Properties of lightweight expanded polystyrene concrete reinforced with steel fiber

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) concrete is a lightweight, low strength material with good energy-absorbing characteristics. However, due to the light weight of EPS beads and their hydrophobic surface, EPS concrete is prone to segregation during casting, which results in poor workability and lower strength. In this study, a premix method similar to the ‘sand-wrapping’ technique was utilized to make EPS concrete. Its mechanical properties were investigated as well. The research showed that EPS concrete with a density of 800-1800 kg/m³ and a compressive strength of 10-25 MPa can be made by partially replacing coarse and fine aggregate by EPS beads. Fine silica fume greatly improved the bond between the EPS beads and cement paste and increased the compressive strength of EPS concrete. In addition, adding steel fiber significantly improved the drying shrinkage.     

Effect of silica fume and fly ash on heat of hydration of Portland cement

Results of calorimeter tests on Portland cement-silica fume-fly ash mixtures are presented. Data indicate that silica fume accelerates cement hydration at high water/cementitious ratios and retards hydration at low water/cementitious ratios. On the other hand, fly ash retards cement hydration more significantly at high water/cementitious ratios. When silica fume and fly ash are added together with cement, the reactivity of the silica fume is hampered and the hydration of the cementitious system is significantly retarded.     

改性聚乙烯醇缩甲醛胶的研制与应用

介绍了一种用聚丙烯酸酯和硅溶胶改性聚乙烯醇缩甲醛的方法，用此法制得的白乳胶与传统的聚醋酸乙烯酯白乳胶相比较，具有抗冻性好、贮存稳定、成本低、性能好以及用途更广等特点。     

石英砂热膨胀性的研究

以大林砂、围场砂、平潭砂等为研究对象,采用自制的铸造用砂热膨胀性测定仪,分别对不同产地的铸造用砂的随温热膨胀和等温热膨胀进行了测试,对其热膨胀特性进行了研究.结果发现,石英砂的膨胀以热膨胀为主,相变膨胀为辅.膨胀量受加热温度、砂子粒度以及SiO2含量的影响.经700 ℃热再生的石英砂的热膨胀性低于同类新砂.     

石英砂高温改性对酯硬化水玻璃砂性能的影响

通过对由平度人造石英砂、围场砂和梧龙砂高温改性后混制的水玻璃砂铸造工艺性能的研究，发现在环境温度和湿度相同的条件下，随焙烧温度升高，型砂的抗拉强度提高；相同的焙烧温度下，高温焙烧对不同原砂的改性作用不同；对三种原砂而言，其抗拉强度还受到环境湿度和温度的影响，在相同的环境温度下，湿度越大，水玻璃砂的抗拉强度越低。提出了石英砂高温改性对酯硬化水玻璃砂性能的影响规律。     

Coating nanodiamonds with biocompatible shells for applications in biology and medicine

Use of nanodiamonds (NDs) as nontoxic nanoparticles for biological imaging, sensing, and drug delivery is expanding rapidly. The interest in NDs is triggered by their unique combination of optical properties. ND can accommodate nitrogen-vacancy color centers which provide stable fluorescence without photobleaching or photoblinking and their electronic structure is very sensitive to magnetic and electric fields. The limited options to control ND properties during synthesis or by direct surface functionalization leave room to be improved upon by employing surface coatings engineered precisely for a particular application. The major disadvantages of unmodified NDs are their limited colloidal stability and tendency to non-specifically adsorb biomolecules. This review aims to summarize recent advances in coating NDs (namely with silica and polymer shells), which addresses these disadvantages and enables the use of NDs in biological applications such as targeting of specific cells, drug delivery, and biological imaging.     

Comparing the pozzolanic behavior of sugar cane bagasse ash to amorphous and crystalline SiO2

The present paper aims to clarify the pozzolanic behavior of sugar cane bagasse ash-SCBA by comparing it to amorphous and crystalline silica. It is shown that calcium silicate hydrate is formed in lime solution with SCBA but the reaction is slow and does not consume all the material. Comparing its results with the obtained in tests with silica fume and with crushed quartz show a better agreement with the latter. Characterization of cement pastes shows 20% of cement replacement by sugar cane bagasse ash leads to only a minor reduction in the amount of calcium hydroxide formed. This behavior is also closer to the observed in quartz than in silica fume. The results suggest SCBA should be used as a replacement for inert constituents in cement composites rather than pozzolanic addition. Analysis of the microstructure of the cement pastes revealed the presence of calcium hydroxide in samples prepared with partial replacement by silica fume, quartz and sugar cane bagasse ash. The presence of this phase in the sample prepared with silica fume was attributed to agglomeration of the particles that affected the reactivity of this material.     

Experimental tracking of silica dispersion into silicone polymer

This work deals with the experimental tracking of a dispersion of very fine silica particles in PDMS using a new, easily implemented methodology. The dispersion experiments are carried out in an 8-l capacity mixer equipped with a torquemeter. Using a Couette analogy, the torque-rotational speed data can be converted into process viscosity-effective shear rate data. Simultaneously, the Particle Size Distribution (PSD) evolution is followed through Laser Light Scattering measurements on diluted samples. The PSD evolution allowed us to interpret the dispersion process in terms of different mechanisms, such as breaking-up and erosion of aggregates, as well as, in some cases, re-agglomeration (or flocculation) of particles.     

Quaternary Ammonium Salts (QAS) Modified Polysiloxane Biocide Supported on Silica Materials

Three types of silica particles modified with vinyl groups were obtained: (i) xerogel formed by hydrolytic polycondensation of the mixture of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and 1,1,1,7−tetramethoxy-3,5,7-trimethyl-3,5,7-trivinyltetrasiloxane, (ii) mesoporous silica obtained from the same precursors in the presence of the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and (iii) commercial Fluka silica gel 60A with a vinyltriethoxysilane-treated surface. Vinyl groups on these silica materials were transformed into silyl chloride by hydrosilylation with HMe₂SiCl. These groups were used to graft living polysiloxane that was synthesized by anionic ring-opening polymerization of 2,4,6-tri(3-chloropropyl)-2,4,6-trimethylcyclotrisiloxane and initiated by BuLi. Chloropropyl groups on the grafted polymer were used to quaternize N,N-dimethyl-n-octylamine. Silica particles with grafted polysiloxane having quaternary ammonium salt (QAS) groups pendant to polymer chains were obtained. Silica material with QAS groups directly attached to the surface were generated by the action of N,N-dimethyl-n-octylamine on particles obtained by the sol–gel process involving tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with 3-chloropropyltriethoxysilane. The bacteriocidal properties of all these materials were tested in water suspension against five representative strains for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Some of the silica–polysiloxane hybrid materials have good antibacterial properties against Gram-positive strains, but not as good as the non-tethered QAS-substituted polysiloxane in water solution. The QAS groups that are directly bonded to the silica material surface are inactive.     

Synthesis and characterization of silica aerogels by a novel fast ambient pressure drying process

Using cheap waterglass as silica source, silica aerogels were synthesized via a novel fast ambient drying by using an ethanol/trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS)/Heptane solution for modification of the wet gel. One-step solvent exchange and surface modification were simultaneously progressed by immersing the hydrogel in EtOH/TMCS/Heptane solution, in which TMCS reacting with pore water and Si–OH group on the surface of the gel, with ethanol and heptane helping to decrease the rate of TMCS reacting with pore water and extrude water from gel pores. The synthesized silica aerogel was a light and crack-free solid, with the density of 0.128–0.136 g/cm³ and 93.8–94.2% porosity. The microstructure, morphology and properties of the aerogels were studied by FTIR, SEM, TEM and BET measurement. The results indicate that silica aerogels exhibit a sponge structure with uniform nano-particle and pores size distribution. The specific surface areas of silica aerogels are 559–618 m²/g. And there is an obvious Si–CH₃ group on the surface of the silica aerogel.