Influence of aluminium nitride as a foaming agent on the preparation of foam glass-ceramics from high-titanium blast furnace slag

To effectively reuse high-titanium blast furnace slag （TS）, foam glass-ceramics were successfully prepared by powder sintering at 1000℃. TS and waste glass were used as the main raw materials, aluminium nitride （AIN） as the foaming agent, and borax as the fluxing agent. The influence of the amount of A1N added （lwt%-5wt%） on the crystalline phases, microstructure, and properties of the produced foam glass-ceramics was studied. The results showed that the main crystal phases were perovskite, diopside, and augite. With increasing A1N content, a transformation from diopside to augite occurred and the crystallinity of the pyroxene phases slightly decreased. Initially, the aver- age pore size and porosity of the foam glass-ceramics increased and subsequently decreased; similarly, their bulk density and compressive strength decreased and subsequently increased. The optimal properties were obtained when the foam glass-ceramics were prepared by adding 4wt% AIN.

Preparation, Crystallization and Mechanical Properties of Potassium Aluminosilicate Glass-ceramics

In this study,transparent K_(2)O-Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2)(KAS)glass-ceramics with leucite as the main crystalline phase were prepared by melting-quench method and two-step heat treatment.The effects of SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3) ratio and heat treatment on crystallization and mechanical properties were studied.The crystallization kinetics and X-Ray Diffraction(XRD)results showed that SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3) ratio and heat treatment system had a direct impact on the crystallization behavior of potassium aluminosilicate glass-ceramics.When heat-treated at 680℃/2 h and 780℃/1 h,cracks generated on the surface of the sample with the addition of SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3)=4.8(in mol)due to the huge difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between glass matrix and surface.When the addition of SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3)(in mol)was 4,the sample with leucite as the main crystalline phase showed an excellent fracture toughness(1.46 MPa·m^(0.5))after the heat treatment of 680℃/2 h and 780℃/5 h.And there was a phase transformation from kaliophilite to leucite.The crystalline phases of the sample heat-treated at 680℃/8 h and 780℃/1 h were leucite and kaliophilite,which resulted in the visible light transmittance of 63%and the fracture toughness of 0.91 MPa·m^(0.5).Furthermore,after the heat treatment of 680℃/2 h and 780℃/5 h,the main crystalline phase of the sample with SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3)=3.2(in mol)was still kaliophilite.Because leucite only grows on the surface of the sample and is hard to grow inward,it is hard to achieve the bulk crystallization of leucite in the sample with SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3)=3.2(in mol).

Glass-Ceramics with High Strength and High Transmittance Obtained by Multi-Factor Controlling

The presence of Li_(2)Si_(2)O_(5) and LiAlSi_(4)O_(10) could effectively improve the elastic modulus and transmittance of lithium disilicate(LD)glass-ceramics.Through synergistically modulation of the crystal content and grain size,we obtained high strength and high transmittance of LD glass-ceramics.The optimal sample had a high transmittance of 90.3%,the hardness was 7.72 GPa,the fracture toughness was 1.07 MPa·m^(1/2),and the elastic modulus was 103.1 GPa.

Properties of Ultra-low Thermal Expansion LAS Transparent Glass-ceramics Prepared by Spodumene

The glass-ceramics were prepared with the spodumene mineral as the main raw material,and the effects of ZrO_(2)replacing TiO_(2)on the samples were systematically investigated.The results show that the substitution of ZrO_(2)for TiO_(2)is not conductive to precipitate𝛽β-quartz solid solution phase,but can improve the transparency and flexural strength of glass-ceramics.And the glass-ceramic with the highest visible light transmittance(87%)and flexural strength(231.80 MPa)exhibits an ultra-low thermal expansion of-0.028×10^(-7)K^(-1)in the region of 30-700℃.

Influence of CeO_2 addition on the preparation of foamed glass-ceramics from high-titanium blast furnace slag

Foamed glass-ceramics doped with cerium oxide（CeO_2）were successfully prepared from high-titanium blast furnace slag by one-step sintering.The influence of CeO_2 addition（1.5wt%–3.5wt%）on the crystalline phases,microstructure,and properties of foamed glass-ceramics was studied.Results show that CeO_2 improves the stability of the glass phase and changes the two-dimensional crystallization mechanism into three-dimensional one.XRD analysis indicates the presence of Ca（Mg,Fe）Si_2O_6 and Ca（Ti,Mg,Al）（Si,Al）_2O_（6 ）in all sintered samples.Added with CeO_2,Ti CeO_4 precipitates,and crystallinity increases,leading to increased thickness of pore walls and uniform pores.The comprehensive properties of foamed glass-ceramics are better than that of samples without CeO_2.In particular,the sample added with a suitable amount of CeO_2（2.5wt%）exhibits bulk density that is similar to and compressive strength（14.9 MPa）that is more than twice of foamed glass-ceramics without CeO_2.

Effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and properties of foamed glass-ceramics prepared from high-titanium blast furnace slag and waste glass

Foamed glass-ceramics were prepared via a single-step sintering method using high-titanium blast furnace slag and waste glass as the main raw materials The influence of sintering temperature(900–1060℃) on the microstructure and properties of foamed glass-ceramics was studied. The results show that the crystal shape changed from grainy to rod-shaped and finally turned to multiple shapes as the sintering temperature was increased from 900 to 1060℃. With increasing sintering temperature, the average pore size of the foamed glass-ceramics increased and subsequently decreased. By contrast, the compressive strength and the bulk density decreased and subsequently increased. An excessively high temperature, however, induced the coalescence of pores and decreased the compressive strength. The optimal properties, including the highest compressive strength(16.64 MPa) among the investigated samples and a relatively low bulk density(0.83 g/cm^3), were attained in the case of the foamed glass-ceramics sintered at 1000℃.

Electrokinetic-mechanism of water and furfural oxidation on pulsed laser-interlaced Cu_(2)O and CoO on nickel foam

The electrocatalytic oxidation of biomass-derived furfural(FF)feedstocks into 2-furoic acid(FA)holds immense industrial potential in optics,cosmetics,polymers,and food.Herein,we fabricated Co O/Ni O/nickel foam(NF)and Cu_(2)O/Ni O/NF electrodes via in situ pulsed laser irradiation in liquids(PLIL)for the bifunctional electrocatalysis of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and furfural oxidation reaction(FOR),respectively.Simultaneous oxidation of NF surface to NiO and deposition of CoO and/or Cu_(2)O on NF during PLIL offer distinct advantages for enhancing both the OER and FOR.CoO/NiO/NF electrocatalyst provides a consistently low overpotential of~359 m V(OER)at 10 m A/cm^(2),achieving the maximum FA yield(~16.37 m M)with 61.5%selectivity,79.5%carbon balance,and a remarkable Faradaic efficiency of~90.1%during 2 h of FOR at 1.43 V(vs.reversible hydrogen electrode).Mechanistic pathway via in situ electrochemical-Raman spectroscopy on CoO/NiO/NF reveals the involvement of phase transition intermediates(NiOOH and CoOOH)as surface-active centers during electrochemical oxidation.The carbonyl carbon in FF is attacked by hydroxyl groups to form unstable hydrates that subsequently undergo further oxidation to yield FA products.This method holds promise for large-scale applications,enabling simultaneous production of renewable building materials and fuel.

Layered Structural PBAT Composite Foams for Efficient Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

The utilization of eco-friendly,lightweight,high-efficiency and high-absorbing electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding composites is imperative in light of the worldwide promotion of sustainable manufacturing.In this work,magnetic poly(butyleneadipate-coterephthalate)(PBAT)microspheres were firstly synthesized via phase separation method,then PBAT composite foams with layered structure was constructed through the supercritical carbon dioxide foaming and scraping techniques.The merits of integrating ferroferric oxideloaded multi-walled carbon nanotubes(Fe3O4@MWCNTs)nanoparticles,a microcellular framework,and a highly conductive silver layer have been judiciously orchestrated within this distinctive layered configuration.Microwaves are consumed throughout the process of“absorption-reflection-reabsorption”as much as possible,which greatly declines the secondary radiation pollution.The biodegradable PBAT composite foams achieved an EMI shielding effectiveness of up to 68 dB and an absorptivity of 77%,and authenticated favorable stabilization after the tape adhesion experiment.

Liquid injectivity in a SAG foam process:Effect of permeability

Foam is utilized in enhanced oil recovery and CO_(2) sequestration.Surfactant-alternating-gas(SAG)is a preferred approach for placing foam into reservoirs,due to it enhances gas injection and minimizes corrosion in facilities.Our previous studies with similar permeability cores show that during SAG injection,several banks occupy the area near the well where fluid exhibits distinct behaviour.However,underground reservoirs are heterogeneous,often layered.It is crucial to understand the effect of permeability on fluid behaviour and injectivity in a SAG process.In this work,coreflood experiments are conducted in cores with permeabilities ranging from 16 to 2300 mD.We observe the same sequence of banks in cores with different permeabilities.However,the speed at which banks propagate and their overall mobility can vary depending on permeability.At higher permeabilities,the gas-dissolution bank and the forced-imbibition bank progress more rapidly during liquid injection.The total mobilities of both banks decrease with permeability.By utilizing a bank-propagation model,we scale up our experimental findings and compare them to results obtained using the Peaceman equation.Our findings reveal that the liquid injectivity in a SAG foam process is misestimated by conventional simulators based on the Peaceman equation.The lower the formation permeability,the greater the error.

Semi-quantitative analysis of the structural evolution of mesophase pitch-based carbon foams by Raman and FTIR spectroscopy

Graphitized carbon foams(GFms)were prepared using mesophase pitch(MP)as a raw material by foaming(450℃),pre-oxidation(320℃),carbonization(1000℃)and graphitization(2800℃).The differences in structure and properties of GFms prepared from different MP precursors pretreated by ball milling or liquid phase extraction were investigated and compared,and semi-quantitative calculations were conducted on the Raman and FTIR spectra of samples at each preparation stage.Semi-quantitat-ive spectroscopic analysis provided detailed information on the structure and chemical composition changes of the MP and GFm de-rived from it.Combined with microscopic observations,the change from precursor to GFm was analyzed.The results showed that ball milling concentrated the distribution of aromatic molecules in the pitch,which contributed to uniform foaming to give a GFm with a uniform pore distribution and good properties.Liquid phase extraction helped remove light components while retaining large aromatics to form graphitic planes with the largest average size during post-treatment to produce a GFm with the highest degree of graphitization and the fewest open pores,giving the best compression resistance(2.47 MPa),the highest thermal conductivity(64.47 W/(m·K))and the lowest electrical resistance(13.02μΩ·m).Characterization combining semi-quantitative spectroscopic ana-lysis with microscopic observations allowed us to control the preparation of the MP-derived GFms.

Propagation Properties of Shock Waves in Polyurethane Foam based on Atomistic Simulations

Porous materials are widely used in the field of protection because of their excellent energy absorption characteristics.In this work,a series of polyurethane microscopic models are established and the effect of porosity on the shock waves is studied with classical molecular dynamics simulations.Firstly,shock Hugoniot relations for different porosities are obtained,which compare well with the experimental data.The pores collapse and form local stress wave,which results in the complex multi-wave structure of the shock wave.The microstructure analysis shows that the local stress increases and the local velocity decreases gradually during the process of pore collapse to complete compaction.Finally,it leads to stress relaxation and velocity homogenization.The shock stress peaks can be fitted with two exponential functions,and the amplitude of attenuation coefficient decreases with the increase of density.Besides,the pore collapse under shock or non-shock are discussed by the entropy increase rate of the system.The energy is dissipated mainly through the multiple interactions of the waves under shock.The energy is dissipated mainly by the friction between atoms under non-shock.

An efficient and mild recycling of waste melamine formaldehyde foams by alkaline hydrolysis

Melamine formaldehyde foam(MFF)generates many poisonous chemicals through the traditional recycling methods for organic resin wastes.Herein,a high MFF degradation ratio of ca.97 wt.%was achieved under the mild conditions(160℃)in a NaOH–H2O system with ammelide and ammeline as the main degradation products.The alkaline solvent had an obvious corrosion effect for MFF,as indicated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The reaction process and products distribution were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and ^(13)C nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR).Besides,the MFF degradation products that have the similar chemical structures and bonding performances to those of melamine can be directly used as the raw material for synthesis of melamine urea-formaldehyde resins(MUFs).Moreover,the degradation system demonstrated here showed the high degradation efficiency after reusing for 7 times.The degradation process generated few harmful pollutants and no pre-or post-treatments were required,which proves its feasibility in the safe removal or recovery of waste MFF.

Isotropic sintering shrinkage of 3D glass-ceramic nanolattices:backbone preforming and mechanical enhancement

There is a perpetual pursuit for free-form glasses and ceramics featuring outstanding mechanical properties as well as chemical and thermal resistance.It is a promising idea to shape inorganic materials in three-dimensional(3D)forms to reduce their weight while maintaining high mechanical properties.A popular strategy for the preparation of 3D inorganic materials is to mold the organic–inorganic hybrid photoresists into 3D micro-and nano-structures and remove the organic components by subsequent sintering.However,due to the discrete arrangement of inorganic components in the organic-inorganic hybrid photoresists,it remains a huge challenge to attain isotropic shrinkage during sintering.Herein,we demonstrate the isotropic sintering shrinkage by forming the consecutive–Si–O–Si–O–Zr–O–inorganic backbone in photoresists and fabricating 3D glass–ceramic nanolattices with enhanced mechanical properties.The femtosecond(fs)laser is used in two-photon polymerization(TPP)to fabricate 3D green body structures.After subsequent sintering at 1000℃,high-quality 3D glass–ceramic microstructures can be obtained with perfectly intact and smooth morphology.In-suit compression experiments and finite-element simulations reveal that octahedral-truss(oct-truss)lattices possess remarkable adeptness in bearing stress concentration and maintain the structural integrity to resist rod bending,indicating that this structure is a candidate for preparing lightweight and high stiffness glass–ceramic nanolattices.3D printing of such glasses and ceramics has significant implications in a number of industrial applications,including metamaterials,microelectromechanical systems,photonic crystals,and damage-tolerant lightweight materials.

Experimental investigation of the effects of oil asphaltene content on CO_(2) foam stability in the presence of nanoparticles and sodium dodecyl sulfate

Foam stability tests were performed using sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS)surfactant and SiO2 nanoparticles as foaming system at different asphaltene concentrations,and the half-life of CO_(2) foam was measured.The mechanism of foam stability reduction in the presence of asphaltene was analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM),UV adsorption spectrophotometric concentration measurement and Zeta potential measurement.When the mass ratio of synthetic oil to foam-formation suspension was 1:9 and the asphaltene mass fraction increased from 0 to 15%,the half-life of SDS-stabilized foams decreased from 751 s to 239 s,and the half-life of SDS/silica-stabilized foams decreased from 912 s to 298 s.When the mass ratio of synthetic oil to foam-formation suspension was 2:8 and the asphaltene mass fraction increased from 0 to 15%,the half-life of SDS-stabilized foams decreased from 526 s to 171 s,and the half-life of SDS/silica-stabilized foams decreased from 660 s to 205 s.In addition,due to asphaltene-SDS/silica interaction in the aqueous phase,the absolute value of Zeta potential decreases,and the surface charges of particles reduce,leading to the reduction of repulsive forces between two interfaces of thin liquid film,which in turn,damages the foam stability.

Non-dimensional analysis on blast wave propagation in foam concrete:Minimum thickness to avoid stress enhancement

Foam concrete is a prospective material in defense engineering to protect structures due to its high energy absorption capability resulted from the long plateau stage.However,stress enhancement rather than stress mitigation may happen when foam concrete is used as sacrificial claddings placed in the path of an incoming blast load.To investigate this interesting phenomenon,a one-dimensional difference model for blast wave propagation in foam concrete is firstly proposed and numerically solved by improving the second-order Godunov method.The difference model and numerical algorithm are validated against experimental results including both the stress mitigation and the stress enhancement.The difference model is then used to numerically analyze the blast wave propagation and deformation of material in which the effects of blast loads,stress-strain relation and length of foam concrete are considered.In particular,the concept of minimum thickness of foam concrete to avoid stress enhancement is proposed.Finally,non-dimensional analysis on the minimum thickness is conducted and an empirical formula is proposed by curve-fitting the numerical data,which can provide a reference for the application of foam concrete in defense engineering.

Boron nitride silicone rubber composite foam with low dielectric and high thermal conductivity

Silicone rubber(SR)is widely used in the field of electronic packaging because of its low dielectric properties.In this work,the porosity of the SR was improved,and the dielectric constant of the SR foam was reduced by adding expanded microspheres(EM).Then,the thermal conductivity of the system was improved by combining the modified boron nitride(f-BN).The results showed that after the f-BN was added,the dielectric constant and dielectric loss were much lower than those of pure SR.Micron-sized modified boron nitride(f-mBN)improved the dielectric and thermal conductivity of the SR foam better than that of nano-sized modified boron nitride(f-nBN),but f-nBN improved the volume resistivity,tensile strength,and thermal stability of the SR better than f-mBN.When the mass ratio of f-mBN and fnBN is 2:1,the thermal conductivity of the SR foam reaches the maximum value of 0.808 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1),which is 6.5 times that before the addition.The heat release rate and fire growth index are the lowest,and the improvement in flame retardancy is mainly attributed to the high thermal stability and physical barrier of f-BN.

Tamping the movement of the laser absorption cutoff position using gold foam hohlraum

In indirect-driven laser fusion experiments,the movement of the laser absorption layer will distort the radiation uniformity on the capsule.The gold foam has advantages in symmetry control and lowering wall plasma blowoff when used in an inertial confinement fusion(ICF)hohlraum.This work investigates the motion of the laser absorption cutoff position using lowdensity foam gold walls.It is found that the motion of the laser absorption cutoff position can be significantly mitigated through optimal initial low density,tailored to a specific laser shape.For a short square laser pulse,the laser absorption cutoff position remains almost stationary at an initial density of approximately 0.6 g cm^(-3).For a long-shaped laser pulse,the minimal motion of the laser absorption cutoff position is observed at an initial density of about 0.1 g cm^(-3).This approach allows for the adjustment of the symmetry of the hohlraum radiation source.The insights gained from this study serve as a crucial reference for optimizing the hohlraum wall density.

Integrated utilization of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash and bottom ash for preparation of foam glass-ceramics

For the purpose of solid waste co-disposal and heavy metal stabilization,foam glass-ceramics were produced by using municipal solid waste incineration(MWSI)bottom ash and fly ash as main raw materials,calcium carbonate(CaCO3) as foamer and sodium phosphate(Na3PO4) as foam stabilizer.The influences of the raw material composition,foaming temperature and foaming time on the properties were investigated.Porosity,bulk density,mechanical property and leaching of heavy metals were analyzed accordingly.The product,foamed at 1150℃ for 30 min with 14% fly ash and 74% bottom ash,exhibits excellent comprehensive properties,such as high porosity(76.03%),low bulk density(0.67 g·cm-3) and high compressive strength(10.56 MPa).Moreover,the amount of leaching heavy metals,including Cr,Pb,Cu,Cd and Ni,in foam glass-ceramics is significantly lower than that of the US EPA hazardous waste thresholds.This study not only realizes the integrated utilization of bottom ash and fly ash,but also addresses a new strategy for obtaining foam glass-ceramics.

A review of the development of asphalt foaming technology

To comprehensively assess the current state-of-art in asphalt foaming technology, the following four key aspectshave been reviewed systematically: foaming principles, test methods, evaluation indicators, and influencing factors.Key findings reveal that asphalt foaming was primarily driven by the vaporization of water, with deteriorationprocesses including bubble collapse and liquid film drainage. However, the current understanding of asphaltfoaming principles remains limited, primarily due to difficulties in capturing and precisely measuring its microscopic behaviors during asphalt foaming process. Volume changes provided an intuitive means to evaluate theexpansion capacity of asphalt and its foaming stability. Bubble evolution characteristics of foamed asphalt offeredpromising insights into its foaming performance. Traditional ruler and stopwatch-based assessments were beingsuperseded by automated techniques like laser and ultrasonic ranging. Nevertheless, the current measuringequipment still lacks the capability to comprehensively evaluate the foaming effect of asphalt across various dimensions. Asphalt temperature and foaming water consumption significantly affected asphalt foaming performance, and the inclusion of foaming agents typically led to a notable increase in the half life of foamed asphalt.However, the interaction between foaming agents and asphalt, as well as the underlying mechanisms affecting thefoaming effect, are still unclear and require further exploration. Future research should primarily focus on thecorrelation between asphalt foaming effect and mixture performance, aiming to guide the practical engineeringapplication of foamed asphalt mixtures and enlarge the advantages of such low-emission and sustainable mixtures.

Experimental investigation on weak shock wave mitigation characteristics of flexible polyurethane foam and polyurea

In recent years,explosion shock wave has been considered as a signature injury of the current military conflicts.Although strong shock wave is lethal to the human body,weak shock wave can cause many more lasting consequences.To investigate the protection ability and characteristics of flexible materials and structures under weak shock wave loading,the blast wave produced by TNT explosive is loaded on the polyurethane foam with the density of 200.0 kg/m3(F-200)and 400.0 kg/m3(F-400),polyurea with the density of 1100.0 kg/m^(3)(P-1100)and structures composed of the two materials,which are intended for individual protection.Experimental results indicate that the shock wave is attenuated to weak pressure disturbance after interacting with the flexible materials which are not damaged.The shock wave protective capability of single-layer materials is dependent on their thickness,density and microscopic characteristics.The overpressure,maximum pressure rise rate and impulse of transmitted wave decrease exponentially with increase in sample thickness.For the same thickness,F-400 provides better protective capability than F-200 while P-1100 shows the best protective capability among the three materials.In this study,as the materials are not destroyed,F-200 with a thickness more than10.0 mm,F-400 with a thickness more than 4.0 mm,and P-1100 with a thickness more than 1.0 mm can attenuate the overpressure amplitude more than 90.0%.Further,multi-layer flexible composites are designed.Different layer layouts of designed structures and layer thickness of the single-layer materials can affect the protective performance.Within the research range,the structure in which polyurea is placed on the impact side shows the optimal shock wave protective performance,and the thicknesses of polyurea and polyurethane foam are 1.0 mm and 4.0 mm respectively.The overpressure attenuation rate reached maximum value of 93.3%and impulse attenuation capacity of this structure are better than those of single-layer polyurea and polyurethane foam with higher areal density.