Improving Densification and Mechanical Properties of FeAl/TiC Composites by Addition of Ni

FeAl/TiC composites were fabricated by hot pressing blended elemental powders. The effects of Ni-doping on thedensification and mechanical properties of the composites were studied. Results show that the density of the composites decreases with the content of TiC increasing, and the addition of Ni significantly improves the densificationprocess by enhancing mass transfer in the bonding phase. The mechanical properties of the composites are closelyrelated with their porosity. Besides increasing the density of the composites, the addition of Ni improves the mechanical properties by other three effects: solution-strengthening the bonding phase, strengthening the FeAI-TiC interfaceand increasing ductile fracture in FeAl phase.

Improvement of Concrete Properties and Reinforcing Steel Inhibition Using a Natural Product Admixture

The use of a natural white juice, taken from magrabe banana stem, as concrete admixture to improve mechanical and physicrvchemical properties of concrete has been studied. The compressive strength, bulk density the free lime liberated during hydration and the combined water content were determined. The results indicate that the admixture acts as a retarder in most cases and as accelerator in some ones. Also, the admixture effect on the corrosion resistance of the reinforcing steel against surrounding aggressive media has been investigated using galvanostatic polarization technique. The addition of 0.2% admixture leads to the more inhibition of the steel

Improvement of Nickel-Stanogermanide Contact Properties by Platinum Interlayer

We report an effective method to improve the formation of nickel stanogermanide（Ni Ge Sn） by the incorporation of a platinum（Pt） interlayer. After the Ni/Pt/Ge Sn samples are annealed we obtain uniform Ni Ge Sn thin films,which are characterized by means of sheet resistance, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy,cross-section transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. These results show that the presence of Pt increases the smoothness and uniform morphology of Ni Ge Sn films.

Intermolecular interactions induced property improvement for clean fracturing fluid by deep eutectic solvents

Fracturing fluid property play a critical role in developing unconventional reservoirs.Deep eutectic solvents(DESs)show fascinating potential for property improvement of clean fracturing fluids(CFFs)due to their low-price,low-toxicity,chemical stability and flexible designability.In this work,DESs were synthesized by mixing hydrogen bond acceptors(HBAs)and a given hydrogen bond donor(HBD)to explore their underlying influence on CFF properties based on the intermolecular interactions.The hydrogen-bonding,van der Waals and electrostatic interactions between DES components and surfactants improved the CFF properties by promoting the arrangement of surfactants at interface and enhancing the micelle network strength.The HBD enhanced the resistance of CFF for Ca^(2+) due to coordination-bonding interaction.The DESs composed of choline chloride(ChCl)and malonic acid show great enhancement for surface,rheology,temperature resistance,salt tolerance,drag reduction,and gel-breaking performance of CFFs.The DESs also improved the gel-breaking CFF-oil interactions,increasing the imbibition efficiencies to 44.2%in 74 h.Adjusting HBAs can effectively strengthen the intermolecular interactions(e.g.,HBA-surfactant and HBD-surfactant interactions)to improve CFF properties.The DESs developed in this study provide a novel strategy to intensify CFF properties.

Performance improvement of continuous carbon nanotube fibers by acid treatment

Continuous CNT fibers have been directly fabricated in a speed of 50 m/h-400 m/h,based on an improved chemical vapor deposition method.As-prepared fibers are further post-treated by acid.According to the SEM images and Raman spectra,the acid treatment results in the compaction and surface modification of the CNTs in fibers,which are beneficial for the electron and load transfer.Compared to the HNO3 treatment,HClSO_3 or H_2SO_4 treatment is more effective for the improvement of the fibers＇ properties.After HCISO_3 treatment for 2 h,the fibers＇ strength and electrical conductivity reach up to-2 GPa and-4.3 MS/m,which are promoted by-200%and almost one order of magnitude than those without acid treatment,respectively.The load-bearing status of the CNT fibers are analyzed based on the downshifts of the G＇ band and the strain transfer factor of the fibers under tension.The results reveal that acid treatment could greatly enhance the load transfer and inter-bundle strength.With the HCISO3 treatment,the strain transfer factor is enhanced from-3.9%to-53.6%.

Improved interfacial property by small molecule ethanediamine for high performance inverted planar perovskite solar cells

We report a simple and effective method to realize desirable interfacial property for inverted planar perovskite solar cells(PSCs)by using small molecule ethanediamine for the construction of a novel polyelectrolyte hole transport material(P3CT-ED HTM).It is found that P3CT-ED can not only improve the hole transport property of P3CT-K but also improve the crystallinity of adjacent perovskite film.In addition,the introduction of ethanediamine into P3CT realigns the conduction and valence bands upwards,passivates surface defects and reduces nonradiative recombination.As a consequence,compared to P3CT-K hole transport layer(HTL)based devices,the average power conversion efficiency(PCE)is boosted from17.2% to 19.6% for the counterparts with P3CT-ED,with simultaneous enhancement in open circuit voltage and fill factor.The resultant device displays a champion PCE of 20.5% with negligible hysteresis.

Production of Wood Fibers from Thermally Treated Wood

The reduction of the hygroscopicity of wood fibers was investigated through a Thermal Treatment(TT)on wood chips performed before the defibering process.The TT and defibering tests were both carried out on a continuous pilot at semi-industrial scale.The thermal treatment study of wood chips,equivalent to a low temperature pyrolysis,was achieved for four conditions(280°C–320°C)for a duration of 10 min.Mass quantification of solids,condensables and gases(FTIR)at the outcome of the thermal treatment allowed to achieve the mass balances for each condition.The increase of the reactor temperature from 280°C to 320°C leads to a lower solid yield(94%–82%)while gaseous(1%–3.8%)and condensable(3%–11%)products increase significantly.Thermally treated wood samples were afterwards successfully defibered in different conditions to produce suitable fibers for insulation panel production.The aim of the study is also to evaluate the effects of the TT on the lowering of energy consumption necessary for the defibering process while producing good quality fibers.Energy consumption during defibering process shows a significant decrease with the increase the TT severity.Fiber morphology is affected by TT and the morphological quality of the fibers decreases as TT severity increases.The mass percentage of dust was also quantified as a quality marker of produced fibers.Measurements of equilibrium moisture(at 20°C and 65%RH)of the different materials(wood chips before and after TT,produced fibers)show a significant effect of the TT on wood chips hygroscopicity(8.2%for untreated wood to 4.1%for TT at 320°C).However,the effect of the TT on the hygroscopicity reduction of thermally treated wood fibers is drastically less significant due to breaking of the wood structure during defibering process.

Fatigue Properties Improvement of Low-Carbon Alloy Axle Steel by Induction Hardening and Shot Peening:A Prospective Comparison

Fatigue fracture is the major threat to the railway axle, which can be avoided or delayed by surface strengthening. In this study, a low-carbon alloy axle steel with two states was treated by surface induction hardening and shot peening, respectively, to reveal the mechanism of fatigue property improvement by microstructure characterization, microhardness measurement, residual stress analysis, roughness measurement, and rotary bending fatigue tests. The results indicate that both quenching and tempering treatment can effectively improve the fatigue properties of the modified axle steel. In addition, induction hardening can create an ideal hardened layer on the sample surface by phase transformation from the microstructure of ferrite and pearlite to martensite. By comparison, shot peening can modify the microstructure in surface layer by surface severe plastic deformation introducing a large number of dislocation and even cause grain refinement. Both induction hardening and shot peening create compressive residual stress into the surface layer of axle steel sample, which can effectively reduce the stress level applied to the metal surface during the rotary bending fatigue tests. On the whole, the contribution of induction hardening to the fatigue life of axle steel sample is better than that of the shot peening, and induction hardening shows obvious advantages in improving the fatigue life of axle steel.

Tunable and improved microwave absorption of flower-like core@shell MFe_(2)O_(4)@MoS_(2)(M=Mn,Ni and Zn)nanocomposites by defect and interface engineering

Previous results revealed that the defect and/or interface had a great impact on the electromagnetic pa-rameters of materials.In order to understand the main physical mechanisms and effectively utilize these strategies,in this study,M Fe_(2)O_(4)and flower-like core@shell M Fe_(2)O_(4)@MoS_(2)(M=Mn,Ni,and Zn)sam-ples with different categories were elaborately designed and selectively produced in large scale through a simple two-step hydrothermal reaction.We conducted the systematical investigation on their microstruc-tures,electromagnetic parameters and microwave absorption performances(MAPs).The obtained results revealed that the large radius of M^(2+)cation could effectively boost the concentration of oxygen vacancy in the M Fe_(2)O_(4)and M Fe_(2)O_(4)@MoS_(2)samples,which resulted in the improvement of dielectric loss capabil-ities and MAPs.Furthermore,the introduction of MoS_(2)nanosheets greatly improved the interfacial effect and enhanced the polarization loss capabilities,which also boosted the MAPs.By taking full advantage of the defect and interface,the designed M Fe_(2)O_(4)@MoS_(2)samples displayed tunable and excellent com-prehensive MAPs including strong absorption capability,wide absorption bandwidth and thin matching thicknesses.Therefore,the clear understanding of defect and interface engineering made these strategies well elaborately designed and applicable to improving MAPs.

Defect and interface engineering in core@shell structure hollow carbon@MoS_(2)nanocomposites for boosted microwave absorption performance

Defect and interface engineering are efficient approaches to adjust the physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials.In order to effectively utilize these strategies for the improvement of microwave absorption properties(MAPs),in this study,we reported the synthesis of hollow carbon shells and hollow carbon@MoS_(2)nanocomposites by the template-etching and templateetching-hydrothermal methods,respectively.The obtained results indicated that the degree of defect for hollow carbon shells and hollow carbon@MoS_(2)could be modulated by the thickness of hollow carbon shell,which effectively fulfilled the optimization of electromagnetic parameters and improvement of MAPs.Furthermore,the microstructure investigations revealed that the precursor of hollow carbon shells was encapsulated by the sheet-like MoS_(2)in high efficiency.And the introduction of MoS_(2)nanosheets acting as the shell effectively improved the interfacial effects and boosted the polarization loss capabilities,which resulted in the improvement of comprehensive MAPs.The elaborately designed hollow carbon@MoS_(2)samples displayed very outstanding MAPs including strong absorption capabilities,broad absorption bandwidth,and thin matching thicknesses.Therefore,this work provided a viable strategy to improve the MAPs of microwave absorbers by taking full advantage of their defect and interface engineering.

CeO_(2) doping boosted low-temperature NH3-SCR activity of FeTiOx catalyst:A microstructure analysis and reaction mechanistic study

FeTiOx has been recognized as an environmental-friendly and cost-effective catalyst for selective catalytic reduction(SCR)of NOx with NH3.Aimed at further improving the low-temperature DeNOx efficiency of FeTiOx catalyst,a simple strategy of CeO_(2) doping was proposed.The low-temperature(<250°C)NH3-SCR activity of FeTiOx catalyst could be dramatically enhanced by CeO2 doping,and the optimal composition of the catalyst was confirmed as FeCe_(0.2)TiOx,which performed a NOx conversion of 90%at ca.200°C.According to X-ray diffraction(XRD),Raman spectra and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy(XAFS)analysis,FeCe_(0.2)TiOx showed low crystallinity,with Fe and Ce species well mixed with each other.Based on the fitting results of extended X-ray absorption fine structure(EXAFS),a unique Ce-O-Fe structure was formed in FeCe_(0.2)TiOx catalyst.The well improved specific surface area and the newly formed Ce-O-Fe structure dramatically contributed to the improvement of the redox property of FeCe_(0.2)TiOx catalyst,which was well confirmed by H2-temperature-programmed reduction(H2-TPR)and in situ XAFS experiments.Such enhanced redox capability could benefit the activation of NO and NH_(3) at low temperatures for NOx removal.The detailed reaction mechanism study further suggested that the facile oxidative dehydrogenation of NH_(3) to highly reactive-NH_(2) played a key role in enhancing the low-temperature NH_(3)-SCR performance of FeCe_(0.2)TiOx catalyst.

Preparation of ZnO/GO composite material with highly photocatalytic performance via an improved two-step method

ZnO/graphene oxide（ZnO/GO） composite material,in which ZnO nanoparticles were densely coated on the GO nanosheets,was successfully prepared by an improved two-step method and characterized by IR, XRD,TEM,and UV-vis techniques.The improved photocatalytic property of the ZnO/GO composite material,evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange（MO） under UV irradiation,is ascribed to the intimate contact between ZnO and GO,the enhanced adsorption of MO,the quick electron transfer from excited ZnO particles to GO sheets and the activation of MO molecules viaπ-πinteraction between MO and GO.