Nondestructive measurements of residual stress in air plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings

Premature spallation of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) is a critical issue during the service of gas turbines, and nondestructive evaluation is crucial to address this problem. Herein, a novel approach that indicates delamination by measuring the residual stress evolution of thermally grown oxide (TGO) for air plasma spraying (APS) TBCs is proposed and verified via the combination of photoluminescence piezo-spectroscopy (PLPS) and X-ray computed tomography. A mineral-oil-impregnating approach and a cold-mount low-shrinkage epoxy-mounting approach are used to alleviate the signal attenuation by pores and microcracks in APS TBCs, improving the detectable PLPS signal and X-ray transmission for stress measurement and delamination characterization, respectively. We have nondestructively measured the TGO residual stress mapping in APS TBCs and its evolution with oxidation. Furthermore, the evolution of TGO morphology and critical microcracks are obtained by X-ray computed tomography. The synchronous evolution of TGO residual stress, TGO thickness, and critical microcracks as a function of oxidation time is obtained and correlated. The transition point, as experimentally identified, at which the TGO stress starts to drop, agrees well with the critical moment of microcrack coalescence. This directly verifies that the TBC delamination can be effectively indicated by residual stress evolution of TGO in APS TBCs.     

Sintering behaviors and properties of porous ceramics derived from artificially cultured diatom frustules

Bimodal porous ceramics with high strength have been fabricated by conventional powder metallurgy utilizing artificially cultured diatom frustules (DFs). The effect of sintering temperature on thermal behaviors, phase transition, and pore structures features of DFs-based porous ceramics is investigated between 800 and 1200°C. The phase evolution of DFs powders is investigated with thermal analysis (DIL and DSC-TG). Phase transition behaviors analyzed with XRD, Raman, and FT-IR spectra confirm the transformation of quartz into cristobalite phases occurs under 1050°C. Sintering under 950°C could bind DFs powders tightly into high strength porous ceramics while maintain the multilayer pore structures simultaneously, having porosity of 56.4%, compressive strength of 15.0 MPa and surface area of 50.9 m²/g, respectively. Slit-shaped microstructures and mesopores (2-50 nm) are observed in DFs-based porous ceramics sintered under 1050°C. Collapse and blockage of pore structures as well as partial fusion of DFs particles happened at the temperature of 1100°C, indicating the presence of diminished multilayers and particle agglomeration.     

Simultaneously achieved high-energy storage density and efficiency in (K,Na)NbO3-based lead-free ferroelectric films

With the development of advanced electrical and electronic devices and the requirement of environmental protection, lead-free dielectric capacitors with excellent energy storage performance have aroused great attention. However, it is a great challenge to achieve both large energy storage density and high efficiency simultaneously in dielectric capacitors. This work investigates the energy storage performance of sol-gel-processed (K,Na)NbO₃-based lead-free ferroelectric films on silicon substrates with compositions of 0.95(K_0.49Na_0.49Li_0.02)(Nb_0.8Ta_0.2)O₃-0.05CaZrO₃-x mol% Mn (KNN-LT-CZ5-x mol% Mn). The appropriate amount of Mn-doping facilitates the coexistence of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases, suppresses the leakage current, and considerably enhances the breakdown strengths of KNN-LT-CZ5 films. Consequently, large recoverable energy storage density up to 64.6 J cm⁻³ with a high efficiency of 84.6% under an electric field of 3080 kV cm⁻¹ are achieved in KNN-LT-CZ5-5 mol% Mn film. This, to the best of our knowledge, is superior to the majority of both the lead-based and lead-free films on silicon substrates and thus demonstrates great potentials of (K,Na)NbO₃-based lead-free films as dielectric energy storage materials.     

Ce3+/Tb3+-coactived NaMgBO3 phosphors toward versatile applications in white LED,FED, and optical anti-counterfeiting

Ce³⁺/Tb³⁺ co-doped NaMgBO₃ phosphors were successfully synthesized by solid-state method. Under 381 nm excitation, the cyan emission owing to the 5d → 4f of Ce³⁺ ions and green emissions arising from the ⁵D₄ → ⁷F_J (J = 6, 5, 4, and 3) transitions of Tb³⁺ ions were seen in all the phosphors. Through theoretical analysis, one knows that the energy transfer from Ce³⁺ to Tb³⁺ ions with high efficiency of 83.74% was contributed by dipole–dipole transition. Furthermore, the internal quantum efficiency of NaMgBO₃:0.01Ce³⁺,0.03Tb³⁺ phosphor was 54.28%. Compared with that of at 303 K, the emission intensity of the developed products at 423 K still kept 73%, revealing the splendid thermal stability of the studied phosphors. Through utilizing the resultant phosphors as cyan-green components, the fabricated white-LED device exhibited an excellent correlated color temperature of 2785 K, high color-rendering index of 85.73, suitable luminance efficiency of 25.00 lm/W, and appropriate color coordinate of (0.4279, 0.3617). Aside from the superior photoluminescence, the synthesized phosphors also exhibited excellent cathode-luminescence properties which were sensitive to the current and accelerating voltage. Furthermore, the NaMgBO₃:0.01Ce³⁺,0.03Tb³⁺ phosphors with multi-mode emissions were promising candidates for optical anti-counterfeiting. All the results indicated that the Ce³⁺/Tb³⁺ co-doped NaMgBO₃ phosphors were potential multi-platforms toward white-LED, field emission displays, and optical anti-counterfeiting applications.     

Method for calculating dynamic yield stress of fresh cement pastes using a coaxial cylinder system

The calculation of the rheological parameters of fresh cement pastes plays a key role in understanding the rheology of cement-based mixes. Because cement paste is not a simple Bingham fluid, a suitable nonlinear model must be found for characterizing its flow. A test system in which the rotational speed or shear rate can be changed in multiple steps is regarded as a suitable rheological test protocol because the paste reaches a steady state. Furthermore, theoretical derivations show that the solution of the Couette inverse problem corresponding to the modified Bingham model and the Herschel–Bulkley (H-B) model is complex. However, a comparative analysis revealed that the yield stress of fresh paste could easily be obtained through a calculation process based on a Parabolic model. This study presents the complete calculation procedure for this model. The influence of the plug flow is considered, and test points with low minimum shear stress (τ_min) are excluded. Finally, the accuracy of the proposed method is verified through comparisons with the results obtained using mini-cone slump tests. These results show that the dynamic yield stress calculated using the expression of the Couette inverse problem based on the Parabolic model in consideration of the plug flow is very close to the yield stress obtained using the mini-cone slump flow test. This proves that the proposed method could precisely characterize the dynamic yield stress of cement pastes.     

Broadband excited Na3Tb(PO4)2:Ce3+/Eu2+ green/yellow-emitting phosphors with high color purity for LED-based application

To enhance the display quality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), it is of great significance to exploit green/yellow-emitting phosphors with narrow emission band, high quantum yield, and excellent color purity to satisfy the application. Herein, orthophosphate-based green/yellow-emitting Na₃Tb(PO₄)₂:Ce³⁺/Eu²⁺ (NTPO:Ce³⁺/Eu²⁺) phosphors have been successfully synthesized by a facile solid-state reaction method. The absorption band of NTPO samples was extended to the near-ultraviolet region and the absorption efficiency was significantly improved owing to a highly efficient energy transfer from Ce³⁺/Eu²⁺ ion to Tb³⁺ ion in NTPO host certified by time-resolved PL spectra. Upon 300 nm excitation, the NTPO:Ce³⁺ is characterized by ultra-narrow-band green emission of Tb³⁺ with an absolute quantum yield of 94.5%. Unexpectedly, NTPO:Eu²⁺ emits bright yellow light with a color purity of 73% as a result of the blending of green light emission from Tb³⁺ and red light emission from Eu³⁺. The thermal stability has been improved by controlling the stoichiometric ratio of Na⁺. The prototype white LED used yellow-emitting NTPO:Eu²⁺ phosphor has higher color-rendering index (Ra = 83.5), lower correlated color temperature (CCT = 5206 K), and closer CIE color coordinates (0.338, 0.3187) to the standard white point at (0.333, 0.333) than that used green-emitting NTPO:Ce³⁺ phosphor, indicating the addition of the yellow light component improved the Ra of the trichromatic (RGB) materials.     

Degradability and biocompatibility of bioglass/poly(amino acid) composites with different surface bioactivity as bone repair materials

Bioglass (BG) possesses excellent bioactivity and has been widely used in the manufacture of biomaterials. In this study, a composite with different surface bioactivity was fabricated via in situ melting polymerization by incorporating BG and poly(amino acid) (PAA) at a suitable ratio. The structure of the composite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and XRD. The compressive strength of the BG/PAA composites was 139 MPa (BG:PAA = 30:70). The BG/PAA composites were degradable, and higher BG in composite showed higher weight loss after 4 weeks of incubation in simulated body fluid. In addition, the BG/PAA composite maintained adequate residual compressive strength during the degradation period. The SEM results showed the differences in surface bioactivities of the composites directly, and 30BG/PAA composite showed thicker apatite layer and higher Ca/p than 15BG/PAA. in vitro MG-63 cell culture experiments showed that the composite was noncytotoxic and thus allows cells to adhere, proliferate, and differentiate. This indicates that the composite has good biocompatibility. The implantations in the bone defects of rabbits for 4 and 12 weeks were studied. The composites had good biocompatibility and were capable of guiding new bone formation without causing any inflammation. The composite may be successfully used in the development of bone implants.     

Atomistic simulations of functionalization of aramid fiber-epoxy nanocomposite

Owing to its high degree of crystallinity and orientation, the surface of aramid fiber is smooth, causing its low bonding strength with polymer matrix. This has restricted the application of aramid fiber in reinforced polymer materials. Effective methods are by introducing functional groups through surface modification and by increasing its surface roughness thereby greatly improving its bonding strength with the polymer. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study fiber functionalized with hydroxyl (OH), carboxyl (COOH), and the silane coupling agent as nanofillers for polymer nanocomposites. The interfacial characteristics and the mechanical behavior of polymer nanocomposites are investigated. The results show that the functionalization can enhance the interfacial shear stress and tensile strength. The functional group not only provides a stronger interface, but also provides additional mechanical interlocking effect, which effectively improves load-bearing transmission capacity. The analysis of the micro-mechanism from the energy level also provides new insights for the functionalized design of nanocomposites.     

Study on performances of graphite-filled polypropylene/polyamide 6 composites manufactured by fused deposition modeling

The application and development of 3D printing technology are greatly restricted due to the poor performance and single-function of the manufactured products. Therefore, it is still an important topic to develop 3D printing products with excellent performance and multi-functions. In this study, a novel graphite-filled polypropylene/polyamide 6 composite was successfully prepared using fused deposition modeling (FDM, one of the most popular 3D printing technologies). The effects of graphite on printing quality, melt-crystallization behavior and thermal stability of the composites were studied. In addition, the influence of different printing arrangements on the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of the composite were also studied, and the existing performance regulation mechanisms were deeply explored through the microscopic morphology characterization (graphite sheet orientation and void distribution) and force analysis. This work demonstrates that components with specific performance requirements can be tuned and manufactured using FDM, which further expands the application and development of 3D printing technology in the field of functional composite materials.     

生物原油炼制： 副产物内循环及水热自催化

利用高温高压条件模拟石油生成的生物质水热液化技术可用于制备生物原油,以替代日益枯竭的石油资源,然而副产物处置问题制约了其可持续发展。解决该问题的方法首先是通过水热定向催化调控减少副产物,然后集成各种技术将副产物尽可能原位资源化。基于此并依据生物炼制的思想,本文对一种集成几种水热技术炼制生物原油的模式进行了讨论。依据生物质水热液化副产物的特性,通过对固体产物水热合成制备催化剂、水相产物回用产生有机酸、气体产物分离或彻底氧化后水热还原生产有机酸等,可实现副产物内循环并强化自催化生成生物原油。指出该模式符合绿色化工的理念,对于加快规模化生产可替代石油的生物原油、缓解能源危机具有重要的参考意义。