Etching Mechanism of Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2) MXene Phases by CuCl_(2)-Lewis Molten Salt Method

We described a method for obtaining fluorine-free Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2)MXene phases by melting copper in CuCl_(2)instead of aluminum in Ti_(3)AlC_(2).XRD results show that when molten salt CuCl_(2)etches Ti_(3)AlC_(2),it forms an intermediate product Ti_(3)CuC_(2),and then reacts with Ti_(3)CuC_(2)to obtain Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2).The reaction of Ti_(3)AlC_(2)and CuCl_(2)at a temperature of 800℃for 2 h to obtain Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2)with an optimal lamellar structure is shown in SEM results.The pseudopotential plane-wave(PP-PW)method is used to calculate on the electronic structure.The etching mechanism is investigated by the total energies of each substance.The chemical reaction of Ti_(3)AlC_(2)and CuCl_(2)will first become Ti_(3)CuC_(2)and Cu,and then become Ti_(3)C_(2)Cl_(2)during the Lewis acid etching process,which are consistent with the experimental results.

Kinetics analysis of decomposition of vanadium slag by KOH sub-molten salt method

A novel process was developed for the decomposition of vanadium slag using KOH sub-molten salt under ambient pressure, and the effects of reaction temperature, alkali-to-ore mass ratios, particle size, and stirring speed on vanadium and chromium extraction were studied. The results suggest that the reaction temperature and KOH-to-ore mass ratio are more influential factors for the extraction of vanadium and chromium. Under the optimal reaction conditions （temperature 180 °C, initial KOH-to-ore mass ratio 4：1, stirring speed 700 r/min, gas flow 1 L/min, and reaction time 300 min）, vanadium and chromium extraction rates can reach up to 95% and 90%, respectively. Kinetics analysis results show that the decomposing process of vanadium slag in KOH sub-molten salt can be well interpreted by the shrinking core model under internal diffusion control. The apparent activation energies for vanadium and chromium are 40.54 and 50.27 kJ/mol, respectively.

The potassium storage performance of carbon nanosheets derived from heavy oils

As by-products of petroleum refining,heavy oils are characterized by a high carbon content,low cost and great variability,making them competitive precursors for the anodes of potassium ion batteries(PIBs).However,the relationship between heavy oil composition and potassium storage performance remains unclear.Using heavy oils containing distinct chemical groups as the carbon source,namely fluid catalytic cracking slurry(FCCS),petroleum asphalt(PA)and deoiled asphalt(DOA),three carbon nanosheets(CNS)were prepared through a molten salt method,and used as the anodes for PIBs.The composition of the heavy oil determines the lamellar thicknesses,sp3-C/sp2-C ratio and defect concentration,thereby affecting the potassium storage performance.The high content of aromatic hydrocarbons and moderate amount of heavy component moieties in FCCS produce carbon nanosheets(CNS-FCCS)that have a smaller layer thickness,larger interlayer spacing(0.372 nm),and increased number of folds than in CNS derived from the other three precursors.These features give it faster charge/ion transfer,more potassium storage sites and better reaction kinetics.CNS-FCCS has a remarkable K^(+)storage capacity(248.7 mAh g^(-1) after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g^(-1)),long cycle lifespan(190.8 mAh g^(-1) after 800 cycles at 1.0 A g^(-1))and excellent rate capability,ranking it among the best materials for this application.This work sheds light on the influence of heavy oil composition on carbon structure and electrochemical performance,and provides guidance for the design and development of advanced heavy oil-derived carbon electrodes for PIBs.

Preparation of titanium dioxide from titania-rich slag by molten NaOH method

Preparing titanium dioxide from titania-rich slag （TiO2 73wt%） by molten NaOH method has been developed. The effects of temperature and reaction time on the titanium conversion were investigated. The results showed that temperature had significant influence on the titanium conversion as well as the structure of the product. About 92% of titanium in the titania-rich slag could be converted after reacting with NaOH at 500℃ for 1 h. Metatitanic acid was formed through the steps of washing treatment, acid dissolution, and hydrolysis. Well-dispersed spherical titanium dioxide particles with an average size of 0.1-0.4μm can be obtained by calcination of metatitanic acid. In addition, the content of titanium dioxide in the product is up to 98.6wt%, which can be used as pigments after further treatment of coating and crushing.

Electrochemical performances of LiFePO_4/C composites prepared by molten salt method

LiFePO4/C composites were synthesized by a molten salt (MS) method using the mixture of LiCl,LiOH and NaCl.The prepared LiFePO4/C composites are characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD),field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and charge-discharge test.XRD patterns indicate that LiFePO4 prepared in the temperature range of 550-700 ℃ crystallizes well in an olivine-type structure.Through FESEM images,the sphere-like and homogeneous particles of 0.2 μm can be observed.The charge-discharge test shows that the materials prepared at 600 ℃ for 12 h have good electrochemical performance.At the rates of 0.2C (34 mA/g) and 0.5C,the discharge capacities are 144.6 and 122.3 mA·h/g,respectively,together with good cycle performances.

Optimum mining method selection using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process–Qapiliq salt mine,Iran

Mining method selection is the first and the most critical problem in mine design and depends on some parameters such as geotechnical and geological features and economic and geographic factors. In this paper, the factors affecting mining method selection are determined. These factors include shape, thick- ness, depth, slope, RMR and RSS of the orebody, RMR and RSS of the hanging wall and footwall. Then, the priorities of these factors are calculated. In order to calculate the priorities of factors and select the best mining method for Qapiliq salt mine, Iran, based on these priorities, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process （AHP） technique is used. For this purpose, a questionnaire was prepared and was given to the associated experts. Finally, after a comparison carried out based on the effective factors, between the four mining methods including area mining, room and pillar, cut and fill and stope and pillar methods, the stope and nillar mining method was selected as the most suitable method to this mine.

Structural and Piezoelectric Properties of Sr_(0.6)Ba_(0.4)Nb_2O_6 Micro-rods Synthesized by Molten-Salt Method

Sr0.6 Ba0.4 Nb2 O6 micro-rods are prepared by the molten-salt method with K2 SO4,KCl-K2 SO4,and KCl as fluxes.It reveals that the Sr0.6 Ba0.4 Nb2 O6 synthesized with KCl as a flux exhibits a single phase with tetragonal tungsten bronze structure.The measurement of X-ray diffraction indicates that the Sr0.6 Ba0.4 Nb2 O6 micro-rods synthesized at 1 300℃are anisotropic.The morphology of the powers is examined by transmission electron microscope.It reveals that the length-diameter ratio of Sr0.6 Ba0.4 Nb2 O6 micro-rods increases with increasing annealing temperature from 900℃to 1 300℃.At 1 300℃,the rod possesses a large length-diameter ratio of 8∶1.Moreover,the analysis of the piezoelectric properties of single micro-rods using apiezo-response force microscope indicates that the domains of the material are arranged along its radial direction.

Application of Gravitational Methods to Prospecting Salt(Potash) Rocks in the Kuqa Depression

The Kuqa depression deposited thick rock salt,which has a lower density than surrounding rocks.When salt bodies form a certain scale,obvious negative gravity anomalies can be detected in the surface.Therefore,gravitational method can quickly obtain the shape,plane distribution of deep-seated salt bodies and overall tectonic morphology of the basin.

Lithium extraction from hard rock lithium ores(spodumene,lepidolite,zinnwaldite,petalite):Technology,resources,environment and cost

Lithium production in China mainly depends on hard rock lithium ores,which has a defect in resources,environment,and economy compared with extracting lithium from brine.This paper focuses on the research progress of extracting lithium from spodumene,lepidolite,petalite,and zinnwaldite by acid,alkali,salt roasting,and chlorination methods,and analyzes the resource intensity,environmental impact,and production cost of industrial lithium extraction from spodumene and lepidolite.It is found that the sulfuric acid method has a high lithium recovery rate,but with a complicated process and high energy consumption;alkali and chlorination methods can directly react with lithium ores,reducing energy consumption,but need to optimize reaction conditions and safety of equipment and operation;the salt roasting method has large material flux and high energy consumption,so require adjustment of sulfate ratio to increase the lithium yield and reduce production cost.Compared with extracting lithium from brine,extracting lithium from ores,calcination,roasting,purity,and other processes consume more resources and energy;and its environmental impact mainly comes from the pollutants discharged by fossil energy,9.3-60.4 times that of lithium extracted from brine.The processing cost of lithium extraction from lepidolite by sulfate roasting method is higher than that from spodumene by sulfuric acid due to the consumption of high-value sulfate.However,the production costs of both are mainly affected by the price of lithium ores,which is less competitive than that of extracting lithium from brine.Thus,the process of extracting lithium from ores should develop appropriate technology,shorten the process flow,save resources and energy,and increase the recovery rate of related elements to reduce environmental impact and improve the added value of by-products and the economy of the process.

Low temperature molten salt synthesis of porous La_(1-x)Sr_xMn_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)O_3(0≤x≤0.6) microspheres with high catalytic activity for CO oxidation

A molten salt method was developed to prepare porous La1‐xSrxMn0.8Fe0.2O3 （0≤ x ≤ 0.6） micro‐spheres using hierarchical porous δ‐MnO2 microspheres as a template in eutectic NaNO3‐KNO3. X‐ray diffraction patterns showed that single phase LaMn0.8Fe0.2O3 with good crystallinity was syn‐thesized at 450℃ after 4 h. Transmission electron microscope images exhibited that the LaMn0.8Fe0.2O3 sample obtained at 450？？ after 4 h possessed a porous spherical morphology com‐posed of aggregated nanocrystallites. Field emission scanning electron microscope images indicated that the growth of the porous LaMn0.8Fe0.2O3 microspheres has two stages. SEM pictures showed that a higher calcination temperature than 450？？ had an adverse effect on the formation of a po‐rous spherical structure. The LaMn0.8Fe0.2O3 sample obtained at 450？？ after 4 h displayed a high BET surface area of 55.73 m2/g with a pore size of 9.38 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectra suggested that Sr2＋ions entered the A sites and induced a decrease of the binding energy between Mn and O. The CO conversion with the La1‐xSrxMn0.8Fe0.2O3 （0≤x≤0.6） samples indicated that the La0.4Sr0.6Mn0.8Fe0.2O3 sample had the best catalytic activity and stability. Further analysis by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated that Sr2＋doping altered the content of Mn4＋ions, oxygen vacancies and adsorbed oxygen species on the surface, which affected the catalytic performance for CO oxidation.

Preparation of CeO_(2) abrasives by reducing atmosphere-assisted molten salt method for enhancing their chemical mechanical polishing performance on SiO_(2)substrates

Ce^(3+)as the active site on the CeO_(2)abrasive surface is the key to enhancing the material removal rate(MRR).The CeO_(2)abrasives with high chemical activity were prepared by the molten salt method under a reducing atmosphere.The crystal structure and morphology of CeO_(2)abrasive s were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),ultraviolet—visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(UV-Vis DRS),and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The CeO_(2)abrasives were obtained under different atmospheres(Air,Ar,and Ar/H_(2)).With the enhancement of the reducing atmosphere,the morphology of the abrasives transforms from spherical to octahedral,while more oxygen vacancies and Ce^(3+)are generated on the surface of CeO_(2)abrasives.The CMP experiments show that the MRRs of the CeO_(2)-Air,CeO_(2)-Ar,and CeO_(2)-Ar/H_(2)abrasives on SiO_(2)substrates are 337.60,578.74,and 691.28 nm/min,respectively.Moreover,as confirmed by atomic force microscopy(AFM),the substrate surfaces exhibit low roughness(20.5 nm)after being polished using all of the prepared samples.Especially,the MRR of CeO_(2)-Ar/H_(2)abrasives is increased by 104.76%compared with CeO_(2)-air abrasives.The improved CMP performance is attributed to the increased Ce^(3+)concentration and the octahedral morphology of the abrasives enhancing the chemical reaction and mechanical removal at the abrasive-substrate interface.

Preparation, Characterizations and Magnetic Properties of Doped Barium Hexaferrites BaFe_(12-2x)Mn_xSn_xO_(19) (x = 0.0-1.0)

A series of doped barium hexaferrites BaFe12-2xMnxSnxO19 （x = 0.0-1.0） particles were prepared by the co-precipitation/molten salt method. The particle size and crystalline of the samples BaFe12-2xMnxSnxO19 decrease with an increase in the doping amount x. When x is less than 0.8, the pure BaFe12-2xMnxSnxO19 particles with hexagonal plate morphology are obtained. The effects of substitution on magnetic properties were evaluated and compared to nomal BaFe12O19. The specific magnetizations （Ms） of doped materials have been significantly improved. Among all these compositions, the BaFe10.4Mn0.8Sn0.8O19 sample has the highest Ms value of 81.8 A？m2？kg-1 at room temperature and its intrinsic coercivity （Hc） is 44.5 kA？m-1. The as-prepared doped barium ferrites exhibit a low temperature coefficient of coercivity close to zero. The coercivity is independent of temperature when x is in the a range 0.5-0.7.

Structure-modification and oil pick-up ability of PHBV as oil sorbent materials

The PHBV (beta-hydroxybutyrate-co-beta-hydroxyvalerate) foams as oil sorbentmaterials, which were prepared by salting out method based on PHBV and chloroform additive and theiroil pick-up abilities were investigated. And the oil pick-up abilities of different PHBV foams asoil sorbent materials were compared. The results show that with the amount of chloroform additiveand sodium chloride increasing, the oil pick-up rates, the oil-keeping rates and the second oilpick-up rates of PHBV foams can increase to different extent. When the amount of sodium chloride was92 percent, the ratio of PHBV to chloroform was 1 (g): 14 (mL), the oil pick-up ability of the PHBVfoam was optimal. And their oil pick-up ratios can reach 25.51 (26 deg C) and 27.51 g/g (17 deg C)in raw oil, which were 4-5 times more than those of PHBV powder. In addition, the structure-modifiedPHBV as oil sorbent materials also has some advantages, such as three-dimension structure,bio-degradability and good oil pick-up ability, so this kind of green oil sorbent materials willhave great perspective in the future.

Preparation of Al-Si-Ti Master Alloys by Electrolysis of Silica and Titania in Cryolite-Alumina Melts

Aluminum silicon titanium master alloys were prepared in the laboratory by electrolysis of silica and titania dissolved in cryolite alumina melts. Alloys containing up to 12 mass% Si and 2.6 mass% Ti were formed after about 90 min of electrolysis at 950℃. The current efficiency for the preparation of the Al Si Ti alloys varied with time, temperature and cathodic current density. It is concluded that this electrolytic method may be an interesting alternative to the direct metal mixing process for formation of Al Si Ti master alloys.

Fabrication plate-like BaBi_(4)Ti_(4)O_(15) single-crystalline particles by the molten salt synthesis method

Plate-like single-crystalline BaBi_(4)Ti_(4)O_(15) particles were synthesized by the molten salt synthesis(MSS)method.The effects of sintering temperature,holding time,and NaCl-KCl molten salt content on the phase structure and morphology of plate-like BaBi_(4)-Ti_(4)O_(15) particles were investigated.The results show that plate-like BaBi_(4)Ti_(4)O_(15) particles can be synthesized when the sintering temperature is above 800°C.The size of particles increases with increasing sintering temperature and molten salt content.Largely anisotropic plate-like BaBi_(4)Ti_(4)O_(15) particles with diameter≥10μm and thickness of~0.3μm can be obtained under the optimum process parameters.The crystal structure of BaBi_(4)Ti_(4)O_(15) was determined as A21am by TEM,which should be attributed to the Bi3+and Ba2+diffusing into[TiO6]octahedrons.

Extraction of TypeⅤCollagen From Bovine Cornea and Its Structural Analysis

We used bovine cornea as starting material, pepsin treatment in acetic acid solution to extract the mixture of type I and V collagens, and salt precipitation and dialysis to purify and isolate each type of the collagens. The preparation was analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. 2-mercaptoethanol used as reducing agent cut off the disulfide bonds, which was utilized to analyze the structure of disulfide bonds involved between α chains in some types of collagens. At the same time, we discovered that the structure of disulfide bonds among α chains potentially existed in the type V collagen prepared from the pepsin-treatment extraction at 4℃. Through quantitative analysis, we obtained that, compared with those pepsin-treated at 4℃, the relative molecular weights of α1 （V） and α 2 （V） subunits pepsin-treated at room temperature decreased by 4.6% and 6.0%, respectively. It is concluded that type V collagen can be prepared from bovine coruea by use of pepsin treatment, salt precipitation and dialysis. The interchain and/or intermolecular disulfide bonds potentially lie near the edges of termini of type V collagen molecules existing in extracellular matrix, and there are few of the intermolecular and/or intramolecular crosslinks formed by lysine or hydroxylysine or histidine residues in type V collagen.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of nanoscale single crystal NMC811 modification by coating LiNbO_(3)

Single crystallization is an important strategy to resolve intergranular cracks and unnecessary side reactions with electrolytes in layered transition metal oxide cathodes LiNi_(0.8)Mn_(0.1)Co_(0.1)O_(2)(NMC811).Due to the limitations of high-temperature sintering and multi-step calcination,single crystal NMC811 generally shows irregular particles with a size of 2-3μm.However,the prolonged Li-ion diffusion pathway and the stress generated by the uneven de-/intercalation sluggish Li-ion diffusion kinetics,what is more,cause structural damage such as intragranular cracks.A slow Li extraction rate or particle size reduction will ameliorate the structural damage and improve the cycling stability.As the most promising cathodes for next-generation power batteries,NMC811 required fast charge performance and cycle stability.Particle size reduction appears to be the displacement option.Nanonization is an effective strategy to mitigate intragranular cracks of single crystal NMC811.However,the serious aggregation and increased specific surface area become new challenges.In this article,we synthesized monodisperse nanoscale single crystal NMC811 by molten salt method and modified the surface by LiNbO3 coating.The electrochemical performance shows that nanoscale single crystal NMC811 has faster kinetic and higher capacity retention,so the strategy of combining nanonization and surface coating is an alternative way to prepare high specific capacity and cycle stable single crystal NMC811.

Regulation of the pore structure of carbon nanosheets based electrocatalyst for efficient polysulfides phase conversions

The practical applications of lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are hampered by the sluggish redox kinetics and polysulfides shuttle in the cyclic process,which leads to a series of problems including the loss of active materials and poor cycling efficiency.In this paper,the pore structures of carbon nanosheets based electrocatalysts were precisely controlled by regulating the content of water-soluble KCl template.The relationship between pore structures and Li-S electrochemical behavior was studied,which demonstrates a key influence of pore structure in polysulfides phase conversions.In the liquid-sloid redox reaction of polysulfides,the micropores and small mesopores(d<20 nm)exhibited little impact,while the meso-pores(d>20 nm)and macropores played a decisive role.As a typical exhibition,the nickel-embedded carbon nanosheets(Ni-CNS)with a high content of large mesopores and macropores can aid Li-S batteries in exhibiting stable cycling performance(760.1 mAh g^(-1)at 1 C after 300 cycles)and superior rate capac-ity(847.8 mAh g^(-1)at 2 C).Furthermore,even with high sulfur loading(8 mg cm^(−2))and low electrolyte(E/S is around 6μL mg^(-1)),the high area capacity of 7.7 mAh cm^(−2)at 0.05 C could be achieved.This work can provide a guideline for the design of the pore structure of carbon-based electrocatalysts toward high-efficiency sulfur species redox reactions,and afford a general,controllable,and simple approach to constructing high performance Li-S batteries.

One-pot molten salt method for constructing CdS/C_(3)N_(4) nanojunctions with highly enhanced photocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction

The construction of heterojunction photocatalysts for efficiently utilizing solar energy has attracted considerable attention to solve the energy crisis and reduce environmental pollution.In this study,we use the energy released from an easily-occurred exothermic chemical reaction to serve as the drive force to trigger the formation of Cd S and C_(3)N_(4) nanocomposites which are successfully fabricated with cadmium nitrate and thiourea without addition of any solvents and protection of inert gas at initial temperature,a little higher than the melting point of thiourea.The as-prepared Cd S/C_(3)N_(4) materials exhibit high efficiency for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)with the HER rate as high as 15,866μmol/(g·hr)under visible light irradiation(λ>420 nm),which is 89 and 9 times those of pristine C_(3)N_(4) and Cd S,respectively.Also,the apparent quantum efficiency(AQE)of Cd S/C_(3)N_(4)–1:2–200–2(Cd S/C_(3)N_(4)–1:2–200–2 means the ratio of Cd to S is 1:2 and the reaction temperature is set at 200℃ for two hours)reaches 3.25%atλ=420±15 nm.After irradiated for more than 24 hr,the HER efficiencies of Cd S/C_(3)N_(4) do not exhibit any attenuation.The DFT calculation suggests that the charge difference causes an internal electric field from C_(3)N_(4) pointing to Cd S,which can more effectively promote the transfer of photogenerated electrons from Cd S to C_(3)N_(4).Therefore,most HER should occur on C_(3)N_(4) surface where photogenerated electrons accumulate,which largely protects Cd S from photo-corrosion.