Dual effect synergistically triggered Ce:(Y,Tb)3(Al,Mn)5O12 transparent ceramics enabling a high color-rendering index and excellent thermal stability for white LEDs

Ce:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ transparent ceramics (TCs) with appropriate emission light proportion and high thermal stability are significant to construct white light emitting diode devices with excellent chromaticity parameters. In this work, strategies of controlling crystal-field splitting around Ce³⁺ ion and doping orange-red emitting ion, were adopted to fabricate Ce:(Y,Tb)₃(Al,Mn)₅O₁₂ TCs via vacuum sintering technique. Notably, 85.4 % of the room-temperature luminescence intensity of the TC was retained at 150 °C, and the color rendering index was as high as 79.8. Furthermore, a 12 nm red shift and a 16.2 % increase of full width at half maximum were achieved owing to the synergistic effects of Tb³⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions. By combining TCs with a 460 nm blue chip, a warm white light with a low correlated color temperature of 4155 K was acquired. Meanwhile, the action mechanism of Tb³⁺ ion and the energy transfer between Ce³⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions were verified in prepared TCs.     

Environmentally Friendly Graphene Inks for Touch Screen Sensors

Graphene-based materials have attracted significant attention in many technological fields, but scaling up graphene-based technologies still faces substantial challenges. High-throughput top-down methods generally require hazardous, toxic, and high-boiling-point solvents. Here, an efficient and inexpensive strategy is proposed to produce graphene dispersions by liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) through a combination of shear-mixing (SM) and tip sonication (TS) techniques, yielding highly concentrated graphene inks compatible with spray coating. The quality of graphene flakes (e.g., lateral size and thickness) and their concentration in the dispersions are compared using different spectroscopic and microscopy techniques. Several approaches (individual SM and TS, and their combination) are tested in three solvents (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, and cyrene). Interestingly, the combination of SM and TS in cyrene yields high-quality graphene dispersions, overcoming the environmental issues linked to the other two solvents. Starting from the cyrene dispersion, a graphene-based ink is prepared to spray-coat flexible electrodes and assemble a touch screen prototype. The electrodes feature a low sheet resistance (290 Ω □⁻¹) and high optical transmittance (78%), which provide the prototype with a high signal-to-noise ratio (14 dB) and multi-touch functionality (up to four simultaneous touches). These results illustrate a potential pathway toward the integration of LPE-graphene in commercial flexible electronics.     

Achieving fabrication of highly transparent Y2O3 ceramics via air pre-sintering by deionization treatment of suspension

An easy albeit quite effective deionization suspension treatment was adopted to alleviate the detrimental effects related to the hydrolysis of Y₂O₃ in an aqueous medium. Fabrication of highly transparent Y₂O₃ ceramics with a fine grain size via air pre-sintering and post–hot isostatic pressing (HIP) treatment without using any sintering additive was achieved using the treated suspensions. The hydrolysis issue of Y₂O₃ powder in an aqueous medium was effectively alleviated by using deionization treatment, and a well-dispersed suspension with a low concentration of dissolved Y³⁺ species was obtained. The dispersed suspensions were consolidated by the centrifugal casting method, and the green bodies derived from the suspension of 35.0 vol% solid loading showed an improved homogeneity with a relative density of 52.1%. Fully dense Y₂O₃ transparent ceramic with high transparency was obtained by pre-sintering consolidated green compacts at a low temperature of 1400°C for 16 h in air followed by a post-HIP treatment at 1550°C for 2 h under 200 MPa pressure. The sample had a fine average grain size of 690 nm. The in-line transmittance of the sample reached 83.3% and 81.8% at 1100 nm and 800 nm, respectively, very close to the theoretical values of Y₂O₃.     

天然气水合物储层泥质细粉砂挡砂介质堵塞规律与微观挡砂机制

中国南海海域部分天然气水合物储层中地层砂为高泥质含量细粉砂，开采防控砂难度较大。针对高泥质细粉砂挡砂机制问题，使用粒度中值为10.13 μm的泥质细粉砂样品，模拟单向气液携砂流动条件，使用绕丝筛板、金属烧结网、金属纤维、预充填陶粒4类挡砂介质在20~80 μm挡砂精度下进行挡砂模拟实验，采用显微成像系统观察挡砂介质内部及表面砂粒沉积与堵塞动态，分析介质流通性能和挡砂性能变化，总结堵塞规律、微观挡砂机制与形态及其控制因素。研究结果表明，不同类型和精度的挡砂介质对泥质细粉砂的堵塞总体呈现堵塞开始、堵塞加剧和堵塞平衡3个阶段。随着驱替进行，挡砂介质渗透率逐渐降低，幅度会高达90%以上；同时过砂速度减缓，最终过砂率为5%~10%。根据堵塞规律和微观图像分析，提出了粗组分分选桥架、局部砂团适度挡砂、整体砂桥阻挡等挡砂介质对泥质细粉砂的3种微观挡砂机制。以粗组分分选桥架挡砂机制为主的挡砂工况下，挡砂介质堵塞渗透率较高，但过砂率超过15%，挡砂效果较差；以整体砂桥挡砂机制为主时，过砂率在10%以下，挡砂性能较好，但各类挡砂介质的堵塞渗透率不足1 D，流通性能较差。局部砂团适度挡砂机制为主时介质挡砂性能及流通性能介于两者之间。挡砂介质对天然气水合物储层泥质细粉砂的微观挡砂机制和形态受挡砂介质类型、精度、地层砂特征以及流动条件等因素控制，其规律对于水合物泥质细粉砂防控砂优化有指导意义。     

海上热采防砂封隔器研制与室内试验

海上稠油热采开发过程中,通常采用蒸汽吞吐的方式进行原油开采。为满足稠油热采长效密封要求,研制了HPHT-215型热采防砂封隔器。封隔器胶筒采用特制的氟硅基复合材料+玻璃纤维网结构,并开展了材料性能评价测试。通过有限元分析和室内胶筒组合测试,对胶筒材料和组合结构进行了评价优化。室内全尺寸整机测试表明:封隔器能够满足耐温350 ℃、耐压21 MPa密封性能要求,并开展了高低温多轮次密封性能评价测试。该型热采防砂封隔器的研制成功,为海上稠油蒸汽吞吐多轮次开发提供了保障,具有广泛的应用前景。     

ZnO·2.7Al2O3 nanocomposite with high optical transparency

Here we report a transparent dual-phase ZnO·2.7Al₂O₃ ceramic. The composite is pore-free and consists of thin nanosheets with a spinel phase and a hexagonal phase, while the two phases match closely in both lattice and refractive index. Such features result in excellent optical transmittance (maximum value >80% in the visible spectrum) at comparable phase volume. This work may provide a new thought for the rational structural design of optical nanocomposites.     

Effect of fiber-reinforcement on the mechanical behavior of sand approaching the critical state

Several types of ground improvement methods that employ fiber-reinforcement have been developed in recent years. A series of consolidated drained triaxial compression tests has been conducted here to examine the effect of short fibers on the mechanical properties of Toyoura sand. Sand with 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, and 1% fiber contents, prepared to yield random distribution, was sheared under several confining pressures and controlled via their initial relative densities. The test results showed that the maximum and residual deviatoric stresses increased, whereas the volumetric expansion decreased with an increase in fiber content. Although the stress ratio η (=q/p′) and specific volume changed depending on the fiber content and confining pressure with shear progression, they each reached the same values for a definite fiber content at the end of shearing, independent of initial relative density. In other words, the unique critical state line can be found for a definite fiber content. Moreover, the greater the fiber content, the larger the slope of the critical state line at the end of shearing. Additionally, as the length of fibers shortened with the same percentage of fiber inclusions in sand, the deviatoric stress and the stress ratio decreased, approaching the shear-strain-volumetric response of unreinforced sand.     

Preparation of broadband transparent Si3N4-SiO2 ceramics by digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology

Wave-transmitting materials are a kind of multi-functional materials that protect the normal operation of communication and guidance systems of spacecraft in harsh environments. In this paper, we fabricate a broadband microwave transparent Si₃N₄-SiO₂ composite ceramic with excellent performance through digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology. The influences of sintering temperature on the weight increase rate, density, dimensional shrinkage, phase composition, microstructure, bending strength and dielectric properties of Si₃N₄-SiO₂ ceramic were all systematically studied. The strength of Si₃N₄-SiO₂ ceramic sintered at 1350 ℃ was 77 ± 5 MPa. The relative permittivity of the ceramic is within the range of less than 4, and the loss tangent can be below 0.003. The 3D printed Si₃N₄-SiO₂ ceramic material exhibited excellent wave-transparent performance.     

Fabrication of fine-grained undoped Y2O3 transparent ceramic using nitrate pyrogenation synthesized nanopowders

Y₂O₃ ceramic is a promising optical material for mid-infrared (IR) windows and domes. Improvements in the mechanical and thermal performance of this material have become urgent if it is to perform adequately under extreme conditions. Herein, Y₂O₃ nanopowders were produced through the nitrate pyrogenation method. The final Y₂O₃ transparent ceramics were fabricated with a hybrid sintering method combining low temperature presintering and a subsequent hot isostatic pressing (HIP) treatment. The synthesis of nanopowders and the fabrication of the final ceramic products were investigated in detail. The Y₂O₃ ceramic sample that was presintered at 1350?°C provided the optimum microstructure for HIP treatment and resulted in an average grain size of 0.5?µm. Owing to the reduced grain size, the flexure strength and Vickers hardness of the sample were improved to 180?MPa and 8.4?GPa, respectively. Furthermore, the achieved pure Y₂O₃ ceramic demonstrated an excellent thermal conductivity at high temperature.