A mechanochemical synthesis of submicron-sized Li2S and a mesoporous Li2S/C hybrid for high performance lithium/sulfur battery cathodes

Lithium sulfide, Li2S, is a promising cathode material for lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs), with a high theoretical capacity of 1166 mA h g−1. However, it suffers from low cycling stability, low-rate capability and high initial activation potential. In addition, commercially available Li2S is of high cost and of large size, over ten microns, which further exacerbate its shortcomings as a sulfur cathode. Exploring new approaches to fabricate small-sized Li2S of low cost and to achieve Li2S cathodes of high electrochemical performance is highly desired. This work reports a novel mechanochemical method for synthesizing Li2S of high purity and submicron size by ball-milling LiH with sulfur in an Ar atmosphere at room temperature. By further milling the as-synthesized Li2S with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) followed by carbonization of PAN at 1000 °C, a Li2S/C hybrid with nano-sized Li2S embedded in a mesoporous carbon matrix is achieved. The hybrid with Li2S as high as 74 wt% shows a high initial capacity of 971 mA h g−1 at 0.1C and retains a capacity of 570 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles as a cathode material for LSBs. A capacity of 610 mA h g−1 is obtained at 1C. The synthesis method of Li2S is facile, environmentally benign, and of high output and low cost. The present work opens a new route for the scalable fabrication of submicron-sized Li2S and for the development of high performance Li2S-based cathodes

Allele-specific NKX2-5 binding underlies multiple genetic associations with human electrocardiographic traits.

The cardiac transcription factor (TF) gene NKX2-5 has been associated with electrocardiographic (EKG) traits through genome-wide association studies (GWASs), but the extent to which differential binding of NKX2-5 at common regulatory variants contributes to these traits has not yet been studied. We analyzed transcriptomic and epigenomic data from induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes from seven related individuals, and identified ~2,000 single-nucleotide variants associated with allele-specific effects (ASE-SNVs) on NKX2-5 binding. NKX2-5 ASE-SNVs were enriched for altered TF motifs, for heart-specific expression quantitative trait loci and for EKG GWAS signals. Using fine-mapping combined with epigenomic data from induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, we prioritized candidate causal variants for EKG traits, many of which were NKX2-5 ASE-SNVs. Experimentally characterizing two NKX2-5 ASE-SNVs (rs3807989 and rs590041) showed that they modulate the expression of target genes via differential protein binding in cardiac cells, indicating that they are functional variants underlying EKG GWAS signals. Our results show that differential NKX2-5 binding at numerous regulatory variants across the genome contributes to EKG phenotypes

Simultaneous quantitative detection of hcn and c2h2 in combustion environment using tdlas

Emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx ) and soot particles during the combustion of biomass fuels and municipal solid waste is a major environmental issue. Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and acetylene (C2H2 ) are important precursors of NOx and soot particles, respectively. In the current work, infrared tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (IR-TDLAS), as a non-intrusive in situ technique, was applied to quantitatively measure HCN and C2H2 in a combustion environment. The P(11e) line of the first overtone vibrational band v1 of HCN at 6484.78 cm−1 and the P(27e) line of the v1 + v3 combination band of C2H2 at 6484.03 cm−1 were selected. However, the infrared absorption of the ubiquitous water vapor in the combustion environment brings great uncertainty to the measurement. To obtain accurate temperature-dependent water spectra between 6483.8 and 6485.8 cm−1, a homogenous hot gas environment with controllable temperatures varying from 1100 to 1950 K provided by a laminar flame was employed to perform systematic IR-TDLAS measurements. By fitting the obtained water spectra, water interference to the HCN and C2H2 measurement was sufficiently mitigated and the concentrations of HCN and C2H2 were obtained. The technique was applied to simultaneously measure the temporally resolved release of HCN and C2H2 over burning nylon 66 strips in a hot oxidizing environment of 1790 K

The prescribed Gauduchon scalar curvature problem in almost Hermitian geometry

In this paper we consider the prescribed Gauduchon scalar curvature problem on almost Hermitian manifolds. By deducing the expression of the Gauduchon scalar curvature under the conformal variation, the problem is reduced to solve a semi-linear partial differential equation with exponential nonlinearity. Using super and sub-solution method, we show that the existence of the solution to this semi-linear equation depends on the sign of a constant associated to Gauduchon degree. When the sign is negative, we give both necessary and sufficient conditions that a prescribed function is the Gauduchon scalar curvature of a conformal Hermitian metric. Besides, this paper recovers Chern Yamabe problem, prescribed Chern Yamabe problem and Bismut Yamabe problem

Quantitative imaging of KOH vapor in combustion environments using 266 nm laser-induced photofragmentation fluorescence

In biomass thermal conversion processes, the release of potassium in high temperature environments crucially influences the operating efficiency and safety. The dominant potassium species can be potassium hydroxide (KOH) and/or potassium chloride (KCl). We report a species-specified quantitative measurement of potassium hydroxide (KOH) in combustion environments using laser-induced photofragmentation fluorescence (LIPF). Ultraviolet (UV) light sources with different wavelengths (193, 213 and 266 nm) were investigated to select a proper source ensuring that the excited potassium atoms in the 42P state could be only generated from the KOH molecules, not another major potassium compound, potassium chloride (KCl), and emit fluorescence at 766/769 nm after the photodissociation. After direct comparison, the fourth-harmonic of Nd:YAG laser at 266 nm was found to be the most proper light source. The fluorescence signal was strongly influenced by temperature as KOH molecules at thermally populated excited vibrational levels were needed to produce excited potassium atoms after the 266 nm photolysis. After the calibration using broadband UV absorption spectroscopy, the detection limit of the LIPF planar imaging system was determined to be about 3 ppm at 1750 K under a harsh condition, where about 80% of the fluorescence was re-absorbed by the potassium atoms present in the background gas. The technique was applied to quantitatively measure KOH concentration in the hot flue gasses provided by potassium carbonate seeded flames with varying equivalence ratios, and it was also used to visualize the distribution of KOH vapor above a piece of burning wood char

Quantitative SO2 Detection in Combustion Environments Using Broad Band Ultraviolet Absorption and Laser-Induced Fluorescence

Spectrally resolved ultraviolet (UV) absorption cross sections of SO2 in combustion environments at temperatures from 1120 to 1950 K were measured for the first time in well-controlled conditions through applying broad band UV absorption spectroscopy in specially designed one-dimensional laminar flat flames. The temperature was observed to have a significant effect on the absorption cross-section profiles at wavelength shorter than 260 nm, while at the longer wavelength side, the absorption cross-section profiles have much less dependence on temperature. The absorption cross section at 277.8 nm with a value of 0.68 × 10-18 cm2/molecule was suggested for the evaluation of the SO2 concentration because of the weak dependence on temperature. To make spatially resolved measurements, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of SO2 excited by a 266 nm laser was investigated. Spectrally resolved LIF signal was analyzed at different temperatures. The LIF signal showed strong dependence on temperature, which can potentially be used for temperature measurements. At elevated temperatures, spatially resolved LIF SO2 detection up to a few ppm sensitivity was achieved. Combining UV broad band absorption spectroscopy and LIF, highly sensitive and spatially resolved quantitative measurements of SO2 in the combustion environment can be achieved

Ultraviolet Absorption Cross-Sections of Ammonia at Elevated Temperatures for Nonintrusive Quantitative Detection in Combustion Environments

Ammonia (NH3) is regarded as an important nitrogen oxides (NOx) precursor and also as an effective reductant for NOx removal in energy utilization through combustion, and it has recently become an attractive non-carbon alternative fuel. To have a better understanding of thermochemical properties of NH3, accurate in situ detection of NH3 in high temperature environments is desirable. Ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy is a feasible technique. To achieve quantitative measurements, spectrally resolved UV absorption cross-sections of NH3 in hot gas environments at different temperatures from 295 K to 590 K were experimentally measured for the first time. Based on the experimental results, vibrational constants of NH3 were determined and used for the calculation of the absorption cross-section of NH3 at high temperatures above 590 K using the PGOPHER software. The investigated UV spectra covered the range of wavelengths from 190 nm to 230 nm, where spectral structures of the (Formula presented.) transition of NH3 in the umbrella bending mode, v2, were recognized. The absorption cross-section was found to decrease at higher temperatures. For example, the absorption cross-section peak of the (6, 0) vibrational band of NH3 decreases from ∼2 × 10−17 to ∼0.5 × 10−17 cm2/molecule with the increase of temperature from 295 K to 1570 K. Using the obtained absorption cross-section, in situ nonintrusive quantification of NH3 in different hot gas environments was achieved with a detection limit varying from below 10 parts per million (ppm) to around 200 ppm as temperature increased from 295 K to 1570 K. The quantitative measurement was applied to an experimental investigation of NH3 combustion process. The concentrations of NH3 and nitric oxide (NO) in the post flame zone of NH3–methane (CH4)–air premixed flames at different equivalence ratios were measured

Planar laser-induced photofragmentation fluorescence for quantitative ammonia imaging in combustion environments

Ammonia is regarded as a potential carbon-free alternative fuel. To have a better understanding of its combustion characteristics, development of feasible techniques for ammonia detection in combustion environments is essential. In the present work, planar laser-induced photofragmentation fluorescence (LIPF) was developed for quantitative measurements of ammonia in hot gas flows. A 193 nm ArF excimer laser was used to photo-dissociate ammonia. As a fragment, NH* radicals were generated, and the fluorescence at 336 nm was used for ammonia detection. Quantitative calibration of the LIPF signal was performed in hot flows either from laminar flames or an electric heating-pipe with a known amount of ammonia and temperature. Ultraviolet absorption was used to obtain accurate concentrations of ammonia in the hot flows from laminar flames. The single-shot detection limit of the LIPF technique was estimated to be ∼50 ppm and ∼130 ppm in hot flue gas at 1140 and 1750 K, respectively, and ∼0.2 ppm in a room-temperature nitrogen flow. The technique was applied to detect the slip of ammonia in a premixed laminar ammonia-air flame with a fuel-air equivalence ratio of 1.2. Over 5000 ppm unburned ammonia was detected in the post-flame region and measurements showed good agreement with predictions of a chemical model