High Electrochemical Performance Silicon Thin-Film Free-Standing Electrodes Based on Buckypaper for Flexible Lithium-Ion Batteries

Recently, applications for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have expanded to include electric vehicles and electric energy storage systems, extending beyond power sources for portable electronic devices. The power sources of these flexible electronic devices require the creation of thin, light, and flexible power supply devices such as flexile electrolytes/insulators, electrode materials, current collectors, and batteries that play an important role in packaging. Demand will require the progress of modern electrode materials with high capacity, rate capability, cycle stability, electrical conductivity, and mechanical flexibility for the time to come. The integration of high electrical conductivity and flexible buckypaper (oxidized Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) film) and high theoretical capacity silicon materials are effective for obtaining superior high-energy-density and flexible electrode materials. Therefore, this study focuses on improving the high-capacity, capability-cycling stability of the thin-film Si buckypaper free-standing electrodes for lightweight and flexible energy-supply devices. First, buckypaper (oxidized MWCNTs) was prepared by assembling a free stand-alone electrode, and electrical conductivity tests confirmed that the buckypaper has sufficient electrical conductivity (10⁻⁴(S m⁻¹) in LIBs) to operate simultaneously with a current collector. Subsequently, silicon was deposited on the buckypaper via magnetron sputtering. Next, the thin-film Si buckypaper freestanding electrodes were heat-treated at 600 °C in a vacuum, which improved their electrochemical performance significantly. Electrochemical results demonstrated that the electrode capacity can be increased by 27/26 and 95/93 μAh in unheated and heated buckypaper current collectors, respectively. The measured discharge/charge capacities of the USi_HBP electrode were 108/106 μAh after 100 cycles, corresponding to a Coulombic efficiency of 98.1%, whereas the HSi_HBP electrode indicated a discharge/charge capacity of 193/192 μAh at the 100th cycle, corresponding to a capacity retention of 99.5%. In particular, the HSi_HBP electrode can decrease the capacity by less than 1.5% compared with the value of the first cycle after 100 cycles, demonstrating excellent electrochemical stability.     

Effect of Thermal Aging on the Mechanical Properties of High Tenacity Polyester Yarn

Textile materials produced from a high tenacity industrial polyester fiber are most widely used in the mechanical rubber goods industry to reinforce conveyor belts, tire cords, and hoses. Reinforcement of textile rubber undergoes a vulcanization process to adhere the textile materials with the rubber and to enhance the physio-mechanical properties of the product. The vulcanization process has an influence on the textile material being used as a reinforcement. In this work, the effects of aging temperature and time on the high tenacity polyester yarn’s mechanical and surface structural properties were investigated. An experiment was carried out on a pre-activated high tenacity polyester yarn of different linear densities, by aging the yarn specimens under various aging temperatures of 140, 160, 200, and 220 °C for six, twelve, and thirty-five minutes of aging time. The tensile properties and surface structural change in the yarns pre- and post-aging were studied. The investigation illustrates that aging time and temperature influence the surface structure of the fiber, tenacity, and elongation properties of the yarn. Compared to unaged yarn, an almost five times higher percentage of elongation was obtained for the samples aged at 220 °C for 6 min, while the lowest tenacity was obtained for the sample subjected to aging under 220 °C for 35 min.     

Re-Melting Behaviour and Wear Resistance of Vanadium Carbide Precipitating Cr27.5Co14Fe22Mo22Ni11.65V2.85 High Entropy Alloy

High entropy alloys (HEAs) are among of the most promising new metal material groups. The achievable properties can exceed those of common alloys in different ways. Due to the mixture of five or more alloying elements, the variety of high entropy alloys is fairly huge. The presented work will focus on some first insights on the weldability and the wear behavior of vanadium carbide precipitation Cr_27.5Co₁₄Fe₂₂Mo₂₂Ni_11.65V_2.85 HEA. The weldability should always be addressed in an early stage of any alloy design to avoid welding-related problems afterwards. The cast Cr_27.5Co₁₄Fe₂₂Mo₂₂Ni_11.65V_2.85 HEA has been remelted using a TIG welding process and the resulting microstructure has been examined. The changes in the microstructure due to the remelting process showed little influence of the welding process and no welding-related problems like hot cracks have been observed. It will be shown that vanadium carbides or vanadium-rich phases precipitate after casting and remelting in a two phased HEA matrix. The hardness of the as cast alloy is 324HV0.2 and after remelting the hardness rises to 339HV0.2. The wear behavior can be considered as comparable to a Stellite 6 cobalt base alloy as determined in an ASTM G75 test. Overall, the basic HEA design is promising due to the precipitation of vanadium carbides and should be further investigated.     

High-Performance Face Milling of 42CrMo4 Steel: Influence of Entering Angle on the Measured Surface Roughness,Cutting Force and Vibration Amplitude

High feed Milling is a new milling method, which allows to apply high feed rates and increase machining efficiency. The method utilizes face cutters with a very small entering angle, of about 10°–20°. Thus, the cut layer cross-section is different than in traditional milling. In order to examine the high feed milling (HFM), experimental tests were conducted, preceded by an analysis of cutting zones when milling with an HF face cutter. The face milling tests of 42CrMo4 steel with the use of an HF cutter characterized by an entering angle, dependent on axial depth of cut a_p and insert radius r values, as well as with a conventional face cutter with the entering angle of 45° were performed. The study focused on analyzing the vibration amplitude, cutting force components in the workpiece coordinate system, and surface roughness. The experimental tests proved, that when milling with constant cut layer thickness, the high feed cutter allowed to obtain twice the cutting volume in comparison with the conventional face cutter. However, higher machining efficiency resulted in an increase in cutting force components. Furthermore, the results indicate significantly higher surface roughness and higher vibration amplitudes when milling with the HF cutter.     

Hf1−xSixO2 Nanocomposite Coatings Prepared by Ion-Assisted Co-Evaporation Process for Low-Loss and High-LIDT Optics

Hf_1−xSi_xO₂ nanocomposites with different SiO₂ doping ratios were synthesized using an ion-assisted co-evaporation process to achieve dense amorphous Hf_1−xSi_xO₂ coatings with low loss and a high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). The results showed that the Hf_1−xSi_xO₂ nanocomposites (x ≥ 0.20) exhibited excellent comprehensive performance with a wide band gap and a dense amorphous microstructure. High-temperature annealing was carried out to ensure better stoichiometry and lower absorption. Precipitation and regrowth of HfO₂ grains were observed from 400 °C to 600 °C during annealing of the Hf_0.80Si_0.20O₂ nanocomposites, resulting in excessive surface roughness. A phenomenological model was proposed to explain the phenomenon. The Hf_1−xSi_xO₂ nanocomposites (x = 0.3 and 0.4) maintained a dense amorphous structure with low absorption after annealing. Finally, a 1064-nm Hf_0.70Si_0.30O₂/SiO₂ high-performance reflector was prepared and achieved low optical loss (15.1 ppm) and a high LIDT (67 J/cm²).     

Durability of Blended Cements Made with Reactive Aggregates

Featured Application In this paper, blended cements are proposed as an effective means of meeting the needs of mitigating climatic change. This proposal is a two-pronged strategy, i.e., durable and sustainable. The pozzolanic reaction of four binders is assessed, which is related to an alkali–silica reaction (ASR). Thanks to the findings made here, mix-design optimization can be performed. AbstractAlkali–silica reaction (ASR) is a swelling reaction that occurs in concrete structures over time between the reactive amorphous siliceous aggregate particles and the hydroxyl ions of the hardened concrete pore solution. The aim of this paper is to assess the effect of pozzolanic Portland cements on the alkali–silica reaction (ASR) evaluated from two different points of view: (i) alkali-silica reaction (ASR) abatement and (ii) climatic change mitigation by clinker reduction, i.e., by depleting its emissions. Open porosity, SEM microscopy, compressive strength and ASR-expansion measurements were performed in mortars made with silica fume, siliceous coal fly ash, natural pozzolan and blast-furnace slag. The main contributions are as follows: (i) the higher the content of reactive silica in the pozzolanic material, the greater the ASR inhibition level; (ii) silica fume and coal fly ash are the best Portland cement constituents for ASR mitigation.     

Experimental and Numerical Study of Combined High and Low Cycle Fatigue Performance of Low Alloy Steel and Engineering Application

The fatigue behaviors of metals are different under different in-service environment and loading conditions. This study was devoted to investigating the combined effects of high and low cycle fatigue loads on the performance of the low alloy steel Q345. Three kinds of experiments were carried out, including the pure high cycle fatigue (HCF) tests, the pure low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests, and the combined high and low cycle fatigue (HLCF) tests. The prediction formulae were proposed for the combined high and low cycle fatigue failure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and stereo microscope were used to analyze the microstructure and fracture morphology due to different fatigue loads. Case study on the combined high and low cycle fatigue damage of a steel arch bridge was carried out based on the FE method and the proposed formula. The results show that the LCF life decreases evidently due to the prior HCF damages. The HLCF fracture surface is relatively flat near the crack initiation side, and rugged at the other half part. The fatigue damages at the bridge joints increase significantly with consideration of the pre-fatigue damages caused by traffic load. In the 100th anniversary of service, the fatigue damage index without considering the HCF pre-damage is only about 50% of the coupled damage value.     

H7N7 Avian Influenza Virus Mutation from Low to High Pathogenicity on a Layer Chicken Farm in the UK

Avian influenza virus (AIV) subtypes H5 and H7 are capable of mutating from low to high pathogenicity strains, causing high mortality in poultry with significant economic losses globally. During 2015, two outbreaks of H7N7 low pathogenicity AIV (LPAIV) in Germany, and one each in the United Kingdom (UK) and The Netherlands occurred, as well as single outbreaks of H7N7 high pathogenicity AIV (HPAIV) in Germany and the UK. Both HPAIV outbreaks were linked to precursor H7N7 LPAIV outbreaks on the same or adjacent premises. Herein, we describe the clinical, epidemiological, and virological investigations for the H7N7 UK HPAIV outbreak on a farm with layer chickens in mixed free-range and caged units. H7N7 HPAIV was identified and isolated from clinical samples, as well as H7N7 LPAIV, which could not be isolated. Using serological and molecular evidence, we postulate how the viruses spread throughout the premises, indicating potential points of incursion and possible locations for the mutation event. Serological and mortality data suggested that the LPAIV infection preceded the HPAIV infection and afforded some clinical protection against the HPAIV. These results document the identification of a LPAIV to HPAIV mutation in nature, providing insights into factors that drive its manifestation during outbreaks.     

山羊高原重度原发性肺冲击伤模型的建立

目的建立山羊在海拔4 600 m高原环境下的重度原发性肺冲击伤模型,分析高原重度原发性肺冲击伤的特点,为院前救治提供实验基础。 方法选取健康山羊28只,随机分为3 m组22只,3.5 m组6只,采用8 kg TNT当量新型爆炸物,在相同的环境条件下致伤,观察致伤后山羊肺冲击伤伤情,分别于伤前、伤后1 h、24 h监测山羊生命体征、肌钙蛋白Ⅰ,观察肺大体解剖,测肺组织重量、湿/干比重(W/D)等,对重伤山羊进行院前ABC救治。 结果伤后t≤15 min死亡12只,伤后15 min相似文献