The role of carbon in microstructure evolution of SiBCO ceramics

The composition of polymer derived ceramics could be readily tuned through controlling the structure and element content of the polymer precursors, and investigation on the effect of the element on microstructure evolution is important to the design of advanced ceramics. In this article, the effect of carbon content in SiBCO polymer precursors was systematically investigated. The polymer network and thermal stability of polymer precursors and the carbon content of pyrolyzed SiBCO ceramic could be readily tuned by controlling the DVB amount used. Carbon contributed to the formation of graphitic carbon in SiBC_xO ceramics and inhibited the growth of β–SiC and SiO₂ crystals at 1600 °C, but lead to an increase in the graphitic carbon phase at 1800 °C.     

Designing optical glasses by machine learning coupled with a genetic algorithm

Engineering new glass compositions have experienced a sturdy tendency to move forward from (educated) trial-and-error to data- and simulation-driven strategies. In this work, we developed a computer program that combines data-driven predictive models (in this case, neural networks) with a genetic algorithm to design glass compositions with desired combinations of properties. First, we induced predictive models for the glass transition temperature (T_g) using a dataset of 45,302 compositions with 39 different chemical elements, and for the refractive index (n_d) using a dataset of 41,225 compositions with 38 different chemical elements. Then, we searched for relevant glass compositions using a genetic algorithm informed by a design trend of glasses having high n_d (1.7 or more) and low T_g (500 °C or less). Two candidate compositions suggested by the combined algorithms were selected and produced in the laboratory. These compositions are significantly different from those in the datasets used to induce the predictive models, showing that the used method is indeed capable of exploration. Both glasses met the constraints of the work, which supports the proposed framework. Therefore, this new tool can be immediately used for accelerating the design of new glasses. These results are a stepping stone in the pathway of machine learning-guided design of novel glasses.     

A rapid detection method for the surface defects of mosaic ceramic tiles

Due to its unique artistic value, mosaic ceramics are widely used in construction-related fields. To meet the artist's demand for high-quality mosaic ceramic to create artistic works, it is necessary to meet the needs for efficient screening of mosaic ceramic tiles. Different from the ordinary large-target ceramics, mosaic ceramics exhibit characteristics of small tile sizes, a variety of colors, large demand for quantities, and easy reflection on the surface. Common manual detection methods show problems of low efficiency or accuracy, easy to fatigue, and many others. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a new detection method to identify surface defects of mosaic ceramic tiles and designs a detection system platform to achieve rapid detection. The experiment proves that the detection system has a detection rate of 93.99% for small defects on the surface of mosaic ceramic tiles, and the detection time of a single mosaic ceramic tile is less than 0.06 s. The detection method can quickly and accurately screen out high-quality, defect-free mosaic ceramic tiles, which can effectively improve the quality and artistic value of mosaic ceramic art creation.     

Fabrication of barium titanate ceramics via digital light processing 3D printing by using high refractive index monomer

A digital light processing (DLP) technology has been developed for 3D printing lead-free barium titanate (BTO) piezoelectric ceramics. By comparing the curing and rheological properties of slurries with different photosensitive monomer, a high refractive index monomer acryloyl morpholine (ACMO) was chosen, and a design and preparation method of BTO slurry with high solid content, low viscosity and high curing ability was proposed. By further selecting the printing parameters, the single-layer exposure time was reduced and the forming efficiency has been greatly improved. Sintered specimens were obtained after a nitrogen-air double-step debinding and furnace sintering process, and the BTO ceramics fabricated with 80 wt% slurry shows the highest relative density (95.32 %) and piezoelectric constant (168.1 pC/N). Furthermore, complex-structured BTO ceramics were prepared, impregnated by epoxy resin and finally assembly made into hydrophones, which has significance for the future design and manufacture of piezoelectric ceramic-based composites that used in functional devices.     

High-temperature oxidation behavior of monolithic Zr3[Al(Si)]4C6 and its composite incorporating 30vol% ZrB2-SiC: Providing a basis for broadening the service temperature

To provide a basis for the high-temperature oxidation of ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs), the oxidation behavior of Zr₃[Al(Si)]₄C₆ and a novel Zr₃[Al(Si)]₄C₆-ZrB₂-SiC composite at 1500 °C were investigated for the first time. From the calculation results, the oxidation kinetics of the two specimens follow the oxidation dynamic parabolic law. Zr₃[Al(Si)]₄C₆ exhibited a thinner oxide scale and lower oxidation rate than those of the composite under the same conditions. The oxide scale of Zr₃[Al(Si)]₄C₆ exhibited a two-layer structure, while that of the composite exhibited a three-layer structure. Owing to the volatilization of B₂O₃ and the active oxidation of SiC, a porous oxide layer formed in the oxide scale of the composite, resulting in the degradation of its oxidation performance. Furthermore, the cracks and defects in the oxide scale of the composite indicate that the reliability of the oxide scale was poor. The results support the service temperature of the obtained ceramics.     

The influence of carbon atom distribution in precursors with 1:1 carbon to silicon atoms ratio on structure and thermal evolution of obtained silicon oxycarbide based materials

In this work, a number of precursors with 1:1 silicon to carbon atoms ratio and various carbon atom distributions were synthesized and pyrolyzed in order to obtain silicon oxycarbide based materials. The different carbon atom distributions were obtained using both simple monomers with only one silicon atom, as well as large monomers containing either four or sixteen silicon atoms with predefined carbon atom positions. The silicon oxycarbide based materials were investigated using IR, XRD, ²⁹Si MAS NMR and elemental analysis after annealing at various temperatures, as well as TG. The research shows that carbon atom distribution has great impact on the structure of final material and can be used to tailor the material for its projected uses.     

Fabrication of oxide-based near infrared-shielding coatings for a smart window to prevent infrared-induced photoaging in human skin

Oxide-based near infrared (IR)-shielding coatings consisting of quarter‐wave stacks of oxygen-deficient tantalum oxide (Ta₂O_5?x) and silicon oxide (SiO₂) multilayers and tin-doped indium oxide (In₂O₃) (ITO) films with the thicknesses of 200–600 nm can block the passage of IR-A (wavelength: 760–1400 nm) and IR-B (wavelength: 1400–3000 nm) radiation, respectively. In this study, the optical properties and microstructure of these oxide-based IR-shielding coatings were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy images indicated that amorphous Ta₂O_5?x/amorphous SiO₂ multilayers were uniform and dense. ITO films were found to be highly crystalline and show carrier concentrations of up to 7.1 × 10²⁰ cm^?3, resulting in the strong IR-B optical absorption due to the plasma excitation of the free carriers. Oxide-based IR-shielding coatings with an ITO thickness of 420 nm were found to have near-IR shielding rates of >90% and an average visible light transmittance of >70%. The effects of IR on human keratinocytes were studied to evaluate the IR-induced photoaging in human skin. It was found that the downregulation of cellular proliferation and the enhancement of senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity induced by IR irradiation were significantly inhibited by oxide-based IR-shielding coatings. Thus, this study provides a facile method for the development of coatings for smart windows with high IR-shielding ability and high visible light transmittance.     

Pressure-induced transparency of MgO,Al2O3, AlN,and cBN ceramics at room temperature

The in situ axial X-ray diffraction patterns of four ceramic powder samples (MgO, Al₂O₃, AlN, and cBN) that were compressed in a diamond anvil cell under uniaxial non-hydrostatic conditions were recorded. The microscopic deviatoric stress as a function of the pressure was determined from the X-ray diffraction peak broadening analysis: the curves increased approximately linearly with the pressure at the initial compression stage and then levelled off under further compression. Pressure-induced transparency was observed in all of the samples under compression, and the pressure at the turning point on the curves of the microscopic deviatoric stress versus pressure corresponded to the pressure at which the samples became transparent. Analysis of the microstructural features of the pressure-induced transparent samples indicated that the compression caused the grains to fracture, and the broken grains bonded with each other. We demonstrated that the ceramics’ pressure-induced transparency was a process during which the grains were squeezed and broken, the pores were close between the grains, and the broken grains were re-bonded under compression.     

Environmental effects on the strength and impact damage resistance of alumina based oxide/oxide ceramic matrix composites

In this study the effects of high temperature and moisture on the impact damage resistance and mechanical strength of Nextel 610/alumina silicate ceramic matrix composites were experimentally evaluated. Composite laminates were exposed to either a 1050°C isothermal furnace-based environment for 30 consecutive days at 6 h a day, or 95% relative humidity environment for 13 consecutive days at 67°C. Low velocity impact, tensile and short beam strength tests were performed on both ambient and environmentally conditioned laminates and damage was characterized using a combination of non-destructive and destructive techniques. High temperature and humidity environmental exposure adversely affected the impact resistance of the composite laminates. For all the environments, planar internal damage area was greater than the back side dent area, which in turn was greater than the impactor side dent area. Evidence of environmental embrittlement through a stiffer tensile response was noted for the high temperature exposed laminates while the short beam strength tests showed greater propensity for interlaminar shear failure in the moisture exposed laminates. Destructive evaluations exposed larger, more pronounced delaminations in the environmentally conditioned laminates in comparison to the ambient ones. External damage metrics of the impactor side dent depth and area directly influenced the post-impact tensile strength of the laminates while no such trend between internal damage area and residual strength could be ascertained.