Corrosion behaviors of carbon steel induced by life activities of Phaeodactylum tricornutum in a marine environment

Microbiologically influenced corrosion induced by bacteria has been studied for many years. Corrosion is known to be sensitive to the presence of microalgae, such as Phaeodactylum tricornutum. However, the life activity of P. tricornutum that influences the general and localized corrosion of carbon steel is not fully understood. The current study uses a combination of immersion tests and electrochemical experiments with a detailed surface characterization to reveal the naturally formed corrosion products with/without the presence of P. tricornutum. The results show that samples suffer from pitting corrosion and the averaged pit depths are approximately 15 μm under a light–dark cycle condition or a 24-h constant light condition. Meanwhile, the corrosion products are mainly comprised of γ-FeOOH and Fe₃O₄ in a constant light condition. However, γ-FeOOH, Fe₃O₄, and FeCO₃ are found in a light–dark cycle. This study proposes the fundamental mechanisms of the effect of P. tricornutum life activities on the corrosion performance of Q235 carbon steel, to fulfill the knowledge gaps of the presence of microalgae inducing the general and pitting corrosion of carbon steel.     

Low/intermediate temperature pyrolyzed polysiloxane derived ceramics with increased carbon for electrical applications

This study focuses on the chemistry, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity of low/intermediate pyrolysis temperature (700?900 °C) polysiloxane derived ceramics. These ceramics were modified with additional carbon derived from divinylbenzene (DVB) added to the precursor. Their electrical properties were investigated for potential uses in micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) and anodes for lithium batteries. The microstructure and chemical composition was investigated by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS); thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) provided insight into the thermal stability; and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) into the electrical properties of the material. The increase of pyrolysis temperature and carbon content lead to an enhancement of the electrical conductivity, higher than previously reported values for intermediate pyrolysis temperature SiOC polymer derived ceramics. A limit of the amount of DVB that can be added to PHMS to produce a hybrid precursor has also been obtained.     

Preparation of high-strength silica aerogels by two-step surface modification via ambient pressure drying

Journal of Porous Materials - High-strength silica aerogels were prepared successfully by a new two-step surface modification (TSSM) method via ambient pressure drying (APD). Methyltrimethoxysilane...     

Effect of nitriding atmosphere on the morphology of AlN nanofibers from solution blow spinning

High purity AlN fiber is a promising thermal conductive material. In this work, AlN fibers were prepared using solution blow spinning followed by nitridation under N₂ or NH₃ atmosphere. Soluble polymer, such as polyaluminoxane, and allyl-functional novolac resin were adopted as raw materials to form homogeneous distribution of Al₂O₃ and C nanoparticles within the fibers, which could inhibit the growth of alumina crystal and promote their nitridation process. The effect of nitriding atmosphere on the fiber morphology was investigated. XRD results showed that complete nitridation was achieved at 1300 °C in the NH₃ or at 1500 °C in the N₂ atmosphere. Hollowed fiber structure was observed when fiber was nitrided in N₂ at high temperature, which was caused by gaseous Al gas diffusion, and this phenomenon was eliminated in NH₃ atmosphere. The nitridation mechanisms in different atmosphere were analyzed in detail. It was demonstrated that the nitridation of Al₂O₃ fibers in the NH₃ atmosphere offered the favored AlN morphology and chemical quality. Flexible AlN fiber with O content of 0.7 wt% was achieved after nitriding in NH₃ at 1400 °C. The high quality AlN can be used in thermal conductive composite materials.     

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.     

Ni1−xCoxSe2?C/ZnIn2S4 Hybrid Nanocages with Strong 2D/2D Hetero-Interface Interaction Enable Efficient H2-Releasing Photocatalysis

Designing a semiconductor-based heterostructure photocatalyst for achieving the efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs is highly important for enhancing H₂ releasing photocatalysis. Here, a new class of Ni_1−xCo_xSe₂–C/ZnIn₂S₄ hierarchical nanocages with abundant and compact ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets/Ni_1−xCo_xSe₂^ C nanosheets 2D/2D hetero–interfaces, is designed and synthesized. The constructed heterostructure photocatalyst exposes rich hetero-junctions, supplying the broad and short transfer paths for charge carriers. The close contacts of these two kinds of nanosheets induce a strong interaction between ZnIn₂S₄ and Ni_1−xCo_xSe₂ C, improving the separation and transfer of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. As a consequence, the distinctive Ni_1−xCo_xSe₂ C/ZnIn₂S₄ hierarchical nanocages without using additional noble-metal cocatalysts, display remarkable H₂-relaesing photocatalytic activity with a rate of 5.10 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ under visible light irradiation, which is 6.2 and 30 times higher than those of fresh ZnIn₂S₄ nanosheets and bare Ni_1−xCo_xSe₂ C nanocages, respectively. Spectroscopic characterizations and theory calculations reveal that the strong interaction between ZnIn₂S₄ and Ni_1−xCo_xSe₂ C 2D/2D hetero-interfaces can powerfully promote the separation of photo-generated charge carriers and the electrons transfer from ZnIn₂S₄ to Ni_1−xCo_xSe₂ C.     

Moderate temperature sintering of BaZr0.8Y0.2O3-δ protonic ceramics by A novel cold sintering pretreatment

The state-of-the-art protonic ceramic conductor BaZr_0.8Y_0.2O_3-δ (BZY20) requires an extremely high sintering temperature (≥1700 °C) to achieve the desired relative density and microstructure necessary to function as a proton conducting electrolyte. In this work, we developed a cold sintering pretreatment assisted moderate-temperature sintering method for the fabrication of high-quality pure BZY20 pellets. BZY20 pellets with high relative density of ~94% were fabricated with a final sintering temperature of 1500 °C (200 °C lower than the traditional sintering temperature). A comparison with BZY20 control samples indicated that the proper amount of BaCO₃ introduced on the BZY20 particle surface and the high green density achieved by cold sintering pretreatment were the main drivers for lowering the sintering temperature. The electrical conductivity measurement by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that the as-prepared BZY20 pellets have a proton conductivity comparable to the state-of-the-art values. The cold sintering pretreatment outlined in this work has the potential to lower the sintering temperatures for similar types of protonic ceramic materials under consideration for a wide range of energy conversion and storage applications.     

Efficient Visible-to-UV Photon Upconversion Systems Based on CdS Nanocrystals Modified with Triplet Energy Mediators

Developing high-performance visible-to-UV photon upconversion systems based on triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA-UC) is highly desired, as it provides a potential approach for UV light-induced photosynthesis and photocatalysis. However, the quantum yield and spectral range of visible-to-UV TTA-UC based on nanocrystals (NCs) are still far from satisfactory. Here, three different sized CdS NCs are systematically investigated with triplet energy transfer to four mediators and four annihilators, thus substantially expanding the available materials for visible-to-UV TTA-UC. By improving the quality of CdS NCs, introducing the mediator via a direct mixing fashion, and matching the energy levels, a high TTA-UC quantum yield of 10.4% (out of a 50% maximum) is achieved in one case, which represents a record performance in TTA-UC based on NCs without doping. In another case, TTA-UC photons approaching 4 eV are observed, which is on par with the highest energies observed in optimized organic systems. Importantly, the in-depth investigation reveals that the direct mixing approach to introduce the mediator is a key factor that leads to close to unity efficiencies of triplet energy transfer, which ultimately governs the performance of NC-based TTA-UC systems. These findings provide guidelines for the design of high-performance TTA-UC systems toward solar energy harvesting.     

一种广播电视音频语种识别方法

介绍一种广播音频语种识别方法、装置、设备及存储介质,用以解决现有技术中广播音频语种识别准确性低的不足,降低噪音对识别结果的影响,提高语种识别的准确性.