Effect of high temperature on the expressions of genes encoding starch synthesis enzymes in developing rice endosperms

High temperature is the major environmental factor affecting grain starch properties of cooking rice cultivars. In this study, two non-waxy indica rice genotypes, cv. 9311 and its mutant with extremely high amylose phenotype（9311eha） were used to study the differential expressions of genes in starch synthesis and their responses to high temperature（HT）. Significant increase in apparent amylose content and hot-water-soluble starch content in mutant 9311 eha were genetically caused by a substitution from AGTTATA to AGGTATA at the leader intron 5′ splice site in Wx gene. This mutation resulted in different m RNA transcript levels, m RNA splicing efficiencies and protein levels of Wx between the two rice genotypes, which also lead to the genotype-dependent alteration in the temporal pattern of Wx transcription and granule-bound starch synthase（GBSS） activity in response to HT. However, changes in the activities of other starch synthesizing enzymes and their expressions of distinct isoform genes were not significant with the Wx gene mutation, thus only minor difference in the particle size of starch granule, chain-length distribution and gelatinization enthalpy were found between the two genotypes. The temporal-specific expression of multiple isoform genes responsive to different temperature regiments indicated that the reduction of GBSS transcript expression under HT was generally accompanied by the decreased expressions of SSSIIa, SSSIIIa and SBEIIb. Consequently, high temperature-ripened grains in 9311 eha showed high proportion of intermediate and long B chains and somewhat lower level of short A chain compared to the wildtype. The temperature-dependent alteration of amylose content was not only attributed to the reduced expression of GBSS, but also associated with the complimentary effect of SSSIIa and SBEIIb.

SELF- PROPAGATING HIGH TEMPERATURE SYNTHESIS OF (W,Ti)C POWDERS

The effects of preheating temperature and W powder size on the Self propagating High temperature Synthesis(SHS) of Ti W C system were studied. Preheated mixtures and the decrease of W powder size can accelerate the formation of (W,Ti)C powders. The uniphase (W,Ti)C (WC∶TiC=5∶5) powders with 0.32% free carbon were synthesized from Ti, W, C powders by SHS. The powder size of the product was 3～5 μm.

Self-propagating high temperature synthesis of MoSi_2 matrix composites

MoSi2 is presently regarded as the most important material for electrical heating and as one with huge potential for high temperature structural uses. MoSi2 and MoSi2 matrix composites were prepared by self-propagating high temperature synthesis （SHS）. Pure MoSi2 was obtained and a compound of MoSi2 and WSi2was synthesized in the form of predominant solid solution （Mo,W）Si2. By adding aluminum of 5.5 at.% to Mo-Si, the crystal structure of MoSi2 changed into a mixture of tetragonal Cllb MoSi2and hexagonal C40 Mo（Si,Al）2. The （Mo,W）Si2-Mo（Si,Al）2-W（Si,Al）2 composite materials were synthesized by adding aluminum of 5.5 at.% to Mo-W-Si. However, if the amount of the added aluminum was not larger than 2.5 at.%, it did not have any significant effect. SHS is an effective technology for synthesis of MoSi2 and MoSi2 matrix composites.

Moderate drought alleviates the damage to grain quality at high temperatures by improving the starch synthesis of inferior grains in japonica rice

In agricultural production,temperature and moisture are important factors affecting grain yield and quality.Although moderate drought at the grain-filling stage can effectively alleviate the damage caused by high temperature,the specific regulatory mechanism driving the effect of moderate drought at the high temperature on starch synthesis is still unclear.To explore the effects and mechanisms of high temperature and moderate drought on rice starch synthesis at the grainfilling stage,the activities of enzymes and expression levels of the genes involved in starch synthesis under four different treatments involving high temperature and/or water stress(CK,HT,WS,and HT+WS)were investigated in this study.The starch synthesis of a japonica inbred rice was measured under the four treatments during the grain filling.The results show that the effects of high temperature and moderate drought on grain filling mainly occur in the inferior grains of rice.Through the regulation of enzymes involved in starch synthesis and the expression levels of their main genes,the synthesis of rice starch can be affected.Therefore,the high temperature and moderate drought were antagonistic,and moderate drought can alleviate the damage to grain quality at a high temperature by improving the starch synthesis of inferior grains in japonica rice.This study provides a basis for stress-resistance cultivation and breeding strategies of rice with high temperature tolerance.

A Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis process for the fabrication of Fe（Cr）–Al2O3 nanocomposite

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis(SHS)was used to fabricate a Fe(Cr)–Al2O3 nanocomposite.The composite was fabricated by the reactions between the powders of Fe,Fe2O3,Cr2O3,and Al.The effect of blending ratio and mechanical activation of the initial powders and the precursor compressing pressure on the microstructure of the final product was studied by optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,and X-ray diffraction.The significance of the effect of each of the aforementioned parameters on the quality of the composite(assessed by measuring the compressive strength and wear resistance)was determined using a full-factorial design of experiments method.The results showed that the best molar powder ratio that produced the most homogeneous product through a sustainable SHS reaction was Fe:Fe2O3:Cr2O3:Al=10:1:1:4.A lower Fe content caused the Fe(Cr)phase to melt and separate from the rest of the materials.

Magnetic properties of La-Zn substituted Sr-hexaferrites by self-propagation high-temperature synthesis

The La-Zn substituted SrM-type ferrites with the composition of Sr1-xLaxFe12-xZnxO19 （x=0-0.4） were prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis （SHS）. The single SrM phase was detected by XRD in the as-received samples by controlling the Fe contents in the reagents. The substitution of La^3＋and Zn^2＋ obviously increased the magnetic properties of the as-prepared samples. The maximum improvements of Br, Hcb and （BH）m were 14.4%, 15.3% and 30.7%, respectively compared with that of the samples without La-Zn substitution. Microstructure observation by SEM showed that the SHS method benefited forming the better particle features and achieving the higher Hcj in comparison with the traditional firing method.

Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiC-TiB_2-Cu Composites

TiC-TiB2-Cu composites were produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis combined with pseudo hot isostatic pressing using Ti, B4C and Cu powders. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. The X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） results showed that the final products were only TiC, TiB2 and Cu phases. The clubbed TiB2 grains and spheroidal or irregular TiC grains were found in the microstructure of synthesized products. The reaction temperature and grain size of TiB2 and TiC particles decreased with increasing Cu content. The introduction of Cu into the composites resulted in a drastic increase in the relative density and flexual strength, and the maximum values were obtained with the addition of 20 wt pct, while the fracture toughness was the best when Cu content was 40 wt pct.

Preparation of Nano-sized Zirconium Carbide Powders through a Novel Active Dilution Self-propagating High Temperature Synthesis Method

High quality nano-sized zirconium carbide （ZrC） powders were successfully fabricated via a developed chemical active dilution self-propagating high-temperature synthesis （SHS） method assisted by ball milling pretreatment process using traditional cheap zirconium dioxide powder （ZrO2）, magnesium powder （Mg） and sucrose （C12H22Oll） as raw materials. FSEM, TEM, HRTEM, SAED, XRD, FTIR and Raman, ICP- AES, laser particle size analyzer, oxygen and nitrogen analyzer, carbon/sulfur determinator and TG-DSC were employed for the characterization of the morphology, structure, chemical composition and thermal stability of the as-synthesized ZrC samples. The as-synthesized samples demonstrated high purity, low oxygen content and evenly distributed ZrC nano-powders with an average particle size of 50nm. In addition, the effects of endothermic rate and the possible chemical reaction mechanism were also discussed.

Fabrication of Titanium Diboride-Cu Composite by Self-High Temperature Synthesis plus Quick Press

Titanium diboride based composites, good candidates for contact materials, have high hardness, Young＇s modulus, high temperature stability, and excellent electrical, thermal conductivity. However a good interface of TiB2/Cu is very difficult to achieve for oxidation of TiB2. To avoid this oxidation behavior, the in situ combusting synthesis technology, SHS, was used to prepare TiB2/Cu composite. The characters of Ti-B-xCu SHS were studied in detail, such as combustion temperature, products phases and grain size. Based on the experimental results a proper technology way of self-high temperature synthesis plus quick press （SHS/QP） was determined and compact TiB2/Cu composites with relative density over than 97 pct of the theoretical were fabricated by this method. The properties and microstructures of these TiB2 based composites were also investigated.

Influence of Fe Addition on Products of Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis Reaction in 3Ti-Si-2C System

Influence of Fe addition on products of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) reaction in 3Ti-Si-2C system was investigated in the present study. Without Fe addition, Ti5Si3 and TiC are the dominant phases along with a small amount of Ti3SiC2 phase and unreacted C left in the final products. As Fe content ranges from 10% to 30%, the products consist of TiC, Ti5Si3, Fe2Ti and unreacted C, but no trace of Ti3SiC2 phase is detected. Furthermore, the amounts of both Fe2Ti and C phases increase with Fe content increasing. Addition of Fe has a great effect on the reaction route and significantly restrains the formation of Ti3SiC2 during the combustion synthesis process, and therefore, the SHS is not an effective fabrication technique to synthesize the ternary Ti3SiC2 ceramic in either 3Ti-Si-2C or Fe-3Ti-Si-2C system. Besides, without Fe addition, Ti5Si3 presents as the coarse irregular appearance with an obviously sintered morphology. In contrast, the shape of Ti5Si3 exhibits more and more spherical (cobblestone-like) and the surface becomes increasingly smooth, because the amount of liquids formed during the SHS reaction increases with the increase of Fe content. On the other hand, with Fe content increasing from 0 to 30 wt.%, the particulate size of TiC decreases from more than 5 μm to 1 μm or less, mainly due to the fact that the combustion temperature decreases with the increase of Fe content in the preforms.

Dissolution-precipitation mechanism of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of TiC-Cu cermets

The mechanism of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis （SHS） of TiC-Cu cermets was studied using a combustion front quenching method. Microstructural evolution in the quenched sample was observed using scanning electron microscope （SEM） with energy dispersive X-ray （EDX） spectrometry, and the combustion temperature was measured. The results showed that the combustion reaction started with local formation of Ti-Cu melt and could be described with the dissolution-precipitation mechanism, namely, Ti, Cu, and C particles dissolved into the Ti-Cu solution and TiC particles precipitated in the saturated Ti-Cu-C liquid solution. The local formation of Ti-Cu melt resulted from the solid diffusion between Ti and Cu particles.

Effect of inner oxidant on self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of MnZn-ferrite powder

Using KClO3 as an inner oxidant, MnZn-ferrite powder was synthesized by a self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) process in normal air atmosphere. The effects of the inner oxidant on combustion temperature, combustion velocity, microstructure and the phase of the product were investigated by XRD and SEM,respectively. The results show that a highly ferritized powder can be obtained as well as the highest combustion temperature and the highest combustion velocity when the inner oxidant content m equals 54(k-16).

Preparation of ZrB_2 Ceramics by Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis and Hot Pressing Sintering

ZrB2 ceramics were prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis（SHS） and were sintered by hot pressing（HP）.The effects of the granularities and doses of raw materials in Zr-B2O3-Mgon SHS process and product were investigated.XRD and combustion temperature curves prove that the ideal SHS reactants of Zr-B2O3-Mg are 50μm Zr powder,75μm B2O3 powder and 400μm Mg powder with 45% excessive.The particle sizes of SHS product,acid-leached product,sintered product are 2-5μm,0.5-2μm,2-10μm respectively.Chemical analysis indicates that the acid-leached product consists of ZrB2（94.59%）,ZrO2（3.87%）,and H3BO3（1.54%）,The sintered product has a relative density of 95.4%.

ZrB_2/Al_2O_3 composite powders prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis（SHS） method was used to synthesize ZrB2/Al2O3 composite powders from B2O3-ZrO2-Al system. X-ray diffractometry（XRD） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM） analyses show the presence of ZrB2 and Al2O3 as the primary phases in the composite powders, while the presence of a very small amount of ZrO2 is thought to be unreacted zirconium oxide. Transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and high resolution electron microscopy（HREM） observations of microstructure of the composite powders indicate that the interfaces of ZrB2/Al2O3 bond well without any interfacial reaction products. It is proposed that the good interfacial bonding of composite powders results from the ZrB2 particles crystallizing and growing on the Al2O3 particles surface with surface defects acting as nucleation centers.

Microstructural Evolution During Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis of Ti-Al System

In order to investigate the microstructural evolution during self-propagating high-temperature synthesis （SHS） of Ti-Al powder mixture with an atomic ratio of Ti： Al=1：1, a combustion front quenching method （CFQM） was used for extinguishing the propagating combustion wave, and the microstructures on the quenched sample were observed with scanning electron microscope （SEM） and analyzed with energy dispersive spectrometry （EDS）. In addition, the combustion temperature of the reaction was measured, and the phase constituent of the synthesized product was inspected by X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The results showed that the combustion reaction started from melting of the Al particles, and the melting resulted in dissolving of the Ti particles and forming of Al3Ti grains. As the Al liquid was depleted, the combustion reaction proceeded through solid-state diffusion between the solid Al3Ti and the solid Ti. This led to the forming of TiAl and Ti3Al diffusing layers. In addition, the combustion reaction is incomplete besides TiAl, there are a large amount of Ti3Al and TiAl3 and a small amount of Ti in the final product. This incompleteness chiefly results from the using of coarser Ti powder.

CALCULATION OF ADIABATIC TEMPERATURE THROUGH COMPUTER PROGRAM IN PROCESS OF COMBUSTION SYNTHESIS

The adiabatic temperature in the process of self-propagating high temperature synthesis iscalculated through FOXBASE language program on the base of establishing thermodynamic datapool concerned.The adiabatic temperature of some common self-propagating high temperaturesynthesis has been calculated,and the computed results are compared with the adiabatic tempera-ture reported.At the same time,the curve about the influence of preheating temperature andadding diluent on Tadis drawn as an example.

High temperature X-ray diffraction study of the formation of Na_(2)Ti_(3)O_(7) from a mixture of sodium carbonate and titanium oxide

Na2Ti3O7 has attracted much attention in the field of anode materials for Na-ion batteries thanks to its non-toxicity and very low working potential of 0.3 V vs Na0/Na+.Building a clearer picture of its formation from cheap Na_(2)CO_(3) and TiO_(2) starting materials is therefore of obvious interest.Here,we report new insights from an in-situ high temperature X-ray diffraction study conducted from room temperature to 800°C,complemented by ex-situ characterizations.We were thereby able to position the previously reported Na_(4)Ti_(5)O_(12) and Na_(2)Ti_(6)O_(13) intermediate phases in a reaction scheme involving three successive steps and temperature ranges.Shifts and/or broadening of a subset of the Na_(2)Ti_(6)O_(13) reflections suggested a combination of intra-layer disorder with the well-established ordering of successive layers.This in-situ study was carried out on reproducible mixtures of Na_(2)CO_(3) and TiO_(2) in 1:3 molar ratio prepared by spraydrying of mixed aqueous suspensions.Single-phase Na_(2)Ti_(3)O_(7) was obtained after only 8 h at 800°C in air,instead of a minimum of 20 h for a conventional solid-state route using the same precursors.Microstructure analysis revealed~15 mm diameter granules made up from rectangular rods of a fewmm length presenting electrochemical properties in line with expectations.In the absence of grinding or formation of intimate composites with conductive carbon,the specific capacity of 137 m Ah/g at C/5 decreased at higher rates.

Synthesis,Microstructure,and Property of Cr_2AlC

Cr2AlC is an unusual layered ternary ceramic that combines the merits of both metals and ceramics. The salient properties of Cr2AlC are strongly related to its bonding characteristics and microstructures. Synthesis, microstructure, and property of Cr2AlC are reviewed in this paper. First, theoretical calculations and physical properties are introduced. Then, the processing of Cr2AlC ceramic in both bulk form and thin films and their basic mechanical properties are summarized. Atomic-scale characterizations of Cr2AlC, as well as the microstructural relationships among Cr2AlC, AlCr5, and AlCr2 were achieved using a series of transmission electron microscopy （TEM） techniques. Moreover, high-temperature oxidation and hot corrosion behaviors of Cr2AlC were investigated by means of thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and TEM. Mechanism of the excellent high-temperature corrosion resistance of Cr2AlC is discussed based on systematic microstructural analyses. Finally, concise conclusions are drawn.

A New Process for Preparing Fine-ceramic-containing Composite Coatings──Flame Spray Synthesis

Flame spray synthesis (FSS), a combination of the flame spray technology and Self-propagation High-temperature Synthesis (SHS) was developed for preparing fine-ceramic-containing composite coatings. It can simplify the preparations of powder to synthesize and deposit the desired materials in one step. The preliminary results obtained from TiC-Fe cermet coatings by FSS process are reported. The peculiar microstructure of the composite coatings, which contains very fine (<1m) and round TiC and alternate TiC-rich (Hv=11€*13GPa) and TiC-poor layers (Hv=3.0 -6.0GPa), is expected to play an important role in their tribological properties.