Low temperature synthesis of NiO/Co3O4 composite nanosheets as high performance Li-ion battery anode materials

NiO/Co3O4 composite nanosheets have been synthesized via a facile method at low temperature for the first time.The as prepared materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction(XRD) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and the performance of Li-ion batteries(LIBs) as anode materials were also studied.By controlling the atom ratio of Ni:Co,not only the size of the nanosheets can be controlled,the electrode’s conductivity and stability could also be greatly improved.The composite material showed a stable capacity retention during cycling(87% of the second capacity was retained after 15 cycles) even at a relatively large current rate(400 mA/g).The NiO/Co3O4 nanosheet might be promising candidate anode materials in high performance Li-ion batteries.     

Experimental validation of inter-subspecific genetic diversity in rice represented by the differences between the DNA sequences of ‘Nipponbare’ and ‘93-11’

The pedigrees of three sequenced rice cultivars were analyzed to show that a majority of the genetic composition of 'Nipponbare' originates from japonica cultivars while the minority originates from indica cultivars. In contrast, '93-11' is derived mainly from indica cultivars with a smaller contribution from japonica cultivars. All ancestors of 'Guang lu ai 4' appeared to be indica lines. A set of molecular markers (46 InDels and 53 SSRs) polymorphic between 'Nipponbare' and '93-11' were examined in 46 typical indica and 47 typical japonica cultivars selected from 443 accessions according to Cheng's index. All cultivars were divided into indica and japonica groups without overlapping when clustered by Cheng's index, InDels and SSRs. Much higher InDel and SSR diversity between groups than within groups implies that the marker polymorphisms between 'Nipponbare' and '93-11' represent a large proportion of inter-subspecific diversity. About 85% of indica cultivars and more than 90% of japonica cultivars were confirmed to have the same PCR banding patterns as '93-11' and 'Nipponbare', respectively. Some polymorphic loci between 'Nipponbare' and '93-11' cannot be validated in other indica and japonica cultivars, either as subspecies-specific but not predominant alleles, or alleles not specific between the two groups. It was concluded that molecular markers developed from sequence polymorphism between 'Nipponbare' and '93-11' often represent inter-subspecific diversity, although some exceptions were sensitive to either particular marker loci or particular cultivars.     

微重力条件下的InxGa1-xSb晶体生长研究

InxGa1-xSb晶体是吸收波长可以在1.7–6.8μm范围内调控的三元半导体晶体,在红外探测、热光伏电池领域具有重要的应用前景,但由于其固液相线相距很远,容易形成成分偏析和结晶缺陷,且重力对流会增加晶体生长界面处物质输送的不均匀性,使得地面环境下难于生长高质量的InxGa1-xSb晶体.微重力环境由于抑制了自然对流,为晶体生长提供了良好条件,本文综述了微重力环境对InxGa1-xSb半导体晶体成分偏析和晶体缺陷的影响,并介绍了中国返回式微重力科学卫星实践十号上的InxGa1-xSb三元晶体的空间生长实验成果.     

Characteristics of near-surface turbulence during a dust storm passing Minqin on March 19, 2010

Twelve-hour real-time and synchronous measurements of the three-dimensional components of the near-surface turbulence at four heights (8, 16, 32 and 47 m) during a dust storm are obtained by sonic anemometers for the first time. The experimental results show that (1) the mean vertical velocities at all four heights have considerably positive values during the dust storm, illustrating a strong upward flow near the surface; (2) during the dust storm, the mean vertical velocity is higher at 8 m than at 16 and 32 m, implying that the convection is stronger at 8 m than at the other two heights; and (3) when the longitudinal velocity is a maximum, the mean of the vertical components of wind velocities at 8 m is a minimum and the standard deviation is a maximum, which reveals weaker vertical convection during the period of greatest dust storm intensity, while the turbulence intensity contrarily increases, which may result in more entrainment of surface dust. The analysis results also show that the standard deviations of the longitudinal and vertical velocities increase as the mean inflow velocity increases, but the standard deviation of the lateral velocity is hardly affected by the mean inflow velocity. Based on the calculated skewness and kurtosis of the longitudinal, vertical and lateral velocities every 20 min at different heights, it is seen that all three components obviously fluctuate with height, which further indicates the importance of performing real-time and synchronous measurements at different heights near the surface during a dust storm so as to reveal the three-dimensional turbulence structure accurately.     

Nitrogen-doped graphene nanosheets as high efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

It is of great significance in exploring alternative catalysts to platinum (Pt)-based materials for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR),because this reaction is invariably involved in various fuel cells and metal-air batteries.We herein reported the nitrogen doped graphene nanosheets (NGNSs) with pore volume of as high as 3.42 m 3 /g and investigated their potential application as ORR catalysts,it was demonstrated the NGNSs featured high activity,improved kinetics and excellent long-term stability for ORR.The NGNSs were successfully used as cathode catalysts of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and performed even better than the commercial Pt/C (Pt 10%) catalysts at the maximum power output.     

Porous cobalt oxide nanowires: Notable improved gas sensing performances

The porous Co3O4 nanowires have been successfully synthesized via modified template method. A possible growth mechanism governing the formation of such 1D nanowires is proposed. The as-prepared products have been characterized by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Extended X-ray Absorption Fine-structure (EXAFS), High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) and N2 adsorption/desorption analysis. Our systematic studies have revealed that the porous Co3O4 nanowires show excellent gas sensing performances, which demonstrate the potential application of the 1D nanostructured Co3O4 in the detection of the ethanol gas as a sensor material. The improved performances are owing to its large specific surface area and porous morphology.     

Experimental validation of inter-subspecific genetic diversity in rice represented by the differences between the DNA sequences of ＇Nipponbare＇ and ＇93-11＇

The pedigrees of three sequenced rice cultivars were analyzed to show that a majority of the genetic composition of ＇Nipponbare＇ originates from japonica cultivars while the minority originates from indica cultivars. In contrast, ＇93-11＇ is derived mainly from indica cultivars with a smaller contribution from japonica cultivars. All ancestors of ＇Guang lu ai 4＇ appeared to be indica lines. A set of molecular markers （46 InDels and 53 SSRs） polymorphic between ＇Nipponbare＇ and ＇93-11＇ were examined in 46 typical indica and 47 typical japonica cultivars selected from 443 accessions according to Cheng＇s index. All cultivars were divided into indica and japonica groups without overlapping when clustered by Cheng＇s index, InDels and SSRs. Much higher InDel and SSR diversity between groups than within groups implies that the marker polymorphisms between ＇Nipponbare＇ and ＇93-11＇ represent a large proportion of inter-subspecific diversity. About 85% of indica cultivars and more than 90% of japonica cultivars were confirmed to have the same PCR banding patterns as ＇93-11＇ and ＇Nipponbare＇, respectively. Some polymorphic loci between ＇Nipponbare＇ and ＇93-11＇ cannot be validated in other indica and japonica cultivars, either as subspecies-specific but not predominant alleles, or alleles not specific between the two groups. It was concluded that molecular markers developed from sequence polymorphism between ＇Nipponbare＇ and ＇93-11＇ often represent inter-subspecific diversity, although some exceptions were sensitive to either particular marker loci or particular cultivars.     

Geochemical characteristics of pore water in shallow sediments from Shenhu area of South China Sea and their significance for gas hydrate occurrence

The Shenhu area is one of the promise target areas for marine gas hydrate exploration in the northern margin of the South China Sea.Pore water samples were collected from two piston cores (8.75 and 8.52 m) in site HS-A and site HS-B in the Shenhu area,and their major anion and cation contents and trace element contents have been analyzed in this study.Cl- concentrations in pore waters are similar to the seawater value and no systematic change along depth profiles has been found for the Cl- content in both s...     

Glycerol ether biomarkers and their carbon isotopic compositions in a cold seep carbonate chimney from the Shenhu area,northern South China Sea

At modern cold seeps,the anaerobic oxidation of methane(AOM)is the dominant pathway for methane consumption in marine sediments.AOM,which is mediated by a consortium of methane oxidizing archaea and sulfate reducing bacteria,is proposed to be responsible for authigenic carbonate formation.A methane-derived carbonate chimney was collected from the Shenhu area, northern South China Sea.The membrane lipids and their very low carbon isotopic compositions(?115‰to?104‰)in the Shenhu chimney suggest the presence of an AOM process.Three specific archaeal and bacterial biomarkers were detected,including Ar,DAGE 1f,and monocyclic MDGD.Their strongly depleted??13C values(?115‰to?104‰),which are lower than those of the normal marine lipids in sediments,reveal biogenic methane as their origin.The carbonate deposits exhibiting a chimney structure indicate that a vigorous methane-rich fluid expulsion may have occurred at the seafloor.We propose that the decomposition of gas hydrates at depth is the likely cause of seepage and cold seep carbonate formation in the Shenhu area.     

Self-organized criticality judgment and extreme statistics analysis of major urban fires

The spatial (economic loss) and temporal characteristics of urban fires were analyzed employing relevant statistical methods. A fractal structure in terms of the power-law relation between fire frequency and economic loss was found on a spatial scale, and an exponential relation between frequency and time interval was found on a temporal scale. Thus, urban fire does not meet the rigorous criteria of self-organized criticality. In addition, based on the spatial power-law distribution characteristics, a correlation model of the frequency and scale of loss due to urban fire was established using the extremum statistical method. This model was then applied to the case analysis of Hefei and the probability of major fire incidents in the future was predicted.