China’s energy supply-and-demand model and two related carbon emission scenarios, including a planned peak scenario and an advanced peak scenario, are designed taking into consideration China’s ...economic development, technological progress, policies, resources, environmental capacity, and other factors. The analysis of the defined scenarios provides the following conclusions: Primary energy and power demand will continue to grow leading up to 2030, and the growth rate of power demand will be much higher than that of primary energy demand. Moreover, low carbonization will be a basic feature of energy supply-and-demand structural changes, and non-fossil energy will replace oil as the second largest energy source. Finally, energy-related carbon emissions could peak in 2025 through the application of more efficient energy consumption patterns and more low-carbon energy supply modes. The push toward decarbonization of the power industry is essential for reducing the peak value of carbon emissions.
With tunable pore size and rich active metal centers, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been regarded as the one of the promising materials for catalysis. Prospectively, employing MOFs in ...electrochemistry would notably broaden the scope of electrocatalysis. However, this application is largely hindered by MOFs’ conventionally poor electrical conductivity. Integrating MOFs without compromising their crystalline superiority holds a grand challenge to unveil their pristine electrocatalytic properties. In this work, we introduce an epitaxial growth strategy to accomplish the efficient integration of the insulating MOFs into electrochemistry. Particularly, with pristine-graphene-templated growth, the two-dimensional (2D) single-crystal MOF possesses a large lateral size of ∼23 μm and high aspect ratio up to ∼1500 and exhibits a significant electrochemical enhancement, with a charge transfer resistance of ∼200 ohm and a 30 mA cm–2 current density at only 0.53 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode. The epitaxial strategy could be further applied to other 2D substrates, such as MoS2. This MOF/graphene 2D architecture sheds light on integrating insulating MOFs into electrochemical applications.
•The EP matrix modified with P25/KH550 and ZnO/K30 has excellent superhydrophobic properties with a WCA of 155.6° at the maximum.•Excellent anti-fouling, anti-burning and anti-corrosion properties ...are reflected in the materials obtained.•The coating is repairable and has broad prospects, with super-hydrophobic properties on both the surface and the inside.
Based on biological inspiration, we proposed a simple method for preparing anti-corrosion and super-hydrophobic coating. The modified TiO2 compounded ZnO and epoxy resin were prepared by one-pot method. The surface morphology, resistance, super-hydrophobicity, repairability, impedance, wear resistance, etc. of the prepared material were performed by SEM, FTIR, electrochemical workstation, contact angle, rolling angle measuring instrument and simple homemade devices. As a result, it was found that the coating had full-thickness hydrophobicity, its WCA was up to 155.6°, and its repairability was good. Even in a harsh environment, it still had a long working life. At the same time, it had been found that the key to prolonging the anti-corrosion life of the coating lies in the reduction of the volume of the free polymer, the degree of cross-linked curing of the metal-polymer interior and its bonding with the metal substrate.
Display omitted Based on biological inspiration, we proposed a simple method for preparing anti-corrosion and super-hydrophobic coating, which also had properties of self-healing and wear-resistance.
Abstract
High-surface-area α-Al
2
O
3
nanoparticles are used in high-strength ceramics and stable catalyst supports. The production of α-Al
2
O
3
by phase transformation from γ-Al
2
O
3
is hampered ...by a high activation energy barrier, which usually requires extended high-temperature annealing (~1500 K, > 10 h) and suffers from aggregation. Here, we report the synthesis of dehydrated α-Al
2
O
3
nanoparticles (phase purity ~100%, particle size ~23 nm, surface area ~65 m
2
g
−1
) by a pulsed direct current Joule heating of γ-Al
2
O
3
. The phase transformation is completed at a reduced bulk temperature and duration (~573 K, < 1 s) via an intermediate δʹ-Al
2
O
3
phase. Numerical simulations reveal the resistive hotspot-induced local heating in the pulsed current process enables the rapid transformation. Theoretical calculations show the topotactic transition (from γ- to δʹ- to α-Al
2
O
3
) is driven by their surface energy differences. The α-Al
2
O
3
nanoparticles are sintered to nanograined ceramics with hardness superior to commercial alumina and approaching that of sapphire.
Electronics allowing for visible light to pass through are attractive, where a key challenge is to make the core functional units transparent. Here, it is shown that transparent electronics can be ...constructed by epitaxial growth of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) on single‐layer graphene (SLG) to give a desirable transparency of 95.7% to 550 nm visible light and an electrical conductivity of 4.0 × 104 S m−1. Through lattice and symmetry match, collective alignment of MOF pores and dense packing of MOFs vertically on SLG are achieved, as directly visualized by electron microscopy. These MOF‐on‐SLG constructs are capable of room‐temperature recognition of gas molecules at the ppb level with a linear range from 10 to 108 ppb, providing real‐time gas monitoring function in transparent electronics. The corresponding devices can be fabricated on flexible substrates with large size, 3 × 5 cm, and afford continuous folding for more than 200 times without losing conductivity or transparency.
Transparent electronics can be constructed by epitaxial growth of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) on single‐layer graphene (SLG) to give desirable transparency. The excellent conductivity of SLG combined with the specific interaction to guest molecules offered by MOFs leads to the accurate detection of gases and distinguishing their types. The corresponding devices can be fabricated on flexible substrates and afford continuous folding.
•Comparing to other cities, Hong Kong had a rapid pandemic fatigue on local travel.•People gradually reverted to normal travel at an average rate of 0.124% per day.•The population reduced their ...travel to the amusement area and border area the most.•The most rapid fatigue occurred with workers going to workplaces.•The border areas experienced the least pandemic fatigue.
COVID-19 continues to threaten the world. Relaxing local travel behaviours on preventing the spread of COVID-19, may increase the infection risk in subsequent waves of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this study, we analysed changes in the travel behaviour of different population groups (adult, child, student, elderly) during four pandemic waves in Hong Kong before January 2021, by 4-billion second-by-second smartcard records of subway. A significant continuous relaxation in human travel behaviour was observed during the four waves of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Residents sharply reduced their local travel by 51.9%, 50.1%, 27.6%, and 20.5% from the first to fourth pandemic waves, respectively. The population flow in residential areas, workplaces, schools, shopping areas, amusement areas and border areas, decreased on average by 30.3%, 33.5%, 41.9%, 58.1%, 85.4% and 99.6%, respectively, during the pandemic weeks. We also found that many other cities around the world experienced a similar relaxation trend in local travel behaviour, by comparing traffic congestion data during the pandemic with data from the same period in 2019. The quantitative pandemic fatigue in local travel behaviour could help governments partially predicting personal protective behaviours, and thus to suggest more accurate interventions during subsequent waves, especially for highly infectious virus variants such as Omicron.
The development of a rechargeable Li metal anode (LMA) is an important milestone for improved battery technology. Practical issues hindering LMAs are the formation of Li dendrites and inactive Li ...during plating and stripping processes, which can cause short circuits, thermal runaway, and low coulombic efficiency (CE). Here, the use of a laser‐induced silicon oxide (LI‐SiOx) layer derived from a commercial adhesive tape to improve the reversibility of Li metal batteries (LMBs) is studied. The silicone‐based adhesive of the tape is converted by a commercial infrared laser into a homogeneous porous SiOx layer deposited directly over the current collector. The coating results in superior performance by suppressing the formation of Li dendrites and inactive Li and presenting higher average CE of 99.3% (2.0 mAh cm−2 at 2.0 mA cm−2) compared to bare electrodes. The thickness and morphology of the deposited Li is investigated, revealing a different mechanism of Li deposition on coated electrodes. The laser coating affords a method that is fast and avoids the use of toxic organic solvents and extensive drying times. The improved performance with the SiOx coating is demonstrated in LMB with a zero‐excess (“anode‐free”) configuration where a 100% improved performance is verified.
A laser‐induced silicon oxide (LI‐SiOx) layer derived from a commercial adhesive tape can improve the reversibility of Li metal batteries. The coating results in superior performance by suppressing the formation of Li dendrites and presenting higher average coulombic efficiency of 99.3% (2.0 mAh cm−2 at 2.0 mA cm−2) and improved cycle life compared to the electrode without a SiOx coating.
Forest management can influence multistakeholders' benefits across the forest-water-energy-food nexus at the watershed scale. However, bringing synergistic gains for multiple stakeholders is still a ...challenge for regional sustainable management. We took the Changhuajiang basin in China's Hainan Island as a case to present the impacts of synergistic management for upstream forest and reservoir optimization on the benefits of downstream hydropower enterprise and different farmers. By multimodel ensembles and scenario analysis, we quantified the relationships among upstream forest ecosystem management (rubber-intercropped), reservoir, water flow and downstream stakeholders' benefits (i.e., hydropower generation for the energy company, and available irrigation water for two downstream sites' farmers). We also adopted the genetic optimization algorithm to obtain the optimal reservoir infrastructure operation rule for the benefit improvement of multiple stakeholders. We found that rubber-intercropped management significantly increased reservoir inflow in the dry seasons (5%–170%) and reduced it in the rainy seasons (0.5%–7%). The irrigation water availability for downstream farmers in the Gao Canal and downstream irrigation areas correspondingly increased by 7% and 24.3% on average, respectively, with a slight change in hydropower production. Further, we found that water regulation by reservoir optimization operation could enhance the irrigation water supply (36.6–92% and 0–100% in Gao Canal and downstream irrigation areas, respectively) and hydropower generation (14.8–28.4%). This study indicates that the effect of upstream forest management on downstream multistakeholders' benefits could be strengthened by reservoir water flow regulation across the forest-water-energy-food nexus, and demonstrates the key role of infrastructure in regulating ecosystem service flow for strengthening the benefits of multistakeholders in the context of ecosystem management.
Display omitted
•Change in water flow improved irrigated areas' water availability and slightly changed hydropower generation.•Reservoir optimization further improved benefits for farmers and hydropower company by regulating water flow.•Synergistic management of ecosystems and infrastructure can improve multistakeholders' benefits.
Catalyst doped with a single-atom noble metal displays distinctive catalytic behavior from the bulk counterparts, with tunable electronic structures and spatial versatilities, which excels in today’s ...heterogeneous catalysis. To deposit noble metals in a single atomic level requires a restricted chemical environment and precise thermodynamic control. Electroplating methods are commercially used to deposit uniform and conformal metal thin films on different hardware surfaces. Yet the atomic level electroplating has never been achieved. Herein we demonstrate a voltage gauged electrochemical deposition method to synthesize single-atom Pt, Au, and Pd on MoS2 and other two-dimensional (2D) materials. The surface atomic doping level for Pt, Au, and Pd can reach 1.1, 7.0, and 14%, respectively, and the doping sites are precisely positioned at Mo- and S-vacancies. The monodispersed noble atoms show enhanced hydrogen evolution activity and saturated CO tolerance, as explained by density functional theory calculations. CO2 can also be electrochemically reduced into CO at a notable Faradaic efficiency of 4.56%.
Solid‐state batteries (SSBs) are poised to replace traditional organic liquid‐electrolyte lithium‐ion batteries due to their higher safety and energy density. Oxide‐based solid electrolytes (SEs) are ...particularly attractive for their stability in air and inability to ignite during thermal runaway. However, achieving high‐performance in oxide‐based SSBs requires the development of an intimate and robust SE–cathode interface to overcome typically large interfacial resistances. The transition interphase should be both physically and chemically active. This study presents a thin, conductive interphase constructed between lithium aluminum titanium phosphate and lithium cobalt oxide using a rapid sintering method that modifies the interphase within 10 s. The rapid heating and cooling rates restrict side reactions and interdiffusion on the interface. SSBs with thick composite cathodes demonstrate a high initial capacity of ≈120 mAh g−1 over 200 cycles at room temperature. Furthermore, the rapid sintering method can be extended to other cathode systems under similar conditions. These findings highlight the importance of constructing an appropriate SE–cathode interface and provide insight into designing practical SSBs.
Using a 10 s rapid sintering method, a thin conductive interphase is constructed between lithium aluminum titanium phosphate and lithium cobalt oxide. This method is used to make solid‐state batteries with thick composite cathodes that demonstrate a high initial capacity of ≈120 mAh g−1 over 200 cycles at room temperature.
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