ABSTRACT
With the rising demand for nuclear energy, the storage/transportation of radioactive nuclear by-products are critical safety issues for humans and the environment. These by-products are closely related to various nuclear radiations. In particular, neutron radiation requires specific protection by neutron shielding materials due to its high penetrating ability to cause irradiation damage. Herein, a basic overview of neutron shielding is presented. Since gadolinium (Gd) has the largest thermal neutron capture cross-section among various neutron absorbing elements, it is an ideal neutron absorber for shielding applications. In the last two decades, there have been many newly developed Gd-containing (i.e., inorganic nonmetallic-based, polymer-based, and metallic-based) shielding materials developed to attenuate and absorb the incident neutrons. On this basis, we present a comprehensive review of the design, processing methods, microstructure characteristics, mechanical properties, and neutron shielding performance of these materials in each category. Furthermore, current challenges for the development and application of shielding materials are discussed. Finally, the potential research directions are highlighted in this rapidly developing field.
ABSTRACT
High-efficiency and low-cost electrocatalysts are generally believed to be the critical factor and have been highly researched to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) during the operation of Li-O2 battery (LOB). The catalysts with better ORR performance are essential for high-performance LOBs. Herein, a binder-free MnO x @carbon cloth cathode composed of Mn3O4 nanoparticles and Mn2O3 nanosheets were directly synthesized on the carbon cloth by electrodeposition and subsequently heat treatment at different temperature (from 200 °C to 400 °C). With the increase of temperature, the Mn3O4 nanospheres gradually transformed into Mn2O3 nanosheets. The MnO x obtained at 350 °C exhibited the best ORR performance. And MnO x -350 °C could operate more than 80 cycles at 340 mA g-1 with a limiting specific capacity of 1000 mAh g-1, and its first discharge specific capacity could nearly achieve 8000 mAh g-1 at 200 mA g-1.
