The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of MgO-C refractories with recycling Si/SiC solid waste from photovoltaic industry

In the present work, the recycling of Si/SiC solid waste from photovoltaic industry for MgO-C refractories preparation has been introduced. The influence of solid waste powders as antioxidant additive on microstructure evolution, mechanical properties and thermal shock resistance of MgO-C refractories has been investigated systematically. With 4?wt% Si/SiC rich solid waste addition, the MgO-C refractories exhibited the highest strength (4.39?MPa) and residual Young's modulus (7.86?GPa) after firing at 1400?°C, compared to only Si or SiC-addition. The presence of iron in the solid waste also promoted the formation of MgO and Mg₂SiO₄ whiskers via catalyst-assisted method. Moreover, a dissolution-saturation-precipitation growth mechanism was used to explain the formation process of the whiskers. The improvements in strength as well as thermal shock resistance can be attributed to the microstructural evolution.     

和尚桥选矿厂中碎大块干选抛尾改造实践

针对马钢和尚桥选矿厂入选矿石品位低、选矿比大、选矿成本高、尾矿浓密机长期超负荷运行的问题，进行了中碎产品大块干式预选抛尾工艺研究与生产工艺改造。结果表明：①选用CTDG1220型磁滑轮对现场中碎产品进行干式预选抛尾，可抛出产率12.38%、全铁品位10.31%、磁性铁品位0.80%的废石；干抛精矿全铁品位20.00%、磁性铁品位7.29%、全铁回收率达93.21%、磁性铁回收率达98.42%，后续作业矿石铁品位提高了1.20个百分点。②细碎及其后续系统的负荷显著下降，有利于后续系统的稳定运行；每年产出的74.28万t废石可作为砂石骨料销售。③新增系统年创造经济效益3 728.28万元。     

Organic mesh template-based laminated object manufacturing to fabricate ceramics with regular micron scaled pore structures

A new aqueous slurry-based laminated object manufacturing process for porous ceramics is proposed: firstly, an organic mesh sheet is pre-paved as a pore-forming template before slurry layer scraping; secondly, the 2D pattern is built with laser outline cutting of the dried mesh–ceramic composite layer; finally, the pore structure is formed after degreasing and sintering. Alumina parts with porosities of 51.5 %, round hole diameters of 80 ± 5 μm were fabricated using 70 wt. % solid content slurry and 100 mesh nylon net. Using an organic mesh as the framework and template not only reduces the risk of damage of the green body but also ensures the regularity, uniformity and connectivity of the micron scaled pore network. The layer-by-layer drying method avoids the delamination phenomenon and improves the paving density. The new method can realize the flexible design of the pore structure by using various organic mesh templates.     

The effect of curvature on chondrocytes migration and bone mesenchymal stem cells differentiation

Numerous cells grow in columnar tissues and organs with different curvatures and curvature gradients. Therefore, it is necessary to study the effect of curvature on cell behavior to control and promote cell development. Herein, we prepared polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with different micro-nano patterns using ultraviolet soft lithography. Hydrophilic polydopamine (PDA) was modified on the PDMS surface to prepare PDMS/PDA to improve its biocompatibility. The PDMS/PDA was characterized by contact angle tester and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of curvature on bone cell migration and differentiation was studied through SEM, inverted phase contrast microscope and fluorescence microscopy. We found that different curvatures had different effects on the bone cell migration and differentiation. Chondrocytes migrated rapidly in grooves with a curvature range of 1/575–1/875 μm⁻¹. Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) had high efficiency of differentiation into chondrocytes in the grooves with a curvature range of 1/775–1/1375 μm⁻¹. Furthermore, BMSCs showed high efficiency of differentiation into chondrocytes at the edges of micro-nano patterns with different perimeter curvatures, and the differentiation efficiency was the highest at 120° convex curvature. This work shows that curvature is a principle to be considered in bone tissue regeneration engineering and provides inspiration for future biomaterials design.     

Morphology-dependent spin Seebeck effect in yttrium iron garnet thin films prepared by metal-organic decomposition

In this study, we examined the dependence of surface morphology and spin Seebeck effect (SSE) voltages on the poly[vinylpyrrolidone] (PVP) concentration in polycrystalline Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ (YIG) ultrathin films on a silicon substrate synthesized by metal-organic decomposition followed by a crystallization process. During fabrication, PVP concentrations of 0.5–2 g were used while all other conditions remained fixed. Atomic force microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed a strong dependence of crystallinity and sample morphology on PVP concentration. The 1-g PVP sample had the smoothest surface, with a root mean square roughness of 0.2 nm, as well as superior bulk uniformity with respect to the shape and intensity of XRD reflection peaks. This was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy measurements of a cross-section of the sample that revealed a uniform film without pores. SSE measurements were performed to obtain the output SSE voltages (V_SSE) of all samples, to which a platinum layer was added as a spin-detection layer. Repeatedly, the 1-g PVP sample had the best performance, demonstrating the importance of film crystallinity and morphology in the spin-to-charge conversion efficiency of YIG films.     

Constructing magnetically recoverable CdS/CaFe2O4 P–N heterojunctions for enhanced photoelectrochemical properties towards H2 evolution reaction

A novel CdS/CaFe₂O₄ (CS/CFO) heterogeneous p-n junction was created by thermal deposition of CaFe₂O₄ nanoparticles on CdS rods. The CS/CFO hetero-structured photocatalysts exhibited increasingly efficient visible light harvesting compared to the bare CdS. The CS/CFO composites also presented higher photocurrent and slower decay of photoluminescence, suggesting a better separation of the photo-generated electrons and holes. The photocatalytic H₂ evolution quantity on the optimized CS/CFO composite from water in the presence of ethanol was up to 2200 μmol after 3-h visible light illumination, which is more than twice that of the pristine CdS. The chemical interaction between CdS and CaFe₂O₄ was confirmed by the shifts in the XPS peaks, which made it possible for the charge carriers to transfer across the p-n junction interface. This research highlights the importance of forming an interfacial p-n heterojunction between two semiconductors for efficient charge separation and improved photocatalytic performance.     

Fabrication strategies and application fields of novel 2D Ti3C2Tx (MXene) composite hydrogels: A mini-review

Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene), a new kind of 2D ceramic nanosheets, is receiving more and more attention in the fields of medicine, biology, energy, electronics, etc. However, the preparation and application of MXene in hydrogel is still in its infancy period. Here, we review the latest progress (after 2018) related to MXene hydrogels in time. Aiming at the key issue of the dispersion stability of MXene in hydrogel systems, the preparation strategy, mechanism, advantages and disadvantages of MXene hydrogels are sorted out in detail, and the potential application prospects of MXene composite hydrogel are introduced. Finally, future viewpoints are put forward for the dispersion stability challenges that need solving in the design of MXene hydrogel.     

Photomemory and Pulse Monitoring Featured Solution-Processed Near-Infrared Graphene/Organic Phototransistor with Detectivity of 2.4 × 1013 Jones

Emerging graphene/organic phototransistors are eye-catching technologies owing to their unique merits including easy/low-cost fabrication, temperature independent, and achieving various functions. However, their development in the near-infrared (NIR) region is experiencing a bottleneck of inferior sensitivity due to low exciton dissociation efficiency and inefficient charge extraction rate. Here, a novel-design solution-processed graphene/organic NIR phototransistor is reported, that is, creatively introducing electron extraction layer of ZnO on graphene channel and employing organic ternary bulk heterojunction as photosensitive layer, successfully breaking that bottleneck. The phototransistor exhibits a high responsivity of 6.1 × 10⁶ A W⁻¹, a superior detectivity of 2.4 × 10¹³ Jones, and a remarkable minimum detection power of 1.75 nW cm⁻² under 850 nm radiation. Considering its excellent NIR detection performance, a noncontact transmission-type pulse monitoring is carried out with no external circuit support, from which human pulse signal and heart rate can be displayed in real time. The phototransistor, interestingly, can be switched into a photomemory function with a retention time of 1000 s in the atmosphere through a gate voltage of −20 V. The design takes the characteristics of graphene/organic phototransistors to a higher level, beyond the limit of sensitivity, and opens up a novel approach for developing multifunction devices.     

Investigation of the interaction between hydrogen and irradiation defects in titanium by using positron annihilation spectroscopy

The formation of mono-vacancy, vacancy clusters and hydrogen-vacancy complexes with 30 keV H ion-irradiated pure titanium at different doses and temperatures was measured using by Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). Results show a large number of H_mV_n clusters and vacancy-like defects in the samples irradiated at for room temperature, and that the formation of H_mV_n (m > n) at the sample irradiated at a high dose inhibits the increase of the S parameter. At increased irradiation temperature, the shrinkage of vacancy clusters and the effective open volume of defects decrease the S parameters. The high-temperature irradiation results in decreased vacancy-type defect concentration, and some hydrogen atoms diffuse from the cascade region to the track region, forming a large number of hydrogen-vacancy complexes in the track region. The coincidence Doppler broadening spectroscopy, an element analysis method, used to detect hydrogen in the ion-irradiated pure titanium sample, and results show hydrogen-related peaks in the high-momentum region, which may be due to the information of positron annihilation in the covalent bond formed by the H and the Ti elements. The increased radiation dose and temperature contribute to the formation of the hydrogen vacancy-complex, and the positron annihilation in high-momentum regions easily obtain hydrogen-related information.