Use of La2O3 with 8YSZ as thermal barrier coating and its effect on thermal cycle behavior,microstructure, mechanical properties and performance of diesel engine operated by hydrogen-algae biodiesel blend

In this present work, the effect of lanthanum oxides (La₂O₃) on the thermal cycle behavior of TBC coatings and mechanical properties such as adhesion strength and microhardness of 8% Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (8YSZ) TBCs were investigated. CoNiCrAlY and aluminium alloy (Al–13%Si) were used as bond coat and substrate materials. 8YSZ and different wt % of La₂O₃ (10, 20, and 30%) top coatings were applied using the atmospheric plasma spray (APS) method. The thermal cycling test for TBC coated samples were conducted at 800 °C in the electric furnace. The XRD pattern shows that the La₂O₃ doped 8YSZ material transformed to cubic pyrochloric structured La₂Zr₂O₇ during thermal cycling. Further, the Taguchi-based grey relation analysis (GRA) method was applied to optimize the TBC coating parameters to achieve better mechanical properties such as adhesion strength and microhardness. And the optimized La₂O₃/8YSZ TBC coating was coated on CRDI engine combustion chamber components. The engine was tested with microalgae biodiesel and hydrogen, and the results were promising for the TBC-coated engine. The engine performance increased while using La₂O₃/8YSZ coated components, and the emissions from engine exhaust gas such as CO, HC, and smoke reduced considerably. It was found that there was no separation crack and spallation of the coating layer in the microstructure. Ultimately, the microstructural analysis of the optimized TBC coated piston sample after 50 h of running in the diesel engine confirmed that the developed coating had a superior thermal insulation effect and longer life.     

Structural,optical, and electrical properties of tin iodide-based vacancy-ordered-double perovskites synthesized via mechanochemical reaction

Over the recent past, lead-based halide perovskite materials have drawn significant attention due to their excellent optical and electrical properties for solar cells and optoelectronics applications. However, the toxicity of lead elements and instability under ambient conditions leads to develop alternative compositions. Herein, we report a novel mechanochemical synthesis of tin iodide-based double perovskites (A₂SnI₆; A = Rb⁺, Cs⁺, methylammonium, and formamidinium), and their structural, optical, and electrical properties are investigated. Importantly, we found that the hydrogen iodide (HI) addition during the ball-milling process minimizes secondary phase formation in the synthesized A₂SnI₆ powders. The effects of HI addition and the A-site substitution are investigated with respect to the lattice parameters, optical bandgaps, and electrical properties of the synthesized perovskite materials. Our results demonstrate essential information to improve the understanding of halide perovskite materials and develop efficient lead-free perovskite photoelectric devices.     

Metabolic Profiling of VOCs Emitted by Bacteria Isolated from Pressure Ulcers and Treated with Different Concentrations of Bio-AgNPs

Considering the advent of antibiotic resistance, the study of bacterial metabolic behavior stimulated by novel antimicrobial agents becomes a relevant tool to elucidate involved adaptive pathways. Profiling of volatile metabolites was performed to monitor alterations of bacterial metabolism induced by biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (bio-AgNPs). Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis were isolated from pressure ulcers, and their cultures were prepared in the presence/absence of bio-AgNPs at 12.5, 25 and 50 µg mL⁻¹. Headspace solid phase microextraction associated to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was the employed analytical platform. At the lower concentration level, the agent promoted positive modulation of products of fermentation routes and bioactive volatiles, indicating an attempt of bacteria to adapt to an ongoing suppression of cellular respiration. Augmented response of aldehydes and other possible products of lipid oxidative cleavage was noticed for increasing levels of bio-AgNPs. The greatest concentration of agent caused a reduction of 44 to 80% in the variety of compounds found in the control samples. Pathway analysis indicated overall inhibition of amino acids and fatty acids routes. The present assessment may provide a deeper understanding of molecular mechanisms of bio-AgNPs and how the metabolic response of bacteria is untangled.     

Constructing magnetically recoverable CdS/CaFe2O4 P–N heterojunctions for enhanced photoelectrochemical properties towards H2 evolution reaction

A novel CdS/CaFe₂O₄ (CS/CFO) heterogeneous p-n junction was created by thermal deposition of CaFe₂O₄ nanoparticles on CdS rods. The CS/CFO hetero-structured photocatalysts exhibited increasingly efficient visible light harvesting compared to the bare CdS. The CS/CFO composites also presented higher photocurrent and slower decay of photoluminescence, suggesting a better separation of the photo-generated electrons and holes. The photocatalytic H₂ evolution quantity on the optimized CS/CFO composite from water in the presence of ethanol was up to 2200 μmol after 3-h visible light illumination, which is more than twice that of the pristine CdS. The chemical interaction between CdS and CaFe₂O₄ was confirmed by the shifts in the XPS peaks, which made it possible for the charge carriers to transfer across the p-n junction interface. This research highlights the importance of forming an interfacial p-n heterojunction between two semiconductors for efficient charge separation and improved photocatalytic performance.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of α/β-Si3N4 composite ceramics with novel ternary additives prepared via spark plasma sintering

In this study, α/β-Si₃N₄ composite ceramics with high hardness and toughness were fabricated by adopting two different novel ternary additives, ZrN–AlN–Al₂O₃/Y₂O₃, and spark plasma sintering at 1550 °C under 40 MPa. The phase composition, microstructure, grain distribution, crack propagation process and mechanical properties of sintered bulk were investigated. Results demonstrated that the sintered α/β-Si₃N₄ composite ceramics with ZrN–AlN–Al₂O₃ contained the most α phase, which resulted in a maximum Vickers hardness of 18.41 ± 0.31 GPa. In the α/β-Si₃N₄ composite ceramics with ZrN–AlN–Y₂O₃ additives, Zr₃AlN MAX-phase and ZrO phase were found and their formation mechanisms were explained. The fracture appearance presented coarser elongated β-Si₃N₄ grains and denser microstructure when 20 wt% TiC particles were mixed into Si₃N₄ matrix, meanwhile, exhibited maximum mean grain diameter of 0.98 ± 0.24 μm. As a result, the compact α/β-Si₃N₄ composite ceramics containing ZrN–AlN–Y₂O₃ additives and TiC particles displayed the optimal bending strength and fracture toughness of 822.63 ± 28.75 MPa and 8.53 ± 0.21 MPa?m^1/2, respectively. Moreover, the synergistic toughening of rod-like β-Si₃N₄ grains and TiC reinforced particles revealed the beneficial effect on the enhanced fracture toughness of Si₃N₄ ceramic matrix.     

Characterization of barium titanate reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene rubber composites for flexible electronic applications: influences of barium titanate content

The aim of this study was to develop high dielectric constant flexible polymers with a highly efficient and cost‐effective approach using acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) as the polymer matrix and barium titanate (BT) as the high dielectric constant filler. The BT powder was synthesized with a solid‐state reaction and was characterized using a particle size analyzer, XRD, SEM and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. NBR/BT composites were fabricated using an internal mixer with various BT loadings up to 160 phr. The influence of BT loading on the cure characteristics and mechanical, dynamic mechanical, thermal, dielectric and morphological properties was determined. The incorporation of BT in the NBR matrix shortened scorch time and increased delta torque. The mechanical properties, thermal stability and dielectric constant were greatly improved and increased with BT loading. The results suggest that the reinforcement effect was achieved due to strong hydrogen bonding or polar–polar interactions between NBR matrix and BT filler. This is further corroborated by the good dispersion of BT filler in the NBR matrix observed with SEM imaging. These findings can be applied to produce high‐performance dielectric elastomers. © 2020 Society of Industrial Chemistry     

Microstructure and electric properties of Pr-doped Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 ceramics

Improving the piezoelectric activity of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics is of great importance for practical applications. In this study, the influence of Pr³⁺ doping on the ferroelectric phase composition, microstructure, and electric properties on the A-site of (Pb_1-1.5xPr_x)(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ is extensively investigated. A dense and fine microstructural sample is obtained with the introduction of Pr³⁺. The results show that the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) moves to the rhombohedral phase region. The rhombohedral and tetragonal phases exhibit an ideal coexistence in the 4 mol.% Pr³⁺ doped (PPZT4) samples. Lead vacancy and the reduction of the potential energy barrier are considered to be the key mechanisms for donor doping, which is upheld by the Pr³⁺ doping. Combining the I-E hysteresis loops with the P-E hysteresis loops, it becomes apparent that both contribution maximums of the domain switching and residual polarisation are in PPZT4. Moreover, the thermal aging resistance of PZT is improved by doping, and the temperature stability is optimised from 83% in PZT to 96% in PPZT4. Hence, an appropriate amount of Pr³⁺ doping can effectively improve the piezoelectric activity of PZT ceramics in the MPB area and optimise the performance stability of the material under application temperatures.     

Dielectric performance of pyrochlore-type Bi2MgNb2-xTaxO9 ceramics: The effects of tantalum doping

The solid solutions based on the pyrochlore-type system Bi₂MgNb_2-xTa_xO₉ were formed in the compositional range х = 0–2.0 (Bi_1·6Mg_0·8Nb_1.6-tTa_tO_7.2, t = 0–1.6). The Rietveld method was used to refine the structure for Bi₂MgNb_2-xTa_xO₉ (x = 0, 1.0, 2.0). The increasing tantalum content led to the slight decrease in the cubic unit cell parameters from 10.56934 (4) Å for x = 0 and 10.54607 (3) Å for x = 2 (sp.gr. Fd-3m:2). At the same time, tantalum additions suppressed grain growth in the pyrochlore ceramics during sintering and made it possible to obtain materials with an average grain size of 1–2 μm (Bi_1·6Mg_0·8Ta_1·6O_7.2). The increase in the Ta⁵⁺ concentration led to the decrease in the dielectric permeability from 104 (Bi_1·6Mg_0·8Nb_1·6O_7.2) to 20 (Bi_1·6Mg_0·8Ta_1·6O_7.2) at room temperature, while the dielectric loss tangent remained lower than 0.002, which is due to the small grain size and the high porosity of the samples. An increase in temperature has practically no effect on the values of the dielectric permittivity in the entire frequency range. The samples have weak through conductivity. The activation energies of electrical conductivity varied in the range of 0.84–1.00 eV, and the less tantalum, the lower the activation energy. The electrical properties of the samples at 200 Hz to 1 MHz are described by the simplest parallel scheme.     

Influence of pulse-jet cleaning pressure on performance of compact dust collector with pleated filter operated in clean-on-time mode

To operate a bag filter continuously, pulse-jet cleaning of dust particles from the filter medium is commonly required, and the pulse-jet pressure significantly affects the filter performance. In this study, the accumulation structure of residual dust particles inside and on the surface of a filter medium at different pulse-jet pressures was investigated by constructing a simple model, and the influence of the dust structure on the filter performance was clarified. Using a simple model, we determined the effective ratio of filtration area β, which represents the ratio of the filterable area to the total filtration area, the true resistance coefficient due to the primary dust layer ζ_p’ thinly deposited on the filter surface, and the true resistance coefficient inside the filter media itself ζ_f’_. The effective ratio of filtration area β decreased with operation time for all pulse-jet pressures; however, it maintained a high value when the pulse-jet pressure was high. The validity of β analyzed by the model was verified using two different methods, and the results showed good agreement, indicating that the model is effective in identifying real conditions. The true resistance coefficient due to the primary dust layer ζ_p’ decreased as the pulse-jet pressure increased; however, the true resistance coefficient inside the filter media itself ζ_f’ was the highest at 0.5 MPa. In addition, the dust collection efficiency was different at each pulse-jet pressure, which was considered to be caused by the difference in the dust particle accumulation structure.     

Determination of optical and structural properties of lithium silicate ceramics with different ratios of Sm doped

In this study, the synthesis and luminescence characterization of Samarium (Sm³⁺) doped lithium metasilicate (Li₂SiO₃) phosphor ceramic were investigated. It was presented and discussed the results obtained on the luminescence and other optical studies such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical absorption and luminescence properties of Li₂SiO₃:Sm³⁺ phosphor ceramic. The Li₂SiO₃ compound was shown a characteristic phase in XRD. The doping in the lithium compound was not having a significant effect on the basic crystal structure of the material. The maximum photoluminescence (PL) emission for Sm³⁺ doped Li₂SiO₃ was observed at 554, 583, 641, 725 nm and bore resemblance to the visible region of the spectrum. The glow curves of all synthesized materials have a complex peak structure after being irradiated with a ⁹⁰Sr–⁹⁰Y beta source. In addition, the peak between 400 and 600 nm was seen in the radioluminescence (RL) spectrum because of a wide peak thought to be caused by silicate.