Transmission electron microscopy study of extended defect evolution and amorphization in SiC under Si ion irradiation

The damage induced in 3C-SiC epilayers on a silicon wafer by 2.3-MeV Si ion irradiation for fluences of 10¹⁴, 10¹⁵, and 10¹⁶ cm⁻², was studied by conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM/HRTEM). The evolution of extended defects and lattice disorder is followed in both the 3C-SiC film and Si substrate as a function of ion fluence, with reference to previous FTIR spectroscopy data. The likelihood of athermal unfaulting of native stacking faults by point defect migration to the native stacking faults is discussed in relation to damage recovery. Threshold energy densities and irradiation doses for dislocation loop formation and amorphous phase transformation are deduced from the damage depth profile by nuclear collisions. The role of electronic excitations on the damage recovery at high fluence is also addressed for both SiC and Si.     

Modeling the Direct Synthesis of Dimethyl Ether using Artificial Neural Networks

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are designed and implemented to model the direct synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from syngas over a commercial catalyst system. The predictive power of the ANNs is assessed by comparison with the predictions of a lumped model parameterized to fit the same data used for ANN training. The ANN training converges much faster than the parameter estimation of the lumped model, and the predictions show a higher degree of accuracy under all conditions. Furthermore, the simulations show that the ANN predictions are also accurate even at some conditions beyond the validity range.     

Surface Modification of Ready-to-Use Hollow Fiber Ultrafiltration Modules for Oil/Water Separation

Reusing wastewater from oil-related industries is becoming increasingly important, especially in water-stressed oil-producing countries. Before oily wastewater can be discharged or reused, it must be properly treated, e.g., by membrane-based processes like ultrafiltration. A major issue of the applied membranes is their high fouling propensity. This paper reports on mitigating fouling inside ready-to-use ultrafiltration hollow-fiber modules used in a polishing step in oil/water separation. For this purpose, in-situ polyzwitterionic hydrogel coating was applied. The membrane performance was tested with oil nano-emulsions using a mini-plant system. The main factors influencing fouling were systematically investigated using statistical design of experiments.     

UV-shielding by a polyurethane/f-Oil fly ash-CeO2 protective coating

A waste material called oil fly ash (OFA) was acid-functionalized, yielding f-OFA-COOH, which was then reacted with cerium oxide (CeO₂) to make CeO₂-functionalized OFA, or f-OFA-CeO₂. Pristine OFA and f-OFA-CeO₂ were used to make waterborne polyurethane (WBPU) dispersions, referred to as WBPU/OFA and WBPU/f-OFA-CeO₂, respectively, with defined OFA and f-OFA-CeO₂ content. All the dispersions were applied to mild steel as organic coatings to evaluate their protective properties, such as their hydrophobicity, adhesive strength and UV-shielding resistance. These protective properties varied based on the OFA and f-OFA-CeO₂ content. The highest water contact angle, minimum water swelling and maximum adhesive strength were found using WBPU/f-OFA-CeO₂-20 coating (using 2.00 wt% f-OFA-CeO₂), which also showed the maximum ultraviolet (UV) absorption via UV–vis spectroscopy analysis. This UV shielding result also matched field test results, as that coating was found to exhibit the lowest UV degradation near a marine atmosphere, as shown by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The least affected hydrophobicity was also recorded for the sample with the WBPU/f-OFA-CeO₂-20 coating.     

Structural,thermal, and mechanical properties of silanized boron carbide doped epoxy nanocomposites

In the presented study, the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated by doping silanized hexagonal boron carbide (h-B₄C) nanoparticles in varying proportions (0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%) into the epoxy resin by weight. For this purpose, the surfaces of h-B₄C nanoparticles were silanized by using 3-(glycidyloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane (GPS) to improve adhesion between h-B₄C nanoparticles and epoxy matrix. Then, the silanized nanoparticles were added to the resin by ultrasonication and mechanical stirring techniques to produce nanocomposites. The bond structure differences of silanized B₄C nanoparticles (s-B₄C) and nanoparticle doped composites were investigated by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) technique was used to examine the distribution of nanoparticles in the modified nanocomposites. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis techniques were used to determine the thermal properties of the neat and s-B₄C doped nanocomposites. The tensile test and dynamic mechanical analysis were performed to determine the mechanical properties. When the experimental results were examined, changes in the bonding structure of the s-B₄C nanoparticles doped nanocomposites and significant improvements in the mechanical and thermal properties were observed. The optimum doping ratio was determined as 2% by weight. At this doping ratio, the T_g, tensile strength and storage modulus increased approximately 18%, 35%, and 44% compared to the neat composite, respectively.     

Graphene oxide-containing isocyanate-based polyimide foams: Enhanced thermal stability and flame retardancy

Isocyanate-based graphene oxide-containing polyimide foams were synthesized by a semi-prepolymer method. In this method, while the first solution containing pre-polymer was derived from pyromellitic dianhydride and excess polymethylene polyphenylene isocyanate (PM200), the second solution contains dianhydride derivatives, water, catalysts, surfactants, and graphene oxide. PIFs were prepared with 0%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, and 1% graphene oxide by weight, respectively. PIFs exhibited a minimum side reaction and urea generation was not seen for all PIFs instead of imide bonding. The addition of graphene oxide (GO) leads to a more close-packed structure. Therefore, crosslinking density and thermal stability of graphene oxide-containing polyimide foams increased. Upon the addition of 1% GO, almost seven times higher compression strength was obtained compared to neat PIFs. Also, LOI values supported the theory that thermally stable and flame retardant PIFs can be synthesized via the isocyanate-based process with GO.     

Investigation of Creep Feed Grinding Parameters and Heat treatment Effects on the Nickel-base Superalloys

The Nickel base Superalloys are the most famous complicated and useable of Superalloys to make hot zone components of the gas turbines. The complicated dimensional tolerances, specially at the root of the blade show importance of grinding processes at the production of blades root. The prediction of the effect of machining parameters on the soundness of component surface strengthening for reaching to a suitable surface finishing and avoiding from crack formation at the work part during machining operation often is not easy and feasible so needs to more industrial investigation.This research is about frame 5 blade designed by GE and made from Superalloy IN738LC has been investigated. The formation of a plastically deformed and heat affected zone during grinding of Superalloy IN738LC with a high depth of cut but slow work speed (creep feed grinding) was investigated. Parameters such as work speed, depth of cut and radial dressing speed have been considered as variables and their effects have been studied. During experimental performed, the voltage and current of motor measured and power and special energy calculated.Some samples heat-treated (of the 1176℃ for 1 hr under neutral argon gas and cooling rate of 15℃/min up to 537℃ and then air cooling) to study grains recrystallization. Other samples have been created from the roots of blades and then coated by Nickel to measure boundary layer micro-hardness. The results show that increasing work speed leads to increasing the use power. Increasing the depth of cut, by increasing material removal rate, and the radial dressing speed, by decreasing power, lead to decreasing special energy. The temperature created by grinding lead to decreasing plastic deformation and boundary layer formation. When the radial dressing speed changes from 1 to 0.6μm/rev and other parameters are kept unchanged the roughness of surface increases and the special energy decreases. Sufficient dressing is very essential in limiting the width of the molten zone to few micrometers. As a result, it was found that local melting at contact spots to be a rather common mechanism during grinding of superalloys, lead to so-called white layers which can easily be observed on metallographic cross sections.     

An investigation of chloride-substituted Schiff bases as corrosion inhibitors for steel

Polarization and impedance measurements were performed on steel in deaerated 5% HCl solution with and without Schiff base additives within the concentration range 1 × 10⁻⁴–5 × 10⁻³ mol/dm³. The Schiff base compounds used were salicylaldimine, R, N-(2-chlorophenyl)salicyaldimine, 2Cl-R, N-(3-chlorophenyl)salicyaldimine, 3Cl-R, and N-(4-chlorophenyl)salicyaldimine, 4Cl-R. It was found that when the concentration of the inhibitors were increased the inhibitor efficiencies, η, also increased with increasing surface coverage. The results indicated that the ortho-substituted (2Cl-R) compound had the highest inhibition efficiency. All the Schiff base additives studied obeyed the Langmuir isotherm.     

Graphite intercalated polymer coatings on stainless steel

The use of graphite modified polymer films has been investigated, on stainless steel. Polythiophene and polypyrrole films have been synthesized electrochemically on stainless steel, and then very thin graphite layers were realized on polymer films. Since the graphite layer is not applicable as a top coat, polymeric top films were also electrosynthesized on graphite layers. Following this procedure, polypyrrole-graphite-polypyrrole and polythiophene-graphite-polythiophene coatings have been obtained on stainless steel. The corrosion behaviours of coated samples have been investigated in 0.1 M H₂SO₄ solution, by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and anodic polarization curves. The intercalation of graphite layer altered the performance and properties of coatings significantly. Especially, polypyrrole coating system was found to exhibit almost an excellent coating behaviour that hindered the attack of corrosive environment within 96 h exposure time. The EIS results of polypyrrole coating system were indicating to almost a perfect capacitive behaviour that the response was reflecting capacitive behaviour in a wide frequency region. This property was also examined with successive cyclic voltammograms in a potential range between 0.10 and 0.40 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The charge densities involved in oxidation and reduction regions were determined for successive cycles and it was shown that coated sample was able to exhibit charge-discharge (i.e. oxidation and reduction) behaviour successfully, without any degradation.     

The current–voltage and capacitance–voltage characteristics of molecularly modified β-carotene/n-type Si junction structure with fluorescein sodium salt

β-Carotene–FSS organic semiconductor/n-type Si structure has been characterized by current–voltage and capacitance–voltage methods. A deviation in I–V characteristic of the diode is observed due to effect of series resistance and interfacial layer. Cheung's functions were used to calculate diode parameters. The ideality factor, series resistance and barrier height values of the diode are n = 1.77, R_s = 10.32 (10.39) kΩ and 0.78 eV. The obtained ideality factor suggests that Au/β-carotene–FSS/n-Si Schottky diode has a metal–SiO₂ oxide layer plus organic layer–semiconductor (MIOS) configuration. The capacitance–voltage characterizations of Au/β-carotene–FSS/n-Si diode at different temperatures were performed. The capacitance of the diode changes with temperature. The barrier height and ideality factor obtained from C–V curves are 0.67 eV and 1.68. The interface density properties of the diode are analyzed and the shape of the density distribution of the interface states is in the range of E_c −0.49 to −0.62 eV. It is evaluated that the FSS organic layer controls electrical charge transport properties of Au/β-carotene/n-Si diode by excluding effects of the β-carotene and SiO₂ residual oxides on the hybrid diode.