Mechanism investigation of pre-existing void-induced multi-modal electro-migration behavior

A multi-modal time-to-failure distribution for an electro-migration(EM) structure has been observed and studied from long duration in-situ EM experiment, for which the failure mechanism has been investigated and discussed comprehensively. The mixed EM failure behavior strongly suggest that the fatal voids induced EM failure appear at various locations along the EM structure. This phenomenon is believed to be highly related to the existence of pre-existing voids before EM stress. Meanwhile, the number and location of the pre-existing voids can influence the EM failure mode significantly. Based on our research, a potential direction to improve the EM lifetime of Cu interconnect is presented.

A new configuration of membrane stack for retrieval of nickel absorbed in resins

A new configuration integrated ion exchange effect with both electro-migration and electrochemical reaction in a single cell was developed to effectively retrieve metal ions from simulated wastewater using ion exchange resins without additive chemicals. By simply assembling cation exchange resins and anion exchange resins separated by homogeneous membranes, we found that the system will always be acidic in the concentrate compartment so that ion exchange resins could be in-situ regenerated without hydroxide precipitation. Such a realizable design will be really suitable for wastewater purification.

Investigation of effect of electrode polarity on electrochemistry and magnetohydrodynamics using tertiary current distribution in electroslag remelting process

Transport phenomena including the electromagnetic,concentration of ions,flow,and thermal fields in the electroslag remelting(ESR)process made of slag,electrode,air,mold,and melt pool are computed considering tertiary current distribution.Nernst-Planck equations are solved in the bulk of slag,and faradaic reactions are regarded at the metal-slag interface.Aiming at exploring electrochemical effects on the behavior of the ESR process,the calculated field structures are compared with those obtained using the classical ohmic approach,namely,primary current distribution whereby variations in concentrations of ions and faradaic reactions are ignored.Also,the influence of the earth magnetic field on magnetohydrodynamics in the melt pool and slag is considered.The impact of the polarity of electrode,whether positive,also known as direct current reverse polarity(DCRP),or negative,as known as direct current straight polarity(DCSP),on the transport of oxygen to the ingot of ESR is investigated.The obtained modeling results enabled us to explain the experimental observation of higher oxygen content in DCSP than that of DCRP operated ESR process.

Citric Acid-Enhanced Electroremediation of Toxic Metal-Contaminated Dredged Sediments： Effect of Open/Closed Orifice Condition, Electric Potential and Surfactant

Citric acid(CA), a widely used eco-friendly electrolyte, can be employed as an agent for enhancing toxic metal(TM) removal from contaminated dredged sediment using electrokinetic(EK) technology. In this study, dredged harbor sediments co-contaminated by TMs were subjected to enhanced EK treatment using a mixture of chelating agent(CA) and surfactant as an additive in the processing fluids. Several control conditions that may influence the efficiency of TM removal were tested, including open/closed sediment chamber orifices, electric potential gradients(0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 V cm^(-1)), and electrolyte surfactant. Tween 20(4 mmol L-1) was used as a surfactant within the electrolyte to investigate the extent of TM removal in sediment with high organic matter content. The results showed that an open orifice led to a greater electro-osmotic flow(EOF) with moderate TM removal. In contrast, a closed orifice with a nonionic surfactant electrolyte allowed the highest removal of TMs from the matrix. Moreover, increasing the electric potential gradient led to a higher EOF under the open orifice condition, but no significant increase in TM removal was observed owing to a higher accumulation of TMs in the middle of the matrix, caused by the opposite direction of EOF and electro-migration of metal-citrate complexes.