Electrodeposited composite coating of Ni-W-P with nano-sized rod- and spherical-shaped SiC particles

In this research, Ni-W-P-SiC nanocomposite coatings are electrodeposited from the plating solution containing suspension of nano-sized spherical- and rod-shaped SiC particles. The influence of SiC particle charge, applied current density, surfactant addition and the particle shape on the SiC incorporation rate has been studied. The phase structure, microhardness and wear resistance of Ni-W-P-SiC nanocomposite coatings were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness tester and wear test apparatus. The surface morphology of the produced coatings and worn surfaces has been investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Additionally, the composite coating exhibited higher hardness and wear resistance than the pure Ni-W-P alloy. Regardless the particle shape, the mechanical characteristics of composite coatings are improved with increasing of SiC wt.% into the matrix. The corrosion behavior of the produced coatings was studied using anodic polarization measurements. The nanocomposite coating incorporating SiC rods exhibited higher mechanical and corrosion performance compared with deposits with spherical SiC nano-particles.     

Void formation in metal matrix composites by solidification and shrinkage of an AlSi7 matrix between densely packed particles

Particle reinforced metals are developed as heat sink materials for advanced thermal management applications. Metal matrix composites combine the high thermal conductivity of a metal with a low coefficient of thermal expansion of ceramic reinforcements. SiC and carbon diamond particle reinforced aluminum offer suitable thermal properties for heat sink applications. These composites are produced by liquid metal infiltration of a densely packed particle preform. Wettability, interface bonding strength and thermal mismatch are critical for void formation which leads to thermal fatigue damage under operation. The evolution of voids in AlSiC and AlCD has been studied by in-situ high resolution synchrotron tomography during matrix solidification. Large irregularly shaped matrix voids form during eutectic solidification. These voids help alleviate thermal expansion mismatch stresses by visco-plastic matrix deformation during cooling to RT after solidification, if sufficient interface bonding strength is assumed.     

Studies on squeeze casting of Al 2124 alloy and 2124-10% SiCp metal matrix composite

Aluminium 2124 alloy and its composite with 10% SiC particles of average particle size of 23 μm were squeeze cast at different pressures. The effect of squeeze pressure during solidification was evaluated with respect to microstructural characteristics using optical microscopy and image analysis and mechanical properties by tensile testing. The microstructural refinement, elimination of casting defects such as shrinkage and gas porosities and improved distribution of SiC particles in the case of the composite were resulted when pressure is applied during solidification. A pressure level of 100 MPa was found to be sufficient to get the microstructural refinement and very low porosity level in both the alloy and the composite. The improved mechanical properties observed in the squeeze cast alloy and the composite could be attributed to the refinement of microstructure within the material.     

有机分散介质中纳米SiC粉体稳定悬浊液的制备

纳米粉体的稳定分散是制备微观结构均匀、缺陷少的纳米复相陶瓷坯体的关键。本文中采用Zeta电位、粒度分析、SEM等测试技术分析了超声震荡和HF酸洗对SiC纳米粉体的影响;对比研究了乙醇、乙二醇以及75%乙醇和25%乙二醇混合液作为分散介质,聚乙二醇为分散剂时纳米SiC粉体在不同pH下的分散稳定性,确定了粉体最佳超声震荡的最佳时间;探讨了酸洗的作用;并在乙二醇中,以1%PEG为分散剂,pH=10条件下获得了纳米碳化硅粉体的高稳定分散悬浮液。     

Thermally conducting aluminum nitride polymer-matrix composites

Thermally conducting, but electrically insulating, polymer-matrix composites that exhibit low values of the dielectric constant and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are needed for electronic packaging. For developing such composites, this work used aluminum nitride whiskers (and/or particles) and/or silicon carbide whiskers as fillers(s) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or epoxy as matrix. The highest thermal conductivity of 11.5 W/(m K) was attained by using PVDF, AlN whiskers and AlN particles (7 μm), such that the total filler volume fraction was 60% and the AlN whisker–particle ratio was 1:25.7. When AlN particles were used as the sole filler, the thermal conductivity was highest for the largest AlN particle size (115 μm), but the porosity increased with increasing AlN particle size. The thermal conductivity of AlN particle epoxy-matrix composite was increased by up to 97% by silane surface treatment of the particles prior to composite fabrication. The increase in thermal conductivity is due to decrease in the filler–matrix thermal contact resistance through the improvement of the interface between matrix and particles. At 60 vol.% silane-treated AlN particles only, the thermal conductivity of epoxy-matrix composite reached 11.0 W/(m K). The dielectric constant was quite high (up to 10 at 2 MHz) for the PVDF composites. The change of the filler from AlN to SiC greatly increased the dielectric constant. Combined use of whiskers and particles in an appropriate ratio gave composites with higher thermal conductivity and low CTE than the use of whiskers alone or particles alone. However, AlN addition caused the tensile strength, modulus and ductility to decrease from the values of the neat polymer, and caused degradation after water immersion.     

Highly controllable and green reduction of graphene oxide to flexible graphene film with high strength

Graphene film with high strength was fabricated by the assembly of graphene sheets derived from graphene oxide (GO) in an effective and environmentally friendly approach. Highly controllable reduction of GO to chemical converted graphene (CCG) was achieved with sodium citrate as a facile reductant, in which the reduction process was monitored by XRD analysis and UV–vis absorption spectra. Self-assembly of the as-made CCG sheets results in a flexible CCG film. This method may open an avenue to the easy and scalable preparation of graphene film with high strength which has promising potentials in many fields where strong, flexible and electrically conductive films are highly demanded.     

Effect of fluid–particle-interactions on dispersing nano-particles in epoxy resins using stirred-media-mills and three-roll-mills

Fibre reinforced composites are indispensable in the field of modern lightweight structures, such as used in aerospace, automotive industry or in wind power plants. Those materials provide high weight savings and increase the efficiency of a structure significantly. Therefore, various efforts are made to continuously improve the quality of the matrix and the fibres. By embedding nano-particles into the epoxy matrix, the mechanical properties as well as the electrical and thermal characteristics can significantly be improved [1]. In most cases these nano-sized particles are produced as dry powders not as single primary particles but rather as particle collectives consisting out of several primary particles. For the application in reinforced composites the particles must be suspended in epoxy resin as separately dispersed primary particles or in a certain aggregate size. Generally, the influencing parameters to break up the aggregates in a dispersion process can be divided into the stress mechanism, the intensity and the frequency of the dispersing machine itself, the properties of the dispersed particles (e.g. the particle–particle interactions) the properties of the homogenous phase and the particle–resin-interactions. Besides the effect of the chosen dispersing machine the optimization of the dispersing process was investigated by applying modified particle surfaces and varying the fluid properties. The results show that the surface properties of the particles must fit to the epoxy resin properties and the attractive forces between the primary particles must be reduced or the stabilization improved, respectively. An indication for an improved stabilization and adjustment of the particles surface properties to the fluid properties can be obtained by measurements of the contact angle and the rheological properties. Generally, an increase of viscosity and mass fraction of the product leads to a higher energetic efficiency of the dispersion process in the stirred media mill and three-roll-mill.     

Facile coordinating decoration of salophen Al on graphene nanosheet: Salophen Al complex functionalized graphene nanocomposite with electrochemical properties

Salophen Al complex functionalized graphene (SCFG) nanocomposite was synthesized by simple coordination of phenol functionalized graphene (PFG) and as-prepared salophen Al complex. This process is facile, convenient and high efficient. We also investigated the structure, optical properties and electrochemical properties of the obtained SCFG composites. The results showed that salophen Al conjugated and incorporated onto the graphene sheet surface and the composites maintained the micro-structure of graphene sheets without agglomeration. The photoluminescence of salophen Al was completely quenched by graphene, due to the charge transfer between the salophen Al and the graphene nanosheets. Moreover, a significant electrochemical signal emerged on the SCFG modified electrodes compared with those of the graphene sheets or salophen Al complex. Owing to preliminary results of the excellent electrochemical property, SCFG nanocomposite is a promising electrochemical redox probe material.     

Effect of the Presence of SiCp on Dendritic Coherency of Al-Si-Based Alloys During Solidification

In order to explore the effect of the presence of SiC particles on dendritic coherency during solidification of Al-Si based metallic alloys, a factorial fractional two levels experimental design was implemented to allow an identification of the main effects of the particle content, silicon content, grain refinement, and cooling rate on the solid fraction at coherency. This solidification parameter was determined for Al-3wt%Si and Al-7%Si alloys, and Al-3%Si/SiCp and Al-7%Si/SiCp metal matrix composites. The cooling process during solidification was monitored by performing cooling curve measurements at two radial locations within samples poured into cylindrical molds at two cooling rates. The experimental cooling curves were numerically processed by the Fourier thermal analysis method to know the evolution of solid fraction as a function of time. The effect of grain size was included using samples with or without grain size refinement. The grain refinement was obtained by adding predetermined quantities of TiAlB master alloy. It was found that presence of SiC particles affects the coherency point of the metal matrix composites increasing the solid fraction at coherency. However this effect is relatively small when compared to the effect of grain refinement, cooling rate, and Si content on dendritic coherency of experimental probes.     

Mechanical properties of rolled A356 based composites reinforced by Cu-coated bimodal ceramic particles

Three kinds of A356 based composites reinforced with 3 wt.% Al₂O₃ (average particle size: 170 μm), 3 wt.% SiC (average particle size: 15 μm), and 3 wt.% of mixed Al₂O₃–SiC powders (a novel composite with equal weights of reinforcement) were fabricated in this study via a two-step approach. This first process step was semi-solid stir casting, which was followed by rolling as the second process step. Electroless deposition of a copper coating onto the reinforcement was used to improve the wettability of the ceramic particles by the molten A356 alloy. From microstructural characterization, it was found that coarse alumina particles were most effective as obstacles for grain growth during solidification. The rolling process broke the otherwise present fine silicon platelets, which were mostly present around the Al₂O₃ particles. The rolling process was also found to cause fracture of silicon particles, improve the distribution of fine SiC particles, and eliminate porosity remaining after the first casting process step. Examination of the mechanical properties of the obtained composites revealed that samples which contained a bimodal ceramic reinforecment of fine SiC and coarse Al₂O₃ particles had the highest strength and hardness.     

Enhanced microwave absorption properties of flake-shaped FePCB metallic glass/graphene composites

A novel kind of composite absorber, i.e. FePCB/graphene composite, with excellent microwave absorption properties was successfully fabricated by a simple and scalable ball milling method. After being milled, the FePCB particles displayed flaky morphology with large aspect ratio. The complex permittivity and permeability of the flaky FePCB distinctly increased compared with those before milling. Furthermore, with the introduction of graphene, the flaky FePCB/graphene composite exhibited excellent microwave absorption performance with strong absorption and wide absorption band. In particular, for FePCB/graphene composite with an absorber thickness of 2 mm, the reflection loss (RL) reached a minimum of −45.3 dB at 12.6 GHz and the effective absorption bandwidth (RL < −10 dB) covered 5.4 GHz. The enhanced microwave absorption performance of the FePCB/graphene composite was attributed to the high magnetic loss and improved impedance matching which were closely related to the flake-shaped FePCB particles and the introduction of graphene sheets.     

Al-Si/SiC nanoparticles composites synthesized by double stir casting

The present invention provides Al-Si/SiC nanoparticles composites with the composition of 7%Si, 15%SiC with average particle size (APS) of SiC, 20, 30, 40 nm and 65μm using a novel double stir casting method. The inventive nano-composites by double stir casting show a nearly uniform distribution and good dispersion of the nano-particles within the Al matrix, although small agglomeration was found in the matrix of the micro-composite. The enhancement in values of impact strength and tensile strength observed in this study is due to small particle size and good distribution of the nano particles, which were confirmed by SEM spectrum. Patents WO 2010135848 and WO2011/011601 have some relevant information about the topic developed in this study, because the principle in both cases relies on the interactions between metal matrix and the nano-particles. Hence, novel double stir casting method can be used to improve the properties of nano-composites.     

Stabilisation in and rejection of ceramic particles from molten aluminium alloy: modelling and experimental testing

A model has been developed to explain the stabilisation of ceramic particles dispersed in a molten metal by equilibrium interfacial coupling between the ceramic particles and the molten metal. Such equilibrium interfacial coupling is proposed to be an energy-activated process determined by the equilibrium conversion and the overall kinetics of the applied interfacial chemical interaction. In addition, the model was experimentally verified by observing the rejection of BN-coated SiC particles from the molten aluminum alloy. The moment of rejection was experimentally determined by measuring changes in electrical resistance of the slurry and the variations in electrical power required for its constant stirring. Experiments also showed that BN surface-coated SiC powder used in this study can be successfully immersed in an aluminum melt. Furthermore, this cost-effective processing technique can be applied in order to prepare a stable and highly concentrated (>30 vol%) metallic suspension of ceramic particles different in their particle size and specific surface area, which is of great practical interest in production of discontinuously reinforced metal-matrix composites.     

Growth of graphene sheets under an oxyacetylene flame without a catalyst北大核心CSCD

High quality graphene sheets that had a low I-D/I-G and a high 2D intensity in Raman spectra were prepared by a catalyst-free acetylene flame method. The sheets were grown vertically on the surface of carbon particles to form a petal-like morphology. A high temperature, high pressure and short residence time of the flame intensified the decomposition and cyclization reaction's of acetylene, leading to the formation of graphene sheets in the gas phase. The turbulent flame and the gases released during the formation of the graphene sheets from carbon nuclei could be responsible for their petal-like morphology instead of an onion-like structure.     

A facile method to prepare stable noncovalent functionalized graphene solution by using thionine

A novel noncovalent functionalization approach was presented here to exfoliate and stabilize the chemical converted graphene and the low-temperature exfoliated graphene in aqueous solution by using thionine. It was found that the thionine exhibited the π-π stacking force with the graphene sheets, and the attachment of thionine molecules onto the graphenes’ surfaces could obviously improve their solubility in water. The AFM observation further verified that the graphene sheets with single-layer to double-layer were existed in the dispersions. The electronic test indicated that the modified graphene sheets possessed excellent electronic properties.     

Closely packed Si@C and Sn@C nano-particles anchored by reduced graphene oxide sheet boosting anode performance of lithium ion batteries

Both silicon and tin are promising anodes for new generation lithium ion batteries due to high lithium storage capacities (theoretically 4200 mA h g-1 and 992 mA h g-1,respectively).However,their large volumetric expansions (both are above 300 ％) usually lead to poor cycling stability.In this case,we synthesized closely packed Si@C and Sn@C nano-particles anchored by reduced graphene oxide (denoted as Si@C/Sn@C/rGO) by the way of solution impregnation and subsequent hydrogenation reduction.Sn particles with a diameter of 100 nm are coated by carbon and surrounded by Si@C particles around 40 nm in average diameter through the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.Expansions of Si and Sn are alleviated by carbon shells,and reduced graphene oxide sheets accommodate their volume changes.The prepared Si@C/Sn@C/rGO electrode delivers an enhanced initial coulombic efficiency (78％),rate capability and greatly improved cycle stability (a high reversible capacity of nearly 1000 mA h g-1 is achieved after 300 cycles at a current density of 1000 mA g-1).It can be believed that packing Sn@C nano-particles with Si@C relieves the volume expansion of both and releases the expansion stresses.Sn@C particles enhance anode process kinetics by reducing charge transfer resistance and increasing lithium ion diffusion coefficient.The present work provides a viable strategy for facilely synthesizing silicon-tin-carbon composite anode with long life.     

Characterization and corrosion behavior of electroless Ni–P/nano-SiC coating inside the CO2 containing media in the presence of acetic acid

In this research, Ni–P and Ni–P/nano-SiC coatings were applied on the X70 steel substrate successfully without any surfactant. Then, CO₂ corrosion in the presence of acetic acid (HAc) was investigated using electrochemical techniques. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used for surface analyses of the coatings. The electrochemical behavior of corrosion was investigated using polarization test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). XRD pattern of Ni–P/nano-SiC coating was very similar to that of Ni–P coating. EDS results demonstrated the presence of SiC particles in the coating. SEM images confirmed the presence of SiC nano-particles with almost uniform distribution in the coating. The corrosion current density was less in the Ni–P and Ni–P/nano-SiC coated samples than uncoated X70 steel. Ni–P/nano-SiC coated sample had the most corrosion resistance because of less effective metallic area available for corrosive media. The overall protection mechanism of Ni–P and Ni–P/nano-SiC coatings was achieved by formation of a layer of adsorbed hypophosphite anions (H₂PO₂⁻).     

Enhanced thermal conductivity and retained electrical insulation for polyimide composites with SiC nanowires grown on graphene hybrid fillers

Polyimide (PI) composites containing one-dimensional SiC nanowires grown on two-dimensional graphene sheets (1D–2D SiC_NWs-GSs) hybrid fillers were successfully prepared. The PI/SiC_NWs-GSs composites synchronously exhibited high thermal conductivity and retained electrical insulation. Moreover, the heat conducting properties of PI/SiC_NWs-GSs films present well reproducibility within the temperature range from 25 to 175 °C. The maximum value of thermal conductivity of PI composite is 0.577 W/mK with 7 wt% fillers loading, increased by 138% in comparison with that of the neat PI. The 1D SiC nanowires grown on the GSs surface prevent the GSs contacting with each other in the PI matrix to retain electrical insulation of PI composites. In addition, the storage modulus and Young’s modulus of PI composites are remarkably improved in comparison with that of the neat PI.     

Water dispersible graphene noncovalently functionalized with tryptophan and its poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite

Graphene sheets functionalized noncovalently with aromatic amino acid, tryptophan (Tryp), were prepared by reducing graphene oxide through hydrazine hydrate. Tryp-functionalized graphene is water dispersible and can be stabilized for several months. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis absorption and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the nanostructures and the properties of graphene. Application of the graphene dispersion to poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with the help of tryptophan to prepare nanocomposite was also carried out. And the PVA/graphene nanocomposite was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile testing. A 23% improvement in tensile strength and moderate increases in Young’s modulus and thermal stability for PVA were achieved by adding only 0.2 wt% graphene sheets.     

Tailored Crumpling and Unfolding of Spray‐Dried Pristine Graphene and Graphene Oxide Sheets

For the first time, pristine graphene can be controllably crumpled and unfolded. The mechanism for graphene is radically different than that observed for graphene oxide; a multifaced crumpled, dimpled particle morphology is seen for pristine graphene in contrast to the wrinkled, compressed surface of graphene oxide particles, showing that surface chemistry dictates nanosheet interactions during the crumpling process. The process demonstrated here utilizes a spray‐drying technique to produce droplets of aqueous graphene dispersions and induce crumpling through rapid droplet evaporation. For the first time, the gradual dimensional transition of 2D graphene nanosheets to a 3D crumpled morphology in droplets is directly observed; this is imaged by a novel sample collection device inside the spray dryer itself. The degree of folding can be tailored by altering the capillary forces on the dispersed sheets during evaporation. It is also shown that the morphology of redispersed crumpled graphene powder can be controlled by solvent selection. This process is scalable, with the ability to rapidly process graphene dispersions into powders suitable for a variety of engineering applications.