Effect of ZrC Modified Graphite on Structure and Properties of Low-carbon Al_(2)O_(3)-C Refractories

To address the issues of reduced performance and shortened lifespan during the low-carbonizating process of Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories,nano-crystalline ZrC modified graphite was prepared using Zr powder and flake graphite as raw materials,with NaCl and NaF mixed salt serving as the medium.The flake graphite was gradually replaced by ZrC modified graphite in the preparation of Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories,and its impact on the material’s structure and properties was investigated.The results indicate that,compared to samples with only flake graphite,the introduction of 1 mass%to 5 mass%nano-crystalline ZrC modified graphite can significantly enhance the mechanical performance of low-carbon Al_(2)O_(3)-C refractories.When 5 mass%ZrC modified graphite is added,the mechanical properties of the samples are optimal,with the cold modulus of rupture and elastic modulus reaching 22.5 MPa and 65.0 GPa,respectively.

Molten salt synthesis,morphology modulation,and lithiation mechanism of high entropy oxide for robust lithium storage

High entropy oxides(HEOs)with ideal element tunability and enticing entropy-driven stability have exhibited unprecedented application potential in electrochemical lithium storage.However,the general control of dimension and morphology remains a major challenge.Here,scalable HEO morphology modulation is implemented through a salt-assisted strategy,which is achieved by regulating the solubility of reactants and the selective adsorption of salt ions on specific crystal planes.The electrochemical properties,lithiation mechanism,and structure evolution of composition-and morphology-dependent HEO anode are examined in detail.More importantly,the potential advantages of HEOs as electrode materials are evaluated from both theoretical and experimental aspects.Benefiting from the high oxygen vacancy concentration,narrow band gap,and structure durability induced by the multi-element synergy,HEO anode delivers desirable reversible capacity and reaction kinetics.In particular,Mg is evidenced to serve as a structural sustainer that significantly inhibits the volume expansion and retains the rock salt lattice.These new perspectives are expected to open a window of opportunity to compositionally/morphologi cally engineer high-performance HEO electrodes.

Effect of Al Powder and Si Powder Additions on Structure and Properties of Unburned Magnesium Aluminate Spinel Refractories

Unburned magnesium aluminate spinel refractories were prepared using sintered magnesium aluminate spinel as the main raw material,phenolic resin as the binder,aluminum powder(2%,4%,and 6%by mass)and silicon powder(when Al powder addition is 4%,Si powder addition varies:1%and 2%,by mass)as additives.The effects of the Al powder and Si powder additions on the properties and microstructure of the refractories heat treated at different temperatures(1000,1400,and 1600℃for 3 h)were studied.The results show that the Al powder addition can greatly enhance the cold modulus of rupture of the samples fired at 1000 or 1400℃,and meanwhile AlN reinforcement phase forms in the matrix,which greatly improves the hot modulus of rupture of the samples at 1400℃;however,the heat treatment at 1600℃has little influence on the strength;the addition of Al powder and Si powder results in the formation of low melting point phases,greatly reducing the hot modulus of rupture.However,the low melting point phases promote sintering,which enhances the density and the cold modulus of rupture,and decreases the volume change during heating.The samples added with Al and Si all have higher cold modulus of rupture than those added with Al powder only.

Sintering Densification of Boron Carbide Materials and Their Research Progress

Boron carbide(B_(4)C)has excellent high-temperature oxidation resistance,high hardness,low relative density,high melting point and excellent abrasive resistance,which is widely used in fields such as refractories,wear-resistant materials and lightweight protective materials.The research progress and application of B_(4)C materials in China and overseas in recent years were summarized.The influences of sintering processes(pressureless sintering,hot-pressing sintering,hot isostatic pressing sintering,spark plasma sintering and microwave sintering)and sintering additives(simple substances,oxides and carbides)on the B_(4)C densification were analyzed.The development of B_(4)C materials was prospected.

Clean production of Fe-based amorphous soft magnetic alloys via smelting reduction of high-phosphorus iron ore and apatite

Separated preparation of prealloys and amorphous alloys results in severe solidification-remelting and beneficial element removal-readdition contradictions,which markedly increase energy consumption and emissions.This study offered a novel strategy for the direct production of FePC amorphous soft magnetic alloys via smelting reduction of high-phosphorus iron ore(HPIO)and apatite.First,the thermodynamic conditions and equilibrium states of the carbothermal reduction reactions in HPIO were calculated,and the element content in reduced alloys was theoretically determined.The phase and structural evolutions,as well as element migration and enrichment behaviors during the smelting reduction of HPIO and Ca_(3)(PO_(4))_(2),were then experimentally verified.The addition of Ca_(3)(PO_(4))_(2)in HPIO contributes to the enrichment of the P element in reduced alloys and the subsequent development of Fe_(3)P and Fe_(2)P phases.The content of P and C elements in the range of 1.52 wt% -14.63 wt% and 0.62 wt% -2.47 wt%,respectively,can be well tailored by adding 0-50 g Ca_(3)(PO_(4))_(2)and controlling the C/O mole ratio of 0.8-1.1,which is highly consistent with the calculated results.These FePC alloys were then successfully formed into amorphous ribbons and rods.The energy consumption of the proposed strategy was estimated to be 2.00×10^(8) kJ/t,which is reduced by 30% when compared with the conventional production process.These results are critical for the comprehensive utilization of mineral resources and pave the way for the clean production of Fe-based amorphous soft magnetic alloys.

Effect of Pre-wetting Lightweight Aggregates on the Mechanical Performances and Microstructure of Cement Pastes

The water absorption and desorption processes of different types of lightweight aggregates were studied.Subsequently,the influences of pre-wetting lightweight aggregates on compressive strength,microhardness,phase composition,hydration parameters and micromorphology of the cement pastes were investigated.The results showed that the water absorption and desorption capacities of the lightweight aggregates increased with the decrease of the densification degree.With the addition of pre-wetting lightweight aggregates,the compressive strength of the cement pastes would increase.Moreover,the enhancement effect was more obviously with the desorption capacity of pre-wetting lightweight aggregates increasing.Especially,sample S1 with pre-wetting red-mud ceramisites had the highest compressive strength,of which increased to 49.4 MPa after 28 d curing age.The reason is that mainly because the addition of pre-wetting lightweight aggregates can promote the generation of C–S–H gels in the interfacial zone,and the hydration degree of the interfacial zone increases with the water desorption of pre-wetting lightweight aggregates increasing.It is contributed to optimize the microstructure to enhance microhardness of the interfacial zone,resulting in the compressive strength of the cement-based materials improving.Therefore,the pre-wetting lightweight aggregates with high porosity and strength are the potential internal curing agents for high-strength lightweight concretes.

Effect of Fe2O3 on the size and components of spinel crystals in the CaO–SiO2–MgO–Al2O3–Cr2O3 system

The stability of chromium in stainless steel slag can be enhanced by increasing the spinel crystal size. The effect of Fe2O3 on the size of spinel crystals in the CaO–SiO2–MgO–Al2O3–Cr2O3 system was investigated using lab experiments carried out in a carbon tube fur-nace. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to ana-lyze the microstructure, components, and the mineral phases of synthetic slags. FactSage 7.1 was used to calculate the crystallization process of the molten slag. The results showed that the addition of Fe2O3 promoted the precipitation of spinel crystals and inhibited the formation of dicalcium silicate. The size of spinel crystals increased from 2.74 to 8.10μm and the contents of chromium and iron in the spinel varied as the Fe2O3 addition was increased from 0 to 20wt%. Fe2O3 thermodynamically provided the spinel-forming components to enhance the for-mation of FeCr2O4, MgFe2O4, and Fe3O4. The addition of Fe2O3 increased the fraction of liquid phase in a certain temperature range and promoted diffusion by decreasing the slag's viscosity. Therefore, Fe2O3 is beneficial to the growth of spinel crystals in stainless steel slag.

Facile synthesis of zinc-based organic framework for aqueous Hg (Ⅱ) removal: Adsorption performance and mechanism

Mercury(Hg)ions can lead to a serious impact on the environment;therefore,it was necessary to find an effective method for absorbing these toxic Hg ions.Here,the adsorbent(Zn-AHMT)was synthesized from zinc nitrate and 4-amino 3-hydrazine-5 mercapto-1,2,4-triazole(AHMT)by one-step method and,characterized the microstruc-ture and absorption performance by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),Brunauer-Emmett Teller(BET),Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer(TGA)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).Through a plethora of measurements,we found that the maximum adsorption capacity was 802.8 mg/g when the optimal pH of Zn-AHMT was 3.0.The isothermal and kinetic experiments confirm that the reaction process of Zn-AHMT was chemisorption,while the adsorption process conforms to the Hill model and pseudo second order kinetic model.Thermodynamic experiments showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic.Selective experiments were performed in the simulated wastewater containing Mn,Mg,Cr,Al,Co,Ni,Hg ions.Our results showed that the Zn-AHMT has a stronger affinity for Hg ions.The removal rate of Zn-AHMT remained above 98%,indicating that the Zn-AHMT had a good stability validated by three adsorption-desorption repeatable tests.According to the XPS results,the adsorption reaction of Zn-AHMT was mainly attributed to the chelation and ion exchange.This was further explained by both density functional theory(DFT)calculation and frontier molecular orbital theory.We therefore propose the adsorption mechanism of Zn-AHMT.The adsorption reaction facilitates via the synergistic action of S and N atoms.Moreover,the bonding between the adsorbent and the N atom has been proved to be more stable.Our study demonstrated that Zn-AHMT had a promising application prospect in mercury removal.

Fabrication and properties of aluminum silicate fibrous materials with in situ synthesized K2Ti6O13 whiskers

To improve their mechanical and thermal insulation properties, aluminum silicate fibrous materials with in situ synthesized K_2Ti_6O_(13) whiskers were prepared by firing a mixture of short aluminum silicate fibers and gel powders obtained from a sol–gel process. During the preparation process, the fiber surface was coated with K_2Ti_6O_(13) whiskers after the fibers were subjected to a heat treatment carried out at various temperatures. The effects of process parameters on the microstructure, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity were analyzed systematically. The results show that higher treatment temperatures and longer treatment durations promoted the development of K_2Ti_6O_(13) whiskers on the surface of aluminum silicate fibers; in addition, the intersection structure between whiskers modulated the morphology and volume of the multi-aperture structure among fibers, substantially increasing the fibers' compressive strength and reducing their heat conduction and convective heat transfer at high temperatures.

Effect of Nano Carbon Black and Graphite Flake on Properties of Low Carbon Al2O3-C Refractories

Low carbon Al2O3 - C refractories specimens were prepared with tabular alumina （3. 0 - 1.0, 1.0 - 0. 5, 0.6-0.2, ≤0.3, ≤0. 045 and ≤0. 02 mm）, active alumina micropowder （≤2 μm ） and silicon （ 〈≤0. 045 mm ） as main raw materials. Nano carbon black （N220） and natural graphite flake （ 〈≤0. 074 mm ） were adopted as the carbon sources. The specimens were treated at 800, 1 000, 1 200 and 1 400 ℃ under coke embedded atmosphere. The effects of additions of nano carbon black and graphite flake on mechanical properties and thermal shock resistance of the specimens were stud- ied. Their mechanical properties were measured by three- point bending test and thermal shock resistance was de- termined by water quenching method. The phase compo- sition of the specimens was analyzed with X-ray diffrac- tion and microstruetures were observed through FESEM. The results reveal that： （1） the strengths of A1203 - C refractories with these two carbon sources show no big differences when coked at lower than 1 000 ℃ ; when coked at over 1 200 ℃ , the strengths of the specimens with graphite added are much higher than those of the specimens containing carbon black due to much more sil- icon carbide whiskers formed; （2） since the nano carbon black has small particle size, they can be filled into in- terstice of Al2O3 particles to form the nano carbon net- work structure, absorbing and relieving the thermal stressgenerated from expansion and contraction and reducing the thermal expansion coefficient of the specimens, thus their thermal shock resistance is better than that of the specimens containing graphite ; （ 3 ） low carbon Al2 O3 - C refractories with good mechanical properties and excellent thermal shock resistance can be prepared with combi- nation of nano carbon black and graphite flake.

Improvement of Thermoelectric Performance in BiCuSeO Oxide by Ho Doping and Band Modulation

We try to use Ho doping combined with band modulation to adjust the thermoelectric properties for BiCuSeO.The results show that Ho doping can increase the carrier concentration and increase the electrical conductivity in the whole temperature range.Although Seebeck coefficient decreases due to the increase of carrier concentration,it still keeps relatively high values,especially in the middle and high temperature range.On this basis,the band-modulation sample can maintain relatively higher carrier concentration while maintaining relatively higher mobility,and further improve the electrical transporting performance.In addition,due to the introduction of a large number of interfaces in the band-modulation samples,the phonon scattering is enhanced effectively and the lattice thermal conductivity is reduced.Finally,the maximal power factor(PF)of 5.18μW·cm^-1K^-2and the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merits(ZT)of 0.81 are obtained from the 10%Ho modulation doped sample at 873 K.

Preparation of Different Lights Irradiated ZnSe/GSH QDs and Their Interaction with BSA

Using L-glutathione(GSH) as a capping agent,Zn Se/GSH quantum dots(QDs) were prepared under microwave irradiation and irradiated under dark, ultraviolet light and incandescent light, respectively. The properties and interaction of different lights irradiated ZnSe/GSH QDs and bovine serum albumin(BSA) were studied systematically. The fluorescence(FL) spectra results reveal that the quenching mechanism are all the static quenching in nature. The quenching constant(Ksv) and binding constant(K) value of different irradiated Zn Se/GSH QDs and BSA all increased with the change of light types from dark to incandescent light and UV light. The number of binding site(n) is close to 1 at different temperatures. The lighting types influence the enthalpy and entropy changes. The Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectra indicate that the light induced GSH ligand will facilitate photocatalytic oxidation on the surface of ZnSe/GSH QDs. The circular dichroism(CD)results show that the α-helicity content of BSA decreases from 60.34%, 59.31%, to 58.79% under UV lighting,incandescent lighting and dark conditions. The interaction results of different lights illuminated ZnSe/GSH QDs with BSA by CD spectra method matches well with that by FL and FTIR spectra. That is, the interaction of ZnSe/GSH QDs and BSA from strong to weak is UV light, incandescent light and dark in sequence.

Microstructure Evolution and Its Effects on the Mechanical Behavior of Cold Drawn Pearlite Steel Wires for Bridge Cables

The microstructure evolution and its effects on the mechanical performance of 2000 MPa bridge cable steel wires were investigated by transmission electron microscope(TEM),electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD),X-ray diffractometer(XRD)and mechanical tests.Experimental results reveal that,with the increasing strain from 0 to 1.42,a fiber structure and a<110>fiber texture aligned with the wire axis are gradually developed accompanied by cementite decomposition and the formation of sub-grains;the tensile strength increases linearly from 1510 to 2025 MPa,and the reduction of the area is stable with a slight decline from 44%to 36%.After annealing at 450℃for different times,pronounced changes in the microstructure occur.Cementite lamella fragment into coarser globules corresponding to a remarkable spheroidization process,while ferrite domains recover and recrystallize,and this process is associated to modifications in the mechanical properties.Furthermore,based on the observations on dislocation lines crossing through cementite lamellae,a possible mechanism of cementite decomposition is discussed.

Recent Progress of Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced MgO-C and Al_2O_3-C Refractories

Carbon nanotubes （CNTs） have been extensively studied over the last two decades since they possess excellent properties.CNTs have been considered as new promising reinforcements for carbon containing refractories （CCRs）.Current research progress of the CNT-reinforced MgO-C and Al2O3-C refractories was summarized in this mini-review,and the CNT-reinforced CCRs possess remarkable mechanical properties and superior thermal shock resistance compared to CCRs without CNTs.

Preparation of ZrB_2-SiC Powders via Carbothermal Reduction of Zircon and Prediction of Product Composition by Back-Propagation Artificial Neural Network

Phase pure ZrB2-SiC composite powders were prepared after 1 450℃/3 h via carbothermal reduction route,by using ZrSiO4,B2O3 and carbon as the raw materials.The influences of firing temperature as well as the type and amount of additive on the phase composition of final products were detailedly investigated.The results indicated that the onset formation temperature of ZrB2-SiC was reduced to 1 400℃by the present conditions,and oxide additive（including CoSO4·7H2O,Y2O3 and TiO2）was effective in enhancing the decomposition of raw ZrSiO4,therefore accelerating the synthesis of ZrB2-SiC.Moreover,microstructural observation showed that the as-prepared ZrB2 and SiC respectively had well-defined hexagonal columnar and fibrous morphology.Furthermore,the methodology of back-propagation artificial neural networks（BP-ANNs）was adopted to establish a model for predicting the reaction extent（e g,the content of ZrB2-SiC in final product）in terms of various processing conditions.The results predicted by the as-established BP-ANNs model matched well with that of testing experiment（with a mean square error in 10^（-3） degree）,verifying good effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Synthesis of Agomelatine by One-pot Catalytic Hydrogenation and Acetylation with NiO

Nano-NiO and bulk NiO were prepared from Ni(AC)_2·4 H_2O by coordination precipitation using aqueous ammonia and by a solid state reaction, respectively. The nickel oxide particles were characterized by X-ray Diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The results indicate that nano-sized NiO has a crystal phase with a standard face-centered cubic lattice structure, with a mean particle diameter of about 10 nm. The evaluation of the activity of nickel oxide nanoparticles in the catalytic hydrogenation of 7-methoxy-1-naphthylacetonitrile was carried out. The results demonstrate the efficient synthesis of the title compound by a one-pot catalytic hydrogenation and acetylation with NiO. The NiO nanoparticles displayed superior catalytic activity in the synthesis of agomelatine in the one-pot reaction.The total yield of agomelatine is over 81.8% with a purity of 99.2%, as determined by HPLC. The structure of agomelatine was confirmed by IR, MS, and 1 H NMR analysis.

Effect of hot rolling on the microstructure and impact absorbed energy of the strip steel by CSP

The microstructures and impact absorbed energies at various temperatures were investigated for steel strips hot rolled to thickness reductions of 95.5%, 96.0%, 96.5%, 97.0%, and 97.5%. Results indicate that grain refinement can be realized with an increase in hot rolling reduction. Besides, finer precipitates can be achieved with an increase in hot rolling reduction from 95.5%to 97.0%. The impact absorbed energy decreases with a decrease in testing temperature for steel strips hot rolled to 95.5%, 96.0%, and 96.5%reductions in thickness. However, in the case of steel strips hot rolled to 97.0%and 97.5%reductions in thickness, the impact absorbed energy remained almost constant with a decrease in testing temperature.

Preparation of MgO-Fe_3O_4 Materials and Their Corrosion Resistance to AIF_3-Na_3AIF_6-K_3AIF_6

In the present paper,novel sidewall materials for aluminum reduction cell were prepared in air using magnesia and magnetite as starting materials. The sintering behaviors of the specimens were investigated by means of X- ray diffraction（ XRD） and scanning electron microscope（ SEM）. And corrosion tests in a Na_3 AlF_6- AlF_3- K_3 AlF_6 bath were conducted to evaluate the electrolyte corrosion resistance. The results show that the Fe_3O_4 phase is transformed into Fe_2O_3 at high temperatures,which in turn reacts with the MgO added to form MgFe_2O_4 spinel. And with increasing the MgO content from 0 to 30 mass%,densification of the specimens decreases mainly due to larger volume expansion resulting from formation of more Mg Fe_2O_4. The corrosion tests show that corrosion layers are produced in all the MgO added specimens. However,for specimens containing Mg Fe_2O_4 phase only,Mg（ Al,Fe）_2O_4composite spinel layers are also generated,which remarkably improve the corrosion resistance of the specimens.

Characteristic of Near-surface Microstructure and Its Effects on the Torsion Performance of Cold Drawn Pearlitic Steel Wires for Bridge Cables

The characteristic of near-surface microstructure and its effects on the torsion performance of cold-drawn pearlitic steel wires for bridge cables were investigated by focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope,transmission electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry.The samples with similar tensile strength before and after hot-dip galvanizing process are,respectively,characterized as delaminated and non-delaminated in torsion test which indicates that the tensile strength is independent of the toughness value(i e,reduction area and torsion ability).It is interesting to find that there exists submicron granular ferrite on near-surface of the wires,which can be attributed to dislocation rearrangement and sub-grains rotation during cold drawing and hot-dip galvanizing process.And their distribution can suggest homogeneousness of deformation degree to a certain extent:the closer to the surface of their distribution,the more homogeneous deformation of the wires.There is a close relationship between the thermal stability of the cementite layer and distribution of granular ferrite:differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)analysis shows that the sample is accompanied by submicron granular ferrite which is located closer to the surface has higher thermal stability under galvanizing temperature(450°C).A new mechanism of the torsion delamination of pearlitic steel wires is discussed in terms of the thermal stability of the cementite layer and distribution of granular ferrite.

Preparation,Performance and Slag Resistant Mechanism of Low Thermal Conductivity Microporous Corundum

The microporous corundum material was prepared using alumina micro-powder as the main raw material, alumina sol and starch as binders by a wet process, achieving the bulk density of 3.05 g · cm^-3, the apparent porosity of 9. 1%, the closed porosity of 12.3%, the median pore diameter of 0. 43 μm, and the thermal conductivity of 6. 5 W· m^-1· K^-1 at 800 ℃ which is 41.6% lower than that of common corundum. The slag resistance of the microporous corundum material was studied by immersion and compared with that of the common corundum aggregate, and the slag resistant mechanism of microporous corundum material was revealed. The results show that the slag resistance of the microporous corundum material is superior to that of the common corundum aggregate, the SEM and EDX show that on the reaction interface between microporous corundum and molten, slag, a continuous isolation layer with a large quantity of CA2 and CA6 columnar crystals is formed; while the common corundum aggregate reacts with the molten slag interface to form a discontinuous isolation layer of columnar crystals, through which a lot of molten slag corrodes or permeates into the aggregate. The mechanism is mainly that the microporous structure is more advantageous to nucleation and growth of CA2 and CA6 columnar crystals; in the reaction with the aggregate, the molten slag gets saturated and the critical solution thickness of the microporous corundum and the common corundum is 0. 16 μm and 0. 34 μm, respectively, this is caused by the smaller microporous corundum aggregate pores; and the smaller pores also increase the second phase ripening rate of microporous corundum, which is 9. 7 times of that of the common corundum.