Improvement of the electrochemical hydrogen storage performance of Mg2Ni by the partial replacements of Mg by Al, Ti and Zr

Mg₂Ni, Mg_1.5Al_0.5Ni, Mg_1.5Zr_0.5Ni, Mg_1.5Ti_0.5Ni, Mg_1.5Zr_0.25Al_0.25Ni, Mg_1.5Zr_0.25Ti_0.25Ni and Mg_1.5Ti_0.25Al_0.25Ni alloys were synthesized by mechanical alloying and their electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics were investigated. X-ray diffraction studies showed that while Al was retarding, Zr and Ti were facilitating the amorphization of Mg₂Ni phase. The initial discharge capacities of Mg_1.5Ti_0.5Ni, Mg_1.5Zr_0.5Ni and Mg_1.5Al_0.5Ni alloys were 414, 322 and 166 mA h g⁻¹, respectively. Although Mg_1.5Al_0.5Ni alloy had very low initial discharge capacity, the capacity retaining rate of this alloy was much better than those of Ti- and Zr-including alloys. The potentiodyanamic polarization experiments in 6 M KOH solution presented that Mg was passive and Ni was immune in the charge/discharge potential range (−1.0 V_Hg/HgO and −0.5 V_Hg/HgO). At the same conditions Ti and Zr had moderate, and Al had extremely higher dissolution rates. The analysis by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that the increase in the charge transfer resistance of Mg_1.5Al_0.5Ni alloy was relatively low with the increase in depth of discharge. This observation was attributed to the formation of the porous unstable Mg(OH)₂ layer due to the high rate dissolution of the disseminated Al₂O₃ and thus the exposition of the underlying electro-catalytically active Ni sites. The charge transfer resistance of Mg_1.5Ti_0.5Ni alloy increased sharply with the increase in depth of discharge possibly due to the stabilizing effect of Ti-oxide on Mg(OH)₂. The presence of Ti-oxide, however, was predicted to make Mg(OH)₂ barrier layer more penetrable by hydrogen atoms, since the increased stability of the surface layer the cyclic stability of Mg_1.5Ti_0.5Ni alloy was relatively satisfactory.     

Agglomeration of Makarwal coal using soybean oil as agglomerant

The study was carried out for beneficiation of Makarwal coal using soybean oil as agglomerant. The effect of six parameters – pH, mesh size of coal particles, slurry ratio, stirring speed, soybean oil concentration, and time of agglomeration – was investigated to reduce ash and sulfur from Makarwal coal and to enhance the gross calorific value. In the cleaned product obtained after the agglomeration process, the gross calorific value was increased from 4900 to 7115 Kcal/kg. The ash of agglomerates was reduced from 30% to 7.5% and sulfur was reduced from 5.4% to 2.0% The optimum operating conditions were concentration of soybean oil 10 mL, pH 9, stirring speed 2800 rpm, mesh size 200, coal to water ratio of 15:450 (W/V), and time of agglomeration 20 min. Significant reduction in ash and sulfur showed the effectiveness for agglomeration of Makarwal coal using soybean oil as the agglomerant. The final product thus obtained may be used efficiently in various energy recovery schemes.     

Electrical, Corrosion, and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum-Copper Joints Produced by Explosive Welding

This study investigates the microstructure, electrical, corrosion, and mechanical properties of plate-shaped aluminum-copper couple produced using the explosive welding method. Mechanical tests, including hardness, tensile, tensile-shear, and impact test, concluded that the Al-Cu bimetal had an acceptable joint resistance. In this study, local intermetallic regions formed on the interface of the joint of the aluminum-copper bimetal, produced using the explosive welding technique. However, the formed intermetallic regions had no significant effect on the mechanical properties of the joint, except for increasing its hardness. According to electrical conductivity tests, the Al-Cu bimetal had an average electrical conductivity in comparison to the electrical conductivity of aluminum and copper, which were the original materials forming the joint. According to the results of electro-chemical corrosion test, during which galvanic corrosion formed, the Al side of the Al-Cu bimetal was more anodic due to its high electronegativity; as a result, it was exposed to more corrosion in comparison to the copper side.     

Multi-phase microstructure design of a low-alloy TRIP-assisted steel through a combined computational and experimental methodology

The multiphase constitution of a transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP)-assisted steel with a nominal composition of Fe–1.5Mn–1.5Si–0.3C (wt.%) was designed, utilizing a combination of computational methods and experimental validation, in order to achieve significant improvements in both strength and ductility. In this study, it was hypothesized that a microstructure with maximized ferrite and retained austenite volume fractions would optimize the strain hardening and ductility of multiphase TRIP-assisted steels. Computational thermodynamics and kinetics calculations were used to develop a predictive methodology to determine the processing parameters in order to reach maximum possible ferrite and retained austenite fractions during conventional two-stage heat treatment, i.e. intercritical annealing followed by bainitic isothermal transformation. Experiments were utilized to validate and refine the design methodology. Equal channel angular pressing was employed at a high temperature (950 °C) on the as-cast ingots as the initial processing step in order to form a homogenized microstructure with uniform grain/phase size. Using the predicted heat treatment parameters, a multiphase microstructure including ferrite, bainite, martensite and retained austenite was successfully obtained. The resulting material demonstrated a significant improvement in the true ultimate tensile strength (～1300 MPa) with good uniform elongation (～23%), as compared to conventional TRIP steels. This provided a mechanical property combination that has not been exhibited before by low-alloy first-generation high-strength steels. The developed computational framework for the selection of heat treatment parameters can also be utilized for other TRIP-assisted steels and help design new microstructures for advanced high-strength steels, minimizing the need for cumbersome experimental optimization.     

Direct measurement of large reversible magnetic-field-induced strain in Ni–Co–Mn–In metamagnetic shape memory alloys

Direct measurements of reversible magnetic-field-induced strain (MFIS) on a single crystalline Ni₄₅Co₅Mn_36.5In_13.5 metamagnetic shape memory alloy were attained via magnetic-field-induced martensitic transformation under different stress levels and at various temperatures. This was achieved using a custom-designed micro-magneto-thermo-mechanical testing system capable of applying constant stress while measuring strain and magnetization simultaneously on the samples, which can fit into conventional superconducting magnets. MFIS levels are reported as a function of temperature, magnetic field and external bias stress. It was necessary to apply an external bias stress in these materials to detect a notable MFIS because a magnetic field does not favor a specific martensite variant resulting in no shape change even though magnetic field leads to reversible martensitic transformation. Fully recoverable transformation strains up to 3.10% were detected under repeated field applications in the presence of different compressive stress levels up to 125 MPa. The bias stress opposes the field-induced martensite-to-austenite phase transformation and causes the critical field for the transformation to increase at a given temperature in accordance with the Clausius Clapeyron relationship. The effect of the bias stress on the kinetic arrest of austenite is also explored.     

Improvement of carbon nanotube dispersion in electrospun polyacrylonitrile fiber through plasma surface modification

In this study, surfaces of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were functionalized with poly(hexafluorobutyl acrylate) (PHFBA) thin film using a rotating-bed plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method without imparting any defects on their surfaces. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) electrospun polymer fiber mats and composite fiber mats with CNTs and functionalized CNTs (f-CNTs) were prepared. The wettability and chemical and morphological properties of the synthesized fiber mats were investigated, and the dispersion of CNTs and f-CNTs in the polymer matrix was compared according to the contact angle results of electrospun polymer mats. According to the chemical and morphological characterization results, PHFBA-coated CNTs were dispersed more uniformly in the polymer matrix than the uncoated CNTs. The f-CNTs/PAN composite fiber mat exhibits a lower surface energy than the pristine CNTs/PAN fiber mat. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47768.     

Drying of grape pomace with a double pass solar collector

This study aims to analyze the performance of a novel design of the double pass solar air collector (DPSAC)-assisted drying system and investigate the drying kinetics of grape pomace which is an agricultural by-product. The samples were dried to a moisture content of 0.01?g water/g dry matter between 100 and 250?min depending on the weather conditions. The average thermal efficiencies of DPSAC were calculated as 79.77, 79.85, and 69.46%. Average values of the coefficient of performance of DPSAC were determined as 5.32, 5.13, and 4.32. The highest specific moisture extraction rate value was achieved as 617.18?g water/kWh. Whereas the mass transfer coefficient (h_m) values ranged from 9.15E?11 to 1.04E?7?m/s, the effective moisture diffusivity (D_e) values were obtained between 3.04E?13 and 1.02E?10?m²/s. The qualitative analysis showed that the drying using DPSAC may be an alternative for drying applications in terms of short drying time and energy usage. Nevertheless, these results clearly suggest a complex and effective interplay between thermal performance and drying kinetics.     

Genetic algorithms for the optimisation of the Schwartz–Smith two-factor model: a case study on a copper deposit

Mining companies typically seek ways to hedge risks affecting their production. One useful instrument to mitigate the financial risk is the futures contracts on commodity prices. Information from the transactions in futures markets is publicly available and can be analysed with the Schwartz–Smith two-factor model (SSTF). However, finding the parameters governing this model can be very challenging. This step is done using a deterministic optimisation approach called the Expectation–Maximisation algorithm (EM). The starting values of the model will have a significant effect on the convergence of the EM. To ensure the solution does not get stuck in a local maximum, the EM algorithm is performed multiple times with different starting values. This paper assesses the value of genetic algorithms (GA) to optimise the parameters of the SWTF model. Although they are slower than EM algorithms because they use random number generators to search for the optimal solution, GA optimise a population of solutions instead of working on only one solution at the time. Moreover, a constraint on the range parameter can be applied to ensure the parameter has a sound economic meaning. Once the SWTF parameters have been calibrated on the observation of futures contracts, the model can be used for the simulation of spot and futures prices. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach, a case study was conducted on a copper deposit. The simulations based on the SWTF model whose parameters are determined by GA are used. An active management strategy of the stockpile, dependent on discrepancies in commodity futures prices is tested. Results show that the active management strategy produces positive returns over the passive investment approach.     

Synthesis of BaFe12O19 by solid state method and its effect on hydrogen storage properties of MgH2

Previous studies have shown that ferrites give a positive effect in improving the hydrogen sorption properties of magnesium hydride (MgH₂). In this study, another ferrite, i.e., BaFe₁₂O₁₉, has been successfully synthesised via the solid state method, and it was milled with MgH₂ to enhance the sorption kinetics. The result showed that the MgH₂ + 10 wt% BaFe₁₂O₁₉ sample started to release hydrogen at about 270 °C which is about 70 °C lower than the as-milled MgH₂. The doped sample was able to absorb hydrogen for 4.3 wt% in 10 min at 150 °C, while as-milled MgH₂ only absorbed 3.5 wt% of hydrogen under similar conditions. The desorption kinetic results showed that the doped sample released about 3.5 wt% of hydrogen in 15 min at 320 °C, while the as-milled MgH₂ only released about 1.5 wt% of hydrogen. From the Kissinger plot, the apparent activation energy of the BaFe₁₂O₁₉-doped MgH₂ sample was 115 kJ/mol which was lower than the milled MgH₂ (141 kJ/mol)_. Further analyses demonstrated that MgO, Fe and Ba or Ba-containing contribute to the improvement by serving as active species, thus enhancing the MgH₂ for hydrogen storage.