Mullite for Structural, Electronic, and Optical Applications

Mullite (3Al₂O₃·2SiO₂) is becoming increasingly important in electronic, optical, and high-temperature structural applications. This paper reviews the current state of mullite-related research at a fundamental level, within the framework of phase equilibria, crystal structure, synthesis, processing, and properties. Phase equilibria are discussed in terms of the problems associated with the nucleation kinetics of mullite and the large variations observed in the solid-solution range. The incongruent melting behavior of mullite is now widely accepted. Large variations in the solid solubility from 58 to 76 mol% alumina are related to the ordering/disordering of oxygen vacancies and are strongly coupled with the method of synthesis used to form mullite. Similarly, reaction sequences which lead to the formation of mullite upon heating depend on the spatial scale at which the components are mixed. Mixing at the atomic level is useful for low-temperature (<1000°C) synthesis of mullite but not for low-temperature sintering. In contrast, precursors that are segregated are better suited for low-temperature (1250° to 1500°C) densification through viscous deformation. Flexural strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures are significantly affected by the presence of glassy boundary inclusions; in the absence of glassy inclusions, polycrystalline mullite retains >90% of its room-temperature strength to 1500°C and displays very high creep resistance. Because of its low dielectric constant, mullite has now emerged as a substrate material in high-performance packaging applications. Interest in optical applications mainly centers on its applicability as a window material within the mid-infrared range.     

Synthesis and characterization of porous media produced by a sol-gel method

Mesoporous silica materials were synthesized by sol-gel method using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as precursors and surfactants i.e., cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and polyoxyethylene cetyl ether (Brij 56) as templates. Surfactant templates were completely removed by calcination to form mesoporous structure. The effects of type and amount of surfactants on the characteristics of samples were studied. The textural characteristics such as surface area, pore volume, pore size, and pore size distribution were determined by nitrogen sorption isotherms. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to qualitatively identify the chemical functionality and to confirm the removal of surfactant template. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to directly observe surface morphology and mesoporous structure, respectively. The adsorption capacity of the synthesized adsorbent for toluene vapor was examined. We found that the pore volume and pore size of mesoporous materials affected the adsorption capacity. The sample prepared with high content of CTAB under basic condition (pH ∼7) yielded large pore volumes and pore sizes and subsequently possessed the high adsorption capacity for toluene vapor.     

Molten salts/ceramic-foam matrix composites by melt infiltration method as energy storage material

A new type of high temperature energy storage material was obtained through the melt infiltration method, using compounding SiC ceramic foam as matrix and Na₂SO₄ as phase change material. The resulting composite material was measured by XRD, SEM, TG-DSC methods. The experimental results indicate that the composite is composed of silicon carbide, sodium sulfate and square quartz, and no chemical reactions occurs between Na₂SO₄ and SiC matrix. Na₂SO₄ has a good bonding with the SiC ceramic foam matrix. As the composite material is characterized by high thermal energy storage density and high thermal conductivity, it is suit for energy storage under high temperature. Funded by the “863” Hi-Tech Research and Development Program of China (2008AA05Z418)     

电网企业物资集约化管理探讨

分析电网企业的物资集约化管理现状,明确物资集约化管理的重要性和必要性,从而探索研究电网企业物资集约化管理的途径.     

关于体育教学改革的问题探讨

分析体育课教学中的主要任务、教材内容、教学方法、成绩考核等几个问题,并对此进行初步的研究和探讨,提出改革意见和措施,以改善体育课的教学效果。     

干燥、粉碎一体化装置

本文对干燥、粉碎一体化装置的典型设备惰性粒子流化床干燥器进行剖析,介绍应用情况,并作了经济性评价。     

Synthesis of thermosetting poly(phenylene ether) containing allyl groups

New thermosetting poly(2-allyl-6-methylphenol-co-2,6-dimethylphenol)s (3) have been developed by oxidative coupling copolymerization of 2-allyl-6-methylphenol (1) with 2,6-dimethylphenol (2), followed by thermal curing. Copolymerization was conducted in nitrobenzene in the presence of copper(I) chloride and pyridine as the catalyst under a stream of oxygen, producing high molecular weight copolymers (M_n∼50,000) with broad molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n∼35). The structure of resulting copolymers 3 was characterized by IR, ¹H, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Cross-linking reactions of copolymers were carried out by thermal treatment in the absence or presence of a peroxide (3 wt%, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy)-3-butane). The 10% weight loss and glass transition temperatures of the cured copolymers were 436 °C in nitrogen and 235 °C, respectively after curing at 70 °C for 1 h and 300 °C for 1 h. The average refractive index of the cured copolymer (3b) film was 1.5407, from which the dielectric constant (ε) at 1 MHz was estimated as 2.6. The ε and dissipation factor of copolymer-films at 1 MHz were directly measured from their capacitances as 2.5-2.6 and 0.0015-0.0019, respectively.     

Large magnetic-field-induced strains in rare earth polycrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga

The magnetic-field-induced strains (MFIS) of polycrystalline Ni50Mn29Ga21 alloys containing Tb were studied. A large MFIS of-1.10% was obtained under compressive prestress conditions. The addition of Tb can fine the crystal grains, enhance the bending strength obviously, and make MFIS increase further, indicating that a moderate amount of Tb does not hinder twin boundary motion and it conversely makes the material more practical.     

Electrochemical properties of some cobalt antimonides as anode materi-als for lithium- ion batteries

Some cobalt antimonides have been prepared and studied as the candidate anode materials for lithium ion batter-ies. Reversible capacities of 424,423 and 546 mA·h·g-1 were measured at the first cycle for as-solidified CoSb2, CoSb3 and annealed CoSb3 respectively. A low lithium ions diffusion coefficient in the order of 10-16 m2·s-1 was estimated from the coulometric titration measurements in the annealed CoSb3 electrode. It was found that the electrochemical properties of fine powders are significantly better than coarse powders. However the SEM picture shows that the nano-sized CoSb3 powders gathered to larger granules, which worsens somewhat the capacity retention of the nano-sized materials, although the volume capacities of the annealed and ball milled CoSb3 remain near twice of that of graphite after 50 cycles.