Effect of Sc_2O_3 addition on densification and microstructure of different spinelized magnesium aluminate spinels

The densification and microstructure of different spinelized magnesium aluminate spinels（MAS） were studied adding Sc_2O_3 as additive. Sintered products were then characterized in terms of densification, phase analysis, quantitative elemental analysis and microstructure. The results show that Sc_2O_3 is found to be beneficial for the densification of MAS. Sc_2O_3 has a more significant effect on the densification of partially spinelized MAS batch than that of fully spinelized MAS batch. At the sintering temperature of 1650 °C, the bulk density of sintered products of partially spinelized powders increases by 0.243 g/cm3 as the Sc_2O_3 content increases from 0 to 4%（mass fraction） and that of fully spinelized powder increases by 0.14 g/cm3. Compared with the sintered samples prepared from the fully spinelized powder, the sintered samples using the partially spinelized powders as raw materials have more compact microstructures.

Two-step sintering of magnesium aluminate spinels and their corrosion in Na_3AlF_6-AlF_3-CaF_2-Al_2O_3 bath

New types of refractory materials need to be developed for designing the man-made ledge of the Hall-Heroult cell for aluminum electrolysis, which are currently constructed by frozen ledge.Magnesium aluminate spinel （MAS） as potential candidate materials was prepared by two-step sintering. The densification and grain growth of the MAS wereinvestigatedbytheArchimedes drainage method and scanning electron microscope （SEM）. All the specimens were corroded in aNa3AlF6-AlF3-CaF2-Al2O3bath to assess the corrosion resistance. The results show that a MAS material with a high relative density of 99.2% and ahomogeneous microstructure is achieved under two-step sintering conditions. The corrosion mechanisms of MAS inNa3AlF6-AlF3-CaF2-Al2O3 bathare mainly proposed by dissolution of MAS, formation of aluminum oxide, and diffusion of fluorides. The MAS prepared by two-step sintering exhibits good corrosion resistance to theNa3AlF6-AlF3-CaF2-Al2O3bath.

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of dual doped spinels LiNi_xAl_yMn_(2-x-y)O_4 via facile novel chelated sol–gel method as possible cathode material for lithium rechargeable batteries

LiMnOand LiNiAlyMnO（x= 0.50;y = 0.05-0.50） powders have been synthesized via facile solgel method using Behenic acid as active cheiating agent.The synthesized samples are subjected to physical characterizations such as thermo gravimetric analysis（TG/DTA）,X-ray diffraction（XRD）,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR）,field-emission scanning electron microscopy（FESEM）,transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and electrochemical studies viz.,galvanostatic cycling properties,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） and differential capacity curves（dQ/dE）.Finger print XRD patterns of LiMnOand LiNiAlMnOfortify the high degree of crystallinity with better phase purity.FESEM images of the undoped pristine spinel illustrate uniform spherical grains surface morphology with an average particle size of 0.5 μm while Ni doped particles depict the spherical grains growth（50nm） with ice-cube surface morphology.TEM images of the spinel LiMnOshows the uniform spherical morphology with particle size of（100 nm） while low level of Al-doping spinel（LiNio.5Alo.05Mn1.45O4） displaying cloudy particles with agglomerated particles of（50nm）.The LiMnOsamples calcined at 850℃ deliver the discharge capacity of 130 mAh/g in the first cycle corresponds to 94%coiumbic efficiency with capacity fade of 1.5 mAh/g/cycle over the investigated 10 cycles.Among all four dopant compositions investigated,LiNiAlMnOdelivers the maximum discharge capacity of 126 mAh/g during the first cycle and shows the stable cycling performance with low capacity fade of 1 mAh/g/cycle（capacity retention of 92%） over the investigated 10 cycles.Electrochemical impedance studies of spinel LiMnOand LiNiAlMnOdepict the high and low real polarization of 1562 and 1100 Ω.

Computational study of inverse ferrite spinels

The magnetic properties of inverse ferrite Fe_(3+) Fe_(3+)Co_(2+) O^(2-)_4, Fe^(3+) Fe^(3+)Cu^(2+) O^2_(-4), Fe^(3+) Fe^(3+)Fe^(2+) O^2_(-4),and Fe^(3+) Fe^(3+)Ni^(2+) O^(2-)_4spinels have been studied using Monte Carlo simulation. We have also calculated the critical and Curie Weiss temperatures from the thermal magnetizations and inverse of magnetic susceptibilities for each system.Magnetic hysteresis cycles have been found for the four systems. Finally, we found the critical exponents associated with magnetization, magnetic susceptibility, and external magnetic field. Our results of critical and Curie Weiss temperatures are similar to those obtained by experiment results. The critical exponents are similar to those of known 3 D-Ising model.

Optical properties and magnetic properties of antisite-disordered Ni_(1-x)Co_xCr_2O_4 spinels

From the UV?Vis absorption spectra,the FT-IR absorption spectra and the Raman spectra,it is deduced that Co ionsprimarily occupy the tetrahedral(A)site,with a minor number of them entering into the octahedral(B)site in the Ni1?xCoxCr2O4compounds.The origin of the position disorder of the Co ions is consistent with the similar ionic radii of the Co ion(0.65?)and theCr ion(0.62?)at B site.The FT-IR peak at about510cm?1shifts towards high frequency side with the increasing cobalt content.Itis resulted from the reduction of the cation?oxygen distance in the octahedron by the replacement of the Ni2+with the Co2+ions.Themagnetic measurement shows that Curie temperatures(TC)are75and90K for the compounds with x=0.2and0.8,respectively.

A New Perspective on the 5 V Discharge Capacity of Li/Al Doped Manganese Spinels

A series of manganese spinels LiMn2-yMeyO4 （Me = Li, A1, Mg） were prepared and examined by XRD and electrochemical methods. The spinels doped with Li or high content of A1 can exhibit discharge capacity in the 5 V region, but spinels doped with Mg do not exhibit any 5 V discharge capacity. It is also observed that the 5 V discharge capacity of Li/A1 doped spinels will be greatly suppressed once calcinated at temperatures above 900 ℃ in preparation. It is suggested that the 5 V discharge capacity of Li/A1 doped spinels may be originated from the special chemical/structural characteristics of spinel phases containing Li or high content of A1 prepared at temperatures below 900 ℃.

Effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel in stainless steel slag

Chromium plays a vital role in stainless steel due to its ability to improve the corrosion resistance of the latter.However,the re-lease of chromium from stainless steel slag(SSS)during SSS stockpiling causes detrimental environmental issues.To prevent chromium pollution,the effects of iron oxide on crystallization behavior and spatial distribution of spinel were investigated in this work.The results revealed that FeO was more conducive to the growth of spinels compared with Fe2O3 and Fe3O4.Spinels were found to be mainly distrib-uted at the top and bottom of slag.The amount of spinel phase at the bottom decreased with the increasing FeO content,while that at the top increased.The average particle size of spinel in the slag with 18wt%FeO content was 12.8μm.Meanwhile,no notable structural changes were observed with a further increase in FeO content.In other words,the spatial distribution of spinel changed when the content of iron oxide varied in the range of 8wt%to 18wt%.Finally,less spinel was found at the bottom of slag with a FeO content of 23wt%.

Microwave-assisted exploration of the electron configuration-dependent electrocatalytic urea oxidation activity of 2D porous NiCo_(2)O_(4) spinel

Urea holds promise as an alternative water-oxidation substrate in electrolytic cells.High-valence nickelbased spinel,especially after heteroatom doping,excels in urea oxidation reactions(UOR).However,traditional spinel synthesis methods with prolonged high-temperature reactions lack kinetic precision,hindering the balance between controlled doping and highly active two-dimensional(2D)porous structures design.This significantly impedes the identification of electron configuration-dependent active sites in doped 2D nickel-based spinels.Herein,we present a microwave shock method for the preparation of 2D porous NiCo_(2)O_(4)spinel.Utilizing the transient on-off property of microwave pulses for precise heteroatom doping and 2D porous structural design,non-metal doping(boron,phosphorus,and sulfur)with distinct extranuclear electron disparities serves as straightforward examples for investigation.Precise tuning of lattice parameter reveals the impact of covalent bond strength on NiCo_(2)O_(4)structural stability.The introduced defect levels induce unpaired d-electrons in transition metals,enhancing the adsorption of electron-donating amino groups in urea molecules.Simultaneously,Bode plots confirm the impact mechanism of rapid electron migration caused by reduced band gaps on UOR activity.The prepared phosphorus-doped 2D porous NiCo_(2)O_(4),with optimal electron configuration control,outperforms most reported spinels.This controlled modification strategy advances understanding theoretical structure-activity mechanisms of high-performance 2D spinels in UOR.

Lattice Dynamics at Zone-Center of Sulphide and Selenide Spinels

A rigid-ion model is used to calculate the force constants and effective dynamical charges of sulphide and selenide spinels. The Raman and infrared phonon modes of normal cubic sulphide spinels MCr2S4 （M = Mn, Co, Fe, Hg, Zn, and Cd） and selenide spinels MCr2Se4 （M = Hg, Zn, and Cd） are calculated at the first Brillouin zone-centre using above model, The significant outcome of the present work is （i） the interatomic interaction between Cr-S （Se） dominates over the Cr-S（Se） and S-S（Se-Se） type of interatomic interactions, （ii） the effective dynamical charges of the bivalent metal ions are nearly zero, and （iii） the selenide spinels are less ionic than the sulphide spinels and the ionicity decreases as MnCr2S4 〉 FeCr2S4 〉 CoCr2S4 〉 and CdOr2C4 〉 ZnCr2C4 〉 HgCr2C4 （C = S and Se）. The zone-center phonon frequencies, calculated using these parameters, are found to be in very good agreement with the observed results.

The Characteristics of Spinels in Mantle-derivedXenoliths in Cenozoic Basalts from Eastern Chinaand Their Thermal States

: The colours and chemical composition variations of 160 spinels in peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths from Cenozoic basalts in eastern China and their petrogeneses have been studied in detail. The relationships between major elements of spinels are discussed. The equilibrium temperatures, pressures and oxygen fugacities of spinels and their coexisting olivines, orthopyroxenes and clinopyroxenes have been determined using the Brey—kohler's T—P calculation methods (1990) and Ballhaus' fo2 calculation method (1991). The relationships between the composition and the equilibrium temperatures, pressures or oxygen fugacities of spinels in peridotite xenoliths from the basalts and the stable field of the spinels in the upper mantle have been shown.

Effect of Spinels on Properties of MgO-Al_(2)O_(3) Refractories for RH Snorkels

With satisfactory high temperature properties,thermal shock resistance and mechanical properties,refractories in the MgO-Al_(2)O_(3) system have become promising alternative to MgO-Cr_(2)O_(3) counterpart used as RH snorkel lining.High purity dead burned magnesia,fused magnesia and sintered spinel were used as raw materials and sulfite pulp waste as the binder,specimens of the refractories in the Mg0-Al_(2)O_(3) system were prepared for the purpose of investigating the influences in terms of the addition of three kinds of spinels,with Al_(2)O_(3) 50%,66% and 78%,by mass,respectively,and the size of MA50 spinel on properties of the specimens.Relatively superior comprehensive properties can be achieved when 16%of MA50 spinel with sizes under 1mm is adopted.

Chromian Spinels in Listwaenite and Related Rocks in the Sartohay Ophiolitic Mélange, Xinjiang, NW China

Listwaenite,carbonate-talc schist,and serpentinite of Sartohay ophioliticmélange,Xinjiang,northwestern China,contain variably altered chromian spinels.During the hydrothermal alteration from serpentinite to listwaenite

Gemological-Mineralogical Characteristic of Spinels from Sri Lanka

Detailed mineralogical and gemological records were conducted on 340 unheated spinels from the Horana, Eheliyagoda, Ratnapura, and Okkampatiya mining areas in Sri Lanka. The color of Sri Lankan spinel varies greatly: in addition to the mainstream pink to purple pink, green and blue can also be seen. Compared with spinel from other regions such as Myanmar, Vietnam, and Tanzania, Sri Lanka's spinel has more abundant inclusions: several mining areas generally have inclusions such as dolomite, apatite, zircon, and chondrodite. Minerals such as graphite and forsterite are also found in spinel produced in the Horana region;graphite and rutile have been found in spinel produced in the Okkamptiya region. Partially healed fissures are most common in spinel in the Okkampatiya mining area;Unlike Vietnamese spinel, dislocations and growth structures are almost absent in Sri Lankan spinel. The LA-ICP-MS analysis results showed that there were no significant differences among the mining areas. LA-ICP-MS analysis of 5 Sri Lankan cobalt blue spinels showed a variation of 11 to 120 ppm in this chromogenic element. The UV visible absorption spectrum results show that Sri Lankan spinel has a combination spectra with variable ratios of the spectral components Cr 3+ , V 3+ and Fe 2+ from pink to red, orange, purple to purple, and blue-green. The results of infrared spectroscopy and laser Raman spectroscopy analysis showed that all samples showed no indications for heat treatment.

Healing the structural defects of spinel MnFe_(2)O_(4) to enhance the electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction

Spinel metal oxides containing Mn,Co,or Fe(AB_(2)O_(4),A/B=Mn/Fe/Co)are one of the most promising nonPt electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in alkaline conditions.However,the low conductivity of metal oxides and the poor intrinsic activities of transition metal sites lead to unsatisfactory ORR performance.In this study,eutectic molten salt(EMS)treatment is employed to reconstruct the atomic arrangement of MnFe_(2)O_(4)electrocatalyst as a prototype for enhancing ORR performance.Comprehensive analyses by using XAFS,soft XAS,XPS,and electrochemical methods reveal that the EMS treatment reduces the oxygen vacancies and spinel inverse in MnFe_(2)O_(4)effectively,which improves the electric conductivity and increases the population of more catalytically active Mn^(2+)sites with tetrahedral coordination.Moreover,the enhanced Mn-O interaction after EMS treatment is conducive to the adsorption and activation of O_(2),which promotes the first electron transfer step(generally considered as the ratedetermining step)of the ORR process.As a result,the EMS treated MnFe_(2)O_(4)catalyst delivers a positive shift of 40 mV in the ORR half-wave potential and a two-fold enhanced mass/specific activity.This work provides a convenient approach to manipulate the atomic architecture and local electronic structure of spinel oxides as ORR electrocatalysts and a comprehensive understanding of the structureperformance relationship from the molecular/atomic scale.

Unveiling the geometric site dependent activity of spinel Co_(3)O_(4)for electrocatalytic chlorine evolution reaction

Spinel cobalt oxide(Co_(3)O_(4)),consisting of tetrahedral Co^(2+)(CoTd)and octahedral Co^(3+)(CoOh),is considered as promising earth-abundant electrocatalyst for chlorine evolution reaction(CER).Identifying the catalytic contribution of geometric Co site in the electrocatalytic CER plays a pivotal role to precisely modulate electronic configuration of active Co sites to boost CER.Herein,combining density functional theory calculations and experiment results assisted with operando analysis,we found that the Co_(Oh) site acts as the main active site for CER in spinel Co_(3)O_(4),which shows better Cl^(-)adsorption and more moderate intermediate adsorption toward CER than CoTd site,and does not undergo redox transition under CER condition at applied potentials.Guided by above findings,the oxygen vacancies were further introduced into the Co_(3)O_(4) to precisely manipulate the electronic configuration of Co_(Oh) to boost Cl^(-)adsorption and optimize the reaction path of CER and thus to enhance the intrinsic CER activity significantly.Our work figures out the importance of geometric configuration dependent CER activity,shedding light on the rational design of advanced electrocatalysts from geometric configuration optimization at the atomic level.

Striking Stabilization Effect of Spinel Cobalt Oxide Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts in Neutral pH by Dual-Sites Iron Incorporation

Developing stable and efficient nonprecious-metal-based oxygen evolution catalysts in the neutral electrolyte is a challenging but essential goal for various electrochemical systems.Particularly,cobalt-based spinels have drawn a considerable amount of attention but most of them operate in alkali solutions.However,the frequently studied Co-Fe spinel system never exhibits appreciable stability in nonbasic conditions,not to mention attract further investigation on its key structural motif and transition states for activity loss.Herein,we report exceptional stable Co-Fe spinel oxygen evolution catalysts(~30%Fe is optimal)in a neutral electrolyte,owing to its unique metal ion arrangements in the crystal lattice.The introduced iron content enters both the octahedral and tetrahedral sites of the spinel as Fe^(2+)and Fe^(3+)(with Co ions having mixed distribution as well).Combining density functional theory calculations,we find that the introduction of Fe to Co_(3)O_(4)lowers the covalency of metal-oxygen bonds and can help suppress the oxidation of Co^(2+/3+)and 0^(2-).It implies that the Co-Fe spinel will have minor surface reconstruction and less lattice oxygen loss during the oxygen evolution reaction process in comparison with Co_(3)O_(4)and hence show much better stability.These findings suggest that there is still much chance for the spinel structures,especially using reasonable sublattices engineering via multimetal doping to develop advanced oxygen evolution catalysts.

The Spectral Characterization of Blue Spinel and Other Blue Gemstones with the Alexandrite Effect

In gemmology,the term“Alexandrite effect”is used to describe colour change phenomenon when a gemstone is observed under different light sources,usually between daylight and incandescent light.The definition of the Alexandrite effect is constantly being broadened with new discovery of gem resource.The traditional definition of the Alexandrite effect attributing the colour change phenomenon to the presence of two maximum transmission regions and a maximum absorption region in the absorption spectra.In this study,7 blue spinels and 5 blue gemstones(including tanzanite,kyanite,fluorite,and 2 sapphires)showing the Alexandrite effect were investigated.The goal is to explain the cause of blue-to-violet Alexandrite effect and the spectral features causing such colour change.In the UV-Vis spectra,all samples showed a maximum absorption peak in the range of 534-610 nm,within the green region to orange region.The traditional explanation of green to red Alexandrite effect required a transmission window in the red region;however,some of our samples did not show this transmission window and the blue-to-violet Alexandrite effect was still visible.Therefore,it is incomplete to explain the mechanism of the Alexandrite effect according to their characteristic absorption spectra,a systematic study based on modern colour science and colour perception in human vision is required to elucidate the blue-to-violet Alexandrite effect.

固体废弃物铝灰和粉煤灰原位合成Spinel-Sialon复相材料的研究

本文利用铝灰和粉煤灰为原料,经原位铝热还原氮化法合成了Spinel-Sialon复相材料。通过XRD、SEM、EDS等分析手段,研究了合成温度和还原剂铝的添加量对合成产物物相及微观形貌的影响。结果表明:合成Spinel-Sialon的优化工艺参数为铝的添加量为过量100%、合成温度为1550℃,保温时间3 h,合成得到发育良好的柱状β-Sialon及八面体形的镁铝尖晶石。合成温度、还原剂铝的添加量均是影响氮化产物的重要因素。随着温度的升高或还原剂铝的添加量增多,Al2O3越来越少,β-Sialon和镁铝尖晶石均增多,且β-Sialon的Z值增大,MgAl2O4转变成富铝尖晶石。

Al_2O_3-ZrO_2-Spinel三元纳米复相陶瓷超塑性变形及组织演变

采用真空热压烧结工艺制备了三元纳米复相陶瓷并进行了超塑性压缩试验。结果表明:纳米复相陶瓷中的第二相在烧结和变形过程中有效地阻止了基体Al2O3的晶粒长大。在1650℃材料表现出良好的高应变速率超塑变形能力,变形抗力小于30MPa。微观组织观察表明由于变形过程中存在有益压应力,材料变形后晶界处未出现空洞,经变形量为60%的压缩变形后材料中存在较高密度的位错,位错主要存在于尖晶石和氧化锆第二相中,基体Al2O3的晶粒仍为等轴状,表明位错运动对晶界滑移起到了积极地协调作用。

活性CP-Spinel复合生物材料的研究

采用Ｘ射线衍射、扫描电镜和差热分析等手段，研究了钙磷化合物－镁铝尖晶石（ＣＰ－Ｓｐｉｎｅｌ）复合生物材料的微观结构、力学性能和生物学特性。结果表明，Ｓｐｉｎｅｌ的加入显著地提高ＣＰ材料的力学性能，在高温下它还阻止磷酸钙发生相转变，从而保证了该材料的生物活性及适合于人体骨需求的力学性能．ＣＰ－Ｓｐｉｎｅｌ材料具有很好的生物相容性，无毒无刺激性，溶血指数小于２％。