Fabrication of crescent-shaped ceramic microparticles based on single emulsion microfluidics

Ceramic microparticles have great potentials in various fields such as materials engineering, biotechnology, microelectromechanical systems, etc. Morphology of the microparticle performs an important role on their application. To date, it remains difficult to find an effective and controllable way for fabricating nonspherical ceramic microparticles with 3D features. This work demonstrates a method that combines UV light lithography and single emulsion opaque-droplet-templated microfluidic molding to prepare the crescent-shaped ceramic microparticles. By tailoring the intensity of UV light and flow rate of fluid, the shapes of microparticles are accordingly tuned. Therefore, varieties of crescent-shaped microparticles and their variations have been fabricated. After sintering, the crescent-shaped alumina ceramic microparticles were obtained. Benefitting from the light absorption and scattering behavior of most ceramic nanoparticles, this system can serve as a general platform to produce crescent-shaped microparticles made from different materials, and hold great potentials for applications in microrobotics, structural materials in MEMS, and biotechnology.     

盾构隧道施工物料无人运输发展现状及关键技术

盾构隧道施工物料无人运输有助于提升运输效率、降低运输成本、减少运输安全事故率。与公路汽车无人驾驶、港口车辆无人驾驶、轨道交通无人驾驶等逐步成熟的无人驾驶技术不同，在隧道场景下实施施工物料无人运输存在运输物料种类繁多、运输调度困难、地下定位信号拒止、狭窄车道频繁会车、行车路面工况复杂、地上地下联动响应慢等诸多挑战。从实现盾构隧道施工物料无人运输的关键问题分析入手，综述当前盾构隧道施工物料运输方式、运输需求、无人运输发展现状及存在的挑战，提出盾构隧道施工物料无人运输的五大关键技术：多种类物料智能货控能效管理技术，无人化垂直装卸门机控制技术，多传感器融合同步定位与地图构建技术，隧道复杂环境路径规划与自主避障技术，隧-地一体化联动响应的高可靠性无线通信技术。     

Solution-Synthesized Multifunctional Janus Nanotree Microswimmer

Synthetic active matters are perfect model systems for non-equilibrium thermodynamics and of great potential for novel biomedical and environmental applications. However, most applications are limited by the complicated and low-yield preparation, while a scalable synthesis for highly functional microswimmers is highly desired. In this paper, an all-solution synthesis method is developed where the gold-loaded titania-silica nanotree can be produced as a multi-functional self-propulsion microswimmer. By applying light, heat, and electric field, the Janus nanotree demonstrated multi-mode self-propulsion, including photochemical self-electrophoresis by UV and visible light radiation, thermophoresis by near-infrared light radiation, and induced-charge electrophoresis under AC electric field. Due to the scalable synthesis, the Janus nanotree is further demonstrated as a high-efficiency, low-cost, active adsorbent for water decontamination, where the toxic mercury ions can be reclaimed with enhanced efficiency.     

Influence of CO2 inleakage on the slight-alkalization of generator internal cooling water

The slight-alkalization of generator internal cooling water (GICW) is widely used to inhibit the corrosion of hollow copper conductor and thereby ensure the safe operation of the generator. CO₂ inleakage is increasingly identified as a potential security risk for GICW system. In this paper, the influence of CO₂ inleakage on the slight-alkalization of GICW was theoretically discussed. Based on the equilibriums of the CO₂-NaOH-H₂O system, CO₂ inleakage saturation was derived to quantify the amount of the dissolved CO₂ in GICW. This parameter can be directly calculated with the measured conductivity and the [Na⁺] of GICW. The influence of CO₂ inleakage on the slight-alkalization conditioning of GICW and the measurement of its water quality parameters were then analyzed. The more severe the inleakage, the narrower the water quality operation ranges of GICW, resulting in the more difficult the slight-alkalization conditioning of GICW. The temperature calibrations of the conductivity and the pH value of GICW show non-linear correlations with the amount of CO₂ inleakage and the NaOH dosage. This study provides insights into the influence of CO₂ inleakage on the slight-alkalization of GICW, which can serve as the theoretical basis for the actual slight-alkalization when CO₂ inleakage occurs.     

The formation of fibrous structure of polyamide 6 induced by the three-step forming process and its prominent reinforcement in nitrile rubber

Nitrile rubber (NBR) blends with excellent performance have always been a hot research topic in petroleum field. Due to the excellent performance and compatibility of polyamide 6 (PA6), it provides an opportunity for the preparation of high-performance NBR/PA6 blends. In this article, NBR/PA6 blends were prepared by the three-step molding process. Experimentally, it was found that PA6 has a prominent reinforcement effect in NBR matrix. The variation of this mechanical property was investigated from different aspects of the crystal structure, crystallinities, phase morphology, and so on. It can be cleared that the formation of fibrous structure of PA6 phase is the main factor for reinforcement of the polymer blends. Meanwhile, the formation mechanism of the special phase structure induced by the three-step process is deeply expounded and its structural evolution schematic is established. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47472.     

A novel temperature-tolerant foamed resin for enhanced oil recovery

The synthesis and performance of a novel temperature-tolerant foamed resin for enhanced oil recovery were investigated using various methods, including infrared, NMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and displacement experiments. Polycondensation of furfuryl alcohol prepolymers was confirmed by the infrared and NMR results. The poor temperature tolerance of furfuryl alcohol prepolymers after gelation at high temperatures is mainly due to the fracture of furan rings. The addition of ester additives is an effective method of increasing the temperature tolerance of the prepared foamed resins and can effectively reduce the weight-loss rate of the polycondensation products. The SEM results show that the skeleton structure of the foamed resin remains intact after high-temperature treatment. Thus, the novel plugging agent system has excellent thermal stability and still has a high strength (>0.8 MPa) after high-temperature aging treatment for 40 days, giving the prepared foamed resin a good plugging performance (plugging rate > 91%) at 250 °C. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47161.     

Y4.67Si3O13-based phosphors: Structure,morphology and upconversion luminescence for optical thermometry

How to improve the sensitivity of the temperature-sensing luminescent materials is one of the most important objects currently. In this work, to obtain high sensitivity and learn the corresponding mechanism, the rare earth (RE) ions doped Y_4.67Si₃O₁₃ (YS) phosphors were developed by solid-state reaction. The phase purity, structure, morphology and luminescence characteristics were evaluated by XRD, TEM, emission spectra, etc. The change of the optical bandgaps between the host and RE-doped phosphors was found, agreeing with the calculation results based on density-functional theory. The temperature-dependence of the upconversion (UC) luminescence revealed that a linear relationship exists between the fluorescence intensity ratio of Ho³⁺ and temperature. The theoretical resolution was evaluated. High absolute (0.083 K⁻¹) and relative (3.53% K⁻¹ at 293 K) sensitivities have been gained in the YS:1%Ho³⁺, 10%Yb³⁺. The effect of the Yb³⁺ doping concentration and pump power on the sensitivities was discussed. The pump-power–dependence of the UC luminescence indicated the main mechanism for high sensitivities in the YS:1%Ho³⁺, 10%Yb³⁺. Moreover, the decay-lifetime based temperature sensing was also evaluated. The above results imply that the present phosphors could be promising candidates for temperature sensors, and the proposed strategies are instructive in exploring other new temperature sensing luminescent materials.