The effect of resistive field grading coatings on the electric field distribution in a medium voltage bushing has been studied. A typical coating is obtained by applying a commercial resistive field grading material and a conductive varnish that we both have previously electrically characterized. The electric field distribution over the bushing surface was computed and analyzed using a finite element method software (Flux 2D). The electric field enhancements at its critical points with and without field grading material were considered and confronted with experimental partial discharge detection. The complementary between the field grading material and the conductive varnish is highlighted: a special care of the true capability of the conductive layer to withdraw the electrical charges is stressed out.

Carbon-based dots have been attracting much attention as potentially superior alternatives to more conventional semiconductor (e.g. cadmium-based) nanoparticles, due to their fascinating optical properties, chemical and photochemical stability, a unique environment-friendliness, and the versatility of fabrication routes. So far, different commercial materials and organic compounds were considered as carbon precursors for the syntheses but in many cases there are issues with their homogeneity or the fabrication that may require high-temperature conditions. We report on a simple low-cost procedure to produce hydrophilic and hydrophobic fractions of non-conjugated carbon-rich polymer dots (PDs) with the average diameter of 2-4 nm (hydrophilic PDs) and ca. 6 nm (hydrophobic PDs), involving acetone as carbon precursor. The as-obtained PDs reveal the greenish-blue photoluminescence (PL) that is characterized by high PL quantum yields (∼5-7%) and complex kinetics of the PL decays with the average lifetimes estimated to be 3.5 ns. Such luminescent acetone-based PDs may have potential in several application fields, including sensing and bioimaging.

Aim of investigation is to study the possibility of activating a promising Ni(OH)2, prepared using two-step high-temperature synthesis, by adding 3%, 5% and 10% (mol.) Al3+ to Ni2+. For describing the intercalation of Al3+ into hydroxide structure, "Separate-Solid—Liquid—Solid" mechanism, which included the formation of separate Al-containing phase on synthesis stage, and incorporation of Al3+ into Ni(OH)2 or formation of surface compounds during hydrolysis stage, has been proposed. EDX analysis of precursor confirmed the formation of separate Al-containing phases. By means of PXRD, EDX, SEM, TEM revealed realization of both ways of Al3+ incorporation: at high amounts of Al3+ (5% and 10% mol.), predominantly surface compounds are formed with distorted and altered particle shape and appearance of "core–shell" particles. At low amounts of Al3+ (3% mol.), permeably doping occurs, with partial intercalation of Al3+ into the nickel hydroxide structure. Based on CVA and GCDC results, Al3+ acts as a poison upon the formation of surface compounds have been found. Upon doping of hot hydrolysis samples with aluminum, sample activation was observed, which resulted in an increase of specific capacity by 1.99 times, from 569 Fg−1 (pure Ni(OH)2) to 1112 Fg−1.

Soft porous crystals undergo large structural transformations under a variety of physical stimuli. Breathing-like transformations, occurring with a large volume change, have been associated with an existence of bi-stable or multi-stable crystal structures. Here, we provide a detailed, multiscale qualitative and quantitative analysis of the adsorption-induced “breathing” transformations in two metal organic frameworks (MOFs): MIL-53(Al) which is a reference case of our approach, and recently synthetized JUK-8, which does not show any bistability without adsorbate. The proposed approach is based on atomistic simulations and does not require any empirical or adjustable parameters. It allows for a prediction of potential structural transformations in MOF and, in the case of adsorption-induced deformations, a calculation of the adsorption stress. We also show that the quantitative agreement between calculated and experimental results critically depends on the quality of the dispersion energy correction.

The paper presents a brief review of the recent developments in the field of absorption of atomic and molecular species in carbon cellular structures. Such absorbing objects can be distinctly recognized among a large family of carbon porous materials owing to potential and already observed in experiments very high capacity to soak and to keep inside different substances, which at usual conditions outside the porous matrices may often stay only in a gaseous form. High capacity filling is attained owing to single graphene-like walls separating different cells in the whole structures providing their lightweight. This property of cellular structures makes them very promising for numerous technological applications such as hydrogen storage in fuel cells and molecular sieving in membranes made from such structures or for their usage in microelectronics, photovoltaics and production of Li-ion batteries. Independently of the targeted applications gases are good candidates for probing tests of carbon matrices themselves.

Due to their unique geometry complex, self-assembled nanoporous 2D molecular crystals offer a broad landscape ofpotential applications, ranging from adsorption and catalysis to optoelectronics, substrate processes, and future nanomachineapplications. Here we report and discuss the results of extensive all-atom Molecular Dynamics (MD) investigations of self-assembledorganic monolayers (SAOM) of interdigitated 1,3,5-tristyrilbenzene (TSB) molecules terminated by alkoxy peripheral chains Cncontaining n carbon atoms (TSB3,5-Cn) deposited onto highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). In vacuo structural andelectronic properties of the TSB3,5-Cn molecules were initially determined using ab initio second order Møller−Plesset (MP2)calculations. The MD simulations were then used to analyze the behavior of the self-assembled superlattices, including relaxed latticegeometry (in good agreement with experimental results) and stability at ambient temperatures. We show that the intermoleculardisordering of the TSB3,5-Cn monolayers arises from competition between decreased rigidity of the alkoxy chains (loss ofintramolecular order) and increased stabilization with increasing chain length (afforded by interdigitation). We show that theinclusion of guest organic molecules (e.g., benzene, pyrene, coronene, hexabenzocoronene) into the nanopores (voids formed byinterdigitated alkoxy chains) of the TSB3,5-Cn superlattices stabilizes the superstructure, and we highlight the importance of alkoxychain mobility and available pore space in the dynamics of the systems and their potential application in selective adsorption.

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