A green process for recovering nickel from nickeliferous laterite ores

A novel process was proposed for recovering nickel from nickeliferous laterite ores.First of all,silicon and magnesium were removed from lateritic ore by high concentration sodium hydroxide leaching and carbonation respectively,so as to enrich nickel. Then the method of ammonia carbonate leaching was adopted to recover nickel from the carbonized slag,and the remaining residue was used as a raw material for recovering iron.The effects of temperature,ammonia carbonate concentration,liquid/solid ratio and stirring speed on the recovery of nickel were examined.When the leached residue reacted with ammonia carbonate(6 mol·L- 1)in a ratio of liquid-to-solid of 5-1 at 60℃for 150 min at the stirring speed of 300 r·min- 1,approximate more than 95%nickel was recovered.During the whole process,there was no contamination produced and the chemical raw materials were recycled,thus the process was a green technology that having good social benefit.

Physicochemical characterization of Baizhi particles by ultrafine pulverization

Baizhi, as a medicinal plant, has been demonstrated to be useful for the treatment of aches and pains in China. The physicochemical characterization of Baizhi particles is greatly influenced by ultrafine pulverization. To study the physicochemical characterization of Baizhi, the raw plant material of Baizhi was ground to 6 μm particles by a high speed centrifugal sheering （HSCS） pulverizer. The micron particles were characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Imperatorin is one of the active ingredients of Baizhi, and its extraction yield is determined to evaluate the chemical characterization of Baizhi powder. Imperatorin was analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）. The results show that after ultrafine pulverization, the plant cell walls are broken into pieces and the extraction yield of imperatorin is increased by 11.93% compared with the normal particles.

Leaching of magnesium from desiliconization slag of nickel laterite ores by carbonation process

The leaching of magnesium from desiliconization slag of nickel laterite ores by carbonation process was studied.The influence of various parameters was investigated to optimize the conditions and determine the kinetics of the reaction.The results show that with increasing stirring speed,liquid-to-solid ratio and reaction time,and decreasing temperature,the leaching rate of magnesium enhances.The leaching process of the desiliconization slag in the range of 288-298 K is controlled by the surface chemical reaction model.The apparent activation energy is-20.45 kJ/mol,and the kinetics model is obtained.

The Tashisayi nephrite deposit from South Altyn Tagh, Xinjiang,northwest China

The Tashisayi nephrite deposit is located in South Altyn Tagh.in Qiemo County,Xinjiang Province,northwest China.It is a recent discovery in the vast,well-known Kunlun-Altyn nephrite belt distributed along the south of the Tarim Basin,producing more than half of the nephrite from the whole belt in 2017.Field investigations revealed that it is a dolomitic marble-related(D-type)nephrite deposit,but little is known about its age of formation and relationships between the granites and marble.Here we report field investigations,petrography of the neph rite,as well as petrography,geochemistry,geochronology of the zoisite-quartz altered intrusive rock and adjacent granites.An A-type granite is identified with a SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of 926±7 Ma,suggesting it was emplaced in an extensional tectonic environment at that time.The altered intrusive rock has a cluster of U-Pb zircon age of 433±10 Ma.with similar trace element features to the A-type granite,suggesting it was formed in an extensional regime at this later time.Nephrite formed because of the metasomatism of dolomite marble by hydrothermal fluids.It is inferred that Ca^2+was released from the dolomitic marble by metasomatism forming Ca-rich fluids,which caused alteration of both the intrusive rocks(6.00-8.22 wt.%CaO)and granite(1.76-3.68 wt.%CaO)near the nephrite ore bodies.It is also inferred that Fe^2+from the granite migrated towards the dolomite marble.The fluids gave rise to the formation of Ca-minerals.such as zoisite,in the nephrite and altered intrusive rock,and epidote in the granite.Based on the contact relationships.similarity in hydrothermal processes,and consumption of Ca^2+,the Tashisayi nephrite is considered to have formed at the same time as the alteration of the intrusive rocks,i.e.~433 Ma.The geochronological similarity(~926 Ma.433 Ma)of South Altyn and North Qaidam may suggest that tectonically they belong to one single complex in the past,which was offset by the Altyn Tagh fault(ATF).The similar formation ages of the nephrites from Altyn Tagh(433 Ma)and the previously studied areas of West Kunlun(378-441 Ma)and East Kunlun(416 Ma)indicate that these nephrites formed during the closure of Proto-Tethys and in the accompanving post-collisional.extensional environment.

Photoluminescent properties of Ca_2RE_8(SiO_4)_6O_2:A (RE=Y, Gd; A=Pb^(2+), Mn^(2+)) phosphor films prepared by sol-gel process

Ca2RE8（SiO4）6O2：A （RE=Y, Gd; A=Pb^2＋, Mn^2＋） phosphor fdms were dip-coated on quartz glass substmtes through the sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, photoluminescence （PL） spectra as well as lifetimes were used to characterize the resulting films. Under short wavelength UV excitation, the film showed a red emission with medium intensity. The decay curve of Mn^2＋ luminescence in Ca2Gd8（SiO4）6O2：Pb Mn film could be fitted into a single exponential function. The lifetime of Mn^2＋ was 10.21 ms in Ca2Gd8（SiO4）6O2.

Synthesis and performance of carbon-modified LiFePO_4 using an in situ PVA pyrolysis procedure

LiFePOa/carbon composite cathode material was prepared by granulating and subsequent pyrolysis processing in N2 atmosphere with polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） as the carbon source. The influences of carbon content on the microstructure and battery performance were investigated. Single LiFePO4 phase and amorphous carbon can be found in the products. A special micro-morphology of the optimum sample was observed. The discharge capacity of the cell with the optimum cathode was 135 mAh.g^-1, close to the charge capacity of 153 mAh.g^-1 at 17 mA.g^-1. The influence of ambient temperature on the cell capacity was investigated. The temperature dependence of its electrochemical characteristic was evaluated by using AC impedance spectroscopy. A new equivalent circuit based on the charge and mass transfer control process in an electrode was proposed to fit the obtained AC impedance spectra. The tendency of every element in the equivalent circuit was used to interpret the temperature dependence of the capacity of the optimum cathode.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Magnetic Property and DFT Study of a Novel 2D Polymer [Cu(pdc)(bpy)]·H_2O

A new copper complex [Cu（pdc）（bpy）]·H2 O（1, H2 pdc = 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, bpy = 2,2-bipyridine） has been solvothermally synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and magnetic measure- ments. Complex 1 crystallizes in monoclinic system, space group P21 /c, a = 10.893（2）, b = 7.3641（15）, c = 1.9921（4）, β = 92.16（3）, V = 1596.9（6）3, Dc = 1.676 g/cm3, Mr = 402.84, Z = 4, F（000） = 820, μ = 1.404 mm-1, the final R = 0.0237 and wR = 0.0693. The Cu（II） ion is five-coordinated by two O atoms from two pdc ligands, one N atom from another pdc ligand and two N atoms from the bpy ligand. The pdc anion, which acts as a tridentate ligand, links three Cu ions, forming（3,3）-connected two-dimensional（2D） sheets. We also studied the electronic structure and orbital energies of complex 1 by DFT methods, and the results are consistent with UV-vis spectrum.

Photoluminescent properties of Ca_2Gd_8(SiO_4)_6O_2: Dy^(3+) phosphor films prepared by sol-gel process

There are growing interests on phosphor thin films owing to their potential application in high-resolution devices such as cathode ray tubes and flat panel display devices. The solution-based sol-gel method is one of the most important techniques for the synthesis of various functional coating films. Compounds with the apatite structure are very suitable host lattices for various luminescent ions. Ca2RE8（SiO4）6O2 （ RE=Y, Gd, La ） is a kind of ternary rare-earth-metal silicate with oxyapatite structure, which has been used as host material for the luminescence of various rare earth and mercury-like ions. In this article, Ca2Gd8（SiO4）6O2：Dy^3＋phosphor films were dip-coated on quartz glass substrates through the sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, atomic force microscopy （AFM）, photoluminescence （PL） spectra, as well as lifetimes were used to characterize the resulting films. AFM study revealed that the phosphor films consisted of homogeneous particles. The Dy^3＋ showed its characteristic emission in crystalline phosphor films, i.e., ^4F9/2-^6H15/2 and ^4F9/2-^6H13/2.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Fluorescent Property and DFT Study of a Novel 1D Polymer [Zn(HMICD)(bpy)]_n·2nH_2O

A new one-dimensional（1D） polymer, [Zn（HMIDC）（bpy）]n·2n H2O（1, H3MIDC = 2-methyl-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid, bpy = 2,2-bipyridine）, has been solvothermally synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, UV-vis spectrum and fluorescence measurements. Complex 1 crystallizes in orthorhombic system, space group Pbca with a = 14.404（3）, b = 8.6900（17）, c = 26.570（5） , V = 3325.8（11） -3, Dc = 1.700 g/cm-3, Mr = 425.70, Z = 8, F（000） = 1744, μ = 1.522 mm-（-1）, the final R = 0.0421 and w R = 0.1018. The Zn（Ⅱ） ion is six-coordinated by O and N atoms from one HMIDC ligand, two O atoms from another HMIDC ligand and two N atoms from the bpy ligand. The HMIDC anion, which acts as a tetradentate ligand, chelates two Zn ions to form a one-dimensional（1D） zigzag chain structure. We analyzed the electronic structure and orbital energies of complex 1 by DFT methods, and the results are consistent with the UV-vis spectrum. And we also discussed the luminescent mechanism of complex 1 in detail.

Influence of lanthanum doping on performance of LiFePO_4 cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Using solid-state synthesis method,a series of samples of lanthanum doped Li1-xLaxFePO4(x=0.0025,0.005,0.0075,0.01) were prepared.Each cathode structural and electrochemical properties were investigated using X-ray diffractometry(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) and charge/discharge cycling.Nanopowders material with single-phase could be obtained.The reversible capacity could be drastically improved by the introduction of La.The optimum cells with Li0.99La0....

Role of NO in Hg^0 oxidation over a commercial selective catalytic reduction catalyst V_2O_5–WO_3/TiO_2

Experiments were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor that contained a commercial catalyst,V2O5-WO3/TiO2,to investigate mercury oxidation in the presence of NO and O2.Mercury oxidation was improved by NO,and the efficiency was increased by simultaneously adding NO and O2.With NO and O2 pretreatment at 350°C,the catalyst exhibited higher catalytic activity for Hg^0 oxidation,whereas NO pretreatment did not exert a noticeable effect.Decreasing the reaction temperature boosted the performance of the catalyst treated with NO and O2.Although NO promoted Hg^0 oxidation at the very beginning,excessive NO counteracted this effect.The results show that NO plays different roles in Hg^0oxidation; NO in the gaseous phase may directly react with the adsorbed Hg^0,but excessive NO hinders Hg^0 adsorption.The adsorbed NO was converted into active nitrogen species（e.g.,NO2） with oxygen,which facilitated the adsorption and oxidation of Hg^0.Hg^0 was oxidized by NO mainly by the Eley-Rideal mechanism.The Hg^0 temperature-programmed desorption experiment showed that weakly adsorbed mercury species were converted to strongly bound ones in the presence of NO and O2.

Mechanism of Hg^0 oxidation in the presence of HCl over a commercial V_2O_5–WO_3/TiO_2 SCR catalyst

Experiments were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor containing a commercial V2O5/WO3/TiO2 catalyst to investigate mercury oxidation in the presence of HCl and O2. Mercury oxidation was improved significantly in the presence of HCl and O2, and the Hg^0 oxidation efficiencies decreased slowly as the temperature increased from 200 to 400℃. Upon pretreatment with HCl and O2 at 350℃, the catalyst demonstrated higher catalytic activity for Hg^0 oxidation. Notably,the effect of pretreatment with HCl alone was not obvious. For the catalyst treated with HCl and O2, better performance was observed with lower reaction temperatures. The results showed that both HCl and Hg^0 were first adsorbed onto the catalyst and then reacted with O2 following its adsorption, which indicates that the oxidation of Hg^0 over the commercial catalyst followed the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism. Several characterization techniques, including Hg^0temperature-programmed desorption（Hg-TPD） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, were employed in this work. Hg-TPD profiles showed that weakly adsorbed mercury species were converted to strongly bound species in the presence of HCl and O2. XPS patterns indicated that new chemisorbed oxygen species were formed by the adsorption of HCl, which consequently facilitated the oxidation of mercury.

Dynamic recrystallization kinetic of fine grained Mg-Zn-Y-Zr alloy solidified under high pressure

Fine grained Mg_（96.17）Zn_（3.15）Y_（0.79）Zr_（0.18） alloy with an average grain size of 20 μm was prepared by high pressure solidification. The dynamic recrystallization（DRX） behavior of the fine grained Mg alloy solidified under the pressure of 4 GPa was studied via isothermal compression experiments. The tests were performed under the strain rate of 0.001–1.0 s^（–1） and at a deformation temperature of 523–623 K on a Gleeble-3500 D thermal-mechanical simulation machine. The DRX kinetic of the fine grained Mg alloy solidified under high pressure was established, and the microstructures of the alloy under different hot compression conditions were analyzed by electron back-scattering diffraction（EBSD）. According to the experimental results, the DRX kinetic model of the fine grain Mg alloy solidified under high pressure was X_（DRX）=1-exp[-0.75445（（ε-ε_c）/ε~＊）^（1.066208）.The Avrami exponents of n and k were 1.066208 and 0.75445 respectively, higher than those in the conventional casting alloy. The DRX volume fraction of the fine grain Mg alloy solidified under the pressure had a tendency to increase obviously with the strain rate decreasing and the deformation temperature increasing, which is different from the one in the conventional casting alloy. When compressed at 523 K, the DRX volume fraction of the fine grained Mg alloy solidified under high pressure was 85% under the strain rate of 1.0 s^（–1） and could be up to 95% under the strain rate of 0.001 s^（–1）. The DRX volume fraction of the conventional casting alloy was only 67% although under the condition of 623–0.001 s^（–1）. It was shown that the fine grained Mg alloy solidified under high pressure had a strong DRX capacity.

Impact of B alloying on ductility and phase transition in the Ni–Mn-based magnetic shape memory alloys:Insights from first-principles calculation

Brittleness is a bottleneck hindering the applications of fruitful functional properties of Ni–Mn-based multiferroic alloys.Recently,experimental studies on B alloying shed new light on this issue.However,the knowledge related to B alloying is limited until now.More importantly,the mechanism of the improved ductility,which is intrinsically related to the chemical bond that is difficult to reveal by routine experiments,is still unclear.In this context,by first-principles calculations,the impact and the correlated mechanism of B alloying were systemically studied by investigating four alloying systems,i.e.,(Ni_(2-x)B_(x))MnGa,Ni_(2)(Mn_(1-x)B_(x))Ga,Ni_(2)Mn(Ga_(1-x)B_(x))and(Ni_(2)MnGa)_(1-x)B_(x).Results show that B prefers the direct occupation manner when it replaces Ni,Mn and Ga.For interstitial doping,B tends to locate at octahedral rather than tetrahedral interstice.Calculations show that the replacement of B for Ga can effectively improve(reduce)the inherent ductility(inherent strength)due to the weaker covalent strength of Ni(Mn)–B compared with Ni(Mn)–Ga.In contrast,B staying at octahedral interstice will lead to the formation of new chemical bonds between Ni(Mn)and B,bringing about a significantly improved strength and a greatly reduced ductility.Upon the substitutions for Ni and Mn,they affect both the inherent ductility and strength insignificantly.For phase transition,the replacement of B for Ga tends to destabilize the austenite,which can be understood in the picture of the band Jahn–Teller effect.Besides,the substitution for Ga would not lead to an obvious reduction of magnetization.

Effect of Ball Scribing on Magnetic Shielding Efficiency of Grain-oriented Silicon Steel

Magnetic shielding of grain-oriented silicon steel was investigated. Ball scribing with spacing of 2 to 16 mm was performed at peak flux densities of 8.0 mT to 1.3 T. Magnetic shielding efficiency was calculated, including absorption, reflection and inner multi-reflection shielding efficiencies. Magnetic shielding efficiency （MSE） increase ratios after different scribing spacing were compared, and thickness requirement to achieve absorption shielding of 50 dB was also calculated. The results show that magnetic shielding efficiencies of C711 and H668 silicon steels increase by 4.79 and 3.15 dB respectively after scribing of 16 mm. Before scribing, shielding efficiency of H668 steel was higher than that of C711 steel, while after scribing, both absorption and shielding efficiency gaps were largely abridged between C711 and H668 steels. Plate thickness of C711 steel could be reduced from 3.18 mm without scribing to 2. 20 mm after scribing of 16 mm. There is no apparent thickness reduction at lower flux densities; while the peak flux density is above 0.3 T, the shielding effect becomes apparent, and the thickness could be reduced from 2.28 mm without scribing to 1.70 mm with scribing spacing of 16 ram. Magnetizing process and its effect on variation of magnetic shielding were also analyzed.