Interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti3SiC2 ceramic and TC11 alloy joint diffusion bonded with a Cu interlayer

Reliable joints of Ti₃SiC₂ ceramic and TC11 alloy were diffusion bonded with a 50 μm thick Cu interlayer. The typical interfacial structure of the diffusion boned joint, which was dependent on the interdiffusion and chemical reactions between Al, Si and Ti atoms from the base materials and Cu interlayer, was TC11/α-Ti + β-Ti + Ti₂Cu + TiCu/Ti₅Si₄ + TiSiCu/Cu(s, s)/Ti₃SiC₂. The influence of bonding temperature and time on the interfacial structure and mechanical properties of Ti₃SiC₂/Cu/TC11 joint was analyzed. With the increase of bonding temperature and time, the joint shear strength was gradually increased due to enhanced atomic diffusion. However, the thickness of Ti₅Si₄ and TiSiCu layers with high microhardness increased for a long holding time, resulting in the reduction of bonding strength. The maximum shear strength of 251 ± 6 MPa was obtained for the joint diffusion bonded at 850 °C for 60 min, and fracture primarily occurred at the diffusion layer adjacent to the Ti₃SiC₂ substrate. This work provided an economical and convenient solution for broadening the engineering application of Ti₃SiC₂ ceramic.     

Effects of the joining process on the microstructure and properties of liquid-phase-sintered SiC-SiC joints formed with Ti foil

The joining of liquid-phase sintered SiC (LPS-SiC) ceramics was conducted using spark plasma sintering (SPS), through solid state diffusion bonding, with Ti-metal foil as a joining interlayer. Samples were joined at 1400 °C, under applied pressures of either 10 or 30 MPa, and with different atmospheres (argon, Ar, vs. vacuum). It was demonstrated that the shear strength of the joints increased with an increase in the applied joining pressure. The joining atmosphere also affected on both the microstructure and shear strength of the SiC joints. The composition and microstructure of the interlayer were examined to understand the mechanism. As a result, a SiC-SiC joining with a good mechanical performance could be achieved under an Ar environment, which in turn could provide a cost-effective approach and greatly widen the applications of SiC ceramic components with complex shape.     

Surface modification of superfine SiC powders by ternary modifiers-KH560/sodium humate/SDS and its mechanism

SiC is a promising functional ceramic material with many great properties. High concentrated SiC slurry with excellent rheology and stability is required in some processes of ceramic forming. In this work, the dispersion of SiC powders was obviously improved by ternary modifiers: γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy) propytrimethoxysilane (KH560), sodium humate and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Modified SiC slurry showed the lowest viscosity of 0.168 Pa s at a solid content of 50 vol%. The maximum absolute value of zeta potential of SiC increased from 47.3 to 61.6 mV by modification. Sedimentation experiments showed that a highly stable suspension of modified SiC was obtained at pH 10. SiC green body with high density of 2.643 g/cm³ was prepared with modified powders by slip casting. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and thermogravimetry (TG) measurements indicated the adsorption of modifiers on SiC surface. Therefore, modified SiC powders could stably disperse in aqueous media due to the increase of electrosteric repulsion between particles. The novel strategy used in this study could further improve the dispersion of SiC powders.     

Anthocyanin-fortified konjac glucomannan/sodium alginate composite edible boba: characteristics of texture,microstructure, in vitro release behaviour and antioxidant capacity

Konjac glucomannan/sodium alginate composite edible boba (KGM/SA-boba) with good taste is very popular in China, and it is an outstanding carrier for health potential ingredients. In this work, KGM/SA-boba were fortified with 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00% purple sweet potato anthocyanin (PSPA), then characterised by the water distribution, texture, microstructure, in vitro release property of PSPA and antioxidant capacity. LF-NMR analysis demonstrated that the free water of KGM/SA-boba could transfer to tightly bound water with the addition of PSPA that made it with better water-binding ability, higher springiness and lower hardness. And the results of SEM and rheology showed that PSPA could stabilise the microstructure of KGM/SA-boba by forming more amorphous regions and hydrogen bonds proved by the results of DSC and FT-IR. Furthermore, 50% of PSPA in PSPA-fortified KGM/SA-boba can be released at the first hour in a simulated gastrointestinal environment. And the scavenging capacity of DPPH and ABTS of the PSPA-fortified KGM/SA-boba after digestion was higher than that of PSPA alone. Generally, PSPA could improve the texture while KGM/SA-boba in turn would make PSPA more stable in the gastrointestinal digestive system.     

火麻仁油微乳凝胶面膜的制备及初步评价

目的:制备火麻仁油微乳凝胶补水面膜并对其理化性质、保湿性和抗氧化活性进行评价.方法:通过伪三元相图确定火麻仁油微乳最佳处方,采用单因素及正交试验优化火麻仁油微乳凝胶处方,载入保湿活性物质制得火麻仁油微乳凝胶面膜并对其质量、稳定性、保湿性和抗氧化活性进行评价.结果:火麻仁油微乳最佳处方:火麻仁油0.2％、PEG-20氢化蓖麻油0.53％、1,3丙二醇0.27％.火麻仁油微乳凝胶最佳处方为卡波姆-940含量1％,丙三醇含量5％,稀释倍数30倍.制得的微乳凝胶澄清透明、涂展性较好、易清洗、不油腻;平均粒径为(30.91±0.31)nm,PDI为0.299±0.017,电位为(-3.54±0.43)mV;黏度为494725.15 mPa·s;pH值为5.50±0.01;保湿效果优于市售某凝胶面膜;火麻仁油微乳凝胶面膜对DPPH自由基清除率高于火麻仁油毛油,质量浓度为6 mg·mL-1时可达62.39％,IC50为3.71 mg·mL-1.结论:火麻仁油微乳凝胶面膜安全、稳定,制备工艺简单,对皮肤具有良好的补水和抗氧化效果,具备开发和推广的价值.     

Densification and joining of a (HfTaZrNbTi)C high-entropy ceramic by hot pressing

A bulk (Hf_0.2Ta_0.2Zr_0.2Nb_0.2Ti_0.2)C high-entropy ceramic (HEC) with a high density was prepared by hot pressing (HP), and through a robust joining technique, large-sized piece was fabricated. A hot-pressed carbide HEC with a single-phase and homogeneous composition was obtained at the sintering temperatures from 1800 to 1950 °C for 30 min under a pressure of 30 MPa. The influence of sintering temperature on the mechanical properties of the HEC was investigated, and the flexural and compressive strengths were reported. Additionally, the feasibility of active brazing of this HEC was studied and solid joints with high shear strength were obtained by atomic diffusion and chemical reaction at the interface, providing a key approach to fabricate complex components of HECs.     

Zinc doped Fe2O3 for boosting Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation to ammonia under mild conditions

Artificial nitrogen fixation is emerging as a promising approach for synthesis of ammonia at mild conditions. Inspired by biological nitrogen fixation based on bacteria containing iron, zinc doped Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles are proposed as an efficient and earth abundant electrocatalyst for converting N₂ to NH₃. In neutral media, it achieves a maximum Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 10.4% and a large NH₃ yield rate of 15.1 μg h^?1 mg^?1_cat. at ?0.5 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. This catalyst also exhibits excellent selectivity and stability. Theoretical calculations suggest the reaction follows the associative enzymatic mechanism and it has a barrier of as low as 0.68 eV.     

鄂尔多斯盆地长7段有机地球化学参数对致密油动用效果的响应

致密油层压裂效果及油气动用情况的评价指标和判识手段一般具有地区适用性。选取热解参数S ₁/S _T、PI值与饱和烃分子组成参数 \sum {\mathrm{C}}_{{\mathrm{20}}^{-}} / \sum {\mathrm{C}}_{{\mathrm{21}}^{+}} 、∑三环/∑五环、Pr/nC₁₇、Ph/nC₁₈对水平井开发目标层位长7₂亚段及相邻层位长7₁亚段和长7₃亚段进行比对，分析其实施压裂后致密油的动用效果。结果显示，参数 \sum {\mathrm{C}}_{{\mathrm{20}}^{-}} / \sum {\mathrm{C}}_{{\mathrm{21}}^{+}} 、∑三环/∑五环的比值存在明显分异；Pr/nC₁₇、Ph/nC₁₈参数也敏感地反映了原油直链和支链烷烃分子的差异渗流特征，表现为分子结构简单的轻组分相对含量在目标层位中明显降低。综合各有机地球化学指标特征，认为目标层位长7₂亚段的致密油受到优先动用，但采出程度不大。研究结果为鄂尔多斯盆地致密储层油气动用层位的精细判识提供了有效的敏感参数。     

Controlled Secure Direct Communication Protocol via the Three-Qubit Partially Entangled Set of States

In this paper, we first re-examine the previous protocol of controlled quantum secure direct communication of Zhang et al.’s scheme, which was found insecure under two kinds of attacks, fake entangled particles attack and disentanglement attack. Then, by changing the party of the preparation of cluster states and using unitary operations, we present an improved protocol which can avoid these two kinds of attacks. Moreover, the protocol is proposed using the three-qubit partially entangled set of states. It is more efficient by only using three particles rather than four or even more to transmit one bit secret information. Given our using state is much easier to prepare for multiqubit states and our protocol needs less measurement resource, it makes this protocol more convenient from an applied point of view.