Innovative preparation of Co@Cu Fe_(2)O_(4) composite via ball-milling assisted chemical precipitation and annealing for glorious electromagnetic wave absorption

To deal with the growing electromagnetic hazards,herein a Co@CuFe_(2)O_(4)absorbing agent with excellent impedance matching at thin thickness was obtained via an innovative route of ball-milling assisted chemical precipitation and annealing.The as-prepared composite possesses excellent interface polarization ability due to sufficient contact between CuFe_(2)O_(4)NPs and flat Co,and this compressed Co lamella can also provide sufficient eddy current loss.Moreover,the dipole polarization,electron hopping/conduction,and structural scattering also contribute to the broadband microwave absorption of the composite.Thus,the minimum microwave reflection loss achieves-35.56 d B at12.93 GHz for 1.8 mm thickness,and the broadest efficient absorption bandwidth can reach 6.74 GHz for a thinner thickness of 1.72 mm.The preparation method reported here can be referenced as a new-type route to manufacture electromagnetic absorbers with outstanding performance.

Effect of Ball-Milling Time on the Performance of Ni-Al2O3 Catalyst for 1,4-Butynediol Hydrogenation to Produce 1,4-Butenediol

The Ni-Al2O3 catalyst was prepared by the mechanochemical method in combination with a planetary ballmilling machine.Effect of milling time on the crystal structure,the reduction characteristics and the catalytic performance of Ni-Al2O3 catalyst for hydrogenation of 1,4-butynediol to produce 1,4-butenediol were investigated.The catalysts were characterized by PSD,EDX,XRD,H2-TPR,BET,TEM,and NH3-TPD methods.Results showed that the MCt2.5 catalyst treated at a ball milling time of 2.5 h could form a smallest particle size of 191.0 nm.The evaluation experiments revealed that the activity of the prepared catalyst increased at first and then reached a constant value with the extension of ballmilling time.The BYD conversion,BED selectivity and yield on the MCt2.5 catalyst reached 35.63%,33.48%and 32.46%,respectively,which were higher than those obtained by other samples.The excellent performance of MCt2.5 sample is mainly related to the following three reasons from characterization results.Firstly,it has a smallest particle size of 191.0 nm;and then,the surface acidity(in terms of strong acids)of the catalyst was weaker than other catalysts;and eventually,the loading amount(23.84%)of the active component Ni exceeded the theoretical value(20%).

Co-effect of Mechanical Ball-milling and Microenvironmental Polarity on Morphology and Properties of Nanocellulose

Cellulose is a linear polymer consisting of D-anhydroglucose units joined by β-1,4-glycosidic linkages. The densely packed cellulose molecular chain forms crystalline cellulose through strong hydrogen bonding. Owing to its chemical tunability and excellent mechanical resistance, nanocellulose is widely used in everyday life and the industrial sector. In this work, cellulose materials were nanoprocessed by mechanical ball-milling(1) in polar solvents(N,N-dimethylformamide or dimethyl sulfoxide) with esterification or(2) in hydrophobic agents(polydimethylsiloxane or polytetrafluoroethylene) with different molecular weights. Cellulose nanofibers and nanosheets with different hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties were obtained, and the mechanism of cellulose disintegration along a crystallographic plane induced by mechanical force and the polarity condition were discussed. This work affords a new way to manipulate the morphology and properties of nanocellulose.

Hydriding-dehydriding properties of Mg_2Ni alloy modified by ball-milling in tetrahydrofuran

A new approach of ball-milled Mg_2Ni in tetrahydrofuran (THF) to improve thehydriding kinetics of Mg_2Ni alloy is suggested and studied. It is found that the modified alloydisplayed the improved activity for hydriding even at relatively low temperature (e.g., 323-373 K).In the case of the sample milled in THF for 20 h, the hydrogen content (mass fraction) reaches 1.6 %at 323 K, 2.1% at 348 K and 3.4% at 448 K, respectively. The use of THF during grinding led to thechange of the structure, which is reflected by the broadening and weakening of the diffraction peaksin the XRD spectra. The XPS analysis shows that Mg (2s) binding energy peak of Mg_2Ni aftermodification shifted from a lower binding energy to a higher one, indicating the charge transferencebetween Mg and THF and the formation of catalytically active electron donor-acceptor (EDA)complexes on the surface of modified Mg_2Ni alloy.

Electrochemical Properties of CeMg_(12)+x%Ni Composites (x=0～200) Prepared by Ball-Milling

The electrochemical properties of the as-cast and ball-milled CeMg12+x%(mass fraction) Ni (vs. CeMg12) (x=0, 50, 100 and 200) composites were investigated. The microstructure and discharge capacity of the ball-milled CeMg12+x%Ni composites differ greatly depending on the amount of Ni introduced during ball-milling. The more nickel powder added, the more advantageous for the formation of the amorphous structure. And the discharge capacities of the ball-milled composites increase with increasing amount of nickel added. After 90 h ball-milling, the CeMg12+200% Ni composite exhibits a high discharge capacity of 1170 mAh·g-1(CeMg12)-1 at 303 K. The improvement of electrochemical capacity is attributed to the formation of a homogeneous amorphous structure as well as the modification of the surface state after Ni addition.

Effect of ball-milling technology on pore structure and electrochemical properties of activated carbon

The effects of particle size of activated carbon （AC） on its wettability, electrode coating technology and electric chemical performance were studied to assemble nonaqueous electric double layer capacitors （EDLCs） for high power requirements. The results show that the specific surface area and total pore volume of AC decrease from 2 137 m^2/g to 1 683 m^2/g, and 0.95 cm^3/g to 0.78 cm^3/g, respectively, if it is ball-milled for 8 h. The pore size distributions are similar in the range of 0.7 nm to 3.5 nm for different ball-milling time. There exists oxidation on the surface of AC during the ball-milling process and the ratios of O-C=O oxygen compositions increase whereas those of C-O, C=O decrease. The peeling strength of AC coated on current collector is almost inverse proportion with the particle size of AC as well as the resistance of EDLCs, and its capacitance decreases about 6%.

Passive Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage Using Ball-Milling Modified Indonesian Natural Bentonite: Laboratory Batch and Column Sorption of Manganese

Manganese (Mn) is an essential element for human body. However, elevated concentration of manganese causes severe problem and disease. Acid mine drainage (AMD), wastewater generated due to open-pit mining, commonly contains Mn with exceeded concentration. This study is to investigate the improvement of ball-milling modified Indonesian natural bentonite (INB) for manganese (Mn) removal from AMD and to increase the pH through batch and column sorption test as a passive treatment system approach. The batch sorption test result showed the maximum Mn adsorbed (Qm) on INB from the Langmuir model increased from 4.69 to 17.12 mg/g after milling. The column sorption test result also showed the amount of Mn adsorbed on INB until breakthrough time (qu) and until saturation time (q) increased after milling. The qu increased from 1.27 to 10.06 mg/g, and the q increased from 4.55 to 12.91 mg/g. The mass transfer zone (MTZ) became significantly shorter after milling from 0.22 to 0.07 cm. The Thomas model exhibited the equilibrium uptake of Mn (q0) increased after milling from 3.91 to 13.72 mg/g. In equilibrium condition, both unmilled and milled INB showed the pH increased from ≈3 to 8.

Improving antioxidant activities of water-soluble lignin-carbohydrate complex isolated from wheat stalk through prolonging ball-milling pretreatment and homogeneous extraction

Water-soluble lignin-carbohydrate complex(LCC)rich in polysaccharides exhibits benign in vitro antioxidant activities and distinguishes high biocompatibility from lignin-rich LCC and lignin.However,the antioxidant activity of water-soluble LCCs remains to be improved and its structure-antioxidant relationship is still uncertain.Herein,structurally diversified water-soluble LCCs were isolated under different ball-milling pretreatment durations(4,6,8 h),extraction pathways(ho-mogeneous and heterogeneous),and isolation routines(water extracts and residues after water extraction).Their structures were characterized by wet chemistry,chromatography and spec-troscopies.Antioxidant activities were evaluated by ferric reducing antioxidant power and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals scavenging rate(RDPPH).Results show that altering ball-milling duration and isolation procedures cause varied structures and antioxidant activities of the water-soluble LCCs.Specifically,prolonging ball-milling duration to 8 hours and homogeneous extrac-tion can enhance their antioxidant activity through releasing more phenolic structures and pro-moting the extraction of high-molecular-weight LCCs via reducing mass-transfer resistance,re-spectively.As a result,the RDPPH of water-soluble LCCs reaches up to 97.35%,which is associated with the arabinan content with statistical significance(P<0.05).This study provides new insights into the structure-antioxidation relationship of herbaceous LCC as potential antioxidants.

Particles and porous tablets based on Fe^0/ZSM-5 composites prepared by ball-milling for heavy metals removal: Dissolved Fe^(2+), pH, and mechanism

Novel, low-cost Fe0/ZSM-5-based particles and porous tablets were prepared by a ballmilling method and used for the removal of Pb^2＋ in solution. Solid-phase characterization by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy（SEMEDS） and transmission electron microscopy（TEM） revealed that the Fe0 microparticles were evenly loaded and tightly immobilized on the surface of ZSM-5 because of the extrusion/welding impact during ball-milling. For different Pb2＋ concentrations, batch experiments indicated that the removal of Pb2＋ increased with the decline of dissolved Fe2＋and p H value in the solution for particles; opposite results were obtained for the tablets. The differences in the contact between both materials and Pb2＋ were the main factor controlling Pb2＋ removal in the solution. Investigation into the effect of initial pH value revealed that high pH reduced the number of electrons released from Fe corrosion. Consequently, low levels of removed Pb2＋ and dissolved Fe2＋ were synchronously observed. Also, simulated electroplating wastewater was treated using the prepared particles and porous tablets,and the removal order of Pb^2＋ 〉 Cr6^＋〉 Cu^2＋≈ Cd^2＋ was observed. The Fe0/ZSM-5 particles and tablets prepared through ball-milling show potential as materials for treatment of Pb2＋ and other toxic metals.

Ball-milling Synthesis of Tetrahydroquinolines via 'One-pot' Three-component Diels-Alder Reaction Catalyzed by Phosphotungstic Acid

We reported an economic and practical ball-milling method for the synthesis of tetrahvdroquinoline derivatives via a wone-pot"three-component Diels-Alder reaction of anilines,aldehydes and alkenes catalyzed by phos-photungstic acid at room temperature.For this reaction,a simple 'one-pot'ball-milling operation was conducted,readily available starting materials were employed,'one-pot'conditions were applied,and the most important was to use inexpensive and environmentally friendly catalyst phosphotungstic acid.Various tetrahvdroquinolines,which might be potentially applicable in the pharmaceutical and biochemical areas,were conveniently synthesized in moderate to excellent yields.

Influence of graphite on concentration of carbon vacancies in ball-milled TiC_x

In this work, the influence of graphite on the ball-milled TiCx was studied. The results show that the lattice parameter of TiCx is increased when TiCx particles are ball-milled with graphite, which indicates a decrease in the concentration of carbon vacancies in the TiCx. It is considered that this decrease in the concentration of carbon vacancies results from the diffusion of carbon atoms from graphite into the TiCx. When the TiCx is ball-milled with more graphite, the effectiveness of the ball-milling is better, and the diffusion process of carbon becomes much easier. Furthermore, besides diffusion into the TiCx, some graphite has transformed into amorphous carbon after the ball-milling.

Solid-state mechanochemistry advancing two dimensional materials for lithium-ion storage applications:A mini review

The vigorous development of two-dimensional(2D)materials brings about numerous opportunities for lithiumion batteries(LIBs)due to their unique 2D layered structure,large specific surface area,outstanding mechanical and flexibility properties,etc.Modern technologies for production of 2D materials include but are not limited to mechanochemical(solid-state/liquid-phase)exfoliation,the solvothermal method and chemical vapor deposition.In this review,strategies leading to the production of 2D materials via solid-state mechanochemistry featuring traditional high energy ball-milling and Sichuan University patented pan-milling are highlighted.The mechanism involving exfoliation,edge selective carbon radical generation of the 2D materials is delineated and this is followed by detailed discussion on representative mechanochemical techniques for tailored and improved lithium-ion storage performance.In the light of the advantages of the solid-state mechanochemical method,there is great promise for the commercialization of 2D materials for the next-generation high performance LIBs.

Influence of Carbon-doped Content on Formation Conditions of Coesite

The mixtures of a-quartz and graphite powder with different mass ratios were, respectively, high-energetically mechanically milled and then treated under high pressure and high temperature. The influences of carbon content on the synthesis conditions of coesite were investigated. The experimental products were characterized by XRD, TEM, and Raman spectrometry. The results show that the existence of carbon can obviously inhibit the formation of coesite, and the higher the carbon content of the initial material, the higher the pressure for forming coesite.

AB_5-type Hydrogen Storage Alloy Modified with Ti/Zr Used as Anodic Materials in Borohydride Fuel Cell

Fuel cell using borohydride as the fuel has received much attention. AB5-type hydrogen storage alloy used as the anodic material instead of noble metals has been investigated. In order to restrain the generation of hydrogen and enhance the utilization of borohydride, Ti/Zr metal powders has been added into the parent LmNi4.78Mn0.22 （where Lm is La-richened mischmetal） alloy （LNM） by ball milling and heat treatment methods. It is found that the addition of Ti/Zr metal powders lowers the electrochemical catalytic activity of the electrodes, at the same time, restrains the generation of hydrogen and enhances the utilization of the fuel. All the results show that the hydrogen generation rate or the utilization of the fuel is directly relative to the electrochemical catalytic activity or the discharge capability of the electrodes. The utilization of the fuel increases with discharge current density. It is very important to find a balance between the discharge capability and the utilization of the fuel.

Edge-functionalized acetylene black anchoring sulfur for high-performance Li–S batteries

To date, most of the research on electrodes for lithium sulfur batteries has been focused on the nanostructured sulfur cathodes and achieves significant success. However, from the viewpoint of manufacturers, the nanostructured sulfur cathodes are not so promising, because of the low volumetric energy density and high cost. In this work, we obtained the low-cost, scalable, eco-friendly mass production of edge-functionalized acetylene black-sulfur(FAB-S) composites by high-energy ball-milling technique for lithium sulfur batteries. The as-prepared FAB-S composite can deliver a high initial discharge capacity of 1304 mAh/g and still remain a reversible capacity of 814 mAh/g after 200 cycles at a charge-discharge rate of 0.2 C in the voltage range of 1.7–2.7 V. The observed excellent electrochemical properties demonstrate that the cathodes obtained by the facile high-energy ball-milling method as the cathode for rechargeable Li-S batteries are of great potential because it used the sole conductive additive acetylene black(AB).Such improved properties could be attributed to the partially exfoliation of AB, which not only keeps the AB’s inherent advantage, but also increases the specific surface area and forms chemical bonds between carbon and sulfur, resulting in the accumulation of the polysulfides intermediate through both the physical and chemical routes.

Doctor-bladed Cu_2ZnSnS_4 light absorption layer for low-cost solar cell application

The doctor-blade method is investigated for the preparation of Cu2ZnSnS4 films for low-cost solar cell application. Cu2ZnSnS4 precursor powder, the main raw material for the doctor-blade paste, is synthesized by a simple ball-milling process. The doctor-bladed Cu2ZnSnS4 films are annealed in N2 ambient under various conditions and characterized by X-ray diffraction, ultraviolent/vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, and current-voltage （J-V） meansurement. Our experimental results indicate that （i） the X-ray diffraction peaks of the Cu2ZnSnS4 precursor powder each show a red shift of about 0.4°; （ii） the high-temperature annealing process can effectively improve the crystallinity of the doctor-bladed Cu2ZnSnS4, whereas an overlong annealing introduces defects; （iii） the band gap value of the doctor-bladed Cu2ZnSnS4 is around 1.41 eV; （iv） the short-circuit current density, the open-circuit voltage, the fill factor, and the efficiency of the best Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cell obtained with the superstrate structure of fluorine-doped tin oxide glass/TiO2/In2S3/Cu2ZnSnS4/Mo are 7.82 mA/cm2, 240 mV, 0.29, and 0.55%, respectively.

Microwave Sintering of Al_2O_3-ZrO_2-WC-Co Cermets

Composite powders of nanocrystalline WC-10Co （15wt%）,Y2O3 （8mol%） stabilized nanocrystalline ZrO2 （30wt%）,industrial cobalt powder （4.5wt%） and submicron Al2O3 （55wt%） composite powders were fabricated by high-energy ball-milling process.The nanocomposite powders were consolidated by microwave sintering process at temperature ranged 1300℃-1550℃ for 15min,respectively.The optimum consolidation conditions,such as temperature,were researched during microwave sintering process.Vickers Hardness of the consolidated cermets was measured by using a Vickers indentation test,and density of specimens was also determined by Archimedes＇ principle.Microwave sintering process could not only increase the density of Al2O3-ZrO2-WC-Co cermets and reduce the porosity,but also inhibit abnormal grain growth.

Microstructure refinement and second phase particle regulation of Mo-Y_(2)O_(3) alloys by minor TiC additive

The oxide dispersion strengthened Mo alloys(ODS-Mo)prepared by traditional ball milling and subsequent sintering technique generally possess comparatively coarse Mo grains and large oxide particles at Mo grain boundaries(GBs),which obviously suppress the corresponding strengthening effect of oxide addition.In this work,the Y_(2)O_(3) and TiC particles were simultaneously doped into Mo alloys using ball-milling and subsequent low temperature sintering.Accompanied by TiC addition,the Mo-Y_(2)O_(3) grains are sharply refined from 3.12 to 1.36μm.In particular,Y_(2)O_(3) and TiC can form smaller Y-Ti-O-C quaternary phase particles(~230 nm)at Mo GBs compared to single Y_(2)O_(3) particles(~420 nm),so as to these new formed Y-Ti-O-C particles can more effectively pin and hinder GBs movement.In addition to Y-Ti-O-C particles at GBs,Y_(2)O_(3),TiOx,and TiCx nanoparticles(<100 nm)also exist within Mo grains,which is significantly different from traditional ODS-Mo.The appearance of TiOx phase indicates that some active Ti within TiC can adsorb oxygen impurities of Mo matrix to form a new strengthening phase,thus strengthening and purifying Mo matrix.Furthermore,the pure Mo,Mo-Y_(2)O_(3),and Mo-Y_(2)O_(3)-TiC alloys have similar relative densities(97.4%-98.0%).More importantly,the Mo-Y_(2)O_(3)-TiC alloys exhibit higher hardness(HV0.2(425±25))compared to Mo-Y_(2)O_(3) alloys(HV0.2(370±25)).This work could provide a relevant strategy for the preparation of ultrafine Mo alloys by facile ball-milling.

Strong enhancement on dye photocatalytic degradation by ball-milled TiO2:A study of cationic and anionic dyes

TiO2 particles with desirable properties were produced by undergoing specific durations of ball milling.Characterizations of the TiO2 particles before and after ball milling were investigated via X-ray diffraction（XRD）, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller（BET）, particle size analysis, zeta potential, and scanning electron microscope（SEM）. The equilibrium adsorption data were well fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich（D-R） isotherms. Compared to the as-received TiO2（mean particle size d150= 0.78μm, specific surface area = 88.17 m^2g-1, pore volume = 0.41 cm^3g-1）, the 60 min ballmilled TiO2（d50= 0.55 μm, specific surface area = 99.48 m2g-1, pore volume = 0.48 cm3g-1） enhanced the adsorption quantity of congo red and methylene blue from 10.4 mg g-1to 13.6 mg g-1, and from17.0 mg g-1to 22.2 mg g-1, respectively; and also improved the kinetic rates from k = 0.1325 to 0.2193, and k = 0.0944 to 0.1553, respectively. Dye adsorption and degradation efficiency of congo red was enhanced in acidic p H range（2–5.14）, and methylene blue was enhanced in alkaline p H range（7.58–12）.

Preparation of highly dispersed superfine W-20 wt% Cu composite powder with excellent sintering property by highly concentrated wet ball-milled process

The ball milling process and the CuWO-WOprecursors were investigated, and a new highly concentrated wet ball-milled process(HWM) was designed. W-20 wt% Cu composite powders with excellent sintering property were synthesized by highly concentrated wet ballmilled process and co-reduction. The powders were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), field electron transmission electron microscopy(FESEM) and laser-diffraction diameter tester.The results indicate that particle size of W03-CuO powder mixtures decreases to 390 nm rapidly with the milling time increasing to 5 h. The CuWOprecursors promote the microstructural homogeneity of W and Cu. W-Cu composite powders have a highly dispersed and well sintering property. The particle size of W-Cu powders milled by HWM for 5 h is about 680 nm. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM) result suggests that W phase and Cu phase are mixed at nanometer scale. The above W-Cu composite powders reach the relative density of about 99.3%.