Effect of lubricant fluid on plastic metal flow in sliding contact

Plastic metal flow in surface layers, especially “abnormal metal flow”, in which the direction of metal flow in the inner surface layer is different from that in the layer nearer the surface, in sliding contacts between a pin of cemented carbide and a ring of steel under lubrication is discussed in this paper. Low viscosity mineral oil is used as a base oil. Sulphide and chloride extreme pressure additives are also mixed with the base oil. Such a lubricant has a great influence on the plastic metal flow of a ring.While base oil produces severe plastic metal flow, the sulphide additive causes the plastic metal flow to be very mild. In contrast, a lubricant containing a chloride additive causes abnormal metal flow, where cracks can be seen. Conditions for and causes of abnormal metal flow are investigated.     

Knowledge discovery in databases for determining formulation in topology optimization

Whereas topology optimization has achieved immense success, it involves an intrinsic difficulty. That is, optimized structures obtained by topology optimization strongly depend on the settings of the objective and constraint functions, i.e., the formulation. Nevertheless, the appropriate formulation is not usually obvious when considering structural design problems. Although trial-and-error to determine appropriate formulations are implicitly performed in several studies on topology optimization, it is important to explicitly support the process of trial-and-error. Therefore, in this study, we propose a new framework for topology optimization to determine appropriate formulations. The basic idea of this framework is incorporating knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) and topology optimization. Thus, we construct a database by collecting various and numerous material distributions that are obtained by solving various structural design problems with topology optimization, and find useful knowledge with respect to appropriate formulations from the database on the basis of KDD. An issue must be resolved when realizing the above idea, namely the material distribution in the design domain of a data record must be converted to conform to the design domain of the target design problem wherein an appropriate formulation should be determined. For this purpose, we also propose a material distribution-converting method termed as design domain mapping (DDM). Several numerical examples are used to demonstrate that the proposed framework including DDM successfully and explicitly supports the process of trial-and-error to determine the appropriate formulation.

     

Comparison of the relative stability of pharmaceutical cocrystals consisting of paracetamol and dicarboxylic acids

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relative stability of pharmaceutical cocrystals consisting of paracetamol (APAP) and oxalic acid (OXA) or maleic acid (MLA).

Significance: These observations of cocrystal stability under various conditions are useful coformer criteria when cocrystals are selected as the active pharmaceutical ingredient in drug development.

Method: The relative stability was determined from the preferentially formed cocrystals under various conditions.

Result: Cocrystal of APAP–OXA was more stable than that of APAP–MLA in a ternary cogrinding system and possessed thermodynamical stability. On the other hand, when grinding with moisture or maintaining at high temperatures and relative humidity conditions, APAP–MLA was more stable, and OXA converted to OXA dihydrate. In the slurry method, APAP–OXA was more stable in aprotic solvents because the APAP–OXA with low-solubility product precipitated.

Conclusions: The relative stability order was affected by preparing conditions of presence of moisture. This order might attribute to the small difference of crystal structure in the extension of the hydrogen bond network.     

Control of precipitation behaviour of Hastelloy-X through grain boundary engineering

Grain boundary engineering (GBE) was employed to control the precipitation behaviour of Hastelloy-X alloy. The precipitate characteristics and thermal stability of grain boundary character distribution (GBCD) were investigated by aging at 850°C. M₆C carbides and µ phases were observed in the matrix and on grain boundaries, respectively. It revealed that the formation of µ phase was closely related to the grain boundary structure. GBCD effectively suppressed the nucleation and coarsening of µ phases on the grain boundaries. Owing to the Mo depletion in the vicinity of random grain boundary, the formation of the precipitates was inhibited on the adjacent grain boundaries. The thermal stability of the GBE-optimised microstructure was confirmed at 850°C for 720?h without significant microstructural degradation.     

Lithiophilic 3D Nanoporous Nitrogen‐Doped Graphene for Dendrite‐Free and Ultrahigh‐Rate Lithium‐Metal Anodes

The key bottlenecks hindering the practical implementations of lithium‐metal anodes in high‐energy‐density rechargeable batteries are the uncontrolled dendrite growth and infinite volume changes during charging and discharging, which lead to short lifespan and catastrophic safety hazards. In principle, these problems can be mitigated or even solved by loading lithium into a high‐surface‐area, conductive, and lithiophilic porous scaffold. However, a suitable material that can synchronously host a large loading amount of lithium and endure a large current density has not been achieved. Here, a lithiophilic 3D nanoporous nitrogen‐doped graphene as the sought‐after scaffold material for lithium anodes is reported. The high surface area, large porosity, and high conductivity of the nanoporous graphene concede not only dendrite‐free stripping/plating but also abundant open space accommodating volume fluctuations of lithium. This ingenious scaffold endows the lithium composite anode with a long‐term cycling stability and ultrahigh rate capability, significantly improving the charge storage performance of high‐energy‐density rechargeable lithium batteries.     

Dietary conjugated linolenic acid in relation to CLA differently modifies body fat mass and serum and liver lipid levels in rats

The present study compared the effect of dietary conjugated linolenic acid (CLNA) on body fat and serum and liver lipid levels with that of CLA in rats. FFA rich in linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, CLA, or CLNA were used as experimental fats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (4 wk old) were fed purified diets containing 1% of one of these experimental fats. After 4 wk of feeding, adipose tissue weights, serum and liver lipid concentrations, serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and leptin levels, and hepatic β-oxidation activities were measured. Compared with linoleic acid, CLA and, more potently, CLNA were found to reduce perirenal adipose tissue weight. The same trend was observed in the weight of epididymal adipose tissue. CLNA, but not CLA, was found to significantly increase serum and liver IG concentrations. Serum FFA concentration was also increased in the CLNA group more than in the other groups. The activity of β-oxidation in liver mitochondria and peroxisomes was significantly higher in the CLNA group than in the other groups. Thus, the amount of liver TG exceeded the ability of hepatic β-oxidation. Significant positive correlation was found between the adipose tissue weights and serum leptin levels in all animals (vs. perirenal: r=0.557, P<0.001; vs. epididymal: r=0.405, P<0.05). A less significant correlation was found between adipose tissue weights and serum TNF-α level (vs. perirenal: r=0.069, P<0.1; vs. epididymal: r=0.382, P<0.05). Although the mechanism for the specific effect of CLNA is not clear at present, these findings indicate that in rats CLNA modulated the body fat and TG metabolism differently from CLA.     

Factors influencing the hydration of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and the appearance of an intermediate second staging phase

The hydration of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) was investigated by changing the interlayer anion species, the Mg/Al ratio of the LDH hosts and the relative humidity (RH). The anions were CO₃²⁻, Cl⁻, Br⁻, NO₃⁻, I⁻, SO₄²⁻, and ClO₄⁻ (listed in the order of ion size, small to large) and LDHs with Mg/Al = 1.90 (LDH2) and 2.91 (LDH3) were used. Their XRD profiles were measured by an XRD diffractometer while controlling the RH in the range 0–95% at 25 °C. Only I⁻, SO₄²⁻, and ClO₄⁻ LDH2s and SO₄²⁻ LDH3 showed a large step-wise basal-spacing expansion, 0.24–0.28 nm, under high RH conditions (> ca. 60%) probably due to the insertion of one water layer into the interlayer space. Such hydration occurred more favorably for the LDHs with larger anions and those with a higher layer charge (LDH2). Among them, I⁻ and ClO₄⁻ LDH2s exhibited the second staging – alternate stacking of hydrated (H) and non-hydrated (NH) interlayers – in the intermediate RH region.     

Picoliter volume glass tube array fabricated by Si electrochemical etching process

Fabrication process for picoliter volume SiO₂ glass tube array partially embedded in Si wafer was developed. As a template for the glass tubes, macropore array was formed at the surface of n-Si(1 0 0) wafer by photo-assisted electrochemical etching process. The area-selective formation of the array was achieved by applying Au/Cr micropatterns formed at the back-side surface of the substrate as the shade mask, which controls the illumination condition to optimize the etching reaction conditions. Subsequently, surface of the macropores was wet-thermally oxidized to form glass layer, and the bulk Si region was removed by alkaline etching, remaining the “glass tubes”. As a result of complete removal of the bulk Si, released glass tubes were obtained. By partial removal of the bulk Si part, the glass tubes were exposed, fixed in the remaining Si substrate in the form of well-ordered array. It was confirmed that the depth, the exposed region and the wall thickness of each glass tube were controllable by adjusting the parameters such as the duration of the Si electrochemical etching, the alkaline etching and the wet-thermal oxidation, respectively. In order to demonstrate microreaction in the glass tube, aqueous rhodamine B solution was injected into the tubes and excitation light was irradiated to them. As a result, the fluorescence of rhodamine B was clearly detected, confirming the applicability of the glass tubes for various kinds of devices and systems such as microreactors.     

Studies on adhesion of allylic resin. I. Adhesion of diallylphthalate resin and dichromate-treated copper foil

An effective copper surface treatment for adhesive bonding of copper foil and diallylphthalate resin was investigated. It involves dipping the copper foil in the potassium dichromate-sulfuric acid solution (K₂Cr₂O₇:76 g/l, H₂SO₄:0.67 N) at 60°C for 5 min. The dichromate treated copper foil and glass based prepregs of diallylphthalate resin were laminated under the pressure of 38 kg/cm² for 30 min at 145°C. Interface characteristics of the dichromate treated copper foil and diallylphthalate resin were examined. It was found that chromium is formed on the surfaces of the treated copper foil, and allyl groups in diallylphthalate molecule are oriented to the atoms, that is, the adhesive bonding is performed by the chemical affinity of chromium and allyl groups. The allyl group has a delocalized π-electron system, and that its bonding to a transition metal as chromium is appropriate and justifiable by quantum chemical considerations.     

A PSS‐Free PEDOT Conductive Film Supported by a Hierarchical Nanoporous Layer Glass

The importance of transparent conductive film is increasing due to its use in applications such as touch‐panel devices. Although indium tin oxide is widely used because of its high conductivity and transparency, conductive polymers are being studied as alternative materials that avoid the use of rare metals and the brittleness associated with existing systems. Polyethylene dioxythiophene (PEDOT)/polyethylene sulfonic acid (PSS) is drawing a lot of attention due to its well‐balanced conductivity, transparency, film formability, and chemical stability. The nonconductive PSS reportedly covers the conductive PEDOT. The PSS shell provides carrier and film‐formability to PEDOT but is also a barrier that hinders electrical conductivity. Therefore, the PEDOT film formability is explored supported by a substrate without the addition of PSS. The “hierarchical nanoporous layer glass” holds the PSS‐free PEDOT with its nanopores to form a homogeneous, transparent film. The PSS‐free PEDOT film thus achieves transparency of over 85% and resistivity of below 500 Ω sq^?1.