Editorial on Emerging Trends in Polymeric Materials Research and Applications

Polymeric materials especially nanocomposites(Graphene,MXene based)are widely used in food,electronics,biomedical,batteries,energy storage,fuel cells,wastewater treatment,and automotive[1].Nanocomposites are stronger,lighter,and stiffer and can improve properties such as mechanical strength,electrical conductivity,thermal stability,flame retardancy,surface appearance,optical clarity and chemical resistance.Current research is focus­ing on nanocomposites applications[1-3],CO_(2)cap­turing polymers[4],making polymers degradable[5-7]especially developing bio-composites[8]and green composites[9,10]which are degradable。

Correlation of work function and stacking fault energy through Kelvin probe force microscopy and nanohardness in diluteα-magnesium

Electronic interactions of the Group 2A elements with magnesium have been studied through the dilute solid solutions in binary Mg-Ca,Mg-Sr and Mg-Ba systems.This investigation incorporated the difference in the‘Work Function'(ΔWF)measured via Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy(KPFM),as a property directly affected by interatomic bond types,i.e.the electronic structure,nanoindentation measurements,and Stacking Fault Energy values reported in the literature.It was shown that the nano-hardness of the solid-solutionα-Mg phase changed in the order of Mg-Ca>Mg-Sr>Mg-Ba.Thus,it was shown,by also considering the nano-hardness levels,that SFE of a solid-solution is closely correlated with its‘Work Function'level.Nano-hardness measurements on the eutectics andΔWF difference between eutectic phases enabled an assessment of the relative bond strength and the pertinent electronic structures of the eutectics in the three alloys.Correlation withΔWF and at least qualitative verification of those computed SFE values with some experimental measurement techniques were considered important as those computational methods are based on zero Kelvin degree,relatively simple atomic models and a number of assumptions.As asserted by this investigation,if the results of measurement techniques can be qualitatively correlated with those of the computational methods,it can be possible to evaluate the electronic structures in alloys,starting from binary systems,going to ternary and then multi-elemental systems.Our investigation has shown that such a qualitative correlation is possible.After all,the SFE values are not treated as absolute values but rather become essential in comparative investigations when assessing the influences of alloying elements at a fundamental level,that is,free electron density distributions.Our study indicated that the principles of‘electronic metallurgy'in developing multi-elemental alloy systems can be followed via practical experimental methods,i.e.ΔWF measurements using KPFM and nanoindentation.

The Role of the Size Effect on the Drying of Refractory Castables—How Its Under-standing Could Narrow the Gap between Laboratory Studies and Industrial Reality

Refractories have unique capabilities such as sustaining their shape and properties at extreme conditions such as the combination of high temperatures and thermal shock,contact with molten metals and slags and in some circumstances resistance to erosion from abrasive particles.Given the large processing output of the heavy industries such as the cement and steel ones which both require high temperature processes,the refractories structures span various meters and weight of several tons.As the water removal stage of hydraulic bonded castables in industrial sites takes hours(10-60 h)due to the risk of explosive spalling,efforts to mitigate it are commonly studied.This has provided theoretical understanding of the general aspects of drying and important tools,such as the thermogravimetry analysis(TGA),for the design of refractory compositions with higher explosive spalling resistance.However,the optimization of this process is still far from the industrial reality especially because the actual linings that require the drying are orders of magnitude larger than the samples considered in the laboratory tests.Therefore,this study proposed the analysis of the sample volume effect on the water removal dynamics through TGA of high alumina castables with calcium aluminate cement.Conventionalφ5 cm×5 cm cylindrical samples were assessed in a laboratory scale equipment whereas macro TGA were carried out considering 20 cm×20 cm×20 cm and 30 cm×30 cm×30 cm cubic samples.Additionally,the effect of polymeric fibers was also considered.It was found out that the different thermal gradients within the macro TGA samples resulted in an inflection on the sample’s heating rate and that the mass loss was affected by the volume considered,especially for the composition without additives.These findings highlight the requirement of carefully taking into consideration the different dimensional sizes and thermal gradients in the samples when analyzing and interpreting the laboratory studies,and especially when trying to extrapolate such results to the industrial reality.

Influence of B source materials on the synthesis of TiB_2-Al_2O_3 nanocomposite powders by mechanical alloying

An Al2O3-TiB2 nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by ball milling of Al, TiO2 and two B source materials of B2O3 （system （1）） and H3BO3 （system （2））. Phase identification of the milled samples was examined by Xray diffraction. The morphology and microstructure of the milled powders were monitored by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the formation of this composite was completed after 15 and 30 h of milling time in systems （1） and （2）, respectively. More milling energy was required for the formation of this composite in system （2） due to the lubricant properties of HaBO3 and also its decomposition to HBO2 and B2O3 during milling. On the basis of X-ray diffraction patterns and thermodynamic calculations, this composite was formed by highly exothermic mechanically induced self-sustaining reactions （MSR） in both systems. The MSR mode took place around 9 h and 25 h of milling in systems （1） and （2）, respectively. At the end of milling （15 h for system （1） and 30 h for system （2）） the grain size of about 35-50 nm was obtained in both systems.

Production and fluoride treatment of Mg-Ca-Zn-Co alloy foam for tissue engineering applications

Highly porous Mg-Ca-Zn-Co alloy scaffolds for tissue engineering applications were produced by powder metallurgy based space holder-water leaching method.Mg-Ca-Zn-Co alloy foam can be used as a scaffold material in tissue engineering.Carbamide was used as a space holder material.Fluoride conversion coating was synthesized on the alloy by immersion treatment in hydrofluoric acid(HF).Increasing Zn content of the alloy increased the elastic modulus.Ca addition prevented the oxidation of the specimens during sintering.Electrochemical corrosion behaviour of the specimens was examined in simulated body fluid.Corrosion rate decreased with Zn addition from1.0%up to3.0%(mass fraction)and then increased.Mass loss of the specimens initially decreased with Zn addition up to about3%and then increased.Fluoride conversion coating increased the corrosion resistance of the specimens.

Characterization of Cu–Ti powder metallurgical materials

Powder metallurgical Cu-Ti alloys with different titanium additions produced by hot pressing were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and hardness, wear and bending tests. The addition of titanium to copper caused the formation of different intermetallic layers around titanium particles. The titanium content of the intermetallics decreased from the center of the particle to the copper matrix. The hardness, wear resistance, and bending strength of the materials increased with increasing Ti content, whereas strain in the bending test decreased. Worn surface analyses showed that different wear mechanisms were active during the wear test of specimens with different chemical compositions. Changes in the properties of the materials with titanium addition were explained by the high hardness of different Cu-Ti intermetallic phases.

Bio-inspired synthesis of nanomaterials and smart structures for electrochemical energy storage and conversion

Traditional synthetic methodologies are confronted with great challenges to fabricate complex nanomaterials with delicate design,high efficiency and excellent sustainability.During the past decade,bio-inspired synthesis has been extensively applied as an effective and efficient strategy for the fabrication of nanomaterials and nanostructures.Mimicking electrode materials at nanoscale in the aspect of either structure or functionality has been receiving surging interest because of their incomparable advantages and outperforming properties.In this review,we summarize the recent progresses on bio-inspired synthesis of nanomaterials and smart structures in the field of energy storage and conversion.Firstly,an overall introduction of bio-inspired synthetic strategies will be presented,with focus on the biotemplates and bio-resources.Following that,a library of complex mimicking structures featured by high-order,hierarchical porosity,or bionic function are introduced,with discussion on their chemical and physical properties associated with the structure.The enhanced electrochemical properties such as energy density,cycling stability,etc.in different electrochemical systems will be also discussed.At last,we will expand the perspectives regarding the advantages and limitations of bioinspired strategy and possible solutions in the future.

Effect of NiO-NiCr2O4 nano-oxides on the microstructural,mechanical and corrosion properties of Ni-coated carbon steel

Pure Ni and its composites with different percentages of Ni-Cr nano-oxides were coated over carbon steel to assess the coating features and mechanical and corrosion behavior.A nano-oxide composite of Ni-Cr was first synthesized through chemical coprecipitation with uniform distribution constituents.Electrodeposition was employed to coat pure Ni and Ni-(Ni-Cr)oxides(10,20,30,40,and 50 g/L)on the steel sheets.Transmission electron microscope and field emission scanning electron microscope were adopted to examine the microstructure of powders and coatings,and X-ray diffraction analysis was employed to study the chemical composition.The microhardness,thickness,and wear resistance of the coatings were assessed,polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)tests were conducted to analyze the corrosion behavior,and the corresponding equivalent circuit was developed.Results showed flawless and crack-free coatings for all samples and uniform distribution of nano-oxides in the Ni matrix for the samples of 10-30 g/L.Agglomerated oxides were detected at high concentrations.Maximum microhardness(HV 661),thickness(116μm),and wear resistance of coatings were found at 30 g/L.A three-loop equivalent circuit corresponded satisfactorily to all EIS data.The corrosion resistance increased with the nano-oxide concentration of up to 30 g/L but decreased at 40 g/L.The sample of 50 g/L showed the best corrosion resistance.

Kinetics of solid-state reduction of chromite overburden

The demand for alternative low-grade iron ores is on the rise due to the rapid depletion of high-grade natural iron ore resources and the increased need for steel usage in daily life.However,the use of low-grade iron ores is a constant clinical task for industry metallurgists.Direct smelting of low-grade ores consumes a substantial amount of energy due to the large volume of slag generated.This condition can be avoided by direct reduction followed by magnetic separation(to separate the high amount of gangue or refractory and metal parts)and smelting.Chromite overburden(COB)is a mine waste generated in chromite ore processing,and it mainly consists of iron,chromium,and nickel(<1wt%).In the present work,the isothermal and non-isothermal kinetics of the solid-state reduction of self-reduced pellets prepared using low-grade iron ore(COB)were thoroughly investigated via thermal analysis.The results showed that the reduction of pellets followed a firstorder autocatalytic reaction control mechanism in the temperature range of 900-1100℃.The autocatalytic nature of the reduction reaction was due to the presence of nickel in the COB.The apparent activation energy obtained from the kinetics results showed that the solid-state reactions between COB and carbon were the rate-determining step in iron oxide reduction.

A review on the current status of Fe-Al based ferritic lightweight steel

There is an ever-growing demand for lightweighting of steel for structural applications,particularly for automobile and transportation applications.It is mainly to improve the fuel efficiency,reduce the CO_(2) emissions and cater the increased passenger safety.Hence,the main focus is to reduce the density of the steel structure without affecting other properties.This can be achieved by down-gauging of the conventional steel by replacing the steel with higher strength,however,it is limited by dent resistance and stiffness.So,the novel idea is to reduce the density of the steel itself.It is well-known that addition of Al to steel reduces the density of the steel.About 1wt% of Al addition to steel can reduce the density by 1.3%,decreases the elastic modulus by 2% and it improves the strength by about 40 MPa.There is a new class of low-density/lightweight steel with addition of about 6-9 wt% Al to steel.Addition of higher than 9 wt%of Al in steel leads to embrittlement issues due to ordering and environmental effect.These disordered Fe-Al lightweight steels have raised considerable interest due to their low-density,high ductility,costeffectiveness and feasibility for bulk production.The low-density steels are envisaged in the development of an advanced lightweight ground transportation system,huge structures and also for certain defence applications and in thermal power plants.

Evaluation of Novel Chitosan Based Composites Coating on Wettability for Pure Titanium Implants

This work aims to prepare chitosan(CS)-based coated layers,CS(10 wt%nanosilver/90 wt%CS,10 wt%biotin/90 wt%CS,and 5 wt%nanosilver–5 wt%biotin)/90 wt%CS coatings are prepared,onto pure Ti substrate.The surface morphology of the novel CS composite coating was studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy,atomic force microscopy(AFM),Fourier transforms infrared(FTIR)and wettability test.Results show that the addition of(biotin,nanosilver)5 Vol.%improves the properties of composite materials.Using different particles’scale size aid in improving the combinations in the alginate,producing a dual effect on film properties.Coating surface roughness decreased in the chitosan-based biocomposite with preferable homogeneity and crack-free coating layers,as confirmed by AFM.An increase in surface roughness ensured substitution,which enhanced the surface structures.The high wettability of the CS-based coating layers was due to the presence of nanoparticles,and the composite coatings with CS,nanosilver,or biotin had excellent wettability because of the good hydrophilic nature of the CS matrix combined with reinforced particles.The FTIR results showed that peaks of the blending of CS plus nanoparticles,CS plus biotin,or CS plus nanosilver plus biotin were excellent matching with no changes in the structure of the matrix.

玻化微珠对秸秆灰/水泥复合材料导热性能的影响

通过响应面Box-Behnken实验设计,对玻化微珠增强秸秆灰/水泥复合材料的性能进行了优化研究。研究结果表明,所选模型具有显著性(P<0.05),模型优化得出的复合材料最优工艺参数为:掺入量为10%,粒径为600μm。在最优工艺下,玻化微珠增强秸秆灰/水泥基复合材料的导热系数为0.2919 W/(m·K),相比未优化处理的,导热系数降低了36%。

Pozzolanic Activity of Burned Coal Gangue and Its Effects on Structure of Cement Mortar

The pozzolanic activity of coal gangue burned at different burning temperatures was investigated. The burned coal gangue was mixed with portland cement in different proportions （ 20% - 60% ）. The pozzolanic activity of coal gangue burned and the hydration products were examined, the compressive strengths of the pastes of the mixtures were tested, and the mechanism of the reaction was discussed. The experimental results slum, that the coal gangue burned at 750 ℃ has the optimum pozzolanic activity, and the burned coal ganguc with SiO2 and Al2 O3 is in an active form. When the coal gangue burned at 750℃ is mixed into portland cement, the content of calcium hydroxide in paste is significantly reduced, while the contents of hydrated calcium silk.ate and hydrated calcium aluminate are increased accordingly, hence resulting in the improvement of the microstructure of mortar. The compressive strength of cement paste decreases with increasing the content of burncd coal gangue. The decease in strength is small in the range of 20% - 30% coal gangue substitution and significant in 30%- 60% substitution.

High-cycle fatigue behavior of friction stir butt welded 6061 aluminium alloy

Friction stir welding （FSW） of 6061 aluminium alloy butt joint was carried out at each rotation speed of 600, 800, 1000, 1200 r/min for two different travel speeds, 80 and 100 mm/min, at a constant probe depth of 1.85 mm. The calculated energy input based on the FSW parameters studied shows that the ultimate tensile strength （UTS） of the butt joint is obtained within a certain range of energy input of 297 kJ to 354 kJ out of total range of energy input studied from 196 kJ to 405 kJ. The fatigue behaviors of high-strength and low-strength joints performed at different stress ratios, i.e., 0.5, 0.3, 0.1, -0.3, -0.5, indicate that the fatigue behaviors of both the welds are sensitive to the microstructural features, such as stir zone （SZ）, thermo mechanically affected zone （TMAZ） and heat affected zone （HAZ）. The observed fatigue strengths were discussed in terms of the microstructure, crack path behavior and fracture surface.

Study of the degradation behavior and the biocompatibility of Mg-0.8Ca alloy for orthopedic implant applications

Mg-Ca alloys have recently attracted great attention towards the research in the field of orthopedic biodegradable implants.This study presents an in vitro degradation assessment of Mg-0.8Ca(0.8 wt.%of Ca)alloy in Hank’s balanced salt solution(HBSS).Immersion,hydrogen evolution and electrochemical behavior was studied as well as the cytotoxicity of the degradation products.Morphology and phase composition of the corrosion products were studied using SEM,EDX and XRD techniques.Degradation in HBSS resulted in the formation of the needle-shaped carbonated hydroxyapatite which was similar to the biological apatite in the human bone.Degradation kinetics showed that Mg-0.8Ca alloy had approximately 3-fold faster degradation rate than the pure Mg(1.08±0.38 mm/year for Mg-0.8Ca and 0.35±0.17 mm/year for pure Mg),as observed in two independent experiments.Both,pure Mg and Mg-0.8Ca alloy were biocompatible,generating no cytotoxic degradation products against human-derived HEK 293 cells.Thus,the Mg-0.8Ca alloy was found to be a promising biodegradable implant in terms of bioactivity and compatibility with human cell lines.Depending on the application of the implant and the estimated healing time of the bone,the desired degradation rate of an implant can be controlled by the Mg-Ca composition of such alloys.

Numerical Simulation on Carburizing and Quenching of Gear Ring

The carburizing process of the gear ring was simulated by taking into account the practical carburizing and quenching techniques of the gear ring and by solving the diffusion equation. The carbon content distribution in the carburized layer was obtained. Based on the results, the quenching process of the gear ring was then simulated using the metallic thermodynamics and FEM： it was found that the carburization remarkably affects the quenching process. Microstructures and stress distributions of the gear ring in the quenching process were simulated, and the results are confirmed by experiments.

Effects of acetic acid on microstructure and electrochemical properties of nano cerium oxide films coated on AA7020-T6 aluminum alloy

Nano cerium oxide films were applied on AA7020-T6 aluminum alloy and the effects of acetic acid concentration on the microstructure and electrochemical properties of the coated samples were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and potentiodynamic polarization methods. It has been found that by increasing the acetic acid/CeCl3·7H2O molar ratio, high uniform and crack-free films with well-developed grains were obtained and grain sizes of the films decreased. Elimination of cracks and decreasing grain size of the nano cerium oxide films caused corrosion resistance to increase.

Comparison of Cu−Al−Ni−Mn−Zr shape memory alloy prepared by selective laser melting and conventional powder metallurgy

This work aimed to investigate and critically analyze the differences in microstructural features and thermal stability of Cu−11.3Al−3.2Ni−3.0Mn−0.5Zr shape memory alloy processed by selective laser melting(SLM)and conventional powder metallurgy.PM specimens were produced by sintering 106−180μm pre-alloyed powders under an argon atmosphere at 1060°C without secondary operations.SLM specimens were consolidated through melting 32−106μm pre-alloyed powders on a Cu−10Sn substrate.Mechanical properties were measured through Vickers hardness testing.Differential scanning calorimetry was conducted to assess the martensitic transformation temperatures.X-ray diffraction patterns were collected to identify the metallurgical phases.Optical and scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the microstructural features.b′1 martensite was found,irrespective of the processing route,although coarser martensitic variants were present in PM-specimens.In conventional powder metallurgy samples,intergranular eutectoid constituents and stabilized austenite also formed at room temperature.PM-specimens showed similar average hardness values to the SLM-specimens,albeit with high standard deviation linked to the porosity.The specimens processed by SLM showed reversible martensitic transformation(T0=171°C).PM-processed specimens did not show shape memory effects.

Systematic Study of Nanocrystalline Plasma Electrolytic Nitrocarburising of 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel for Corrosion Protection

A number of studies have been reported on the use of nanocrystalline plasma electrolytic nitrocarburising technology for surface hardening of stainless steels for higher corrosion resistance resulted from this technique. However, very few studies have focused on the optimization of the nanocrystalline plasma electrolytic nitrocarburising process parameters. In this study, a design of experiment （DOE） technique, the Taguchi method, has been used to optimize the nanocrystalline plasma electrolytic nitrocarburising not only for surface hardening but also for the corrosion protection of 316L austenitic stainless steel by controlling the coating processes factors. The experimental design consisted of four factors （Urea concentration, electrical conductivity of electrolyte, voltage and duration of process）, each containing three levels. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements were carried out to determine the corrosion resistance of the coated samples. The results were analyzed with related software. An analysis of the mean of signal-to-noise （S/N） ratio indicated that the corrosion resistance of nanocrystalline plasma electrolytic nitrocarburised 316L stainless steel was influenced significantly by the levels in the Taguchi orthogonal array. The optimized coating parameters for corrosion resistance are 1150 g/L for urea concentration, 360 mS/cm for electrical conductivity of electrolyte, 260 V for applied voltage, 6 min for treatment time. The percentage of contribution for each factor was determined by the analysis of variance （ANOVA）. The results showed that the applied voltage is the most significant factor affecting the corrosion resistance of the coatings.

Effect of extrusion process on microstructure and mechanical and corrosion properties of biodegradable Mg-5Zn-1.5Y magnesium alloy

The effect of extrusion temperature and ratio on the microstructure, hardness, compression, and corrosion behavior of Mg-5Zn-1.5Y alloy were analyzed in this study. The microstructural observations revealed that the cast alloy consists of α-Mg grains, and Mg3Zn6Y and Mg3Zn3Y2 intermetallic compounds, mostly located on the α-Mg grain boundaries. Extruded alloy at higher temperatures showed coarser grain microstructures, whereas those extruded at higher ratios contained finer ones, although more dynamic recrystalized grains with lower intermetallics were measured at both conditions. Combined conditions of the lower temperature (340°C) and higher ratio (1:11.5) provided higher compressive strengths. However, no significant hardness improvement was achieved. The extrusion process could decrease the corrosion rate of the cast alloy in simulated body fluid for over 80% due to primarily the refined microstructure. The extrusion temperature showed a more pronounced effect on corrosion resistance compared to the extrusion ratio, and the higher the extrusion temperature, the higher the corrosion resistance.