Fabrication of silicon nitride nanoceramics—Powder preparation and sintering: A review

Fine-grained silicon nitride ceramics were investigated mainly for their high-strain-rate plasticity. The preparation and densification of fine silicon nitride powder were reviewed. Commercial sub-micrometer powder was used as raw powder in the “as-received” state and then used after being ground and undergoing classification operation. Chemical vapor deposition and plasma processes were used for fabricating nanopowder because a further reduction in grain size caused by grinding had limitations. More recently, nanopowder has also been obtained by high-energy milling. This process in principle is the same as conventional planetary milling. For densification, primarily hot pressing was performed, although a similar process known as spark plasma sintering (SPS) has also recently been used. One of the advantages of SPS is its high heating rate. The high heating rate is advantageous because it reduces sintering time, achieving densification without grain growth. We prepared silicon nitride nanopowder by high-energy milling and then obtained nanoceramics by densifying the nanopowder by SPS.     

Deposition and structural analyses of molybdenum-disulfide (MoS2)–amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) composite coatings

In this study we developed composite coatings consisting of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) and molybdenum-disulfide (MoS₂), and clarified their microstructure. In addition, we interpreted the tribological properties of the composite coatings in the viewpoint of a deposition-induced microstructural modification. The coatings were produced by the hybrid deposition technique of RF-generated methane and argon plasma and DC magnetron co-sputtering of MoS₂ target. The deposition parameter investigated in this study was methane flow rate. Structural analyses were performed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and an atomic force microscope (AFM). Friction tests were conducted using a ball-on-disk type tribometer. From an electron micrograph, it was confirmed that nano-clusters were embedded into an amorphous carbon host matrix. Surface roughness of the composite coating was ～ 0.25 nm in R_a compared to 5.0 nm in R_a of sputtered MoS₂. The concentration measurements were performed, and the results show that the sulfur and molybdenum concentration ratio, [S]/[Mo], is ～ 0.9, which indicates that the amount of sulfur was reduced due to the discharged plasma. In friction tests, composite coatings showed high friction in a vacuum condition. It was considered that lubricant MoS₂ lamellar structures showing super-low friction in a vacuum condition during friction could not be formed between ball and coating during friction because of the lack of sulfur in embedded clusters.     

An energy trading system with consideration of CO2 emissions

Abatement of CO₂ emission is one of the most important issues in the 21st century regarding preservation of the earth environment. This paper addresses a utility operations planning problem for distributed energy management systems (DEMSs), where we are to obtain optimal plans that minimize both costs and CO₂ emissions. A DEMS consists of multiple entities that seek their own economic profits. In this paper, we give a mathematical formulation of the utility operations planning problem for each entity, and propose an energy trading market, which utlizes a multi‐attribute auction protocol in order to deal with both a price and a CO₂ emission rate. Experimental results show that collaboration among entities through the market provides a more profitable plan for each entity and abatement of CO₂ emission is also achieved. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 162(4): 54–63, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley. com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20418     

Anisotropic in vitro vessel model using poly(vinyl alcohol) hydro gel and mesh material

In the present study, the authors fabricated straight multilayer hybrid tubular in vitro vessel models (inner diameter D_in = 10 mm; thickness T = 4 mm) composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (PVA‐H) and anisotropic mesh materials. The authors performed tensile, stress‐relaxation and cyclic‐tensile tests using axial and circumferential test pieces as well as pressure‐diameter (P‐D) tests using tubular test piece. In the tensile and stress‐relaxation tests, the anisotropic and nonlinear mechanical properties and hysteresis characteristic of the in vitro models were confirmed. The in vitro models also showed behavior qualitatively similar to that of native arteries in cycle‐tensile and P‐D tests. These results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of native vessels can be duplicated in an in vitro model by controlling the components of the mesh material, the orientation of elastic fibers in the mesh material, and the concentration and thickness of PVA‐H layers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane with CO2 Over Cr/H[B]MFI Catalysts

Abstract  

Cr/silicalite-1 and Cr/H[B]MFI catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method, and Cr/H[B]MFI were further treated by steaming. The catalysts were employed for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene with CO₂ as the oxidant. Cr/H[B]MFI showed significantly higher catalytic activity than Cr/silicalite-1, and steamed Cr/H[B]MFI was superior in the reaction stability to Cr/H[B]MFI. The nature of the supported chromium species have been characterized by a number of physicochemical techniques, such as Raman, UV–vis and NMR. It is concluded that the steaming led to the auto-reduction of some Cr⁶⁺ to Cr³⁺, and resultant Cr³⁺ species might be located near the boron center in the borosilicate framework to counterbalance the negative charge of the framework. The transformation of Cr⁶⁺ species to Cr³⁺ species, facilitated by the steaming process and the presence of boron in the catalyst, is responsible for the enhanced stability of oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene with carbon dioxide as the oxidant.     

Molecular basis of the altered gag p19 protein (MA) of the transformation-defective mutant of Rous sarcoma virus, tdPH2010

The transformation-defective mutant of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), tdPH2010, has a gag p19 (matrix; MA) protein which migrates on SDS-polyacrylamide gels faster than that of the parental (tsNY68) as well as other wild-type strains of RSV. To study the molecular basis of this altered migration pattern and its biological significance, the nucleotide sequence of the p19 region of tdPH2010 was determined. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of tdPH2010 with that of the Schmidt-Ruppin A strain of RSV revealed a point mutation at nucleotide 755 (G to A), resulting in an amino-acid substitution at residue 126 of p19 (Glu to Lys). Acidic-methanol esterification of free carboxyl groups suppressed the difference in electrophoretic mobility of p19 between tdPH2010 and the wild-type virus. Recombinant virus constructs having the mutated gag region of tdPH2010 produced a p19 with the same electrophoretic mobility as the p19 of tdPH2010. We concluded that the point mutation caused the altered electrophoretic behavior of p19 of tdPH2010. The mutation had no effect on the growth of infected cells.     

Osteoinduction by Functionally Graded Apatites of Bovine Origin Loaded with Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2

Bioresorbable and functionally graded apatites (fg-HAp) ceramics, which are characterized by gradations in crystallinity and the grain size of hydroxyapatite (HAp:Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂), were designed using bovine bone by the calcination and partial dissolution–precipitation method. The fg-HAp ceramics had macropores of 100–600 μm originated from spongy bone, and micropores of 10–160 nm. Fg-HAp ceramics loaded with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2/fg-HAp) were implanted into the subcutaneous tissue of rats. Eight weeks after the implantation, the surface and bulk degradations of the fg-HAp-containing body fluid occured, and small pieces of fg-HAp were incorporated into the induced bone and fatty marrow, suggesting that osteoinduction occurred in conjunction with bone remodeling. The rhBMP-2/fg-HAp ceramics developed could become a resorbable biomimetic material with fast bioresorption and osteoinduction characteristics.     

Comparison between Y-doped ceria and Ho-doped ceria: Electrical conduction and microstructures

The electrical conduction and microstructure in Y-doped ceria and Ho-doped ceria were investigated. Visible differences between the two doped ceria were observed. The plots of conductivity of Y-doped ceria are well fit to the Arrhenius behavior, while curvature and kinks were observed on the plots of Ho-doped ceria. Such deviation from the Arrhenius behavior could be related to the existence of precipitates in Ho-doped ceria. It indicates that the electrolytic conductivity of doped ceria could be significantly influenced by microstructure features.     

Stress intensity factor error index for finite element analysis with singular elements

An error index for the stress intensity factor (SIF) obtained from the finite element analysis results using singular elements is proposed. The index was developed by considering the facts that the analytical function shape of the crack tip displacement is known and that the SIF can be evaluated from the displacements only. The advantage of the error index is that it has the dimension of the SIF and converges to zero when the actual error of the SIF by displacement correlation technique converges to zero. Numerical examples for some typical crack problems, including a mixed mode crack, whose analytical solutions are known, indicated the validity of the index. The degree of actual SIF error seems to be approximated by the value of the proposed index.