Zirconium-Embedded Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Containing Phosphaphenanthrene-Substituent Group Used as Flame Retardants for Epoxy Resin Composites

A zirconium hybrid polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane derivative (Zr–POSS–bisDOPO) is synthesized by the corner-capping and Kabachnik–Fields reactions. It is characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and then used as a flame retardant in diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) to endow epoxy resin (EP) with flame retardancy. The flame retardancy, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of the cured EP/Zr–POSS–bisDOPO composites are investigated. The results show that when Zr–POSS–bisDOPO is added by 5–7 wt%, the EP/Zr–POSS–bisDOPO composites pass the UL-94 V-0 rating test. In addition, they have a better flame-retardant effect than pure EP. The combination of Zr atom embedded in the Si O cubic cage and the two phosphaphenanthrene substituent groups in one corner of cubic cage is expected to realize the Zr/Si/P ternary intramolecular hybrid synergistic effect and achieve the possibility of dispersing metal–POSS cages at a sub-micrometer-scale level into polymer matrix. It also proves that Zr–POSS–bisDOPO produces phosphorus-containing free radicals and terminates the chain reactions in gas phase. Meanwhile the Si O Si and Zr O units are retained in the solid phase, which promote the char formation and enhance the flame retardancy. This kind of Zr-doped POSS will be helpful for developing the new metal–POSS hybrid flame-retardant and polymer composites.     

Synthesis of NaYF4:20% Yb3+,2% Er3+,2% Ce3+@NaYF4 nanorods and their size dependent uptake efficiency under flow condition

Lanthanide doped fluorescent nanoparticles have gained considerable attention in biomedical applications. However, the low uptake efficiency of nanoparticles by cells has limited their applications. In this work, we demonstrate how the uptake efficiency is affected by the size of nanoparticles under flow conditions. Using the same size NaYF₄:20% Yb³⁺,2% Er³⁺,2% Ce³⁺ (the contents of rare earths elements are in molar fraction) nanoparticles as core, NaYF₄:20% Yb³⁺,2% Er³⁺,2% Ce³⁺@NaYF₄ core–shell structured nanorods (NRs) with different sizes of 60–224 nm were synthesized by thermal decomposition and hot injection method. Under excitation at 980 nm, a strong upconversion green emission (541 nm, ²H_11/2 → ⁴I_15/2 of Er³⁺) is observed for all samples. The emission intensity for each size nanorod was calibrated and is found to depend on the width of NRs. Under flow conditions, the nanorods with 96 nm show a maximum uptake efficiency by endothelial cells. This work demonstrates the importance of optimizing the size for improving the uptake efficiency of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles.     

Phase transition of lithiated-spinel Li2Mn2O4 at high temperature

1 Introduction Lithium manganese oxides are the most attractive cathode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries because of their low-cost and less toxicity when compared with either cobaltates or nickelates[1?3]. Among these oxides, the spinel-fr…     

Thermodynamic database of the phase diagrams in the Mg-Al-Zn-Y-Ce system

The Mg-Al-Zn-Y-Ce system is one of the key systems for designing high-strength Mg alloys. The purpose of the present article is to develop a thermodynamic database for the Mg-Al-Zn-Y-Ce multicomponent system to design Mg alloys using the calculation of phase diagrams （CALPHAD） method, where the Gibbs energies of solution phases such as liquid, fcc, bcc, and hcp phases were described by the subregular solution model, whereas those of all the compounds were described by the sublattice model. The thermodynamic parameters describing Gibbs energies of the different phases in this database were evaluated by fitting the experimental data for phase equilibria and thermodynamic properties. On the basis of this database, a lot of information concerning stable and metastable phase equilibria of isothermal and vertical sections, molar fractions of constituent phases, the liquidus projection, etc., can be predicted. This database is expected to play an important role in the design of Mg alloys.     

Failure mode and effects analysis using D numbers and grey relational projection method

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a widely used risk assessment tool for defining, identifying and eliminating potential failures or problems in products, process, designs and services. Two critical issues of FMEA are the representation and handling of various types of assessments and the determination of risk priorities of failure modes. Many different approaches have been suggested to enhance the performance of traditional FMEA; however, deficiencies exist in these approaches. In this paper, based on a more effective representation of uncertain information, called D numbers, and an improved grey relational analysis method, grey relational projection (GRP), a new risk priority model is proposed for the risk evaluation in FMEA. In the proposed model, the assessment results of risk factors given by FMEA team members are expressed and modeled by D numbers. The GRP method is used to determine the risk priority order of the failure modes that have been identified. Finally, an illustrative case is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed model.     

An effective node-selection scheme for the energy efficiency of solar-powered WSNs in a stream environment

Previous research on scheduling and solar power issues of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) assumes that the sensors are deployed in a general environment. While monitoring the stream environment, sensors are attached to the stream side to collect the sensed data and transmit the data back to the sink. The stream environment can be scaled in several similar environments. This type of geographic limitation not only exists in a stream environment but also on streets, roads, and trails. This study presents an effective node-selection scheme to enhance the efficiency of saving power and coverage of solar-powered WSNs in a stream environment. Analysis of the sensor deployment in the stream environment permits sensors to be classified into different segments, and then allows the selection of active nodes for building inter-stream connections, inter-segment connections, and intra-segment connections. Based on these connections, the number of active nodes and transmitted packets is minimized. Simulation results show that this scheme can significantly increase the energy efficiency and maintain the monitoring area in solar-powered WSNs.     

Electroplating synthesis and electrochemical properties of macroporous Sn-Cu alloy electrode for lithium-ion batteries

Macroporous material of Sn-Cu alloy of different pore sizes designated as anode in lithium-ion batteries were fabricated through colloidal crystal template method. The structure and electrochemical properties of the macroporous Sn-Cu alloy electrodes were examined by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and galvanostatic cycling. The results demonstrated that the electrodes of macroporous Sn-Cu alloy with pore size respectively of 180 and 500 nm can deliver reversible capacity of 350 and 270 mAh g⁻¹ up to 70th cycles of charge/discharge. The cycle performance of the macroporous Sn-Cu alloy of 180 nm in pore size is better than that of the macroporous Sn-Cu alloy with 500-nm-diameter pores. It has revealed that the porous structure of the macroporous Sn-Cu alloy material is of importance to strengthen mechanically the electrode and to reduce significantly the effect of volume expansion during cycling.     

超声辐照制备SrFeO3降解苯酚光催化性能研究

采用超声辐照柠檬酸络合法制备了复合氧化物SrFeO3，以苯酚为光催化探针分子，以450W高压汞灯为光源（主波长〉410nm），研究了SrFeO3光催化性能、研究表明，经过超声辐照制备的SrFeO3光催化活性提高一倍以上。XRD、TEM、DRS表征结果表明，超声辐照制备的SrFeO3粒径均匀、分散性好、粒径较小，光吸收红移显著。探讨了超声提高催化性能的机理。