Ionically conducting inorganic binders: a paradigm shift in electrochemical energy storage

Among the key components in batteries, binders play a vital role by interconnecting active materials and conductive additives and facilitating the coating of electrode materials on the desired substrates thus enabling the flexible fabrication of batteries. Further, they aid in buffering volume changes that arise in electrode materials and enhance their cycling stability. Presently, polyvinylidene fluoride-based binders are employed widely, despite their high cost, non-eco-friendliness, and energy inefficiency. Several water processable binders have been investigated as alternatives, but they suffer from various intrinsic issues. Here, we reveal the potential of several ionically conducting inorganic binders (ICIBs). These ICIBs are not only ionically conducting, but also water processable, chemically compatible, eco-friendly, low-cost, thermally stable (>1000 °C), emission-free, and importantly, safe to use. These inorganic binders outperformed standard polyvinylidene fluoride-based binders in several aspects. Surprisingly, ICIBs are absorbing the exothermic heat evolved by charged cathode materials at high temperatures, which will significantly enhance the safety of the batteries. The unique intrinsic ionic conductive properties combined with binding abilities enabled the flexible processing and functioning of solid-state batteries, otherwise challenging due to the mechanical rigidity, chemical incompatibility, and interfacial issues posed by solid electrolytes. The inorganic binders introduced here will make battery manufacturing and recycling more energy-efficient, eco-friendly, flexible, safe, and above all, cost-effective

The first example of heterogeneous oxidation of secondary amines by tungstate-exchanged Mg-Al layered double hydroxides: a green protocol

Tungstate exchanged Mg-Al layered double hydroxides a as recyclable heterogenised catalyst along with H2O2 as an oxidant for the oxidation of sec-amines to nitrones is developed for the first time, Reactions proceed at a fast rate in aqueous media in a single step at room temperature in good to excellent yields. The heterogenised catalyst showed higher activity (TOF) over their homogeneous analogues and other heterogeneous catalysts reported so far. The obtained catalysts were well characterised by various instrumental techniques such as FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TGA and DTA), powder XRD and chemical analysis. The catalyst can be reused for six cycles with consistent activity and selectivity

Deep Learning CNN for Detecting Malicious Social Bots

The Public are considerably using the various types of online social networks (OSNs) and it isbecome more common in people’s social life. Thus, the users are facing spam relate issues andfake accounts due to Out-of-controlOSNs evolution, due to these attacks users personalinformation is remains unsafe. To solve these problems, various types of machine learningalgorithms are proposed by the various Researchers.But these methods are failed to detect thebots, spam detection and fake accounts detection effectively with maximum accuracy. Thus, thispaper proposes to use the Deep Learning Convolutional Neural Network (DLCNN)as a modernalgorithm to effectively identify suspected ClickstreamSequences and bots, to add choices and torestrict measurements. The classification mastering algorithmis used to determine the actual orfalse identity of target fake accounts. From the extensive simulation results, it is observed thatthe proposed DLCNN consumes less training time and provides highest classification accuracycompared to the state of art approaches

Micron-sized single-crystal cathodes for sodium-ion batteries

Confining the particle-electrolyte interactions to the particle surface in electrode materials is vital to develop sustainable and safe batteries. Micron-sized single-crystal particles offer such opportunities. Owing to the reduced surface area and grain boundary-free core, particle-electrolyte interactions in micron-sized single-crystal particles will be confined to the particle surface. Here, we reveal the potential of such materials in sodium-ion batteries. We synthesized and investigated the chemical, electrochemical, and thermal properties of single-crystalline P2-type Na(0.7)Mn(0.9)Mg(0.1)O(2) as a cathode material for sodium-ion batteries. Single-crystalline Na(0.7)Mn(0.9)Mg(0.1)O(2) with a mean particle size of 8.1 μm exhibited high cycling and voltage stability. In addition, the exothermic heat released by the charged single-crystal Na(0.7)Mn(0.9)Mg(0.1)O(2) cathodes was four times lower than that of the corresponding polycrystalline Na(0.7)Mn(0.9)Mg(0.1)O(2). This significantly enhances the thermal stability of electrode materials and possibly mitigates thermal runaways in batteries. Surprisingly, single crystals of Na(0.7)Mn(0.9)Mg(0.1)O(2) were relatively stable in water and ambient atmosphere

Henry reactions catalysed by modified Mg-Al hydrotalcite: an efficient reusable solid base for selective synthesis of β-nitroalkanols

Henry reactions have been performed for the first time with suitably activated Mg-Al hydrotalcite as catalyst in quantitative yields in the liquid phase under mild reaction conditions and with low reaction times. Exclusive synthesis of β-nitroalkanols (3) is realised by the compatible basic Bronsted hydroxy sites of the modified hydrotalcite. Reusability with consistent activity and selectivity for a number of cycles is established indicating that the hydrated hydrotalcite employed here is a potentially eco-friendly catalyst which can replace soluble bases in commercial synthesis

Prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a South Indian rural community

Background: To estimate the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in a rural south Indian community and to evaluate the association between metformin use and prevalent vitamin B12 deficiency in people with T2DM stratified by oral vitamin B12 supplementation.Methods: Using a cross sectional study design, a random sample of people with T2DM (N=438) was recruited from a rural community. Vitamin B12 deficiency was defined as serum B12 ≤200pg/ml. Data on metformin dose, duration of use, oral vitamin B12 supplementation, and diet were collected. Laboratory measurements included complete blood count, tests for hepatic, renal, and thyroid function, as well as serum vitamin B12 levels and HbA1c.Results: The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in people with T2DM was 11.2% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 8.2%-14.1%). The odds of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients receiving a metformin dose of 2 grams/day were 4 times higher compared to those receiving ≤1 gram/day, after adjusting for oral B12 supplementation (odds ratio 4.2;95% CI 1.5-11.8). The odds of vitamin B12 deficiency in those taking metformin and receiving oral vitamin B12 supplementation were lower compared to those on metformin and not receiving vitamin B12 supplementation (adjusted odds ratio 0.20; 95% CI 0.06-0.70).Conclusions: Vitamin B12 deficiency affects 1 in 10 people with T2DM, is associated with higher dose metformin use, and oral vitamin B12 supplementation mitigates B12 deficiency in this group

Genetic divergence in germplasm collections of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)

Fifty four turmeric (Curcuma longa) cultivars were evaluated at Jagtial (Andhra Pradesh) by subjecting to D2 statistic to assess the genetic diversity available in the cultivars. The D2 analysis showed wide diversity among the cultivars and they were grouped into six clusters. Inter-cluster distance values also showed wide genetic divergence among the cultivars. Based on cluster-mean values, the cultivars PTS-38 and Duggirala in cluster I (high cured yield), PCT-5 and PCT-8 in cluster III (high curcumin, essential oil and oleoresin contents) and PCT-13, PCT-14 and PCT-10 in cluster IV (short duration, medium yield with good curcumin content) were identified as potential parents for future breeding programmes. &nbsp

Cloud vertical structure over a tropical station obtained using long-term high-resolution radiosonde measurements

Cloud vertical structure, including top and base altitudes, thickness of cloud layers, and the vertical distribution of multilayer clouds, affects large-scale atmosphere circulation by altering gradients in the total diabatic heating and cooling and latent heat release. In this study, long-term (11 years) observations of high-vertical-resolution radiosondes are used to obtain the cloud vertical structure over a tropical station at Gadanki (13.5°&thinsp;N, 79.2°&thinsp;E), India. The detected cloud layers are verified with independent observations using cloud particle sensor (CPS) sonde launched from the same station. High-level clouds account for 69.05&thinsp;%, 58.49&thinsp;%, 55.5&thinsp;%, and 58.6&thinsp;% of all clouds during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon, and winter seasons, respectively. The average cloud base (cloud top) altitudes for low-level, middle-level, high-level, and deep convective clouds are 1.74&thinsp;km (3.16&thinsp;km), 3.59&thinsp;km (5.55&thinsp;km), 8.79&thinsp;km (10.49&thinsp;km), and 1.22&thinsp;km (11.45&thinsp;km), respectively. Single-layer, two-layer, and three-layer clouds account for 40.80&thinsp;%, 30.71&thinsp;%, and 19.68&thinsp;% of all cloud configurations, respectively. Multilayer clouds occurred more frequently during the monsoon with 34.58&thinsp;%. Maximum cloud top altitude and cloud thickness occurred during the monsoon season for single-layer clouds and the uppermost layer of multiple-layer cloud configurations. In multilayer cloud configurations, diurnal variations in the thickness of upper-layer clouds are larger than those of lower-layer clouds. Heating and cooling in the troposphere and lower stratosphere due to these cloud layers are also investigated and peak cooling (peak warming) is found below (above) the cold-point tropopause (CPT) altitude. The magnitude of cooling (warming) increases from single-layer to four- or more-layer cloud occurrence. Further, the vertical structure of clouds is also studied with respect to the arrival date of the Indian summer monsoon over Gadanki.</p

Studies on atmospheric gravity wave activity in the troposphere and lower stratosphere over a tropical station at Gadanki

MST radars are powerful tools to study the mesosphere, stratosphere and troposphere and have made considerable contributions to the studies of the dynamics of the upper, middle and lower atmosphere. Atmospheric gravity waves play a significant role in controlling middle and upper atmospheric dynamics. To date, frontal systems, convection, wind shear and topography have been thought to be the sources of gravity waves in the troposphere. All these studies pointed out that it is very essential to understand the generation, propagation and climatology of gravity waves. In this regard, several campaigns using Indian MST Radar observations have been carried out to explore the gravity wave activity over Gadanki in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere. The signatures of the gravity waves in the wind fields have been studied in four seasons viz., summer, monsoon, post-monsoon and winter. The large wind fluctuations were more prominent above 10 km during the summer and monsoon seasons. The wave periods are ranging from 10 min-175 min. The power spectral densities of gravity waves are found to be maximum in the stratospheric region. The vertical wavelength and the propagation direction of gravity waves were determined using hodograph analysis. The results show both down ward and upward propagating waves with a maximum vertical wave length of 3.3 km. The gravity wave associated momentum fluxes show that long period gravity waves carry more momentum flux than the short period waves and this is presented

Heterogeneous microbial oceanographic environments: Application of GIS technology in deciphering of microenvironment scenarios off the central west coast of India

In the vast oceanic microbial environment of 2468.83km 2, GIS modeling techniques involving sixty query steps, enabled the deciphering of Microenvironments as low as 1.19km 2 to 38.6 km 2 for the summer of 2004 and in case of summer 2005 where 84 query steps were involved to decipher Microenvironments of 10.55km 2 to 25.94km 2. Thirtythree sampling stations were established between Betul to Ankola off the central west coast of India accounting for a spatial coverage of 2468.83km 2. GIS query-modeling investigation was carried out using spatial layers of depth, optical parameters (k-Irradiance attenuation Coefficient, c-Beam attenuation coefficient), sediment size parameters (Sediment Mean Size and Sediment Sorting) and Benthic Foraminifera Suborders (Rotaliina, Textulariina, Miliolina, Lagenina). Foraminifera have been used as a surrogate parameter. However, any microbial parameter could proxy for foraminifers providing for the numerical deciphering of microenvironments. This is suggestive of the assimilation of GIS technology for a better appreciation of microbial oceanography