Micromagnetic study of magnetization reversal in inhomogeneous permanent magnets

Macroscopic magnetic properties of magnets strongly depend on the magnetization process and the microstructure of the magnets.Complex materials such as hard-soft exchange-coupled magnets or just real technical materials with impurities and inhomogeneities exhibit complex magnetization behavior.Here we investigate the effects of size,volume fraction,and surroundings of inhomogeneities on the magnetic properties of an inhomogeneous magnetic material via micromagnetic simulations.The underlying magnetization reversal and coercivity mechanisms are revealed.Three different demagnetization characteristics corresponding to the exchange coupling phase,semi-coupled phase,and decoupled phase are found,depending on the size of inhomogeneities.In addition,the increase in the size of inhomogeneities leads to a transition of the coercivity mechanism from nucleation to pinning.This work could be useful for optimizing the magnetic properties of both exchange-coupled nanomagnets and inhomogeneous single-phase magnets.

Progress in recycling of Nd–Fe–B sintered magnet wastes

Significant efforts have been put into the recycling of bulk Nd–Fe–B sintered magnet wastes around the world in the past decade because bulk Nd–Fe–B sintered magnet wastes are valuable secondary rare-earth resources.There are two major facts behind the efforts.First, the waste magnets contain total rare-earth content as high as more than 30 wt.%, which is higher than most natural rare-earth mines.Second, the waste magnets maintain the physical and chemical properties of the original magnets even with deterioration of the properties on surfaces due to corrosion and contamination.In this review,various techniques for recycling bulk Nd–Fe–B sintered magnet wastes, the overall properties of the recycled Nd–Fe–B sintered magnets, and the mass production of recycled magnets from the wastes are reviewed.

Effects of Substitution of Sm for Bi in BiFeO3 Thin Films Prepared by the Sol-Gel Method

Bi1-xSmxFeO3 films with x= 0, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07 and 0.10 are prepared on LaNiO3/Si（100） substrates by the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that pure phase films with random orientations are fabricated. The results of SEM indicate that films with denser surfaces are obtained by Sm substitution. At the doping level of x=0.05, remnant polarization Pr increases to 3.19 μC/cm2 from 1.12 μC/cm2 of the un-substituted BiFeO3 film and shows enhanced ferroelectricity at room temperature. Because of the low leakage current density in the high electric field region, a polarization hysteresis loop with remanent polarization of 5.15 μC/cm2 is observed in the 0.10 Sm-substituted BiFeO3 films at the applied electric field of 226 kV/cm. Through the substitution of Sm, the leakage current density is reduced for the films with x= 0.07-0.10.

Preparation and Characterization of Grain Size Controlled LaB6 Polycrystalline Cathode Material

The grain size controlled bulk Lanthanum hexaboride （LAB6） cathode material was prepared by using the spark plasma sintering method in an oxygen free system. The starting precursor nanopowders with average grain size of 50 nm were prepared by high-energy ball milling. The nanopowder was fully densified at 1300℃, which is about 350℃ lower than the sintering temperature of the coarse powders. The thermionic emission current density was measured to be 42.0 A/cm2, which is much higher than 24.2 A/cm2 of coarse powders and Vickers hardness to be 1860 kg/mm2, which is also higher than 1700 kg/mm2 of coarse one. These results indicate that refining the powder grain size to nano level was beneficial for reducing the sintering temperature and promoting the thermionic emission and mechanic properties.

Evolution of helium bubbles in nickel-based alloy by post-implantation annealing

Nickel-based alloys have been considered as candidate structural materials used in generation IV nuclear reactors serving at high temperatures.In the present study,alloy 617 was irradiated with 180-keV helium ions to a fluence of 3.6×10^(17) ions/cm^(2) at room temperature.Throughout the cross-section transmission electron microscopy(TEM)image,numerous over-pressurized helium bubbles in spherical shape are observed with the actual concentration profile a little deeper than the SRIM predicted result.Post-implantation annealing was conducted at 700℃for 2 h to investigate the bubble evolution.The long-range migration of helium bubbles occurred during the annealing process,which makes the bubbles of the peak region transform into a faceted shape as well.Then the coarsening mechanism of helium bubbles at different depths is discussed and related to the migration and coalescence(MC)mechanism.With the diffusion of nickel atoms slowed down by the alloy elements,the migration and coalescence of bubbles are suppressed in alloy 617,leading to a better helium irradiation resistance.

Analysis of Optical Vortices in the Near Field of a Thin Metal Film

Optical vortices are shown to be generated in the near-field of a slab lens with a realistic thin metal film due to the amplification of the evanescent wave by the metal film in the TM polarization.The vortices are connected to two saddle points near the output interface of the lens.By means of varying the position of the object with respect to the lens and the wavelength,the strength of circulation of the power flow,the position and the rotation of the vortices can be well controlled.The influence of the gain to the optical vortices is also illustrated.

In situ formed cross-linked polymer networks as dual-functional layers for high-stable lithium metal batteries

Lithium-metal anodes(LMAs)have been recognized as the ultimate anodes for next-generation batteries with high energy density,but stringent assembly-environment conditions derived from the poor moisture stability dramatically hinder the transformation of LMAs from laboratory to industry.Herein,an in situ formed cross-linked polymer layer on LMAs is designed and constructed by a facile thiol-acrylate click chemistry reaction between poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate(PEGDA)and the crosslinker containing multi thiol groups under UV irradiation.Owing to the hydrophobic nature of the layer,the treated LMAs demonstrate remarkable humid stability for more than 3 h in ambient air(70%relative humidity).The coating humid-resistant protective layer also possesses a dual-functional characterization as solid polymer electrolytes by introducing lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide in the system in advance.The intimate contact between the polymer layer and LMAs reduces interfacial resistance in the assembled Li/LiFePO_(4)or Li/LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)full cell effectively,and endows the cell with an outstanding cycle performance.

Facile Preparation of Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Materials Enabled by Constructing Interconnected Network of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes in a Miscible Polymeric Blend

Electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding materials are in great demand in electronic equipment and our surrounding environment to resist the increasing serious radiation pollution.Compared with their metal counterparts,conductive polymer composites(CPCs)have unique advantages of lightweight,corrosive resistance,low cost,and excellent processability,and are therefore an ideal choice for developing high-performance EMI shielding materials.However,CPCs based EMI shielding materials are limited to high filler loading,which caused poor mechanical properties and processability.Here,we demonstrate a facile and highly scalable approach to develop high-performance EMI shielding materials with low filler loading by using miscible poly(phenylene oxide)/polystyrene(PPO/PS)blend as the matrix.In contrast to PS/carbon nanotubes(CNTs)composites,PPO/PS/CNTs composites show much higher EMI shielding effectiveness caused by good dispersion of CNTs and highly interconnected conductive network.An excellent EMI shieling effectiveness of 23-25 dB is achieved for PPO/PS/10%CNTs composites with a thickness of only 375 pm;which is superior to most of reported polymer/CNTs composites prepared by melt-compounding.In addition,the results show that although absorption is the major shielding mechanism,the contribution of reflection is also important and closely related to the connectivity of conductive network,as well as the electrical conductivity of the CPCs.

Ni Flower/MXene-Melamine Foam Derived 3D Magnetic/Conductive Networks for Ultra-Efficient Microwave Absorption and Infrared Stealth

The development of multifunctional and efficient electromagnetic wave absorbing materials is a challenging research hotspot.Here,the magnetized Ni flower/MXene hybrids are successfully assembled on the surface of melamine foam(MF)through electrostatic self-assembly and dip-coating adsorption process,realizing the integration of microwave absorption,infrared stealth,and flame retardant.Remarkably,the Ni/MXene-MF achieves a minimum reflection loss(RLmin)of−62.7 dB with a corresponding effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)of 6.24 GHz at 2 mm and an EAB of 6.88 GHz at 1.8 mm.Strong electromagnetic wave absorption is attributed to the three-dimensional magnetic/conductive networks,which provided excellent impedance matching,dielectric loss,magnetic loss,interface polarization,and multiple attenuations.In addition,the Ni/MXene-MF endows low density,excellent heat insulation,infrared stealth,and flame-retardant functions.This work provided a new development strategy for the design of multifunctional and efficient electromagnetic wave absorbing materials.

Antibacterial Thermoplastic Polyurethane Electrospun Fiber Mats Prepared by 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane-assisted Adsorption of Ag Nanoparticles

Antibacterial thermoplastic polyurethane （TPU） electrospun fiber mats were prepared by adsorption of Ag nanoparticles （Ag NPs） onto TPU/3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane （APS） co-electrospun fiber mats from silver sol. The use of APS can functionalize TPU fibers with amino groups, facilitating the adsorption of Ag NPs. The effects of pH of silver sol and APS content on Ag NP adsorption and antibacterial activity were investigated. Ag NP adsorption was evidenced by TEM, XPS and TGA. Significant Ag NP adsorption occurred at pH = 3-5, The main driving force for Ag NP adsorption is electrostatic interaction between --NH3^＋ of the fibers and --COO- derived from the --COOH group capped on the surfaces of Ag NPs. The antibacterial activity of the Ag NP-decorated TPU/APS fiber mats was investigated using both gram-negative Escherichia coli and gram-positive Bacillus subtilis. The antibacterial rate increases with increasing APS content up to 5% where the antibacterial rates against both types of bacteria are over 99.9%.

Study on Melting and Recrystallization of Poly(butylene succinate) Lamellar Crystals via Step Heating Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） has been widely applied to study crystallization and melting of materials. However, for polymeric lamellar crystals, the melting thermogram during heating process usually exhibits a broad endothermic peak or even multiple endotherms, which may result from changes of metastability via recrystallization process. Sometimes, the recrystallization exotherm cannot be observed due to its overlapping with the melting endotherm. In this work, we employed a step heating procedure consisting of successive heating and temperature holding stages to measure the metastability of isothermally crystallized poly（butylene succinate）（PBS） crystals. With this approach we could gain the fraction of crystals melted at different temperature ranges and quantitatively detect the melting-recrystallization behavior. The melting-recrystallization behavior depends on the polymer chain structure and the crystallization temperature. For instance, PBS block copolymer hardly shows recrystallization behavior while PBS oligomer and high molecular weight PBS homopolymer demonstrate remarkable melting-recrystallization phenomenon. High molecular weight PBS isothermally crystallized in the low temperature range shows multiple melting-recrystallization while those isothermally crystallized at elevated temperatures do not exhibit observable recrystallization behavior. Furthermore, the melting endotherms were fitted via the melting kinetics equations. The original isothermally crystallized lamellae demonstrate quite different melting kinetics from the recrystallized lamellar crystals that melt at the highest temperature range, which is attributed to the different degrees of stabilization. Finally, the mechanism of melting-recrystallization is briefly discussed. We propose that apparent meltrecrystallization phenomenon be observed when melting of preformed lamellar crystals and recrystallization of thicker lamellae have similar free energy barrier.

Understanding Self-assembly,Colloidal Behavior and Rheological Properties of Graphene Derivatives for High-performance Supercapacitor Fabrication

Graphene derivatives,such as graphene oxide(GO)and reduced graphene oxide(RGO),have been widely used as promising two-dimensional nanoscale building blocks due to their fascinating properties,cost-effective production,and good processability.Understanding the intrinsic self-assembling,colloidal,and rheological features of graphene derivatives is of critical importance to establish the formation-structure-property relationship of graphene-based materials.This article reviews recent progresses in our studies of these interesting properties of graphene derivatives for developing high performance supercapacitors.The content is organized to include characteristics of the dispersions of graphene derivatives,self-assembly of nanosheets from liquid medium,colloidal behavior,rheological properties of the dispersions,processing methods based on the properties,and performance of the fabricated supercapacitors.GO and RGO nanosheets are proved to form different types of assembled structures with unique morphologies,such as ultrathin layer-by-layer films,porous aggregates,and nanoscrolls.The unique rheological properties of GO dispersions and hydrogels,feasible for both the traditional wet-processing and newly-developed technology like three-dimensional printing,are highlighted for their potential in structural manipulation and scalable fabrication of graphene-based devices.The research devoted to up-grading the performance of supercapacitors is presented in some details,which could be applicable for fabricating other graphene-based energy storage devices.Some challenges and perspectives in our point of view are given in the last part of this feature article.

Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Poly(arylene sulfide sulfone)Membrane by Co-electrospinning with Poly(m-xylene adipamide)

The mechanical properties of poly(arylene sulfide sulfone)(PASS) electrospun membrane were significantly enhanced by coelectrospinning with semi-aromatic nylon poly(m-xylene adipamide)(MXD6), another engineering plastic with high thermal stability and good mechanical properties. The tensile strength of PASS membrane increased with increased incorporation of MXD6, and was tripled when 20%MXD6 was incorporated. The mechanism of the mechanical property improvement is the existence of hydrogen bonding interaction between PASS and MXD6 and between adjacent fibers at the intersections. Thermal properties of the PASS/MXD6 membranes were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA), which showed that the membranes could be stably utilized up to180 °C without any change in appearance and without decomposition. Contact angle measurements of all the membranes showed hydrophobic character. To demonstrate the potential applications of PASS/MXD6 blend membranes, their oil absorption capacities were evaluated with three oils of different viscosities, which proved that the PASS/MXD6 membranes are better absorbents than commercial non-woven polypropylene fibers. Therefore, PASS/MXD6 fibrous membranes produced by electrospinning have a great potential in practical applications.

Improved Mechanical Properties of Poly(butylene succinate) Membrane by Co-electrospinning with Gelatin

Gelatin, a natural proteinous polymer, was used to co-electrospin with poly（butylene succinate） （PBS） in order to improve the mechanical properties of PBS membrane and facilitate its applications in biomedical field. The PBS/gelatin blend membranes have narrower distribution of fiber diameter and smoother surface than neat PBS membrane. The contact angles, water absorption rates and water uptakes of the PBS/gelatin blend membranes were measured, showing increased hydrophilicity. The interaction between PBS and gelatin was investigated by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （ATR-FTIR） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. The mechanical properties of PBS/gelatin blend membranes in both dry and wet states were evaluated by uniaxial tensile tests. In the dry state, the PBS/gelatin blend membrane containing 10% gelatin has a 3-times increase in tensile strength without any adverse effect on ductility because of the existence of interaction between the two blend components, little change in crystallinity of PBS, and possible interaction between any adjacent fibers; the tensile strength and elongation at break are even better in the wet state attributed to some gelatin on fiber surfaces, which act as a binder in the presence of water. The potential applications of PBS/gelatin blend membranes were demonstrated by successful immobilization of thrombin, a clinically-used hemostatic drug. The thrombin-loaded membrane could be used for rapid hemostasis.

Flexible Ag Microparticle/MXene-Based Film for Energy Harvesting

Ultra-thin flexible films have attracted wide attention because of their excellent ductility and potential versatility.In particular,the energy-harvesting films(EHFs)have become a research hotspot because of the indispensability of power source in various devices.However,the design and fabrication of such films that can capture or transform di erent types of energy from environments for multiple usages remains a challenge.Herein,the multifunctional flexible EHFs with e ective electro-/photo-thermal abilities are proposed by successive spraying Ag microparticles and MXene suspension between on waterborne polyurethane films,supplemented by a hot-pressing.The optimal coherent film exhibits a high electrical conductivity(1.17×10^(4)S m^(-1)),excellent Joule heating performance(121.3℃)at 2 V,and outstanding photo-thermal performance(66.2℃ within 70 s under 100 mW cm^(-1)).In addition,the EHFs-based single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerators(TENG)give short-circuit transferred charge of 38.9 nC,open circuit voltage of 114.7 V,and short circuit current of 0.82μA.More interestingly,the output voltage of TENG can be further increased via constructing the double triboelectrification layers.The comprehensive ability for harvesting various energies of the EHFs promises their potential to satisfy the corresponding requirements.

Correlation of Morphology Evolution with Superior Mechanical Properties in PA6/PS/PP/SEBS Blends Compatibilized by Multi-phase Compatibilizers

In this study, the maleic anhydride （MAH） and styrene （St） dual monomers grafted polypropylene （PP） and poly[styrene-b- （ethylene-co-butylene）-b-styrene] （SEBS）, i.e. PP-g-（MAH-co-St） and SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） are prepared as multi-phase compatibilizers and used to compatibilize the PA6/PS/PP/SEBS （70/10/10/10） model quaternary blends. Both PS and SEBS are encapsulated by the hard shell of PP-g-（MAH-co-St） in the dispersed domains （about 2 μm） of the PA6/PS/PP-g-（MAH-co-St）/SEBS （70/10/10/10） quaternary blend. In contrast, inside the dispersed domains （about 1 μm） of the PA6/PS/PP/SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） （70/10/10/10） quaternary blend, the soft SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） encapsulates both the hard PS and PP phases and separates them. With increasing the content of the compatibilizers equally, the morphology of the PA6/PS/（PP＋PP-g-（MAH-co-St））/（SEBS＋SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St）） （70/10/10/10） quaternary blends evolves from the soft （SEBS＋SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St）） encapsulating PS and partially encapsulating PP （about 1 μm）, then to PS exclusively encapsulated by the soft SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） and then separated by PP-g-（MAH-co-St） inside the smaller domains （about 0.6 μm）. This morphology evolution has been well predicted by spreading coefficients and explained by the reaction between the matrix PA6 and the compatibilizers. The quaternary blends compatibilized by more compatibilizers exhibit stronger hierarchical interfacial adhesions and smaller dispersed domain, which results in the further improved mechanical properties. Compared to the uncompatibilized blend, the blend with both 10 wt% PP-g-（MAH-co-St） and 10 wt% SEBS-g-（MAH-co-St） has the best mechanical properties with the stress at break, strain at break and impact failure energy improved significantly by 97%, 71% and 261%, respectively. There is a strong correlation between the structure and property in the blends.

Crystal structures and magnetic performance of nanocrystalline Sm-Co compounds

A variety of intermetallic compounds in the binary Sm Co system were reviewed, and the contents were focused on the crystal structures, magnetic properties and the nanoscale effects. The representative nanocrystalline Sm-Co compounds were introduced in details, the diagrams for their lattice structures and the atomic sites and occupancies were provided. Moreover, the magnetic properties of the nanocrystalline Sm-Co compounds were compared with those of the conventional polycrystalline counterparts. It showed that the nanocrystalline Sm Co compounds exhibit special phase stability and remarkably enhanced magnetic performance, which are promising candidates for the matrix phases to develop permanent magnets, particularly the advanced high-temperature magnetic materials.

Correction to: Ni Flower/MXene-Melamine Foam Derived 3D Magnetic/Conductive Networks for Ultra-Efficient Microwave Absorption and Infrared Stealth

The original version of this article unfortunately contained some mistakes.The corrections are updated as follows:Error 1:We found that Equations 3,4 and 6 were wrong in the published paper:Error 2:In the page 7,“Since N Ni/MXene-MF possessed numer-ous heterogeneous interfaces and abundant functional groups,the dielectric loss mechanism was explored.”

Preparation of POE/PS Blends with Fine Particle Sizes by Diffusion and Subsequent Polymerization of Styrene in POE Pellets

Ethylene-α-octene copolymer （POE）/polystyrene （PS） blend pellets with fine particle sizes were prepared by diffusion and subsequent polymerization of styrene in POE pellets through a one-pot procedure. The effects of the amounts of styrene and BPO on PS content, monomer efficiency and monomer conversion were investigated. The blend pellets were characterized by Micro-FTIR and FESEM, showing homogeneous diametrical distributions of PS and particle size. After melt-processing into rods, the average particle sizes are almost doubled, but still in submicron scale. Compared to neat POE rods, the blend rods with PS content higher than 15% exhibit improved tensile modulus and tensile strength without significantly losing ductility, being attributed to the small sizes, complex nature of particles and the existence of POE-g-PS copolymer that result in good interfacial adhesion. POE/PS pellets were compared with the previously reported PP/PS pellets, and the differences between the two systems are attributed to the different morphology of the two matrices： POE is completely amorphous at the diffusion and polymerization temperature, while iPP is semicrystalline. Without efficient impediment of the crystal lamellae in POE pellets, styrene diffuses easily in POE pellets.

Finding Short-Range Parity-Time Phase-Transition Points with a Neural Network

The non-Hermitian PT-symmetric system can live in either unbroken or broken PT-symmetric phase. The separation point of the unbroken and broken PT-symmetric phases is called the PT-phase-transition point.Conventionally, given an arbitrary non-Hermitian PT-symmetric Hamiltonian, one has to solve the corresponding Schrodinger equation explicitly in order to determine which phase it is actually in. Here, we propose to use artificial neural network(ANN) to determine the PT-phase-transition points for non-Hermitian PT-symmetric systems with short-range potentials. The numerical results given by ANN agree well with the literature, which shows the reliability of our new method.