Highlights
Ni-MXene/MF foam is synthesized via an electrostatic assembly and dip-coating process.
The “micro-capacitor” structure of Ni/MXene and the 3D porous structure of MF endow the foam ...excellent impedance matching and wave absorption performance.
The excellent heat insulation, infrared stealth, and flame-retardant performances are achieved.
The development of multifunctional and efficient electromagnetic wave absorbing materials is a challenging research hotspot. Here, the magnetized Ni flower/MXene hybrids are successfully assembled on the surface of melamine foam (MF) through electrostatic self-assembly and dip-coating adsorption process, realizing the integration of microwave absorption, infrared stealth, and flame retardant. Remarkably, the Ni/MXene-MF achieves a minimum reflection loss (RL
min
) of − 62.7 dB with a corresponding effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.24 GHz at 2 mm and an EAB of 6.88 GHz at 1.8 mm. Strong electromagnetic wave absorption is attributed to the three-dimensional magnetic/conductive networks, which provided excellent impedance matching, dielectric loss, magnetic loss, interface polarization, and multiple attenuations. In addition, the Ni/MXene-MF endows low density, excellent heat insulation, infrared stealth, and flame-retardant functions. This work provided a new development strategy for the design of multifunctional and efficient electromagnetic wave absorbing materials.
Globalisation of supply chains makes their management and control more difficult. Blockchain technology, as a distributed digital ledger technology which ensures transparency, traceability, and ...security, is showing promise for easing some global supply chain management problems. In this paper, blockchain technology and smart contracts are critically examined with potential application to supply chain management. Local and global government, community, and consumer pressures to meet sustainability goals prompt us to further investigate how blockchain can address and aid supply chain sustainability. Part of this critical examination is how blockchains, a potentially disruptive technology that is early in its evolution, can overcome many potential barriers. Four blockchain technology adoption barriers categories are introduced; inter-organisational, intra-organisational, technical, and external barriers. True blockchain-led transformation of business and supply chain is still in progress and in its early stages; we propose future research propositions and directions that can provide insights into overcoming barriers and adoption of blockchain technology for supply chain management.
This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. It is funded by Trinity College Dublin, DARIAH-EU and the European ...Commission. This book explores the challenges society faces with big data, through the lens of culture rather than social, political or economic trends, as demonstrated in the words we use, the values that underpin our interactions, and the biases and assumptions that drive us. Focusing on areas such as data and language, data and sensemaking, data and power, data and invisibility, and big data aggregation, it demonstrates that humanities research, focussing on cultural rather than social, political or economic frames of reference for viewing technology, resists mass datafication for a reason, and that those very reasons can be instructive for the critical observation of big data research and innovation.
Current agricultural practices, developed during the green revolution, are becoming unsustainable, especially in the face of climate change and growing populations. Nanotechnology will be an ...important driver for the impending agri-tech revolution that promises a more sustainable, efficient and resilient agricultural system, while promoting food security. Here, we present the most promising new opportunities and approaches for the application of nanotechnology to improve the use efficiency of necessary inputs (light, water, soil) for crop agriculture, and for better managing biotic and abiotic stress. Potential development and implementation barriers are discussed, emphasizing the need for a systems approach to designing proposed nanotechnologies.
Nanoparticle science is rapidly changing the landscape of various scientific fields and defining new technological platforms. This is perhaps even more evident in the field of nanomedicine whereby ...nanoparticles have been used as a tool for the treatment and diagnosis of many diseases. However, despite the tremendous benefit conferred, common pitfalls of this technology is its potential short and long-term effects on the human body. To understand these issues, many scientific studies have been carried out. This review attempts to shed light on some of these studies and its outcomes. The topics that were examined in this review include the different possible uptake pathways of nanoparticles and intracellular trafficking routes. Additionally, the effect of physicochemical properties of nanoparticle such as size, shape, charge and surface chemistry in determining the mechanism of uptake and biological function of nanoparticles are also addressed.
Inspired by the highly versatile natural motors, artificial micro‐/nanomotors that can convert surrounding energies into mechanical motion and accomplish multiple tasks are devised. In the past few ...years, micro‐/nanomotors have demonstrated significant potential in biomedicine. However, the practical biomedical applications of these small‐scale devices are still at an infant stage. For successful bench‐to‐bed translation, biocompatibility of micro‐/nanomotor systems is the central issue to be considered. Herein, the recent progress in micro‐/nanomotors in biocompatibility is reviewed, with a special focus on their biomedical applications. Through close collaboration between researches in the nanoengineering, material chemistry, and biomedical fields, it is expected that a promising real‐world application platform based on micro‐/nanomotors will emerge in the near future.
The biocompatibility of artificial micro‐/nanomotors is essential for real‐world biomedical applications. Recent progress about biocompatible micro‐/nanomotor systems that are based on biocompatible framework materials, chemical fuels (e.g., water, glucose, urea, and acid), external fields (e.g., magnetic field, light, and ultrasound) and biohybrid, is discussed here.
Various types of solid–liquid phase change materials (PCMs) have been reviewed for thermal energy storage applications. The review has shown that organic solid–liquid PCMs have much more advantages ...and capabilities than inorganic PCMs but do possess low thermal conductivity and density as well as being flammable. Inorganic PCMs possess higher heat storage capacities and conductivities, cheaper and readily available as well as being non-flammable, but do experience supercooling and phase segregation problems during phase change process. The review has also shown that eutectic PCMs have unique advantage since their melting points can be adjusted. In addition, they have relatively high thermal conductivity and density but they possess low latent and specific heat capacities. Encapsulation technologies and shell materials have also been examined and limitations established. The morphology of particles was identified as a key influencing factor on the thermal and chemical stability and the mechanical strength of encapsulated PCMs. In general, in-situ polymerization method appears to offer the best technological approach in terms of encapsulation efficiency and structural integrity of core material. There is however the need for the development of enhancement methods and standardization of testing procedures for microencapsulated PCMs.
The carbonisation of energy structures is a principal reason for the high carbon levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the steel industry. The implementation of an energy substitution policy in ...the Chinese steel industry has important practical significance for this industry in terms of reducing CO2 emissions. Based on this, this paper divides 20 types of energy-saving and emission-reduction (ESER) technologies into 4 categories: coal-saving technology, electricity-saving technology, comprehensive energy-saving technology, and linkage technology according to the energy-saving effect of different technology on energy varieties. Considering the energy substitution constraints on energy structures within the steel industry, we construct a bottom-up optimisation model based on a scenario analysis to analyse the emission reductions under 3 different scenarios: the baseline scenario (BAU), policy scenario (PS), and strengthened policy scenario (SPS). Results show that the emission reduction of coal-saving technology and comprehensive energy-saving technology in 2030 is 102 million tons CO2 (MtCO2) and 129 MtCO2, respectively, in the PS, and 116 MtCO2 and 130 MtCO2, respectively, in the SPS. Compared with these types of technology, electricity-saving technology is maintained at the level of the BAU. Linkage technology is developed in the latter period of the SPS. The emission reduction of linkage technology in the SPS in 2030 will be 4.1 MtCO2. During the period of 2015–2020, priority should be given to the development of thin slab continuous casting technology in comprehensive energy-saving technology and the development of blast furnace thick phase high efficiency coal injection technology in coal-saving technology. During the period 2020–2030, priority should be given to the development of thick layer sintering technology, hot delivery & hot charging technology of continuous casting slab, online treatment technology in comprehensive energy-saving technology and low temperature rolling technology, converter ‘negative energy steelmaking’ technology, and double preheating technology for hot stove of blast furnace in coal-saving technology.
Various nano-enabled strategies are proposed to improve crop production and meet the growing global demands for food, feed and fuel while practising sustainable agriculture. After providing a brief ...overview of the challenges faced in the sector of crop nutrition and protection, this Review presents the possible applications of nanotechnology in this area. We also consider performance data from patents and unpublished sources so as to define the scope of what can be realistically achieved. In addition to being an industry with a narrow profit margin, agricultural businesses have inherent constraints that must be carefully considered and that include existing (or future) regulations, as well as public perception and acceptance. Directions are also identified to guide future research and establish objectives that promote the responsible and sustainable development of nanotechnology in the agri-business sector.
Invention has been commonly conceptualized as a search over a space of combinatorial possibilities. Despite the existence of a rich literature, spanning a variety of disciplines, elaborating on the ...recombinant nature of invention, we lack a formal and quantitative characterization of the combinatorial process underpinning inventive activity. Here, we use US patent records dating from 1790 to 2010 to formally characterize invention as a combinatorial process. To do this, we treat patented inventions as carriers of technologies and avail ourselves of the elaborate system of technology codes used by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to classify the technologies responsible for an invention's novelty. We find that the combinatorial inventive process exhibits an invariant rate of ‘exploitation’ (refinements of existing combinations of technologies) and ‘exploration’ (the development of new technological combinations). This combinatorial dynamic contrasts sharply with the creation of new technological capabilities—the building blocks to be combined—that has significantly slowed down. We also find that, notwithstanding the very reduced rate at which new technologies are introduced, the generation of novel technological combinations engenders a practically infinite space of technological configurations.
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