The fabrication of exfoliated graphite sheet-based air cathodes and gel electrolyte for metal-air batteries

In this paper, we demonstrate that activated carbon (AC) and manganese dioxide (MnO₂) coated exfoliated graphite sheets are a promising cathode for metal-air batteries. A simple and effective method is developed to exfoliate the graphite sheets and to load a catalyst onto their surfaces. Several low-cost, environmentally friendly air cathodes are fabricated, and their performances are tested by constructing Al-air b`atteries whose electrolyte 6 M NaOH, including ZnO inhibitor, is gelled by adding a cost-effective water retainer. The experimental results show that this new Al-air battery has a good discharge performance. In particular one of the new cathodes containing 50 wt% AC and 50 wt% MnO₂ produces a capacity of 311 mAh/g at a constant current discharge of 1.56 mA. Finally, future research directions are discussed for the further usage of the fabricated cathodes.     

高温法处理铝电解废阴极的机理

高温法是目前国内处理铝电解废阴极的主要研究方向。系统研究了焙烧温度、焙烧时间、样品粒度等对氰化物、氟化物及其它元素脱除效率的作用规律，研究了石墨碎石墨化度、真密度、粉末电阻率与焙烧温度的关系。研究表明，在600℃焙烧时氰化物可以完全分解，在1 000℃以上可以脱除氟及其其它成分(不含碳),氟及其它成分的脱除率主要和焙烧温度有关，焙烧温度越高，氟及其它成分的脱除率越高；石墨碎的石墨化度和真密度随焙烧温度的升高而提高，焙烧温度达到2 600℃时石墨碎的石墨化度达到98.4%、真密度达到2.270 3 g/cm³;石墨碎的粉末电阻率随焙烧温度的升高而降低；焙烧所得石墨碎具有较高的应用价值。     

Effect of surface modification of anode with surfactant on the performance of microbial fuel cell

Surface modification of anode using surfactant has great influence on the electrical performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC). In this study, the effect of surface‐modified exfoliated graphite used for anode fabrication on a cube‐type MFC batch reactor was examined. The surface exfoliated graphite was modified with 5‐mM anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate. Anaerobic sludge used as inoculum containing 70% (v/v) of artificial wastewater and 30% (v/v) of seed sludge in an anode chamber and air cathode was used in cathode side. Anode modification was explored as an approach to enhance the start‐up and improve the performance of the reactor. Scanning electron microscopy was used to evaluate the morphology and activity of electrochemically active bacteria. In the study, the start‐up time of MFC required to approach stable voltage was substantially reduced, and the maximum stable voltage was higher than the control. In addition, the activation resistance of the MFC was considerably reduced, and the maximum power density (1640 mW/m²) was 20% higher than control. However, when the surface of exfoliated graphite was modified with over 10‐mM anionic surfactant, some negative effects on start‐up time, activation resistance and maximum power density were observed. This modification also enhanced the bacterial attachment and biofilm formation on the modified anode surface. The result suggested that surface modification anode with surfactant is effective for electrical responses achieved in the MFC. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

厚大断面球墨铸铁件生产中若干问题的探讨(1)

介绍了厚大断面球墨铸铁的凝固时间长、共晶结晶平台长、石墨球数少、易畸变、基体组织异常等凝固特性,通过理论与生产实例相结合的方法,阐述了碎块状石墨问题,石墨球数少与石墨畸变的关系,球化剂、w(Mg残)量、RE与石墨畸变的关系,CE及化学成分的选择问题,厚大断面球墨铸铁件若干问题的措施,球化剂中RE问题以及如何增加石墨球数问题。最后指出:要保证厚大断面球墨铸铁正常生产,除上述问题外,还有浇注系统优化和浇注时间控制的问题,生产过程质量控制以及生产组织等问题,这些都需要注意和严格控制。     

旋流-静态微泡浮选柱在晶质石墨浮选中的应用

晶质石墨具有强疏水性,浮选提纯过程中矿化泡沫易形成聚合体机械夹带微细粒脉石,作业富集程度低,且入选物料固定碳含量越高,该现象愈加明显；特别是机械搅拌式浮选机的应用,导致目前工业生产普遍存在工艺冗长、回收率低、生产功耗及成本高等问题。本文以旋流-静态微泡浮选柱为主体设备研究晶质石墨短流程浮选工艺,在条件试验基础上,并结合晶质石墨浮选对大鳞片保护的需求,确定出浮选柱适当的应用场景为：入选物料固定碳含量约为85%,以浮选柱“两次磨矿两段精选”工艺替代浮选机“两次磨矿四段精选”工艺；可得到固定碳含量为96.17%,作业回收率为71.59%的合格精矿产品,证明了旋流-静态微泡浮选柱应用于晶质石墨浮选工艺中,在强化回收、增强富集比、简化工艺等方面的优势,该研究可为旋流-静态微泡浮选柱在晶质石墨浮选工业中的应用及推广提供参考依据。     

Graphite powder coated polyurethane sponge hollow tube as a high-efficiency and cost-effective oil-removal materials for continuous oil collection from water surface

In this study, the cost-effective graphite powder (GPd)-coated polyurethane (PGPd-PU) sponge hollow tube (PGPd-PUHT) was prepared for high-efficient continuous oil removal, the hydrophobicity-superoleophilicity PGPd-PU sponge was fabricated through a simple dip-coating method, which dipping PU sponge into GPd dispersion and drying, then coating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on sponge skeleton, as-prepared sponge could selectively absorb a variety of oils up to 34 times of its own weight for dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The PGPd-PUHT was prepared via wrapping PGPd-PU sponge on porous tubular support. The obtained PGPd-PUHT could continuously collect various types of oils from water surface with flux as high as 1.52 kL/m²h, and excellent separation efficiency (up to 97.7%) for toluene, as well as remarkable reusability. Moreover, a continuous floating oil collection device based on PGPd-PUHT was designed which showed excellent floating oil collection ability. In addition, our strategy possesses the advantages of low cost, simple preparation, highly efficient, and easily scale-up, showing a great potential for dealing with practical oil spill remediation. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48921.     

Interfacial reaction between zirconium alloy and graphite mold/yttrium oxide ceramic mold

Zirconium alloys are active in the molten state and tend to react with the mold during casting. The casting technology of zirconium is not yet well established; especially in selecting the mold materials, which are difficult to determine. In the present work, the interfacial reactions between zirconium casting and casting mold were studied. The zirconium alloy was melted in a vacuum arc skull furnace and then cast into the graphite mold and ceramic mold, respectively. The zirconium casting samples were characterized using SEM, EDS and XRD with an emphasis on the chemical diffusion of elements. A reaction layer was observed at the casting surface. Chemical analysis shows that chemical elements C, O and Y from the mold are diffused into the molten zirconium, and new phases, such as ZrC, Zr30, YO1.335 and Y6ZrO11, are formed at the surface. In addition, an end product of zirconium valve cast in a yttria mold has a compact structure and good surface quality.     

Surfactant-assisted synthesis of Sn nanoparticles via solution plasma technique

We have adopted a solution plasma synthesis for preparing Sn nanoparticles (Sn-NPs) directly from metallic Sn electrode. The Sn-NPs were synthesized in the presence of the surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and the effect of the concentration of CTAB on the Sn-NPs was investigated. Without CTAB addition, SnO plates were precipitated. Sn-NPs with less than 200 nm were synthesized at a high concentration of 200 × 10⁻⁶ g ml⁻¹ of CTAB. Electrochemical properties of SnO plates and Sn-NPs were analyzed for use as an anode material in Li-ion batteries. A composite of Sn-NPs and graphite enhanced the cyclic stability owing to the buffer space provided by the graphite for volume expansion. In the case of the 30 wt% loaded Sn-NPs, the capacity was measured to be 414 mA h g⁻¹ after 20 cycles.     

Hybrid electrode effects on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Research on membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) is focused on reducing cost and increasing durability in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). Development of the electrode structure and reduction of platinum (Pt) contents are studied to improve the efficiency of Pt catalysts. We studied the combined effects of improved electrode structure and reduced Pt loading. To enhance the performance of an MEA, a commercial Pt/C catalyst with micro graphite (MG) was used. The 40 wt% Pt/C catalyst content was reduced about 5, 15, 30 and 60 wt% at the cathode. MG was added as a reduced weight percent of Pt/C. Cell performance was significantly dependent on the content of MG. The MEA with 15 wt% of MG was seen to best performance compare with other MEA. These results showed that the catalyst with mixed MG improved both performance and cost savings with reduced Pt content of PEMFC.     

Effects of reaction temperature and inlet oxidizing gas flow rate on IG-110 graphite oxidation used in HTR-PM

The oxidation behavior of a selected nuclear graphite (IG-110) used in Pebble-bed Module High Temperature gas-cooled Reactor was investigated under the condition of air ingress accident. The oblate rectangular specimen was oxidized by oxidant gas with oxygen mole fraction of 20% and flow rates of 125–500 ml/min at temperature of 400–1200?°C. Experiment results indicate that the oxidation behavior can also be classified into three regimes according to temperature. The regime I at 400–550?°C has lower apparent activation energies of 75.57–138.59 kJ/mol when the gas flow rate is 125–500 ml/min. In the regime II at 600–900?°C, the oxidation rate restricted by the oxygen supply to graphite is almost stable with the increase of temperature. In the regime III above 900?°C, the oxidation rate increases obviously with the increase of temperature. With the increase of inlet gas flow from 125 to 500 ml/min, the apparent activation energy in regime I is increased and the stableness of oxidation rate in regime II is reduced.