Correction: An auxiliary electrode mediated membrane-free redox electrochemical cell for energy storage

Correction for ‘An auxiliary electrode mediated membrane-free redox electrochemical cell for energy storage’ by Senthil Velan Venkatesan et al., Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2020, 4, 2149–2152, DOI: 10.1039/c9se00734b.

Recent Patents on EDM of Nonconductive Materials

Background: The nonconductive materials are widely applied in electronics, optics, instrumentation, aerospace, national defense and civil industry because of their strong wear resistance, high hardness and good insulation performance. However, it is difficult for traditional machine methods to process the nonconductive materials. Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM), as an nontraditional advanced processing technology, is an alternative method for machining the nonconductive materials. Therefore, the development trend of EDM of nonconductive materials has been paid more and more attention. Objective: To meet the growing processing requirement of processing efficiency and processing quality of EDM of nonconductive materials, the processing devices and processing methods of EDM of nonconductive materials such as high-voltage spark machining, auxiliary electrode spark machining and electrolysis spark discharge machining are being improved continuously. Methods: This paper retraces various current representative patents relative to high-voltage spark machining, auxiliary electrode spark machining and electrolysis spark discharge machining of nonconductive materials. Results: Through investigating a large number of patents on EDM of nonconductive materials, the main current existing problems such as low processing efficiency and poor processing quality are summarized and analyzed. Moreover, the development tendency of EDM of nonconductive materials in the future is also discussed. Conclusion: The optimization of processing devices and processing methods of EDM of nonconductive materials is conducive to improve processing efficiency and processing quality. More correlative patents will be invented in the future.

Bubble Electrospinning with an Auxiliary Electrode and an Auxiliary Air Flow

Background: The patented bubble electrospinning, which is a simple and effective technique for mass-production of polymer nanofibers, has been studying extensively, but it is still under development. In the bubble electrospinning, multiple jets move from the positive electrode to the receptor, a long distance between the two electrodes is needed to guarantee complete solvent evaporation, as a result a relative high voltage is needed. Objective: The aim of the present study is to use an auxiliary electrode and an auxiliary air flow to improve bubble electrospinning with lower voltage and higher output than those by its traditional one. Methods: The modification of the bubble electrospinning with an auxiliary electrode and an auxiliary airflow is used to fabricate nanofibers. The auxiliary electrode is close to the positive electrode. The experiment was carried out at room temperature with 8%PVA solution. The result was analyzed with a S4800 cold field scanning electron microscope (SEM, Hitachi S-4800, Tokyo, Japan). Results: The auxiliary electrode can generate a strong induced electric field force. With the action of airflow, the jets will fly to the receptor instead of the auxiliary electrode. Conclusion: Both auxiliary electrode and auxiliary airflow are two important factors affecting the spinning process. It can reduce the spinning voltage and improve spinning efficiency.