Thermal stability of C/Mullite composites in different environments

In the present study, the mechanical properties and microstructure of C/Mullite composites with a PyC-SiC double-layer interfacial coating after annealing were systematically studied to evaluate the evolution of thermal stability in an inert atmosphere and a vacuum. The C/Mullite composites annealed in the inert atmosphere exhibited better thermal stability than those annealed under the vacuum. The main factor for failure of the composites was carbothermal reduction. The activation temperature of carbothermal reduction in composites in the inert atmosphere was ～100 °C higher than that in the vacuum. Once carbothermal reduction was activated, the microstructure of composites was destroyed, resulting in a significant weight loss and mechanical property degeneration. The degeneration of mechanical properties was unrecoverable.     

水位骤降对下伏隧道堤防安全影响研究

建立了考虑水位骤降条件下的下伏隧道堤防模型,依托湘江某下伏隧道堤防工程,基于堤防边坡渗流原理,结合有限元应力计算,探讨了不同水位骤降速率下的浸润线情况,计算了堤防安全系数。研究结果表明:湘江水位骤降速率越快,浸润线变化范围越大,浸润线变化范围与水位降落速率成正比;湘江水位骤降速度在3 m/d^4 m/d,水位降到28.8 m时,堤岸失去稳定;水位骤降并非整个过程中堤岸均处于失稳状态,而是水位降至某高度后堤岸失稳,骤降速率增快对堤防安全系数有一定负面作用。研究结果对隧道下穿堤防建设具有一定指导意义。     

改性淀粉抑制赤铁矿反浮选石英的作用机理研究

通过矿物浮选试验、动电位测定以及吸附量测试,考察了4种淀粉抑制剂对赤铁矿和石英浮选性能的影响,并探讨了其作用机理。在碱性条件下,改性淀粉抑制剂对赤铁矿抑制效果明显,且以改性玉米淀粉效果最佳,改性磷酸酯淀粉、改性羧甲基淀粉的抑制效果次之,而普通淀粉抑制作用一般。同时4种淀粉抑制剂对主要脉石矿物石英的抑制效果均不明显。pH=10~12.5条件下,改性玉米淀粉因其羟基氧和裸露在赤铁矿表面的铁元素发生了化学键合,因而选择性抑制能力最佳。分子动力学模拟表明,改性玉米淀粉片段与赤铁矿作用更为紧密,验证了改性淀粉能更好地抑制赤铁矿。     

备料系统树皮中短小原木的回收工艺

为了回收原木剥皮后树皮中夹杂的短小木材,设计了一套采用原木回收机的工艺方案。通过在削片生产线中的实际使用,发现原木回收机回收木材的效率很高,且对长度越长的木材回收效率越高。此方案的运用提高了木材利用率,减少了木材对下一道工序中树皮粉碎机的损坏风险,具有较高的推广和应用价值。     

基于近似测地线的分层次自动铺带轨迹规划方法

自动铺带技术是一种增量制造技术，适用于制造翼面、壁板等大尺寸、小曲率复合材料构件，具有加工成本低、效率高等特点。轨迹规划是自动铺带技术的关键环节，它直接关系到复合材料构件的成型精度与质量。现有的自动铺带轨迹规划方法难以便捷兼顾调控铺放间隙与防止铺放褶皱，保证铺带产品的最终质量。有鉴于此，提出了一种基于近似测地线的分层次铺放轨迹规划方法。主要目标是合理利用预浸带允许变形能力，在防止铺放褶皱产生的前提下，保证相邻带料不产生覆盖，且间隙不超过2.5 mm。首先，研究了铺放间隙的产生与演化规律，给出了几种典型曲面上初始铺放间隙的优化方法。接下来，提出了近似测地线的数学模型与求解格式。然后，基于铺放褶皱的产生机制与铺放间隙的演化规律，确定了近似测地线的测地曲率大小与符号。最后，在双曲面模具以及自由曲面模具上验证了所提出方法的有效性。     

Emerging functional nanomaterials for the detection of food contaminants

Along with the progress in nanoscience, a variety of advanced functional nanomaterials were constructed to develop effective and innovative analytical techniques for food safety surveillance. In this review, we summarized the advanced analytical methods that have been developed based upon advanced functional nanomaterials, including plasmonic nanomaterial-based colorimetric methods, fluorescent nanomaterial-based fluorescent methods, advanced functional material-based molecular imprinting technology, advanced functional material-based chromatographic methods, plasmonic nanomaterial-based surface enhanced Raman scattering technology, and advanced functional material-based electrochemical methods. This review provides a progressive roadmap for further development of portable, rapid, and in situ detection technology to promote food safety surveillance from bench to market and eventually reduce the gap between research in the laboratory and industrial applications.     

Effects on the crystallite growth behavior of LaPO4 nanopowders and its mechanical properties

The effects of pH of the reaction solution and the concentration of phosphoric acid on the crystal growth behavior of LaPO₄ crystallites were investigated and the mechanical properties of rare-earth phosphates were compared. As a result, the concentration of phosphoric acid of 10% was beneficial to the crystal growth of LaPO₄ nanocrystalline. When the pH value of the reaction solution was 2, the size of LaPO₄ crystallites increased gradually with the increasing reaction temperature, and the smallest crystallite size of 43.27 nm was obtained after heat-treatment at 1000 °C. Simultaneously, the activation energy for crystal growth of LaPO₄ nanocrystalline was relatively lower (26.82 kJ mol⁻¹). With the decreasing radii of rare-earth ions, the hardness, Young's modulus and fracture toughness of the bulk rare-earth phosphates exhibited a reduced tendency, resulted from the increase of porosity under the same preparation process.     

Hydrogen storage properties of Mg98.5Gd1Zn0.5 and Mg98.5Gd0.5Y0.5Zn0.5 alloys containing LPSO phases

In this work, the as-cast Mg-rich Mg_98.5Gd₁Zn_0.5 and Mg_98.5Gd_0.5Y_0.5Zn_0.5 alloys are prepared by the semi-continuous casting method, and their hydrogen storage performance and catalytic mechanisms are investigated by experimental and first-principles calculations approaches. The results show that the LPSO phases decompose and in-situ form the RE(Gd/Y)H_x(x = 2,3) nano-hydrides upon hydrogenation. These nano-hydrides not only serve as the in-situ catalysts to promote the hydrogen ab/desorption of Mg matrix, but also present the pinning effect to inhibit the growth of Mg/MgH₂ grains during hydrogenation and dehydrogenation. Comparatively, the two alloys exhibit the similar hydrogen absorption kinetics, while the hydrogen desorption kinetics of Mg_98.5Gd₁Zn_0.5 is superior to that of Mg_98.5Gd_0.5Y_0.5Zn_0.5. The first-principles calculations reveal that the GdH₂ and YH₂ hydrides exhibit different catalytic effects on weakening the bond strength of H–H within H₂ and Mg–H within MgH₂, which interprets well the differences in the hydrogen ab/desorption kinetics between Mg_98.5Gd₁Zn_0.5 and Mg_98.5Gd_0.5Y_0.5Zn_0.5 alloys.     

Balancing the specific surface area and mass diffusion property of electrospun carbon fibers to enhance the cell performance of vanadium redox flow battery

Electrospun carbon fibers are featured with abundant electroactive sites but large mass transport resistances as the electrodes for vanadium redox flow battery. To lower mass transport resistances while maintaining large specific areas, electrospun carbon fibers with different structural properties, including pore size and pore distribution, are prepared by varying precursor concentrations. Increasing the polyacrylonitrile concentration from 9 wt% to 18 wt% results in carbonized fibers with an average fiber diameter ranging from 0.28 μm to 1.82 μm. The median pore diameter, in the meantime, almost linearly increases from 1.32 μm to 9.05 μm while maintaining the porosity of higher than 82%. The subsequent electroactivity evaluation and full battery testing demonstrate that the mass transport of vanadium ions through the electrode with larger fiber diameters are significantly improved but not scarifying the electrochemical activity. It is shown that the flow battery with these electrodes obtains an energy efficiency of 79% and electrolyte utilization of 74% at 300 mA cm⁻². Hence, all these results eliminate the concern of mass transport when applying electrospun carbon fibers as the electrodes for redox flow batteries and guide the future development of electrospun carbon fibers.     

Pore structure of reactively synthesized nanolaminate Ti3SiC2 alloyed with Al

Ti₃SiC₂ has the unique properties integrating the advantages of metals and ceramics, and good open pore structure when alloyed with Al. In this work, porous Ti₃SiC₂ compounds with different Al/Si atom ratios were prepared through the reactive synthesis of elemental powders at 1300 °C. The results indicate that the phase compositions are determined by Al element mole number, and that the pore structure can be controlled through varying Ti particle size. The MAX phase transits from Ti₃SiC₂ with Al element mole number no more than 0.6 to Ti₃AlC₂ with Al element mole number in the range of 0.8–1.2. When Al element mole number is 0.6, the porous compound has a single MAX phase of Ti₃SiC₂ with uniform microporous structure and high bending strength. Porous Ti₃SiC₂ alloyed with 0.6Al has a slow linear increase rate of 0.0083%/μm in open porosity with increasing Ti particle size, and a strict linear relationship between the maximum aperture and Ti particle size with the increase rate of 0.0342 μm/μm. The pore structure formed by the phase transition mechanism for porous MAX phase has the smallest tortuosity factor compared with that formed by the clearance mechanism and the Kirkendall effect.