Study on the hydrogen absorption properties of a YGdTbDyHo rare-earth high-entropy alloy

This study investigated the microstructure and hydrogen absorption properties of a rare-earth high-entropy alloy(HEA),YGdTbDyHo.Results indicated that the YGdTbDyHo alloy had a microstructure of equiaxed grains,with the alloy elements distributed homogeneously.Upon hydrogen absorption,the phase structure of the HEA changed from a solid solution with an hexagonal-close-packed(HCP)structure to a high-entropy hydride with an faced-centered-cubic(FCC)structure without any secondary phase precipitated.The alloy demonstrated a maximum hydrogen storage capacity of 2.33 H/M(hydrogen atom/metal atom)at 723 K,with an enthalpy change(ΔH)of-141.09 kJ·mol^(-1)and an entropy change(ΔS)of-119.14 J·mol^(-1)·K^(-1).The kinetic mechanism of hydrogen absorption was hydride nucleation and growth,with an apparent activation energy(E_(a))of 20.90 kJ·mol^(-1).Without any activation,the YGdTbDyHo alloy could absorb hydrogen quickly(180 s at 923 K)with nearly no incubation period observed.The reason for the obtained value of 2.33 H/M was that the hydrogen atoms occupied both tetrahedral and octahedral interstices.These results demonstrate the potential application of HEAs as a high-capacity hydrogen storage material with a large H/M ratio,which can be used in the deuterium storage field.

Rare Earth Stearates as Thermal Stabilizers for Rigid Poly(vinyl chloride)

A series of stearates with different rare-earth ion were investigated as thermal stabilizers for rigid PVC at 180 ℃ in air. Their stabilizing efficiency was based on measuring the rate of dehydrochlorination. The resulted revealed the higher stabilizing efficiency of the investigated rare-earth stearates as thermal stabilizers for rigid PVC compared with the thermal stabilizers for industry: calcium stearate, zinc stearate, butyl stannum mercaptide, phosphite esters, β-diketone and epoxidized sunflower oil. This was well illustrated by longer incubation period (T_S) values and lower rate of dehydrochlorination. The stable efficiency was affected by the nature of rare-earth element's individual electronic shell. The mechanism for the stabilizing effect of rare-earth stearates was proposed. The result was experimentally proved based on IR spectrum.

Preparation and properties of thermal insulation coatings with a sodium stearate-modified shell powder as a filler

Waste shell stacking with odor and toxicity is a serious hazard to our living environment. To make effective use of the natural resources, the shell powder was applied as a filler of outdoor thermal insulation coatings. Sodium stearate(SS) was used to modify the properties of shell powder to reduce its agglomeration and to increase its compatibility with the emulsion. The oil absorption rate and the spectrum reflectance of the shell powder show that the optimized content of SS as a modifier is 1.5wt%. The total spectrum reflectance of the coating made with the shell powder that is modified at this optimum SS content is 9.33% higher than that without any modification. At the optimum SS content of 1.5wt%, the thermal insulation of the coatings is improved by 1.0℃ for the cement mortar board and 1.6℃ for the steel plate, respectively. The scouring resistance of the coating with the 1.5wt% SS-modified shell powder is three times that of the coating without modification.

Surface modification of barite nanoparticles using stearate

In this study, the barite nanoparticles were successfully modified with stearate and the influence of stearate addition on the performance of barite nanoparticles was systematically investigated. The products were characterized by activating factor analysis, contact angle test, surface energy calculation, sedimentation rate calculation, rheological measurement, and FT-IR analysis, etc. As the quantity of added stearate increased, both the activating factor and contact angle of barite nanoparticles increased first then decreased. When the stearate content was 5% of the mass of barite nanoparticles, the activating factor and water contact angle of modified particles reached maximum value, 97% and 126% respectively. At this time, the sedimentation rate reached minimum, and so did the surface energy. The rheological test reveals that the viscosity of modified barite nanoparticles/petronol system decreases greatly, indicating the surface performance of barite nanoparticles has changed from hydrophilicity to lipophilicity after modification. C=O and COO stretching vibration peaks were found in the FT-IR spectra, which proves that the stearate has combined onto the surface of barite nanoparticles. Finally, according to the zeta potential result of unmodified barite, the possible modification mechanism was provided.

Inhibition of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 by the Modified Green Tea Polyphenol EGCG-Stearate

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea polyphenol possesses antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer and antiviral properties. EGCG-Stearate (EGCG-S) is of interest for this study because of its stability and lipophilic properties. The chemical modification of EGCG-S increased its lipid solubility. Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), a member of the family Herpesviridae, and Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily is a leading cause of human viral diseases in the United States. In this study, 25 μM, 50 μM, 75 μM, and 100 μM of EGCG and EGCG-S were used to carry out cytotoxicity, cell viability and cell proliferation assays to determine the maximum non-cytotoxic concentrations on cultured A549 cells. The results suggested that 75 μM of EGCG and EGCG-S is the appropriate concentration to further study the effect on the infection of HSV-1 in A549 cells. Infectivity, antiviral, and inverted microscopy assays were performed to study the effects of EGCG and EGCG-S on HSV-1 infection. An antiviral assay was performed using luminescence and it indicated that EGCG-S treated HSV-1 showed up to 90% inhibition. Confocal microscopy images further supported the inhibitory effects of 75 μM EGCG-S on HSV-1 infection in A549 cells. The long-term goal of this research is to use EGCG-S as a possible novel topical therapeutic treatment to limit the spread of HSV-1 infections.

Antisickling activity of butyl stearate isolated from Ocimum basilicum(Lamiaceae)

Objective:To perform phytochemical analyses on the leaves of Ocimum basilicum L.(O.basilicum),to elucidate the structure of isolate and then perform the antisickling activity on the crude extract and on the isolate.Methods:The Emmel test performed on the acidified methanolic extract of this plant was used to evaluate the antisickling activity.The structure characterization of the active compound was performed using chromatographic techniques for the separation and the spectroscopic ones for structure elucidation(1H-NMR,13C-NMR.COSY,HMBC).Resurte:The chemical screening on the crude extract revealed the presence of polyphenols(flavonoids,anthocyanins,leucoanthocyanins,tannins,quinones) alkaloids,saponins,triterpenoids and steroids.The ohtained extract after evaporation yielded 34.50g(11.5%) out of 300g of powdered leaves of O.basilicum.The acidified methanolic extract and butyl stearate showed an interesting antisickling activity.Conchisions:The acidified methanolic extract and butyl stearate from O.basilicum displayed a good antisickling activity.To the best of our knowledge,this is the first time to report the antisickling activity of this compound in this plant.The synmesized compound presented the same spectroscopic characteristics than the natural one and the antisickling activities of its derivatives are understudying.

Thermal and hydrophobic properties of glycerol stearate-modified Pinus radiata wood

Glycerol stearate was synthesized by esterification with non-toxic,inexpensive glycerol and stearic acid.The composite of glycerol stearate and Pinus radiata wood was prepared by vacuum impregnation.By Fourier transform infrared(FTIR)analysis,there was the generation of new C=O stretching vibration band of glycerol stearate in comparison with stearic acid.This confirms that glycerol stearate was successfully synthesized.The weight gain,FTIR spectrum and morphological analyses of the composite indicate that glycerol stearate was impregnated into the interior lumina of the cells.Thermal analysis showed that the maximal degradation temperature of the composite was 42℃higher than untreated wood.Contact angle images indicated that the value of the composite was134.2°.Hydrophobicity(the repulsion of water)of the composite was stronger than glycerol stearate,which a large number of hydroxyl of wood reacted with the oxygen-containing groups of glycerol stearate,improved hydrophobicity and thermal stability,thereby enhancing the potential application of P.radiata wood.

Preparation and characterization of silica microcapsules containing butyl-stearate via sol-gel method

For thermal energy storage application in energy-saving building materials,silica microcapsules containing phase change material were prepared using sol-gel method in O/W emulsion system. In the system droplets in microns are formed by emulsifying an organic phase consisting of butyl-stearate as core material. The silica shell was formed via hydrolysis and condensation from tetraethyl silicate with acetate as catalyst. The SEM photographs show the particles possess spherical morphology and core-shell structure. The as-prepared silica microcapsules mainly consist of microsphere in the diameter of 3-7 μm and the median diameter of these microcapsules equals to 5.2 μm. The differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) curves indicate that the latent heat and the melting point of microcapsules are 86 J/g and 22.6 ℃,respectively. The results of DSC and TG further testify the microcapsules with core-shell structure.

The Usability of Polyoxyethylene Stearate as Lubricant for Sizing Cotton Warp Yarns

The usability of polyoxyethylene stearate with 10 ethylene epoxides(POES 10) as lubricant in warp sizing was investigated for replacing sizing cream in order to prevent blockage of paste delivery tube.The influences of POES 10 and sizing cream upon the adhesion of starch to fibers and the performances of starch film were measured and compared.Then,the usability of POES 10 as lubricant was evaluated through the comparison between POES 10 and sizing cream in tensile behaviors,abrasion resistance,and hairiness of sized cotton yarns.The experimental observation demonstrates that the influence of POES 10 upon the adhesion is similar to that of sizing cream.POES 10 is superior to sizing cream in tensile strength and breaking elongation of starch film when mass content of lubricants is equal to or exceeds 2%.Incorporating POES 10 into starch makes starch film more resistant to wear.Furthermore,POES 10 is preferred to sizing cream in the increase in tensile strength,loss in elongation,and abrasion resistance of sized cotton yarns.Using POES 10 as lubricant in size formulation is favorable to the decrease of longer hairs on sized yarns.POES 10 exhibits potential use during cotton warp sizing for replacing sizing cream.

Synthesis and Characterization of 12-Acryloyloxystearic Acid and Application in Preparing Environmentally Friendly Magnesium 12-Acryloyloxy Stearate Detergent

In this article, 12-acryloyloxystearic acid was synthesized, which was then used to prepare the magnesium 12-acryloyloxy stearate detergent. Reaction conditions for synthesizing 12-acryloyloxystearic acid, including the molar ratio of 12-hydroxystearic acid to acrylic acid, the catalyst amount, the esterification temperature, and the esterification time, were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the 12-acryloyloxystearic acid with an acid value of 159 mg KOH/g and a melting range of between 70.4 ℃ and 71.4 ℃ was obtained. The structure of 12-acryloyloxystearic acid was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. Results of preparing magnesium 12-acryloyloxy stearate detergent showed the existence of acryloyloxy radical in 12-hydroxystearic acid could improve the quality of lubricant detergent greatly.

Epigallocatechin Gallate-Stearate Enhances the Efficacy of Antibiotics

Introduction: The rise in antibiotic resistant cases has caused a global concern. Researchers around the world are trying to find a novel alternative to combat this issue. Green tea with its many health benefits, including antibacterial and antiviral activity, has shown to be one of the most promising candidates to be used as an agent to solve this problem. Objective: This study focuses on evaluating the synergistic effects of antibiotics and two green tea polyphenols: epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and its modified lipophilic form epigallocatechin gallate stearate (EGCG-S). Methods: In this study, twelve antibiotics and eight bacteria: Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) and Bacillus megaterium (B. megaterium);Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Serratia marcescens (S. marcescens), and Enterobacter aerogenes (E. aerogenes);and acid-fast Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis) were used. Antibacterial synergism profiling of EGCG, EGCG-S and antibiotics has been established using a disk diffusion assay. Results: The results revealed that both 1% of EGCG and 1% EGCG-S enhanced the antimicrobial activities on antibiotics in various bacteria. Antimicrobial susceptibility study indicated that EGCG-S was able to enhance some antibiotics from the resistant category to intermediate or susceptible and/or from intermediate category to susceptible. Both EGCG and EGCG-S worked comparably on Gram-positive bacteria;in S. aureus, both compounds enhanced 5 antibiotics (AM10, CF30, C30, S10 and TE30) activities while EGCG-S had higher efficiency. B. megaterium were susceptible to most of the antibiotic treatment, thus the impact of EGCG and EGCG-S was insignificant. EGCG-S worked better than EGCG on Gram-negative bacteria;converted 9 antibiotics susceptibility in E. coli and P. aeruginosa, and 8 antibiotics in E. aerogenes. EGCG and EGCG-S also showed synergism on acid-fast bacteria M. smegmatis with EGCG-S has much higher efficiency than EGCG. Conclusion: The results suggested that EGCG-S might be a promising antibacterial synergistic agent with antibiotics to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Critical current degradation in an epoxy-impregnated rare-earth Ba_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7-x)coated conductor caused by damage during a quench

High-temperature superconducting(HTS)rare-earth Ba_(2)Cu_(3)O_(7-x)(REBCO)coated conductors(CCs)have significant potential in high-current and high-field applications.However,owing to the weak interface strength of the laminated composite REBCO CCs,the damage induced by the thermal mismatch stress under a combination of epoxy impregnation,cooling,and quenching can cause premature degradation of the critical current.In this study,a three-dimensional(3D)electromagnetic-thermal-mechanical model based on the H-formulation and cohesive zone model(CZM)is developed to study the critical current degradation characteristics in an epoxy-impregnated REBCO CC caused by the damage during a quench.The temperature variation,critical current degradation of the REBCO CC,and its degradation onset temperature calculated by the numerical model are in agreement with the experimental data taken from the literature.The delamination of the REBCO CC predicted by the numerical model is consistent with the experimental result.The numerical results also indicate that the shear stress is the main contributor to the damage propagation inside the REBCO CC.The premature degradation of the critical current during a quench is closely related to the interface shear strength inside the REBCO CC.Finally,the effects of the coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE)of the epoxy resin,thickness of the substrate,and substrate material on the critical current degradation characteristics of the epoxy-impregnated REBCO CC during a quench are also discussed.These results help us understand the relationship between the current-carrying degradation and damage in the HTS applications.

Leaching behaviors of iron and aluminum elements of ion-absorbed-rare-earth ore with a new impurity depressant

Ion-absorbed rare-earth ore is an important mineral resource which is widely extracted by in-situ leaching process. And such process generates a significant amount of impurities such as aluminum and iron ions in leaching solution simultaneously. The surface characteristics and interactions by infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were studied to optimize the leaching conditions. It is found that the environment-friendly depressant LG-01 can react with the impurity ions through the formation of a new complex on the surface of leaching residues. Thus, it reduces significantly the concentration of impurity ions in leaching solution and improves the leaching rate of rare-earth ore. Moreover, a leaching rate of 95.6% and an impurity removal rate of 92% have been achieved under the optimized conditions.

Recent developments and applications on high-performance cast magnesium rare-earth alloys

During the past decades,with the increasing demands in lightweight structural materials,Mg alloys with low density and high performance have been extensively investigated and partly applied in some industries.Especially when rare earth(RE)elements are added as major alloying elements to Mg alloys,the alloy strength and creep resistance are greatly improved,which have promoted several series of Mg-RE alloys.This paper reviews the progress and developments of high-performance Mg-RE alloys in recent years with emphasis on cast alloys.The main contents include the alloy design,melt purification,grain refinement,castability,novel liquid casting and semisolid forming approaches,and the industrial applications or trials made of Mg-RE alloys.The review will provide insights for future developments of new alloys,techniques and applications of Mg alloys.

Advance in the chemical synthesis and magnetic properties of nanostructured rare-earth-based permanent magnets

Rare-earth-based permanent magnets are one of the most important magnets in both scientific and industrial fields. With the development of technology, nanostructured rarearth-based permanent magnets with high energy products are highly required. In this article, we will review the progress in chemical synthetic strategies of nanostructured rare-earth-based permanent magnets.

Component Content Soft-sensor Based on Neural Networks in Rare-earth Countercurrent Extraction Process

Throught fusion of the mechanism modeling and the neural networks modeling,a compo- nent content soft-sensor,which is composed of the equilibrium calculation model for multi-component rare earth extraction and the error compensation model of fuzzy system,is proposed to solve the prob- lem that the component content in countercurrent rare-earth extraction process is hardly measured on-line.An industry experiment in the extraction Y process by HAB using this hybrid soft-sensor proves its effectiveness.

Rare-earth element geochemistry reveals the provenance of sediments on the southwestern margin of the Challenger Deep

The hadal zone represents one of the last great frontiers in modern marine science,and deciphering the provenance of sediment that is supplied to these trench settings remains a largely unanswered question.Here,we examine the mineralogical and geochemical composition of a sediment core(core CD-1)that was recovered from the southwestern margin of the Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench.Major element abundances and rare-earth element patterns from these sediments require inputs from both terrigenous dust and locally sourced volcanic debris.We exploit a two-endmember mixing model to demonstrate that locally sourced volcanic material dominates the sediment supply to the Challenger Deep(averaging^72%).The remainder,however,is supplied by aeolian dust(averaging^28%),which is consistent with adjacent studies that utilized Sr-Nd isotopic data.Building on a growing database,we strengthen our understanding of Asian aeolian dust input into the northwestern Pacific,which ultimately improves our appreciation of sedimentation in,and around,the hadal zone.

Separation and Manipulation of Rare-earth Oxide Particles by Dielectrophoresis

A challenge in chemical engineering is the separation and purification of rare-earth elements and their compounds. We report the design and manufacture of a dielectrophoresis(DEP) microchip of microelectrode arrays. This microchip device is constructed in order to use DEP to capture micro-particles of rare-earth oxides in petro-leum. Dielectrophoretic behavior of micro-particles of rare-earth oxides in oil media is explored. The dielectropho-retic effects of particles under different conditions are investigated. It is showed that the prepared microchip is suit-able for use in the investigation of dielectrophoretic responses of the rare-earth oxides in oil media. The factors such as frequency,particle size and valence of rare-earth metal are discussed. When the frequency is fixed,the transla-tion voltage decreases as particle size increases. Lower frequencies are more effective for manipulation of inorganic particles in oil media. Particles of the same rare-earth oxide with different size,as well as particles of different rare-earth oxides,are captured in different regions of the field by regulating DEP conditions. This may be a new method for separation and purification of particles of different rare-earth oxides,as well as classification of particles with different size.

Unloading behaviors of the rare-earth magnesium alloy ZE10 sheet

Due to their low symmetry in crystal structure,low elastic modulus(~45 GPa)and low yielding stress,magnesium(Mg)alloys exhibit strong inelastic behaviors during unloading.As more and more Mg alloys are developed,their unloading behaviors were less investigated,especially for rare-earth(RE)Mg alloys.In the current work,the unloading behaviors of the RE Mg alloy ZE10 sheet is carefully studied by both mechanical tests and crystal plasticity modeling.In terms of the stress-strain curves,the inelastic strain,the chord modulus,and the active deformation mechanisms,the substantial anisotropy and the loading path dependency of the unloading behaviors of ZE10 sheets are characterized.The inelastic strains are generally larger under compressive Loading-Un Loading(L-UL)than under tensile L-UL,along the transverse direction(TD)than along the rolling direction(RD)under tensile L-UL,and along RD than along TD under compressive L-UL.The basal slip,twinning and de-twinning are found to be responsible for the unloading behaviors of ZE10 sheets.

Structural and mechanical stability of rare-earth diborides

Structural and mechanical properties of several rare-earth diborides were systematically investigated by first principles calculations. Specifically, we studied XB2 , where X=Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Lu in the hexagonal AlB2 , ReB2 , and orthorhombic OsB2 -type structures. The lattice parameters, bulk modulus, bond distances, second order elastic constants, and related polycrystalline elastic moduli （e.g., shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, Debye temperature, sound velocities） were calculated. Our results indicate that these compounds are mechanically stable in the considered structures, and according to ＂Chen’s method＂, the predicted Vickers hardness shows that they are hard materials in AlB2 - and OsB2 -type structures.