Mineralogical and petrographic analysis on the flake graphite ore from Saba Boru area in Ethiopia

The mineralogy and petrography of natural graphite in Saba Boru of Ethiopia indicate that there exists flake graphite with a slightly oval structured fine size according to our study on thin and polished sections.Herein,for estimating the carbon content in graphite,the ASTM-C561,the test method for ash in a graphite sample,was used.For characterizing graphite,x-ray diffraction,x-ray fluorescence,inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy,and scanning electron microscopy were also used.Chemical analysis of ore samples determined that the average compositions are 63.35%SiO2,15.45%Al2O3,2.36%Fe2O3,2.07%K2O,less than1%others,and loss-on-ignition(LOI)in the range of^4.74%–37.42%.The total carbon content of graphitic ore ranged from 4.11%to 33.14%.Importantly,when graphite is concentrated through floatation,its average purity and recovery are 92.97%and 90.82%,respectively.Furthermore,once the graphite concentrates are treated with hydrofluoric acid,the average value attains a high grade of 96.48%C.Moreover,the average ash content is 81.93%(pre-flotation)and 3.1%(post-flotation),respectively.Finally,after beneficiation,a silica is identified as a major gangue(85.88%),usable as a raw material for other purposes such as cement.Hence,these graphite-bearing rocks seem to be worth exploring for commercialization opportunities.

Nanosheet-stacked flake graphite for high-performance Al storage in inorganic molten AlCl_(3)-NaCl salt

Aluminum storage systems with graphite cathode have been greatly promoting the development of state-of-the-art rechargeable aluminum batteries over the last five years;this is due to the ultra-stable cycling,high capacity,and good safety of the systems.This study discussed the change of electrochemical behaviors caused by the structural difference between flake graphite and expandable graphite,the effects of temperature on the electrochemical performance of graphite in low-cost AlCl_(3)-NaCl inorganic molten salt,and the reaction mechanisms of aluminum complex ions in both graphite materials by scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,Raman spectroscopy,cyclic voltammetry,and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements.It was found that flake graphite stacked with noticeably small and thin graphene nanosheets exhibited high capacity and fairly good rate capability.The battery could achieve a high capacity of^219 mA·h·g^(-1) over 1200 cycles at a high current density of 5 A·g^(-1),with Coulombic efficiency of 94.1%.Moreover,the reaction mechanisms are clarified:For the flake graphite with small and thin graphene nanosheets and high mesopore structures,the reaction mechanism consisted of not only the intercalation of AlCl4^-anions between graphene layers but also the adsorption of Al Cl4^-anions within mesopores;however,for the well-stacked and highly parallel layered large-size expandable graphite,the reaction mechanism mainly involved the intercalation of AlCl4^-anions.

Replacement of Flake Graphite in Aluminacarbon Refractories by Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Three kinds of composite alumina refractories were prepared with tabular alumina （3-1 and 1-0 mm） as aggregates,tabular alumina powder,α-Al2 O3 micropowder,and Si powder as matrix,adding 3 mass％ hexagonal boron nitride （h-BN）,3 mass％ flake graphite and 10 mass％ flake graphite,respectively.Cold physical properties,hot modulus of rupture,oxidation resistance,thermal shock resistance and slag corrosion resistance of the specimens were compared.The results show that：（1） physical properties and hot modulus of rupture of Al2 O3-h-BN refractories are slightly different from those of low carbon Al2 O3-C refractories,but better than those of traditional Al2 O3-C refractories with 10 mass％ graphite ; （2） Al2 O3-h-BN refractories have better thermal shock resistance and oxidation resistance than the carbon containing refractories,while similar slag resistance with low carbon Al2 O3-C refractories ; （3） h-BN can replace flake graphite as a starting material for the preparation of composite alumina refractories,considering the overall properties of the material.

Effect of Nano Carbon Black and Graphite Flake on Properties of Low Carbon Al2O3-C Refractories

Low carbon Al2O3 - C refractories specimens were prepared with tabular alumina （3. 0 - 1.0, 1.0 - 0. 5, 0.6-0.2, ≤0.3, ≤0. 045 and ≤0. 02 mm）, active alumina micropowder （≤2 μm ） and silicon （ 〈≤0. 045 mm ） as main raw materials. Nano carbon black （N220） and natural graphite flake （ 〈≤0. 074 mm ） were adopted as the carbon sources. The specimens were treated at 800, 1 000, 1 200 and 1 400 ℃ under coke embedded atmosphere. The effects of additions of nano carbon black and graphite flake on mechanical properties and thermal shock resistance of the specimens were stud- ied. Their mechanical properties were measured by three- point bending test and thermal shock resistance was de- termined by water quenching method. The phase compo- sition of the specimens was analyzed with X-ray diffrac- tion and microstruetures were observed through FESEM. The results reveal that： （1） the strengths of A1203 - C refractories with these two carbon sources show no big differences when coked at lower than 1 000 ℃ ; when coked at over 1 200 ℃ , the strengths of the specimens with graphite added are much higher than those of the specimens containing carbon black due to much more sil- icon carbide whiskers formed; （2） since the nano carbon black has small particle size, they can be filled into in- terstice of Al2O3 particles to form the nano carbon net- work structure, absorbing and relieving the thermal stressgenerated from expansion and contraction and reducing the thermal expansion coefficient of the specimens, thus their thermal shock resistance is better than that of the specimens containing graphite ; （ 3 ） low carbon Al2 O3 - C refractories with good mechanical properties and excellent thermal shock resistance can be prepared with combi- nation of nano carbon black and graphite flake.

Sintering behavior and thermal conductivity of nickel-coated graphite flake/copper composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering

Nickel-coated graphite flakes/copper（GN/Cu） composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering with the surface of graphite flakes（GFs） being modified by Ni–P electroless plating. The effects of the phase transition of the amorphous Ni–P plating and of Ni diffusion into the Cu matrix on the densification behavior, interfacial microstructure, and thermal conductivity（TC） of the GN/Cu composites were systematically investigated. The introduction of Ni–P electroless plating efficiently reduced the densification temperature of uncoated GF/Cu composites from 850 to 650℃ and slightly increased the TC of the X–Y basal plane of the GF/Cu composites with 20 vol%–30 vol% graphite flakes. However, when the graphite flake content was greater than 30 vol%, the TC of the GF/Cu composites decreased with the introduction of Ni–P plating as a result of the combined effect of the improved heat-transfer interface with the transition layer, P generated at the interface, and the diffusion of Ni into the matrix. Given the effect of the Ni content on the TC of the Cu matrix and on the interface thermal resistance, a modified effective medium approximation model was used to predict the TC of the prepared GF/Cu composites.

Calculating the effective thermal conductivity of gray cast iron by using an interconnected graphite model

A new theoretical model of gray cast iron taking into account a locally interconnected structure of flake graphite was designed,and the corresponding effective thermal conductivity was calculated using the thermal resistance network method.The calculated results are obviously higher than that of the effective medium approximation assuming that graphite is distributed in isolation.It is suggested that the interconnected structure significantly enhances the overall thermal conductivity.Moreover,it is shown that high anisotropy of graphite thermal conductivity,high volume fraction of graphite,and small aspect ratio of flake graphite will cause the connectivity effects of graphite to more obviously improve the overall thermal conductivity.Higher graphite volume fraction,lower aspect ratio and higher matrix thermal conductivity are beneficial to obtain a high thermal conductivity gray cast iron.This work can provide guidance and reference for the development of high thermal conductivity gray cast iron and the design of high thermal conductivity composites with similar locally interconnected structures.

Effect of vibration frequency on primary phase and properties of grey cast iron fabricated by lost foam casting

The properties of gray cast iron(GCI)are affected by density of matrix,size of flake graphite and primary austenite.In this paper,the Y-type specimen of GCI was prepared by lost foam casting(LFC)with and without vibration,and the influence of vibration frequency on the density of matrix,size of primary phase,and properties of the GCI was studied.The results show that the length of the flake graphite and the size of the primary austenite in GCI firstly decrease and then increase with the increase of the vibration frequency.With a vibration frequency of 35 Hz,the length of the flake graphite is the shortest,the primary austenite is the finest and the density of the matrix is the highest.In addition,the tensile strength,elongation and hardness of the GCI firstly increase and then decrease with the increase of the vibration frequency,due to the refinement of the primary phase and the increase of the matrix density.In order to analyze the refinement mechanism of the primary phase of the GCI fabricated by the LFC with vibration,the solidification temperature fields of the GCI fabricated by the LFC with the vibration frequency of 0 and 35 Hz were measured.The results show that the vibration reduces the eutectic point of the GCI and increases the supercooling degree during the eutectic transformation.As a result,the length of the flake graphite and the size of the primary austenite in GCI fabricated by LFC with the vibration frequency of 35 Hz decrease.

Effect of Carbon Source on Crystal Morphology of SiC in-situ Formed in AI_2O_3-Si-C Matrix

Three kinds of Al2O3- Si- C matrix specimens were prepared using tabular corundum powder and Si powder as starting materials,ultrafine flake graphite,nano carbon black,and carbon nanotubes as carbon sources,respectively,to research the effect of micro or nano carbon materials on structure and morphology of formed Si C crystals. The specimens were fired at 1 000,1 200 and 1 400℃ for 3 h in carbon-embedded condition,respectively.The phase composition was studied by XRD and the crystal morphology of Si C was investigated by FESEM. The results show that：（ 1） the amount of Si C increases with the firing temperature rising;（ 2） the in-situ reaction mechanism and the formed Si C crystal morphology vary with carbon source： carbon nanotubes are generally converted into Si C whiskers by carbon nanotubes-confined reaction; Si and nano carbon black react to nucleate quickly,and the nucleated Si C crystals grow evenly in all directions forming Si C particles; Si C whiskers are produced from edge to internal of ultrafine flake graphite.

Flexible Waterproof Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors with Wide Linear Working Range Based on Conductive Fabrics

Developing flexible sensors with high working performance holds intense interest for diverse applications in leveraging the Internet-of-things(IoT)infrastructures.For flexible piezoresistive sensors,traditionally most efforts are focused on tailoring the sensing materials to enhance the contact resistance variation for improving the sensitivity and working range,and it,however,remains challenging to simultaneously achieve flexible sensor with a linear working range over a high-pressure region(>100 kPa)and keep a reliable sensitivity.Herein,we devised a laserengraved silver-coated fabric as"soft"sensor electrode material to markedly advance the flexible sensor's linear working range to a level of 800 kPa with a high sensitivity of 6.4 kPa^-1 yet a fast response time of only 4 ms as well as long-time durability,which was rarely reported before.The integrated sensor successfully routed the wireless signal of pulse rate to the portable smartphone,further demonstrating its potential as a reliable electronic.Along with the rationally building the electrode instead of merely focusing on sensing materials capable of significantly improving the sensor's performance,we expect that this design concept and sensor system could potentially pave the way for developing more advanced wearable electronics in the future.

Highly thermal-conductive graphite flake/Cu composites prepared by sintering intermittently electroplated core-shell powders

Graphite flake/Cu composite has attracted tremendous attention as a promising heat sinks materials owing to its easy machinability and superior thermal properties. However, its preparation process still faces several technological limitations including complex, time-consuming and costly synthetic approaches. In this work, a facile and scalable intermittently electroplated method is applied to prepare Cu-coated graphite flake composite powders, which are subsequently sintered into dense composite bulks. The results show that the graphite flake is successfully coated with a uniform and compact Cu shell,which effectively inhibits the segregation accumulation of graphite flakes and contributes to homogeneous distribution of graphite in the sintered graphite flake/Cu composites. The as-sintered composites exhibit an excellent thermal conductivity of 710 W·m-1·K-1and an outstanding bending strength of 93 MPa. Such performance, together with the simple, efficient powder-preparation process, suggests that the present strategy may open up opportunities for the development of thermal management materials.

Low Temperature Preparation of Carbide Coated Carbon for Refractory Castable Applications

Titanium carbide （ TiC ） coated graphite flakes （GF） and carbon black （CB） powders were prepared at relatively low temperatures （ 750 - 950 ℃ ） using a no- vel molten salt synthesis technique. The in-situ formed TiC coatings were homogeneous and crack-free and their thicknesses could be readily controlled/tailored by simply adjusting the Ti/C ratio. Compared to their uncoated counterparts, as prepared TiC coated GF and CB showed much improved water-wettability/dispersivity and rheological properties, and thus could be potentially used to prepare carbon-containing refractory castables.