Cu-Ti thin films were fabricated using a combinatorial sputtering system to realize highly sensitive surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. The Cu-Ti sample library was grown with various chemical compositions and electrical resistivity, providing important information for selecting the most suitable materials for SAW devices. Considering that acoustic waves generated from piezoelectric materials are significantly affected by the resistivity and density of interdigital transducer (IDT) electrodes, three types of Cu-Ti thin films with different Cu contents were fabricated. The thickness of the Cu-Ti thin films used in the SAW-IDT electrode was fixed at 150 nm. As the Cu content of the Cu-Ti films was increased from 31.2 to 71.3 at%, the resistivity decreased from 10.5 to 5.8 × 10-5 ohm-cm, and the density increased from 5.5 to 7.3 g/cm3, respectively. A SAW device composed of Cu-Ti IDT electrodes resonated at exactly 143 MHz without frequency shifts, but the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values of the resonant frequency gradually increased as the Cu content increased. This means that although the increase in Cu content in the Cu-Ti thin film helps to improve the electrical properties of the IDT electrode, the increased density of the IDT electrode deteriorates the acoustic performance of SAW devices.

To reduce production cost and inhibit the aggregation of graphene, graphene oxide and copper nitrate solution were used as raw materials in the paper. Cu particles were introduced to the graphene nanosheets by in-situ chemical reduction method in the hydrazine hydrate and sodium hydroxide solution, and the copper matrix composite reinforced with Cu-doped graphene nanosheets were fabricated by powder metallurgy. The synthesized Cu-doped graphene was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The relative density, hardness, electrical conductivity and tensile strength of the copper matrix composite reinforced with Cudoped graphene were measured as well. The results show that copper ions and graphene oxide can be effectively reduced by hydrazine hydrate simultaneously. Most of oxygen functional groups on the Cu-doped graphene sheets can be removed dramatically, and Cu-doped graphene inhibit the graphene aggregation effectively. Within the experimental range, the copper matrix composites have good comprehensive properties with 0.5 wt% Cu-doped graphene. The tensile strength and hardness are 221 MPa and 81.6 HV, respectively, corresponding to an increase of 23% and 59% compared to that of pure Cu, and the electrical conductivity reaches up to 93.96% IACS. However, excessive addition of Cu-doped graphene is not beneficial for the improvement on the hardness and electrical conductivity of copper matrix composite.

In this study, we employed a small-scale experiment to demonstrate the introduction of a thin copper heat dissipation plate into a bentonite buffer layer of an engineered barrier system. This experiment designed for spent nuclear fuel disposal can effectively reduce the maximum temperature of the bentonite buffer layer, and ultimately, make it possible to reduce the area of the disposal site. For the experiment, a small-scale engineered barrier system with a copper heat dissipation plate was designed and manufactured. the thickness of the cylindrical buffer was about 2 cm, which was about 1/20 of KAERI Repository System (KRS). At a power supply of 250 W, the maximum buffer temperature reduced to a mere 1.8°C when the thin copper plate was introduced. However, the maximum surface temperature reduced to a remarkable 9.1°C, when a U-collar copper plate was introduced, which had a good contact with the other barrier layers. Consequently, we conclude that the introduction of the thin copper plate into the engineered barrier system for spent nuclear fuel disposal can effectively reduce the maximum buffer temperature in high-level radioactive waste disposal repositories.

Cu2+/polyacrylonitrile composite fibers were prepared by electrospinning, and then Cu/carbon nanofibers (denoted as Cu/ CNF-X; X = Cu content, 0, 3, or 5 wt%) were formed by calcining them. The effects of Cu2+ content and carbonization temperature on the conductivity and electrothermal conversion of Cu/CNF-X were investigated. The results revealed that the conductivity and electrothermal properties of Cu/CNF-X improve with the increase in the Cu2+ content and carbonization temperature. When the carbonization temperature was 800, 900, or 1000 °C, the conductivity of Cu/CNF-5 (0.08, 0.68, or 2.48 S/cm, respectively) increased to 1.6, 1.5, or 1.6 times that of Cu/CNF-0, respectively. The highest instantaneous surface temperatures of Cu/CNF-5 calcined at 800, 900, and 1000 °C (36, 145, and 270.2 °C, respectively) increased by 4, 25.5, and 44.6 °C, respectively, compared with those of the corresponding Cu/CNF-0 samples (32, 120.3, and 225.6 °C, respectively). Thus, the addition of a small amount of Cu2+ effectively improved the conductivity and electrothermal conversion performance of Cu/CNF-X, which has potential application value in industrial products in the future.

Heavy metal ions pollution has become of worldwide critical concern, thus, it is particularly important to monitor it in the environment and food for ensuring human health. In this study, p-phenylenediamine and 2-mercaptothiazoline were used to prepare nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) co-doped carbon dots (N/SCDs) for fluorescent and colorimetric detection of Cu2+. The fabricated N/SCDs with bright green fluorescence showed excellent optical characteristics and favorable water solubility. In an aqueous system, a significant fluorescence quenching of N/SCDs at 512 nm is obtained in the presence of Cu2+. It also caused a significant colorimetric response with the color of prepared N/SCDs solution changed from colorless to yellow. Under optimal conditions, the analytical results showed that the linear range spanning from 5 to 400 μM, with a detection limit of 0.215 μM in fluorescence and 0.225 μM in colorimetric detection. In addition, N/SCDs displayed high selectivity toward Cu2+. No obvious interference was observed over other metal ions. Furthermore, we have also used N/SCDs to monitor Cu2+ in tap and lake water. The recovery of Cu2+ ranged between 89.6% and 113.1%. Exhibiting remarkable sensitivity and selectivity, the designed sensor offers a promising detection method for Cu2+ detection in the real sample.

Copper-coated carbon fibers have excellent conductivity and mechanical properties, making them a promising new lightweight functional material. One of the main challenges to their development is the poor affinity between carbon fiber and metals. This paper selects different carbon fibers for copper electroplating experiments to study the effect of carbon fiber properties on the interface bonding performance between the copper plating layer and carbon fibers. It has been found that the interfacial bonding performance between copper and carbon fiber is related to the degree of graphitization of carbon fiber. The lower the degree of graphitization of carbon fiber, the smaller the proportion of carbon atoms with sp2 hybrid structure in carbon fiber, the stronger the interfacial bonding ability between carbon fiber and copper coating. Therefore, carbon fiber with lower graphitization degree is conducive to reducing the falling off rate of copper coating and improving the quality of copper coating, and the conductivity of copper-plated carbon fibers increases with the decrease of graphitization degree of carbon fibers. The conductivity of copper-plated carbon fibers increases by more than six times when the graphitization degree of carbon fibers decreases by 23.9%. This work provides some benchmark importance for the preparation of highquality copper-plated carbon fibers.

In this study, we investigated the suppression of the corrosion of cast iron in a copper–cast iron double-layered canister under local corrosion of the copper layer. The cold spray coating technique was used to insert metals with lower galvanic activity than that of copper, such as silver, nickel, and titanium, between the copper and cast iron layers. Electrochemically accelerated corrosion tests were performed on the galvanic specimens in KURT groundwater at a voltage of 1.0 V for a week. The results revealed that copper corrosion was evident in all galvanic specimens of Cu–Ag, Cu–Ni, and Cu–Ti. By contrast, the copper was barely corroded in the Cu–Fe specimens. Therefore, it was concluded that if an inactive galvanic metal is applied to the areas where local corrosion is concerned, such as welding parts, the disposal canister can overcome local or non-uniform corrosion of the copper canister for long periods.

This study evaluated the risk of single and combined exposure to microplastics in zebrafish (Danio rerio) through biomarkers, such as survival rate, excretion rate, and histological alterations of organ systems. The experimental groups were the control (Cont.), single microplastics exposure group (MPs, 1.83%/fish total weight (g)), the copper group (Cu, 21.6 μg L-1), and a group with combined exposure to MPs and copper (MPs*Cu). The experiment was conducted with individual exposure (7 days) for MP excretion rate analysis and group exposure (14 days) for biomarker analysis. The daily excretion rate of MPs tended to decrease in a time-dependent manner. The copper concentration in the body was not significantly different between single and combined copper exposure. The degeneration of mucous cells in the skin, capillary dilation of the gill lamella, increased intestinal mucous, hepatocyte hypertrophy, and the degeneration of glomeruli and renal tubules were observed in all exposure groups. These histological alterations showed the highest tendency in the MPs*Cu group. In this study, the changes in biomarkers were attributed to the single effect of copper or the combined effect of copper and MPs rather than being solely influenced by MPs.

The ecosystem provides a diverse array of environmental conditions for organisms, and only those that are capable of successfully adapting to these conditions within their habitats can endure, thrive, and proliferate. Further, the environmental conditions within these habitats can significantly affect the bioavailability of chemicals that are introduced therein, thus resulting in varied adverse impacts on the organisms. The present study aims to evaluate the sensitivity of Yuukianura szeptyckii - a species adapted to riparian - to heavy metals following ISO guideline 11276, with the objective of assessing its potential as an indicator species for ecotoxicological evaluations in riparian habitats. The findings revealed that cadmium and copper both had significant toxic effects depending on their concentrations. For cadmium, the LC50 was 280 mg kg-1, EC50 was 66 mg kg-1, and NOEC and LOEC were 25 and 50 mg kg-1, respectively. For copper, the LC50 was 911 mg kg-1, EC50 was 151 mg kg-1, and LOEC was 50 mg kg-1. Comparative analysis with previous results for the international standard species Folsomia candida and the domestic standard species Allonychiurus kimi indicated that Y. szeptyckii exhibited even greater sensitivity to toxicity values. The adverse effects on survival and reproduction were closely associated with the influx concentration of heavy metals in their bodies. Altogether, the results suggest that Y. szeptyckii is a sensitive species for ecotoxicological assessments in riparian habitats, thus making it suitable as an indicator species, particularly in riparian ecosystems that are characterized by relatively high humidity conditions.

This study improved the work efficiency by supplementing the shortcomings of the manual process by developing a double tube feeding device, and the following results were obtained by conducting the production capacity, production length, and defect rate tests. Developed a double tube production system to enable the simultaneous production of two tubes, increasing the production volume by about 1.5 times. The product length has been improved from semi-automatic to automated, and the production capacity has been improved from 16 to 25 pieces per hour (based on 15m). Developed a double-tube input straight line automatic adjustment feeder, which resulted in reducing the defect rate to less than 1%.

Copper hexacyanoferrate (Cu-HCF), which is a type of Prussian Blue analogue (PBA), possesses a specific lattice structure that allows it to selectively and effectively adsorb cesium with a high capacity. However, its powdery form presents difficulties in terms of recovery when introduced into aqueous environments, and its dispersion in water has the potential to impede sunlight penetration, possibly affecting aquatic ecosystems. To address this, sponge-type aluminum oxide, referred to as alumina foam (AF), was employed as a supporting material. The synthesis was achieved through a dip-coating method, involving the coating of aluminum oxide foam with copper oxide, followed by a reaction with potassium hexacyanoferrate (KHCF), resulting in the in-situ formation of Cu-HCF. Notably, Copper oxide remained chemically stable, which led to the application of 1, 3, 5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (H3BTC) to facilitate its conversion into Cu-HCF. This was necessary to ensure the proper transformation of copper oxide into Cu-HCF on the AF in the presence of KHCF. The synthesis of Cu-HCF from copper oxide using H3BTC was verified through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The manufactured adsorbent material, referred to as AF@CuHCF, was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). These analyses revealed the presence of the characteristic C≡N bond at 2,100 cm-1, confirming the existence of Cu-HCF within the AF@CuHCF, accounting for approximately 3.24% of its composition. AF@CuHCF exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 34.74 mg/g and demonstrated selective cesium adsorption even in the presence of competing ions such as Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+. Consequently, AF@CuHCF effectively validated its capabilities to selectively and efficiently adsorb cesium from Cs-contaminating wastewater.