Boron Nitride Nanosheets Strengthened PVA/Borax Hydrogels with Highly Efficient Self-Healing and Rapid pH-Driven Shape Memory Effect

Self-healing hydrogels often possess poor mechanical properties which largely limits their applications in many fields. In this work, boron nitride nanosheets are introduced into a network of the poly(vinyl alcohol)/borax (PVA/borax) hydrogels to enhance the mechanical properties of the hydrogel without compromising the self-healing abilities. The obtained hydrogels exhibit excellent mechanical properties with a tensile strength of 0.410 ± 0.007 MPa, an elongation at break of 1712%, a Young's Modulus of 0.860 ± 0.023 MPa, and a toughness of 3.860 ± 0.075 MJ m⁻³. In addition, the self-healing efficiency of the hydrogels is higher than 90% within 10 min at room temperature. Benefiting from the excellent self-healing properties, the shapeability of the hydrogel fragments is observed using different molds. In addition, the hydrogels display rapid pH-driven shape memory effects and can recover to their original shape within 260 s. Overall, this work provides a new approach to hydrogels with integrated excellent mechanical properties, self-healing abilities, and rapid pH-driven shape memory effects.     

A Review on the Fundamentals of Palm Oil Fractionation: Processing Conditions and Seeding Agents

Fractionation is a well-established process adopted in the fats and oils industries. It involves the separation of low and high melting triacylglycerol under controlled cooling conditions into olein and stearin fractions with distinct chemical and physical properties. Amongst the other vegetable oils, palm oil is one of the most fractionated oils in the past few decades mainly attributed to its semisolid properties. The various fraction of palm oil allows it to be used in different types of food products such as margarine, frying oil, and cocoa butter substitute. In fractionation, proper control of the fractionation conditions is important to produce the fractions with desirable stearin and olein quality. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the fractionation conditions (crystallization temperature, agitation, cooling rate and crystallization time) that affect the yield and quality of the oil produced. Additionally, it also provides the latest updates on the influence of seeding agents (diacylglycerol, monoacylglycerol, hard fat, phytosterol, phospholipid, lecithin, essential oil, sugar, polyglycerol ester, and talc) used in fractionation. This article is useful to provide a fundamental understanding of fractionation to scientists from the industries or academia working in the fats and oils industries. Practical Applications: This paper provides an in-depth understanding of fractionation particularly on the parameters of fractionation in influencing the quality and yield of the stearin and olein produced. It also for the first time presents the effect of addition of various seeding agents on palm oil fractionation which can help the industry to select the appropriate seeding agents to improve the currently employed fractionation process. Thus, it can act as a guideline for the industry to understand and select the appropriate fractionation conditions when developing a new product using this approach. The fractionation conditions discussed here can also be used as a reference when fractionating other types of fats and oils as most of them share a common background.     

From Natural Methylation to Versatile Alkylations Using Halide Methyltransferases

Halide methyltransferases (HMTs) enable the enzymatic synthesis of S-adenosyl-l -methionine (SAM) from S-adenosyl-l -homocysteine (SAH) and methyl iodide. Characterisation of a range of naturally occurring HMTs and subsequent protein engineering led to HMT variants capable of synthesising ethyl, propyl, and allyl analogues of SAM. Notably, HMTs do not depend on chemical synthesis of methionine analogues, as required by methionine adenosyltransferases (MATs). However, at the moment MATs have a much broader substrate scope than the HMTs. Herein we provide an overview of the discovery and engineering of promiscuous HMTs and how these strategies will pave the way towards a toolbox of HMT variants for versatile chemo- and regioselective biocatalytic alkylations.     

Correction to: An Updated Index Including Toughness for Hot-Cracking Susceptibility

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A -     

Low-Temperature Superplastic Deformation of Cold-Rolled Fe–5.6Mn–1.1Al–0.2C Steel

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - A cold-rolled low Al-added medium Mn steel was employed to investigate the low-temperature superplastic deformation at a relatively high initial strain...     

An electrochemical method for the preparation of Mg–Li alloys at low temperature molten salt system

Mg–Li alloys have been prepared by electrolysis in a molten salt electrolyte of 50% LiCl–50% KCl (mass%) at low temperature of 420–510 °C. The effects of electrolytic temperature and cathodic current density on alloy formation rate and current efficiency were studied. For the deposition of metallic lithium on the cathode consisting of solid Mg and liquid Mg–Li, both electrolytic temperature and cathodic current density have no obvious influence on current efficiency; while for the deposition of metallic lithium on the solid magnesium cathode, both electrolytic temperature and cathodic current density greatly affect alloy formation rate and current efficiency. The optimum electrolysis condition is—molten salt mixture, LiCl:KCl = 1:1 (mass%), electrolytic temperature: 480 °C, cathode current density: 1.13 A cm⁻². Mg–Li alloys with low lithium content (about 25 wt% Li) were prepared via electrolysis at low temperature following by thermal treatment at higher temperature.     

Effects of blending on surface characteristics of copper corrosion products in drinking water distribution systems

Copper scales formed over 6-months during exposure to ground, surface and saline waters were characterized by EDS, XRD and XPS. Scale color and hardness were light red-brown-black/hard for high alkalinity and blue-green/soft for high SO₄ or Cl waters. Cl was present in surface or saline copper scales. The Cu/Cu₂O ratio decreased with time indicating an e transfer copper corrosion mechanism. Cu₂O, CuO, and Cu(OH)₂ dominated the top 0.5-1 A° scale indicating continuous corrosion. Cu₂O oxidation to CuO increased with alkalinity, and depended on time and pH. Total copper release was predicted using a Cu(OH)₂ model.     

中空螺旋状不锈钢冷却水喷头的熔模精密铸造

采用熔模精密铸造工艺，生产中空螺旋状不锈钢冷却水喷头，其工艺要点是，采用热型重力浇注，在高温下进行自由浇注。同时采用先慢后快，流量由小到大的浇注方法。结果表明：铸件表面光洁，无砂眼、气孔等缺陷，铸件合格率高于90％；在实际使用中，雾化区域直径大于1．5m，雾化率大于90％，喷雾效果稳定良好；盐雾试验2000h没有锈蚀，具有优良的耐磨性和耐腐蚀性。     

中国机械工程学会铸造分会创建40周年回顾

对中国机械工程学会铸造分会成立40年来的各种工作进行了回顾和总结，将学会的工作分为3个阶段，即初创阶段、恢复阶段和成长阶段，对各阶段铸造分会理事会的组成，组织的学术年会、国际会议、编辑出版工作、展览（展示）活动、国际交流等进行了回顾。     

NiAl金属间化合物的热爆合成过程研究

以Al粉和Ni粉为主要原料，采用自蔓延高温合成技术，制备Ni—Al基金属间化合物。绘制了热爆反应曲线、描述了热爆反应的过程，分析了热爆反应机理及产物的显微组织特征，研究了热爆反应的边界条件以及各种反应参数对热爆反应的影响。研究结果表明，升温速率和颗粒尺寸对热爆反应均有不同程度的影响。提高升温速率、减小颗粒尺寸均可缩短热爆反应的起始时间，降低热爆反应的起始温度。初步确定了反应起始温度低于Ni—Al系的最低共晶温度（640℃），Ni—A1系的热爆反应是由固一固扩散反应引发的，Ni-32Al的反应产物为单相、均一的NiAl相。