Charge Accumulation Research Articles

Temperature-induced evolution of CuOx clusters in CuOx/TiO2 catalyst for boosting auto-exhaust oxidation

Developing non-noble metal oxides, replacing platinum group catalysts for auto-exhaust purification, where their usage amount exceeds 40 % of global demand, remains a challenge. Herein, we presented a combined approach on the synthesis and application of robust CuOx/TiO2 catalysts with ultra-fine CuOx clusters (ca. 1 nm). The strong interaction between CuOx and TiOx induces favorable interfacial charge accumulation, facilitating the extraction of the interfacial oxygen atoms in Cu2-x-O-Ti4-y chains and the surface lattice oxygen on CuOx clusters. Isotope 18O2 experiments and DFT calculations jointly confirmed that these oxygen atoms preferentially participate in the oxidation through the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism below 250 °C. The resulted oxygen vacancies facilitate the adsorption and activation of O2 molecules, which will participate the oxidation above 250 °C through Eley-Rideal mechanism. The increase in the temperature also drives the synergy of active oxygen species in the interfacial Cu2-x-O-Ti4-y bond chains and on CuOx clusters, cooperatively promoting the conversion of NO to NO2. As a result, the CuOx/TiO2 catalyst exhibits exceptional catalytic performance in soot oxidation, with a four-fold higher reaction rate (4.17 μmol g−1 min−1) than that of single-atom Cu₁-TiO2 catalyst. Such findings provide a novel strategy for the advancement of Cu-based cluster catalysts in environmental applications.

Improved body and interface properties of EPDM insulation for HVDC cable accessory by grafted voltage stabilizer

As a key component in HVDC cable accessory, EPDM insulation is prone to breakdown both in body and along interface. To improve the comprehensive electrical strength of EPDM, voltage stabilizer 2-propenyl-4,6-dibenzoylresorcinol (ADR) was simultaneously grafted onto macromolecules through free radical reaction on its vinyl during crosslinking of EPDM. After modification, the mechanical strength and thermal stability of EPDM are improved. In terms of body properties, the injection and rapid transfer of space charge under normal electric field are weakened, the volume conductivity is reduced, the breakdown strength is improved and the growth of electrical tree is suppressed. In terms of interface properties, the normal electric field at the EPDM/XLPE interface is weakened, hence reduced potential risk of deterioration initiated from interface. Moreover, the surface conductivity of EPDM is reduced, the charge accumulation and migration along the EPDM/XLPE interface are suppressed, and the interface breakdown strengths under different interface pressures are significantly increased under tangential electric field. Molecular simulations and UV absorption characteristics indicate that the grafted ADR molecules not only introduce charge traps into EPDM, but also absorb the high energy from trapped electrons and consume it through multiple excitations, thus preventing the electron avalanche and subsequent degradation of EPDM.

Extending Dynamic Blind Interaction: Microgap Discharge-Induced Flexible Virtual Electrotactile Braille.

Braille is an essential implement for the blind to communicate with outside, but traditional Braille is limited to a paper-based format that cannot directly provide real-time word information. In this work, a flexible virtual electrotactile Braille is proposed that can benefit the blind from blocked interaction. The Braille interface, S-shaped wires and a sphere electrode with a textile fingerstall integrated by silicone, offers flexibility and simultaneously generates the microgap through textile cracks, which achieves virtual electrotactile sensation by electrostatic discharge. Powered by a high-voltage triboelectric generator of 10.2 kV designed through the charge accumulation and induction strategy, the electrotactile stimulation is realized with a microgap discharge of only 40 μA current induced on the finger. A dynamic electrotactile Braille is finally assembled, controlled by a programmable relay array. The strategies of short circuit and voice reminder are employed, so that the recognition of dynamic Braille letters is realized with spatiotemporal electrotactile stimulation and high recognition accuracy. This virtual electrotactile Braille brings convenience for the blind to access the information world and illustrates its applications to promote virtual electrotactility in this special community.

Simulation studies of charging-up effect for single GEMs

Many experiments revealed a charging-up effect inside the Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) holes, resulting in variation of GEM effective gain. Charge accumulation on the insulator surface inside the GEM hole (charge process) is involved in the present simulation models. With only the charge process in the simulation, a longer and larger gain stability of GEM was observed while comparing the charging-up curves to references, even distinct in the relatively high conductivity of GEM insulator. This observation indicates that charge transportation within the GEM insulator (discharge process) is non-negligible; the charging-up stability depends on the dynamic balance of the charge and discharge process. Therefore, a discharge model is induced and expressed by a piecewise function based on the presence of a simulation framework. Charging-up curves are compared for single GEMs with two different structures under different gain values and input flux; the trend from simulation with the discharge process is consistent with those from references. Although the deviation of simulated charging-up curves is observed at the region started to be stable, indicating improvements in the discharge formulation, it can still predict the trend of stability and values of GEM effective gain. This study improves the present simulation model of the charging-up effect for single GEMs and provides a reference for other charging-up models.

Concurrent oxygen evolution reaction pathways revealed by high-speed compressive Raman imaging.

Transition metal oxides are state-of-the-art materials for catalysing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), whose slow kinetics currently limit the efficiency of water electrolysis. However, microscale physicochemical heterogeneity between particles, dynamic reactions both in the bulk and at the surface, and an interplay between particle reactivity and electrolyte makes probing the OER challenging. Here, we overcome these limitations by applying state-of-the-art compressive Raman imaging to uncover concurrent bias-dependent pathways for the OER in a dense, crystalline electrocatalyst, α-Li2IrO3. By spatially and temporally tracking changes in stretching modes we follow catalytic activation and charge accumulation following ion exchange under various electrolytes and cycling conditions, comparing our observations with other crystalline catalysts (IrO2, LiCoO2). We demonstrate that at low overpotentials the reaction between water and the oxidized catalyst surface is compensated by bulk ion exchange, as usually only found for amorphous, electrolyte permeable, catalysts. At high overpotentials the charge is compensated by surface redox active sites, as in other crystalline catalysts such as IrO2. Hence, our work reveals charge compensation can extend beyond the surface in crystalline catalysts. More generally, the results highlight the power of compressive Raman imaging for chemically specific tracking of microscale reaction dynamics in catalysts, battery materials, or memristors.

200 mm Wafer Level Characterization at 2 K of Si/SiGe Field-Effect Transistors

Si/SiGe has proven to be an excellent spin qubit platform, but industrial production of large-scale spin-qubit chips is missing. We use field effect transistors (FETs) to monitor and develop the quality of the fabrication process on 200 mm wafers at 2 K using a cryogenic wafer prober (CWP). This mass-characterization technique provides statistics on device performance. We observe variations in drain off current and gate threshold voltage of 213 FETs. These variations are related to bias voltage conditions during CWP cooldown, which differ from qubit chip cooldown. To address this, a new FET structure with an additional top gate is introduced, effectively suppressing unintentional charge accumulations. This eliminates drain off currents and improves homogeneity of FET characteristics at 2 K. Our results highlight significant impact of bias conditions during qubit chip cooldown, which, if not accounted for in the qubit chip design, can lead to incorrect conclusions when using CWP.

Exquisitely functionalized porphyrin-COF self-supporting nanofilm for high-performance in-plane micro-supercapacitor

Large-area Co2+/ionic liquid (IL) co-modified porphyrin-COF nanofilm was prepared by the chelation Co2+ ions on porphyrin-N and grafting IL on –OH groups in COFTAPP-DHPA skeleton respectively. This IL-Co-COFTAPP-DHPA self-supporting film can directly customized into interdigital electrodes, and assembled as flexible MSC-IL-Co-COFTAPP-DHPA devices. The MSC-IL-Co-COFTAPP-DHPA device exhibits the good energy storage properties, such as the high energy density of 67.2 mWh/cm3 at 3.46 W/cm3, good cycling stability with capacitance retention of 91 % after 5,000 cycles. These outstanding performances can be explained by the fact that the chelated Co2+ ions can provide the additional Faradaic redox reaction, and grafted long-chain IL can improve the charge accumulation capacity by pore channel segmentation and growing adsorbing H+ active sites. Notably, the MSC-IL-Co-COFTAPP-DHPA owns the high anti-bending property, allowing for bending at different angles. This work can broaden the COF film application prospects in flexible, wearable electronic devices.

Mechanisms determining water permeability and ion selectivity of multilayered glycine-functionalized graphene oxide membranes in saline water reverse osmosis processes: A computational investigation

Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics simulations were performed to examine in detail the mechanisms involved in a reverse osmosis process for the removal of monovalent (Na+, Cl−) and divalent (Mg2+) ions from saline water, using multilayered glycine-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) membranes. We varied parameters such as the degree of functionalization of the GO flakes and the structural flexibility of the membranes and examined their performance in a wide range of applied pressure gradients. In all models examined, water permeability was found to be almost 2 orders of magnitude larger compared to that in conventional reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. High structural flexibility of the membranes was found to increase water permeability due to the formation of additional nanochannels that favor faster water transport. Functionalization of the GO flakes by the glycinate groups resulted in a decrease in water permeability due to the formation of a denser hydrogen-bonding network within the membranes. Three main mechanisms were identified regarding ion selectivity. Due to the overall negative charge of the membranes, the strong adsorption of the Mg2+ ions onto the GO flakes resulted in their full rejection. Weaker adsorption of the Na+ ions led only to their partial rejection. At the same time, the electrostatic repulsion of the Cl− ions by the membranes was found to result in almost full removal levels at high pressure gradients. The rejection of the monovalent ions was found to decrease with the structural flexibility of the membranes and increase with the functionalization of the GO flakes, in response to the changes observed in water permeability on these membrane modifications. The pressure-dependent deformability of the structurally flexible membranes combined with charge accumulation close to the membrane's entrance, resulted in a non-monotonic dependence of the monovalent ion rejection on the applied pressure difference.

Facet-Engineered BiVO4 Photocatalysts for Water Oxidation: Lifetime Gain Versus Energetic Loss.

A limiting factor to the efficiency of water Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) in metal oxide nanoparticle photocatalysts is the rapid recombination of holes and electrons. Facet-engineering can effectively improve charge separation and, consequently, OER efficiency. However, the kinetics behind this improvement remain poorly understood. This study utilizes photoinduced absorption spectroscopy to investigate the charge yield and kinetics in facet-engineered BiVO4 (F-BiVO4) compared to a non-faceted sample (NF-BiVO4) under operando conditions. A significant influence of preillumination on hole accumulation is observed, linked to the saturation and, thus, passivation of deep and inactive hole traps on the BiVO4 surface. In DI-water, F-BiVO4 shows a 10-fold increase in charge accumulation (∼5 mΔOD) compared to NF-BiVO4 (∼0.5 mΔOD), indicating improved charge separation and stabilization. With the addition of Fe(NO3)3, an efficient electron acceptor, F-BiVO4 demonstrates a 30-fold increase in the accumulation of long-lived holes (∼45 mΔOD), compared to NF-BiVO4 (∼1.5 mΔOD) and an increased half-time, from 2 to 10 s. Based on a simple kinetic model, this increase in hole accumulation suggests that facet-engineering causes at least a 50-100 meV increase in band bending in BiVO4 particles, thereby stabilizing surface holes. This energetic stabilization/loss results in a retardation of OER relative to NF-BiVO4. This slower catalysis is, however, offset by the observed increase in density and lifetime of photoaccumulated holes. Overall, this work quantifies how surface faceting can impact the kinetics of long-lived charge accumulation on metal oxide photocatalysts, highlighting the trade-off between lifetime gain and energetic loss critical to optimizing photocatalytic efficiency.

Dirac Electrons with Molecular Relaxation Time at Electrochemical Interface between Graphene and Water.

The time dynamics of charge accumulation at the electrochemical interface between graphene and water is important for supercapacitors, batteries, and chemical and biological sensors. By using impedance spectroscopy, we have found that measured capacitance (Cm) at this interface with the gate voltage Vgate ≈ 0.1 V follows approximate laws Cm~T1.2 and Cm~T0.11 (T is Vgate period) in frequency ranges (1000-50,000) Hz and (0.02-300) Hz, respectively. In the first range, this dependence demonstrates that the interfacial capacitance (Cint) is only partially charged during the charging period. The observed weaker frequency dependence of the measured capacitance (Cm) at frequencies below 300 Hz is primarily determined by the molecular relaxation of the double-layer capacitance (Cdl) and by the graphene quantum capacitance (Cq), and it also implies that Cint is mostly charged. We have also found a voltage dependence of Cm below 10 Hz, which is likely related to the voltage dependence of Cq. The observation of this effect only at low frequencies indicates that Cq relaxation time is much longer than is typical for electron processes, probably due to Dirac cone reconstruction from graphene electrons with increased effective mass as a result of their quasichemical bonding with interfacial molecular charges.

Electrical conduction of ferroelectric domains and domain walls in polycrystalline BiFeO3 and Bi5Ti3FeO15 thin films

The unique properties of domain wall conductivity have garnered significant interest for their potential application in non-volatile ferroelectric domain wall memory. In this study, we investigated the electrical conduction within ferroelectric domains and domain walls of polycrystalline BiFeO3 (BFO) and Bi5Ti3FeO15 (BTFO) thin films, which were deposited on Pt/Ta/glass substrates via pulsed laser deposition. BFO thin film consistently demonstrated a (111) orientation, while BTFO thin film exhibited mixed crystallinity, featuring both c-axis and a-axis orientations. This mixed crystallinity in BTFO thin film contributed to a higher remanent polarization of 38.2 μC/cm2 compared to 20.3 μC/cm2 in BFO thin film, which is attributed to the a-oriented crystallinity within the Bi-layered perovskite structure of BTFO thin film. Additionally, BTFO thin film displayed a greater prevalence of 90° domain walls, which enhanced electrical conduction due to charge accumulation, particularly when compared to 180° domain walls. A significant change in resistance was observed when the domain wall was present versus absent, with a more pronounced effect in the BTFO capacitor compared to the BFO capacitor. This is attributed to the higher domain wall conductivity in BTFO thin film, confirming their superiority for use in ferroelectric capacitor devices that leverage domain wall conductivity.

Dielectric behavior and breakdown strength of glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites under dynamic mechanical fatigue

Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), used in insulating components like insulation rods, needs to withstand both high voltage and large dynamic mechanical fatigue during operation. In this paper, the effects of tension–compression fatigue loads on the dielectric properties of GFRP under various fatigue cycles and stress levels are investigated. The results show that DC conductivity has a strong negative correlation with stiffness, while breakdown strength is showing a positive correlation. Fatigue-induced internal damage could cause continuous charge accumulation and enhanced interfacial polarization, leading to the increase of dielectric constant by 46.89% and the reduction of breakdown strength by 15.05%, when the fatigue span ratio reaches 80% under 40% stress level. Understanding the evolution of dielectric properties of GFRP under dynamic mechanical fatigue conditions is helpful for ensuring the safe and stable operation of electrical power equipment subjected to both high voltage and fatigue loads.

Charging and Discharging Modeling of Inertial Sensors Based on Ultraviolet Charge Management

Inertial sensors act as inertial references in space gravitational wave detection missions, necessitating that their internal test mass (TM) maintains minimal residual acceleration noise. High-energy particles and cosmic rays in space, along with ion pumps in ground-based torsion pendulum experiments, can cause charge accumulation on the TM surface, leading to increased residual acceleration noise. Consequently, a charge management system was introduced to control the TM’s charge. The complex light path propagation within the electrode housing (EH) makes the TM’s charging and discharging process difficult to theoretically calculate and fully simulate. To address this issue, we propose a simulation method for charging and discharging inertial sensors within ultraviolet (UV) charge management systems. This method innovatively considers the impact of photoelectron emission angle and the TM’s position offset from symmetry on performance. The method also simulates charging and discharging rates over time under conditions of symmetry and preliminarily examines factors affecting the TM’s equilibrium potential. Simulation results indicate that this method effectively models the charge management system’s operation, providing a valuable reference for system design.

Designing 2D carbon dot nanoreactors for alcohol oxidation coupled with hydrogen evolution

The coupled green energy and chemical production by photocatalysis represents a promising sustainable pathway, which poses great challenges for the multifunction integration of catalytic systems. Here we show a promising green photocatalyst design using Cu-ZnIn2S4 nanosheets and carbon dots as building units, which enables the integration of reaction, mass transfer, and separation functions in the nano-space, mimicking a nanoreactor. This function integration results in great activity promotion for benzyl alcohol oxidation coupled H2 production, with H2/benzaldehyde production rates of 45.95/46.47 mmol g−1 h−1, 36.87 and 36.73 times to pure ZnIn2S4, respectively, owning to the enhanced charge accumulation and mass transfer according to in-situ spectroscopies and computational simulations of the built-in electrical field. Near-unity selectivity of benzaldehyde is achieved via the effective separation enabled by the Cu(II)-mediated conformation flipping of the intermediates and subsequent π-π conjugation. This work demonstrates an inspiring proof-of-concept nanoreactor design of photocatalysts for coupled sustainable systems.

Effects and optimizations of image charge technology on the imaging performance of capacitive division image readout MCP detectors

A finite element model is proposed to investigate the impact of image charge technology on the imaging performance of capacitive division image readout (C-DIR) devices. Through detailed simulation analysis, we explore the charge density of the induction layer and each electrode layer in the multilayer capacitive anode. The position nonlinearity is calculated for various resistances per square of the induction layer and substrate thicknesses. The simulation results indicate a strong linear correlation between the position nonlinearity and substrate thickness, and an exponential decay relationship with the logarithmic resistance per square of the induction layer. The C-DIR detector is experimentally tested for imaging nonlinearity and counting rate, with the resistance per square of the induction layer ranging from 0.005 to 1000 MΩ, and the substrate thickness ranging from 1 to 5 mm. The experimental results validate the simulation conclusions and reveal the impact of the “charge accumulation effect” and “shielding effect” on the imaging performance of the detector, as well as the “imaging compression” phenomenon. Optimized image charge readout technology enables the C-DIR detector to achieve an imaging nonlinearity of 1.53% in the experiment.

Facile synthesis of MOF-derived carbon-supported LaZn@C nanocomposite as an efficient electrode material for supercapacitor

MOF-derived transition metal alloys have attracted researcher's interest in energy storage devices due to their vast surface area, high porosity, adjustable pore sizes, ease of modification, abundant active sites, and 3D tunable structure. Metal alloys covered with carbon can stabilize conductivity and ease charge accumulation, and they are suitable candidates for electrode materials for supercapacitor application. In this research article, core-shell LaZn@C nanocomposites were fabricated at different pyrolysis times via a hydrothermal approach. The materials that pyrolysis for two hours have a remarkable specific capacitance of 1024 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and an impressive energy density of 36.9 Whkg−1. In addition, it has lower Rp∼0.8 Ω and Rs∼0.2 Ω resistance due to the large surface area's high carbon content with cylindrical particles. Moreover, it shows an outstanding retention rate of (94.5 % over 4500 cycles at 1 A g−1). Finally, this research showed the novelty of advanced MOF-derived materials that suggest an efficient electrode material for the electrochemical performance of energy storage devices and supercapacitor applications.

Space charge-induced capacitance recovery in blue quantum dot light-emitting diodes

In this work, we report the capacitance recovery behavior in the blue quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) by capacitance–voltage (C–V) characterizations. A comprehensive study of the C–V, dC/dV–V, and current density–voltage characteristics of pristine and shelf-aged devices suggests that capacitance recovery is associated with space charge-induced charge accumulation. At lower temperatures, the capacitance recovery in the shelf-aged device is efficiently suppressed due to the difficulty in building up the space charge, which supports our argument. Moreover, the capacitance recovery behavior of QLED only happens at low frequencies (a few hundred hertz), which is related to the time constant for charge accumulation at the selected voltage. Our work shows the effect of space charge on device capacitance and enriches the comprehension of carrier processes in QLED under AC measurement.

Anchored Bi with cobalt polyphthalocyanine enhances the reversibility of Bi2Te3 anode for endurable lithium-ion storage

As an intermetallic material, Bi2Te3 possesses great potential in lithium-ion batteries due to its attractive layered structure, intrinsic excellent conductivity and impressive theoretical specific capacity. However, the phase decomposition and the huge volume variation leading to rapid capacity fading hinder the further application of Bi2Te3 in lithium-ion batteries. In this study, two dimensional Bi2Te3 encapsulated in cobalt polyphthalocyanine (CoPPc) is synthesized by a facile recrystallization method, and its electrochemical properties and lithium storage mechanism are comprehensively studied. The Bi2Te3@CoPPc electrodes exhibit outstanding cycling stability with a specific capacity of 551.9 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and 628.5 mAh g−1 at 500 mA g−1 after 500 cycles, benefiting from the configured composite layered structure and the amiable interaction of Bi2Te3 and CoPPc. Our experimental and theoretic results demonstrate that the electron redistribution induced by the incorporation of CoPPc with charge accumulation around Bi2Te3 and low potential region around Co efficiently facilitates the fast lithium-ion transportation resulting in outstanding rate performance. Our explorative strategy of electron redistribution proposes a new avenue to enhance the catalysis activity and durability of alloy anodes in metal-ion batteries.

Charge accumulation and potential difference generation in ion adsorbing cells

Charge accumulation and potential difference generation in ion adsorbing cells

Research of the anti-static and corrosion resistance of S-ZnO/m-SWCNTs/ FC composite coating

Abstract In order to solve the hazards caused by corrosion and charge accumulation in aircraft, electronic equipment, oil and gas pipelines, the corrosion resistance and anti-static performance of coatings need to be noted. In this study, monodisperse single-walled carbon nanotubes functional slurry (m-SWCNTs) was obtained by the combination of high-energy ultrasonic dispersion and non-covalent amphiphilic dispersant (PVP). In this way, the uniform dispersion of low-content m-SWCNTs in fluorocarbon composite coatings was achieved, and the micronano structured surface of the fluorocarbon composite coating was constructed by using the modified-ZnO in order to achieve superhydrophobicity. The results showed that the corrosion resistance of the fluorocarbon composite coating was further improved and the antistatic property of the composite coating met the use requirements, which was achieved through the synergistic effect of the m-SWCNTs network and the modified-ZnO. The resistivity of S-ZnO/m-SWCNTs/FC coating is 3.15 Ωm, acting as anti-static coating to reduce safety hazards, its corrosion current is 9.66×10−8 A/cm2, which is lower than bare steel by 3 orders of magnitude. Meanwhile, the composite coating owns the self-cleaning, superhydrophobic and organic solvent affinity, acting as oil-water separation coating. This research provides a new idea for the fabrication of multifunctional coating, elucidating the significant potential of its applications.