Multi-scale modeling and mechanical performance analysis of finger seals with plain woven C/C composite.

The application of carbon fibers reinforced carbon matrix (C/C) composite can solve the local wear of metallic finger seals effectively. However, the performance of C/C composite finger seal is complex and variable, which further decreases the sealing performance and life. Therefore, a method of multi-scale modeling and mechanical performance analysis for plain woven C/C composite finger seals was conducted.

Transcriptome analysis reveals key genes and pathways for prickle development in .

is an economically important tree species. However, well-developed prickles on its stems and leaves pose serious challenges in terms of management and harvesting. To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying prickle development, we sequenced different stages of prickle morphological development and transcriptomes of different tissues in the root tips (Gen), leaf buds (Ya), and fruits of .

Preparation of Super-Flexible Silica Aerogel and Its Application in Oil-Water Separation.

Using silica as the precursor, and methyltrimethoxysilane and dimethyldimethoxysilane as the silicon sources, a super-flexible hydrophobic lipophilic gel solid was prepared via hydrolysis, drying, solvent replacement, and atmospheric-pressure drying. The characterization test showed that the sample had good flexibility, hydrophobicity, an amorphous structure, and a hydrophobic contact angle of 137°. Through the adsorption separation experiment, it was concluded that the adsorption separation rate of aerogel to oil substances is related to the viscosity of the oil substances.

Opto-electrical and polarization performance of a mesa-structured InGaAs PIN detector integrated with subwavelength aluminum gratings.

Polarization detection in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) region presents broad applications in target-background contrast enhancement, underwater imaging, material classification, etc. A mesa structure can prevent electrical cross talk due to its intrinsic advantages, making it potentially suited to meet the need for manufacturing smaller-sized devices to save cost and shrink volume. In this Letter, mesa-structured InGaAs PIN detectors with a spectral response ranging from 900 nm to 1700 nm and a detectivity of 6.

Ultrafast One-Step Deposition Route to Fabricate Single-Crystal CsPbX (X = Cl, Cl/Br, Br, and Br/I) Photodetectors.

Inorganic perovskites have received much attention due to their stability and high performance in luminescence, photoelectric conversion, and photodetection. However, perovskite optoelectronic devices prepared by the solution technique are still suffering from time-consuming and complex operations. In this paper, a single-crystal perovskite-based photodetector (PD) is prepared by very fast one-step deposition of synthesizing microplatelets (MPs) on the electrode directly.

Ultrasensitive and Self-Powered Multiparameter Pressure-Temperature-Humidity Sensor Based on Ultra-Flexible Conductive Silica Aerogel.

The application of silica aerogel has been limited because of its poor mechanical properties. In order to expand the application scope of silica aerogel, this study fabricated an ultra-flexible conductive silica aerogel as a multiparameter sensor. The sample is fabricated by introducing poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) on a base of ultra-flexible silica aerogel, which was prepared by a diene synthesis reaction at atmospheric pressure.

Inspired by Skeletal Muscles: Study of the Physical and Electrochemical Properties of Derived Lignocellulose-Based Carbon Fibers.

Skeletal muscles exhibit excellent properties due to their well-developed microstructures. Taking inspiration from nature that thick filaments and thin filaments are linked by "cross-bridges", leading to good stability and ion transport performance of muscles. In this work, extracted poplar lignin and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) were connected by biomimetic covalent bonds, akin to biological muscle tissue, in which isophorone diisocyanate was used as the chemical crosslinking agent.

PVA-assisted CNCs/SiO composite aerogel for efficient sorption of ciprofloxacin.

Efforts to develop a green, inexpensive and effective adsorbent are crucial for eliminating antibiotics in polluted water. The sorption capacity of the as-prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-assisted cellulose nanocrystals/SiO (CNCs/SiO) composite aerogel to ciprofloxacin (CIP) rises with the increase of temperature and initial concentration. Reverse trend of sorption capacity can be found when increasing the adsorbent dosage of adsorbent.

Green and Low-Cost Natural Lignocellulosic Biomass-Based Carbon Fibers-Processing, Properties, and Applications in Sports Equipment: A Review.

At present, high-performance carbon fibers (CFs) are mainly produced from petroleum-based materials. However, the high costs and environmental problems of the production process prompted the development of new precursors from natural biopolymers. This review focuses on the latest research on the conversion of natural lignocellulosic biomass into precursor fibers and CFs.

Demonstration of SWIR Silicon-Based Photodetection by Using Thin ITO/Au/Au Nanoparticles/n-Si Structure.

Plasmonic photodetection based on the hot-electron generation in nanostructures is a promising strategy for sub-band detection due to the high conversion efficiencies; however, it is plagued with the high dark current. In this paper, we have demonstrated the plasmonic photodetection with dark current suppression to create a Si-based broadband photodetector with enhanced performance in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) region. By hybridizing a 3 nm Au layer with the spherical Au nanoparticles (NPs) formed by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on Si substrate, a well-behaved ITO/Au/Au NPs/n-Si Schottky photodetector with suppressed dark current and enhanced absorption in the SWIR region is obtained.

The relationship between the accuracy of curling athletes' duration judgment and delivery performance.

Objective: Time perception is a critical point for curling athletes to have in order to successfully complete interactions between themselves and their environment. Exploring the relationship between the accuracy of duration judgment and curling athletes' performance is helpful to reveal the influencing factors on their performance and to provide a reference for the training of athletes' delivery performance.

Methods: Thirty curling athletes and 30 non-athletes were recruited as participants.

N-polar GaN Film Epitaxy on Sapphire Substrate without Intentional Nitridation.

High-temperature nitridation is commonly thought of as a necessary process to obtain N-polar GaN films on a sapphire substrate. In this work, high-quality N-polar GaN films were grown on a vicinal sapphire substrate with a 100 nm high-temperature (HT) AlN buffer layer (high V/III ratio) and without an intentional nitriding process. The smallest X-ray full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of the (002)/(102) plane were 237/337 arcsec.

High performance visible-SWIR flexible photodetector based on large-area InGaAs/InP PIN structure.

Mechanically flexible optoelectronic devices and systems can enable a much broader range of applications than what their rigid counterparts can do, especially for novel bio-integrated optoelectronic systems, flexible consumer electronics and wearable sensors. Inorganic semiconductor could be a good candidate for the flexible PD when it can keep its high performance under the bending condition. Here, we demonstrate a III-V material-based flexible photodetector operating wavelength from 640 to 1700 nm with the high detectivity of 5.

Kinetic Study on High-Temperature HS Removal over Mn-Based Regenerable Sorbent Using Deactivation Model.

The kinetics of high-temperature HS removal over Mn/Al sorbents prepared by co-precipitation method was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor using a deactivation model. The initial sorption rate constant ( ), deactivation rate constant ( ), apparent activation energy ( ), and deactivation energy ( ) were obtained. The and values of Mn/Al sorbents are much higher than those of pure MnO.

Improved Heat Exchanger Network Synthesis without Stream Splits Based on Comprehensive Learning Particle Swarm Optimizer.

In this paper, an improved heat exchanger network (HEN) synthesis method based on the comprehensive learning particle swarm optimizer algorithm (CLPSO) is proposed to synthesize HENs without stream splits. Compared with the standard particle swarm algorithm, CLPSO employs a novel learning strategy that preserves the diversity of the swarm to discourage premature convergence. However, while the algorithm's global exploration capability is enhanced, the local search capability decreases and the convergence speed becomes slow.

Enhanced light extraction from AlGaInP-based red light-emitting diodes with photonic crystals.

The photonic crystal (PC) has been demonstrated to be very effective in improving the extraction efficiency of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). In this paper, high-brightness AlGaInP-based vertical LEDs (VLEDs) with surface PC (SPCLED) and embedded PC (EPCLED) were successfully fabricated. Compared with normal LED (NLED), photoluminescence intensities of SPCLED and EPCLED have been improved up to 30% and 60%, respectively.

Effect of Montelukast Sodium and Graphene Oxide Nanomaterials on Mouse Asthma Model.

Because some asthma patients have different types of inflammatory cells in their bodies, they cannot get relief with traditional drugs. However, the nano drug delivery system can realize efficient drug delivery, inflammatory cells and intracellular targeting, and the apoptosis of inflammatory cells. This article aims to comprehensively evaluate the effects of montelukast sodium combined with graphene oxide nanomaterials on improving the clinical symptoms and airway inflammation of children with bronchial asthma, with a view to further improving the clinical treatment of children with bronchial asthma.

N,N-dimethylformamide assisted facile hydrothermal synthesis of boehmite microspheres for highly effective removal of Congo red from water.

A series of boehmite microspheres with highly effective adsorption performance for Congo red (CR) were successfully prepared via amides assisted hydrothermal method at 180 °C. Effects of dosages and hydrolysates of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), amides species including DMF, N-methylformamide (MF) and formamide (FA), and reaction times on their physicochemical properties were studied in detail. It was found that increase on their crystallinity and shell thickness results from the different hydrolysis rates of the amides; amorphous alumina hydrate, boehmite core-shell structure and hollow microspheres were obtained at hydrothermal times of 60, 140 and 360 min, respectively due to the Ostwald ripening.

Investigating the Effect of Flux on Ash Fusibility of High-Calcium Coal.

The primary aim of this study is to understand the effect of metal oxide flux on the fusibility of high-calcium coal ash. Based on the decomposition rate, the evolution of mineral matters in high-calcium coal has been investigated. The ash fusion temperatures of samples are measured by adding different flux AlO, NaO, KO, MgO, and TiO.

Aptazyme-mediated direct modulation of post-transcriptional sgRNA level for conditional genome editing and gene expression.

RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9 derived from microbial CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems is a powerful tool for genome editing, which has been widely used in eukaryotic systems, prokaryotic systems, and plants. However, the off-target effects caused by Cas9/sgRNA remain a major concern. Currently, the efforts to reduce the off-target effects mainly focus on improving the targeting specificity of sgRNA/Cas9, regulating the activity of the Cas9 protein or the sgRNA, and controlling the time window of their expression.

Hierarchically porous carbon/red phosphorus composite for high-capacity sodium-ion battery anode.

Red phosphorus has received remarkable attention as a promising anode material for sodium ion batteries (NIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity. However, its practical application has been impeded by its intrinsic low electronic conductivity and large volume variations during sodiation/desodiation process. Here, we design a composite to confine nanosized red phosphorus into the hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) walls by a vaporization-condensation strategy.

Self-powered electrochromic devices with tunable infrared intensity.

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an efficient way to convert ambient mechanical energy into electricity to power up portable electronics. In this work, a flexible infrared electrochromical device (IR-ECD) with stable performances was assembled with a TENG for building self-powered infrared detector with tunable intensity. As driven by TENG, the electrochromic device could be operated in the mid-IR region due to the reversible electrochromic reactions.

Self-Healable, Stretchable, Transparent Triboelectric Nanogenerators as Soft Power Sources.

Despite the rapid advancements of soft electronics, developing compatible energy devices will be the next challenge for their viable applications. Here, we report an energy-harnessing triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) as a soft electrical power source, which is simultaneously self-healable, stretchable, and transparent. The nanogenerator features a thin-film configuration with buckled Ag nanowires/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) composite electrode sandwiched in room-temperature self-healable poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomers.

Triboelectric-Nanogenerator-Based Soft Energy-Harvesting Skin Enabled by Toughly Bonded Elastomer/Hydrogel Hybrids.

A major challenge accompanying the booming next-generation soft electronics is providing correspondingly soft and sustainable power sources for driving such devices. Here, we report stretchable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) with dual working modes based on the soft hydrogel-elastomer hybrid as energy skins for harvesting biomechanical energies. The tough interfacial bonding between the hydrophilic hydrogel and hydrophobic elastomer, achieved by the interface modification, ensures the stable mechanical and electrical performances of the TENGs.