Microstructural Changes of Graphene/PLA/PBC Nanofibers by Electrospinning during Tensile Tests

This study focuses on the nanostructure and nanostructural changes of novel graphene/poly（lactic acid） （PLA）/ poly（butylene carbonate） （PBC） nanofibers via electrospinning, which are characterized by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, tensile test and in situ small angle x-ray scattering. DSC indicates that the endothermic peak at 295℃ of pure PLA/PBC nanofibers shifted from 317℃ to lower 290℃ with the increasing graphene content. SEM observations reveal a fine dispersion of graphene in the nanofiber matrices. The graphene/PLA/PBC nanofiSers exhibit good improvements in mechanical property. The tensile strength of nanofibers increases with the addition of 0.01 g graphene but reduces with further addition of 0.04g graphene. The scattering intensities increase dramatically when the strain levels are higher than the yield point due to the nucleation and growth of nanovoids or crystals. However, the increasing content of graphene in the PLA/PBC matrix provokes a strong restriction to the deformation-induced crystals.

Microstructural changes during heating of super duplex stainless steel and its thermal deformation behavior

Microstructural changes during heating of highly alloyed Cr26Ni7 type super duplex stainless steel （SDSS2607） and its thermal deformation behavior were investigated. At different heating rates, the mechanism of phase transition from y phase to 6 phase and growth modes of ~ phase differed. Variations in microstructures for as- cast SDSS2607 during heat preservation at 1 220 ~C indicated two kinds of transformations from y phase to 6 phase. In-situ observations of microstructural changes during the tensile process at 1 050 showed a mutual coordination between y and 6 phases. When the true strain increased, the mutual coordination between 7 and 6 phases was damaged. Subsequently, cracks nucleated at the ＂y/g interface. With the increase in temperature, the strength of as- cast SDSS2607 decreased while its plasticity increased. Its thermoplasticity was poor, and the reduction in area of tensile specimens was less than 80%. When the deformation strain of hot compression increased, the stable deformation zone in the heat processing maps enlarged gradually. Moreover, the unstable deformation zones were extended.

Alleviating the anisotropic microstructural change and boosting the lithium ions diffusion by grain orientation regulation for Ni-rich cathode materials

Generally,layered Ni-rich cathode materials exhibit the morphology of polycrystalline secondary sphere composed of numerous primary particles.While the arrangement of primary particles plays a very important role in the properties of Ni-rich cathodes.The disordered particle arrangement is harmful to the cyclic performance and structural stability,yet the fundamental understanding of disordered structure on the structural degradation behavior is unclarified.Herein,we have designed three kinds of LiNi_(0.83)Co_(0.06)Mn_(0.11)O_(2) cathode materials with different primary particle orientations by regulating the precursor coprecipitation process.Combining finite element simulation and in-situ characterization,the Li^(+)transport and structure evolution behaviors of different materials are unraveled.Specifically,the smooth Li^(+)diffusion minimizes the reaction heterogeneity,homogenizes the phase transition within grains,and mitigates the anisotropic microstructural change,thereby modulating the crack evolution behavior.Meanwhile,the optimized structure evolution ensures radial tight junctions of the primary particles,enabling enhanced Li^(+)diffusion during dynamic processes.Closed-loop bidirectional enhancement mechanism becomes critical for grain orientation regulation to stabilize the cyclic performance.This precursor engineering with particle orientation regulation provides the useful guidance for the structural design and feature enhancement of Ni-rich layered cathodes.

Effects of mechanical activation on the structural changes and microstructural characteristics of the components of ferruginous quartzite beneficiation tailings

The effects of mechanical activation in a planetary mill on the structural changes and microstructural characteristics of the components of ferruginous quartzite beneficiation railings generated by wet magnetic separation process were studied using X-ray and laser diffraction methods. The results revealed the relationship between variations in the mean particle size of activated powders and the milling time. The crystallite size, microstrain, lattice parameters and unit cell volumes were determined for different milling times in powder samples of quartz, hematite, dolomite, and magnetite from the beneficiation tailings. The main trends in the variation of the crystallite size of quartz, hematite, dolomite, and magnetite as a function mean particle size of powder samples were revealed. Changes in the particle shape as a function of the activation time was also investigated.

Application of X-ray Computed Tomography in Characterization Microstructure Changes of Cement Pastes in Carbonation Process

The microstructure characteristics and meso-defect volume changes of hardened cement paste before and after carbonation were investigated by three-dimensional （3D） X-ray computed tomograpby （XCT）, where three types water-to-cement ratio of 0.53, 0.35 and 0.23 were considered. The high-resolution 3D images of microstructure and filtered defects were reconstructed by an XCT VG Studio MAX 2.0 software, The meso- defect volume fractions and size distribution were analyzed based on 3D images through add-on modules of 3D defect analysis. The 3D meso-defects volume fractions before carbonation were 0.79%, 0.38% and 0.05% corresponding to w/c ratio=0.53, 0.35 and 0.23, respectively. The 3D meso-defects volume fractions after carbonation were 2.44%, 0.91% and 0.14% corresponding to w/c ratio=0.53, 0.35 and 0.23, respectively. The experimental results suggest that 3D meso-defects volume fractions after carbonation for above three w/c ratio increased significantly. At the same time, meso-cracks distribution of the carbonation shrinkage and gray values changes of the different w/c ratio and carbonation reactions were also investigated.

Characterization of the Microstructure Changes of Polypropylene Induced by Pan-milling

The microstructure changes of polypropylene induced by a complex combination of shearing, friction, compression and stretching actions during pan-milling were revealed by spectroscopic techniques. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the structure of polypropylene transferred from crystal into amorphous after undergoing enough milling operation. No transformation between crystal forms was observed. The study of the high-frequency region of the Raman spectrum between 2800 and 3100cm-1 of polypropylene indicated that molecular motion and chain deformation of PP led to amorphization and deterioration of packing regularity during pan-milling. By co-panmilling PP with bis-(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl) sebacate under ambient condition, ESR signals of free radicals formed by mechanochemical scission of main chain were observed, and an increase of ESR intensity with milling was detected.

MICROSTRUCTURAL EVOLUTION OF AS-CAST ZA27 ALLOY DURING COMPRESSIVE CREEP

Phase transformation and micro structural change of an as-cast ZA27 alloy were investigated during compressive creep by X-ray diffraction technique, SEM and TEM. Compressive creep induced decomposition of α metastable η' phase and a four-phase transformation, α + ε → T' + η and T' → θ, occurred during the compressive creep testing. The occurrence of negative creep in the alloy resulted from the volume expansion caused by the four-phase transformation. A micro structural change was also observed from a lamellar structure into a spheroidized structure in higher creep strain of tested specimens. It provided evidence of compressive creep induced phase transformation which occurred in ageing process.

Microstructure Changes during Cavitation Erosion for a Steel with Metastable Austenite

The characteristics of microstructure changes during cavitation erosion (CE) were investigated by the use of XRD and TEM analyses for steel (ZG0Cr13Mn8N) with metastable austenite. The results show that the microstructure of the surface layer of the specimens consists of α'-martensite, metastable austenite and a few ε-martensite before CE. CE obviously increases dislocation density and straight or planar dislocations on the surface, and induces γ->ε,ε-> α' and γ->α'-martensitic transformation.

Effect of rare earths on phase transformation in as-cast ZA27 alloy dur-ing compressive creep

The effect of the mixed rare earths of Ce on the phase transformation in ascast ZA 27 alloy during compressive was investigated under 37 MPa and at 160 deg C by X-raydiffraction technique and SEM. The results showed that the as cast microstructure of ZA 27-RE alloyconsisted of a dendritic Al-rich alpha' surrounded by Zn-rich beta' phase, interdendritic epsilonphase and Zn-rich eta phase together with a complex Z phase which was a complex constitute compound,(RE,Cu)Al_5Zn_(16), dispersed in crystal interfaces or branch crystal interfaces and stable duringcompressive creep test at 160 deg C. The phase transformations of ZA 27-RE alloy, decomposition ofbeta' phase arid four transformation, were delayed by the addition of rare earths, also the lamellarstructure and the spheroidized structure in ZA 27-RE alloy were finer than in ZA 27 alloy duringcompressive creep test at 160 deg C at the same creep time, and the compressive creep resistance ofZA 27-RE alloy was higher than that of ZA 27 alloy.

Investigation of microstructure changes in Al_(2)O_(3)-YSZ coatings and YSZ coatings and their effect on thermal cycle life

Yttria-stabilized zirconia(YSZ)coatings and Al_(2)O_(3)–YSZ coatings were prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying(APS).Their microstructural changes during thermal cycling were investigated via scanning electron microscopy(SEM)equipped with electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)and X-ray diffraction(XRD).It was found that the microstructure and microstructure changes of the two coatings were different,including crystallinity,grain orientation,phase,and phase transition.These differences are closely related to the thermal cycle life of the coatings.There is a relationship between crystallinity and crack size.Changes in grain orientation are related to microscopic strain and cracks.Phase transition is the direct cause of coating failure.In this study,the relationship between the changes in the coating microstructure and the thermal cycle life is discussed in detail.The failure mechanism of the coating was comprehensively analyzed from a microscopic perspective.

Microstructural change and stress rupture property of Nimonic 105 superalloy for advanced ultra-supercritical power plants

Microstructural change,stress rupture property,deformation and fracture mechanisms of Nimonic 105 superalloy at 750℃have been studied.Experimental results showed that the stress rupture strength of the alloy at 750℃ for 10^(5)h is about 200 MPa.γ'precipitates and M_(23)C_(6)carbides grew gradually with prolonging the rupture time,while no significant change was observed in MC carbide morphology.After stress rupture test at 750℃ and 250 MPa for 23,341 h,a transition from spherical to cuboidal morphology of γ'precipitates was found,and nearly continuous chains of M_(23)C_(6)carbides formed on the grain boundary.Orowan looping and strongly coupled dislocation pairs cutting and microtwinning were the dominant deformation mechanisms at 750℃ and 350-450 MPa,while the main deformation mode was Orowan looping at 750℃ and 250 MPa.The failure of the alloy was mainly attributed to the nucleation,growth and interlinkage of voids.

Solidification and heat transfer of molten steel slag particles during air quenching process

In order to effectively utilize the resources and energy of molten steel slag,the variation of precipitation phase and specific heat of air quenched steel slag(AQSS)particles during continuous cooling process was investigated by FactSage and thermogravimetry differential scanning calorimetry.The cooling and solidification process of molten AQSS particles was simulated by Fluent.The microstructure changes in AQSS particles in solidification process were analyzed using an ultrahigh temperature laser confocal microscope and a scanning electron microscope.The results indicated that in the cooling process of molten AQSS particles,the precipitation of Ca_(2)Fe_(2)O_(5) resulted in the largest change of specific heat.Under the condition of slow cooling,the cooling rate is more obviously affected by specific heat.When the initial air velocity was 300 m s^(-1),there was the highest temperature difference in AQSS particles during cooling process.What is more,the compactness of the boundary region of AQSS particles was obviously better than that of its central region.

On the origin of plasticity-induced microstructure change under sliding contacts

Discrete dislocation plasticity(DDP)calculations are carried out to investigate the response of a single crystal contacted by a rigid sinusoidal asperity under sliding loading conditions to look for causes of microstructure change in the dislocation structure.The mechanistic driver is identified as the development of lattice rotations and stored energy in the subsurface,which can be quantitatively correlated to recent tribological experimental observations.Maps of surface slip initiation and substrate permanent deformation obtained from DDP calculations for varying contact size and normal load suggest ways of optimally tailoring the interface and microstructural material properties for various frictional loads.

Carbonate-salt-based composite materials for medium- and high-temperature thermal energy storage

This paper discusses composite materials based on inorganic salts for medium- and high-temperature thermal energy storage application. The composites consist of a phase change material （PCM）, a ceramic material, and a high thermal conductivity material. The ceramic material forms a microstructural skeleton for encapsulation of the PCM and structural stability of the composites; the high thermal conductivity material enhances the overall thermal conductivity of the composites. Using a eutectic salt of lithium and sodium carbonates as the PCM, magnesium oxide as the ceramic skeleton, and either graphite flakes or carbon nanotubes as the thermal conductivity enhancer, we produced composites with good physical and chemical stability and high thermal conductivity. We found that the wettability of the molten salt on the ceramic and carbon materials significantly affects the microstructure of the composites.

Heterogeneous particle structure formation during post-crystallization of spray-dried powder

The formation of heterogeneous particle structure in skim milk powder has been investigated in a post- crystallization facility using experimental and a mathematical model. Various processing conditions were used to produce these heterogeneous structures. The experimental process parameters were used as initial and boundary conditions for the model. The modelled data agreed well with the experimental data. The experimental and modelling results show that the powder processed at high water activity （aw = 0.7） with low initial moisture content （X0 = 0.01 kg/kg） developed a crystalline surface layer while the core of the particle remained amorphous. This structure is referred to as an egg-shell structure. The powder that was processed at low water activity （αw = 0.1） with high initial moisture content （X0 = 0.2 kg/kg） developed a crystalline core while the surface of the particle remained amorphous. This structure is referred to as an egg-yolk structure. Understanding the dependency of particle microstructures on the processing conditions could be useful when developing procedures to control the drying equipment because the particle microstructure affects the physicochemical properties of the powder and potential applications and behaviour of the powder.