Prospects of Supercritical Fluids in Realizing Graphene‐Based Functional Materials

Supercritical‐fluids science and technology predate all the approaches that are currently established for graphene production by several decades in advanced materials design. However, it has only recently been proposed as a plausible approach for graphene processing. Since then, supercritical fluids have emerged into contention as an alternative to existing technologies because of their scalability and versatility in processing graphene materials, which include composites, aerogels, and foams. Here, an overview is presented of such materials prepared through supercritical fluids from an advanced materials science standpoint, with a discussion on their fundamental properties and technological applications. The benefits of supercritical‐fluid processing over conventional liquid‐phase processing are presented. The benefits include not only better performances for advanced applications but also environmental issues associated with the synthesis process. Nevertheless, the limitations of supercritical‐fluid processing are also stressed, along with challenges that are still faced toward the achievement of the great expectations from graphene materials.     

Influence of microstructural inhomogeneities on the fracture toughness of modified 9Cr–1Mo steel at 298–823 K

Quasistatic fracture behaviour of two heats of modified 9Cr–1Mo steel for steam generator applications have been assessed at 298, 653 and 823 K. J–R curves were established and the elastic–plastic fracture toughness values at 0.2 mm crack extension (J_0.2) were determined. The fracture mechanisms were entirely different for the two steels at 298 K, with brittle fracture controlled by cleavage crack initiation in one and ductile fracture in the other by void nucleation and growth. At 653 and 823 K, fracture in both materials was by ductile crack growth. The difference in behaviour between the two steels at 298 K was attributed to the differences in microstructure, distribution and density of inclusions as well as phosphorous contents.     

Spectroscopic and photoluminescence properties of Dy-doped lead tungsten tellurite glasses for laser materials

Lead tungsten tellurite (LTT) glasses doped with different Dy³⁺ ion concentrations have been prepared and characterized through optical absorption, photoluminescence and decay measurements. The glassy nature of the LTT host has been confirmed through the XRD measurements. The three phenomelogical intensity parameters Ω_λ (λ = 2, 4, 6) have been determined from the absorption spectral intensities using the Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory. The hypersensitivity of ⁶H_15/2 → ⁶F_11/2 transition based on the magnitude of Ω₂ parameter has also been discussed. By using the J-O intensity parameters several radiative properties such as spontaneous transition probabilities (A_R), fluorescence branching ratios (β_R) and radiative lifetimes (τ_R) have been determined. The effect of Dy³⁺ ion concentration on the emission intensities of ⁴F_9/2 → ⁶H_J′ (J′ = 15/2, 13/2, 11/2 and 9/2) transitions has also been reported.     

In situ growth of SiC wires on CVI densification of SiC foam

Silicon carbide (SiC) foam prepared by polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process was further densified with β-SiC by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) technique. Scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images confirmed the presence of highly entangled and branched in situ grown SiC wires of uniform diameter (∼500 nm) over the struts of open-cell SiC foam. A uniform rate increase in diameter from nanometer to micron range (∼11 μm) was observed with an increase in the CVI reaction period. X-ray diffraction results showed the formation of highly crystalline β-SiC structure along the <111> direction with stacking faults. The formation of SiC wires was explained by the vapor–liquid–solid mechanism and evenness of the surface and uniform growth rate of SiC confirmed the homogeneous concentration of gaseous species during CVI reaction. The compressive strength increased with relative density, with maximum values of 5.5 ± 1.26 MPa for ultimate SiC foam (ρ = 400 kg/m³) prepared by hybrid PIP/CVI technique. The thermo-oxidative stability of the resultant foam was evaluated up to 1650°C under air and shows excellent thermal stability compared to SiC foam prepared by PIP route. The densified SiC foam can find potential applications in the field of hot gas filters, catalyst supports, microwave absorption properties, and heat insulation for high-temperature applications.     

Comparison of two ‘heat correction’ methods for simultaneously correlating multiple heat stress rupture data

The heat corrections (HC) used in two multiple heat stress rupture correlations, one from Manson and Park (MP) and the other from the present authors (RSR), are compared as to their efficacies in correlating multiple-heat stress rupture data for a 0.5Mo–0.15C steel, a 9Cr–1Mo steel, two grades of 2.25Cr–1Mo steels, and two grades of AISI type 316 stainless steels. Two types of fits of isothermal multi-heat data were carried out; in one case the curvatures of the isothermal plots of log(rupture life) against log(stress) were restricted to be non-positive (to be consistent with the behaviour expected from model-based considerations), while in the other case no restrictions were imposed on the possible curvature variations, as is common in the creep literature. Irrespective of whether the curvature restrictions were imposed or not, the HC adopted in RSR proved superior to that in MP for all these materials, though the extent of superiority is apparently dependent on the material. Interestingly, in most cases, the imposition of the curvature restrictions only marginally affected the quality of fit, though this may enhance the regime of the correlation that can be used for extrapolation.     

Photoelectrochemical properties of porous silicon based novel photoelectrodes

Porous silicon interfaces have been modified with nitrided TiO₂ (TiON) nanoparticles to develop highly efficient photoelectrodes. Photoelectrodes were prepared by impregnating the electrochemically prepared porous silicon microchannels with titanium oxynitride. Photocatalytic measurements were carried out on titanium oxynitride particles in water‐methanol mixture and the results showed a dependence on the nitrogen concentration. Among the photoelectrodes used for photocurrent measurements, porous silicon impregnated with TiO₂ nitrided at 600 °C showed maximum photocurrent increase after exposure to sunlight‐type radiation. The enhancement in photocurrent was one order more for the porous silicon/titanium oxynitride hetero‐structure than that of polished silicon/titanium oxynitride hetero‐structure. Photoelectrodes thus prepared were found to have stable performance for a period of six months. This observation promises the possibility of using porous silicon/titanium oxynitride hetero‐structures as efficient electrodes for photovoltaic cells. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Insights into discrepancy in power generation among glucose and malate grown Rubrivivax benzoatilyticus JA2 microbial fuel cells

In this study, Rubrivivax benzoatilyticus JA2^T (=ATCC BAA-35^T = JCM 13220^T = MTCC 7087^T), an anoxygenic photosynthetic bacterium, was subjected to altered conditions and observed for changes in power outcome in the two chambered microbial fuel cells (MFCs), the basis of which was established using metabolomic studies. This is an extension to our previous studies, which showed that, under photo heterotrophic conditions, glucose in the form of a solitary carbon resource in minimal media, caused the strain JA2 to exhibit altered growth rates, progressive loss of pigmentation and reduced cell size (3–4 μm), compared to malate grown cells (6–7 μm). When R. benzoatilyticus JA2 cells were grown in malate bio-anodes, they presented higher potentials (289.22 ± 4.6 mV or 436.22 OCV per mg dry weight) compared to glucose bioanodes (163 ± 5.5 mv or 188.98 OCV per mg dry weight). Insights from the metabolomic footprints and fingerprints have revealed differential regulation of key components in the central metabolic pathway such as fumarate, citrate and succinate, which are significantly increased in malate grown bio anodes. Strain JA2 cells when grown with malate as substrate are densely grown on the electrodes and exhibited reduced size, when observed under SEM, which contrasts with control cells grown on malate broth. The artificial selection pressure of the MFC and the different metabolic pathways followed by these bacteria are the reasons for such discrepancy in the power production by the strain JA2. These adaptations may indicate survival advantage during the electron transfer and growth in bio anodes. The study throws light on what types of effluents would be more suitable as substrates for R. benzoatilyticus JA2 microbial fuel cells.     

An improvement in creep strength of thermo-mechanical treated modified 9Cr-1Mo steel weld joint

Modified 9Cr-1Mo steel weld joints generally experience the type IV premature failure in the intercritical region (ICR) of HAZ under long term creep exposure at high temperature. Possibility of improving the resistance of this joint to type IV cracking through thermo-mechanical treatment (TMT) of the steel has been explored. Weld joints have been fabricated from the TMT and conventional normalized and tempered (NT) steels using electron beam (EB) welding process. Creep tests have been carried out on NT and TMT steels joint at 923 K (650°C) and 110–100 MPa applied stress. Creep rupture life of the TMT weld joint was significantly higher than the NT steel weld joint. Significant variations of microstructural constituents such as M₂₃C₆ precipitate; lath structure and hardness across the joint have been examined in both the joints. The coarser M₂₃C₆ precipitate and lath, and subgrain formation in the ICR resulted in the soft zone formation and was predominant in the ICR of NT steel joint. The enhanced MX precipitation through TMT processing and reduction in coarsening of M₂₃C₆ precipitate under thermal cycle resulted in improved creep rupture strength of TMT steel weld joint.