Global increase in tropical cyclone ocean surface waves.

The long-term changes of ocean surface waves associated with tropical cyclones (TCs) are poorly observed and understood. Here, we present the global trend analysis of TC waves for 1979-2022 based on the ERA5 wave reanalysis. The maximum height and the area of the TC wave footprint in the six h reanalysis have increased globally by about 3%/decade and 6%/decade, respectively. The TC wave energy transferred at the interface from the atmosphere to the ocean has increased globally by about 9%/decade, which is three times larger than that reported for all waves. The global energy changes are mostly driven by the growing area of the wave footprint. Our study shows that the TC-associated wave hazard has increased significantly and these changes are larger than those of the TC maximum wind speed. This suggests that the wave hazard should be a concern in the future.

Gd-modified Mn-Co oxides derived from layered double hydroxides for improved catalytic activity and H2O/SO2 tolerance in NH3-SCR of NOx reaction.

Metal oxides derived from layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are expected to obtain low-temperature denitrification (de-NOx) catalysts with high catalytic activity and H2O/SO2 tolerance in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with NH3. In current work, we successfully prepared Gd-modified Mn-Co metal oxides derived from Gd-modified Mn-Co LDHs. The resultant Gd-modified Mn-Co metal oxides exhibit excellent catalytic activity and high H2O/SO2 tolerance in the NH3-SCR de-NOx reaction. The reasons for the enhancement can be ascribed to the unique surface physicochemical properties inherited from LDHs and the modification of Gd, which increase the specific surface area, improve the relative content of Mn4+ and Co3+ on the surface, enhance the number of acidic sites, strengthen the reducibility of catalyst, resulting in the enhanced catalytic activity and H2O/SO2 tolerance. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the NH3-SCR de-NOx reaction occurred on the surface of Gd-modified Mn-Co oxides followed both Eley-Rideal (E-R) and Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanisms. This study provides us with a design approach to promote catalytic activity and H2O/SO2 tolerance through morphology control and rare earth modification.

Defects materials of Institut Lavoisier-125(Ti) materials enhanced photocatalytic activity for toluene and chlorobenzene mixtures degradation: Mechanism study.

In this paper, the effect of three monocarboxylic acids on MIL-125 synthesis was systematically investigated and the results were discussed in detail. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption curves indicated that small molecule acids (acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid) affected the morphology of MIL-125 and induced lamellar pores and structural defects in the crystals. Thermogravimetric measurements confirmed the presence of acid-regulated defective metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Electrochemical tests and density function theory calculations indicated that acid modulation could change the forbidden bandwidth of the material. The acid modification strategy effectively promoted the transfer of photogenerated electrons and enhanced the adsorption and activation of O2 and H2O molecules, generating reactive radicals. The modified MOFs also showed excellent performance in the removal of mixed toluene and chlorobenzene. The degradation pathways of the mixture were analyzed by in situ infrared (IR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The mixture was converted to chlorophenolic intermediates in the presence of reactive oxygen species, further decomposed to form ethers and ethanol, and finally formed small molecules such as carbon dioxide and water. A feasible method was provided for the preparation of photocatalysts for the treatment of mixed VOCs.

Construction of II-type and Z-scheme binding structure in P-doped graphitic carbon nitride loaded with ZnO and ZnTCPP boosting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

A ternary heterostructure (ZnPPO) was constructed by loading ZnO and tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) zinc porphyrin (ZnTCPP) with P-doped g-C3N4 (PCN). In contrast to binary heterostructures (PCN-ZnO, ZnTCPP-ZnO and ZnTCPP-PCN) and single components (PCN, ZnTCPP and ZnO), ZnPPO has superior photocatalytic activity for H2 generation from water splitting. It is revealed that a binding structure of Ⅱ-type and Z-scheme has been constructed in ZnPPO, which plays a vital role in transferring photo-excited charge carriers. The significant enhancement of photocatalytic activity in ZnPPO is attributed to the effective transfer of photo-generated electrons and holes between the components of the ternary heterostructure.

Equatorial waves as useful precursors to tropical cyclone occurrence and intensification.

Understanding and prediction of tropical cyclone (TC) activity on the medium range remains challenging. Here, we find that the pre-existing westward-moving equatorial waves can inform the risk of TC occurrence and intensification, based on a dataset obtained by synchronising objectively identified TCs and equatorial waves in a climate reanalysis. Globally, westward-moving equatorial waves can be precursors to 60-70% of pre-tropical cyclogenesis events, and to >80% of the events with the strongest vorticity, related to the favourable environmental conditions within the pouch of equatorial waves. We further find that when storms are in-phase with westward-moving equatorial waves, the intensification rate of TCs is augmented, whilst in other phases of the waves, storm intensity grows more slowly, or even decays. Coherent wave packets associated with TCs are identifiable up to two weeks ahead. Our findings show that westward-moving equatorial waves can be useful medium-range precursors to TC activity.

Numerical Study on Heat-Transfer Characteristics of Convection Melting in Metal Foam under Sinusoidal Temperature Boundary Conditions.

Convection melting in metal foam under sinusoidal temperature boundary conditions is numerically studied in the present study. A multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method, in conjunction with the enthalpy approach, is constructed to model the melting process without iteration steps. The effects of the porosity, phase deviation, and periodicity parameter on the heat-transfer characteristics are investigated. For the cases considered in this work, it is found that the effects of the phase deviation and periodicity parameter on the melting rate are weak, but the melting front can be significantly affected by the sinusoidal temperature boundary conditions.

Simulating Solid-Liquid Phase-Change Heat Transfer in Metal Foams via a Cascaded Lattice Boltzmann Model.

A cascaded lattice Boltzmann (CLB) model is constructed for simulating heat transfer in metal-foam-based solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs). The present model captures the phase interface implicitly via the enthalpy methodology, and to avoid iterations in simulations, the CLB equation of the PCM employs the enthalpy as the basic evolution variable through modifying the cascaded collision process. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness and practicability of the CLB model for investigating heat transfer in solid-liquid PCMs with metal foams. The effects of the inertial coefficient, permeability and porosity on the melting process are investigated. The results indicate that the empirical correlations of inertial coefficient and permeability based on packed beds overestimate the melting rate at high porosities. Moreover, the porosity has significant impact on phase-change processes. The melting rate increases as the porosity of the metal foam decreases since heat conduction through high thermal conductive metal foam dominates the total heat transfer.

Poleward migration of western North Pacific tropical cyclones related to changes in cyclone seasonality.

The average location of observed western North Pacific (WNP) tropical cyclones (TCs) has shifted north over the last several decades, but the cause remains not fully understood. Here we show that, for the annual average, the observed northward migration of WNP TCs is related to changes in TC seasonality, not to a northward migration in all seasons. Normally, peak-season (July-September) TCs form and travel further north than late-season (October-December) TCs. In recent decades, related to less frequent late-season TCs, seasonally higher-latitude TCs contribute relatively more to the annual-average location and seasonally lower-latitude TCs contribute less. We show that the change in TC seasonality is related to the different responses of late-season and peak-season TC occurrence to a stronger Pacific Walker Circulation. Our findings provide a perspective on long-term trends in TC activity, by decomposing the annual-average statistics into seasonal components, which could respond differently to anthropogenic forcing.

Non-thermal plasma coupled with MOF-74 derived Mn-Co-Ni-O porous composite oxide for toluene efficient degradation.

A novel strategy for removal of toluene by non-thermal plasma (NTP) coupled with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) derived catalyst was proposed in this work. The MOF-derived porous trimetallic oxide catalyst (MnCoNiOx, MCNO) was prepared by simple pyrolysis of a MOF-74(Mn-Co-Ni) precursor. We found that the MCNO material can well synergy with NTP in total decomposition of toluene owing to its high specific surface area, regular porous structure and excellent reducibility, which endow superior catalytic activity and CO2 selectivity of NTP-MCNO system compared to that of NTP-MnOx, NTP-CoOx and NTP-NiOx. For instance, the toluene degradation efficiency can reach up to 75.7% in NTP-MCNO system with a low specific input energy of 101 J/L, much higher than that of NTP-MnOx (59.3%), NTP-CoOx (70.9%), NTP-NiOx (65.0%) and NTP alone (42.9%). Moreover, the formed ozone (O3) can be well-controlled by the NTP-MCNO system due to the spinel-type oxides (MCNO) derived from MOF could generate more open-formwork structure and improve the mobility of oxygen. The results of this work would shed light on rational design and preparation of spinel-type oxides for oxidation applications, which provides guidance for further improvement of plasma-catalysis system.

Microwave-Assisted Rapid Synthesis of Well-Shaped MOF-74 (Ni) for CO2 Efficient Capture.

In the present work, a series of MOF-74 (Ni) materials with narrow micropore channels and abundant unsaturated metal sites was respectively prepared via hydrothermal (HT), condensation reflux (CE), and microwave-assisted (MW) methods. The physicochemical properties of synthesized materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, N2-sorption, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric (TG)/TG-FTIR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis-near infrared, NH3/CO2-temperature programmed desorption, and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. Their CO2/N2 adsorption performances were evaluated by isotherm adsorption and dynamic adsorption experiments. We found that the MW is a rapid and facile protocol for the synthesis of MOF-74 (Ni) materials with highly efficient CO2 capture capacity. The well-shaped MW-140 adsorbent with superior CO2 adsorption capacity of 5.22 mmol/g at 25 °C can be obtained within 60 min by the MW process, almost 6 times higher than that of the commercial activated carbon (0.89 mmol/g). Results of dynamic adsorption experiments showed that the MW-140 material possesses the highest CO2 adsorption capacity of 3.37 mmol/g under humid conditions (RH = 90%). Importantly, MW-140 has excellent adsorption stability and recyclability, superior CO2 capture selectivity (CO2/N2 = 31), and appropriate isosteric heat in CO2 adsorption (21-38 kJ/mol), making it a promising and potential material for industrial CO2 capture. Characterization results demonstrated that the high capture capability of MOF-74 (Ni) materials can be attributed to the synergistic effect of abundant narrow micropore channels and rich five-coordinated Ni2+ open metal sites which are beneficial for the trapping of CO2 molecules.

Numerical Modelling of Microchannel Gas Flows in the Transition Flow Regime Using the Cascaded Lattice Boltzmann Method.

In this article, a lattice Boltzmann (LB) method for studying microchannel gas flows is developed in the framework of the cascaded collision operator. In the cascaded lattice Boltzmann (CLB) method, the Bosanquet-type effective viscosity is employed to capture the rarefaction effects, and the combined bounce-back/specular-reflection scheme together with the modified second-order slip boundary condition is adopted so as to match the Bosanquet-type effective viscosity. Numerical simulations of microchannel gas flow with periodic and pressure boundary conditions in the transition flow regime are carried out to validate the CLB method. The predicted results agree well with the analytical, numerical, and experimental data reported in the literature.