Unpaired 3d Electrons on Atomically Dispersed Cobalt Centres in Coordination Polymers Regulate both Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) Activity and Selectivity for Use in Zinc–Air Batteries

Reversible oxygen conversion is important for various green energy technologies. Herein we synthesize a series of bimetallic coordination polymers by varying the Ni/Co ratio and using HITP (HITP=2,3,6,7,10,11‐hexaiminotriphenylene) as the ligand, to interrogate the role of metal centres in modulating the activity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Co₃HITP₂ and Ni₃HITP₂ are compared. Unpaired 3d electrons in Co₃HITP₂ result in less coplanarity but more radical character. Thus, despite of a reduced crystallinity and conductivity, the best ORR activity, comparable to 20 % Pt/C, is obtained for Co₃HITP₂, showing the 3d orbital configuration of the metal centre promotes ORR. Experimental and DFT studies show a transition of ORR pathway from four‐electron for Co₃HITP₂ to two‐electron for Ni₃HITP₂. Rechargeable zinc–air batteries using Co₃HITP₂ as the air cathode catalyst demonstrate excellent energy efficiency and stability.     

Expanding the Toolbox of Metal–Phenolic Networks via Enzyme‐Mediated Assembly

Functional coatings are of considerable interest because of their fundamental implications for interfacial assembly and promise for numerous applications. Universally adherent materials have recently emerged as versatile functional coatings; however, such coatings are generally limited to catechol, (ortho‐diphenol)‐containing molecules, as building blocks. Here, we report a facile, biofriendly enzyme‐mediated strategy for assembling a wide range of molecules (e.g., 14 representative molecules in this study) that do not natively have catechol moieties, including small molecules, peptides, and proteins, on various surfaces, while preserving the molecule's inherent function, such as catalysis (≈80 % retention of enzymatic activity for trypsin). Assembly is achieved by in situ conversion of monophenols into catechols via tyrosinase, where films form on surfaces via covalent and coordination cross‐linking. The resulting coatings are robust, functional (e.g., in protective coatings, biological imaging, and enzymatic catalysis), and versatile for diverse secondary surface‐confined reactions (e.g., biomineralization, metal ion chelation, and N‐hydroxysuccinimide conjugation).     

Behaviour of silicon ointment for power-cable insulation under external heating

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The burning process and typical fire parameters of power-cable silicon ointment were explored experimentally using a cone calorimeter, and the effects...     

Metal–Organic Framework Membrane Nanopores as Biomimetic Photoresponsive Ion Channels and Photodriven Ion Pumps

Biological ion channels and ion pumps with sub‐nanometer sizes modulate ion transport in response to external stimuli. Realizing such functions with sub‐nanometer solid‐state nanopores has been an important topic with wide practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate a biomimetic photoresponsive ion channel and photodriven ion pump using a porphyrin‐based metal–organic framework membrane with pore sizes comparable to hydrated ions. We show that the molecular‐size pores enable precise and robust optoelectronic ion transport modulation in a broad range of concentrations, unparalleled with conventional solid‐state nanopores. Upon decoration with platinum nanoparticles to form a Schottky barrier photodiode, photovoltage across the membrane is generated with “uphill” ion transport from low concentration to high concentration. These results may spark applications in energy conversion, ion sieving, and artificial photosynthesis.     

Snap-through path in a bistable dielectric elastomer actuator

The dielectric elastomer (DE) has attracted significant attention due to its desired features, including large deformation, fast response, and high energy density. However, for a DE actuator (DEA) utilizing a snap-through deformation mode, most existing theoretical models fail to predict its deformation path. This paper develops a new finite element method (FEM) based on the three-parameter Gent-Gent model suitable for capturing strain-stiffening behaviors. The simulation results are verified by experiments, indicating that the FEM can accurately characterize the snap-through path of a DE. The method proposed in this paper provides theoretical guidance and inspiration for designing and applying DEs and bistable electroactive actuators.     

交通载荷作用下跨海桥梁-电缆组合结构随机振动分析

电缆沿桥跨海铺设是海缆铺设的一种新的形式, 针对由汽车和列车交通载荷诱发的沿跨海桥梁敷设电缆的振动问题, 建立了桥梁-电缆的整体组合结构分析模型, 将汽车和列车的作用载荷简化为移动的随机集中载荷序列, 发展虚拟激励法(pseudo-excitation method, PEM)用于分析移动随机载荷作用下电缆位移和应力响应的标准差及演变功率谱 (power spectral density, PSD), 并研究了汽车和列车运行速度对电缆动力响应标准差的影响. PEM将移动随机载荷问题转化为特定频率简谐移动载荷作用下的动力响应分析, 能够计算得到与Monte Carlo (MC) 方法非常吻合的电缆动力响应标准差, 但所需的时域响应分析次数远少于MC方法. 数值结果表明, 随着汽车和列车运行速度的提升, 电缆位移和应力标准差呈现增大的趋势; 在汽车和列车交通载荷作用下, 铝护套的位移标准差和功率谱的值比缆芯要大, 这可能会使得电缆的疲劳破坏首先发生在铝护套层, 本文工作对电缆沿桥跨海铺设实际工程具有一定的借鉴意义.      

Broadband Convergence of 40 GHz-ROF and 10-Gb/s WDM-PON Systems in the Duplex Access Network

A broadly converged 40G-ROF and 10-Gb/s WDM-PON multi-service access system is proposed and exper- imentally demonstrated. This scheme consists of an integrated system of 40G-ROF and 10-Gb/s WDM-PON simultaneously transmitting independent 2.5-Gb/s wireless and 10-Gb/s wire signal. At the base station, it employs a remodulation scheme, which is achieved by remodulating the upstream OOK signal on the DPSK downstream signal, to reduce the cost of the base station. The transmission experiment is carried out over a 25-km-long single mode fiber （SMF-28）. The results show that the sensitivities of downstream PON and ROF signal are -14.5 dBm and -21.5 dBm, respectively, and the sensitivity of upstream signal is -25.3 dBm.     

Asymmetric Heat Conduction in One-Dimensional Hard-Point Model with Mass Gradient

The heat conduction in a one-dimensional （1D） hard-point model with mass gradient is studied. Using numerical simulation, we find an asymmetric heat conduction in this model with greater heat current in the direction of mass increase. The increase of temperature gradient, mass gradient and system size axe found to enhance the asymmetric heat conduction. Based on the collision dynamic of a haxd-point particle, we give a qualitative explanation for the underlying mechanism of asymmetric effect.