Browsing by Author "Li, C"

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    Consolidating the grain boundary of garnet electrolyte LLZTO with Li3BO3 for high performance LiNi0. 8Co0. 1Mn0. 1O2/LiFePO4 hybrid solid batteries
    (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019-07-10) Xie, H; Li, C; Kan, WH; Avdeev, M; Zhu, C; Zhao, Z; Chu, X; Mu, D; Wu, F
    All solid-state batteries have received significant attention due to their excellent safety performance. As a key component, the garnet-type electrolyte is one of the best known electrolytes due to its air stability and good compatibility with metallic lithium. However, the total Li+ conductivity of this kind of electrolyte is usually lower than that of the bulk electrolyte primarily due to the grain boundary resistance. In this study, we focused on engineering the electrolyte Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO) by introducing Li3BO3 (LBO) into it to form the electrolyte LLZTO/LBO with the aim to consolidate the grain boundary. Via characterization by both neutron and X-ray diffraction, the as-prepared LLZTO was indexed as a pure cubic phase, where Ta certainly substituted the Zr sites. LLZTO/LBO still maintained the cubic structure, and the B atoms did not occupy any cation sites in the unit cell. It was demonstrated that an amorphous phase of a boracic substance was trapped inside the cubic LLZTO phase. The amorphous boracic phase sutured the gaps among the LLZTO grains and then lowered the grain boundary resistance without introducing impurities, ultimately consolidating the solid-state electrolyte. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that the total Li+ conductivity of LLZTO/LBO reached 5.47 × 10−4 S cm−1, much higher than those of the as-prepared Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) and LLZTO. Using LLZTO/LBO as an electrolyte, the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2/LiFePO4 hybrid solid battery showed an excellent cycling performance with the reversible capacity of 147.8 mA h g−1 at 0.2C for 100 cycles and the capacity retention of 93.8%. These results suggest that the consolidation of the grain boundary with LBO is a promising way to achieve an improved electrolyte, LLZO, with higher total Li+ conductivity. © Royal Society of Chemistry 2019
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    Correction: Consolidating the grain boundary of the garnet electrolyte LLZTO with Li3BO3 for high-performance LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2/LiFePO4 hybrid solid batteries
    (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019-08-19) Xie, H; Li, C; Kan, WH; Avdeev, M; Zhu, C; Zhao, Z; Chu, X; Mu, D; Wu, F
    Correction for ‘Consolidating the grain boundary of the garnet electrolyte LLZTO with Li3BO3 for high-performance LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2/LiFePO4 hybrid solid batteries’ by Huilin Xie et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, DOI: 10.1039/c9ta03263k. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2019
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    Modelling horizontal gas-liquid flow using averaged bubble number density approach
    (SAGE Publications Ltd, 2010-06-01) Li, C; Yeoh, GH; Cheung, SCP; Tu, JY
    In this study, the internal phase distributions of gas-liquid bubbly flow in a horizontal pipe have been predicted using the population balance model based on Average Bubble Number Density approach. Four flow conditions with average gas volume fraction ranging from 4.4% to 20% have been investigated. Predicted local radial distributions of void fraction, interfacial area concentration and gas velocity have been validated against the experimental data. In general, satisfactory agreements between predicted results and measured values have been achieved. For high superficial gas velocity, it has been ascertained that peak local void fraction of 0.7 with interfacial area concentration of 800 m-1 can be encountered near the top wall of the pipe. Some discrepancies have nonetheless been found between the numerical and experimental results at certain locations of the pipe. The insufficient resolution of the turbulent model in fully accommodating the strong turbulence in the current pipe orientation and the inclusion of additional interfacial force such as the prevalent bouncing force among bubbles remain some of the outstanding challenging issues need to be addressed in order to improve the prediction of horizontal gas-liquid bubbly flow. © 2020 by SAGE Publications Ltd
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    Non-glandular trichomes of sunflower are important in the absorption and translocation of foliar-applied Zn
    (Oxford University Press, 2021-06-22) Li, C; Wu, J; Blamey, FPC; Wang, LL; Zhou, L; Paterson, DJ; van der Ent, A; Fernández, V; Lombi, E; Wang, Y; Kopittke, PM
    Trichomes are potentially important for absorption of foliar fertilizers. A study has shown that the non-glandular trichromes (NGTs) of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) accumulated high concentrations of foliar-applied zinc (Zn); however, the mechanisms of Zn accumulation in the NGTs and the fate of this Zn are unclear. Here we investigated how foliar-applied Zn accumulates in the NGTs and the subsequent translocation of this Zn. Time-resolved synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy and transcriptional analyses were used to probe the movement of Zn in the NGTs, with the cuticle composition of the NGTs examined using confocal Raman microscopy. The accumulation of Zn in the NGTs is both an initial preferential absorption process and a subsequent translocation process. This preferred absorption is likely because the NGT base has a higher hydrophilicity, whilst the subsequent translocation is due to the presence of plasmodesmata, Zn-chelating ligands, and Zn transporters in the NGTs. Furthermore, the Zn sequestered in the NGTs was eventually translocated out of the trichome once the leaf Zn concentration had decreased, suggesting that the NGTs are also important in maintaining leaf Zn homeostasis. This study demonstrates for the first time that trichomes have a key structural and functional role in the absorption and translocation of foliar-applied Zn. © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.
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    Synergistic Pt doping and phase conversion engineering in two-dimensional MoS2 for efficient hydrogen evolution
    (Elsevier, 2021-06) Li, Y; Gu, QF; Johannessen, B; Zheng, Z; Li, C; Luo, Y; Zhang, ZY; Zhang, Q; Fan, H; Luo, WB; Liu, B; Dou, SX; Liu, HK
    Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) is proven to be a promising catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but the HER performance of reported MoS2-based catalysts is still limited by its poor conductivity and low density of active sites. Herein, a Pt-doped MoS2 (Pt@MoS2) catalyst is synthesized by a potential-cycling method, which introduces the Pt dopant into the MoS2 lattice and achieves partial 2H to 1T phase conversion of MoS2 simultaneously. Benefitting from the optimized geometric and electronic structure of MoS2, the Pt@MoS2 exhibits a low overpotential of 88.43 mV at 10 mA cm−2, which is decreased by two-thirds as compared to that of the pristine MoS2. A comprehensive study reveals the position and the contribution of Pt atom in electronic structure modulation of MoS2. Theoretical calculations further reveal that the S atom adjacent to the Pt in MoS2 acts as the most active site for HER, and possesses a small hydrogen adsorption free energy (∆GH*) of ~ 0.04 eV, similar to the benchmark Pt catalyst. This study opens up a new avenue for designing MoS2 and other transition metal dichalcogenide-based electrocatalysts with enhanced HER performance, as well as providing in-depth understanding on the HER mechanism in external metal-activated MoS2 catalyst. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd.
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    Translocation of foliar absorbed Zn in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) leaves
    (Frontiers, 2022-03-02) Li, C; Wang, LL; Wu, J; Blamey, FPC; Wang, N; Chen, YL; Ye, Y; Wang, L; Paterson, DJ; Read, TL; Wang, P; Lombi, E; Wang, YH; Kopittke, PM
    Foliar zinc (Zn) fertilization is an important approach for overcoming crop Zn deficiency, yet little is known regarding the subsequent translocation of this foliar-applied Zn. Using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) and transcriptome analysis, the present study examined the translocation of foliar absorbed Zn in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) leaves. Although bulk analyses showed that there had been minimal translocation of the absorbed Zn out of the leaf within 7 days, in situ analyses showed that the distribution of Zn in the leaf had changed with time. Specifically, when Zn was applied to the leaf for 0.5 h and then removed, Zn primarily accumulated within the upper and lower epidermal layers (when examined after 3 h), but when examined after 24 h, the Zn had moved to the vascular tissues. Transcriptome analyses identified a range of genes involved in stress response, cell wall reinforcement, and binding that were initially upregulated following foliar Zn application, whereas they were downregulated after 24 h. These observations suggest that foliar Zn application caused rapid stress to the leaf, with the initial Zn accumulation in the epidermis as a detoxification strategy, but once this stress decreased, Zn was then moved to the vascular tissues. Overall, this study has shown that despite foliar Zn application causing rapid stress to the leaf and that most of the Zn stayed within the leaf over 7 days, the distribution of Zn in the leaf had changed, with Zn mostly located in the vascular tissues 24 h after the Zn had been applied. Not only do the data presented herein provide new insight for improving the efficiency of foliar Zn fertilizers, but our approach of combining XFM with a transcriptome methodological system provides a novel approach for the study of element translocation in plants. © 2022 Li, Wang, Wu, Blamey, Wang, Chen, Ye, Wang, Paterson, Read, Wang, Lombi, Wang and Kopittke. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
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    β-NMR of 8Li+ in rutile TiO2
    (IOP Publishing, 2014-12-16) McFadden, RML; Cortie, DL; Arseneau, DJ; Buck, TJ; Chen, CC; Dehn, MH; Dunsiger, SR; Kiefl, RF; Levy, CDP; Li, C; Morris, GD; Pearson, MR; Samuelis, D; Xiao, J; Maier, J; MacFarlane, WA
    We report preliminary low-energy β-NMR measurements of 8Li+ implanted in single crystal rutile TiO2 at an applied field of 6.55 T and 300 K. We observe a broad 12 kHz wide quadrupole split resonance with unresolved features and a sharp component at the Larmor frequency. The line broadening may be caused by overlapping multi-quantum transitions or motion of 8Li+ on the scale of its lifetime (1.21 s). We also find spin-lattice relaxation that is relatively fast compared to other wide band gap insulators. The origin of this fast relaxation is also likely quadrupolar and may be due to anisotropic 8Li+ diffusion. © The Authors CC-BY 3.0