batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
The evaluation of floating currents is a powerful method to characterize capacity fade induced by calendaric aging and enables a highly resolved representation of the Arrhenius relation. The test arrangement is simple and could constitute a cheap alternative to state-of-the-art calendaric aging tests including check-up tests. Therefore the currents to maintain a constant voltage are evaluated. This method is validated by analyzing nine cylindrical 8 Ah LiFePO4|Graphite battery cells during calendaric aging at 25 °C, 40 °C and 60 °C at 3.6 V (100% SOC). The 3.6 V are kept by applying constant voltage while the floating currents are logged. The floating currents correlate with the rate of capacity loss measured during capacity tests. The floating currents reveal to be rather constant at 25 °C, linearly increasing at 40 °C and decreasing from a higher level at 60 °C. Additional tests with three test cells, with the temperature rising from 40 to 60 °C in steps of 5 K, exhibit non-constant currents starting from 50 °C on with high variations amongst the tested cells. Once stored above 50 °C, the cells exhibit increased floating currents compared to the measurement at the same temperature before exceeding 50 °C.
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) offer the potential to reduce both oil imports and greenhouse gas emissions, but high upfront costs discourage many potential purchasers. Making an economic comparison with conventional alternatives is complicated in part by strong sensitivity to drive patterns, vehicle range, and charge strategies that affect vehicle utilization and battery wear. Identifying justifiable battery replacement schedules and sufficiently accounting for the limited range of a BEV add further complexity to the issue. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed the Battery Ownership Model to address these and related questions. The Battery Ownership Model is applied here to examine the sensitivity of BEV economics to drive patterns, vehicle range, and charge strategies when a high-fidelity battery degradation model, financially justified battery replacement schedules, and two different means of accounting for a BEV's unachievable vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are employed. We find that the value of unachievable VMT with a BEV has a strong impact on the cost-optimal range, charge strategy, and battery replacement schedule; that the overall cost competitiveness of a BEV is highly sensitive to vehicle-specific drive patterns; and that common cross-sectional drive patterns do not provide consistent representation of the relative cost of a BEV.
A new method for chemical deposition of NiO x H y -based films was developed. The films obtained have electrochromic properties and good adhesion to the substrate. The precursor sol consists of an alcoholic solution of NiCl2 and Ti alcoxide. Films deposited on indium–tin-oxide substrates were prepared by dip coating. The electrochromic efficiency of thin films prepared under different conditions was determined. We report on the effects of (a) Ni concentration, (b) Ti content and (c) temperature of firing on the electrochromic efficiency. Electrochromic efficiencies measured at λ=632.8 nm of films with different thicknesses (∼100–200 nm) range from 10 to 42 cm2 C−1, with a variation in transmittance up to 30%. The colouring response time is strongly dependent on Ti content. For Ti-doped films this time is 5–80 times longer than for undoped ones. The variations in monochromatic transmittance during voltammetric cycles suggest that all the electric charge consumed by redox reactions is involved in the colouring process.
Stainless steel is quite attractive as bipolar plate material for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Passive film on stainless steel protects the bulk of it from corrosion. However, passive film is composed of mixed metal oxides and causes a decrease in the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) between the bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer. Low ICR and high corrosion resistance are both required. In order to impart low ICR to stainless steel (SUS304), carbon-coating was prepared by using plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition. Carbon-coated SUS304 was characterized by Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Anodic polarization behavior under PEFC operating conditions (H2SO4 solution bubbled with H2 (anode)/O2 (cathode) containing 2ppm HF at 80°C) was examined. Based on the results of the ICR evaluated before and after anodic polarization, the potential for using carbon-coated SUS304 as bipolar plate material for PEFC was discussed.
Cerebellar volume declines with aging. Few studies have investigated age differences in regional cerebellar volume (RCV) and their association with motor and cognitive function. In 213 healthy older adults, we investigated the association of age with motor skills, cognition and RCV. Subsequently, we studied the association of RCV with motor skills and cognition. RCVs were derived from T1-weighted MRI scans using the automated SUIT segmentation method and clustered using principal component analysis (PCA). Motor skill (manual dexterity, tapping speed, bimanual visuomotor coordination, grip force) and cognition (mental rotation, verbal memory, inhibition, mental flexibility) were assessed. Behavioral measures were clustered into compounds using PCA: left hand motor skill, right hand motor skill, verbal memory and mental flexibility, and mental rotation & inhibition. Volume of the rostral middle frontal gyri (rMFG) and premotor areas (PMA) were related to performance for reference. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and education. Volume of the cerebellar anterior lobe and top of the superior posterior lobe were positively associated with motor skill. Volume of the bottom part of the posterior superior lobe and the inferior posterior lobe was positively associated with cognition. PMA volume was associated with cognition and motor skill and rMFG volume with motor skill. Although these results did not survive FDR correction, their effect sizes suggest that regional cerebellar volume selectively contributes to cognitive and motor skill. Effect sizes of cerebellar associations with performance were similar to those of rMFG/PMA and performance suggesting parallel contributions to performance.
As a conversion-type active material, we investigated the electrochemical properties and the discharge-charge reaction mechanisms of a TiF3 having the same symmetry as FeF3. First, the insertion reaction of TiF3 proceeded at an average voltage of 2.0 V. Once the voltage of the conversion reaction declined to 0.5 V, the generated metallic Ti was indexed to a cubic system with the Im-3m space group, which is different from the stable structure of metallic Ti with the P63/mmc space group. Moreover, upon recharging to 4.0 V after the conversion reaction, the structure had an amorphous phase of LixTiF3. It is known that, on the first discharge, FeF3 first shows a reversible insertion reaction with 1 Li and then a conversion reaction with the other 2 Li. These results demonstrated that TiF3 had the following overall discharge-charge reaction, which was distinct from that of FeF3: TiF3 + 3Li → 3LiF + Ti ⇄ (3-x)Li+ + LixTiF3 (amorphous phase).
The purpose of this paper is to develop novel molten salts based on sulfonium, thiophenium, and thioxonium cations as electrolytes for EDLCs. We evaluated various kinds of the salts, with tetrafluoroborate (BF4) and bis(trifluorometanesulfonyl)amide (TFSA) anions, including several kinds of ionic liquids. The cell using the electrolyte containing diethylmethylsulfonium (DEMS)–BF4 salt had the higher capacitance and the lower DC-IR value than those containing conventional salts such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMI)–BF4 and N,N,N-triethyl-N-methylammonium (TEMA)–BF4 at 243K and 2V. The capacitance and DC-IR at low temperature depended strongly on the structure, particularly on the size of each ion. We also examined the durability of cells by continuous charging at 333K and 2.5V. The stabilities of sulfonium-, thiophenium-, and thioxonium-based electrolytes were much inferior to that of EMI–BF4.
Hybrid wind-photovoltaic stand-alone systems have proven to be suitable to electrify isolated communities autonomously. Moreover, the use of a combination of microgrids and individual systems has been demonstrated to be very adequate. There are a few tools to assist their design but they only consider economical and technical characteristics. However, the management of the system and the security of supply, both at a community level, are key aspects to design appropriate electrification systems for end-users, thus ensuring projects' long-term sustainability, especially in rural areas of developing countries. In this context, this paper develops a mathematical model to optimise the design of wind-photovoltaic projects combining microgrids and individual systems, and including the aforesaid key issues as constraints. Thus, the aim is to minimise the cost while meeting the technical but also the management and the security of supply constraints. Finally a validation is carried out in the real community of Alto Peru (Peru), proving that the two studied aspects allow obtaining electrification solutions with some benefits that strongly compensate the obtained slight cost increases.
The quality of coke affects the performance of the blast furnace, factors affecting coke quality include coal properties, coal charge granulometry and carbonization conditions. The coke properties include the size analysis, cold strength (Micum Indices-M40, M10) and hot strength (Coke Reactivity Index-CRI, Coke Strength after Reaction-CSR) properties and structural properties such as coke structure and texture. Structural properties comprise the porosity, pore-cell wall thickness and pore sizes, while textures consist of the carbon forms in the coke. In present work, advanced method such as image analysis method was used to interpret coke microstructure. Conventional methods such as determination of coke porosity by measurement of real and apparent density and mercury porosimetry have a number of limitations. Coke size, magnification, number of image frames captured, process of pellet preparations and coke properties such as M40, M10, CRI and CSR (low, medium and high values) were taken as variables for experimental purposes. The coke structure parameters such as porosity, length, perimeter, breadth, roundness, pore-wall thickness and pore size distribution of the pores were determined by image analysis method. This method provided average porosity in addition to pore-wall thickness and pore-size distribution. The pore wall thickness measurement by image analysis method provided significant correlations with M40, CRI and CSR values. This explained the usability of image analysis for coke structure measurement.
Combining semiconductor photocatalysts with carbon nanostructures has been extensively investigated due to their enhanced photochemical conversion activity. While many nanocomposite synthesis methods have been reported, the emerging use of photocatalytic reactions in synthesizing these carbon-based semiconductor composites and even pure carbon nanomaterials is increasingly capturing the attention of the research community. Being categorized under photocatalysis, these carbon-based nanomaterials are designed by either utilizing the conduction band electron or valence band hole of a photocatalyst. This perspective surveys the literature, discusses the principle of the method and highlights the recent progress in the development of this synthetic method. Ongoing challenges and new possible solutions encountered in this research area are outlined.
Because of its high theoretical capacity, MnSe has been identified as a promising candidate as the anode material for sodium-ion batteries. However, its fast capacity deterioration due to the huge volume change during the intercalation/deintercalation of sodium ions severely hinders its practical application. Moreover, the sodium storage mechanism of MnSe is still under discussion and requires in-depth investigations. Herein, the unique thorn ball-like α-MnSe/C nanospheres have been prepared using manganese-containing metal organic framework (Mn-MOF) as a precursor followed by in situ gas-phase selenization at an elevated temperature. When serving as the anode material for sodium-ion battery, the as-prepared α-MnSe/C exhibits enhanced sodium storage capabilities of 416 and 405 mAh g−1 at 0.2 and 0.5 A g−1 after 100 cycles, respectively. It also shows a superior capacity retention of 275 mA h g−1 at 10 A g−1 after 2000 cycles, and a rate performance of 279 mA h g−1 at 20 A g−1. Such sodium storage properties could be attributed to the unique structure offering a highly efficient Na+ diffusion kinetics with a diffusion coefficient between 1 × 10–11 and 3 × 10–10 cm2 s−1. The density functional theory calculation indicates that the fast Na+ diffusion mainly takes place on the (100) plane of MnSe along a V-shaped path because of a relatively low diffusion energy barrier of 0.15 eV.
As an alternative approach to the conventional deposition and photolithographic processes, the laser digital patterning (LDP) process, which is also known as the laser direct writing process, has attracted considerable attention because it is a non-photolithographic, non-vacuum, on-demand, and cost-effective electrode fabrication route that can be applied to various substrates, including heat-sensitive flexible substrates. The LDP process was initially developed using noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as Au and Ag because such materials are free from oxidation even in a nanosize configuration. Thus, the NPs must be fused together to form continuous conductive structures upon laser irradiation. However, common metals are easily oxidized at the nanoscale and exist in oxidized forms owing to the extremely large surface-to-volume ratio of NPs. Therefore, to fabricate conductive electrodes using common metal NPs via the LDP process, laser irradiation should be used to sinter the NPs and simultaneously induce additional photochemical reactions, such as reduction, and defect structure modification to increase the conductivity of the electrodes. This review summarizes recent studies on the LDP process in which metal oxide NPs, such as ITO, ZnO, CuO, and NiO, were exclusively utilized for fabricating conductive electrodes. The outlook of the LDP process for these materials is also discussed as a method that can be used together with or as a replacement for conventional ones to produce next-generation transparent conductors, sensors, and electronics.
Cognitive deficits are increasingly recognized as a core dimension rather than a consequence of schizophrenia (SCZ). The previous evidence supports the hypothesis of shared genetic factors between SCZ and cognitive ability. The objective of this study was to test whether and to what extent the variation of disease-relevant neurocognitive function in a sample of SCZ patients from the previous clinical interventional studies can be explained by SCZ polygenic risk scores (PRSs) or by hypothesis-driven and biomedical PRSs. The previous studies have described associations of the SNAP25 gene with cognition in SCZ. Likewise, the enrichment of several calcium signaling-related gene sets has been reported by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in SCZ. Hypothesis-driven PRSs were calculated on the basis of the SNAP-25 interactome and also for genes regulated by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), an activator of the signal transduction of protein kinase C (PKC) enzymes. In a cohort of 127 SCZ patients who had completed a comprehensive neurocognitive test battery as part of the previous antipsychotic intervention studies, we investigated the association between neurocognitive dimensions and PRSs. The PRS for SCZ and SNAP-25-associated genes could not explain the variance of neurocognition in this cohort. At a p value threshold of 0.05, the PRS for PMA was able to explain 2% of the variance in executive function (p = 0.05, uncorrected). The correlation between the PRS for PMA-regulated genes and cognition can give hints for further patient-derived cellular assays. In conclusion, incorporating biological information into PRSs and other en masse genetic analyses may help to close the gap between genetic vulnerability and the biological processes underlying neuropsychiatric diseases such as SCZ.
Functionalized conducting carbonaceous materials were easily prepared from sucrose and the clay mineral sepiolite. In a microwave assisted first step, sucrose is transformed into caramel that penetrates into the pores of sepiolite. A second step consists in the controlled thermal treatment of the intermediate caramel–sepiolite nanocomposites in the absence of oxygen to obtain carbon–sepiolite materials. These products were characterized as graphene-like nanostructured materials that can be further functionalized by grafting reactions using different organoalkoxysilanes. In this way, sulfonate groups that can act as cation exchanger were anchored to the carbon–sepiolite solids, following two different routes that involved the use of (2-phenylethyl)trichlorosilane and 2-(4-chlorosulfonylphenyl)-ethyltrichlorosilane. The graphene-like sepiolite nanocomposites can be used as electrode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries, showing better cyclability and Li-insertion properties than the nanostructured carbon without the silicate counterpart. The sulfonate derivatives, showing simultaneously ion-exchanging ability and conducting behavior, were used to develop ion-selective electrodes with specificity towards monovalent cations. The potential use of other organosilanes can open way to the development of other multifunctional materials for application in electrochemistry and other research fields.
Self-discharge is an important performance factor when using supercapacitors. Voltage losses in the range of 5–60% occur over two weeks. Experiments show a dependency of the self-discharge rate on various parameters such as temperature, charge duration and short-term history. In this paper, self-discharge of three commercially available supercapacitors was measured under various conditions. Based on different measurements, the impact of the influence factors is identified. A simple model to explain parts of the voltage decay is presented.
In this study, the effects of dispersion time and mixing methodology on electrochemical performance of flowable carbon electrodes have been investigated. Specifically, 20 different cases have been tested by systematically changing the mixing time (1.5, 3, 4.5, 8, 15 min), the mixing methodology (stir-bar vs. high-speed shear mixing), and the electrode composition (activated carbon (AC) only and AC with multi-walled carbon nanotube slurries). Each case was subjected to direct current conductivity and cyclic voltammetry measurements to identify the contribution of studied parameters on the dispersion and electrochemical performance. Results indicate that up to 60% difference in conductivity can be observed by changing mixing time and methodology for the same electrode composition. Additionally, capacity differences up to 90% within the same slurry composition have been noticed by slightly changing the electrode preparation protocol. Such major discrepancy in electrochemical performance with minimal changes in the electrode preparation highlights the significance of the degree of particle dispersion in these systems and the necessity for establishing an optimal slurry preparation protocol to achieve the best performance for a selected composition and application.
This paper introduces an artificial human joint working as testing machine for the experimental characterization of piezoelectric transducers for wearable applications. The diffusion of portable medical devices and low-power communication systems for telemedicine and telehealth is leading to the development of self-powered diagnostic systems supplied by small wearable generators. Laboratory tests are needed before the validation on human body for instance, to measure electric outputs, material properties and transducers reliability, as well as dedicated test benches must be designed and built. This work contributes to define experimental methodologies and test benches for the characterization of materials and electro-mechanical response of piezoelectric transducers. The proposed testing machine contributes to improve the effectiveness of harvesters design by providing preliminary data about performances, endurance and reliability. The same data are not easy to obtain from direct tests on the body due to the long test duration and the high repeatability and accuracy in imposing the movements. Additionally, the managing and control of multiple testing parameters is also needed, e.g. in design-of-experiments approaches. The functionality of the testing machine, which has been previously designed and built, has been proved with some qualitative measurements on piezo foil transducers coated with polymer.
Models of sex allocation theory suggest that when sons and daughters have different reproductive values to their parents, parents overproduce offspring of higher value to maximize their reproductive success. Empirical testing of these models remains inconclusive. We investigated whether parents of the Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyana), a cooperatively breeding bird, controlled offspring sex ratios and whether they exhibited sex-specific food allocation among nestlings. Our results showed that offspring sex ratios at hatching and fledging did not deviate from equivalent ratio in both cooperative groups and bi-parental nests. No factors were significantly correlated with offspring sex ratios at hatching, indicating that parents did not control their offspring sex ratios. However, parents adopted two postnatal strategies to control the growth pattern of nestlings. First, they delivered more food to their sons than their daughters to ensure the survivorship of their sons. Second, they adjusted the feeding rates and food allocation time per feeding bout according to the offspring sex ratios and positively responded to the begging behavior of nestlings to increase the survivorship of the daughters. Our findings suggest that the postnatal strategies adopted by the parents, in terms of sex-specific allocation of food to offspring, may play a greater role than the prenatal strategies, i.e., the control of offspring sex ratios, in the enhancement of reproductive success.
The article deals with the optimization of an anode based on commercial manganese oxide. Several parameters are considered in order to enhance capacity, rate capability and long-term cycleability. Particularly, Polyacrylic Acid as a green binder with enhanced mechanical features is proposed, while Vinylen Carbonate is added to a standard carbonate-based electrolyte system in order to enhance the stability of passivation layer and of electrode/electrolyte interface. The role of a reversible “gel-like” layer toward interfacial stability is investigated as well. Several structural, morphological and electrochemical investigation techniques are applied in order to fully characterize the behavior of baseline and modified electrodes and cells. This process results in an optimized system able to deliver, in a half-cell vs. metal Li, specific capacity values up to 725mAhg−1 at 1C-rate, stable for 100 cycles, and relevant rate capability, confirming a major influence of electrode and electrolyte formulation toward electrochemical performance.
During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the Netherlands, the demand for intensive care beds exceeded availability within days. Initially, patients were redistributed regionally by ground transport. When transport over longer distances became necessary, we initiated a new Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) operation. We hypothesize that the transport of contagious COVID-19 patients is feasible and safe for patients and HEMS personnel.