Lead-based reactor is the most promising one among Gen-IV nuclear reactors, but its coolant, i.e. lead-bismuth eutectic alloy (LBE), has serious corrosive effect on structural materials at high temperature or velocity. When the oxygen concentration in LBE is controlled to an appropriate level, a protective dense oxide scale, which separates structural materials from LBE, will be formed on the surface of structural materials to resist the corrosion. However, the external stress caused by the load and thermal cycle may lead to the rupture and failure of the oxide scale during long time operation.
Osteoporosis is a common debilitating bone disease, which is characterized by bone loss and degeneration of bone structure, primarily caused by an imbalance between bone formation by osteoblasts and bone resorption by osteoclasts. When bone resorption exceeds bone formation, it will lead to low bone density and increase the risk of fractures, leading to osteoporosis.
It's commonly known that the electrocatalytic nitrogen (N2) reduction reaction (NRR) can convert N2 and H2O into Ammonia (NH3), one of the most essential chemicals in ecological system. With renewable electricity under mild conditions, it’s envisaged as a promising strategy to replace the industrial Haber-Bosch process. However, this method is still far away from the practical application because the developed NRR electrocatalysts and electrocatalysis system possess low NH3 yield and current efficiency.
As an important non-canonical DNA secondary structure in vivo and in vitro, G-quadruplexes (GQs) have been widely investigated in many fields including biology, medicinal chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology. Vast G-quadruplexes (GQs) are primarily folded by one, two, or four G-rich oligomers, rarely with an exception.
Plasma instabilities known as edge-localized modes (ELMs) are a challenge to stable operation of fusion reactors. Effective ELM control is particularly important in high-confinement, steady-state fusion plasmas such as ITER. The research at DIII-D and EAST found that maintaining high density at the edge of the plasma and a high density ratio between the pedestal bottom and top can reduce the severity of ELMs.