Novel processing routes for oxide cathode emission materials

An investigation has been carried out into the production of the alkaline earth carbonate and oxide powders and coatings suitable as cathode emission materials by the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDT A) gel method for potential application as cathode emission materials. The emission performance of thermionic cathodes coated with these materials has been measured, and found to give encouraging results, comparable with conventionally prepared oxide emission materials, despite the former having not been optimised. Amorphous gels of composition Ca-EDTA, Sr-EDTA, Ba-EDTA, [SrO.5 Bao.5J-EDTA and [SrO.5 Bao.5 Cao.05J-EDTA were successfully prepared from aqueous solutions of alkaline earth nitrates and EDT A. Subsequently, the thermal decomposition of the gels and the effects of temperature and atmospheres on the decomposition have been studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The gels and the powders derived from calcination of these gels at different temperatures have been characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) , X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with X-ray energy dispersive (EDX) spectroscopy. Coatings prepared by dip-coating, spraying and electrophoretic deposition (EPD) from the EDT A-sols have been characterised by FTIR, XRI> and SEM techniques. In addition, an attempt was made to study the coating of the colloidal particles in the suspension of methanolethanediol- EDTA sol by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

High Performance Lithium–Sulfur Batteries with a Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Carbon Aerogel Modified Separator

Carbon-based aerogel prepared via direct conversion of natural biomass has wide application prospects in the environment and energy field. Herein, the sustainable and environmentally friendly porous carbon aerogel is prepared through hydrothermal treatment, freeze-drying, and postpyrolysis using sweet potato as the precursor. The as-prepared carbon aerogel is used to modify the commercial separator of lithium–sulfur batteries to solve the problems of poor cycle life and low utilization rate of active substances. The carbon aerogel coating can not only suppress the shuttle effect of the polysulfide intermediates during cycling and reduce the cell resistance but also act as an upper current collector to increase the utilization rate of sulfur. The cell with carbon aerogel modified separator exhibits high electrochemical performance. The results show that the initial discharge capacity is 1216 mAh/g at 0.1 C and the reversible discharge capacity retains 431 mAh/g after 1000 cycles at 1 C with the Coulombic efficiency over 95.3%

Effects of different treatments on blood counts and routine biochemical parameters.

<p>(Compared to the normal saline group: **P<0.01;*P<0.05)</p><p>(Compared to the As₂O₃ injection and albumin-bound As₂O₃ groups: △△P<0.01)</p><p>Effects of different treatments on blood counts and routine biochemical parameters.</p

Bladder weights and inhibitory rates observed in 4 BALB/c-nu mice (%).

<p>(Compared with the normal saline group: **P<0.01)</p><p>Bladder weights and inhibitory rates observed in 4 BALB/c-nu mice (%).</p

Albumin-bound As₂O₃ microscopy images and Laser Diffraction Size Analyzer.

<p>(a), (b) Show albumin-bound As₂O_<b>3</b> microscopy images by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope respectively. (c) Laser Diffraction Size Analyzer showed the particle size of albumin-bound As₂O_<b>3</b>.</p

Simulation of drug pathway by internal iliac arterial infusion.

<p>(a, b) Ink was injected into aorta abdominalis of the BALB/c-nu mice and the bladder artery was clearly. (c) After cutting the bladder, the main branches filled ink was clearly manifested within the artery of bladder mucous membrane. (d) The BALB/c-nu mice pelvic X-ray plain film was showed and it was lower density in pelvic region. (e) Imaging showed that contrast was concentrated in the pelvic blood vessels and bladder region after a contrast medium of iopromide was injected.</p

Color Doppler and MRI detection of bladder cancer.

<p>(a) The color Doppler ultra-wide-range linear-array transducer with frequency 12 MHz was used to scan the bladder of BALB/c-nu mice. (b) Color Doppler showed bladder filled well and thickening of the bladder wall. (c, d) MRI detected thickening of the bladder wall and various degrees of bladder filling defects.</p

Establishment and treatment methods of BALB/c-nu mouse model of invasive bladder carcinoma.

<p>(a) Insert the hard elbow urinary catheter into the bladder to determine the surgical incision. (b) Cut the abdominal wall layer by layer. (c) Inject tumor cells into the bladder wall. (d) Suture the incision with 4–0 nylon. (e) Inject the drugs into the abdominal aorta of the BALB/c-nu mouse by using a 1 mL insulin syringe.</p

Mechanism on the Improved Performance of Lithium Sulfur Batteries with MXene-Based Additives

The loss of sulfur in the cathode of a lithium sulfur battery (LSB) severely hinders the practical application of LSBs, and so do the insulativity of S and its lithiation end products. The incorporation of MXene can significantly improve the performance of LSBs; however, the underlying mechanism at the atomic scale has not been deeply explored. In the present work, by using density functional theory calculations, we systemically studied the interactions of lithium (poly)­sulfides (Li₂S_<i>m</i>) on Ti-based bare MXenes (Ti_<i>n</i>X_<i>n</i>–1) and surface functionalized Ti₂C with −F, −O, and −OH groups. Through analyzing the geometric and electronic structures, binding energies, and deformation charge densities of Li₂S_<i>m</i> adsorbed MXenes, we found that the strong Ti–S bonds dominate the interactions between Li₂S<i>_m</i> and MXenes. The strong Coulombic interactions help cathodes to confine S from dissolution. Besides, the conductivities of MXenes and Li₂S<i>_m</i>@MXenes are beneficial for the overall performance of the LSB. These will provide in-depth theoretical guidance support for the utilization of MXene in LSBs

High-Quality AZO/Au/AZO Sandwich Film with Ultralow Optical Loss and Resistivity for Transparent Flexible Electrodes

Transparent flexible electrodes are in ever-growing demand for modern stretchable optoelectronic devices, such as display technologies, solar cells, and smart windows. Such sandwich-film-electrodes deposited on polymer substrates are unattainable because of the low quality of the films, inducing a relatively large optical loss and resistivity as well as a difficulty in elucidating the interference behavior of light. In this article, we report a high-quality AZO/Au/AZO sandwich film with excellent optoelectronic performance, e.g., an average transmittance of about 81.7% (including the substrate contribution) over the visible range, a sheet resistance of 5 Ω/sq, and a figure-of-merit (FoM) factor of ∼55.1. These values are well ahead of those previously reported for sandwich-film-electrodes. Additionally, the interference behaviors of light modulated by the coat and metal layers have been explored with the employment of transmittance spectra and numerical simulations. In particular, a heater device based on an AZO/Au/AZO sandwich film exhibits high performance such as short response time (∼5 s) and uniform temperature field. This work provides a deep insight into the improvement of the film quality of the sandwich electrodes and the design of high-performance transparent flexible devices by the application of a flexible substrate with an atomically smooth surface