Production of Martian fiber by in-situ resource utilization strategy

Many countries and commercial organizations have shown great interest in constructing Martian base. In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) provides a cost-effective way to achieve this ambitious goal. In this paper, we proposed to use Martian soil simulant to produce fiber to satisfy material requirement for the construction of Martian base. The composition, melting behavior and fiber forming process of soil simulant was studied, and continuous fiber with a maximum strength of 1320 MPa was obtained on a spinning facility. The findings of this study demonstrate the feasibility of ISRU to prepare Martian fiber from the soil on the Mars, offering a new way to get key materials for the construction of Martian base

The Enhanced Swelling Resistance of W/Cu Nanocomposites by Vacancy-Type Defects Self-Recovery

In this study, the swelling resistance of W/Cu nanocomposites is investigated after helium irradiation at RT and 400 °C. The results show that W/Cu nanocomposites with interface structure present better resistance to helium swelling as compared with W monolayer. The PAS results reveal that the unique interfacial structure of W/Cu nanocomposites effectively improves the recovery of vacancy-type defects under He+ irradiation, which results in good resistance to irradiation swelling. This result shows that introducing interface structure can effectively enhance the swelling resistance of materials and sheds light on the design of radiation-tolerant materials for advanced nuclear reactor applications

Neutron Total Scattering Investigation of the Dissolution Mechanism of Trehalose in Alkali/Urea Aqueous Solution

The atomic picture of cellulose dissolution in alkali/urea aqueous solution is still not clear. To reveal it, we use trehalose as the model molecule and total scattering as the main tool. Three kinds of alkali solution, i.e., LiOH, NaOH and KOH are compared. The most probable all-atom structures of the solution are thus obtained. The hydration shell of trehalose has a layered structure. The smaller alkali ions can penetrate into the glucose rings around oxygen atoms to form the first hydration layer. The larger urea molecules interact with hydroxide groups to form complexations. Then, the electronegative complexation can form the second hydration layer around alkali ions via electrostatic interaction. Therefore, the solubility of alkali aqueous solution for cellulose decreases with the alkali cation radius, i.e., LiOH > NaOH > KOH. Our findings are helpful for designing better green solvents for cellulose

Promoting high-voltage stability through local lattice distortion of halide solid electrolytes

Abstract Stable solid electrolytes are essential to high-safety and high-energy-density lithium batteries, especially for applications with high-voltage cathodes. In such conditions, solid electrolytes may experience severe oxidation, decomposition, and deactivation during charging at high voltages, leading to inadequate cycling performance and even cell failure. Here, we address the high-voltage limitation of halide solid electrolytes by introducing local lattice distortion to confine the distribution of Cl−, which effectively curbs kinetics of their oxidation. The confinement is realized by substituting In with multiple elements in Li3InCl6 to give a high-entropy Li2.75Y0.16Er0.16Yb0.16In0.25Zr0.25Cl6. Meanwhile, the lattice distortion promotes longer Li-Cl bonds, facilitating favorable activation of Li+. Our results show that this high-entropy halide electrolyte boosts the cycle stability of all-solid-state battery by 250% improvement over 500 cycles. In particular, the cell provides a higher discharge capacity of 185 mAh g−1 by increasing the charge cut-off voltage to 4.6 V at a small current rate of 0.2 C, which is more challenging to electrolytes|cathode stability. These findings deepen our understanding of high-entropy materials, advancing their use in energy-related applications

Regulating the Electron Distribution of Metal‐Oxygen for Enhanced Oxygen Stability in Li‐rich Layered Cathodes

Abstract Li‐rich Mn‐based layered oxides (LLO) hold great promise as cathode materials for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) due to their unique oxygen redox (OR) chemistry, which enables additional capacity. However, the LLOs face challenges related to the instability of their OR process due to the weak transition metal (TM)‐oxygen bond, leading to oxygen loss and irreversible phase transition that results in severe capacity and voltage decay. Herein, a synergistic electronic regulation strategy of surface and interior structures to enhance oxygen stability is proposed. In the interior of the materials, the local electrons around TM and O atoms may be delocalized by surrounding Mo atoms, facilitating the formation of stronger TM─O bonds at high voltages. Besides, on the surface, the highly reactive O atoms with lone pairs of electrons are passivated by additional TM atoms, which provides a more stable TM─O framework. Hence, this strategy stabilizes the oxygen and hinders TM migration, which enhances the reversibility in structural evolution, leading to increased capacity and voltage retention. This work presents an efficient approach to enhance the performance of LLOs through surface‐to‐interior electronic structure modulation, while also contributing to a deeper understanding of their redox reaction

Topologically protected oxygen redox in a layered manganese oxide cathode for sustainable batteries

Manganese could be the element of choice for cathode materials used in large-scale energy storage systems owning to its abundance and low toxicity levels. However, both lithium and sodium ion batteries adopting this electrode chemistry suffer from rapid performance fading, suggesting a major technical barrier that must be overcome. Here we report a P3-type layered manganese oxide cathode Na 0.6 Li 0.2 Mn 0.8 O 2 (NLMO) that delivers a high capacity of 240 mAh g −1 with outstanding cycling stability in a lithium half-cell. Combined experimental and theoretical characterizations reveal a characteristic topological feature that enables the good electrochemical performance. Specifically, the-α-γ-layer stacking provides topological protection for lattice oxygen redox, whereas the reversibility is absent in P2-structured NLMO which takes a-α-β-configuration. The identified new order parameter opens an avenue towards the rational design of reversible Mn-rich cathode materials for sustainable batteries

Taming heat with tiny pressure

Heat is almost everywhere. Unlike electricity, which can be easily manipulated, the current ability to control heat is still highly limited owing to spontaneous thermal dissipation imposed by the second law of thermodynamics. Optical illumination and pressure have been used to switch endothermic/exothermic responses of materials via phase transitions; however, these strategies are less cost-effective and unscalable. Here, we spectroscopically demonstrate the glassy crystal state of 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol (AMP) to realize an affordable, easily manageable approach for thermal energy recycling. The supercooled state of AMP is so sensitive to pressure that even several megapascals can induce crystallization to the ordered crystal, resulting in a substantial temperature increase of 48 K within 20 s. Furthermore, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept device capable of programable heating with an extremely high work-to-heat conversion efficiency of ∼383. Such delicate and efficient tuning of heat may remarkably facilitate rational utilization of waste heat