Biomass-Derived Porous Carbon Materials for Supercapacitor

The fast consumption of fossil energy accompanied by the ever-worsening environment urge the development of a clean and novel energy storage system. As one of the most promising candidates, the supercapacitor owns unique advantages, and numerous electrodes materials have been exploited. Hence, biomass-derived porous carbon materials (BDPCs), at low cost, abundant and sustainable, with adjustable dimension, superb electrical conductivity, satisfactory specific surface area (SSA) and superior electrochemical stability have been attracting intense attention and highly trusted to be a capable candidate for supercapacitors. This review will highlight the recent lab-scale methods for preparing BDPCs, and analyze their effects on BDPCs' microstructure, electrical conductivity, chemical composition and electrochemical properties. Future research trends in this field also will be provided

Jammer Localization in Multihop Wireless Networks Based on Gravitational Search

Multihop Wireless Networks (MHWNs) can be easily attacked by the jammer for their shared nature and open access to the wireless medium. The jamming attack may prevent the normal communication through occupying the same wireless channel of legal nodes. It is critical to locate the jammer accurately, which may provide necessary message for the implementation of antijamming mechanisms. However, current range-free methods are sensitive to the distribution of nodes and parameters of the jammer. In order to improve the localization accuracy, this article proposes a jammer localization method based on Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA), which is a heuristic optimization evolutionary algorithm based on Newton’s law of universal gravitation and mass interactions. At first, the initial particles are selected randomly from the jammed area. Then, the fitness function is designed based on range-free method. At each iteration, the mass and position of the particles are updated. Finally, the position of particle with the maximum mass is considered as the estimated jammer’s position. A series of simulations are conducted to evaluate our proposed algorithms and the simulation results show that the GSA-based localization algorithm outperforms many state-of-the-art algorithms

Study on the Recycling of Nuclear Graphite after Micro-Oxidation

In this paper, a feasible strategy for the recycling of nuclear graphite is reported, based on the formation mechanism and the removal of carbon-14 by micro-oxidation. We investigated whether ground micro-oxidation graphite could be used as a filler to make new recycled graphite and which graphite/pitch coke ratio will give the recycled graphite outstanding properties (e.g., apparent density, flexural strength, compressive strength, and tensile strength). According to the existing properties of nuclear graphite, the ratio of graphite to pitch coke should not exceed 3. The recycled reactor graphite has been proven superior in density, strength, and thermal conductivity. The micro-oxidation process enhances the strength of the recycled graphite because there are more pores and unsmooth surfaces on the oxidized graphite particles, which is beneficial for the access of the pitch binder and leads to efficient joint adhesion among the graphite particles

Enhancing the corrosion resistance of the 2205 duplex stainless steel bipolar plates in PEMFCs environment by surface enriched molybdenum

Surface molybdenum enrichment on 2205 duplex stainless steel was obtained by the ball milling technique. The electrochemical results showed molybdenum enrichment on the surface of 2205 duplex stainless steel improved its corrosion resistance in a typical proton exchange membrane fuel cell environment. This was mainly attributed to higher molybdenum content in the passive film formed on 2205 duplex stainless steel after ball milling. The decreased donor and acceptor concentrations improved significantly the corrosion resistance of surface molybdenum-enriched 2205 duplex stainless steel bipolar plates in the simulated cathodic proton exchange membrane fuel cells environment. In addition, the interfacial contact resistance of the 2205 duplex stainless steel bipolar plates slightly decreased due to surface molybdenum enrichment. Keywords: Surfaces, Structural materials, Microstructure, X-ray diffractio

Theoretical Study Oxygen Reduction Activity of Phosphorus-doped Graphene Nanoribbons

Phosphorus-doped graphene is known to exhibit good electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). While the ORR activity of P-doped graphene nanoribbons (PGNR) is still unclear. Taking the common graphene nanoribbons with the edges of armchair as an example in this study, we research the mechanistic investigation of ORR on the PGNR under acidic electrolytic conditions by density functional theory (DFT). Based on the keen observation of the atomic charge distribution and adsorption energy at different sites, P atom in PGNR is considered to be the strongest adsorption site with oxygen. Detailed ORR mechanistic was deduced by the investigation of reaction heat, reaction barrier for each possible step and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Based on our calculations, when the contribution of the intermediate product to the ORR activity is not considered, PGNR does not possess the property as an ORR catalyst due to several high reaction barriers and some endothermic reactions for ORR path

Application of Quantum Dot Interface Modification Layer in Perovskite Solar Cells: Progress and Perspectives

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are currently attracting a great deal of attention for their excellent photovoltaic properties, with a maximum photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.5%, comparable to that of silicon-based solar cells. However, PSCs suffer from energy level mismatch, a large number of defects in perovskite films, and easy decomposition under ultraviolet (UV) light, which greatly limit the industrial application of PSCs. Currently, quantum dot (QD) materials are widely used in PSCs due to their properties, such as quantum size effect and multi-exciton effect. In this review, we detail the application of QDs as an interfacial layer to PSCs to optimize the energy level alignment between two adjacent layers, facilitate charge and hole transport, and also effectively assist in the crystallization of perovskite films and passivate defects on the film surface

Effects of Second Phases on Microstructure, Microhardness, and Corrosion Behavior of Mg-3Sn-(1Ca) Alloys

The effects of second phases on microstructure, microhardness, and corrosion behavior of aged Mg-3Sn (T3) and Mg-3Sn-1Ca (TX31) alloys are investigated systematically. The thermal stability of the CaMgSn phase is higher than that of the Mg2Sn phase, and the microstructure remains essentially unchanged in the TX31 alloy after solution treatment for 28 h at 733 K. The T3 alloy exhibits double age-hardening peaks; one is 54.9 ± 2.1 HV for 7 h, and the other is 57.4 ± 2.8 HV for 15 h. However, the microhardness quickly reaches a stable value with increasing aging times in the TX31 alloy due to the no change in CaMgSn phases. It was also found by electrochemical impedance spectra that the corrosion resistance of aged T3 alloy is superior to that of aged TX31 alloy, especially T3 alloy aged for 7 h. The corrosion film of aged T3 alloy is denser, which attributes to most of dissolved Sn in the α-Mg matrix and the formation of a small quantity of tiny Mg2Sn particles, and effectively prevents the occurrence of further corrosion of the Mg matrix. However, galvanic cells formed between α-Mg and CaMgSn phases accelerate the corrosion of aged TX31 alloy

The Protective Effect of <i>Marsdenia tenacissima</i> against Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity Mediated by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Apoptosis

Cisplatin (Cis) is considered to be one of the most effective drugs for killing cancer cells and remains a first-line chemotherapeutic agent. However, Cis’s multiple toxicities (especially nephrotoxicity) have limited its clinical use. Marsdenia tenacissima (Roxb.) Wight et Arn. (MT), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) employed extensively in China, not only enhances the antitumor effect in combination with Cis, but is also used for its detoxifying effect, as it reduces the toxic side effects of chemotherapy drugs. The aim of this study was to explore the therapeutic effect of MT on Cis-induced nephrotoxicity, along with its underlying mechanisms. In this study, liquid–mass spectrometry was performed to identify the complex composition of the extracts of MT. In addition, we measured the renal function, antioxidant enzymes, and inflammatory cytokines in mice with Cis-induced nephrotoxicity and conducted renal histology evaluations to assess renal injury. The expressions of the proteins related to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and apoptotic markers in renal tissues was detected by Western blotting (WB). MT treatment improved the renal function, decreased the mRNA expression of the inflammatory factors, and increased the antioxidant enzyme activity in mice. A better renal histology was observed after MT treatment. Further, MT inhibited the expression of the phospho-NFκB p65 protein/NFκB p65 protein (p-p65)/p65, phospho-inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B kinase beta subunit/inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B kinase beta subunit (p-IKKβ/IKKβ), Bcl-2-associated X (Bax), and Cleaved Caspase 3/Caspase 3 proteins, while the expression of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Recombinant NADH Dehydrogenase, Quinone 1 (NQO1), and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) was increased. The present study showed that MT ameliorated renal injury, which mainly occurs through the regulation of the Nrf2 pathway, the NF-κB pathway, and the suppression of renal tissue apoptosis. It also suggests that MT can be used as an adjuvant to mitigate the nephrotoxicity of Cis chemotherapy

Hierarchical porous calcium carbonate microspheres as drug delivery vector

CaCO3 crystals with different hierarchical structure were fabricated by the precipitation of CaCO3 in an aqueous solution containing guar gum (GG). Through adjusting a range of parameters, the size distribution and micro-structure of CaCO3 were well controlled. Results showed that GG facilitated the formation of the hierarchical hollow sphere through assembling of nanocrystals, while inhibited the growth of CaCO3 crystals and restrained phase transition from calcite to vaterite at high concentration of GG (CGG) condition; Moreover, increasing reaction temperature led to larger particles and stable crystalline phase formed. According to the results, a morphology map was presented. Furthermore, Drug loading and releasing results ensured porous CaCO3 microspheres a promising vector for drug delivery