A review on the synthesis of in situ aluminum based composites by thermal,mechanical and mechanical–thermal activation of chemical reactions

The aim of the present paper is to review the recent progress in the synthesis of in situ particle reinforced aluminum composites using thermal, mechanical and combined mechanical-thermal activation of aluminothermic reduction reactions. The combination of combustion synthesis (CS) and mechanosynthesis (MS) is the most recent development in the processing of advanced materials like micro and nano aluminum based composites. The combined mechanical thermal synthesis (MTS) has widened the possibilities for both CS and MS. MTS holds great potential for commercial viability and offers exciting processing route for the synthesis of advanced materials. Enhanced reaction kinetics and extended concentration limits in MTS are demonstrated by illustrating the synthesis of aluminum based nanocomposite involving Al–CeO₂.     

Preparation and antibacterial activity of novel fluoroalkyl end-capped oligomers/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated low molecular biocides

Fluoroalkyl end-capped N-(1,1-dimethyl-3-oxobutyl)acrylamide oligomer [R_F-(DOBAA) _n -R_F] reacted with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and silica nanoparticles in the presence of low-molecular weight biocides such as hibitane, hinokitiol, and hinokioil under alkaline conditions to afford R_F-(DOBAA) _n -R_F/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated these biocides in excellent to moderate isolated yields. Fluoroalkyl end-capped N,N-dimethylacrylamide oligomer [R_F-(DMAA) _n -R_F] and acrylic acid oligomer [R_F-(ACA) _n -R_F]/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated hibitane were obtained under similar conditions. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed that the size of these fluorinated nanocomposites-encapsulated biocides thus obtained is nanometer size-controlled. Additionally, these fluorinated nanocomposites were shown to have a good dispersibility and stability in methanol and water. Of particular interest, these fluorinated nanocomposites-encapsulated biocides were found to have a good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and these nanocomposites were applied to the surface modification of traditional organic polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate).     

Preparation of gold nanoparticles (GNP) aqueous suspensions by a new method involving Tiron

A new method is proposed to produce gold nanoparticles (GNP) by in situ reduction of a gold salt dissolved in water. The reducing agent used is Tiron instead of the citrate anion most often mentioned in literature. The influence of various parameters has been investigated, such as the content of Tiron with respect to that of the precursor of gold HAuCl₄, or the initial pH of the solution after mixing of reactants. It is shown that Tiron also exerts a positive influence as a dispersant, which impedes agglomeration of gold nanoparticles. The typical average size of GNP synthesized in the present work is close to 7 nm.     

Synthesis of LiFePO4 with fine particle by co-precipitation method

LiFePO₄ is a potential candidate for the cathode material of the lithium secondary batteries. A co-precipitation method was adopted to prepare LiFePO₄ because it is simple and cheap. Nitrogen gas was needed to prevent oxidation of Fe²⁺ in the aqueous solution. The co-precipitated precursor shows the high reactivity with the reductive gas, and the single phase of LiFePO₄ is successfully synthesized with the aid of carbon under less reductive conditions. LiFePO₄ fine powder prepared by co-precipitation method shows high rate capability, impressive specific capacity and cycle property.     

Physical modeling of gas/liquid mass transfer in a gas stirred ladle

The absorption of gas through the plume eye and of an injected gas in a steelmaking ladle process was investigated, using a physical model of CO₂ absorption into a NaOH solution. The results show that the inert gas escaping through the plume eye is ineffective in protecting the bath from the atmosphere, and placing an oil layer (simulated slag) decreases the absorption rate significantly. Increasing the flow rate of the inert gas not only exposes more of the liquid surface to the CO₂ atmosphere, but also increases the mass transfer coefficient at the surface. The overall mass transfer between an injected CO₂ gas and NaOH solution includes the mass transfer through the surface of the bath as well as the mass transfer in the bubble dispersion zone. The difference between the mass transfer in the bubble dispersion zone and the overall mass transfer was found to be significant for relatively low gas flow rates. The mass transfer coefficient of CO₂ in the bubble dispersion zone was estimated using available information regarding the bubble size and velocity. Mass transfer coefficient estimated for the constant bubble frequency regime shows a dependence on gas flow rate. However, if a constant characteristic size of bubbles is assumed as an alternative approach, the mass transfer coefficient is independent of the gas flow rate.     

High dielectric constant thin film EBG power/ground network for broad-band suppression of SSN and radiated emissions

We experimentally demonstrated the great advantages of a high dielectric constant thin film electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) power distribution network (PDN) for the suppression of power/ground noises and radiated emissions in high-performance multilayer digital printed circuit boards (PCBs). Five-layer test PCBs were fabricated and their scattering parameters measured. The power plane noise and radiated emissions were measured, investigated and related to the PDN impedance. This successfully demonstrated that the bandgap of the EBG was extended more than three times, covering a range of hundreds of MHz using a 1-cm /spl times/ 1-cm EBG cell, the SSN was reduced from 170 mV to 10 mV and the radiated emission was suppressed by 22 dB because of the high dielectric constant thin film EBG power/ground network.