Quality Improvement of Granular Wastes- The Effective Way to Recycle Secondary Raw Building Materials

Granul teastes have negative effects on the environment due to contamination.On the other hand stony components in granular wastes have a potential good perspectives for utilization in civil engineering works as aecondary row building materials to reuse such materials without enwironmental risks,all contaminamts must be remored or reduced to an acceptable level.therefore liberation of materials is an important step in waste treatment.for this purpose,separation and cleansing techniques are suitable based on the analysis of contaminants in wastes,it is discussed how to select suitable techniques.the rules for technique selection and processes for quality improrement are set up to evaluate the entironmental quality and lechnical quality of output producls.it is necessary to check leaching be haviours and physical properties.     

Regulation mechanism of EM parameters in natural ferrite and its application in microwave absorbing materials

1 Introduction Microwave absorbing materials (MAM) refer to a kind of materials that can be used to absorb the emitted electromagnetic (EM) energy and to minimize the wave reflected in the direction of an energy radar receiver. When the EM wave incidents into MAM, it is readily absorbed, attenuated, and changed into heat or other energy. MAM are functional materials that possess special performance for absorbing EM wave. Along with the advancement in radar and microwave technologies, MA…     

Microstructures of FeSi2 based thermoelectric materials prepared by rapid solidification and hot pressing

FeSi2 based thermoelectric materials have been prepared by melt spinning and vacuum hot pressing. Most of the rapidly solidified (melt spinning) powders are thin flakes with a thickness less than 0.1 mm. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) surface profiles show there are further finer grain structures with the characteristic size of about 100 nm in a flake. The samples obtained by hot uniaxial pressing (HUP) in vacuum have densities higher than 90% the theoretical density of the materials. It was found by SEM observations that the microstructures are very different for vertical and parallel sections of the HUP samples. X-ray diffraction (XRD)analyses show there are some texture features in the samples. It is considered that the textures of the samples are originated from the orientation of the flakes that tended to align perpendicular to the hot press axis. WSi2 was introduced into the powders unexpectedly during melting process before the rapid solidification, but it makes the microstrucmres more easily to be explained.     

Solvothermal preparation and thermoelectric properties of quasi-binary Sn(Pb)Te-Bi_2Te_3 compounds

The alloys based on Bi2Te3 are widely known as the best thermoelectric materials currently available for thermoelectric application near room temperature. Unfortunately the efficiency for TE device is limited by poor properties of TE materials. Excellent TE materials require a perfect combination of electrical and thermal properties. The challenge lies in achieving simultaneously high power factor (2) and low thermal conductivity, which define the dimensionless figure of merit ZT=(a2s/k)T[…     

Numerical prediction of the incremental melting and solidification process

A mathematical formulation is applied to represent the phenomena in the incremental melting and solidification process (IMSP), and the temperature and electromagnetic fields and the depth of steel liquid phase are calculated by a finite difference technique using the control volume method. The result shows that the predicted values are in good agreement with the observations. In accordance with the calculated values for different kinds of materials and different size of molds, the technological parameter of the IMS process such as the power supply and the descending speed rate can be determined.     

Design considerations for re-functionalizing electrocatalytic materials

Electrocatalytic materials are a critical bottleneck for the development of new energy economics. This review summarizes the unique physicochemical properties of topological, magnetic, and rare earth materials and their applications in the functionalization of electrocatalysts. Topological materials have unique band structures and geometric structures, and the interface difference in charge transport structures can give rise to topological insulators, topological superconductors, and Dirac metal...     

Oxidation behavior of CNTs and the electric double layer capacitor made of the CNT electrodes

Electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) have been widely used because they have large capacitance, and are free of maintenance and free from toxic materials. After NEC corporation developed activated carbon/carbon super capacitor, they are expected to be applied to electric vehicles[1]. A unit of EDLCs is based on the double layer capacitance at solid/solution interface of high surface material. As in the case with a traditional electrolytic capacitor, the electrical energy is stored thro…     

A platform for communicating construction material information between e-commerce systems

E-commerce systems for construction material procurement are becoming increasingly important in Hong Kong. These E-commerce systems are non-interoperable and create problems for the buyers who use these systems to purchase construction materials. This paper presents the mobile agent-based approach and Web services-based approach for enabling interoperation of these systems in the E-Union environment.     

Prediction of shear bands in sand based on granular flow model and two-phase equilibrium

In contrast to the traditional interpretation of shear bands in sand as a bifurcation problem in continuum mechanics,shear bands in sand are considered as high-strain phase(plastic phase) of sand and the materials outside the bands are still in low-strain phase(elastic phase),namely,the two phases of sand can coexist under certain condition.As a one-dimensional example,the results show that,for materials with strain-softening behavior,the two-phase solution is a stable branch of solutions,but the method to find two-phase solutions is very different from the one for bifurcation analysis.The theory of multi-phase equilibrium and the slow plastic flow model are applied to predict the formation and patterns of shear bands in sand specimens,discontinuity of deformation gradient and stress across interfaces between shear bands and other regions is considered,the continuity of displacements and traction across interfaces is imposed,and the Maxwell relation is satisfied.The governing equations are deduced.The critical stress for the formation of a shear band,both the stresses and strains inside the band and outside the band,and the inclination angle of the band can all be predicted.The predicted results are consistent with experimental measurements.     

RANDOM MICROSTRUCTURE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD AND ITS VERIFICATION FOR EFFECTIVE PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS

The present study aims at developing a new method--Random Microstructure Finite Element Method (RMFEM) for the effective properties of com posite materials.In this method, a random microstructure model is used to simulate the microstructure of the real composite materials.The physical fields in such a random microstructure model under specified boundary and initial conditions are analyzed by finite element method.The effective properties of composite materials can be obtained from the analysis results.As verification, some effective properties of composite materials, such as elastic module.thermal expansion coefficient, thermal conductivity and elastoplastic properties,are investigated by random microstructure finite element method.The numerical results are given together with the experimental data.It is revealed that the random microstructure finite element method is a very valid method for the determination of the effective properties of composite materials.     

Preparation, Characterization and Dielectric Properties of Ba6Mg0.67Nb9.33O30 Ceramic

A new niobate Ba6Mg0.67Nb9.33O30 was ssnthesized in the BaO-MgO-Nb2O5 system by solid state reaction at 1350 ℃ for 48 b. The strncture and dielectric properties of Ba6Mg0.67Nb9.33O30 were determined by X-ray pouder diffraction, straining electron microscopy and dielectric measurements. The results show that Ba6Mg0.67Nb9.33O30 belongs to ferroelectric phase of filled tetragonal tungsten bronze structure at room temperature with unit cell parameters ： a = 1. 26052（4） nm , c = 0.40045（2） nm, space group P4bm , calculated density 5 . 707g. cm ^-3 . Ba6Mg0.67Nb9.33O30 belongs to relaxor ,ferroetectrics undergoing diffusive phase transition, and the transition temperature （ Tc ） is 30 ℃ observed at 10 kHz. At room temperature, Ba6Mg0.67Nb9.33O30 eeramic has a high dielectric constant 850 at 1 MHz and a low dielectric loss of 0. 0052.     

Preparation, Characterization and Dielectric Property of Sr5 LaTi3 Nb7O30 Ceramic

Sr5LaTi3Nb7O30 ceramic was prepared by the conventional high temperature solid-state reaction route. The sintered samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy ( SEM ), differential thermal calorimetry ( DSC ) and dielectric measurements. The results show Sr5LaTi3Nb7O30 belongs to paraclectric phase of filled tetrngonal TB structure at room temperature, and undergoes a diffuse phase transition in the temperature range of -54-34℃ . And Sr5LaTi3Nb7O30 ceramic shows a high dielectric constant of 479 with a low dielectric loss of 0.005 at 1MHz . In comparison with Ba-based ceramics with TB structure, the temperature coefficients of the dielectric constant ( τt ) is significantly reduced.     

Structure,Electrical Conducting and Thermal Expansion Properties of Ln0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Fe0.2O3 （Ln = La,Pr, Nd,Sm） Ceramics

Ln0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.2O3 （Ln=La, Pr, Nd, Sm） perovskite-type complex oxides were synthesized using a glycine-nitrate process, and the structure, electrical conducting and thermal expansion properties of the resulting ceramics were examined with regard to the nature of the lanthanide cations. The results indicated that the La, Pr and Nd specimens had a rhombohedral symmetry, while an orthorhombic structure was determined for the Sm specimen. The pseudo-cubic lattice constant decreased with smaller lanthanide cations. It was found that the electrical conducting properties declined with decreasing lanthanide cation size. Fortunately, all the compositions remained rather high electrical conductivities exceeding 650 Ω ^-1m·cm^-1 in the intermediate temperature range （600-800 ℃）. An appreciable thermal expansion increase at high temperatures was detected for all the compositions. Decreasing the size of the lanthanide cations resulted in an increase of thermal expansion. With respect to the high electrical conductivities, the Ln0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Fe0.2O3 oxides are considered to be acceptable as mixed conducting component in composite cathode designs together with doped ceria electrolytes.     

Effect of Rare Earth Oxides on the Microstructure and Microwave Dielectric Properties of CaO-MgO-Nb2Os-TiO2 System Ceramics

La2O3 and SrO-doped CaO-MgO-Nb2O3-TiO2 system ceramics were prepared by solid-state ceramic technique.The microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of CaO-MgO-Nb2O5-TiO2-La2O3 cermics can be adjusted by varying the amount of La^3＋ or Sr^2＋ ions respectively.The replacement of Ca^2＋ by La^3＋ at A-site of the ceramics increases the quality factor Q value（ at 7.6GHz）as well as the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency τf and decreases the dielectric constant εr and the substitution of Sr^2＋ at A-site in this ceramics system exhibits opposite characteristics.The microwave properties of La^3＋,Sr^2＋-doped CaO-MgO-Nb2O5-TiO2 system ceramics depend on the degree of octahedral distortion inside materials.     

The Effect of Bi2O3 on the Structure and Microwave Dielectric Properties of Ba6-3xNd8＋2xTi18O54 System（x=2/3）

The structures and dielectric properties of Ba6-3xNd8＋2xTi18O54 system（x=2/3） doped with different contents of Bi2O3, whose final molecular formula is Ba6-3x（Nd1-yBiy）8＋2xTi18O54 were investigated. It is indicated that the dielectric constant increases greatly whereas Q value（f0=4 GHz） decreases with the increase of Bi2O3 content. However, the temperature coefficient could be controlled below 0±30×10^-6/℃ in the experiment. These phenomena are related to the appearance of a new phase, Bi4Ti3O12, which has high dielectric constant. Also, that Bi^3＋（0.13 nm） substitutes for Nd^3＋（0.099 5 nm） will increase the unit cell volume, which will lead to the enlargement of the octahedron B site occupied by Ti^4＋. So the spontaneous polarization of Ti^4＋ ions will be strengthened. Besides, Bi^3＋ will fill up some vacancies which Ba^2＋ or Nd^3＋ ions leave in two A1 sites and four A2 sites. More positive ions polarize, which also contributes to higher dielectric constant. The samples got with the optimium properties are sintered at 1 200 ℃ for 4 h, when y=0.25, ε≈110, Q≈5 400（f0=4 GHz）, TCC=-4.7×10^-6/℃; When y=0.3, ε≈120, Q≈5 000（f0=4 GHz）, TCC=-24×10^-6/℃.     

Low-temperature sintering and microwave dielectric properties of Li2MgTi3O8 ceramics doped with BaCu（B2O5）

The influences of BaCu(B₂O₅) (BCB) addition on sintering, microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of Li₂MgTi₃O₈ ceramics were investigated using X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and microwave dielectric measurements. The experimental results show that a small amount of BaCu(B₂O₅) addition can effectively reduce the sintering temperature to 900 °C, and induce only a limited degradation of the microwave dielectric properties. Typically, the best microwave dielectric properties of ɛ _r=24.5, Q×f =24 622 GHz, τ _f=4.2×10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ are obtained for 1.0% BCB-doped Li₂MgTi₃O₈ ceramics sintered at 900 °C for 3 h. The BCB-doped Li₂MgTi₃O₈ ceramics can be compatible with Ag electrode, which may be a strong candidate for low temperature co-fired ceramics applications.     

Phase structure and electrical properties of La<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-doped BiInO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-PbTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramics with high curie temperature

The phase structure and electrical properties of pure and La2O3-doped Bi-InO3-PbTiO3 （BI-PT） ceramics were studied respectively. In （1 -x）BI-xPT （x=0.72-0.80） ceramics, the stability of tetragonal phase increased with increasing x, and pure perovskite structure was obtained for x=-0.80 ceramics. The phase transition temperature range was between 575 ℃ and 600 ℃ for x=0.72-0.80 ceramics, higher than that of PT （-490 ℃）. The c/a ratio almost linearly decreased with increasing La2O3 content in x-0.80 ceramics. It is believed that Pb^2＋ vacancies were formed by La^3＋ substituting Pb^2＋ in La2O3-doped BI-PT ceramics. Tc shifted to lower temperature by 30 ℃/mol% La2O3. The maximum dielectric constant 8557 around 559 ℃ was exhibited in 0.5mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics. La2O3-doped ceramics could be poled resulting from decreasing of c/a ratio and improving of dielectric loss and resistivity. The maximum piezoelectric coefficient d33 was 12 pC/N for 2mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics.     

Thermoelectric properties of Ca3Co4O9 ceramics

Ca₃Co₄O₉ ceramics were prepared using the sol-gel process with ordinary pressing sintering and their thermoelectric properties were measured from room temperature to 673 K. The experimental results show that single phase Ca₃Co₄O₉ can be fabricated at 750–900 °C in different citrate acid molar proportions for 0.2–1.0. For all the oxides, both the Seebeck coefficients S and the electrical conductivities κ increase with the increasing temperature. The Seebeck coefficients S are all positive. The thermal conductivities k increase with the increasing temperature also and the lattice thermal conductivity κ _l plays an important role to the thermal conductivity κ. The citrate acid molar proportions have a large influence on the particle sizes, which influences the thermoelectric properties of the ceramics. The figure of merit increases with the increasing temperature and reaches 4.5×10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ at 573 K for the sample in the citrate acid molar proportion of 0.46.     

Dielectric and pyroelectric characteristics of the infrared sensitive (Pb1?xSrx)TiO3 ceramics

PST ferroelectric ceramics were fabricated successfully by a two-step method, i e first, PbTiO₃ and SrTiO₃ were sintered respectively, then mixed and sintered together. The process and characteristics of PST ferroelectric ceramics were introduced and researched. Their dielectric and pyroelectric characteristics are as follows dielectric constant 10⁴ order, low dielectric loss (lower than 3.0% in the working frequency range of 1–1 000 kHz), saturation polarization intensity 10⁻¹ C/m² order, and pyroelectric coefficient 10⁻³ C/m²·K order.     

Preparation, characterization and dielectric properties of Sr5RTi3Ta7O30 (R=Pr and Eu) ferroelectric ceramics

Polycrystalline samples of Sr₅PrTi₃Ta₇O₃₀ (SPTT) and Sr₅EuTi₃Ta₇O₃₀ (SETT) compounds were prepared by high-temperature solid-state reaction method and their formation, structure and dielectric properties were studied. They are found to be ferroelectric phase of filled tetragonal tungsten bronze (TB) structure at room temperature and undergoes diffuse type of ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition around 34 °C and 31 °C, respectively. At 1 MHz SPTT exhibits high dielectric constants of 177 and low dielectric losses of 3.5×10⁻⁴ and SETT has high dielectric constants of 125 and low dielectric losses of 2.4×10⁻³.