batterydata/paper-abstracts huggingface dataset:
Ultra-thin layered sodium titanate nano-sheets were synthesised using a continuous hydrothermal flow process and the as-prepared materials were investigated as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. In comparison to previous studies on similar materials, the layered titanates herein showed high electrochemical activity at lower potentials. Cyclic voltammetry measurements in the potential range of 0.05–2.1 V vs. Li/Li+, revealed that charge storage occurred from both lithium-ion intercalation as well as pseudocapacitive surface chemical processes. During electrochemical cycling tests, a high specific current of 0.5 A g−1 was applied and the cells achieved a stable specific capacity of ca. 120 mAh g−1 for over 1200 cycles. Even at an applied current of 10 A g−1, the electrode material delivered a stable specific capacity of 38 mAh g−1, which suggests that this material may be suitable for high power applications.
Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs) are promising, all-solid-state, highly efficient and environment-friendly power generating devices fueled by solid carbons. In addition, utilization of real-world coal as fuel for DC-SOFC is an attractive topic, however, they still yield poor performance due to negative effect of impurities in coal. In order to utilize brown coal to generate electricity efficiently and environmentally, here we report a high-performance direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell that enables a green pathway for brown coal utilization. The cell consists of nano Al2O3 doped yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte supports and Ag-Gd0.1Ce0.9O2-δ as symmetrical composite catalyst electrodes. Fueled with raw brown coal and brown coal char at 850 °C separately, the cells can achieve maximum power densities of 211.4 and 221 mW cm−2, respectively. Furthermore, a stable discharging voltage and platform with the fuel utilization of 61.5% are demonstrated when brown coal char fueled DC-SOFC is operated under a constant current of 0.1 A.
Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3−δ (SSC) was evaluated as a bi-functional catalyst for rechargeable metal-air battery cathodes. The catalyst was homogenously dispersed on corrosion-resistant graphitized Vulcan XC-72R carbon powder for the cathode fabrication. For comparison, the air cathode catalyzed with the widely studied perovskite La0.6Ca0.4CoO3 (LCC) was included in the evaluation. Based on the polarization curves, SSC exhibited similar catalytic activities as LCC for both oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction. Furthermore, the air cathode prepared with SSC exhibited an improved cyclic life. These results suggest that SSC is a promising alternative to LCC as a bi-functional catalyst for metal-air battery cathode applications.
Publisher Summary Skutterudite is the name of a CoAs3-based mineral that was first extensively mined as a source of cobalt and nickel. This chapter discusses the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of the stoichiometric lanthanide skutterudite compounds of the form RM4X12. The low temperature properties will be of particular interest, since these compounds exhibit a rich variety of electronic and magnetic ground states that include: heavy-fermion mediated superconductivity, ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, hybridization gaps (Kondo insulator behavior), nonfermi-liquid behavior and quantum critical points, quadrupolar ordering, and field-induced heavy-fermion states. Several Ce-filled skutterudites are narrow gap semiconductors (also called Kondo insulators), where the gap is created by a strong hybridization between the Ce 4f level, and the transition metal and pnicogen states near the fermi energy. The Nd, Eu, Gd, and Tb filled skutterudites order magnetically at temperatures ranging from 2K for NdFe4P12 to 100K for EuFe4P12. Coupling between the lanthanide magnetic moments and the conduction electrons is large in these compounds. This large coupling results in unusual peaks in electrical transport data near the onset of magnetic ordering, and in some cases multiple magnetic transitions.
This paper gives a technical background to alkaline fuel cells (AFCs), introducing the advantages and drawbacks of the technology. AFCs offer the potential for low cost, mass producible fuel cells, without the dependency on platinum based catalysts and (currently) expensive membrane electrolytes. The AFC uses relatively low cost electrolytes based on aqueous bases such as potassium hydroxide. The inherent CO2 sensitivity of the electrolyte can be addressed by filtering out the CO2 from the air intake using a simple scrubber and periodically replacing the liquid electrolyte. A review of the state-of-the-art in gas diffusion cathode development is given. The overall cell performance and stability is dominated by the behaviour of the cathode, leading to a focus of research effort on cathode development. The performance and durability of the gas diffusion electrode is very much dependent on the way in which the layer structures are fabricated from carbon and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The choice and treatment of the carbon support is of prime importance for the final catalytic activity. Noble metal and non-noble metal catalysts have been investigated and show good performance, however, more work is still needed on cathode durability to ensure the long term success of the alkaline fuel cell.
Despite the fact that there is a plethora of research regarding the mobile phone feature preferences, there appears to be lack of research regarding the relationship between the feature preferences and their relationship between customer satisfaction and repurchase intent. Therefore the objective of this research is to investigate the mobile phone feature preferences among male respondents in Finland. In conjunction with this the conceptualization of the feature preferences is studied as well as their relationship to customer satisfaction and repurchase intent of the mobile phone. The results indicate that battery/talk time is the most important feature for the respondents. The respondents perceive there to be six logical factors among the feature preferences as follows: business functionality, support functions, aesthetics+design, parts+processes, solidity, and tones+games. The first three correlate with customer satisfaction, and only the business functionality factor correlates with repurchase intent. Finally the relationship between customer satisfaction and repurchase intent is investigated, and comparisons to similar studies are made. Limitations and managerial implications are discussed.
We discuss the importance of small solar observatories for EPO (Education and Public Outreach), mentioning why they are relevant and what kind of equipment and software require. We stress the fact that technological advances have made them affordable and that they should be widely available. This work is a result of our experience with one: The Carl Sagan Solar Observatory (CSSO). We briefly describe its status and the solar data obtained daily with students participation. We present examples of the data obtained in the visible, Ca II and two in Hα. Data which is widely used for education. Finally we talk about the capability for remote operation as an open invitation for collaboration in educational and scientific projects.
In this study a binder-free activated carbon cloth-sulphur (ACC-S) composite cathode is presented. Such a cathode was obtained using the impregnating technique of microporous activated carbon cloth with elemental melted sulphur. The surface morphology of an activated carbon cloth-sulphur electrode was studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), which was equipped with an EDX spectroscopy attachment. Electrochemical properties of the ACC-S composite cathode was tested in an ionic liquid electrolyte consisting of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulphonyl)imide (EtMeImNTf2) and bis(trifluoromethanesulphonyl)imide (LiNTf2). The ACC-sulphur cathode working together with lithium anode was tested with the use of cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge cycles and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The capacity and cyclic stability of the ACC-S composite cathode were much better than those for the sulphur cathode (a mixture of sulphur from graphene nanoplatelets and carbon black) tested in the same ionic liquid electrolyte. The ACC-sulphur cathode showed good cyclability and coulombic efficiency (99%) with the ionic liquid electrolyte. The reversible capacity of the ACC-S|electrolyte|Li cell was ca. 830 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles.
Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs, typically MoS2) have shown great promise as anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to the layered structure. However, the low electric and ionic conductivities and the large volume expansion of MoS2 during lithiation inevitably result in a fast capacity decrease and limited cycling life. In this work, a unique sheet-on-tube micro/nanostructure was designed and realized to tackle the above mentioned drawbacks. In detail, MoS2 nanosheets are perpendicularly anchored on the N-doped carbon microtubes (NCMs) by a facile approach. NCMs was selected as the support to prevent aggregation of MoS2 nanosheets, and serve as the pathway for electron conduction, as well as a media to alleviate the volume change of MoS2 during lithiation/delithiation. Due to the advantageous structure, the MoS2@NCMs show significantly enhanced lithium storage properties in comparison to pure MoS2. The design strategy and mechanism demonstrated in this work is potentially useful for developing high-capacity electrode materials for LIBs.
Noble-metal free and durable electrocatalysts with high catalytic activity toward oxygen reduction and evolution reactions are crucial to high-performance primary or rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZnABs) and fuel cells. Herein, we report an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst with core-shell structure obtained from ZIF-8@ZIF-67 through hydrothermal and carbonization treatment. The resulted material, i.e. highly graphitic carbon (GC, carbonized from ZIF-67) on nitrogen-doped carbon (NC, carbonized from ZIF-8) (NC@GC), combines the distinguished advantages of NC, including high surface area, presence of Co doping and high nitrogen content, and those of GC including high crystallinity, good conductivity and stability of GC. This unique core-shell structure with potential synergistic interaction leads to high activities towards oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions. As a proof-of-concept, the as-prepared NC@GC catalyst exhibits excellent performance in the primary and rechargeable ZnABs. This study might inspire new thought on the development of carbon-based electrocatalytic materials derived from MOF materials.
Alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles have been used as fillers in the preparation of poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluorpropylene) (P(VDF-HFP))-based porous polymer electrolyte. The degree of crystallization of polymer film filled with Al2O3 nanoparticles decreases with increase of the mass fraction of Al2O3 nanoparticles and the amorphous phases of polymer film expand accordingly. The Al2O3 nanoparticles play the role of solid plasticizer for polymer matrix. Nevertheless that excessive Al2O3 nanoparticles existing in polymer matrix leads to micro-phase separation between polymer matrix and fillers. As a result, both ionic conductivity and lithium ions transference number reduces whereas the activation energy for ions transport increases. When the polymer film is filled with 10% of the mass fraction of Al2O3 nanoparticles, polymer electrolyte possesses the ionic conductivity up to 1.95 × 10−3 Scm−1 and the lithium ions transference number to 0.73 while the activation energy for ions transport of them falls to 5.6kJmol−1. Effect of Al2O3 on the electrochemical properties of polymer electrolyte has been investigated in this paper. Analysis of FTIR spectra shows that there is the interaction between Al2O3 nanoparticles and polymer chains.
The present project embarked on an educational intervention, consisting of a series of online ethics learning modules, to aid international graduate students in overcoming the acculturation barriers to understanding and inculcating normative ethical obligations associated with engineering practice and research in the United States. A fundamental initial step in the process of helping international, as well as domestic, engineering graduate students embrace ethical obligations is to provide clear instruction on fundamental engineering ethical principles and values relevant in the United States. Most institutes of higher education do not have a cohesive approach to basic graduate engineering ethics instruction, much less materials that have been calibrated for international students (National Science Foundation,
This paper presents an analysis of existing financial incentive policies in the U.S. for integrated photovoltaic and battery energy storage (PV-BES) systems. A mathematical model of PV-BES system to evaluate annual energy performance is developed in this paper. Four types of buildings (i.e., hospital, large office, large hotel, and secondary school) located in four different states, which each has their own PV and/or BES incentives, are selected and analyzed. Based on the energy performance data for each building type, the simply payback period (PBP) for the PV-BES system in different locations is calculated according to the local incentive policies. The PBP is chosen as an indicator to evaluate the effectiveness of incentive policies for different locations and building types by comparing it to the PBP for the same PV-BES systems without incentive policies. The reduction of carbon dioxide emission (CDE) due to the PV generation is also investigated since it indicates the potential to reduce the PBP for a further step when a high carbon credit is available. Furthermore, a parametric analysis is conducted to determine the sensitivity and contribution of parameters such as the capacity of the PV-BES system, the capital cost of PV module and the battery storage on the performance of the PV-BES system. Results show that for all the evaluated buildings in California and Hawaii, the existing incentive policy could reduce the PBP effectively below 10 years. However, the PBP for most of the evaluated buildings in New Jersey and New York were high even when both the PV and BES incentive policies were taken into account (approximately from 11 to 29 years).
A new unsymmetrical lithium salt containing F−, C6H4O2 2− [dianion of 1,2-benzenediol], lithium difluoro(1,2-benzene-diolato(2-)-o,o′)borate (LDFBDB) is synthesized and characterized. Its thermal decomposition in nitrogen begins at 170°C. The cyclic voltammetry study shows that the LDFBDB solution in propylene carbonate (PC) is stable up to 3.7V versus Li+/Li. It is soluble in common organic solvents. The ionic dissociation properties of LDFBDB are examined by conductivity measurements in PC, PC+ ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), PC+dimethyl ether (DME), PC+ethylene carbonate (EC)+EMC solutions. The conductivity values of the 0.564moldm−3 LDFBDB electrolyte in PC+DME solution is 3.90mScm−1. All these properties of the new lithium salt including the thermal characteristics, electrochemical stabilities, solubilities, ionic dissociation properties are studied and compared with those of its derivatives, lithium difluoro(3-fluoro-1,2-benzene-diolato(2-)-o,o′)borate (FLDFBDB), lithium [3-fluoro-1,2-benzenediolato(2-)-o,o′ oxalato]borate (FLBDOB), and lithium bis(oxalate)borate (LBOB).
While the thermoelectric (TE) generator has attracted tremendous attention, the development of wearable TE generators with stretchability and self-healability has been a significant challenge. Herein, we report intrinsically self-healable and stretchable ternary ionic TE hybrid materials, composed of a conjugated polymer (polyaniline), a non-conjugated anionic polyelectrolyte (poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid)), and phytic acid. The proposed materials exhibit an excellent ionic figure-of-merit (ZTi) as well as remarkable stretchability (up to ∼750%) and autonomous self-healability without any external stimuli. The ionic TE performance was sustainable under severe deformation (50% strain) and multiple self-healing processes (30 cycles), which is the first demonstration of such performance. The ZTi of the stretchable and self-healable ternary TE hybrids is 1.04. Moreover, a self-healable and stretchable ionic thermoelectric capacitor device is also demonstrated using the ternary TE hybrid.
Tin oxide is an attractive anode material for lithium battery, on the grounds of its high capacity (above 2000mAh/g), environmental friendliness and low cost. However, the large volumetric expansion (>200%) and aggregation of lithium-tin alloy cause significant capacity fading after only a few hundred cycles. In this work, we design a new type of SnO2 based composite electrode to address the above two issues. SnO2 nanoparticles uniform anchored on graphene are covered by a thin layer of silica. Upon cycling, tin can diffuse into the coating layer and also spread laterally on the graphene surface to form a continuous thin film of Li2SnxSiO3+y. Such design diminishes the volumetric expansion of individual Sn particles and aggregation of lithium-tin alloy, but also dramatically decreases the lithium transport distance and diffusion barrier. Additionally, we propose that diffusion-induced defects on surface offer capacitive-like regions to absorb extra lithium ions. As a result, this unique structure can maintain a high capacity of 1950mAh/g after 1000 cycles at a specific current of 500mA/g with negligible capacity loss, and excellent reversibility with a columbic efficiency retention over 99%.
Zn-quinone batteries, with the merit of high reversibility, show great potential in the energy storage and conversion system, but the low working voltage and power density limit their application. We here report a rechargeable asymmetric alkali-acid electrolyte Zn-quinone battery (AAAZQB, 3AZQB) with the Zn anode in alkali and the highly reversible quinone cathode in acid. The elaborate asymmetric alkali-acid electrolyte design, enables the redox of Zn and quinone can act in their optimal conditions, the electrochemical neutralization energy can be harvested simultaneously. As a result, the 3AZQB delivers an open circuit voltage of 1.95 V, a peak power density up to 315 mW cm−2 and a highly strong stability with a reversible charging/discharging voltage gap of 200 mV, which are much better than those of Zn-air batteries and Zn-quinone batteries reported before.
We report herein a three-dimensional structured carbon material as the cathode supporter for rechargeable lithium−sulfur batteries. Highly porous activated carbon foam (ACF) with micromesoporosity has been synthesized through carbonizing pomelo peel and activating by KOH. Elemental sulfur has been loaded to the micropores through a solution infiltration method to form a S/ACF nanocomposite. The resulted S/ACF nanocomposite with 60% sulfur has been tested as novel cathodes for Li−S batteries. The S/ACF nanocomposite showed an initial discharge capacity of 1258 mAh g−1 at 0.2C rate. After 100 cycles of charge/discharge, the S/ACF nanocomposite retained a high specific capacity of 750 mAh g−1 with a Coulombic efficiency of 96%. The material delivered a capacity of more than 700 mAh g−1 at 2C rate and can be recovered to 880 mAh g−1 when the rate is returned to 0.2C. The results show that the ACF with 3D connected structure could be a promising binder-free cathode supporter for rechargeable Li−S battery with high specific energy.
Li[Li0.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13]O2 was prepared using a coprecipitation method and modified with Li4Ti5O12. The sample coated with 3wt% Li4Ti5O12 exhibited the best cyclability and mean coulombic efficiency in the voltage range of 2.0–4.75V. These improvements are attributed to the effective Li4Ti5O12 coating layer, which stabilizes the host structure, protects the electrode surface from electrolyte attack, and prevents the formation of a thick passive film on the electrode surface. The initial irreversible capacity loss was eliminated by blending with 10wt% Li4Ti5O12, in the larger potential window of 1.5–4.75V. It was confirmed that the irreversible capacity loss decreased with increasing Li4Ti5O12 content; this is because Li4Ti5O12 offers a larger number of available sites for insertion of extracted lithium.
The objective of this paper is to describe the development of a multi-agent system for the control of a PV-based microgrid. A case study is presented to demonstrate the agents’ abilities to island the PV-based microgrid in the event of an external fault, secure critical loads, and resynchronize the microgrid to the main grid after the fault is cleared. Simulation results indicate that the multi-agent system can isolate and stabilize the PV-based microgrid within half an electrical cycle. During this time interval all non-critical loads are shed according to their priorities while all critical electrical loads are secured. This analysis can serve as a guide for the practical implementation of an agent-based approach for resilient operation of a microgrid that has a solar photovoltaic (PV) system coupled with battery storage.
Despite the extensive body of research in clinical neurology on the functional organization of posterior cortices, parietal and occipital lobe epilepsy (PLE and OLE) have not as yet received the attention afforded frontal and temporal lobe epilepsy (FLE and TLE), perhaps due to their low prevalence. Posterior epilepsies however, represent a challenge for epileptology in general and neuropsychological differential diagnosis in particular. Our main purpose was to examine the likely existence of a pattern of cognitive dysfunction characterizing patients suffering from seizures with a parietal and/or occipital ictal onset. We hypothesized that such patients would present difficulties in the visuospatial and visuoconstructive domains, since spatial analysis and synthesis is an inherent feature of posterior cortical systems. Participants were 14 patients with epilepsy and 14 healthy controls matched for demographic characteristics (gender, age, and education level). We used an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests to assess auditory-verbal memory and learning, episodic memory, attention and working memory, verbal abilities, haptic perception, arithmetic abilities, and executive functions. Special attention was given to visuospatial abilities. Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire. Nonparametric (Mann–Whitney U test) statistical tests were conducted. We found that patients with epilepsy performed significantly worse in visuoconstruction, verbal, and executive functions compared to their healthy matches. Finally, we interpret our findings from the perspective of Luria of mental functions organized into functional systems and the current trends in epileptology to view epilepsy as a system (network) problem.