1,009 research outputs found
Towards Artificial Photosynthesis
No full textIn his talk, Alexey Cherevan focuses on the idea of artificial photosynthesis – a process that aims to mimic the functions of biological systems by creating human-made materials able to convert water and carbon dioxide into useful chemicals relying solely on the energy of light. He discusses the capabilities and complexity of natural photosynthesis and shows how material scientists can be inspired by nature to recreate the process
Oxygen vacancies and interfaces enhancing photocatalytic hydrogen production in mesoporous CNT/TiO2 hybrids
No full textWe demonstrate a unique route towards hierarchical assemblies of mesoporous TiO2 and CNT/TiO2 photocatalysts by a combination of electrospinning and sol–gel methods. The resulting materials exhibit a mesoporous network of highly crystalline, well-connected inorganic nanocrystals with an order of magnitude higher photocatalytic activity than individualised TiO2 nanoparticles. The in-situ combination of small amounts of MWCNTs with TiO2 to form an electrospun CNT/TiO2 hybrid further enhanced the oxide photoactivity considerably, reaching hydrogen evolution rates of 1218 μmol/h in water splitting in the presence of sacrificial reagents under UV irradiation. We also discuss the effect of oxygen vacancies on the oxide crystallisation and phase transformation. These vacancies lead to inter-bandgap states and a lower flat band potential that facilitates the photocatalytic process
Elucidation of a Core–Shell Structure in Phenyl-Grafted Carbon Nitride/TiO2 Nanohybrids for Visible-Light-Mediated H2 Production with Simultaneous Rhodamine B Degradation
Full text linkDual-functional photocatalysts help to maximize
resource utilization in water remediation, but often they are visiblelight-
inactive, toxic, and cost-intensive. Herein, a type-II heterojunction
visible-light-active photocatalyst is reported for tandem
degradation of Rhodamine B and generation of H2. A Rhodamine B
degradation rate of 2.3 × 10−2 min−1 and H2 production activity of
5789 μmol h−1 g−1 are shown. The hybrid shows a gradient core−
shell morphology with a visible - light-absorbing phenyl-modified
carbon nitride (PhCN) core and a porous PhCN/TiO2 outer shell,
resulting in an enhanced interaction between the catalyst and the
surroundings. The nanoscale crystallization of TiO2 on PhCN’s
surface, shifts the triazine network structure, while autoclave
treatments further increase the band gap and suppress charge
carrier recombination. The influence of nanoscale morphological changes on photocatalytic activity was examined by varying the
component ratios and thermal treatments, highlighting the strong correlation between the nanoscale architecture and the enhanced catalytic activity. This work provides a detailed guide to the exploration of environmentally friendly dual-functional photocatalysts
Catalytic multivariable metal-organic frameworks for lithium-sulfur batteries
No full textMetal-organic frameworks (MOFs) hold potential for promoting the redox reaction of sulfur species (RRS) and suppressing the shuttle effect in lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs). However, except for a limited number of frameworks, most MOFs are found to be inert in accelerating RRS, which is largely related to the fact that their design principles and mechanism of catalysis have not been fully understood. Systematic density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental results reveal that the lack of exposed polar catalytic sites restricts MOF’s potential in promoting RRS. Herein, based on a series of multivariable MOFs containing ligands with different thermal stability, selective ligand removal and ligand exchange (LE) strategies were applied successively to expose the catalytic metal clusters and introduce extra adsorption sites, rendering inert MOFs into catalytic ones. Such post-modified multivariable MOFs were shown to yield LSBs with remarkably improved specific capacity and cycling stability realizing 7.9 mAh cm−2 of capacity after 100 cycles at high sulfur loading of 8.1 mg·cm−2 under a lean electrolyte condition. The universal strategy proposed in this work will guide the design of catalytic MOFs for RRS and promote the development of advanced catalysts for high-performance LSBs
Acoustic scattering from an infinitely long cylindrical shell with an internal mass attached by multiple axisymmetrically distributed stiffeners
No full textA thin infinitely long elastic shell is stiffened by J in number identical lengthwise ribs distributed uniformly around the circumference and joined to a rod in the center. The 2D model of the substructure is a rigid central mass supported by J axisymmetrically placed linear springs. The response of the shell-spring-mass system is quite different from a fluid filled shell or that of a solid cylinder due to the discrete number of contact points which couple the displacement of the shell at different locations. Exterior acoustic scattering due to normal plane wave incidence is solved in closed form for arbitrary J. The scattering matrix associated with the normal mode solution displays a simple structure, composed of distinct sub-matrices which decouple the incident and scattered fields into J families. The presence of a springs-mass substructure causes resonances which are shown to be related to the subsonic shell flexural waves, and an approximate analytic expression is derived for the quasi-flexural resonance frequencies. Numerical simulations indicate that the new solution for three or more springs results in a complicated scattering response for plane wave incidence. As the number of springs becomes large enough, the total scattering cross-section is asymptotically zero at low frequencies and slightly increased compared to the empty shell at moderate frequencies due to the added stiffness and mass. It is also observed that the sensitivity to the angle of incidence diminishes as the number of springs is increased. This system can be tuned by selecting the shell thickness, spring stiffness and added mass to yield desired quasi-static effective properties making it a candidate element for graded index sonic crystals
Acoustic scattering from an infinitely long cylindrical shell with an internal mass attached by multiple axisymmetrically distributed stiffeners
No full textA thin infinitely long elastic shell is stiffened by J in number identical lengthwise ribs distributed uniformly around the circumference and joined to a rod in the center. The 2D model of the substructure is a rigid central mass supported by J axisymmetrically placed linear springs. The response of the shellspring-mass system is quite different from a fluid filled shell or that of a solid cylinder due to the discrete number of contact points which couple the displacement of the shell at different locations. Exterior acoustic scattering due to normal plane wave incidence is solved in closed form for arbitrary J. The scattering matrix associated with the normal mode solution displays a simple structure, composed of distinct sub-matrices which decouple the incident and scattered fields into J families. The presence of a springs-mass substructure causes resonances which are shown to be related to the subsonic shell flexural waves, and an approximate analytic expression is derived for the quasi-flexural resonance frequencies. Numerical simulations indicate that the new solution for J ≥ 3 springs results in a complicated scattering response for plane wave incidence. As the number of springs becomes large enough, the total scattering cross-section is asymptotically zero at low frequencies and slightly increased compared to the empty shell at moderate frequencies due to the added stiffness and mass. It is also observed that the sensitivity to the angle of incidence diminishes as the number of springs is increased. This system can be tuned by selecting the shell thickness, spring stiffness and added mass to yield desired quasi-static effective properties making it a candidate element for graded index sonic crystals.Peer reviewed"Received 9 October 2013, Revised 18 July 2014, Accepted 24 October 2014, Available online 25 November 2014."--Publisher's website
Tunable cylindrical shell as an element in acoustic metamaterial
No full textElastic cylindrical shells are fitted with an internal mechanism which is optimized so that, in the quasi-static regime, the combined system exhibits prescribed effective acoustic properties. The mechanism consists of a central mass supported by an axisymmetric distribution of elastic stiffeners. By appropriate selection of the mass and stiffness of the internal mechanism, the shells effective acoustic properties (bulk modulus and density) can be tuned as desired. Subsonic flexural waves excited in the shell by the attachment of stiffeners are suppressed by including a sufficiently large number of such stiffeners. Effectiveness of the proposed metamaterial is demonstrated by matching the properties of a thin aluminum shell with a polymer insert to those of water. The scattering cross section in water is nearly zero over a broad range of frequencies at the lower end of the spectrum. By arranging the tuned shells in an array the resulting acoustic metamaterial is capable of steering waves. As an example, a cylindrical-to-plane wave lens is designed by varying the bulk modulus in the array according to the conformal mapping of a unit circle to a square
Green's functions for symmetric loading of an elastic sphere with application to contact problems
No full textA compact form for the static Green’s function for symmetric loading of an elastic sphere is derived. The expression captures the singularity in closed form using standard functions and quickly convergent series. Applications to problems involving contact between elastic spheres are discussed. An exact solution for a point load on a sphere is presented and subsequently generalized for distributed loads. Examples for constant and Hertzian-type distributed loads are provided, where the latter is also compared to the Hertz contact theory for identical spheres. The results show that the form of the loading assumed in Hertz contact theory is valid for contact angles up to about 10 degrees. For larger angles, the actual displacement is smaller and the contact surface is no longer flat.Peer reviewe
The Face of the Other in Emmanuel Levinas and Alexey Uhktomsky
No full textThe author compares ethical concepts of a Russian physiologist and philosopher Alexey A. Ukhtomsky and a French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. Both use the word “face” as a philosophical term. The paper examines the “face” as a key image in the work of both authors which helped them understand the meaning of dialogue and social interaction. The fact that the Russian word “litzo” (“face”) has two different meanings (a “person” and a “human face”) was very important for Ukhtomsky. For the better understanding of Levinas, it is necessary to take in account the interaction of Russian, Hebrew, and French languages as part of the linguistic consciousness of this author. Both philosophers considered ethics to be philosophia prima. The encounter with the face of the Other is the central event in the personality development for both Levinas and Ukhtomsky. For Levinas, the study of the face was a way to transcend the limits of phenomenology because the face is not a “common” phenomenon. For Ukhtomsky, the image of the face pointed at the problematic character of sciences. It was part of his search for the non-theoretical knowledge, e. g. knowledge that accounts not only for the universal but also for the individual and is capable of describing not only impersonal structures and objects but also individual and unique events. Both thinkers thus were seeking to reconsider religious tradition in the context of contemporary science and philosophy. Ukhtomsky arrives at the idea of asymmetrical relationship between the “I” and the “Other” independently of Levinas. Whereas Levinas describes the experience of the encounter with the Other as a kind of epiphany, Ukhtomsky calls God “the First and the Ultimate Interlocutor.” The encounter with the Other for both philosophers is, namely, a mundane, everyday analogue of the Revelation
“MYSLENNYI VOLK” (“MENTAL WOLF”) BY ALEXEY VARLAMOV AS A SYMBOLIST NOVEL
No full textThe author of the article analyzes poetics of the novel by Alexey Varlamov - a contemporary author, a successor of the traditions of Russian Classic literature of the XIX century. The plot covers the last years of the Russian Empire and the Red Terror that followed the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917. The novel depicts life and fate of many historical and fictional characters. Analyzing the plot, the composition, the motifs of the novel, the author of the article reveals typological parallels between its poetics and the poetics of Russian Symbolism of the early twentieth century, novels written by Fedor Sologub, Valery Bryusov, and Andrey Bely and his novel «Petersburg». The author concludes the novel written by Alexey Varlamov is an example of symbolism prose
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