Surface morphologies of Mg-Gd alloy particle during its reactions with O_(2) and Teflon

Mg-Gd alloy particle has exhibited its unique combustion properties as the fuel of Mg/Teflon/Viton(MTV).Mg-Gd alloy/Teflon/Viton(MGTV)could burn at lower ambient pressure than MTV.To further investigate the reaction of MGTV in air,it was investigated via thermo gravity-differential scanning calorimetry(TG-DSC).Meanwhile,the morphologies and element distributions on the alloy surface during the reaction of MGTV in air were investigated via scanning electronic microscope-mapping-electronic differential spectrometer.Meanwhile,a similar experimental protocol on the Mg-Gd alloy particle during oxidation was also applied.The results showed that owning to a protective oxide shell,the onset oxidation temperature of Mg-Gd alloy is higher than Mg.However,the onset oxidation temperature of the exceeded Mg-Gd alloy in MGTV is significantly lower than that of the exceeded Mg in MTV.It was due to the existence of GdOF,which could significantly lower the oxidation temperature of the exceeded fuel.Furthermore,a possible reaction mechanism was proposed.The fascinating oxidation properties of Mg-Gd alloy suggested its promising applications in energetic materials.

Efficient flexible dye-sensitized solar cells from rear illumination based on different morphologies of titanium dioxide photoanode

The TiO_(2) with nanoparticles(NPs),nanowires(NWs),nanorods(NRs)and nanotubes(NTs)structures were prepared by using a in-situ hydrothermal technique,and then proposed as a photoanode for flexible dye-sensitized solar cell(FDSSC).The influences of the morphology of TiO_(2) on the photovoltaic performances of FDSSCs were investigated.Under rear illumination of 100 mW·cm^(−2),the power conversion efficiencies of FDSSCs achieved 6.96%,7.36%,7.65%,and 7.83%with the TiO_(2) photoanodes of NPs,NWs,NRs,and NTs and PEDOT counter electrode.The FDSSCs based on TiO_(2) NRs and NTs photoanodes have higher short circuit current densities and power conversion efficiencies than that of the others.The enhanced power conversion efficiency is responsible for their nanotubes and rod-shaped ordered structures,which are more beneficial to transmission of electron and hole in semiconductor compared to the TiO_(2) nanoparticles and nanowires disordered structure.

Effect of Different Morphologies Induced by Solvent on ZIF-67 Derived Co@NC for Catalytic Phenol Hydrogenation

The Co@NC catalysts with different morphologies were prepared by two step process,solvent control growth and pyrolysis method.The polyhedral Co@NC-67P-450 catalyst has a relatively high CoNx content and exhibits excellent phenol hydrogenation activity(conversion 96.9%)at 160℃,3 MPa,which is higher than that of leaf shaped Co@NC-67L-450 catalyst(conversion 75.4%).We demonstrated Co_(3)O_(4)was reduced to the Co^(0)during the reaction.Moreover,CoNx species contribute to the superior hydrogenation activity of phenol.The Co-based catalysts can be easily recovered through the magnetic separation and performed the high stability.

Simultaneous Morphologies and Luminescence Control of NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er Nanophosphors by Surfactants for Cancer Cell Imaging

Hydrophilic rare-earth up-conversion nanophosphors(UCNPs)with small sizes and a strong up-conversion luminescence have attracted much interest.Herein the simultaneous control of morphologies and the up-conversion luminescence intensities was reported for NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanophosphors by a facile hydrothermal procedure with different surfactants.With the change of the surfactants from polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)to sodium citrate(CIT),edetate disodium(EDTA)or sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate(SDBS),the morphology of NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanophosphors transformed from nanoparticles with a diameter of about 70.0 nm to hexagonal nanoblocks with a thickness of about 125.0 nm and a length of about 240.0 nm,nanorods with a diameter of about 700.0 nm and a length of about 2.6μm,or nanowires with a diameter of 250.0 nm and a length of about 3.2μm.Simultaneously,their up-conversion luminescence intensity went down gradually under laser irradiation at a wavelength of 980 nm due to the increase of photobleaching.PVP-capped NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanoparticles exhibited the smallest size and the strongest up-conversion luminescence intensity.Biological experiment results revealed that NaYF_(4)∶Yb/Er nanophosphors exhibited a high biocompatibility and could be used as biological labels with a perfect signal-to-noise ratio for cancer cell imaging.

Surfactant-assisted hydrothermally synthesized MoS_2 samples with controllable morphologies and structures for anthracene hydrogenation

MoS_2 samples with controllable morphologies and structures were synthesized using surfactantassisted hydrothermal processes.The effects of surfactants（PEG,PVP,P123,SDS,AOT,and CTAB）on the morphologies and structures of MoS_2 samples were investigated.The results revealed that spherical,bulk-like,and flower-like MoS_2 particles assembled by NH4~＋-intercalated MoS_2 nano-sheets were synthesized.The morphologies of the MoS_2 samples and their structures（including the slab length and the number of stacked layers） of MoS_2 nano-sheets in these samples could be controlled by adjusting the surfactants.Mono-dispersed spherical MoS_2 particles could be synthesized with PEG via the creation of MoS_2 nano-sheets with slab lengths shorter than 15 nm and fewer than six stacked layers.Possible formation mechanisms of these MoS_2 samples created via surfactant-assisted hydrothermal processes are proposed.Further,the catalytic activities of MoS_2 samples for anthracene hydrogenation were evaluated in a slurry-bed reactor.The catalyst synthesized with the surfactant PEG exhibited the highest catalytic hydrogenation activity.Compared with the other catalysts,it had a smaller particle size,mono-dispersed spherical morphology,shorter slab length,and fewer stacked layers;these were all beneficial to exposing its active edges.This work provides an efficient approach to synthesize transition metal sulfides with controllable morphologies and structures.

Morphologies of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles adjusted by organic additives in hydrothermal synthesis

Properties of hydroxyapatite （HA, Ca10（PO4）6（OH）2）, including bioactivity, biocompatibility, solubility and adsorption could be tailored over wide ranges by the control of particle composition, particle size and morphology. In order to satisfy various applications, well-crystallized pure HA nanoparticles were synthesized at moderate temperatures by hydrotherrnal synthesis, and HA nanoparticles with different lengths were obtained by adding organic additives. X-ray diffractometry （XRD） and Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectrometry were used to characterize these nanoparticles, and the morphologies of the HA particles were observed by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results demonstrate that shorter rod-like HA particles can be prepared by adding cetyltrimethylammonium bromide （CTAB）, as the additive of CTAB can block the HA crystal growth along with c-axis. And whisker HA particles are obtained by adding ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid （EDTA）, since EDTA may have effect on the dissolution-repreeipitation process of HA.

Synthesis of Hierarchically Porous FAU/γ-Al2O3 Composites with Different Morphologies via Directing Agent Induced Method

Zeolite FAU composites with a macro/meso-microporous hierarchical structure were hydrothermally synthesized using macro-mesoporous γ-Al_2O_3 monolith as the substrate by means of the liquid crystallization directing agent(LCDA) induced method. No template was needed throughout the synthesis processes. The structure and porosity of zeolite composites were analyzed by means of X-ray powder diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and N_2adsorption-desorption isotherms. The results showed that the supported zeolite composites with varied zeolitic crystalline phases and different morphologies can be obtained by adjusting the crystallization parameters, such as the crystallization temperature, the composition and the alkalinity of the precursor solution. The presence of LCDA was defined as a determinant for synthesizing the zeolite composites. The mechanisms for formation of the hierarchically porous FAU zeolite composites in the LCDA induced synthesis process were discussed. The resulting monolithic zeolite with a trimodal-porous hierarchical structure shows potential applicability where facile diffusion is required.

Mineral structure and crystal morphologies of high-iron hydrargillite

Various characterization methods, including scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface-area measurements, thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy, were used to study the mineral structure and surface characteristics of high-iron hydrargillite. Gibbsite, goethite, and hematite were found to be the main mineral components of hydrargillite, whereas the goethite and hematite were closely clad to the surface of the multilayer gibbsite crystals. Compared with the synthetic gibbsite, the hydrargillite contained more structural micropores generated by the mineral evolution during the mineralization process. The gibbsite in hydrargillite contained less crystal water compared with the synthetic gibbsite, and it was a typical polymorphic structure. The isomorphous substitution of Al and Fe was observed in goethite. The dissolution-controlling step of hydrargillite was the ionic diffusion speed because of the goethite and hematite that closely covered and encapsulated the gibbsite crystals.

Morphologies of a spherical bimodal polyelectrolyte brush induced by polydispersity and solvent selectivity

It is commonly realized that polydispersity may significantly affect the surface modification properties of polymer brush systems. In light of this, we systematically study morphologies of bidisperse polyelectrolyte brush grafted onto a spherical nanocolloid in the presence of trivalent counterions using molecular dynamics simulations. Via varying polydispersity, grafting density, and solvent selectivity, the effects of electrostatic correlation and excluded volume are focused, and rich phase behaviors of binary mixed polyelectrolyte brush are predicted, including a variety of pinned-patch morphologies at low grafting density and micelle-like structures at high grafting density. To pinpoint the mechanism of surface structure formation, the shape factor of two species of polyelectrolyte chains and the pair correlation function between monomers from different polyelectrolyte ligands are analyzed carefully. Also, electrostatic correlations, manifested as the bridging through trivalent counterions, are examined by identifying four states of trivalent counterions. Our simulation results may be useful for designing smart stimuli-responsive materials based on mixed polyelectrolyte coated surfaces.

Microstructure Morphologies of Asphalt Binders using Atomic Force Microscopy

We investigated microstructure morphologies of three asphalts（SK, Karamay, and Esso） used in China using atomic force microscopy（AFM）. The topography and phase contrast images were obtained. Topographic profile and three dimensional images were described. Roughnesses of microstructure were calculated. And the chemical compositions of asphalt were tested to explain the microstructural mechanism of the asphalt. The results show that the topography and phase image in atomic force microscopy are appropriate to evaluate the microstructure of the asphalt binder. There are significant differences in microstructural morphologies including bee-like structure, topographic profile, 3D image, and roughness for three asphalts in this study. There are three different phases in microstructure of asphalt binder. The oil source and chemical composition of asphalt, especially asphaltenes content have a great influence on the microstructure.

Effect of Annealing Temperature on the Formation of Silicides and the Surface Morphologies of PtSi Films

The effect of annealing temperature on the formation of the PtSi phase. distribution of silicides and the surface morphologies of silicides films is investigated by XPS. AFM. It is shown that the phase sequences of the films change from Pt-Pt2Si-PtSi-Si to Pt+Pt2Si+PtSi-PtSi-Si or Pt+Pt2Si+PtSi-PtSi-st with an increase of annealing temperature and the reason for the formation of mixed layers is discussed.

Effect of Curing Poly(<i>p</i>-Phenylene Sulfide) on Thermal Properties and Crystalline Morphologies

Commercial poly(p-phenylene sulfide) (PPS) was thermally cured, which resulted in an increase of molecular weight due to cross-linking. Non-isothermal crystallization studies of samples cured for up to 7 days at 250?C showed a monotonous increase of crystallization temperature compared to pure PPS. However, a further increase of curing time decreased the crystallization temperature. The change in the half-crystallization time (t1/2) was similar to the crystallization temperature. Thus, the cross-linking of PPS affected crystallization behaviors significantly. To a certain extent, crosslinks acted as nucleation agents, but excessive cross-linking hindered the crystallization. Morphologies observed by polarized optical microscopy suggested that thermal curing for as little as 1 day contributed to the spherulitic structure having a smaller size, that was not observed with pure PPS.

GROWTH MORPHOLOGIES OF A BINARY ALLOY WITH LOW ANISOTROPY IN DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION

Two new classes of growth morphologies, called doublons and seaweed, were simulated using a phase-field method. The evolution of doublon and seaweed morphologies was obtained in directional solidification. The influence of orientation and velocity on the growth morphology was investigated. It was indicated that doublons preferred growing with its crystallographic axis aligned with the heat flow direction. Seaweed, on the other hand, could be obtained by tilting the crystalline axis to 45°. Stable doublons could only exist in a range of velocity regime. Beyond this regime the patterns formed would be unstable. The simulation results agreed with the reported experimental results qualitatively.

Krylov Iterative Methods for Support Vector Machines to Classify Galaxy Morphologies

Large catalogues of classified galaxy images have been useful in many studies of the universe in astronomy. There are too many objects to classify manually in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, one of the premier data sources in astronomy. Therefore, efficient machine learning and classification algorithms are required to automate the classifying process. We propose to apply the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm to classify galaxy morphologies and Krylov iterative methods to improve runtime of the classification. The accuracy of the classification is measured on various categories of galaxies from the survey. A three-class algorithm is presented that makes use of multiple SVMs. This algorithm is used to assign the categories of spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies. A selection of Krylov iterative solvers are compared based on their efficiency and accuracy of the resulting classification. The experimental results demonstrate that runtime can be significantly improved by utilizing Krylov iterative methods without impacting classification accuracy. The generalized minimal residual method (GMRES) is shown to be the most efficient solver to classify galaxy morphologies.

A method for observing the three-dimensional morphologies of inclusions in steel

A method for observing the three-dimensional morphologies of inclusions by deeply eroding a steel sample with a kind of organic solution composed of bromine water, acetone, and HCl （volume ratio, 45：45：10） was introduced. Four different kinds of inclusions in ultra low carbon steel were compared by metallographic observation and erosion observation. The results show that the three-dimensional morphologies of different kinds of inclusions could be observed clearly and simply after erosion. The method is useful for the observation and analysis of inclusions made by deep erosion. It also provides a new way to control and remove inclusions based on the true morphologies of inclusions.

Synthesization and crystallization mechanism of nano-scale γ-AlOOH with various morphologies

Nano-scale γ-AIOOH with various morphologies, such as whisker, bar, ball, and sheet, was synthesized successfully and control- lably through a facile hydrothermal method just by adjusting the pH value of the solvent. Based on the analysis of the experimental data, the growth mechanism of nano-scale γ-AlOOH in the hydrothermal process was established. It is proposed that the growth unit and the growth direction are determined by the pH value of the solution and the growth unit, respectively. One-dimensional γ-AlOOH, such as whisker and bar, is formed in lower pH ranges, while two-dimensional γ-AlOOH sueli as sheet is formed only in high pH environment following the plane expansion crystallization mechanism.

Numerical simulation of solidification morphologies of Cu-0.6Cr casting alloy using modified cellular automaton model

The purpose of this study is to predict the morphologies in the solidification process for Cu-0.6Cr(mass fraction,%)alloy by vacuum continuous casting(VCC)and verify its accuracy by the observed experimental results.In numerical simulation aspect, finite difference(FD)method and modified cellular automaton(MCA)model were used to simulate the macro-temperature field, micro-concentration field,nucleation and grain growth of Cu-0.6Cr alloy using real data from actual casting operations.From the observed casting experiment,the preliminary grain morphologies are the directional columnar grains by the VCC process.The solidification morphologies by MCAFD model are in agreement with the result of actual casting experiment well.

Quasi-static simulation of droplet morphologies using a smoothed particle hydrodynamics multiphase model

Numerical simulation of the morphology of a droplet deposited on a solid surface requires an efficient description of the three-phase contact line. In this study, a simple method of implementing the contact angle is proposed, combined with a robust smoothed particle hydrodynamics multiphase algorithm (Zhang 2015). The first step of the method is the creation of the virtual liquid-gas interface across the solid surface by means of dummy particles, thus the calculated surface tension near the triple point serves to automatically modulate the dynarnic contact line towards the equilibrium state. We simulate the evolution process of initially square liquid lumps on fiat and curved surfaces. The predictions of droplet profiles are in good agreement with the analytical solutions provided that the macroscopic contact angle is accurately implemented. Compared to the normal correction method, the present method is straightforward without the need to manually alter the normal vectors. This study presents a robust algorithm capable of capturing the physics of the static welling. It may hold great potentials in bio-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces, oil displacement, microfluidics, ore floatation, etc.

Effects of laser heat treatment on the fracture morphologies of X80 pipeline steel welded joints by stress corrosion

The surfaces of X80 pipeline steel welded joints were processed with a CO2 laser, and the effects of laser heat treatment （LHT） on H2S stress corrosion in the National Association of Corrosion Engineers （NACE） solution were analyzed by a slow strain rate test. The fracture morphologies and chemical components of corrosive products before and after LHT were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, respectively, and the mechanism of LHT on stress corrosion cracking was discussed. Results showed that the fracture for welded joints was brittle in its original state, while it was transformed to a ductile fracture after LHT. The tendencies of hydrogen-induced corrosion were reduced, and the stress corrosion sensitivity index decreased from 35.2% to 25.3%, indicating that the stress corrosion resistance of X80 pipeline steel welded joints has been improved by LHT.

Effect of salt-assisted reduction method on morphologies and size of metallic tungsten particles

A simple method was proposed to produce tungsten(W)particles with controllable shape and size by employing the salt-assisted hydrogen reduction.W particles with controlled shape and size were prepared by adjusting the amount of chlorine salts and the temperature.After adding salt additives,the dispersibility of final particles was obviously improved and more adequate growth of particles was obtained.It was found that the effect of NaCl and LiCl is particularly significant.The average sizes of the obtained W particles at 1038 K after adding 0.1 wt.%NaCl and 0.1 wt.%LiCl were 0.924 and 1.128μm,respectively.With the increase of temperature and amount of chlorine salts,the dispersity of the produced W particles became much better,the size of W sub-particles was increased,and the shape of W sub-particles was changed from spherical to polyhedral.At 1349 K,the addition of chlorine salts even multiplied the particle size,and the average sizes of W particles with 1 wt.%NaCl and 1 wt.%LiCl were raised up to 21.367 and 29.665μm,respectively.Based on the conventional pseudomorphic transformation and chemical vapor transport mechanisms,the effects of adding salts on the reaction mechanism were investigated in detail as well.