The effect of alkali metal oxide on the properties of borosilicate fireproof glass: Structure,thermal properties,viscosity, chemical stability

The purpose of the current work was to research the effect of alkali metal oxide on the structure, thermal properties, viscosity and chemical stability in the glass system (R₂O–CaO–B₂O₃–SiO₂) systematically. Because the glass would emulsify when Li₂O was added to the glass batch, this article did not discuss Li₂O. The results showed that when the amount of Na₂O was less than 4 mol.%, there was a higher interconnectivity of borate and silicate sub-networks in glass, as more mixed Si–O–B bonds were present in glass. The glass samples exhibited excellent thermal properties and chemical stabilities. As the amount of Na₂O exceeded 4 mol.%, the interconnectivity of borate and silicate sub-networks was weakened. The thermal properties and chemical stabilities of the glass samples were reduced. The connectivity of the silicate sub-network was weakened slightly as the Na/K ratio varied, and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the glass samples gradually increased, and the resistance to thermal shock (RTS) value gradually decreased. Moreover, the viscosity of the glass samples decreased with the ratio of Na/Si and Na/K increased.     

Development of structurally modified OER catalysts with enhanced performance and longevity for PEM-based electrolytic air dehumidification

PEM-based electrolytic air dehumidification is innovative in dehumidification that requires high precision and small space due to its high efficiency, compactness, and cleanness. However, the system dehumidification performance and durability are limited by using commercial Anatase-IrO₂ catalysts. In this study, two types of structurally modified OER catalyst materials, ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂, are developed to improve the performance of the system. System experiments showed that, compared to the commercial catalysts, the use of ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂ as the anode catalyst can improve the dehumidification performance by 45% and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, in 50-h accelerated aging tests, the attenuation rates of the ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂ systems are 3% and 8% respectively, which are far lower than the 35% attenuation of commercial catalyst. The results indicate that, as catalysts with a classic core-shell structure, ATO-IrO₂ and ND-MnO₂-IrO₂ still have a significant impact on improving the performance of the electrolytic dehumidification systems.     

Effect of cooking temperature on texture and flavour binding of braised sauce porcine skin

To investigate the effect of cooking temperature (55, 65, 75, 85 and 95 °C) on texture and flavour binding of braised sauce porcine skin (BSPS), sensory acceptance, microstructure and flavour-binding capacity were investigated during the processing of BSPS. Samples cooked at 85 and 95 °C showed better texture and aroma scores. Hardness and chewiness of BSPS were obviously improved at 85 and 95 °C than control group. Collagen structure was significantly destroyed over 85 °C. The porcine skin collagen heated at 85 and 95 °C showed relatively higher flavour-binding capacity than other samples. The improvement of texture of BSPS was mainly attributed to the degradation of collagen. Higher aroma scores of BSPS were related to intense binding abilities with aroma compounds at 85 and 95 °C. Cooking at 85 or 95 °C could be an optimal cooking temperature for BSPS.     

Influence of α′‐/α‐crystal polymorphism on properties of poly(l‐lactic acid)

Poly(l ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) is a biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic polyester produced from renewable sources, widely used for biomedical devices, in food packaging and in agriculture. It is a semicrystalline polymer, and as such its properties are strongly affected by the developed semicrystalline morphology. As a function of the crystallization temperature, PLLA can form different crystal modifications, namely α′‐crystals below about 120 °C and α‐crystals at higher temperatures. The α′ modification is therefore of special importance as it may be the preferred polymorph developing at processing‐relevant conditions. It is a metastable modification which typically transforms into the more stable α‐crystals on annealing at elevated temperature. The structure, kinetics of formation and thermodynamics of α′‐ and α‐crystals of PLLA are reviewed in this contribution, together with the effect of α′‐/α‐crystal polymorphism on the properties of PLLA. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

弱相互作用调控表面活性剂自组装(Ⅱ)——表面活性剂的结构与设计

介绍了表面活性剂的结构、性质以及分类,综述了阴离子表面活性剂、阳离子表面活性剂、两性离子表面活性剂、非离子表面活性剂的分子间弱相互作用。另外,简述了低聚型表面活性剂和其他新型表面活性剂的结构及应用。     

Fabrication,microstructural characterization and gas permeability behavior of porous silicon nitride ceramics with controllable pore structures

Porous Si₃N₄ ceramics with monomodal and bimodal pore structure were prepared by cold isostatic pressing and freeze-casting, respectively. Both the pore structure and permeability behavior of the porous Si₃N₄ ceramics were tailored by altering the pressure of cold isostatic pressing and the composition and content of solvent during freeze-casting. The specimens obtained by cold isostatic pressing exhibited smaller Darcian and non-Darcian permeability than those of freeze-casted samples due to their lower open porosity, smaller pore size and higher tortuosity. On the other hand, compared with the ice-templated specimens having the same solvent volume in the ceramic slurries as them during freeze-casting, the emulsion-ice templated samples showed smaller open porosity, macropore size and Dacian permeability, but the similar non-Darcian permeability because of their larger micropores and better pore interconnectivity.     

Structure variation and energy storage properties of acceptor-modified PBLZST antiferroelectric ceramics

Energy storage capacitors with high recoverable energy density and efficiency are greatly desired in pulse power system. In this study, the energy density and efficiency were enhanced in Mn-modified (Pb_0.93Ba_0.04La_0.02)(Zr_0.65Sn_0.3Ti_0.05)O₃ antiferroelectric ceramics via a conventional solid-state reaction process. The improvement was attributed to the change in the antiferroelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition electric field (E_F) and the ferroelectric-to-antiferroelectric phase transition electric field (E_A) with a small Mn addition. Mn ions as acceptors, which gave rise to the structure variation, significantly influenced the microstructures, dielectric properties and energy storage performance of the antiferroelectric ceramics. A maximum recoverable energy density of 2.64 J/cm³ with an efficiency of 73% was achieved when x = 0.005, which was 40% higher than that (1.84 J/cm³, 68%) of the pure ceramic counterparts. The results demonstrate that the acceptor modification is an effective way to improve the energy storage density and efficiency of antiferroelectric ceramics by inducing a structure variation and the (Pb_0.93Ba_0.04La_0.02)(Zr_0.65Sn_0.3Ti_0.05)O₃-xMn₂O₃ antiferroelectric ceramics are a promising energy storage material with high-power density.     

Moulded pulp products manufacturing with thermoforming

For an effective optimization of pulp thermoforming and of the moulded pulp products manufactured by this process, a full understanding of the process physics combined with full knowledge of the pressing equipment is necessary. For this reason, in this Addendum, we clarify how the process parameters “Holding time,” “Vacuum time,” “Cycle time,” and “Temperature” were interpreted and subsequently defined for the analysis of the process and product‐related outputs of the thermoforming experiments.     

Molecule-confined modification of graphitic C3N4 to design mesopore-dominated Fe-N-C hybrid electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

To design inexpensive carbon catalysts and enhance their oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity is critical for developing efficient energy-conversion systems. In this work, a novel Fe-N-C hybrid electrocatalyst with carbon nanolayers-encapsulated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles is synthesized successfully by utilizing the molecular-level confinement of graphitic C₃N₄ structures via hemin biomaterial. Benefiting from the Fe-N structure prevalent on the carbon nanosheets and large mesopore-dominated specific surface area, the synthesized catalyst under optimized conditions shows excellent electrocatalytic performance for ORR with an E_ORR at 1.08 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and an E_1/2 at 0.87 V vs. RHE, and outstanding long-term stability, which is superior to commercial Pt/C catalysts (E_ORR at 1.04 V versus RHE and E_1/2 at 0.84 V versus RHE). Moreover, the low hydrogen peroxide yield (<11%) and average electron transfer number (~3.8) indicate a four-electron ORR pathway. Besides, the maximum power density of the home-made Zn-air battery using the obtained catalyst is 97.6 mW cm⁻². This work provides a practical route for the synthesis of cheap and efficient ORR electrocatalysts in metal-air battery systems.     

Mechanical properties of Al2O3 and Al2O3/Al with Gyroid structure obtained by stereolithographic additive manufacturing and melt infiltration

To obtain both plasticity and toughness of the material at the same time, various manufacturing techniques of ceramic-metal composites and structures have been studied. In this work, a bio-inspired Al₂O₃ ceramic scaffold with Gyroid structure was designed and prepared by stereolithographic (SL) additive manufacturing, then the Al₂O₃/Al ceramic-metal hybrid structure was prepared by infiltrating molten Al into the Al₂O₃ ceramic structure. The performances of the Al₂O₃ ceramic scaffold and the Al₂O₃/Al ceramic-metal hybrid structure were compared and analyzed by a quasi-static compression experiment. The quasi-static compressive strength of the pristine Al₂O₃ scaffold was 14.36 MPa, while that of the Al₂O₃/Al ceramic-metal hybrid structure was up to 89.06 MPa. Moreover, the plasticity of the Al₂O₃/Al ceramic-metal hybrid structure was much higher than that of the Al₂O₃ scaffold. During compression, the Al₂O₃/Al ceramic-metal hybrid structure had excellent energy absorption, reaching up to 2569.16 KJ/m³, 15 times that of the Al₂O₃ scaffold. Therefore, this method can obtain materials with excellent ductility and toughness.