Abstract In the era of transitioning to a low‐carbon economy, China's electric vehicle market is experiencing exponential growth, a trend that is mirrored by the burgeoning market for the recycling ...of used power batteries. This rapid expansion underscores the urgency of enhancing the power battery recycling system. However, the lack of sufficient engagement from consumers and recyclers in the recycling system currently impedes the formation of a cohesive recycling effort. To tackle this issue, we introduce a tripartite evolutionary game model involving the government, battery recyclers, and consumers. By analyzing the evolutionary stability strategies (ESSs) and their stability conditions, we delineate the synergetic development paths of them. Numerical examples illustrate the model's effectiveness and explore how government incentive policies can affect the strategic decisions of other participants. Our findings suggest that establishing incentive policies by the government in the early stage of the power battery industry is crucial for fostering a synergetic recycling system that is led by the government, involved by the community, and driven by the market.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Cation disorder is an established feature of heterovalent ternary nitrides, a promising class of semiconductor materials. A recently synthesized wurtzite-family ternary nitride, ZnTiN2, shows ...potential for durable photoelectrochemical applications with a measured optical absorption onset of 2 eV, which is 1.4 eV lower than previously predicted, a large difference attributed to cation disorder. Here, we use first-principles calculations based on density functional theory to establish the role of cation disorder in the electronic and optical properties of ZnTiN2. We compute antisite defect arrangement formation energies for one hundred 128-atom supercells and analyze their trends and their effect on electronic structures, rationalizing experimental results. We demonstrate that charge imbalance created by antisite defects in Ti and N local environments, respectively, broadens the conduction and valence bands near the band edges, reducing the band gap relative to the cation-ordered limit, a general mechanism relevant to other multivalent ternary nitrides. Charge-imbalanced antisite defect arrangements that lead to N-centered tetrahedral motifs fully coordinated by Zn are the most energetically costly and introduce localized in-gap states; cation arrangements that better preserve local charge balance have smaller formation energies and have less impact on the electronic structure. Our work provides insights into the nature of cation disorder in the newly synthesized semiconductor ZnTiN2, with implications for its performance in energy applications, and provides a baseline for the future study of controlling cation order in ZnTiN2 and other ternary nitrides.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
3.
Sn-assisted heteroepitaxy improves ZnTiN photoabsorbers Mangum, John S; Ke, Sijia; Gish, Melissa K ...
Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability,
02/2024, Volume:
12, Issue:
8
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Sustainable production of liquid fuels from abundant resources, such as carbon dioxide and water, may be possible through photoelectrochemical processes. Zinc titanium nitride (ZnTiN
2
) has been ...recently demonstrated as a potential photoelectrode semiconductor for photoelectrochemical fuel generation due to its ideal bandgap induced by cation disorder, shared crystal structure with established semiconductors, and self-passivating surface oxides under carbon dioxide reduction operating conditions. However, substantial improvements in crystalline quality and optoelectronic properties of ZnTiN
2
are needed to enable such applications. In this work, we investigate the heteroepitaxial growth of ZnTiN
2
on
c
-plane (001) sapphire substrates. Growth on sapphire improves crystal quality, while growth on sapphire at elevated temperatures (300 °C) yields highly-oriented, single-crystal-like ZnTiN
2
films. When Sn is incorporated during these epitaxial growth conditions, notable improvements in ZnTiN
2
film surface roughness and optoelectronic properties are observed. These improvements are attributed to Sn acting as a surfactant during growth and mitigating unintentional impurities such as O and C. The single-crystal-like, 12% Sn-containing ZnTiN
2
films exhibit a steep optical absorption onset at the band gap energy around 2 eV, electrical resistivity of 0.7 Ω cm, and a carrier mobility of 0.046 cm
2
V
−1
s
−1
with n-type carrier concentration of 2 × 10
20
cm
−3
. Density functional theory calculations reveal that moderate substitution of Sn (12.5% of the cation sites) on energetically-preferred cation sites has negligible impact on the optoelectronic properties of cation-disordered ZnTiN
2
. These results are important steps toward achieving high performance PEC devices based on ZnTiN
2
photoelectrodes with efficient photon absorption and photoexcited carrier extraction.
Ambient temperature growth on Si produces a polycrystalline ZnTiN
2
film while Sn-assisted growth on sapphire at elevated temperature results in a single-crystal-like ZnTiN
2
film with significantly reduced sub-bandgap absorption.
Sn-assisted heteroepitaxy improves ZnTiN 2 photoabsorbers Mangum, John S.; Ke, Sijia; Gish, Melissa K. ...
Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability,
02/2024, Volume:
12, Issue:
8
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Sustainable production of liquid fuels from abundant resources, such as carbon dioxide and water, may be possible through photoelectrochemical processes. Zinc titanium nitride (ZnTiN 2 ) has been ...recently demonstrated as a potential photoelectrode semiconductor for photoelectrochemical fuel generation due to its ideal bandgap induced by cation disorder, shared crystal structure with established semiconductors, and self-passivating surface oxides under carbon dioxide reduction operating conditions. However, substantial improvements in crystalline quality and optoelectronic properties of ZnTiN 2 are needed to enable such applications. In this work, we investigate the heteroepitaxial growth of ZnTiN 2 on c -plane (001) sapphire substrates. Growth on sapphire improves crystal quality, while growth on sapphire at elevated temperatures (300 °C) yields highly-oriented, single-crystal-like ZnTiN 2 films. When Sn is incorporated during these epitaxial growth conditions, notable improvements in ZnTiN 2 film surface roughness and optoelectronic properties are observed. These improvements are attributed to Sn acting as a surfactant during growth and mitigating unintentional impurities such as O and C. The single-crystal-like, 12% Sn-containing ZnTiN 2 films exhibit a steep optical absorption onset at the band gap energy around 2 eV, electrical resistivity of 0.7 Ω cm, and a carrier mobility of 0.046 cm 2 V −1 s −1 with n-type carrier concentration of 2 × 10 20 cm −3 . Density functional theory calculations reveal that moderate substitution of Sn (12.5% of the cation sites) on energetically-preferred cation sites has negligible impact on the optoelectronic properties of cation-disordered ZnTiN 2 . These results are important steps toward achieving high performance PEC devices based on ZnTiN 2 photoelectrodes with efficient photon absorption and photoexcited carrier extraction.
Sn-assisted heteroepitaxy improves ZnTiN2 photoabsorbers Mangum, John S; Ke, Sijia; Gish, Melissa K ...
Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability,
02/2024, Volume:
12, Issue:
8
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Sustainable production of liquid fuels from abundant resources, such as carbon dioxide and water, may be possible through photoelectrochemical processes. Zinc titanium nitride (ZnTiN2) has been ...recently demonstrated as a potential photoelectrode semiconductor for photoelectrochemical fuel generation due to its ideal bandgap induced by cation disorder, shared crystal structure with established semiconductors, and self-passivating surface oxides under carbon dioxide reduction operating conditions. However, substantial improvements in crystalline quality and optoelectronic properties of ZnTiN2 are needed to enable such applications. In this work, we investigate the heteroepitaxial growth of ZnTiN2 on c-plane (001) sapphire substrates. Growth on sapphire improves crystal quality, while growth on sapphire at elevated temperatures (300 °C) yields highly-oriented, single-crystal-like ZnTiN2 films. When Sn is incorporated during these epitaxial growth conditions, notable improvements in ZnTiN2 film surface roughness and optoelectronic properties are observed. These improvements are attributed to Sn acting as a surfactant during growth and mitigating unintentional impurities such as O and C. The single-crystal-like, 12% Sn-containing ZnTiN2 films exhibit a steep optical absorption onset at the band gap energy around 2 eV, electrical resistivity of 0.7 Ω cm, and a carrier mobility of 0.046 cm2 V−1 s−1 with n-type carrier concentration of 2 × 1020 cm−3. Density functional theory calculations reveal that moderate substitution of Sn (12.5% of the cation sites) on energetically-preferred cation sites has negligible impact on the optoelectronic properties of cation-disordered ZnTiN2. These results are important steps toward achieving high performance PEC devices based on ZnTiN2 photoelectrodes with efficient photon absorption and photoexcited carrier extraction.
Photoelectrochemical fuel generation is a promising route to sustainable liquid fuels produced from water and captured carbon dioxide with sunlight as the energy input. Development of these ...technologies requires photoelectrode materials that are both photocatalytically active and operationally stable in harsh oxidative and/or reductive electrochemical environments. Such photocatalysts can be discovered based on co-design principles, wherein design for stability is based on the propensity for the photocatalyst to self-passivate under operating conditions and design for photoactivity is based on the ability to integrate the photocatalyst with established semiconductor substrates. Here, we report on the synthesis and characterization of zinc titanium nitride (ZnTiN2) that follows these design rules by having a wurtzite-derived crystal structure and showing self-passivating surface oxides created by electrochemical polarization. The sputtered ZnTiN2 thin films have optical absorption onsets below 2 eV and n-type electrical conduction of 3 S/cm. The band gap of this material is reduced from the 3.36 eV theoretical value by cation-site disorder, and the impact of cation antisites on the band structure of ZnTiN2 is explored using density functional theory. Under electrochemical polarization, the ZnTiN2 surfaces have TiO2- or ZnO-like character, consistent with Materials Project Pourbaix calculations predicting the formation of stable solid phases under near-neutral pH. These results show that ZnTiN2 is a promising candidate for photoelectrochemical liquid fuel generation and demonstrate a new materials design approach to other photoelectrodes with self-passivating native operational surface chemistry.
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Marine-derived antioxidant polysaccharides have aroused extensive attention because of their potential nutritional and therapeutic benefits. However, the comprehensive comparison of identified ...marine-derived antioxidant polysaccharides is still inaccessible, which would facilitate the discovery of more efficient antioxidants from marine organisms. Thus, this review summarizes the sources, chemical composition, structural characteristics, and antioxidant capacity of marine antioxidant polysaccharides, as well as their protective in vivo effects mediated by antioxidative stress reported in the last few years (2013-2019), and especially highlights the dominant role of marine algae as antioxidant polysaccharide source. In addition, the relationships between the chemical composition and structural characteristics of marine antioxidant polysaccharides with their antioxidant capacity were also discussed. The antioxidant activity was found to be determined by multiple factors, including molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, sulfate position and its degree.
Tumor progression requires the communication between tumor cells and tumor microenvironment (TME). Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are major components of stromal cells. CAFs contribute to ...metastasis process through direct or indirect interaction with tumor cells; however, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we reported that autophagy was upregulated in lung cancer-associated CAFs compared to normal fibroblasts (NFs), and autophagy was responsible for the promoting effect of CAFs on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell migration and invasion. Inhibition of CAFs autophagy attenuated their regulation on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis-related genes of NSCLC cells. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) secreted by CAFs mediated CAFs' effect on lung cancer cell invasion, demonstrated by using recombinant HMGB1, HMGB1 neutralizing antibody, and HMGB1 inhibitor glycyrrhizin (GA). Importantly, the autophagy blockade of CAFs revealed that HMGB1 release was dependent on autophagy. We also found HMGB1 was responsible, at least in part, for autophagy activation of CAFs, suggesting CAFs remain active through an autocrine HMGB1 loop. Further study demonstrated that HMGB1 facilitated lung cancer cell invasion by activating the NFκB pathway. In a mouse xenograft model, the autophagy specific inhibitor chloroquine abolished the stimulating effect of CAFs on tumor growth. These results elucidated an oncogenic function for secretory autophagy in lung cancer-associated CAFs that promotes metastasis potential, and suggested HMGB1 as a novel therapeutic target.
Alkaline fermentation for volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production has shown potential as a viable approach to treat sewage sludge. The hydrolysis and acidogenesis of sludge are greatly influenced by ...mixing. However, the effects of mixing intensity on VFAs production in sludge alkaline fermentation (SAF) remain poorly understood. This study investigated the impacts of mixing intensity (30, 90 and 150 rpm continuous mixing, and 150 rpm intermittent mixing) on VFAs production, dissolved organic matter (DOM) characteristics, phospholipid fatty acid profiles and microbial population distribution in SAF. Results showed that 150 rpm continuous and intermittent mixing enhanced the hydrolysis of sludge, while 150 rpm intermittent mixing resulted in the highest VFAs production (3886 ± 266.1 mg COD/L). Analysis of fluorescent and molecular characteristics of DOM revealed that 150 rpm intermittent mixing facilitated the conversion of released DOM, especially proteins-like substances, into VFAs. The abundance of unsaturated and branched fatty acids of microbes increased under 150 rpm intermittent mixing, which could aid in DOM degradation and VFAs production. Firmicutes and Tissierella were enriched at 150 rpm intermittent mixing, which favored the maximum VFAs yield. Moreover, Firmicutes were found to be the key functional microorganisms influencing the yield of VFAs during SAF. This study provides an understanding about the mixing intensity effects on VFAs production during SAF, which could be helpful to improve the yield of VFAs.
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•150 rpm continuous mixing led to the highest hydrolysis of sludge.•150 rpm intermittent mixing resulted in the maximum VFAs production.•The enhanced degradation of DOM molecules contributed to VFAs production.•Firmicutes were the key functional microorganisms influencing VFAs yield.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) eruption on 15 January 2022 was one of the most explosive volcanic events of the 21st century so far. According to satellite‐based measurements, 0.4 Tg of sulfur ...dioxide (SO2) was injected into the stratosphere during the eruption. By using observations and model simulations, here we investigate changes in the chemical compositions of the stratosphere 1 year after the HTHH eruption and examine the key physical and chemical processes that influence the ozone (O3) concentrations. Injected SO2 was oxidized into sulfate during the first 2 months, and transported from the tropics to the Antarctic by the Brewer‐Dobson circulation within 1 year. In mid‐to‐low latitudes, enhanced sulfate aerosol increased O3 concentrations in the middle stratosphere but declined in the lower stratosphere. In addition to the chemical processes, sulfate aerosols also reduced polar low‐stratospheric O3 concentrations through enhanced Antarctic upwelling anomalies.
Plain Language Summary
The Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) eruption on 15 January 2022 was one of the most explosive volcanic eruptions of the 21st century and has attracted global attention. Volcanic ash and gases entering the atmosphere could affect weather and climate processes. Recent studies have largely explored the effects on global warming of HTHH eruption, and have founded that its climate impact is not very strong. However, its impacts on ozone (O3) remains unclear. We used observations and models to analyze how HTHH eruption could influence O3. It confirms that stratospheric O3 can be affected when volcano‐induced aerosols are transported. We suggest that physical and chemical processes combine together to influence stratospheric O3 after HTHH eruption. Moreover, the effect on O3 of HTHH eruption is probably one of the reasons for the recent discovery of a larger O3 hole in Antarctica.
Key Points
Volcano‐induced stratospheric sulfate aerosols are transported toward the South Pole and downwards by the Brewer‐Dobson circulation
Catalytic nitrogen oxide ozone loss cycles and sulfate aerosols' radiative effects cause extra‐polar stratospheric ozone anomalies
Volcanic aerosol‐induced heterogeneous chemistry and enhanced upward transport causes polar stratospheric ozone anomalies
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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