Insulation effect of air cavity in sand mold using 3D printing technology

The insulation effect of the air cavity surrounding the riser in a 3D printed sand mold was studied. The influence of the air cavity on heat flux was theoretically analyzed. The results demonstrated that the heat flux of the air cavity in the 3D printed sand mold was significantly less than that of resin-bonded sand. The insulation effect of the air cavity in sand molds for a cylinder casting and a stress-frame casting were simulated using software COMSOL. The results illustrated that the air cavity could be used to insulate the riser and it was more suitable for a lower melting point metal casting. An air cavity with 10-15 mm width and 5-10 mm away from the riser can significantly prolong the solidification of the riser by over 10%. Meanwhile, the sand mold for the stressframe was made by 3D printing technology and poured with aluminum alloy A356 melt. The experiment results showed that the presence of the air cavity led to a 12.5% increase of the solidification time of its riser.

Study of the insulation effect of freezing apparatuses

In-situ tests and numerical manipulations were conducted for comparison of superior/inferior quality of casing-tube-vacuumized insulation and polyurethane insulation of fi＇eezing apparatuses in relation to non-uniform cold distribution in the multi-coil fi＇eez- ing layout and the contradiction between large-coil diameter layout of the freezing holes and stability of the headfi＇ame base. Tests show that： （1） under current technology, vacuumized insulation is of short duration due to lack of appropriate applied vacuum; （2） after the freezing pipe is insulated with polyurethane, the temperature gradient is less than no insulation, and the temperature dif- ference between insulated and non-insulated apparatuses is stable as the freezing period increases. Finally, it is pointed out that polyurethane insulation is quite efficient in present technical freezing construction. Keywords： freezing pipe; insulation effect; polyurethane; energy conservation

Magnetic Proximity Effect in an Antiferromagnetic Insulator/Topological Insulator Heterostructure with Sharp Interface

We report an experimental study of electron transport properties of MnSe/(Bi,Sb)_2Te_3 heterostructures,in which MnSe is an antiferromagnetic insulator,and(Bi,Sb)_2Te_3 is a three-dimensional topological insulator(TI).Strong magnetic proximity effect is manifested in the measurements of the Hall effect and longitudinal resistances.Our analysis shows that the gate voltage can substantially modify the anomalous Hall conductance,which exceeds 0.1 e^(2)/h at temperature T=1.6 K and magnetic field μ_0H=5 T,even though only the top TI surface is in proximity to MnSe.This work suggests that heterostructures based on antiferromagnetic insulators provide a promising platform for investigating a wide range of topological spintronic phenomena.

Properties of plasma sprayed NiCrAlY+（ZrO2+Y2O3） coating on refractory steel surface

NiCrAlY+(ZrO_2+Y_2O_3)thermal barrier coating was prepared on the surface of refractory steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti with plasma spraying technique. The phases and microstructure of the thermal barrier coating were determined by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD). The results show that the bonding between thermal barrier coating and substrate is sound. The surface hardness of 1Cr18Ni9Ti reaches up to 1000 HV, but that of substrate is only 300HV. The patterns sprayed with CoNiCrAlY+(ZrO_2+Y_2O_3) ceramic coating have a good heat insulation effect at 800℃ for heat insulation temperature difference reaches 54℃, which increases the operating temperature and service life of refractory steel.

Progress on 2D topological insulators and potential applications in electronic devices

Two-dimensional topological insulators(2DTIs)have attracted increasing attention during the past few years.New 2DTIs with increasing larger spin-orbit coupling(SOC)gaps have been predicted by theoretical calculations and some of them have been synthesized experimentally.In this review,the 2DTIs,ranging from single element graphene-like materials to bi-elemental transition metal chalcogenides(TMDs)and to multi-elemental materials,with different thicknesses,structures,and phases,have been summarized and discussed.The topological properties(especially the quantum spin Hall effect and Dirac fermion feature)and potential applications have been summarized.This review also points out the challenge and opportunities for future 2DTI study,especially on the device applications based on the topological properties.

Strain-induced insulator–metal transition in ferroelectric BaTiO_3(001) surface:First-principles study

The electronic properties of TiO2-terminated BaTiO3（001） surface subjected to biaxial strain have been studied using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The Ti ions are always inward shifted either at compressive or tension strains, while the inward shift of the Ba ions occurs only for high compressive strain, implying an enhanced electric dipole moment in the case of high compressive strain. In particular, an insulator–metal transition is predicted at a compressive biaxial strain of 0.0475. These changes present a very interesting possibility for engineering the electronic properties of ferroelectric BaTiO3（001） surface.

Synthesis and magnetotransport properties of Bi2Se3 nanowires

Bi2Se3, as a three-dimensional topological insulator, has attracted worldwide attention for its unique surface states which are protected by time-reversal symmetry. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of high-quality singlecrystalline Bi2Se3 nanowires. Bi2Se3 nanowires were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition（CVD） method via goldcatalyzed vapor-liquid-solid（VLS） mechanism. The structure and morphology were characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, and Raman spectroscopy. In magnetotransport measurements, the Aharonov–Bohm（AB） effect was observed in a nanowire-based nanodevice, suggesting the existence of surface states in Bi2Se3 nanowires.