Modification Of Configuration Research Articles

Boosting the active sites of Cu/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalysts through tailored precipitation method

A reverse co-precipitation method was employed to increase the surface area of Ce0.8Zr0.2O2, resulting in boosting the active sites of Cu catalysts in the water–gas shift reaction (WGS). Active Cu sites and oxygen vacancy have been systematically controlled through the modification of physical properties and geometric configuration via a reverse co-precipitation of Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 support. The catalytic activity in WGS is primarily dependent on the number of active Cu species and is partially on the oxygen storage capacity. The kinetic results with Cu loadings revealed that the efficiency of active metal utilization was effectively enhanced by a reverse co-precipitation method, compared to the normal precipitation method, owing to the moderate metal–support interactions. The turnover frequency values were independent of Cu dispersion, highlighting the structure-insensitivity of Cu/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalysts. This work suggests the possibility of controlling metal–support interactions through support synthesis methods.

Thermo- economic feasibility of solar-assisted regeneration in post-combustion carbon capture: A diglycolamine-based case

The solvent regeneration in the post-combustion carbon capture process usually relies on steam from the power plant steam cycle. This heat duty is one of the challenges of energy consumption in PCC (Post-combustion Carbon Capture). However, this practice results in a significant energy penalty, leading to a substantial reduction in the capacity of the Power Plant, estimated to be between 19.5 and 40 %. This paper investigate the techno-economic feasibility of a solar-assisted regeneration process for the PCC industrial scale with diglycolamine solvent. The study aims to assess the impact of system configuration modifications, such as LVC (Lean Vapor Compression), SPCC (Solar Post-combustion Carbon Capture), and combinations of trough or compound solar collectors with LVC, on energy efficiency and overall plant performance. With 3E analysis for SPCC configuration results show that this configuration. However, reducing energy consumption and energy penalty factor, exhibits a decrease in exergy and exergoeconomic efficiency compared to the other configurations in terms of exergy and exergoeconomic aspects. However, the LVC + SCSS (Solar Combined Separator-Stripper) configuration demonstrates the best performance across the 3E aspects, resulting in a reduction energy penalty to 12.2 % and improvements of 38 % and 4.2 % in exergy and exergoeconomic factors, respectively.

Energy consumption optimization of CO2 capture and compression in natural gas combined cycle power plant through configuration modification and process integration

Currently, natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants account for a quarter of global electricity power supply and lead to greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the most effective technologies to reduce carbon emissions in the short term. However, the monoethanolamine (MEA)-based CO2 absorption and compression process is energy-intensive, which significantly reduces the power generation efficiency of NGCC. In addition, the waste hot and cold energy from NGCC and liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification process, which are generally wasted, can be recovered for the CCS process. Therefore, this study aims to reduce the energy consumption of the carbon capture process and recover waste LNG cold energy and hot energy in the NGCC through configuration modification and process integration. The results show that the energy consumption of CO2 regeneration in the proposed CO2 capture process configuration is reduced by 18.03 %, and the net power efficiency of the NGCC plant increases from 48.88 % to 50.10 %. Furthermore, a cascade two-stage organic Rankine cycle is integrated into the system for waste heat recovery, which can generate 5.04 MW electric power and reduce the efficiency penalty of the plant from 13.72 % to 10.29 %. By contrast, the alternative application of LNG cold energy to the CO2 compression process reduces compression power by 3.95 MW with a lower footprint and utility requirement while the efficiency penalty is decreased by 3.15 %.

Improving the performance of a shell and tube latent heat thermal energy storage through modifications of heat transfer pipes: A comprehensive investigation on various configurations

The modification of the geometric configurations of heat transfer pipes in shell and tube Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage (LHTES) systems not only enhances the melting process of the phase change material (PCM) but also improves the overall performance of these systems. This study aims to investigate ways to enhance the performance of LHTES systems by employing heat transfer pipes with various fin and twisted tape arrangements in a horizontal orientation. The Finite Volume Method and Enthalpy-Porosity method are employed to simulate the melting process. Stearic acid is used as the PCM material, while water serves as the heat transfer fluid. Eight different geometric configurations are modelled in the LHTES system: base case, horizontal fins, vertical fins, helical fins, horizontal tape, vertical tape, twisted tape and helical fins with twisted tape. The results show that within the time range of 0 and 29 min, the combined configuration of helical fins with twisted tape consistently demonstrates the fastest melting process. After 29 min, the configuration with vertical fins exhibits a marginally faster melting process than the combined configuration of helical fins with twisted tape. The configurations involving tapes also contribute to accelerated melting, although to a lesser extent than those with fins. Particularly, twisted tape proves highly effective in facilitating faster melting. The complete melting process times for configurations with vertical fins, helical fins, and combined helical fins with twisted tape are 38.7 %, 23.5 % and 32.7 % faster compared to the base case which is ∼69 min. Among the configurations, using tapes results in higher flow resistance and surface area compared to the base case. The attractive features of these configurations make them ideal for creating efficient and space-saving energy storage systems. This study provides crucial insights into essential heat and mass transfer processes, which can be leveraged to develop advanced LHTES systems for enhanced performance and sustainable energy solutions.

The origin of exceptionally large ductility in molybdenum alloys dispersed with irregular-shaped La2O3 nano-particles

Molybdenum and its alloys are known for their superior strength among body-centered cubic materials. However, their widespread application is hindered by a significant decrease in ductility at lower temperatures. In this study, we demonstrate the achievement of exceptional ductility in a Mo alloy containing rare-earth La2O3 nanoparticles through rotary-swaging, a rarity in Mo-based materials. Our analysis reveals that the large ductility originates from substantial variations in the electronic density of states, a characteristic intrinsic to rare-earth elements. This characteristic can accelerate the generation of oxygen vacancies, facilitating the amorphization of the oxide-matrix interface. This process promotes vacancy absorption and modification of dislocation configurations. Furthermore, by inducing irregular shapes in the La2O3 nanoparticles through rotary-swaging, incoming dislocations interact with them, creating multiple dislocation sources near the interface. These dislocation sources act as potent initiators at even reduced temperatures, fostering diverse dislocation types and intricate networks, ultimately enhancing dislocation plasticity.

Novel integration of thermoelectric distiller with direct contact membrane distillation

A thermoelectric distiller (TED) integrated with a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) unit was proposed and numerically investigated. The mathematical models of the hybrid TED--–DCMD system were developed and validated. In the proposed hybrid system, the TED provides the heating demand of the DCMD desalination unit in four novel configurations of TED-DCMD integration. The first configuration integrates the TED-DCMD by adding a DCMD heat exchanger coil inside the condensation tank of a TED, while the second configuration involves two TED condensation tanks with each tank containing a DCMD heat exchanger coil. The third configuration also consists of two TED tanks with an external heat exchanger where thermal energy from the TED produced water is transferred to the DCMD feed stream. The fourth configuration is a modification of the second configuration with a thermal recovery from TED produced water for inlet feed water preheating. To investigate the performance (distillate productivity, specific energy consumption, coefficient of performance, and ratio of TED productivity) of each integrated TED-DCMD configuration, the effects of different operating parameters such as DCMD feed flow rate, TEM current, number of TEMs, and TED produced water temperature were examined. Findings indicated that the third configuration is the most energy efficient, with specific energy consumption (SEC) reaching a minimum value of 217 kWh/m3 at low current operation of 2.1 A, and feed flow rate of 4.0 L/min for 8.0 TEMs in the TED. A maximum freshwater productivity and COPh of 2.74 kg/s and 3.24, are attained by the 4th and 3rd configurations, respectively. Results also indicated that elevating the current input encourages higher water productivity. Meanwhile, higher values of SEC and water productivity are attained when operating TED at saturation temperature.

Vortex synchronization-enabled heat-transfer enhancement in a channel with backward- and forward-facing steps

A channel with one backward-facing step and one forward-facing step is a typical configuration in engineering applications. In the channel, good heat transfer performance is often required, and the enhancement is usually achieved by employing different passive control methods, such as modification of geometric configuration or application of nanofluid. However, the other control method, i.e., active flow control (AFC), which is likely more effective, has been rarely applied in such a scenario. This study aims to bridge this gap by exploring how a rigid plate affects the heat transfer of the channel. The plate either is stationary or actively rotates, corresponding to passive flow control or AFC. The influences of the horizontal position of the plate (S) and its orientation angle (θ) on the heat transfer performance are studied when the plate is stationary to provide a baseline. Compared to the baseline, the effects of S, θ, and the rotation frequency (fr) are revealed when the plate undergoes a sinusoidal rotation. Such a thermo-fluid dynamic problem is numerically simulated by the immersed-boundary lattice Boltzmann method. The results show that the plate can improve the heat transfer performance no matter whether it rotates or not, compared to the case without a plate. The rotating plate outperforms the stationary one when θ and fr are properly chosen at each S. Substantial improvement can be achieved when vortex synchronization or resonance occurs in the channel, i.e., when the natural vortex shedding frequency is close or equal to fr.

Effect of transglutaminase in conjunction with glucono‐δ‐lactone treatment on the antigenicity and conformational structure of β‐conglycinin

SummaryIn this study, β‐conglycinin was treated with transglutaminase (TGase) and glucono‐δ‐lactone (GDL) to meticulously examine the resulting changes in both antigenicity and structural attributes. The findings elucidated a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in the antigenicity of β‐conglycinin to 72.1% and 77.5% after the modified treatment employing TGase alone or in conjunction with GDL, respectively, in contrast to the untreated samples. Electrophoretic analysis showed a decrease in the density of 7S α, 7S α′, and 7S β, indicating the formation of high molecular weight protein aggregates because of the catalytic effect of TGase. Additionally, the simultaneous application of TGase and GDL induced modifications in the structural configuration of β‐conglycinin, as evidenced by a decrease in intrinsic fluorescence intensity, an augmentation in surface hydrophobicity, and a transition from β‐sheet to β‐turn and random coil structures. These observed alterations suggest that the decline in antigenicity is intricately linked to conformational changes, potentially influencing the exposure of antigenic epitopes. Overall, this study holds significant theoretical and practical implications for the development of hypoallergenic soy products and the enhancement of food safety.

ERSN-OpenMC-Py: A python-based open-source software for OpenMC Monte Carlo code

The graphical user interface is a key element in facilitating the use of complex simulation software. This project describes the development of a graphical user interface called “ERSN-OpenMC-Py” for an existing neutron simulation code, OpenMC. The main goal is to make simulation more accessible to a wider audience by providing a user-friendly and intuitive user interface. The process of developing the graphical user interface is described in detail, including the different stages of development such as user interface design, user interface implementation, and user interface integration with the OpenMC simulation code. The development tools used, such as Python3 and PyQt5, are also explained. The user interface allows the user to control the simulation parameters and interact with the simulation results. Key features of the user interface include visualization of simulation results, modification of simulation parameters, saving and loading simulation configurations, as well as managing output files. The end result is a functional user interface that allows users to easily visualize simulation results and control simulation parameters in an intuitive manner. This user interface also provides a better user experience for non-programming experts who wish to use the simulation code for their own projects. Program summaryProgram Title: ERSN-OpenMC-Py, version 1.0CPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/83xrdht7mz.1Developer's repository link:https://github.com/mohamedlahdour/ERSN-OpenMC-PyLicensing provisions: GPLv2Programming language: Python 3External routines/libraries: NumPy, Matplotlib, PyQt5Nature of problem: The program is designed to be utilized in the everyday workflow for tasks such as preparing input files for the OpenMC code and analyzing the resulting calculations.Solution method: The graphical user interface of the OpenMC is created using PyQt5. Figures are plotted by means of matplotlib library.

Review on Comparative Study of Solid Polymer Electrolyte Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) Doped with Ionic Liquid

AbstractFuture demands for energy shortages have prompted a lot of effort to be put into finding alternatives. The use of renewable energies as a revolutionary energy source has gained acceptance. Due to their high flexibility and the interaction between the electrode and the electrolyte, solid polymer electrolytes are employed as a favorable electrolyte for application of electrochemical devices to storage renewable energy. As these are easy in synthesis, have much lower mass density, shows high mechanical stability, also have low binding energy with salts, and high mobility of charge carriers, polyethylene Oxide (PEO) based electrolyte has attracted a lot of interest. Configuration rectification combining PEO with ionic liquids has been introduced to enhance the low ionic conductivity and poor thermodynamic stability of the PEO materials in high‐voltage devices at ambient temperature. This configuration modification can successfully validate the applications of PEO polymer electrolyte with large electro‐stable voltage ranges. Solution casting method has been used for the synthesis of polymer electrolyte. The essential physical characteristics of PEO in polymer matrices work as a polymer host in SPEs has been described in this review paper, along with several modifications to overcome these limitations. It has been seen that the addition of ionic liquid increases the all over conductivity of the solid polymer electrolyte in most cases also improves the electrical stability of the electrolyte.

Optimizing post-combustion carbon capture: A comprehensive 3E analyses of energy, exergy, and exergoeconomic aspects with solar integration

The combination of capturing CO2 from power plants and storing it has the potential to mitigate the effects of fossil fuel usage on the climate. The reduction of CO2 emissions through CCS is recognized as a viable solution, but the significant challenge lies in the need to reduce costs and energy consumption in its development. A method that can be utilized to improve the energy efficiency of capture is the implementation of exergy-based analysis, which includes both exergetic and exergoeconomic analyses. This study aims to create an exergy-based assessment of a post-combustion CO2 capture with DGA 50 wt% solvent, using ASPEN HYSYS Version 11 for a Natural Gas-fired power plant with a capture rate of 90 %. The results show that through meticulous modifications in the system's configuration, including LVC, SSF, RVC, RSR, ICA, and their combinations, the reboiler's energy consumption was significantly reduced from 11.1 GJ/Ton CO2 to 3.27 GJ/Ton CO2, and the utility consumption was reduced by approximately 6,500$/h. Additionally, we compared various configurations in terms of exergy and exergoeconomic. The plant exergy efficiency improved from 44.9 % in the standard configuration to 68.3 % for the LVC + Solar configuration. Additionally, the exergoeconomic factor improved from 3.1 % to 3.8 %.

Adsorption, Single‐Molecule Manipulation, and Self‐Assembly of Borazine on Ag(111)

AbstractThe interaction of borazine with metal supports and the concomitant surface chemistry play important roles in the synthesis of hexagonal boron nitride and the assembly of BN‐doped carbon nanostructures, thus making adsorbed borazine an intriguing model system. Herein, the first real space characterization of individual borazine molecules and highly ordered borazine self‐assemblies on solid supports, combining scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), scanning tunneling spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and complementary density functional theory modeling is reported. Specifically, a weak, nondissociative adsorption of borazine with the ring aligned in parallel to the surface plane is observed on Ag(111) upon low temperature deposition. Borazine is found to favor hollow adsorption sites, which guide the assembly of intricate borazine assemblies including a porous, chiral honeycomb‐like network, and dense‐packed monolayer films. Additionally, a modification of the borazine adsorption configuration by STM‐based manipulation is demonstrated. Dehydrogenation of individual molecules by voltages pulses yields an upright standing borazine fragment bound via B to Ag. This study thus provides a comprehensive, single‐molecule level characterization of borazine adsorption and surface chemistry on a characteristic coinage metal support and may serve as a reference for advanced low‐dimensional materials based on functionalized borazines or including BN units as dopants.

Smart manufacturing with transfer learning under limited data: Towards Data-Driven Intelligences

Advanced cyber-physical production methods, often known as smart manufacturing or Industry 4.0, keep benefiting from the combination of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) techniques with sophisticated manufacturing techniques. Yet, the degree to which the deployed predictive models can manage uncertainties and production data changes in the factory over time strongly influences such systems' “smartness” level. Traditional machine learning (ML) approaches often tend to perform badly in situations of configuration modification in a production process without enough fresh data. Conventional machine learning-based predictive modeling methods require large volumes of training data; however, accumulating large amounts of training data in real-world applications such as manufacturing is labor-intensive and costly, especially for small and medium enterprises. Consequently, limited data is a prevalent obstacle for ML techniques. The present study employs a transfer learning (TL) framework to address this issue. Due to its numerous benefits, electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) has been selected as an illustrative case. This study throws light on developing a new prediction model using TL to predict the material removal rate (MRR) of the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process. The input parameters are pulse on time, current, and voltage. The developed model is based on Deep Neural Network (DNN). The proposed method overcomes the limitations of traditional machine learning (ML) models, which require many experimental datasets for accurately predicting the responses. The results show that TL can be used to overcome the issue of limited data in the manufacturing process.

Preliminary in-silico analysis of vascular graft implantation configuration and surface modification

Vascular grafts are used to reconstruct congenital cardiac anomalies, redirect flow, and offer vascular access. Donor tissue, synthetic, or more recently tissue-engineered vascular grafts each carry limitations spanning compatibility, availability, durability and cost. Synthetic and tissue-engineered grafts offer the advantage of design optimization using in-silico or in-vitro modeling techniques. We focus on an in-silico parametric study to evaluate implantation configuration alternatives and surface finishing impact of a novel silicon-lined vascular graft. The model consists of a synthetic 3D-generic model of a graft connecting the internal carotid artery to the jugular vein. The flow is assumed unsteady, incompressible, and blood is modeled as a non-Newtonian fluid. A comparison of detached eddy turbulence and laminar modeling to determine the required accuracy needed found mild differences mainly dictated by the roughness level. The conduit walls are modeled as non-compliant and fixed. The shunt configurations considered, are straight and curved with varied surface roughness. Following a grid convergence study, two shunt configurations are analyzed to better understand flow distribution, peak shear locations, stagnation regions and eddy formation. The curved shunt was found to have lower peak and mean wall-shear stress, while resulting in lower flow power system and decreased power loss across the graft. The curved smooth surface shunt shows lower peak and mean wall-shear stress and lower power loss when compared to the straight shunt.

Interaction with wheat starch affect the aggregation behavior and digestibility of gluten proteins

Understanding the interplay between gluten and wheat starch is crucial for elucidating the digestibility mechanism of gluten in wheat-based products. However, this mechanism remains under-investigated. This study sought to elucidate the influence of starch-induced protein structural modifications on gluten digestion. Our findings revealed that starch considerably enhanced gluten digestion. In the presence of starch, gluten protein digestibility increased from 10.91 % (in the control group with a gluten-to-starch ratio of 1:0) to 14.40 % (in the complex with a gluten-to-corn starch ratio of 1:1). The diminished gluten protein digestibility due to starch may be ascribed to modifications in protein configuration and aggregation behavior. Morphological studies suggested that starch not only functioned as filler particles but also diluted the gluten matrix. A protein network assessment further affirmed that both the junction density and branching rate of gluten proteins decreased notably by 29.9 % and 25.1 %, respectively. Conversely, lacunarity increased by 1.92-fold, compromising the cohesiveness and connectivity of the gluten matrix. Elevated starch concentrations suppressed the formation of disulfide bonds, impeding gluten protein aggregation. Concurrently, gluten-starch interactions were governed by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic associations. In summary, starch augmented gluten protein digestibility by curtailing their polymerization. This revelation might offer novel perspectives on optimizing gluten protein digestion and utilization.

A pervasive phosphorylation cascade modulation of plant transcription factors in response to abiotic stress.

Transcriptional regulation of stress-responsive genes is a crucial step in establishing the mechanisms behind plant abiotic stress tolerance. A sensitive method of regulating transcription factors activity, stability, protein interaction, and subcellular localization is through phosphorylation. This review highlights a widespread regulation mechanism that involves phosphorylation of plant TFs in response to abiotic stress. Abiotic stress is one of the main components limiting crop yield and sustainability on a global scale. It greatly reduces the land area that is planted and lowers crop production globally. In all living organisms, transcription factors (TFs) play a crucial role in regulating gene expression. They participate in cell signaling, cell cycle, development, and plant stress response. Plant resilience to diverse abiotic stressors is largely influenced by TFs. Transcription factors modulate gene expression by binding to their target gene's cis-elements, which are impacted by genomic characteristics, DNA structure, and TF interconnections. In this review, we focus onthe six major TFs implicated in abiotic stress tolerance, namely, DREB, bZIP, WRKY, ABF, MYB, and NAC, and the cruciality of phosphorylation of these transcription factors in abiotic stress signaling, as protein phosphorylation has emerged as one of the key post-translational modifications, playing a critical role in cell signaling, DNA amplification, gene expression and differentiation, and modification of other biological configurations. These TFs have been discovered after extensive study as stress-responsive transcription factors which may be major targets for crop development and important contributors to stress tolerance and crop production.

Innovative high-pressure water scrubber for biogas upgrading at farm-scale using vacuum for water regeneration

Biogas upgrading is becoming essential in the valorization path for biogas. Biomethane from anaerobic digestion is identified to be one of the main resources to decarbonize the energy requirement. However, small-scale (especially farm-scale) applications suffer from a lack of implementation worldwide, mainly limited by the cost of the upgrading process. As one of the most used technologies, High Pressure Water Scrubbing presents a great margin for improvement. The most expansive items in this technology remain the packing column used for absorption and the stripping column used for water regeneration. In this work, the stripping column is replaced by a flash tank submitted to a rough vacuum (up to 0.2 bar in absolute pressure) associated to a static mixer to promote the gas desorption and thus the complete regeneration of the water. The implementation of an anisotropic packing, with properties evolving with the height of the column and adapted to the reduction of the gas flowrate due to absorption, is also investigated in order to reduce the size of the absorption column. A full-scale prototype was developed and implemented on a farm anaerobic digester. The range of application is from 20 to 40 Nm3/h of raw biogas. These field experiments associated to a complete description of the gas fluxes allowed to characterize the device in terms of carbon dioxide absorption efficiency, biomethane purity and methane recovery. Influences of six parameters (absorption pressure, desorption pressure, temperature, water flowrate, biogas flowrate, column height) were elucidated regarding those performances. Results highlight the great improvement of the water regeneration conducted under rough vacuum. From 0.8 to 0.2 bar in absolute pressure, the biomethane purity increased by 10%, the carbon dioxide elimination rate by 14%, and the methane recovery by 19%. With an increase in the packing height using an anisotropic configuration (modification of the packing properties with the column height) suited to the gas flowrate decrease into the column, a biomethane purity over 97% was obtained. The energy consumption associated was measured at 0.8 kWh/Nm3 of raw biogas but can be reduced to 0.3 kWh/Nm3. The overall energy efficiency for biogas upgrading can reach up to 91%. These results could pave the way for gas grid injection and vehicle fuel applications for small-scale anaerobic digestion.

Non‐precious Metal Catalysts for Two‐Electron Oxygen Reduction Reaction

AbstractHydrogen peroxide has been used in many industrial sectors including applications such as water purification, bleaching, oxidizing agents, and rocket fuels. As the conventional anthraquinone route of hydrogen peroxide production consumes significant energy and generates a substantial amount of chemical waste, an alternative method, the electrochemical production through the two‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), has garnered attention on the basis of eco‐friendly in situ synthesis with low energy input. For practical viability, the use of non‐precious metal‐based catalysts is necessary, such as a transition metal (Fe, Co, Ni)‐heteroatom (N, B, O, P, S) moiety or mesoporous structures with efficient mass transfer of the reactants and products from metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs). The ORR reaction pathway and the adsorption energy of the reaction intermediate of *OOH are affected by the combination of transition metals and heteroatoms. For the MOF, the interaction between metal and ligands, types of transition metals, and the synergistic effect between the two metal species of metal alloys can alter the ORR activity. This review discusses recently reported non‐precious metal catalysts for the two‐electron ORR focusing on modification of the atomic configuration for increasing the electrocatalytic activity towards the two‐electron ORR.

Spin chiral interactions modulated Seebeck coefficient and improved optical properties by Zn doping in CuCrO2 crystallites

Future electronics hold a special promise for flexible, optically translucent thermoelectric devices. Here, we demonstrate the better thermoelectric performance of p-type transparent CuCrO2 crystallites by the insertion of non-magnetic Zn2+ in magnetic Cr3+ site at room and high temperatures. Doping induced increase in charge carrier density generally leads to elevated carrier scattering, which in turn diminishes the voltage generated per unit tem-perature difference and causes a decrease in the Seebeck coefficient. Balancing the Seebeck coefficient and conductivity is a crucial challenge in the design of thermoelectric materials. By introducing non-magnetic doping, the anti-ferromagnetic order of Cr3+ ions is destabilized, resulting in a modification of the spin configuration. This alteration gives rise to spin chiral interactions, which, in turn, contribute to the generation of an exceptionally large Seebeck coefficient of 582 μV/K at 100 °C. The insertion also generates anisotropic microstrains in the structure and the structural changes were investigated by XRD analysis, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy. Carrier concentration and carrier mobility were measured by Hall measurements techniques and has shown increasing and decreasing trend respectively with the increase of the doping percentage of Zn2+. Optical studies were done by UV–Vis analysis and found the maximum band gap of 3.04 eV for 0.5 wt% doped CuCrO2 and the absorption spectra revealed the defect induced in the structure comprehending the Raman analysis. The enhancement of carrier concentration and mobility led to increased conductivity of 2096 S/m and power factor of 411 μW/mK2 for the sample 0.3 wt% at 700 °C. The Seebeck coefficient of the sample dropped as the temperature rose, but it was maintained in the range of 440–580 μV/K, which is found as the primary characteristic of Zn doping. Thermal conductivity is found as decreased with doping and the highest ZT obtained is 0.199 for 0.3 wt% doped sample at 700 °C. The higher thermoelectric performance and optical transmission at visible wavelength can be put together in optoelectronic devices.

Evaluation of the Orbitrap Ascend Tribrid Mass Spectrometer for Shotgun Proteomics.

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics is a powerful technology to globally profile protein abundances, activities, interactions, and modifications. The extreme complexity of proteomics samples, which often contain hundreds of thousands of analytes, necessitates continuous development of MS techniques and instrumentation to improve speed, sensitivity, precision, and accuracy, among other analytical characteristics. Here, we systematically evaluated the Orbitrap Ascend Tribrid mass spectrometer in the context of shotgun proteomics, and we compared its performance to that of the previous generation of Tribrid instruments─the Orbitrap Eclipse. The updated architecture of the Orbitrap Ascend includes a second ion-routing multipole (IRM) in front of the redesigned C-trap/Orbitrap and a new ion funnel that allows gentler ion introduction, among other changes. These modifications in Ascend hardware configuration enabled an increase in parallelizable ion injection time during higher-energy collisional dissociation (HCD) Orbitrap tandem MS (FTMS2) analysis of ∼5 ms. This enhancement was particularly valuable in the analyses of limited sample amounts, where improvements in sensitivity resulted in up to 140% increase in the number of identified tryptic peptides. Further, analysis of phosphorylated peptides enriched from the K562 human cell line yielded up to ∼50% increase in the number of unique phosphopeptides and localized phosphosites. Strikingly, we also observed a ∼2-fold boost in the number of detected N-glycopeptides, likely owing to the improvements in ion transmission and sensitivity. In addition, we performed the multiplexed quantitative proteomics analyses of TMT11-plex labeled HEK293T tryptic peptides and observed 9-14% increase in the number of quantified peptides. In conclusion, the Orbitrap Ascend consistently outperformed its predecessor the Orbitrap Eclipse in various bottom-up proteomic analyses, and we anticipate that it will generate reproducible and in-depth datasets for numerous proteomic applications.