Effect of Co on Solidification Characteristics and Microstructural Transformation of Non-equilibrium Solidified Cu-Ni Alloys

Non-equilibrium solidification structures of Cu55Ni45 and Cu55Ni43Co2 alloys were prepared by the molten glass purification cycle superheating method.The variation of the recalescence phenomenon with the degree of undercooling in the rapid solidification process was investigated using an infrared thermometer.The addition of the Co element affected the evolution of the recalescence phenomenon in Cu-Ni alloys.The images of the solid-liquid interface migration during the rapid solidification of supercooled melts were captured by using a high-speed camera.The solidification rate of Cu-Ni alloys,with the addition of Co elements,was explored.Finally,the grain refinement structure with low supercooling was characterised using electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD).The effect of Co on the microstructural evolution during nonequilibrium solidification of Cu-Ni alloys under conditions of small supercooling is investigated by comparing the microstructures of Cu55Ni45 and Cu55Ni43Co2 alloys.The experimental results show that the addition of a small amount of Co weakens the recalescence behaviour of the Cu55Ni45 alloy and significantly reduces the thermal strain in the rapid solidification phase.In the rapid solidification phase,the thermal strain is greatly reduced,and there is a significant increase in the characteristic undercooling degree.Furthermore,the addition of Co and the reduction of Cu not only result in a lower solidification rate of the alloy,but also contribute to the homogenisation of the grain size.

Nitrogen-Doped Amorphous Carbon Homojunction from Palmyra Sugar as a Renewable Solar Cell

An a-C/a-C:N junction,which used palmyra sugar as the carbon source and ammonium hydroxide(NH4OH)as the dopant source,was successfully deposited on the ITO glass substrate using the nano-spraying method.The current-voltage relationship of the junction was found to be a Schottky-like contact,and therefore the junction shows the characteristic rectifiers.This means the a-C and a-C:N are semiconductors with different types of conduction.Moreover,the samples showed an increase in current and voltage value when exposed to visible light(bright state)compared to the dark condition,thereby,indicating the creation of electron-hole pairs during the exposure.It was also discovered that the relationship between current and voltage for the a-C/a-C:N junction sample formed a curve that satisfies the rule of the photovoltaic effect when exposed to visible light from a light bulb.The exposure of this sample to direct sunlight at AM 1.5 conditions produced a curve that meets the rules for the emergence of the photovoltaic effect with higher characteristics for the current-voltage relationship.Thus,the a-C/a-C:N junction sample is a solar cell successfully fabricated using a sample method and has a maximum efficiency of 0.0013%.

Thermo-Mechanical, Physico-Chemical, Morphological, and Fire Characteristics of Eco-Friendly Particleboard Manufactured with Phosphorylated Lignin Addition

Lignin,lignosulfonate,and synthesized phosphorylated lignosulfonate were introduced as greenfillers in citric acid-sucrose adhesives for bonding particleboard fabricated from areca leaf sheath(ALS).The characteristics of particleboards were compared to that of ultralow emitting formaldehyde(ULEF-UF).Thefillers derived from Eucalyptus spp.kraft-lignin were added forflame retardancy enhancement.10%of each lignin and modified lig-nin was added into the ULEF-UF and citric acid-sucrose bonded particleboards.Analyses applied to particle-boards included thermal characteristics,X-ray diffraction analysis(XRD),morphological properties,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),as well as physical,mechanical,andfire resistance characteristics of the laboratory-fabricated particleboards.Lignin and modified lignin resulted in improved thermal stability of the composites bonded with ULEF-UF while the improvement in the particleboard bonded with citric acid-sucrose was not significant.The introduction offiller exerted a higher influence on the UF-bonded particleboards compared to composites fabricated with citric acid-sucrose.Generally,the presence of lignin,lignosulfonate,and phosphorylated lignosulfonate enhanced the mechanical strength of the ULEF-bonded particleboards,although their dimensional stability has deteriorated.Markedly,the use of lignin and lignosulfonate enhanced thefire resis-tance of the particleboards produced with lower observed weight loss.All laboratory particleboards exhibited satisfactoryfire resistance,attaining a V-0 rating in according to the UL-94 standard.

Preparation and characterization of ceramic materials with low thermal conductivity and high strength using high-calcium fly ash

High calcium-fly ash(HCFA)collected from the Mae Moh electricity generating plant in Thailand was utilized as a raw material for ceramic production.The main compositions of HCFA characterized by X-ray fluorescence mainly consisted of 28.55wt%SiO_(2),16.06wt%Al_(2)O_(3),23.40wt%CaO,and 17.03wt%Fe_(2)O_(3).Due to high proportion of calcareous and ferruginous contents,HCFA was used for replacing the potash feldspar in amounts of 10wt%-40wt%.The influence of substituting high-calcium fly ash(0-40wt%)and sintering temperatures(1000-1200℃)on physical,mechanical,and thermal properties of ceramic-based materials was investigated.The results showed that the in-corporation of HCFA in appropriate amounts could enhance the densification and the strength as well as reduce the thermal conductivity of ceramic samples.High proportion of calcareous and ferruginous constituents in fly ash promoted the vitrification behavior of ceramic samples.As a result,the densification was enhanced by liquid phase formation at optimum fly ash content and sintering temperature.In addition,these components also facilitated a more abundant mullite formation and consequently improved flexural strength of the ceramic samples.The op-timum ceramic properties were achieved with adding fly ash content between 10wt%-30wt%sintered at 1150-1200℃.At 1200℃,the max-imum flexural strength of ceramic-FA samples with adding fly ash 10wt%-30wt%(PSW-FA(10)-(30))was obtained in the range of 92.25-94.71 MPa when the water absorption reached almost zero(0.03%).In terms of thermal insulation materials,the increase in fly ash addi-tion had a positively effect on the thermal conductivity,due to the higher levels of porosity created by gas evolving from the inorganic decom-position reactions inside the ceramic-FA samples.The addition of 20wt%-40wt%high-calcium fly ash in ceramic samples sintered at 1150℃reduced the thermal conductivity to 14.78%-49.25%,while maintaining acceptable flexural strength values(~45.67-87.62 MPa).Based on these promising mechanical and thermal characteristics,it is feasible to utilize this high-calcium fly ash as an alternative raw material in clay compositions for manufacturing of ceramic tiles.

Charge Storage Properties of Aqueous Halide Supercapatteries with Activated Carbon and Graphene Nanoplatelets as Active Electrode Materials

Device level performance of aqueous halide supercapatteries fabricated with equal electrode mass of activated carbon or graphene nanoplatelets has been characterized.It was revealed that the surface oxygen groups in the graphitic structures of the nanoplatelets contributed toward a more enhanced charge storage capacity in bromide containing redox electrolytes.Moreover,the rate performance of the devices could be linked to the effect of the pore size of the carbons on the dynamics of the inactive alkali metal counterion of the redox halide salt.Additionally,the charge storage performance of aqueous halide supercapatteries with graphene nanoplatelets as the electrode material may be attributed to the combined effect of the porous structure on the dynamics of the non-active cations and a possible interaction of the Br^(-)/(Br_(2)+Br^(-)_(3))redox triple with the surface oxygen groups within the graphitic layer of the nanoplatelets.Generally,it has been shown that the surface groups and microstructure of electrode materials must be critically correlated with the redox electrolytes in the ongoing efforts to commercialize these devices.

Recent advances using equal-channel angular pressing to improve the properties of biodegradable Mg-Zn alloys

Magnesium alloys are of considerable current interest for use as degradable implants due to their unique properties including biodegrad-ability,biocompatibility,low density and adequate mechanical properties.Nevertheless,there is a need to further improve these properties either by alloying or through the use of appropriate processing.Among the different biodegradable Mg alloys now in use,the Mg-Zn series are of special interest and have been the subject of many research investigations.This is primarily because Zn is an essential element for the human body in addition to its positive effects in improving the mechanical strength and lowering the degradation rate of the implant.The properties of Mg-Zn alloys may be further improved both through the addition of third and fourth alloying elements such as Ca,Ag,Sn or Sr and/or by thermo-mechanical processing where the latter is more environmentally and economically favorable.In practice,procedures based on the application of severe plastic deformation(SPD)are especially suited to produce fine-grained microstructures with improved mechanical,degradation and cell behavior.Equal-channel angular pressing(ECAP)is a popular SPD technique that has the capability of pro-ducing bulk materials that are sufficiently large for use as typical implants.Accordingly,this review is designed to provide a comprehensive summary of the research that has been undertaken on ECAP-processed biodegradable Mg-Zn alloys.

Exceptional thermal stability and enhanced hardness in a nanostructured Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy processed by high pressure torsion

A Mg-8.2Gd-3.8Y-1.0Zn-0.4Zr(wt.%) alloy is processed by solution treatment and high pressure torsion(HPT) at room temperature to produce a nanostructured light material with high hardness. The stability of this alloy is subsequently tested through isochronal annealing for 0.5 h at 373 K to 673 K. The results reveal a thermal stability that is vastly superior to that of conventional Mg-based alloys processed by severe plastic deformation: the grain size remains at around 50 nm on heating to 573 K, and as the temperature is increased to 673 K,grain growth is restricted to within 500 nm. The stability of grain refinement of the present alloy/processing combination allowing grain size to be limited to 55 nm after exposure at 573 K, appears to be nearly one order of magnitude better than for the other SPD processed Mg-RE type alloys, and 2 orders of magnitude better than those of SPD processed RE-free Mg alloys. This superior thermal stability is attributed to formation of co-clusters near and segregation at grain boundaries, which cause a thermodynamic stabilization of grain size, as well as formation of β-Mg_(5)RE equilibrium phase at grain boundaries, which impede grain growth by the Zener pinning effect. The hardness of the nanostructured Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy increases with increasing annealing temperature up to 573 K, which is quite different from the other SPD-processed Mg-based alloys. The high hardness of 136 HV after annealing at 573 K is mainly due to solute segregation and solute clustering at or near grain boundaries.

Thermal stability and mechanical properties of thick thermal barrier coatings with vertical type cracks

The thermal stability and failure mechanism of thick thermal barrier coatings(TBCs) with and without vertical type cracks were investigated through the cyclic thermal exposure and thermal-shock tests. The TBC systems with thickness of about 2000 μm in the top coat were prepared by an air plasma spray(APS) on the bond coat of about 150 μm in thickness prepared by APS. The adhesive strength values of the as-prepared TBCs with and without vertical type cracks were determined to be 24.7 and 11.0 MPa, respectively, indicating the better interface stability in the TBC with vertical type cracks. The TBC with vertical type cracks shows a better thermal durability than that without vertical type cracks in the thermal cyclic exposure and thermal-shock tests. The hardness values of the as-prepared TBCs with and without vertical type cracks were found to be 6.6 and 5.3 GPa, respectively, which were increased to 9.5 and 5.5 GPa, respectively, after the cyclic thermal exposure tests. These results indicate that the vertical type cracks developed in the top coat are important in improving the lifetime performance of thick TBC in high temperature environment.

Determination of kinetic parameters from calorimetric study of solid state reactions in 7150 Al-Zn-Mg alloy

Differential scanning calorimetric （DSC） study was carried out at different heating rates to examine the solid state reactions in a 7150 A1-Zn-Mg alloy in water-quenched （WQ） state, naturally and artificially aged tempers. The exothermic and endothermic peaks of the thermograms indicating the solid state reaction sequence were identified. The shift of peak temperatures to higher temperatures with increasing heating rates suggests that the solid state reactions are thermally activated and kinetically controlled. The artificial aging behaviour of the alloy was assessed by measuring the variations of hardness with aging time. The fraction of transformation （Y）, the rate of transformation （dY/dt）, the transformation functionflY）, and the kinetic parameters such as activation energy （Q） and frequency factor （k0） of all the solid state reactions in the alloy were determined by analyzing the DSC data, i.e. heat flow involved with the corresponding DSC peaks. It was found that the kinetic parameters of the solid state reactions are in good agreement with the published data.

Synthesis and applications of MOF-derived porous nanostructures

Metal organic frameworks(MOFs) represent a class of porous material which is formed by strong bonds between metal ions and organic linkers. By careful selection of constituents, MOFs can exhibit very high surface area, large pore volume, and excellent chemical stability.Research on synthesis, structures and properties of various MOFs has shown that they are promising materials for many applications, such as energy storage, gas storage, heterogeneous catalysis and sensing. Apart from direct use, MOFs have also been used as support substrates for nanomaterials or as sacrificial templates/precursors for preparation of various functional nanostructures. In this review, we aim to present the most recent development of MOFs as precursors for the preparation of various nanostructures and their potential applications in energy-related devices and processes. Specifically, this present survey intends to push the boundaries and covers the literatures from the year 2013 to early 2017,on supercapacitors, lithium ion batteries, electrocatalysts, photocatalyst, gas sensing, water treatment, solar cells, and carbon dioxide capture.Finally, an outlook in terms of future challenges and potential prospects towards industrial applications are also discussed.

Characterization of a Mg_(95.5)Zn_(1.5)Y_(3)alloy both containing W phase and LPSO phase with or without heat treatment

The influence of solid solution treatment on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of as-cast Mg_(95.5)Zn_(1.5)Y_(3) alloy is characterized.The microstructure of the as-cast Mg_(95.5)Zn_(1.5)Y_(3) alloy mainly consisted ofα-Mg,W(Mg_(3)Zn_(3)Y_(2))phase,and the long period stacking ordered(LPSO)(Mg_(12)ZnY)phase.After solid solution treatment,most of the W phase disappears gradually with increasing solution treatment time,with only a small amount of W phase distributed as particle.The LPSO phase slightly dissolved into substrate,and its morphology transitions from blocky shape to rod shape.Solid solution treatment of Mg_(95.5)Zn_(1.5)Y_(3) exhibits excellent corrosion resistance,because the Y and Zn atoms became enriched in the matrix and the changed morphologies of the LPSO and W phases were modified through heat treatment.The alloy created with solid solution treatment at 520 ℃ for 10 hours exhibits corrosion potential of−1.419 V,suggesting a significant improvement in corrosion performance.

Coarsening rate of microstructure in semi-solid aluminium alloys

The rate of microstructural coarsening of recrystallisation and partial melting (RAP) and cooling slope (CS) processed materials in the semi-solid state is compared with rates found in the literature.The rate of coarsening depended on the liquid fraction but RAP route 2014 alloy with 37% liquid coarsened slightly more slowly than the CS route 2014 alloy with a lower liquid fraction of 17%, contrary to expectations.For the CS route, an increase in liquid fraction resulted in faster coarsening.A modified 2014 alloy with Fe, Mn and Zn stripped out of the composition gave a relatively high coarsening rate.The coarsening rate was also relatively high for CS 201 alloy in comparison with either RAP 2014 or CS 2014.Low coarsening rates are thought to be associated with the presence of particles which inhibit the migration of liquid film grain boundaries.This could be the result of pinning or of the liquid film impeding diffusion at the boundary.

Effect of alloying elements on magnesium alloy damping capacities at room temperature

Alloying is a good approach to increasing its strength but leads to a reduction of damping to pure magnesium.Classifying the alloying characteristics of various alloying elements in magnesium alloys and their combined effects on the damping and mechanical properties of magnesium alloys is important.In this paper,the properties of the Mg-0.6wt%X binary alloys were analyzed through strength measurements and dynamic mechanical analysis.The effects of foreign atoms on solid-solution strengthening and dislocation damping were studied comprehensively.The effect of solid solubility on damping capacity can be considered from two perspectives:the effect of single solid-solution atoms on the damping capacities of the alloy,and the effect of solubility on the damping capacities of the alloy.The results provide significant information that is useful in developing high-strength,high-damping magnesium alloys.This study will provide scientific guidance regarding the development of new types of damping magnesium alloys.

Effect of crystallographic texture and twinning on the corrosion behavior of Mg alloys:A review

Magnesium and its alloys have gained significant popularity due to their light weight and their potential for use as bioresorbable materials.However,their application is limited in practice due to their relatively poor corrosion resistance.Several methods are available for improving the corrosion resistance of Mg alloys for bio-applications such as using different coatings,alloying,and modifying the microstructural parameters such as the grain size and the crystallographic texture.This review provides a comprehensive summary of the effects of crystallographic texture and twinning,as one of the most important deformation mechanisms of Mg and Mg alloys,on the corrosion behavior.Regarding the crystallographic texture,it is shown that theoretically the basal planes should exhibit a lower corrosion rate but in some cases,such as when there is a galvanic effect or when corrosion films control the overall corrosion behavior,different results may take place.Also,there are contradictory results concerning the effect of twinning on the corrosion behavior.Thus,in some cases twinning may provide preferential sites for corrosion due to the higher energies of atoms located in the twin region by comparison with normal atomic positions in the crystalline lattice whereas there are also other examples where experiments show that twins produce more protective films than in the surrounding matrix.

Effects of heat treatment on the corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of biodegradable Mg alloys

Biodegradable magnesium(Mg)alloys exhibit great potential for use as temporary structures in tissue engineering applications.Such degradable implants require no secondary surgery for their removal.In addition,their comparable mechanical properties with the human bone,together with excellent biocompatibility,make them a suitable candidate for fracture treatments.Nevertheless,some challenges remain.Fast degradation of the Mg-based alloys in physiological environments leads to a loss of the mechanical support that is needed for complete tissue healing and also to the accumulation of hydrogen gas bubbles at the interface of the implant and tissue.Among different methods used to improve the performance of the biodegradable Mg alloys to address these challenges,it appears that heat treatment is the most effective way to modify the microstructure and thus the corrosion behavior and mechanical properties without changing the composition or shape of the alloys.A desirable combination of corrosion and mechanical properties can be obtained through a precise control of the heat treatment parameters.In this report,the effects of different heat treatments(T4 and T6)on the microstructure,corrosion behavior,and mechanical properties of some of the most important heat-treatable biodegradable Mg alloys(Mg-Zn,Mg-Gd,Mg-Y,Mg-Nd,Mg-Al and Mg-Ag)are examined as well as new perspectives to enhance their clinical implementation.

Advanced Strategies to Improve Performances of Molybdenum-Based Gas Sensors

Molybdenum-based materials have been intensively investigated for high-performance gas sensor applications.Particularly,molybdenum oxides and dichalcogenides nanostructures have been widely examined due to their tunable structural and physicochemical properties that meet sensor requirements.These materials have good durability,are naturally abundant,low cost,and have facile preparation,allowing scalable fabrication to fulfill the growing demand of susceptible sensor devices.Significant advances have been made in recent decades to design and fabricate various molybdenum oxides-and dichalcogenides-based sensing materials,though it is still challenging to achieve high performances.Therefore,many experimental and theoretical investigations have been devoted to exploring suitable approaches which can significantly enhance their gas sensing properties.This review comprehensively examines recent advanced strategies to improve the nanostructured molybdenum-based material performance for detecting harmful pollutants,dangerous gases,or even exhaled breath monitoring.The summary and future challenges to advance their gas sensing performances will also be presented.

Microstructural Evolution in Directionally Solidified Ni-Base Superalloy IN792+Hf

Microstructural evolution during directional solidification （DS） of Ni-base superalloy IN792＋Hf has been investigated with an emphasis on theγ′precipitates and MC-type carbides.The quantitative image analyses revealed that the increase in the solidification rate up to 100μm/s at constant thermal gradient of 178 K/cm resulted in a fine and uniform distribution ofγ′precipitates.The relationship between the as-castγ′size and cooling rate was also determined for DS IN792＋Hf.In the mean time,the MC carbide size was found to be dependent both on the solidification rate and the S/L interface morphology while the area fraction of MC carbide was significantly influenced by the S/L interface morphology.

Improvement of oxidation resistance in graphite for MgO-C refractory through surface modification

Graphite, used as a carbon source in a conventional magnesia-carbon(MgO-C) refractory, was modified with an acid reagent, resulting in a negative charge on the surface of graphite, to enhance the coating efficiency of aluminum(Al) phase, which was compared to the pristine graphite through its dispersibity and oxidation behavior. The graphite particles with and without surface modification were added, respecticely, in an Al(NO3)3 suspension used as a coating reagent, and then filtered at room temperature. The modified graphite shows better disperbility than the pristine graphite, indicating that the coating efficiency of Al precursor is enhanced in the modified graphite. With respect to oxidation behavior, the modified graphite without the coating layer is totally reacted with oxygen at heat treatment of 900 °C in air. However, the Al-coated graphite starts to react with oxygen at heat treatment of 900 °C and fully reacted with oxygen at heat treatment of 1000 °C, showing the gray and white colors, respectively. It is verified that the Al layer is individually and uniformly formed on the surface of graphite and the oxidation resistance of graphite is enhanced owing to the increased coating efficiency of Al precursor.

Optical Investigation of Sm^(3+) Doped Zinc-Lead-Phosphate Glass

Samarium doped lead-zinc-phosphate glasses having composition(60-x)P_(2)O_(5)-20PbO-20ZnO-xSm_(2)O_(3) where x=0,0.5,1.0,3.0mol%were prepared by using the melt quenching technique.The Archimedes method was used to measure their densities,which are used to calculate the molar volumes.The values of densities lie in the range 3.698–4.090 gm/cm^(3) whereas those of molar volume lie in the range of 37.24–40.00 cm^(-3).UV-vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy in the wavelength range 200–2000 nm was carried out.Absorption spectra consist of seven absorption peaks corresponding to the transitions from the 6H5/2 ground state to various excited energy levels.The energy band gap measured from the optical absorbance is found to be in the range of 3.88–4.43 eV and 3.68–4.33 eV for direct and indirect transitions,respectively.In addition,the photoluminescence spectrum shows four prominent emission bands centered at 560,597,642 and 700 nm corresponding to the 4G5/2–6HJ(J=5/2,7/2,9/2,11/2)transitions respectively and the intensity of all the bands are enhanced as the concentration of Sm3+ions increases.

The Oleic Acid Composition Effect on the Carboxymethyl Cellulose Based Biopolymer Electrolyte

Biopolymer electrolyte based on carboxymethyl cellulose has been prepared by doping with different concentration of oleic acid via solution casting technique. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy was used to study the complexation between the salt and polymer. New peak was observed at 1710, 2850, 2920 cm-1. X-ray diffraction study reveals the amorphous nature of the biopolymer electrolyte. Impedance study shows the highest ionic conductivity, σ, was found to be 2.11 × 10-5 S·cm-1 at room temperature (303 K) for sample containing 20 wt.% of oleic acid and the biopolymer electrolyte obeys Arrhenius behaviour.