Novel as-cast AlCrFe2Ni2Ti0.5 high-entropy alloy with excellent mechanical properties

We designed a novel Co-free AlCrFe2Ni2Ti0.5 high-entropy alloy(HEA)that features an excellent combination of strength and ductility in this study.The as-cast AlCrFe2Ni2Ti0.5 alloy showed equiaxed grains undergoing spinodal decomposition,which consisted of ultrafine-grained laminated body-centered cubic(bcc)phases and an ordered body-centered cubic(b2)phase,and some precipitates embedded in the b2 matrix.The bcc and b2 phases also feature a coherent interface.This unique structure impedes mobile dislocations and hinders the formation of cracks,thereby giving the AlCrFe2Ni2Ti0.5 HEA both high strength and plasticity.At room temperature,the as-cast AlCrFe2Ni2Ti0.5 alloy exhibited a compressive yield strength of 1714 MPa,an ultimate strength of 3307 MPa,and an elongation of 43%.These mechanical properties are superior to those of most reported HEAs.

Effects of Sb and heat treatment on the microstructure of Al-15.5wt%Mg_2Si alloy

The modification effects of alloying element Sb and heat treatment on Al-15.5wt%Mg2Si alloy were investigated by Olympus microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy and energy disperse spectroscopy （SEM-EDS）, and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. It is found that Sb plays a significant role in shaping primary Mg2Si phase and eutectic Mg2Si phase in Al-15.5wt%MgzSi alloy. The Sb addition of about 1.0wt% makes the resultant alloy show the finest primary Mg2Si phase and the eutectic Mg2Si phase with well distribution. But further increasing the Sb content decreases the amount of primary Mg2Si phase, and some segregated phases appear at regions between the grains. In addition, heat treatment can modify the microstructural feature of Sb-modified Al-15.5wt%Mg2Si alloy in terms of obviously shortening the nodulizing time of primary Mg2Si phase and eutectic Mg2Si phase.

Exploration of Al-based matrix composites reinforced by hierarchically spherical agents

Al-based composites reinforced with A1-Ti intermetallic compounds/Ti metal hierarchically spherical agents were successfully fabricated by powder metallurgy. This kind of structure produces strongly bonded interfaces as well as soft/hard/soft transition regions between the matrix and reinforced agents, which are beneficial to load transfer during deformation. As expected, the resultant composites exhibit promising mechanical properties at ambient temperature. The underlying mechanism was also discussed in this paper.

Solar thermal swing adsorption on porous carbon monoliths for high-performance CO_(2)capture

Utilizing solar energy for sorbent regeneration during the CO_(2)swing adsorption process could potentially reduce CO_(2)capture costs.This study describes a new technique—solar thermal swing adsorption(STSA)for CO_(2)capture based on application of intermittent illumination onto porous carbon monolith(PCM)sorbents during the CO_(2)capture process.This allows CO_(2)to be selectively adsorbed on the sorbents during the light-off periods and thereafter released during the light-on periods due to the solar thermal effect.The freestanding and mechanically strong PCMs have rich ultramicropores with narrow pore size distributions,displaying relatively high CO_(2)adsorption capacity and high CO_(2)/N_(2) selectivity.Given the high CO_(2)capture performance,high solar thermal conversion efficiency,and high thermal conductivity,the PCM sorbents could achieve high CO_(2)capture rate of up to 0.226 kg·kgcarbon^(-1)·h^(-1)from a gas mixture of 20 vol.%CO_(2)/80 vol.%N_(2) under STSA conditions with a light intensity of 1000 W·m^(-2).In addition,the combination of STSA with the conventional vacuum swing adsorption technique further increases the CO_(2)working capacity.