Corrosion resistance of Al–Cr-slag containing chromium–corundum refractories to slags with different basicity

Al–Cr slag is the solid waste generated by the smelting of Cr metal. It presents a range of environmental hazards. This study addressed the corrosion resistance of Al–Cr slag containing chromium–corundum refractories to slags with different basicity. Herein, we provide suggestions for the use of Cr–corundum of different basicity in kilns. Al–Cr slag, brown fused Al₂O₃, and chrome green were used as the raw materials, with pure calcium aluminate cement being used as a binder. The brick samples, prepared using different blends of chrome green and corundum, were fired at 1600?°C, and subsequently subjected to a slag corrosion test. After corrosion by slag of different basicity, the phase composition and microstructure of the sample were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectrometer and scanning electron microscopy. There were two major findings. First, Cr–corundum brick made from Al–Cr slag has a better slag corrosion resistance than that made from Cr₂O₃ and brown fused Al₂O₃. Second, Cr–corundum brick made from Al–Cr slag has superior corrosion resistance to slag with a CaO:SiO₂ ratio of 2:1.     

Computational Fluid Dynamics Study on a Top-Blown Smelting Process with Lance Failure in an Isa Furnace

JOM - The Isa/Ausmelt smelting technology with a top submerged lance (TSL) has been extensively used in copper smelting processes. However, the TSL is extremely vulnerable to damage and failure...     

In-situ crystal growth and photoluminescence properties of YBO3: Tb3+ microstructures

Three-dimensional (3D) YBO₃:Tb³⁺ flower-like and dense flower-like hierarchitecture constituted of nanoflakes are solvothermally synthesized in the presence of polyborate precursors in the mixture of ethanol and water. The growth process of the YBO₃:Tb³⁺ flowers and dense flowers was explored based on the time-dependent experiment and the results showed that the growth mechanism follows an in situ growth rather than self-assembly process as reported previously. YBO₃:Tb³⁺ morphologies composed of nanoflakes are achieved by controlling the concentration of ethanol and dependence of photoluminescence on morphology was studied. Remarkable photoluminescence enhancement was observed for YBO₃:Tb³⁺ with flower-like morphology demonstrating the potential of the microstructure in future applications as a green phosphor. Such a synthetic method and growth mechanism may be applied to fabricate complex 3D architectures of other materials.     

Preparation and polymerization of isopimaric acid derivatives

Isopimaric acid is a typical rosin compound and can account for 30% of the total mass of slash pine rosin. The molecular structure of isopimaric acid derivatives features an unsaturated double bond at the C13 position, opening up the possibility of their industrial polymerization. In this study, isopimaric acid (95.4%), methyl isopimarate (99.5%), and allyl isopimarate (95.1%) were prepared as highly pure monomers. New experimental results are presented and mechanisms based on the investigation of free-radical polymerization under UV irradiation are proposed. New rosin monomers for potential value-added utilization of woody biomass are also identified. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47817.     

Global Exponential Stability of Hybrid Non-autonomous Neural Networks with Markovian Switching

Neural Processing Letters - This paper discusses the global exponential stability for a class of hybrid non-autonomous neural networks (HNNNs) with Markovian switching, which includes the factors...     

Structural,magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of Co1-xLixFe2O4 synthesized by cathode materials of spent Li-ion batteries

In this study, we investigated the effects of substituting Li⁺ for Co²⁺ at the B sites of the spinel lattice on the structural, magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of cobalt ferrites. The Li⁺ substituted cobalt ferrites, Co_1-xLi_xFe₂O₄, with x varying from 0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments, were synthesized with a sol-gel auto-combustion method using the cathode materials of spent Li-ion batteries. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all the Co_1-xLi_xFe₂O₄ nanopowders had a single-phase spinel structure and the lattice parameters decreased with increasing Li⁺ content, which can be proved by slight shifts towards higher diffraction angle values of the (311) peak. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the fractured inner surface of the sintered cylindrical rods and the increased porosity resulted in a decreased magnetostriction. The oxidation states of Co and Fe in the cobalt ferrite samples were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. High resolution transmission electron microscopy micrographs showed that most particles were roughly spherical and with sizes of 25–35?nm. Li⁺ substitution had a strong effect on the saturation magnetization and coercivity, which were characterized with a vibrating sample magnetometer. The Curie temperature was reduced due to the decrease in magnetic cations and the weakening of the exchange interactions. The magnetostrictive properties were influenced by the incorporation of Li⁺ at the B sites of the spinel structure and correlated with the changes in porosity, magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the cation distribution.