Sustainable phenolic thermosets coatings derived from urushiol

The over-exploitation of finite fossil resources and/or the increased environmental and sustainable awareness inspire scientists and technologists to search for inexpensive alternatives from renewable chemicals. Phenol formaldehyde (PF) resins, the oldest type of synthetic polymers with good mechanical properties and heat resistance, are widely used in the production of coatings, laminates, molding compositions, and glues. Here, biobased urushiol-derived PF resins were synthesized from the alkali-catalyzed reaction between urushiol and formaldehyde. The chemical compositions and molecular structures of resole resins were characterized by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and their curing behaviors were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The as-prepared urushiol-derived resole resins had methylol (Ph−CH₂OH), ortho- and para-hemiformal groups (Ph−CH₂OCH₂OH), and the para−para/ortho−para/ortho−ortho links of methylene groups (Ph−CH₂−Ph), whereas the resole resins had low curing temperatures at about 100–113°C. Additionally, given the long side alkyl group moiety on the aromatic rings of urushiol, the films of cured urushiol-derived resole resins had low glass transition temperatures of 132 ± 2°C. Furthermore, the as-prepared urushiol-derived coatings exhibited excellent physical and mechanical properties.     

Do metal grain silos benefit women in Kenya,Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe?

Metal silos can reduce maize losses during storage in smallholder farm systems, contributing towards international goals of reducing food waste and moving towards Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero Hunger. However, technologies are introduced into farming systems with complex sets of relationships. These may differentially affect the ability of women and men to secure the expected benefits of metal silos. This, in turn, may affect adoption rates and expected outcomes. To better understand these relationships, a mixed methods study was conducted in Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia where metal silos were introduced through the Effective Grain Storage Project (EGSP). EGSP distributed 1717 metal silos across the four countries.Quantitative surveys using random sampling were conducted in Kenya (124 respondents) and Malawi (100 respondents) with metal silo owners. Qualitative surveys, using purposive sampling, were conducted in all four countries covering 14 ethnic groups using focus group discussions (360 respondents), key informant interviews (62 respondents), and household case studies (62 respondents). The aim was to understand gendered post-harvest management and storage strategies in traditional systems and to map changes when metal silos were introduced.The findings suggest roles and responsibilities regarding the ownership and management of storage structures are strongly gendered with some differences between ethnic groups and countries. Men benefit more than women from the introduction of metal silos. Ownership of the grain storage facility, and the benefits attached to ownership, can switch from women to men with women having less scope for bargaining over their rights to use the stored grain for their own needs and the benefit of all household members. Women and men fail to fully follow guidelines for effective use of metal silos. They differ in their preferred attributes for their ideal storage system. Whilst some attributes are shared, women’s preferences were sharply differentiated from men in others.     

Evolution of core–rim structures and phase transformations in infra-red transmitting Y-α-SiAlON ceramics

Core–rim structures were observed as common features in Y-α-SiAlON ceramics hot-pressed between 1550?1950 °C. We found most dopants were taken into α’-rims, and a transition layer grown first on α-cores from liquid-phase over-saturated with metal solutes. Elongated β’-grain were formed as minor phase with α’- or AlN-cores thus only after the α’ matrix had consumed up all Y solutes, revealing that the α’ → β’ transformation is controlled by the transient liquid-phase and similar defects and dangling bonds could be detected in both SiAlON phases by cathodoluminescence. Quantitative assessment of Y_m/3Si_12?(m+n)Al_m+nO_nN_16?n demonstrates the multiphase evolution, initiated by over-saturation of Y solutes at low temperatures thus retaining α-phase as cores to lower the infra-red transmittance, dictated by homogenization of Al solutes at higher temperature. The elimination of those phase boundaries leads to better dopant and sintering design for achieving transparent and high-performance SiAlON ceramics.     

Features of crystal structures and thermo-mechanical properties of weberites RE3NbO7 (RE=La,Nd, Sm,Eu, Gd) ceramics

The features of crystal structures, thermo-mechanical properties and their dominant mechanisms of weberites RE₃NbO₇ were studied as high-temperature oxides. We concentrated on connections between structures and thermo-mechanical properties, the influences of bond lengths, lattice distortion degrees and microstructures on these properties were estimated. The shortening of bond length and increment of bonding strength would lead to the increase of mechanical properties. The Vickers hardness (4.5-7.8 GPa) and toughness (0.5-1.6 MPa·m^1/2) of weberites RE₃NbO₇ are enhanced by grain refinement and increment of bond strength, while crystal structures, bond lengths, and lattice distortion degrees influenced their Young's modulus (100-170 GPa). Nano-indentation was applied to test the influence of microstructures on modulus and hardness. The dominant mechanisms for mechanical properties and thermal conductivity were proposed, which was conducive to properties tailoring and engineering applications of weberites RE₃NbO₇ oxides.     

High-temperature atomically laminated materials: The toughening components of ceramic matrix composites

The atomically laminated materials with high temperature resistance, including graphite, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and MAX phases, have special mechanical performance compared to isotropic materials. The intrinsic mechanical responses of these layered structures can play an important role in strengthening and toughening ceramic matrix composites. In this review, the synthesis processes and applications of pyrolytic carbon (PyC) interphase, graphite nanoplates (GNPs), h-BN interphase, and h-BN nanoplates (BNNPs) and MAX phases are summarized. Besides, this review also analyzes the differences between the graphite-like structure and the MAX phase structure, in terms of modulus, toughness, anisotropy, and toughening mechanisms. These differences are based on their crystal structures. Finally, we look forward to the future development direction of high-temperature atomically laminated materials for toughening applications.     

ADS实验大厅中子防护工程技术研究

为了保障加速器驱动次临界系统(ADS)散裂靶与反应堆耦合特性及影响验证实验的顺利进行,以原子能院现有的临界实验装置为基础,对堆厅部分墙体进行屏蔽改造。建造由聚乙烯、镉、铅、钢以及混凝土等材料构成的屏蔽装置,以防止临界装置产生的射线外泄,使工作人员受到的照射保持在合理水平。通过MCNP模拟计算,完成了屏蔽结构的优化设计。基于槽钢支撑结构、铅屏蔽层、镉屏蔽层和聚乙烯屏蔽层等材料组成的组合屏蔽结构建立简化模型,采用ANSYS有限元分析程序计算分析得出各部分应力小于许用应力,稳定性符合要求。最后通过工程实践,完成对屏蔽性能理论计算结果的验证。     

A robust locating multi-optima approach for damage identification of plate-like structures

This paper proposes a robust optimization approach for multiple damage identification of plate-like structures. Different from traditional particle swarm optimizations (PSOs), a combined PSO and niche technique (NPSO) is proposed to solve multimodal optimization problems, with the full consideration of subswarm creation, merging and absorbing mechanism. As a hypersensitive parameter to damage, the curvature mode shape is adopted to construct the objective function. Case studies are conducted to investigate the effectiveness and robustness of the algorithm on multi-damage identification. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm exhibits robust search performance on identifying damage locations accurately with good convergence behavior. It is hoped that this study can provide guidance on robust damage detection, especially when the structure is subject to multiple damages and external disturbances.