Salt-assisted solution combustion synthesis of NiFe2O4: Effect of salt type

The effects of three types of salt including NaF, KCl, and NaCl on the properties of NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles using salt-assisted solution combustion synthesis (SSCS) have been investigated. The synthesized powders were evaluated by SEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD, and VSM analysis. Also, the specific surface area (SSA), as well as size distribution and volume of the porosities of NiFe₂O₄ powders were determined by the BET apparatus. The visual observations showed that the intensity and time of combustion synthesis of nanoparticles have been severely influenced by the type of salt. The highest crystallinity was observed in the synthesized powder using NaCl. The SSA has also been correlated completely to the type of salt. The quantities of SSA was achieved about 91.62, 64.88, and 47.22 m²g^-1 for the powders synthesized by KCl, NaCl, and NaF respectively. Although the magnetic hysteresis loops showed the soft ferromagnetic behavior of the NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles in all conditions, KCl salt could produce the particles with the least coercivity and remanent magnetization. Based on the present study, the salt type is a key parameter in the SSCS process for the preparation of spinel ferrites. Thermodynamic evaluation also showed that the melting point and heat capacity are important parameters for the proper selection of the salt.     

5A06-O aluminium–magnesium alloy sheet warm hydroforming and optimization of process parameters

The uniaxial tensile test of the 5A06-O aluminium–magnesium (Al–Mg) alloy sheet was performed in the temperature range of 20–300 °C to obtain the true stress–true strain curves at different temperatures and strain rates. The constitutive model of 5A06-O Al–Mg alloy sheet with the temperature range from 150 to 300°C was established. Based on the test results, a unique finite element simulation platform for warm hydroforming of 5A06-O Al–Mg alloy was set up using the general finite element software MSC.Marc to simulate warm hydroforming of classic specimen, and a coupled thermo-mechanical finite element model for warm hydroforming of cylindrical cup was built up. Combined with the experiment, the influence of the temperature field distribution and loading conditions on the sheet formability was studied. The results show that the non-isothermal temperature distribution conditions can significantly improve the forming performance of the material. As the temperature increases, the impact of the punching speed on the forming becomes particularly obvious; the optimal values of the fluid pressure and blank holder force required for forming are reduced.     

Investigation of corrosion properties with Ni–P/TiNO coating on aluminum alloy bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Aluminum alloy bipolar plates have unique application potential in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) due to the characteristics of lightweight and low cost. However, extreme susceptibility to corrosion in PEMFC operation condition limits the application. To promote the corrosion resistance of aluminum alloy bipolar plates, a Ni–P/TiNO coating was prepared by electroless plating and closed field unbalanced magnetron sputter ion plating (CFUMSIP) technology on the 6061 Al substrate. The research results show that Ni–P interlayer improves the deposition effect of TiNO outer layer and increase the content of TiN and TiO_xN_y phases. Compared to Ni–P and TiNO single-layer coatings, the Ni–P/TiNO coating samples exhibited the lowest current density value of (1.10 ± 0.02) × 10^?6 A·cm^?2 in simulated PEMFC cathode environment. Additionally, potential cyclic polarization measurements were carried out aiming to evaluate the durability of the aluminum alloy bipolar plate during the PEMFC start-up/shut-up process. The results illustrate that the Ni–P/TiNO coating samples exhibit excellent stability and corrosion resistance.     

Identifying catalyst layer compositions of proton exchange membrane fuel cells through machine-learning-based approach

Membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is considered a key component of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). However, developing a new MEA to meet desired properties, such as operation under low-humidity conditions without a humidifier, is a time- and cost-consuming process. This study employs a machine-learning-based approach using K-nearest neighbor (KNN) and neural networks (NN) in the MEA development process by identifying a suitable catalyst layer (CL) recipe in MEA. Minimum redundancy maximum relevance and principal component analysis were implemented to specify the most important predictor and reduce the data dimension. The number of predictors was found to play an essential role in the accuracy of the KNN and NN models although the predictors have self-correlations. The KNN model with a K of 7 was found to minimize the model loss with a loss of 11.9%. The NN model constructed by three corresponding hidden layers with nine, eight, and nine nodes can achieve the lowest error of 0.1293 for the Pt catalyst and 0.031 for PVA as a good additive blending in the CL of the MEA. However, even if the error is low, the prediction of PVA seems to be inaccurate, regardless of the model structure. Therefore, the KNN model is more appropriate for CL recipe prediction.     

Synthesis,characterization, and visible-light photocatalytic activity of transition metals doped ZTO nanoparticles

Transition metals doping has been proved to be a feasible way for tuning the physical properties on the surface and bulk of nanomaterials and also for the good performance in decontamination of emerging pollutants. In this context, doped samples of zinc tin oxide or zinc stannate nanoparticles (ZTO NPs) by several transition metals were synthesized in order to enhance the optical absorbance with the aims of reducing the band gap and therefore ameliorated their photocatalytic activity. They were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence. The XRD patterns and the microscopic observations showed the formation of spherical nanoparticles with an average size of about 30 nm and highly pure ZTO phase with an inverse spinel structure. The Raman spectra were dominated by bands relatives to the F2g (2) and A1g symmetries modes of inverse spinel structure. The band gap Eg is estimated to be 3.75 eV for the undoped sample, and 3.67, 3.64, 3.78 and 3.21 eV, for 2% Fe, 2% Mg, 2% Gd, and 2% Mn doped ZTO samples, respectively.Furthermore, the undoped ZTO NPs have the intrinsic problem of recombination of photogenerated charge carriers. We have shown that the reduction of the band gap and oxygen vacancies resulting from the doping effect could be a useful tool for trapping and avoid the recombination of electrons coming from photosensitized rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. Owing to the structural advantages and low band gap, 2% Mn doped ZTO NPs, with the kinetic rate constants k of 0.024 min⁻¹, show enhanced performance for the elimination of RhB in aqueous solution compared to undoped and other doped ZTO NPs.     

Amaranth functional cookies exert potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities

In this study, amaranth flour was used as an ingredient to prepare gluten-free cookies. The production process and attributes of amaranth cookies were characterised, and the potential use of amaranth flour as a functional ingredient was analysed. Cookies exhibited a non-uniform reddish brown colour and a cookie factor ratio of 4.5 ± 0.6. Storage studies indicated that after 3 weeks at room temperature cookies presented slight variations in the texture. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion of this product was able to release peptides capable of exerting potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities, IC₅₀ values of 0.22 ± 0.04 and 0.23 ± 0.03 mg mL⁻¹ protein, respectively. This work demonstrates for the first time that food made with amaranth flour exerts potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activity. In conclusion, these amaranth cookies could be an alternative way of incorporating potentially health beneficial products for people who choose a conscious diet, including coeliac or vegan consumers.     

模块化微反应系统内溴化间甲基苯甲醚连续合成

根据微化工技术发展的主要趋势，针对4-溴-3-甲基苯甲醚间歇非均相合成技术存在的问题，以微筛孔反应器与玻璃微珠填充床为核心功能微设备单元构建了模块化微反应系统，并在此模块化微反应系统内对液-液非均相连续溴化合成4-溴-3-甲基苯甲醚开展研究。通过优化操作条件，在溴浓度(x_{\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{2}}})为17.5%（质量分数）、溴与间甲基苯甲醚摩尔比(n_{\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{r}}_{\mathrm{2}}}/n_M)为1.01、反应起始温度(T)为 0℃、停留时间为0.78 min条件下，4-溴-3-甲基苯甲醚的收率大于98%，多溴代副产物的含量仅为1%。与传统间歇溴化反应相比，模块化微反应系统内连续溴化反应具有十分明显的优势：可将间歇过程连续化，在保证安全的基础上极大地提升了反应的效率（时空收率为6.5×10⁴ kg/(m³·h)）；另外，该过程是由传质控制的，微反应器的传质性能优异，可极大地改善产品的选择性（多溴代副产物的量减少50%）。该研究为4-溴-3-甲基苯甲醚的连续高效安全合成提供了技术和设备依据。     

Grain size effect on microwave dielectric properties of Na2WO4 ceramics prepared by cold sintering process

In this work, cold sintering was adopted to prepare Na₂WO₄ ceramics with different grain sizes ranging from 0.632 μm to 17.825 μm. Their microstructures, complex impedance, and microwave dielectric properties were studied in-depth. It was found that samples with relative densities higher than 92% can be successfully synthesized by cold sintering process at a low temperature of 240 °C. However, their electrical properties have strong dependence on the grain size. Specifically, the resistance of grain boundaries decreases dramatically with the increase of grain sizes, while the quality factor has a positive correlation with the grain sizes of Na₂WO₄ ceramics. Excellent microwave dielectric properties, including permittivity = 5.80, Q × f = 22,000 GHz, and TCF = −70 ppm/°C, are obtained for Na₂WO₄ ceramics with a grain size of 4.477 μm prepared by cold sintering process.     

耦合膜分离的新型CO2低温捕集系统性能优化

CO₂捕集作为温室气体排放控制的有效手段已成为重要研究课题。作为新兴捕集技术之一，低温CO₂捕集因产品纯度高、无附加污染等优势受到关注。然而，该技术能耗和捕集率对于气体中CO₂浓度十分敏感，对于高CO₂浓度气体可获得较高的CO₂捕集率和较低能耗水平。基于此，本文提出了耦合膜分离的新型CO₂低温捕集系统，通过膜材料选择渗透性实现待捕集气体CO₂浓度主动调控，并在最优浓度下进行CO₂低温捕集。首先基于不同传统低温捕集系统特点，对比分析了不同耦合系统模式，从而确定了最优耦合系统结构。针对最优耦合系统进行了运行参数优化，并分别基于实现系统捕集能耗最低与捕集率最高的目标，获得了膜渗透侧CO₂浓度与进气CO₂浓度间的关系式，为该耦合系统中膜组件选型提供指导。研究表明，本文提出的耦合系统捕集能耗为1.92MJ/kgCO₂，相比于传统单一低温系统捕集能耗可降低16.5%。     

水平岩层软弱基座危岩体演化过程研究

以重庆市甄子岩29号危岩体为研究对象，基于现场调查和分析解剖，建立UDEC离散元数值计算模型，对其演化变形过程进行模拟分析。研究表明，在巨大的自重作用下，由于基座岩体岩质软，岩体较破碎，且基座外侧为直立的陡崖，具有完整的临空面，从而使基座岩体易发生压缩流变及剪切流变，进而使危岩体存在滑移垮塌的危险。