Dependence of dielectric,ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties on crystalline properties of p(VDF‐co‐TrFE) copolymers

Thermal processing at various temperatures has been used to fabricate poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF‐co‐TrFE)] films with varied crystalline properties in an attempt to improve their piezoelectric properties. Although the dielectric constant of the films annealed at higher temperature is smaller than that of cooled and quenched ones, it has been shown that the annealed films possess larger crystallinity and stacked lamellar crystal grain size. The ferroelectric domains deriving from crystal region in all the samples are effectively improved by hot polarization. As a result, the remnant polarizations (P_r) and coercive electric field (E_c) of the corresponding films are improved at a low frequency due to the response of dipoles in crystal phase, and the largest piezoelectric constant in the longitudinal thickness mode (d₃₃=?25 pC/N) is obtained in an annealed copolymer film. The results illustrate improving the crystal structure of P(VDF‐co‐TrFE) is an effective way to realize high electromechanical properties, which provides broadly applied scenery for this kind of copolymer in piezoelectric components. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

低钾血症对颅脑创伤患者预后的影响

目的 探讨低钾血症在颅脑创伤患者中的发病情况及其与预后的关系。方法 2010 年6月至2013 年6 月共有168 例住院期间出现低钾血症且年龄≥18 岁的颅脑创伤患者纳入研究。依据低钾血症严重程度的不同,将患者分成轻度组（3.00mmol/L≤血钾＜3.50mmol/L）、中度组（2.50mmol/L≤血钾＜3.00mmol/L）和重度组（血钾＜2.50mmol/L）,各组均采用患者血钾的最低值进行数据分析。高钠血症和低磷血症分别被定义为血钠＞147.00mmol/L 和血磷＜0.80mmol/L。结果 受试患者的血钾在1.10~3.40mmol/L,平均2.90mmol/L。当血钾出现最低值时,与其余两组比较,重度组患者具有更高的血钠和更低的血磷水平（均P＜0.01）。与轻度组（10.5%）或中度组（25.7%）相比,重度组患者的病死率（82.1%）显著上升（均P＜0.01）。多变量逻辑回归分析结果显示,低格拉斯哥昏迷评分（OR=1.28,95%CI=1.12~1.42,P＜0.01）、低血钾（OR=5.57,95%CI=2.76~10.93,P＜0.01）、低血磷（OR=2.76,95%CI=1.11~7.25,P＜0.01）以及高血尿素氮（OR=1.16,95%CI=1.07~1.24,P＜0.01）是导致患者死亡的独立危险因素。结论 颅脑创伤患者是出现低钾血症的高危人群,重度低钾血症的患者更容易合并高钠血症和低磷血症。重度低钾血症和低磷血症是颅脑创伤患者死亡的独立危险因素。     

Comparative study on structure and properties of titanium/silicon mono‐ and co‐doped amorphous carbon films deposited by mid‐frequency magnetron sputtering

The titanium/silicon mono‐ and co‐doped amorphous carbon films were deposited by mid‐frequency magnetron sputtering Ti target, Si target, and Ti80S20 alloy target, respectively. The effects of doped elements on the composition, surface morphology, microstructure, and mechanical and tribological properties of the films were investigated. The results reveal that the ratio of sp³ and sp² carbon bonds of the films is regulated between 0.28 and 0.62 by a combination of Ti and Si dopant. The addition of small amounts of silicon leads to an increase in sp³ bonds and disorder degree of the sp² carbon. The co‐doped film exhibits significantly superior friction performance than the mono‐doped films. The ultra‐low friction (μ < 0.01) was achieved under a load of 2 N in ambient air with 40% RH. By comparing to the mono‐and co‐doped films, it is thought that the sp³/sp² ratio of the films may play a key role for the superlow friction. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adsorptive removal of La(III) from aqueous solutions with 8-hydroxyquinoline immobilized GMZ bentonite

Due to the low permeability, high swelling capacity and good retardation properties, bentonite has been considered as the main component of buffer/backfill material for high level radioactive wastes repository all over the world. The adsorptions of metal ion were widely investigated recently. In this presentation, we provide an easy-to-use method to immobilize 8-hydroxyquinoline onto the surface of bentonite for the use of adsorption studies of La(III) from the aqueous solution. The effects of various parameters such as contact time, pH of the solution, ionic strength and metal ion concentration on the adsorption were investigated by the batch experiments. The biggest adsorption capacity is 41.7 mg/g, higher than the value reported by our previous work which is performed by the raw bentonite. Langmuir isotherm fits the experimental data well and the adsorption follows pseudo-second-order kinetic model. In summary, 8-hydroxyquinoline immobilized GMZ bentonite is an effective adsorbent for the removal of La(III) from aqueous solutions.     

Recent Progress in High-Performance Lithium Sulfur Batteries: The Emerging Strategies for Advanced Separators/Electrolytes Based on Nanomaterials and Corresponding Interfaces

Lithium-sulfur (Li−S) batteries, possessing excellent theoretical capacities, low cost and nontoxicity, are one of the most promising energy storage battery systems. However, poor conductivity of elemental S and the “shuttle effect” of lithium polysulfides hinder the commercialization of Li−S batteries. These problems are closely related to the interface problems between the cathodes, separators/electrolytes and anodes. The review focuses on interface issues for advanced separators/electrolytes based on nanomaterials in Li−S batteries. In the liquid electrolyte systems, electrolytes/separators and electrodes system can be decorated by nano materials coating for separators and electrospinning nanofiber separators. And, interface of anodes and electrolytes/separators can be modified by nano surface coating, nano composite metal lithium and lithium nano alloy, while the interface between cathodes and electrolytes/separators is designed by nano metal sulfide, nanocarbon-based and other nano materials. In all solid-state electrolyte systems, the focus is to increase the ionic conductivity of the solid electrolytes and reduce the resistance in the cathode/polymer electrolyte and Li/electrolyte interfaces through using nanomaterials. The basic mechanism of these interface problems and the corresponding electrochemical performance are discussed. Based on the most critical factors of the interfaces, we provide some insights on nanomaterials in high-performance liquid or state Li−S batteries in the future.     

Study on LiFe<Subscript>1 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Sm<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/C used as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries with low Sm component

LiFe_1???x Sm _x PO₄/C cathode materials were synthesized though a facile hydrothermal method. Compared with high-temperature solid-phase sintering, the method can allow for the fabrication of low Sm content (2 %), a scarce and expensive rare earth element, while the presence of an optimized carbon coating with large amount of sp²-type carbon sharply increases the material’s electrochemical performance. The high-rate dischargeability at 5 C, as well as the exchange current density, can be increased by 21 and 86 %, respectively, which were attributed to the fine size and the large cell parameter a/c as much. It should be pointed out that the a/c value will be increased for the LiFePO₄ Sm-doped papered by both of the two methods, while the mechanism is different: The value c is increased for the front and the value a is decreased for the latter, respectively.     

Unconventional Assembly of Bimetallic Au–Ni Janus Nanoparticles on Chemically Modified Silica Spheres

This paper reports that Janus Au?Ni nanoparticles (JANNPs) can self‐assemble onto silica spheres in a novel way, which is different from that of single‐component isotropic nanoparticles. JANNPs modified with octadecylamine (ODA) assemble onto catechol‐modified silica spheres (SiO₂?OH) to form a very special core–loop complex structure and finally the core–loop assemblies link each other to form large assemblies through capillary force and the hydrophobic interaction of the alkyl chains of ODA. The nanocomposites disassemble in the presence of vanillin and oleic acid because of the breakage of the catechol–metal link. Vanillin‐induced disassembly enables the JANNPs to reassemble into a core–loop structure upon ODA addition. The assembly of SiO₂?OH and isotropic Ni or Fe₃O₄ particles generates traditional core–satellite structures. This unconventional self‐assembly can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Janus specificity and capillary force, which is also confirmed by the assembly of thiol‐terminated silica spheres (SH?SiO₂) with anisotropic JANNPs, isotropic Au, and Ni nanoparticles. These results can guide the development of novel composite materials using Janus nanoparticles as the primary building blocks.