Hydrous RuO(2)-Carbon Nanofiber electrodes with high mass and electrode-specific capacitance for efficient energy storage

We demonstrate a new strategy for the fabrication of supercapacitor electrodes possessing high mass and area-specific capacitance for efficient charge storage, which can be extremely useful for the development of light, compact and high performance supercapacitors for a variety of high power demanding applications. High mass and electrode area specific capacitances were attained by using Hydrous Ruthenium Oxide (HRO)-Carbon Nanofiber (CNF) hybrid electrodes prepared by the deposition of HRO (~31% Ru content) on both the outer and inner surfaces of a cylindrical hollow CNF having open tips. Electrochemical studies of the uniformly deposited HRO nanoparticles on the CNF surface showed a mass specific capacitance of 645 F g(-1) and an electrode specific capacitance of 1.29 F cm(-2) with a HRO-CNF material loading of 2 mg cm(-2) in the supercapacitor electrodes. The mass specific capacitance of pure HRO is 301 F g(-1), whereas the mass specific capacitance of HRO in the HRO-CNF electrode is ~1300 F g(-1), which is very close to the theoretical capacitance of HRO. This enhanced charge storage ability, high rate capability, better cyclic stability and low ESR of the HRO-CNF will be useful for the development of high performance supercapacitors.     

Processability characteristics and physico‐mechanical properties of natural rubber modified with rubber seed oil and epoxidized rubber seed oil

The processability characteristics and physico‐mechanical properties of natural rubber (NR) modified with raw rubber seed oil and epoxidized rubber seed oil have been studied. The modified mixes showed higher scorch time and lower cure rate, crosslink density, and ultimate state of cure compared to an unmodified mix. The thermal stability of the vulcanizates was practically unaffected by the modification. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 1413–1418, 2000     

High‐Performance Carbon Nanotube‐Reinforced Bioplastic

The inherent properties of poly(lactide), a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, are concurrently improved by the incorporation of a small amount of surface functionalized carbon nanotubes. A new method has been used to functionalize the CNTs' outer surface with hexadecylamine. A composite of PLA with functionalized CNTs has been prepared by melt‐extrusion. FT‐IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, DSC, and optical microscopy are used to investigate the thermal and mechanical property improvement mechanism in f‐CNTs containing PLA composite.

     

Study of bimetallic corrosion related to Cu interconnects using micropattern corrosion screening method and Tafel plots

On-chip microscopic corrosion, originating from contact of dissimilar metals, can cause serious reliability issues for integrated circuits and microelectromechanical devices. A new micropattern corrosion screening method combined with Tafel plots were employed to study Cu bimetallic corrosion in acid and base solutions relevant to the chemical–mechanical planarization process. The results demonstrated that Cu corrosion on Ru is much more severe compared to Cu corrosion on Ta substrates. Tafel plots confirm the nobility trend of Ru > Cu > Ta. The micropattern corrosion study shows the Cu bimetallic corrosion depends on specific chemicals and bimetallic contacts. Strong complexing ligands like NH₃ combined with energetically favorable Cu/Ru bimetallic contact promote faster Cu corrosion under alkaline conditions (9 ≤ pH ≤ 11.4). Micropattern corrosion screening was shown to be useful in identifying the metastable surface layer during Cu corrosion and determining the optimal benzotriazole concentration for Cu corrosion inhibition.     

Quantifying adherence of oxide scales on steels exposed to high temperature and pressure steam

Oxide scale exfoliation is a major concern in fossil fuel power generation because it can cause tube blockages and erode valves and steam turbine components downstream. There is still considerable scientific and commercial interest to improve the mechanistic understanding of oxide failures by developing models to predict exfoliation and the extent of tube blockage as a function of operating conditions and component geometries. Tensile testing inside a scanning electron microscope was conducted on ferritic–martensitic and austenitic steel specimens with the steam side (Fe,Cr)-rich oxides grown after exposures for up to 1000 h in steam with ~100 ppb O₂ at 276 bar and 550°C. Multiple oxide layer cracks and delamination events were observed and analyzed in detail during the tests. Results from the testing agreed well with earlier observations that had identified the failure location at the outer–inner oxide layer for all tested materials. Calculated adhesion energies identified the outer–inner oxide interface of alloy 347HFG as the weakest interface.     

The lost-wax casting of icons, utensils, bells, and other items in South India

Indian artisans and craftsmen have long been masters at extracting and shaping metals and alloys, as proven by archaeological finds from the 2nd—3rd millennia B.C. For example, two well-known artifacts, castings of the dancing girl of Mohenjo Daro and the Mother Goddess of Adichanallur, Tamilnadu, depict a high degree of metallurgical knowledge. Those castings were formed by the lost wax process, which later was modified and became known as investment casting. In various parts of India, this age-old casting process is still being practiced, without any major modifications. This paper discusses details of the process used by the Indian artisans of Swamimalai, Tamilnadu, and Mannar, Kerala, South India in shaping copper-base alloys into icons and utensils, bells, and lamps.     

Effect of fiber‐mat anisotropy on 1D mold filling in LCM: A numerical investigation

The 1D flow experiment is one of the most common methods to measure the saturated and unsaturated permeabilities as well as to study the unsaturated flow in liquid composite molding (LCM) processes used for manufacturing polymer composites. The effective permeability along a flow direction in an anisotropic fiber mat, which is a function of the principal components of the permeability tensor and the angle between the principal and flow directions, is based on the assumption of uniform 1D flow in the mat. In the present paper, the validity of such unidirectional flow assumption is shown to depend on three factors, i.e., the fiber‐mat aspect ratio, the anisotropy ratio (the ratio of the major and minor principal in‐plane permeabilities), and the angle of the principal permeability direction. A mold‐filling simulation for hard‐mold LCM processes based on the control volume/finite element formulation is used to investigate how these three factors affect the 1D flow. A new algorithm for applying the uniform inlet‐pressure condition prevalent in the 1D flow mold under the constant‐flow‐rate injection is developed to match the actual conditions in the mold. Our numerical results show that the three aforementioned factors have significant influence on the inlet‐pressure history as well as on the mold‐filling pattern. Maximum deviations from the unidirectional flow predictions in the inlet‐pressure history as well as the flow‐front progress is seen when the principal permeability direction is at an angle of 45° with respect to the flow direction; these deviations worsen with a decrease in the mat aspect ratio and with an increase in the anisotropy ratio. However, the inlet‐pressure history remains linear and the progress of the average flow‐front remains predictable by the 1D flow theory. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Overview on Recent Developments of Bondcoats for Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings

The performance of MCrAlY (M = Ni, Co) bondcoats for atmospheric plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings (APS-TBCs) is substantially affected by the contents of Co, Ni, Cr, and Al as well as minor additions of Y, Hf, Zr, etc., but also by manufacturing-related properties such as coating thickness, porosity, surface roughness, and oxygen content. The latter properties depend in turn on the exact technology and set of parameters used for bondcoat deposition. The well-established LPPS process competes nowadays with alternative technologies such as HVOF and APS. In addition, new technologies have been developed for bondcoats manufacturing such as high-velocity APS or a combination of HVOF and APS for application of a flashcoat. Future developments of the bondcoat systems will likely include optimization of thermal spraying methods for obtaining complex bondcoat roughness profiles required for extended APS-TBC lifetimes. Introduction of the newest generation single-crystal superalloys possessing low Cr and high Al and refractory metals (Re, Ru) contents will require definition of new bondcoat compositions and/or multilayered bondcoats to minimize interdiffusion issues. The developments of new bondcoat compositions may be substantially facilitated using thermodynamic–kinetic modeling, the vast potential of which has been demonstrated in recent years.     

The influence of internal chills on the structure and properties of aluminium alloy castings

Many of the drawbacks associated with the production of conventionally cast ingots and castings, such as the presence of pipes, centre-line segregation and columnar grains, can be attributed to the manner and extent of cooling inside the mould cavity and the problems of heat transfer from the centre to the outside of the casting. These result in lowering of the average mechanical properties and the yield of the casting. In the past, the use of external chills to reduce the above defects has had limited effects. This is because the influence of external chills becomes marginal beyond a certain distance. One of the potential methods of overcoming such problems is to employ heat sinks in the form of internal chills. Despite reported work by Russian and Japanese investigators on the use of internal chills, in the form of powder or strip, in iron and steel castings, no detailed information on the use of such chills in aluminium or other non-ferrous alloys is available in the literature.

This paper presents details and findings of an investigation carried out with Al-4.5% Cu (LM11) alloy using chills of cylindrical form of the same composition. The influence of such internal chills, placed centrally and non-centrally was assessed in terms of changes in solidification time, temperature gradient, percentage melting, microstructure, density, and the ultimate tensile strength of the castings.

The investigation has shown that solidification time decreases linearly with the percentage volume of the chills. Progressive structural refinement, corresponding to this reduction in solidification time, has also been observed. Distribution of the chills is seen to play an important role. One centrally-placed chill is essential in the refinement of the structure of the central region of an ingot, as well as to reduce the size of the central open pipe. The use of microchills in the form of turnings and powder has also been found to refine the structure considerably. The density and ultimate tensile strength of castings has been found to increase up to the optimum volume of chill, i.e. 2.5% at 75–115 K and 0.63% at 35 K superheat, and then decrease.     

Influence of autoinducer-2 (AI-2) and beef sample extracts on E. coli O157:H7 survival and gene expression of virulence genes yadK and hhA

ABSTRACT:  Bacterial cell-to-cell communication is mediated by autoinducer (AI) molecules such as AI-2 and has been reported to regulate gene expression in Escherichia coli O157:H7. We have previously shown that ground beef contains compounds that can inhibit sensing of AI-2 like activity. The hypothesis of this study was that AI-2 activity observed in conditioned medium (CM) will enhance E. coli O157:H7 survival and expression of virulence genes, whereas compounds inhibitory (such as those present in ground beef extracts) to AI-2 activity will negate these effects. E. coli O157:H7 luxS mutant strain VS 94 (incapable of synthesizing AI-2) was employed in these studies. The survival of this enteric bacterial pathogen as a function of AI-2 activity and the presence of AI-2 inhibitory compounds was studied at 4 °C. The number of survivors in the presence of AI-2 was significantly higher compared to the absence of AI-2, and the addition of ground beef extracts to conditioned medium negated the influence of AI-2 activity. Autoinducer AI-2 upregulated selected genes virulence genes ( yadK , and hha ), whereas the ground beef extract reversed the effect of AI-2 on the expression of the selected genes.