Preparation of dehydroxylated and delaminated talc: Meta-talc

The roentgen-amorphous delaminated and dehydroxylated phase was prepared applying intensive milling procedure and subsequent thermal treatment of talc. Due to the similarity in properties and in thermal behavior of this material with roentgen-amorphous delaminated and dehydroxylated kaolinite phase, i.e. meta-kaolinite, the name meta-talc was suggested for this material. The properties and the behavior during thermal treatment were investigated using thermal analysis, x-ray diffraction analysis, infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The suggested procedure changes the activation energy of dehydroxylation, the behavior during thermal treatment and the phase composition of the product. The kinetics and thermodynamics of the thermal transition were evaluated using Kissinger equation and Eyering law.     

Analysis of the induction period of oxidation of edible oils by differential scanning calorimetry

Oxidation of rapeseed and sunflower oils has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry under non-isothermal conditions and by Oxidograph under isothermal conditions for various temperatures. The parameters of an Arrhenius-like equation describing the temperature dependence of induction period have been obtained. A new method for evaluation of the parameters from nonisothermal diffential scanning calorimetry measurements, based on the dependence of onset temperature of the oxidation peak on heating rate, is presented. It has been shown that the method gives parameters not affected by systematic errors. These can be used in modeling the oxidation process where the effects of oxygen diffusion, heat transfer, and evolution of reaction heat are explicity involved. The results obtained by differential scanning calorimetry are compared with the Oxidograph measurements. The discrepancies between the results obtained by the two methods are accounted for by oxygen diffusion within the samples.     

Fast internal dynamics in polyelectrolyte gels measured by dynamic light scattering

Summary Dynamic light scattering was used to investigate the dynamics of sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) and fully neutralized poly(acrylic acid) gels as a function of the degree of swelling and weight ratio of cross-linking agent. It was shown that the collective diffusion coefficient increases with increasing degree of swelling and that the diffusion coefficient shows stronger concentration dependence than predicted by scaling arguments. For gel samples measured at the swelling equilibrium, the diffusion coefficient increases with increasing gel concentration for both gel systems.     

Corrosion of NiTi Wires with Cracked Oxide Layer

Corrosion behavior of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy wires with cracked TiO₂ surface oxide layers was investigated by electrochemical corrosion tests (Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Open Circuit Potential, and Potentiodynamic Polarization) on wires bent into U-shapes of various bending radii. Cracks within the oxide on the surface of the bent wires were observed by FIB–SEM and TEM methods. The density and width of the surface oxide cracks dramatically increase with decreasing bending radius. The results of electrochemical experiments consistently show that corrosion properties of NiTi wires with cracked oxide layers (static load keeps the cracks opened) are inferior compared to the corrosion properties of the straight NiTi wires covered by virgin uncracked oxides. Out of the three methods employed, the Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy seems to be the most appropriate test for the electrochemical characterization of the cracked oxide layers, since the impedance curves (Nyquist plot) of differently bent NiTi wires can be associated with increasing state of the surface cracking and since the NiTi wires are exposed to similar conditions as the surfaces of NiTi implants in human body. On the other hand, the potentiodynamic polarization test accelerates the corrosion processes and provides clear evidence that the corrosion resistance of bent superelastic NiTi wires degrades with oxide cracking.     

Scanning Protein Surfaces with DNA-Encoded Libraries

Understanding the ligandability of a target protein, defined as the capability of a protein to bind drug-like compounds on any site, can give important stimuli to drug-development projects. For instance, inhibition of protein–protein interactions usually depends on the identification of protein surface binders. DNA-encoded chemical libraries (DELs) allow scanning of protein surfaces with large chemical space. Encoded library selection screens uncovered several protein–protein interaction inhibitors and compounds binding to the surface of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and kinases. The protein surface-binding chemotypes from DELs are predominantly chemically modified and cyclized peptides, and functional small-molecule peptidomimetics. Peptoid libraries and structural peptidomimetics have been less studied in the DEL field, hinting at hitherto less populated chemical space and suggesting alternative library designs. Roughly a third of bioactive molecules evolved from smaller, target-focused libraries. They showcase the potential of encoded libraries to identify more potent molecules from weak, for example, fragment-like, starting points.     

Degradation studies of epoxy coatings on printed circuit boards after pressure cooker test

The present work focuses on the investigation of the degradation of screen-printed epoxy coatings on printed circuit boards under multiple corrosion loads realized by the pressure cooker test (PCT). Since methods like the common mechanical shear strength tests are destructive and limited in information, the authors' approach used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to study the change of their electrochemical behavior and the state of degradation. Complementarily, the Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the possible molecular change of the polymer due to the exposition. The experiments were carried out after different times of load. It could be shown that the complex conditions of the PCT initiate a controversial mechanism. The harsh corrosion load already results in a degradation of the polymer after 8 h but simultaneously the enhanced test temperature leads to ongoing curing processes consuming the remaining parts of resin and curing agents. As a result, the degradation kinetic seems to be delayed and after the test time of 96 h, the epoxy is less degraded than it was expected based on the results after a shorter time exposition.     

The Nondestructive Determination of the Aluminum Content in Pressed Skulls of Aluminum Dross

During production of primary and secondary aluminum, various amounts (in some cases up to 200 kg) of aluminum dross, a mixture consisting of molten aluminum metal and different oxide compounds (the nonmetallic phase), are skimmed per tonne of molten metal. To preserve the maximum aluminum content in hot dross for further extraction, it is necessary to cool the dross immediately after skimming. One way to do this is to press the skimmed hot dross in a press. In this process, the skimmed dross is transformed into so-called pressed skulls, with characteristic geometry convenient for storage, transport, or further in-house processing. Because of its high aluminum content—usually between 30% and 70%—pressed skulls represent a valuable source of aluminum and hence are in great demand in the aluminum recycling industry. Because pressed skulls are generally valued on a free-metal recovery basis, which is influenced by the yield of recovery, or in other words, by the quality of the recycling process, it was recognized as important and useful to develop a method of fast and cost-effective nondestructive measurement of the free aluminum content in pressed skulls, independent of the technology of pressed skulls recycling. In the model developed in this work, the aluminum content in pressed skulls was expressed as a function of the pressed skulls density, the density of the nonmetallic phase, and the volume fraction of closed pores. In addition, the model demonstrated that under precisely defined conditions (i.e., skulls from the dross of the same aluminum alloy and skimmed, transported, cooled, and pressed in the same way and under the same processing conditions), when other parameters except the pressed skulls density remain constant, the aluminum content in pressed skulls can be expressed as a linear function of the pressed skulls density. Following the theoretical considerations presented in this work, a practical industrial methodology was developed for nondestructive prediction of the amount of free aluminum in pressed skulls w _Al, based on nondestructive measurement of the density ρ of the pressed skulls. The pressed skulls density is measured by a fully automatic gas displacement pyknometer with a working volume large enough to enable the insertion of the whole pressed skull sample. An additional integral part of this methodology is the set of experimentally determined linear graphs w _Al-ρ, plotted in advance for all classes of pressed skulls existing in the plant, from the experimentally collected data on pressed skulls density and aluminum recovery by melting. After selecting the proper graph w _Al-ρ, which is usually performed on an aluminum alloy basis, the pyknometric measured density of the pressed skulls can be routinely related to the aluminum content sought, within a relative error of ±5%.     

Growth of ω inclusions in Ti alloys: An X-ray diffraction study

We investigated the size and crystal structure of nanometer-sized ω inclusions in single crystals of β-Ti alloys by X-ray diffraction pole-figure measurements and reciprocal space mapping. We studied the topotactical relation of the β and ω crystal lattices, and from the positions and shapes of the diffraction maxima of the ω lattice determined the mean size of the ω inclusions and the misfit of the inclusion lattice with respect to the host lattice, as well as their changes during ageing. The lattice of the ω inclusions exhibits a large positive misfit already before ageing and the misfit is subsequently reduced during the ageing process. Using the theories of elasticity and X-ray scattering we simulated diffuse X-ray scattering around the β diffraction maxima and demonstrated that the diffuse scattering is caused mainly by local elastic strains in the β host phase around the ω inclusions.     

Nanolayer CrAlN/TiSiN coating designed for tribological applications

With the goal to produce a hard and tough coating intended for tribological applications, CrAlN/TiSiN nanolayer coating was prepared by alternative deposition of CrAlN and TiSiN layers. In the first part of the article, a detailed study of phase composition, microstructure, and layer structure of CrAlN/TiSiN coating is presented. In the second part, its mechanical properties, fracture and tribological behavior are compared to the nanocomposite TiSiN coating. An industrial magnetron sputtering unit was used for coating deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used for compositional and microstructural analysis. Mechanical properties and fracture behavior were studied by instrumented indentation and focused ion beam techniques. Tribological properties were evaluated by ball-on-disk test in a linear reciprocal mode. A complex layer structure was found in the nanolayer coating. The TiSiN layers were epitaxially stabilized inside the coating which led to formation of dislocations at interfaces, to introduction of disturbances in the coating growth, and as a result, to development of fine-grained columnar microstructure. Indentation load required for the onset of fracture was twice lower for the nanolayer CrAlN/TiSiN, compared to the nanocomposite TiSiN coating. This agrees very well with their mechanical properties, with H³/E² being twice higher for the TiSiN coating. However, the nanolayer coating experienced less severe damage, which had a strong impact on tribological behavior. A magnitude of order lower wear rate and four times lower steady state friction coefficient were found for the nanolayer coating.     

Design of Lu2O3-reinforced Cf/SiC-ZrB2-ZrC ultra-high temperature ceramic matrix composites: Wetting and interfacial reactivity by ZrSi2 based alloys

The wettability and infiltration of molten ZrSi₂ and ZrSi₂-Lu₂O₃ alloys into C_f/SiC and B₄C-infiltrated C_f/SiC composites were investigated to understand the interfacial interactions that occur during the development of C_f/SiC-ZrC and C_f/SiC-ZrB₂-ZrC-Lu₂O₃ materials. A significant evaporation of Si from the liquid affected the wetting behaviour of the alloy when tested in a vacuum at 1670 °C. The better wetting and spreading of the alloy over the surface was observed for the composites with lower overall porosity (12 %). On the other hand, the formation of an outer dense layer, followed up by the uniform infiltrated region up to ～ 1 mm was observed for the C_f/SiC with higher porosity (21 %). The infiltrated alloy reacted with SiC matrix to form ZrC or with B₄C-infiltrated SiC matrix to form ZrB₂-ZrC-SiC. The Lu₂O₃ particles were not wetted by the melt, and were pushed away of the reaction zone by the solidification front.