Compositional and Hollow Engineering of Silicon Carbide/Carbon Microspheres as High-Performance Microwave Absorbing Materials with Good Environmental Tolerance

Microwave absorbing materials(MAMs)characterized by high absorption efficiency and good environmental tolerance are highly desirable in practical applications.Both silicon carbide and carbon are considered as stable MAMs under some rigorous conditions,while their composites still fail to produce satisfactory microwave absorption performance regardless of the improvements as compared with the individuals.Herein,we have successfully implemented compositional and structural engineering to fabricate hollow Si C/C microspheres with controllable composition.The simultaneous modulation on dielectric properties and impedance matching can be easily achieved as the change in the composition of these composites.The formation of hollow structure not only favors lightweight feature,but also generates considerable contribution to microwave attenuation capacity.With the synergistic effect of composition and structure,the optimized SiC/C composite exhibits excellent performance,whose the strongest reflection loss intensity and broadest effective absorption reach-60.8 dB and 5.1 GHz,respectively,and its microwave absorption properties are actually superior to those of most SiC/C composites in previous studies.In addition,the stability tests of microwave absorption capacity after exposure to harsh conditions and Radar Cross Section simulation data demonstrate that hollow SiC/C microspheres from compositional and structural optimization have a bright prospect in practical applications.

Decomposition of Different Organic Materials and Variation of Active Organic Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Tobacco-planted Soil

The oilseed cake, vetch, rapeseed straw, wheat straw and corn straw were buried in tobacco-planted soil. The decomposition rates, the variation of active organic C and N contents in the residues and the relationship between active organic C and N contents and decomposition rate were investigated. The results showed the decomposition rates of different organic materials were all high in the early period and then low in the late period. Among the organic materials, the decomposition rates ranked as oilseed cake 〉 vetch 〉 wheat straw and rapeseed straw 〉 corn straw. The decomposition rate was positively related to total N content （P〈0.01）, but was negatively related to the active organic C/N ratio （P〈0.01）. However, there was no significant relationship between decomposition ratio and active organic C content. With the proceeding of decomposition, the active organic C content and the total N content in rapeseed straw, vetch, wheat straw and corn straw all trended to increase, but the active organic C/N ratio trended to decrease. However, the variation of active organic C content, total N content and active organic C/N ratio in oilseed cake was on the contrary.

Ablation behaviour and mechanical performance of ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC modified carbon/carbon composites prepared by vacuum infiltration combined with reactive melt infiltration

The development of advanced aircraft relies on high performance thermal-structural materials,and carbon/carbon com-posites(C/C)composited with ultrahigh-temperature ceramics are ideal candidates.However,the traditional routes of compositing are either inefficient and expensive or lead to a non-uniform distribution of ceramics in the matrix.Compared with the traditional C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the reactive melt infiltration of ZrSi_(2),C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the vacuum infiltration of ZrB_(2) combined with reactive melt infiltration have the higher content and more uniform distribution of the introduced ceramic phases.The mass and linear ablation rates of the C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites were respectively 68.9%and 29.7%lower than those of C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by reactive melt infiltration.The ablation performance was improved because the volatilization of B_(2)O_(3),removes some of the heat,and the more uniformly distributed ZrO_(2),that helps produce a ZrO2-SiO2 continu-ous protective layer,hinders oxygen infiltration and decreases ablation.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Multiscale SiC_p Hybrid Reinforced 6061 Aluminum Matrix Composites

The performance of solid solution aging treatment on aluminum matrix composites prepared by powder metallurgy and reinforced with 6061 aluminum alloy powder as matrix;meanwhile, nano silicon carbide particles(nm Si Cp), submicron silicon carbide particles(1 μm Si Cp) and Ti particles were studied. The Al/Si Cp composite powder was prepared by high-energy ball milling, and then cold-pressed, sintered, hotextruded, and then heat-treated with different solution temperatures and aging times for the extruded composites. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and extrusion testing were used to analyze and test the microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum matrix composites. The results show that after the multi-stage solid solution at 530 ℃×2 h+535 ℃×2 h+540 ℃×2 h, the particles are mainly equiaxed grains and uniformly distributed. There is no reinforcement agglomeration, and the surface is dense and the insoluble phase is basically dissolved. In the matrix, the strengthening effect is good, and the hardness and compressive strength are 179.43 HV and 680.42 MPa, respectively. Under this solution process, when the aluminum matrix composites are aged at 170 ℃ for 10 h, the hardness and compressive strength can reach their peaks and increase to 195.82 HV and 721.48 MPa, respectively.

Multi-scale Modeling and Finite Element Analyses of Thermal Conductivity of 3D C/SiC Composites Fabricating by Flexible-Oriented Woven Process

Thermal conductivity is one of the most significant criterion of three-dimensional carbon fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites(3D C/SiC).Represent volume element(RVE)models of microscale,void/matrix and mesoscale proposed in this work are used to simulate the thermal conductivity behaviors of the 3D C/SiC composites.An entirely new process is introduced to weave the preform with three-dimensional orthogonal architecture.The 3D steady-state analysis step is created for assessing the thermal conductivity behaviors of the composites by applying periodic temperature boundary conditions.Three RVE models of cuboid,hexagonal and fiber random distribution are respectively developed to comparatively study the influence of fiber package pattern on the thermal conductivities at the microscale.Besides,the effect of void morphology on the thermal conductivity of the matrix is analyzed by the void/matrix models.The prediction results at the mesoscale correspond closely to the experimental values.The effect of the porosities and fiber volume fractions on the thermal conductivities is also taken into consideration.The multi-scale models mentioned in this paper can be used to predict the thermal conductivity behaviors of other composites with complex structures.

Ablation Processes for HfC-Coated 2.5D Needle-Punched Composites Used for Aerospace Engines Under Hypersonic Flight Conditions

The working environment of aerospace engines is extremely harsh with temperature exceeding 1700℃and accompanied by thermal coupling effects.In this condition,the materials employed in hypersonic aircraft undergo ablation issues,which can cause catastrophic accidents.Due to the excellent high-temperature stability and ablation resistance,HfC exhibits outstanding thermal expansion coefficient matching that of C/SiC composites.2.5D needle-punched C/SiC composites coated with HfC are prepared using a plasma spraying process,and a high-enthalpy arc-heated wind tunnel is employed to simulate the re-entry environment of aircraft at 8 Mach and an altitude of 32 km.The plasma-sprayed HfC-coated 2.5D needle-punched C/SiC composites are subjected to long-term dynamic testing,and their properties are investigated.Specifically,after the thermal assessment ablation experiment,the composite retains its overall structure and profile;the total mass ablation rate is 0.07445 g/s,the average linear ablation rate in the thickness direction is-0.0675μm/s,and the average linear ablation rate in the length direction is 13.907μm/s.Results verify that plasma-sprayed HfC coating exhibits excellent anti-oxidation and ablation resistance properties.Besides,the microstructure and ablation mechanism of the C/SiC composites are studied.It is believed that this work will offer guideline for the development of thermal protection materials and the assessment of structural thermal performance.

Enhancing Capacitance Performance of Ti3C2Tx MXene as Electrode Materials of Supercapacitor: From Controlled Preparation to Composite Structure Construction

Ti3C2Tx,a novel two-dimensional layer material,is widely used as electrode materials of supercapacitor due to its good metal conductivity,redox reaction active surface,and so on.However,there are many challenges to be addressed which impede Ti3C2Tx obtaining the ideal specific capacitance,such as restacking,re-crushing,and oxidation of titanium.Recently,many advances have been proposed to enhance capacitance performance of Ti3C2Tx.In this review,recent strategies for improving specific capacitance are summarized and compared,for example,film formation,surface modification,and composite method.Furthermore,in order to comprehend the mechanism of those efforts,this review analyzes the energy storage performance in different electrolytes and influencing factors.This review is expected to predict redouble research direction of Ti3C2Tx materials in supercapacitors.

Hydrothermal synthesis of spindle-like Li_2FeSiO_4-C composite as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

In this paper,we report on the preparation of Li2FeSiO4,sintered Li2FeSiO4,and Li2FeSiO4-C composite with spindle-like morphologies and their application as cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries.Spindle-like Li2FeSi04 was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method with（NH4）2Fe（SO4）2 as the iron source.The spindle-like Li2FeSiO4 was sintered at 600 ℃ for 6 h in Ar atmosphere.Li2FeSiO4-C composite was obtained by the hydrothermal treatment of spindle-like Li2FeSiO4 in glucose solution at 190 ℃ for 3 h.Electrochemical measurements show that after carbon coating,the electrode performances such as discharge capacity and high-rate capability are greatly enhanced.In particular.Li2FeSiO4-C with carbon content of 7.21 wt%delivers the discharge capacities of 160.9 mAh·g-1 at room temperature and 213 mAh·g-1 at45℃（0.1 C）,revealing the potential application in lithium-ion batteries.

Anti-oxidation properties of ZrB_2 modified silicon-based multilayer coating for carbon/carbon composites at high temperatures

To improve the anti-oxidation ability of silicon-based coating for carbon/carbon （C/C） composites at high temperatures, a ZrB2 modified silicon-based multilayer oxidation protective coating was prepared by pack cementation. The phase composition, microstructure and oxidation resistance at 1773, 1873 and 1953 K in air were investigated. The prepared coating exhibits dense structure and good oxidation protective ability. Due to the formation of stable ZrSiO4-SiO2 compound, the coating can effectively protect C/C composites from oxidation at 1773 K for more than 550 h. The anti-oxidation performance decreases with the increase of oxidation temperature. The mass loss of coated sample is 2.44% after oxidation at 1953 K for 50 h, which is attributed to the decomposition of ZrSiO4 and the volatilization of SiO2 protection layer.

C/SiC/MoSi_2-SiC-Si multilayer coating for oxidation protection of carbon/carbon composites

C/SiC/MoSi2-SiC-Si oxidation protective multilayer coating for carbon/carbon （C/C） composites was prepared by pack cementation and slurry method. The microstructure, element distribution and phase composition of the as-received coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The results show that the multilayer coating was composed of MoSi2, SiC and Si. It could effectively protect C/C composites against oxidation for 200 h with the mass loss of 3.25% at 1873 K in static air. The mass loss of the coated C/C composites results from the volatilization of SiO2 and the formation of cracks and bubble holes in the coating.

Bending properties and fracture mechanism of C/C composites with high density preform

C/C composites with banded structure pyrocarbon were fabricated by fast chemical vapor infiltration（CVI）,with C3H6 as carbon source,N2 as carrier gas,and three-dimensional（3D） 12K PAN-based carbon fabric with high density of 0.94 g/cm3 as preform.Experimental results indicated that the fracture characteristics of C/C composites were closely related to the frequency of high-temperature treatment（HTT） at the break of CVI process.According to the load？displacement curves,C/C composites showed a pseudoplastic fracture after twice of HTT.After three times of HTT,load？displacement curves tended to be stable with a decreasing bending strength at 177.5 MPa.Delamination failure and intrastratal fiber fracture were observed at the cross-section of C/C composites by scanning electronic microscope.Because the content of pyrocarbon and fibers has a different distribution in layers,the C/C composites show different fracture characteristics at various regions,which leads to good toughness and bending strength.

Effect of ZrC-SiC content on microstructure and ablation properties of C/C composites

C/C-ZrC-SiC composites with different ZrC-SiC contents were fabricated by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis. The effect of ceramic content on the microstructure and ablation resistance was investigated. Both the C/C-SiC and C/C-ZrC-SiC composites exhibited good ablation resistance under the plasma flame above 2300℃. Withtheincreaseof ZrC content, a continuous oxide layer and a solid Zr-Si-O mesophase were formed during the ablation. And the structure of the formed oxides layer closely linked with the contents of ZrC-SiC ceramics. The solid ZrO2-ZrC and Zr-Si-O mesophase could increase the viscosity of SiO2 moderately and improve the anti-scouring ability. The continuous SiO2-ZrO2-ZrC-SiC layer would serve as a thermal and oxygen barrier for preventing the substratefrom further ablation. The C/C-ZrC-SiC composites with 27.2%ZrC and 7.56%SiC shows superior ablation resistance, and the mass and linear ablation rates are-3.51 mg/s and-1.88 μm/s, respectively.

Pyrolysis mechanism of ZrC precursor and fabrication of C/C-ZrC composites by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis

C/C-ZrC composites were prepared by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis using the organic zirconium as precursor.The conversion mechanisms of the precursors such as the thermal behavior,structural evolution,phase composition,microstructure,composition of the precursors and products were analyzed by thermal gravimetric analyzer,Fourier transform infrared spectrometer,X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope.The results indicate that the ZrC precursor transforms to inorganic ZrO2 from room temperature to 1200 ℃,then reduces to ZrC at 1600 ℃ through the carbothermal reduction reaction.The microstructure of the C/C-ZrC composites was also investigated.The composites exhibit an interesting structure,a coating composed of ZrC ceramic covers the exterior of the composite,and the ZrC ceramic is embedded in the pores of the matrix inside the composite.

Oxidation behavior of C/C composites with SiC/ZrSiO_4-SiO_2 coating

A SiC/ZrSiO4？SiO2 （SZS） coating was successfully fabricated on the carbon/carbon （C/C） composites by pack cementation, slurry painting and sintering to improve the anti-oxidation property and thermal shock resistance. The anti-oxidation properties under different oxygen partial pressures （OPP） and thermal shock resistance of the SZS coating were investigated. The results show that the SZS coated sample under low OPP, corresponding to the ambient air, during isothermal oxidation was 0.54% in mass gain after 111 h oxidation at 1500 ° C and less than 0.03% in mass loss after 50 h oxidation in high OPP, corresponding to the air flow rate of 36 L/h. Additionally, the residual compressive strengths （RCS） of the SZS coated samples after oxidation for 50 h in high OPP and 80 h in low OPP remain about 70% and 72.5% of those of original C/C samples, respectively. Moreover, the mass loss of SZS coated samples subjected to the thermal cycle from 1500 ° C in high OPP to boiling water for 30 times was merely 1.61%.

Flexural destructive process of unidirectional carbon/carbon composites reinforced with in situ grown carbon nanofibers

Unidirectional carbon/carbon（C/C） composites modified with in situ grown carbon nanofibers（CNFs） were prepared by catalysis chemical vapor deposition. The effect of in situ grown CNFs on the flexural properties of the C/C composites was investigated by detailed analyses of destructive process. The results show that there is a sharp increase in the flexural load-displacement curve in the axial direction of the CNF-C/C composites, followed by a serrated yielding phenomenon similar to the plastic materials. The failure mode of the C/C composites modified with in situ grown CNFs is changed from the pull-out of single fiber to the breaking of fiber bundles. The existence of interfacial layer composed by middle-textured pyrocarbon, CNFs and high-textured pyrocarbon can block the crack propagation and change the propagation direction of the main crack, which leads to the higher flexural strength and modulus of C/C composites.

Effect of stress level on fatigue behavior of 2D C/C composites

Laminated carbon fiber clothes were infiltrated to prepare carbon fiber reinforced pyrolytic carbon （C/C） using isothermal chemical vapor infiltration （CVI）. The bending fatigue behavior of the infiltrated C/C composites was tested under two different stress levels. The residual strength and modulus of all fatigued samples were tested to investigate the effect of maximum stress level on fatigue behavior of C/C composites. The microstructure and damage mechanism were also investigated. The results showed that the residual strength and modulus of fatigued samples were improved. High stress level is more effective to increase the modulus. And for the increase of flexural strength, high stress level is more effective only in low cycles. The fatigue loading weakens the bonding between the matrix and fiber, and then affects the damage propagation pathway, and increases the energy consumption. So the properties of C/C composites are improved.

Fabrication of Y_2Si_2O_7 coating and its oxidation protection for C/SiC composites

Yttrium silicate （Y2Si2O7） coating was fabricated on C/SiC composites through dip-coating with silicone resin ＋ Y2O3 powder slurry as raw materials. The synthesis, microstructure and oxidation resistance and the anti-oxidation mechanism of Y2Si2O7 coating were investigated. Y2Si2O7 can be synthesized by the pyrolysis of Y2O3 powder filled silicone resin at mass ratio of 54.2：45.8 and 800 °C in air and then heat treated at 1400 °C under Ar. The as-fabricated coating shows high density and favorable bonding to C/SiC composites. After oxidation in air at 1400, 1500 and 1600 °C for 30 min, the coating-containing composites possess 130%-140% of original flexural strength. The desirable thermal stability and the further densification of coating during oxidation are responsible for the excellent oxidation resistance. In addition, the formation of eutectic Y-Si-Al-O glassy phase between Y2Si2O7 and Al2O3 sample bracket at 1500 °C is discovered.

Synthesis of LiMnPO_4/C composite material for lithium ion batteries by sol-gel method

The LiMnPO4/C composite material was synthesized via a sol-gel method based on the citric acid. The X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and electrochemical performance tests were adopted to characterize the properties of LiMnPO4/C. The XRD studies show that the pure olivine phase LiMnPO4 can be obtained at a low temperature of 500 °C. The SEM analyses illustrate that the citric acid used as the chelating reagent and carbon source can restrain the particle size of LiMnPO4/C well. The LiMnPO4/C sample synthesized at 500 °C for 10 h performs the highest initial discharge capacity of 122.6 mA-h/g, retaining 112.4 mA-h/g over 30 cycles at 0.05C rate. The citric acid based sol-gel method is favor to obtain the high electrochemical performance of LiMnPO4/C.

WEAR TRANSITIONS OF C/Cu COMPOSITE MATERIALS

An unlubricated sliding friction test on C/Cu composite materials is described. The result of the test proves that adhesive wear is the domination. At a certain speed, when the load upon the test block is light, the wear rate remains low level and the friction pair has a good antifriction performance. But when the load increases to a certain value, the wear transitions happen, the wear becomes severe.

Fracture mechanism of 2D-C/C composites with pure smooth laminar pyrocarbon matrix under flexural loading

Using natural gas as carbon source, 2D needle felt as preform, 2D-C/C composites were prepared by thermal gradient chemical vapor infiltration. Their microstructures were observed under polarized light microscope （PLM） and scanning electron microscope （SEM）, and the flexural behaviors before and after heat-treatment were studied with a universal mechanical testing machine. The fracture mechanism of the composites was discussed in detail. The results show that, carbon matrix exhibits pure smooth laminar （SL） characteristic including numerous wrinkled layered structures and some inter-laminar micro-cracks. With the decreasing density, the strength of the composites decreases and the toughness increases slightly; after 2500 °C heat-treatment, the inter-laminar micro-cracks in matrix increase, the strength decreases, and the toughness obviously increases. The fracture mode of the composites changes from brittle to pseudo-plastic characteristic due to more crack deflections in SL matrix.