Effects of non-thermal plasma treating wheat kernel on the physicochemical properties of wheat flour and the quality of fresh wet noodles

The effects of non-thermal plasma (NTP) on the physicochemical properties of wheat flour and the quality of fresh wet noodles ( FWN) were investigated. The results showed that NTP effectively decreased the total plate count (TPC), yeast and mould count (YMC) and Bacillus spp. in wheat flour. Wet gluten contents and the stability time reached the maximum when treated for 20 s. The viscosity of starch increased significantly after treatment due to the increased of damaged starch. The contents of secondary structure were altered to some extent, which was because that the ordered network structure of gluten protein broken. Furthermore, compared with the control, texture properties of FWN were enhanced significantly at 20 s, and the darkening rate of FWN was greatly inhibited due to the low polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. Consequently, the most suitable treatment was 500 W for 20 s, providing a basis for the application of NTP in flour products.     

Research on phase shift characteristics of electromagnetic wave in plasma

The phase shift characteristics reflect the state change of electromagnetic wave in plasma sheath and can be used to reveal deeply the action mechanism between electromagnetic wave and plasma sheath. In this paper, the phase shift characteristics of electromagnetic wave propagation in plasma were investigated. Firstly, the impact factors of phase shift including electron density,collision frequency and incident frequency were discussed. Then, the plasma with different electron density distribution profiles were employed to investigate the influence on the phase shift characteristics. In a real case, the plasma sheath around the hypersonic vehicle will affect and even break down the communication. Based on the hypersonic vehicle model, we studied the electromagnetic wave phase shift under different flight altitude, speed, and attack angle. The results indicate that the phase shift is inversely proportional to the flight altitude and positively proportional to the flight speed and attack angle. Our work provides a theoretical guidance for the further research of phase shift characteristics and parameters inversion in plasma.     

Colorimetric quantification of aqueous hydrogen peroxide in the DC plasma-liquid system

The quantification of hydrogen peroxide(H_2O_2) generated in the plasma-liquid interactions is of great importance, since the H_2O_2 species is vital for the applications of the plasma-liquid system.Herein, we report on in situ quantification of the aqueous H_2O_2(H_2O_2 aq) using a colorimetric method for the DC plasma-liquid systems with liquid as either a cathode or an anode. The results show that the H_2O_2 aqyield is 8–12 times larger when the liquid acts as a cathode than when the liquid acts as an anode. The conversion rate of the gaseous OH radicals to H_2O_2 aqis 4–6 times greater in the former case. However, the concentrations of dissolved OH radicals for both liquid as cathode and anode are of the same order of tens of n M.     

Investigation the effect of FeNiCoCrMo HEA addition on properties of B4C ceramic prepared by spark plasma sintering

In this study, monolithic B₄C and B₄C-based ceramics incorporating FeNiCoCrMo dual-phase (FCC and BCC) high entropy alloys (HEAs) were produced by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The effect of additives on the densification behavior, mechanical properties, microstructures, and phase evaluation of the samples were investigated. X-ray analysis confirmed the existence of FCC structured HEA and depletion of BCC structured HEA, after high-temperature reaction between B₄C-HEAs. The addition of HEAs enhanced the densification behavior by liquid phase sintering. Furthermore, hardness and fracture toughness values of the samples increased with increasing HEAs content. Fracture toughness and hardness values for all composites were higher than the monolithic B₄C. A combination of the highest density (∼99.22 %) and the best mechanical properties (32.3 GPa hardness and 4.53 MPa m^1/2 fracture toughness) was achieved with 2.00 vol.% HEA addition.     

Densification mechanism and microstructure characteristics of nano- and micro- crystalline alumina by high-pressure and low temperature sintering

Fully dense ceramics with retarded grain growth can be attained effectively at relatively low temperatures using a high-pressure sintering method. However, there is a paucity of in-depth research on the densification mechanism, grain growth process, grain boundary characterization, and residual stress. Using a strong, reliable die made from a carbon-fiber-reinforced carbon (C_f/C) composite for spark plasma sintering, two kinds of commercially pure α-Al₂O₃ powders, with average particle sizes of 220 nm and 3 μm, were sintered at relatively low temperatures and under high pressures of up to 200 MPa. The sintering densification temperature and the starting threshold temperature of grain growth (T_sg) were determined by the applied pressure and the surface energy relative to grain size, as they were both observed to increase with grain size and to decrease with applied pressure. Densification with limited grain coarsening occurred under an applied pressure of 200 MPa at 1050 °C for the 220 nm Al₂O₃ powder and 1400 °C for the 3 μm Al₂O₃ powder. The grain boundary energy, residual stress, and dislocation density of the ceramics sintered under high pressure and low temperature were higher than those of the samples sintered without additional pressure. Plastic deformation occurring at the contact area of the adjacent particles was proved to be the dominant mechanism for sintering under high pressure, and a mathematical model based on the plasticity mechanics and close packing of equal spheres was established. Based on the mathematical model, the predicted relative density of an Al₂O₃ compact can reach ～80 % via the plastic deformation mechanism, which fits well with experimental observations. The densification kinetics were investigated from the sintering parameters, i.e., the holding temperature, dwell time, and applied pressure. Diffusion, grain boundary sliding, and dislocation motion were assistant mechanisms in the final stage of sintering, as indicated by the stress exponent and the microstructural evolution. During the sintering of the 220 nm alumina at 1125 °C and 100 MPa, the deformation tends to increase defects and vacancies generation, both of which accelerate lattice diffusion and thus enhance grain growth.     

Microstructure and magnetic properties of nickel-zinc ferrite ceramics fabricated by spark plasma sintering

Dense nickel-zinc (NiZn) ferrite ceramics were successfully fabricated within tens of seconds via spark plasma sintering. The phase composition and microstructure of the sintered samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The static magnetic properties at room temperature and Curie temperature of the samples were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry. The results indicated that the main phase of the sintered samples was Ni_0.75Zn_0.25Fe₂O₄ with spinal structure, and the sintering temperature and heating rate observably affected the microstructure and density, then the magnetic properties of the sample. The Joule heat generated by NiZn ferrite during spark plasma sintering was very important for the rapid preparation of the sample with high density and small grain size. The low sintering temperature and heating rate would be helpful to obtain samples with small grain size, high density, and then good magnetic properties. The samples sintered at 900 °C with the heating rate of 5–10 °C/s were characterized of the relative density above 95%, 4πM_s value beyond 4000 Gs and coercivity below 27.7 Oe.     

Large electrocaloric effect in two-step-SPS processed Pb(Sc0.25In0.25Nb0.25Ta0.25)O3 medium-entropy ceramics

Ferroelectric ceramic with a large electrocaloric (EC) effect at a very low electric field is very attractive in the next solid state refrigeration technology. In this work, two Pb(Sc_0.25In_0.25Nb_0.25Ta_0.25)O₃ (PSINT) medium-entropy ceramics were successfully synthesized by a spark plasma sintering (SPS) technology, including one-step-SPS processed and two-step-SPS processed samples. A large EC effect (△T ～ 0.85 K) with a high EC strength (△T/△E ～ 0.021 K cm/kV) around room temperature are obtained at a very low electric field (～40 kV/cm) in the two-step-SPS processed sample. Moreover, the working temperature range is very broad (～120 K), which can be responsible for the high relaxation degree of the dielectric peak. It can be believed that the PSINT medium-entropy ceramics can be promising candidates for application in the next-generation EC cooling devices.     

Exploring the influences of the counterpart materials on friction and wear behaviors of atmospheric plasma-sprayed YSZ coating

Sliding wear behaviors of atmospheric plasma-sprayed Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) coating mated with four metallic or ceramic counterparts (Si₃N₄, Al₂O₃, GCr15 and ZrO₂) were investigated. It has been found that YSZ coatings in contact with Si₃N₄ and GCr15 show better tribological performances than the other cases, which is due to the formation of the tribolayer mainly consisting of Si₃N₄ and Fe₂O₃ respectively on the worn surfaces. In the case of YSZ coating-Al₂O₃ and YSZ coating-ZrO₂ tribopairs, the wear debris are more irregular and larger in size, resulting in severe abrasive wear and brittle fracture of debris particles. In particular, the specific wear rate of YSZ coating sliding against GCr15 is negative due to the significant material transfer of the tribo-oxide layer, while that of YSZ coating sliding against ZrO₂ is the highest. Amorphization of the wear particles appears in the four cases due to the repeated mechanical action. It has been demonstrated that the wear of YSZ coating deteriorates with the increased flash temperature between the contact surfaces during rubbing process.     

Elemental analysis of cemented carbides by calibration-free portable laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

The process of cemented carbides manufacturing requires rapid and field elemental analytical techniques to control and evaluate the properties of products. Calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) is such a potential elemental analytical technique. In this work, a portable LIBS instrument combined with a CF method was developed for the analysis of cemented carbides. Three batches of cemented compact carbides without reference samples were analyzed. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the samples were achieved by using the portable LIBS instrument combined with CF method. To validate the analysis results, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) was used to analyze the samples as well. The results of CF-LIBS agreed well with the results of XRF, with relative errors between ?29.53 and 24.70%. The results demonstrated that the portable LIBS instrument combined with CF method was capable for direct and rapid analysis without any need of standard measurements. Notably, with the portable LIBS instrument combined with CF method, acceptable accuracy could be obtained, which is promising for practical field applications.     

退火温度对HA/Ti-24Nb-4Zr复合材料组织与性能的影响

利用放电等离子烧结(SPS)技术制备了HA/Ti-24Nb-4Zr生物复合材料,研究了不同退火温度对复合材料显微组织和力学性能(抗压强度、屈服强度、屈强比、压缩弹性模量)的影响。结果表明,烧结态复合材料主要由β-Ti相、少量初生α-Ti相及HA相组成;随着退火温度的升高,复合材料基体中β-Ti相含量增多且晶粒逐渐长大,针状次生α-Ti相在晶界处和晶内不断析出,HA相结构和含量变化不大;与烧结态相比,不同退火温度处理后的复合材料强度和弹性模量先略微上升后下降,而塑韧性呈不断提高趋势;复合材料在850 ℃退火处理后,抗压强度、屈服强度、屈强比和压缩弹性模量值分别为1507 MPa、1270 MPa、0.84和42 GPa,塑韧性得到明显改善,作为生物医用植入材料具有潜在的应用前景。