The IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function (DCF) enables fast installation with minimal management and maintenance costs, and is a very robust protocol for the best effort service in wireless ...medium. However, the current DCF is unsuitable for real-time applications. This paper studies backoff-based priority schemes for IEEE 802.11 and the emerging IEEE 802.11e standard by differentiating the minimum backoff window size, the backoff window-increasing factor, and the retransmission limit. An analytical model is proposed to derive saturation throughputs, saturation delays, and frame-dropping probabilities of different priority classes for all proposed priority schemes. Simulations are conducted to validate analytical results. The proposed priority schemes can be easily implemented, and the results from this paper are beneficial in designing good priority parameters.
Metal–organic framework cathodes usually exhibit low capacity and poor electrochemical performance for Li‐ion storage owing to intrinsic low conductivity and inferior redox activity. Now a ...redox‐active 2D copper–benzoquinoid (Cu‐THQ) MOF has been synthesized by a simple solvothermal method. The abundant porosity and intrinsic redox character endow the 2D Cu‐THQ MOF with promising electrochemical activity. Superior performance is achieved as a Li‐ion battery cathode with a high reversible capacity (387 mA h g−1), large specific energy density (775 Wh kg−1), and good cycling stability. The reaction mechanism is unveiled by comprehensive spectroscopic techniques: a three‐electron redox reaction per coordination unit and one‐electron redox reaction per copper ion mechanism is demonstrated. This elucidatory understanding sheds new light on future rational design of high‐performance MOF‐based cathode materials for efficient energy storage and conversion.
A high‐performance MOF: A conductive and redox‐active copper–benzoquinoid 2D metal–organic framework (MOF) with high capacity was designed for Li‐ion batterie. A new Li‐ion storage mechanism was unveiled by comprehensive spectroscopic methods.
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Since the inception of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and the underlying blockchain technology have attracted an increasing interest from both academia and industry. Among various core components, ...consensus protocol is the defining technology behind the security and performance of blockchain. From incremental modifications of Nakamoto consensus protocol to innovative alternative consensus mechanisms, many consensus protocols have been proposed to improve the performance of the blockchain network itself or to accommodate other specific application needs. In this survey, we present a comprehensive review and analysis on the state-of-the-art blockchain consensus protocols. To facilitate the discussion of our analysis, we first introduce the key definitions and relevant results in the classic theory of fault tolerance which help to lay the foundation for further discussion. We identify five core components of a blockchain consensus protocol, namely, block proposal, block validation, information propagation, block finalization, and incentive mechanism. A wide spectrum of blockchain consensus protocols are then carefully reviewed accompanied by algorithmic abstractions and vulnerability analyses. The surveyed consensus protocols are analyzed using the five-component framework and compared with respect to different performance metrics. These analyses and comparisons provide us new insights in the fundamental differences of various proposals in terms of their suitable application scenarios, key assumptions, expected fault tolerance, scalability, drawbacks and trade-offs. We believe this survey will provide blockchain developers and researchers a comprehensive view on the state-of-the-art consensus protocols and facilitate the process of designing future protocols.
Electrochemical energy storage devices with a high energy density are an important technology in modern society, especially for electric vehicles. The most effective approach to improve the energy ...density of batteries is to search for high‐capacity electrode materials. According to the concept of energy quality, a high‐voltage battery delivers a highly useful energy, thus providing a new insight to improve energy density. Based on this concept, a novel and successful strategy to increase the energy density and energy quality by increasing the discharge voltage of cathode materials and preserving high capacity is proposed. The proposal is realized in high‐capacity Li‐rich cathode materials. The average discharge voltage is increased from 3.5 to 3.8 V by increasing the nickel content and applying a simple after‐treatment, and the specific energy is improved from 912 to 1033 Wh kg−1. The current work provides an insightful universal principle for developing, designing, and screening electrode materials for high energy density and energy quality.
Li‐ion batteries with high energy quality require a high capacity coupled with high operating voltage. This requires the electrode materials to not only have a high specific capacity but also a high discharge voltage for cathode materials and low charge voltage for anode materials.
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Calcareous sands are known as problematic soils in nature and challenge geotechnical engineers in many practical projects. Microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) is an innovative soil ...improvement technique that uses biomineralisation processes to induce cementation in-situ. The work described in this paper investigates the strength, deformation, and microstructure characteristics of biocemented calcareous sand under different cementation solution to sample volume ratios. A series of laboratory experiments was conducted, including unconfined compressive strength tests, splitting, tensile (i.e., Brazilian) strength tests, and consolidated drained triaxial tests. The results indicate that an exponential function reasonably describes the unconfined compressive strength and splitting tensile strength with increasing cementation solution to sample volume ratios. The tangent modulus at 50% peak strength increases exponentially with an increase in cementation solution to sample volume ratio, whereas it increases linearly with an increase in strength. The strength parameters for this MICP-improved soil, including the peak cohesion and friction angle, are derived to facilitate engineering design. Microstructure analyses are used to illustrate the physical basis for the increase in strength and stiffness with increases in the calcite content, as demonstrated using the cementation solution to sample volume ratio.
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The tetracationic cyclophane, cyclobis(paraquat‐p‐phenylene), also known as the little blue box, constitutes a modular receptor that has facilitated the discovery of many host–guest complexes and ...mechanically interlocked molecules during the past 35 years. Its versatility in binding small π‐donors in its tetracationic state, as well as forming trisradical tricationic complexes with viologen radical cations in its doubly reduced bisradical dicationic state, renders it valuable for the construction of various stimuli‐responsive materials. Since the first reports in 1988, the little blue box has been featured in over 500 publications in the literature. All this research activity would not have been possible without the seminal contributions carried out by Siegfried Hünig, who not only pioneered the syntheses of viologen‐containing cyclophanes, but also revealed their rich redox chemistry in addition to their ability to undergo intramolecular π‐dimerization. This Review describes how his pioneering research led to the design and synthesis of the little blue box, and how this redox‐active host evolved into the key component of molecular shuttles, switches, and machines.
The exploration of the chemistry associated with the little blue box has been a journey characterized by serendipity and fulfillment. We pay homage to Professor Siegfried Hünig, who forged the path to the modern frontiers of viologen chemistry on which we carry out research today.
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The increasing demands of energy storage require the significant improvement of current Li‐ion battery electrode materials and the development of advanced electrode materials. Thus, it is necessary ...to gain an in‐depth understanding of the reaction processes, degradation mechanism, and thermal decomposition mechanisms under realistic operation conditions. This understanding can be obtained by in situ/operando characterization techniques, which provide information on the structure evolution, redox mechanism, solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, side reactions, and Li‐ion transport properties under operating conditions. Here, the recent developments in the in situ/operando techniques employed for the investigation of the structural stability, dynamic properties, chemical environment changes, and morphological evolution are described and summarized. The experimental approaches reviewed here include X‐ray, electron, neutron, optical, and scanning probes. The experimental methods and operating principles, especially the in situ cell designs, are described in detail. Representative studies of the in situ/operando techniques are summarized, and finally the major current challenges and future opportunities are discussed. Several important battery challenges are likely to benefit from these in situ/operando techniques, including the inhomogeneous reactions of high‐energy‐density cathodes, the development of safe and reversible Li metal plating, and the development of stable SEI.
Recent developments of the five important in situ/operando characterization categories for lithium battery research are summarized, including X‐ray, electron, neutron, optical, and scanning probe techniques. For each technique, the operating principles and in situ cell design are described in detail, including representative studies of typical electrode materials and related processes summarized in tables for easy comparison and cross reference.
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In this letter, we consider the new nonlinear Burgers' equation engaging local fractional derivative for the first time. With the use of the travelling‐wave transformation of non‐differentiable type, ...some exact solutions for the new nonlinear Burgers' equation are discussed in detail. The obtained results are accurate and efficient for the descriptions of the acoustic signals propagation in the fractal stratified media.
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The flexible Li-O
battery is suitable to satisfy the requirements of a self-powered energy system, thanks to environmental friendliness, low cost, and high theoretical energy density. Herein, a ...flexible porous bifunctional electrode with both electrocatalytic and photocatalytic activity was synthesized and introduced as a cathode to assemble a high-performance Li-O
battery that achieved an overpotential of 0.19 V by charging with the aid of solar energy. As a proof-of-concept application, a flexible Li-O
battery was constructed and integrated with a solar cell via a scalable encapsulate method to fabricate a flexible self-powered energy system with excellent flexibility and mechanical stability. Moreover, by exploring the evolution of the electrode morphology and discharge products (Li
O
), the charging process of the Li-O
battery powered by solar energy and solar cell was demonstrated.
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Simply yet powerfully, single-atom catalysts (SACs) with atomically dispersed metal active centers on supports have received a growing interest in a wide range of catalytic reactions. As a specific ...example, SACs have exhibited distinctive performances in CO
chemical conversions. The unique structures of SACs are appealing for adsorptive activation of CO
molecules, transfer of intermediates from support to active metal sites, and production of desirable products in CO
conversion. In this Account, we have exemplified our recent endeavors in the development of SACs toward CO
conversions in thermal catalysis and electrocatalysis. In terms of the support not only stabilizing but also working collaboratively with the single active sites, the proper choice of support is of great importance for its stability, activity, and selectivity in single-atom catalysis. Three distinctive strategies for SAC architectures-lattice-matched oxide supported, heteroatom-doped carbon anchored, and mimetic ligand chelated-are intensively discussed from the perspective of support design for SACs in different reaction environments. To achieve a high-temperature thermal reduction of CO
to CO, TiO
(rutile), lattice-matched to the IrO
active site, was chosen as a support to realize the thermal stability of Ir
/TiO
SAC, and it shows great capability toward CO
conversion and excellent selectivity to CO due to the effective block of the over-reduction of CO
to methane over single Ir active sites. In the electrochemical reduction of CO
at low temperature, sulfur co-doped N-graphene was developed to achieve unique d
-Ni single atoms on the conductive graphene support, by which not only were the atomic Ni active sites trapped into the matrix of graphene for its stabilization, but also the modulation of electronic configuration of mononuclear Ni centers promoted the CO
activation through facile electron transfer with an improved electroreduction activity. Inspired by the Ir mononuclear homogeneous catalysts in CO
hydrogenation to formate, porous organic polymers (POPs) functionalized with a reticular aminopyridine group were purposely fabricated to mimic the homogeneous ligand environment for chelating the Ir single-atom active center, and this quasi-homogeneous Ir
/POP catalyst manifests high efficiency for hydrogenation of CO
to formate under mild conditions in the liquid phase. Such SACs are of paramount importance for the transformation of CO
, with their coordination environment helping in the activation of CO
. Since the energy barrier for the dissociation of the second C-O bond of CO
on single-atom sites is very high, these catalysts can give high selectivities toward CO or formate products. Thanks to SACs, the conversion of CO
has become much easier in various chemical environments.
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