Recent advances of metal phosphides for Li-S chemistry

Li-S batteries have been considered as one of advanced next-generation energy storage systems owing to their remarkable theoretical capacity(1672 m Ah g^-1)and high energy density(2600 Wh kg^-1).However,critical issues,mainly pertaining to lithium polysulfide shuttle and slow sulfur reaction kinetics,have posed a fatal threat to the electrochemical performances of Li-S batteries.The situation is even worse for high sulfur-loaded and flexible cathodes,which are the essential components for practical Li-S batteries.In response,the use of metal compounds as electrocatalysts in Li-S systems have been confirmed as an effective strategy to date.Particularly,recent years have witnessed many progresses in phosphidesoptimized Li-S chemistry.This has been motivated by the superior electron conductivity and high electrocatalytic activity of phosphides.In this tutorial review,we offer a systematic summary of active metal phosphides as promoters for Li-S chemistry,aiming at helping to understanding the working mechanism of phosphide electrocatalysts and guiding the construction of advanced Li-S batteries.     

Photoluminescence of single quantum wires and quantum dots

The results of a study into the photoluminescence spectra of a set of quantum dots based on GaAs enclosed in AlGaAs nanowires are presented. The steady state and time resolved spectra of photoluminescence under optical excitation both from an array of quantum wires/dots and a single quantum wire/dot have been measured. In the photoluminescence spectra of single quantum dots, emission lines of excitons, biexcitons and tritons have been found. The binding energy of the biexciton in the studied structures was deduced to be 8 meV.     

Singular integrals with mixed homogeneity in Triebel-Lizorkin spaces

In this paper, we study the singular integral

     

Stereochemistry-dependent, mechanoresponsive supramolecular host assemblies for fullerenes: a guest-induced enhancement of thixotropy

Self-assembly behaviors of a series of systems (G1, G2, and G3) possessing same organic building blocks based on a substituted anthracene have been investigated in decalin. G2 and G3 are dominated by head-to-tail (ht) and head-to-head (hh) type dimers of G1, respectively. G1 gives a thermoresponsive gel that behaves ideally, showing frequency-independent elastic and viscous moduli. Interestingly, G2 produces a thixotropic gel that shows the signature of structural relaxation, signifying the dynamic nature of the system. In contrast, G3 remains fluidlike. As investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in the assembly process of G2, first disklike nanoaggregates are formed, and in the second step these aggregates interact to construct the densely packed secondary assembly. A transition from secondary assembly to primary assembly under shear initiates the mechanoresponsive destruction of the gel. In the self-assembly process, G1 propagates in a one-dimensional fashion, whereas G2 and G3 can propagate in a two-dimensionional fashion. The same side orientation of the substituents in G3 facilitates the formation of a compact closed-shell-type structure, which results in the generation of isolated nanocrystals. The long-range weak interaction together with the capability of propagating in two dimensions is found to be essential for the construction of such a mechanoresponsive assembly. C(60) and C(70) could be incorporated successfully in G2 assembly to develop mechanoresponsive fullerene assemblies. The presence of fullerenes not only enhances the elastic properties of G2 but also intensifies the thixotropy. C(70) appears to be a superior guest in terms of property enhancement due to its better size fitting with the concave-shaped host.     

Tangent cones and C1 regularity of definable sets

Let $X?{\mathbb{R}}^n$ be a connected locally closed set which is definable in an o-minimal structure. We prove that the following three statements are equivalent: (i) X is a $C^1$ manifold, (ii) the tangent cone and the paratangent cone of X coincide at every point in X, (iii) for every $x\in X$, the tangent cone of X at the point x is a k-dimensional linear subspace of ${\mathbb{R}}^n$ (k does not depend on x) varies continuously in x, and the density $\theta (X,x)<3/2$.     

Primordial cosmological inflation versus local supersymmetry breaking in SUSY GUTs coupled toN=1 supergravity

We present a model for a SUSY GUT coupled toN=1 supergravity in which local supersymmetry breaks down in the gauge singlet sector. The constraints for the model to be physically acceptable are incompatible with inflation. The simultaneous breaking of local supersymmetry and gauge symmetry is proposed as a good prospect for inflation.     

On optimality conditions for quasi-relative efficient solutions in set-valued optimization

In the paper, we establish necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for quasi-relative efficient solutions of a constrained set-valued optimization problem using the Lagrange multipliers. Many examples are given to show that our results and their applications are more advantageous than some existing ones in the literature.     

On the PdCl2-catalyzed synthesis of allylic azides and allylic sulfonamides from homoallylic alcohols

According to experimental and literature data, the one-pot formation of allylic azides or sulfonamides from catalytic amounts of PdCl₂, homoallylic alcohols and TMSN₃ or TsNH₂ occurs through CC migration followed by regioselective nucleophilic addition on the Pd^II-activated CC bond and β-OH elimination.