This manuscript mainly proposed an effective method to well disperse the composite conductive agent which is composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene (Gr) in lithium-ion battery (LIB) slurry. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and gravitational sedimentation (GS) are employed to characterize the electrochemical, morphological and stability characterizations of LIB slurry, respectively. Specifically, electrochemical characterizations of LIB electrode slurries are performed by fitting Nyquist plots with a 10-parameter EEC, and quantitative morphological analysis of SEM images is conducted using a Mask R-CNN instance segmentation algorithm, both of which were proposed in our prior published research works. Consequently, the dispersion characterizations of LIB slurry are able to be summarized as follows: LiCoO₂ particles are well dispersed in LIB slurry at φ_com2 = 0.5%, by contrast, the composite conductive agent achieves superior coating and networking of LiCoO₂ particles under the conditions of both φ_com2 = 0.5% and m_CNTs:m_Gr = 4:1, due to the maximized CNTs-Gr synergistic effect. Meanwhile, the formed three-dimensional "long-range" conductive network maintains the stability of its internal skeleton structure during the sedimentation of LIB slurry. This finding holds significant potential to advance the application of CNTs/Gr composite conductive agents in LIB slurry.

Supercritical water gasification (SCWG) is a highly promising technology. A fundamental aspect of SCWG involves the flow of supercritical water (SCW) around interactive particles, which is inherently complex due to the presence of the wake effect. This study numerically investigates particle wake characteristics and wake-particle interactions in high-viscosity supercritical water (SCW) via an adaptive lattice Boltzmann method (LBM, N/D = 30, coarse-fine ratio 0.025:0.060) to support supercritical water gasification (SCWG) reactor optimization. The adaptive LBM effectively balances accuracy and efficiency, resolving SCW's steep viscosity gradients and fine wake structures well. Interparticle distance (L/D) is the dominant factor for particle drag, affecting trailing particles far more significantly, with three interaction regimes (strong: L/D = 0-2, moderate: 2-4, weak: ≥4). SCW's high viscosity amplifies wake overlap at L/D ≤ 2, minimizing trailing particle pressure drag and suppressing vortex shedding; increasing L/D weakens shielding, elevates drag, and makes trailing particles behave like isolated ones. Interparticle angle raises drag ratios, inducing distinct vortex structures at 30°-60° and 60°-90°, with identical drag at 90°. SCW wake symmetry and vortex shedding show Re-dependent transitions, with critical Re = 92 corresponding to the minimum trailing particle drag ratio. A drag ratio correlation with L/D and Re is also established. This work provides a reliable numerical tool for SCW particle interactions and theoretical guidance for SCWG reactor optimization, with future work focusing on particle swarms and experimental validation.

Shear-induced particle migration in the internal die flows of concentrated particulate suspensions during slot coating processes was investigated using a diffusive flux model implemented within three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulations. Comparative simulations demonstrated that particle migration markedly altered the internal flow characteristics and particle distributions inside the slot dies. Inhomogeneous particle distributions at the feed inlet were found to modify the flow behavior in the chamber region and profoundly affect the velocity and particle concentration fields in the slit region. These changes critically influenced the die exit velocity and concentration profiles, which governed the uniformity of the wet coating thickness. The insights obtained from this study offer practical guidance for die design and process control to achieve a uniform coating thickness and stable slot coating operation.

Hydrogen stands as a pivotal energy carrier with significant potential to facilitate the global transition towards a low-carbon energy future. The main challenge in current stage is the production of hydrogen with less emission and high efficiency. To resolve this problem, chemical looping hydrogen production (CLHP) is proposed and investigated. The key factors influencing the efficiency of CLHP are the gas-solid flow, heat transfer and mass transfer processes. A dual-reactor system is established in this work and numerical model based on CPFD is utilised for investigating the reaction characteristics. Hydrogen production decreases with increasing gas velocity in the hydrogen production reactor. Variations in the solid circulation rate alter the mass and heat distribution within the system, consequently affecting the hydrogen production rate. A riser gas velocity of 7 m/s and a circulation rate of 0.15 kg/s are the recommended values for the current constructor. Overall, reactor temperature remains the predominant influencing factor. This study provides insights for reactor optimization and scale-up design.

This study investigates particles erosion characteristics of shaftless rim-driven thrusters (RDTs) adopting CFD-DEM method. A three-dimensional RDTs model was developed to evaluate the effect of particles size, shape, and flow rate on erosion pattern and hydrodynamic performance. The results indicate that larger particles could induce severe localized erosion at blade leading edge owing to the higher inertia, whereas smaller particles generate more uniform but milder wear. Mixed particles distribution can produce combined effect, resembling actual sediment-laden environments. Moreover, blade number and hub-to-tip ratio also markedly influence erosion. The fewer blades and smaller r/R values lead to concentrated erosion, and increasing blade number and r/R enhances flow uniformity and reduces wear. The comparison between spherical and irregular (barley-shaped) particles reveal that irregular morphology causes stronger localized erosion and greater efficiency losses. In addition, higher particle mass flow rate intensifies erosion, expanding the affected regions from localized hotspots to entire blade surfaces.

Polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres are emerging as versatile biomaterials for minimally invasive soft tissue augmentation due to their tunable biodegradability and favorable biocompatibility. Nevertheless, the extent to which monodispersity governs the functional performance of PCL microspheres, particularly in modulating host tissue responses and regenerative efficacy, remains poorly understood. Herein, we propose a method to controllably prepare monodisperse oil-in-water (O/W) droplet templates using coaxial flow-focusing microfluidics, and then obtaining monodisperse PCL microspheres with programmable sizes via solvent evaporation. The droplet dimensions are inversely regulated by the outer-to-inner phase flow rate ratio, while PCL concentration in the organic phase exerts minimal influence on initial droplet size but markedly reduces the volume shrinkage during solidification, yielding microspheres that better retain their geometries. Notably, the resultant PCL microspheres can maintain structural integrity and size uniformity over two-month period under physiologically mimetic conditions. Comprehensive biocompatibility assessments reveal that PCL microspheres exhibit negligible hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity, demonstrating excellent hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. Notably, in a rabbit soft tissue implantation model, monodisperse PCL microspheres with an average diameter of 42 μm elicit attenuated foreign body reactions and potentiate endogenous collagen deposition relative to the polydisperse microsphere control group. These results provide useful guidance for the application of PCL microspheres in soft tissue augmentation.

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂-TiO₂ nanocomposites represent highly promising materials for energy storage applications owing to their attractive electrochemical properties. However, precisely optimizing their morphology and compositions is essential. In this study, the effects of lithium content on the synthesis of the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂-TiO₂ nanocomposites prepared by the hydrothermal method were investigated. The samples were prepared using different molar ratios of LiOH·H₂O: tertbutyl titanate (TBT) (4:5, 6:5, 8:5, 10:5, and 12:5) using a hydrothermal process at 180 ℃ for 12 h, followed by a calcination step. The microstructure, phase analysis, and morphology of the samples were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analyses. XRD results showed a phase evolution from an anatase-rich TiO₂ (at a ratio of 4:5) to a Li₄Ti₅O₁₂-dominated nanocomposite (at a ratio of 12:5) with a minor TiO₂ rutile phase. Also, the crystallite size of the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ phase first increased to a maximum value of 47.3 nm and then decreased to 20-21 nm at higher ratios. FESEM images revealed a growth in particle size of the samples from 138 to 196 nm, by increasing the ratio from 4:5 to 6:5, and then a reduction of particle size to about 55 nm by using higher ratios. The results showed that for achieving Li₄Ti₅O₁₂-TiO₂ rutile nanocomposites with nanoscale particles, higher LiOH·H₂O:TBT ratios are preferred.

This study employs a benchmarked Discrete Element Method model to investigate the influence of particle shape on the compressibility behavior of granular assemblies within a controlled comparative framework. Twenty idealized particle geometries with different shape characteristics were analyzed under constrained compression at vertical stress levels ranging from 0.1 to 3.2 MPa. Macro- and micro-scale responses were evaluated using constrained modulus and average coordination number, together with additional contact-scale analyses to improve the interpretation of particle-scale behavior. The results indicate that both macro- and micro-scale responses remain strongly stress-dependent, suggesting that conventional indicators alone cannot fully isolate particle-shape effects. A stress-normalized scaling approach was therefore applied to reduce the dominant influence of stress and clarify geometry-related trends. The analyses demonstrate that increasing particle irregularity promotes denser contact networks, redistributes contact forces across more contacts, and alters local deformation mechanisms. The findings provide a comparative DEM-based assessment of shape-dependent compressibility and contact-scale force-deformation behavior in idealized granular assemblies.

Although negative pressure crystallization of ammonium sulfate can mitigate low yield and long processing time in atmospheric pressure crystallization, it still faces challenges in enhancing crystallization efficiency and achieving a uniform crystal size distribution. To address these issues, this study proposed an ultrasound-assisted negative pressure crystallization technique. Under optimized conditions (pH = 7, 300 rpm, 80 ℃, 45 min, 180 W, 0.03 MPa), the yield increased by 27.64 g and the direct yield improved by 36.80% compared with negative pressure crystallization. XRD and FTIR confirmed that this process maintained the crystal structure of ammonium sulfate while enhancing crystallinity. Mechanistic studies revealed that, compared with negative pressure crystallization, the synergistic effect of ultrasound narrowed the metastable zone width (MSZW) by approximately 33%, lowering the nucleation energy barrier. Ultrasound cavitation generated numerous bubbles, providing heterogeneous nucleation sites and localized supersaturation driving forces, which jointly accelerated nucleation and reduced the solid-liquid transition time by 35.7%. Furthermore, compared with the negative pressure crystallization system, the ultrasonic negative pressure crystallization reduced the solution viscosity by 5.7%, enhancing mass transfer and crystal growth. Ultimately, ultrasound-assisted negative pressure crystallization produced crystals with more uniform size and more regular morphology, offering important theoretical insights for improving ammonium sulfate crystallization processes.

Char particles from coal pyrolysis exhibit unique settling dynamics, such as terminal velocity and drag coefficient. Accurate quantification of drag characteristics is essential for pneumatic conveying. Current simulations adopting spherical drag models suffer large deviations for irregular char particles. To fill this gap, we built a visual platform to investigate free settling of coal and char particles (<200 μm). Terminal velocities were measured for individual particles and aggregates. Based on statistical analysis, we revised Stokes and Schiller drag formulations. In the Stokes form, the fitted coefficients for individual coal particles and coal aggregates are 26.04 ± 3.5 and 52.15 ± 4.8, respectively; for individual char particles and char aggregates, they are 41.05 ± 3.2 and 112.4 ± 4.3, respectively. In the Schiller form, the fitted coefficients for individual coal particles and coal aggregates are 26.19 ± 3.4 and 53.88 ± 4.2, respectively; for individual char particles and char aggregates, they are 40.94 ± 3.2 and 111.1 ± 4.2, respectively. These correlations can be directly employed in drag model for numerical simulation of char pneumatic conveying. Validation shows significantly improved accuracy. This work presents the first experimentally derived drag coefficient correlations for char particles, addressing the lack of quantitative data and offering a more precise tool for char transport design.