Phase Equilibria of the Aqueous Systems Containing Lithium and Carbonate Ions

1 Introduction Alkaline lakes are widely distributed in the area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Most of the salt lakes are famous for their high concentration of lithium,potassium,magnesium,boron(Ma,2000).In recent years,as a new energy material,lithium and its compounds are widely used in the new area,such as aerospace industry,nuclear

Fabrication of solid-phase-sintered Si C-based composites with short carbon fibers

Solid-phase-sintered Si C-based composites with short carbon fibers（Csf/SSi C） in concentrations ranging from 0 to 10wt% were prepared by pressureless sintering at 2100°C. The phase composition, microstructure, density, and flexural strength of the composites with different Csf contents were investigated. SEM micrographs showed that the Csf distributed in the SSi C matrix homogeneously with some gaps at the fiber/matrix interfaces. The densities of the composites decreased with increasing Csf content. However, the bending strength first increased and then decreased with increasing Csf content, reaching a maximum value of 390 MPa at a Csf content of 5wt%, which was 60 MPa higher than that of SSi C because of the pull-out strengthening mechanism. Notably, Csf was graphitized and damaged during the sintering process because of the high temperature and reaction with boron derived from the sintering additive B4C; this graphitization degraded the fiber strengthening effect.

A new family of sp3-hybridized carbon phases

A new family of superhard carbon allotropes C48（2i ＋ 1 ） is constructed by alternating even 4 and 8 membered rings. These new carbon allotropes are of a spatially antisymmetrical structure, compared with the symmetrical structures of bet- C4, Z-carbon, and P-carbon. Our calculations show that bulk moduli of C48（2i ＋ 1 ） are larger than that of c-BN and smaller than that of cubic-diamond. C48（2i ＋ 1 ） are transparent superhard materials possessing large Vicker hardness comparable to diamoud. This work can help us understand the structural phase transformations of cold-compression graphite and carbon nanotubes.

Low-temperature phase transformation from nanotube to sp^3 superhard carbon phase

Numerous new carbon allotropes have been uncovered by compressing carbon nanotubes based on our computational investigation. The volume compression calculations suggest that these new phases have a very high anti-compressibility with a large bulk modulus （B0）. The predicted B0 of new phases is larger than that of c-BN （373 GPa） and smaller than that of diamond （453 GPa）. All of the predicted structures are superhard transparent materials with a larger band gap and possess the covalent characteristics with sp3-hybridized electronic states. The simulated results will help us better understand the structural phase transition of cold-compressed carbon nanotubes.

The Sterilization Results of Dense Phase Carbon Dioxide on Liquid Egg White and the Effect on Physicochemical and Functionial Properties

[Objective]The aim was to investigate the sterilization effect of dense phase carbon dioxide（ DPCD） on liquid egg white（ LEW） and the effect on functionial properties and physicochemical properties. [Method]The prepared liquid egg white was subjected to DPCD treatment at 10 MPa,20 MPa and 30 MPa respectively at 30 ℃,the microorganism amount,pH value,dissolubility and surface sulfhydryl were detected after adjusted to 4 ℃. [Result]The results showed that the longer the sterilization time,the more obvious of the sterilization effect at 10 MPa. There was no aerobe was detected at the rest conditions. [Conclusion]The functionial properties and physicochemical properties of liquid egg white were effected by DPCD treatment.

Wear-resistant Ag-MAX phase 3D interpenetrating-phase composites:Processing,structure,and properties

Electrical contact materials are generally Ag-or Cu-based composites and play a critical role in ensuring the reliability and efficiency of electrical equipments and electronic instruments.The MAX(M is an early transition metal,A is an element from III or IV main groups,and X is carbon or/and nitrogen)phase ceramics display a unique combination of properties and may serve as an ideal reinforcement phase for electrical contact materials.The biological materials evolved in nature generally exhibit three-dimensional(3D)interpenetrating-phase architectures,which may offer useful inspiration for the architectural design of electrical contact materials.Here,a series of bi-continuous Ag-Ti_(3)SiC_(2) MAX phase composites with high ceramic contents exceeding 50 vol.%and having micron-and ultrafine-scaled 3D interpenetrating-phase architectures,wherein both constituents were continuous and mutually interspersed,were exploited by pressureless infiltration of Ag melt into partially sintered Ti_(3)SiC_(2) scaffolds.The mechanical and electrical properties as well as the friction and wear performance of the composites were investigated and revealed to be closely dependent on the ceramic contents and characteristic structural dimensions.The composites exhibited a good combination of properties with high hardness over 2.3 GPa,high flexural strength exceeding 530 MPa,decent fracture toughness over 10 MPa·m^(1/2),and good wear resistance with low wear rate at an order of 10^(-5)mm^(3)/(N·m),which were much superior compared to the counterparts made by powder metallurgy methods.In particular,the hardness,electrical conductivity,strength,and fracture toughness of the composites demonstrated a simultaneous improvement as the structure was refined from micron-to ultrafine-scales at equivalent ceramic contents.The good combination of properties along with the facile processing route makes the Ag-Ti_(3)SiC_(2)3D interpenetrating-phase composites appealing for electrical contact applications.

Multi-walled carbon nanotube as a solid phase extraction adsorbent for analysis of indole-3-butyric acid and 1-naphthylacetic acid in plant samples

In this work, a new sample pretreatment method prior to HPLC separations was developed for the determination of auxins in plant samples, Owing to its large surface area and high adsorption capacity, multi-walled carbon nanotube （MWCNT） was chosen as the adsorbent for the extraction of auxins from plant samples. In this study, two important auxins were selected as model analytes, namely indole-3- butyric acid （IBA） and 1-naphthylacetic acid （NAA）. They could be extracted and concentrated due to their π-π stacking interactions with MWCNT. Then HPLC-UV was introduced to detect IBA and NAA after sample pretreatment. Factors that may affect the enrichment efficiency were investigated and optimized. Comparative studies showed that MWCNT was superior to CI 8 for the extraction of the two analytes. Validation experiments showed that the optimized method had good linearity （0.9998 and 0.9960）, high recovery （81.4%-85.4%）, and low detection limits （0.0030 mg/L and 0.0012 mg/L）. The results indicated that the novel method had advantages of convenience, good sensitivity, high efficiency, and it was feasible for the determination of auxins in plant samples.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes added to Na_2CO_3/MgO composites for thermal energy storage

Na2CO3/MgO composites with added multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs） were prepared and tested as phase change materials （PCMs） for thermal energy storage. Na2CO3/MgO composite PCMs were prepared and their chemical compatibility and thermal stability were studied. MWCNTs introduced with Na2CO3/MgO composite PCMs were also investigated and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） characterization was used to demonstrate the uniform dispersion of MWCNTs in Na2CO3/MgO composite PCMs. The composites with added MWCNTs still display good thermal stability with mass losses lower than 5%. Introducing MWCNTs into composite Na2CO3/MgO PCMs by material formation/calcination signifi.cantly enhances the thermal conductivity of the composite PCMs. The thermal conductivity of the composite PCMs was found to increase with an increase in the weight fraction of the added MWCNTs and an increase in the testing temperature. This study may present a promising way to prepare high temperature phase change materials with superior properties such as improved thermal stability.

Hierarchically Porous Carbon Membranes Derived from PAN and Their Selective Adsorption of Organic Dyes

Porous carbon membranes were favorably fabricated through the pyrolysis of polyacrylonitrile（PAN） precursors, which were prepared with a template-free technique-thermally induced phase separation. These carbon membranes possess hierarchical pores, including cellular macropores across the whole membranes and much small pores in the matrix as well as on the pore walls. Nitrogen adsorption indicates micropores（1.47 and 1.84 nm） and mesopores（2.21 nm） exist inside the carbon membranes, resulting in their specific surface area as large as 1062 m2/g. The carbon membranes were used to adsorb organic dyes（methyl orange, Congo red, and rhodamine B） from aqueous solutions based on their advantages of hierarchical pore structures and large specific surface area. It is particularly noteworthy that the membranes present a selective adsorption towards methyl orange, whose molecular size（1.2 nm） is smaller than those of Congo red（2.3 nm） and rhodamine B（1.8 nm）. This attractive result can be attributed to the steric structure matching between the molecular size and the pore size, rather than electrostatic attraction. Furthermore, the used carbon membranes can be easily regenerated by hydrochloric acid, and their recovery adsorption ratio maintains above 90% even in the third cycle. This work may provide a new route for carbon-based adsorbents with hierarchical pores via a template-free approach, which could be promisingly applied to selectively remove dye contaminants in aqueous effluents.