The photoreductive degradation of carbon tetrachloride (CT) in natural sphalerite ((Zn, Fe)S mineral) suspensions irradiated by visible light (VL) is studied in this paper. 92% of CT is degraded in ...N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) organic solvent system after 8 h of VL irradiation. The effects of light source, sphalerite dosage, electron donors, dissolved oxygen and CT initial concentration on CT photocatalytic degradation efficiency are discussed. The degradation products are analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the photocatalytic degradation mechanism is then proposed.
Computer vision methods for depth estimation usually use simple camera models with idealized optics. For modern machine learning approaches, this creates an issue when attempting to train deep ...networks with simulated data, especially for focus-sensitive tasks like Depth-from-Focus. In this work, we investigate the domain gap caused by off-axis aberrations that will affect the decision of the best-focused frame in a focal stack. We then explore bridging this domain gap through aberration-aware training (AAT). Our approach involves a lightweight network that models lens aberrations at different positions and focus distances, which is then integrated into the conventional network training pipeline. We evaluate the generality of network models on both synthetic and real-world data. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed AAT scheme can improve depth estimation accuracy without fine-tuning the model for different datasets. The code will be available in github.com/vccimaging/Aberration-Aware-Depth-from-Focus .
Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH) is a promising way to address global water shortage. However, there still lacks further study to demonstrate the potential of simultaneous water ...production and humidity regulation broadening its applications. Here, a metal–organic framework-based humidity pump was proposed to realize both the two functions in a wide humidity range. Double sorption bed with Ni2Cl2(BTDD) coating was integrated to switch alternately between adsorption (dehumidification) and desorption (water production) states throughout the day. The device produced 2510 mLwater·kg−1MOF·day−1 indoors superior to the existing researches. Even at arid condition (35% RH), it still exhibited high yield of 1780 mLwater·kg−1MOF·day−1 benefiting from enhanced heat and mass transfer. Besides, the device effectively dehumidified a space with 20.5-time volume below 60% RH under variable high-humidity environments (75%-90% RH). This device is a feasible way to water scarcity and a functional product for multi-scenario utilization, promoting SAWH a further step to practical applications.
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•A MOF-based interconnected porous sorption layer was fabricated with enhanced property.•A high-yield integrated continuous humidity pump with dual functions was proposed.•The daily water production reached 1780 and 2510 mL·kg−1MOF·day−1 at 35% and 70% RH.•The MOF-based sorbent bed exhibited durable dehumidification effect under variable RHs.
Moisture-based adsorption thermal battery (ATB) holds great potential for addressing energy storage and utilization challenges. In this work, a proof-of-concept solar harvesting building envelope ...using the Trombe-wall (T-wall) based ATB design is proposed and investigated, featuring a developed composite sorbent as the porous wall for effective heat storage and utilization. To demonstrate the feasibility of employing the ATB-based building envelope for day-and-night space heating, a 3-dimensional simulation model of the ATB wall is meticulously designed and comprehensively studied. Parametric analyses of various working conditions, including examining the effects of solar radiation intensity, air temperature, air humidity, and airflow velocity on the heat charging and discharging performances of the ATB wall, are conducted using the numerical model. Simulation results indicate that, under a solar irradiance level of 700 W m−2 during the daytime, an average output air temperature of 42.4 °C and an average heating power density of 2.5 kW m−3 are achieved. Extending the heat charging time to 8 h and 12 h significantly improves the desorption efficiency, which is able to reach 47.2% and 75.0%, respectively. In terms of heat discharging performances, various working conditions investigated in the ATB wall model will lead to different thermal output performances.
•A building envelope concept of solar ATB wall is proposed to realize continuous space heating and low energy consumption.•A 3-dimensional simulation model of the solar ATB wall is investigated for parametric analysis and performance prediction.•The effects of solar radiation, air temperature, humidity and flow rate on the heating performance of the model are examined.
Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH) as an appealing way to address global water shortage can obtain water from air anytime and anywhere. However, achieving liter-scale water yield by ...portable device for daily demand is still a challenge. Here, a 7.5-L portable atmospheric water harvester with optimized structure design was proposed. By adopting central heating and radiation heat shielding strategy to minimize heat losses during desorption process and utilizing a batch-process operation model, the device presented superior productivity of 1150 gwater/day with low energy consumption of 1.7 kWh/L under field test. This is the first demonstration to promote daily water yield of small-size SAWH device to an order of 1000 g with lower energy consumption compared with existing active SAWH studies. Optimized heat and mass transfer within compact structure enabled the water yield per unit volume and weight of the device reaching milestone values of 152.5 gwater/Ldevice/day and 199.4 gwater/kgdevice/day. This remarkable performance motivated the feasibility of distributed freshwater production and pushed SAWH technology one step closer to the practical applications.
•A portable water harvester was designed with optimized heat and mass transfer.•Central heating and radiation heat shielding strategies were adopted.•Simultaneous sorption-sequential desorption strategy was applied for water harvest.•The small-size device could produce up to 1-L fresh water daily.•Water production of ∼600 mL in semi-arid area consumes electricity only 1 kWh.
Moisture-based adsorption thermal batteries (ATBs) have the potential to alleviate the temporal and geographic mismatch between heat producers and heat consumers, but realizing practical applications ...is still challenging, in spite of the huge developments in novel materials and system design. Here, a proof-of-concept solar Trombe-wall (T-wall)-based ATB prototype with honeycomb-design, scalable, and low-cost CaCl
2
-based fiber brick with ink (ICFB) sorbents is reported for the first time. The ICFB achieves an outstanding thermal storage capacity of 172.8 kW h m
−3
and good stability in heat charging-discharging cycles. Importantly, the idea of the solar chimney effect in passive building heating is introduced into the system structural design to pursue optimal thermal output and energy saving. Together with the rational operating strategy, the T-wall-based ATB prototype shows exceptional thermal performance, achieving a heat discharging power density of 1.97 kW m
−3
, a discharging efficiency of 64.8%, an energy utilization coefficient of 0.87 kW h
t
kW h
c
−1
, and an energy consumption coefficient of 1.32 kW h
e
kW h
ts
−1
reduced by 54.2% in comparison with 100%-electricity use, demonstrating its adaptability and possibility of realizing day and night heating in low-carbon scenarios.
A proof-of-concept realization of a solar ATB wall envelope integrated into a residential building, which comprises a high-performance thermal battery and solar wall design, aiming at achieving day and night space heating in low-carbon scenarios.
In this study, a multilayered van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure, HfS2/MoTe2, was modeled and simulated using density functional theory (DFT). It was found that the multilayers (up to 7 layers) are ...typical indirect bandgap semiconductors with an indirect band gap varying from 0.35 eV to 0.51 eV. The maximum energy value of the valence band (VBM) and the minimum energy value of the conduction band (CBM) of the heterostructure were found to be dominated by the MoTe2 layer and the HfS2 layer, respectively, characterized as type-II band alignment, leading to potential photovoltaic applications. Optical spectra analysis also revealed that the materials have strong absorption coefficients in the visible and ultraviolet regions, which can be used in the detection of visible and ultraviolet light. Under an external strain perpendicular to the layer plane, the heterostructure exhibits a general transition from semiconductor to metal at a critical interlayer-distance of 2.54 Å. The carrier effective mass and optical properties of the heterostructures can also be modulated under external strain, indicating a good piezoelectric effect in the heterostructure.
Abstract The integration of atmospheric water harvesting and rooftop agriculture presents a promising solution for decentralized water and food supply in urban areas. However, the degradation of ...adsorption material kinetics after scaling up, coupled with fluctuations in solar energy, results in reduced and unstable water production. Herein, a composite adsorbent composed of manganese (II)‐ethanolamine complexes incorporated into a hierarchical and interconnect polypyrrole‐doped matrix is developed. This structure significantly reduces vapor diffusion resistance—a crucial factor impeding rapid scale‐up kinetics, enabling water uptake of 2.54 g g −1 at 90% RH, with 62% of water released within 30 min, facilitating daily multiple capture‐release cycles. Incorporating a hybrid desorption mode that combines PV electrical and solar heating further achieves stable and high‐yield water production. Ultimately, through simulation and feasibility verification, the atmospheric water‐irrigated rooftop farm realizes water and food production yield of 879.9 g water m −2 sorbent day −1 and 1.28 kg food m −2 device within 14 days without human intervention and independent of external water inputs. These findings highlight the potential of integrating AWH technology with rooftop farming as a pathway to sustainable urban development through decentralized water and food co‐production.
Silicon carbide (SiC) has become a key player in the realization of scalable quantum technologies due to its ability to host optically addressable spin qubits and wafer-size samples. Here, we have ...demonstrated optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) with resonant excitation and clearly identified the ground state energy levels of the NV centers in 4H-SiC. Coherent manipulation of NV centers in SiC has been achieved with Rabi and Ramsey oscillations. Finally, we show the successful generation and characterization of single nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in SiC employing ion implantation. Our results highligh the key role of NV centers in SiC as a potential candidate for quantum information processing.
Overpressure measurement is an important approach to evaluate the power of shock wave (SW) monitoring. Traditional wired monitoring systems exhibit the limitations of high-cost, heavyweight, ...troublesome maintenance, and big-data transmission in SW monitoring. In this article, a new lightweight FPGA-based wireless overpressure node (LFWON) with the resistance to high-temperature and high-pressure environment for SW monitoring. The proposed LFWON is based on the Spartan-6 XC6SLX9-2TQG144C FPGA circuit, via a serial peripheral interface to the RF transceiver and data bus to the NAND flash chip for data management. To validate the LFWON, experimental tests in terms of dynamic parameters and network quality are performed in a real blast testing with 8-kg trinitrotoluene. This article is conducted to provide new insights into how the antishocking structure and sensing algorithm of wireless sensor node is designed in SW monitoring for acquiring overpressure accurately. The results show that the errors of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">\Delta P</tex-math></inline-formula>(7 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">{\text{m}}</tex-math></inline-formula>−12 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">{\text{m}}</tex-math></inline-formula>), <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">{t_d}</tex-math></inline-formula>(>6 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">{\text{m}}</tex-math></inline-formula>), and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">{I^ + }</tex-math></inline-formula>(3 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">{\text{m}}</tex-math></inline-formula>−24 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">{\text{m}}</tex-math></inline-formula>) from proposed LFWON are below 20% in comparison with wired system. In addition, the RSSI value of LFWON should be set above −70 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">{\text{dBm}}</tex-math></inline-formula> for stable communication quality.
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