Enhanced mechanical properties of glass fibre epoxy composites by 2D exfoliated graphene oxide filler

Graphene oxide (GO) received a significant attention in the scientific community due to their excellent mechanical properties identifying themselves as an alternative and combinatory to various other metals and composites. Though GO possess excellent strength, it was observed from the literature that graphene oxide consisting of hydroxyl group elements ensue in poor bonding. Thus reduced functional group density (rFGD) graphene is preferred which has an advantage of good bonding, alongside very small quantity as a filler is required to achieve the enhancement equivalent to graphene oxide which forms the novelty of the current work. In current case, 3, 6 and 9 wt% of rFGD is dispersed into E-glass fibre reinforced composite by traditional hand layup technique. The obtained results revealed that, the tensile, flexural and impact strength have shown superior enhancement with 3 and 6 wt% of rGO than neat E-glass epoxy (0 wt% rGO), whereas an asymptotic decrement is noticed at 9 wt% when tested with ASTM standards except for impact strength. The microstructural studies also indicated the proper adhesion and alignment of fibres without any agglomerations corroborate the enhancement of properties. These overall finding supports the suitability of the developed laminates for potential use in structural applications in aerospace industry.     

A comparative study on the effect of carbon-based and ceramic additives on the properties of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites for high temperature applications

Ablative composites have been in use for thermal protection of space vehicles for decades. Carbon-phenolic composites have proven to perform exceptionally well in these applications. However with development in aerospace industry their performance needs improvement. In this field, different carbon-based and ceramic additives have been introduced into ablative composite systems. This review article gives a comparative analysis of researches done in this field in the recent past. Density, ablative, thermal and mechanical properties of ablative composites with different ultra-high temperature ceramic particles i.e. ZrSi₂, Cenosphere, nano-SiO₂, BN etc. and carbon-based nanoparticles i.e. CNTs, nano-Diamonds, Graphene oxide etc. used as additives, have been compared and discussed. Emphasis is put on carbon-phenolic composite systems although some epoxy matrix systems have also been discussed for comparison.     

Mechanical properties and wear behavior of Tin+1(Al,A)Cn (A = Ga,In, Sn,n = 1, 2) via quasi-high-entropy of single atomic thick A layer

The strengthening method of multi-element M-site solid solution is a common approach to improve mechanical properties of MAX phase ceramic. However, the research on capability of multi-element A-site solid solution to improve mechanical properties has rarely been reported. Thereupon, quasi-high-entropy MAX phase ceramic bulks of Ti₂(Al_1?xA_x)C and Ti₃(Al_1?xA_x)C₂ (A = Ga, In, Sn, x = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) were successfully synthesized by in situ vacuum hot pressing via multi-elements solid solution. The multi-elements solid solution in single-atom thick A layer was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mappings. Effects of doped multi-elements contents on the phase, microstructure, mechanical properties, and high temperature tribological behaviors were studied. Results demonstrated that the Vickers hardness, anisotropic flexural strength, fracture toughness, and tribological properties of Ti–Al–C based MAX ceramics could be remarkably improved by constitution of quasi-high-entropy MAX phase in A layers. Moreover, the strengthening and wear mechanisms were also discussed in detail. This method of multi-element solid solution at A-site provides new way to enhance mechanical properties of other MAX phase ceramics.     

Effect of microstructural features on the corrosion behavior of severely deformed Al–Mg–Si alloy

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of severe plastic deformation processing and the changes in microstructure resulting therefrom on the corrosion resistance of an Al–Mg–Si alloy. The alloy was processed using incremental equal channel angular pressing, which caused a reduction in grain size from 15 to 0.9 µm. The grain refinement was accompanied by an increase in the number of grain boundaries and dislocations, and by changes in grain orientation. However, there was no change in the size and number of intermetallic particles, which presumably resulted in a constant number of galvanic couplings. Electrochemical experiments revealed only slight differences between the samples before and after processing. Higher potential transients/oscillations upon immersion and increased corrosion currents in the vicinity of corrosion potential point to slightly higher reactivity of the most refined material. This indicates that intermetallic particles are the most crucial microstructural elements in terms of corrosion resistance. Their impact exceeds that of grain boundaries, in particular, at the stage of corrosion initiation. The development of corrosion attack is controlled more by the microstructure of the matrix as the grain refinement resulted in a less pronounced corrosion attack in comparison with the coarse-grained sample.     

Effect of nanostructured grains in co-sputtered Ni-GDC thin-film anode on methane conversion kinetics for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells operating on nearly dry methane

Direct-methane solid oxide fuel cells (DMSOFCs) have recently attracted substantial attention due to their simplified system, reduced cost, and the direct availability of methane fuel obtained from natural gas. Among oxygen-ion conductive materials, doped-ceria such as gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) or samarium-doped ceria can be incorporated into Ni-based anodes to reinforce their coking resistance, enlarge their electrochemical reaction area, and improve the kinetics of the internal reforming/electrochemical oxidation of methane. To reduce the range of operating temperatures of DMSOFCs while maintaining their performance, the thin film deposition technique of magnetron sputtering was adopted in this work. An Ni-GDC thin-film anode and a Pt thin-film cathode were deposited on scandia-stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) electrolyte supports. This fuel cell was tested with directly supplied methane fuel (3% H₂O) at 500 °C. The results demonstrated the effects of the GDC volume fraction in the anode—which was controlled by co-sputtering power—on open circuit voltage and electrochemical performance. The co-sputtered Ni-GDC anode was able to survive through 36-h operation, although there was some performance degradation. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy results revealed no formation of filamentous carbon on the Ni catalysts, despite the fact that both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy analyses detected carbon coking. The relatively high performance and resistance to carbon coking of co-sputtered thin-film anode were attributed to its intrinsic small grain size.     

Effect of SnO–P2O5–MgO glass addition on the ionic conductivity of Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 solid electrolyte

NASICON-type structured compounds Li_1+xM_xTi_2-x(PO₄)₃ (M = Al, Fe, Y, etc.) have captured much attention due to their air stability, wide electrochemical window and high lithium ion conductivity. Especially, Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ (LATP) is a potential solid electrolyte due to its high ionic conductivity. However, its actual density usually has a certain gap with the theoretical density, leading the poor ionic conductivity of LATP. Herein, LATP solid electrolyte with series of SnO–P₂O₅–MgO (SPM, 0.4 wt%, 0.7 wt%, 1.0 wt%, 1.3 wt%) glass addition was successfully synthesized to improve the density and ionic conductivity. The SPM addition change Al/Ti–O bond and P–O bond distances, leading to gradual shrinkage of octahedral AlO₆ and tetrahedral PO₄. The bulk conductivity of the samples increases gradually with SPM glass addition from 0.4 wt% to 1.3 wt%. Both SPM and the second-phase LiTiPO₅, caused by glass addition, are conducive to the improvement of compactness. The relative density of LATP samples increases first from 0 wt% to 0.7 wt%, and then decreases from 0.7 wt% to 1.3 wt% with SPM glass addition. The grain boundary conductivity also changes accordingly. Especially, the highest ionic conductivity of 2.45 × 10^?4 S cm^?1, and a relative density of 96.72% with a low activation energy of 0.34 eV is obtained in LATP with 0.7 wt% SPM. Increasing the density of LATP solid electrolyte is crucial to improve the ionic conductivity of electrolytes and SPM glass addition can promote the development of dense oxide ceramic electrolytes.     

固溶处理对TiB2/6061复合材料硬度及耐磨性的影响

采用氟盐法制备了TiB₂质量分数为3%的原位合成TiB₂/6061复合材料,研究了固溶温度和固溶时间对复合材料硬度和耐磨性能的影响。结果表明:TiB₂颗粒弥散分布在6061铝合金基体中,明显细化6061铝合金基体晶粒。当固溶温度一定时,随固溶时间延长,复合材料的硬度和耐磨性可获得明显提高,但固溶时间在6~10 h时,复合材料的性能变化不显著。当固溶时间一定时,随固溶温度升高,复合材料硬度和耐磨性呈现先上升后下降的趋势。3wt%TiB₂/6061复合材料经530 ℃×10 h固溶处理后,硬度和耐磨性能最佳,相较于铸态硬度值提高了79.5％,磨损量减少了59.1%。固溶处理后复合材料的磨损表面犁沟变细变浅,材料脱落现象减少。     

Solid dispersion adsorbate technique for improved dissolution and flow properties of lurasidone hydrochloride: characterization using 32 factorial design

The aim of the present study was to improve the dissolution and flow properties of lurasidone hydrochloride (LH) by solid dispersion adsorbate (SDA) technique. Solid dispersions (SDs) of LH were prepared by fusion method using Poloxamer P188. The melt dispersion was adsorbed onto the porous carrier Florite (calcium silicate). A 3² factorial design was employed to quantify the effect of two independent variables, namely ratio of carrier (Poloxamer 188) and LH in SD and ratio of adsorbent (Florite) to SD. SDA granules of LH were studied for flow properties and characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Tablets of optimized composition of SDA granules (equivalent to 20?mg of drug) and plain tablets were prepared by direct compression method. The dissolution studies were carried out in Mcllvaine buffer (pH 3.8) as per USFDA guidelines and characterized for parameters such as percent dissolution efficiency, t₅₀, and Q₃₀. Tablets prepared from SDA granules showed almost four-fold increase in cumulative percentage drug release as compared to tablets prepared from plain LH. The value of dissolution efficiency was enhanced from 49.60% for plain tablets to 94.15% for SDA tablets. SDA granules did not show any change in drug release and X-ray diffraction pattern after storage at 40?°C/75% of RH for 3?months, which confirms that Florite prevented conversion of drug from amorphous form to crystalline form improving physical stability of the amorphous state of LH.     

Exergy analysis of the diesel pre-reforming solid oxide fuel cell system with anode off-gas recycling in the SchIBZ project. Part I: Modeling and validation

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems with anode off-gas recirculation (AGR) and diesel pre-reforming are advantageous because they can operate with the current fuel infrastructure. In the SchIBZ-project, the prototype of such a SOFC system for maritime applications has already been commissioned. In this first paper, we model the system devices to conduct an exergy analysis of this real SOFC plant and validate them with experimental values from experiments in laboratory scale. The results of our simulation agree well with the experimental values. The calculations with the validated results may be closer to the real thermodynamic behavior of such system components than previous literature.