Alternate cycling of sludge in aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic regimes is a promising strategy that can reduce the sludge yield of conventional activated sludge (CAS) by up to 50% with potentially lower capital and operating cost than physical- and/or chemical-based sludge minimisation techniques. The mechanisms responsible for reducing sludge yield include alterations to cellular metabolism and...

The poor cycling stability of polyaniline (PANI) limits its practical application as a pseudocapacitive material due to the volume change during the charge-discharge procedure. Herein, crosslinked carbon nanotubes/polyaniline (C-CNTs/PANI) composites had been designed by the in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of crosslinked carbon nanotubes (C-CNTs), which were...

Layered lithium transition metal oxides are one of the most important types of cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) that possess high capacity and relatively low cost. Nevertheless, these layered cathode materials suffer structural changes during electrochemical cycling that could adversely affect the battery performance. Clear explanations of the cathode degradation process and it...

Neurons are communication specialists that convert electrical into chemical signals at specialized cell-cell junctions termed synapses. Arrival of an action potential triggers calcium-regulated exocytosis of neurotransmitter (NT) from small synaptic vesicles (SVs), which then diffuses across the synaptic cleft and binds to postsynaptic receptors to elicit specific changes within the postsynapti...

We report Co-free, Li-rich Li1+x Ni0.5 Mn1.5 O4 (0<x<1) compounds as high-voltage and high-capacity cathode materials for Li-ion cells. Their tailored morphology allows high density and facile processability for electrode development. In the potential range 2.4-4.9 V, the cathode material of composition Li1.5 Ni0.5 Mn1.5 O4 shows excellent performance in terms of capacity and cycling stability ...

In this work, a synergistic effect of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and polypyrrole (PPy) was studied in terms of their promotional role to enhance the capacity and cyclic stability of hollow SnO2 anodes in lithium-ion batteries. The core–shell structured hollow SnO2/rGO/PPy nanocomposites were synthesized using a hydrothermal method followed by an in situ chemical-polymerization route. Substant...

With increasing concerns over environmental problems caused by human disturbances, accurate and reliable predictions of nutrient cycling are essential for sustainable resource management practices. In the last few decades, much effort has been invested in developing biogeochem-ical models with different complexity that capture nutrient cycling across the scales (Li et al. 1992; Parton et al. 20...

Graphene is extensively investigated and promoted as a viable replacement for graphite, the state-of-the-art material for lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes, although no clear evidence is available about improvements in terms of cycling stability, delithiation voltage and volumetric capacity. Here we report the microwave-assisted synthesis of a novel graphene-based material in ionic liquid (i.e.,...

The effects of mechanical stress on lithium-ion battery life are investigated by monitoring the stack pressure and capacity of constrained commercial lithium-ion pouch cells during cycling. Stack stress is found to be a dynamic quantity, fluctuating with charge/discharge and gradually increasing irreversibly over long times with cycling. Variations in initial stack pressure, an important contro...