Micro/Nanoengineered α-Fe2O3 Nanoaggregate Conformably Enclosed by Ultrathin N-Doped Carbon Shell for Ultrastable Lithium Storage and Insight into Phase Evolution Mechanism

The Fe-based transition metal oxides are promising anode candidates for lithium storage considering their high specific capacity, low cost, and environmental compatibility. However, the poor electron/ion conductivity and significant volume stress limit their cycle and rate performances. Furthermore, the phenomena of capacity rise and sudden decay for α-Fe₂O₃ have appeared in most reports. Here, a uniform micro/nano α-Fe₂O₃ nanoaggregate conformably enclosed in an ultrathin N-doped carbon network (denoted as M/N-α-Fe₂O₃@NC) is designed. The M/N porous balls combine the merits of secondary nanoparticles to shorten the Li⁺ transportation pathways as well as alleviating volume expansion, and primary microballs to stabilize the electrode/electrolyte interface. Furthermore, the ultrathin carbon shell favors fast electron transfer and protects the electrode from electrolyte corrosion. Therefore, the M/N-α-Fe₂O₃@NC electrode delivers an excellent reversible capacity of 901 mA h g⁻¹ with capacity retention up to 94.0 % after 200 cycles at 0.2 A g⁻¹. Notably, the capacity rise does not happen during cycling. Moreover, the lithium storage mechanism is elucidated by ex situ XRD and HRTEM experiments. It is verified that the reversible phase transformation of α↔γ occurs during the first cycle, whereas only the α-Fe₂O₃ phase is reversibly transformed during subsequent cycles. This study offers a simple and scalable strategy for the practical application of high-performance Fe₂O₃ electrodes.     

Targeted Construction of Amorphous MoSx with an Inherent Chain Molecular Structure for Improved Pseudocapacitive Lithium-Ion Response

Owing to low ion/electron conductivity and large volume change, transitional metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) suffer from inferior cycle stability and rate capability when used as the anode of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). To overcome these disadvantages, amorphous molybdenum sulfide (MoS_x) nanospheres were prepared and coated with an ultrathin carbon layer through a simple one-pot reaction. Combining X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with theoretical calculations, MoS_x was confirmed as having a special chain molecular structure with two forms of S bonding (S²⁻ and S₂²⁻), the optimal adsorption sites of Li⁺ were located at S₂²⁻. As a result, the MoS_x electrode exhibits superior cycle and rate capacities compared with crystalline 2H-MoS₂ (e.g., delivering a high capacity of 612.4 mAh g⁻¹ after 500 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹). This is mainly attributed to more exposed active S₂²⁻ sites for Li storage, more Li⁺ transfer pathways for improved ion conductivity, and suppressed electrode structure pulverization of MoS_x derived from the inherent chain-like molecular structure. Quantitative charge storage analysis further demonstrates the improved pseudocapacitive contribution of amorphous MoS_x induced by fast reaction kinetics. Moreover, the morphology contrast after cycling demonstrates the dispersion of active materials is more uniform for MoS_x than 2H-MoS₂, suggesting the MoS_x can well accommodate the volume stress of the electrode during discharging. Through regulating the molecular structure, this work provides an effective targeted strategy to overcome the intrinsic issues of TMDs for high-performance LIBs.     

Mixing of Racemic Poly(L-lactide)/Poly(D-lactide) Blend with Miscible Poly(D,L-lactide):Toward All Stereocomplex-type Polylactide with Strikingly Enhanced SC Crystallizability

Stereocomplex-type polylactide (SC-PLA) consisting of alternatively arranged poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactide) (PDLA) chains has gained a good reputation as a sustainable engineering plastic with outstanding heat resistance and durability,however its practical applications have been considerably hindered by the weak SC crystallizability.Current methods used to enhance the SC crystallizability are generally achieved at the expense of the precious bio-renewability and/or bio-degradability of PLAs.Herein,we demonstrate a feasible method to address these challenges by incorporating small amounts of poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) into linear high-molecular-weight PLLA/PDLA blends.The results show that the incorporation of the atactic PDLLA leads to a significant enhancement in the SC crystallizability because its good miscibility with the isotactic PLAs makes it possible to greatly improve the chain mixing between PLLA and PDLA as an effective compatibilizer.Meanwhile,the melt stability (i.e.,the stability of PLLA/PDLA chain assemblies upon melting) could also be improved substantially.Very intriguingly,SC crystallites are predominantly formed with increasing content and molecular weight of PDLLA.More notably,exclusive SC crystallization can be obtained in the racemic blends with 20 wt％ PDLLA having weight-average molecular weight of above 1 ×10s g/mol,where the chain mixing level and intermolecular interactions between the PLA enantiomers could be strikingly enhanced.Overall,our work could not only open a promising horizon for the development of all SC-PLA-based engineering plastic with exceptional SC crystallizability but also give a fundamental insight into the crucial role of PDLLA in improving the SC crystallizability of PLLA/PDLA blends.     

水坝在水流作用下动力响应的一种分析方法

以广东某水坝为研究对象,给出一种基于Fluent平台和Ansys平台进行结构动力响应分析的方法。首先采用基于YOUNGS界面重构技术的VOF模型,对流动进行数值模拟,成功捕捉了闸门开启过程中自由面的变化,比较了在三种落差情况下水坝的受力差异。计算表明,即使在上游平稳的入流条件下,水坝所受到的湍流水压力也会出现波动现象,水压力对坝体的冲击为低频作用,下游水位的升高会减缓水压力的波动,这些特点都与现场观察的相符。然后将水动力作为激励条件导入结构动力分析平台Ansys后,进一步对坝体结构进行动力分析。结构的模态分析结果与实测结果一致。因此,方法可以应用于实际。     

Nonlinear analysis of thick plates on an elastic foundation by HT FE with p-extension capabilities

The paper is concerned with the development of hybrid-Trefftz (HT) p-element for nonlinear analysis of Reissner-Mindlin plates resting on an elastic foundation. The foundation may be of Winkler-type or Pasternak-type. Exact solutions of the Lame-Navier equations are used for the in-plane intraelement displacement field and an incremental form of the basic equations is adopted. With the aid of incremental form of these equations, all nonlinear terms may be taken as pseudo-loads. Moreover, some modifications have been made on the nonlinear boundary equations to simplify the ensuing derivation. As a result, the in-plane and out-of-plane equations are uncoupled, and then the derivation for the HT finite element (FE) formulation becomes very simple. The practical efficiency of the new element model has been assessed through several examples.     

Synthesis of lactate derivatives via reductive radical addition to α-oxyacrylates

Lactate derivatives are important synthetic precursors to a variety of pharmaceutical products. Previously reported methods to prepare lactates require multiple steps or have limited scopes. Herein, we report a Ni-catalyzed reductive addition of a variety of alkyl iodides to α-oxyacrylates to afford substituted lactates. Exploring the scope of radical acceptors reveals that electron-deficient alkenes, ranging from cyclohexenone to para-caboxystyrene, undergo efficient coupling with alkyl iodides. This method represents an alternative strategy access lactate derivatives.     

Effects of hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose ether on the hydration and compressive strength of calcium aluminate cement

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Aluminate containing phases such as tricalcium aluminate (C3A) and dodecacalcium heptaaluminate (C12A7) play a key role in the reaction between...