The rheological,mechanical and templating effects of graphene oxide nanosheets in filled gel spun polyacrylonitrile

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in dimethylformamide solution containing 0.25 or 1 wt% graphene oxide (GO) was gel spun to tapes. Scanning electron microscopy of tapes showed compact staircase cross-sections hallmarking the gel spun products. Low shear rate rheometry of the tape precursors revealed a viscosity increase, while the structural viscosity indexes of dispersions dropped to 40 and 70% at high shear rates by 0.25 and 1 wt% GO inclusion, respectively. Furthermore, the sol–gel transition temperature of PAN solution was enhanced by about 2.5 and 10 °C with 0.25 and 1 wt% GO inclusion, respectively. Strain sweep test implied a gel-to-sol transition from 9 to 28% by 1 wt% GO inclusion. The experimental reinforcement coefficient corresponded the aligned Halpin–Tsai model confirming the suitable dispersion preparation route namely master batch dilution implementing strong interphase formation among the PAN chains and GO platelets. Molecular evolution analysis during air stabilization through a combined second derivative of FTIR spectra, Gaussian peak fitting represented by I_sd index, indicated the initial cyclization at 290 °C followed by its enhanced rate. Final I_sd was noticed to be 48% higher for the tapes containing GO nanosheets. GO inclusion not only enhanced the tape heat of stabilizations but also differentiated its proportional I_sd and toughness dependency based on the heat of stabilization.     

Corrosion behavior of 2024 aluminum alloy anodized in presence of permanganate and phosphate ions

In this article, the effects of two inorganic corrosion inhibitors, permanganate and phosphate anions, on morphology, composition, thickness, and corrosion resistance of the anodic film formed on 2024 aluminum alloy in sulfuric acid were investigated. Surface morphology of the oxide films were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization tests were conducted to assess the corrosion resistance of the coatings. These analyses showed that the presence of the mentioned inhibitors changed the coating morphology, especially in the case of phosphate ions. Corrosion results indicated that using inhibitors during the anodizing process increased the corrosion resistance of the anodized samples. The increases were approximately 81% and 97% for 0.05 M of permanganate and phosphate ions, respectively, compared with the anodized coatings in the absence of additives. An increase in the inhibitor concentration results in better corrosion resistance of the aluminum anodic layer.     

Prediction of Hydrate Phase Equilibria in Aqueous Solutions of Salt and Organic Inhibitor Using a Combined Equation of State and Activity Coefficient‐Based Model

A thermodynamic model based on combination of the Valderrama modification of the Patel‐Teja equation of state with non‐density dependent mixing rules and a modification of a Debye‐Hückel electrostatic term is extended to systems containing salt and organic inhibitor by correcting the properties of the aqueous phase such as dielectric constant, density and molecular weight. A linear mixing rule is used for determining the dielectric constant of salt‐free mixture by introducing an interaction parameter (in dielectric constant mixing rule), which is tuned using the freezing point data of aqueous solutions containing salt and organic inhibitor. The binary interaction parameter between salt and organic inhibitor is adjusted using water vapour pressure data in the presence of salt and organic inhibitor. The predicted hydrate dissociation conditions are in acceptable agreement with the experimental data, demonstrating the reliability of the model developed in this work.     

A novel way to production yttrium glass microspheres for medical applications

In this paper a novel method of producing yttrium aluminum silicate microspheres is reported. Yttrium aluminum silicate microspheres around 20–50 μm in size were obtained when an aqueous solution of Y(NO₃)₃ and Al(NO₃)₃ was added to tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and pumped into stirred silicone oil. The particles produced by this method are regularly shaped and very close to spherical. The amorphous structure, Y-O-Si bonds, spherical shapes, composition, and element distribution were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), carbon/sulfur analysis, and SEM/EDS mapping analysis. The results obtained demonstrate that the silicone oil spheroidization method is suitable for the production of yttrium aluminum silicate microspheres. This study also reveals that a high temperature is not required for the production of yttrium aluminum silicate microspheres.     

Continuous Application of Polyglycerol‐Supported Salen in a Membrane Reactor: Asymmetric Epoxidation of 6‐Cyano‐2,2‐dimethylchromene

In the current work, suitability of hyperbranched polyglycerol as a high loading catalyst support is demonstrated. A polyglycerol‐supported manganese‐salen complex (chemzyme) is applied as a homogeneous catalyst in the epoxidation of 6‐cyano‐2,2‐dimethylchromene. The recyclability of the corresponding catalyst was investigated in repetitive batch experiments as well as a continuous operation of the reaction in an ultrafiltration membrane reactor. An enhanced stability of the catalyst in repetitive batches was observed as a result of immobilization whereby the total turnover number increased from 23 in a single batch to 80 in four repetitive batches. To enable continuous operation, a continuously operated, stirred tanked reactor (CSTR) was equipped with an ultrafiltration membrane (MPF‐50) and a retention of 98% was determined. The continuous chemzyme membrane reactor was operated over the course of 20 residence times. After approximately 12 residence times, the steady state was reached yielding 70% conversion as well as an enantiomeric excess up to 92%. A space‐time yield (sty) of 458 g L ⁻¹ d⁻¹ and a turnover frequency (TOF_reaction) of up to 18 h⁻¹ was reached in the steady state. It was determined that the total turnover number (TTN) was enhanced by a factor of 10 from 24 (batch) up to 240 for 20 residence times in CSTR operation.     

Dehydration of water/1-1-dimethylhydrazine mixtures by zeolite membranes

In this research, dehydration of water/1-1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) mixtures by zeolite NaA and hydroxy sodalite membranes has been investigated. Support of these membranes has been tubular mullites that have been made by extruding a mixture of about 67–75% kaolin clay and 33–25% distilled water using an extruder. Zeolite NaA and hydroxy sodalite membranes have been coated on the external surface of the porous supports by the hydrothermal synthesis.

UDMH/water mixtures have been separated at ambient temperature and pressure by pervaporation (PV) using these zeolite membranes. These membranes showed very high selectivity of water for all UDMH mixtures. For the UDMH/water mixtures, separation factor as high as 10 000 has been obtained for UDMH feed concentration of 2%. Total mass fluxes of 1.05–0.2 kg/(m² h) have been also obtained.     

Experimental and numerical investigations of low velocity impact behavior of high-performance fiber-reinforced cement based composite

Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) has been used in structural applications in order to enhance the structural performance under dynamic loading and reduce cracking and spalling phenomena by increasing toughness, ductility, and tensile strength of the concrete. High-performance fiber-reinforced cement based composite (HPFRC) is a high-strength FRC with enhanced high-performance characteristics. Recent studies have shown that HPFRC has higher impact resistance than other types of concrete. Therefore, it has been widely considered as a promising material for the construction of important and strategic structures. HPFRC panels are tested by drop projectiles up to an impact at which failure occurs. Mechanical properties of HPFRC are obtained to define material parameters in the MAT_SOIL_CONCRETE model in LS-DYNA, which is used to simulate the behavior of HPFRC panel under impact loading and perform parametric studies. Predicted crack and failure patterns on both sides of the HPFRC panel based on finite element simulation are in good agreement with their corresponding experimental results.