Abstract: An electrochemical device according to various aspects of the present disclosure includes an electrochemical cell and an inductor coil. The electrochemical cell includes a current collector. The current collector includes an electrically-conductive material. The inductor coil is configured to generate a magnetic field. The magnetic field is configured to induce an eddy current in the current collector to generate heat in the current collector. In various aspects, the present disclosure also provides a method of internally heating an electrochemical cell. In various aspects, the present disclosure also provides a method of controlling heating of an electrochemical cell.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the field of materials for uranium extraction from seawater (UES), and in particular, to a photothermal photocatalytic membrane for seawater desalination and uranium extraction and a preparation method therefor. The present disclosure provides a photothermal photocatalytic membrane for seawater desalination and uranium extraction and a preparation method therefor. The preparation method includes: fixing a treated carbon cloth to a glass plate, pouring a casting solution 1 onto the carbon cloth to form a first layer of film, forming a second layer of film using a casting solution 2, and putting the second layer of film into a first coagulation bath and a second coagulation bath in sequence to form the photothermal photocatalytic membrane. The photothermal photocatalytic membrane is supported by the carbon cloth, and a surface of the photothermal photocatalytic membrane is of a micro-nano structure.

Abstract: A mixed chemistry battery is provided. The mixed chemistry battery includes a reference module having a first chemistry and a battery module having a second chemistry that is different that the first chemistry, the battery module is connected to the reference module in series. The mixed chemistry battery also includes a battery monitoring system configured to monitor an open circuit voltage of the reference module, an open circuit voltage of the battery module, and a current flow through the reference module and the battery module. The battery monitoring system is further configured to calculate a state-of-charge (SOC) and state-of-health (SOH) of the battery module based at least in part on a SOC of the reference module.

Abstract: A high flux antibacterial polyacrylonitrile-based uranium-extraction-from-seawater-seawater desalination cogeneration membrane and a preparation method thereof are disclosed. To satisfy demand of uranium-extraction-from-seawater-seawater desalination cogeneration application, polyacrylonitrile, chitosan and amidoxime modified polyacrylonitrile are taken as raw materials and a proportion of raw materials of a casting membrane are optimized in a membrane forming process. The conversion rate of polyacrylonitrile is adjusted so that formation of an amidoxime modified polyacrylonitrile powder in a casting membrane liquid mixing system is regulated and controlled, thereby significantly improving the mechanical properties, the flux, the hydrophilicity, the antibacterial property and the uranium adsorptive property.

Abstract: A high flux antibacterial polyacrylonitrile-based uranium-extraction-from-seawater-seawater desalination cogeneration membrane and a preparation method thereof are disclosed. To satisfy demand of uranium-extraction-from-seawater-seawater desalination cogeneration application, polyacrylonitrile, chitosan and amidoxime modified polyacrylonitrile are taken as raw materials and a proportion of raw materials of a casting membrane are optimized in a membrane forming process. The conversion rate of polyacrylonitrile is adjusted so that formation of an amidoxime modified polyacrylonitrile powder in a casting membrane liquid mixing system is regulated and controlled, thereby significantly improving the mechanical properties, the flux, the hydrophilicity, the antibacterial property and the uranium adsorptive property.

Abstract: A battery system comprises N folded bipolar batteries folded in an “S”-shaped configuration. First and second folded portions of each of the N folded bipolar batteries are arranged on opposite ends of the “S”-shaped configuration. First side portions and second side portions of each of the N folded bipolar batteries are arranged between the first and second folded portions. One or more of the first folded portions on a first one of the N folded bipolar batteries are in direct electrical contact with one or more of the second folded portions on a second one of the N folded bipolar batteries. One or more of the first side portions on a third one of the N folded bipolar batteries are in direct electrical contact with one or more of the second side portions on a fourth one of the N folded bipolar batteries.

Abstract: A photodialysis device that can desalinate saline streams is described herein. The device can have a desalination rate that is significantly faster than current solar thermal desalination technology. Salt is removed from water by passing ionic current derived from sunlight through this water using dye-sensitized membranes. The device can serve as a distributed, low-cost technology that can efficiently and effectively desalinate low salinity sources of water, which is particularly useful for agriculture and drinking water applications.

Abstract: Lithium manganese oxide (LMO) particles having a substantially round shape and methods of preparing such LMO particles are provided herein. The method includes, in the presences of a catalyst, calcining (i) a lithium source and a manganese source and/or (ii) a lithium and manganese source to form the LMO particles. Examples of the lithium source include Li2CO3, LiOH, LiNO3, Li2O, and combinations thereof, and examples of the manganese source include MnO2, Mn3O4, and a combination thereof. The lithium and manganese source includes LixMn2O4, where 0.75?x?1.25. The catalyst includes one or more transition metal, such as a period 5 transition metal, a period 6 transition metal, a period 7 transition metal, and a combination thereof, an oxide of the one or more transition metal, a salt of the one or more transition metal, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: A bipolar capacitor assisted battery includes a bipolar capacitor including a first capacitor, and a second capacitor. The second capacitor is connected in series with the first capacitor. A lithium ion battery is connected in parallel to the bipolar capacitor.

Abstract: A polypyrrole-graphene/polyurethane antifouling coating as well as a preparation method and an application thereof are provided. The polypyrrole-graphene/polyurethane antifouling coating includes component A and component B, wherein the component A mainly includes the following raw materials in parts by weight: 500 parts of group-hydrolyzable polyurethane prepolymer, 25-50 parts of bentonite, 25-50 parts of titanium dioxide, 60-120 parts of zinc oxide, 15-30 parts of talcum powder, and 15-30 parts of polypyrrole-graphene nanofiller; and the component B mainly includes the following raw materials in parts by weight: 5-7 parts of leveling agent, 5-7 parts of defoamer, 6-15 parts of chain extender, 10-25 parts of silane coupling agent, and 1-2 parts of catalyst. The two-component polyurethane coating of the present invention has relatively good adhesion, collision resistance and cracking resistance, and the antifouling property and the antifouling durability can be improved.

Abstract: A vehicle system is provided and includes a modular dynamically allocated capacity storage system (MODACS) and an active management module. The MODACS includes blocks of cells. The active management module is configured to: detect a first state of a first block of cells of the blocks of cells; determine whether a safety fault condition exists with the first block of cells based on the first state of the first block of cells; in response to detecting existence of the safety fault condition, isolate the first block of cells from other ones of the blocks of cells; subsequent to isolating the first block of cells, actively discharge and detect a second state of the first block of cells; and based on the second state, continue isolating the first block of cells or reconnecting the first block of cells such that the first block of cells is no longer isolated.

Abstract: A method for preparing an anode active material is provided. The method includes the steps of combining an anode material with a solution of aluminium chloride hexahydrate to form a coated anode material, and calcining the solid particles to form a calcined material comprising solid particles with an alumina-containing coating. The alumina-containing coating may completely cover the surface of each particle or only partially cover the surface of each particle. Alternatively, some particles may be completely covered with the alumina-containing coating and some particles only partially covered with the alumina-containing coating. The alumina-containing coating serves as an artificial solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), reducing the lithium loss at first cycle and inhibiting the degradation of SEI during cycling thereby improving the first coulombic efficiency and cyclability.

Abstract: A system for vehicle battery heating is provided. The system includes a battery, including a plurality of battery cells. The system further includes a computerized battery controller operable to selectively energize a portion of the battery cells to provide an increased temperature of the portion of the battery cells. The portion of the battery cells may be energized in a distributed pattern or a focused pattern.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. In some communications systems, interference may impede signaling between a base station and a target user equipment (UE) such that a base station may identify a donor UE to relay communications to the target UE. The donor UE may receive a coded data packet from the base station, and may identify a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) scrambling code for the packets addressed to the target UE. In cases where the donor UE identifies that the packet has an RNTI scrambling code associated with the target UE, the donor UE may forward the coded data packet to the target UE base on the RNTI scrambling code. Such early detection of data packets addressed to the target UE may allow for the UE to forward a data packet without fully decoding the packet.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a solid-state battery including at least one current collector that is in communication with one or more switches configured to move between open and closed positions, where the open position corresponds to a first operational state of the solid-state battery and the closed position corresponds to a second operational state of the solid-state battery; one or more electrodes disposed adjacent to the one or more current collectors; and one or more electrothermal material foils including a resistor material that is in electrical communication with that at least one current collector, where in the first operational state electrons may flow through the one or more electrothermal material foils during cycling of the solid-state battery so as to initiate a heating mode, and in the second operational state electrons may flow through the current collector during cycling of the solid-state battery so as to initiate a non-heating mode.

Abstract: A system performs named entity recognition for performing natural language processing, for example, for conversation engines. The system uses context information in named entity recognition. The system includes the context of a sentence during model training and execution. The system generates high quality contextual data for training NER models. The system utilizes labeled and unlabeled contextual data for training NER models. The system provides NER models for execution in production environments. The system uses heuristics to determine whether to use a context-based NER model or a simple NER model that does not use context information. This allows the system to use simple NER models when the likelihood of improving the accuracy of prediction based on context is low.

Abstract: A system performs named entity recognition for performing natural language processing, for example, for conversation engines. The system uses context information in named entity recognition. The system includes the context of a sentence during model training and execution. The system generates high quality contextual data for training NER models. The system utilizes labeled and unlabeled contextual data for training NER models. The system provides NER models for execution in production environments. The system uses heuristics to determine whether to use a context-based NER model or a simple NER model that does not use context information. This allows the system to use simple NER models when the likelihood of improving the accuracy of prediction based on context is low.

Abstract: An electrochemical device according to various aspects of the present disclosure includes an electrochemical cell and an inductor coil. The electrochemical cell includes a current collector. the current collector includes an electrically-conductive material. The inductor coil is configured to generate a magnetic field. The magnetic field is configured to induce an eddy current in the current collector to generate heat in the current collector. In various aspects, the present disclosure also provides a method of internally heating an electrochemical cell. In various aspects, the present disclosure also provides a method of controlling heating of an electrochemical cell.

Abstract: A thermal device comprises a first layer of a non-metallic material that is a good conductor of heat and electricity, that includes a first terminal and a second terminal, and that has a first surface and a second surface; a metallic material disposed on the first surface of the first layer; a first plastic layer disposed on the metallic material; and a second plastic layer disposed on the second surface of the first layer. The first plastic layer and the second plastic layer include a plastic material that is a good conductor of heat.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a single stranded RNA vector suitable for introducing a therapeutic agent, such as a peptide, a protein or a small RNA, into a host plant. The vector does not encode for any movement protein or coat protein, but is capable of capable of systemic and phloem-limited movement and replication within the host plant.