Liquid/Fiber and Solidified-Liquid/Fiber Contact Angles Compared

Data are presented showing that the contact angle formed by a liquid resin droplet placed on a single fiber is comparable with a receding contact angle. This was ascertained by comparing Wilhelmy wetting force measurements with liquid droplet profile analysis. Subsequently, the latter analysis was carried out on cured (solidified) epoxy droplets placed on Kevlar fibers. Dimensional changes observed after curing showed that the contact angles of the solid droplets were smaller than that for liquid resin: however, the presence of residual stresses because of adhesion to the fiber may make droplet profile analysis inaccurate for obtaining an equilibrium receding contact angle for the solid droplets.     

Mechanisms of yttrium on the wettability,surface tension and interactions between Ni-20Co-20Cr-10Al-ξY alloys and MgO ceramics

The mechanisms of Y on the wettability,surface tension,and interactions between the Ni-20Co-20Cr-10Al-ξY alloys and MgO ceramics at 1873 K were investigated by sessile drop experiments.The results of nonlinear fitting showed that the equilibrium contact angles and Y concentrations were approximately in accord with the log-normal distribution law.The equilibrium contact angles changed from 101.5 to 140.5° with Y increasing from 0 wt.％to 1.23 wt.％.Cross-sectional microstructure observations revealed that the thermal dissociation of ceramics occurred and the released[O]atoms can react with Y to pro-duce Y2O3 reaction layer along three-phase interphase area.Wetting kinetics analyses indicated that surface tension of the melt droplets had been positively correlated with the Y concentrations,and it increased from 737.8-1045.1 mN/m.Meanwhile,the pinning effect of the rough substrate surface on the three-phase line hindered the spreading of the liquid on ceramics.The change in total free energy of the alloys/ceramics system was considered as the key factor affecting the wettability.Moreover,the surface morphology and thermodynamic stability of ceramics also had some influence on the wettability.     

Visualization and mechanical strength of glass seal in planar type solid oxide fuel cells

This study evaluated the mechanical reliability of glass seal in planar type solid oxide fuel cells and clarified the relationship between glass wettability and the mechanical reliability of glass seal. A visualization experiment was developed to observe a specific model seal in a furnace subjected to temperature variation and the relationship between the glass wettability and the seal shape was measured. The seal model consists of glass (G018-311, Schott, Germany) and interconnectors (Crofer 22 APU, VDM Metals GmbH, Germany). The visualization experiment and analysis were based on the sessile drop method to quantify glass surface tension and contact angle between glass and interconnector. The equation balance of forces with these surface properties succeeded to reproduce the seal shape observed in the visualization. Subsequently, the seal stress field was numerically solved, and the mechanical strength of the seal was quantitatively evaluated using the stress intensity factor. The analyses concluded that the stress intensity factor is 1.5 times higher than its minimum value as the contact angle raised from 90 to 130° and glass wettability decreased.     

Microstructure and room/elevated-temperature mechanical properties of hot-pressed h-BN composite ceramics with La2O3-Al2O3-SiO2 addition

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) composite ceramics were fabricated by hot pressing using h-BN, La₂O₃, Al₂O₃ and amorphous SiO₂ as the raw materials. The effects of La₂O₃-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ addition on the bulk density, apparent porosity, microstructural evolution and room/elevated-temperature mechanical properties of h-BN composite ceramics were investigated. The results indicated that liquid phase generated by the reaction of La₂O₃-Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ exhibited a good wettability with h-BN grains, contributing to fill the pores and improve the densification. Therefore, h-BN composite ceramics with synchronous introduction of La₂O₃-Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ show the better mechanical properties compared with separate addition of La₂O₃-Al₂O₃ or SiO₂. h-BN composite ceramic incorporated with 10 vol.% La₂O₃-Al₂O₃ and 20 vol.% SiO₂ shows the highest room-temperature strength of 266.4 MPa and elevated-temperature strength of 389.0 MPa at 800 °C.     

Stability and wettability of ternary carbide Mo2Ga2C in molten metals

Mo₂Ga₂C is a novel member of MAX phases, which is a family of ternary carbide/nitride with layered structure. The stability and wettability of Mo₂Ga₂C in molten metals are crucial for the application of Mo₂Ga₂C in the field of composite materials. In this work, the stability and wettability of Mo₂Ga₂C in three molten metals (Pb, Sn and Zn) were investigated. Mo₂Ga₂C was mixed with metal powders and annealed at different temperatures under vacuum. At 700 °C, Mo₂Ga₂C was not stable in any of the three molten metals. The decomposition of Mo₂Ga₂C was affected by the type of metal matrix as well as the reaction temperature. Mo₂Ga₂C decomposed at 550 °C in Pb, at 450 °C in Sn, or at 650 °C–750 °C in Zn. To characterized the wettability of these metals with Mo₂Ga₂C, the contact angle of molten metals with Mo₂Ga₂C at 650 °C were measured, which are 103° for Pb, 126° for Sn and 0° for Zn, respectively. Mo₂Ga₂C has good wettability with Zn and is not wetted by Pb and Sn.     

Micromechanical properties of hydroxyapatite nanocomposites reinforced with CNTs and ZrO2

This study examined the mechanical properties, wettability, and tribology of hydroxyapatite (HA)–zirconia (ZrO₂)–carbon nanotube (CNTs) ceramic nanocomposites (with various CNT ratios (x): 1, 5, and 10 wt%). HA–ZrO₂–CNT-x powders were hydrothermally synthesized. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and cold isostatic pressing were used to manufacture solid and dense tablets; consolidation was performed by sintering the nanocomposites under Ar gas at 1150 °C during HIP. The microstructure and morphology of the nanocomposites were characterized via transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffractometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy. The effects of ZrO₂ and CNTs on the mechanical characteristics of the nanocomposites were examined via nanoindentation, reciprocating wear, and Vickers hardness tests. The microhardness of HA–ZrO₂–CNT-1% and HA–ZrO₂–CNT-5% increased by 36.8% and 66.67%, respectively, compared with that of pure HA. The nanohardness of the HA–ZrO₂–CNT-1%, HA–ZrO₂–CNT-5%, and HA–ZrO₂–CNT-10% samples was 8.3, 9.65, and 8.02 Gpa, and the corresponding elastic modulus was 83.72, 114.34, and 89.27 GPa, respectively. Both of these parameters were higher than those of pure HA. However, in the nanocomposite reinforced with 10% CNT, as opposed to those with lower CNT ratios, their values were lower. Additionally, HA–ZrO₂–CNT-10% was the most hydrophilic nanocomposite synthesized in this study with a contact angle of 48.8°.     

Effect of mixing metakaolins: Methodological approach to estimate metakaolin reactivity

Geopolymers are obtained from an alkali silicate solution and aluminosilicate sources. The source commonly used geopolymer is metakaolin. The chemical composition, extraction site or calcination process of metakaolin influence its reactivity and thus the properties of the consolidated samples. This work focused on clarifying how the properties of aluminosilicate-based raw materials evolve when different metakaolin sources are mixed. The study involved mixing different metakaolins to evaluate their physico-chemical properties. The different samples were characterized by measuring their granulometry, wettability and zeta potential. Structural data were obtained from X-ray diffraction and ²⁷Al nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It appears that the properties of the mixtures can be expressed as a function of different parameters. Granulometric properties directly depend on the quantity of each source, wettability is related to the amount of available amorphous aluminum in the sources, and zeta potential is strongly influenced by the source with the highest amount of siliceous-based impurities. This methodological approach can be applied to geopolymer synthesis.     

The effect of clay on initial and residual saturation of hydrogen in clay-rich sandstone formation: Implications for underground hydrogen storage

Understanding wettability in rock-brine-hydrogen systems is essential for dependable predictions of capillary/residual trapping in clay-rich sandstone formations. Despite being the most used technique, wettability assessment based on contact angle measurements is confronted with inherent uncertainties that limit its reliability. In contrast, core flooding techniques provide a more direct and realistic picture of wettability and its time evolution. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) allows us to evaluate the initial and residual hydrogen saturations and distribution along the core specimen. It is a fast, reliable, and effective way of inferring the impact of wettability on hydrogen migration, and residual trapping in prospective geo-storage rock formations. Recent publications have reported the evaluation of wettability in a brine-hydrogen-rock system where the rock is a clean sandstone (no clays). Here we evaluate the impact of the presence of clays in a sandstone, which has not been reported yet. NMR monitoring was employed to characterize the initial and residual hydrogen saturations in the Bandera Grey (BG) sandstone. To investigate the impact of clay minerals on hydrogen saturation, same rock sample was characterized in its natural state, and after heating it to 700 °C for 12 h in an air environment to burn off clay minerals, During the NMR core flooding experiments, ten pore volumes (PVs) were injected/withdrawn during the drainage/imbibition cycles at a fluid injection rate of 2 mL/min under room temperature and 1000 psi confining pressure. Due to the hydrophilicity of quartz and clay, the tested BG sandstone (clay-rich sandstone) shows a significant residual/trapped saturation (～3.5% can be reproduce); therefore, clay-rich sandstone may not be ideal for hydrogen storage unless cushion gas is used.The results show that initial and residual hydrogen saturations were slightly changed after firing (from 16% to 18% for initial and from 14% to 13% for residual). This also suggests that the wettability of the BG sandstone-brine-hydrogen system is slightly impacted by clay content and type. We also observed that clay firing at 700 °C has little effect on the porosity and gas permeability of the BG sandstone. Moreover, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) results showed that quartz content increases from 68.1% to 76.2%, Kaolinite transformed into illite and clinochlore disappeared. The disappearance of chlorite after firing suggests that it is transformed into another clay type.     

Impact of wettability on storage and recovery of hydrogen gas in the lesueur sandstone formation (Southwest hub project,Western Australia)

Geological storage has been proposed as a new technology to temporarily store significant amounts of hydrogen (H₂) gas in depleted gas reservoirs, underground salt caverns, or saline aquifers. Often, such subsurface reservoirs naturally contain trace amounts of organic acids, and these compounds can considerably alter the wettability of reservoir rocks, causing them to become less water-wet. We carried out Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of contact angles in a quartz-brine-H₂ system to evaluate wettability in realistic subsurface situations. MD simulations suggest that Humic acid makes quartz more hydrophobic, which can affect the overall behaviour of the storage reservoir. For the first time, this effect was experimentally investigated for a natural sandstone reservoir from the South West Hub Project, i.e., the Lesueur Sandstone (LS) formation. Multi-stage core flooding experiments were conducted on the same LS plug to investigate the impact of wettability alteration on initial and residual hydrogen saturation/trapping at depth. First, consecutive brine-H₂ drainage-imbibition cycles were carried out on the natural sample; the result indicated that the rock-brine-H₂ system was essentially water-wet. Then, the sample was aged in Humic acid with a molarity of 10⁻² M for 42 days at 5 °C and 0.1 MPa. The wettability of the storage system shifted toward a less water-wet state, i.e., more hydrophobic. As a result of Humic acid ageing, the initial hydrogen saturation reduced from 29% to 15%, and the residual hydrogen trapping reduced from 23% to 11%. This is attributed to a change induced in the capillary force (i.e., snap-off) controlled by wettability and pore size. In addition, the wettability change induced by Humic acid increased the hydrogen recovery rate from 20.7% to 26.7%.     

Pore-scale modelling on hydrogen transport in porous media: Implications for hydrogen storage in saline aquifers

Hydrogen energy has tremendous potential as a clean fuel in this energy transition. To build up the full-scale hydrogen energy supply chain, large-scale hydrogen storage is of vital importance. Underground hydrogen storage in saline aquifers has been perceived as an important means to achieve large-scale hydrogen storage. Therefore, we investigated hydrogen transport in pore network in a sandstone porous media at strongly water-wet and weakly water-wet (hydrogen-wet). We performed direct numerical simulation through volume of fluid method to investigate the transport of hydrogen at pore-scale under different wetting conditions with input hydrogen-rock physics data from literature. Our results showed that during primary drainage process (hydrogen injection for storage purpose), increasing hydrogen wetting decreased snap-off effect, enabling a greater pore space for hydrogen storage. During primary imbibition process (hydrogen extraction), increasing hydrogen wetting promoted the size and stability of hydrogen clusters, which is unfavorable to hydrogen extraction process. Given the significant high interfacial tension between brine and hydrogen and low viscous force of hydrogen, snap-off effect dominates the flow in both hydrogen injection and extraction process regardless of wetting conditions. This physical process causes the recovery factor even below 20%. We therefore suggest that storing hydrogen in depleted gas reservoirs under irreducible water saturation would have much less risks in hydrogen trapping during extraction process.