Modulation of electrical transport in calcium cobaltite ceramics and thick films through microstructure control and doping

Ca₃Co₄O₉ is a promising p-type thermoelectric oxide material having intrinsically low thermal conductivity. With low cost and opportunities for automatic large scale production, thick film technologies offer considerable potential for a new generation of micro-sized thermoelectric coolers or generators. Here, based on the chemical composition optimized by traditional solid state reaction for bulk samples, we present a viable approach to modulating the electrical transport properties of screen-printed calcium cobaltite thick films through control of the microstructural evolution by optimized heat-treatment. XRD and TEM analysis confirmed the formation of high-quality calcium cobaltite grains. By creating 2.0 at% cobalt deficiency in Ca_2.7Bi_0.3Co₄O_9+δ, the pressureless sintered ceramics reached the highest power factor of 98.0 μWm^?1 K^-2 at 823 K, through enhancement of electrical conductivity by reduction of poorly conducting secondary phases. Subsequently, textured thick films of Ca_2.7Bi_0.3Co_3.92O_9+δ were efficiently tailored by controlling the sintering temperature and holding time. Optimized Ca_2.7Bi_0.3Co_3.92O_9+δ thick films sintered at 1203 K for 8 h exhibited the maximum power factor of 55.5 μWm^?1 K^-2 at 673 K through microstructure control.     

A novel pre-dilution,swirling jet diffuser to enhance effluent mixing: Hydrodynamics and dilution performance

Diffusers are widely-used to quickly dilute effluents in receiving water bodies. This study proposed a novel diffuser that pre-mixes effluent with ambient water before discharging and that uses the swirling jet to further enhance near-field dilution. The nozzle of the diffuser was examined in two ambient flow conditions: co-flow and counter-flow that are commonly-met in the environment such as oceans due to tidal effect. Physical experiments were first conducted in co-flow on its dilution performance and hydrodynamics, using heated water as the effluent. A 3-D CFD model was developed and calibrated the co-flow scenarios, and then used to investigate the diffuser in counter-flow. The results showed that the nozzle can effectively reduce the maximum temperature rise of the effluent by about 50 % before discharging. The swirling jet from the outlet has a larger shear area, half-width and entrainment rate, enabling the effluent to be rapidly diluted to a minimum of around 10 times at x/D = 6 in co-flow, whereas the dilution for conventional nozzles is about 1 because of the potential core. The flow amplification ratio (α) decreases gradually with increasing velocity ratio in co-flow but increases with increasing velocity ratio in counter-flow. The counter-flow reduces the water drawn into the device; however, the pre-dilution effect at the outlet remains stable. The near-field dilution in counter-flow was significantly enhanced than that in co-flow. Environmental regulations at outfalls and mixing zones can be more easily met using this novel diffuser.     

Motion trajectory prediction model of hydrogen leak and diffusion in a stable thermally-stratified environment

The motion trajectory of hydrogen leakage is an essential safe issue for the application of hydrogen energy. A dimensionless fast-running motion trajectory prediction model is proposed to predict the dispersion characteristics of the buoyant jet of hydrogen leakage for the accident. The impact of different leakage angles, leakage velocity and thermal stratification of ambient air on hydrogen leakage behavior was analyzed. The new developed model was verified by experimental results in literatures. Leakage hydrogen can flow upwards freely in a uniform environment. However, it shows an oscillating trajectory at a certain height in a thermally stratified environment, which is so called “locking phenomenon”. The trajectory of hydrogen leakage is upward and hydrogen gathers at the top of the space to form stratification in a uniform environment, while the hydrogen leakage shows an oscillating trajectory at a certain height in a thermal stratification environment. With the increase of Froude number Fr, it shows that the stable height and maximum height of the leakage airflow have a trend of rising first and then falling in a thermally stratified environment. The findings are expected to give guidance in real-world situations, for example, a larger Fr value and a larger temperature gradient can lead to a decrease in the stable height in the thermally stratified environment. It is found that the fitting of the stable height with different temperature gradients satisfies the power function relationship. This work is expected to be helpful for reducing hydrogen leakage accumulation and explosion risk.     

Experimental investigation on the invert stability of operating railway tunnels with different drainage systems using 3D printing technology

In recent years, the invert anomalies of operating railway tunnels in water-rich areas occur frequently, which greatly affect the transportation capacity of the railway lines. Tunnel drainage system is a crucial factor to ensure the invert stability by regulating the external water pressure (EWP). By means of a three-dimensional (3D) printing model, this paper experimentally investigates the deformation behavior of the invert for the tunnels with the traditional drainage system (TDS) widely used in China and its optimized drainage system (ODS) with bottom drainage function. Six test groups with a total of 110 test conditions were designed to consider the design factors and environmental factors in engineering practice, including layout of the drainage system, blockage of the drainage system and groundwater level fluctuation. It was found that there are significant differences in the water discharge, EWP and invert stability for the tunnels with the two drainage systems. Even with a dense arrangement of the external blind tubes, TDS was still difficult to eliminate the excessive EWP below the invert, which is the main cause for the invert instability. Blockage of drainage system further increased the invert uplift and aggravated the track irregularity, especially when the blockage degree is more than 50%. However, ODS can prevent these invert anomalies by reasonably controlling the EWP at tunnel bottom. Even when the groundwater level reached 60 m and the blind tubes were fully blocked, the invert stability can still be maintained and the railway track experienced a settlement of only 1.8 mm. Meanwhile, the on-site monitoring under several rainstorms further showed that the average EWP of the invert was controlled within 84 kPa, while the maximum settlement of the track slab was only 0.92 mm, which also was in good agreement with the results of model test.     

Fabrication of alumina ceramics with functional gradient structures by digital light processing 3D printing technology

Alumina ceramics with different unit numbers and gradient modes were prepared by digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology. The side length of each functional gradient structure was 10 mm, the porosity ratio was controlled to 70%, and the number of units were (1 × 1 × 1 unit) and (2 × 2 × 2 unit) respectively. The different gradient modes were named FCC, GFCC-1, GFCC-2 and GFCC-3. SEM, XRD, and other characterization methods proved that these gradient structures of alumina ceramics had only α-Al2O3 phase and good surface morphology. The mechanical properties and energy absorption properties of alumina ceramics with different functional gradient structures were studied by compression test. The results show that the gradient structure with 1 × 1 × 1 unit has better mechanical properties and energy absorption properties when the number of units is different. When the number of units is the same, GFCC-2 and GFCC-3 gradient structures have better compressive performance and energy absorption potential than FCC structures. The GFCC-2 gradient structure with 1 × 1 × 1 unit has a maximum compressive strength of 19.62 MPa and a maximum energy absorption value of 2.72 × 105 J/m3. The good performance of such functional gradient structures can provide new ideas for the design of lightweight and compressive energy absorption structures in the future.     

Fabrication of barium titanate ceramics via digital light processing 3D printing by using high refractive index monomer

A digital light processing (DLP) technology has been developed for 3D printing lead-free barium titanate (BTO) piezoelectric ceramics. By comparing the curing and rheological properties of slurries with different photosensitive monomer, a high refractive index monomer acryloyl morpholine (ACMO) was chosen, and a design and preparation method of BTO slurry with high solid content, low viscosity and high curing ability was proposed. By further selecting the printing parameters, the single-layer exposure time was reduced and the forming efficiency has been greatly improved. Sintered specimens were obtained after a nitrogen-air double-step debinding and furnace sintering process, and the BTO ceramics fabricated with 80 wt% slurry shows the highest relative density (95.32 %) and piezoelectric constant (168.1 pC/N). Furthermore, complex-structured BTO ceramics were prepared, impregnated by epoxy resin and finally assembly made into hydrophones, which has significance for the future design and manufacture of piezoelectric ceramic-based composites that used in functional devices.     

4D Printing of Shape Memory Materials for Textiles: Mechanism,Mathematical Modeling,and Challenges

Shape memory materials (SMMs) in 3D printing (3DP) technology garnered much attention due to their ability to respond to external stimuli, which direct this technology toward an emerging area of research, “4D printing (4DP) technology.” In contrast to classical 3D printed objects, the fourth dimension, time, allows printed objects to undergo significant changes in shape, size, or color when subjected to external stimuli. Highly precise and calibrated 4D materials, which can perform together to achieve robust 4D objects, are in great demand in various fields such as military applications, space suits, robotic systems, apparel, healthcare, sports, etc. This review, for the first time, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, focuses on recent advances in SMMs (e.g., polymers, metals, etc.) based wearable smart textiles and fashion goods. This review integrates the basic overview of 3DP technology, fabrication methods, the transition of 3DP to 4DP, the chemistry behind the fundamental working principles of 4D printed objects, materials selection for smart textiles and fashion goods. The central part summarizes the effect of major external stimuli on 4D textile materials followed by the major applications. Lastly, prospects and challenges are discussed, so that future researchers can continue the progress of this technology.     

Nanogrooved carbon microtubes for wet three‐dimensional printing of conductive composite structures

Recent advances in three‐dimensional (3D) printing have enabled the fabrication of interesting structures which are not achievable using traditional fabrication approaches. The 3D printing of carbon microtube composite inks allows fabrication of conductive structures for practical applications in soft robotics and tissue engineering. However, it is challenging to achieve 3D printed structures from solution‐based composite inks, which requires an additional process to solidify the ink. Here, we introduce a wet 3D printing technique which uses a coagulation bath to fabricate carbon microtube composite structures. We show that through a facile nanogrooving approach which introduces cavitation and channels on carbon microtubes, enhanced interfacial interactions with a chitosan polymer matrix are achieved. Consequently, the mechanical properties of the 3D printed composites improve when nanogrooved carbon microtubes are used, compared to untreated microtubes. We show that by carefully controlling the coagulation bath, extrusion pressure, printing distance and printed line distance, we can 3D print composite lattices which are composed of well‐defined and separated printed lines. The conductive composite 3D structures with highly customised design presented in this work provide a suitable platform for applications ranging from soft robotics to smart tissue engineering scaffolds. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Feasibility study of large-scale mass customization 3D printing framework system with a case study on Nanjing Happy Valley East Gate

At present, the development and implementation of digital transformation are the keys to promoting high-quality industry development. The new digital fabrication method of robotic 3D printing is a research area being studied by many to tackle the issue of the declining productivity of traditional construction methods. Although many studies have been done, most of the current 3D printing projects are facing limitations in terms of scale. In order to bridge the gap, this article proposed a mass customization 3D printing framework system for large-scale projects. This article discusses how mass customization is made possible through the joint operation of the FUROBOT software and 3D printing hardware. By taking the east gate of Nanjing Happy Valley Plaza as a case study, the article demonstrates and studies the feasibility of the large-scale mass customization 3D printing framework system.