Preparation and Properties of Bio-Based Flame Retardant Polyvinyl Alcohol

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has been widely used in the fields of medical, food and packaging due to its excellentbiocompatibility, good fiber-forming and film-forming properties. However, the high flammability of PVA hasgreatly limited its wider applications. The flame-retardant PVA was prepared by melt blending of a bio-basedflame retardant (prepared from lignin, phosphoric acid and carbamide) with thermoplastic PVA (TPVA). Thechemical structure, morphology, thermal properties, mechanical properties, fire property and fluidity of thisflame retardant PVA were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscope(SEM), thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA), impact tester, universal testing machine,horizontal-vertical burning tester, limiting oxygen indexer(LOI) and melt flow rate meter(MFR). The resultsshowed that the prepared flame retardant had good compatibility with the PVA substrate;The impact strength,melt flow rate, fire property and char residue of this PVA material increased with the content of bio-based flameretardant. When the content of flame retardant was of 20%, the five indices including impact strength, meltflow rate, UL-94 level, LOI and char residual were 11.3 KJ/m^(2), 21.2 g/10 min, V-0 UL-94 level, 33.1%, and19.2%, respectively. This research can promote the high-value utilization of lignin and the application ofPVA in the fields of fire protection.

Preparation and Properties of Bio-Based Flame Retardant L-APP/Poly(L-lactic acid)Composites

Poly(L-lactic acid)(PLLA)is a thermoplastic material with complete degradability,high biocompatibility and excellent mechanical properties.It can replace petroleum-based polymers are currently being used in the fields of packaging,agriculture,textiles,medical and so on.However,PLLA’s extremely flammability greatly limits its wider application.An bio-based flame retardant L-APP/PLLA composites was prepared by melt blending of the L-APP and PLLA.The morphology,impact properties,thermal properties and flame retardant properties of composites were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope(SEM),impact tester,differential scanning calorimeter(DSC),thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA),limiting oxygen indexer(LOI)and horizontalvertical burning tester.The results showed that the degree of crystallization(X_(c))and LOI of L-APP/PLLA composites increased as increasing of L-APP content.What’s more,the impact strength first increased and then decreased,the glass transition temperature(T_(g))and melting temperature(T_(m))do not changed significantly.The impact strength of composites was 9.1 kJ/m^(2) at a 5 wt%loading for L-APP,which was the highest level.When the content of L-APP was 20%,the LOI was 30.8%,the Xc was 42.3%and the UL-94 level was V-0.This research can promote the value-added utilization of lignin and the application of PLLA in the fields of flame retardant materials.

A self-healing coating based on facile pH-responsive nanocontainers for corrosion protection of magnesium alloy

The preparation of pH-responsive nanocontainers by typical silane modification of the mesoporous silica nanoparticle(MSN)surface is usually high-cost,complex,and time-consuming,which remains a great challenge for effective corrosion protection of magnesium alloy.Here,a new strategy to construct pH-responsive nanocontainers(MSN-MBT@LDH)is demonstrated.The nanocontainers consist of corrosion inhibitor(2-mercaptobenzothiazole,MBT)loaded MSN core and layered double hydroxide(LDH)nanosheet shell serving as gatekeepers.The successful loading of MBT and encapsulation by LDH nanosheets were confirmed by a series of characterization such as scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(STEM-EDS)and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms.The pH-responsive feature of the nanocontainers was demonstrated by determination of the MBT concentration in buffer solutions with different pH values.A smart corrosion protection system on Mg alloy is obtained by incorporating the synthesized nanocontainers into a self-assembled nanophase particle(SNAP)coating.The electrochemical tests and visual observations show that the hybrid coating has the best barrier properties and robustness in corrosion protection in NaCl corrosive solutions in comparison with the control coatings.The present method simplifies the synthesis processes of nanocontainers and eliminates the potential detrimental effect of excess gatekeepers on the coating.The findings provide new insights into the preparation of scalable nanocontainers.The self-healing coatings are expected to have widespread applications for corrosion protection of Mg alloy and other metals.

Electrochemical Fabrication of Pd-Ag Alloy Nanowire Arrays in Anodic Alumina Oxide Template

The synthesis of Pd-Ag alloy nanowires in nanopores of porous anodic aluminum oxide （AAO） template by electrochemical deposition technique was reported. Pd-Ag alloy nanowires with 16%-25% Ag content are expected to serve as candidates of useful nanomaterials for the hydrogen sensors. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy dispersed X-ray spectroscopy （EDX） were employed to characterize the morphologies and compositions of the Pd-Ag nanowires. X-ray diffraction （XRD） was used to characterize the phase properties of the Pd-Ag nanowires. Pd-Ag alloy nanowire arrays with 17.28%-23.76% Ag content have been successfully fabricated by applying potentials ranging from -0.8 to -1.0 V （vs SCE）. The sizes of the alloy nanowires are in agreement with the diameter of AAO nanopores. The underpotential deposition of Ag＋ on Pd and Au plays an important role in producing an exceptionally high Ag content in the alloy. Alloy compositions can still be controlled by adjusting the ion concentration ratio of Pd^2＋ and Ag＋ and the electrodeposition processes. XRD shows that nanowires obtained are in the form of alloy of Pd and Ag.

One-pot scalable in situ growth of highly corrosion-resistant MgAl-LDH/MBT composite coating on magnesium alloy under mild conditions

Current corrosion-resistant layered double hydroxide(LDH)coating on Mg alloy is usually in situ grown in autoclave by hydrothermal methods under high temperature and high-pressure conditions,which is unfavorable for industrial application.We report that an inhibitor(2-mercaptobenzothiazole,MBT)incorporated composite(Mg Al-LDH/MBT)coating can be in situ deposited on bare AZ31 Mg alloy surface with the assistance of a chelating agent(ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid)under a relatively low temperature(95℃)and ambient pressure by a one-pot method.The successful formation of LDH/MBT composite coating is confirmed by a series of characterizations,such as X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS).The corrosion resistance of the composite coating is evaluated by means of hydrogen evolution measurement,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),Tafel polarization curves,and neutral salt spray test.The tests show that the LDH/MBT composite coating has a very low corrosion current density(1.7310^(-8)A cm^(-2)),an extremely high charge transfer resistance(2.336 M cm^(2)),and does not show any corrosion pits even after 15 d of exposure to a Na Cl solution or 7 d of exposure to salt fog environment,manifesting the good and robust corrosion protection.Lastly,the deposition and corrosion protection mechanisms of the Mg Al-LDH/MBT composite coating are also discussed and proposed based on the EDS characterization of the coating after long-time exposure.

Preparation of Core-Shell Structured Cobalt Coated Tungsten Carbide Composite Powders by Intermittent Electrodeposition

Core-shell structured cobalt coated tungsten carbide（WC/Co） composite powders were prepared by intermittent electrodeposition. The influence of process parameters such as current density, single deposition pulse, p H value and surfactants on the formation of WC/Co was investigated and characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, electrochemical station, acidometer and X-ray diffraction（XRD） techniques.The composite powders with 54% cobalt content were fabricated at a current density of 16 A dm-2, with a load of 10 g dm-3WC powders and a stirring speed of 600 r min-1at an operation temperature of 40 ± 2 °C,and 90% current efficiency was obtained with a single deposition pulse of 1.5 min and single stirring pulse of 2 min during 12 min efficient electrodeposition time. The uniformly distributed WC/Co powders could be obtained in the cobalt electrolyte containing 300 mg dm-3PEG-2000. The spherical cobalt grains coated WC particles were prepared in the p H 4-5 electrolyte at the Co deposition rate of 0.58 g min-1. A practical process for high efficient production of WC/Co powders by electrodeposition was developed in the present work.

Performance of Amperometric and Potentiometric Hydrogen Sensors

The principle, design, construction and performance of the amperometric and potentiometric sensors for measuring the permeation rate of hydrogen through the wall of metal equipment were investigated in order to develop a new type of hydrogen sensor with high accuracy. The transient curves of hydrogen permeation under a given charging condition were employed to evaluate the performance of two types of hydrogen sensors. The relative deviation of the hydrogen concentration detected with two types of sensors under the same condition varied from 3.0% to 13%. The accuracy, response time, reproducibility, and installation were discussed and compared. Response time of the potentiometric sensor （E-sensor） was shorter than that of the amperometric sensor （I-sensor）. Both types of sensors exhibited good reproducibility. Development of I-sensor composed of a kind of proton conductor adhesives or non-fluid electrolytes which contain two functions of high electrical conductivity and a strong adhesion will be a promising prospect in order to measure hydrogen permeation at high temperature.

Controlled Growth of Pt–Au Alloy Nanowires and Their Performance for Formic Acid Electrooxidation

Pt-Au alloy nanowires have been controllably electrodeposited on microelectrodes by applying an al- ternating current and were used as the electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation. The frequency and voltage of the alternating current and the electrolyte composition were adjusted to precisely control the mor- phologies, alloying structures and composition. The characteristics of Pt-Au alloy nanowires were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron spectroscopy. Electrocatalytic performance of formic acid oxidation at Pt-Au alloy nanowires electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results showed that the Pt-Au alloy nanowires possessed highly- crystalline morphologies, the controllable bimetallic composition and single-phase alloy structures, which mainly grow in the 〈111〉 crystal orientation. The electrocatalytic activity of formic acid oxidation strongly depended on the bimetallic Pt/Au composition. The PtjsAu6s alloy nanowires displayed superior electrocatalytic performance and high stability toward the electrooxidation of formic acid in acidic so- lution, owing to the ensemble effect of the Pt and Au components. These findings provided insights into the design of the Pt-Au bimetallic nanomaterials as electrocatalvsts for formic acid oxidation.

Coupling a titanium dioxide based heterostructure photoanode with electroless-deposited nickel-phosphorus alloy coating on magnesium alloy for enhanced corrosion protection

The utilization of photoelectrochemical cathodic protection(PECCP)enables an indirect corrosion pro-tection of metals with low self-corrosion potential by introducing a metallic nickel interlayer.However,the ability to enhance the PECCP efficiency remains challenging because of the inherent property of the semiconductor.Herein,this ability is demonstrated by coupling a covalent organic framework(TpBD)dec-orated TiO 2 photoanode(TiO 2/TpBD)with nickel coating on magnesium alloy for an effective corrosion protection.The composite photoanode showed direct PECCP for the nickel interlayer and indirect corro-sion protection of the magnesium alloy.The composite structure of the nanotube array and the covalent organic framework for the photoanode were confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The en-hanced photoelectrochemical conversion capability and PECCP performance of the nickel-coated Mg alloy were evidenced by the results from electrochemical and photoelectrochemical measurements including Mott-Schottky curves,photoinduced potential variations,and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).Lastly,a corrosion protection mechanism is proposed,where the enhanced PECCP efficiency is at-tributed to the formation of a direct Z-scheme heterojunction,which is substantiated by the results from valence band(VB)XPS and electron spin resonance characterizations.