Characteristics of fluoride adsorption onto aluminium(III) and iron(III) hydroxide flocs

The fluoride adsorption onto the hydroxide flocs of Al(III), Fe(III), or a mixture of the two was studied. The optimum pH was influenced by the flocs’ solubility and surface charge. Although the Al(III) hydroxide flocs had a maximum adsorption capacity at the equilibrium concentration of 8 mg-F/L, the two-stage adsorption process revealed that the mixture of the Al(III) and Fe(III) hydroxide flocs required the smallest adsorbent dose as the concentration changed from 40 to 8 mg-F/L. Thus, the simultaneous dosing of Al(III) and Fe(III) combined with a two-stage adsorption process appears to be an effective option for fluoride removal.     

Exergy recuperative CO2 gas separation in pre-combustion capture

The integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) can achieve higher power generation efficiency than conventional pulverized coal combustion power plants. However, a CO₂ capture process prevents improving power generation efficiency of IGCC, because CO₂ separation from gas mixtures requires huge amounts of energy. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the CO₂ separation process in the pre-combustion capture process using a process simulator (PRO/II) in the steady state, and proposed a new process using a modularity based on self-heat recuperation (SHR) technology to decrease energy consumption. Pre-combustion capture was applied in the IGCC plant, which involved coal gasification and CO-shift conversion with CO₂ capture. The results show that the energy consumption for the CO₂ separation process using SHR was decreased by two-thirds. This means that the power generation efficiency can be improved by SHR compared with conventional IGCC with a CO₂ capture process.     

Improvement of piezoresistance properties of silicon carbide ceramics through co-doping of aluminum nitride and nitrogen

The piezoresistance coefficient was measured on co-doped silicon carbide ceramics. Evaluation samples of -silicon carbide ceramics were first fabricated by glass capsule HIP method using powder mixture of silicon carbide and aluminum nitride with various ratios. The resultant aluminum nitride added silicon carbide ceramics were doped with nitrogen by changing the post-HIP nitrogen gas pressure. The lattice parameter increased with the amount of adding aluminum nitride indicating that the incorporated aluminum substituted smaller silicon atoms. After post-HIP treatment, lattice parameter then decreased with nitrogen gas pressure. The piezoresistive coefficient increased with the addition of aluminum nitride, it further increased with the nitrogen doping pressure.     

Near-infrared luminescent polymer thin films containing Yb(III) complex and photosensitized dye

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) thin films containing Yb(pms)₃(H₂O)₈ (pms: bis(perfluoromethanesulfonyl)imide) and dipyridophenazine with DMSO and DMSO-d₆ were fabricated on the glass substrates. The films show photosensitized near-IR luminescence under UV light irradiation of 370 nm in wavelength. The emission quantum yields of Yb(III) complex in PMMA (film 1), PMMA containing DMSO (film 2), and PMMA containing DMSO-d₆ (film 3) thin films are 0.18, 0.26, and 0.26%, respectively. The emission quantum yields of films 1 and 2 were considerably enhanced after the annealing at 80 °C.     

Effects of Ozone-Gas Bubble Size and pH on Ozone/UV Treatment

A series of ozone/UV treatment under injection of ozone with different ozone-gas bubble sizes was performed at pH 1.7 and 7.4. The increase in the bubble size and the decrease in pH enhanced the ozone utilization efficiency. The enhancement of ozone utilization efficiency was caused by the shift of the production pathway of hydroxyl radical (OH) from the OH production via O₃ ^– to the UV photolysis of H₂O₂. The lower pH caused this shift through the chemical equilibrium of H₂O₂ and HO₂ ^–, and the large bubbles caused this shift through the augmentation of H₂O₂ transport from the bubble surface to the bulk solution.     

Development of metallic closed cellular materials containing polymers

A closed cellular material containing polymers for intelligent materials has been developed. Polystyrene powder particles coated with a nickel–phosphorus alloy layer by electroless plating were sintered at high temperature. A metallic closed cellular material containing polystyrene was then fabricated. Scanning electron microscope indicated that polystyrene remains in the cells after heat treatment. The compressive tests of this material show a low Young’s modulus and high-energy absorption. These results indicate that this metallic closed cellular material can be used for the energy absorbing systems.     

The isothermal conductivity improvement in zirconia-based ceramics under 24 GHz microwave heating

Abstract Under 24-GHz millimetre-wave irradiation heating ionic conductivity of zirconia base ceramics was up to 20 times higher than that of a conventionally-heated sample at the same temperature of 400 °C. The degree of enhancement could be altered by changing the stabilising atom from Y to Yb. Enhancement of ionic conduction was prominent in the setup condition of larger self-heating ratio and larger MMW absorbing materials. The isothermal improvement of ionic conductivity under MMW irradiation would be ascribed to the non-thermal effect.     

Oxygen release behavior of metastable tetragonal t′meta-(Ce0.5Zr0.5)2 phases prepared by reduction and successive oxidation of t′ phase

Tetragonal CaF₂-related-type t′-/Ce_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ phase was reduced at 773 K ≤ T_red. ≤ 1073 K to prepare precursors with various oxygen compositions: Ce₂Zr₂O_712d /0.111 < δ < 0.379). Metastable tetragonal t^′_meta-(Ce_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ phases were prepared by oxidizing in O₂ at 873 K the precursors, and subjected to evolved oxygen gas analysis by heating the samples at a constant rate. When the precursor was prepared at T_red: ? 773 K; i.e. δ ? 0:379; the oxygen release behavior of the tetragonal phase agreed approximately with that of the t^′. For δ < 0.29, distinct features of the t^′_meta-(Ce_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ appeared in the XRD results and Raman spectra. The temperature exhibiting the maximum release rate of oxygen from the t^′_meta became lower with decreasing the d value. It could be concluded that the thermodynamic behavior of the t^′_meta is related closely to the precursor composition and becomes more unstable with decrease in the δ value. The t^′ and t^′_meta phases with disordered arrangement of Ce and Zr ions may belong to the same space group; nevertheless, difference in the random arrays of the Ce and Zr ions was suggested on the basis of the present experimental results.