Linear stone cutting tests with chisel tools for identification of cutting principles and predicting performance of chain saw machines

Different natural stone quarries are visited for collection of stone samples, determination of geological conditions, specifications and operational conditions of the chain saw machines and recording machine cutting performance with a data acquisition system. The samples are tested with a linear cutting test rig using chisel-type cutting tools with 0°, 15°, 30° and 45° sideways angles at different depths of cut and tool spacings, to determine stone cuttability, cutting characteristics of chain saw machines and effect of unsymmetric and symmetric sideways angles and different cutting patterns on cutting performance (tool forces, specific energy, optimum cutting geometry). A deterministic model is suggested for predicting performance of chain saw machines using the results of linear stone cutting experiments, and the laws of kinematics. The results of experimental studies and in-situ investigations indicate that the cutting action of chain saw machines can be successfully simulated by linear cutting experiments and the suggested model is proven, though requiring some additional study, to be a useful and reliable tool for selection, design, and performance prediction and optimization of chain saw machines.     

Processing of high-performance Co doped Y2O3 as a single-phase electrolyte for low temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LT-SOFC)

The high-performance single-phase semiconductor materials with higher ionic conductivity have drawn substantial attention in fuel cell applications. Semiconductor materials play a key role to enhance ionic conductivity subsequently promoting low temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LT-SOFC) research. Herein, we proposed a semiconductor Co doped Y₂O₃ (YCO) samples with different molar ratios, which may easily access the high ionic conductivity and electrochemical performances at low operating temperatures. The resulting fabricated fuel cell 10% Co doped Y₂O₃ (YCO-10) device exhibits high ionic conductivity of ∼0.16 S cm⁻¹ and a feasible peak power density of 856 mW cm⁻² along with 1.09 OCV at 530 °C under H₂/air conditions. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) reveals that YCO-10 electrolyte based SOFC device delivers the least ohmic resistance of 0.11–0.16 Ω cm² at 530-450 °C. Electrode polarization resistance of the constructed fuel cell device noticed from 0.59 Ω cm² to 0.28 Ω cm² in H₂/air environment at different elevated temperatures (450 °C to 530 °C). This work suggests that YCO-10 can be a promising alternative electrolyte, owing to its high fuel cell performance and enhanced ionic conductivity for LT-SOFC.     

A nanocomposite of dual-phase Fe/TiCN wrapped in nitrogen-doped carbon with magnetic and dielectric characters for superior microwave absorption

A careful approach to the optimization of magnetic and dielectric losses in nanomaterials can improve the electromagnetic wave absorption loss performance for certain microwave absorption applications. In this study we prepared dual core (Fe/TiCN) coated with nitrogen (N) doped carbon shell nanocomposite by arc-discharge method under mix atmospheres of working gases and with varying elemental compositions. Among all nanocomposites, (Fe/TiC_0.7N_0.3)@N–C dual-core@ N- doped shell nanocomposite exhibits enhanced microwave absorption. Owing to the novel dual-core@ N-doped shell structure and numerous defects induced by doping N in carbon shells, an improved dielectric relaxation in composite is observed and the minimum reflection loss was reached −44.36 dB at 5.3 GHz for 4.8 mm thickness.     

Large permittivity,low loss and defect structure in (Nb,Zn) co-doped SnO2 ceramics studied through a combined experimental and DFT calculational method

Dielectric ceramics with high permittivity and low loss are widely used in electronic components and devices. In this study, (Nb, Zn) co-doped Nb_xZn_ySn_1-x-yO₂ with different doping levels and Nb/Zn ratios was designed to tune the defect structure toward the optimal dielectric performance. The lattice parameters firstly increased from x = y = 0.01 to 0.03 and then decreased, while the oxygen vacancy concentration decreased with doping. The co-doped sample with x = y = 0.02 exhibits stable permittivity up to 800 with an ultra-low loss tanδ ∼0.03 at 40 Hz. DFT calculation showed that the oxygen vacancy was formed with single-Zn doping and co-doping at low doping level, while the hole was generated at higher doping level. The achieved large permittivity and low loss of the sample are related to both Electron-Pinned Defect Dipoles (EPDD) and Hole-Pinned Defect Dipoles (HPDD) effects in the lattice, which was determined by the relative positions of donor and acceptor dopants.     

Hierarchical mesoporous NiO nanosheet arrays as integrated electrode for hybrid sodium-air batteries

Attributed to its environmental friendliness, high theoretical energy density, and abundant sodium resource, rechargeable hybrid sodium-air batteries (HSABs) are expected to become a promising pioneer of the new-generation green energy storage device. However, HSABs suffer from the high voltage gap, low energy conversion efficiency, and poor cycle stability due to the low catalytic activity of catalysts caused by the degradation of polymer binders. Herein, hierarchical mesoporous NiO nanosheet arrays grown on carbon papers (CP) (NiO NA@CP) were synthesized by a facile and efficient hydrothermal route and calcination process, which acts as an integrated electrode for HSABs. Compared with traditional air electrodes that contain a polymer binder and conductive carbon, the integrated NiO NA@CP electrode prevents the aggregation of catalysts, improves the electronic conductivity by good electric contact and ensures its robust mechanical stability. In addition, NiO NA@CP electrode with the abundant porosity and large specific area offers plenty of active sites and shortens ion transfer length and rapid mass transport in ORR/OER process, leading to excellent oxygen catalytic activities. HSABs with NiO NA@CP electrode show a low overpotential of 0.65 V, a state-of-the-art power density (7.53 mW cm⁻²), as well as an excellent cyclability of 170 cycles (over 170 h) at a current density of 0.1 mA cm⁻².     

Crystallization of lithium aluminosilicate and microstructure of a lithium alumino borosilicate glass designed for zero thermal expansion

A glass with the composition 7.9 Li₂O∙2.0 MgO∙1.4 ZnO∙10 Al₂O₃∙2.7 B₂O₃∙72.6 SiO₂∙0.9 ZrO₂∙2.1 TiO₂∙0.4 Sb₂O₃ was thermally treated at temperatures in the range from 650 to 750 °C. During thermal treatment, at first, nearly spherical Zr_1-xTi_xO₄ crystals with sizes of 5–20 nm were formed. On these nanocrystals, elongated particles consisting of TiO₂ were observed to grow. Subsequently hexagonal β-quartz solid solution was formed at temperatures ≥650 °C. In this β-quartz solid solution, Zn as well as Mg and excess Al were incorporated. At temperatures >690 °C, the formation of tetragonal β-spodumene solid solution was observed. In the microstructure of the formed glass-ceramics, a volume concentration of around 12% spherical aggregates with a diameter of 1.5–2 μm composed of β-spodumene solid solution and areas enriched in Al and Zn occur. These heterogenous structures were formed by the transformation of β-quartz solid solutions to β-spodumene solid solution. At the same time, Zn(Mg) and excess Al were expelled from the aluminosilicate phase and a cubic spinel type phase Zn(Mg)Al₂O₄ was formed. These aggregates did not contain a glassy phase. In-between these spherical aggregates, i.e. in around 88% of the volume, tiny Zr_1-xTi_xO₄ crystals, aluminosilicate crystals with diameters of around 200 nm, and a glass phase shoved away by these growing crystals consisting of oxides of Mg, Zn, Al, Si, and Sb happened to occur.     

Sintering behaviour and properties of zirconia ceramics prepared by pressureless sintering

Improvements in the sintering process and powder quality can lead to wider application of zirconia in ceramics. In this study, the effects of different temperatures on the stability, relative content of the tetragonal phase, and composition of Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ ceramic powders were explored using pressureless-assisted sintering. The crystallinity of the sintered Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ samples was significantly improved. The content of the tetragonal-phase ZrO₂ in sintered ceramic powders was 52.07%, 52.46%, 56.16%, 63.99%, and 64.90%, respectively, which was significantly higher than those of the raw materials. The average particle size of the sintered samples decreased from 1.07 μm to 0.17 μm with an increase in temperature, indicating that the ceramic powder particles were refined. The sample that was subjected to pressureless-assisted sintering at 1200 °C and held for 1 h exhibited the best stability and more uniform particle distribution compared to other samples. The particle size distribution data were closer to the standard line, satisfying the requirements of the normal distribution law. The results revealed that a high temperature was more favourable to the solid solution, and the formation of an Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ solid solution can diminish the influence of the volume expansion of ceramic powders on the sample properties during sintering. Therefore, the addition of the sintering aid Al₂O₃ significantly promotes the densification of the powders, and the pressureless sintering technique reduces the sintering temperature of the solid solution, thus imparting a crystalline structure and excellent mechanical properties to the material.     

Synthesis of few-layered Ti3C2Tx/ WO3 nanorods foam composite material for NO2 gas sensing at low temperature

The few-layered Ti₃C₂T_x/WO₃ nanorods foam composite material was synthesized by electrostatic self-assembly and bidirectional freeze-drying technologies. The phase structure and microstructure of synthesized samples was characterized by XRD, FESEM, TEM and their gas sensing properties estimated via a self-designed equipment with four test channels. The results demonstrate WO₃ nanorods were successfully anchored on the surface and between layers of few-layered Ti₃C₂T_x MXene by electrostatic self-assembly strategy and the composite material simultaneously has a low-density foam morphology by means of bidirectional freeze-drying processes. There exists a typical heterostructure at the interfaces owing to the inseparable contact between the few-layered Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and WO₃ nanorods. Compared with the original WO₃ nanorods, the few-layered Ti₃C₂T_x/WO₃ nanorods foam composite material displays excellent gas sensing properties for NO₂ detection at low temperature, in particular the optimal value of gas sensing response (R_g/R_a) reaches to 89.46 toward 20 ppm NO₂ at 200 °C. The gas sensing mechanism was also discussed. The increase of gas sensitivity is attributed to a fact that during the reaction process of gas sensing, the excellent conductivity of the few-layered Ti₃C₂T_x MXene provided faster transport channels of free carriers, and the heterojunctions formed by few-layered Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and WO₃ nanorods enhanced the carriers separation efficiency. Meanwhile, the low-density layered structure of few-layered Ti₃C₂T_x/WO₃ nanorods foam composite material provides convenient diffusion paths for gas molecules to the surface of WO₃ nanorods.     

Boosting the antimicrobial and Azo dye mineralization activities of ZnO ceramics by enhancing the light-harvesting and charge transport properties

Herein, we report the wet-chemical synthesis of a ferromagnetic nickel-doped ZnO (Zn_1-xNi_xO) nanocatalyst as a novel and visible-light-driven photocatalyst. Through X-ray diffraction, UV/Vis absorption, electronic studies, and current-voltage experiments, the effect of the ferromagnetic nickel dopant on the structural, optical, morphological, and electrical properties of the synthesized Zn_1-xNi_xO nanocatalyst was studied. The Ni-doping introduced the structural variation in the Zn_1-xNi_xO nanocatalyst, exhibiting a visible light-triggered optical band gap of 2.96 eV and an excellent current conductivity of 6.3 × 10⁻⁴ Sm⁻¹. Moreover, the synthesis of the Zn_1-xNi_xO catalyst at the nanoscale enhanced its surface energy, showing a robust affinity to stick with the dye and pathogenic microbes. The synergistic effects of all the mentioned features enable our Zn_1-xNi_xO nanocatalyst to efficiently generate and transport reactive oxygen species (ROS) under visible light illumination. Regarding antibacterial action, the as-synthesized Zn_1-xNi_xO nanocatalyst showed 1.7% higher activity against E. coli than that of the drug Ciprofloxacin. In addition, doped nanocatalysts mineralize almost 97% of the Allura red dye in just 80 min with a constant rate value of 0.036 min⁻¹. The impedance study and post-application XRD proposed that our Zn_1-xNi_xO nanocatalyst has good conductivity and structural stability. Applications studies show the unusual photocatalytic activity of as-synthesized Zn_1-xNi_xO nanocatalysts, which makes it a suitable candidate for industrial discharge treatment applications at the expense of solar light.     

Effect of β to α phase transformation on microstructure and thermal conductivity of SiC ceramic densified with Y2O3-MgO additives in argon

SiC ceramic was fabricated by spark plasma sintering of β-SiC powder and Y₂O₃-MgO additives in argon. The effects of β→α phase transformation of SiC on microstructure and thermal conductivity of densified bulks were systematically investigated, in comparison to the counterparts using α-SiC as starting powder. The β→α phase transformation led to a “unimodal to bimodal” transition in grain size distribution. After sintering at 1850 ^oC, the incomplete β→α phase transformation induced the appearance of β/α heterophase boundary with strong effect of phonon-scattering. After sintering at 2050 ^oC, the completion of β→α phase transformation resulted in enlarged grains and disappearance of β/α heterophase boundary in SiC ceramic. The lattice oxygen content was decreased primarily by enhanced grain growth and oxygen picking-up of sintering additives, and possibly some contribution from β→α phase transformation. The optimized microstructure enabled SiC ceramic to obtain a remarkable increase in thermal conductivity from 126 to 204 W/mK after the replacement of α-SiC by β-SiC as starting powder and the accomplishment of β→α phase transformation.