A review of in-situ high-temperature characterizations for understanding the processes in metallurgical engineering

For the rational manipulation of the production quality of high-temperature metallurgical engineering,there are many challenges in understanding the processes involved because of the black box chemical/electrochemical reactors.To overcome this issue,various in-situ characterization methods have been recently developed to analyze the interactions between the composition,microstructure,and solid-liquid interface of high-temperature electrochemical electrodes and molten salts.In this review,recent progress of in-situ hightemperature characterization techniques is discussed to summarize the advances in understanding the processes in metallurgical engineering.In-situ high-temperature technologies and analytical methods mainly include synchrotron X-ray diffraction(s-XRD),laser scanning confocal microscopy,and X-ray computed microtomography(X-rayμ-CT),which are important platforms for analyzing the structure and morphology of the electrodes to reveal the complexity and variability of their interfaces.In addition,laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy,high-temperature Raman spectroscopy,and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy provide microscale characterizations of the composition and structure of molten salts.More importantly,the combination of X-rayμ-CT and s-XRD techniques enables the investigation of the chemical reaction mechanisms at the two-phase interface.Therefore,these in-situ methods are essential for analyzing the chemical/electrochemical kinetics of high-temperature reaction processes and establishing the theoretical principles for the efficient and stable operation of chemical/electrochemical metallurgical processes.

Carbon Doping Triggered Efficient Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution of Cross-Linked Porous Ru-MoO_(2) Via Solid-Phase Reaction Strategy

The defect-free structure of Mo-based materials is a“double-edged sword”,which endows the material with excellent stability,but limits its chemical versatility and application in electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).Carbon doping engineering is an attractive strategy to effectively improve the performance of Mo-based catalyst and maintain their stability.Herein,we report a cross-linked porous carbon-doped MoO_(2)(C–MoO_(2))-based catalyst Ru/C–MoO_(2) for electrochemical HER,which is prepared by the convenient redox solid-phase reaction(SPR)of porous RuO_(2)/Mo_(2)C composite precursor.Theoretical studies reveal that due to the presence of carbon atoms,the electronic structure of C–MoO_(2) has been properly adjusted,and the loaded small Ru nanoparticles provide a fast water dissociation rate and moderate H adsorption strength.In electrochemical studies under a pH-universal environment,Ru/C–MoO_(2) electrocatalyst exhibits a low overpotential at a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2) and has a low Tafel slope.Meanwhile,Ru/C-MoO_(2) has excellent stability for more than 100 h at an initial current density of 100 mA cm^(-2).

Solid-phase Synthesis of PNA Monomer by Ugi Four-component Condensation Reaction

Peptide nucleic acids (PNA) oligomers were synthesized in most cases by peptide synthesis from N-protected monomers. In this work a new method of obtaining PNA monomer by Ugi four-component condensation reaction was tested by solid-phase synthesis. The Fmoc protected PNA monomer was build up with thymin-1-yl acetic acid, 3-methylbutyl aldehyde, Fmoc protected aminoethyl isocyanide and Gly-Wang resin.

Preparation of Lead-free Base Glaze Suitable for Pearlescent Pigments by Low-temperature Solid-phase Reaction with Alkali Waste

A lead-free base glaze suitable for pearlescent pigments was prepared by a low-temperature solid-phase reaction with alkali waste.Tests were performed to evaluate the effects of the sintering conditions and alkali waste composition on the prepared base glaze and pearlescent glaze.The experimental results show that partially replacing SiO_(2) with B_(2)O_(3) effectively reduced the sintering temperature and time to form a glass network,but the network structure becomes disconnected as the B_(2)O_(3) content increases.An amorphous base glaze was obtained when soda ash was replaced with a small amount of alkali waste,but increasing the addition of NaCl further was adverse to base glaze formation by resulting in crystallization of the base glaze and a decrease in the bridging oxygen content.The pearlescent pigment was thermally stable in the glaze at 750℃,while higher temperatures caused the crystalline phase of NaAlSiO_(4) to appear and adhere to the surface of pigment granules,which degraded the pearlescent effect of the glaze.

Use of Magic Angle Spinning ~1H NMR Spectroscopy to Monitor Reactions in Solid-Phase Synthesis

Proton NMR-spectra of Wang resin bound compounds were obtained using the magic angle spinning 1HNMR technique with standard equipment. It was possible to analyse the spectra to evaluate their utility in solid-phase chernistry. A typical example was presented, which could directly monitor solid-phase reactions

Kinetics of Non-catalyzed Decomposition of Glucose in High-temperature Liquid Water

The decomposition kinetics of glucose was studied in high-temperature liquid water （HTLW） from 180 to 220℃ under a pressure of 10 MPa. It was found the main products from glucose decomposition were 5-hydroxymethylfurfural （5-HMF） and levulinic acid （LA）. The decomposition kinetics of 5-HMF and stability of LA in HTLW were further investigated. A kinetic model for glucose decomposition was proposed accordingly. In the model, a series of first-order reactions with the consideration of parallel by-reactions were used to illustrate the decomposition of glucose. The decomposition activation energies of glucose, 5-HMF, and LA were evaluated as 118.85, 95.40, and 31.29 kJ·mol^-1, respectively.

Scalable solid-phase synthesis of defect-rich graphene for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis

Defect-engineered carbon materials have been emerged as promising electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in metal-air batteries.Developing a facile strategy for the preparation of highly active nanocarbon electrocatalysts remains challenging.Herein,a low-cost and simple route is developed to synthesize defective graphene by pyrolyzing the mixture of glucose and carbon nitride.Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the graphene formation is ascribed to two-dimensional layered feature of carbon nitride,and high compatibility of carbon nitride/glucose systems.Structural measurements suggest that the graphene possesses rich edge and topological defects.The graphene catalyst exhibits higher power density than commercial Pt/C catalyst in a primary Zn-air battery.Combining experimental results and theoretical thermodynamic analysis,it is identified that graphitic nitrogen-modified topological defects at carbon framework edges are responsible for the decent ORR performance.The strategy presented in this work can be can be scaled up readily to fabricate defective carbon materials.

High-temperature treatment to engineer the single-atom Pt coordination environment towards highly efficient hydrogen evolution

Development of high-performance and cost-effective catalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)play crucial role in the growing hydrogen economy.Recently,the atomically dispersed metal catalysts have attracted increasing attention due to their ultimate atom utilization and great potential for highly cost-effective and high-efficiency HER electrocatalyst.Herein,we propose a hightemperature treatment strategy to furtherly improve the HER performance of atomically dispersed Ptbased catalyst.Interestingly,after appropriate high-temperature treatment on the atomically dispersed Pt0.8@CN,the Pt species on the designed N-doped porous carbon substrate with rich defect sites can be re-dispersed to single atom state with new coordination environment.The obtained Pt0.8@CN-1000 shows superior HER performance with overpotential of 13 m V at 10 m A cm^(-2)and mass activity of 11,284 m A/mgPtat-0.1 V,much higher than that of the pristine Pt0.8@CN and commercial Pt/C catalyst.The experimental and theoretical investigations indicate that the high-temperature treatment induces the restructuring of coordination environment and then the optimized Pt electronic state leads to the enhanced HER performances.This work affords new strategy and insights to develop the atomically dispersed high-efficiency catalysts.

Overcoming coke formation in high-temperature CO_(2)electrolysis

High-temperature CO_(2)reduction reaction(HT-CO_(2)RR)in solid oxide electrochemical cells(SOECs)features near-unity selectivity,high energy efficiency,and industrial relevant current density for the production of CO,a widely-utilized“building block”in today’s chemical industry.Thus,it offers an intriguing and promising means to radically change the way of chemical manufacturing and achieve carbon neutrality using renewable energy sources,CO_(2),and water.Albeit with the great potential of HT-CO_(2)RR,this carbon utilization approach,unfortunately,has been suffering coke formation that is seriously detrimental to its energy efficiency and operating lifetime.In recent years,much effort has been added to understanding the mechanism of coke formation,managing reaction conditions to mitigate coke formation,and devising coke-formation-free electrode materials.These investigations have substantially advanced the HT-CO_(2)RR toward a practical industrial technology,but the resulting coke formation prevention strategies compromise activity and energy efficiency.Future research may target exploiting the control over both catalyst design and system design to gain selectivity,energy efficiency,and stability synchronously.Therefore,this perspective overviews the progress of research on coke formation in HT-CO_(2)RR,and elaborates on possible future directions that may accelerate its practical implementation at a large scale.

Approaching Ultimate Synthesis Reaction Rate of Ni-Rich Layered Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Nickel-rich layered oxide LiNi_(x)Co_(y)MnzO_(2)(NCM,x+y+z=1)is the most promising cathode material for high-energy lithium-ion batteries.However,conventional synthesis methods are limited by the slow heating rate,sluggish reaction dynamics,high energy consumption,and long reaction time.To overcome these chal-lenges,we first employed a high-temperature shock(HTS)strategy for fast synthesis of the NCM,and the approaching ultimate reaction rate of solid phase transition is deeply investigated for the first time.In the HTS process,ultrafast average reaction rate of phase transition from Ni_(0.6)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)(OH)_(2) to Li-containing oxides is 66.7(%s^(-1)),that is,taking only 1.5 s.An ultrahigh heating rate leads to fast reaction kinetics,which induces the rapid phase transition of NCM cathodes.The HTS-synthesized nickel-rich layered oxides perform good cycling performances(94%for NCM523,94%for NCM622,and 80%for NCM811 after 200 cycles at 4.3 V).These findings might also assist to pave the way for preparing effectively Ni-rich layered oxides for lithium-ion batteries.

Experimental study on reactions between alkaline basaltic melt and orthopyroxenes: constraints on the evolution of lithospheric mantle in the North China Craton

The experimental results of the reactions between an alkaline basaltic melt and mantle orthopyroxenes under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions of 1300–1400℃ and 2.0–3.0 GPa using a six-anvil apparatus are reported in this paper.The reactions are proposed to simulate the interactions between melts from the asthenospheric mantle and the lithospheric mantle.The starting melt in the experiments was made from the alkaline basalt occurring in Fuxin,Liaoning Province,and the orthopyroxenes were separated from the mantle xenoliths in Damaping,Hebei Province.The results show that clinopyroxenes were formed in all the reactions between the alkaline basaltic melt and orthopyroxenes under the studied P–T conditions.The formation of clinopyroxene in the reaction zone is mainly controlled by dissolution–crystallization,and the chemical compositions of the reacted melt are primarily infl uenced by the diff usion eff ect.Temperature is the most important parameter controlling the reactions between the melt and orthopyroxenes,which has a direct impact on the melting of orthopyroxenes and the diff usion of chemical components in the melt.Temperature also directly controls the chemical compositions of the newly formed clinopyroxenes in the reaction zone and the reacted melt.The formation of clinopyroxenes from the reactions between the alkaline basaltic melt and orthopyroxenes can result in an increase of CaO and Al_(2)O_(3) contents in the rocks containing this mineral.Therefore,the reactions between the alkaline basaltic melt from the asthenospheric mantle and orthopyroxenes from the lithospheric mantle can lead to the evolution of lithospheric mantle in the North China Craton from refractory to fertile with relatively high CaO and Al 2 O 3 contents.In addition,the reacted melts in some runs were transformed from the starting alkaline basaltic into tholeiitic after reactions,indicating that tholeiitic magma could be generated from alkaline basaltic one via reactions between the latter and orthopyroxene.

Continuous high-temperature rapid nanomanufacturing of electrocatalysts

Encapsulating metal nanoparticles in carbon shells(Metal@C)to enhance catalytic activity and stability has been certified feasible.However,most existing methods for preparing Metal@C are complex,time-consuming,and lack of scalability.In this study,a novel method that couples the high-temperature shock(HTS)with ultrasonic spray pyrolysis is reported,which can realize facile and scalable production of various Metal@C through the pyrolysis of glucose and metal chloride mixtures.The proposed HTS ultrasonic spray pyrolysis offers several advantages,including compact size,short reaction time(~120 ms),and uniform heating.Taking the Ni@C-40 nanocomposite as an example,the ultrasmall Ni nanoparticles(~10 nm)with thin carbon protective shells(~2 nm)are uniformly dispersed in the carbon matrix and applied for oxygen evolution reaction(OER)in alkaline media.The Ni@C-40 optimized by tuning the thickness of carbon shell exhibits significantly enhanced OER activity with low overpotential of 242 mV at 10 mA·cm^(-2) and stability,which is attributed to the optimized interactions between Ni nanoparticles and carbon shells.This method also shows promise for continuous pyrolysis synthesis of various extreme materials at ultra-high temperatures using alternative electric heating materials.

Reactions between Ti and Ti_3SiC_2 in temperature range of 1 273-1573K

The reactions of Ti3SiC2 and Ti in the temperature range of 1 273?1 573 K under a pressure of 20 MPa were investigated.The results confirm that Ti reacts with Ti3SiC2 above 1 273 K and new phases like TiCx,Ti5Si3 and TiSi2 are identified.The reactions are closely related to temperature and content of Ti3SiC2 in Ti.During the reaction process,Ti3SiC2 decomposes in two different modes.The first is caused by the de-intercalation of Si from it and the TiCx is formed by the remained titanium and carbon;the second is that the carbon is separated from the Ti3SiC2 and reacts with titanium furthermore.The diffusing of silicon is believed to be the determinant ingredient of the reaction.

Effect of Annealing Temperature and Atmosphere to Surface Solid Phase Reaction of Sapphire Substrates and Spin-Coated Copper Nitrate Gel Films

The solid-phase reaction of sapphire (Al2O3) substrates and spin-coated copper nitrate films was studied. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that a CuO fraction was observed by annealing at temperatures higher than 800℃. In addition, crystalline CuAlO2 was formed at annealing temperatures in the range of 900℃ – 1000℃ by solid-phase reaction of the spin-coated films and sapphire substrate. Crystalline CuAlO2 was formed by annealing at 1000℃ for 5 - 10 h, and CuAl2O4 was formed by annealing at 1000℃ for 15 h. When annealing under N2 flow, Cu2O was observed rather than CuAlO2. For a sample annealed in air at 1000℃ for 5 h, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements at various depths from surface revealed that Cu2+ ions are located around the surface, which suggests that the CuO fraction is present near the surface while the CuAlO2 fraction is located at greater depths from the surface of the samples. The depth profile of the sample suggests that there is no pure CuAlO2 layer in the sample, but that crystalline CuAlO2 is present in the sample as a mixture with CuO and Al2O3.

Introduction of ZnO,Sn,and P promoters in CuO/CeO_(2) catalysts for improved production of dimethyldichlorosilane in the Rochow-Müller reaction

Developing an efficiently supported Cu-based catalyst with promoters to substitute the existing non-supported Cu-based catalysts is highly desirable to the Rochow-Müller reaction. Using a simple ball-milling method and CeO_(2) support, we prepared a high-performance CuO-ZnO-P-Sn/CeO_(2) catalyst by integrating highly dispersed multicomponent promoters of ZnO, Sn, and P with the active component CuO. This catalyst shows a significantly enhanced dimethyldichlorosilane selectivity because these promoters can substantially increase the Cu+ content and the formation of an active CuxSi phase. This work provides a new approach to efficiently designing Cu-based catalysts for the Rochow-Müller reaction.

Fabrication of YAG:Ce^(3+) and YAG:Ce^(3+),Sc^(3+) Phosphors by Spark Plasma Sintering Technique

In this study,a single-doped phosphors yttrium aluminum garnet(Y_(3)Al_(5)O_(12),YAG):Ce^(3+),single-doped YAG:Sc^(3+),and double-doped phosphors YAG:Ce^(3+),Sc^(3+) were prepared by spark plasma sintering(SPS)(lower than 1 200℃).The characteristics of synthesized phosphors were determined using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and fluorescence spectroscopy.During SPS,the lattice structure of YAG was maintained by the added Ce^(3+) and Sc^(3+).The emission wavelength of YAG:Ce^(3+) prepared from SPS(425-700 nm) was wider compared to that of YAG:Ce^(3+) prepared from high-temperature solid-state reaction(HSSR)(500-700 nm).The incorporation of low-dose Sc^(3+) in YAG:Ce^(3+) moved the emission peak towards the short wavelength.

A novel profile modification HPF-Co gel satisfied with fractured low permeability reservoirs in high temperature and high salinity

Conformance control and water plugging are a widely used EOR method in mature oilfields.However,majority of conformance control and water plugging agents are unavoidable dehydrated situation in high-temperature and high-salinity low permeability reservoirs.Consequently,a novel conformance control system HPF-Co gel,based on high-temperature stabilizer(CoCl_(2)·H_(2)O,CCH)is developed.The HPF-Co bulk gel has better performances with high temperature(120℃)and high salinity(1×10^(5)mg/L).According to Sydansk coding system,the gel strength of HPF-Co with CCH is increased to code G.The dehydration rate of HPF-Co gel is 32.0%after aging for 150 d at 120℃,showing excellent thermal stability.The rheological properties of HPF gel and HPF-Co gel are also studied.The results show that the storage modulus(G′)of HPF-Co gel is always greater than that of HPF gel.The effect of CCH on the microstructure of the gel is studied.The results show that the HPF-Co gel with CCH has a denser gel network,and the diameter of the three-dimensional network skeleton is 1.5-3.5μm.After 90 d of aging,HPF-Co gel still has a good three-dimensional structure.Infrared spectroscopy results show that CCH forms coordination bonds with N and O atoms in the gel amide group,which can suppress the vibration of cross-linked sites and improve the stability at high temperature.Fractured core plugging test determines the optimized polymer gel injection strategy and injection velocity with HPF-Co bulk gel system,plugging rate exceeding 98%.Moreover,the results of subsequent waterflooding recovery can be improved by 17%.

Surface decoration prompting the decontamination of active sites in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells

In electrochemical energy devices,the operating conditions always exert enormous influence on electrocatalysts'performances.Phosphoric acid(PA),acted as the proton carriers,can be adsorbed on Pt surface,block active sites and affect the electronic structure of Pt unfavorably,which severely restricts the performance of high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells(HT-PEMFCs).Herein,simply basic organic compounds,such as dicyandiamide(DCD),melamine(Mel)and cyanuric acid(CA),are decorated on Pt surface(DCD-Pt/C,Mel-Pt/C and CA-Pt/C)to induce the adsorption transfer of proton carriers.The decoration can not only inject electrons to Pt and enhance oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)activity but also can induce PA to transfer from Pt surface to organic compounds,decontaminating active sites.In addition,the organic compounds with the larger conjugated system and the smaller electronegativity of ligating atoms would have a greater interaction with Pt,causing a larger decoration amount on Pt surface,which leads to more excellent ORR activity and resistance to PA blockage effect.Therefore,MelPt/C shows a peak power density of 629 mW/cm^(2),exceeding commercial Pt/C(437 mW/cm^(2)),DCD-Pt/C(539 m W/cm^(2))and CA-Pt/C(511 mW/cm^(2))with the same loading.

Steric Hindrance Effect in High-Temperature Reactions

High-temperature reactions widely exist in nature.However,they are difficult to characterize either experimentally or computationally.The minimum energy path(MEP)model routinely used in computational modeling of chemical reactions is not justified to describe high-temperature reactions since high-energy structures are actively involved at high temperatures.In this study,we used methane(CH4)decomposition on Cu(111)surface as an example to compare systematically results obtained from the MEP model with those obtained from an explicit sampling of all relevant structures via ab initio molecular dynamics(AIMD)simulations at different temperatures.Interestingly,we found that,for reactions protected by strong steric hindrance effects,the MEP was still followed effectively even at a temperature close to the Cu melting point.In contrast,without such protection,the flexibility of the surface Cu atoms could lead to a significant reduction of the free-energy barrier at a high temperature.Accordingly,some earlier conclusions made about graphene growth mechanisms based on MEP calculations should be revisited.The physical insights provided by this study could deepen our understanding of high-temperature surface reactions.

An Efficient Synthesis of Cyclopeptides Bridged with Aliphatic-aryl Ether Bond

Based on the pseudo-dilution effect (PDE) on solid support, three cyclopeptides with an aliphatic-aryl ether bond as the bridge were synthesized via SN2 reaction between bromoacetylated at N-terminal and the phenol –OH group in C-terminal Tyr residue. All the products were obtained in good overall yields and characterized by related analytic data.