Toughness and R-curve behaviour of laminated Si3N4/SiCw ceramics

Laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics were successfully prepared by tape casting and hot-pressing. Its mechanical properties were measured and the impact resistance was discussed. The toughness of the laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics was 13.5 MPa m^1/2, which was almost 1.6 times that of Si₃N₄/SiC_w composite ceramics, namely 8.5 MPa m^1/2. Moreover, the indentation strength of laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics was not sensitive to increasing indentation loads and exhibited a rising R-curve behaviour, indicating that the laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics had excellent impact resistance. The improved toughness and impact resistance of laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics was attributed to the residual stress caused by a thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the different layers, resulting in crack deflection and bridging of SiC whiskers in the interface layer, thus consuming a large amount of fracture work.     

Nacre-Inspired,Liquid Metal-Based Ultrasensitive Electronic Skin by Spatially Regulated Cracking Strategy

The realization of liquid metal-based wearable systems will be a milestone toward high-performance, integrated electronic skin. However, despite the revolutionary progress achieved in many other components of electronic skin, liquid metal-based flexible sensors still suffer from poor sensitivity due to the insufficient resistance change of liquid metal to deformation. Herein, a nacre-inspired architecture composed of a biphasic pattern (liquid metal with Cr/Cu underlayer) as “bricks” and strain-sensitive Ag film as “mortar” is developed, which breaks the long-standing sensitivity bottleneck of liquid metal-based electronic skin. With 2 orders of magnitude of sensitivity amplification while maintaining wide (>85%) working range, for the first time, liquid metal-based strain sensors rival the state-of-art counterparts. This liquid metal composite features spatially regulated cracking behavior. On the one hand, hard Cr cells locally modulate the strain distribution, which avoids premature cut-through cracks and prolongs the defect propagation in the adjacent Ag film. On the other hand, the separated liquid metal cells prevent unfavorable continuous liquid-metal paths and create crack-free regions during strain. Demonstrated in diverse scenarios, the proposed design concept may spark more applications of ultrasensitive liquid metal-based electronic skins, and reveals a pathway for sensor development via crack engineering.     

广东早期砖薄壳结构的建构技术研究——1957-1958年新会的"逼拱"实验

揭示1957-1958年华南工学院土木系薄壳结构研究小组在新会的砖薄壳结构实验图景.以田野调查、文献分析、三维图示、超声波检测等方法发现、确认此研究小组在新会的6处薄壳建筑及其遗存情况.它们是广东地区推广砖薄壳建筑的起点,其中的回旋砖薄壳实验是从结构角度探索中国建筑民族形式的重要案例,弥补国内结构工程史学研究的薄弱点,也是共和国早期节约"三材"约束下的薄壳建造技术自主创新设计的重要内容.     

Structural,magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of Co1-xLixFe2O4 synthesized by cathode materials of spent Li-ion batteries

In this study, we investigated the effects of substituting Li⁺ for Co²⁺ at the B sites of the spinel lattice on the structural, magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of cobalt ferrites. The Li⁺ substituted cobalt ferrites, Co_1-xLi_xFe₂O₄, with x varying from 0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments, were synthesized with a sol-gel auto-combustion method using the cathode materials of spent Li-ion batteries. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all the Co_1-xLi_xFe₂O₄ nanopowders had a single-phase spinel structure and the lattice parameters decreased with increasing Li⁺ content, which can be proved by slight shifts towards higher diffraction angle values of the (311) peak. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the fractured inner surface of the sintered cylindrical rods and the increased porosity resulted in a decreased magnetostriction. The oxidation states of Co and Fe in the cobalt ferrite samples were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. High resolution transmission electron microscopy micrographs showed that most particles were roughly spherical and with sizes of 25–35?nm. Li⁺ substitution had a strong effect on the saturation magnetization and coercivity, which were characterized with a vibrating sample magnetometer. The Curie temperature was reduced due to the decrease in magnetic cations and the weakening of the exchange interactions. The magnetostrictive properties were influenced by the incorporation of Li⁺ at the B sites of the spinel structure and correlated with the changes in porosity, magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the cation distribution.     

Computational Analysis of the Solid-State and Solvation Properties of Carbamazepine in Relation to its Polymorphism

The solvent-dependent polymorphism of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) carbamazepine is interpreted from calculations of the solid-state and API-solvent intermolecular interactions. These simulations suggested that apolar solute-solute interactions could be disrupted by apolar solvents. In contrast, the polar solute-solute interactions were found to be easily disrupted by polar and protic solvents. This is consistent with experimental observations that the crystallization of the metastable form II is more dominant in apolar solvents. The Mercury program remains the gold standard in terms of usability; however, further expansion into more complex simulation techniques could make this package of even greater use in pharmaceutical manufacturing workflows.     

Hydrogel photocatalysts for efficient energy conversion and environmental treatment

Photocatalysts have attracted great research interest owing to their excellent properties and potential for simultaneously addressing challenges related to energy needs and environmental pollution. Photocatalytic particles need to be in contact with their respective media to exhibit efficient photocatalytic performances. However, it is difficult to separate nanometer-sized photocatalytic materials from reaction media later, which may lead to secondary pollution and a poor recycling performance. Hydrogel photocatalysts with a three-dimensional (3D) network structures are promising support materials for photocatalysts based on features such as high specific surface areas and adsorption capacities and good environmental compatibility. In this review, hydrogel photocatalysts are classified into two different categories depending on their elemental composition and recent progresses in the methods for preparing hydrogel photocatalysts are summarized. Moreover, current applications of hydrogel photocatalysts in energy conversion and environmental remediation are reviewed. Furthermore, a comprehensive outlook and highlight future challenges in the development of hydrogel photocatalysts are presented.     

PDC钻头水力结构优化设计研究

在PDC钻头工作过程中，钻井液对钻头体表面的冲洗、冷却和润滑是保证钻头正常工作的一个非常重要的条件。对PDC钻头而言，水力结构（主要是中心水眼和冠部水道）设计的重要性尤其突出。以前,对钻头水力系统研究只能通过实验的方法进行,研究周期长、成本高、结构调整不方便，而数值模拟的方法在几年前还不成熟，甚至静态的复杂结构流场问题基本无法解决。为此，在提出PDC钻头水力结构优化设计原则的基础上，对PDC钻头的三维流场进行了数值模拟。模拟中考虑了钻头的喷嘴布置位置、直径、数量以及切削齿对流场的影响。计算结果表明，原设计在喷嘴布置位置和喷射角度上存在不足，以此为基础进行了水力结构的优化设计。文中的研究成果成功地应用在新型钻头水力结构的设计中，研究方法为PDC钻头水力结构优化分析奠定了理论基础。     

综合高速效应的凝析气藏流入动态

当井底压力低于露点压力时,凝析液在近井地带开始析出并不断聚集产生凝析油堵塞现象。因此,在制定凝析气井工作制度时,通常以控制生产压差为指导思想,往往忽略高速流动下凝析气液相变的非平衡特征。对于凝析气体系,当外界温压变化速度超过凝析气液的相平衡速度时,凝析气体系相变滞后,开始呈现非平衡特征,即凝析液的析出量随着压降速度的增加而减小。凝析气在向井筒流动的过程中,近井区高速流动使凝析气产生非平衡相变,凝析气在比较高的压降速度下流入井筒,使得凝析液来不及析出。在分析非平衡相变规律与近井地带凝析气渗流参数分布的基础上,评价凝析气液流动过程中的非平衡特征,给出了考虑非平衡相变的凝析液饱和度分布计算公式,并进行了产能预测结果对比。实例分析表明,可以通过适当放大生产压差,增加凝析气液相变非平衡特征,减小井筒附近的凝析液饱和度,提高气井产能与气藏开发效果。