DOA estimation for uniform circular array without the source number based on beamspace transform and higher-order cumulant

Fourth-order cumulant is one of most widely used high-order cumulant for direction of arrival (DOA) estimation due to its ability of expanding the virtual array aperture as well as suppressing Gaussian noise. To address the two-dimensional (2D) DOA estimation problem, we propose a modified MUSIC scheme for uniform circular array (UCA) in this paper. Firstly, the fourth-order cumulant of UCA is considered to construct a new propagator, resulting in the elimination of a priori knowledge of the number of signals. Secondly, the UCA is transformed by beamspace transformation, reducing the time computational complexity of the algorithm since the two-dimensional grid search and singular value decomposition are avoided. And finally a low-rank recovery algorithm is adopted to improve the accuracy regarding the limited snapshots scenario. The numerical simulations validate the superiority of the proposed method.     

微乳液法制备介孔碳材料

介孔碳材料因具有高比表面积,规则的孔隙结构,低密度,良好的生物相容性及导电性,被广泛应用于催化、能量储存及转化、吸附分离和药物递送等领域。微乳液法具有制备工艺简便、环境友好、可大规模生产及产物结构可控性强等突出优势,在制备孔隙结构可控和特殊形态介孔碳方面取得突破性的进展。本文首先着重分析了微乳液法制备介孔碳的反应机理,包括微乳液诱导协同组装机制、乳液溶胀效应和微流控液滴技术。其次,进一步探讨了控制介孔碳材料孔隙形态、外部形貌及内部结构的影响因素。最后,对新型介孔碳材料在能源储存与转化、催化、吸附以及药物递送领域的应用进行了归纳,并对未来的发展提出了展望。     

Optimizing the Photovoltaic Performance of Organic Solar Cells for Indoor Light Harvesting

Organic solar cells (OSCs) harvesting indoor light are highly promising for emerging technologies, such as internet of things. Herein, the photovoltaic performance of PTB7-Th:PC₇₁BM solar cells constructed using “optimized (with 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO))” and “non-optimized (without DIO)” processing conditions are compared for indoor and outdoor applications. We find that in comparison to the “optimized” solar cell, the “non-optimized” solar cell is less efficient under simulated solar light illumination (100 mW cm⁻², spectral range 350–1100 nm), owing to significant bimolecular charge carrier recombination losses. However, under simulated indoor illumination (3.28 mW cm⁻², spectral range 400–700 nm), bimolecular recombination losses are effective suppressed, thus the power conversion efficiency of the solar cell without DIO was increased to 14.7 %, higher than that of the solar cell with DIO (14.2 %). These results suggest that the common strategy used to optimize the OSCs could be undesired for indoor OSCs. We demonstrate that the efforts for realizing the desired “morphology” of the active layer for the outdoor OSCs may be unnecessary for indoor OSCs, allowing us to realize high-efficiency indoor OSCs using a non-halogenated solvent.     

Anti-corrosion and anti-microbial evaluation of novel water-soluble bis azo pyrazole derivative for carbon steel pipelines in petroleum industries by experimental and theoretical studies

In this research, we investigated the synthesis of a novel water-soluble bis azo pyrazolin-5-one (ABP) which was synthesized efficiently via the regioselective reaction of hydrazine with coumarin hydrazone (CMH). Also, we evaluate their anti-corrosion and anti-bacterial behavior. The inhibition efficiency of ABP in an acidic medium (1.0 M HCl) was evaluated using various electrochemical and surface morphology measurements. The novel bis pyrazole-based azo dye ABP (16 × 10^?6 M) demonstrated a higher protection capacity (93.3 %). Tafel curves revealed that ABP was a mixed-type inhibitor. The adsorption of ABP on the C-steel (CS) surface is proven by the alteration in (R_ct and C_dl) impedance characteristics and obeyed the Langmuir isotherm model. SEM/EDX, AFM, and XPS surface examinations confirmed the enhancement of an adsorbed film protects the CS surface from acid corrosion at the appropriate dose. Furthermore, theoretical calculations using DFT and MC simulations were performed to identify the active sites on ABP molecules in charge of the adsorption and surface protection of the CS. The adsorption of bis pyrazole-based azo dye on the metal surface explained the protection mechanism. Moreover, the ABP screened for its antimicrobial activity against sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), and the calculated inhibition efficiency was 100 %. The current work presents significant results in manufacturing and producing novel water-soluble bis pyrazole-based azo dye derivative with high anti-corrosion and anti-microbial efficiency.     

Single versus poly-crystalline layered oxide cathode materials for solid-state battery applications - a short review article

The recent developments in the application of single-crystalline (SC) cathode materials in solid-state batteries are discussed in this mini-review. The characteristics of SC and poly-crystalline (PC) cathode materials are explored, with emphasis on the kinetic and mechanical properties. The critical factors influencing their performance in liquid electrolyte and solid-state battery cells are investigated. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of both morphologies are discussed and considerations to ensure a fair comparison between SC and PC cathodes in different systems are raised.     

Changes in the physical properties of low bandgap polymer after interaction with ionic liquids

Over the past few years, polymers shown comprehensive utilization in optical devices, solar cells, sensors, and other such devices. However, the efficiency of these devices remains a problem. We have synthesized new thiophene based, lowband gap polymer, poly(2-heptadecyl-4-vinylthieno[3,4-d] [1,3] selenazole) (PHVTS) and investigated the interactions between the PHVTS and ionic liquids (ILs), in this study. We have used imidazolium- and ammonium-family ILs, and studied the interactions using various spectroscopic techniques such UV–visible, FTIR, and confocal Raman spectroscopies. Additionally, we studied surface morphology of the polymer-IL film. Spectroscopic studies show that both families of ILs can interact with the newly synthesized polymer poly(2-heptadecyl-4-vinylthieno[3,4-d] [1,3] selenazole). However, the imidazolium-family Ionic Liquid-polymer (IL-polymer) mixture films show higher conductivities than ammonium-family IL–polymer mixture films.     

渤海稠油及其组分中杂原子化合物的负离子电喷雾-高分辨质谱分析

采用沉淀法和色谱分离法将渤海某油田稠油分离成沥青质、胶质、剩余分3个组分。采用负离子电喷雾技术(ESI)结合高分辨傅立叶变换离子回旋共振质谱仪(FT-ICR MS)研究了该稠油及各组分的分子组成。结果表明,剩余分中有较少的极性杂原子化合物能被负离子ESI电离,如N_1,N_1O_1,O_1和O_2类,其等效双键数(DBE)较小。胶质和原油中极性化合物有相同的杂原子类型,包括N_1,N_1O_1,N_1O_2,N_2,N_2O_2S_1,O_1,O_2,其中胶质和原油中N_1,O_1,O_2类化合物的DBE-碳数分布图相似。沥青质中富集高缩合度且多杂原子的酸性化合物,如含杂原子N_,S的氧化程度高的化合物(N_2O_1,N_1O_3,S_1O_3)及O_3类化合物,这些物质具有较高的界面活性,易吸附在界面上促进界面张力降低和增强界面膜强度,从而有利于乳状液稳定存在。N_1O_1,N_1O_2,N_1O_3类化合物,N_2O_1类化合物可能分别是N_1化合物,N_2化合物的氧化降解产物;随着氧化降解程度增加,降解产物的极性明显增强。     

Tailoring of carboxyl‐decorated magnetic latex particles using seeded emulsion polymerization

In this research, submicron and carboxyl‐functionalized magnetic latex particles were elaborated by using seeded emulsion polymerization technique in presence of oil‐in‐water (o/w) magnetic emulsion as seed. The polymerization conditions were optimized in order to get well‐defined latex particles with magnetic core and polymer shell bearing carboxylic (–COOH) functionality. Starting from (o/w) magnetic emulsion as seed, synthesis process was performed by copolymerization of styrene (St) monomer with the cross‐linker divinylbenzene (DVB) in presence of 4,4′‐azobis(4‐cyanopentanoic acid) (ACPA) as a carboxyl‐bearing initiator. The prepared magnetic latex particles were first characterized in terms of particle size, chemical composition, morphology, magnetic properties, magnetic content, and colloidal stability using various techniques, e.g. particle size analyzer using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique, Fourier transform infrared, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, thermogravimetric analysis, and zeta potential measurements as a function of pH of the dispersion media, respectively. The prepared magnetic latex particles were then used as second seed for further functionalization with methacrylic acid (MAA) in order to enhance carboxylic groups on the magnetic particle's surface. The results showed that final magnetic latex particles possessed spherical morphology with core‐shell structure and enriched carboxylic acid functionality. More importantly, they exhibited superparamagnetism with high magnetic content (58.42 wt%) and high colloidal stability, which considered as the main requirements for their application in the biomedical diagnostic domains. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.