Microstructures and properties of porous TiAl-based intermetallics prepared by freeze-casting

Preparation of porous Ti Al-based intermetallics with aligned and elongated pores by freeze-casting was investigated. Engineering Ti-43 Al-9V-1Y powder(D50=50 μm), carboxymethyl cellulose, and guar gum were used to prepare the aqueous-based slurries for freeze-casting. Results showed that the porous Ti Al was obtained by using a freezing temperature of -5 ℃ and the pore structure was tailored by varying the particle content of slurry. The total porosity reduced from 81% to 62% and the aligned pore width dropped from approximately 500 to around 270 μm, with increasing the particle content from 10 to 30 vol.%. Furthermore, the compressive strength along the aligned pores increased from 16 to 120 MPa with the reduction of porosity. The effective thermal conductivities of porous Ti Al were lower than 1.81 W/(m·K) and showed anisotropic property with respect to the pore orientation.

Embedding aligned nanofibrous architectures within 3D-printed polycaprolactone scaffolds for directed cellular infiltration and tissue regeneration

Three-dimensional(3D) printing provides a promising way to fabricate biodegradable scaffolds with designer architectures for the regeneration of various tissues.However,the existing3D-printed scaffolds commonly suffer from weak cell-scaffold interactions and insufficient cell organizations due to the limited resolution of the 3D-printed features.Here,composite scaffolds with mechanically-robust frameworks and aligned nanofibrous architectures are presented and hybrid manufactured by combining techniques of 3D printing,electrospinning,and unidirectional freeze-casting.It was found that the composite scaffolds provided volume-stable environments and enabled directed cellular infiltration for tissue regeneration.In particular,the nanofibrous architectures with aligned micropores served as artificial extracellular matrix materials and improved the attachment,proliferation,and infiltration of cells.The proposed scaffolds can also support the adipogenic maturation of adipose-derived stem cells(ADSCs)in vitro.Moreover,the composite scaffolds were found to guide directed tissue infiltration and promote nearby neovascularization when implanted into a subcutaneous model of rats,and the addition of ADSCs further enhanced their adipogenic potential.The presented hybrid manufacturing strategy might provide a promising way to produce additional topological cues within 3D-printed scaffolds for better tissue regeneration.

Spider Web‑Inspired Graphene Skeleton‑Based High Thermal Conductivity Phase Change Nanocomposites for Battery Thermal Management

Phase change materials(PCMs)can be used for efficient thermal energy harvesting,which has great potential for cost-effective thermal management and energy storage.However,the low intrinsic thermal conductivity of polymeric PCMs is a bottleneck for fast and efficient heat harvesting.Simultaneously,it is also a challenge to achieve a high thermal conductivity for phase change nanocomposites at low filler loading.Although constructing a three-dimensional(3D)thermally conductive network within PCMs can address these problems,the anisotropy of the 3D framework usually leads to poor thermal conductivity in the direction perpendicular to the alignment of fillers.Inspired by the interlaced structure of spider webs in nature,this study reports a new strategy for fabricating highly thermally conductive phase change composites(sw-GS/PW)with a 3D spider web(sw)-like structured graphene skeleton(GS)by hydrothermal reaction,radial freeze-casting and vacuum impregnation in paraffin wax(PW).The results show that the sw-GS hardly affected the phase transformation behavior of PW at low loading.Especially,sw-GS/PW exhibits both high cross-plane and in-plane thermal conductivity enhancements of~1260%and~840%,respectively,at an ultra-low filler loading of 2.25 vol.%.The thermal infrared results also demonstrate that sw-GS/PW possessed promising applications in battery thermal management.

Superinsulating BNNS/PVA Composite Aerogels with High Solar Reflectance for Energy-Efficient Buildings

With the mandate of worldwide carbon neutralization,pursuing comfortable living environment while consuming less energy is an enticing and unavoidable choice.Novel composite aerogels with super thermal insulation and high sunlight reflection are developed for energy-efficient buildings.A solvent-assisted freeze-casting strategy is used to produce boron nitride nanosheet/polyvinyl alcohol(BNNS/PVA)composite aerogels with a tailored alignment channel structure.The effects of acetone and BNNS fillers on microstructures and multifunctional properties of aerogels are investigated.The acetone in the PVA suspension enlarges the cell walls to suppress the shrinkage,giving rise to a lower density and a higher porosity,accompanied with much diminished heat conduction throughout the whole product.The addition of BNNS fillers creates whiskers in place of disconnected transverse ligaments between adjacent cell walls,further ameliorating the thermal insulation transverse to the cell wall direction.The resultant BNNS/PVA aerogel delivers an ultralow thermal conductivity of 23.5 mW m^(−1) K^(−1) in the transverse direction.The superinsulating aerogel presents both an infrared stealthy capability and a high solar reflectance of 93.8%over the whole sunlight wave-length,far outperforming commercial expanded polystyrene foams with reflective coatings.The anisotropic BNNS/PVA composite aerogel presents great potential for application in energy-saving buildings.

Bone integration properties of antibacterial biomimetic porous titanium implants

A novel antibacterial biomimetic porous titanium implant with good osseointegration was prepared by freeze-casting and thermal oxidation.Bone integration properties of the porous titanium implant were evaluated by cell proliferation assay,alkaline phosphatase activity assay,X-ray examination and hard bone tissue biopsy.The in vitro cell proliferation and the level of differentiation of the group with a modified nano-porous implant surface were significantly higher than those in the group without surface modification and the dense titanium control group(P<0.05).In vivo,bone growth and osteogenesis were found in the experimental groups with modified and unmodified porous titanium implants;osteoblasts in the modified group had more mature differentiation in the pores compared to the unmodified group.Such implants can form solid,biologically compatible bone grafts with bone tissues,exhibiting good osseointegration.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al_(2)O_(3)p/AZ91 Magnesium Matrix Laminated Material Adjusted by Freezing Temperature

The Al_(2)O_(3)laminated preforms with different layers thickness were prepared by freezing casting in present work.Then,the Al_(2)O_(3)p/AZ91 magnesium matrix laminated materials were obtained by infiltrating the AZ91 alloy melt into the Al_(2)O_(3)laminated preform based on pressure infiltration process.Subsequently,the influence of freezing temperature on the microstructure,mechanical properties and fracture behavior of magnesium-based laminates was investigated.The results indicated that with the decrease of freezing temperature,the thickness of Al_(2)O_(3)layers decreases gradually,the number of layers increases obviously,and the interlayers spacing decreases.Accompanied with the decrease of interlayers spacing,the size of Mg17Al12 phase precipitated in the AZ91 alloy layers was refined,and the compression strength and strain were both improved obviously.The micro-cracks initiated in Al_(2)O_(3)layers during loading process,while the AZ91 layers could effectively suppress the initiation and propagation of micro-cracks.Furthermore,the changing layers structure influenced by the decrease of freezing temperature had significant inhibiting effect on the initiation and propagation of micro-cracks,which endowed the Al_(2)O_(3)p/AZ91 magnesium matrix laminated materials with better strength and toughness.Notably,the best compression properties of Al_(2)O_(3)p/AZ91 magnesium matrix laminated materials could be obtained at the freezing temperature of−50℃,the compression strength and elastic modulus of which were the 160%and 250%of monolithic AZ91 alloy,respectively.

FeCo alloy/N,S co-doped carbon aerogel derived from directionalcasting cellulose nanofibers for rechargeable liquid flow and flexible Zn–air batteries

Bifunctional oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER)electrocatalysts with the advantages of excellent activity and stability are the vital components of air cathodes for rechargeable Zn–air batteries(ZABs).Herein,the carbon aerogel with honeycomb-like structure,N and S double doping and loaded with FeCo alloy nanoparticles(NSCA/FeCo)was prepared successfully as cathodes for rechargeable liquid flow and two-dimensional flexible ZABs by clever directional casting.The interaction between the bimetallic alloy and the double-doped carbon with specifical structure,large surface,great conductivity endows NSCA/FeCo with effective ORR/OER active sites and small charge/mass transport barrier,thus achieving outstanding bifunctional catalytic performance.The NSCA/FeCo displays a half-wave potential of+0.85 V(vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE))for ORR and an overpotential of 335 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm^(−2)for OER,which is even comparable to the performance of noble-metal catalysts in relevant fields(Pt/C for ORR and RuO_(2)for OER).Consequently,the rechargeable liquid flow ZABs assembled with NSCA/FeCo showed excellent performance(maximum power density:132.0 mW·cm^(−2),specific capacity:804.5 Wh·kg^(−1)at 10 mA·cm^(−2),charge and discharge cycle stability of more than 250 cycles).Furthermore,the flexible NSCA/FeCo-based ZABs have a maximum power density of 43.0 mW·cm^(−2),outstanding charging–discharge stability of more than 450 cycles,exhibit good flexibility under different bending conditions.Therefore,this work has provided an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for OER/ORR and a promising strategy of air cathodes for rechargeable and wearable ZABs.

A novel metal-ceramic composite combining the structures of nacre and nanofiber reinforced foam

Lightweight high-strength and tough composites have enormous potentials in a multitude of fields in-cluding biomaterials,sporting goods,aerospace and automobile industries.Herein,we present a strat-egy to develop a novel bulk Al/SiC composite with a nacre/foam hybrid structure to combine excellent lightweight of foams with outstanding strength and toughness of nacre.To reduce the adverse effect of foam pores on mechanical properties,we further propose to strengthen the foams with 3D nanofiber networks,obtaining a nacre/nanofiber reinforced foam structure.Simultaneously,new particle-bubble co-assembly and selective infiltration technologies are proposed to prepare the novel nacre/foam and nacre/nanofiber reinforced foam structures.The nacre/nanofiber reinforced foam composite shows greater specific strength and toughness than the nacre/foam composite,conventional dense Al/SiC composites and many engineering materials.Our approach opens a promising new avenue for the structure design and manufacturing of lightweight,high-performance structural materials.

Synthesis of reusable NH_(2)-MIL-125(Ti)@polymer monolith as efficient adsorbents for dyes wastewater remediation

NH_(2)-MIL-125(Ti)is a Ti-MOFs(MOFs:metal-organic frameworks)with high adsorption properties and is therefore widely used for wastewater purification.However,the powdered MOF material suffers from the disadvantages of being difficult to separate and being potentially wasted due to easy agglomeration,which limits its application in practical applications.Here,a mesoporous Ti-MOF/polymer(PEG,PVA,and PAM)monolithic material was prepared by freeze casting in liquid nitrogen(-196℃)as an adsorbent for wastewater remediation.The composites could be easily picked up with tweezers and used for recovery tests.Characterization results such as XRD,BET,FT-IR,and SEM proved the successful synthesis of Ti-MOF/polymer.Adsorption tests using 100 mg/L methylene blue(MB)simulated wastewater showed that the Ti-MOF/PEG monolithic material had the best adsorption capacity.The order of adsorption was Ti-MOF@PEG10(747.4 mg/g)>Ti-MOF@PVA10(687.4 mg/g)>Ti-MOF@PAM10(633.7 mg/g)>NH_(2)-MIL-125(Ti)(571.4 mg/g).The effects of polymer dosage,different pollutants(methylene blue,methyl orange,indigo,actual textile wastewater),pH,anions,and cations on the adsorption effect of Ti-MOF/polymer were also investigated.It was demonstrated that all the above pollutants were well adsorbed by this Ti-MOF/polymer in the pH range 3-9.The adsorption isotherms and kinetic data are fully consistent with the Langmuir and pseudo-secondary models.This suggests that the adsorption between the pollutant and the adsorbent is a chemical interaction.Thermodynamic studies indicate that the adsorption process is exothermic and spontaneous.This work provides the potential methods to fabricate Ti-MOF/polymer monolith to avoid the pollution from powdery adsorbents that could be practical applications.

Polarized hydroxyapatite/BaTiO_(3) scaffolds with bio-inspired porous structure for enhanced bone penetration

The porous HA/BaTiO_(3)ceramics have the potential to exhibit superior capabilities to promote bone in-growth.However,there are few reports on in vivo studies.Here,we fabricated bio-inspired porous HA/BaTiO_(3)composites for bone repair via freeze-casting.These composites had a unique microstructure composed of the central canal and radically distributed lamellae,similar to the structure of nature cortical bone unite,the Haversian system.Polarized and non-polarized bio-inspired porous HA/BaTiO_(3)samples were implanted into the femoral condyle of the New Zealand rabbits.It was demonstrated that the polarization of the porous HA/BaTiO_(3)played a favorable part in bone regeneration.Moreover,the combination between the osteoconductivity of the microstructure and augmented osteogenic cell behavior induced by charges on surfaces of polarized porous HA/BaTiO_(3)facilitated bone penetration through the implants.The bio-inspired porous HA/BaTiO_(3)composites are demonstrated to be promising scaffolds for bone repair.