Gas Responsive Nanoswitch: Copper Oxide Composite for Highly Selective H2S Detection

A nanocomposite material based on copper(II) oxide (CuO) and its utilization as a highly selective and stable gas‐responsive electrical switch for hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) detection is presented. The material can be applied as a sensitive layer for H₂S monitoring, e.g., in biogas gas plants. CuO nanoparticles are embedded in a rigid, nanoporous silica (SiO₂) matrix to form an electrical percolating network of low conducting CuO and, upon exposure to H₂S, highly conducting copper(II) sulphide (CuS) particles. By steric hindrance due to the silica pore walls, the structure of the network is maintained even though the reversible reaction of CuO to CuS is accompanied by significant volume expansion. The conducting state of the percolating network can be controlled by a variety of parameters, such as temperature, electrode layout, and network topology of the porous silica matrix. The latter means that this new type of sensing material has a structure‐encoded detection limit for H₂S, which offers new application opportunities. The fabrication process of the mesoporous CuO@SiO₂ composite as well as the sensor design and characteristics are described in detail. In addition, theoretical modeling of the percolation effect by Monte‐Carlo simulations yields deeper insight into the underlying percolation mechanism and the observed response characteristics.     

煤直接液化反应中分散相催化剂研究进展

煤直接液化工艺中催化剂作用十分重要,粒径小、分散性高的催化剂能够有效提升煤转化效率。将流动反应介质中小颗粒的固体催化剂命名为分散相催化剂,综述煤直接液化中常用的几种分散相催化剂,包括金属卤化物催化剂、过渡金属氧化物催化剂和铁系催化剂,提出可能的催化机理。     

镍基MOF电极材料物理超声改性及电化学性能

采用水热法合成了以4,4′-联苯二甲酸(BPDC)为配体的Ni-金属有机框架(MOF),利用低成本、无污染的物理超声法在不改变Ni-MOF晶体结构的前提下对其进行改性,使块状Ni-MOF表面产生孔隙,改善Ni-MOF表面微/纳米结构,提高其电化学性能。通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM)图、X射线衍射(XRD)谱、循环伏安(CV)曲线和恒电流充放电(GCD)曲线分析了改性前后Ni-MOF的微结构形貌和电化学性能。结果表明,经过超声处理后,Ni-MOF的比表面积从40.6 m^2·g^-1增加到65.8 m^2·g^-1,平均孔径从12 nm增加到22 nm。在0.5 A·g^-1电流密度下,超声处理后Ni-MOF电极比电容从420 F·g^-1增加到515 F·g^-1,提高了22.6%,电荷转移电阻明显降低,从25.11Ω降低到15.51Ω。因此,物理超声法可有效改善Ni-MOF表面微/纳米结构,提高其电化学性能。     

Graphenated Ceramic Particles as Functional Fillers for Nonisocyanate Polyhydroxyurethane Composites

Graphenation of corundum and silicon carbide filler particles simultaneously improves mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of nonisocyanate polyhydroxyurethanes (NIPU) composites prepared by amine cure of polyfunctional cyclic carbonates. Typically, the ceramic fillers coated with either glucose, polydopamine, or graphite oxide (GO) are thermolyzed to produce an ultrathin graphene shell around the ceramic core, as verified by transmission electron microscopy. As compared to a blend of corundum particles with the thermally reduced graphite oxide (TRGO) nanofiller, graphenation of corundum with GO at a similar total carbon content significantly improves the Young’s modulus (7000 MPa, +184%) of trimethylolpropane glycidylether carbonate (TMPGC) cured with diethylenetriamine (DETA). Moreover, up to 30 wt% of the graphenated corundum filler is uniformly dispersed, whereas a few percent of neat TRGO account for intolerable high viscosity. Furthermore, NIPU composites containing graphenated ceramic fillers exhibit electrical conductivities of up 2.58 × 10^?5 S m^?1 well below the percolation threshold of neat TRGO in the same NIPU matrix. Hence, the graphenation of inorganic particles represents a facile and universal synthetic route toward tailoring functional fillers and combines the two worlds of functionalized graphene and inorganic fillers in an economic way by eliminating the tedious syntheses and handling typical for graphene nanofillers.     

Novel Gemini Cationic Surfactants: Thermodynamic,Antimicrobial Susceptibility,and Corrosion Inhibition Behavior against Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

The Egyptian oil and gas industry is suffering from severe metal corrosion problems, particularly microbial-induced corrosion. There is limited knowledge on the corrosion inhibition of carbon steels in the presence of an acidophilic, iron-oxidizing bacterial species Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Therefore, in this study, novel Gemini cationic surfactants, in three forms depending on variation in alkyl chains of 8, 12, and 16 carbon atoms named FHPAO, FHPAD, and FHPAH, respectively, were synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The surface parameters and the thermodynamic of the synthesized surfactants were evaluated at three different temperatures, 20, 40, and 60 °C. The synthesized Gemini cationic surfactants were tested as broad-spectrum antimicrobial, antibacterial and anticandida agents. They evaluated as biocides and corrosion inhibitors against Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. FHPAD showed higher adsorption ability at the solution interface and higher affinity to construct micelles than FHPAO and FHPAH. Both adsorption and micellization processes were hydrophobic and temperature dependent. FHPAO, FHPAD and FHPAH exhibited wide-spectrum antimicrobial activities, and the highest activity and the lowest minimum bactericidal/fungicidal inhibitory concentrations were attributed to FHPAD. Furthermore, synthesized FHPAD demonstrated the highest metal corrosion inhibition efficiency of 95.5% at 5 mM in comparison to 87.5% and 81.7% for FHPAO and FHPAH, respectively. In conclusion, this study provides novel synthesized cationic surfactants with many applications in the oil and gas industry, such as broad-spectrum antimicrobial, biocides, and corrosion inhibitors for acidophilic, iron-oxidizing bacterial species Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans.     

Theoretical and experimental studies of a new aniline derivative corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in acid medium

4-Chloro-N-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)aniline (CPYA) was synthesized by a simple and inexpensive method and tested as a corrosion inhibitor in acid medium for mild steel by using gravimetric studies and electrochemical measurements. An average maximum efficiency of 96.0% was achieved at 4.59 mmol/L. Corrosion kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were also analyzed. Surface analyses (atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy) show that protection is enabled by adsorption on the metal, forming a film. Quantum chemical calculations were performed to access information regarding the molecular structure in the corrosive medium and to support interpretation of the results obtained by experimental methods.     

Removal and repair techniques for thermal barrier coatings: a review

ABSTRACT

A comprehensive literature review of the existing techniques for removing and repairing of damaged thermal barrier coatings is presented, with the focus on top ceramic coats. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique are compared and assessed. The review shows that there is not a universal method applicable to all coating systems. The selection of the coating removal and repair process must be specific to damaged coating systems, based on their composition, type of damages, and available resources. This review will provide some inside look at various approaches in an effort to meet the different coating repair needs.     

Smart optical measurement probe for autonomously detecting nano-defects on bare semiconductor wafer surface: Verification of proposed concept

We propose a new method of inspecting a surface for fine defects that combines the optical inspection method with observation of the physical behavior of a liquid. A liquid thin film on a substrate behaves as a near-field physical probe that autonomously captures nano-particulate defects. Optical observation of the interfacial behavior of the liquid thin film is used to detect minute defects. This method combines the characteristics of optical detection (i.e., detection from a remote field and simultaneous detectability on a plane) and the high sensitivity of a physical near-field probe. We examined the basic principles of the proposed method through numerical calculation and applied it in experiments to detect fine particulate defects on a silicon substrate for semiconductor manufacturing to demonstrate the validity of the basic concept of the proposed method.     

Development of a fast atom beam gun for surface-activated bonding

Surface-activated bonding (SAB), also called room-temperature bonding, is used in three-dimensional integration technology for semiconductor devices. An Ar fast atom beam (FAB) is used for SAB. However, conventional FAB guns must be replaced after hundreds of minutes of irradiation because carbon abrasion powders are generated by Ar ions sputtering in the gun. Therefore, this study develops a novel FAB gun with improved lifetime. The proposed FAB gun applies magnetic fields to guide Ar ions to reduce sputtering in the gun and improve irradiation efficiency. The proposed FAB gun indicates the possibility of improving gun lifetime.     

Material removal efficiency improvement by orientation control of CMP pad surface asperities

This paper presents a novel method of improving material removal efficiency in the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process by optimizing the surface asperity orientation with respect to polishing motion. Feret's diameter plays a key role in increasing the number of working abrasives. Based on Feret's diameter model, an optimization method is proposed for the conditioning motion of a diamond dresser against a CMP pad. The radial velocity component of the dresser on the CMP pad is maximized by considering its direction of motion based on kinematic motion simulation. In addition, the pad cut rate profile is optimized to be uniform. Analytical and experimental investigations show that the ratio of radial and tangential velocity components is improved, yielding a larger Feret's diameter and 15% increase in the material removal rate.