A Li2O-2SiO2 (LS2) glass was investigated as a lithium-ion conducting oxide glass, which is applicable to a fast ionic conductor even at low temperature due to its high mechanical strength and chemical stability. The Li2O-2SiO2 glass is likely to be broken into small pieces when quenched; thus, it is difficult to fabricate a specifically sized sample. The production of properly sized glass samples is necessary for device applications. In this study, we applied spark plasma sintering (SPS) to fabricate LS2 glass samples which have a particular size as well as high transparency. The sintered samples, 15mmφ×2mmT in size, (LS2-s) were produced by SPS between 480˚C and 500˚C at 45MPa for 3~5mim, after which the thermal and dielectric properties of the LS2-s samples were compared with those of quenched glass (LS2-q) samples. Thermal behavior, crystalline structure, and electrical conductivity of both samples were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and an impedance/gain-phase analyzer, respectively. The results showed that the LS2-s had an amorphous structure, like the LS2-q sample, and that both samples took on the lithium disilicate structure after the heat treatment at 800˚C. We observed similar dielectric peaks in both of the samples between room temperature and 700˚C. The DC activation energies of the LS2-q and LS2-s samples were 0.48±0.05eV and 0.66±0.04eV, while the AC activation energies were 0.48±0.05eV and 0.68±0.04eV, respectively.
Ti-Ni alloys are widely used in numerous biomedical applications (e.g., orthodontics, cardiovascular science, orthopaedics) due to their distinctive thermomechanical and mechanical properties, such as the shape memory effect, superelasticity and low elastic modulus. In order to increase the biocompatibility of Ti-Ni alloys, many surface modification techniques, such as the sol-gel technique, plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII), laser surface melting, plasma spraying, and chemical vapor deposition, have been employed. In this study, a Ti-49.5Ni (at%) alloy was electrochemically etched in 1M H2SO4+ X (1.5, 2.0, 2.5) wt% HF electrolytes to modify the surface morphology. The morphology, element distribution, crystal structure, roughness and energy of the surface were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive Xray spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle analysis. Micro-sized pores were formed on the Ti-49.5Ni (at%) alloy surface by electrochemical etching with 1M H2SO4+ X (1.5, 2.0, 2.5) wt% HF. The volume fractions of the pores were increased by increasing the concentration of the HF electrolytes. Depending on the HF concentration, different pore sizes, heights, surface roughness levels, and surface energy levels were obtained. To investigate the osteoblast adhesion of the electrochemically etched Ti-49.5Ni (at%) alloy, a MTT test was performed. The degree of osteoblast adhesion was increased at a high concentration of HF-treated surface structures.
When a new bonding agent using coal ash is utilized as a substitute for cement, it has the advantages of offering a reduction in the generation of carbon dioxide and securing the initial mechanical strength such that the agent has attracted strong interest from recycling and eco-friendly construction industries. This study aims to establish the production conditions of new hardening materials using clean bottom ash and an alkali activation process to evaluate the characteristics of newly manufactured hardening materials. The alkali activator for the compression process uses a NaOH solution. This study concentrated on strength development according to the concentration of the NaOH solution, the curing temperature, and the curing time. The highest compressive strength of a compressed body appeared at 61.24MPa after curing at 60˚C for 28 days. This result indicates that a higher curing temperature is required to obtain a higher strength body. Also, the degree of geopolymerization was examined using a scanning electron microscope, revealing a micro-structure consisting of a glass-like matrix and crystalized grains. The microstructures generated from the activation reaction of sodium hydroxide were widely distributed in terms of the factors that exercise an effect on the compressive strength of the geopolymer hardening bodies. The Si/Al ratio of the geopolymer having the maximum strength was about 2.41.
Y2O3 nanomaterials have been widely used in transparent ceramics and luminescent devices. Recently, many studies have focused on controlling the size and morphology of Y2O3 in order to obtain better material performance. Y2O3 powders were prepared under a modified solvothermal condition involving precipitation from metal nitrates with aqueous ammonium hydroxide. The powders were obtained at temperatures at 250˚C after a 6h process. The properties of the Y2O3 powders were studied as a function of the solvent ratio. The synthesis of Y2O3 crystalline particles is possible under a modified solvothermal condition in a water/ethylene glycol solution. Solvothermal processing condition parameters including the pH, reaction temperature and solvent ratio, have significant effects on the formation, phase component, morphology and particle size of yttria powders. Ethylene glycol is a versatile, widely used, inexpensive, and safe capping organic molecule for uniform nanoparticles besides as a solvent. The characterization of the synthesized Y2O3 powders were studied by XRD, SEM (FE-SEM) and TG/DSC. An X-ray diffraction analysis of the synthesized powders indicated the formation of the Y2O3 cubic structure upon calcination. The average crystalline sizes and distribution of the synthesized Y2O3 powders was less than 2 um and broad, respectively. The synthesized particles were spherical and hexagonal in shape. The morphology of the synthesized powders changed with the water and ethylene glycol ratio. The average size and shape of the synthesized particles could be controlled by adjusting the solvent ratio.
The effect of the alloy systems Al-Mg alloy and Al-Si alloy in this study on the characteristics of die-casting were investigated using solidification simulation software (MAGMAsoft). Generally, it is well known that the casting characteristics of Al-Mg based alloys, such as the fluidity, feedability and die soldering behaviors, are inferior to those of Al-Si based alloys. However, the simulation results of this study showed that the filling pattern behaviors of both the Al-Mg and Al-Si alloys were found to be very similar, whereas the Al-Mg alloy had higher residual stress and greater distortion as generated due to solidification with a larger amount of volumetric shrinkage compared to the Al-Si alloy. The Al-Mg alloy exhibited very high relative numbers of stress-concentrated regions, especially near the rib areas. Owing to the residual stress and distortion, defects were evident in the Al-Mg alloy in the areas predicted by the simulation. However, there were no visible defects observed in the Al-Si alloy. This suggests that an adequate die temperature and casting process optimization are necessary to control and minimize defects when die casting the Al-Mg alloy. A Tatur test was conducted to observe the shrinkage characteristics of the aluminum alloys. The result showed that hot tearing or hot cracking occurred during the solidification of the Al-Mg alloy due to the large amount of shrinkage.
Insoluble catalytic electrodes were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering of Pt on Ti substrates and the performance of seawater electrolysis was compared in these electrodes to that is DSA electrodes. The Pt-sputtered insoluble catalytic electrodes were nearly 150 nm-thick with a roughness of 0.18μm, which is 1/660 and 1/12 of these values for the DSA (dimensionally stable anodes) electrodes. The seawater electrolysis performance levels were determined through measurements of the NaOCl concentration, which was the main reaction product after electrolysis using artificial seawater. The NaOCl concentration after 2 h of electrolysis with artificial seawater, which has 3.5% NaCl normally, at current densities of 50, 80 and 140 mA/cm2 were 0.76%, 1.06%, and 2.03%, respectively. A higher current density applied through the electrodes led to higher electrolysis efficiency. The efficiency reached nearly 58% in the Pt-sputtered samples after 2 h of electrolysis. The reaction efficiency of DSA showed higher values than that of the Pt-sputtered insoluble catalytic electrodes. One plausible reason for this is the higher specific surface area of the DSA electrodes; the surface cracks of the DSAs resulted in a higher specific surface area and higher reaction sites. Upon the electrolysis process, some Mg- and Ca-hydroxides, which were minor components in the artificial seawater, were deposited onto the surface of the electrodes, resulting in an increase in the electrical resistances of the electrodes. However, the extent of the increase ranged from 4% to 7% within an electrolysis time of 720 h.
AC and ZnS modified TiO2 composites (AC/ZnS/TiO2) were prepared using a sol-gel method. The composite obtained was characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, and according to the UV-vis absorption spectra (UV-vis). XRD patterns of the composites showed that the AC/ZnS/TiO2 composites contain a typical single and clear anatase phase. The surface properties as observed by SEM present the characterization of the texture of the AC/ZnS/TiO2 composites, showing a homogenous composition in the particles showing the micro-surface structures and morphology of the composites. The EDX spectra of the elemental identification showed the presence of C and Ti with Zn and S peaks for the AC/ZnS/TiO2 composite. UV-vis patterns of the composites showed that these composites had greater photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation. A rhodamine B (Rh.B) solution under visible light irradiation was used to determine the photocatalytic activity. The degradation of Rh.B was determined using UV/Vis spectrophotometry. An increase in the photocatalytic activity was observed. From the photocatalytic results, the excellent activity of the Y-fullerene/TiO2 composites for the degradation of methylene blue under visible irradiation could be attributed to an increase in the photo-absorption effect caused by the ZnS and to the cooperative effect of the AC.
The microstructure and tensile properties of Al-Mn/Al-Si hybrid aluminum alloys prepared by electromagnetic duocasting were investigated. Only the Al-Mn alloy showed the typical cast microstructure of columnar and equiaxed crystals. The primary dendrites and eutectic structure were clearly observed in the Al-Si alloy. There existed a macro-interface of Al-Mn/Al-Si alloys in the hybrid aluminum alloys. The macro-interface was well bonded, and the growth of primary dendrites in Al-Si alloy occurred from the macro-interface. The Al-Mn/Al-Si hybrid aluminum alloys with a well-bonded macro-interface showed excellent tensile strength and 0.2% proof stress, both of which are comparable to those values for binary Al-Mn alloy, indicating that the strength is preferentially dominated by the deformation of the Al-Mn alloy side. However, the degree of elongation was between that of binary Al-Mn and Al-Si alloys. The Al-Mn/Al-Si hybrid aluminum alloys were fractured on the Al-Mn alloy side. This was considered to have resulted from the limited deformation in the Al-Mn alloy side, which led to relatively low elongation compared to the binary Al-Mn alloy.
Red-emitting Eu3+-activated (Y0.95-xAlx)VO4 (0<x≤0.12) nanophosphors with the particle size of ~30nm and thehigh crystallinity have been successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction. In the synthetic process, deionized water asa solvent and ethylene glycol as a capping agent were used. The crystalline phase, particle morphology, and thephotoluminescence properties of the excitation spectrum, emission intensity, color coordinates and decay time, of the prepared(Y0.95-xAlx)VO4:Eu3+ nanophosphors were compared with those of the YVO4:Eu3+. Under 147nm excitation, (Y0.95-xAlx)VO4nanophosphors showed strong red luminescence due to the 5D0-7F2 transition of Eu3+ at 619nm. The luminescence intensityof YVO4:Eu3+ enhanced with partial substitution of Al3+ for Y3+ and the maximum emission intensity was accomplished at theAl3+ content of 10mol%. By the addition of Al3+, decay time of the (Y,Al)VO4:Eu3+ nanophosphor was decreased in comparisonwith that of the YVO4:Eu3+ nanophosphor. Also, the substitution of Al3+ for Y3+ invited the improvement of color coordinatesdue to the increase of R/O ratio in emission intensity. For the formation of transparent layer, the red nanophosphors werefabricated to the paste with ethyl celluloses, anhydrous terpineol, ethanol and deionized water. By screen printing method, atransparent red phosphor layer was formed onto a glass substrate from the paste. The transparent red phosphor layer exhibitedthe red emission at 619nm under 147nm excitation and the transmittance of ~80% at 600nm.