Strengthened ozone adsorption through positive electric field-induced charge migration on various TiO crystal surfaces: A mechanistic and theoretical study.

This study investigates the enhancement of ozone adsorption on diverse TiO crystal interfaces through an innovative electrochemical modulation approach. The research focuses on the effects of applied electric field strength and reaction sites on ozone interfacial adsorption energies for Ti/Anatase TiO (0 0 1) and Ti/Rutile TiO (1 1 0) interfaces. The findings reveal that positive electric fields significantly enhance ozone adsorption on both interfaces, with adsorption energies increasing by up to 18% for Ti/Anatase TiO (0 0 1) and 15% for Ti/Rutile TiO (1 1 0).

Bidirectional Voltage Regulation for Integrated Photovoltachromic Device Based on P3HT-Electrochromic Unit and Perovskite/Organic Tandem Solar Cells.

Integrated electrochromic devices powered by photovoltaic cells have evoked a lot of interest due to their promising commercial prospects. However, their application has been restricted by the voltage adaption between the self-powered voltage and the color-changing threshold voltage (V). Herein, a strategy of bidirectional voltage regulating is proposed to develop a novel stand-alone integrated photovoltachromic device (I-PVCD), which integrates perovskite/organic tandem solar cells (P/O-TSCs) to drive color-changing process of conjugated poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) films.

Double-skeleton interpenetrating network-structured alkaline solid-state electrolyte enables flexible zinc-air batteries with enhanced power density and long-term cycle life.

The alkaline solid-state electrolytes have received widespread attention for their good safety and electrochemical stability. However, they still suffer from low conductivity and poor mechanical properties. Herein, we report the synthesis of double-network featured hydroxide-conductive membranes fabricated by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CS) as the double-skeletons.

One-Step Solid-State Synthesis of Ni-Rich Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Ni-rich cathodes are expected to serve as critical materials for high-energy lithium-ion batteries. Increasing the Ni content can effectively improve the energy density but usually leads to more complex synthesis conditions, thus limiting its development. In this work, a simple one-step solid-state process for synthesizing Ni-rich ternary cathode materials NCA (LiNiCoAlO) was presented, and the synthesis conditions were systematically studied.

F-Doped Carbon Nanoparticles-Based Nucleation Assistance for Fast and Uniform Three-Dimensional Zn Deposition.

Aqueous Zn metal-based batteries have considerable potential as energy storage system; however, their application is extremely limited by dendrite development and poor reversibility. In this study, to overcome both challenges, F-doped carbon nanoparticles (FCNPs) are uniformly constructed on substrates (Ti, Zn, Cu, and steel) by a plasma-assisted surface modification, which endows reversible and uniform deposition of Zn metal. FCNPs with high surface charge density act as nucleation assistors and form numerous homogenous Zn nucleation sites toward Zn 3D growth, which improves Zn plating kinetic and results in uniform Zn deposition.

Regulating Surface Oxygen Activity by Perovskite-Coating-Stabilized Ultrahigh-Nickel Layered Oxide Cathodes.

Ultrahigh-Ni layered oxides are proposed as promising cathodes to fulfill the range demand of electric vehicles; yet, they are still haunted by compromised cyclability and thermal robustness. State-of-the-art surface coating has been applied to solve the instability via blocking the physical contact between the electrolyte and the highly active Ni ions on the cathode surface, but it falls short in handling the chemo-physical mobility of the oxidized lattice oxygen ions in the cathode. Herein, a direct regulation strategy is proposed to accommodate the highly active anionic redox within the solid phase.

Stable Zn Metal Anodes with Limited Zn-Doping in MgF Interphase for Fast and Uniformly Ionic Flux.

The practical applications of aqueous Zn metal batteries are currently restricted by the inherent drawbacks of Zn such as the hydrogen evolution reaction, sluggish kinetics, and dendrite formation. To address these problems, herein, a limitedly Zn-doped MgF interphase comprising an upper region of pure, porous MgF and a lower region of gradient Zn-doped MgF is achieved via radio frequency sputtering technique. The porous MgF region is a polar insulator whose high corrosion resistance facilitates the de-solvation of the solvated Zn ions and suppression of hydrogen evolution, resulting in Zn metal electrodes with a low interfacial resistance.

Separation and Recovery of Refined Si from Al-Si Melt by Modified Czochralski Method.

Separation of refined silicon from Al-Si melt is still a puzzle for the solvent refining process, resulting in considerable waste of acid and silicon powder. A novel modified Czochralski method within the Al-Si alloy is proposed. After the modified Czochralski process, a large amount of refined Si particles was enriched around the seed crystalline Si and separated from the Al-Si melt.

Plasma-Assisted Surface Modification on the Electrode Interface for Flexible Fiber-Shaped Zn-Polyaniline Batteries.

A novel flexible fiber-shaped zinc-polyaniline battery (FZPB) is proposed to enhance the electrochemical performance, mass loading, and stability of polyaniline cathodes. To this end, electron-cyclotron-resonance oxygen plasma-modified carbon fibers are employed. During plasma treatment, on the carbon-fiber surface, O plasma breaks the C-C, C-H, and C-N bonds to form C radicals, while the O molecules are broken down to reactive oxygen species (O, O, O, and O).

Correction: Performance evaluation of interfacial polymerisation-fabricated aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes in forward osmosis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C9RA00787C.].

Performance evaluation of interfacial polymerisation-fabricated aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes in forward osmosis.

Aquaporins play a promising role in the fabrication of high-performance biomimetic membranes. Interfacial polymerisation is a promising strategy for synthesizing aquaporin-based membranes. In this study, robust and high-performance aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes were successfully fabricated by interfacial polymerisation, and the membrane separation performance and interfacial polymerisation method were systematically evaluated.

Self-Relaxant Superelastic Matrix Derived from C Incorporated Sn Nanoparticles for Ultra-High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries.

Homogeneously dispersed Sn nanoparticles approximately ⩽10 nm in a polymerized C (PC) matrix, employed as the anode of a Li-ion battery, are prepared using plasma-assisted thermal evaporation coupled by chemical vapor deposition. The self-relaxant superelastic characteristics of the PC possess the ability to absorb the stress-strain generated by the Sn nanoparticles and can thus alleviate the problem of their extreme volume changes. Meanwhile, well-dispersed dot-like Sn nanoparticles, which are surrounded by a thin SnO layer, have suitable interparticle spacing and multilayer structures for alleviating the aggregation of Sn nanoparticles during repeated cycles.

ZnO Nanorod Array Modified PVDF Membrane with Superhydrophobic Surface for Vacuum Membrane Distillation Application.

The vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) is a promising technology for lots of applications. To solve the membrane fouling and wetting problems, in this paper, a novel ZnO nanorods 1 H,1 H,2 H,2 H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (PDTS) modified poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane with a micro/nanoscale hierarchical structure and a superhydrophobic surface has been prepared and applied to the VMD process for distilling highly salty water, for the first time. Among these, a pyrolysis-adhesion method is created to obtain the ZnO seeds and fasten them on the PVDF substrate firmly.

Misdiagnosis of idiopathic hypoparathyroidism: A case report and literature review.

Rationale: Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (IHP) is a rare endocrine condition, which is frequently represented by neuropsychiatric disorders. Hence, the misdiagnosis rate of the disease is rather high, especially for neurologists.

Patient Concerns: We reported a case of misdiagnosed, atypical IHP.

LiSiO-Based Artificial Passivation Thin Film for Improving Interfacial Stability of Li Metal Anodes.

An amorphous SiO (a-SiO) thin film was developed as an artificial passivation layer to stabilize Li metal anodes during electrochemical reactions. The thin film was prepared using an electron cyclotron resonance-chemical vapor deposition apparatus. The obtained passivation layer has a hierarchical structure, which is composed of lithium silicide, lithiated silicon oxide, and a-SiO.

Pseudocapacitive Characteristics of Low-Carbon Silicon Oxycarbide for Lithium-Ion Capacitors.

Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are important energy storage devices. As a material with good mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties, low-carbon silicon oxycarbide (LC-SiOC), a kind of silicone oil-derived SiOC, is of interest as an anode material, and we have examined the electrochemical behavior of LC-SiOC in LIB and LIC devices. We found that the lithium storage mechanism in LC-SiOC, prepared by pyrolysis of phenyl-rich silicon oil, depends on an oxygen-driven rather than a carbon-driven mechanism within our experimental scope.

Neutral polyfluoroalkyl substances in the atmosphere over the northern South China Sea.

Neutral Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the atmosphere were measured during a cruise campaign over the northern South China Sea (SCS) from September to October 2013. Four groups of PFASs, i.e.