Exchange Process Research Articles

Perovskite Quantum Heterostructure Constructed by Halide Mixing between a Single CsPbI3 Nanocrystal and an Individual CsPbBr3 Microplate.

Ion migration is significantly enhanced in lead-halide perovskites with a soft crystal lattice, which can promote the formation of a heterogeneous interface between two such materials with different halide-anion compositions. Here we have deposited a single CsPbI3 nanocrystal (NC) on top of an individual CsPbBr3 microplate to create a mixed-halide CsPbBrxI3-x (0 < x < 3) NC by means of the anion exchange process. The formation of a CsPbBrxI3-x/CsPbBr3 heterostructure is confirmed by the much-enlarged geometric volume of the CsPbBrxI3-x NC as compared to the original CsPbI3 one, as well as by its capability of receiving photogenerated excitons from the CsPbBr3 microplate with a larger bandgap energy. The quantum nature of this heterostructure is reflected from single-photon emission of the composing CsPbBrxI3-x NC, which can also be bulk-like during phase segregation to demonstrate a red shift in the photoluminescence peak that is opposite to the common trend observed in smaller-sized mixed-halide NCs.

Evaluation of influence of thermoplastic slurry flow conditions on heat transfer coefficient during beryllium ceramic formation

The article presents the results of calculation of the influence of thermoplastic slurry flow conditions on the total heat transfer coefficient when forming ceramic products. Methods of detailed description of casting processes and thermal calculations have been developed to ensure reliable correspondence of calculated data and experimental results implemented on the basis of calculational experiment. The modeling of physical processes occurring during the formation of products allows you to discover new opportunities for improving the quality of castings by allowing you to more closely track the change in the temperature-phase fields of the process and clearly present the solidification kinetics depending on the casting modes. The speed of heat removal from the casting during the solidification period determines the rate of movement of the slurry, along with the temperature field on which the width of the transition region depends. These factors have a direct influence on the formation of the structure of beryllium ceramics. The study of the heat exchange process in the formation of ceramic products depending on temperature, heat at phase transition is the main task, since they largely determine the technological and operational characteristics of beryllium ceramics. The design data allows to determine the optimal conditions of the ceramic casting process and to obtain a solidified product with a uniform structure at the outlet.

Biomimetic nanoporous oxygenation membranes with high hemocompatibility and fast gas transport property

Membrane technology holds great potential for separation applications and also finds critical needs in biomedical fields, such as blood oxygenation. However, the bottlenecks in gas permeation, plasma leakage, and especially hemocompatibility hamper the development of membrane oxygenation. It remains extremely challenging to design efficient membranes and elucidate underlying principles. In this study, we report biomimetic decoration of asymmetric nanoporous membranes by ultrathin FeIII-tannic acid metal–ligand networks to realize fast gas exchange with on plasma leakage and substantially enhance hemocompatibility. Because the intrinsic nanopores facilitate gas permeability and the FeIII-catechol layers enable superior hydrophilicity and electronegativity to original surfaces, the modified membranes exhibit high transport properties for gases and great resistances to protein adsorption, platelet activation, coagulation, thrombosis, and hemolysis. Molecular docking and density functional theory simulations indicate that more preferential adsorption of metal–ligand networks with water molecules than proteins is critical to anticoagulation. Moreover, benefiting from the better antiaging property gave by biomimetic decoration, the membranes after four-month aging present gas permeances similar to or even larger than those of pristine ones, despite the initial permeation decline. Importantly, for blood oxygenation, the designed membranes after aging show fast O2 and CO2 exchange processes with rates up to 28–17 and 97–47 mL m−2 min−1, respectively, accompanied with no detectable thrombus and plasma leakage. We envisage that the biomimetic decoration of nanoporous membranes provide a feasible route to achieve great biocompatibility and transport capability for various applications.

Improving interdependent urban power and gas distribution systems resilience through optimal scheduling of mobile emergency supply and repair resources

Urban electric power and natural gas systems, serving as the most critical facilities that provide fundamental support to people's daily life, have been increasingly interdependent in their operation over the past decades. This growing interdependency presents great challenges and demands for enhancing the resilience of the interdependent systems, particularly driven by the recent cold weather events. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive strategy for scheduling various types of emergency resources, including mobile and stationary generators, repair crews, and fuel tankers, with the goal of enhancing the resilience of interdependent power and gas distribution systems in the aftermath of disasters. In particular, the strategy incorporates the routing of mobile resources to orchestrate their dynamic moving behaviors. Fuel supply issue for mobile and stationary distributed generators is also addressed through modeling the fuel exchange processes among generators, fuel tankers, and locations. Furthermore, we present a model of repair process to fully capture the real-world repair activities, allowing varying numbers of repair crews to work in a cooperative way. The proposed strategy is formulated into a tractable mixed-integer second-order cone problem. Finally, case studies are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the strategy in enhancing the resilience of the interdependent power and gas distribution systems.

Structure-electrochemical performance relationship in Sr2(Fe1-xVx)MoO6 anode

Structural property is becoming a powerful tool to manipulate oxygen vacancy concentration and electrochemical performance of electrode material. In this work, the structure-electrochemical performance relationship of Sr2(Fe1-xVx)MoO6 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.25) anode is investigated based on X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), BET surface area, DC four-point probe, I–V and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). XRD results show that all the compounds are of single phase, the tetragonal to cubic phase transition occurs at x = 0.1, which plays important role in its electrochemical performance. Firstly, the disappeared structural distortion in Sr2(Fe1.8V0.2)MoO6 and Sr2(Fe1.75V0.25)MoO6 anodes benefits electron hopping between Fe–O–Mo–O–Fe, so electron transfer processes (high-frequency semicircle) in their EIS are facilitated. Secondly, both XPS survey and EDS spectrum confirm the change in oxygen content with structural transition, Sr2(Fe1.9V0.1)MoO6 anode own higher concentration of oxygen vacancy, thus the oxygen surface exchange and diffusion process (low-frequency arc) of the corresponding cell is reduced significantly. Consequently, Sr2(Fe1.9V0.1)MoO6-based cell exhibits the highest power output (810 mW cm−2) at 850 °C. For Sr2(Fe1.8V0.2)MoO6 anode, BET surface area test reveals the slightly higher value, while its lower power density indicates that the influence of oxygen vacancy prevails over that of microstructure. Combining with EIS results, it can be deduced that Sr2(Fe1-xVx)MoO6 anodes with tetragonal symmetry own higher concentration of oxygen vacancy, thus the expected electrochemical performance is better than that of other cells. Understanding the critical role of structure is important for achieving highly active electrode material.

Optical maneuvering of photofunctioning hybrid perovskite for future photonics potential application

Hybrid perovskites, known for their multidimensional opto-electronic properties and capability to generate multi-color emission bands, are highly sought after for light-emitting devices due to their liquid crystalline behavior in the solution phase. This behavior enables easier ion mobility, facilitating ion exchange processes. Exploiting the liquid crystalline properties of perovskites, we applied a halogen exchange reaction in the solution phase using tightly focused laser trapping techniques. Our study demonstrates the successful development of high-luminescent bulk single crystals of methylammonium lead halide alloy MAPb(Br/I)3, which exhibit multi-color emission capabilities, underscoring their potential for optoelectronic applications. We fabricated bulk single crystals of MAPbBr3, measuring 20 × 20 μm2, displaying bright green luminescence. Using a tightly focused trapping laser beam (1064 nm, 1 Watt) with a high numerical aperture (0.9, 60X objective lens), we irradiated a specific area of the green luminescent MAPbBr3 single crystal immersed in a 200 μM methylammonium iodide (MAI) solution for 30 min at room temperature. This treatment induced a red emission band at 605 nm at the irradiated location, while surrounding areas retained the original green luminescence. In a parallel experiment, increasing the iodide concentration to 300 μM caused the emission color of a similar-sized crystal to change uniformly from green to red. Photoluminescence spectroscopy and EDS confirmed the halide exchange from MAPbBr3 to MAPbBr2.3I0.7. This method, influenced by laser parameters such as power, wavelength, and aperture, provides new opportunities for multi-color emission patterning and offers significant insights for advancing optoelectronics.

Про фундаментальну підготовку фахівців авіаційної та аерокосмічної галузей

The subject of the study is the state of the fundamental training of specialists in aviation, rocket, and space technology. Recently, the processes of expanding and deepening the fundamental training of specialists in the specialized areas of specific higher education institutions have been intensified. Unfortunately, experience of recent years has shown, the priorities rightfully belong to the aviation and aerospace industries, both in the scientific/creative and design/production spheres. Training of the specialists in the field of aerohydrodynamics of aircraft and their components; gas dynamics of the modern aircraft engines of various types, is currently the priority. In addition, both – the problems in aeroelasticity and research in the field of aerodynamic acoustics related to the environmental safety of the operation of aviation equipment are important for the design of the modern aircraft. Moreover, the design of aircraft that overcomes trans- and supersonic flight speed, requires in-depth study of the processes of heat and mass exchange determining physico-chemical transformations, which are also present in the internal gas-dynamic processes of gas-turbodynamic and rocket engines of aircraft. Structure and comparative analysis study of programs and courses for fundamental training of specialists in the aerospace industry at the universities of USA, Canada, Germany, China, as well as in KhAI, Ukraine, are presented. This study provides comparative information about scientific and experimental bases of aerodynamic complexes available in Ukraine and in leading organizations of North America and Western Europe. This study demonstrates the real unification of deep fundamental theoretical knowledge and practical skills with experimental research based on existing modern research laboratories. Conclusion. Analysis and comparative indicators presented in paper allow us to state that based on today’s needs, the National Aerospace University "Kharkiv Aviation Institute" is capable of significant increase of the quality of training for specialists of all levels for the developed aviation and rocket-space industries of Ukraine.

Heterostructures via a Solution-Based Anion Exchange in Microcrystalline 2D Layered Metal-Halide Perovskites.

Layered perovskites consist of stacks of inorganic semiconducting metal-halide octahedra lattices sandwiched between organic layers with typically dielectric behavior. The in-plane confinement of electrical carriers in such two-dimensional metal halide perovskites drives a large range of appealing electronic properties, such as strong exciton binding, anisotropic charge diffusion, and polarization-directionality. Heterostructures provide additional control on carrier diffusion and localization, and in-plane heterojunctions are interesting because of the associated high charge mobility. Here, this work demonstrates a versatile solution-based approach to fabricate in-plane heterostructures with different halide composition in two-dimensional lead-halide perovskite microcrystals. This leads to spatially separated halide phases with different band gap and light emission. Interestingly, the composition of the exchanged phase and the morphology of the phase boundary depends on the exchange route, which can be related to the preferred localization of the halides at the equatorial or axial octahedra positions that either leads to dissolution and recrystallization of the octahedra lattice (for bromide to iodide), or allows for ion diffusion within the lattice (for iodide to bromide). These detailed insights on the ion exchange processes in layered perovskites will stimulate the development of heterostructures that can be tailored for different applications such as photocatalysis, energy storage, and light emission.

Exchange and negotiation of value when symphonic music is marketed as a commodity

The overall aim of this article is to investigate how different ideas about classical music are expressed in advertising campaigns and what ideological grounds are used to construct music as a valuable resource. Based on a case study of how the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO) presents its music and concert performances in marketing campaigns, the article examines how commodification is used as a marketing strategy. A discourse-analytical perspective is used to demonstrate how values that are communicated to a listener are involved in value exchange processes that, although based on neoliberal ideology, also acknowledge traditional norms of aesthetic value. While this value exchange process enables aesthetic value norms to be reproduced, it is also involved in ongoing negotiations about which values should apply today and in the future.

Emerging Mo-doped MgAl-LDH lamellar/carbon nanotubes as 3D sustainable nanohybrid for designing a durable smart anti-corrosion composite

This paper focused on the utilization of 3D hybrid nanocomposites composed of layered double hydroxides (L) containing sodium molybdate (SM), which are chemically bonded with functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (FCN), as nanocarriers for smart corrosion prevention. The SM molecules were loaded into the L, and L/FCN nanocarriers by an anion exchange process, and then the 3 synthesized nanoparticles (L, SM-L, and SM-L/FCN) were characterized. Based on the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization (PD) tests' outcomes, the maximum corrosion prevention efficiency (about 90.88 %) belongs to the SM-L/FCN nano reservoir containing saline extract. Additionally, for the epoxy phase, the EIS results (on the intact and scratched specimens) revealed a significant diminish in the chloride and water penetration into the epoxy coating during 63 days of immersion for intact and 24 h for scratched states. EIS results indicated the enhancement of the charge transfer resistance (Rct) of the scratched coatings, from 17.42 kΩ.cm2 for the EP sample to 72.47 kΩ.cm2 for the SM-L/FCN/EP one in long immersion times, revealing the self-repairing behavior of the designed coating. The results of intact coating revealed that the Log (|Z|0.01 Hz) value reached 10.63 in long immersion time indicating a decreased occurrence of coating disbondment attributed to the electrolyte infiltration and corrosion of the underlying metal substratum. According to the pull-off and cathodic disbonding tests results, there was an enhancement in adhesion (51.5 % decrease in loss of adhesion strength, & a 52 % decline in diameter of cathodic disbondment), and a strong interaction between the interface of epoxy and substratum. According to the mechanical tests (tensile and DMTA) results the incorporation of L and FCN nanoparticles into the SM-L/FCN sample enhanced the nanocomposite's mechanical properties. The tensile test showed an increase in ultimate tensile strength (σUTS) and elongation at break (Ɛb) of 130.61 % and 107.59 %, respectively, compared to the pure epoxy (EP) sample. Additionally, the dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) test indicated a 144 % increase in crosslinking density for the SM L/FCN sample compared to the neat epoxy.

Performance analysis of double-stage heat pump and refrigeration cycles

Multistage refrigeration systems are investigated to/enhance the performance of vapor compression refrigeration cycles based on our previous work on multistage low-grade thermal energy conversion. A double-stage heat pump and refrigeration cycles (D-S) is expected to reduce the irreversible loss in the heat exchange process. However, certain characteristics of independently configured systems, namely, compressor power and coefficients of performance (COPs), have not been sufficiently clarified. This study aims to elucidate highly advanced heat pump and refrigeration systems by comparing D-S, a basic single-stage heat pump and refrigeration cycles, and a two-stage compression cycle. D-S shows higher COPs for both the refrigeration and heat pump cycles compared with the other cycles, especially at high thermal conductances. The reduction of the irreversible loss in the heat exchange process is confirmed via the entropy generation rate; in particular, the COP increases with a decrease in the entropy generation rate. The evaporation and condensation temperatures of the refrigerant approach the temperature of the heat source when the thermal conductance exceeds 150 kW/K for the refrigeration cycle. The heat exchangers exergy destruction of D-S is 169 kW, S-S is 189 kW, the two-stage cycle is 184 kW/K when the thermal conductance is 100 kW/K.

Calcium Hexacyanoferrate Nanozyme Enhances Plant Stress Resistance by Oxidative Stress Alleviation and Heavy Metal Removal.

Oxidative damage, exacerbated by the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), profoundly inhibits both crop growth and yield. Herein, a biocompatible nanozyme, calcium hexacyanoferrate nanoparticles (CaHCF NPs), targeting ROS is developed, to mitigate oxidative damage and sequestrate heavy metal ions during plant growth. Uniquely, CaHCF NPs feature multifaced enzyme-like activities, involving superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), glutathione peroxidase, thiol peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase, which enable them to neutralize excessive ROS. Furthermore, CaHCF NPs promote calcium-cadmium exchange process, diminishing the uptake of heavy metals. Importantly, 120µgmL-1 of CaHCF NPs alleviate the inhibitory effects of hydrogen peroxide and cadmium chloride on Arabidopsis and tomato.The activities of SOD, POD, and CAT increase by 46.2%, 74.4%, and 48.3%, respectively, meanwhile the glutathione level rises by 72.4% in Arabidopsis under cadmium stress. Moreover, CaHCF NPs boost the expression of genes associated with antioxidation, heavy metal detoxification, nutrient transport, and stress resistance. These findings unveil the significant potential of nanoplatforms equipped with nanozymes in alleviating oxidative stress in plants, which not only regulate crop growth but also substantially ameliorate yield and quality, heralding a new era in agricultural nanotechnology.

Tail-group tailoring for narrower green electroluminescence: The role of methoxysilane derivatives in QLEDs

Metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (PeNCs) are garnering significant interest as the future of light-emitting materials, primarily due to their exceptional emission characteristics, which include strong excitonic absorption and narrow-band, high-intensity emission. These properties are intricately linked to the surface chemistry of the nanocrystals, which can be effectively manipulated through the choice of ligands and specific reaction conditions during synthesis or subsequent ligand exchanges. In the first, we explore the ligand exchange processing in hexane with thiol-functionalized methoxysilanes, notable for their short chain and bifurcated structure. In the case of surface-modified PeNCs using methoxysilane, strain engineering is dominated by the tail group, which plays an even more important role than size dispersion in their effects on color purity and gamut. In addition, the methoxysilane ligand-induced lattice strain may also significantly alter charge transporting hehavior, as is demonstrated on zinc oxide (ZnO) using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS). These interesting observations arise from nanostrained optoelectronic materials, and are attractive for the development of high-purity electroluminescence devices.

Coastal CUBEnet: an integrated observation and modeling system for sustainable Northern Gulf of Mexico coastal areas

The University of Southern Mississippi has developed the coastal CUBEnet environment. Coastal CUBEnet is a high-resolution, coastal ocean sensor, modeling, and data sharing web-based network that provides the environmental intelligence needed to support the complex modeling of the interlinked processes in the northern Gulf of Mexico. With near-real time data delivery via a common infrastructure, CUBEnet uses state of the art sensors to provide a set of networked measurements systems, visualization tools, and model developments to gain an understanding of the Gulf of Mexico’s marine environments. CUBEnet is also a mechanism for improved human engagement with Gulf of Mexico resources and provides stake holders with the data needed to make informed coastal, environmental, and economic decisions. The Coastal CUBEnet’s data environment utilizes both stationary and uncrewed mobile systems and high-resolution distributed sensors to create a networked platform across the northern coastal Gulf of Mexico. CUBEnet’s modeling environment has developed an implementation of The Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Wave Sediment Transport (COAWST) Model for the Mississippi Bight region that has been applied to investigate shore to shelf advective exchange processes, and their influence on coastal water quality conditions that support the region’s prolific marine ecosystem. CUBEnet’s modeling environment provides prototype modeling applications that are supported by real-time observations of key coastal environmental variables. CUBEnet’s Web accessible visualization tools provide parameter fields and vertical profiles from hydrodynamic models and field observations. Nowcasts and forecast results are available for the Eastern LA coastline, MS coastline, Mobile Bay, and the West coast of Florida.

PbS Colloidal Quantum Dots: Ligand Exchange in Solution

PbS colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have the advantages of adjustable band gap, large exciton Bohr radius, controllable size, easy synthesis, and potential multi-exciton effect, making them attractive for photodetectors and solar cells. However, the long ligand chain wrapped on PbS CQDs limits carrier transport, and defect states of as-synthesized CQDs increase non-radiative recombination, negatively affecting photovoltaic performance. Surface properties determine the characteristics of CQDs, so ligand exchange processes are crucial. Because solution phase ligand exchange reduces labor and time requirements, it is more advantageous than solid phase ligand exchange. This review discusses the solution phase ligand exchange process of PbS CQDs, emphasizing the impact of surface ligands on conformation and conductivity.

Theoretical study of the methylprolithospermate's pKa in aqueous solution

Protonation and deprotonation reactions play an important role in the biological processes. Such processes are fully thermodynamic and occur in complex media where functional groups are surrounded by other chemicals such as molecules, ions, water, etc. In this paper, the compound of interest is the methylprolithospermate (MPL) molecule, which was recently isolated from salvia yunnanensis CH Wright. The intended functional groups for deprotonation are -OH and -COOH. These are the potential groups depicted at four sites located in MPL. Three thermodynamic cycles were required for the estimation of MPL's pKa by the means of DFT at the levels of B3LYP and PW6B95 with the dual basis set 6–311++G(d,p)//6–31+G(d). Cycle 1 is the direct pKa calculation, Cycle 2 is also the direct pKa calculation with proton hydration, and Cycle 3, the proton exchange process with hydroxyl anion hydration. In these cycles, water molecules as, reagents as well as products, were held as monomers in one hand (monomer cycle approaches), and cluster on the other hand (cluster cycle approaches). The isodesmic scheme was used as benchmark method for pKa calculation and yielded: pKa1 = 3.6 ± 0.3, pKa2 = 6.6 ± 0.2, pKa3 = 9.3 ± 0.2, and pKa4 = 14.4. The inclusion of binding energies of MPL anions in the pKa calculation has improved the results. The best cycles depend on the level of waters and the level of acidity. The more the number of waters clustered to MPL anions, the more the deviation of pKa values.

Functionally graded La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ hollow fiber membrane for oxygen separation: fabrication, upscaling, and stability

La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ (LSCF) hollow fiber membranes are usually fabricated through slurry spinning process followed by one-step sintering. While high oxygen permeation performance can be obtained, the designs lack sufficient mechanical strength, limiting further upscaling for stack and module development. This research studies a functionally graded hollow fiber LSCF membrane with a three-layer structure, i.e., thick LSCF-ZnO substrate/dense thin film LSCF/porous, thin LSCF catalyst layer. The thick substrate provides sufficient mechanical strength to support the membrane while facilitating facile gas diffusion with embedded open microchannels. The dense thin film LSCF separation layer decreases bulk diffusion resistance. The porous thin LSCF catalyst layer increases the reaction area for surface exchange process. The synergetic combination of the three layers enables to improve both mechanical strength and permeation performance. A stack with three parallelly-connected hollow fibers is assembled to demonstrate its potential capability for upscaling. Permeation performance is systematically measured and accelerated long-term stability is conducted for both the single membrane and the stack. The single membrane and the stack obtain oxygen permeation flux of ∼1.9 and 1.1 ml⋅cm−2⋅min−1 at 900 °C, respectively, and demonstrate excellent stability and robustness during a long-term test of ∼400 h and ∼20 thermal cycles between 600 and 900 °C. Membrane samples are characterized before and after the test. Experimental data are analyzed, and fundamental mechanisms are discussed.

Continuous multicolumn ion exchange process for spent lithium-ion battery leachate: Recovery and purification of a Li+Ni+Co mixture

A continuously operated ion exchange process scheme for the recovery and purification of valuable metals from acid leachates of spent Lithium-ion battery cathodes was developed. The aim is to provide a versatile and industrially feasible alternative for liquid–liquid extraction and precipitation for recycling of spent Li-ion batteries. A chelating resin with aminomethylphosphonic acid functional group (Lewatit® MDS TP 260) was used in a laboratory-scale multicolumn configuration that combined counter-current and cross-current operations. The process was operated at 60 °C with a synthetic leachate with pH 1.8 as the feed. A two-step desorption procedure (1.0 M sulfuric acid (H2SO4) followed by 0.4 M potassium oxalate (K2C2O4)) was found to prevent accumulation of strongly bound metals in the resin. 1 M H2SO4 was found sufficient for regeneration. Pure raffinate containing Li, Ni, and Co was successfully separated from impurity metals (Mn, Cu, Al, and Fe). In steady state operation, no loss of ion exchange capacity was observed. The process was optimized experimentally with focus on the effect of fresh feed and eluent flow rates to increase the productivity and improve the recovery rates of the target metals while maintaining a raffinate purity of 100 %. Increasing the amount of leachate processed per switch was found to enhance the recovery of Co, Li and Ni due to the displacement effect. Very high recovery yields (96.97 % for Co, 99.15 % for Ni, and 100 % for Li) were achieved. The laboratory scale unit could process 1.64L(L·h)−1 of leachate to yield 34.04 g(L·h)−1 of Li+Ni+Co mixture in the raffinate. Moreover, Cu+Mn and Al+Fe rich extract streams with 84.74 % and 97.46 % purities were obtained as by-products. With respect to the recovery rates, the continuous ion exchange process is superior to batchwise operation of ion exchange columns, conventional solvent extraction and not to mention precipitation processes making it a viable alternative in hydrometallurgical LIB recycling.

Phytoremediation: A Sustainable Approach to Combat Soil Salinity

Soil salinization is a significantconstraint affecting the productivity of agricultural land worldwide. This led to the abandoning of the production of farmcrops on colossalland. Soil salinity inversely affects seed germination and plant growth and influences the plant’s biological activities like photosynthesis, respiration, plant metabolism, enzymatic activities, hormone regulation, etc. Therefore, efforts are being made to bring the saline soil under cultivation by improving itthrough a proper drainage system to drain out the salts orapplying chemical amendments. However, these options are costly and energy-intensive for employment in large areas on a vast scale. In this direction, biologically cost-effective approaches are also being practiced to improve these degraded lands. Phytoremediation, a plant-based approach to improving degraded soil, may be an appropriate option. This is done by the plantation of salt-tolerant plant species, which can remove and leach down excess salts like sodium (Na&lt;sup&gt;+&lt;/sup&gt;) from the soil and enhance calcium (Ca&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt;) salts through the cation exchange process from the root zone. During this process, remarkable properties like soil-aggregates stability, root proliferation, soil hydraulic properties, and nutrient availability to plants are also improved. Such improvement in soil properties facilitates the cultivation of less tolerant plants and improves the environment in general and the climatic conditions by enhancing carbon sequestration.

Vacancy formation in a 1D chain of dust particles in a DC discharge

The paper presents the first experimental observation of an atypical phenomena during self-organization of dust particles into a one-dimensional chain structure levitated vertically in the plasma of a DC glow discharge. Using a laser, the third (middle) dust particle was removed from the chain of five particles so that the positions of the remaining particles did not significantly change, and a vacancy occurred in the place of the removed particle. This state of the chain turned out to be very stable, which is confirmed by the observation of the subsequent exchange of places of the fourth and the fifth particles of the chain upon the action of the laser on the forth particle. After the exchange process, vertical positions of all particles (first, second, fourth and fifth) in the chain remained almost the same as before the exchange, and the vacancy at the position of the third particle was preserved. The experimental data and the video record of the observed phenomena as well as the estimates of the plasma parameters are presented. An assumption has been made about the mechanism of the discovered phenomena that at present discharge conditions both the vacancy formation and the dust particles positions exchange are possible due to a strong ion wakes which are formed behind the upstream dust particles of the chain.