<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ab initio</Emphasis> study of doping mechanisms in BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-BiYO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

A density functional plane-wave pseudopotential method is used to study the doping mechanisms of impurity defects(Bi_Ba, Y_Ti) in BaTiO₃-BiYO₃. Single Bi_Ba and Y_Ti impurities have little structure distortion. Bi forms ionic bond with nearby O atom in single Bi impurity, Y formed [YO₆] octahedral in single Y impurity. However, in the co-doped Bi_Ba and Y_Ti structure, Bi formed three valence bonds with nearby O atom, which causes the large structure distortion. The doped ion makes the mobile of Ti⁴⁺ difficult and loss local ferroelectricity, which will broaden the dielectric constant temperature curve and increase the temperature stability of BaTiO₃ ceramic matrix.     

Effect of pore structures on the electrochemical performance of porous silicon synthesized from magnesiothermic reduction of biosilica

Two kinds of porous silicon(PS) were synthesized by magnesiothermic reduction of rice husk silica(RHS) derived from the oxidization of rice husks(RHs). One was obtained from oxidization/reduction at 500 ℃ of the unleached RHs, the other was synthesized from oxidization/reduction at 650 ℃ of the acidleached RHs. The structural difference of the above PS was compared: the former had a high pore volume(PV, 0.31 cm3/g) and a large specific surface area(SSA, 45.2 m~2/g), 138 % and 17 % higher than the latter, respectively. As anode materials for lithium ion batteries, the former had reversible capacity of 1 400.7 m Ah/g, 987 m Ah/g lower than the latter; however, after 50 cycles, the former had 64.5 % capacity retention(907 m Ah/g), which was 41.2 % higher than the latter(555.7 m Ah/g). These results showed that the electrochemical performance of PS was significantly affected by its pore structures, and low reduction temperature played the key role in increasing its porosity, and therefore improving its cycling performance.     

Influence of deposition pressure on properties of ZnO: Al films fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering

Transparent conductive aluminum doped zinc oxide(ZnO:Al,AZO) films were prepared on glass substrates by rf(radio frequency) magnetron sputtering from ZnO: 3wt% Al_2O_3 ceramic target. The effect of argon gas pressure(PAr) was investigated with small variations to understand the influence on the electrical, optical and structural properties of the films. Structural examinations using X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) showed that the ZnO:Al thin films were(002) oriented. The resistivity values were measured by four-point probe with the lowest resistivity of 5.76×10~(-4) Ω?cm(sheet resistance=9.6 Ω/sq. for a thickness=600 nm) obtained at the PAr of 0.3 Pa. The transmittance was achieved from ultravioletvisible(UV-VIS) spectrophotometer, 84% higher than that in the visible region for all AZO thin films. The properties of deposited thin films showed a significant dependence on the PAr.     

Synthesis,characterization and thermal stability of CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> stabilized ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> ultra fine nanoparticles via a sol-gel route

CeO₂ stabilized ZrO₂ ultra fine nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via a simple and effective sol-gel synthetic approach by using zirconylchloride octahydrate, cerium nitrate hexahydrate, and citric acid as starting materials. A series of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N₂-sorption analysis, were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the as-prepared samples. XRD studies indicate that the as-synthesized sample is of well crystallized tetragonal phase of CeO₂ stabilized ZrO₂ with high purity. TEM images show that the as-synthesized sample is composed of a large number of fine dispersive nanoparticles with an average size about 10 nm. The as-synthesized tetragonal CeO₂ stabilized ZrO₂ sample was heated at different temperatures in order to evaluate its thermal stability. The exprimental results reveal that the as-synthesized tetragonal CeO₂ stabilized ZrO₂ sample exhibits excellent stability without the occurrence of phase transformation.     

Aging behaviors of silicone rubber composite materials under outdoor environment

We investigated the aging effect on the chemical structure of silicone rubber composite materials under outdoor environment. The variations of low molecular weight siloxanes in silicone rubber were probed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry during the degradation process. The experimental results indicate that a series of cyclic siloxanes exist in both the virgin and aged silicone rubber samples, while the additional low molecular weight siloxanes (hexamethyl cyclotrisiloxane) only appear in the aged samples. Meanwhile, the total amounts of low molecular weight siloxanes in the aged samples are much less than those in the virgin ones. The loss of low molecular weight siloxanes is induced by the chain scission and depolymerization.     

Mechanical properties and microstructure of Portland cement concrete prepared with coral reef sand

The feasibility of using coral reef sand (CRS) in Portland cement concrete is investigated by testing the mechanical property and microstructure of concrete. The composition, structure and properties of the CRS are analyzed. Mechanical properties and microstructure of concrete with CRS are studied and compared to concrete with natural river sand. The relationship between the microstructure and performance of CRS concrete is established. The CRS has a porous surface with high water intake capacity, which contributes to the mechanical properties of concrete. The interfacial transition zone between the cement paste and CRS is densified compared to normal concrete with river sand. Hydration products form in the pore space of CRS and interlock with the matrix of cement paste, which increases the strength. The total porosity of concrete prepared with CRS is higher than that with natural sand. The main difference in pore size distribution is the fraction of fine pores in the range of 100 nm.     

Effect of corrosive solutions on C-S-H microstructure in portland cement paste with fly ash

By means of ²⁹Si and ²⁷Al magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) combined with deconvolution technique, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as energy dispersive X-ray system(EDX), the effect of 5 wt% corrosive solutions (viz. 5 wt% Na₂SO₄, MgSO₄, Na2SO4+NaCl and Na₂SO₄+NaCl+Na₂CO₃) on C-S-H microstructure in Portland cement containing 30 wt% fly ash was investigated.The results show that, in MgSO₄ solution, Mg²⁺ promotes the decalcification of C-S-H by SO ₄ ^2- ,increasing silicate tetrahedra polymerization and mean chain length (MCL) of C-S-H. However, the substituting degree of Al³⁺ for Si⁴⁺ (Al[4]/Si) in the paste does not change evidently. Effect of Na²SO⁴ solution on C-S-H is not significantly influenced by NaCl solution, while the MCL and Al[4]/Si of C-S-H in fly ashcement paste slightly change. However, the decalcification of C-S-H by SO ₄ ^2- and CO ₃ ^2- attack, as well as the activation of fly ash by SO ₄ ^2- attack will increase the MCL and Al[4]/Si, which are both higher than that under Na₂SO₄ corrosion, MgSO₄ or Na₂SO₄ +NaCl coordination corrosion.     

Corrosion mechanism and corrosion model of Mg-Y alloy in NaCl solution

Corrosion of Mg–Y alloy was studied using electrochemical evaluations, immersion tests and SEM observations. Corrosion mechanisms of Mg-(0.25 and 2.5) Y alloy and Mg-(5, 8, and 15) Y alloy were uniform corrosion and pitting corrosion respectively, and the content of Mg_(24)Y_5 phases determined its effect acting as cathode to accelerate the corrosion or corrosion barrier to inhibit the corrosion. Corrosion resistance of Mg-(0.25, 2.5, 5, 8, and 15) Y alloys was as follows: Rt(Mg-0.25Y) Rt(Mg-8Y) Rt(Mg-15Y) Rt(Mg-5Y) Rt(Mg-2.5Y). Y could significantly improve the corrosion resistance of the Mg-Y alloy, but the excess of Y deteriorated the corrosion resistance of the Mg-Y alloy. The optimum content of Y in the studied alloys was 2.5%.     

Effects of ultrasonic treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of semisolid Sn-52Bi alloy

The effects of ultrasonic vibration temperature on the microstructure of semisolid Sn-52 Bi alloy and mechanical properties were investigated. The results show that the microstructure and mechanical properties are improved obviously after the ultrasonic treatment. Nearly round and uniformly distributed primary Sn phase particles were obtained under the cavitation and acoustic streaming caused by ultrasonic treatment. The best effects of ultrasonic treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties were obtained with the ultrasonic vibration for 120 s at 140 ℃. The elongation of semisolid Sn-52 Bi alloy treated by ultrasonic vibration for 120 s at 140 ℃ was 42% and increased by 156.09% compared to conventional liquid casting Sn-52 Bi alloy without ultrasonic vibration. It is a feasible and effective method to adopt the semisolid metal forming technology assisted with ultrasonic vibration to improve the ductility of Sn-Bi alloys.     

Winglet geometry effects on tip leakage loss over the plane tip in a turbine cascade

The effects of winglet offset distance, winglet coverage, and winglet cross section on the over-tip leakage loss for the plane tip have been investigated experimentally in a turbine blade cascade for a tip gap height-to-span ratio of h/s = 1.36 %. The results show that the over-tip leakage loss for the full coverage winglet increases steeply with increasing the winglet offset distance. This loss generation is attributed to flow disturbances over the forward-facing and backward-facing steps within the tip gap. The winglet flush mounted to the tip surface provides the best result. With the leading edge winglet portion or without it, the both-side winglet always provides better aerodynamic performance than the corresponding pressure-side winglet or suction-side winglet. Longer coverage of the both-side winglet leads to lower loss. Therefore, the full coverage winglet performs best in the loss reduction for the plane tip. In general, thinner winglet leads to better aerodynamic result, and the winglet cross section having a slant bottom surface with the smallest thickness at its outer end is recommended.