Solid Freeforming and Combinatorial Research

A view of manufacturing processes is presented in which five distinct categories are defined as casting, deformation, machining, joining, and solid freeforming. Solid freeforming is essentially biomimetic and shares problems of morphogenesis with natural processes. Our team in University of London has been exploring three mechanisms of solid freeforming. In dry powder deposition and direct ink-jet printing, the emphasis has turned to the problem of delivering a complex shape in which the three dimensional spatial arrangement of composition is delivered from the design file. In extrusion freeforming, the aim is to control microstructure at hierarchical levels also from the design file. The quest for 3-D functional gradients is satisfied by acoustic and ultrasonic dispensing and mixing of powders so that each layer can be patterned. These methods could be extended to deliver the complex patterns demanded by left-handed microwave metamaterials. Dry powder deposition and direct ink-jet printing are turning towards combinatorial methods in which multiple sample libraries are used to accelerate discovery. In turn, this paves the way for ’autonomous research machines’ which steer their own search refinements in response to our requests for new materials. In this way, solid freeforming used for sample preparation can give an ’arm’ to an intelligent machine so that it can conduct its own experimentation and learning; an idea that originated with Alan Turing in the late 1940s.     

异丙苯歧化反应中催化剂酸性和孔结构作用分析

系统研究了分子筛催化剂和层状催化剂上的异丙苯歧化反应.结果表明,催化剂酸性和孔结构共同决定异丙苯歧化反应活性和选择性.其中,Hβ活性高于HY归因于Hβ酸性高于HY.而与Hβ和HY相比,HZSM-5酸性最强,孔径最小,反应的择形性使其反应历程不同于Hβ和HY,活性和歧化选择性均较Hβ和HY低.MCM-41和层状催化剂α-磷酸锆(α-ZrP)、混合金属氧化物柱撑α-磷酸锆(α-ZrP/Al-Cr)、四水硫酸锆(Zr(SO4)2*4H2O)和层状表面相锆基固体酸催化剂(Zr(SO4)2*4H2O/SiO2)因较Hβ、HY和HZSM-5弱酸性而均表现出较低的异丙苯歧化反应活性.同时,二异丙苯的形成是高度择形的,催化剂孔道越大,间位与对位二异丙苯的摩尔比越大.