Investigation of Corrosion Behavior of Borided Gear Steels

In this study, corrosion behaviors of GS18NiMoCr36 (GS 18) and GS32NiCrMo6.4 (GS 32) gear steels borided in Ekabor-II powder at the temperature of 950 °C for 2 and 6 h were investigated in a 6 % M HCI acid solution. The boride layer was characterized by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction technique and the Micro-Vickers hardness tester. X-ray diffraction analysis of boride layers on the surface of the steels revealed the existence of FeB, Fe₂B, CrB and Cr₂B compounds. The thickness of the boride layer increases by increasing boriding time for gear steels. The hardness of the boride compounds formed on the surface of the steels GS 18 and GS 32 ranged from 1,728 to 1,905 HV_0,05 and 1,815 to 2,034 HV_0,05 respectively, whereas Vickers hardness values of the untreated steels GS 18 and GS 32 were 335 HV_0,05 and 411 HV_0,05, respectively. The corrosion resistance of borided gear steels is higher compared with that of unborided steels. The boride layer increased the corrosion resistances of gear steels 4–6-fold.     

The effect of preparation temperature on the swelling behavior of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) gels

Summary The role of the preparation temperature of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) gels on their swelling behavior in water and in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate was investigated. PNIPA gels were prepared by free-radical crosslinking copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and N,N'-methylene(bis) acrylamide in water at fixed monomer and crosslinker concentrations. The equilibrium swelling ratio of the gels increases first slightly up to about 20°C then rapidly with increasing gel preparation temperature. Magnitude of the collapse transition in water at 34°C becomes larger as the gel preparation temperature increases. Calculations indicate a decrease in the effective crosslink density of PNIPA gels with increasing preparation temperature. The gels prepared at temperatures higher then 20°C were heterogeneous consisting of highly crosslinked regions interconnected by the PNIPA chains. Received: 3 May 2000/Revised version: 3 July 2000/Accepted: 17 July 2000     

Preparation of dextran cryogels for separation processes of binary dye and pesticide mixtures from aqueous solutions

We present mechanically strong macroporous, squeezable dextran cryogels as a column filling material for the removal and separation of binary organic dye and pesticide mixtures from aquatic medium. Dextran cryogels were prepared from aqueous solutions of dextran of various molecular weights (MWs) in the presence of 20 to 50 mol% divinyl sulfone (DVS) as a cross-linker at −18°C. The cryogels have interconnected irregular pores of 100 μm in sizes, and exhibit 69-84% reversible squeezability without damaging the 3D dextran network. Their total open pore volumes (6.3-10 mL g⁻¹), weight swelling ratios in water (1380%-2200%), and mechanical parameters could easily be adjusted by both DVS mol% and MW of dextran. Dextran cryogel with the highest modulus (3.8 ± 0.5 MPa), compressive stress (8 ± 2 MPa) and plateau stress (0.46 ± 0.04 MPa) was obtained at 50 mol% DVS using dextran with a MW of 15 to 25 kg·mol⁻¹. Dextran cryogels are hydrolysable at pH = 1 and 9 but stable at 7.4 independent on both the degree of cross-linking and MW of dextran. At below 50 mol% DVS, they are blood compatible and possess slight thrombogenic effect with blood clotting index value of 98% ± 5%. They are also capable to separate binary dye and pesticide mixtures from aqueous solutions via ionic interactions.     

A Thienothiophene-Based Cation Treatment Allows Semitransparent Perovskite Solar Cells with Improved Efficiency and Stability

Perovskite surface treatment with additives has been reported to improve charge extraction, stability, and/or surface passivation. In this study, treatment of a 3D perovskite ((FAPbI₃)_1−x(MAPbBr₃)_x) layer with a thienothiophene-based organic cation (TTMAI), synthesized in this work, is investigated. Detailed analyses reveal that a 2D (n = 1) or quasi-2D layer does not form on the PbI₂-rich surface 3D perovskite. TTMAI-treated 3D perovskite solar cells (PSCs) fabricated in this study show improved fill factors, providing an increase in their power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) from 17% to over 20%. It is demonstrated that the enhancement is due to better hole extraction by drift-diffusion simulations. Furthermore, thanks to the hydrophobic nature of the TTMAI, PSC maintains 82% of its initial PCE under 15% humidity for over 380 h (the reference retains 38%). Additionally, semitransparent cells are demonstrated reaching 17.9% PCE with treated 3D perovskite, which is one of the highest reported efficiencies for double cationic 3D perovskites. Moreover, the semitransparent 3D PSC (TTMAI-treated) maintains 87% of its initial efficiency for six weeks (>1000 h) when kept in the dark at room temperature. These results clearly show that this study fills a critical void in perovskite research where highly efficient and stable semitransparent perovskite solar cells are scarce.     

Physical and viscoelastic properties of carrots during drying

It is essential to understand the physical and mechanical properties of a product since these properties affect the structure, texture, and ultimately consumer acceptance. The effect of drying conditions on dynamic viscoelastic properties, stress relaxation function and creep compliance, and physical properties, such as moisture distribution, color parameters, and shrinkage, was studied. An increase in drying temperature and duration resulted in a decrease in moisture content and volume, which were highly correlated (R = .988). Water evaporation followed the falling rate period, demonstrating that the water transport was limited by internal resistances. The decomposition of carotenoids led to a decrease in magnitude of color parameters (L, a, and b), between 30.1% and 51.6% with 4 hr drying. It was observed that the material shrinkage and moisture content highly affected the mechanical properties; increased stress relaxation modulus and decreased creep compliance values of the sample. The creep behavior, expressed with Burger's model (R² ≥ .986), was highly dependent on moisture content. The linear viscoelastic region of carrots was found to be at strains lower than 3%. The three-element Maxwell model well fitted to describe the viscoelastic behavior of carrots (R² ≥ .999, RMSE ≤ 2.08 × 10⁻⁴). The storage moduli (G′) were higher than loss moduli (G″), indicating that samples presented solid-like behavior. The findings can be used to improve the textural attributes of carrots and carrot-based products.     

Phase stability,microstructure and high-temperature properties of NbSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>- and TaSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>-oxide conducting ceramic composites

NbSi₂- and TaSi₂-based electroconductive ceramic composites with the addition of 40–70 vol% Al₂O₃ and ZrO₂ particles were fabricated by high-temperature sintering (1400–1600 °C) under argon. Their phase stability, microstructural evolution, oxidation kinetics and electrical properties were studied at high temperatures. The densification of the composites was improved by increasing the oxide phase content and sintering temperature. The interaction of the starting metal disilicides with residual oxygen sources resulted in the formation of the hexagonal-structured 5–3 metal silicide (Nb₅Si₃ and Ta₅Si₃) phases. The increasing sintering temperature and volume percentage of the oxide phase reduced the pest oxidation, particularly for the silicide–alumina composites, which exhibited lower oxidation-induced mass changes than their dense monolithic metal silicides. Depending on the silicide–oxide volume percentage, their electrical conductivities ranged from 5.3 to 111.3 S/cm at 900 °C. Their phase stability, reduced oxidation rates and high electrical conductivities at high temperatures show promise for future high-temperature applications in advanced sensing.     

Design of Miniature UWB-Based Antenna by Employing a Tri-Sectional SIR Feeder

A novel ultra-wideband (UWB)-based microstrip antenna is presented in this work by using a slotted patch resonator, a tri-sectional stepped impedance resonator (SIR) feeder, as well as a reduced ground plane. The whole structure was realized on an FR4 substrate. The impact of incorporating several cases of ground planes on the input reflection has been thoroughly investigated under the same tri-sectional SIR feeder and by employing a slotted patch radiator. Since the complete ground plane presents an inadequate frequency response, by reducing the ground plane, the induced UWB responses are apparent while the antenna exhibits higher impedance bandwidth. The impact of both the uniform impedance resonator (UIR) as well as the SIR feeder on the input reflection has also been examined by following the same adopted reduced ground technique and using a slotted patch radiator. As a result, the UIR feeder exhibits a dual-band frequency response, when a wide notched band is incorporated in the range from 4.5–6.5 GHz. The dual-band response of the bi-sectional SIR feeder is still apparent with a narrower notched band in the frequency range from 4–5 GHz. As far as the tri-sectional SIR feeder is concerned, the UWB response is discernible without recording the existence of a notched band. Additionally, the antenna displays a higher impedance bandwidth compared with the previously reported steps. Our proposed antenna configuration is designed with highly compact dimensions and an overall size of 14 × 27.2 mm². Moreover, it operates under the impedance bandwidth of 2.86–10.31 GHz that can be leveraged for numerous applications where wireless systems are used. Our approach presents several advantages compared with the other reported UWB-based antennas in the literature, whereas the measured S₁₁ pattern is in good agreement with the simulated one.     

Real‐time temperature and photon transmission measurements for monitoring phase separation during the formation of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) gels

Phase separation during the formation of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogels was investigated using real‐time photon transmission and temperature measurements. The hydrogels were prepared by free‐radical crosslinking polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) in the presence of N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (BAAm) as a crosslinker in an aqueous solution. The onset reaction temperature T₀ was varied between 20 and 28°C. Following an induction period, all the gelation experiments resulted in exothermic reaction profiles. A temperature increase of 6.5 ± 0.6°C was observed in the experiments. It was shown that the temperature increase during the formation and growth process of PNIPA gels is accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in the transmitted light intensities I_tr. The decrease in I_tr at temperatures below the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPA was explained by the concentration fluctuations due to the inhomogeneity in the gel network. At higher temperatures, it was shown that the gel system undergoes a phase transition via a spinodal decomposition process. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 3589–3595, 2002     

Effects of cyclization and pendant vinyl group reactivity on the swelling behavior of polyacrylamide gels

A series of polyacrylamide (PAAm) gels were prepared by free-radical crosslinking copolymerization of acrylamide and N,N′-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BAAm) in water at various crosslinker (BAAm) and chain transfer agent (isopropyl alcohol, IPA) concentrations. It was shown that only 5% of the crosslinker used in the feed forms effective crosslinks in the final hydrogels. At BAAm contents as high as 3 mole%, the equilibrium swelling ratio of the gels in water is independent of the crosslinker content in the feed. This is due to the prevailing multiple crosslinking reactions during the gel formation process. At a fixed crosslinker content, the onset of gelation is shifted towards higher conversions and reaction times as the amount of IPA increases. Addition of IPA in the monomer mixture also increases the equilibrium swelling ratio of PAAm gels. It was shown that the gel crosslinking density increases on rising IPA concentration in the feed due to the increasing rate of intermolecular crosslinking reactions. Received: 30 May 1997/Accepted: 26 June 1997