Effect of B2O3 on the aqueous tape casting and microwave properties of Li2O–Nb2O5–TiO2 ceramics

The effect of B2O3 addition on the aqueous tape casting, sintering, microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of Li2O-Nb2O5-TiO2 ceramics has been investigated. The tape casting slurries exhibit a typical shear-thinning behavior without thixotropy, but the addition of B2O3 increases the viscosity of the slurries significantly. It was found that doping of B2O3 can decrease the tensile strength, strain to failure and density of the green tapes. The sintering temperature could be lowed down to 900℃ with the addition of 2 wt% B2O3 due to the liquid phase effect. No secondary phase is observed. The addition of B2O3 does not induce much degradation on the microwave dielectric properties. Optimum microwave dielectric properties of εr 67, Q×f 6560 GHz are obtained for Li2O-Nb2O5-TiO2 ceramics containing 2 wt% B2O3 sintered at 900 1C. It represents that the ceramics could be promising for multilayer low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) application.     

Preparation and properties of low cost porous titanium by using rice husk as hold space

The present study demonstrates an effective low cost effective process for the production of porous titanium with 50-60 vol% porosity using 20 wt% rice husk(RH) with the hold spaces in the size ranges of 100-180,180-250,250-380,and 380-550 μm.The analysis of the samples revealed an interconnected pore microstructure consisting of a mixture of coarse channel pores,created during burnout of RH.The compressive strength of the developed samples was in the range of 17-70 MPa and depended strongly on their porosity and pore size.Large amounts of cleavage steps appeared on the brittle fracture surface after compression of the samples.The 3D morphology of porous titanium surface with rice husk sizes of 100-180μm and 380-550μm can be characterized by the micro-hole surface of pore size,and the size of the hole diameter and husk.The developed porous titanium is considered potentially useful in future medical or industrial application of biomass.     

Effect of CuO addition on the sintering temperature and microwave dielectric properties of CaSiO3– Al2O3 ceramics

CuO-doped CaSiO3–1 wt% Al2O3 ceramics were synthesized via a traditional solid-state reaction method, and their sintering behavior,microstructure and microwave dielectric properties were investigated. The results showed that appropriate CuO addition could accelerate the sintering process and assist the densification of CaSiO3–1 wt% Al2O3 ceramics, which could effectively lower the densification temperature from1250 1C to 1050 1C. However, the addition of CuO undermined the microwave dielectric properties. The optimal amount of CuO addition was found to be 0.8 wt%, and the derived CaSiO3–Al2O3ceramic sintered at 1100 1C presented good microwave dielectric properties of εr?7.27,Q f?16,850 GHz and τf? 39.53 ppm/1C, which is much better than those of pure CaSiO3 ceramic sintered at 1340oC(Q f?13,109 GHz).The chemical compatibility of the above ceramic with 30 Pd/70 Ag during the cofiring process has also been investigated, and the result showed that there was no chemical reaction between palladium–silver alloys and ceramics.& 2014 Chinese Materials Research Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.     

Effect of Sr on microstructure and aging behavior of Mg–14Li alloys

The as-cast and as-extruded Mg–14 wt%Li–x Sr ( x=0.14, 0.19, 0.39 wt%) alloys were,respectively, prepared through a simple alloying process and hot extrusion. The effects of Sr addition on microstructure and aging behavior of the Mg–14 wt%Li–xSr alloys were studied. The results indicated that β(Li) and Mg2Sr were the two primary phases in the microstructures of both as-cast and as-extruded Mg–14 wt%Li–xSr alloys. Interestingly, with the increase of Sr content from 0.14 wt% to 0.39 wt%, the grain sizes of the as-cast and as-extruded Mg–14 wt%Li–xSr alloys markedly decreased from 5000mm and 38mm to 330 mm and 22mm respectively, while no obvious changes of the micro-hardness and microstructure of the as-extruded alloys were observed during the aging treatment.     

Microstructure and oxidation resistance of SiC–MoSi2 multi-phase coating for SiC coated C/C composites

In order to improve the anti-oxidation of C/C composites, a SiC–MoSi2multi-phase coating for SiC coated carbon/carbon composites(C/C)was prepared by low pressure chemical vapor deposition(LPCVD) using methyltrichlorosilane(MTS) as precursor, combined with slurry painting from MoSi2 powder. The phase composition and morphology were analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) methods, and the deposition mechanism was discussed. The isothermal oxidation and thermal shock resistance were investigated in a furnace containing air environment at 1500 1C. The results show that the as-prepared SiC–MoSi2coating consists of MoSi2 particles as a dispersing phase and CVD–SiC as a continuous phase. The weight loss of the coated samples is 1.51% after oxidation at 1500 1C for 90 h, and 4.79% after 30 thermal cycles between 1500 1C and room temperature. The penetrable cracks and cavities in the coating served as the diffusion channel of oxygen, resulted in the oxidation of C/C composites, and led to the weight loss in oxidation.     

Effect of boehmite sol on the crystallization behavior and densification of mullite formed from a sol–gel precursor

Hybrid mullite sol was synthesized from an aqueous solution of aluminum nitrate (AN), aluminum isopropoxide (AIP) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), doped with boehmite sol with different ratios. Pressureless sintering of the xerogel was carried out at different temperatures in the presence of boehmite doping. The xerogel and sintered powder were characterized by FTIR, TG-DSC, XRD, SEM and bulk density. The addition of boehmite caused the formation of metaphase spinel (6Al2O3·SiO2) crystal before the appearance of mullite phase, which could lead to the formation of amorphous phase and suppress the premature formation of mullite. Both of these effects improve the densification of mullite. A maximum density about 98% of the theoretical density (TD, 3.01 g/cm3 ) of mullite could be obtained for 5 wt% boehmite addition at 1200 1C pressureless sintering.     

Effects of Sn addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg- Zn-Al alloys

The effects of Sn addition(0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3 wt%) on microstructure of Mg-4Zn-1.5Al alloy in cast and extruded states were investigated, and the mechanical properties of as-extruded Mg-4Zn-1.5Al-xSn studied. The experimental results showed that the as-cast Mg-4Zn-1.5Al alloy was composed of two phases α-Mg and Mg_(32)(Al, Zn)_(49), while Sn-containing alloys consisted of α-Mg, Mg_(32)(Al, Zn)_(49) and Mg_2Sn phases, and Mg_(32)(Al, Zn)_(49) was not detected after extruding due to that the most of them dissolved into the matrix during the homogenized treatment. The addition of Sn refined the grains of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-Zn-Al alloys obviously. It was noted that the basal texture intensity reduced with increasing Sn content significantly in as-extruded Mg-Zn-Al alloys. The tensile tests results indicated that Sn addition improve the tensile strength of the extruded alloys,while it had a harmful effect on the ductility. When the addition of Sn was 2 wt%, the ultimate tensile strength(UTS), yield strength(YS) and elongation(ε_f) of the alloy were 280 MPa, 147 MPa and 17.4%, respectively.     

Structure and properties of solid-state synthesiz ed poly (3,4-propylenedi oxythiophene) /nano-ZnO composite

Poly（3,4-propylenedioxythiophene）/nano-Zinic Oxide（PProDOT/ZnO） composites with the content of 3-7 wt%nano-ZnO were synthesized by the solid-state method with FeCl₃ as oxidant.The structure and morphology of the composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared（FTIR）spectroscopy,ultraviolet-visible（UV-vis） absorption spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction（XRD） and transmission electron microscopy（TEM）.The electrochemical performances of the composites were investigated by galvanostatic charge-discharge,cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS）.The photocatalytic activities of the composites were investigated by the degradation of methylene blue（MB） dyes in aqueous medium under UV light irradiation.The results from FTIR and UV-vis spectra showed that the PProDOT/ZnO composites were successfully synthesized by solid-state method,and nano-ZnO had great influences on the conjugation length and oxidation degree of the polymers.Furthermore,the PProDOT/5 wt%ZnO had the highest conjugation and oxidation degree among the composites.The results of XRD analysis indicated that there were some FeCl₄^- ions as doping agent in the PProDOT matrix,and the content of ZnO had no effect on diffraction pattern of PProDOT.Morphological studies revealed that the pure PProDOT and composites had similar morphological structure,and all the composites displayed an irregular sponge like morphology.The results of electrochemical tests showed that the PProDOT/5 wt%ZnO had a higher electrochemical activity with a specific capacitance value of 220 F g^-1 than others.The results from photocatalytic activities of the composites indicated that the PProDOT/5 wt%ZnO had better photocatalytic activity than other composites.     

Phase stability and thermal conductivity of ytterbia and yttria co-doped zirconia

Rare earth oxides doping has been extensively investigated as one of the effective methods to lower thermal conductivity of 4.55 mol% Y2O3stabilized ZrO2(YSZ) thermal barrier coatings(TBCs).In the present work,5–6 mol% Yb2O3and Y2O3co-doped ZrO2ceramics were synthesized by solid reaction sintering at 1600 1C.The phase stability of the samples after heat treatment at 1500 1C was investigated.Yb2O3and Y2O3co-doped zirconia,especially when Yb2O3/Y2O3≥1,contained less monoclinic phase than single Yb2O3or Y2O3phase doped zirconia,indicating that co-doped zirconia was more stable at high temperature than YSZ.The thermal conductivity of the 3 mol% Yb2O3+3 mol% Y2O3co-doped ZrO2was 1.8 W m 1K 1at 1000 1C,which was more than 20% lower than that of YSZ.     

Preparation and catalytic effect of porous Co3O4 on the hydrogen storage properties of a Li-B-N-H system

A porous Co_3O_4 with a particle size of 1–3 μm was successfully prepared by heating Co-based metal organic frameworks MOF-74(Co) up to 500 °C in air atmospheric conditions. The as-prepared porous Co_3O_4 significantly reduced the dehydrogenation temperatures of the LiBH_4-2LiNH_2 system and improved the purity of the released hydrogen. The LiBH_4-2LiNH_2-0.05/3Co_3O_4 sample started to release hydrogen at 140 °C and released hydrogen levels of approximately 9.7 wt% at 225 °C. The end temperature for hydrogen release was lowered by 125 °C relative to that of the pristine sample. Structural analyses revealed that the as-prepared porous Co_3O_4 is in-situ reduced to metallic Co, which functions as an active catalyst, reducing the kinetic barriers and lowering the dehydrogenation temperatures of the LiBH_4-2LiNH_2 system. More importantly, the porous Co_3O_4-containing sample exhibited partially improved reversibility for hydrogen storage in the LiBH_4-2LiNH_2 system.     

Effect of pickling processes on the microstructure and properties of electroless Ni–P coating on Mg–7.5Li–2Zn–1Y alloy

The electroless plating Ni–P is prepared on the surface of Mg–7.5Li–2Zn–1Y alloys with different pickling processes.The microstructure and properties of Ni–P coating are investigated.The results show that the Ni–P coatings deposited using the different pickling processes have a different high phosphorus content amorphous Ni–P solid solution structure,and the Ni–P coatings exhibit higher hardness.There is higher phosphorus content of Ni–P amorphous coating using 125 g/L Cr O3and 110 ml/L HNO3(w68%)than using 180 g/L Cr O3and 1 g/L KF during pre-treatment,and the coating structure is more compact,and the Ni–P coatings exhibit more excellent adhesion with substrate(Fcup to22 N).The corrosion potential of Ni–P coating is improved and exhibits good corrosion resistance.As a result,Mg-7.5Li-2Zn-1Y alloy is remarkably protected by the Ni–P coating.     

A β-type TiNbZr alloy with low modulus and high strength for biomedical applications

The effect of thermo-mechanical treatment on the mechanical properties of a novel β-type Ti–36Nb–5Zr(wt%) alloy has been investigated.The solution treated alloy consists of β and α″ phases and exhibits a two-stage yielding with a low yield stress(around 100 MPa). After cold rolling at a reduction of 87.5% and subsequent annealing treatment at 698 K for 25 min, a fine microstructure with nanosized α precipitates distributed in small β grains as well as high density of dislocations was obtained to achieve a yield strength of 720 MPa and a ultimate tensile strength of 860 MPa. In spite of the formation of α precipitates, the β-stabilizers are not enriched in the parent β matrix due to the short duration and low temperature of the thermal treatment, resulting in a low chemical stability of β phase. The low stability of β phase and the small volume fraction of α precipitates produce a low Young’s modulus of 48 GPa. Such an excellent combination of low elastic modulus and high strength in mechanical properties indicates great potential for biomedical applications.     

Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelets addition on mechanical properties of pure aluminum using a semi-powder method

In recent years, graphene has attracted considerable research interest in all fields of science due to its unique properties. Its excellent mechanical properties lead it to be used in nano-composites for strength enhancement. This paper reports an Aluminum–Graphene Nanoplatelets(Al/GNPs)composite using a semi-powder method followed by hot extrusion. The effect of GNP nano-particle integration on tensile, compressive and hardness response of Al is investigated in this paper. It is demonstrated that 0.3 wt% Graphene Nanoplatelets distributed homogeneously in the matrix aluminum act as an effective reinforcing filler to prevent deformation. Compared to monolithic aluminum(in tension), Al–0.3 wt% GNPs composite exhibited higher 0.2% yield strength(+14.7%), ultimate tensile strength(+11.1%) and lower failure strain( -40.6%). Surprisingly, compared to monolithic Al(in compression), Al–0.3 wt% GNPs composite exhibited same 0.2% compressive yield strength and lower ultimate compression strength(- 7.8%),and lower failure strain(- 20.2%). The Al–0.3 wt% GNPs composite exhibited higher Vickers hardness compared to monolithic aluminum(+11.8%).Scanning electron microscopy(SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy(EDS) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) were used to investigate the surface morphology, elemental percentage composition, and phase analysis, respectively.     

Hot corrosion behavior of nanostructured Gd2O3 doped YSZ thermal barrier coating in presence of Na2SO4 + V 2O5 molten salts

Nickel-based superalloy DZ125 was first sprayed with a NiCrAlY bond coat and followed with a nanostructured 2 mol% Gd_2O_3-4.5 mol% Y_2 O_3-ZrO_2(2 GdYSZ) topcoat using air plasma spraying(APS). Hot corrosion behavior of the as-sprayed thermal barrier coatings(TBCs) were investigated in the presence of 50 wt%Na_2SO_4 + 50 wt% V_2O_5 as the corrosive molten salt at 900 ℃ for 100 h. The analysis results indicate that Gd doped YVO_4 and m-ZrO_2 crystals were formed as corrosion products due to the reaction of the corrosive salts with stabilizers(Y_2O_3, Gd_2O_3) of zirconia. Cross-section morphology shows that a thin layer called TGO was formed at the bond coat/topcoat interface. After hot corrosion test, the proportion of m-ZrO_2 phase in nanostructured 2GdYSZ coating is lower than that of nano-YSZ coating. The result reveals that nanostructured 2GdYSZ coating exhibits a better hot corrosion resistance than nano-YSZ coating.     

Joining of Si3N4 ceramic using PdCo(Ni SiB)–V system brazingfi ller alloy and interfacial reactions

The wettability of V-active PdCo-based alloys on Si3N4ceramic was studied with the sessile drop method. And the alloy of Pd50.0–Co33.7–Ni4.0–Si2.0–B0.7–V9.6(wt%),was developed for Si3N4ceramic joining in the present investigation. The rapidly-solidified brazing foils were fabricated by the alloy Pd50.0–Co33.7–Ni4.0–Si2.0–B0.7–V9.6. The average room-temperature three-point bend strength of the Si3N4/Si3N4joints brazed at 1453 K for 10 min was 205.6 MPa,and the newly developed braze gives joint strengths of 210.9 MPa,206.6 MPa and 80.2 MPa at high temperatures of 973 K,1073 K and 1173 K respectively. The interfacial reaction products in the Si3N4/Si3N4joint brazed at 1453 K for10 min were identified to be VN and Pd2Si by XRD analysis. Based on the XEDS analysis result,the residual brazing alloy existing at the central part of the joint was verified as Co-rich phases,in which the concentration of element Pd was high up to 18.0–19.1 at%. The mechanism of the interfacial reactions was discussed. Pd should be a good choice as useful alloying element in newer high-temperature braze candidates for the joining of Si-based ceramics.     

Synthesis of dental resins using diatomite and nano-sized SiO2 and TiO2

The mechanical properties of dental composites were improved by porous diatomite and nano-sized silica (OX-50) used as co-fillers.The resin composites,filled with silanized OX-50 and silanized diatomit...     

Modification performance on 4032 Al alloy by using Al–10Sr master alloys manufactured from different processes

The microstructures and modification performance on 4032 aluminum alloy of the Al–10Sr master alloy wire prepared from "direct reaction-hot extrusion" and the trapezoidal block from "direct reaction" were systemically studied by using optical metallurgical microscope, XRD and SEM. It was found that the preparation processes exhibited a significant effect on the microstructures of the Al–10Sr, which thereby influenced its modification performance. It has been found that when the Al–10Sr alloy wire was used, a desirable modification was obtained after 2 min and reached to the best performance at 60 min, and the optimum Sr addition amount was 0.04–0.06 wt%, and the good modification performance was kept even after 300 min. However, when the Al–10Sr alloy trapezoidal block was used, a desirable modification was started after 30 min and reached to the best performance as long as 120 min, and the optimum Sr addition amount was 0.06–0.08 wt%, and the effective modification period was only180 min. Therefore, comparing with the Al–10Sr alloy trapezoidal block, the Al–10Sr alloy wire had better modification efficiency, which not only reduced the Sr addition amount of about 30%, but also greatly decreased the incubation time and improved the ability of anti-fading.     

Effect of La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ morphology on the performance of composite cathodes

In the present work,one dimensional La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3 δ(LSCF) nanofibers with the mean diameter of about 100 nm prepared by electrospinning were deposited on Gd0.2Ce0.8O1.9(GDC) electrolyte followed by sintering to form one dimensional LSCF nanofiber cathode. And LSCF/GDC composite cathodes were formed by introducing GDC phases into LSCF nanofiber scaffold using infiltration method. The polarization resistances for the composite cathode with an optimal LSCF/GDC mass ratio of 1/0.56 are 0.27,0.14 and 0.07 Ω cm2at 650,700 and750 1C,respectively,which are obviously smaller than 2.26,0.78 and 0.29 Ω cm2of pure LSCF nanofiber cathode. And the activation energy is1.194 eV,which is much lower than that of pure LSCF nanofiber cathode(1.684 eV). These results demonstrate that the infiltration of GDC into LSCF nanofiber scaffold is an effective approach to achieve high performance cathode for solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs). In addition,the performance of composite cathode in this work was also compared with that of our previous nanorod structured LSCF/GDC composite cathode.     

An in vitro evaluation of novel NHA/zircon plasma coating on 316L stainless steel dental implant

The surface characteristics of an implant that influence the speed and strength of osseointegration include crystal structure and bioactivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioactivity of a novel natural hydroxyapatite/zircon(NHA/zircon) nanobiocomposite coating on 316L stainless steel(SS) dental implants soaking in simulated body fluid. A novel NHA/zircon nanobiocomposite was fabricated with 0(control),5, 10, and 15 wt% of zircon in NHA using ball mill for 1 h. The composite mixture was coated on SS implants using a plasma spray method.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) was used to evaluate surface morphology, and X-ray diffraction(XRD) was used to analyze phase composition and crystallinity(Xc). Further, calcium ion release was measured to evaluate the coated nanobiocomposite samples. The prepared NHA/zircon coating had a nanoscale morphological structure with a mean crystallite size of 30–40 nm in diameter and a bone-like composition,which is similar to that of the biological apatite of a bone. For the prepared NHA powder, high bioactivity was observed owing to the formation of apatite crystals on its surface. Both minimum crystallinity(Xc=41.1%) and maximum bioactivity occurred in the sample containing 10 wt% of zircon because of minimum Xcand maximum biodegradation of the coating sample.     

Structure evolution of Y2O3 nanoparticle/Fe composite during mechanical milling and annealing

Fe-25 wt% Y2O3composite powders have been fabricated by mechanical milling(MM) Fe powders of 100 μm in diameter and Y2O3nanoparticles in an argon atmosphere for the milling periods of4,8,12,24,36,and 48 h,respectively.The features of these powders were characterized by using X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),electron probe micro analyzer(EPMA) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The experimental results showed that the mean particle size and crystalline size of MM powders decreased with the milling time increasing.All the elements distributed homogenously inside the powders after 48 h of MM.The lattice constant of the matrix α-Fe kept constant with the milling time,and no solid solution took place during MM process.After 8 h of MM,the α-Fe in each powder became nanocrystalline.After 48 h of MM,Y2O3changes from nanostructure into amorphous structure,and the crystalline size of α-Fe further decreased to 10 nm.The Y2O3in the powders mechanically milled for 48 h kept the amorphous structure after being annealed at 400 1C,and starts to crystallize when the powders are annealed at 600 1C.The amorphous Y2O3contains a small amount of Fe,and crystalline FeYO3appears at 800 1C.