Large Storage Capacity Research Articles

Exploring the potential of two-dimensional MB4 (M=Cr, Mo, and W) monolayer as a high-capacity negative electrode material for Al-ion batteries

Rechargeable metal-ion batteries can employ two-dimensional transition metal tetraboride monolayers because of their numerous accommodating sites, high specific surface area, and layered structure. Li-ion batteries (LIBs) can be efficiently replaced by aluminum ion batteries (AIBs) because aluminum is a cheap and abundant resource. In this work, the density functional theory approach has been used for Al-ion batteries to predict MB4(M= Cr, Mo, W) monolayers performance as anode material. We analyze these monolayers' structures, which are mechanically, thermally, and dynamically stable. Utilizing the energy-efficient adsorption of six Al-atom layers and their lightweight properties, with large storage capacities of 5066 mA h g−1, 3466 mA h g−1, and 2124 mA h g−1, with relatively low average open circuit voltages of 0.18 V, 0.15 V, and 0.11 V for CrB4, MoB4, and WB4, respectively, these monolayers show significant superiority over other 2D anode materials. Likewise, MB4 monolayer showed faster Al ion mobility as seen by the low activation barriers of 0.95 eV, 0.83 eV, and 0.49 eV for CrB4, MoB4, and WB4, respectively. Additionally, even after the full content of Al ions was adsorbed, the metallic characteristics of the materials were mostly retained. These traits suggest that monolayer CrB4, MoB4, and WB4 are promising anode materials for AIBs, with impressive rate capacities.

Substantial gas enrichment in shales influenced by volcanism during the Ordovician–Silurian transition

The substantial gas enrichment in shales of the Ordovician–Silurian transition was associated with the development of the most favorable source rock. While organic matter enrichment has been linked to intensive volcanism, it remains a challenge to precisely evaluate the impact of the volcanism on substantial gas enrichment containing the largest gas storage capacity. This study focused on consecutive borehole shale samples from the Wufeng–Longmaxi formations during the Ordovician–Silurian transition in southern China. We conducted a comprehensive analysis, integrating the major geological volcanism with high-resolution analysis, including QEMSCAN, argon-ion SEM, thin-section examination, XRD mineralogy, TOC, Hg concentration, petrophysical properties and nanopore structure analysis (low-pressure CO2/N2 gas adsorption, porosity and permeability). The results link the significant shale gas enrichment in Wufeng–Longmaxi formations to intensive volcanism across the Ordovician–Silurian transition. We identified the most favorable shale intervals in the lower Longmaxi Formation, aligning with the peak period of volcanism. This period showed synchronous spikes in Hg, Hg/TOC, and TOC contents. Shale deposited during this favorable paleoenvironment exhibited the highest values of TOC, porosity, permeability, specific surface area, pore volume, maximum gas adsorption capacity, leading to the largest amount of gas content and substantial gas enrichment. Our work, therefore, provides new insights into identifying the most favorable shale gas resources. This knowledge assists in accurate predictions of the stratigraphic ‘sweet spot’ intervals for large shale gas storage capacity, providing crucial information for engineering explorations and developments in shale formations.

Optimizing the Transition: Strategies for Migrating On-Premise Storage to the Cloud

In recent years, Cloud Computing has had great relevance and has aroused interest in the Telecommunications industry, due to the reduction of costs in hardware acquisition, maintenance and operation personnel. One of the great advantages of cloud computing is the automation of processes that makes systems more robust and secure by limiting the margin of human and operational errors. It is of utmost importance to consider the large storage capacity management of video files that can provide solutions to media companies or related industries, this is key to think about a cost benefit analysis that can generate the migration and rental of these services in the cloud, with more reliable and accessible systems, this will help us to study hybrid technologies that offer on premise solutions. In addition to the above, when talking about companies that seek to digitally transform themselves to achieve agility and resilience, as well as to support future applications, it is necessary to mention their current infrastructures that have the capacity to host new technologies that require high performance, security and an adequate digital interconnection that allows the correct access to the acquired applications. In this research, an analysis of the existing process models for migration from on-premise storage to the cloud has been made with the objective of identifying the most important challenges, from planning, execution, factors to consider when assessing the complexity of applications and data before migrating to the cloud.

La tecnología a nuestro servicio: 4 aplicaciones móviles para optimizar la gestión de necesidades cotidianas

Nowadays, mobile devices have undoubtedly become the most immediate means of accessing information. Their portability and increasingly large processing and storage capacities have been key to the expansion of mobile applications running on these devices.This article reviews the utility of these mobile applications, based on the experience gained from developing and implementing mobile applications for four real cases. In these cases, second-semester students of the Software Development program at the 'Quito Metropolitano' Higher Technological Institute, as part of their training, developed fully functional mobile applications to make them available to society. Their work was showcased at the '5 Minutes Pitch' and 'Quito Metro Tech' events organized by the institution in March 2024.The development process utilized tools included in the institution's curricular planning, such as Java programming language and frameworks like TypeScript and React Native. Additionally, databases like MySQL were used for desktop applications, and Firebase was used for cloud persistence.

Routes to Bidirectional Cathodes for Reversible Aprotic Alkali Metal–CO2 Batteries

AbstractAprotic alkali metal–CO2 batteries (AAMCBs) have garnered significant interest owing to fixing CO2 and providing large energy storage capacity. The practical implementation of AAMCBs is constrained by the sluggish kinetics of the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) and the CO2 evolution reaction (CO2ER). Because the CO2ER and CO2RR take place on the cathode, which connects the internal catalyst with the external environment. Building a bidirectional cathode with excellent CO2ER and CO2RR kinetics by optimizing the cathode's internal catalyst and environment has attracted most of the attention to improving the electrochemical performance of AAMCBs. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding. This review aims to give a route to bidirectional cathodes for reversible AAMCBs, by systematically discussing engineering strategies of both the internal catalyst (atomic, nanoscopic, and macroscopic levels) and the external environment (photo, photo‐thermal, and force field). The CO2ER and CO2RR mechanisms and the “engineering strategies from internal catalyst to the external environment–cathode properties–CO2RR and CO2ER kinetics and mechanisms–batteries performance” relationship are elucidated by combining computational and experimental approaches. This review establishes a fundamental understanding for designing bidirectional cathodes and gives a route for developing reversible AAMCBs and similar metal–gas battery systems.

Multistability of state-dependent switched neural networks with Mexican-hat-type activation functions

This paper investigates the issue of multistability in state-dependent switched neural networks (SSNNs) with Mexican-hat-type activation functions (AFs). It establishes the coexistence and stability of multiple equilibrium points (EPs). Initially, the state space is partitioned based on the geometric characteristics of the Mexican-hat-type AF, enabling to determine the positions of the EPs. Secondly, the coexistence of 9h17h25h33h4 EPs for n-neurons SSNNs under specific sufficient conditions is proved with the Brouwer’s fixed-point theorem. Next, by using diagonally dominant matrix theory and Gershgorin circle theorem, it is proven that there are 5h14h23h32h4 asymptotically stable EPs under some conditions, where h1,h2,h3 and h4 are nonnegative integers satisfying 0≤h1+h2+h3+h4≤n. Therefore, we can obtain that SSNNs can have larger storage capacity by selecting the appropriate parameters hi,i=1,2,3,4. Finally, the correctness of the results in this paper is verified through two numerical examples.

Ferritin loss in astrocytes reduces spinal cord oxidative stress and demyelination in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model.

Demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) cause myelin degradation and oligodendrocyte death, resulting in the release of toxic iron and iron-induced oxidative stress. Astrocytes have a large capacity for iron transport and storage, however the role of astrocytic iron homeostasis in demyelinating disorders is not completely understood. Here we investigate whether astrocytic iron metabolism modulates neuroinflammation, oligodendrocyte survival, and oxidative stress following demyelination. To this aim, we conditionally knock out ferritin in astrocytes and induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an autoimmune-mediated model of demyelination. Ferritin ablation in astrocytes reduced the severity of disease in both the acute and chronic phases. The day of onset, peak disease severity, and cumulative clinical score were all significantly reduced in ferritin KO animals. This corresponded to better performance on the rotarod and increased mobility in ferritin KO mice. Furthermore, the spinal cord of ferritin KO mice display decreased numbers of reactive astrocytes, activated microglia, and infiltrating lymphocytes. Correspondingly, the size of demyelinated lesions, iron accumulation, and oxidative stress were attenuated in the CNS of ferritin KO subjects, particularly in white matter regions of the spinal cord. Thus, deleting ferritin in astrocytes reduced neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and myelin deterioration in EAE animals. Collectively, these findings suggest that iron storage in astrocytes is a potential therapeutic target to lessen CNS inflammation and myelin loss in autoimmune demyelinating diseases.

Optimization Study on Sequential Emptying and Dredging for Water Diversity Reservoir Group

Reservoir sediment severely impacts water supply in water-scarce regions, making reservoir dredging an urgent global issue. The investment required for deep-water dredging far exceeds that for dry land dredging. Therefore, against the backdrop of the national water network construction, this study focuses on a typical inter-basin water transfer project in Northern China. To increase the proportion of dry land dredging volume and save costs, this study uses compensation reservoirs to replace the emptied reservoir in undertaking water supply tasks as a constraint. Single-objective optimization models for single reservoirs and multi-objective optimization models for reservoir groups are established, using game theory comprehensive subjective and objective weighting methods to select the optimal solution. The following conclusions are drawn from comparing the water supply effects under various emptying sequences: the optimal sequence for emptying reservoirs should be determined through precise quantitative analysis; as the dredging is completed, the water supply tends to stabilize; the satisfaction with the water supply and the variance of the water shortage rate are primarily related to reservoirs with a large inflow and storage capacity; dredging occurs according to the descending order of the storage capacity of reservoirs; and the startup proportion of pump stations shows an increasing trend.

Thermally tuned on-chip optical memory

Phase-change materials, known as Chalcogenide alloys, are a promising alternative to traditional random-access memory. They possess characteristics that are particularly beneficial for non-volatile storage applications. The features of the Phase change material Ge-Sb-Te alloy (GST) used for substrate-integrated optical memory include scaling, quick switching times, minimal switching energy, and exceptional thermal stability. The material has two tuneable states, amorphous and crystalline, with the amorphous layer for loading data optically. In contrast, the crystalline state holds the data longer without significant loss. The study designed a classic thermally tuned optical memory on a silicon substrate. It demonstrated a dependency of lattice structure on external voltage and revealed a large storage capacity for information in the form of an optical signal. The heat transport simulation utilized the Heat Transport (HEAT) solver of the Finite Element Eigenmode (FEEM) solver. At the same time, the optical response analysis involved the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) solver of Lumerical. The proposed structure exhibits a memory-switching phenomenon when a temperature shift of about 60 °C from room temperature is induced by a change in the external voltage of 147 mV. These findings have substantial implications for non-volatile storage memory development, providing a potential solution for high-capacity, low-energy data storage.

All-solid-state flexible micro-supercapacitors with enhanced electrochemical performance obtained by hybridizing mxene with butterfly graphite

Abstract All-solid-state flexible micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) have the advantages of large energy storage capacity, small size, and good flexibility, which can be used as micro power sources. A 2D titanium carbide (MXene) has metallic conductivity, good hydrophility, and excellent processing properties, showing its great potential in flexible MSCs. However, the self-packing of MXene sheets hinders charge transfer and ion transport, limiting its electrochemical capacity. Herein, MSCs were prepared from a composite material of butterfly-like graphite (BTG) and MXene. BTG was inserted into the MXene layer to prevent its overs tacking, which promotes the diffusion of electrolytes and improves the electrochemical capacity of MSCs. As a result, MXene/BTG MSCs exhibit a large capacitance of 177.9 mF cm−2 at 5 mV s−1. In addition, the specific capacitance retention of MXene/BTG-30% MSCs can reach 80.4% in 0.1 -1 mA cm−2.

Electrochemical Behaviors and Doping Rules of NaRhO2 Cathode Materials for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have great advantages for energy storage and conversion due to their low cost and large storage capacity. Currently, NaRhO2 is used as an electrode material for sodium-ion batteries. Doping first- and second-row transition metals has been carried out to comprehensively assess NaRhO2 as a cathode material. The geometric and electronic structures and electrochemical and doping behaviors of NaRhO2 cathode materials for SIBs have been investigated using density functional theory calculations. The results show that the bond lengths of Rh-O in NaRhO2 decrease during sodium deintercalation. The band gap of NaRhO2 with sodium extraction gradually reduces. The density of states of NaxRhO2 shows that the interaction between the Rh-4d and O-2p orbitals increases and the orbitals shift toward the right. The average intercalation voltage of NaxRhO2 cathode material increased from 2.7 to 3.9 eV. After doping with first- and second-row transition metal elements from Sc to Zn and Y to Cd, the changes in the band gaps of the doped NaRhO2 materials exhibit a W-type rule. In contrast, their magnetic moments show a reverse W-type rule. These findings on the pristine and doped NaRhO2 can provide theoretical guidance for the preparation of novel electrode materials suitable for sodium-ion batteries.

Enhanced multiferroic properties of NZCFO-BNFSO composites: Synthesis, characterization, and performance analysis

The structural and multiferroic properties of xNi0.24Zn0.58Cu0.18Fe2O4(NZCFO)-(1-x)Bi0.9Nd0.1Fe0.95 Sc0.05O3(BNFSO) are explored in this paper. Bi2O3 additives significantly lower the sintering temperature of the composites. The XRD analysis validates the coexistence of hexagonal perovskite BNFSO and spinel NZCFO phases. The FESEM images illustrate an almost homogeneous amalgamation of the BNFSO and NZCFO grains. The real part of initial permeability and the relative quality factor increases with NZCFO contents in the composites. The maximum permeability is observed for the composite with 80 % ferrite content. The ferroelectric BNFSO exhibits antiferromagnetic behavior and with the increase in NZCFO the saturation magnetization increases significantly. The dielectric constant confirms typical dielectric dispersion at low frequencies because of Maxwell–Wagner space charge polarization. The P-E hysteresis measurement reveals that the composite with 40 % ferrite content exhibits the highest loop area and hence a large energy storage capacity. Incorporating BNFSO and NZCFO into the composite boosts the multiferroic properties, which might be a suitable alternative to single-phase multiferroics.

Thermodynamic analysis and modeling of the filling process of a gas tanker by shipping LNG from a large-capacity storage facility with an upgraded submersible cryogenic pump

Thermodynamic analysis and modeling of the filling process of a gas tanker by shipping LNG from a large-capacity storage facility with an upgraded submersible cryogenic pump

Integration of a Hydrogen Storage Cavern into the Carbon2Chem® Project

AbstractUnderground salt caverns allow large hydrogen storage capacities at low specific costs. Such storage is required to balance fluctuating hydrogen supply and constant demand of large consumers as a methanol plant from the Carbon2Chem® project. The geological and technical feasibility for developing up to 168 Mio. m3 (n.c.) or 595 GWh of working gas capacity until 2040 at a location in the Lower Rhine Bay is described. Various options for realization as well as a novel process for cavern leaching parallel to hydrogen storage operation are evaluated. Further work is required including geological exploration and optimization of brine production. The main hurdles for investment decisions are the political uncertainties on the hydrogen storage market design and on the ramp‐up of the hydrogen market.

Techno-economic assessment of supercritical, cold liquid, and dissolved CO2 injection into sub-seafloor basalt

Injecting CO2 into subsea basalt can provide permanent storage via multiple trapping mechanisms, including mineralization reactions which convert the CO2 into solid carbonates over time. Injecting CO2 together with water can accelerate the process of mineralization, but presents additional challenges, such as high energy and water requirements. A techno-economic model of CO2 transport and injection into ocean basalt was developed to compare injection strategies using pure supercritical CO2, pure liquid CO2, and CO2 dissolved in seawater. The model was applied to a representative injection site off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Injection of CO2 dissolved into seawater was found to be more energy and cost intensive than injection of supercritical or liquid CO2; this is primarily due to the reduced quantities of CO2 that can be injected into each well, and additional pumping energy required for the accompanying seawater. For the base assumptions, transport and storage costs for supercritical, liquid, and dissolved injection were estimated as $43/t, $38/t, and $250/t respectively. Their energy requirements were estimated as 93 kWh/t, 90 kWh/t, and 213 kWh/t respectively. The current best estimates of geological parameters for ocean basalt suggest good injectivity and very large storage capacities per well. This may help to compensate for the additional project expenses incurred by deep water, allowing cost-effective liquid and supercritical injection. However, this result is sensitive to high uncertainties in both geological parameters and component cost data.

An In-Memory-Computing Structure with Quantum-Dot Transistor Toward Neural Network Applications: From Analog Circuits to Memory Arrays

The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have demonstrated great success in various applications, such as cloud computing, deep learning, and neural networks, among others. However, the majority of these applications rely on fast computation and large storage, which poses significant challenges to the hardware platform. Thus, there is a growing interest in exploring new computation architectures to address these challenges. Compute-in-memory (CIM) has emerged as a promising solution to overcome the challenges posed by traditional computer architecture in terms of data transfer frequency and energy consumption. Non-volatile memory, such as Quantum-dot transistors, has been widely used in CIM to provide high-speed processing, low power consumption, and large storage capacity. Matrix-vector multiplication (MVM) or dot product operation is a primary computational kernel in neural networks. CIM offers an effective way to optimize the performance of the dot product operation by performing it through an intertwining of processing and memory elements. In this paper, we present a novel design and analysis of a Quantum-dot transistor (QDT) based CIM that offers efficient MVM or dot product operation by performing computations inside the memory array itself. Our proposed approach offers energy-efficient and high-speed data processing capabilities that are critical for implementing AI applications on resource-limited platforms such as portable devices.

TiO2 nanotubes with customized diameters for local drug delivery systems

AbstractIn this study, we evaluated the drug release behavior of diameter customized TiO2 nanotube layers fabricated by anodization with various applied voltage sequences: conventional constant applied potentials of 20 V (45 nm) and 60 V (80 nm), a 20/60 V stepped potential (50 nm [two‐diameter]), and a 20–60 V swept potential (49 nm [full‐tapered]) (values in parentheses indicate the inner tube diameter at the top part of nanotube layers). The structures of the 50 nm (two‐diameter) and 49 nm (full‐tapered) samples had smaller inner diameters at the top part of nanotube layers than that of the 80 nm sample, while the outer diameters at the bottom part of nanotube layers were almost the same size as the 80 nm sample. The 80 nm sample, which had the largest nanotube diameter and length, exhibited the greatest burst release, followed by the 50 nm (two‐diameter), 49 nm (full‐tapered), and 45 nm samples. The initial burst released drug amounts and release rates from the 50 nm (two‐diameter) and 49 nm (full‐tapered) samples were significantly suppressed by the smaller tube top. On the other hand, the largest proportion of the slow released drug amount to the total released drug amount was observed for the 50 nm (two‐diameter) sample. Thus, 50 nm (two‐diameter) achieved suppressed initial burst release and large storage capacity. Therefore, this study has, for the first time, applied TiO2 nanotube layers with modulated diameters (two‐diameter and full‐tapered) to the realization of a localized drug delivery system (LDDS) with customized drug release properties.

Optimization of residential energy system configurations considering the bidirectional power supply of electric vehicles and electricity interchange between two residences

Electric vehicles (EVs) combined with bidirectional home chargers (vehicle-to-home (V2H) units) and electricity interchange between residences are promising options for the self-consumption of rooftop photovoltaics (PVs) in residences. Furthermore, considering that EVs have large storage capacities, one EV + V2H might support neighborhood-scale electricity storage by electricity interchange between residences, resulting in more cost-efficient self-consumption systems. Therefore, this paper investigates how permitting electricity interchange between residences affects the economically optimal design of distributed energy systems, such as PVs, EVs and V2H units. For this purpose, a mixed-integer linear programming model is developed to optimize the configurations and operation strategies of distributed energy resources (DERs) considering electricity interchange in neighborhoods. V2H units, which supply electricity from EVs to residences, are considered DER options independent of EVs. Furthermore, the optimization results are compared under two scenarios wherein electricity interchange is and is not permitted between two residences. The results indicate that permitting electricity interchange improves the self-consumption rate of PV power while reducing investment in storage facilities. The one influencing factor is sharing one EV + V2H between two residences and effectively utilizing the available storage capacity.

Design of high protection liquid cooled BMS system for high voltage energy storage system

Abstract Aiming at the characteristics of large capacity and high energy density energy storage equipment on the market, a liquid cooled battery management system suitable for high voltage energy storage systems was designed. The overall protection level of the system is IP65. The cooling method adopts liquid cooling heat dissipation, which is common with the overall energy storage system. Compared with traditional air cooling heat dissipation, it has the advantages of high cooling efficiency, low noise and fast cooling speed.

Multi-Facet analysis of analytical and numerical models to resolve sustainable artificial recharge rates in unconfined aquifers

Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) has emerged as a potential solution to resolve water insecurity, globally. However, integrated studies quantifying the surplus source water, suitable recharge sites and safe recharge capacity is limited. In this study, a novel methodology is presented to quantify transient injection rates in unconfined aquifers and generate MAR suitability maps based on estimated surplus water and permissible aquifer recharge capacity (PARC). Subbasin scale monthly surplus surface runoff was estimated at 75% dependability using a SWAT model. A linear regression model based on numerical solution was used to capture the aquifer response to injection and to calculate PARC values at subbasin level. The available surplus runoff and PARC values was then used to determine the suitable site and recharge rate during MAR operation. The developed methodology was applied in the semi-arid region of Lower Betwa River Basin (LBRB), India. The estimated surplus runoff was generally confined to the monsoon months of June to September and exhibited spatial heterogeneity with an average runoff rate of 5000 m3/d in 85% of the LBRB. Analysis of the PARC results revealed that thick alluvial aquifers had large permissible storage capacity and about 50% of the LBRB was capable of storing over 3500 m3/d of water. This study revealed that sufficient surplus runoff was generated in the LBRB, but it lacked the adequate safe aquifer storage capacity to conserve it. A total 65 subbasins was identified as the best suited sites for MAR which had enough surplus water and storage capacity to suffice 20% of the total water demand in the LBRB. The developed methodology was computationally efficient, could augment the field problem of determining scheduled recharge rates and could be used as a decision-making tool in artificial recharge projects.