New Insight into Li+ Dynamics in Lithium Bimetal Phosphate

Substitution of iron by other transition metals within the remarkably stable olivine framework is of interest considering the expected gain in energy density. However, manganese rich olivine materials suffer from sluggish redox kinetics, leading to electrochemical performances at high current densities which are below expectations. The source of the kinetic limitations is not clear, with multiple processes having been proposed, including low bulk electronic conductivity, structural instability of Mn3+ and a phase transition mechanism. This study employed 7Li MAS NMR relaxation techniques to indirectly probe Li+ dynamics using various stoichiometry of chemically prepared LixMnyFe1-yPO4 (0 ≤ (x, y) ≤ 1). Focusing on the particle level, the aim was to understand how the different crystal phases, alongside the Mn structural contribution, influence Li+ transport at each stage of the oxidation process. Significantly, the formation of an olivine solid solution with vacancies within this progression gave rise to a faster 7Li transverse relaxation derived from superior Li+ motion.

HYDROSOL OF C70 FULLERENE: SYNTHESIS AND STABILITY IN ELECTROLYTIC SOLUTIONS

This article is devoted to the synthesis and characterization of the hydrosol of C70 of the son/nC70 type and to its coagulation by sodium chloride and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). At C70 concentration of 3.3×10–6 M, the electrokinetic potential is ζ= –40 ± 4 mV, the particle size expressed as Zeta-average is 97±3 nm; at higher C70 concentrations, 1.7×10–5 and 6.9×10–5 M, the size stays the same: 99 – 100 nm. The critical concentration of coagulation (CCC) values, were determined using the diameter increasing rate (DIR) on NaCl concentration. The CCCs are concentration-dependent: 250, 145, and 130 mM at C70 concentrations 3.3×10–6, 1.7×10–5, and 6.9×10–5 M, respectively. The CCC for the CTAB surfactant is much lower, about 5×10–3 mM. At 0.02 mM CTAB, however, the overcharging up to ζ = + 40 mV and stabilization of the colloidal particles take place. Interpretation of the hydrosol coagulation by NaCl using the Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory makes it possible to determine the Hamaker constant of the C70–C70 interaction in vacuum, if only electrostatic repulsion and molecular attraction are taking into account: AFF ≈ 7×10–20 J. On the other hand, if we use the value AFF = (16.0–16.6)×10–20 J, obtained earlier in the study of organosols, then the data for hydrosols can be explained only by the introduction of an additional type of interactions. Following the terms of Churaev and Derjaguin, one should take into account the structural contribution to the interaction energy, which stabilizes the hydrosol.

Structural Contribution of Cold In-Place Recycling Base Layer

Cold in-place recycling (CIR) of asphalt pavements is a process that has successfully been used for many years. The use of CIR for rehabilitation offers many advantages over traditional overlays due to its excellent resistance to reflective cracking and its environmentally friendly impacts. Despite the good performance and positive sustainability aspects of CIR, the structural contribution of the CIR base layer has not been well defined. In this research, CIR mixtures were designed with different asphalt emulsions. The mixtures were then subjected to dynamic modulus, repeated load triaxial, and flexural beam fatigue testing over a range of temperature and loading conditions. The performance test data generated were then used to develop CIR rutting and fatigue performance models used in the mechanistic analysis of flexible pavements. The technique used to develop the performance models leveraged the fact that the rutting and fatigue models for individual CIR mixtures were all within the 95 percent confidence interval of each other. A mechanistic analysis was conducted using the 3D-Move Mechanistic Analysis model. With the laboratory-developed performance models, the structural layer coefficient for the CIR base layer were developed for use in the 1993 AASHTO Guide for the Design of Pavement Structures. This analysis led to the determination of an average structural coefficient of the CIR base layer of 0.25.

Comparison of Fe-Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis in Amorphous and Crystalline Nickel Oxides to Evaluate the Structural Contribution

Control of electronic states is a central issue in electrocatalysis, as it determines the charge transfer behavior for better catalytic reaction efficiency. While a variety of chemical modifications thus have...

Marginal Architecture [How will we live together?] - a process under construction…

The organization of territory and cities is a structuring element for the management of epidemic crises. The existence of basic sanitary structures is, nowadays, an acquired and determined factor for the healthiness of territories, as well as for the structural contribution to the well-being of the populations. Since the 19th century epidemic crises established health parameters for Architecture and Urbanism, which are still a reference today. Almost after one hundred years, where the questions of salubrity were supposed to be consolidated, we find that, suddenly, without advice, new alarm bells rings: we found that the world was not prepared to be closed in its “housing units”. Assuming Portimão as an urban laboratory and as a waterfront city, we will present the process developed for studies, searching for proposals witch solutions look for a contemporary assignment, which imposes to Architecture a principle settled on options of sustainability, impermanence, reuse and recycling.