Hierarchical mesoporous NiO nanosheet arrays as integrated electrode for hybrid sodium-air batteries. - In: Ceramics international, ISSN 1873-3956, Bd. 49 (2023), 13, S. 21355-21362
Attributed to its environmental friendliness, high theoretical energy density, and abundant sodium resource, rechargeable hybrid sodium-air batteries (HSABs) are expected to become a promising pioneer of the new-generation green energy storage device. However, HSABs suffer from the high voltage gap, low energy conversion efficiency, and poor cycle stability due to the low catalytic activity of catalysts caused by the degradation of polymer binders. Herein, hierarchical mesoporous NiO nanosheet arrays grown on carbon papers (CP) (NiO NACP) were synthesized by a facile and efficient hydrothermal route and calcination process, which acts as an integrated electrode for HSABs. Compared with traditional air electrodes that contain a polymer binder and conductive carbon, the integrated NiO NA@CP electrode prevents the aggregation of catalysts, improves the electronic conductivity by good electric contact and ensures its robust mechanical stability. In addition, NiO NA@CP electrode with the abundant porosity and large specific area offers plenty of active sites and shortens ion transfer length and rapid mass transport in ORR/OER process, leading to excellent oxygen catalytic activities. HSABs with NiO NA@CP electrode show a low overpotential of 0.65 V, a state-of-the-art power density (7.53 mW cm^-2), as well as an excellent cyclability of 170 cycles (over 170 h) at a current density of 0.1 mA cm^-2.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2023.03.264
Behavioral theory for stochastic systems? : A data-driven journey from Willems to Wiener and back again. - In: Annual reviews in control, ISSN 1872-9088, Bd. 55 (2023), S. 92-117
The fundamental lemma by Jan C. Willems and co-workers is deeply rooted in behavioral systems theory and it has become one of the supporting pillars of the recent progress on data-driven control and system analysis. This tutorial-style paper combines recent insights into stochastic and descriptor-system formulations of the lemma to further extend and broaden the formal basis for behavioral theory of stochastic linear systems. We show that series expansions - in particular Polynomial Chaos Expansions (PCE) of L2-random variables, which date back to Norbert Wiener’s seminal work - enable equivalent behavioral characterizations of linear stochastic systems. Specifically, we prove that under mild assumptions the behavior of the dynamics of the L2-random variables is equivalent to the behavior of the dynamics of the series expansion coefficients and that it entails the behavior composed of sampled realization trajectories. We also illustrate the short-comings of the behavior associated to the time-evolution of the statistical moments. The paper culminates in the formulation of the stochastic fundamental lemma for linear time-invariant systems, which in turn enables numerically tractable formulations of data-driven stochastic optimal control combining Hankel matrices in realization data (i.e. in measurements) with PCE concepts.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arcontrol.2023.03.005
NMR and GPC analysis of alkyd resins: influence of synthesis method, vegetable oil and polyol content. - In: Polymers, ISSN 2073-4360, Bd. 15 (2023), 9, 1993, S. 1-14
Alkyd resins are oil-based polymers that have been widely used for generations in the surface coating industry and beyond. Characterization of these resins is of high importance to understand the influence of its components on its behavior, compatibility with other resins, and final quality to ensure high durability. Here, NMR spectroscopy and GPC were used for characterizing differences in the chemical structure, molecular distribution, and dispersity between oil-based and fatty acid-based alkyd polymers made from sacha inchi and linseed oils. Sancha inchi (Plukentia volubilis L.) is a fruit-bearing plant native to South America and the Caribbean, and has a rich unsaturated fatty acid content. The effect of vegetable oil and polyol selection on the synthesis of alkyd resins for coating applications was analyzed. The influence of two different synthesis methods, monoglyceride and fatty acid processes, was also compared. Important structural differences were observed using NMR: one-dimensional spectra revealed the degree of unsaturated fatty acid chains along the polyester backbone, whereas, 2D NMR experiments facilitated chemical shift assignments of all signals. GPC analysis suggested that alkyd resins with homogeneous and high molecular weights can be obtained with the fatty acid process, and that resins containing pentaerythritol may have uniform chain lengths.
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15091993
Integration of cointercalation and adsorption enabling superior rate performance of carbon anodes for symmetric sodium-ion capacitors. - In: ACS applied materials & interfaces, ISSN 1944-8252, Bd. 15 (2023), 20, S. 24459-24469
Carbon materials have been the most common anodes for sodium-ion storage. However, it is well-known that most carbon materials cannot obtain a satisfactory rate performance because of the sluggish kinetics of large-sized sodium-ion intercalation in ordered carbon layers. Here, we propose an integration of co-intercalation and adsorption instead of conventional simplex-intercalation and adsorption to promote the rate capability of sodium-ion storage in carbon materials. The experiment was demonstrated by using a typical carbon material, reduced graphite oxide (RGO400) in an ether-solvent electrolyte. The ordered and disordered carbon layers efficiently store solvated sodium ions and simplex sodium ions, which endows RGO400 with enhanced reversible capacity (403 mA h g^-1 at 50 mA g^-1 after 100 cycles) and superior rate performance (166 mA h g^-1 at 20 A g^-1). Furthermore, a symmetric sodium-ion capacitor was demonstrated by employing RGO400 as both the anode and cathode. It exhibits a high energy density of 48 W h g^-1 at a very high power density of 10,896 W kg^-1. This work updates the sodium-ion storage mechanism and provides a rational strategy to realize high rate capability for carbon electrode materials.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c02404
Coupling of photonic and plasmonic modes for double nanowire cavities. - In: Photonics, ISSN 2304-6732, Bd. 10 (2023), 4, 415, S. 1-11
We analyze the coupling between double nanowire cavities for both photonic modes and plasmonic modes. When the spacing between nanowires reduces, a redshift of the resonant frequency of the symmetric mode and a blueshift of the resonant frequency of the antisymmetric mode are observed. Compared to single nanowire cavity modes, the Q factors of antisymmetric supermodes of double nanowires can be improved by 51% for photonic modes and by 24% for plasmonic modes. The mechanisms of Q factor improvement for photonic modes and plasmonic modes are studied based on the field distribution of radiations from the modes. This paper may contribute to research and applications for double nanowire lasers and nanowire laser arrays.
https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics10040415
Data-driven forecasting of nonequilibrium solid-state dynamics. - In: Physical review, ISSN 2469-9969, Bd. 107 (2023), 18, 184306, S. 184306-1-184306-18
We present a data-driven approach to efficiently approximate nonlinear transient dynamics in solid-state systems. Our proposed machine-learning model combines a dimensionality reduction stage with a nonlinear vector autoregression scheme. We report an outstanding time-series forecasting performance combined with an easy-to-deploy model and an inexpensive training routine. Our results are of great relevance as they have the potential to massively accelerate multiphysics simulation software and thereby guide the future development of solid-state-based technologies.
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.107.184306
Recent progress and future prospect of novel multi-ion storage devices. - In: Journal of semiconductors, ISSN 2058-6140, Bd. 44 (2023), 4, 040201, S. 1-5
https://doi.org/10.1088/1674-4926/44/4/040201
Contractible edges in longest cycles. - In: Journal of graph theory, ISSN 1097-0118, Bd. 103 (2023), 3, S. 542-563
https://doi.org/10.1002/jgt.22935
From a wide band gap to the superconducting proximity effect: Fe on Pb(111). - In: New journal of physics, ISSN 1367-2630, Bd. 25 (2023), 3, 033036, insges. 1-15 S.
Epitaxially grown Fe nanostructures on Pb(111) were studied by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. The deposited Fe assemblies are classified into two groups according to their electronic behavior close to the Fermi energy. One group exhibits a wide energy gap of 0.7 eV that is independent of the temperature ranging from 5 K to room temperature. These Fe islands indicate the absence of the superconductivity proximity effect in their interior. The other group shows a metallic behavior at the Fermi level. The substrate superconducting phase locally enters into these islands, which is evidenced by a sharp resonance at the Fermi energy presumably signaling Andreev reflection at the magnet-superconductor interface.
https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/acc607
Three-dimensional MoS2 nanosheet structures: CVD synthesis, characterization, and electrical properties. - In: Crystals, ISSN 2073-4352, Bd. 13 (2023), 3, 448, S. 1-14
The proposed study demonstrates a single-step CVD method for synthesizing three-dimensional vertical MoS2 nanosheets. The postulated synthesizing approach employs a temperature ramp with a continuous N2 gas flow during the deposition process. The distinctive signals of MoS2 were revealed via Raman spectroscopy study, and the substantial frequency difference in the characteristic signals supported the bulk nature of the synthesized material. Additionally, XRD measurements sustained the material’s crystallinity and its 2H-MoS2 nature. The FIB cross-sectional analysis provided information on the origin and evolution of the vertical MoS2 structures and their growth mechanisms. The strain energy produced by the compression between MoS2 islands is assumed to primarily drive the formation of vertical MoS2 nanosheets. In addition, vertical MoS2 structures that emerge from micro fissures (cracks) on individual MoS2 islands were observed and examined. For the evaluation of electrical properties, field-effect transistor structures were fabricated on the synthesized material employing standard semiconductor technology. The lateral back-gated field-effect transistors fabricated on the synthesized material showed an n-type behavior with field-effect mobility of 1.46 cm2 V^-1 s^-1 and an estimated carrier concentration of 4.5 × 10^12 cm^-2. Furthermore, the effects of a back-gate voltage bias and channel dimensions on the hysteresis effect of FET devices were investigated and quantified.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst13030448