Catalytic graphene formation in coal tar pitch- derived carbon structure in the presence of SiO2 nanoparticles

A simple and effective way to manufacture graphene from a coal tar pitch (CTP) is demonstrated. Silica (SiO₂) nanoparticles were used to modify the CTP as carbon precursor. A silica nanofiller introduced into the CTP matrix underwent carboreduction during heat treatment to 2000 °C, resulting in the formation of silicon carbide. Surfaces of SiC grains were sites for graphene formation. The influence of SiO₂ on the structure and microstructure of CTP- based carbon matrix, after annealing up to 2800 °C, was studied. Carbon samples were analyzed using X- ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Raman Spectroscopy. Crystallite sizes (L_a, L_c) and interplanar distance (d₀₀₂) were determined. The presence of SiO₂ in CTP carbon precursor favored the crystallites’ growth in the ‘a′ crystallographic graphite direction, and inhibited their growth on the ‘c′ axis. The crystallites composing of graphene layers, were characterized by an elongated dimension in the ‘a′ axis direction. Above 2000 °C silicon carbide decomposed, followed by the sublimation of silicon from the carbon matrix.     

Manufacturing and physico-mechanical characterization of carbon nanohorns/polyacrylonitrile nanocomposites

The use of carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs) as a modifying filler in a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) matrix is studied with the goal of elaborating nanocomposites. The study deals with assessment of the dispersity of SWCNHs in a PAN polymer suspension. The SWCNHs were introduced into the PAN-based suspension using different methods, including mechanical stirring, ultrasonification and the combination of ultrasonification with addition of a surfactant. Agglomeration and dispersion processes of SWCNH in the polymer suspensions were studied using DLS technique and turbidimetry. The resulting properties of nanocomposite foils after solidification in water ambient were verified in various tests. The mechanical tensile properties (tensile strength, modulus and strain to fracture) of the nanocomposites before and after the dispersion process were compared. The nanocomposites obtained under optimally prepared suspension perform the highest strain to fracture in tensile test. Electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of nanocomposites samples after appropriate dispersion of SWCNHs in the PAN suspension were also determined. The presence of SWCNH in the PAN suspension affects the structure of nanocomposites after solidification through changing structural ordering of the polymer. The study revealed that the polymeric suspensions prepared in optimum processing conditions contain the carbon aggregates the size of which correspond almost to the mean size of a dahlia flower-like structured particle, i.e., 50–250 nm and it was not possible to separate such particles into a single form of carbon nanohorn by the techniques used.     

Carbon fibers modified with carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes were used to modify a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer solution before the manufacture of the carbon fiber precursor. The modified PAN fibers were spun from a dimethylformamide solution containing a small amount of single-walled carbon nanotubes. The fibers were characterized by thermogravimetry and optical and scanning electron microscopy. Structure, morphology, and selected properties of the composite polymeric fibers and the fibers after carbonization are characterized. The mechanical properties of the fibers are examined. It is found that nanotubes in the PAN solution have a strong tendency to form agglomerates that inhibit suitable macromolecular chain orientation of the carbon fiber precursor. Fibers manufactured from such a solution have similar mechanical properties to those from a pure PAN precursor, and after carbonization the resultant carbon fibers are very weak. A comparison of pure carbon fibers and those containing nanotubes reveals slight differences in their structural ordering.     

Use of the higher spectra in the low-amplitude fatigue testing

Particular place among the methods of vibroacoustic diagnostics is occupied by the problems of early defect detection. Let us note that the process of defect formation may lead to both. The intensification of non-linear phenomena as well as the occurrence of non-stationary effects even if during the early stages the intensity of defects is small while the growth of the level of vibration and noise is negligible, as contrasted with emergency states. A useful method is to test the higher order spectra, which, respectively, define the non-linear effects. A test bed for low-amplitude tests (10⁶-10⁷ cycles) of fatigue processes was built. The authors built a small-dimension test bed for diagnosing the low-amplitude fatigue processes. Small dimensions result from the proposal of mounting the test bed on shaker. The dimensions of test bed are 0.2×0.2×0.2 m and its weight does not exceed 2 kg, with a titan head mounted directly on the piezoelectric generator. The main goal of these investigations is to examine the low-amplitude fatigue strength of a model of the cantilever supported section of a shaft and impact of dynamic stress, which is especially important in the case of high frequency loading which is predominant in mounting elements of rotating machinery.     

Effects of Public Investments on Urban Land Values

The study reported in this paper was an attempt to develop a model for identifying and assessing the impact of alternative development policies on urban land values. The statistical analysis carried out suggests that the most important factor determining the values of urban land is accessibility to the central urban functions. Age of existing structures and zoning regulations are secondary factors. Since future development of central urban functions can be projected with the help of existing models and since accessibility of places (particularly by means of public transportation) and zoning regulations can be influenced by public authorities, indirect public actions considerably influence urban land values.     

Modelling of a clinker rotary kiln using operating functions concept

Modelling and parameter identification of complex dynamic systems/processes is one of the main challenging problems in control engineering. An example of such a process is clinker rotary kiln (CRK) in cement industry. In the prevailing models independently of which structure is used to describe the kiln's dynamics and the identification algorithm, parameters are assumed to be centralised and constant while the CRK is well known as a distributed parameter system with a strongly varying dynamic through time. In this work, the kiln's dynamic is described in the form of a state‐space representation with three state variables using a system of partial differential equations (PDE). The structure is chosen so that it can easily be embedded in classical state‐space control algorithms. The parameters of the PDE system are called operating functions since their numerical values vary with respect to different operating conditions of the kiln, to their position in the kiln, and through time. A phenomenological approach is also proposed in this paper to identify the operating functions for a given steady‐state operation of the kiln. The model is then used to perform a semi‐dynamic simulation of the process through manipulating main process variables.     

KINETICS OF PAHS LOSSES AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PAHS PROPERTIES AND PROPERTIES OF SOIL IN SEWAGE SLUDGE-AMENDED SOIL

Abstract

The properties of soil determine the activity of its microflora which is responsible for the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Moreover, soil properties influence the strength of the interactions between the PAHs and individual soil components. The introduction of sewage sludge into the soil changes these properties which, in turn, changes environmental conditions. In the present studies, relationships between the PAH content and changes in selected soil properties (pH, CEC, TEB, BS, N _t ) have been evaluated. The present experiment was carried out in two blocks of experimental plots divided according to the type of plants grown. In the first block, the following field plants were grown in specific sequence, (maize, spring barley, winter rape, potatoes and cereal mixture) while in the other block a perennial, i.e. willow, was grown. Plant cultivation was carried out for 54 months, whereas the cultivation of the willow was conducted over 42 months. Each block consisted of 6 plots with a surface area of 15 m² into which sewage sludge had been introduced in the following doses: soil without fertilization – control, sludge 30, 75, 150, 300, 600 t/ha. Both the disappearance rate and the scope of the individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as determined by their respective half-lives showed that losses of these compounds depended on the sewage sludge properties (among other things, the pollutant content) as well as the sludge dose and the type of area used. The correlation coefficients determined depended on the sludge dose and the experimental variant. The highest frequency of their occurrence was found in the case of the total sum of nitrogen and cation exchange capacity for the highest sludge doses (in the experimental with willow).     

The effect of the framework structure on the chemical properties of the vanadium oxide species incorporated within zeolites

V-silicalite catalysts (VS-1 and VS-2) prepared by hydrothermal synthesis have been studied by ESR, XAFS (XANES and EXAFS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The in situ characterization of these V-silicalites shows that vanadium is present within the zeolitic framework as a highly dispersed tetrahedrally coordinated V-oxides, VO₄ unit, having a short V=O bond length. Photoluminescence spectroscopy in static and dynamic mode, as well as XAFS studies allow to detect in the V-silicalites different V species than that present in V-HMS or V/SiO₂, in terms of V=O bond length, vibrational energy, bond angle and lifetime of the excited triplet state. It is suggested that the combined contribution of the neighboring Si---OH group attached to the VO₄ unit and the zeolitic rigid framework structure of V-silicalites cause a more significant and pronounced effect on the chemical properties of the VO₄ unit than the flexible structure of V-HMS or V/SiO₂. Moreover, the dynamic quenching of the phosphorescence by the addition of reactant molecules such as NO or propane indicates that the V species in the excited triplet state can be expected to be the active sites for the photocatalytic reactions.