Microstructure and mechanical properties of TiC0.7N0.3-HfC cermet tool materials

TiC_0.7N_0.3-HfC cermet tool materials were fabricated by hot-press sintering. Effects of different metal additives (Ni, Co, Ni-Co and Ni-Mo), sintering temperature and holding time on the microstructures and mechanical properties of TiC_0.7N_0.3-HfC cermets were investigated. Results showed that Ni-Mo or Ni-Co as metal additives was better for the mechanical properties of TiC_0.7N_0.3-HfC cermets than only Ni or only Co as the metal additives and Ni-Mo better than Ni-Co. HfC particle dispersion existed in these four cermets and only in the TiC_0.7N_0.3-HfC-Ni-Mo cermet the core-rim structure obviously existed. TiC_0.7N_0.3-HfC-Ni-Mo cermet had significantly smaller grains than the other three cermets because Ni-Mo can significantly refine the grain. With the sintering temperature increasing from 1450?°C to 1650?°C, grains grew gradually; Vickers hardness and flexural strength decreased gradually and the fracture toughness increased firstly and then decreased. With the holding time increasing from 15?min to 60?min, grains grew gradually; Vickers hardness, flexural strength and the fracture toughness increased firstly and then decreased. TiC_0.7N_0.3-HfC-Ni-Mo cermets sintered at 1450?°C with 30?min holding time had the better comprehensive mechanical properties with flexural strength of 1346.41?±?31?MPa, fracture toughness of 8.46?±?0.23?MPa?m^1/2 and Vickers hardness of 22.91?±?0.22?GPa.     

A new method to improve the electrical properties of KNN-based ceramics: Tailoring phase fraction

Although both the phase type and fraction of multi-phase coexistence can affect the electrical properties of (K,Na)NbO₃ (KNN)-based ceramics, effects of phase fraction on their electrical properties were few concerned. In this work, through changing the calcination temperature of CaZrO₃ powders, we successfully developed the 0.96 K_0.5Na_0.5Nb_0.96Sb_0.04O₃-0.01CaZrO₃-0.03Bi_0.5Na_0.5HfO₃ ceramics containing a wide rhombohedral-tetragonal (R-T) phase coexistence with the variations of T (or R) phase fractions. It was found that higher T phase fraction can warrant a larger piezoelectric constant (d₃₃) and d₃₃ also showed a linear variation with respect to tetragonality ratio (c/a). More importantly, a number of domain patterns were observed due to high T phase fraction and large c/a ratio, greatly benefiting the piezoelectricity. In addition, the improved ferroelectric fatigue behavior and thermal stability were also shown in the ceramics containing high T phase fraction. Therefore, this work can bring a new viewpoint into the physical mechanism of KNN-based ceramics behind R-T phase coexistence.     

Prediction of Glass Forming Ability Through High Throughput Calculation

In this work, high throughput calculation (HTC) is used to identify composition regions with good glass forming ability (GFA) in the Al-Cu-Zr, Cu-Ni-Zr, Cu-Ti-Zr, Cu-Ni-Ti-Zr, Al-Cu-Ni-Ti-Zr, Mg-Ca-Cu, and Mg-Ca-Ni systems. The predicted composition regions agree well with those observed by experiments in the ternary systems, while less satisfactory agreement is found in the Cu-Ni-Ti-Zr quaternary and the Al-Cu-Ni-Ti-Zr quinary systems. The possible causes that lead to the deviation in the higher order systems are discussed. The major advantage of the HTC method used in this study is that it is simple and can be easily applied to multicomponent systems. The color maps of liquidus temperature and solidification range obtained by HTC provide a valuable guidance to the experimentalists, thus they can focus on the composition regions with high potential of forming bulk metallic glasses, avoid unnecessary trial-and-error test and save time and cost. This approach can also be combined with other criteria to filter compositions with better GFA.     

牵引逆变器IGBT风冷散热试验及仿真平台搭建

IGBT散热性能是影响高速动车组在行驶过程中安全性、可靠性及动力性的重要因素。本文以某出口铰接车牵引变流器箱为试验研究载体,研制了专用风冷散热试验台;同时运用仿真软件Flotherm进行了仿真计算,通过实物试验与仿真计算的对比研究,验证了仿真计算的可行性。     

Coherent energy projection of modulated signals from a sparse array

In this article, coherent energy projection is generalized to modulated signals, enabling the precise delivery of energy to a specific target area. The system and mathematical model are established to characterize the far‐field energy interference from a randomized sparse transmitting array. By using the method of transmitting delay pre‐compensation and spatial coherent combination, the coherent energy of the modulated signals increases significantly after demodulation at the receiving end. The coherent energy scape is presented to describe the spatial distribution of projected energy in the target area, rather than the commonly used performance metric of front‐end energy analysis. Then the simulations set out to examine the spatial grating lobes and potential for expanding the focal spot using multi‐foci accumulation. We also employ the particle swarm optimization to find the optimum distribution of foci to match the focal spot with the desired target area and energy level. Analysis and numerical results are provided to demonstrate the correctness of the theoretical results and effectiveness of the proposed coherent energy projection method.     

Dual pH‐ and thermal‐responsive nanocomposite hydrogels for controllable delivery of hydrophobic drug baicalein

Hydrogels have been widely used as mild biomaterials due to their bio‐affinity, high drug loading capability and controllable release profiles. However, hydrogel‐based carriers are greatly limited for the delivery of hydrophobic payloads due to the lack of hydrophobic binding sites. Herein, nano‐liposome micelles were embedded in semi‐interpenetrating poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐chitosan] (PNIPAAm‐co‐CS) and poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(sodium alginate)] (PNIPAAm‐co‐SA) hydrogels which were responsive to both temperature and pH, thereby establishing tunable nanocomposite hydrogel delivery systems. Nano‐micelles formed via the self‐assembly of phospholipid could serve as the link between hydrophobic drug and hydrophilic hydrogel due to their special amphiphilic structure. The results of transmission and scanning electron microscopies and infrared spectroscopy showed that the porous hydrogels were successfully fabricated and the liposomes encapsulated with baicalein could be well contained in the network. In addition, the experimental results of response release in vitro revealed that the smart hydrogels showed different degree of sensitiveness under different pH and temperature stimuli. The results of the study demonstrate that combining PNIPAAm‐co‐SA and PNIPAAm‐co‐CS hydrogels with liposomes encapsulated with hydrophobic drugs is a feasible method for hydrophobic drug delivery and have potential application prospects in the medical field. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Double pyrovanadates CaMgV2O7: Formation mechanism,phase structure,and thermodynamic properties

A double pyrovanadate CaMgV₂O₇ sample was synthesized via a facile solid-state route under an air atmosphere. The nonequilibrium formation pathways of the CaMgV₂O₇ were investigated via powder X-ray diffraction. A multistep reactions path (metavanadates–pyrovanadates–double pyrovanadate CaMgV₂O₇) was proposed to describe the formation of the CaMgV₂O₇ considering the thermodynamic and kinetic factors. The cell unit parameters of the CaMgV₂O₇ sample indicated the crystallization according to a monoclinic system with space group P12/c1(14), and the lattice parameters of a = 6.756 Å, b = 14.495 Å, c = 11.253 Å, β = 99.12, and V = 108.806 Å³. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy also confirmed the +5 oxidation state vanadium in CaMgV₂O₇. The endothermic effects at 1033 and 1143 K were related to the incongruent melting and liquidus temperatures of CaMgV₂O₇, respectively. The comprehensive thermodynamic properties of CaMgV₂O₇ were established in both low- and high-temperature regions, utilizing a physical property measurement system and multi-high-temperature calorimetry (96 lines). The heat capacity (200 J mol K⁻¹) and entropy (198 J mol K⁻¹) at 298.15 K were computed based on the low-temperature heat capacity values, and the enthalpy of formation at 298.15 K was also estimated. The fitted high-temperature capacity can be used to obtain the changes in the enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy. This study is part of building a reliable thermodynamic database of the CaO–MgO–V₂O₅ system.     

The corrosion behavior and mechanism of X65 steel induced by iron‐oxidizing bacteria in the seawater environment

The corrosion behavior and mechanism of iron‐oxidizing bacteria (IOB) on X65 steel in seawater are studied. This study uses the methods of weight loss, electrochemical measurements, and surface analysis. The results show that the IOB increases the corrosion damage degree of steel. Pittings are observed in the medium with IOB. The potentiodynamic polarization curves show that the anodic reaction rate is accelerated in the corrosion process of IOB. The synergies in corrosion between the metal surface, abiotic corrosion products, and bacterial cells, and the pitting corrosion mechanism of X65 steel are discussed.     

The isothermal reduction kinetics of chromium-bearing vanadium–titanium magnetite sinter

The reduction of chromium-bearing vanadium–titanium magnetite sinter (CVTMS) by CO was investigated at 1123–1223?K. The reduction degree increased with increasing temperature. The isothermal reduction kinetics of CVTMS was analysed, according to Sharp analysis and ln–ln analysis, the kinetic mechanism of reduction process for all samples in different basicity can be represented as f(α)?=?1.61(1?α)[?ln(1?α)]^1–1/1.61. The reaction activation energy of all samples (R?=?1.9, 2.1, 2.3, obtained according to the components of the materials burdening used in sintering process) at different reaction degrees were calculated by the model-free method. And the pre-exponential factors of reaction also were calculated by the mathematical method. The rate controlling step for the reduction process under the present reduction condition was chemical reaction.     

Pharmacokinetics and efficiency of brain targeting of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 given as Nao-Qing microemulsion

Nao-Qing solution has been shown to be clinically effective in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The purpose of this study was to improve the pharmacokinetics and brain uptake of Nao-Qing, administered as an oil-in-water microemulsion. Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were given Nao-Qing microemulsion by intranasal or intragastric routes. Samples of blood, brain, heart, liver, lung and kidney were collected at pre-determined time intervals, and the contents of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 (active ingredients of the Nao-Qing microemulsion) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that contents of ginsenosides Rg1 and Rb1 in Nao-Qing microemulsion was 8475.13?±?54.61?μg/ml and 6633.42?±?527.27?μg/ml, respectively, and that the particle size, pH and viscosity of the microemulsion were 19.9?±?5.07?nm, 6.1 and 3.056?×?10^?3?Pas, respectively. Absorption of ginsenoside Rg1 was higher than that of ginsenoside Rb1, which was barely detectable after intragastric administration; furthermore, the concentration of ginsenoside Rg1 in blood and other tissues at each time point was lower for intragastric than for intranasal administration. Compared with intragastric administration, intranasal administration resulted in a shorter t_max (0.08 versus 1?h), a higher C_max (16.65 versus 11.29?μg/ml), and a higher area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) (592.91 versus 101.70?μg?h/ml) in the brain. The relative rates of uptake (R_e) and the ratio of peak concentration (C_e) in the brain were 126.31% and 147.48% for ginsenoside Rg1, respectively. These data illustrate that intranasal administration can promote the absorption of drugs in Nao-Qing microemulsion and achieve fast effect.