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.

Preparation of bismuth subcarbonate by liquid ball-milling transformation method from bismuth oxide

In order to solve the problems of environment pollution and high cost in traditional process of bismuth subcarbonate preparation, a new process using ball-milling transformation method from NH4HCO3 and Bi2O3 was proposed. Additionally, the kinetics of bismuth subcarbonate preparation was studied. Effects of reaction temperature, particle size of bismuth oxide, solid-to-liquid ratio and concentrations of ammonium bicarbonate on the conversion rate of bismuth oxide were studied. The results indicate that the conversion rate of bismuth oxide significantly increased under the conditions of higher temperature, smaller particle size, higher concentration of ammonium bicarbonate and smaller solid-to-liquid ratio. The XRD and ICP-AES analyses show that the purity of product is high. The reaction kinetics with activation energy of 9.783 kJ/mol was analyzed by shrinking core model, and the whole transformation process is controlled by solid product layer diffusion. A semi-empirical kinetics equation was obtained to describe the conversion process.

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.

High-Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries:Recent Progress and a Promising Future in Applications

It is of great significance to develop clean and new energy sources with high-efficient energy storage technologies,due to the excessive use of fossil energy that has caused severe environmental damage.There is great interest in exploring advanced rechargeable lithium batteries with desirable energy and power capabilities for applications in portable electronics,smart grids,and electric vehicles.In practice,high-capacity and low-cost electrode materials play an important role in sustaining the progresses in lithium-ion batteries.This review aims at giving an account of recent advances on the emerging high-capacity electrode materials and summarizing key barriers and corresponding strategies for the practical viability of these electrode materials.Effective approaches to enhance energy density of lithium-ion batteries are to increase the capacity of electrode materials and the output operation voltage.On account of major bottlenecks of the power lithium-ion battery,authors come up with the concept of integrated battery systems,which will be a promising future for high-energy lithium-ion batteries to improve energy density and alleviate anxiety of electric vehicles.

Effect of ball-milling parameter on mechanical and damping properties of sintered Mg-Zr alloy

Effects of ball-milling parameter on structures and properties of sintered Mg-l.5Zr （mass fraction, %） alloy were researched by metallographic analysis, mechanical properties tests and DMA technology. The results indicate that with 310 r/min rotation speed, the microstructure of the sintered alloy is greatly refined, and Zr-phase distributes uniformly. The micro-hardness, bending strength and damping capacities are the greatest under 310 r/min rotation speed. The damping peak of sintered Mg-l.5Zr alloy increases with increasing frequency under the testing conditions. The relaxation time meets the Arrhenius relationship, and shows the characteristics of relaxation damping.

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.

Preparation and Characterization of Stainless Steel/TiC Nanocomposite Particles by Ball-milling Method

A stainless steel/10wt%TiC nanocomposite particles were prepared by high-energy ball-milling method using stainless steel, carbon and titanium as raw materials. The evolution of phase composition, microstructure and specific surface area of the stainless steel/TiC nanocomposite particles with increasing ball-milling time in the range of 0-100 h were investigated by XRD, SEM, TEM and BET techniques. The results showed that the stainless steel/TiC nano-composite particles were fabricated when the ball-milling time was longer than 20 h. However, the nanocomposite particles were soldered and agglomerated again when the ball-milling time was longer than 60 h. The microstructure of the composite particles transformed from lamellar structure to nanostructure during the repeated process of the cold welding and cracking. TEM image reveals clearly that the in-situ TiC nanoparticles with grain size of 3-8 nm are in the interior of the stainless steel/TiC nanocomposite particles obtained by ball-milling 100 h.

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.

Cross-satellite calibration of high-energy electron fluxes measured by FengYun-4A based on Arase observations

We use the High-energy Electron Experiments(HEP)instrument onboard Arase(ERG)to conduct an energy-dependent cross-satellite calibration of electron fluxes measured by the High Energy Particle Detector(HEPD)onboard FengYun-4A(FY-4A)spanning from April 1,2017,to September 30,2019.By tracing the two-dimensional magnetic positions(L,magnetic local time[MLT])of FY-4A at each time,we compare the datasets of the conjugate electron fluxes over the range of 245–894 keV in 6 energy channels for the satellite pair within different sets of L×MLT.The variations in the electron fluxes observed by FY-4A generally agree with the Arase measurements,and the percentages of the ratios of electron flux conjunctions within a factor of 2 are larger than 50%.Compared with Arase,FY-4A systematically overestimates electron fluxes at all 6 energy channels,with the corresponding calibration factors ranging from 0.67 to 0.81.After the cross-satellite calibration,the electron flux conjunctions between FY-4A and Arase show better agreement,with much smaller normalized root mean square errors.Our results provide a valuable reference for the application of FY-4A high-energy electron datasets to in-depth investigations of the Earth’s radiation belt electron dynamics.

Effects of high-energy ball milling oxide-doped and varistor ceramic powder on ZnO varistor

ZnO varistor ceramics doped with Bi2O3, Sb2O3, CO2O3, Cr2O3, and MnO2 were prepared separately by two high-energy ball milling processes： oxide-doped and varistor ceramic powder. A comparison in the electrical and microstructural properties of the samples obtained by both methods was made. The best results on these characteristics were achieved through the high-energy ball milling varistor ceramic powder route, obtaining a nonlinear coefficient of 57 and a breakdown field of 617 V/mm at a sintering temperature of 1000 ℃ for 3 h. The samples synthesized by this technique show not only high density value, 95% of the theoretical density, but also a homogeneous microstructure, which compete with those obtained by the high-energy ball milling oxide-doped powder route. With the advantage that the high-energy ball milling varistor ceramic powder route can refine grain, increase the driving force of sintering, accelerate the sintering process, and reduce the sintering temperature.

Preparation and wear properties of TiB_2/Al-30Si composites via in-situ melt reactions under high-energy ultrasonic field

TiB2/Al-30Si composites were fabricated via in-situ melt reaction under high-energy ultrasonic field. The microstructure and wear properties of the composite were investigated by XRD, SEM and dry sliding testing. The results indicate that TiB2 reinforcement particles are uniformly distributed in the aluminum matrix under high-energy ultrasonic field. The morphology of the TiB2 particles is in circle-shape or quadrangle-shape, and the size of the particles is 0.1-1.5μm. The primary silicon particles are in quadrangle-shape and the average size of them is about 10μm. Hardness values of the Al-30Si matrix alloy and the TiB2/Al-30Si composites considerably increase as the high energy ultrasonic power increases. In particular, the maximum hardness value of the in-situ composites is about 1.3 times as high as that of the matrix alloy when the ultrasonic power is 1.2 kW, reaching 412 MPa. Meanwhile, the wear resistance of the in-situ TiB2/Al-30Si composites prepared under high-energy ultrasonic field is obviously improved and is insensitive to the applied loads of the dry sliding testing.

Accelerated intermetallic phase amorphization in a Mg-based high-entropy alloy powder

We describe a novel mechanism for the synthesis of a stable high-entropy alloy powder from an otherwise immiscible Mg-Ti rich metallic mixture by employing high-energy mechanical milling.The presented methodology expedites the synthesis of amorphous alloy powder by strategically injecting entropic disorder through the inclusion of multi-principal elements in the alloy composition.Predictions from first principles and materials theory corroborate the results from microscopic characterizations that reveal a transition of the amorphous phase from a precursor intermetallic structure.This transformation,characterized by the emergence of antisite disorder,lattice expansion,and the presence of nanograin boundaries,signifies a departure from the precursor intermetallic structure.Additionally,this phase transformation is accelerated by the presence of multiple principal elements that induce severe lattice distortion and a higher configurational entropy.The atomic size mismatch of the dissimilar elements present in the alloy produces a stable amorphous phase that resists reverting to an ordered lattice even on annealing.

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.

A compact X-band backward traveling-wave accelerating structure

Very high-energy electrons(VHEEs)are potential candidates for FLASH radiotherapy for deep-seated tumors.We proposed a compact VHEE facility based on an X-band high-gradient high-power technique.In this study,we investigated and realized the first X-band backward traveling-wave(BTW)accelerating structure as the buncher for a VHEE facility.A method for calculating the parameters of single cell from the field distribution was introduced to simplify the design of the BTW structure.Time-domain circuit equations were applied to calculate the transient beam parameters of the buncher in the unsteady state.A prototype of the BTW structure with a thermionic cathode-diode electron gun was designed,fabricated,and tested at high power at the Tsinghua X-band high-power test stand.The structure successfully operated with 5-MW microwave pulses from the pulse compressor and outputted electron bunches with an energy of 8 MeV and a pulsed current of 108 mA.

Strategies to achieve effective nitrogen activation

Ammonia serves as a crucial chemical raw material and hydrogen energy carrier.Aqueous electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR),powered by renewable energy,has attracted tremendous interest during the past few years.Although some achievements have been revealed in aqueous NRR,significant challenges have also been identified.The activity and selectivity are fundamentally limited by nitrogen activation and competitive hydrogen evolution.This review focuses on the hurdles of nitrogen activation and delves into complementary strategies,including materials design and system optimization(reactor,electrolyte,and mediator).Then,it introduces advanced interdisciplinary technologies that have recently emerged for nitrogen activation using high-energy physics such as plasma and triboelectrification.With a better understanding of the corresponding reaction mechanisms in the coming years,these technologies have the potential to be extended in further applications.This review provides further insight into the reaction mechanisms of selectivity and stability of different reaction systems.We then recommend a rigorous and detailed protocol for investigating NRR performance and also highlight several potential research directions in this exciting field,coupling with advanced interdisciplinary applications,in situ/operando characterizations,and theoretical calculations.

Bimodal-grained Ti fabricated by high-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering

Bimodal-grained Ti containing coarse and fine grains was fabricated by high-energy ball milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The microstructure and mechanical properties of the compacts sintered by Ti powders ball-milled for different time were studied. Experimental results indicated that when the ball-milling time increased, the microstructure of sintered Ti was firstly changed from coarse-grained to bimodal-grained structure, subsequently transformed to a homogeneous fine-grained structure. Compared with coarse-grained Ti and fine-grained Ti, bimodal-grained Ti exhibited balanced strength and ductility. The sample sintered from Ti powders ball-milled for 10 h consisting of 65.3% (volume fraction) fine-grained region (average grain size 1 μm) and 34.7% coarse-grained region (grain size > 5 μm) exhibited a compress strength of 1028 MPa as well as a plastic strain to failure of 22%.

Stable operation of highly loaded pure Si-Fe anode under ambient pressure via carboxy silane-directed robust solid electrolyte interphase

Incorporation of higher content Si anode material beyond 5 wt% to Li-ion batteries(LIBs)is challenging,owing to large volume change,swelling,and solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)instability issues.Herein,a strategy of diacetoxydimethylsilane(DAMS)additive-directed SEI stabilization is proposed for a stable operation of Si-0.33FeSi_(2)(named as Si-Fe)anode without graphite,which provides siloxane inorganics and organics enrichment that compensate insufficient passivation of fluoroethylene carbonate(FEC)additive and reduce a dependence on FEC.Unprecedented stable cycling performance of highly loaded(3.5 mA h cm^(-2))pure Si-Fe anode is achieved with 2 wt%DAMS combined with 9 wt%FEC additives under ambient pressure,yielding high capacity 1270 mA h g^(-1)at 0.5 C and significantly improved capacity retention of 81% after 100 cycles,whereas short circuit and rapid capacity fade occur with FEC only additive.DAMS-directed robust SEI layer dramatically suppresses swelling and particles crossover through separator,and therefore prevents short circuit,demonstrating a possible operation of pure Si or Sidominant anodes in the next-generation high-energy-density and safe LIBs.