In this work, wall stress models are incorporated into the local virtual body-fitted grid-based immersed boundary method for simulating incompressible turbulent flows around airfoils at high Reynolds numbers (Re>106). The proposed method generates a local virtual body-fitted grid along the immersed boundary according to the distribution of Lagrangian points, and constructs a reference layer consisting of a series of reference points outside the virtual grid to implement the wall models. Both the equilibrium and parameterized non-equilibrium wall models are considered in the present work. The wall shear stress, calculated by wall models, is used to reconstruct the velocity at virtual points, which is then projected onto the underlying Eulerian mesh to update the flow field. Numerical simulations of turbulent flows around a NACA0012 airfoil, a NACA23012 airfoil, and a 30P30N three-element airfoil are conducted to assess the performance of the present method. The results demonstrate its capability to accurately capture turbulent flow features around complex geometries at high Reynolds numbers. In addition, the use of a local virtual body-fitted grid ensures a smooth flow field near the boundary, free of spurious oscillations. These advantages highlight the potential of the proposed method as an effective tool for aeronautical applications.

In this work, an interpolation-supplemented quantum lattice Boltzmann method (IS-QLBM) is proposed to simulate incompressible flows with nonuniform meshes and curved boundaries. Owing to the constraint of lattice uniformity, existing quantum LBMs are restricted to uniform square meshes and regular geometries, which severely limit their practicality. To address this limitation, we introduce an interpolation strategy to reconstruct the distribution functions f at each mesh point from those at neighboring points, thereby formulating the entire streaming step into the form of A·f. The matrix A is then decomposed into unitary matrices via singular value decomposition (SVD) for quantum circuit implementation. Since A depends solely on the mesh point coordinates, IS-QLBM can be applied to arbitrary meshes and geometries. The proposed method is validated using two-dimensional incompressible isothermal and thermal flows. The results show that IS-QLBM agrees very well with its classical counterpart IS-LBM, and that quadratic or higher-order interpolation is recommended to ensure sufficient accuracy. To further improve computational efficiency, we develop a multi-circuit IS-QLBM framework that reduces computational cost to less than one-eighth of the single-circuit implementation without sacrificing accuracy.

Silver extraction from wastewater offers a sustainable alternative to traditional mining by mitigating aquatic contamination and alleviating precious metal scarcity. However, conventional adsorbents remain significantly challenged in simultaneously achieving low cost and high Ag recovery efficiency from harsh low-concentration wastewater. Here, a solvent-free green strategy is developed to fabricate a multisite-defective zirconium-based metal-organic framework (G-UiO-66) for Ag(I) extract, which exhibits a high adsorption capacity of 130.2 mg·g⁻1, rapid kinetics (h0 = 187.94 mg·g–1·min–1), broad working pH range (1–7) and a high distribution coefficient (Kd = 4096.1 L·g–1). Remarkably, within just 1 min, almost 99.7% of Ag(I) is extracted even at an ultralow concentration of 1000 ppb. Fixed-bed column tests further demonstrate effective treatment of up to 3800 bed volumes, with 95.2% capacity retention after six cycles. Mechanistic studies reveal that enriched oxygen vacancies, Zr–Cl sites, and –COOH groups synergistically enhance Ag(I) sequestration via vacancy-mediated coordination, quasi-precipitation, and carboxyl interactions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) confirm that the solvent-free route reduces environmental impacts while achieving an input–output ratio of up to 246%. This work establishes a green strategy for constructing high-performance adsorbents for Ag recovery, advancing wastewater resource circularity.

Quantum computing shows substantial potential in accelerating simulations and alleviating memory bottlenecks in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), owing to its inherent properties of superposition and entanglement. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), being largely algebraic in nature, has inspired the development of various quantum LBMs. However, most existing approaches fix the relaxation time at $τ$ = 1, thereby confining a given mesh resolution to simulations at a single Reynolds number. Although our earlier quantum lattice kinetic scheme (LKS) lifted this restriction, it suffers from instability at high Reynolds numbers. To address this challenge, we propose a quantum fractional-step LBM (FS-LBM). In this framework, the predictor step is implemented on a quantum circuit using the standard LBM formulation, while the corrector step is performed classically. The relaxation time is retained at $τ$ = 1 to ensure seamless compatibility with existing quantum LBMs. Benchmark simulations of representative two- and three-dimensional incompressible isothermal and thermal flows demonstrate that the quantum FS-LBM achieves accuracy and convergence orders consistent with its classical counterpart, while significantly outperforming the quantum LKS in both precision and stability. Notably, this work presents the first quantum LBM simulation of three-dimensional incompressible thermal flows.

This study developed a biodegradable loofah-immobilized microalgae-bacteria (LMB) system to enhance nutrient removal from municipal wastewater through coupled algal assimilation, bacterial transformation, and biomass retention. Operated under a 12 h:12 h light-dark cycle without aeration or external carbon addition, the LMB system achieved high removal efficiencies of 97.71 ± 1.83% for NH4+-N and 93.84 ± 5.32% for PO43--P, with corresponding removal rates of 27.65 ± 0.15 and 2.65 ± 0.32 g m-3·d-1, respectively. The total inorganic nitrogen removal efficiency reached 81.84 ± 7.38%, indicating efficient deep nitrogen removal under carbon-limited conditions. Mechanistic investigations showed that the loofah carrier continuously released bioavailable organic carbon, including proteins, polysaccharides, humus and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which supported microalgal growth and promoted the coupling of photoautotrophic nutrient assimilation with heterotrophic denitrification. Phase-specific nitrogen transformation analysis further revealed that microalgal assimilation dominated nitrogen removal during the light phase, whereas heterotrophic denitrification driven by loofah-derived organic carbon, became the major pathway for deep nitrogen removal in the dark phase. Microbial community analysis indicated that functional bacteria, including SM1A02 (4.53%), Exiguobacterium (6.95%) and Clostridium (36.98%), were enriched together with the dominant microalgal genus Tetradesmus (42.75%), forming a cooperative pollutant-degrading consortium. These results suggest that the LMB system offers a low-energy and carbon-efficient strategy for nutrient removal from wastewater while providing potential for biomass valorization.

Recovering LiFePO4 extraction slag (LES)—the FePO4‐rich residue formed after Li leaching from spent LiFePO4—has become pivotal to minimizing resource losses, mitigating environmental risks, and advancing circularity in lithium-ion battery value chains. However, integrative frameworks that link closed-loop routes (returning to battery precursors/cathodes) with non-closed-loop upcycling are still limited, constraining process optimization and scale-up. This review synthesizes current progress in LES recycling with emphasis on maximizing recovery efficiency and product value. In closed-loop pathways, hydrometallurgical purification removes impurities to yield battery-grade FePO4 as an LiFePO4 precursor, while direct relithiation (e.g., solid-state sintering aided by Li sources and reductants) restores Li and reduces Fe3+ to Fe2+, thereby regenerating LiFePO4 cathodes from LES. In non-closed-loop pathways, compositionally guided upcycling converts LES into advanced materials (e.g., high-performance electrodes, high-capacity adsorbents), thereby broadening the techno-economic value propositions. We also distill lessons from early industrial practice, identifying constraints arising from feedstock variability, energy-cost coupling (thermal/chemical utilities), and product-quality assurance (battery-grade specifications). Finally, we map research directions—including data-driven feed characterization and process control, defect-healing relithiation strategies and interfacial engineering, quality grading and market pathways, and multi-scenario deployment—to enhance the technical and economic sustainability of LES recycling and accelerate its contribution to a circular battery economy.

Accurate prediction of boundary layer transition in hypersonic flows is a critical challenge due to the coexistence of multiple instability mechanisms and their sensitivity to flow conditions. In this work, we propose a physics-informed multiscale attention wavelet neural operator (PIMAWNO) as a surrogate for the linear parabolized stability equations (LPSEs). The method employs a dual-operator collaborative training strategy, in which a perturbation profile operator and a streamwise wavenumber operator are trained on a high-fidelity database while exchanging information through physical normalization conditions. Symlet-9 wavelets are identified as the optimal basis, offering the lowest mean square error across training and testing datasets, with error levels consistently one to two orders of magnitude smaller than perturbation amplitudes. Model performance is evaluated on four canonical instabilities: traveling Mack mode, second mode, cross-flow mode, and centrifugal mode, with perturbation profiles and N-factor curves. Across all cases, PIMAWNO predictions closely reproduce LPSE solutions, accurately capturing both the spatial distribution and downstream amplification of disturbances. Absolute error analysis reveals that discrepancies are concentrated in regions of steep gradients, such as near-wall temperature peaks in the Second mode or spanwise velocity growth in the Centrifugal mode. These results confirm the potential of PIMAWNO as a robust, wavelet-enhanced surrogate model for LPSE, enabling efficient and accurate prediction of hypersonic boundary layer transition and providing a foundation for future stability-based transition prediction strategies.

This paper presents a high-order generalized differential quadrature element (GDQE)-thermal lattice Boltzmann flux solver (TLBFS) for simulating incompressible thermal flows. The GDQE method partitions the computational domain into multiple elements, within which the GDQ technique is applied to approximate solution gradients and flux divergences via high-order polynomial interpolations. The TLBFS is then utilized to reconstruct the distribution functions of density and internal energy, enabling the simultaneous evaluation of inviscid and viscous fluxes. Numerical examples confirm that the present method is well-suited for handling thermal flow problems with curved boundaries and complex geometry on arbitrary meshes, while achieving good solution accuracy and computational efficiency. The good performance also suggests the great potential in solving practical thermal flow problems.

Simulating rarefied gas flows with fluid-structure interactions presents significant challenges due to the breakdown of continuum assumptions and the complex interplay between non-equilibrium physics, moving geometry, and gas-surface interaction. This paper develops a conservative numerical method that integrates an advanced cut cell meshing technique with an improved discrete velocity method and the Maxwell gas-surface interaction model. Arbitrarily shaped moving boundaries are resolved on a Cartesian mesh via the cut cell approach, which reconstructs the boundaries to locally generate unstructured, body-fitted cells while preserving structured cells elsewhere in the domain. To accurately capture flow physics from continuum to rarefied regimes, the Boltzmann equation with the BGK-Shakhov model and the corresponding macroscopic equations are solved simultaneously within an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian framework, thereby ensuring conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. Another key contribution is the extension and implementation of the Maxwell gas-surface interaction model for moving boundaries using a Lagrange multiplier-based algorithm, which enforces macroscopic conservation laws during specular reflection. The performance of the proposed method is validated through a series of numerical tests: the hypersonic flow around a cylinder, periodic motion of a cylinder, hypersonic flow around a freely moving ellipse, particle movement in lid-driven cavity flow, and the interaction of dense inflow with a circular particle. Numerical results demonstrate the accuracy of the method across different Knudsen numbers and verify its conservative properties in the presence of arbitrarily shaped moving boundaries.

The improved discrete velocity method(IDVM)is a multiscale simulation approach capable of modeling flow fields across the entire regime,from continuum to free molecular flows.Compared with the traditional discrete velocity method(DVM),IDVM retains the simplicity of the conventional formulation while significantly enhancing computational accuracy and efficiency in the near-continuum regime.In this work,the fully implicit IDVM was extended to the Boltzmann equation based on a phenomenological collision model to simulate cross-regime flows of diatomic gases with rotational and vibrational nonequilibrium effects.The solution of the macroscopic governing equations was coupled with the implicit discretization of the kinetic model equation,and the collision effect was incorporated into the interface flux reconstruction,thereby overcoming the inherent deficiency of the traditional DVM in computational efficiency in the continuum regime.Validation against benchmark problems across different dimensions and Mach numbers showed good agreement with comparable numerical methods and experimental data.In the continuum and near-continuum regimes,the computational cost is reduced by approximately one order of magnitude compared with the conventional semi-implicit DVM.Moreover,the inclusion of vibrational modes improves the predicted drag coefficient of a three-dimensional sphere from −1.19%to −0.67%relative to the experimental value.These results demonstrate that the proposed method can accurately and efficiently simulate non-equilibrium flow problems of diatomic gases.

Polymer-based adsorbents hold great promise for direct lithium extraction (DLE) due to their accessible structural tunability and process adaptability, yet suffer from unsatisfactory Li+ selectivity in low-quality lithium sources. A class of fluorine-based materials (labeled as FBM-1, FBM-2 and FBM-3) were designed and fabricated for lithium adsorption via ester-linked fluorine functional moieties. Remarkably, FBM-2 achieves an exceptional Li+ distribution coefficient exceeding 110 mL g(-1), presenting a 10-fold enhancement over conventional lithium adsorption materials. The introduced oxygen atoms are enabled to enhance electron cloud density at fluoride adsorption sites, with boosted Li+ accessibility and more negative adsorption energy. To simplify process and broaden practical application adaptability, the FBM-2 was shaped into fibrous adsorbent, with exceptional Li+ selectivity (alpha of Li+/Na+=13.37) and stability (cycle > 15 times). This work provides a valuable guidance for designing advanced polymeric materials to directly extract lithium from complex aqueous systems.

In this work, a partitioned coupling algorithm is developed by integrating the improved discrete velocity method (IDVM) with the lattice Boltzmann flux solver (LBFS) to address conjugate heat transfer (CHT) in microscale systems across all flow regimes. Specifically, the flow field is solved by the IDVM, generating a heat flux that acts as a Neumann boundary condition at the interface for the solid domain. Subsequently, the LBFS calculates the thermal distribution inside the solid, and the updated temperature at the interface is then applied to the fluid computations as a Dirichlet condition. The proposed framework effectively combines the strengths of the IDVM in modeling rarefied gas flows with the advantages of the LBFS in handling heat conduction in complex geometries. Crucially, the current approach implicitly captures temperature jump discontinuities at the conjugate boundary, bypassing the requirement for supplementary jump conditions. To evaluate its performance, several CHT test cases involving rarefied gas in microchannels were conducted. Computational evidence suggests that the scheme is robust across diverse flow regimes.

The growing demand for lithium necessitates sustainable selective extraction from high-sodium lithium-bearing brine. 2D MoS2, though noted for its high capacity and fast kinetics, suffers from poor Li+/Na+ selectivity, as its excessive interlayer spacing fails to differentiate between ions with similar radii. Here, we propose an electrochemical dual-sieving strategy via Al3+ intercalation into 1T-MoS2, which simultaneously constructs geometric sieving channels through sub-Ångström S-S constrictions (2.20, 1.51, and 1.40 Å) that exclude Na+ while permitting Li+, and creates Al-centered polarized microdomains that establish a gradient electron channel for electronic sieving. The engineered Al-1T-MoS2 cathode delivers ultrafast Li+ extraction kinetics (1577.07 mg·g-1·day-1, 4.3-fold enhancement), a high specific capacity (1869.62 mAh·g-1), and an excellent Li+/Na+ separation factor of 41.6 (11.2-fold improvement). Structural and mechanistic analyses reveal that Al intercalation reduces the Mo-Mo interlayer spacing from 7.46 to 5.06 Å, while the S-S constrictions create the actual geometric barrier. The intercalated Al3+ also induces an electron gradient that forms polarized adsorption sites. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that this dual-confinement structure lowers the Li+ migration barrier by over 90% while significantly increasing barriers for competing ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+). This work establishes a generalizable intercalation-engineering paradigm for designing ion-selective materials.

To address the complex aerodynamic disturbances encountered by the first stage of reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) during Supersonic Retropropulsion (SRP) in the re-entry phase, this study conducts a systematical wind tunnel investigation of a typical slender cylindrical rocket model equipped with thrust vector control (TVC) at a freestream Mach number of M∞=5, corresponding to Reynolds numbers of Re=1.31×106 and 1.77×106, with a measured retro-jet nozzle exit Mach number of Me=2.33. Aerodynamic forces, surface pressures, and spatial flow field characteristics were measured across varying thrust vector angles (0°, 5°, and 10°) and angles of attack (0°, 5°, and 10°). Experimental results demonstrate that the activation of retropropulsion induces a typical short penetration mode (SPM), which significantly reduces the axial force on the vehicle and alters the surface pressure distribution, the characteristic locations of the shock–plume system exhibit a strong linear relationship with √CT. The introduction of thrust vectoring disrupts the global symmetry of the flow field, leading to a highly non-linear variation in the pitching moment. A small thrust-vector deflection (δ=5°) shifts the center of pressure forward and weakens static stability, whereas a larger deflection (δ=10°) shifts it rearward and partially restores stability despite stronger windward shock interactions. Correspondingly, the incremental pitching-moment control derivative Cmδ remains negative over the 0°-5° deflection interval at all tested angles of attack, indicating a reversed control response. Furthermore, Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis of high-speed schlieren images reveals that as the angle of attack increases, the dominant flow mechanisms transition from high-frequency, globally coherent shock oscillations (with a characteristic frequency of approximately 4263.1 Hz for the mode 1) to low-frequency, highly chaotic unsteady structures, significantly increasing flow complexity. These findings quantitatively elucidate the nonlinear coupling among thrust vectoring, angle of attack, and aerodynamic loads, providing physical insights and baseline data for aerodynamic modeling, control-oriented aerodynamic database development, and future control-system studies of reusable rockets during powered descent and landing.

Membrane separation technology serves as an essential approach for the efficient and sustainable extraction of lithium from salt-lake brines, whose effectiveness crucially depends on the selective Li+/Mg2+ separation performance. However, conventional nanofiltration (NF) membranes remain constrained by the trade-off between water permeability and ion selectivity. In this study, we proposed a two-step fabrication strategy that couples solution deposition with interfacial polymerization (IP), successfully constructing a positively charged Zr-His/ PTF composite NF membrane with a thin selective layer and uniform pore size. Hydrated zirconia clusters (hydrous-ZrO2) derived from inorganic zirconium salts were utilized to regulate the distribution of reaction sites via electrostatic anchoring, while the amphipathic structure of histidine was employed to restrict the diffusion of aqueous monomers. These two components synergistically modulated the IP process, enabling the precise regulation of the selective layer microstructure while significantly reducing organic reagent consumption. Under a high Mg2+/Li+ mass ratio of 30:1, the modified membrane achieved a synchronous enhancement in Li+/Mg2+ separation selectivity (29.57) and water permeance (21.7 L & sdot;m- 2 & sdot;h- 1, 6 bar). Moreover, the membrane maintained stable separation performance and structural integrity across a wide Mg2+/Li+ mass ratio range (1:1 to 100:1) and throughout 100 h of continuous operation. Through the integration of fabrication methods, this study provides a straightforward, low-cost and environmentally friendly strategy for fabricating high-performance NF membranes.

The Maxwell model is one of the most popular gas-surface interaction models, which serves as boundary conditions at solid surfaces in the simulation of rarefied gas flows. However, the classic Maxwell model treats the accommodation coefficient sigma as a constant, which contradicts the observations of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In this paper, we propose a physics-based Maxwell model with a variable sigma that takes into account the velocity and mass of the gas molecule and the surface temperature. Based on a physical model of the gas-surface interaction layer, we theoretically analyze the evolution of the gas distribution function, and associate sigma with the time scales of gas-surface interaction. With the binary collision assumption, we evaluate the mean time of gas-surface collisions, and consequently establish a physical model (with one fitting parameter) to correlate sigma with the properties of gas molecule and the surface temperature. The proposed model is systematically validated against MD simulations for the argon-platinum system under varying properties of gas molecule and surface temperature. Its broad applicability is further demonstrated for the argon-carbon and nitrogen-silicon carbide systems.

In this work, a fractional step lattice Boltzmann method (FS-LBM) enhanced by the least-squares finite difference (LSFD) approach is proposed to simulate incompressible flows. The conventional FS-LBM consists of prediction and correction steps, with the latter typically involving the solution of an anti-diffusion equation that requires discretizing the Laplacian operator. Previous studies have employed discretization schemes such as the central difference (CD) stencil and the finite difference stable stencil (SS). While the SS stencil improves numerical stability, it does so at the cost of considerably reduced accuracy compared with the CD stencil. To achieve a better balance between accuracy and stability, the LSFD method is introduced to discretize the Laplacian operator. The proposed method is validated through two- and three-dimensional isothermal and thermal flows. Numerical results demonstrate that the FS-LBM with LSFD maintains second-order convergence, offers superior stability compared to both CD and SS stencils, and achieves higher accuracy than the SS stencil. Furthermore, analysis of weighting functions within the LSFD framework shows that an appropriate choice of weighting function can significantly enhance accuracy, with the W2 weighting function performing best in 2D cases and W5 in 3D cases.

Conventional fluoride removal from photovoltaic (PV) wastewater suffers from high chemical consumption and sludge production. While biological methods are green, the biotoxicity of high F- concentrations often limits their efficiency. This study developed a high-efficiency microalgal-bacterial consortia that simultaneously achieved deep removal of TN (91.5%) and fluoride (96.8%) from PV wastewater. Mechanistic investigation revealed that synergistic metabolism is crucial: O2 and C exchange between microalgae and bacteria intensified nitrification-denitrification for high TN removal, while the combined metabolic activity created a local alkaline microenvironment and secreted EPS as nucleation sites for F- removal. XPS, XRD, and stoichiometric analysis confirmed a novel "Ca-P co-driven biomineralization" mechanism. A precipitate Ca/P ratio of 1.6 confirmed the Ca5(PO4)3(OH) framework, and the high Ca/F ratio indicated that fluoride was predominantly incorporated into the crystal lattice via isomorphous substitution, forming stable Ca5(PO4)3F. This research establishes a new synergistic strategy for F- removal mediated by calcium-mediated precipitation.

To address the dual challenges of battery waste and climate change, a sustainable method for high-value cathode recovery and carbon emission reduction was devised. Lithium in cathodes was converted to lithium carbonate via roasting in a CO2 atmosphere, achieving 94.17 % leaching efficiency in water. Subsequently, Ni, Co, and Mn were co-leached using nitric acid, reaching over 98 % efficiency. The resulting leachate was used to synthesize a Ni5Co5/3Mn5/3 trimetallic catalyst by co-precipitation. The catalyst exhibited excellent dry reforming of methane (DRM) performance at 800 degrees C, with CH4 and CO2 conversion rates of 98.01 % and 98.12 %, respectively. In a 50 h stability test, the catalytic efficiency exhibited only a slight decline. Structural characterization revealed the formation of a Ni-Co-MnOX interface, in which Ni and Co formed a solid solution during the reduction process. Together with the presence of Mn3+, these features contributed to enhanced resistance to carbon deposition and improved catalytic activity. This integrated approach not only enables efficient metal recovery from waste batteries but also converts them into functional catalysts for greenhouse gas utilization. The process is environmentally friendly and offers new opportunities for linking energy recovery, recycling, and CO2 reduction in the circular economy of LIBs.

This study investigates the effects of Supersonic Retropropulsion (SRP) on flow structures and aerodynamic loads during the vertical landing of reusable launch vehicles. A combined approach utilizing hypersonic wind tunnel experiments and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations is employed to systematically analyze the evolution of SRP-induced flow interference under varying freestream and thrust conditions. The investigation focuses on the complex interaction mechanisms between the retropropulsive jet and the hypersonic freestream, the evolution characteristics of vortex ring structures and their modulation of flow unsteadiness, as well as the quantitative relationships between characteristic flow scales and thrust parameters. The results show that SRP significantly alters the aerodynamic loading and flowfield topology in the aft-body region. The introduction of angle of attack induces asymmetric vortex ring evolution and large-scale low-frequency disturbances, which further affect the dynamic stability of the triple-point, shock structures, and recirculation zones. Under asymmetric conditions, the angle between the vortex core line and the wind tunnel axis rapidly decreases from 90° to 72.13° within 300 μs, corresponding to a transverse expansion velocity of 73.3 m/s. These asymmetric dynamics exhibit markedly stronger evolution rates and flow modulation compared to symmetric cases. Both experimental and numerical results consistently show a linear relationship between the locations of key flow structures and the square root of the thrust coefficient (CT). Additionally, the maximum Mach number increases almost linearly from 5.77 to 6.73 with increasing CT, showing minimal sensitivity to angle of attack. These findings enhance the physical understanding of SRP flow interference and offer valuable guidance for the development of predictive aerodynamic models and control strategies.