Effect of phosphogypsum on saline-alkalinity and aggregate stability of bauxite residue

A column experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of phosphogypsum (PG) on the saline- alkalinity, and aggregate stability of bauxite residue. Results showed that: with increasing leaching time, the concentrations of saline-alkali ions decreased while the concentration increased in bauxite residue leachate; compared with CK (control group) treatment, pH, electric conductivity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), sodium absorption ratio (SAR), and exchangeable Na⁺ content of bauxite residue were reduced following PG treatment; average particle sizes in aggregates following CK and PG treatments were determined to be 155 and 193 nm, respectively. SR-μCT test results also confirmed that bauxite residue following PG treatment acquired larger aggregates and larger pore diameter. These results indicate that the PG treatment could significantly modulate the saline-alkalinity, and simultaneously enhance aggregate stability of bauxite residue, which provides a facile approach to reclaim bauxite residue disposal areas.     

Additive manufacturing,quasi-static and dynamic compressive behaviours of ceramic lattice structures

Ceramic lattice structures (CLSs) are used for construction in common and extreme environments because of the extraordinary properties of ceramics. In this study, we designed and additively manufactured CLSs with distinct structural parameters to explore their quasi-static and dynamic compressive behaviours in detail. It was demonstrated that both the relative density (?ρ) and inclination angle (ω) had a significant impact on the quasi-static and dynamic mechanical properties of the CLSs. Furthermore, the mathematical relationships between the quasi-static compressive properties, including quasi-static compressive strength (QS), quasi-static Young’s modulus (QY), and quasi-static energy absorption (QE), versus ?ρ and ω obeyed the Gibson–Ashby and Deshpande and Fleck models, respectively. It was revealed by experiment and simulation that as the stiffness increased, the quasi-static failure mode of the CLSs changed from a parallel-vertical-inclined mixed mode to a parallel-vertical mode. In addition, the relationship between the dynamic mechanical properties of the CLSs versus ?ρ and ω also followed the Gibson–Ashby and Deshpande and Fleck models. The exceptional dynamic increase factor indicated that CLSs are highly suitable for extreme environments. These findings will aid in the research and development of customised additively manufactured CLSs.     

A zirconium-free glaze system for sanitary ceramics with SiO2-CaCO3-TiO2 composite opacifier containing anatase: Effect of interface combination among SiO2, CaCO3 and TiO2

TiO₂ is an ideal substitute to ZrSiO₄ ceramic opacifier, yet it is limited to application because of the undesirable yellowing resulting from rutile formation. Herein, the SiO₂-CaCO₃-TiO₂ composite opacifier (Si-Ca-Ti) was constructed. The glaze used Si-Ca-Ti presents a superior opacification performance than ZrSiO₄ opacified glaze without causing yellowing, showing L*, a*, b* values of 94.81, -0.67 and 3.23. By comparison, the glaze using SiO₂, CaCO₃, and TiO₂ mixture shows lower opacification and yellowish surface with L* and b* values of 92.99 and 5.36. It is revealed that there is a close interface bonding among SiO₂, CaCO₃ and TiO₂ in Si-Ca-Ti, which promotes their combination reaction to generate opacification phase titanite and inhibit rutile formation when sintering, resulting in the white surface and opacification improvement of the glaze. This study proposes a green and efficient strategy to achieve white and highly opacified glaze for sanitary ceramics, exhibiting good application prospect.     

Recovery of WC and Co from cemented carbide scraps by remelting and electrodissolution

A novel method was proposed in this study to recycle WC and Co from cemented carbide scraps by remelting and electrodissolution. WC was recrystallized and purified through melting process. The WC that embedded in alloy was independent of each other and thus was easily separated by electrodissolution. The effects of dissolving parameters were investigated, and the results indicated that the maximum dissolving rate was 0.045 g·h⁻¹·cm⁻² and the anodic passivation was not found even at 500 A·m⁻² of current density. In addition, the temperature and concentration of HCl were irrelevant to the rate and the current efficiency of the electrolysis. The SEM showed that the final WC powder was 5–20 μm in particle size with a regular shape, and the Co was directly recycled from the cathode at the same time.     

One-step potentiostatic electrodeposition of Ni–Se–Mo film on Ni foam for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction

Exploring efficient, abundant, low-cost and stable materials for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is highly desired but still a challenging task. Herein, Ni–Se–Mo electrocatalysts supported on nickel foam (NF) substrate were synthesized by a facile one-step electrodeposition method. The Ni–Se–Mo film presents high electrocatalytic activity and stability toward HER, with a low overpotential of 101 mV to afford a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² in 1.0 M KOH medium. Such excellent HER performance of Ni–Se–Mo film induced by the synergistic effects from Mo-doped Ni–Se film leads to the fast electron transfer. This work provides the validity of interface engineering strategy in preparing highly efficient transition metal chalcogenides based HER electrocatalysts.     

Simultaneously enhancing the thermal stability and electrochemical performance of solid polymer electrolytes by incorporating rod-like Zn2(OH)BO3 particles

Solid polymer electrolytes provide high safety and good electrochemical stability in solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs) compared with conventional liquid electrolytes. In this work, a novel solid polymer composite electrolyte based on poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) filled with rod-like Zn₂(OH)BO₃ particles was prepared by a grinding process followed with a heating treatment process and a cold pressing process. The effect of the incorporation amount of rod-like Zn₂(OH)BO₃ particles on the ionic conductivity was investigated systemically. It is found that 10 mol% of rod-like Zn₂(OH)BO₃ particles addition resulted in a highest ionic conductivity of 2.78 × 10⁻⁵ at 30 °C and the improved ionic conductivity was considered to be caused by the reducing of PEO crystallinity and the increasing of Li ion migrating pathway on the interface between the Zn₂(OH)BO₃ and PEO. In addition, the optimum composite electrolyte exhibited a high electrochemical stability window of 4.51 V (vs. Li/Li⁺), good lithium stability and excellent thermal stability.     

Effects of CMC and Micelle Formation on the Removal of Sodium Benzoate or Sodium Stearate in a Sodium Aluminate Solution

JOM - Micelle formation over a critical micelle concentration (CMC) is related to the economic removal of organics in a sodium aluminate solution. In this research, removal of organics was...     

Al-doping induced superior lithium ion storage capability of LiNiO2 spheres

To optimize the performance of LiNiO₂ with minimal modification of the pristine structure, a facile solid-state approach, based on the interdiffusion of elements at the solid/solid interface, is developed to achieve uniformly Al-doped LiNiO₂ using alumina coated Ni(OH)₂ spheres as the precursor. The resulting LiNi_0.95Al_0.05O₂ material exhibits excellent discharge capacity (209.9 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C) and cycling stability with a capacity retention of 85.10% after 200 cycles at 0.5 C. This is ascribed to the improved reversibility of the phase transitions by Al-doping as revealed by in-situ XRD characterization. The Al-doping also endows the material with superior rate capability due to the enlarged interlayer spacing in the structure and alleviation of the side reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface, favorable for lithium ion diffusion. An optimal amount of doped Al is necessary for ensuring the structure stability and interface ionic conductivity of the LiNiO₂ spheres. Thus, the present strategy may provide an opportunity to optimize the performance of LiNiO₂, with uniform doping of a small amount of Al, producing a promising cathode material for advanced lithium ion batteries.     

萃取法从废旧锂离子电池正极材料 浸出液中提取锂

废旧锂离子电池正极材料浸出后，溶液中的镍、钴等有价金属十分容易回收，但一直没有很好的方法来回收锂.实际上，这种浸出液和盐湖卤水都为锂盐溶液，所不同的只是盐湖卤水中锂的浓度往往要低一些，并有大量的氯化钠、氯化镁伴生，因此可将废旧锂离子电池浸出液看做一种特殊的“盐湖卤水”，并进一步调整其Cl－的浓度，进而成功地采用盐湖提锂中常用的萃取法.该方法以磷酸三丁酯（TBP）为萃取剂，磺化煤油为稀释剂，在三氯化铁（FeCl₃）存在的条件下，实现选择性提取锂. TBP首先与FeCl₃-NaCl的酸性溶液接触, 形成了锂的专属萃取剂；并将浸出液中氯化钠的浓度进一步调整到250 g/L，在相比（V_O/V_A）为3，温度为室温条件下萃取5 min, 锂的单级萃取率可达到75 %左右，而Ni2+、Co2+、Mn2+几乎没有被萃取.根据平衡等温线，通过4级逆流萃取，锂的萃取率可达到99 %.      

Densification and grain boundary nitrides in spark plasma sintered SAF 2205 -TiN composite

Densification and nature of α-ferrite γ-austenite interface associated with the spark plasma sintering (SPS) of SAF 2205 reinforced with TiN nanoparticles was investigated. The sintering data obtained during SPS was used to evaluate the densification mechanism. EBSD and TKD technique were used to characterize the SAF 2205 composite. The grain and grain boundary properties were evaluated using nanoindentation technique. Three densification stages relating to particles rearrangement, bulk deformation and rapid densification of the SAF 2205 composite was observed during SPS. The EBSD revealed a reverse ferrite to austenite phase transformation and a refined microstructure after SPS. TKD analysis of the grain boundary showed nanosized sintered-in nitride coexisting with ferrite and austenite upon sintering at α/γ interface but also at α/α and γ/γ interfaces. TKD-EDS compositional mapping revealed Ti-rich grain boundary. Nanoindentation experiments reveal that the TiN dominated grain boundaries exhibit lower penetration depths, an indication of higher hardness and modulus.