Solvent-assisted synthesis of dendritic cerium hexacyanocobaltate and derived porous dendritic Co3O4/CeO2 as supercapacitor electrode materials

Here, we report a solvent-mediated synthetic route for preparing cerium hexacyanocobaltate with a dendritic shape. The porous dendritic Co3O4/CeO2 was prepared after annealing at 500 °C, served as a supercapacitor electrode.

The shape of dendritic tips

The present article is focused on the shapes of dendritic tips occurring in undercooled binary systems in the absence of convection. A circular/globular shape appears in limiting cases of small and large Péclet numbers. A parabolic/paraboloidal shape describes the tip regions of dendrites whereas a fractional power law defines a shape behind their tips in the case of low/moderate Péclet number. The parabolic/paraboloidal and fractional power law shapes are sewed together in the present work to describe the dendritic shape in a broader region adjacent to the dendritic tip. Such a generalized law is in good agreement with the parabolic/paraboloidal and fractional power laws of dendritic shapes. A special case of the angled dendrite is considered and analysed in addition. The obtained results are compared with previous experimental data and the results of numerical simulations on dendritic growth. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Patterns in soft and biological matters’.

Morphological evolution of atomically thin MoS2 flakes synthesized by a chemical vapor deposition strategy

The evolution of 2D MoS2 flakes from dendritic shape to hexagonal can be realized by the reaction of S and MoO3 powders at different growth temperatures via the chemical vapor deposition method.

Dendritic hierarchical AgCl prepared in the interface of gas–solid as the precursors of the visible-light plasmonic photocatalysts of Ag–AgCl

A new photocatalyst structure, dendritic hierarchical AgCl assembled by numerous nanoscaled particles, was obtained via simple and effective one-step gas–solid interfacial method for the first time. The macromorphology of the prepared AgCl also displays a dendritic shape as the microperspective. The Ag–AgCl made from the dendritic hierarchical AgCl exhibits a stable photocatalytic performance.

Spatial Evolution of the European Container Ports’ System in Perspective of the Location Theory

The maritime container terminal is no longer a spatially coherent object. Functionally it ends, where their most external components are located. The process of location splitting of container terminals (ger. Standortspaltung) can be treated as next stage of their discrete growth. The new container facilities are being built to improve the containers’ flow, passing from port terminals to cities situated in their hinterland and vice versa. The external components of container terminals have a very diverse program, are functionally complex, and due to advanced technologies of information and logistics they are interconnected into one system. The structure of the functional bindings of a maritime container terminal could be compared to the dendritic shape of a neuron, the kernel of which is a terminal, and the arms are transportation corridors ended with distant land intermodal terminals. The physical feature of this system is the logistics landscape with vast areas and large cubature. The aim of the paper is to present the graphical model explaining the changes in distribution and hierarchy of container terminals’ external elements in relation to the network of cities and transportation.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure Homogeneity of Zn-3Mg Alloy

The Zn based alloy has a high potential to be the next generation of biodegradable implant material. Development of this biomaterial involves casting process which often associated with various defects. In this study, Zn-3Mg alloy was prepared using conventional casting method and followed by homogenization treatment (370°C for 10hr) with the aim to improve the microstructure uniformity. Microscopic images show that as-cast Zn-3Mg alloy consists of segregated Zn-rich structure of star-like dendritic shape and eutectic mixture of Mg2Zn11 phase. It is observed that after the heat treatment process thissegregation has been dispersed well and results in a more uniform microstructure of Zn-3Mg alloy with low fraction of casting defects.

Microstructures of AZ61 Magnesium Alloy Solidified via Ultrasonic Vibration Treatment

The effects of ultrasonic vibration (USV) on the solidified microstructure of AZ61 magnesium alloy were investigated. The experimental results show that the remarkable microstructural refinement is achieved when the USV was applied to the solidification of the AZ61 alloy. The average grain size is decreased from 263 μm without ultrasonic treatment to 98 μm with USV treatment. The microstructure evolution reveals that the primary α-Mg generates and grows in globular shape with USV, contrast with the dendritic shape without USV. The USV causes melt convection during solidification, which makes the temperature of the whole melt homogenized, and produces an undercooling zone in front of the liquid/solid interface, which makes the nucleation rate increased and big dendrites prohibited. In addition, the β-phase in the entire cross-section of the billet is significantly refined and also changed from continuous to discontinuous morphology. Spherical β-phase is formed during the solidification of billet treated with USV.

Developmental Changes in Dendritic Shape and Synapse Location Tune Single-Neuron Computations to Changing Behavioral Functions

During nervous system development, different classes of neurons obtain different dendritic architectures, each of which receives a large number of input synapses. However, it is not clear whether synaptic inputs are targeted to specific regions within a dendritic tree and whether dendritic tree geometry and subdendritic synapse distributions might be optimized to support proper neuronal input-output computations. This study uses an insect model where structure and function of an individually identifiable neuron, motoneuron 5 (MN5), are changed while it develops from a slow larval crawling into a fast adult flight motoneuron during metamorphosis. This allows for relating postembryonic dendritic remodeling of an individual motoneuron to developmental changes in behavioral function. Dendritic architecture of MN5 is analyzed by three-dimensional geometric reconstructions and quantitative co-localization analysis to address the distribution of synaptic terminals. Postembryonic development of MN5 comprises distinct changes in dendritic shape and in the subdendritic distribution of GABAergic input synapses onto MN5. Subdendritic synapse targeting is not a consequence of neuropil structure but must rely on specific subdendritic recognition mechanisms. Passive multicompartment simulations indicate that postembryonic changes in dendritic architecture and in subdendritic input synapse distributions may tune the passive computational properties of MN5 toward stage-specific behavioral requirements.