Crystallization kinetics of native (pure) and commercial gutta percha (transpolyisoprene) and the influence of metal salts,oxides, ‘thermoplast’ and colouring agents on its crystallization rate

The kinetics of crystallization of gutta percha (trans-polyisoprene) were studied both in its native form and as the commercial product currently used for dental purposes. Mixtures of native gutta percha with selected low molecular weight substances (BaSO₄, CdSO₄, Bi₂O₃, ZnO), ‘Thermoplast’—a commercially formulated plasticizer, and colouring agents were also examined. It was shown that any incompatibility of the aforementioned substances caused an increase in the crystallization rate, while compatibility decreased the rate of crystallization.     

相对分子质量变化对杜仲橡胶应力-应变行为的影响

研究了相对分子质量分布较宽的一组杜仲橡胶分级样品的应力 应变关系 ,揭示了杜仲橡胶随相对分子质量变化而出现脆性 塑性 韧性转变 ,确认了杜仲橡胶脆性 塑性转变的相对分子质量区域。试验结果表明 ,脆性 塑性转变过渡区内 ,杜仲橡胶力学性能不稳定 ;随着相对分子质量增大 ,拉伸强度和扯断伸长率表现为先增大 ,达到最大值后逐渐减小。     

Effects of operation parameters on NO emission in an oxy-fired CFB combustor

Oxy-fuel Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) combustion technology, a very promising technology for CO₂ capture, combines many advantages of oxy-fuel and CFB technologies. Experiments were carried out in a 50 kW_th CFB facility to investigate how operation parameters influence the NO emission in O₂/CO₂ atmospheres. The simulated O₂/CO₂ atmospheres were used without recycling the flue gas. Results show that NO emission in 21% O₂/79% CO₂ atmosphere is lower than that in air atmosphere because of lower temperature and higher char and CO concentrations in the dense bed. Elevating O₂ concentration from 21% to 40% in O₂/CO₂ atmosphere enhances fuel-N conversion to NO. Increasing bed temperature or oxygen/fuel stoichiometric ratio brings higher NO emission in O₂/CO₂ atmosphere, which is consistent with the results in air-fired CFB combustion. As primary stream fraction increases, NO emission increases more rapidly in O₂/CO₂ atmosphere than that in air atmosphere. Stream staging is more efficient for controlling NO emission in oxy-CFB combustion than that in air combustion. Oxygen staging provides an efficient way to reduce NO emission in oxy-CFB combustion without influencing the hydrodynamic characteristic in the riser.     

Effect of oxygen sintering atmosphere on the electrical behavior of CCTO ceramics

The CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ ceramics were sintered in air and pure O₂ atmosphere, respectively, and the effect of pure O₂ atmosphere on the electrical behavior of the CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ ceramics was investigated. It was found that the dielectric properties of the CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ ceramics displayed a Debye-like relaxation between 20 Hz and 1 MHz, but the permittivity of the sample sintered in pure O₂ atmosphere was decreased drastically. Moreover, the I-V behavior of the ceramic sintered in pure O₂ atmosphere presented a linear feature. With XPS analysis, it was illustrated that the valence of Cu and Ti elements in the CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ ceramics had obviously been influenced by the O₂ concentration. Based on the experimental comparison of CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ ceramics sintered in air and pure O₂ atmosphere, it was suggested that the valence of metallic elements and defects played key role for the origin of the giant permittivity and I-V nonlinear feature in the CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ ceramics.     

Influence of calcination rate on morphologies and magnetic properties of MnFe2O4 nanofibers

In the present study, we succesfully synthesized electrospun MnFe₂O₄ nanofibers (NFs) from poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)/manganese(II) nitrate composite by electrospinning and then as-spun NFs were calcined 450 °C for 2 h in air atmosphere to remove the polymer matrix and fabricate inorganic MnFe₂O₄ nanofibers. In order to investigate the sintering behavior of MnFe₂O₄ nanofibers in air atmosphere, the synthesized as-spun nanofibers were calcined with different calcination rates. Thus the effect of calcination rate on structure and morphology of nanofibers were discussed clearly. The structural, magnetic, morphological, spectroscopic and thermal characterizations were also done by XRD, VSM, TEM, SEM, FTIR and TG analysis. In the presence of slow calcination rate, only peaks of MnFe₂O₄ could be observed on other hand in the presence of rapid calcination rate, formation of an impurity was observed. Scanning electron microscope images revealed that MnFe₂O₄ nanorods possess a broader range size distribution with higher particle size. Also, magnetic properties were both size and shape dependent.     

Effect of the pre-sintering atmosphere on the microstructures and optical qualities of transparent spinel ceramics

The densification process, microstructure evolution, and final optical quality of the transparent MgO?nAl₂O₃ (n = 1.1 and 1.5) ceramics pre-sintered in air and under vacuum were investigated for the effects of pre-sintering atmosphere. The samples pre-sintered in air exhibited uniform microstructure, which was easier to obtain high optical quality at lower HIP temperatures. However, non-cubic precipitates appeared in the samples with a high Al₂O₃/MgO ratio after HIP treatment, resulting in the deterioration of transmittance. For the samples pre-sintered under vacuum, a large-grain layer was formed on the sample surface due to accelerated MgO volatilization. However, non-cubic precipitates did not appear due to the generation of oxygen vacancies. The mechanisms of formation of the large-grain layer, non-cubic precipitates were discussed from the viewpoint of MgO vaporization, Al₂O₃/MgO molar ratio, and oxygen vacancy.     

Characterization and property of magnetic ferrite ceramics with interesting multilayer structure prepared by solid-state reaction

Polyhedral MnFe₂O₄ with multilayer structure was successfully synthesized, and the possible originating mechanism of multilayer structure was firstly determined in current study. The phase formation, morphology evolution and interface reaction of the solid-state reaction of MnO₂ and Fe₂O₃ mixture under air and reduction atmospheres were comparatively investigated, and the microwave absorption property of polyhedral MnFe₂O₄ with multilayer structure were discussed via the XRD, SEM, XPS, TEM, AFM and vector network analyzer measurements. Experiment results showed that multilayer MnFe₂O₄ can be synthesized both in the air at 1200–1300 °C and in 4 vol%CO at 1000–1100 °C. The reduction atmosphere was favorable to the formation of multilayer structure of MnFe₂O₄ due to the occurrence of multilayer MnO as the intermedium. In addition, morphology evolution demonstrated that the particle size of MnO₂ after reduction was decreased remarkably which was also beneficial to the formation of MnFe₂O₄. However, air atmosphere is unfavorable to the generation of MnFe₂O₄ due to the recrystallization growth of Fe₂O₃ to lump impeding the element diffusion. Resultantly, the required temperature for the synthesis of MnFe₂O₄ in air was much higher than that in 4 vol% CO. One possible mechanism for the polyhedral MnFe₂O₄ with multilayer structure was based on the combination of the greater growth speed of (111) plane in the cubic MnFe₂O₄ crystal and terrace-ledge-kink (TLK) growth model. Moreover, multilayer MnFe₂O₄ prepared by the solid-state reaction presented good microwave absorbing property compared with that of the ferrites synthesized via the representative wet chemistry and combined methods.     

Hot Corrosion of Stabilized Zirconia Thermal Barrier Coatings and the Role of Mg Inhibitor

The 3–4 mol% yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is widely used as a material for thermal barrier coating; however, the corrosive constituents present in fuel typically result in mechanical disintegration of YSZ coatings. The 3–4 mol% YSZ coatings with respective porosity of ~3% and ~22% have been undertaken with the objective to compare the hot corrosion behavior in air and sulfur‐rich atmospheres. The coatings are kept in contact with V₂O₅ + MgO powder mixture at 750°C for different dwell times of 24 and 76 h. The samples kept in air have shown intact YSZ layer for both the coatings, whereas a delamination of YSZ layer is observed for high porosity sample kept in sulfur‐rich atmosphere. XRD patterns of all the samples treated in sulfur‐rich atmosphere have indicated a phase transformation in YSZ from tetragonal to monoclinic. However, no such phase transformation has been found for samples treated in air. The V₂O₅‐induced hot corrosion attack on YSZ coating in air has been successfully inhibited by MgO, which forms a thermally stable Mg₃V₂O₈ compound. However, in sulfur‐rich atmosphere, MgO is partially consumed to form sulfates, which allows certain fraction of V₂O₅ to react with Y₂O₃ causing the degradation of top coat.     

Effect of heat treatment conditions on the growth of MgAl2O4 nanoparticles obtained by sol-gel method

MgAl₂O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by sol–gel method using aluminium nitrate, magnesium nitrate and citric acid as starting materials, phenolic formaldehyde resin and carbon black as additives. Growth of MgAl₂O₄ NPs in different heat treatment conditions (temperature, atmosphere, carbon additives and in Al₂O₃-C system) was investigated. MgAl₂O₄ NPs were formed at 600 °C in air atmosphere with serious agglomeration of nanoparticles having diameter of approximate 30 nm. The size of MgAl₂O₄ NPs increased greatly from 40 to 50 nm to several hundreds of nanometres as the temperature was raised from 800 °C to 1400 °C. Partial sintering of NPs was observed upon heating at temperatures higher than 1200 °C in air. In reducing atmosphere, the size of MgAl₂O₄ NPs (about 30–50 nm) changed slightly with increasing temperature. This was attributed to the dispersion of carbon inclusions in the MgAl₂O₄ grain boundaries, inducing a steric hindrance effect and inhibiting the growth of particles. MgAl₂O₄ NPs (30–50 nm) in the Al₂O₃-C system were in-situ formed at high temperatures with the use of dried precursor gels. MgAl₂O₄ NPs can contribute to improving the thermal shock resistance of Al₂O₃-C materials.     

CaAl2Cr2O7: Formation,synthesis, and characterization of a new Cr(III) compound under air atmosphere in the Al2O3–CaO–Cr2O3 system

Despite huge potential, Al₂O₃–CaO–Cr₂O₃ system has been one of the least investigated one due to the generation of carcinogenic and toxic Cr(VI) compounds. Herein, we investigated the system under air atmosphere varying Cr₂O₃ while keeping Al₂O₃:CaO ratio constant in order to identify the Cr(VI) dominant region, eventually to avoid it. The Ca₄Al₆Cr^VIO₁₆ phase predominantly formed in the air atmosphere with Cr₂O₃ content up to ∼12 mol%. However, an unprecedented Cr(III) phase appeared under air at higher Cr₂O₃ content (26.43 mol%). We then synthesized the new polycrystalline ternary Cr(III) compound (CaAl₂Cr₂O₇) at 1500 °C under air atmosphere for the first time. A trigonal symmetry of hexagonal crystal family with space group P3 (143), lattice parameters a = b = 7.7909 Å and c = 7.6506 Å were determined from the X-ray powder diffraction pattern study. Electron microscope studies revealed uniform hexagonal microcrystals with similar lattice parameters. Most significantly, the binding energies of 586.1 and 576.2 eV for Cr2p_1/2 and Cr2p_3/2 respectively implied the +3 oxidation state of Cr in this compound.     

Phase evolution and thermal behaviors of the solid-state reaction between SrCO3 and Al2O3 to form SrAl2O4 under air and CO2-air atmospheres

The solid-state reactions between SrCO₃ and Al₂O₃ forming SrAl₂O₄ under air and CO₂-air atmospheres were investigated. The solid-state reaction between SrCO₃ and Al₂O₃ under a CO₂ atmosphere can be separated into multiple reaction stages. The first stage is attributed to the formation of SrAl₂O₄ resulting from the reaction between SrCO₃ and Al₂O₃. The diffusion of Al₂O₃ through the product layer then takes place to continue the reaction. At a higher temperature, the Sr₃Al₂O₆ formation reaction occurs due to the chemical reaction between SrCO₃ and SrAl₂O₄. The SrCO₃ is thermally finally decomposed. The resulting SrO may diffuse rapidly through the product layer, producing pure SrAl₂O₄ formation via a complicated diffusion process at a much higher temperature. These reaction stages occur at very close temperatures under an air atmosphere, leading to a complex reaction between the solids in air.     

The Effects of Annealing Atmosphere on the Electrical Properties of MgNb2O6/ITO Heterostructures

The effects of annealing atmosphere (N₂, air and O₂) on the electrical properties of sol–gel‐derived MgNb₂O₆/ITO heterostructures are discussed in this work. All samples exhibited the amorphous phase and were highly transparent. The percentage of Nb⁴⁺ content increased when the films were annealed in the oxygen‐deficient conditions, which could lead to semiconducting films. In addition, the results show that the electrical properties of sol–gel‐derived MgNb₂O₆ thin films could be tuned based on the annealing atmosphere. Moreover, the conduction mechanisms of MgNb₂O₆/ITO heterostructures are also discussed in this study. The results show that MgNb₂O₆ thin films have potential for use in multifunctional optoelectronic applications, due to their flexible electrical properties and good transparency.     

Study on the sintering behavior and characterization of the IGZO ceramics by slip casting

High-purity In₂O₃, Ga₂O₃ and ZnO (In:Ga:Zn = 1:1:1) mixtures were employed to fabricate the IGZO (In-Ga-Zn-O) ceramics by slip casting. The rheological properties and zeta potential of IGZO slurry were analyzed in details. The optimum amount of dispersant used in the IGZO slurry is studied in details. This study investigated the relationship between the phase composition of sintered IGZO ceramics and sintering temperatures. The IGZO ceramics with high density and low resistivity are successfully synthesized in an air atmosphere, and their grain size is distributed uniformly.     

Differences in reactivity of pulverised coal in air (O2/N2) and oxy-fuel (O2/CO2) conditions

The reactivity of four pulverised Australian coals were measured under simulated air (O₂/N₂) and oxy-fuel (O₂/CO₂) environments using a drop tube furnace (DTF) maintained at 1673 K and a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) run under non-isothermal (heating) conditions at temperatures up to 1473 K. The oxygen concentration, covering a wide and practical range, was varied in mixtures of O₂/N₂ and O₂/CO₂ in the range of 3 to 21 vol.% and 5 to 30 vol.%, respectively. The apparent volatile yield measured in CO₂ in the DTF was greater than in N₂ for all the coals studied. Pyrolysis experiments in the TGA also revealed an additional mass loss in a CO₂ atmosphere, not observed in a N₂ atmosphere, at relatively high temperatures. The coal burnout measured in the DTF at several O₂ concentrations revealed significantly higher burnouts for two coals and similar burnouts for the other two coals in oxy-fuel conditions. TGA experiments with char also revealed higher reactivity at high temperatures and low O₂ concentration. The results are consistent with a char–CO₂ reaction during the volatile yield experiments, but additional experiments are necessary to resolve the mechanisms determining the differences in coal burnout.     

The effect of Al2O3 on the high‐temperature oxidation resistance of Si‐B‐C ceramic under air atmosphere

Si‐B‐C ceramics were prepared through reaction sintering, and the influence of Al₂O₃ addition on the high‐temperature (1100‐1300°C) oxidation behavior of the material under air atmosphere was studied. The erosion behavior and mechanism are determined from the measurement of weigh changes, microstructure observations, and characterization of the generated oxides on postexposure specimens. Results show that Al₂O₃ is enriched in the oxidized layer, inhibiting the volatilization of B₂O₃ and impeding the crystallization ability of oxide (cristobalite). Narrower erosion layer and less weigh change are observed with Al₂O₃. Low‐frequency Raman results reveals that with the increase in Al₂O₃, the bending vibrations of the BO₄ units and B‐O‐B stretching of the metaborate ring relative intensity are enhanced. Furthermore, high‐frequency Raman results shows that the relative proportion of high‐dimensional vibration modes Q³ and Q⁴ which result in a higher viscosity of melt and a greater resistance of oxygen diffusion are positively correlated with Al₂O₃.     

Influence of sintering atmosphere on the phase,microstructure, and lithium-ion conductivity of the Al-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolyte

Al-doped Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (Al–LLZO) solid electrolytes were sintered at 1150 ^°C for 8 h in atmosphere of oxygen, argon and air (named as Al–LLZO–O₂, Al–LLZO–Ar and Al–LLZO–Air, respectively). All the Al–LLZO samples exhibited a single cubic garnet-type structure. The sample of Al–LLZO–O₂ possessed the highest relative density (95.60%) and the largest average grain size among the three Al–LLZO samples. Furthermore, owing to its high relative density and small number of grain boundaries, Al–LLZO–O₂ demonstrated a higher lithium-ion conductivity than Al–LLZO–Ar and Al–LLZO–Air.     

Mechanism-based tuning of room-temperature ferromagnetism in Mn-doped β-Ga2O3 by annealing atmosphere

Mn-doped β-Ga₂O₃ (GMO) films with room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) are synthesized by polymer-assisted deposition, and the effects of annealing atmosphere (air or pure O₂ gas) on their structures and physical properties are investigated. The characterizations show that the concentrations of vacancy defects and Mn dopants in various valence states and lattice constants of the samples are all modulated by the annealing atmosphere. Notably, the samples annealed in air (GMO–air) exhibit a saturation magnetization as strong as 170% times that of the samples annealed in pure O₂ gas (GMO–O₂), which can be quantitatively explained by oxygen vacancy (V_O)-controlled ferromagnetism due to bound magnetic polarons established between delocalized hydrogenic electrons of V_Os and local magnetic moments of Mn²⁺, Mn³⁺, and Mn⁴⁺ ions in the samples. Our results provide insights into mechanism-based tuning of RTFM in Ga₂O₃ and may be useful for design, fabrication, and application of related spintronic materials.     

Effect of sintering atmospheres on the structure and properties of the 612 type barium-calcium-aluminate for the dispenser cathodes

The effects of air, hydrogen, and CO₂ and O₂ mixture sintering atmospheres on the structure, micromorphology, electron emission capability and environmental stability of 612 type barium-calcium-aluminates have been investigated. Both the 6BaO-1CaO-2Al₂O₃ aluminates sintered in air and hydrogen crystallize in the Ba₃CaAl₂O₇ phase. However, the aluminates with the same composition sintered in CO₂ and O₂ mixture crystallizes in the Ba₃Al₂O₆ phase with a small amount of BaCO₃ reactant. The microstructure for the aluminates sintered in air and H₂ show similar features while the sample sintered in CO₂ and O₂ mixture atmosphere shows better conglomeration. Emissivity tests indicate that the divergent current density J_div for the dispenser cathodes impregnated with aluminates sintering in air, H₂, and CO₂ and O₂ mixture atmospheres are 6.0, 6.1, and 7.6 A cm⁻² at 1130 °C_B, respectively. Finally, environmental stability tests indicate that the aluminates with the Ba₃CaAl₂O₆ phase sintered in air as well as hydrogen is more environmentally stable than that with Ba₃Al₂O₆ phase sintered in CO₂ and O₂ mixture. The process of sintering 612 aluminate in CO₂ and O₂ mixture is beneficial for superior emissivity on the condition of avoiding exposure to moisture.     

Effects of manganese oxide addition and reductive atmosphere annealing on the phase stability and microstructure of yttria stabilized zirconia

The effects of Mn₃O₄ addition and reductive atmosphere (N₂:H₂ = 97:3) annealing on the microstructure and phase stability of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramics during sintering at 1500 °C for 3 h in air and subsequent annealing in a reductive atmosphere were investigated. Mn₃O₄ added 6 mol% YSZ (6YSZ) and 10 mol% YSZ (10YSZ) ceramics were prepared via the conventional solid-state reaction processes. The X-ray diffraction results showed that a single cubic phase of ZrO₂ was obtained in 1 mol% Mn₃O₄ added 6YSZ ceramic at a sintering temperature of 1500 °C for 3 h. A trace amount of monoclinic ZrO₂ phases were observed for 1 mol% Mn₃O₄ added 6YSZ ceramics after annealing at 1300 °C for 60 cycles in a reductive atmosphere by transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, a single cubic ZrO₂ phase existed stably as Mn₃O₄ added 10YSZ ceramics was annealed at 1300 °C for 60 cycles in reductive atmosphere.     

Modification of pore size in activated carbon by polymer deposition and its effects on molecular sieve selectivity

The separation of air for nitrogen production can be carried out by pressure-swing-adsorption over a carbon molecular sieve. The separation is kinetically controlled, since the equilibrium adsorption of both oxygen and nitrogen is very similar, but the adsorption kinetics for oxygen is faster than for nitrogen. Several methods to prepare carbon molecular sieves are reported. In this work, we synthesized a carbon molecular sieve from a commercial activated carbon. After deposition of polyfurfuryl alcohol, these materials were subjected to carbonization at 800°C under an inert atmosphere. All the microporous materials were characterized by analysis of kinetics and equilibrium adsorption data. The molecular sieve performance was assessed by the O₂/N₂ uptake ratio. The material prepared by two depositions has characteristics similar to those of commercial CMS.