Mechanochemical Dispersion of Nanodiamond Aggregates in Aqueous Media

A technology of mechanochemical treatment (MCT) is introduced to modify nanodiamond (ND) surface aiming to obtaining a stable suspension with well-dispersed ND particles in aqueous medium. ND investigated in this paper is a purified product of nanometer-sized diamond synthesized by explosive detonation. As obvious aggregation and sediment were observed when the sample was added into deionized water, it is crucial to conduct deaggregation and dispersion investigations. Amid a series of mechanical treatments, i.e. grinding, stirring, ultrasonic and classification, some reagents are introduced to modify the newly created surface during aggregates comminution. For the co-effects of mechanical forces and surfactants, the mean size of particles was reduced and a stable system containing ND with narrow size distribution was prepared. Mechanism of surface reaction and modification are discussed, while AFM, Zetasizer3000HS, XRD, XPS and FTIR are utilized for the analysis. The functional chemical structure of ND p     

水基钻井液用碳酸钙微米颗粒的分散状况

为了研究水基钻井液用碳酸钙微米颗粒在水溶液中的分散状况,使用扫描电镜对碳酸钙微米颗粒的微观形貌进行了分析,而后在不同搅拌速度、不同p H、不同超声时间等物理分散因素下研究了碳酸钙微米颗粒在水溶液中的粒径分布与Zeta电位变化,又利用不同的分散剂对碳酸钙微米颗粒进行了化学分散.结果表明:长期放置的碳酸钙微米颗粒会发生团聚,中径达6~7μm;采用物理方法分散时,搅拌速度越高,分散效果越好,在10 000 r/min时可使中径达3~4μm;超声作用则使碳酸钙微米颗粒粒径先减小后增大,中径最小可达2.6μm,p H小于10时,粒径随p H的增大而增大,大于10时则随p H的增大而减小;化学分散剂对提高碳酸钙微米颗粒的分散具有显著的作用,其中,无机类分散剂六偏磷酸钠可使碳酸钙微米粒子中径达到1.5μm,并且Zeta电位绝对值显著提高.     

Particle size distribution control and related properties improvements of tungsten powders by fluidized bed jet milling

Fine grinding process of different particle size tungsten powders was carried out by fluidized bed jet milling. The results showed that the jet milling treatment caused deagglomeration of tungsten powders, which led to particles sufficient dispersion and narrow particle size distribution. Grinding gas pressure of 0.70 Mpa made the particles achieve high speed which promoted the particles collision contributing to particle dispersion and shape modification. For tungsten powder with particle size of 3 μm FSSS, a higher packing density with 5.54 g/cm³ was obtained, compared with the 3.71 g/cm³ of the original powder. For tungsten powder with particle size of 1 μm FSSS, the big agglomerates disappeared and the particle size distribution become narrower, while small aggregates about 2–3 μm still exist after the jet milling process. For tungsten powder with particle size of 5 μm and 10 μm FSSS, different medium diameter particle size and narrow particle size distribution of monodisperse tungsten powders can be produced by the optimized jet milling parameters. More important, the effective dispersion, favorable shape modification and precise classification have been achieved in the simple process.     

Compaction-interaction packing model: regarding the effect of fillers in concrete mixture design

For the design of defined-performance concrete, predicting the material properties of concrete becomes more and more important. To be able to select the right type of fillers and control the water demand in such mixtures, an extension to the compressible packing model was developed to optimize the particle packing of aggregates as well as powders in concrete. Modelling mixtures with particles smaller than 125 μm requires advanced interaction equations, taking due account of surface forces like van der Waals forces, electrical double layer forces and steric forces. In this paper the equations for the newly developed compaction-interaction packing model are presented, including the additional effects of agglomerating particles on the wall and loosening effect. Calculated packing densities are related to the results of compressive strength experiments on 50 mortar mixtures. Higher packing densities leave less space for voids to be filled with water, which reduces the water demand and increases the strength of concrete mixtures. This is shown by the cement spacing concept. The relation between the cement spacing factor and strength can be used as a tool to predict concrete strength in defined-performance concrete mixtures.     

Real-Time Monitoring of Heat-Induced Aggregation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-Lactoglobulin in Aqueous Solutions Using High-Resolution Ultrasonic Spectroscopy

High-resolution ultrasonic spectroscopy was applied for real-time monitoring of the heat-induced denaturation and aggregation processes in aqueous solutions of β-lactoglobulin. The temperature profiles for the ultrasonic velocity and attenuation in the frequency range from 4MHz to 16MHz were measured during heating and cooling cycles, 35°C to 120°C to 35°C, with different heating and cooling rates. Two processes were identified in the heating profiles: transition to the molten globular state followed by formation of protein aggregates. Both processes are accompanied by a decrease in the ultrasonic velocity and an increase in compressibility. The ultrasonic attenuation did not show a significant change during the transition to the molten globule but increased significantly during aggregation. The diameter of the aggregates (calculated from ultrasonic attenuation) was of the order of 100nm and depended on the pH and the heating rate. Variation of pH from 6.0 to 7.5 had a pronounced effect on the size of protein aggregates. Some effect of pH on the intrinsic properties of aggregates was also detected.     

Glutathione-induced aggregation of gold nanoparticles: electromagnetic interactions in a closely packed assembly

Gold nanoparticles of variable sizes have been prepared by reducing HAuCl4 with trisodium citrate by Frens' method. The synthesized gold particles show intense surface plasmon band in the visible region. The optical resonances in the visible are due to the surface plasmon oscillation, which is a function of geometry of the particles. The work reported here describes the interaction between nanoscale gold particles and a biomolecule, glutathione at low pH. Glutathione, which is a major cellular antioxidant and consists of amino acids glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine, has been used as a molecular linker between the gold nanoparticles. In glutathione, the reactivity of the a-amines (adjacent to -COOH) is found to be pH-dependent. Linking via the a-amines are activated at low pH but suppressed at high pH due to electrostatic repulsive forces between the gold surfaces and the charged carboxylate groups. In colloidal solutions, the colour of gold nanoparticles may range from red to purple to blue, depending on the degree of aggregation as well as orientation of the individual particles within the aggregates. The citrate-functionalized gold nanoparticles with glutathione in variable acidic pH condition produce different but well-ordered aggregates. It is observed that a new peak appearing at a longer wavelength intensifies and shifts further to the red from the original peak position depending on the particle size, concentration of glutathione, and pH of the solution. The aggregates have been characterized by UV/Vis, FTIR, XRD, and TEM. On the basis of the first appearance of a clearly defined new peak at longer wavelength, a higher sensitivity of glutathione detection has been achieved with gold nanoparticles of larger dimension.     

Large scale cathodic exfoliation of graphite using deep eutectic solvent and water mixture

A short-time and low-cost synthesis route was used to produce large lateral size (from 2 to 15 μm) from monolayers to few layers of graphene by a two-step process of electrochemical exfoliation with a deep eutectic solvent in a mixture with water that can be reused, and ultrasonic bath. The graphene was characterized by SEM, TEM, AFM, Raman and electrochemical activity. During the electrochemical exfoliation, high expanded graphene particles were obtained and these were dispersed in a mixture of water with 5%wt ethylene glycol by an ultrasonic bath in order to complete the exfoliation process. An enhancement of the electrical conductivity of these dispersions was obtained with the increase of graphene concentration, 0.38 mg/mL, which best result was achieved with 30 wt% water and a DC voltage of 10 V. It was possible to add a conductive layer to a glass substrate with the graphene obtained and Tyndall effect was observed.     

稻壳纤维粒径和掺量分数对水泥复合材料性能的影响

以稻壳纤维（Rice husk fiber,RHF）为增强材料,以水泥为基体,制备了RHF/水泥基复合材料。研究了粒径对RHF在水泥基体中分散性能的影响;并以RHF粒径和掺入质量比为考察因素,采用响应曲面法,以RHF/水泥基复合材料的密度、抗折强度、含水率、吸水率和导热系数为响应值,建立数学模型,对RHF/水泥基复合材料的成型工艺进行优化设计。结果表明：RHF的粒径越小,在水泥基体中分散性能越好,粒径为150 μm的RHF分散系数达到最大值,为0.981;响应曲面模型分析表明RHF的粒径为150 μm、掺入质量为水泥质量的3%时,RHF/水泥基复合材料的性能达到最优,此时RHF/水泥基复合材料的密度为1 559.26 kg/m³,抗折强度为9.38 MPa,含水率为7.05%,吸水率为16.71%,导热系数为0.50 W/（m·K）,达到了建筑行业标准JC/T 411-2007的要求。     

The influence of surface forces of magnetic separation

Results of the experimental investigation of the influence of surface forces on high gradient magnetic separation of iron ores will be presented. Surface characteristics of the slurries of pure hematite and hematite ores ground below 100 μm and 40 μm were varied from pH = 1.5 to 11 and these test samples were treated in high gradient magnetic separator at magnetic fields from 0.1 T to 0.7 T. The experimental data indicate that the maximum of grade and recovery of magnetic fraction of the ore can be obtained at pH corresponding to the point of zero charge, while at other pH the grade and recovery decrease. Since pH of point of zero charge for iron oxide is different from pH corresponding to water used in iron dressing plant, adjustment of pH of the slurry could lead to a substantial increase in grade and recovery. These considerable variations of grade and recovery can be attributed to a higher probability of retention of the particles on the matrix, higher resistance of the deposited particles against the shear stress and to selective magnetic and ionic flocculation of magnetic or gangue particlec.     

CONTROLLED AGGREGATION OF POLYMER LATICES PART 2. MECHANISM AND HYDRODYNAMICS OF THE PROCESS

The possibility of obtaining narrowly dispersed particles through controlled aggregation of polymer latices has been investigated Concentrated polystyrene and poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) latices were aggregated through the addition of tetradecyl tritnethyl ammonium bromide under stirring, A three-step mechanism for the aggregation process is proposed. This mechanism involves the formation of a 3-D network with a gel-like structure, formation of small, compact aggregates (termed primary aggregates) through the mechanical disruption of this network, and farther aggregation of the primary aggregates into larger structures, termed secondary aggregates. Experimental evidence in support of this mechanism is presented. The influence of stirring rate on the size and size distribution of secondary aggregates is discussed in conjunction with the mechanism proposed, The trends observed in the aggregation of these latices were explained through calculations of the fundamental forces involved in this process. The method under investigation has been effective in obtaining 5-15 µm particles with a narrow size distribution and a strong control on the average size.     

The role of surfactant adsorption during ultrasonication in the dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes

The ionic surfactant-assisted dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes in aqueous solution has been studied by Raman and fluorescent spectroscopy during ultrasonic processing. During the process, an equilibrium is established between free individuals and aggregates or bundles that limits the concentration of the former that is possible. This equilibrium is a function of free sodium dodecyl sulfate concentration. At surfactant concentrations below this value, fluorescence is shifted to a lower energy due to an increase in micropolarity from water association at the nanotube surface. The mechanism of dispersion is postulated as the formation of gaps or spaces at the bundle ends in the high shear environment of the ultrasonicated solution. Surfactant adsorption and diffusion then propagate this space along the bundle length, thereby separating the individual nanotube. The former is found to be controlling, with the use of a derived kinetic model for the dispersion process and extraction of the characteristic rate of nanotube isolation.     

Experimental validation for the diffraction effect in the ultrasonic field of piston transducers and its influence on absorption and dispersion measurements

The aim of this work was to study the diffraction effects in the ultrasonic field of piston source transducers and their importance for accurate measurements of attenuation and dispersion in viscoelastic materials. In laboratory measurements, the diffraction phenomena are mainly due to the beam spread of the ultrasonic wave propagating in viscoelastic materials. This effect is essentially related to the estimated attenuation and dispersion in the material. In this work, a frequency domain system identification approach, using the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE), was applied to the measured data in order to determine a function for correcting the diffraction losses in both normal and oblique incidences for a large frequency band (300 kHz to 3 MHz). The effective radius of the used transmitter was determined by the inverse problem when ultrasonic beam propagation was investigated in a water medium. Using the estimated radius, the propagation through viscoelastic materials was established, and the acoustic parameters of these materials were estimated. Attention was paid to the determination of the attenuation and dispersion in the materials. These quantities were compared to those obtained without diffraction correction in order to see the influence of introducing the diffraction correction into the propagation model     

CONTROLLED AGGREGATION OF POLYMER LATICES PART 2. MECHANISM AND HYDRODYNAMICS OF THE PROCESS

ABSTRACT

The possibility of obtaining narrowly dispersed particles through controlled aggregation of polymer latices has been investigated Concentrated polystyrene and poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) latices were aggregated through the addition of tetradecyl tritnethyl ammonium bromide under stirring, A three-step mechanism for the aggregation process is proposed. This mechanism involves the formation of a 3-D network with a gel-like structure, formation of small, compact aggregates (termed primary aggregates) through the mechanical disruption of this network, and farther aggregation of the primary aggregates into larger structures, termed secondary aggregates. Experimental evidence in support of this mechanism is presented. The influence of stirring rate on the size and size distribution of secondary aggregates is discussed in conjunction with the mechanism proposed, The trends observed in the aggregation of these latices were explained through calculations of the fundamental forces involved in this process. The method under investigation has been effective in obtaining 5–15 µm particles with a narrow size distribution and a strong control on the average size.     

Chemical reactivity of mineral aggregates in aqueous solution: relationship with bitumen emulsion breaking

This paper reports a study on chemical reactivity of gneiss, diorite and limestone aggregates in aqueous solution. The originality of this study is that it extended to very short times (less than 1440 min). Rise in pH tests was implemented and dissolution kinetics was analysed. The results showed that calcium was the major element released by the aggregates. It has also been found that dissolution had an influence on the final morphology of aggregates. Polyamine emulsifier adsorption onto aggregates has been assessed using electrophoresis. Finally, the rise in pH and electrophoretic tests were compared to the breaking test traditionally performed to characterise bitumen emulsions. It was found that breaking values were controlled by both the surface area and the surface charge of the particles. Results may be correlated to polyamine adsorption on aggregates. Adsorption seemed to be efficient for gneiss and diorite: at pH 2, their charge turned from slightly negative to highly positive. At this pH value, limestone particles were dissolved and polyamine adsorption must be less efficient than with gneiss and diorite, for which the emulsion breaking was facilitated by the high attraction of particles for the emulsifier, due to their negative surface charge.     

基于石墨烯及其复合物电极的电容去离子技术研究进展

电容去离子技术是一种高效节能、绿色环保的脱盐方法, 通过施加静电场, 强制离子向两侧电极迁移, 使其被电极表面产生的双电层吸附, 从而达到脱盐的目的。电容去离子技术的关键是高性能电极材料的制备, 要求具有较高的比表面积、合理的孔径分布和良好的导电性。石墨烯具有较高的理论比表面积和优异的导电性, 是一种理想的电极材料。然而由于石墨烯的聚集效应, 实际比表面积远远低于理论值, 将石墨烯制备成三维网络结构或将石墨烯与其他材料进行复合可以克服聚集效应, 提高电极的脱盐性能。本文综述了基于石墨烯及其复合物电极的电容去离子技术研究进展、存在的问题及应用前景。     

Cage like ordered carboxylic acid functionalized mesoporous silica with enlarged pores for enzyme adsorption

Cubic FDU-12 type mesoporous silicas with enlarged pores and carboxylic acid (–COOH) functionality in the pore channels (denoted as LP-FTC-x) are synthesized using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and carboxyethylsilanetriol sodium salt (CES) as silica sources, Pluronic F127 triblock copolymer as template, and trimethylbenzene (TMB) as pore expander, and utilized them as supports for enzyme immobilization. When the –COOH content is increased from 0 to 30%, the pore size of LP-FTC-x decreases from 23.6 to 11.1 nm, and its particle size decreases from around 2 μm to 600–800 nm. The material exhibits a high papain adsorption capacity (895 mg g^?1) with a low leaching rate at pH 8.2 due to the well-defined surface chemistry in the pore channel. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms follow the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. The excellent structural properties of LP-FTC-x are also advantageous for enhancement in stability of enzyme toward the temperature, solution pH, and incubation time variations.     

基于三辊分散原料的3Y-ZrO2/Al2O3陶瓷的制备与表征

原料粉体的均匀分散是3Y-ZrO₂/Al₂O₃陶瓷制备的关键。在工程应用中三辊混合适合于超细陶瓷粉体高黏度浆料的分散,有利于降低分散介质用量,减少干燥时间。本工作以商用3Y-ZrO₂粉体(粒径80 nm)和粗细两种Al₂O₃粉体(粒径3μm和0.3μm)为原料,通过三辊混合、干压成型与烧结,制备3Y-ZrO₂/Al₂O₃复相陶瓷。通过XRD,SEM和万能试验机研究3Y-ZrO₂/Al₂O₃复相陶瓷的相组成、显微结构以及弯曲强度之间的关系。结果表明:在3Y-ZrO₂/Al₂O₃复相陶瓷中,除常见的Al₂O₃晶粒弥散相和ZrO₂连续相外,还存在最大尺寸5~10μm的Al₂O₃微聚集区。当添加粗Al₂O₃粉时,3Y-ZrO₂会发生从四方相到单斜相的转变。而当添加细Al₂O₃粉时,四方相的衍射峰向右偏移,同时没有检测到单斜相。对1600℃烧结的复相陶瓷样品,两种Al₂O₃粉的适量添加均有利于获得最大的弯曲强度。但对含有细Al₂O₃粉的样品,弯曲强度较粗Al₂O₃粉样品随Al₂O₃体积分数的增加更为平缓。     

超声波作用下炭黑的亲水性高分子聚合接枝

在超声波辐射作用下,用自由基聚合方法在炉法炭黑表面上接枝了聚丙烯酸及含磺酸基高分子的共聚高分子,并获得了相应炭黑接枝的优化条件（pH值、引发剂量、丙烯酸加入量和反应时间等）.借助XPS、FTIR及SEM等分析了炭黑接枝前后官能团的差异.结果表明：超声波作用下炭黑的聚丙烯酸接枝反应时间大大减少;接枝后获得的炭黑与水的亲合力、炭黑粒子之间的静电斥力都得到了很大提高,同时由于高分子的空间位阻,炭黑在水性体系中的分散稳定性得到了明显的改善.     

Effect of chopped Si–Al–C fiber addition on the mechanical properties of silicon carbide composite

Silicon carbide (SiC) composites containing 0–50 mass% of chopped Tyranno^® Si–Al–C (SA) fiber (mean length: 214 μm (SA(214)), 394 μm (SA(394)), and 706 μm (SA(706)) were fabricated using the hot-pressing technique at 1800 °C for 30 min under a uniaxial pressure of 31 MPa in Ar atmosphere. The maximum flexural strength of the SiC composite was 344 MPa for 30 mass% of SA(706) fiber addition, whilst the maximum fracture toughness was 4.7 MPa m^1/2 for 40 mass% of SA(706) fiber addition. Increasing the mean fiber length from 214 to 706 μm decreased the flexural strength from 380 to 281 MPa for 30 mass% of fiber addition, whilst the fracture toughness increased from 3.4 to 4.7 MPa m^1/2 for 40 mass% of fiber addition. Through use of a treated SA(706) fiber containing an approximately 100 nm surface layer of carbon, the fracture toughness further increased to 6.0 MPa m^1/2 for 40 mass% of fiber addition; this value was more than twice that of the monolithic SiC ceramic and is believed to be the highest so far achieved for this type of SiC/SiC composite containing chopped fibers.     

氯化聚乙烯/碳纳米管复合材料的制备及其性能研究

以三氯化铝(AlCl3)作催化剂,将多壁碳纳米管(MWNTS)悬浮在氯仿(CHCl3)溶液中,通过亲电加成反应,对MWNTS进行了侧壁化学修饰,并对化学修饰后的MWNTS作了红外光谱的分析.分别采用机械共混法和溶液共沉淀法制备了CPE/CNTs复合材料,对CPE/CNTs复合材料进行了拉伸性能及流变性能的测试,并利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察了CPE/CNTs复合材料拉伸断面的形貌特征.结果表明:CPE/CNTs复合材料的拉伸强度随碳纳米管加入量的增加而增大,当碳纳米管的加入量为5份时,其拉伸强度最大,与纯氯化聚乙烯的拉伸强度相比,提高了75%;化学修饰后的碳纳米管在氯化聚乙烯基体中有了较好的分散性和相容性;CPE/CNTs复合材料的表观粘度随碳纳米管加入量的增加而逐渐增大.