Super Ions Research Articles

Polyaniline-expanded the interlayer spacing of hydrated vanadium pentoxide by the interface-intercalation for aqueous rechargeable Zn-ion batteries

The metal ions or conductive macromolecules intercalated hydrated vanadium oxides for aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) have received increasing attention in recent years. The strategy for the preparation of the intercalated hydrated vanadium oxides has been achieved great advances but is still a huge challenge. In this contribution, we develop an interface-intercalation method to synthesize the polyaniline-intercalated hydrated vanadium pentoxide (V2O5·nH2O), denoted as PANI-VOH, as the cathode materials for AZIBs. The prepared PANI-VOH exhibits a 3D sponge-like morphology and the surface area of 190 m2·g−1. The interlayer spacing of VOH is expanded to be 14.1 Å, which provides a lot of channels for the rapidly reversible (de)intercalation of Zn2+ ions. The coin-typed Zn//PANI-VOH battery shows the specific discharge capacity of 363 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1 and stable cycling performance. Furthermore, the specific capacity remains 131 mAh·g−1 after 2000 cycles at 5 A·g−1, and the energy density is calculated to be 275 Wh·kg−1 at 78 W·kg−1 on the mass of PANI-VOH. The achieved values are comparable to or even much higher than that of the most state-of-the-art V-based cathode materials for AZIBs. The PANI intercalation can shorten the pathways and facilitate the transports for the migration of ions and electrons. Our finding guides a novel strategy for the intercalation of PANI into the layered materials to adjust their interlayer spacing, which exhibits super ions migration efficiency, as the cathode materials for AZIBs and even other multivalent ions batteries.

Non-planar dust-acoustic solitary waves and double layers in a four-component dusty plasma with super thermal electrons

AbstractThe properties of non-planar (cylindrical and spherical) dust-acoustic solitary waves (DA SWs) and double layers (DLs) in an unmagnetised collisionless four-component dusty plasma, whose constituents are positively and negatively charged dust grains, super thermal electrons and Boltzmannian ions are investigated by deriving the modified Gardner (MG) equation. The well known reductive perturbation method is employed to derive the MG equation and solve it numerically to study the nonlinear features of the finite amplitude non-planar DA Gardner solitons (GSs) and DLs, which are shown to exist for κ around its critical value κc (where, κ is the super thermal parameter and κc is the value of κ corresponding to the vanishing of the nonlinear coefficient of the Korteweg-de Vries (K-dV) equation). It is seen that the properties of non-planar DA SWs and DLs are significantly differs in non-planar geometry from planar geometry. It is also found that the magnitude of the amplitude of positive and negative GSs decreases with κ and the width of positive and negative GSs increases with the increase of κ.

Temperature and pH effects on biophysical and morphological properties of self‐assembling peptide RADA16‐I

It has been found that the self-assembling peptide RADA 16-I forms a beta-sheet structure and self-assembles into nanofibers and scaffolds in favor of cell growth, hemostasis and tissue-injury repair. But its biophysical and morphological properties, especially for its beta-sheet and self-assembling properties in heat- and pH-denatured conditions, remain largely unclear. In order to better understand and design nanobiomaterials, we studied the self-assembly behaviors of RADA16-I using CD and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements in various pH and heat-denatured conditions. Here, we report that the peptide, when exposed to pH 1.0 and 4.0, was still able to assume a typical beta-sheet structure and self-assemble into long nanofiber, although its beta-sheet content was dramatically decreased by 10% in a pH 1.0 solution. However, the peptide, when exposed to pH 13.0, drastically lost its beta-sheet structure and assembled into different small-sized globular aggregates. Similarly, the peptide, when heat-denatured from 25 to 70 degrees C, was still able to assume a typical beta-sheet structure with 46% content, but self-assembled into small-sized globular aggregates at much higher temperature. Titration experiments showed that the peptide RADA16-I exists in three types of ionic species: acidic (fully protonated peptide), zwitterionic (electrically neutral peptide carrying partial positive and negative charges) and basic (fully deprotonated peptide) species, called 'super ions'. The unordered structure and beta-turn of these 'super ions' via hydrogen or ionic bonds, and heat Brownian motion under the above denatured conditions would directly affect the stability of the beta-sheet and nanofibers. These results help us in the design of future nanobiomaterials, such as biosensors, based on beta-sheets and environmental changes. These results also help understand the pathogenesis of the beta-sheet-mediated neuronal diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and the mechanism of hemostasis.

An Atlas of Far‐Ultraviolet Spectra of Wolf‐Rayet Stars from the FUSE Satellite

We present an atlas of far-ultraviolet spectra of 21 Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in the Galaxy and Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, secured with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite. The data cover the wavelength range of 912-1190 A at a spectral resolution of 0.1 A and span examples of most subtypes in the WN and WC sequences. We discuss the FUV spectral morphology of the different WR sequences, emphasizing the wide range of and chemical species exhibiting well-developed P Cygni profiles and emission lines in this wavelength range. For WN stars the relative strengths of C IV/C III, N III/N II, P V/P IV, and Si IV/Si III show a decrease in strength of the high from WN3 to WN11 complemented by an increase in the lower at later types. The super ions of O VI and S VI are considered photoionized wind features for WN3-WN6 stars, probably the result of Auger ionization in WN7-WN9 stars, and probably absent at WN10-WN11. The WN5h star Sk 41 in the SMC shows relatively weaker features, which can be ascribed to the effects of a global galaxy metal deficiency. For the WC stars, a similar pattern of wind ionization-linked strengths in the emissions and P Cygni profiles is present, particularly evident in the relative strengths of lines in P V, S IV, Si IV, and Si III. O VI, and S VI features are only seen in the earliest WC subtypes. The high carbon abundance in WC stars is reflected by the presence of strong C IV and C III lines throughout the sequence. We present new estimates of the wind terminal velocities from measurements of saturated absorption components observed in a wide range of I.P. species. Considerable revisions to v∞ for the WN3 and WN5 (SMC) stars in our sample and, in particular for the WN10 and WN11 stars are found. The latter make use of the unique availability of the N II resonance line in the FUSE waveband.