First La2O2S infrared transparent ceramics

Lanthanum oxysulfide (La₂O₂S) was investigated as infrared transparent ceramic to benefit from stronger chemical bonds and superior mechanical performances to that of non-oxide benchmark infrared materials. La₂O₂S ceramics were processed by hot-pressing powders prepared by combustion synthesis followed by a sulfurization treatment. Powders and ceramics were characterised through various techniques (XRD, UV-Vis-IR spectroscopy, particle size analysis, SEM, Impulse Excitation Technique, microhardness and fracture toughness tests) to assess their purity, study their microstructure and determine their optical and mechanical properties. The study reports the first IR transmission spectra, Poisson’s ratio, Young’s and shear moduli and fracture toughness values of La₂O₂S polycrystalline ceramics. The ceramics showed transparency in the 2–11 µm range and their mechanical performances were all superior to that of commercial infrared ceramics. The best transmission (89% of the theoretical transmission) was measured at 7.3 µm for 1 mm-thick ceramics hot-pressed at 1200–1250 °C.     

The CMAS corrosion behavior of high-entropy (Y0.2Dy0.2Er0.2Tm0.2Yb0.2)4Hf3O12 hafnate material prepared by ultrafast high-temperature sintering (UHS)

High-temperature molten calcium-magnesium-alumina-silicate (CMAS) corrosion has become a fatal factor for the failure of aero-engine thermal barrier coatings. In this study, a promising entropy-stabilized (Y_0.2Dy_0.2Er_0.2Tm_0.2Yb_0.2)₄Hf₃O₁₂ (5YH) hafnate was prepared by the emerging ultrafast high-temperature sintering (UHS), and its corrosion and wetting behavior of molten CMAS were investigated. For the corrosion mechanism, the precipitation of the high-entropy apatite phase promotes the formation of the HfO₂ phase, and it can improve the density and stability of the slow-growing reaction layer, hindering the further penetration of molten CMAS. At 1300 ℃, a reaction layer with a three-layered morphology is generated, resulting from the decreased viscosity of the molten CMAS. Moreover, computational analysis shows that molten CMAS on the 5YH surface has a larger contact angle (17°) than traditional YSZ (13°), and the spreading area is about 90 % of traditional YSZ, which benefits for its good CMAS corrosion resistance.     

Effect of synergism of solid loading and sintering temperature on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of 60 vol% high solid loading ceramic core obtained through stereolithography 3D printing

Solid loading has a significant effect on the curing behavior of slurry and the microstructure and properties of the ceramic core. A high-solid loading slurry can effectively improve the sintering densification of ceramic particles and improve the interlayer bonding strength and mechanical properties at both 25 °C room and higher temperatures. Herein, based on the photopolymerization theory of ceramic slurry, the solid loading was increased from 45 to 60 vol% by adjusting the composition ratio of the resin ceramic powder. Additionally, the optimal sintering temperature of the 60 vol% solid loading ceramic core was 1200 °C. The synergistic effect of the solid loading and sintering temperature controls the sintering shrinkage of the sample within 3.2%; the porosity, high temperature, and room temperature flexural strength were approximately 30%, 24 MPa, and 10 MPa, respectively. The printing preparation of high-solid loading ceramic cores can be used to guide optimizing process parameters on an industrial scale.     

Formation and properties of two-phase bulk metallic glasses by spark plasma sintering

Using a mixture of the gas-atomized Ni_52.5Nb₁₀Zr₁₅Ti₁₅Pt_7.5 and Fe₇₃Si₇B₁₇Nb₃ glassy alloy powders, we produced the two-phase bulk metallic glass (BMG) with high strength and good soft magnetic properties as well as satisfying large-size requirements by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. Two kinds of glassy particulates were homogeneously dispersed each other. With an increase in sintering temperature, density of the produced samples increased, and densified samples were obtained by the SPS process at above 773 K. Good bonding state among the Ni- and Fe-based glassy particulates was achieved.     

Analysis of hydrogen storage mechanism in bilayer double-vacancy defective graphene modified using transition metals: Insights from Ti-BDVG(Ti)-Ti

In this study, using the first principles calculation and analysis, we found that the B-doping in double-vacancy defective graphene could effectively increase the binding energy of Ti atoms in each adsorption site, especially in the H2 adsorption site with a maximum binding energy of 8.3 eV. However, N-doped bilayer graphene (N-BLG) reduced the binding energy of Ti atoms by 88% of the adsorption sites. Given these two findings, a B- and N-doped bilayer double-vacancy-defective graphene (Ti-BDVG(Ti)-Ti) was constructed. Our findings also showed that the Ti-BDVG(Ti)-Ti outer surface and inner surface could adsorb 32 and 12H₂ molecules, respectively, of which 22, 20 and 2H₂ molecules are adsorbed by Kubas, electrostatic interactions and chemisorption, respectively. The hydrogen storage mechanism of Ti-BDVG(Ti)-Ti involves multiple adsorption modes, and this hydrogen storage mechanism provides a theoretical basis for the rational design of hydrogen storage materials with maximum effective hydrogen storage capacity.     

Increasing electron transfer and light absorption in graphited nanocarbon-conjugated g-C3N4 nanosheet heterostructure for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Accelerating the charge separation and transfer as well as increasing the visible light absorption is of great importance for photocatalysts to realize efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution via water splitting. Herein, for the first time, we fabricated in-plane graphited nanocarbon-conjugated polymeric carbon nitride (GNC-C₃N₄) nanosheet heterostructure photocatalyst from melamine and hexaketocyclohexane octahydrate mixture via an amino-carbonyl reaction. The incorporation of GNC into conjugate network of C₃N₄ can not only dramatically enhance the light harvesting but also significantly promote the charge separation and transfer by the built-in electric field and intimate interface in the coplanar GNC-C₃N₄ heterostructure. Accordingly, the optimal GNC-C₃N₄ photocatalyst demonstrates a more than 15-fold enhancement for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water under visible light irradiation, compared to C₃N₄.     

基于启发式动态分解算法的矩形件优化排样

针对二维矩形件优化排样问题,提出了一种启发式动态分解算法,其可扩展用于三维及多容器全局排样求解。根据排放矩形件对容器进行正交动态分解,计算放置耦合度选择最佳子容器,通过干涉关系实现所有容器状态更新,实现大规模复杂排样问题的快速高效求解。对国际上公认Bench-mark多个问题例的计算结果表明,所提算法与同类算法相比优势明显,布局利用率提高达9.4%,计算效率提升达95.7%,并且已在商业化排样软件AutoCUT中应用,应用前景良好。     

Conjugate heat and mass transfer in membrane-formed channels in all entry regions

Membrane-based energy recovery ventilators (or total heat exchangers) are key equipments to fresh air ventilation, which is helpful for the control of respiratory diseases like Swine flu (H1N1) and SARS. Parallel-plates narrow channels are common structure for membrane-based energy recovery ventilators. In practice, the exchanger channel lengths are limited due to the confinement in pressure drops and noises. In these channels, the hydraulically, thermally and concentrationally entry regions account for a large fraction of the total duct length. However, previous investigations neglected the entry issues for simplicity. Either hydraulically fully developed, or thermally or/and concentrationally fully developed flow were assumed, which would underestimate equipments performances seriously. This study provides a more accurate methodology: fluid flow, heat and mass transport equations were solved directly as they enter into the channel. In other words, both the fluid flow and the heat and mass transport are in simultaneously developing regions. The membrane and the two neighboring flows are considered as a conjugate problem. The conjugate heat transfer problem is solved with a commercial CFD code. Then the conjugate mass transfer problem is solved by transferring it to another conjugate heat transfer problem by heat mass analogy. The Nusselt and Sherwood numbers in the entry regions are calculated. The effects of three typical flow arrangements: cocurrent, counter and cross flow, on the boundary conditions and the consequent Nusselt and Sherwood numbers in the channels are evaluated.     

Accelerating ray convergence in incident heat flux calculations using Sobol sequences

In this paper an improved quadrature scheme based on the reverse Monte Carlo method implemented using Sobol sequences to generate ray orientations is presented. This has the property that a more uniform pattern of rays on the unit hemisphere is produced compared to the usual implementation of the reverse Monte Carlo method. The use of Sobol sequences gives a ray convergence rate for the incident heat flux that is asymptotically equivalent to $O(N_{\mathrm{Ray}}^{?1})$. The generation of ray directions using Sobol sequences means that the Central Limit Theorem no longer holds. In its place a Gaussian variable is formulated from the incident intensity distributions calculated using Sobol sequences. This makes it possible to calculate confidence limits for a prediction of incident heat flux and the confidence limits contract with ray number at a rate of $O(N_{\mathrm{Ray}}^{?1}ln(N_{\mathrm{Ray}}))$. An extension to the Monte Carlo method combined with Sobol sequences is also presented that exploits the shape of the incident intensity distribution to a receiver. The new methodology is relatively simple to implement and shows some promising improvements in computational efficiency.