Enhanced thermal conductivity of epoxy resin by incorporating three-dimensional boron nitride thermally conductive network.

Packaging insulation materials with high thermal conductivity and excellent dielectric properties are favorable to meet the high demand and rapid development of third generation power semiconductors. In this study, we propose to improve the thermal conductivity of epoxy resin (EP) by incorporating a three-dimensional boron nitride thermally conductive network. Detailedly, polyurethane foam (PU) was used as a supporter, and boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) were loaded onto the PU supporter through chemical bonding (BNNS@PU). After immersing BNNS@PU into the EP resin, EP-based thermally conductive composites were prepared by vacuum-assisted impregnation. Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and scanning electron microscope were used to characterize the chemical bonding and morphological structure of BNNS@PU, respectively. The content of BNNS in BNNS@PU/EP composites was quantitatively analyzed by TGA. The results show that the thermal conductivity of the BNNS@PU/EP composites reaches 0.521 W/m K with an enhancement rate η of 30.89 at an ultra-low BNNS filler content (5.93 wt. %). Additionally, the BNNS@PU/EP composites have excellent dielectric properties with the frequency range from 101 to 106 Hz. This paper provides an interesting idea for developing high thermal conductivity insulating materials used for power semiconductor packaging.

Research on molecular dynamics and electrical properties of high heat-resistant epoxy resins.

In order to prepare highly heat-resistant packaging insulation materials, in this paper, bismaleimide/epoxy resin (BMI/EP55) composites with different contents of BMI were prepared by melt blending BMI into amino tetrafunctional and phenolic epoxy resin (at a ratio of 5:5). The microstructures and thermal and electrical properties of the composites were tested. The electrostatic potential distribution, energy level distribution, and molecular orbitals of BMI were calculated using Gaussian. The results showed that the carbonyl group in BMI is highly electronegative, implying that the carbonyl group has a strong electron trapping ability. The thermal decomposition temperature of the composites gradually increased with the increase of BMI content, and the 20% BMI/EP55 composites had the highest heat-resistance index, along with a glass transition temperature (Tg) of >250 °C. At different test temperatures, with increase in the BMI content, the conductivity of epoxy resin composites showed a tendency to first decrease and then increase, the breakdown field strength showed a tendency to first increase and then decrease, and the dielectric constant was gradually decreased. Two trap centers were present simultaneously in the composites, where the shallow trap energy level is the deepest in 20% BMI/EP composites and the deep trap energy level is the deepest in 10% BMI/EP55 composites. Correspondingly, the 10% BMI/EP55 composite had a slower charge decay rate, while the 20% BMI/EP55 had a faster charge decay rate. In summary, the BMI/EP55 composites with high heat resistance and insulating properties were prepared in this study, which provided ideas for preparing high-temperature packaging insulating materials.

Study of the Dielectric and Corona Resistance Properties of PI Films Modified with Fluorene Moiety/Aluminum Sec-Butoxide.

With the policy tilt and increased investment in research and development in the world, new energy vehicle technology continues to progress and the drive motor power density continues to improve, which puts forward higher requirements for the comprehensive performance of the core insulating material enameled wire enamel for drive motors. Polyimide (PI) has excellent electrical insulation properties, and heat resistance is often used to drive the motor winding insulation. To further improve the corona resistance and insulating properties of PI wire enamel varnish, in this paper, firstly, fluorene groups with a rigid conjugated structure were introduced into the molecular chain of the PI film by molecular structure modulation, and then uniformly dispersed alumina nanoclusters (AOCs) were introduced into the PI matrix by using an in situ growth process to inhibit the migration of high-energy electrons. The quantum size effect of the alumina nanoclusters was exploited to synergistically enhance the suppression and scattering of energetic moving electrons by PI-based composite films. The results show that the breakdown field strength of the PI-based composite film (MPI/1.0 vol% AOC) reaches 672.2 kV/mm, and the corona resistance life reaches 7.9 min, which are, respectively, 1.55 and 2.19 times higher than those of the initial PI film. A PI-based composite film with excellent insulating and corona resistance properties was obtained.

Pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence evaluation of two oral formulations of cotrimoxazole tablets in healthy Chinese volunteers under fasting conditions.

This bioequivalence study was conducted to evaluate two oral formulations of cotrimoxazole tablets in healthy Chinese subjects. All 26 subjects recruited to this study were randomly and evenly classified into two groups and received a single dose (sulfamethoxazole: 400 mg and trimethoprim: 80 mg) of test cotrimoxazole tablets (generic drug) or reference cotrimoxazole tablets (branded drug). After a 7-day washout period, these subjects received one dose of reference drug or test drug. Blood samples were collected from participants before and up to 48 h after dosing to assess the concentration of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP) in plasma and a plasma concentration-time curve was drawn. Then, the pharmacokinetics parameters were calculated accordingly. Our data revealed that there were no significant differences observed in the maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), area under the curve from time 0 to the last measurable concentration (AUC0-t), and area under the curve from time 0 to infinity (AUC0-∞) between the two formulations. For SMX, the 90% confidence intervals (CI) of the geometric mean ratio for Cmax, AUC0-t, and AUC0-∞ were 104.03-113.92%, 100.46-103.70%, and 100.41-103.81%, respectively. Similarly, for Trimethoprim (TMP), the 90% CI ranged from 98.54 to 106.95% for Cmax, from 99.31 to 107.68% for AUC0-t, and from 99.49 to 107.55% for AUC0-∞. Importantly, all these 90% CI values fell within the range of 80.00-125.00%, indicating that the test drug is bioequivalent to the reference drug. Furthermore, throughout the entire trial, no suspected serious adverse events were reported, indicating the safety profile of the newly developed generic cotrimoxazole. In summary, our study demonstrates that the newly developed generic formulation of cotrimoxazole is bioequivalent to the branded formulation under fasting conditions.

Achieving synergistic improvement in dielectric and energy storage properties at high-temperature of all-organic composites via physical electrostatic effect.

In response to the increasing demand for miniaturization and lightweight equipment, as well as the challenges of application in harsh environments, there is an urgent need to explore the new generation of high-temperature-resistant film capacitors with excellent energy storage properties. In this study, we report an all-organic composite system based on two polymers with similar densities and high glass transition temperatures, achieving a synergistic effect of dielectric constant and breakdown strength. The preparation of the composite is simple, overcoming the challenge of dispersing nanoparticles in traditional organic-inorganic systems. The high polarity of polyethersulfone can modulate the polarization properties of the composites and, through a physical electrostatic effect, inhibit dipole relaxation, further reducing the current density of the composite dielectric at high temperatures, resulting in a significant improvement in insulating properties. The 9 : 1 composite dielectric at 150 °C demonstrates an energy storage density of up to 6.4 J cm-3 and an efficiency of 82.7%. This study offers a promising candidate material and development direction for the next-generation energy storage capacitors with broad application prospects.

Improvements in the Magnesium Ion Transport Properties of Graphene/CNT-Wrapped TiO2 -B Nanoflowers by Nickel Doping.

Magnesium-ion batteries are widely studied for its environmentally friendly, low-cost, and high volumetric energy density. In this work, the solvothermal method is used to prepare titanium dioxide bronze (TiO2 -B) nanoflowers with different nickel (Ni) doping concentrations for use in magnesium ion batteries as cathode materials. As Ni doping enhances the electrical conductivity of TiO2 -B and promotes magnesium ion diffusion, the band gap of TiO2 -B host material can be significantly reduced, and as Ni content increases, diffusion contributes more to capacity. According to the electrochemical test, TiO2 -B exhibits excellent electrochemical performance when the Ni element doping content is 2 at% and it is coated with reduced graphene oxide@carbon nanotube (RGO@CNT). At a current density of 100 mA g-1 , NT-2/RGO@CNT discharge specific capacity is as high as 167.5 mAh g-1 , which is 2.36 times of the specific discharge capacity of pure TiO2 -B. It is a very valuable research material for magnesium ion battery cathode materials.

Advances in Polymer Dielectrics with High Energy Storage Performance by Designing Electric Charge Trap Structures.

Dielectric capacitors have been developed for nearly a century, and all-polymer film capacitors are currently the most popular. Much effort has been devoted to studying polymer dielectric capacitors and improving their capacitive performance, but their high conductivity and capacitance losses under high electric fields or elevated temperatures are still significant challenges. Although many review articles have reported various strategies to address these problems, to the best of current knowledge, no review article has summarized the recent progress in the high-energy storage performance of polymer-based dielectric films with electric charge trap structures. Therefore, this paper first reviews the charge trap characterization methods for polymeric dielectrics and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. The research progress on the design of charge trap structures in polymer dielectric films, including molecular chain optimization, organic doping, blending modification, inorganic doping, multilayered structures, and the mechanisms of the charge trap-induced enhancement of the capacitive performance of polymers are systematically reviewed. Finally, a summary and outlook on the fundamental theory of charge trap regulation, performance characterization, numerical calculations, and engineering applications are presented. This review provides a valuable reference for improving the insulation and energy storage performance of dielectric capacitive films.

Improvements in the Electrochemical Performance of Sodium Manganese Oxides by Ti Doping for Aqueous Mg-Ion Batteries.

In recent times, the research on cathode materials for aqueous rechargeable magnesium ion battery has gained significant attention. The focus is on enhancing high-rate performance and cycle stability, which has become the primary research goal. Manganese oxide and its derived Na-Mn-O system have been considered as one of the most promising electrode materials due to its low cost, non-toxicity and stable spatial structure. This work uses hydrothermal method to prepare titanium gradient doped nano sodium manganese oxides, and uses freeze-drying technology to prepare magnesium ion battery cathode materials with high tap density. At the initial current density of 50 mA g-1 , the NMTO-5 material exhibits a high reversible capacity of 231.0 mAh g-1 , even at a current density of 1000 mA g-1 , there is still 122.1 mAh g-1 . It is worth noting that after 180 cycles of charging and discharging at a gradually increasing current density such as 50-1000 mA g-1 , it can still return to the original level after returning to 50 mA g-1 . Excellent electrochemical performance and capacity stability show that NMTO-5 material is a promising electrode material.

Innovative all-organic dielectric composite for dielectric capacitor with great energy storage performance based on thermodynamic compatibility.

In modern electronics and power systems, good-performance dielectric capacitors have an essential function. Polymer-based dielectrics are widely used in the field of dielectric capacitors because of their large dielectric constant, flexibility, low density, and ease of processing. At present, ferroelectric polymers suffer from low breakdown field strength and high dielectric losses. How to improve the performance of dielectric materials in capacitors is still a promising research. This paper chooses the ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) that worked as the matrix, and the linear polymers polyimide, cyanoethyl pullulan (CR-S), polyethersulfone, and cyanoethylated cellulose served as fillers. This all-organic dielectric composite produced as films working in electrostatic energy storage devices is prepared by using a casting method. Analyzing the test results, the composite film exhibited excellent electrical properties when the CR-S doping content was 5 wt. %. The organic composite dielectric based on CR-S/PVDF has a breakdown field strength of 450 MV/m, a discharge energy storage density (Ue) of 10.3 J/cm3, a high dielectric constant of 10.9, and a low dielectric loss of 0.004 at 1 kHz, which is a significant improvement compared with other dielectric composites. This all-organic dielectric composite strategy offers a new approach to achieve better-performance dielectric energy storage materials.

Enhancement of Energy Storage Performance of PMMA/PVDF Composites by Changing the Crystalline Phase through Heat Treatment.

In today's contemporary civilization, there is a growing need for clean energy focused on preserving the environment; thus, dielectric capacitors are crucial equipment in energy conversion. On the other hand, the energy storage performance of commercial BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) dielectric capacitors is relatively poor; hence, enhancing their performance has drawn the attention of an increasing number of researchers. This study used heat treatment to boost the performance of the composite made from PMAA and PVDF, combined in various ratios with good compatibility. The impacts of varying percentages of PMMA-doped PMMA/PVDF mixes and heat treatment at varying temperatures were systematically explored for their influence on the attributes of the blends. After some time, the blended composite's breakdown strength improves from 389 kV/mm to 729.42 kV/mm at a processing temperature of 120 °C. Consequently, the energy storage density is 21.12 J/cm3, and the discharge efficiency is 64.8%. The performance has been significantly enhanced compared to PVDF in its purest state. This work offers a helpful technique for designing polymers that perform well as energy storage materials.

Association between Intestinal Colonization and Extraintestinal Infection with Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Children.

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) has become a critical public health threat. However, the association between intestinal colonization and parenteral infection among pediatric patients has not been elucidated. We collected 8 fecal CRKP strains and 10 corresponding CRKP strains responsible for extraintestinal infection from eight patients who did not manifest infection upon admission to the hospital. Paired isolates showed identical resistance to antimicrobials and identical virulence in vitro and in vivo. wzi capsule typing, multilocus sequence typing, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) indicated high similarity between paired colonizing and infecting isolates. Mutations between colonizing and infecting isolate pairs found by WGS had a distinctive molecular signature of a high proportion of complex structural variants. The mutated genes were involved in pathways associated with infection-related physiological and pathogenic functions, including antibiotic resistance, virulence, and response to the extracellular environment. The latter is important for bacterial infection of environmental niches. Various mutations related to antibiotic resistance, virulence, and colonization that were not associated with any particular mutational hot spot correlated with an increased risk of extraintestinal infection. Notably, novel subclone carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (CR-hvKP) KL19-ST15 exhibited hypervirulence in experimental assays that reflected the severe clinical symptoms of two patients infected with the clonal strains. Taken together, our findings indicate the association between CRKP intestinal colonization and extraintestinal infection, suggesting that active screening for colonization on admission could decrease infection risk in children. IMPORTANCE Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) causes an increasing number of nosocomial infections, which can be life-threatening, as carbapenems are last-resort antibiotics. K. pneumoniae is part of the healthy human microbiome, and this provides a potential advantage for infection. This study demonstrated that CRKP intestinal colonization is strongly linked to extraintestinal infection, based on the evidence given by whole-genome sequencing data and phenotypic assays of antimicrobial resistance and virulence. Apart from these findings, our in-depth analysis of point mutations and chromosome structural variants in patient-specific infecting isolates compared with colonizing isolates may contribute insights into bacterial adaptation underlying CRKP infection. In addition, a novel subclone of carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (CR-hvKP) was observed in the study. This finding highlights the importance of CRKP active surveillance among children, targeting in particular the novel high-risk CR-hvKP clone.

Pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence evaluation of 2 oral formulations of methotrexate tablets in healthy Chinese volunteers under fasting and fed conditions.

Methotrexate is an anti-metabolite drug that is frequently used for rheumatoid arthritis treatment. This study is aimed at evaluating the bioequivalence of 2 methotrexate tablets (2.5 mg) under fasting and fed conditions in healthy Chinese volunteers. A single-center, randomized, open-label, two-drug, two-period, crossover, single-dose trial protocol was designed. Fifty-two healthy Chinese participants were enrolled and randomly classified into fasting (n = 26) and fed (n = 26) group. Fifty of them participated in the whole trial course. Blood samples for pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis were collected 1 h before and up to 24 h after drug administration. To evaluate the bioequivalence of test and reference tablets, PK parameters including maximum plasma drug concentration (Cmax), time to reach maximum concentration (Tmax), area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to the last measurable concentration (AUC0-t), and area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity (AUC0-∞) were calculated. Our data revealed that 90% CIs of geometric mean ratio of the test or reference drugs for Cmax, AUC0-t, and AUC0-∞ fell within the acceptance range for bioequivalence (80-125%). Besides, it is worthwhile to mention that Cmax and Tmax in the fed group were lower than those in the fasting group. Interestingly, the absorption, measured by AUC, did not have significant difference in both groups. There were no suspected serious adverse reactions or serious adverse events over the entire trial. Our results demonstrated that the test and reference tablets were bioequivalent under fasting and fed conditions.

Hydrodynamic Modeling and Parameter Identification of a Bionic Underwater Vehicle: RobDact.

In this paper, the hydrodynamic modeling and parameter identification of the RobDact, a bionic underwater vehicle inspired by Dactylopteridae, are carried out based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and force measurement experiment. Firstly, the paper briefly describes the RobDact, then establishes the kinematics model and rigid body dynamics model of the RobDact according to the hydrodynamic force and moment equations. Through CFD simulations, the hydrodynamic force of the RobDact at different speeds is obtained, and then, the hydrodynamic model parameters are identified. Furthermore, the measurement platform is developed to obtain the relationship between the thrust generated by the RobDact and the input fluctuation parameters. Finally, by combining the rigid body dynamics model and the fin thrust mapping model, the hydrodynamic model of the RobDact at different motion states is constructed.

Ultrahigh energy storage performance of all-organic dielectrics at high-temperature by tuning the density and location of traps.

Improving the tolerance of flexible polymers to extreme temperatures and electrical fields is critical to the development of advanced electrical and electronic systems. Suppressing carrier movement at high temperatures is one of the key methods to improve the high-temperature charging and discharging efficiency. In this work, a molecular semiconductor (ITIC) with high electron affinity energy is blended into the promising polymer polyetherimide (PEI). This molecular semiconductor will introduce traps in the dielectric that can trap carriers, thus achieving the effect of inhibiting carrier movement. Changing the concentration and position of the molecular semiconductor by electrospinning technology also means changing the density of the trap and the position of the trap layer. The effects of trap density and trap layer location on the high-temperature breakdown strength and energy storage properties of composite dielectrics are studied successively, and the structure of a composite with optimal high temperature energy storage properties is obtained. That is, the dielectric S-15-28 has an energy storage density (U) of 6.37 J cm-3 at a temperature of 150 °C with a charge-discharge efficiency (η) of 90%; it also has a U of 4.3 J cm-3 at a temperature of 180 °C with the η of 90%. A mechanism based on Mott and Gurney's law is proposed to explain the effect of trap parameters on leakage current. This work provides a new structural design idea to regulate the dielectric properties of all-organic dielectrics through trap distribution parameter optimization.

High Energy Storage Performance of All-Inorganic Flexible Antiferroelectric-Insulator Multilayered Thin Films.

With the increasingly high requirements for wearable and flexible devices, traditional inorganic capacitors cannot meet the flexible demand of next-generation electronic devices. In this work, the energy storage property of all-inorganic flexible films has been systematically studied. PbZrO3 (PZO) and Al2O3 (AO) are selected as the antiferroelectric layer and insulating layer, respectively. The heterostructured films are prepared on the fluorphlogopite (F-Mica) substrate by chemical solution deposition. The microstructure, polarization behavior, and energy storage performances are investigated. The results demonstrate that the AO/PZO/AO/PZO/AO (APAPA) multilayered thin film possesses a greatly improved energy storage density (Wrec) of 28.1 J/cm3 with an excellent energy storage efficiency (η) of 80.1%, which is ascribed to the enhanced breakdown strength and large difference in polarization. Furthermore, the capacitive films exhibit good stability under a wide working temperature range of 25-140 °C and an electric fatigue endurance of 107 cycles. Besides, the energy storage performances are almost unchanged after 104 bending cycles, demonstrating an excellent mechanical bending endurance. This work sheds light on the preparation technology and improvement of the dielectric energy storage performance for all-inorganic flexible multilayered thin films.

Diagnosis of Partial Discharge Based on the Air Components for the 10 kV Air-Insulated Switchgear.

Partial discharge (PD) is a common phenomenon of insulation aging in air-insulated switchgear and will change the gas composition in the equipment. However, it is still a challenge to diagnose and identify the defect types of PD. This paper conducts enclosed experiments based on gas sensors to obtain the concentration data of the characteristic gases CO, NO2, and O3 under four typical defects. The random forest algorithm with grid search optimization is used for fault identification to explore a method of identifying defect types through gas concentration. The results show that the gases concentration variations do have statistical characteristics, and the RF algorithm can achieve high accuracy in prediction. The combination of a sensor and a machine learning algorithm provides the gas component analysis method a way to diagnose PD in an air-insulated switchgear.

Polymer dielectric films exhibiting superior high-temperature capacitive performance by utilizing an inorganic insulation interlayer.

With the rapid development of next-generation electrical power equipment and microelectronics, there is an urgent demand for dielectric capacitor films which can work efficiently under extreme conditions. However, sharply increased electrical conduction and drastically degrading electric breakdown strength are inevitable at elevated temperatures. Herein, a facile but effective method is proposed to improve high temperature capacitive performance. We report that utilizing an inorganic insulation interlayer can significantly increase the discharge energy density with a high efficiency above 90% at 150 °C, i.e., a discharged energy density of 4.13 J cm-3 and an efficiency of >90% measured at 150 °C, which is superior to the state-of-the-art dielectric polymers. Combining the experimental results and computational simulations reveals that the remarkable improvement in energy storage performance at high temperature is attributed to the blocking effects that reduce the leakage current and maintain the breakdown strength. The proposed facile method provides great inspiration for developing polymer dielectric films with high capacitive performance under extreme environments.

Genetic Characteristics and Microbiological Profile of Hypermucoviscous Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella variicola Coproducing IMP-4 and NDM-1 Carbapenemases.

We report here a hypermucoviscous, New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) and imipenemase 4 (IMP-4) carbapenemases-coproducing Klebsiella variicola isolate obtained from a pediatric patient. This strain was resistant to carbapenems and most other ß-lactams. Although hypermucoviscous, this strain possessed attenuated virulence according to serum killing assay and Galleria mellonella infection model. Notably, two copies of blaNDM-1 were contained on two tandem ISCR1 elements and coexisted with blaIMP-4 in a novel hybrid multidrug resistance plasmid. This is the first description of the coexistence of blaNDM-1 and blaIMP-4 in a single plasmid of hypermucoviscous K. variicola. IMPORTANCE As an important member of the Klebsiella pneumoniae complex, Klebsiella variicola is poorly studied as an emerging human pathogen. We, for the first time, report a unique K. variicola isolated from a pediatric patient in China. This isolate exhibited hypermucoviscosity, a classic hypervirulence characteristic of K. pneumoniae, and contained multiple carbapenem-resistant genes, including blaIMP-1 and blaNDM-1. Interestingly, these antimicrobial resistance genes were located on a novel hybrid plasmid, and our results suggested that this plasmid might have been introduced from K. pneumoniae and undergone a series of integration and recombination evolutionary events. Overall, our study provides more insight into K. variicola and highlights its superior capability to acquire and maintain foreign resistance genes.

Recent Advances in Multilayer-Structure Dielectrics for Energy Storage Application.

An electrostatic capacitor has been widely used in many fields (such as high pulsed power technology, new energy vehicles, etc.) due to its ultrahigh discharge power density. Remarkable progress has been made over the past 10 years by doping ferroelectric ceramics into polymers because the dielectric constant is positively correlated with the energy storage density. However, this method often leads to an increase in dielectric loss and a decrease in energy storage efficiency. Therefore, the way of using a multilayer structure to improve the energy storage density of the dielectric has attracted the attention of researchers. Although research on energy storage properties using multilayer dielectric is just beginning, it shows the excellent effect and huge potential. In this review, the main physical mechanisms of polarization, breakdown and energy storage in multilayer structure dielectric are introduced, the theoretical simulation and experimental results are systematically summarized, and the preparation methods and design ideas of multilayer structure dielectrics are mainly described. This article covers not only an overview of the state-of-the-art advances of multilayer structure energy storage dielectric but also the prospects that may open another window to tune the electrical performance of the electrostatic capacitor via designing a multilayer structure.

Toonamicrocarpavarin, a new tirucallane-type triterpenoid from Toona Ciliata.

Toonamicrocarpavarin (1), a new tirucallane-type triterpenoid, along with eight known ones, piscidinol A (2), toonaciliatavarin E (3), toonayunnanin A (4), 7-acetyneotrichilenone (5), hispidol A (6), odoratone (7), phellochin (8), toonaciliatavarin D (9), were isolated from T. ciliata. Their structures were identified on the basis of ESIMS, HREIMS and 1 D/2D NMR analysis. The cytotoxic activity of the new compound was also evaluated. All compounds were obtained from T. ciliata for the first time, which plays an important role in chemotaxonomy of the plant T. ciliata.