Dielectric performance and conductive mechanism of KNN-based ceramics prepared via sol–gel core–shell process

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - 0.95(Li0.02Na0.50K0.48)(Nb0.95Sb0.05)O3–0.05AgTaO3@BaZrO3 (LNKNbSAT@BZ) lead-free ceramics were prepared via a sol–gel...     

A high-throughput chaotic advection microreactor for preparation of uniform and aggregated barium sulfate nanoparticles

A high-throughput (105.5 g/h) passive four-stage asymmetric oscillating feedback microreactor using chaotic mixing mechanism was developed to prepare aggregated Barium sulfate (BaSO₄) particles of high primary nanoparticle size uniformity. Three-dimensional unsteady simulations showed that chaotic mixing could be induced by three unique secondary flows (i.e., vortex, recirculation, and oscillation), and the fluid oscillation mechanism was examined in detail. Simulations and Villermaux–Dushman experiments indicate that almost complete mixing down to molecular level can be achieved and the prepared BaSO₄ nanoparticles were with narrow primary particle size distribution (PSD) having geometric standard deviation, σ_g, less than 1.43 when the total volumetric flow rate Q_total was larger than 10 ml/min. By selecting Q_total and reactant concentrations, average primary particle size can be controlled from 23 to 109 nm as determined by microscopy. An average size of 26 nm with narrow primary PSD (σ_g = 1.22) could be achieved at Q_total of 160 ml/min.     

Surface Modification of Co3O4 Nanosheets to Promote Peroxymonosulfate Activation for Degradation of Atrazine

Catalysis Letters - This study proposed a new facile route to rational creating oxygen-vacancy (Vo)-rich surface of Co3O4 nanosheets by acetic acid leaching. The acid leached Co3O4 nanosheets was...     

Applications of analytical electron microscopy to guide the design of boron carbide

Compositional analysis of boron carbide on nanometer length scales to examine or interpret atomic mechanisms, for example, solid-state amorphization or grain-boundary segregation, is challenging. This work reviews advancements in high-resolution microanalysis to characterize multiple generations of boron carbide. First, ζ-factor microanalysis will be introduced as a powerful (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM) analytical framework to accurately characterize boron carbide. Three case studies involving the application of ζ-factor microanalysis will then be presented: (1) accurate stoichiometry determination of B-doped boron carbide using ζ-factor microanalysis and electron energy loss spectroscopy, (2) normalized quantification of silicon grain-boundary segregation in Si-doped boron carbide, and (3) calibration of a scanning electron microscope X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) system to measure compositional homogeneity differences of B/Si-doped arc-melted boron carbides in the as-melted and annealed conditions. Overall, the improvement and application of advanced analytical tools have helped better understand processing–microstructure–property relationships and successfully manufacture high-performance ceramics.     

Diffusion and perfusion MRI parameters in the evaluation of placenta accreta spectrum disorders in patients with placenta previa

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - To evaluate the placental function by monoexponential, biexponential, and diffusion kurtosis MR imaging (MRI) in patients with...