Volume Change of Heterogeneous Quasi-brittle Materials in Uniaxial Compression

The volumetric strain was categorized into elastic and plastic parts. The farmer camposed of axial and lateral strains is uniform and determined by Hooke＇s law ; however, the latter consisting of axial and lateral strains is a fuaction af thickness af shear band determined by grndieat-dependeat plasticity by cansidering the heterngeneity of quasi- brittle materials. The non- uniform lateral strain due to the fact that shear band was farmed in the middle of specimen was averaged within specimen to precisely assess the volumetric strain. Then, the analytical expression for volumetric strain was verified by comparison with two earlier experimental results for concrete and rack. Finally, a detailed parametric study was carried out to investigate effects of constitutive parameters （ shear band thickness, elastic and softening rnoduli ） and geometrical size of specimen（ height and width of specimen ） on the volume dilatancy.

Statistical damage model for quasi-brittle materials under uniaxial tension

Based on the parallel bar system, combining with the synergetic method, the catastrophe theory and the acoustic emission test, a new motivated statistical damage model for quasi-brittle solid was developed. Taking concrete for instances, the rationality and the flexibility of this model and its parameters-determining method were identified by the comparative analyses between theoretical and experimental curves. The results show that the model can simulate the whole damage and fracture process in the fracture process zone of material when the materials arc exposed to quasi-static uniaxial tensile traction. The influence of the mesoscopic damage mechanism on the macroscopic mechanical properties of quasi-brittle materials is summarized into two aspects, rupture damage and yield damage. The whole damage course is divided into the statistical even damage phase and the local breach phase, corresponding to the two stages described by the catastrophe theory. The two characteristic states, the peak nominal stress state and the critical state are distinguished, and the critical state plays a key role during the whole damage evolution course.

Investigation of mechanical behaviour of a quasi-brittle material using Karagozian and Case concrete (KCC) model

The mechanical behaviour of a quasi-brittle material,i.e.Pietra Serena sandstone,was investigated both numerically and experimentally in order to build a reliable numerical modelling system applicable to more complex cases.The Karagozian and Case concrete(KCC)model was exploited as the material constitutive law and a new method to utilise this model for efficient and accurate simulation of quasibrittle materials is discussed.The capability of this model is evaluated by comparing the results of the numerical simulations with the corresponding experimental results,and the method itself is critically assessed.

MICROMECHANICAL MODELLING OF STRAIN SOFTENING IN MICROCRACK-WEAKENED QUASI-BRITTLE MATERIALS

By using the concept of domain of microcrack growth(DMG),the micromechanisms of damage in quasi-brittle materials subjected to triaxial either tensile or compressive loading are investigated and the complete strew-strain relation including four stages is obtained from micromechanical analysis.The regime of pre-peak nonlinear hardening corresponds to the distributed damage,i.e.the stable propagation of microcracks.After the attainment of the ultimate strength of load-bearing capacity, some microcracks experience the second unstable growth and the distributed damage is transmitted to the localization of damage.These analyses improve our understanding of the hardening and softening behaviors of quasi-brittle materials.

A combined continuous-discontinuous approach for failure process of quasi-brittle materials

Rock,concrete and other geo-materials,due to the presence of microstructural inhomogeneity,their fracture processes and damage characteristics are associated with the distribution of micro-cracks contained in the materials.In this study,by introducing a cohesive zone model based on fracture mechanics into the framework of deformable discrete element method,a continuous-discontinuous coupling analysis approach for simulating the fracture of quasi-brittle materials is proposed.The cohesive interface elements are inserted into certain engineering or research region.It is assumed that damage and fracture occur only in the interface elements,while bulk material is modeled to be elastic.The Mohr-Coulomb criterion with tension cut-off is adopted as the damage initiation criterion,and a scalar damage variable representing damage in the material is used to describe the rate at which the material stiffness is degraded.Cracks are simulated explicitly by the failure of the interface elements.Numerical simulations are performed in order to validate the suggested method.Partial applications are also listed.The results show that this method provides a simple but effective tool for the simulation of crack initiation and propagation,and it can reflect the whole process of quasi-brittle materials from small deformation to large deformation and failure.

Ubiquitiformal Crack Extension in Quasi-Brittle Materials

Based on the concept of ubiquitiform,a ubiquitiformal crack extension model is developed for quasi-brittle materials.Numerical simulations are carried out using the ABAQUS software with the XFEM-based cohesive segments method to determine the ubiquitiformal crack extension path or fracture surface profile of the material under quasi-static loading.Such a ubiquitiformal crack model removes the singularity of a fractal crack;for the latter,the boundary value problem cannot be uniquely defined.In the simulation,the material properties,e.g.,the tensile strength,are assumed to obey the Weibull distribution.The meso-element equivalent method is used to determine the correlation between the Weibull distribution parameters and the aggregate gradation of concrete materials.The numerical results show that the complexities of the ubiquitiformal crack configurations are in good agreement with the previous experimental data.Through the numerical simulation,it is further demonstrated that the complexity of a ubiquitiformal crack is insensitive to the random spatial distribution of the aggregates,but more dependent on the Weibull distribution parameters which reflect the heterogeneity of the concrete.

A Novel Fractional Plastic Damage Model for Quasi-brittle Materials

In this work,a novel constitutive model is developed within the framework of fractional plasticity to delineate the coupling between inelastic deformation and damage of quasi-brittle materials.Faced with the common challenge of determining plastic flow direction,we resort herein to the Riemann–Liouville definition of fractional derivatives,instead of introducing an additional plastic potential.The pre-peak hardening behavior is described using an exponential function,while the post-peak softening response is viewed as the consequence of material damage.For describing damage evolution,a damage criterion is constructed in terms of plastic volume dilation related to micro-crack growth.This is conducive to supply a new insight for describing the complex influence of the non-orthogonality of plastic flow on damage evolution.For numerical applications,a semi-implicit return mapping algorithm is proposed.The predictive performance of the model is evaluated by comparing numerical simulations with experimental data under various loading paths.

A Multiscale Method for Damage Analysis of Quasi-Brittle Heterogeneous Materials

A novel multiscale algorithm based on the higher-order continuum at both micro-and macrostructural level is proposed for the consideration of the quasi-brittle damage response of heterogeneous materials.Herein,the microlevel damage is modelled by the degradation of the homogenized stress and tangent stiffness tensors,which are then upscaled to govern the localization at the macrolevel.The C^1 continuity finite element employing a modified case of Mindlin’s form II strain energy density is derived for the softening analysis.To the authors’knowledge,the finite element discretization based on the strain gradient theory is applied for the modeling of damage evolution at the microstructural level for heterogeneous materials for the first time.The advantage of the novel C1 finite element formulation in comparison with the standard finite element discretization in terms of the regularization efficiency as well as the objectivity has been shown.An isotropic damage law is used for the reduction of the constitutive and nonlocal material behaviour,which is necessary for the physically correct description of the localization formation in quasi-brittle materials.The capabilities of the derived finite element to capture the fully developed localization zones are tested on a random representative volume element(RVE)for several different loading cases.By employing the conventional second-order computational homogenization,the microstructural material constitutive response is averaged over the whole RVE area.In order to model the loss of structural integrity when sharp localization is formed across RVE,the specific conditions which detect a completely formed localization zone are developed.A new failure criterion at the microstructural level has been proposed.The derived finite element formulation,as well as the multiscale damage algorithm,are implemented into the finite element program ABAQUS.The capabilities of the presented multiscale scheme to capture the effects of the deformation localization are demonstrated by few benchmark numerical examples.

Multi-Scale Damage Model for Quasi-Brittle Composite Materials

In the present paper,a hierarchical multi-scale method is developed for the nonlinear analysis of composite materials undergoing heterogeneity and damage.Starting from the homogenization theory,the energy equivalence between scales is developed.Then accompanied with the energy based damage model,the multi-scale damage evolutions are resolved by homogenizing the energy scalar over the meso-cell.The macroscopic behaviors described by the multi-scale damage evolutions represent the mesoscopic heterogeneity and damage of the composites.A rather simple structure made from particle reinforced composite materials is developed as a numerical example.The agreement between the fullscale simulating results and the multi-scale simulating results demonstrates the capacity of the proposed model to simulate nonlinear behaviors of quasi-brittle composite materials within the multi-scale framework.

Phase-field modeling of fracture for quasi-brittle materials

This paper addresses the modeling of fracture in quasi-brittle materials using a phase-field approach to the description of crack topol-ogy.Within the computational mechanics community,several studies have treated the issue of modeling fracture using phase fields.Most of these studies have used an approach that implies the lack of a damage threshold.We herein explore an alternative model that includes a damage threshold and study how it compares with the most popular approach.The formulation is systematically explained within a rigorous variational framework.Subsequently,we present the corresponding three-dimensional finite element discretization that leads to a straightforward numerical implementation.Benchmark simulations in two dimensions and three dimensions are then presented.The results show that while an elastic stage and a damage threshold are ensured by the present model,good agreement with the results reported in the literature can be obtained,where such features are generally absent.

Preliminary study on the determination of the Weibull modulus of strength distribution in quasi-brittle materials

In this paper,how to determine the Weibull modulus of a fracture strength distribution is discussed with its physical implications for quasi-brittle materials.Based on the Markov chain assumption,it is shown that the lifetime(i.e.,the time taken for formation of a critical defect)in a quasi-brittle material can be described by a gamma probabilistic distribution function.Prior to macroscopic failure,the effective number of energy barriers to be overcome is determined by the slope of the energy barrier spectrum,which is equivalent to the Weibull modulus.Based on a fracture mechanics model,the fracture energy barrier spectral slope and Weibull modulus can be calculated theoretically.Furthermore,such a model can be extended to take into account the crack interactions and defect-induced degradation.The predicted Weibull modulus is good agreement with that derived from available experimental results.

High‑Entropy Electrode Materials:Synthesis,Properties and Outlook

High-entropy materials represent a new category of high-performance materials,first proposed in 2004 and extensively investigated by researchers over the past two decades.The definition of high-entropy materials has continuously evolved.In the last ten years,the discovery of an increasing number of high-entropy materials has led to significant advancements in their utilization in energy storage,electrocatalysis,and related domains,accompanied by a rise in techniques for fabricating high-entropy electrode materials.Recently,the research emphasis has shifted from solely improving the performance of high-entropy materials toward exploring their reaction mechanisms and adopting cleaner preparation approaches.However,the current definition of high-entropy materials remains relatively vague,and the preparation method of high-entropy materials is based on the preparation method of single metal/low-or medium-entropy materials.It should be noted that not all methods applicable to single metal/low-or medium-entropy materials can be directly applied to high-entropy materials.In this review,the definition and development of high-entropy materials are briefly reviewed.Subsequently,the classification of high-entropy electrode materials is presented,followed by a discussion of their applications in energy storage and catalysis from the perspective of synthesis methods.Finally,an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of various synthesis methods in the production process of different high-entropy materials is provided,along with a proposal for potential future development directions for high-entropy materials.

Research status and prospects of the fractal analysis of metal material surfaces and interfaces

As a mathematical analysis method,fractal analysis can be used to quantitatively describe irregular shapes with self-similar or self-affine properties.Fractal analysis has been used to characterize the shapes of metal materials at various scales and dimensions.Conventional methods make it difficult to quantitatively describe the relationship between the regular characteristics and properties of metal material surfaces and interfaces.However,fractal analysis can be used to quantitatively describe the shape characteristics of metal materials and to establish the quantitative relationships between the shape characteristics and various properties of metal materials.From the perspective of two-dimensional planes and three-dimensional curved surfaces,this paper reviews the current research status of the fractal analysis of metal precipitate interfaces,metal grain boundary interfaces,metal-deposited film surfaces,metal fracture surfaces,metal machined surfaces,and metal wear surfaces.The relationship between the fractal dimensions and properties of metal material surfaces and interfaces is summarized.Starting from three perspectives of fractal analysis,namely,research scope,image acquisition methods,and calculation methods,this paper identifies the direction of research on fractal analysis of metal material surfaces and interfaces that need to be developed.It is believed that revealing the deep influence mechanism between the fractal dimensions and properties of metal material surfaces and interfaces will be the key research direction of the fractal analysis of metal materials in the future.

Advanced Functional Electromagnetic Shielding Materials:A Review Based on Micro‑Nano Structure Interface Control of Biomass Cell Walls

Research efforts on electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding materials have begun to converge on green and sustainable biomass materials.These materials offer numerous advantages such as being lightweight,porous,and hierarchical.Due to their porous nature,interfacial compatibility,and electrical conductivity,biomass materials hold significant potential as EMI shielding materials.Despite concerted efforts on the EMI shielding of biomass materials have been reported,this research area is still relatively new compared to traditional EMI shielding materials.In particular,a more comprehensive study and summary of the factors influencing biomass EMI shielding materials including the pore structure adjustment,preparation process,and micro-control would be valuable.The preparation methods and characteristics of wood,bamboo,cellulose and lignin in EMI shielding field are critically discussed in this paper,and similar biomass EMI materials are summarized and analyzed.The composite methods and fillers of various biomass materials were reviewed.this paper also highlights the mechanism of EMI shielding as well as existing prospects and challenges for development trends in this field.

Defect Engineering:Can it Mitigate Strong Coulomb Effect of Mg^(2+)in Cathode Materials for Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries?

Rechargeable magnesium batteries(RMBs)have been considered a promising“post lithium-ion battery”system to meet the rapidly increasing demand of the emerging electric vehicle and grid energy storage market.However,the sluggish diffusion kinetics of bivalent Mg^(2+)in the host material,related to the strong Coulomb effect between Mg^(2+)and host anion lattices,hinders their further development toward practical applications.Defect engineering,regarded as an effective strategy to break through the slow migration puzzle,has been validated in various cathode materials for RMBs.In this review,we first thoroughly understand the intrinsic mechanism of Mg^(2+)diffusion in cathode materials,from which the key factors affecting ion diffusion are further presented.Then,the positive effects of purposely introduced defects,including vacancy and doping,and the corresponding strategies for introducing various defects are discussed.The applications of defect engineering in cathode materials for RMBs with advanced electrochemical properties are also summarized.Finally,the existing challenges and future perspectives of defect engineering in cathode materials for the overall high-performance RMBs are described.

Size effect of fracture characteristics for anisotropic quasi-brittle geomaterials

Understanding the size effect exhibited by the fracture mechanism of anisotropic geomaterials is important for engineering practice. In this study, the anisotropic features of the nominal strength, apparent fracture toughness, effective fracture energy and fracture process zone(FPZ) size of geomaterials were first analyzed by systematic size effect fracture experiments. The results showed that the nominal strength and the apparent fracture toughness decreased with increasing bedding plane inclination angle.The larger the specimen size was, the smaller the nominal strength and the larger the apparent fracture toughness was. When the bedding inclination angle increased from 0° to 90°, the effective fracture energy and the effective FPZ size both first decreased and then increased within two complex variation stages that were bounded by the 45° bedding angle. Regardless of the inherent anisotropy of geomaterials,the nominal strength and apparent fracture toughness can be predicted by the energy-based size effect law, which demonstrates that geomaterials have obvious quasi-brittle characteristics. Theoretical analysis indicated that the true fracture toughness and energy dissipation can be calculated by linear elastic fracture mechanics only when the brittleness number is higher than 10;otherwise, size effect tests should be adopted to determine the fracture parameters.

The Roadmap of 2D Materials and Devices Toward Chips

Due to the constraints imposed by physical effects and performance degra certain limitations in sustaining the advancement of Moore’s law.Two-dimensional(2D)materials have emerged as highly promising candidates for the post-Moore era,offering significant potential in domains such as integrated circuits and next-generation computing.Here,in this review,the progress of 2D semiconductors in process engineering and various electronic applications are summarized.A careful introduction of material synthesis,transistor engineering focused on device configuration,dielectric engineering,contact engineering,and material integration are given first.Then 2D transistors for certain electronic applications including digital and analog circuits,heterogeneous integration chips,and sensing circuits are discussed.Moreover,several promising applications(artificial intelligence chips and quantum chips)based on specific mechanism devices are introduced.Finally,the challenges for 2D materials encountered in achieving circuit-level or system-level applications are analyzed,and potential development pathways or roadmaps are further speculated and outlooked.

Structural Engineering of Anode Materials for Low-Temperature Lithium-Ion Batteries:Mechanisms,Strategies,and Prospects

The severe degradation of electrochemical performance for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)at low temperatures poses a significant challenge to their practical applications.Consequently,extensive efforts have been contributed to explore novel anode materials with high electronic conductivity and rapid Li^(+)diffusion kinetics for achieving favorable low-temperature performance of LIBs.Herein,we try to review the recent reports on the synthesis and characterizations of low-temperature anode materials.First,we summarize the underlying mechanisms responsible for the performance degradation of anode materials at subzero temperatures.Second,detailed discussions concerning the key pathways(boosting electronic conductivity,enhancing Li^(+)diffusion kinetics,and inhibiting lithium dendrite)for improving the low-temperature performance of anode materials are presented.Third,several commonly used low-temperature anode materials are briefly introduced.Fourth,recent progress in the engineering of these low-temperature anode materials is summarized in terms of structural design,morphology control,surface&interface modifications,and multiphase materials.Finally,the challenges that remain to be solved in the field of low-temperature anode materials are discussed.This review was organized to offer valuable insights and guidance for next-generation LIBs with excellent low-temperature electrochemical performance.

Porous framework materials for energy&environment relevant applications:A systematic review

Carbon peaking and carbon neutralization trigger a technical revolution in energy&environment related fields.Development of new technologies for green energy production and storage,industrial energy saving and efficiency reinforcement,carbon capture,and pollutant gas treatment is in highly imperious demand.The emerging porous framework materials such as metal–organic frameworks(MOFs),covalent organic frameworks(COFs)and hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks(HOFs),owing to the permanent porosity,tremendous specific surface area,designable structure and customizable functionality,have shown great potential in major energy-consuming industrial processes,including sustainable energy gas catalytic conversion,energy-efficient industrial gas separation and storage.Herein,this manuscript presents a systematic review of porous framework materials for global and comprehensive energy&environment related applications,from a macroscopic and application perspective.

Valorization of Camellia oleifera oil processing byproducts to value-added chemicals and biobased materials: A critical review

The C.oleifera oil processing industry generates large amounts of solid wastes,including C.oleifera shell(COS)and C.oleifera cake(COC).Distinct from generally acknowledged lignocellulosic biomass(corn stover,bamboo,birch,etc.),Camellia wastes contain diverse bioactive substances in addition to the abundant lignocellulosic components,and thus,the biorefinery utilization of C.oleifera processing byproducts involves complicated processing technologies.This reviewfirst summarizes various technologies for extracting and converting the main components in C.oleifera oil processing byproducts into value-added chemicals and biobased materials,as well as their potential applications.Microwave,ultrasound,and Soxhlet extractions are compared for the extraction of functional bioactive components(tannin,flavonoid,saponin,etc.),while solvothermal conversion and pyrolysis are discussed for the conversion of lignocellulosic components into value-added chemicals.The application areas of these chemicals according to their properties are introduced in detail,including utilizing antioxidant and anti-in-flammatory properties of the bioactive substances for the specific application,as well as drop-in chemicals for the substitution of unrenewable fossil fuel-derived products.In addition to chemical production,biochar fabricated from COS and its applications in thefields of adsorption,supercapacitor,soil remediation and wood composites are comprehensively reviewed and discussed.Finally,based on the compositions and structural characteristics of C.oleifera byproducts,the development of full-component valorization strategies and the expansion of the appli-cationfields are proposed.