Influences of phase transition and microstructure on dielectric properties of Bi<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Na<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Zr<Subscript>1-x</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>x</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramics

Bismuth sodium zirconate titanate ceramics with the formula Bi_0.5Na_0.5Zr_1-xTi_xO₃ [BNZT], where x = 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6, were prepared by a conventional solid-state sintering method. Phase identification was investigated using an X-ray diffraction technique. All compositions exhibited complete solubility of Ti⁴⁺ at the Zr⁴⁺ site. Both a decrease of unit cell size and phase transition from an orthorhombic Zr-rich composition to a rhombohedral crystal structure in a Ti-rich composition were observed as a result of Ti⁴⁺ substitution. These changes caused dielectric properties of BNZT ceramics to enhance. Microstructural observation carried out employing SEM showed that average grain size decreased when addition of Ti increased. Grain size difference of BNZT above 0.4 mole fraction of Ti⁴⁺ displayed a significant increase of dielectric constant at room temperature.     

Crystal structure and electrical properties of bismuth sodium titanate zirconate ceramics

Lead-free bismuth sodium titanate zirconate (Bi_0.5Na_0.5Ti_1-xZr_xO₃ where x = 0.20, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, 0.60, and 0.80 mole fraction) [BNTZ] ceramics were successfully prepared using the conventional mixed-oxide method. The samples were sintered for 2 h at temperatures lower than 1,000°C. The density of the BNTZ samples was at least 95% of the theoretical values. The scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed that small grains were embedded between large grains, causing a relatively wide grain size distribution. The density and grain size increased with increasing Zr concentration. A peak shift in X-ray diffraction patterns as well as the disappearance of several hkl reflections indicated some significant crystal-structure changes in these materials. Preliminary crystal-structure analysis indicated the existence of phase transition from a rhombohedral to an orthorhombic structure. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties were also found to correlate well with the observed phase transition.     

Thermal Expansion Behavior of (Bi0.5Na0.5)Zr1-x Ti x O3 Ceramics

(Bi_0.5Na_0.5)Zr_1-xTi_xO₃ with x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6 ceramics were fabricated by a conventional sintering technique at 850–950°C for 2 h. From X-ray diffraction study, three regions of different phases were observed in the ceramic system; i.e., orthorhombic phase region (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2), mixed-phase region (0.3 ≤ x ≤ 0.4), and rhombohedral phase region (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 0.6). The thermal expansion coefficient data indicated the phase transition in the temperature range from 100°C–150°C of the ceramics. The thermal strain curve of all compositions suggested a decrease of local polarization with temperature increment up to the Burns temperature.     

Decoration of graphene oxide nanosheets with amino silane‐functionalized silica nanoparticles for enhancing thermal and mechanical properties of polypropylene nanocomposites

Graphene oxide nanosheets were decorated by amino‐silane modified silica nanoparticles. An electrostatic interaction between the negative charge of oxygen‐containing groups of graphene oxide and the positive charge of amino‐silane functional groups on the surface of silica nanoparticles plays a major role for the interfacial interaction of these two materials. The hybrid material was then used as a reinforcement in polypropylene (PP) composite. The increasing tensile strength at yield, tensile, and flexural modulus of the PP composite at a graphene oxide‐ amino‐silane silica loading content of 20 wt % are about 24.81, 55.52, and 30.35%, respectively, when compared with those of PP. It is believed that GO assists the dispersion of SiO₂ nanoparticles to the polymer matrix because of its unique structure having hydrophilicity due to its oxygen functional groups and hydrophobicity owing to its backbone graphitic carbon structure. This hybrid material may also be used as the reinforcement in other polyolefins. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44382.     

Optimal order picker routing in a conventional warehouse with two blocks and arbitrary starting and ending points of a tour

This paper investigates manual order picking, where workers travel through the warehouse to retrieve requested items from shelves. To minimise the completion time of orders, researchers have developed various routing procedures that guide order pickers through the warehouse. The paper at hand contributes to this stream of research and proposes an optimal order picker routing policy for a conventional warehouse with two blocks and arbitrary starting and ending points of a tour. The procedure proposed in this paper extends an earlier work of Löffler et al. (2018. Picker routing in AGV-assisted order picking systems, Working Paper, DPO-01/2018, Deutsche Post Chair-Optimization of Distribution Networks, RWTH Aachen University, 2018) by applying the concepts of Ratliff and Rosenthal (1983. “Order-picking in a Rectangular Warehouse: a Solvable Case of the Traveling Salesman Problem.” Operations Research 31 (3): 507–521) and Roodbergen and de Koster (2001a. “Routing Order Pickers in a Warehouse with a Middle Aisle.” European Journal of Operational Research 133 (1): 32–43) that used graph theory and dynamic programming for finding an optimal picker route. We also propose a routing heuristic, denoted S*-shape, for conventional two-block warehouses with arbitrary starting and ending points of a tour. In computational experiments, we compare the average order picking tour length in a conventional warehouse with a single block to the case of a conventional warehouse with two blocks to assess the impact of the middle cross aisle on the performance of the warehouse. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of the S*-shape heuristic by comparing it to the exact algorithm proposed in this study.     

Influences of Superheated Steam Roasting and Water Activity Control as Oxidation Mitigation Methods on Physicochemical Properties,Lipid Oxidation,and Free Fatty Acids Compositions of Roasted Rice

The feasibility of using superheated steam roasting and wetting to control the water activity in an optimal range to mitigate oxidation of roasted rice was evaluated. Changes in the bed temperature as well as rice kernel moisture content, water activity, and color were monitored during fluidized bed roasting with superheated steam and hot air at 170, 190, and 210 °C. Air‐roasted rice was rewetted to raise its water activity to 0.30 to 0.35. All the samples were analyzed for the total oil content, peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, and free fatty acids (FFA) content and compositions. Higher roasting temperatures, especially at 210 °C, led to a significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in the total oil content of the roasted rice. Wetting led to a significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease in the TBA value of the air‐roasted rice, although the total FFA content significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased. Rice roasted in superheated steam at 210 °C exhibited significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower PV and TBA value; their total FFA content also tended to decrease, which is desirable for a longer shelf life.     

Effect of lanthanum substitution on microstructure and electrical properties of (Bi0.5Na0.5)1−1.5xLaxTi0.41Zr0.59O3 ceramics

Bismuth sodium zirconate (BNZ) based ceramics with a composition of (Bi_0.5Na_0.5)_1?1.5xLa_xTi_0.41Zr_0.59O₃ where x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 were prepared by a solid-state mixed oxide method and sintered at the temperature of 900 °C for 2 h. All the samples had relative density between 91 and 97% of their theoretical values. Phase analysis using X-ray diffraction indicated single rhombohedral or pseudo-cubic perovskite structure. SEM showed that addition of La caused the average grain size of the BNTZ ceramics to decrease as well as an improvement of sample density. Dielectric properties at room temperature measured at 10 kHz indicated that addition of La increased the dielectric constant. The results of ferroelectric characterization also revealed that adding La caused a decrease in coercive field without affecting the remanent polarization.     

High- and low-field dielectric responses and ferroelectric properties of (Bi0.5Na0.5)Zr1−xTixO3 ceramics

Bismuth sodium zirconate titanate (Bi_0.5Na_0.5)Zr_1?xTi_xO₃ with (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6) ceramics was fabricated by a conventional sintering technique at 850–1000 °C for 2 h. From X-ray diffraction study, three regions of different phases were observed in the ceramic system; i.e., orthorhombic phase region (0≤x≤0.2), mixed-phase region (0.3≤x≤0.4), and rhombohedral phase region (0.5≤x≤0.6). It was observed that the phase evolution from orthorhombic to rhombohedral symmetry resulted in a noticeable increase of the dielectric properties. The results from the high- and low-field dielectric responses indicated that the dielectric properties of both BNZ and BNZT ceramics were dominantly attributed to the reversible contribution. It was also noticed that grain size showed only partial influence on the increase of low-field dielectric constant in Ti-rich BNZT ceramic.