Anti-coking and anti-carburizing behavior of amorphous AlPO4 coating

The aim of the present study was to examine the anti-coking and anti-carburizing behavior of amorphous AlPO₄ coating. So, aluminum phosphate composition was synthesized by sol-gel process and applied on the AISI 304 stainless steel by dip coating technique. Anti-coking performance was examined in a tube furnace at 1000 °C for 30 min under Ethane (C₂H₆) atmosphere. Carburizing test was performed in a sealed charcoal medium at 1100 °C for a total of 30 h exposure time. Phase composition of the samples was analyzed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) after coking and carburizing tests. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) were employed to study the morphology and elemental analysis of the samples after coke and carbon formation experiments. Microhardness indenter was applied on the cross section of the carbon-exposed specimens to plot the hardness profile through the carburizing zone. The results of the coking experiment revealed catalytic coke formed on the uncoated surface, while irregular spherical coke with no trace of catalytic coke was formed on the coated surface, indicating the great anti-coking performance of the amorphous AlPO₄ coating. The results of pack-carburizing test demonstrated that the thickness of the carbide layer formed on the bare surface was ～10 times greater than that of the coated sample. Hardness measurement for the amorphous AlPO₄ coated sample detected lower values compared to those for the uncoated one at all distances from the surface, indicating less carbon diffusion occurred beneath the coated surface. In overall, the results declared that the amorphous AlPO₄ coating could be a good candidate for surface protection of stainless steel against catalytic coke formation and carbon diffusion.     

SLM printing of cermet powders: Inhomogeneity from atomic scale to microstructure

It is very challenging for 3D printing based on the selective laser melting (SLM) technology to obtain cermet bulk materials with high density and homogeneous microstructures. In this work, the SLM process of the cermet powders was studied by both simulations and experiments using the WC-Co cemented carbides as an example. The results indicated that the evolution of the ceramic and metallic phases in the cermet particle during the heating, melting and solidification processes were all significantly inhomogeneous from atomic scale to mesoscale microstructures. As a consequence, the microstructural defects were caused intrinsically in the printed bulk material. The formation and growth of the bonding necks between the particles were mainly completed at the later stage of laser heating and the early stage of solidification. Both simulations and experiments demonstrated that thin amorphous layers formed at the ceramics/metal interfaces. This work disclosed the mechanisms for the evolution from the atomic scale to microstructure during the SLM printing of cermet powders, and discovered the origin of the defects in the printed cermet bulk materials.     

Designing amorphous formulations of polyphenols with naringin by spray-drying for enhanced solubility and permeability

Naringin (NAR), a major flavanone (FVA) glycoside, is a component of food mainly obtained from grapefruit. We used NAR as a food additive to improve the solubility and permeability of hydrophobic polyphenols used as supplements in the food industry. The spray-dried particles (SDPs) of NAR alone show an amorphous state with a glass transition temperature (T_g) at 93.2 °C. SDPs of hydrophobic polyphenols, such as flavone (FVO), quercetin (QCT), naringenin (NRG), and resveratrol (RVT) were prepared by adding varying amounts of NAR. All SDPs of hydrophobic polyphenols with added NAR were in an amorphous state with a single T_g, but SDPs of hydrophobic polyphenols without added NAR showed diffraction peaks derived from each crystal. The SDPs with NAR could keep an amorphous state after storage at a high humidity condition for one month, except for SDPs of RVT/NAR. SDPs with NAR enhanced the solubility of hydrophobic polyphenols, especially NRG solubility, which was enhanced more than 9 times compared to NRG crystal. The enhanced solubility resulted in the increased membrane permeability of NRG. The antioxidant effect of the hydrophobic NRG was also enhanced by the synergetic effect of NAR. The findings demonstrated that NAR could be used as a food additive to enhance the solubility and membrane permeability of hydrophobic polyphenols.     

Synergistic effect of co-alloying elements on site preferences and elastic properties of Ni3Al: A first-principles study

The site preferences of co-alloying elements (Mo–Ta, Mo–Re, Mo–Cr) in Ni₃Al are studied using first-principles calculations, and the effects of these alloying elements on the elastic properties of Ni₃Al are evaluated by elastic property calculations. The results show that the Mo–Ta, Mo–Re and Mo–Cr atom pairs all prefer Al–Al sites and the spatial neighbor relation of substitution sites almost has no influence on the site preference results. Furthermore, the Young's modulus of Ni₃Al increases much higher by substituting Al–Al sites with co-alloying atoms, among which Mo–Re has the best strengthening effect. The enhanced chemical bondings between alloying atoms and their neighbor host atoms are considered to be the main strengthening mechanism of the alloying elements in Ni₃Al.     

Electroactive polymers containing 3-arylcarbazolyl units as hole transporting materials for OLEDs

Monomers and their polymers containing 3-arylcarbazolyl electrophores have been synthesized by the multi-step synthetic route. The materials were characterized by thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and electron photoemission technique. The polymers represent materials of high thermal stability having initial thermal degradation temperatures in the range of 331–411 °C. The glass transition temperatures of the amorphous polymeric materials were in the rage of 148–175 °C. The electron photoemission spectra of thin layers of monomers showed ionization potentials in the range of 5.6–5.65 eV. Hole-transporting properties of the polymers were tested in the structures of organic light emitting diodes with Alq₃ as the green emitter. The device containing hole-transporting layers of polyether with 3-naphthylcarbazolyl groups exhibited the best overall performance with a maximum current efficiency of 3.3 cd/A and maximum brightness of about 1000 cd/m².     

Material design and development: From classical thermodynamics to CALPHAD and ICME approaches

This paper presents an overview and examples of material design and development using (1) classical thermodynamics; (2) CALPHAD (calculation of phase diagrams) modeling; and (3) Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) approaches. Although the examples are given in lightweight aluminum and magnesium alloys for structural applications, the fundamental methodology and modeling principles are applicable to all materials and engineering applications. The examples in this paper have demonstrated the effectiveness and limitations of classical thermodynamics in solving specific problems (such as nucleation during solidification and solid-state precipitation in aluminum alloys). Computational thermodynamics and CALPHAD modeling, when combined with critical experimental validation, have been used to guide the selection and design of new magnesium alloys for elevated-temperature applications. The future of material design and development will be based on a holistic ICME approach. However, key challenges exist in many aspects of ICME framework, such as the lack of diffusion/mobility databases for many materials systems, limitation of current microstructural modeling capability and integration tools for simulation codes of different length scales.     

Alloy optimisation of bainitic steel for large plastic mould

Based on the phase transformation theories, especially the T₀ concept of bainite transformation, alloy optimisation of bainitic steel with carbides has been carried out aiming at the produce of plastic mould with large cross-section. The effect of manganese and silicon on proeutectoid ferrite and bainite transformation is explored by dilatometric analysis, XRD and different microscopy techniques. The results show that after the alloy optimisation, the transformation of proeutectoid ferrite is suppressed and when the cooling rate is lower than 0·1°C?s^??1, the new lower bainite transformation appears by decreasing carbon capacity of austenite and promoting carbide precipitation. Industrial production proves that the optimised alloy SDP1 can meet the demand for the plastic mould with the thickness of 1050?mm.     

提高焊膏印刷质量的工艺改进

焊膏印刷作为SMT工艺的第一步，其质量好坏对SMT工艺有着重要影响。文章通过对焊膏成分、特性的分析，讨论了印刷中各种工艺参数的正确选择；对焊膏印刷中容易出现的质量问题进行了详细分析，指出了产生问题的原因，提出了改进措施。     

SiC／Al合金层状复合材料的机械性能及损伤行为

在室温条件下测定了Ａｌ合金以连续层状形式存在于ＳｉＣ陶瓷层间并渗透入ＳｉＣ陶瓷层内、Ａｌ合金浓度呈层状变化高低相间，以及Ａｌ合金和ＳｉＣ陶瓷均匀分布相互渗透三种ＳｉＣ含量相同而结构形式不同的ＳｉＣ／Ａｌ合金复合材料的机械性能；用ＳＥＭ和光学显微镜观察分析了复合材料的断口形貌及裂纹扩展过程。结果表明，在ＳｉＣ陶瓷层间以连续层状形式存在的Ａｌ合金在应力作用下发生较大程度的塑性变形，在裂纹尾部被拉伸和形成桥接，引起能量耗散，减缓裂纹扩展速度，防止裂纹张开，使复合材料的韧性得到明显改善；ＳｉＣ／Ａｌ合金陶瓷─金属层状复合材料的损伤形式主要是ＳｉＣ陶瓷层开裂、金属层桥接和裂纹偏转。     

化学镀非晶态Ni—B合金的研究

本文通过化学镀方法在铜和钢上沉积非晶态Ni-B合金。着重讨论了还原剂浓度、络合剂浓度对化学镀沉积速率的影响;分析了它的耐蚀原因和其显微硬度随退火温度的变化情况并就其应用和发展略作说明。