Deformable Catalytic Material Derived from Mechanical Flexibility for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Deformable catalytic material with excellent flexible structure is a new type of catalyst that has been applied in various chemical reactions,especially electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).In recent years,deformable catalysts for HER have made great progress and would become a research hotspot.The catalytic activities of deformable catalysts could be adjustable by the strain engineering and surface reconfiguration.The surface curvature of flexible catalytic materials is closely related to the electrocatalytic HER properties.Here,firstly,we systematically summarized self-adaptive catalytic performance of deformable catalysts and various micro–nanostructures evolution in catalytic HER process.Secondly,a series of strategies to design highly active catalysts based on the mechanical flexibility of lowdimensional nanomaterials were summarized.Last but not least,we presented the challenges and prospects of the study of flexible and deformable micro–nanostructures of electrocatalysts,which would further deepen the understanding of catalytic mechanisms of deformable HER catalyst.

Elliptical vibration chiseling:a novel process for texturing ultra-high-aspect-ratio microstructures on the metallic surface

High-aspect-ratio metallic surface microstructures are increasingly demanded in breakthrough applications,such as high-performance heat transfer enhancement and surface plasmon devices.However,the fast and cost-effective fabrication of high-aspect-ratio microstructures on metallic surfaces remains challenging for existing techniques.This study proposes a novel cutting-based process,namely elliptical vibration chiseling(EV-chiseling),for the high-efficiency texturing of surface microstructures with an ultrahigh aspect ratio.Unlike conventional cutting,EV-chiseling superimposes a microscale EV on a backward-moving tool.The tool chisels into the material in each vibration cycle to generate an upright chip with a high aspect ratio through material deformation.Thanks to the tool’s backward movement,the chip is left on the material surface to form a microstructure rather than falling off.Since one microstructure is generated in one vibration cycle,the process can be highly efficient using ultrafast(>1 kHz)tool vibration.A finite element analysis model is established to explore the process mechanics of EV-chiseling.Next,a mechanistic model of the microstructured surface generation is developed to describe the microstructures’aspect ratio dependency on the process parameters.Then,surface texturing tests are performed on copper to verify the efficacy of EV-chiseling.Uniformed micro ribs with a spacing of 1–10μm and an aspect ratio of 2–5 have been successfully textured on copper.Compared with the conventional EV-cutting that uses a forward-moving tool,EV-chiseling can improve the aspect ratio of textured microstructure by up to 40 times.The experimental results also verify the accuracy of the developed surface generation model of microstructures.Finally,the effects of elliptical trajectory,depth of cut,tool shape,and tool edge radius on the surface generation of micro ribs have been discussed.

Investigations of a nanostructured FeMnSi shape memory alloy produced via severe plastic deformation

Low-cost iron-based shape memory alloys（SMAs） show great potential for engineering applications. The developments of new processing techniques have recently enabled the production of nanocrystalline materials with improved properties. These developments have opened avenues for newer applications for SMAs. The influence of severe plastic deformation induced by the high-speed high-pressure torsion（HSHPT） process on the microstructural evolution of an Fe–Mn–Si–Cr alloy was investigated. Transmission electron microscopic analysis of the alloy revealed the existence of nanoscale grains with an abundance of stacking faults. The high density of dislocations characteristic of severe plastic deformation was not observed in this alloy. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the presence of ε-martensite with an HCP crystal structure and γ-phase with an FCC structure.

1^(st) International Conference on the Material Point Method for Modelling Large Deformation and Soil-Water-Structure Interaction

How to register and submit contributions： Authors are invited to submit their contributions on any of the conference topics. Submissions and conference registration can only be performed via the conference website： http：//www.mpm2017.eu

Runout of submarine landslide simulated with material point method

Most of the present knowledge on submarine landslides relies upon back-analysis of post-failure deposits identified using geophysical techniques.In this paper,the runout of slides on rigid bases is explored using the material point method（MPM）with focus on the geotechnical aspects of the morphologies.In MPM,the sliding material and bases are discretised into a number of Lagrangian particles,and a background Eulerian mesh is employed to update the state of the particles.The morphologies of the slide can be reproduced by tracking the Lagrangian particles in the dynamic processes.A real case history of a submarine slide is back-analyzed with the MPM and also a depth-averaged method.Runout of the slides from steep slopes to moderate bases are reproduced.Then different combinations of soil and basal parameters are assumed to trigger runout mechanisms of elongation,block sliding and spreading.The runout distances predicted by the MPM match well with those from large deformation finite element analysis for the elongation and block sliding patterns.Horst and grabens are shaped in a spreading pattern.However,the current MPM simulations for materials with high sensitivities are relatively mesh sensitive.

Poroelastic solid flow with double point material point method

This paper presents the numerical modelling of one and two-dimensional poroelastic solid flows,using the material point method with double point formulation.The double point formulation offers the convenience of allowing for transitions in the flow conditions of the liquid,between free surface flow and groundwater flow.The numerical model is validated by comparing the solid flow velocity with the analytical solution.The influence of the Young＇s modulus on the solid flow velocity is discussed for both one and two-dimensional analysis cases.The effect of the shape of the two-dimensional solid is investigated.It is shown that the solid stiffness has an effect on the poroelastic flow velocity,due to swelling and bending for the one and two-dimensional cases,respectively.The shape is found to be an important factor on the flow velocity of the poroelastic solid.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation of friction stir welding:A comparative study on different frictional boundary conditions

Numerical simulation based on computational fluid dynamics （CFD） is a useful approach for quantitatively investigating the underlying thermal-mechanical conditions during FSW, such as temperature field and material deformation field. One of the critical issues in CFD simulation of FSW is the use of the frictional boundary condition, which represents the friction between the welding tool and the workpiece in the numerical models. In this study, three-dimensional numerical simulation is conducted to analyze the heat transfer and plastic deformation behaviors during the FSW of AA2024. For comparison purposes, both the boundary velocity （BV） models and the boundary shear stress （BSS） models are employed in order to assess their performances in predicting the temperature and material deformation in FSW. It is interesting to note that different boundary conditions yield similar predictions on temperature, but quite different predictions on material deformation. The numerical predictions are compared with the experimental results. The predicted deformation zone geometry by the BSS model is consistent with the experimental results while there is large difference between the predictions by the BV models and the experimental measurements. The fact that the BSS model yields more reasonable predictions on the deformation zone geometry is attributed to its capacity to automatically adjust the contact state at the tool/workpiece interface. Based on the favorable predictions on both the temperature field and the material deformation field, the BSS model is suggested to have a better performance in numerical simulation of FSW than the BV model.

THEORY OF DIELECTRIC ELASTOMERS

In response to a stimulus, a soft material deforms, and the deformation provides a function. We call such a material a soft active material （SAM）. This review focuses on one class of soft active materials： dielectric elastomers. When a membrane of a dielectric elastomer is subject to a voltage through its thickness, the membrane reduces thickness and expands area, possibly straining over 100%. The dielectric elastomers are being developed as transducers for broad applications, including soft robots, adaptive optics, Braille displays, and electric generators. This paper reviews the theory of dielectric elastomers, developed within continuum mechanics and thermodynamics, and motivated by molecular pictures and empirical observations. The theory couples large deformation and electric potential, and describes nonlinear and nonequilibrium behavior, such as electromechanical instability and viscoelasticity. The theory enables the finite element method to simulate transducers of realistic configurations, predicts the efficiency of electromechanical energy conversion, and suggests alternative routes to achieve giant voltage-induced deformation. It is hoped that the theory will aid in the creation of materials and devices.