Wettability of TiAl alloy melt on ceramic moulds in electromagnetic field

In the electromagnetic field, the wettability between Ti50Al alloy melt and oxide ceramic moulds was studied by the self-designed measuring apparatus. The thermodynamic and kinetic laws and mechanism on wetting were studied systematically. The results show that in the electromagnetic field, the order of contact angles for the molten Ti50Al alloy for the eight oxide materials is θ(Y2O3)>θ(ZrO2(Y2O3))>θ(ZrO2(CaO))>θ(CaO)>θ(ZrO2(MgO))>θ(Al2O3)>θ(Zircon)>θ(MgO). The wetting process of Ti50Al alloy and ceramic moulds includes the nonreactive wetting at the first stage, and the reactive wetting at the final stage. And the higher the ceramic chemical stability, the longer the nonreactive wetting time.

Chemical kinetic studies on interfacial reaction in SCS-6 SiC/Ti matrix composites

Interfacial reaction and its mechanism of SiC/Ti composite were revealed by chemical kinetic studies. A two-step dynamic model of interfacial reaction in SCS-6 SiC/Ti composites was built up, and the rate constant and the activation energy of the interfacial reactions were obtained based on the quantum chemistry calculation. The results show that the first step, in which the atomic Ti, C and Si are decomposed from Ti matrix and SiC fiber, respectively, is a rate-determined step because the activation energy of the step is much larger than that of the second one in which deferent interfacial reaction products form. The theoretically predicted result of the interfacial reaction is coincident with that of experimental observation.

Enhancing catalytic toluene oxidation over MnO2@Co3O4 by constructing a coupled interface

Herein,a bottom-down design is presented to successfully fabricate ZIF-derived Co3O4,grown in situ on a one-dimensional(1D)α-MnO2 material,denoted as α-MnO2@Co3O4.The synergistic effect derived from the coupled interface constructed betweenα-MnO2 and Co3O4 is responsible for the enhanced catalytic activity.The resultantα-MnO2@Co3O4 catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity at a T90%(temperature required to achieve a toluene conversion of 90%)of approximately 229℃,which is 47 and 28℃ lower than those of the pureα-MnO2 nanowire and Co3O4-b obtained via pyrolysis of ZIF-67,respectively.This activity is attributed to the increase in the number of surface-adsorbed oxygen species,which accelerate the oxygen mobility and enhance the redox pairs of Mn^4+/Mn^3+ and Co^2+/Co^3+.Moreover,the result of in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy suggests that the gaseous oxygen could be more easily activated to adsorbed oxygen species on the surface of α-MnO2@Co3O4 than on that of α-MnO2.The catalytic reaction route of toluene oxidation over theα-MnO2@Co3O4 catalyst is as follows:toluene→benzoate species→alkanes containing oxygen functional group→CO2 and H2O.In addition,the α-MnO2@Co3O4 catalyst shows excellent stability and good water resistance for toluene oxidation.Furthermore,the preparation method can be extended to other 1D MnO2 materials.A new strategy for the development of high-performance catalysts of practical significance is provided.

A critical assessment of the roles of water molecules and solvated ions in acid-base-catalyzed reactions at solid-water interfaces

Solid-aqueous interfaces and phenomena occurring at those interfaces are ubiquitously found in a plethora of chemical systems.When it comes to heterogeneous catalysis,however,our understanding of chemical transformations at solid-aqueous interfaces is relatively limited and primitive.This review phenomenologically describes a selection of water-engendered effects on the catalytic behavior for several prototypical acid-base-catalyzed reactions over solid catalysts,and critically assesses the general and special roles of water molecules,structural moieties derived from water,and ionic species that are dissolved in it,with an aim to extract novel concepts and principles that underpin heterogeneous acid-base catalysis in the aqueous phase.For alcohol dehydration catalyzed by solid Bronsted acids,rate inhibition by water is most typically related to the decrease in the acid strength and/or the preferential solvation of adsorbed species over the transition state as water molecules progressively solvate the acid site and form extended networks wherein protons are mobilized.Water also inhibits dehydration kinetics over most Lewis acid-base catalysts by competitive adsorption,but a few scattered reports reveal substantial rate enhancements due to the conversion of Lewis acid sites to Brønsted acid sites with higher catalytic activities upon the introduction of water.For aldol condensation on catalysts exposing Lewis acid-base pairs,the addition of water is generally observed to enhance the rate when C–C coupling is rate-limiting,but may result in rate inhibition by site-blocking when the initial unimolecular deprotonation is rate-limiting.Water can also promote aldol condensation on Brønsted acidic catalysts by facilitating inter-site communication between acid sites through hydrogen-bonding interactions.For metallozeolite-catalyzed sugar isomerization in aqueous media,the nucleation and networking of intrapore waters regulated by hydrophilic entities causes characteristic enthalpy-entropy tradeoffs as these water moieties interact with kinetically relevant hydride transfer transition states.The discussed examples collectively highlight the utmost importance of hydrogen-bonding interactions and ionization of covalently bonded surface moieties as the main factors underlying the uniqueness of water-mediated interfacial acid-base chemistries and the associated solvation effects in the aqueous phase or in the presence of water.A perspective is also provided for future research in this vibrant field.

Encapsulated FeP nanoparticles with in-situ formed P-doped graphene layers:Boosting activity in oxygen reduction reaction

Nonprecious metal-based oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)electrocatalysts with high efficiency in both alkaline and acidic media are being intensively studied for the purpose of replacing expensive Pt-based catalysts;however,it is still a challenge to achieve superior ORR performances,especially in acidic media.Herein,by pyrolysis of mixed precursors of diammonium phosphate,melamine and hemin,we prepared a nanocomposite catalyst(denoted as FeP@PGL)composed of nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets with embedded FeP nanoparticles(NPs),which were encapsulated by in-situ formed phosphorus-doped graphene layers.It is found that phosphorous was preferentially doped in the coating layers on FeP NPs,instead of in the carbon nanosheets.The FeP@PGL catalyst exhibited excellent ORR performance,with the onset and half-wave potential up to 1.01 and 0.90 V vs.the reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)in alkaline media,and0.95 and 0.81 V vs.RHE in acidic media,respectively.By thorough microscopy and spectroscopy characterizations,the interfacial charge transfer between the encapsulated FeP NPs and P-doped graphene layers was identified,and the local work function of the catalyst surface was also reduced by the interfacial interaction.The interfacial synergy between the encapsulated FeP and phosphorus-doped graphene layers was essential to enhance the ORR performance.This study not only demonstrates the promising ORR properties of the encapsulated-FeP-based nanocomposite catalyst,but also provides direct evidence of the interfacial charge transfer effect and its role in ORR process.

Interface engineering of snow-like Ru/RuO2 nanosheets for boosting hydrogen electrocatalysis

Ru has recently been regarded as a promising catalyst for hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) due to its similar binding energy towards *H but lower price compared to Pt.Nevertheless, the quest of high-efficiency Ru-based catalysts for HOR and HER is driven by the current disadvantages including low activity and unsatisfactory stability. Herein, we have fabricated and engineered two-dimensional(2D) Ru-based snow-like nanosheets with Ru/Ru O2interface(Ru/Ru O2SNSs)via a post-annealing treatment. Detailed characterizations and theoretical calculations indicate that the interfacial synergy, which is dependent on the temperature for annealing, can alter the hydrogen binding energy(HBE) and hydroxide binding energy(OHBE), as a result of the enhanced HOR and HER performance. Impressively, the optimal Ru/RuO_(2) SNSs display a mass activity of 9.13 A mgRu^(–1) at an overpotential of 50 m V in 0.1 mol L^(–1) KOH for HOR, which is 65, 304, and 21 times higher than those of Ru SNSs(0.14 A mg_(Ru)^(–1)), RuO_(2) SNSs(0.03 A mg_(Ru)^(–1)), and commercial Pt/C(0.43 A mg_(Ru)^(–1)), respectively.Moreover, Ru/RuO_(2) SNSs display improved HER activity with a low overpotential of 20.2 m V for achieving10 m A cm^(-2)in 1 mol L^(–1)KOH. This work not only provides an efficient catalyst for HOR and HER, but also promotes fundamental research on the fabrication and modification of catalysts in heterogeneous catalysis.