

Mn3Zn0.8Ni0.2N的高压同步辐射研究

 利用金刚石对顶压砧,对钙钛矿型金属锰化物Mn₃Zn_0.8Ni_0.2N进行了原位高压同步辐射角散X射线衍射研究。研究表明,在0~29.9 GPa的压力区间内,样品没有发生结构相变,因而在该压力下样品的物性变化并非由结构相变所导致。卸压以后,样品的特征峰都回到了初始位置。通过Birch-Murnaghan方程,拟合得到了样品的体弹模量为86.5 GPa。     

The influence of Al substitution on the phase transitions and magnetocaloric effect in Ni43Mn46Sn11−xAlx alloys

The effects of Al substitution on the phase transitions and magnetocaloric effect of Ni₄₃Mn₄₆Sn_11−xAl_x (x=0-2) ferromagnetic shape memory alloys were investigated by X-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements. With the increase of Al content, the cell volume decreases due to the smaller radius of Al, and the martensitic transformation temperature increases rapidly, while the Curie temperature of austenitic phase shows a small increase. A large positive and a negative magnetic entropy change were observed near the first-order martensitic transition and the second-order magnetic transition, respectively. The magnetic entropy changes, hysteresis behavior, and refrigerant capacity near the two transitions are compared.     

NbTi0.5Ni0.5O4 as anode compound material for SOFCs

NbTi_0.5Ni_0.5O₄ (NTNO) has been prepared using solid state synthesis and investigated as a potential anode material. The oxide form of NTNO has single phase rutile-type structure with tetragonal (P42/mnm) space group. The reduced form is a composite of nano-scaled particles of metallic Ni and Nb_1.33Ti_0.67O₄ phase. Reduced NTNO showed high electronic conductivity up to 280 S.cm^− 1 at 900 °C in reducing atmosphere, but suffers from low CTE equal to 3.78 10^− 6 K^− 1. Studies of NTNO as anode material were carried out in a three electrode - electrochemical half cell configuration under pure humidified H₂ at 900 °C using a 2 mm thick zirconia electrolyte and without any additional current collector material. The results show a reasonable series resistance (R_s) equal to 2.7 Ωcm² (about 50% higher than for metallic gold layers) indicating a good current collection performance for a 10 μm layer of material. The polarization resistance (R_p) was equal to 33 Ωcm² and is attributed to a poor density of three phase boundaries (TPB) and shortage of oxide ion conduction in the anode layer. The results show the potential of NTNO as an anode material, especially after optimization of the microstructure towards the increase of TPB length.     

Microstructure characterization and magnetic behavior of NiAlxFe2−xO4 and Ni1−yMnyAl0.2Fe1.8O4 ferrites

NiAl_xFe_2−xO₄ and Ni_1−yMn_yAl_0.2Fe_1.8O₄ ferrites were prepared by the conventional ceramic method and were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and magnetic measurements. The single spinel phase was confirmed for all prepared samples. A proper explanation of data is possible if the Al³⁺ ions are assumed to replace Fe³⁺ ions in the A and B sites simultaneously for NiAl_xFe_2−xO₄ ferrites, and if the Mn²⁺ ions are assumed to replace Ni²⁺ ions in the B sites for Ni_1−yMn_yAl_0.2Fe_1.8O₄ ferrites. Microstructural factors play an important role in the magnetic behavior of Ni_1−yMn_yAl_0.2Fe_1.8O₄ ferrites with large Mn²⁺ content.     

Giant room-temperature magnetoresistance in La0.8Tb0.2MnO3 under the low magnetic fields

Polycrystalline perovskite La_0.8Tb_0.2MnO₃ (LTMO) with an orthorhombic phase was synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction. The magnetic and electric properties of La_0.8Tb_0.2MnO₃ were examined. The striking finding is that the material exhibits giant magnetoresistance at room temperature as high as −31.8% and −35.7% under the low magnetic fields of 100 and 1000 Oe, respectively. This result suggests that La_0.8Tb_0.2MnO₃ has a promising potential in future device developments.     

Electrochemical studies on mixtures of LiNi0.8Co0.17Al0.03O2 and LiCoO2 cathode materials for lithium ion batteries

Detailed electrochemical investigations have been carried out on LiNi_0.8Co_0.17Al_0.03O₂ as cathode materials for lithium ion batteries in the potential range of 2.8-4.3 V. This sample showed an initial discharge capacity of 186 mAh/g which corresponds to 67% of its theoretical capacity. The effect of addition of LiCoO₂ to LiNi_0.8Co_0.17Al_0.03O₂ in the ratio 10:90, 30:70, 50:50 has been studied. The results showed that the addition of LiCoO₂ has improved the working voltage of the cell. In addition, the percentage retention (95%) of the cell is significantly increased in the composition ratio 50:50.     

Determination of the magnetocaloric effect associated with martensitic transition in Ni46Cu4Mn38Sn12 and Ni50CoMn34In15 Heusler alloys

This paper presents a study of the inverse magnetocaloric effect (MCE) corresponding to martensitic transition using various experimental approaches for Ni46Cu4Mn38Sn12 and Ni50CoMn34In15 Heusler alloy. Through heat capacity measurements,it is found that the "giant inverse MCE" upon martensitic transition evaluated by the Maxwell relation in these alloys are unphysical results. This is due to the coexistence of both martensitic and austenitic phases,as well as thermal hysteresis during martensitic transition. However,careful study indicates that the spurious results during martensitic transition can be removed using a Clausius-Clapeyron equation based on magnetization measurements.     

Electrical resistivity of the pseudo-binary compound Ce(Fe0.8Al0.2)2

Electrical resistivity measurements on the alloy Ce(Fe_0.8Al_0.2)₂ as a function of temperature in the range of 1.5 to 300 K shows that the long range magnetic order of the CeFe₂ is destroyed and that the spin glass phase appears with a negative coefficient of T^3/2. The high residual resistivity is also discussed.