Off-design performance of 2D adaptive shock control bumps

Adaptive shock control bumps can exploit the on-design drag-reducing potential of 2D bumps, while mitigating their off-design performance deterioration through geometric modifications. In this study, experiments and simulations have been employed to investigate the wave-drag reducing potential of (actuated and unconstrained) 2D adaptive shock control bumps over a wide range of shock positions. Experiments were carried out in the Imperial College supersonic wind tunnel, modelling the adaptive bump as a flexible surface placed beneath a Mach 1.4 shock wave. 2D RANS CFD simulations of the flow in a parallel channel with a solid bump complement experiments. Wave drag was demonstrated to be proportional to the ratio of inlet to exit stagnation pressure in a blow-down wind tunnel for a given shock position. The shock exhibits a hysteretic behaviour when travelling in the wind tunnel working section, governed by the wave drag reducing potential of the bump. The actuated adaptive bump tested reduces wave drag over a wider operational envelope than solid bumps as experiments revealed the presence of three preferred structural configurations, which lead to a significantly enlarged hysteresis region. Finally, tests on unconstrained bumps were shown to increase wave drag, both on- and off-design, due to the unfavourable bump shapes that result from (only) passive actuation, suggesting that some constraints are required to achieve desirable surface deformations.     

High-resolution semi-discrete Hermite central-upwind scheme for multidimensional Hamilton–Jacobi equations

We introduce a high resolution fifth-order semi-discrete Hermite central-upwind scheme for multidimensional Hamilton–Jacobi equations. The numerical fluxes of the scheme are constructed by Hermite polynomials which can be obtained by using the short-time assignment of the first derivatives. The extensions of the proposed semi-discrete Hermite central-upwind scheme to multidimensional cases are straightforward. The accuracy, efficiency and stability properties of our schemes are finally demonstrated via a variety of numerical examples.     

Salient region detection using background priors

In this paper, we introduce a novel salient region detection algorithm by using background priors. Because of the fact that superpixel is perceptually more meaningful than pixel, and which can reduce the complexity of image processing, we use the superpixel algorithm to reprocess original images. In addition, we hold the point that the colors in the image boundary could mainly represent all background colors, hence we compute the color contrast between the intern colors and the boundary colors. Since the nearer the patches are close to center, the more they affect other patches, we propose a new distribution-based model. Finally, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches.     

An in-depth mechanistic insight into the redox reaction and degradation of aqueous Zn-MnO2 batteries

Rechargeable aqueous Zn/MnO₂ batteries raise massive research activities in recent years. However, both the working principle and the degradation mechanism of this battery chemistry are still under debate. Herein, we provide an in-depth electrochemical and structural investigation on this controversial issue based on α-MnO₂ crystalline nanowires. Mechanistic analysis substantiates a two-electron reaction pathway of Mn²⁺/Mn⁴⁺ redox couple from part of MnO₂ accompanying with a reversible precipitation/dissolution of flaky zinc sulfate hydroxide (ZSH) during the discharge/charge processes. The formation of the ZSH layer is double-edged, which passivates the deep dissolution of MnO₂ upon discharging, but promotes the electrochemical deposition kinetics of active MnO₂ upon charging. The cell degradation originates primarily from the corrosion failure of metallic zinc anode and the accumulation of irreversible ZnMn₂O₄ phases on the cathode. The addition of MnSO₄ to the electrolyte could afford supplementary capacity contribution via electro-oxidation of Mn²⁺. However, a high MnSO₄ concentration will expedite the cell failure by corroding the metallic zinc anodes. The present study will shed a fundamental insight on developing new strategies toward practically viable Zn/MnO₂ batteries.     

Nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres loaded with cobalt nanoparticles for oxygen reduction and Zn–air batteries

Mesoporous carbon supported with transition metals nanoparticles performs desired activities for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and clean energy conversion devices such as Zn–air batteries. In this work, we synthesized N-doped mesoporous carbon loaded with cobalt nanoparticles (CoMCN) through self-assembly method. There are sufficient mesopores on the carbon substrate which stem from the pore-forming agent. These mesopores can provide enough accessible active sites and profitable charge/mass transport for ORR. The high content of pyridinic and graphitic N is beneficial for promoting O₂ adsorption and reduction. The smaller value of I_D/I_G indicates the higher degree of graphitization of CoMCN, providing better electronic conductivity. The half-wave potential of CoMCN is 0.865 V in basic solution, which is 24 mV more positive than that of the commercial Pt/C (0.841 V). In addition, CoMCN performs excellent methanol tolerance and stability under both basic and acidic conditions. The Zn–air battery assembled with CoMCN performs the larger power density and open-circuit voltage than the commercial Pt/C-based battery, indicating the potential application in energy conversion systems. This work provides thoughtful ideas for fabricating transition metal nanoparticles based porous carbon for electrocatalysis and metal–air batteries.     

Evaluation of the stability of shortcut nitrification-denitrification process based on online specific oxygen uptake rate monitoring

Shortcut nitrification-denitrification (SCND) is widely concerned because of its low energy consumption and high nitrogen removal efficiency. However, the current difficulty lies in the stable maintenance of SCND performance, which leads to the challenge of large-scale application of this new denitrification technology. In this study, the nitrogen removal pathway from complete nitrification-denitrification (CND) to SCND was rapidly realized under high free ammonia (FA), high pH and low dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions. The variations of specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) of activated sludge in both processes were investigated by an online SOUR monitoring device. Different curves of SOUR from CND to SCND process were observed, and the ammonia peak obtained based on SOUR monitoring could be used to control aeration time accurately in SCND process. Accordingly, the SOUR ratio of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) (SOUR_AOB/SOUR_NOB) was increased from 1.40 to 2.93. 16S rRNA Miseq high throughput sequencing revealed the dynamics of AOB and NOB, and the ratio of relative abundance (AOB/NOB) was increased from 1.03 to 3.12. Besides, SOUR_AOB/SOUR_NOB displayed significant correlations to ammonia removal rate (P<0.05), ammonia oxidation rate / nitrite oxidation rate (P < 0.05), nitrite accumulation rate (P < 0.05) and the relative abundance of AOB/NOB (P < 0.05). Thus, a strategy for evaluation the SCND process stability based on online SOUR monitoring is proposed, which provides a theoretical basis for optimizing the SCND performance.     

Two-dimensional Supramolecular Polymers Based on Selectively Recognized Aromatic Cation-π and Donor-Acceptor Motifs for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Two-dimensional (2D) organic polymers have recently received considerable interest, especially those whose architectures are held together via supramolecular engineering. However, current approaches toward supramolecular 2D structures usually suffer from mutual interference of noncovalent interactions and lack of intrinsic functions. Herein, we report well-regulated 2D supramolecular polymers (2DSPs) through an aromatics-selective recognition strategy of cation-π and donor-acceptor (D-A) motifs, which are derived from C₄-symmetric cationic monomers and electron-withdrawing molecules. By subtly designing the strength and direction of noncovalent driving forces, the mutual interference between cation-π and D-A interactions is effectively avoided, enabling the construction of 2DSPs in aqueous solution. On this basis, the resultant 2DSPs possess boosted photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity at a rate of 600 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which is mainly ascribed to the specific stacking mode of cation-π/D-A motifs and the ordered 2D structures.     

透明质酸纳米材料在荧光/光声成像和光疗中的应用

荧光/光声成像和光疗技术的生物医学应用引起了人们越来越多的关注, 然而很多荧光/光声造影剂存在生物相容性较差, 缺乏肿瘤靶向性, 信噪比较低, 功能单一等共性问题, 严重限制其诊疗应用. 透明质酸具有优异的生物相容性和主动肿瘤靶向性, 可被透明质酸酶降解, 并且易于化学修饰和实现多种超分子弱相互作用力协同工作. 因此, 人们将透明质酸与荧光/光声造影剂结合制备纳米材料, 使其在细胞乃至活体的标记性能和治疗效果获得了很大的改善. 本文综述了将两类物质结合制备纳米材料的方法, 着重阐述了纳米材料的结构与性能关系, 为其未来设计和开发提供了指导, 最后对存在的主要问题以及未来的重要研究方向进行了分析和展望.