Relationships of tensile strength with crosslink density for the high-carbon black-filled EPDM compounds with various softeners

Equilibrium swelling and rheological tests were adopted to systematically investigate the effects of softener type and dosage on the crosslink densities. The results turned out that the chemical crosslink density could be distinguished from the physical crosslink density by comparing the results of equilibrium swelling and rheological tests. The liquid butadiene (LB) as a softener leads to the greatest reduction in crosslink density, followed by polyethylene wax (PW) and paraffinic oil (PO). The tensile strength decreases with increasing PO content while shows peak values with increase of LB and PW contents. The dependencies of chemical crosslink density on the aging time under 150°C are quite different for the three softeners, which can be expected from the double crosslinking networks consisting of small softener and large main crosslinking networks. Further investigation has been performed to correlate the tensile strength with chemical crosslink density of ethylene propylene diene monomer elastomer vulcanizates. Three different linear relationships can be obtained for the softeners independent of the aging time. It can now be expected from this study that the role of some new softeners in rubber compounds is not only confined to plasticization but also forms crosslinking networks in the peroxide-cured rubbers.     

Electrochemical performance of in situ LiFePO4 modified by N-doped graphene for Li-ion batteries

LiFePO₄ modified by N-doped graphene (NG) with a three-dimensional conductive network structure was synthesized via a one-step in situ hydrothermal method. The effects of N amount of NG on the phase structure, morphology, and electrochemical properties of LiFePO₄ are investigated in this study. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that doping suitable N amounts in NG do not alter the crystal structure of LiFePO_4, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that NG can slightly reduce the particle size of LiFePO₄. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results show that the LiFePO₄ particles are well covered and connected by NG. The electrochemical performance confirms that LiFePO₄ modified by 20% N-doped graphene (named LFP/NG-4) displays a perfect specific capacity of 166.6 mAh·g^?1 at a rate of 0.2C and can reach 125 mAh·g^?1 at a rate of 5 C. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results illustrate that the charge transfer resistance value of the LFP/NG-4 composite is only 58.6 Ω, which is very low compared with LiFePO₄. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests indicate that the addition of 20% N-doped graphene can effectively reduce electrode polarization and improve reversibility. The LFP/NG-4 composite with a three-dimensional conductive network structure can be regarded as a promising cathode material for Li-ion batteries.     

Novel TiC-based composites with enhanced mechanical properties

Novel TiC-based composites were synthesized by reactive hot-pressing at 1800 °C for 1 h with ZrB₂ addition as a sintering aid for the first time. The effects of ZrB₂ contents on the phase composition, microstructure evolution, and mechanical properties were reported. Based on the reaction and solid solution coupling effects between ZrB₂ and TiC, the product ZrC may be partially or completely dissolved into the TiC matrix, and then phase separation within the miscibility gap is observed to form lamellar nanostructured ZrC-rich (Zr, Ti)C. The TiC-10 mol.% ZrB₂ (starting batch composition) exhibits good comprehensive mechanical properties of hardness 27.7 ± 1.3 GPa, flexural strength 659 ± 48 MPa, and fracture toughness of 6.5 ± 0.6 MPa m^1/2, respectively, which reach or exceed most TiC-based composites using ceramics as sintering aids in the previous reports.     

On the Catalytic Activity of Sn Monomers and Dimers at Graphene Edges and the Synchronized Edge Dependence of Diffusing Atoms in Sn Dimers

In this study, in situ transmission electron microscopy is performed to study the interaction between single (monomer) and paired (dimer) Sn atoms at graphene edges. The results reveal that a single Sn atom can catalyze both the growth and etching of graphene by the addition and removal of C atoms respectively. Additionally, the frequencies of the energetically favorable configurations of an Sn atom at a graphene edge, calculated using density functional theory calculations, are compared with experimental observations and are found to be in good agreement. The remarkable dynamic processes of binary atoms (dimers) are also investigated and is the first such study to the best of the knowledge. Dimer diffusion along the graphene edges depends on the graphene edge termination. Atom pairs (dimers) involving an armchair configuration tend to diffuse with a synchronized shuffling (step-wise shift) action, while dimer diffusion at zigzag edge terminations show a strong propensity to collapse the dimer with each atom diffusing in opposite directions (monomer formation). Moreover, the data reveals the role of C feedstock availability on the choice a single Sn atom makes in terms of graphene growth or etching. This study advances the understanding single atom catalytic activity at graphene edges.     

Chromium-promoted preparation of forsterite refractory materials from ferronickel slag by microwave sintering

The chromium-promoted preparation of forsterite refractory materials from ferronickel slag was investigated by microwave sintering of the slag with the additions of sintered magnesia and 0–10 wt% chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃). The thermodynamic calculations revealed that the addition of Cr₂O₃ can promote the formations of spinel and liquid phase and maintain high content of forsterite below 1500 °C. The experimental results showed that there existed a stronger promoting effect of Cr₂O₃ additive on the properties of refractory materials in the microwave field than that in conventional sintering. It was attributed to the preferential formation and growth of spinel with stronger microwave absorption than other phases (e.g., enstatite), the existence of more forsterite, and the enhanced densification in association with the presence of more liquid phase at the same temperature. By microwave sintering of the mixture of ferronickel slag, 25 wt% sintered magnesia, and 4 wt% Cr₂O₃ at 1350 °C for 20 min, a superior refractory material with refractoriness of 1801 °C, thermal shock resistance of 6 times, bulk density of 2.97 g/cm³, apparent porosity of 1.4%, and compressive strength of 197 MPa was obtained. Compared with that prepared by conventional sintering at 1350 °C for 2 h, the refractoriness and thermal shock resistance were increased by 175 °C and 100%, respectively. The present study provided a novel method for preparing high-quality refractory materials from ferronickel slag and relevant industrial wastes.     

Interactions and complex stabilities of grape seed procyanidins with zein hydrolysate

The objective of this paper was to investigate the complex of grape seed procyanidins (GSP) with zein hydrolysate (ZH). The interaction was determined using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The particle size, ζ-potential, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and stability test of the ZH-GSP complex were measured. The results of ITC, particle size and SEM suggested that there was a hydrogen bond-dominated interaction between GSP and ZH, and the ZH-GSP complex presented as a spherical shape with particle size of 234 nm, polydispersity index of 0.11 and ζ-potential of −46.4 mV. The results of the fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the fluorescence quenching effect of GSP on ZH was GSP concentration-dependent and the quenching process was mainly static quenching. The ZH-GSP complex had better physical stability in aqueous solution, and their solution was more stable than GSP solution under illumination and high-temperature treatment at 75°C.     

Real-time molecular characterization of air pollutants in a Hong Kong residence: Implication of indoor source emissions and heterogeneous chemistry

Due to the high health risks associated with indoor air pollutants and long-term exposure, indoor air quality has received increasing attention. In this study, we put emphasis on the molecular composition, source emissions, and chemical aging of air pollutants in a residence with designed activities mimicking ordinary Hong Kong homes. More than 150 air pollutants were detected at molecular level, 87 of which were quantified at a time resolution of not less than 1 hour. The indoor-to-outdoor ratios were higher than 1 for most of the primary air pollutants, due to emissions of indoor activities and indoor backgrounds (especially for aldehydes). In contrast, many secondary air pollutants exhibited higher concentrations in outdoor air. Painting ranked first in aldehyde emissions, which also caused great enhancement of aromatics. Incense burning had the highest emissions of particle-phase organics, with vanillic acid and syringic acid as markers. The other noteworthy fingerprints enabled by online measurements included linoleic acid, cholesterol, and oleic acid for cooking, 2,5-dimethylfuran, stigmasterol, iso-/anteiso-alkanes, and fructose isomers for smoking, C₂₈-C₃₄ even n-alkanes for candle burning, and monoterpenes for the use of air freshener, cleaning agents, and camphor oil. We showed clear evidence of chemical aging of cooking emissions, giving a hint of indoor heterogeneous chemistry. This study highlights the value of organic molecules measured at high time resolutions in enhancing our knowledge on indoor air quality.     

Corrosion resistance of nanostructured magnesium hydroxide coating on magnesium alloy AZ31: influence of EDTA

A hexagonal nanosheet Mg(OH)_2 coating was prepared through a one-step hydrothermal method using LiOH solution as mineralizer and then modified by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid(EDTA) to minimize the rapid corrosion of AZ31 Mg alloy.The performance of the coating was evaluated using electrochemical technique,hydrogen evolution measurements, nanoscratch test,Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), X-ray diffraction(XRD) patterns and field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM).The results suggested that the corrosion rate of bare AZ31 Mg alloys was significantly reduced by one and two orders of magnitude through the protection from Mg(OH)_2 coating and modification with EDTA(i.e., EDTA-Mg(OH)_2 coating), respectively.FESEM micrographs indicated that the modification in EDTA elicits to the formation of an EDTA-Mg(OH)_2 composite with a thickness as twice as that of as-prepared Mg(OH)_2 coating.Nanoscratch tests revealed strong adhesion between the composite or Mg(OH)_2 coating and the substrate.The study of formation and corrosion mechanisms of the coatings manifested that Mg(OH)_2 was first formed near the intermetallic compound AlMn particles and gradually covered the entire surface, wherein the AlMn particles played an important role in the coating growth process.And it also proved that EDTA accelerated the formation of Mg(OH)_2.     

A Dynamic Memory Allocation Optimization Mechanism Based on Spark

Spark is a distributed data processing framework based on memory. Memory allocation is a focus question of Spark research. A good memory allocation scheme can effectively improve the efficiency of task execution and memory resource utilization of the Spark. Aiming at the memory allocation problem in the Spark2.x version, this paper optimizes the memory allocation strategy by analyzing the Spark memory model, the existing cache replacement algorithms and the memory allocation methods, which is on the basis of minimizing the storage area and allocating the execution area according to the demand. It mainly including two parts: cache replacement optimization and memory allocation optimization. Firstly, in the storage area, the cache replacement algorithm is optimized according to the characteristics of RDD Partition, which is combined with PCA dimension. In this section, the four features of RDD Partition are selected. When the RDD cache is replaced, only two most important features are selected by PCA dimension reduction method each time, thereby ensuring the generalization of the cache replacement strategy. Secondly, the memory allocation strategy of the execution area is optimized according to the memory requirement of Task and the memory space of storage area. In this paper, a series of experiments in Spark on Yarn mode are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the optimization algorithm and improve the cluster performance.