Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ is a well-known “zero strain” anode for Lithium ion batteries with excellent capacity retention and good thermal stability. But it exhibits poor capacity retention and unsatisfactory rate properties when used in Sodium ion batteries. Herein, Na doped Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (Na_xLi_4-xTi₅O₁₂) used as an anode for sodium-ion battery has shown higher specific capacity and better cycling and rate performance compared with pristine Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ electrode. With an appropriate binder, the Na_0.11Li_3.89Ti₅O₁₂ electrode delivers a reversible capacity over 150 mAh g⁻¹ and shows excellent stability over 800 cycles with a very small capacity decay of 0.025% per cycle.

The effect of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), with different concentrations in simulated water, on the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and their adhesion behaviour on stainless-steel surfaces, with and without visible light treatment, were investigated. The results showed that the concentration of ZnO NPs and light treatment greatly influenced the antibacterial performance of the NPs. In the water solution without light treatment, the low concentration (no more than 1 mg/L) of ZnO NPs in the aqueous solution promoted the growth of SRB, and the amount of biofilm attached to the stainless-steel surface increased. As the concentration increased, ZnO NPs exhibited antibacterial effects. In water under visible light irradiation, ZnO NPs showed antibacterial performance at all the concentrations studied (0.5~50 mg/L), and the antibacterial efficiency increased with the increase in the concentration of NPs. The determination results of the reactive oxygen species showed that light treatment can stimulate ZnO NPs in water to generate ·OH and O₂^·−, which exhibited good antibacterial properties. The adhesion amount of SRB on the stainless-steel surface was inversely proportional to the antibacterial efficiency of ZnO NPs.

Nanofluids have great application prospects in industrial heat exchange systems because they can significantly improve the heat and mass transfer efficiency. However, the presence of nanoparticles in the fluid might also affect the formation and attachment of inorganic scales, such as calcium carbonate, on the heat exchange surface. The effects of carbon nanoparticles on the crystallization of calcium carbonate in aqueous solution were studied by the scale inhibition test, solution analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that carbon nanoparticles had an excellent surface scale inhibition performance for calcium carbonate, which could effectively prevent the adhesion of scale on the heat exchange surface. The carbon nanoparticles did not affect the solubility of calcium carbonate in water, but changed the crystal form of the precipitated calcium carbonate, making it difficult to adsorb on the heat exchange surface and achieving a surface scale inhibition effect. Carbon nanofluids effectively inhibit the adhesion of calcium carbonate to heat exchange surfaces.

The formation of CaCO₃ crystals on the cathode surface and the scale-inhibition performance of scale inhibitor 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTCA) on the cathode surface were studied by methods of solution analysis, gravimetric analysis, SEM, FTIR, and XRD techniques. They were then compared with the results of the formation and suppression of CaCO₃ crystals in aqueous solution. PBTCA had a good solution-scale-inhibition performance and good lattice-distortion effects on CaCO₃ crystals in solution, which could change the CaCO₃ from calcite to vaterite and aragonite crystals. The solution-scale-inhibition efficiency exceeded 97% when the PBTCA concentration reached 8 mg/L. Under cathodic polarization conditions, the surface-scale-inhibition efficiency of the cathode and solution-scale-inhibition efficiency near the cathode surface both exceed 97% at polarization potential of −1V. The addition of PBTCA significantly reduced the amount of CaCO₃ crystals formed on the cathode surface and had good surface and solution-scale-inhibition effect. However, the lattice-distortion effect of PBTCA on CaCO₃ crystals disappeared on the cathode surface, and the resulting CaCO₃ contained only calcite crystals. The high-scale-inhibition effect of PBTCA under cathodic polarization was mainly due to the inhibition of the formation of calcium carbonate crystals by PBTCA, and not because of the lattice distortion of CaCO₃ crystals.