Finished-vehicle transporter routing problem solved by loading pattern discovery

This work addresses a new transportation problem in outbound logistics in the automobile industry: the finished-vehicle transporter routing problem (FVTRP). The FVTRP is a practical routing problem with loading constraints, and it assumes that dealers have deterministic demands for finished vehicles that have three-dimensional irregular shapes. The problem solution will identify optimal routes while satisfying demands. In terms of complex packing, finished vehicles are not directly loaded into the spaces of transporters; instead, loading patterns matching finished vehicles with transporters are identified first by mining successful loading records through virtual and manual loading test procedures, such that the packing problem is practically solved with the help of a procedure to discover loading patterns. This work proposes a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model for the FVTRP considering loading patterns. As a special class of routing models, the FVTRP is typically difficult to solve within a manageable computing time. Thus, an evolutionary algorithm is designed to solve the FVTRP. Comparisons of the proposed algorithm and a commercial MILP solver demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is more effective in solving medium- and large-scale problems. The proposed scheme for addressing the FVTRP is illustrated with an example and tested with benchmark instances that are derived from well-studied vehicle routing datasets.     

Pd-catalyzed assembly of phenanthridines from aryl ketone O-acetyloximes and arynes through C–H bond activation

Pd-catalyzed annulation of aryne and aryl ketone O-acetyloxime via C–H bond activation was realized. Through the C–H bond activation/insertion/cyclization/elimination reaction sequence, phenanthridines are successfully constructed, providing an attractive strategy to approach substituted heterocycle without preactivation of starting materials.     

Thermoresponsive AuNPs Stabilized by Pillararene‐Containing Polymers

Pillararene‐containing thermoresponsive polymers are synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization using pillararene derivatives as the effective chain transfer agents for the first time. These polymers can self‐assemble into micelles and form vesicles after guest molecules are added. Furthermore, such functional polymers can be further applied to prepare hybrid gold nanoparticles, which integrate the thermoresponsivity of polymers and molecular recognition of pillararenes.

     

Cu Doping-Induced Transformation from [Ag62S12(SBut)32]2+ to [Ag62−xCuxS12(SBut)32]4+ Nanocluster

The change in the valence state of nanocluster can induce remarkable changes in the properties and structure. However, achieving the valence state changes in nanoclusters is still a challenge. In this work, we use Cu²⁺ as dopant to “oxidize” [Ag₆₂S₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]²⁺ (4 free electrons) to obtain the new nanocluster: [Ag_62−xCu_xS₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]⁴⁺ with 2 free electrons. As revealed by its structure, the [Ag_62−xCu_xS₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]⁴⁺ (x=10∼21) has a similar structure to that of [Ag₆₂S₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]²⁺ precursor and all the Cu atoms occupy the surface site of nanocluster. It′s worth noting that with the Cu atoms doping, the [Ag_62−xCu_xS₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]⁴⁺ nanocluster is more stable than [Ag₆₂S₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]²⁺ at higher temperature and in electrochemical cycle. This result has laid a foundation for the subsequent application and exploration. Overall, this work reveals crystals structure of a new Ag−Cu nanocluster and offers a new insight into the electron reduction/oxidation of nanocluster.     

Electrochemical myoglobin biosensor based on carbon ionic liquid electrode modified with Fe3O4@SiO2 microsphere

In this paper, a Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ core-shell structure microsphere was synthesized and used to investigate the direct electron transfer of myoglobin (Mb) with a 1-butylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate based carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) as the substrate electrode. The mixture of Mb and Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ microsphere could form an organic–inorganic composite, which was immobilized on the surface of CILE with a chitosan (CS) film. Cyclic voltammetric experiments indicated that a pair of well-defined quasi-reversible redox peaks appeared on CS/Mb-Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/CILE with the formal peak potential (E ^0′) located at ?0.31 V (vs. saturated calomel electrode), which was corresponded to the electroactive center of Mb heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couples. Direct electrochemical behaviors of Mb in CS-Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ composite film were carefully investigated with the electrochemical parameters calculated. The CS/Mb-Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/CILE showed good electrocatalytic behaviors to the reduction of trichloroacetic acid in the concentration range from 0.2 to 11.0 mmol L^?1 with the detection limit of 0.18 mmol L^?1 (3σ). Based on CS/Mb-Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/CILE, a new third-generation reagentless electrochemical biosensor was constructed with higher sensitivity and reproducibility.     

Effect of temperature on the morphologies and electrochemical properties of polyaniline-gold fibrillar nanocomposites

The polyaniline-gold (PANI-AuNPs) fibrillar nanocomposites were prepared via a simple one-pot synthesis route in ethylene glycol (EG) medium. The morphology of PANI-AuNPs was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and their electrochemical properties were studied by CV, TAF and EIS measurement using an electrochemical workstation. The results show that the morphology of nanocomposites can be controlled by changing the temperature. The diameter of PANI-AuNPs composite nanofiber reduce from about 80 to 30 nm, and the size of AuNP also reduce from about 20 to 4 nm, with the rise of synthesized temperature. When the synthesized temperature is 10°C, the distribution of AuNPs is the best, and the amount of AuNPs dispersed in PANI is the most, as well as the electrochemical performance of PANI-AuNPs is the most excellent.     

3D amorphous carbon and graphene co-modified LiFePO4 composite derived from polyol process as electrode for high power lithium-ion batteries

Amorphous carbon and graphene co-modified LiFePO_4 nanocomposite has been synthesized via a facile polyol process in connection with a following thermal treatment.Various characterization techniques,including XRD.Mossbauer spectra,Raman spectra,SEM,TEM,BET,O_2-TPO,galvano charge-discharge,CV and EIS were applied to investigate the phase composition,carbon content,morphological structure and electrochemical performance of the synthesized samples.The effect of introducing way of carbon sources on the properties and performance of LiFePO_4/C/graphene composite was paid special attention.Under optimized synthetic conditions,highly crystalized olivine-type LiFePO_4was successfully obtained with electron conductive Fe_2P and FeP as the main impurity phases.SEM and TEM analyses demonstrated the graphene sheets were randomly distributed inside the sample to create an open structured LiFePO_4 with respect to graphene,while the glucosederived carbon mainly coated over LiFeP04 particles which effectively connected the graphene sheets and LiFePO_4 particles to result in a more efficient charge transfer process.As a result,favorable electrochemical performance was achieved.The performance of the amorphous carbon-graphene co-modified LiFePO_4 was further progressively improved upon cycling in the first 200 cycles to reach a reversible specificcapacity as high as 97 mAh·g~(-1) at 10 C rate.     

Synthesis and self-assembly behavior of thermoresponsive poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate)-POSS with tunable lower critical solution temperature

This article reports on the synthesis of a novel amphiphilic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) end-capped poly(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate)-co-oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) (POSS-P(MEO₂MA-co-OEGMA)). These thermoresponsive organic–inorganic hybrid polymers exhibit critical phase transition temperature in water, which can be finely tuned by changing the feed ratio of OEGMA and MEO₂MA. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of POSS-P(MEO₂MA-co-OEGMA) increases from 31 to 59 °C with the increasing of OEGMA content. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies show that these polymers can self-assemble into spherical micelles with the thermosensitive block into the corona and the POSS forming the core, and larger aggregates are formed when the temperature values are above their LCSTs. These thermoresponsive polymers POSS-P(MEO₂MA-co-OEGMA) with self-assembly behavior and tunable tempetature-responsive property have the potential applications in material science and biotechnology.