The effect of particle size distribution on the microstructure and properties of Al2O3 ceramics formed by stereolithography

Stereolithography (SL) shows advantages for preparing alumina-based ceramics with complex structures. The effects of the particle size distribution, which strongly influence the sintering properties in ceramic SL, have not been systematically explored until now. Herein, the influence of the particle size distribution on SL-manufactured alumina ceramics was investigated, including bending strength at room temperature, post-sintering shrinkage, porosity, and microstructural morphology. Seven particle size distributions of alumina ceramics were studied (in μm/μm: 30/5, 20/3, 10/2, 5/2, 5/0.8, 3/0.5, and 2/0.3); a coarse:fine particle ratio of 6:4 was maintained. At the same sintering temperature, the degree of sintering was greater for finer particle sizes. The particle size distribution had a larger influence on flexural strength, porosity and shrinkage than sintering temperature when the particle size distribution difference reached 10-fold but was weaker for 10 μm/2 μm, 5 μm/2 μm and 5 μm/0.8 μm. The sintering shrinkage characteristics of cuboid samples with different particle sizes were studied. The use of coarse particles influenced the accuracy of small-scale samples. When the particle size was comparable to the sample width, such as 30 μm/5 μm and 5 mm, the width shrinkage was consistent with the height shrinkage. When the particle size was much smaller than the sample width, such as 2 μm/0.3 μm and 5 mm, the width shrinkage was consistent with the length shrinkage. The results of this study provide meaningful guidance for future research on applications of SL and precise control of alumina ceramics through particle gradation.     

Bonded aerospace repairs under tensile loading: Wet chemical surface treatment and selected environmental conditions

Repair of composite structures and the impact of demanding environmental conditions is a crucial issue for the aircraft industry because of the increasing use of composites in modern aircraft. Consequently, the impact of environmental conditions common for aircraft applications on repair specimens in comparison to nonrepaired specimens is studied. All specimens are produced from a woven carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy-based prepreg. For the repair-specimens, an epoxy-based film adhesive is used for the soft patch repair approach. During the repair process, the surface of the precured prepreg is prepared by a mechanical method (sanding) and an additional chemical functionalization, respectively. Moisture absorption of the repair specimens is independent of the surface preparation method and higher for the repaired than for the nonrepaired specimens. The key influencing environmental conditions for the tensile strength and the failure mode of the repair specimens are elevated temperature testing as well as hot/wet conditioning and conditioning in deionized water. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47506.     

Influence of ZrB2 hard ceramic reinforcement on mechanical and wear properties of aluminum

In this work, the effect of ZrB₂ (0, 5, 10 and 20?vol%) ceramic reinforcement on densification, structure, and properties of mechanically alloyed Al was investigated. The milling of Al-ZrB₂ powder compositions resulted in formation of agglomerates with varied size. In particular, the size of agglomerates was reduced considerably with increased addition of ZrB₂ to Al. Interestingly, the densification of hot pressed Al increased from 96.06% to 99.22% with ZrB₂ addition. The reduction of agglomerates size was attributed to the enhanced densification of Al-ZrB₂ composites. Pure Al showed relatively low hardness (0.94?GPa) and it was improved to 1.78?GPa with the addition of 20?vol% ZrB₂. The mechanical properties have significantly been improved for Al-ZrB₂ composites. Especially Al - 20?vol% ZrB₂ possessed a very high yield strength (529?MPa), compressive strength (630?MPa) and compressive strain of 19.25%. Realization of such a good combination of mechanical properties is the highest ever reported for Al composites so far in the literature. The coefficient of friction (COF) of Al-ZrB₂ varied narrowly between 0.33 and 0.40 after dry sliding wear against steel disc. The wear rate of Al-ZrB₂ composites was within mild wear regime and varied between 98.88?×?10^?6 and 34.66?×?10^?6 mm³/Nm. Among all the compositions, Al - 20?vol% ZrB₂ composite exhibited the lowest wear rate and high wear rate was noted for pure Al. Mild abrasion, tribo-oxidation, third body wear (wear debris) and delamination were the major material removal mechanisms for Al-ZrB₂ composites. Overall the hardness, strength and wear resistance of Al - 20?vol% ZrB₂ composite was improved by 84.3%, 84.3% and 64.2%, respectively when compared to pure Al.     

Structural-microstructural characterization and optical properties of Eu3+,Tb3+-codoped LaPO4·nH2O and LaPO4 nanorods hydrothermally synthesized with microwaves

Rhabdophane-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄·nH₂O single-crystal nanorods with the compositions La_0.99999-xEu_xTb_0.00001PO₄·nH₂O (x?=?0–0.03), La_0.99999-yTb_yEu_0.00001PO₄·n′H₂O (y?=?0–0.010), and La_0.99999-zTb_zEu_0.000007PO₄·n′′H₂O (z?=?0–0.012) were hydrothermally synthesized with microwaves. It is shown that the Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺ codoping does not affect the thermal stability of these nanorods, which is due to the formation of substitutional solid solutions with both Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ replacing La³⁺ in the crystal lattice. Moreover, it is also shown that monazite-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄ single-crystal nanorods can be obtained by calcining their rhabdophane-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄·(n,n′ or n′′)H₂O counterparts at moderate temperature in air, and that they are thermally stable. It is also observed that, for the same Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoping content, the monazite-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄ nanorods exhibit higher photoluminescent efficiency than the rhabdophane-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄· (n,n′ or n′′)H₂O nanorods. Moreover, it is found that the highest photoluminescence emission corresponds to the monazite-type La_0.96999Eu_0.02Tb_0.00001PO₄ nanorods for the La_0.99999-xEu_xTb_0.00001PO₄ system. However, for those compositions energy transfer from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺ does not occur. In addition, for an efficient energy transfer to occur, a content of at least 1?mol% Tb³⁺ is needed in all the studied materials.     

Phase composition,microstructure, and properties of Al4O4C–(Al2OC)1-x(AlN)x –Zr2Al3C4–Al2O3 refractories prepared at high temperatures in nitrogen

The novel Al₄O₄C–(Al₂OC)_1-x(AlN)_x–Zr₂Al₃C₄–Al₂O₃ refractories with ultra-low carbon content have been successfully prepared by constructing the core-shell structure of aluminum at 1300–1700°C in nitrogen. The phase composition, microstructure, and properties of the novel refractories are deeply investigated. The cracking temperature on the core-shell structure of aluminum is further explored and the reaction mechanism of Zr₂Al₃C₄ has also added explanation. The results show that the novel refractories have excellent physical properties and cannot be corroded by molten iron. There exist two different Al₂OC solid solutions in the novel refractories, Al₂OC-rich (Al₂OC)_1-x(AlN)_x and AlN-rich (Al₂OC)_1-x(AlN)_x. The temperatures affect their relative content. When temperatures are less than 1600°C, the relative content of Al₂OC-rich (Al₂OC)_1-x(AlN)_x is more than that of AlN-rich (Al₂OC)_1-x(AlN)_x. When temperatures are above 1700°C, the relative content of AlN-rich (Al₂OC)_1-x(AlN)_x is more than that of Al₂OC-rich (Al₂OC)_1-x(AlN)_x. The core-shell structure of aluminum fully ruptures at about 1200°C. Zr₂Al₃C₄ begins to form at about 1000°C and generates in large at 1200°C.     

Synthesis of magnetic nanocomposite microparticles for binding of chlorinated organics in contaminated water sources

In this work, the development of novel magnetic nanocomposite microparticles (MNMs) via free radical polymerization for their application in the remediation of contaminated water is presented. Acrylated plant-based polyphenols, curcumin multiacrylate (CMA) and quercetin multiacrylate (QMA), were incorporated as functional monomers to create high affinity binding sites for the capture of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as a model pollutant. The MNMs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and UV–visible spectroscopy. The affinity of these novel materials for PCB 126 was evaluated and fitted to the nonlinear Langmuir model to determine binding affinities (K_D). The results suggest the presence of the polyphenolic moieties enhances the binding affinity for PCB 126, with K_D values comparable to that of antibodies. This demonstrates that these nanocomposite materials have promising potential as environmental remediation adsorbents for harmful contaminants.     

Fabrication of multi-filler thermoset-based composite bipolar plates for PEMFCs applications: Molding defects and properties characterizations

The bipolar plate (BP) material should possess contradictory properties. They should also manufacture from low-cost methods and materials. In the current investigation, thermoset-based composite materials reinforced with conductive fillers, and the compression molding process is implemented. In addition to fabricating the bipolar plates (BPs) with and without the flowing channels, alleviating the defects during the molding process is performed. The channels are perfectly formed on the plates with the designed depth of 0.65 mm and 0.5 mm of width. In the meanwhile, we alleviate different molding defects, which spoil the surface appearance and part properties. Regarding the physical properties, the water contact angle is measured to be around 85°. The through-plane electrical conductivity of molded plates showed high values up to 38 S/cm, and the interfacial contact resistance measured to be 18–24 mΩ cm². The mean value of the flexural strength of the produced samples was equal to 47 MPa, which is almost twice the DOE target (>25 MPa).     

In-situ formation of Al2O3/Al core-shell from waste material: Production of porous composite improved by graphene

Aluminum dross produced from aluminum industry was used to fabricate Al₂O₃/Al porous composites. The dross was milled for 20?h to obtain nano powder. The milled material was examined by TEM and XRD. Graphene (up to 4?wt%) was mixed with the dross and utilized to reinforce sintered composites. The milled powders were compacted then fired at various temperatures up to 700?°C. Physical properties in terms of bulk density and apparent porosity for sintered composites were tested using Archimedes method. SEM attached by energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) was used to inspect microstructure and elemental analysis of sintered composites. Microhardness and compressive strength were also measured. Ultrasonic nondestructive technique was utilized to examine the elastic moduli. Electrical conductivity of sintered composite was also studied. During milling up to 20?h, Al₂O₃/Al core-shell was in-situ formed with size of 65.9 and 23.8?nm, respectively. The apparent porosity of sintered composites was improved with rising graphene percent while it decreased with increasing sintering temperature. Increasing of graphene mass percent and firing temperature led to remarkable increase in all mechanical properties and electrical conductivity. The maximum compressive strength, hardness, elastic modulus and electrical conductivity were 200?MPa, 1200?MPa, 215?GPa and 1.42?×?10^?5 S/m, respectively, obtained for composite sintered at 700?°C having 4?wt% graphene.     

Sr变质对蛇形通道浇注Al-22Si-Cu合金组织的影响

采用纯铜蛇形通道浇注和Sr变质的复合工艺,对Al-22Si-Cu过共晶合金组织与性能进行研究。结果表明,蛇形通道工艺可将初生Si晶粒尺寸从90μm细化至28.03μm。随着Sr含量增加,初生Si的析出温度降低,合金的孪晶密度和初生Si尺寸均先增大后减小,当Sr含量为0.09%时达到最大值;共晶Si由长针状转变为纤维状;Sr含量为0.12%时,合金的抗拉强度达到212.32MPa。     

石墨烯/碱式硫酸镁晶须/PVC复合材料的制备及性能表征

以改进的Hummers法制备还原氧化石墨烯(RGO),以RGO和碱式硫酸镁晶须(MHSHw)为填料,采用机械球磨法制备RGO/MHSHw/PVC复合粉料,经平板硫化机热压成型得三相复合板材。考察了RGO和MHSHw对复合材料电阻率、阻燃性能及力学性能的影响。结果表明:RGO具有很好的片层结构和导电性;当MHSHw添加量为5%,RGO添加量为1%时,RGO/MHSHw/PVC复合板材的表面电阻率为4×106Ω/square,比纯PVC下降8个数量级,达到了商业抗静电效果,拉伸强度达到最大值17.61 MPa,比纯PVC提高了44.04%,复合板材氧指数>33%,具有阻燃性能,得到力学性能优良兼具有抗静电和阻燃性能的复合材料。