Interfacial reaction process of the hot-pressed WC/2024Al composite

12 vol%WCp/2024Al composite was fabricated from mixed powders by hot-pressing at various tempera-tures. Investigation of the interfacial reaction between the WC phase and the Al alloy matrix was performed by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscope （TEM） and energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）. A multiple layer interface structure, which is composed of Al/ WAl12/AlnC3/WC, is found to form by the interfacial reaction during hot-pressing. Further study shows that the AlaC3 layer forms along with a given crystal orientation of WC phase and might retard the interfacial reaction process.

A Novel laser scanning method for metallization of alumina substrate by copper

A laser scanning method was developed to metalize the surface of alumina substrates with copper.The modeling of the heating and cooling rates of the samples during the laser scanning process indicates that the metallization process involves the rapid melting and solidification of Al_(2)O_(3) and Cu and the evaporation and deposition of part of the Cu.The surface of the metalized alumina substrate was composed of copper spheres(~60μm in diameter)embedded into the alumina substrate and a thin layer of CuAlO_(2).

Controlled synthesis of monodispersed spherical ruthenium powders

Monodispersed spherical Ru powders are essential for fabricating high-performance Ru sputtering targets,which have applications in very-large-scale integration circuits and magnetic recording devices.However,the synthesis of such powders remains a major challenge.Here,we reported the synthesis of monodispersed spherical Ru powders through controlling the molar ratio of SO_(4)^(2-)to Ru^(3+)in urea homogeneous precipitation solution and the annealing conditions.Without the addition of(NH4)2SO_(4)into the reaction solution,only gel-like precipitation particles were obtained.Once introducing(NH_(4))_(2)SO_(4) into the reaction solution and controlling the molar ratio of SO_(4)^(2-)to Ru3+between 0.50 and 1.00,monodispersed spherical precursor powders were obtained.The nucleation and growth of monodispersed spherical precursor particles in solution were found to conform to LaMer's model.Through controlled annealing at 450℃in a hydrogen atmosphere,the obtained metallic Ru powder with an average particle size of 135 nm inherited the spherical morphology and excellent dispersity from the monodispersed spherical precursor powders.These results and findings would deepen the understanding of the preparation of monodispersed Ru and Ru-like powders.

Suspended hydrophilic carbon anodes to enable fully flowable cerium–metal hybrid flow batteries

Hybrid redox flow batteries(RFBs)are a special type of RFBs that involve depositing reactions on negative electrodes.The available volume in negative electrodes for cell stacks limits the totally energy-storing capability of these batteries.This paper introduces the first fully flowable Ce–metal flow battery operated with a semisolid,flowable anolyte.Using the semisolid fuel cell concept,we incorporate the sustainable and deposit-abundant features of non-Li-based batteries into the structure of RFBs to develop a fully flowable RFB system.Solid suspension electrodes of hydrophilic carbon particles deposited by earth-abundant metals with redox activity are investigated as alternatives to the redox-active molecules employed in typical RFBs to decouple the power delivery capability from the energy storage capacity in fully flowable RFBs.While being charged,earth-abundant redox-active metal(Cu,Pb or Zn)is electrodeposited on the carbon particle suspension,which is dissolved in the sequent discharging process.On the basis of the proposed contact-charge-transfer mechanism,the electrical contact to the solid suspension electrode is fed by the redox-inert hydrophobic current collector that restrains direct metal deposition on their surfaces due to the hydrophobicity.

Effects of Crystal Orientations on the Low-Cycle Fatigue of a Single-Crystal Nickel-Based Superalloy at 980 °C

The influence of crystal orientations on the low-cycle fatigue(LCF) behavior of a 3Re-bearing Ni-based single-crystal superalloy at 980 °C has been investigated. It is found that the orientation dependence of the fatigue life not only depends on the elastic modulus, but also the number of active slip planes and the plasticity of materials determine the LCF life,especially for the [011] and [111] specimens. The [011] and [111] specimens with better plasticity withstand relatively concentrated inelastic deformation caused by fewer active slip planes, compared to the [001] specimens resisting widespread deformation caused by a higher number of active slip planes. Additionally, fatigue fracture is also influenced by cyclic plastic deformation mechanisms of the alloy with crystal orientations, and the [001] specimens are plastically deformed by wave slip mechanism and fracture along the non-crystallographic plane, while the [011] and [111] specimens are plastically deformed by planar slip mechanism and fracture along the crystallographic planes. Moreover, casting pores,eutectics, inclusions and surface oxide layers not only initiate the crack, but also reduce the stress concentration around crack tips. Our results throw light upon the effect of inelastic strain on the LCF life and analyze the cyclic plastic deformation for the alloy with different orientations.

Anaphthalimide-based fluorescent probe for mercapto-containing compounds

A polarity-sensitive fluorescent probe MNP was rationally designed and synthesized with naphthalimide as the fluorophore and maleimide as the receptor for thiols. MNP is weakly fluorescent due to the photoinduced electron-transfer （PET） from the fluorophore to the receptor, and it displays evidently solvatochromic UV-vis and fluorescence spectra： the emission shifted from 495 nm in n-hexane to 545 nm in phosphate buffer solution. Michael addition reaction between thiols and the maleimide in MNP inhibited the PET process, which led to about eight-fold fluorescence enhancement. In addition, MNP showed highly sensitivity to rnercapto-containing proteins and it could detect as low as 20.4 μg/mL of BSA in PBS. MNP has potential in fluorescent imaging of thiols in living cells.

Effect of Orientation on Stress-Rupture Property and Related Deformation Microstructure of a Ni-Base Re-containing Single-Crystal Superalloy at 900℃

Stress-rupture properties of a Ni-base Re-containing single-crystal superalloy with three orientations have been tested under 900℃/445 MPa.An obvious anisotropy of stress-rupture property is attributed to orientation reliant deformation microstructure.The good strength in[001]orientation is attributed to the rapid multiplication of dislocations active in horizontal channels and laterγ'cutting via dislocations pair coupled with anti-phase boundary.The microtwin formation largely limits the strength and plasticity as a result of the continuous shearing acrossγ/γ'microstructure by{111}112 slip activated in[011]orientation.The property in[111]orientation results mainly from the lateral cross-slip movements of the screw dislocations within connected matrix channels as well as the precipitate shearing by coplanar dislocations.Microcracks all initially originate from the interdendritic micropores in three orientations.The critical temperature of stress-rupture anisotropy could be increased by a high level of refractory solutes especially Re.

Short-term microbiological effects of scaling and root planing and essential-oils mouthwash in Chinese adults

Objective: To assess the short-term effect of scaling and root planing (SRP) and essential-oils mouthwash on the levels of specific bacteria in Chinese adults. Methods: Fifty Chinese adults with chronic periodontitis were randomly assigned to full-mouth SRP or a 7-d essential-oils mouthwash regimen. In addition, 22 periodontally healthy adults used essential-oils mouthwash for 7 d. Clinical examination and plaque/saliva sampling were performed at baseline and on Day 7. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to measure Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), and total bacterial loads in saliva, supra- and sub-gingival plaque samples. Results: The detection frequencies of four tested species remained unchanged after either treatment. However, the bacterial loads of Fn, Pg, and Pi were significantly reduced by SRP; the mean reduction of bacterial counts in saliva ranged from 52.2% to 62.5% (p<0.01), in supragingival plaque from 68.2% to 81.0% (p<0.05), and in subgingival plaque from 67.9% to 93.0% (p<0.01). Total bacterial loads were reduced after SRP in supra- and sub-gingival plaque (p<0.05). Essential-oils mouthwash reduced Fn levels in supragingival plaque by a mean of 53.2%, and reduced total bacterial loads in supra- and sub-gingival plaque (p<0.01). In subgingival plaque from periodontal patients, Pg and Pi reductions were high after SRP compared to essential-oils mouthwash (93.0% vs. 37.7% and 87.0% vs. 21.0%, p<0.05). No significant bacterial reduction was observed in periodontally healthy subjects using essential-oils mouthwash. Conclusions: SRP and essential-oils mouthwash both have an impact on saliva and gingival plaque flora in Chinese periodontitis patients in 7 d, with greater microbiological improvement by SRP.

Effect of Interactions Among Elements on Diffusion Process Associated with γ′ Coarsening in a Ni-Based Single-Crystal Superalloy

Coarsening of cuboidal γ’ precipitates and relevant diffusion process in Ni-based single-crystal superalloy CMSX-4 were investigated at 1000,1020 and 1040℃ for specific times.The y’ coarsening kinetics followed a cubic rate law with time and was presumably controlled by bulk diffusion of elements in y matrix.The associated diffusion activation energy was experimentally determined to be about 300 kJ/mol when it is considered the temperature-dependent thermo-physical parameters in modified Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory.The influence of temperature on γ/γ’ microstructure is briefly discussed based on pseudo-binary [Ni]-[Al] phase diagram.Interactions among elements can effectively raise the local vacancy formation and vacancy-atom exchange barriers close to γ-and γ’-partitioning elements,respectively.Thus,it can significantly reduce the inter-coupling migrations of atoms during the macroscopic cross-diffusion process associated with γ’ coarsening of Ni-based superalloys.

Observational constraints on dark matter decaying via gravity portals

Global symmetry can guarantee the stability of dark matter particles(DMps).However,the nonminimal coupling between dark matter(DM)and gravity can break the global symmetry of DMps,which in turn leads to their decay.Under the framework of nonminimal coupling between scalar singlet dark matter(ssDM)and gravity,it is worth exploring the extent to which the symmetry of ssDM is broken.It is suggested that the total number of decay products of ssDM cannot exceed current observational constraints.Along these lines,the data obtained with satellites such as Fermi-LAT and AMS-02 suggest that the scale of ssDM global symmetry breaking can be limited.Because the mass of many promising DM candidates is likely to be in the GeV-TeV range,we determine reasonable parameters for the ssDM lifetime within this range.We find that when the mass of ssDM is around the electroweak scale(246 GeV),the corresponding 3σlower limit of the lifetime of ssDM is 5.3×1026 s.Our analysis of ssDM around the electroweak scale encompasses the most abundant decay channels of all mass ranges so that the analysis of the behavior of ssDM under the influence of gravity is more comprehensive.