Effect of thermal exposure time on tellurium-induced embrittlement of Ni–16Mo–7Cr–4Fe alloy

The embrittlement of nickel-based structural alloys by fission-produced tellurium(Te) is a major challenge for molten salt reactors(MSR). In this study, the effects of thermal exposure time on tellurium diffusion in a candidate MSR structural alloy(Ni–16 Mo–7 Cr–4 Fe) and the consequent mechanical property degradation of the alloy were investigated through surrogate diffusion experiments at 700 °C. The results show that some tellurium reacted with the alloy to form tellurides on the surface,while some tellurium diffused into the alloy along grain boundaries. Ni_3Te_2 and CrTe were the most stable reaction products at the tested temperature, and the formation of CrTe on the surface induced the Cr depletion at grain boundaries of the alloy. The diffusion depth of Te increased gradually with thermal exposure time, and thediffusion rate kept stable within the test duration of up to3000 h. The Te diffusion in the alloy caused the embrittlement of grain boundaries, inducing crack formation and strength degradation in tensile test at room temperature.

Ketoprofen/ethyl Cellulose Nanofibers Fabricated Using an Epoxy-coated Spinneret

The present study investigates the preparation of sustained release drug-loaded nanofibers using a novel epoxy-coated spinneret. With ethyl cellulose (EC) and ketoprofen (KET) as the filament-forming matrix and the active pharmaceutical ingredient, Drug-loaded composite nanofibers are generated smoothly and continuously with few user interventions. Field-emission scanning electron microscopic observations demonstrated that the composite nanofibers prepared using the epoxy-coated spinneret have better quality than those from a traditional stainless steel spinneret in terms of diameter and its distribution. Both of the composite nanofibers are in essential a molecular solid dispersion of EC and KET based on the hydrogen bonding between them, as verified by XRD and ATR-FTIR results. In vitro dissolution tests show that the nanofibers resulted from the new spinneret provide a finer sustained KET release profile than their counter-parts. Epoxy-coated spinneret is a useful tool to facilitate the electrospinning process through the prevention of clogging for generating high quality nanofibers.