Pd
xNi
y/C catalysts with high ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) activity in alkaline solution have been prepared through a solution phase-based nanocapsule method. XRD and TEM show Pd
xNi
y ...nanoparticles with a small average diameter (2.4–3.2 nm) and narrow size distribution (1–6 nm) were homogeneously dispersed on carbon black XC-72 support. The EOR onset potential on Pd
4Ni
5/C (−801 mV
vs. Hg/HgO) was observed shifted 180 mV more negative than that of Pd/C. Its exchange current density was 33 times higher than that of Pd/C (41.3 × 10
−7 A/cm
2
vs. 1.24 × 10
−7 A/cm
2). After a 10,000-s chronoamperometry test at −0.5 V (
vs Hg/HgO), the EOR mass activity of Pd
2Ni
3/C survived at 1.71 mA/mg, while that of Pd/C had dropped to 0, indicating Pd
xNi
y/C catalysts have a better ’detoxification’ ability for EOR than Pd/C. We propose that surface Ni could promote refreshing Pd active sites, thus enhancing the overall ethanol oxidation kinetics. The nanocapsule method is able to not only control over the diameter and size distribution of Pd–Ni particles, but also facilitate the formation of more efficient contacts between Pd and Ni on the catalyst surface, which is the key to improving the EOR activity.
► Uniform Pd–Ni nanoparticles (1–6 nm) were prepared via a solution phase-based method. ► The Pd–Ni/C shows higher ethanol oxidation reaction activity than Pd/C catalyst. ► The EOR enhancement is attributed to unique interactions between surface Pd and Ni.
The Kangurtag belt in the Eastern Tianshan, connecting the Dananhu Arc with the Central Tianshan Arc, contains diagnostic rocks of accretionary origin, and thus provides key information about the ...evolution of the North Tianshan Ocean. The Southern Kangurtag belt is composed of two types of mélange. Type I mélange consists of Enriched Mid‐Ocean Ridge Basalt‐type pillow basalts, draped by biohermal limestones and carbonate‐siliceous sediments of a slope facies, and siliceous argillites from a hemipelagic‐pelagic environment that together make up a seamount assemblage. In Type II mélange, Normal Mid‐Ocean Ridge Basalt and ribbon cherts were dismembered and entrained in a clastic matrix, showing a “block‐in‐matrix” structure. Detrital zircons of four sandstones from Devonian and Carboniferous strata within the mélanges have a predominant age population of 410–430 Ma and a distinct Proterozoic cluster around 1.4–1.6 Ga. The εHf(t) values of Phanerozoic zircons range from −25.1 to +8.6. Such age patterns, typical of the Central Tianshan Arc, and the Hf isotopic data indicate that these sedimentary successions were deposited on the northern margin of the Central Tianshan Arc. The youngest detrital zircon age of 317 Ma provides an upper limit for the time of formation of the Southern Kangurtag accretionary complex. Therefore, we suggest that the Southern Kangurtag belt comprises an accretionary complex that developed during southward subduction of the North Tianshan Ocean beneath the Central Tianshan Arc. This subduction began in the Early Ordovician and may have lasted until the Late Carboniferous–Permian.
Key Points
Two types of mélange are recognized in the Southern Kangurtag accretionary complex
Composition and detrital zircon U‐Pb‐Hf isotopic data from sandstones indicate that they were deposited on the margin of the Central Tianshan
Southward subduction of the North Tianshan Ocean may have lasted until the Late Carboniferous‐Permian
The pattern and timing of collision between India and Eurasia have long been a major concern of the international community. However, no consensus has been reached hitherto. To explore and resolve ...the disagreements in the Himalayan study,in this paper we begin with the methodology and basic principles for the anatomy of composition and nature of convergent margins,then followed by an effort to conduct a similar anatomy for the India-Eurasia collision. One of the most common patterns of plate convergence involves a passive continental margin, an active continental margin and intra-oceanic basins together with accreted terranes in between. The ultimate configuration and location of the terminal suture zone are controlled by the basal surface of the accretionary wedge, which may show fairly complex morphology with Z-shape and fluctuant geometry. One plausible method to determine the terminal suture zone is to dissect the compositions and structures of active continental margins. It requires a focus on various tectonic elements belonging to the upper plate, such as accretionary wedges, high-pressure(HP)-ultra-high-pressure(UHP) metamorphic rocks, Barrovian-type metamorphic rocks and basement nappes, together with superimposed forearc basins.Such geological records can define the extreme limits and the intervening surface separating active margin from the passive one,thus offering a general sketch for the surface trace of the terminal suture zone often with a cryptic feature. Furthermore, the occurrence of the cryptic suture zone in depth may be constrained by geophysical data, which, in combination with outcrop studies of HP-UHP metamorphic rocks, enables us to outline the terminal suture zone. The southern part of the Himalayan orogen records complicated temporal and spatial features, which are hard to be fully explained by the classic “two-plate-one-ocean” template,therefore re-anatomy of the compositions and nature for this region is necessitated. Taking advantage of the methodology and basic principles of plate convergence anatomy and synthesizing previous studies together with our recent research, we may gain new insights into the evolution of the Himalayan orogeny.(1) The Yarlung-Zangbo ophiolite is composed of multiple tectonic units rather than a single terminal suture zone, and a group of different tectonic units were juxtaposed against each other in the backstop of the Gangdese forearc.(2) The Tethyan Himalayan Sequence(THS) contains mélanges with typical block-in-matrix structures, uniform southwards paleocurrents and age spectra of detrital zircons typical of Eurasia continent. All of these facts indicate that the THS belonged to Eurasia plate before the terminal collision, emplaced in the forearc of the Gangdese arc.(3) The Greater Himalayan Crystalline Complex(GHC) and Lesser Himalayan Sequence(LHS) comprise complex components including eclogites emplaced into the GHC and the upper part of the LHS. Judging from the fact that HP-UHP metamorphic rocks are exhumed and emplaced in the upper plate, the GHC and the upper part of the LHS where eclogite occur should be assigned to the upper plate, lying above the terminal subduction zone surface. It is the very surface along which the continuous subduction of the India subcontinent occurred, therefore acting as the terminal, cryptic suture. From the suture further southward, the bulk rock associations of the LHS and Sub-Himalayan Sequence(Siwalik) show little affinity of mélange, probably belonging to the foreland system of the India plate. By the anatomy of tectonic features of all the tectonic units in the Himalayan orogen as well as the ages of the subduction-accretion related deformation, we conclude that the terminal India-Eurasia collision occurred after 14 Ma, the timing of the metamorphism of the eclogites emplaced into the upper plate. The development of rifts stretching in N-S direction in Tibet and tectonic events with the transition from sinistral to dextral movements in shear zones, such as the Ailaoshan fault in East Tibet, can coordinately reflect the scale and geodynamic influence of the India-Eurasia convergence zone.By conducting a detailed anatomy of the southern Himalayas, we propose a new model for the final collision-accretion of the Himalayan orogeny. Our study indicates that the anatomy of structures, composition, and tectonic nature is the key to a better understanding of orogenic belts, which may apply to all the orogenic belts around the world. We also point out that several important issues regarding the detailed anatomy of the structures, compositions and tectonic nature of the Himalayan orogeny in future.
Despite its importance to structural equation modeling, model evaluation remains underdeveloped in the Bayesian SEM framework. Posterior predictive p-values (PPP) and deviance information criteria ...(DIC) are now available in popular software for Bayesian model evaluation, but they remain underutilized. This is largely due to the lack of recommendations for their use. To address this problem, PPP and DIC were evaluated in a series of Monte Carlo simulation studies. The results show that both PPP and DIC are influenced by severity of model misspecification, sample size, model size, and choice of prior. The cutoffs PPP < 0.10 and ∆DIC > 7 work best in the conditions and models tested here to maintain low false detection rates and misspecified model selection rates, respectively. The recommendations provided in this study will help researchers evaluate their models in a Bayesian SEM analysis and set the stage for future development and evaluation of Bayesian SEM fit indices.
Defects usually play an important role in tailoring various properties of two-dimensional materials. Defects in two-dimensional monolayer molybdenum disulphide may be responsible for large variation ...of electric and optical properties. Here we present a comprehensive joint experiment-theory investigation of point defects in monolayer molybdenum disulphide prepared by mechanical exfoliation, physical and chemical vapour deposition. Defect species are systematically identified and their concentrations determined by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, and also studied by ab-initio calculation. Defect density up to 3.5 × 10(13) cm(-2) is found and the dominant category of defects changes from sulphur vacancy in mechanical exfoliation and chemical vapour deposition samples to molybdenum antisite in physical vapour deposition samples. Influence of defects on electronic structure and charge-carrier mobility are predicted by calculation and observed by electric transport measurement. In light of these results, the growth of ultra-high-quality monolayer molybdenum disulphide appears a primary task for the community pursuing high-performance electronic devices.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may enable the fabrication of integrated circuits smaller than 10 nanometers, but this would require scalable production of dense and electronically pure ...semiconducting nanotube arrays on wafers. We developed a multiple dispersion and sorting process that resulted in extremely high semiconducting purity and a dimension-limited self-alignment (DLSA) procedure for preparing well-aligned CNT arrays (within alignment of 9 degrees) with a tunable density of 100 to 200 CNTs per micrometer on a 10-centimeter silicon wafer. Top-gate field-effect transistors (FETs) fabricated on the CNT array show better performance than that of commercial silicon metal oxide-semiconductor FETs with similar gate length, in particular an on-state current of 1.3 milliamperes per micrometer and a recorded transconductance of 0.9 millisiemens per micrometer for a power supply of 1 volt, while maintaining a low room-temperature subthreshold swing of <90 millivolts per decade using an ionic-liquid gate. Batch-fabricated top-gate five-stage ring oscillators exhibited a highest maximum oscillating frequency of >8 gigahertz.
Bud dormancy transition is a vital developmental process for perennial plant survival. The process is precisely regulated by diverse endogenous genetic factors and environmental cues, but the ...mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Prunus mume is an ideal crop for bud dormancy analysis because of its early spring-flowering characteristics and small sequenced genome. Here, we analyzed the transcriptome profiles at the three endodormancy stages and natural flush stage using RNA sequencing combined with phytohormone and sugar content measurements. Significant alterations in hormone contents and carbohydrate metabolism have been observed, and α-amylases, Glucan Hydrolase Family 17 and diphosphate-glycosyltransferase family might play crucial roles in the interactions between hormones and sugars. The following hypothetical model for understanding the molecular mechanism of bud dormancy in Prunus mume is proposed: low temperatures exposure induces the significant up-regulation of eight C-repeat binding factor genes, which directly promotes all six dormancy-associated MADS-box genes, resulting in dormancy establishment. The prolonged cold and/or subsequently increasing temperature then decreases the expression levels of these two gene families, which alleviates the inhibition of FLOWERING LOCUS T and reopens the growth-promoting pathway, resulting in dormancy release and the initiation of the bud break process.