Surface property variations in flotation performance of calcite particles under different grinding patterns

Based on the working principles of particle bed comminution, particles produced by high-pressure grinding rolls （HPGR） have surface properties different from particles produced by other grinding patterns, which exert great influence on mineral flotation. Flotation performances of calcite particles under different grinding patterns involving the use of HPGR, a jaw crusher, a dry ball mill, a wet ball mill, and a wet rod mill were studied using single mineral flotation tests. The surface properties of the particles under different grinding patterns were characterized to determine the flotation performance variation in terms of specific surface area, particle size distribution, AFM, XPS, and zeta potential. The results show that particles ground by HPGR exhibited improved flotation performance within the lower range of grinding fineness in both NaOL and dodecyl amine flotation systems compared to the particles prepared using other grinding patterns. Specific surface area, particle size distribution, surface roughness, Fe（III） contamination, binding energy, and zeta potential are greatly influenced by grinding patterns, which is the main cause of the flotation performance variation.

IMPROVING THE SURFACE PROPERTY OF TC4 ALLOY BY LASER NITRIDING AND ITS MECHANISM

The mixing technology of laser and heated nitrogen was applied to improve the surface hardness of titanium alloy （ TC4 ）. The samples were nitrided with laser power density of 6.S × 10^6SW. cm^-2, the scanning speed varioas from 100 to 500mm ·min^-1. The nitrogen gas was pre-heated to 300℃ to accelerate the nitriding process. Some interested samples were tested with XRD method （X-ray diffraction） to analyze the composition of nitrides, and the surface hardness of HV was measured. The results show that TiN and Ti2N were formed on the surface of Ti alloy with proper nitriding parameters, but TiN is the main composition. The surface hardness increased by three times, which is from the original value of 269to 794kg·mm^-2. The mechanism of the mixing technology is considered mainly of the activation of nitrogen by laser power and the pre-heated process which accelerated the nitriding process. The nitridation process can be considered as six steps given in detail. The result by analyzing the mechanism of improving the surface property of TiAl alloy shows the improvement of surface property due to two factors： the first reason is the result of laser annealing, and the second one is the formation of TiN.

Mechanism study on the influence of surface properties on the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from CO_(2)and methanol over ceria catalysts

The direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate(DMC)from CO_(2)and methanol has attracted much attention as an environmentally benign and alternative route for conventional routes.Herein,a series of cerium oxide catalysts with various textural features and surface properties were prepared by the one-pot synthesis method for the direct DMC synthesis from CO_(2)and methanol,and the structure-performance relationship was investigated in detail.Characterization results revealed that both of surface acid-base properties and the oxygen vacancies contents decreased with the rising crystallinity at increasingly higher calcination temperature accompanied by an unexpectedly volcano-shaped trend of DMC yield observed on the catalysts.In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy(DRIFTS)studies indicated that the adsorption rate of methanol is slower than that of CO_(2)and the methanol activation state largely influences the formation of key intermediate.Although the enhanced surface acidity-basicity and oxygen vacancies brought by low-temperature calcination could facilitate the activation of CO_(2),the presence of excess strongly basic sites on low-crystallinity sample was detrimental to DMC synthesis due to the preferred formation of unreactive mono/polydentate carbonates as well as the further impediment of methanol activation.Moreover,with the use of 2-cyanopyridine as a dehydration reagent,the DMC synthesis was found to be both influenced by the promotion from the rapid in situ removal of water and the inhibition from the competitive adsorption of hydration products on the same active sites.

Au/TS-1 catalyst for propylene epoxidation with H_(2)and O_(2):Effect of surface property and morphology of TS-1 zeolite

The catalytic performances over propylene epoxidation with H_(2)and O_(2)(HOPO process)are significantly affected by the properties(e.g.,surface properties,Ti coordination,morphology)of titanosilicate zeolite.Introducing urea into zeolite synthesis is a simple and convenient method to modify these properties of titanosilicate zeolite.Uncalcined pore-blocked titanium silicalite-1(TS-1,i.e.,TS-1-B)with the lower urea dosage possesses more defective structure and unsaturated coordinated Ti sites verified by 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)analysis,which results in a high initial activity and hydrogen efficiency;while the high surface acidity generated by these Ti species leads to a continuous decrease in the activity and the propylene oxide(PO)selectivity during the reaction.As the amount of urea gradually increases,the TS-1-B samples present the reduced surface defects and defective and unsaturated Ti species.Specially,TS-1-B-0.30U presents the weaker PO adsorption on PO-diffusion reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra(DRIFTS),thus results in the high stable PO formation rate and selectivity over its Au catalyst.Furthermore,a flat-plate-like shape with a shorter thickness of 100 nm along the b-axis direction is observed on the urea-modified TS-1.Compared with the conventional ellipsoidal TS-1 with crystal sizes of 200 and 500 nm,the flat-plate-like TS-1-0.30U displays the less surface defects,unsaturated Ti species,the weaker Lewis acid,which is favorable for the desorption and intracrystalline diffusion of PO,thus reduces the occurrence of side reactions for the improved selectivity and stability.This work may provide a reference for developing titanium-containing materials with high activity and stability over HOPO reaction.

SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF 10Ni3MnCuAl STEEL BY SHOT PEENING

The surface of grinding 10Ni3MnCuAl steel is processed by the shot peening with different intensities. After shot peening, the metallographic structure of 10Ni3MnCuAl steel and the micro-structure on the surface layer are analyzed. The micro-hardness in the shot peening affected layer and the residual pressure stress are surveyed. The changes of surface quality, such as micro-hardness, metallographic structure and residual stress caused by shot peening are investigated. The result shows that shot peening can significantly improve surface quality and fatigue life of 10Ni3MnCuAl steel. The over peening effect is produced when the shot peening intensity is high, and it leads to the decrease of the fatigue life. When the optimal arc high value of shot peening is 0. 40 mm in experiments, the best surface quality is obtained and the depth of the residual stress in the precipitation-hardening layer reaches 450μm.

Surface characterization of chalcopyrite interacting with Leptospirillum ferriphilum

The alteration of surface properties of chalcopyrite after biological conditioning with Leptospirillum ferriphilum was studied by adsorption,zeta-potential,contact angle and bioleaching tests.The strains of L.ferriphilum cultured using different energy sources（either soluble ferrous ion or chalcopyrite） were used.The adhesion of bacteria to the chalcopyrite surface was a fast process.Additionally,the adsorption of substrate-grown bacteria was greater and faster than that of liquid-grown ones.The isoelectric point（IEP） of chalcopyrite moved toward that of pure L.ferriphilum after conditioning with bacteria.The chalcopyrite contact angle curves motioned diversely in the culture with or without energy source.The results of X-ray diffraction patterns（XRD）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（EDS） analysis indicate that the surface of chalcopyrite is covered with sulfur and jarosite during the bioleaching process by L.ferriphilum.Furthermore,EDS results imply that iron phase dissolves preferentially from chalcopyrite surface during bioleaching.The copper extraction is low,resulting from the formation of a passivation layer on the surface of chalcopyrite.The major component of the passivation layer that blocked continuous copper extraction is sulfur instead of jarosite.

Effect of the surface properties of an activated coke on its desulphurization performance

Commercial coke was modified by H2O2 and/or NH3.H2O to obtain an activated coke containing additional oxygen functional groups and/or nitrogen functional groups. The aim of the modification was to enhance the SO2 adsorption capacity of the activated coke. Several techniques, including total nitrogen content measurements, SO2 adsorption, XPS and FTIR analysis, were used to characterize the coke samples. The XPS and FTIR spectra suggest the existence of -CONH2 groups in the H2O2 plus ammonia modified coke. The SO2 adsorption capacity of an activated coke increases slightly with an increase in H2O2 concentration during the modification process. The desulphurization performance of a modified coke is considerably enhanced by increasing the treatment temperature during ammonia modification. The amount of nitrogen in a coke modified by H2O2 plus NH3.H2O is the highest, and the SO2 adsorption capacity of the coke is also the highest (89.9 mg/gC). The NH3.H2O (only) modified sample has lower nitrogen content and lower desulphurization capacity (79.9 mg/gC). H2O modification gives the lowest SO2 adsorption capacity (28.9 mg/gC). The H2O2 pre-treatment is beneficial for the introduction of nitrogen onto the surface of a sample during the following ammonia treatment process.

Tailoring the surface structures of iron oxide nanorods to support Au nanoparticles for CO oxidation

Iron oxide supported Au nanomaterials are one of the most studied catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation.Catalytic performance not only critically depends on the size of the supported Au nanoparticles(NPs)but also strongly on the chemical nature of the iron oxide.In this study,Au NPs supported on iron oxide nanorods with different surface properties throughβ-FeOOH annealing,at varying temperatures,were synthesized,and applied in the CO oxidation.Detailed characterizations of the interactions between Au NPs and iron oxides were obtained by X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The results indicate that the surface hydroxyl group on the Au/FeOOH catalyst,before calcination(Au/FeOOH-fresh),could facilitate the oxygen adsorption and dissociation on positively charged Au,thereby contributing to the low-temperature CO oxidation reactivity.After calcination at 200℃,under air exposure,the chemical state of the supported Au NP on varied iron oxides partly changed from metal cation to Au0,along with the disappearance of the surface OH species.Au/FeOOH with the highest Au0 content exhibits the highest activity in CO oxidation,among the as-synthesized catalysts.Furthermore,good durability in CO oxidation was achieved over the Au/FeOOH catalyst for 12 h without observable deactivation.In addition,the advanced identical-location TEM method was applied to the gas phase reaction to probe the structure evolution of the Au/iron oxide series of the catalysts and support structure.A Au NP size-dependent Ostwald ripening process mediated by the transport of Au(CO)x mobile species under certain reaction conditions is proposed,which offers a new insight into the validity of the structure-performance relationship.

Study on the surface properties of surface modified silicone intraocular lenses

AIM: To prepare a new-type soft intraocular lens (IOL) that silicone intraocular lenses (IOLs) were modified by surface modification technique to assess IOLs biocompatibility. METHODS: With the technique of ion beam combined with low temperature and low pressure plasma, the surface characteristics of the IOLs including physical and optical properties were determined by the instruments of IOLs resolution, UV/VIS scanning spectrophotometer, contact angle measurement system, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). RESULTS: The color of titanium (Ti) modified IOLs was light yellow and that of titanium nitride (TiN) modified IOLs was light brown. The absorptive degree of ultraviolet rays and the hydrophilicity of the surfaces of modified IOLs were increased, and appeared suitable chemical compositions. The resolution of unmodified and modified IOLs reached normal standard. The surfaces of unmodified and Ti-modified IOLs appeared uniform. The surfaces of TIN-modified IOLs presented fine porcelain structure. CONCLUSION: The optical properties of all IOLs and the surface morphology of the modified IOLs were not affected by modification processes. The surface properties of the modified IOLs were improved.

Effects of Atmospheric DBD Plasma Treatment on the Surface Properties of PAN-Based Carbon Fiber

Plasma treatment has been known as an effective way to improve the surface bonding between the reinforcement material and the matrix, by modifying the surface morphology and the chemical composes of the material. In order to investigate the effects of atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment on the surface properties of polyacrylonitrile-based (PAN-based) carbon fiber, atomic force microscope(AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), and contact angle test were introduced to compare different treatment duration. The interfacial adhesion of carbon fiber/epoxy (CF/EP) composites were analyzed by a single fiber composite (SFC) for filament fragmentation test. And the tensile strength test and Weibull analysis were carried out to observe whether the etching could affect the strength. The results prove that the DBD plasma improves the surface properties of the carbon fiber. Further, when the treatment time was around 90 s, the roughness and oxygen containing group of the carbon fiber reached the peak values. Also, the fiber showed the best adhesion to the polymer in contact angle test and the optimum interfacial shear strength (IFSS) in fragmentation test. The Weibull analyses of the tensile data revealed no substantial changes in the tensile strength within the treatment time of 180 s.

PREPARATION AND SURFACE PROPERTIES OF ACRYLIC COPOLYMERS CONTAINING FLUORINATED MONOMERS

A series of copolymers comprising butylmethacrylate, styrene, butylacrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate and perfluoroalkyl methacrylate were synthesized by the free radical polymerization using BPO as an initiator. The surface property of the copolymer films was subsequently characterized. The contact angle measurements and energy dispersive analysis of X-ray （EDAX） show that the length and content of perfluoroalkyl side chains in the copolymers are crucial for the preparation of the film with low surface energy. At a given content of fluorinated monomers in the copolymers, the longer the perfluoroalkyl side chain, the larger the water contact angle of the copolymer films will be. On the other hand, the higher the content of fluorinated monomers, the lower the surface energy is. The water contact angle increases with the increase of the fluorinated monomer content and reaches a plateau at 3 wt% of fluorinated monomer content.

Preparation and surface characterization of nanodisk/nanoflower-structured gallium-doped zinc oxide as a catalyst for sensor applications

Nanostructured gallium‐doped zinc oxide （GZO） thin films were fabricated on piezoelectric sub‐strates. The GZO thin films with nanodisk/nanoflower morphologies were prepared by a simple spin‐coating process followed by one‐step hydrothermal treatment. Addition of polymer during hydrothermal treatment resulted in nanodisk and nanoflower morphologies. The morphology, microstructure and chemical composition of thin films prepared under different conditions were examined by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy （FE‐SEM）, X‐ray diffraction （XRD） and Raman spectroscopy. The XRD and FE‐SEM investigations confirmed that the GZO nanodisks, na‐norods and nanoflowers formed on the AlN/Si substrates were all wurtzite phase. Green fluorescent protein （GFP） was immobilized on the as‐synthesized GZO nanostructured materials by a dipping process. Atomic force microscopy （AFM） and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements were con‐ducted to confirm the surface binding nature of GFP on the GZO nanostructures to determine their suitability for use in sensor applications and bioimaging techniques. Trace‐level addition of GFP to the GZO nanostructures resulted in a fluorescence response, revealing good activity for ultraviolet light sensor applications.

Syntheses and Surface Properties of Polyacrylonitrile-based Copolymer Membranes Containing Sugar Moieties

To improve the hydrophilicity of polyacrylonitrile-based membranes, sugar moieties were incorporated into acrylonitrile-based copolymers via the radical copolymerization of α-allyl glucoside(AG) with acrylonitrile(AN) with 2,2′-azobis-iso-butyronitrile(AIBN) as the initiator in dimethyl sulphoxide(DMSO). It was found that the yield increased with the increase of the initiator concentration and reaction time, while it decreased with the increase of the monomer molar ratio of AG to AN. Raising the AG proportion in the monomer mixture resulted in the increase of the AG content in the copolymer. M_v of the copolymers decreased with increasing the AG monomer fraction in feed. The copolymers were fabricated into dense membranes and their surface properties were studied by means of the water contact angle measurement and platelet adhesion tests. It was found that the static water contact angle on the membrane decreased significantly from 70° to 33° with the increase of the AG content. The adhesive number of platelets on the membrane surface also decreased significantly with increasing AG content in the copolymers. These results demonstrate that the hydrophilicity and biocompatibility of the acrylonitrile-based copolymer membranes could be improved efficiently by the copolymerization of acrylonitrile with vinyl carbohydrates.

Influence of Surface Structure of Platinum Electrodes on Electrooxidation of CO

The oxidation of CO on platinum electrodes in an acid solution was studied with the conventional electrochemical methods and the on-line electrochemical mass spectroscopy. It was found that this reaction is strongly determined by the surface morphology of platinum. The pretreatment of platinum electrodes can change the surface properties dramatically, in consequence it can improve the electrocatalytic activity towards the electrooxidation of CO. The existence of surface active sites on the roughened platinum electrodes can be used to explain its high electrocatalysis towards the oxidation of CO.

Deposition of DLC Coating on Biomedical TiNi Alloys by Plasma Based Ion Implantation to Improve Surface Properties

Diamond-like carbon （DLC） films were successfully deposited on Ti- 50.8 at% Ni using plasma based ion implantation （PBII） technique. The influence of the pulsed negative bias voltage applied to the substrate from 12 kV to 40 kV on the microstracture, nano-indentation hardness and Young＇ s modulus, the surface characteristics and corrosion resistant property as well as hemocompatibility were investigated. The experimental resalts showed that C 1 s peak depended heavily on the bias voltage. With the increase of bias voltage, the ratio of sp2 / sp3 first decreased, reaching a minimum value at 20 kV, and then increased. The DLC coating deposited at 20 kV showed the highest hardness and elastic modulus values as a result of lower sp2/sp3 ratio. The RMS values first decreased from 7.202nm（12 kV） to 5.279 nm（20 kV）, and then increased to 11.449 nm（30 kV） and 7.060 nm（ 40 kV）. The uncoated TiNi alloy showed severe pitting corrosion, due to the presence of Cl-ions in the solution. On the contrary, the DLC coated sample showed very little pitting corrosion and behaved better corrosion resistant property especially for the specimens deposited at 20 kV bias voltages. The platelet adhesion test show that the hemocompatibility of DLC coated TiNi alloy is much better than that of bare TiNi alloy, and the hemocompatibility performance of DLC coated TiNi alloy deposited at 20 kV is superior to that of other coated specimens.

Surface Modification of Electrospun Poly(L-lactide)/Poly(ε-caprolactone)Fibrous Membranes by Plasma Treatment and Gelatin Immobilization

Biopolymer fibers have great potential for technical applications in biomaterials.The surface properties of fibers are of importance in these applications.In this study,electrospun poly(L-lactide)(PLLA)/poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL)membranes were modified by cold plasma treatment and coating gelatin to improve the surface hydrophilic properties.The morphologies of the fibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).Atomic force microscopy(AFM)was employed to show the surface characteristics of the fibers.The chemical feature of the fibrous membrane surfaces was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The surface wettability of the fibrous membrane was also characterized by water contact angle measurements.All these results show that plasma treatment can have profound effects on the surface properties of fibrous membranes by changing their surface physical and chemical features.Gelatin-PLLA/PCL membrane has great potential in applications of tissue engineering scaffolds.

Development and Evaluation of Stable Paracetamol Loaded Solid Dispersion with Enhanced Analgesic and Hepatoprotective Property

Paracetamol (PCM) is enlisted in the WHO model list as an essential medicine for pain and palliative care, but at overdose, it causes hepatic damage. This study was designed to assess the analgesic efficacy and hepatoprotective property of a solid dispersion (SD) loaded with PCM. A number of PCM loaded formulations (PSDs) were fabricated using silica alone or in combination with polyethylene glycol and/or Na-citrate followed by in-vitro dissolution profiling. Selected PSDs with improved dissolution profile were subjected to solid-state characterization (DSC, PXRD, FTIR, and SEM), stability study along with investigation of in-vivo analgesic efficacy and effect on hepatocytes. Among these, PSD10 showed a rapid and significantly higher in-vitro drug release than pure PCM. This improvement was distinct to other PSDs also. Solid-state characterization of PSD10 authenticated the conversion of crystalline PCM to amorphous form upon formulation. Subsequent oral administration of PSD10 in Swiss albino mice showed 1.44-fold greater analgesic efficacy than pure PCM at dose 30 mg/kg. Besides, at acute toxic dose, liver histology of PSD10 mice was comparable with NC mice indicating hepatic protection upon formulation, whereas the PCM mice showed extensive hepatic necrosis which was also endorsed by significantly higher values of SGPT, SGOT, and ALP than PSD10 mice. Finally, an accelerated stability study of PSD10 performed according to the guideline of ICH noticed no remarkable deviation in its dissolution performance as well as crystalline nature. Thus, this newly developed PSD10 may be a safe and promising alternative for pain management and palliative care.

Surface modification of wollastonite by the mechano-activated method and its properties

Surface modification of wollastonite particles using titanate as a modification agent incorporated by simultaneous wet ultra-fine grinding in a laboratory stirred mill was investigated.The physical,physic-chemical and application properties of the modified wollastonite were measured and evaluated.The results showed that grinding intensity markedly influences the modification effect because of the mechano chemical effect.The hydrophilic surface of wollastonite was turned into a hydrophobic one after modification.The interaction between titanate and wollastonite under wet grinding circumstances was studied.It was suggested that physical adsorption and chemical adsorption of titanate coexisted on the wollastonite surface.The mechanical properties of polyethylene（PE） filled with the modified wollastonite powder were markedly improved.

Bio-leaching effects of Leptospirillum ferriphilum on the surface chemical properties of pyrite

Leptospirillum ferriphilum cultured using different energy sources(either soluble ferrous ion or pyrite) changed the surface properties of pyrite.Cell adsorption,zeta-potential,hydrophobicty,FT-IR spectra and surface morphology were investigated.Adhesion of bacterial cells to the pyrite surface is a fast process.Furthermore,the adsorption of cells grown in pyrite is greater than of cells grown in soluble ferrous ion.The Iso-Electric Point(IEP) of pyrite treated with L.ferriphilum approaches that of the cells themselves.The contact angle of the pyrite surface was observed to decrease due to the surface formation of some hydrophilic substances during bio-leaching.Changes in pyrite surface properties after bacterial treatment support the idea that ferric ion plays an important role and that indirect bio-oxidation is the principal mechanism of pyrite bio-leaching.

Preparation and Surface Properties of Silicon-Containing Waterborne Polyurethane Functionalized with Fluorine-Containing Acrylate and Micro-Nano Silica

In order to prepare hydrophobic waterborne polyurethane coatings with better performances, the silicon-containing waterborne polyurethane（SiWPU） with functional chain extender hydroxyethyl acrylate（HEA） was prepared first, and then a series of silicon＆fluorine-containing polyurethane/acrylate（FSiPUA） emulsions were obtained with flourine containing acrylic monomer by seed emulsion polymerization, introducing micro-nano SiO2 into FSiPUA emulsion to make the final hybrid emulsion. The properties of Si WPU, FSiPUA and SiO2/FSiPUA were investigated by fourier transform infrared spectra（FTIR）, transmission electron microscope（TEM）, Scanning Electron Microscope（SEM） and some other analytical methods. The results revealed that FSiPUA emulsion particles possessed composite core-shell structure and FSiPUA films with suitable ratio performed better than Si WPU films in hardness, water resistance and solvent resistance. The SiO2/FSiPUA films with micro-nano dual roughness structure showed a water contact angle of 136° with good resistance to acid and alkali.