The Coordination Chemistry of f-Block Elements in Molten Salts

The coordination chemistry of f-block elements (lanthanide and actinide) in molten salts has become a resounding topic in view of its great importance to the research and development (R&D) of molten salt reactors and pyroprocessing. In this Review article, a general overview of the coordination chemistry of f-block elements in molten salts is provided including past achievements and recent advances. Particular emphases are placed on the oxidation state, speciation, and solution structure of f-block metal ions in molten salts, as well as their relationships with the salt composition. Furthermore, this review briefly discusses the spectroscopic and theoretical methods that complement each other in revealing the coordination properties.     

Polyvinylpyrrolidone and graphene-modified hematite nanoparticles for efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of p-nitrophenol

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and graphene (G)-modified iron oxides (Fe2O3-PVP-G) are prepared by a simple hydrothermal reaction. Their morphology and...     

Instability analysis for semi-active control systems with semi-active inerters

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this paper, the instability of semi-active control systems caused by the utilization of semi-active inerters is analyzed. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the...     

Hybrid control strategy of delayed neural networks and its application to sampled-data systems: an impulsive-based bilateral looped-functional approach

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this work, the problem of hybrid control strategy for delayed neural networks is investigated via an impulsive-based bilateral looped-functional (IBBLF) approach. Firstly, a...     

Discrete second-order Ablowitz–Kaup–Newell–Segur equation and its modified form

Theoretical and Mathematical Physics - By introducing shift relations satisfied by a matrix $$\boldsymbol{r}$$ , we propose a generalized Cauchy matrix scheme and construct a discrete second-order...     

A general framework for describing photofission observables of actinides at an average excitation energy below 30 MeV

A reasonable prediction of photofission observables plays a paramount role in understanding the photofission process and guiding various photofission-induced applications, such as short-lived isotope production, nuclear waste disposal, and nuclear safeguards. However, the available experimental data for photofission observables are limited, and the existing models and programs have mainly been developed for neutron-induced fission processes. In this study, a general framework is proposed for characterizing the photofission observables of actinides, including the mass yield distributions (MYD) and isobaric charge distributions (ICD) of fission fragments and the multiplicity and energy distributions of prompt neutrons (n_p) and prompt γ rays (γ_p). The framework encompasses various systematic neutron models and empirical models considering the Bohr hypothesis and does not rely on the experimental data as input. These models are then validated individually against experimental data at an average excitation energy below 30 MeV, which shows the reliability and robustness of the general framework. Finally, we employ this framework to predict the characteristics of photofission fragments and the emissions of prompt particles for typical actinides including ²³²Th, ^{235, 238}U and ²⁴⁰Pu. It is found that the ²³⁸U(γ, f) reaction is more suitable for producing neutron-rich nuclei compared to the ²³²Th(γ, f) reaction. In addition, the average multiplicity number of both n_p and γ_p increases with the average excitation energy.     

Sulfate-induced electrochemical instability in the transpassive region during the electrooxidation of Na2S on Pt

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - The effects of chemisorbed sulfate on the spatiotemporal dynamics of Na2S in strongly alkaline solutions were investigated via electrochemical measurements...     

Zirconia fiber membranes based on PVDF as high-safety separators for lithium-ion batteries using a papermaking method

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Lithium-ion batteries have been receiving more and more attention because of the energy crisis. As an important subassembly of lithium-ion batteries, the...     

Intercalated kaolinite as an emerging platform for cancer therapy

An innovative cancer therapy strategy regarding the interface engineering of kaolinite has been designed. The exposed silanol group facilitates more guest species with high dispersion on the supports. Mn_3O_4 magnetic nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on external surfaces of the Kaolin_(C12N)with the Al–O–Mn bond for the detection of the tumor microenvironment by T1-MRI; Doxorubicin(DOX) are loaded in the interlayer space with the electrostatic interaction for chemo-treating; and KI is coated on the outer layer of the nanocomposites based on the electrostatic interaction for thyroid cancer targeting. The synergetic effects and the treatment mechanism enhanced by the interface engineering, KI@DOX-Mn_3O_4-Kaolin_(C12N)can cause remarkably low cell viability(57%, 200 μg/mL), tumor shrinking(75%, 20 μg/kg), and accumulation into the tumor tissues. The novel kaolinite based drug delivery system is expected to incorporate imaging diagnosis, targeted therapy and drug delivery into one single system for postoperative residual thyroid cancer treatment and observation for metastasis of focal area.