DESIGN OF A/AD_m-BC_n DIRECTIONAL EUTECTIC COMPOSITES

Design process of A/ADm-BCn type directional eutectic composites was instanced by investigating Al-Mg-Si-Li and Ni-Mo-C-Al systems in this study by thermoanalysis and directional solidification techniques. It was demonstrated that A(D)-BCn eutectic alloys could be obtained more conveniently by using Smith′s thermoanalysis method to trace change of the eutectic Points of A-BCn induced by addition of components D. A/ADm-BCn directional eutectic composites could be produced from directionally solidified A/ADm-BCn alloys after proper heat treatments if components D have higher solid solubility in components A at high temperature and stable of metastable phases ADm could be formed at room temperature.

Unveiling the dynamic instability mechanism of microstructure transformation in faceted oxide eutectic composite ceramics

Microstructure control is a great challenge in the high-temperature gradient directional solidification of eutectic composite ceramics due to the complex solidification behavior.Herein,the microstructure trans-formation of faceted Al_(2)O_(3)/Er_(3)Al_(5)O_(12) thermal emission eutectic composite ceramics is explored over wide ranges of compositions(13.5 mol%-22.5 mol%Er_(2)O_(3))and solidification rates(2-200μm/s).Entirely cou-pled eutectics with primary phases suppressed are fabricated and the coupled zone is broadened in a wide range of 15.5 mol%-22.5 mol%Er_(2)O_(3) at low solidification rates.The competitive growth between eutectic and dendrite is evaluated on the basis of the maximum interface temperature criterion.In ad-dition,the mechanisms of irregular eutectic spacing selection and adjustment under different solidifi-cation rates are revealed based on Magnin-Kurz model.A successful prediction of lamellar to rod-like eutectics is achieved associated with the dynamic instability of lamellar eutectic and the corresponding enlarged coexistence region is mapped based on the interface undercooling.According to the well mi-crostructure tailoring,the flexural strength of Al_(2)O_(3)/Er_(3)Al_(5)O_(12) eutectic composite ceramics has improved from 508 MPa up to 1800 MPa due to the refined eutectic spacing with low fluctuation.The eutectic composite ceramics show strong selective optical absorption and the intensity increases with the refin-ing microstructure.The as-designed Al_(2)O_(3)/Er_(3)Al_(5)O_(12) composites with microstructural tailoring have great potential as integrations of structural and functional materials.

Preparation and Characterization of CA-MA Eutectic/Silicon Dioxide Nanoscale Composite Phase Change Material from Water Glass via Sol-Gel Method

This work mainly involved the preparation of a nano-scale form-stable phase change material（PCM） consisting of capric and myristic acid（CA-MA） binary eutectic acting as thermal absorbing material and nano silicon dioxide（nano-SiO_2） serving as the supporting material. Industrial water glass for preparation of the nano silicon dioxide matrix and CA-MA eutectic mixture were compounded by single-step sol-gel method with the silane coupling agent. The morphology, chemical characterization and form stability property of the composite PCM were investigated by transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, Fourier-transform infrared（FT-IR） spectroscopy and polarizing microscopy（POM）. It was indicated that the average diameter of the composite PCM particle ranged from 30-100 nm. The CA-MA eutectic was immobilized in the network pores constructed by the Si-O bonds so that the composite PCM was allowed no liquid leakage above the melting temperature of the CA-MA eutectic. Differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） and thermogravimetric analysis（TGA） measurement were conducted to investigate the thermal properties and stability of the composite PCM. From the measurement results, the mass fraction of the CA-MA eutectic in the composite PCM was about 40%. The phase change temperature and latent heat of the composite were determined to be 21.15 ℃ and 55.67 J/g, respectively. Meanwhile, thermal conductivity of the composite was measured to be 0.208 W·m^（-1）·K^（-1） by using the transient hot-wire method. The composite PCM was able to maintain the surrounding temperature close to its phase change temperature and behaved well in thermalregulated performance which was verified by the heat storage-release experiment. This kind of form-stable PCM was supposed to complete thermal insulation even temperature regulation by the dual effect of relatively low thermal conductivity and phase change thermal storage-release properties. So it can be formulated that the nanoscale CA-MA/SiO_2 composite PCM with the form-stable property, good thermal storage capacity and relatively low thermal conductivity can be applied for energy conservation as a kind of thermal functional material.

High toughness and CMAS resistance of REAlO_(3)/RE_(2)Zr_(2)O_(7)(RE=La,Nd,Sm,Eu,Gd,and Dy)composites with eutectic composition for thermal barrier coatings

Although rare earth zirconates(RE_(2)Zr_(2)O_(7))have garnered attention as viable candidates for thermal barrier coatings(TBCs),they suffer from low fracture toughness and accelerated calcium–magnesium–alumina–silicate(CMAS)melt corrosion at high service temperatures,which impedes their practical application.In this work,we developed a series of REAlO_(3)/RE_(2)Zr_(2)O_(7)(RE=La,Nd,Sm,Eu,Gd,and Dy)composites with a eutectic composition that not only significantly enhanced the fracture toughness by more than 40%relative to that of RE_(2)Zr_(2)O_(7)but also exhibited improved resistance to CMAS corrosion.The increase in toughness arises from multiple mechanisms,such as ferroelastic toughening,fine-grain strengthening,and residual stress toughening,all of which trigger more crack defects and energy consumption.Additionally,the CMAS penetration depth of the REAlO_(3)/RE_(2)Zr_(2)O_(7)composites is approximately 36%lower than that of RE_(2)Zr_(2)O_(7).Al–O constituents in composites can capture CaO,SiO_(2),and MgO in CMAS melts and increase their viscosity,resulting in enhanced CMAS corrosion resistance.The thermophysical properties of the REAlO_(3)/RE_(2)Zr_(2)O_(7)composites were also investigated,and their coefficient of thermal expansion and thermal conductivity are comparable to those of 7–8 wt%Y_(2)O_(3)partially stabilized ZrO2(YSZ),indicating their potential as TBC materials.

Microstructure and Characterization of Capric-stearic Acid/Modified Expanded Vermiculite Thermal Storage Composites

In order to improve the thermal storage capacity of expanded vermiculite（EV） based formstable composite PCM（FS-PCM） via organic modification of EV, first, EV was modified with a sodium stearate（Na St） as surface modifier, and organic EV（OEV） with hydrophobicity and higher adsorption capacity for fatty acid was obtained. A novel capric-stearic acid eutectic（CA-SA）/OEV FS-PCM with high thermal storage capacity was then developed. OEV and CA-SA/OEV were characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）, differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）, thermal gravimetry（TG）, and thermal cycling test. Results showed that OEV has obvious hydrophobicity and a higher adsorption capacity for fatty acid. Its adsorption ratio has increased by 48.71% compared with that of EV. CA-SA/OEV possesses high thermal storage density（112.52 J/g）, suitable melting temperature（20.49 ℃）, good chemical compatibility, excellent thermal stability and reliability, indicating great application potential for building energy efficiency. Moreover, organic modification of inorganic matrix may offer novel options for improving its adsorption capacity for organic PCMs and increasing heat storage capacity of corresponding FS-PCMs.

Development of bulk metallic glasses based on the Dy-Al binary eutectic composition

A series of dysprosium-based ternary, quadruple, and quintuple bulk metallic glasses （BMGs） based on Dy-Al binary eutectic composition were obtained with the partial substitution of Co, Gd, and Ni elements, for dysprosium. The results showed that the Dy31Gd25Co20Al24 alloy, which had the best glass forming ability （GFA）, could be cast into an amorphous rod with a diameter of 5 ram. The GFA of alloys was evaluated on the basis of the supercooled liquid region width, 7 parameter, the formation enthalpy, and the equivalent electronegativity difference of amorphous alloys. It was found that the eutectic composition was closely correlated with the GFA of the Dy-based BMGs.

Relationship between Primary Crystal Temperature and Carbon Equivalent in Cast Iron

CE （=%C＋（1/3）x（%Si）） does not suit experiment results in many cases. In this work, the effect of alloy elements on primary crystal temperature was measured and the relationship between primary crystal temperature （Tc） and carbon equivalent （CEL） was investigated. The results show that Tc （Celsius degree） = 1650-110 × （%C） -25 × （%Si）＋3 × （%Mn） -35 × （%P） -71 × （%5）-2 × （%Ni） -7 × （%Cr）; CEL=%C ＋ 0.23×（%Si）-0.03× （%Mn）＋0.32×（%P）＋0.64×（%S） ＋0.02×（%Ni）＋0.06×（%Cr）. That is, in hypo eutectic composition, carbon equivalent should be calculated with CEL=%C＋ 0.23×（%Si）, not with CE=%C＋（1/3） x（%Si）.

Microstructure and fracture toughness of the Bridgman directionally solidified Fe-Al-Ta eutectic at different solidification rates

Fe-Al-Ta eutectic composites were obtained by a modified Bridgman directional solidification technique at different solidification rates.Solidification microstructure transforms from regular eutectic to eutectic colony with the increase of the solidification rate.The solid/liquid interface of Fe-Al-Ta eutectic evolves from planar interface to cellular interface with the increase of the solidification rate.In addition,threepoint bending method was adopted to study the room-temperature fracture toughness of the as-cast Fe-Al-Ta eutectic alloy and the Fe-Al-Ta eutectic composites.Moreover,the fracture morphologies,the crack propagation path and the strengthening mechanism of Fe-Al-Ta eutectic were discussed.

Exploring the design of eutectic or near-eutectic multicomponent alloys： From binary to high entropy alloys

Eutectic and near-eutectic high entropy alloys （HEAs） have recently attracted a great deal of interest because of their promising properties, such as an excellent castability and unique combination of good ductility and high strength. However, in the absence of a phase diagram, it remains a non-trivial task to find a eutectic or near-eutectic composition for a HEA system, which usually demands a tremendous amount of efforts if a trial-and-error approach is followed. In this paper, we briefly review the thermodynamics that governs the entectic solidification in regular binary and ternary alloys, and proceed to the discussion for the design of eutectic HEAs. Based on the data reported, we then propose an improved strategy which may enable an efficient search for the eutectic or near eutectic HEA compositions.

Experimental investigation of eutectic point in Al-rich Al-La, Al-Ce, Al-Pr and Al-Nd systems

In order to confirm the eutectic composition, eutectic temperature and phases of Al-rich Al-RE（La, Ce, Pr, Nd） binary systems, the eutectic Al-RE alloys with the controversial compositions were investigated. The scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy（SEM/EDS）, differential scanning calorimetric（DSC） and cooling curve tests analysis indicated that a similar eutectic composition（~12 wt.% RE） on the Al-rich region was observed in the Al-La, Al-Ce, Al-Pr and Al-Nd alloys, and the eutectic structure of the alloys was consisted of α-Al and α-Al11RE3 phases by combining with X-ray diffraction（XRD） tests. In addition, the eutectic temperatures determined by DSC and cooling curve tests were very close and around 645 oC.

A highly ionic transference number eutectogel hybrid electrolytes based on spontaneous coupling inhibitor for solid-state lithium metal batteries

Polymer-based solid electrolytes have been extensively studied for solid-state lithium metal batteries to achieve high energy density and reliable security.But,its practical application is severely limited by low ionic conductivity and slow Li+transference.Herein,based on the“binary electrolytes”of poly(vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoroethylene)(P(VDF-CTFE))and lithium salt(LiTFSI),a kind of eutectogel hybrid electrolytes(EHEs)with high Li+transference number was developed via tuning the spontaneous coupling of charge and vacated space generated by Li-cation diffusion utilizing the Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12(LLZTO)dopant.LLZTO doping promotes the dissociation of lithium salt,increases Li+carrier density,and boosts ion jumping and the coordination/decoupling reactions of Li+.As a result,the optimized EHEs-10%possess a high Li-transference number of 0.86 and a high Li+conductivity of 3.2×10–4 S·cm–1 at room temperature.Moreover,the prepared EHEs-10%composite solid electrolyte presents excellent lithiumphilic and compatibility,and can be tested stably for 1,200 h at 0.3 mA·cm–2 with assembled lithium symmetric batteries.Likewise,the EHEs-10%films match well with high-loading LiFePO4 and LiCoO2 cathodes(>10 mg·cm–2)and exhibit remarkable interface stability.Particularly,the LiFePO4//EHEs-10%//Li and LiCoO2//EHEs-10%//Li cells deliver high rate performance of 118 mAh·g–1 at 1 C and 93.7 mAh·g–1 at 2 C with coulombic efficiency of 99.3%and 98.1%,respectively.This work provides an in-depth understanding and new insights into our design for polymer electrolytes with fast Li+diffusion.

Mechanical Properties of the TaSi_2 Fibers by Nanoindentation

The Si-TaSi2 eutectic in situ composite, which has highly-aligned and uniformly-distributed TaSi2 fibers in the Si matrix, can be obtained when the solidification rate changes from 0.3 to 9.0 mm/min. It is very interesting that one or two TaSi2 fibers are curved when the solidification rate reaches 6.0 mm/min, although it is very brittle in general. The formation mechanism of the curved fiber is discussed and mechanical properties of the TaSi2 fibers are examined by nanoindentation. It is found that the hardness and the elastic modulus of the bended TaSi2 fiber are much higher than that of the straight TaSi2 fiber. Moreover, the reasons why the mechanical properties of the straight TaSi2 fiber are different from that of the curved TaSi2 fiber are discussed. This can be ascribed to internal stress which results from mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficients of the two phases and different crystallographic orientations.