Catalytic effect of Ni@rGO on the hydrogen storage properties of MgH2

Uniform-uispersed Ni nanoparticics(NPs)anchored on reduced graphene oxide(Ni@rGO)catalyzed MgH2(MH-Ni@rGO)has been fabricated by mechanical milling.The effects of milling time and Ni loading amount on the hydrogen storage properties of MgH2 have been investigated.The initial hydrogen desorption temperature of MgH2 catalyzed by 10 wt.%Ni4@rGO6 for milling 5 h is significantly decreased from 251℃ to 190℃.The composite can absorb 5.0 wt.%hydrogen in 20 min at 100℃,while it can desorb 6.1 wt.%within 15 min at 300℃.Through the investigation of the phase transformation and dehydrogenation kinetics during hydrogen ab/desorption cycles,we found that the in-situ formed Mg2Ni/Mg2NiH4 exhibited better catalytic effect than Ni.When Ni loading amount is 45 wt.%,the rGO in Ni@rGO catalysts can prevent the reaction of Ni and Mg due to the strong interaction between rGO and Ni NPs.

Direct carbothermic reduction of ilmenite concentrates by adding high dosage of Na_(2)CO_(3) in microwave field

A clean and efficient route for the utilization of ilmenite concentrates was proposed by direct carbothermic reduction in microwave field.High dosage of Na_(2)CO_(3),which can be recycled,was added to accelerate the reduction reaction of ilmenite concentrates.After microwave heating in the temperature range of 1073−1123 K for 20 min,the main products were Na_(2)TiO_(3) and metallic Fe with the metallization ratios being as high as 92.67%−93.21%.The reduction products were processed by water leaching,ball-milling in CO2 atmosphere and magnetic separation in turn.The final products after magnetic separation were Fe-rich materials and Ti-rich materials(90.04 wt.%TiO2),which can be used to produce iron and TiCl4 or TiO2.The optimized heating temperature was 1123 K in terms of metallization ratios,magnetic separation and caking property of the reduction products.Besides,the reduction mechanism of ilmenite concentrates with the addition of Na_(2)CO_(3) in microwave field was also proposed.

Effect of calcium content on inclusions during the ladle furnace refining process of AISI 321 stainless steel

The effect of three heat processes with different calcium contents on the evolution of inclusions during the ladle furnace refining process of AISI 321 stainless steel was investigated.The size,morphology,and composition of the inclusions were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.After the addition of aluminum and titanium,the primary oxide in the AISI 321 stainless steel was an AbOs—MgO—TiOx complex oxide,in which the mass ratio of AbOs/MgO was highly consistent with spinel(MgO・AbO3).After calcium treatment,the calcium content in the oxide increased significantly.Thermodynamic calculations show that when the Ti content was 0.2wt%,the Al and Ca contents were less than 0.10wt%and 0.0005wt%,respectively,which was beneficial for the formation of liquid inclusions in molten steel.Moreover,the modification mechanism of calcium on TiN-wrapped oxides in combination with temperature changes was discussed.

Recovery and separation of Fe and Mn from simulated chlorinated vanadium slag by molten salt electrolysis

Tailings from the vanadium extraction process are discarded each year as waste,which contain approximately 30 wt%of Fe.In our previous work,we extracted Fe and Mn from vanadium slag,and Fe and Mn existed in the form of FeCl_(2) and MnCl_(2) after chlorination by NH_(4) Cl to achieve effective and green usage of waste containing Fe and Mn.In this work,square wave voltammetry(SWV)and cyclic voltammetry(CV)were applied to investigate the electrochemical behaviors of Fe^(2+)and Mn^(2+)in Na Cl-KCl melt at 800℃.The reduction processes of Fe^(2+)and Mn^(2+)were found to involve one step.The diffusion coefficients of FeCl_(2) and Mn Cl_(2) in molten salt of eutectic mixtures Na Cl-KCl molten salt were measured.The electrodeposition of Fe and Mn were performed using two electrodes at a constant cell voltage.The Mn/Fe mass ratio of the electrodeposited product in Na Cl-KCl-2.13 wt%FeCl_(2)-1.07 wt%Mn Cl_(2) was 0.0625 at 2.3 V.After the electrolysis of NaCl-KCl-2.13 wt%Fe Cl_(2)-1.07 wt%MnCl_(2) melted at 2.3 V,the electrolysis was again started under 3.0 V and the Mn/Fe mass ratio of the electrodeposited product was 36.4.This process provides a novel method to effectively separate Fe and Mn from simulated chlorinated vanadium slag.

Kinetic study on carbothermic reduction of ilmenite with activated carbon

The carbothermic reduction of Panzhihua ilmenite with various additions of activated carbon was investigated byisothermal experiments over the temperature range of1373to1773K in the argon atmosphere.According to the reaction kineticsrecorded by the infrared gas analyzer,it was found that the amount of carbon addition had little influence on the reaction rates atvarious temperatures except1473K.When the reaction temperature was above the eutectic temperature of1427K of Fe?C binarysystem,part of carbon would dissolve into Fe to form a liquid phase,which made the liquid Fe as a diffusion channel of carbon todiffuse to the reaction interface.The carbothermic reduction above1573K obeyed the shrinking-core model.The mass fraction ofTiC could be determined by the standard addition technique.

Dissolution and diffusion of TiO_2 in the CaO-Al_2O_3-SiO_2 slag

The dissolution of TiO2 in the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 slag under static conditions was studied in the temperature range from 1643 K to 1703 K. After TiO2 dissolved, the microstructure of the interface between TiO2 and the slag was observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the concentration profiles of Ti4＋and other ions across the TiO2/slag interfaces were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. On the basis of these results, the dissolution behavior of TiO2 was evaluated, and the diffusivity of Ti4＋in the bulk slag was estimated. Ac-cording to the Stokes-Einstein relation, the viscosity calculated by a previously reported model gave a diffusivity of Ti4＋ions greater than that estimated by the concentration profiles of Ti4＋ions. The mechanism of TiO2 dissolution in the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 slag is discussed in de-tail.

Effects of various rare earth oxides on morphology and size of oxide dispersion strengthening(ODS)-W and ODS-Mo alloy powders

Ultrafine oxide dispersion strengthening(ODS)-Mo and ODS-W alloy powders containing different types of oxide nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by spraying method(solid−liquid mixing method)combined with the reductions with carbon black and hydrogen in sequence.It is concluded that the solution concentration and type of rare earth oxide have no effect on the grain size of ODS-Mo alloy powder,but have obvious effect on that of ODS-W alloy powder.The higher the concentration of rare earth solution is,the smaller the average grain size of ODS-W alloy powder is.Furthermore,compared with doping with CeO_(2),the grain sizes of reduction products of La_(2)O_(3) and Y_(2)O_(3) doped WO_(3) are relatively larger.Compared with the undoped case,there is almost no change for grain size of ODS-Mo alloy powder,while the grain size of ODS-W alloy powder becomes much larger.This is probably due to the appearance of the composite oxide(such as La_(2)WO_(6))formed by the reaction between tungsten oxide and rare earth oxides,which promotes the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of tungsten grains during the reduction process of ODS-W,while there is no complex oxide composed of molybdenum and rare earth oxides in the reduction process of ODS-Mo.

Tunable fabrication of single-crystalline CsPbI_(3) nanobelts and their application as photodetectors

Lead halide perovskites have received increasing attention recently as a candidate material in various optoelectronic areas because of their high performance as light absorbers.Herein,we report the growth of CsPbI_(3) nanobelts via a solution process.A single-crystalline CsPbI_(3) nanobelt with uniform morphology can be achieved by controlling the amount of PbI_(2).A single-crystalline CsPbI_(3) nanobelt possesses a mean width,length,and thickness of 100 nm,5μm,and 20 nm,respectively.In this work,photodetectors(PDs)based on individual CsPbI_(3) nanobelts are constructed and found to perform well with an external quantum efficiency and responsivity of 2.39×10^(5)% and 770 A/W,respectively.The PDs also show a high detectivity of up to 3.12×10^(12) Jones,which is at par with that of Si PDs.The PDs developed in this work exhibit great promise in various optoelectronic nanodevices.

Topography,structure,and formation kinetic mechanism of carbon deposited onto nickel in the temperature range from 400 to 850°C

The carbon deposition behavior on nickel particles was observed within the temperature range from 400 to 800°C in a pure methane atmosphere. The topography, properties, and molecular structure of the deposited carbon were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) technology, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The deposited carbon is present in the form of a film at 400-450°C, as fibers at 500-600°C, and as particles at 650-800°C. In addition, the structure of the deposited carbon becomes more ordered at higher temperatures because both the TPO peak temperature of deposited carbon and the Raman shift of the G band increase with the increase in experimental temperature, whereas the intensity ratio between the D bands and the G band decreases. An interesting observation is that the carbon deposition rate is suppressed in the medium-temperature range (M-T range) and the corresponding kinetic mechanism changes. Correspondingly, the FWHM of the G and D1 bands in the Raman spectrum reaches a maximum and the intensities of the D2, D3, and D4 bands decrease to low limits in the M-T range. These results indicate that carbon structure parameters exhibit two different tendencies with respect to varying temperature. Both of the two group parameters change dramatically as a peak function with increasing reaction temperature within the M-T range.

Study on reduction of MoS_2 powders with activated carbon to produce Mo_2C under vacuum conditions

A method of preparing Mo2C via vacuum carbothermic reduction of MoS2 in the temperature range of 1350–1550°C was proposed. The effects of MoS2-to-C molar ratio（a, a = 1：1, 1：1.5, and 1：2.5） and reaction temperature（1350 to 1550°C） on the reaction were studied in detail. The phase transition, morphological evolution, and residual sulfur content of the products were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and carbon–sulfur analysis, respectively. The results showed that the complete decomposition of MoS2 under vacuum is difficult, whereas activated carbon can react with MoS2 under vacuum to generate Mo2C. Meanwhile, higher temperatures and the addition of more carbon accelerated the rate of carbothermic reduction reaction and further decreased the residual sulfur content. From the experimental results, the optimum molar ratio α was concluded to be 1：1.5.

Effect of NaCl on synthesis of ZrB2 by a borothermal reduction reaction of ZrO2

ZrB2 powders were synthesized via a borothermal reduction reaction of ZrO2 with the assistance of NaCl under a flowing Ar atmosphere. The optimal temperature and reaction time were 1223 K and 3 h, respectively. Compared with the reactions conducted without the addition of NaCl, those performed with the addition of an appropriate amount of NaCl finished at substantially lower temperatures. However, the addition of too much NaCl suppressed this effect. With the assistance of NaCl, a special morphology of polyhedral ZrB2 particles covered with ZrB2 nanosheets was obtained. Moreover, the experimental results revealed that the special morphology was the result of the combined effects of B2O3 and NaCl. The formation of the special microstructure is explained on the basis of the “dissolution–recrystallization” mechanism.

Thermodynamic assessment of Mg-Ni-Y system focusing on long-period stacking ordered phases in the Mg-rich corner

The long-period stacking ordered phases(LPSOs) in Mg-Ni-Y system have been attracting great interest as effective strengthening components because of their unique structural characteristics and deformation mechanism.However,the phase relationships in LPSOs are complicated and unclear,which restricts the design of advanced magnesium-based alloys.The aim of the present work is to experimentally determine the phase equilibria relationships focusing on LPSOs and establish the thermodynamic description for Mg-Ni-Y system.Four types of LPSOs,that is,14H,12R,18R and 10H,are confirmed through equilibrated alloys and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HR-TEM).The formation enthalpies of LPSOs(14H,12R,18R and 10H) are calculated based on density functional theories(DFT) calculations.A new ternary compound,termed as τ phase,is observed for the first time which is likely to be the distorted structure of 12R as determined from the TEM image which shows a 12-layer closed packing plane distance of 3.252nm and a shear angle of 83.2°between(0002) and(10■0) planes.Based on the determined phase equilibria relationship,the Mg-Ni-Y system is assessed and a selfconsistent description is obtained where the LPSOs are modeled as the stoichiometric compounds.The comparison between the calculation result and experimental data suggests the accuracy of the present thermodynamic database in the Mg-rich corner.

Supercapacitor electrode based on few-layer h-BNNSs/rGO composite for wide-temperature-range operation with robust stable cycling performance

Currently,developing supercapacitors with robust cycle stability and suitability for wide-temperature-range operations is still a huge challenge.In the present work,few-layer hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets(h-BNNSs)with a thickness of 2−4 atomic layers were fabricated via vacuum freeze-drying and nitridation.Then,the h-BNNSs/reduced graphene oxide(rGO)composite were further prepared using a hydrothermal method.Due to the combination of two two-dimensional(2D)van der Waals-bonded materials,the as-prepared h-BNNSs/rGO electrode exhibited robustness to wide-temperature-range operations from−10 to 50℃.When the electrodes worked in a neutral aqueous electrolyte(1 M Na2SO4),they showed a great stable cycling performance with almost 107%reservation of the initial capacitance at 0℃ and 111% at 50℃ for 5000 charge−discharge cycles.

A model for estimating the viscosity of blast furnace slags with optical basicity

Viscosity is an important physical property of blast furnace slags and has a great influence on blast furnace operations. Because of time consumption and difficulties encountered during high temperature experimental measurement, viscosity data are also limited, so a rea-sonable and accurate estimation model is required to provide the data for controlling and optimizing the blast furnace process. In the present study a viscosity model was proposed for blast furnace slags. In the model the activation energy was calculated by the optical basicity cor-rected for cations required for the charge compensation of , and the temperature dependence was described by the Weymann-Frenkel equation. The estimated viscosity values of the CaO-Al2O3-SiO2, CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-MgO, and CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-MgO-TiO2 systems fit well with experiment data, with the mean deviation less than 25%.

Molten salt synthesis of mullite nanowhiskers using different silica sources

Mullite nanowhiskers with Al-rich structure were prepared by molten salt synthesis at 1000°C for 3 h in air using silica, amorphous silica, and ultrafine silica as the silica sources. The phase and morphology of the synthesized products were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. A thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis was carried out to determine the reaction mechanism. The results reveal that the silica sources play an important role in determining the morphology of the obtained mullite nanowhiskers. Clusters and disordered arrangements are obtained using common silica and amorphous silica, respectively, whereas the use of ultrafine silica leads to highly ordered mullite nanowhiskers that are 80-120 nm in diameter and 20-30 μm in length. Considering the growth mechanisms, mullite nanowhiskers in the forms of clusters and highly ordered arrangements can be attributed to heterogeneous nucleation, whereas disordered mullite nanowhiskers are obtained by homogenous nucleation.

Reaction mechanisms for 0.5Li_2MnO_3 ·0.5LiMn_(0.5)Ni_(0.5)O_2 precursor prepared by low-heating solid state reaction

Lithium-excess manganese layered oxides, which are commonly described in chemical formula 0.5Li2MnO3·0.5LiMn0.5Ni0.5O2, were prepared by low-heating solid state reaction. The reaction mechanisms of synthesizing precursors, the decomposition mechanism, and intermediate materials in calcination were investigated by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, field emission scanning electron microscopy （FESEM）, thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）, and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. The major diffraction patterns of 0.5Li2MnO3·0.5LiMn0.5Ni0.5O2 powder calcinated at 720℃ for 15 h are indexed to the hexagonal structure with a space group of R3m, and the clear splits of doublets at （006）/（102） and （108）/（110） indicate that the sample adopts a well-layered structure. FESEM images show that the size of the agglomerated particles of the sample ranges from 100 to 300 nm.

Interdiffusion in the Fe_2O_3-TiO_2 system

Interdiffusion in the Fe203-TiO2 system was investigated by the diffusion couple method in the temperature range of 1323 to 1473 K. The diffusion concentration curves of Ti4＋ cations were obtained by electron probe microanalysis, according to which the Boltzmann-Matano method optimized by Broeder was used to calculate the interdiffusion coeffi- cients. The interdiffusion coefficients almost increased linearly with the mole fraction of Ti4＋ cations increasing, and they were in the range of 10-12-10-11cm2-s-1. The increase of temperature could also lead to the increase of the interdiffusion coefficients at a constant concentration of Ti4＋ cations. It was also found that the thickness growth of the diffusion layer obeyed the parabolic rate law.

Non-isothermal reduction kinetics of titanomagnetite by hydrogen

Reduction of titanomagnetite （TTM） powders by H2-Ar gas mixtures was investigated under a non-isothermal condition by using a thermogravimetric analysis system. It was found that non-isothermal reduction of TTM proceeded via a dual-reaction mechanism. The first reaction was reduction of TTM to wustite and ilmenite, whereas the second one was reduction of wiistite and ilmenite to iron and titanium dioxide. By using a new model for the dual reactions, which was in an analytical form and incorporated different variables, such as time, temperature, particle size, and hydrogen partial pressure, rate-controlling steps for the dual reactions were obtained with the apparent activation energies calculated to be 90-98 and 115-132 kJ/mol for the first and second reactions, respectively.

High Cr(Ⅵ) adsorption capacity of rutile titania prepared by hydrolysis of TiCl4 with AlCl3 addition

Rutile titania(TiO2)was successfully prepared via hydrolysis of TiCl4 in the presence of AlCl3.The powders were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET)surface area analysis.In the present system,AlCl3 functions as a nucleating agent and induces the formation of rutile TiO2.The influences of HCl and isopropanol concentrations on the purity and morphology of the rutile TiO2 were investigated.The purity of the rutile TiO2 increased with increasing concentration of HCl.Evenly dispersed rutile TiO2 particles with a spherical morphology were obtained when the HCl and isopropanol concentrations were 0.5 and 1 mol·L-1,respectively.Furthermore,the prepared TiO2 powders were used in adsorption tests of the heavy metal pollutant Cr(Ⅵ).Rutile TiO2 sample S-9 demonstrated greater adsorption performance and a removal efficiency that was greater than 99.95%after60 min of adsorption when the Cr(Ⅵ)concentration was 200 mg·L-1.The maximum adsorption capacity on rutile TiO2 was 28.9 mg·g-1.This work provides an easy path to prepare a high-performance rutile TiO2 adsorbent with potential applications in water pollution treatment.

Carbon deposition in porous nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia anode under methane atmosphere

A commercial solid oxide fuel cell with a Ni/YSZ anode was characterized under a pure methane atmosphere. The amount of deposited carbon increased with an increase in temperature but decreased when the temperature exceeded 700°C. The reactivity of carbon decreased with increasing deposition temperature. Filamentous carbon was deposited from 400 to 600°C, whereas flake carbon was deposited at 700 and 800°C. With increasing temperature, the intensity ratio of the D band over the sum of the G and D bands was constant at the beginning and then decreased with the transformation of the carbon morphology. The crystallite size increased from 2.9 to 13 nm with increasing temperature. The results also indicated that the structure of the deposited carbon was better ordered with increasing deposition temperature. In comparison with pure Ni powders, the interaction between the YSZ substrate and Ni particles could not only modify the carbon deposition kinetics but also reduce the temperature effect on the structure and reactivity variation of carbon.