Selective Coating of SnS on the Bio‐Inspired Moth‐Eye Patterned PEDOT:PSS Polymer Films

A new strategy for the selective coating of tin sulfide (SnS) on the surface of moth‐eye patterned (MEP) conducting polymer film is studied by considering the optical properties of the antireflective moth‐eye pattern and flexibility of polymer films. The semiconductor SnS is selectively coated on the surface of MEP microdomes of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrene‐sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) film. The SnS coated MEP film is obtained by using pore selectively SnS thin layer functionalized polystyrene honeycomb‐patterned porous (HCP) film as a template. Aqueous PEDOT:PSS solution is poured on the SnS functionalized HCP films and detached for the fabrication of SnS coated MEP films. The films show a satisfactory photo‐responsive property under solar stimulated light illumination due to the antireflective MEP structure of PEDOT film and homogenous SnS coating on the surface of the conducting polymer.     

Role of additives in fabrication of soy-based rigid polyurethane foam for structural and thermal insulation applications

Environmental concerns continue to pose the challenge to replace petroleum-based products with renewable ones completely or at least partially while maintaining comparable properties. Herein, rigid polyurethane (PU) foams were prepared using soy-based polyol for structural and thermal insulation applications. Cell size, density, thermal resistivity, and compression force deflection (CFD) values were evaluated and compared with that of petroleum-based PU foam Baydur 683. The roles of different additives, that is, catalyst, blowing agent, surfactants, and different functionalities of polyol on the properties of fabricated foam were also investigated. For this study, dibutyltin dilaurate was employed as catalyst and water as environment friendly blowing agent. Their competitive effect on density and cell size of the PU foams were evaluated. Five different silicone-based surfactants were employed to study the effect of surface tension on cell size of foam. It was also found that 5 g of surfactant per 100 g of polyol produced a foam with minimum surface tension and highest thermal resistivity (R value: 26.11 m²·K/W). However, CFD values were compromised for higher surfactant loading. Additionally, blending of 5 g of higher functionality soy-based polyol improved the CFD values to 328.19 kPa, which was comparable to that of petroleum-based foam Baydur 683.     

Quasi-static compressive behaviour of aluminium cenosphere syntactic foams

In this paper, cenosphere particles embedded in AA2014 aluminium matrix are used to fabricate syntactic foam by stir casting method. The particle size is about 100?µm and foam density is about 1990?kg?m^?3. Compression tests at strain rate 0.001/s are performed on foam samples to characterise their mechanical properties which are then used in numerical analysis on commercial finite element analysis software ABAQUS/CAE with isotropic elastic-plastic material model. Experimental and numerical results show good conformity in deformation behaviour with elastic and plateau zones showing average deviations less than 5% and 20%, respectively. Foams showed high yield stress and energy absorption capabilities that can be useful in making blast and impact resistant structures.     

The overall crystallization behavior of polyethylene/wax blends as phase change materials for thermal energy storage: A mini review

This review paper deals with the overall crystallization behavior of polyethylene/wax blends as phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage with the determination of their thermal properties. The addition of molten wax to the polyethylenes decreases the crystallization and melting temperatures of the blends. However, incorporating fillers to the polyethylene/wax blends can either decrease or increase the crystallization and melting temperatures of the composites depending on the filler type. The normalized enthalpy values of linear low-density polyethylene showed no significant change when increasing the wax content. On the contrary, the normalized enthalpy values of the wax in the blends were lesser than that of pure wax and increased with increasing wax content. Since the wax in the blend had a lower crystallinity compared to pure wax, this influences its effectiveness as a PCM for thermal energy storage. The effect of different polyethylenes on the wax morphology gave rise to enhance phase separation when wax was blended to high-density polyethylene as compared to the other polyethylenes. On the contrary, the effect of various waxes on the morphology of polyethylene resulted in different morphologies due to the molecular weight of the wax used and the structure of the polyethylene chain. The addition of fillers to the polyethylene (PE)/wax samples resulted in enhanced phase separation. The overall isothermal crystallization rate and the equilibrium melting temperature of PEs in the PEs/wax blends were depressed by wax addition due to the wax dilution effect.     

Role of MgO on densification and mechanical properties in spark plasma sintered Os0.9Re0.1B2 ceramic

To promote the densification and therefore the mechanical properties of boride-based ceramics, MgO was added as sintering aid into Os_0.9Re_0.1B₂ powders for densification by using spark plasma sintering (SPS). The Os_0.9Re_0.1B₂ powders were synthesized by mechanochemical method from powder mixture of Os, Re and amorphous B. The role of MgO on densification, phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties (hardness, fracture toughness and wear behavior) were studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), micro indentation and ball-on-disk tribometer. The results show that, with the introduction of MgO as sintering aid, the relative density of the Os_0.9Re_0.1B₂ ceramic samples increased. When the MgO content reached 9 wt%, the as-sintered sample is almost fully dense. No obvious regularity was found from the samples with the addition of different content of MgO. Vickers hardness values of the samples with 0, 3 wt% and 9 wt% MgO are found to be very close with each other within the experimental error (~30 GPa), while the sample with the addition of 6 wt% MgO exhibits the highest hardness of ~35 GPa. The fracture toughness of the samples is decreased slightly with the addition of MgO. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the sample with the addition of 6 wt% MgO was also found to be the lowest among all samples, which indicate best wear resistance. As a whole, with the addition content of 6 wt% MgO, the Os_0.9Re_0.1B₂ ceramic sample performs relatively excellent mechanical properties among four groups of samples.     

Fabrication and performances of high lithium-ion conducting solid electrolytes based on NASICON Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7-xZrx(PO4)3 (0≤ x≤ 0.2)

Solid electrolytes are the key component in designing all-solid-state batteries. The Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ (LATP) structure and its derivatives obtained by doping various elements at Ti and Al site acts as good solid electrolytes. However, there is still scope for enhancing the ionic conductivity using simple precursors and preparation methods. In this study, the Li superionic conductors Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7-xZr_x(PO₄)₃ (LATZP) with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2 have been successfully prepared by the solid-state reaction route. The structural, morphological, and ionic transport properties were analyzed using several experimental techniques including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and impedance spectroscopy (IS). The presence of two relaxation processes corresponding to grain and grain boundary was studied using various formalisms. We have observed that grain effects dominate at lower temperatures (<100 °C) while the grain boundary at higher temperatures (> 200 °C) on ionic conductivity. The relaxation mechanisms of grain and grain boundaries were investigated by the Summerfield scaling of AC conductivity. The highest total ionic conductivity of 2.48 × 10^-4 S/cm at 150 °C and 5.50 × 10^-3 S/cm at 250 °C was obtained for x = 0.1 in Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.6Zr_0.1(PO₄)₃ sintered at 950 °C/6 h in the air. The ionic conductivity value was found to be higher than the ionic conductivity reported for LATP prepared via solid-state reaction mechanism using the same precursors and conditions.     

Evolution mechanism of the microstructure and mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed yttria-stabilized hafnia thermal barrier coating at 1400 °C

Yttria stabilized hafnia (Hf_0.84Y_0.16O_1.92, YSH16) coatings were sprayed by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). The effects of thermal aging at 1400 °C on the microstructures, mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of the coatings were studied. The results show that the as-sprayed coating was composed of the cubic phase, and the nano-sized monoclinic (M) phase was precipitated in the annealed coating. The presence of M phase effectively constrained the sintering of the coating due to its superior sintering-resistance. The Young's modulus kept at a nearly same level of ~78 GPa even after annealing, and the coating annealed for 6 h yielded a maximum value of hardness but revealed a declining tendency in the Vicker's hardness with prolonged sintering time. The thermal conductivity increased from 0.8-0.95 W m^-1 K^-1 at as-sprayed state to 1.6 W m^-1 K^-1 after annealing at 1400 °C for 96 h. The dual-phase coating is promising to serve at temperatures above 1400 °C due to its excellent thermal stability and mechanical properties.