Herein, the present work focuses on the effective counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells. The bottom–up approach was adapted to synthesize Mn2O3 nanorods via the hydrothermal method and the reduced graphene oxide was merged with Mn2O3 to prepare a nanocomposite. The prepared nanocomposites were subjected to physio-chemical and morphological characterizations which revealed the crystalline nature of Mn2O3 nanorods. The purity level rGO was characterized using the Raman spectrum and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy employed to find the functional groups. The morphological micrographs were visualized using SEM and TEM and the high aspect ratio Mn2O3 nanorods were observed with 5–7 nm and supported by rGO sheets. The electrocatalytic nature and corrosion properties of the counter electrode towards the iodide electrolyte were studied using a symmetrical cell. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were introduced as counter electrodes for DSSC and produced 4.11% of photoconversion efficiency with lower charge transfer resistance. The fabricated DSSC devices were undergone for stability tests for indoor and outdoor atmospheres, the DSSC stability showed 93% and 80% respectively for 150 days.

The binary oxide adsorbent using Fe and Mn (Fe-Mn) has been prepared by precipitation method to enhance the removal of phosphate. Different amounts of chitosan, a natural organic polymer, were used during preparation of Fe-Mn as a stabilizer to protect an aggregation of Fe-Mn particles. The optimal amount of chitosan has been determined considering the separation of the Fe-Mn particles by gravity from solution and highest removal efficiency of phosphate (Fe-Mn10). The application of Fe-Mn10 increased removal efficiency at least 15% compared to bare Fe-Mn. According to the Langmuir isotherm model, the maximum uptake (qm) and affinity coefficient (b) were calculated to be 184 and 240 mg/g, and 4.28 and 7.30 L/mg for Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn10, respectively, indicating 30% and 70% increase. The effect of pH showed that the removal efficiency of phosphate was decrease with increase of pH regardless of type of adsorbent. The enhanced removal efficiency for Fe-Mn10 was maintained in entire range of pH. In the kinetics, both adsorbents obtained 70% removal efficiency within 5 min and 90% removal efficiency was achieved at 1 h. Pseudo second order (PSO) kinetic model showed higher correlation of determination (R2), suggesting chemisorption was the primary phosphate adsorption for both Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn10.

In this study, a THC removal system was developed using an oxidation catalyst to solve the problems of the existing thermal oxidation methods, RTO and RCO. In addition, this system was applied to industrial sites to confirm the VOCs removal efficiency. As a result of testing to remove THC and VOCs by applying the reaction system for THC removal in industrial sites, the THC removal efficiency range is between 99.5% and 99.9%. The treatment efficiency of individual VOCs treated through this system was the lowest at 79.0% for methylethylketone and the highest at 91.3% for acetaldehyde, and the average treatment efficiency was about 85.4%. From these numbers, the performance was superior to the existing RTO and RCO systems that showed THC removal performance. This is due to the fact that the oxidation reaction of the oxidation catalyst is a very fast catalyst surface reaction, and the characteristics of the catalytic oxidation reaction are complete oxidation and oxidation reaction under rarefied conditions. In this study, the catalyst role in the reaction system for THC removal is to process THC simultaneously with the system heat source. This is believed to be because the reaction of the oxidation catalyst is a strongly exothermic reaction and can sufficiently provide the amount of heat necessary for the system. At the same time, an oxidation reaction that breaks the bonds of the THC component also occurs. This reaction is a strong exothermic reaction, which can help the system maintain a high temperature during the reaction, and is considered an effective system for processing high concentrations of THC in actual industrial sites where THC concentrations are high, as in this study.

The purpose of this study was to analyze microstructural changes and evaluate the mechanical properties of TWIP steel subjected to variations in heat treatment, in order to identify optimal process conditions for enhancing the performance of TWIP steel. For this purpose, a homogenization heat treatment was conducted at 1,200 °C for 2 h, followed by hot rolling at temperature exceeding 1,100 °C and cold rolling. Annealing heat treatment is achieved using a muffle furnace in the range of 600 °C to 1,000 °C. The microstructure characterization was performed with an optical microscope and X-ray diffraction. Mechanical properties are evaluated using micro Vickers hardness, tensile test, and ECO index (UTS × Elongation). The specimens annealed at 900 °C and 1,000 °C experienced a significant decrease in hardness and strength due to decarburization. Consequently, the decarburization phenomenon is closely related to the heat treatment process and mechanical properties of TWIP steel, and the effect of the microstructure change during annealing heat treatment.

We investigate the austenite stability in nanocrystalline Fe-7%Mn-X%Mo (X = 0, 1, and 2) alloys fabricated by spark plasma sintering. Mo is known as a ferrite stabilizing element, whereas Mn is an austenite stabilizing element, and many studies have focused on the effect of Mn addition on austenite stability. Herein, the volume fraction of austenite in nanocrystalline Fe-7%Mn alloys with different Mo contents is measured using X-ray diffraction. Using a disk compressive test, austenite in Fe–Mn–Mo alloys is confirmed to transform into strain-induced martensite during plastic deformation by a disk d. The variation in austenite stability in response to the addition of Mo is quantitatively evaluated by comparing the k-parameters of the kinetic equation for the strain-induced martensite transformation.

Subunit vaccines are being developed as a potential therapy for preventing microbial pathogen infection. In this study, the immunogenicity of recombinant Brucella (B.) abortus Fe/Mn superoxide dismutase (rFe/Mn SOD) protein as a subunit vaccine against B. abortus was investigated in BALB/c mice model. Brucella Fe/Mn SOD gene was cloned into a pcold-TF DNA vector. The bacterial recombinant protein was expressed using the Escherichia coli DH5α strain with a size of 82.50 kDa. The western blotting assay showed that rFe/Mn SOD reacted with Brucella-positive serum, indicating the potential immunoreactivity of this recombinant protein. After the second and third vaccinations, the peripheral CD4+ T cell population was increased significantly in the rFe/Mn SOD-immunized mice group compared to the PBS control group. Moreover, immunization of this recombinant protein increased the CD4+ T cell population from the first vaccination to the third vaccination. Meanwhile, the CD8+ T cells were slightly enhanced after the second vaccination compared to the first vaccination and compared to control groups. Fourteen days after the bacterial infection, the splenomegaly and the number of bacteria in the spleen were evaluated. The result showed that both rFe/Mn SOD and positive control RB51 decreased the bacterial replication in the spleen and the splenomegaly compared to control groups. Altogether, these results suggested that rFe/Mn SOD could induce host immunity against B. abortus infection.

A typical trade-off relationship exists between strength and elongation in face-centered cubic metals. Studies have recently been conducted to enhance strength without ductility reduction through surface-treatment-based ultrasonic nanocrystalline surface modification (UNSM), which creates a gradient microstructure in which grains become smaller from the inside to the surface. The transformation-induced plasticity effect in Fe-Mn alloys results in excellent strength and ductility due to their high work-hardening rate. This rate is achieved through strain-induced martensitic transformation when an alloy is plastically deformed. In this study, Fe-6%Mn powders with different sizes were prepared by high-energy ball milling and sintered through spark plasma sintering to produce Fe-6%Mn samples. A gradient microstructure was obtained by stacking the different-sized powders to achieve similar effects as those derived from UNSM. A compressive test was performed to investigate the mechanical properties, including the yielding behavior. The deformed microstructure was observed through electron backscatter diffraction to determine the effects of gradient plastic deformation.

Lightweight steel is a crucial material that is being actively studied because of increased carbon emissions, tightening regulations regarding fuel efficiency, and the emergence of UAM, all of which have been recently labeled as global issues. Hence, new strategies concerning the thickness and size reduction of steel are required. In this study, we manufacture lightweight steel of the Fe-Mn-Al-C system, which has been recently studied using the DED process. By using 2.8 wt.% low-Mn lightweight steel, we attempt to solve the challenge of joining steel parts with a large amount of Mn. Among the various process variables, the laser scan power is set at 600 and 800W, and the laser scan speed is fixed at 16.67 mm/s before the experiments. Several pores and cracks are observed under both conditions, and negligibly small pores of approximately 0.5 μm are observed.

The Mn-Zn ferrite powders were prepared by high energy ball milling, then compacted and sintered at various temperatures to assess their sintering behavior and magnetic properties. The initial ferrite powders were spherical in shape with the size of approximately 70 m. After 3 h of ball milling at 300 rpm, aggregated powders ~230 nm in size and composed of ~15 nm nanoparticles were formed. The milled powders had a density of ~70 % when compacted at 490 MPa for 3 min. In the samples subsequently sintered at 1,273 K ~ 1,673 K for 3 h, the MnZnFe2O4 phase was detected. The density of the sintered samples had a tendency to increase with increasing sintering temperature up to 1,473 K, which produced the highest density of 98 %. On the other hand, the sample sintered at 1,373 K had the highest micro-hardness of approximately 610 Hv, which is due to much finer grains.

The impact properties of two austenitic Fe-23Mn-0.4C steels with different Al contents for cryogenic applications are investigated in this study. The 4Al steel consists mostly of austenite single-phase microstructure, while the 5Al steel exhibits a two-phase microstructure of austenite and delta-ferrite with coarse and elongated grains. Charpy impact test results reveal that the 5Al steel with duplex phases of austenite and delta-ferrite exhibits a ductile-to-brittle transition behavior, while the 4Al steel with only single-phase austenite has higher absorbed energy over 100 J at -196 oC. The SEM fractographs of Charpy impact specimens show that the 4Al steel has a ductile dimple fracture regardless of test temperature, whereas the 5Al steel fractured at -100 oC and -196 oC exhibits a mixed fracture mode of both ductile and brittle fractures. Additionally, quasi-cleavage fracture caused by crack propagation of delta-ferrite phase is found in some regions of the brittle fracture surface of the 5Al steel. Based on these results, the delta-ferrite phase hardly has a significant effect on absorbed energy at room-temperature, but it significantly deteriorates low-temperature toughness by acting as the main site of the propagation of brittle cracks at cryogenic-temperatures.

A high NIR-reflective black pigment is developed by Mn doping of Fe2O3. The pigment powders are prepared by spray pyrolysis, and the effect of the Mn concentration on the blackness and optical properties is investigated. Mn doping into the crystal lattice of -Fe2O3 is found to effectively change the powder color from red to black, lowering the NIR reflectance compared to that of pure Fe2O3. The pigment doped with 10% Mn, i.e., Fe1.8Mn0.2O3, exhibits a black color with an optical bandgap of 1.3 eV and a Chroma value of 1.14. The NIR reflectance of the prepared Fe1.8Mn0.2O3 black pigment is 2.2 times higher than that of commercially available carbon black, and this material is proven to effectively work as a cool pigment in a temperature rise experiment under near-infrared illumination.

Ti-based alloys are widely used in biomaterials owing to their excellent biocompatibility. In this study, Ti- Mn-Cu alloys are prepared by high-energy ball milling, magnetic pulsed compaction, and pressureless sintering. The microstructure and microhardness of the Ti-Mn-Cu alloys with variation of the Cu addition and compaction pressure are analyzed. The correlation between the composition, compaction pressure, and density is investigated by measuring the green density and sintered density for samples with different compositions, subjected to various compaction pressures. For all compositions, it is confirmed that the green density increases proportionally as the compaction pressure increases, but the sintered density decreases owing to gas formation from the pyrolysis of TiH2 powders and reduction of oxides on the surface of the starting powders during the sintering process. In addition, an increase in the amount of Cu addition changes the volume fractions of the α-Ti and β-Ti phases, and the microstructure of the alloys with different compositions also changes. It is demonstrated that these changes in the phase volume fraction and microstructure are closely related to the mechanical properties of the Ti-Mn-Cu alloys.

In this study, soybean oil, which is used in a large variety of processed foods, is used as a carbon source. Soybean oil is successfully coated onto the surface of LiNi1/ 3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (NCM) by a simple method. The physical and electrochemical properties of NCM/C hybrid materials are determined. As a result, a 5 nm thickness carbon coating layer is formed on the surface of the NCM, resulting in improved capability and cyclic performance in the battery. The NCM/C battery shows an initial discharge capacity of 159 mAh g−1 and 95% capacity retention after 100 cycles (a discharge capacity of 120 mAh g−1 and 94% retention are observed after 100 cycles for the NCM cathode).

The electronic structure and magnetic properties of chalcopyrite (CH) AlGaAs2 with dopant Mn at 3.125 and 6.25 % concentrations are investigated using first-principles calculations. The CH AlGaAs2 alloy is a p-type semiconductor with a small band-gap. The AlGaAs2:Mn shows that the ferromagnetic (FM) state is the most energetically favorable one. The Mn-doped AlGaAs2 exhibits FM and strong half-metallic ground states.The spin polarized Al(Ga,Mn)As2 state (Al-rich system) is more stable than the (Al,Mn)GaAs2 state (Ga-rich system), which has a magnetic moment of 3.82mB/Mn. The interaction between Mn-3d and As-4p states at the Fermi level dominates the other states.The states at the Fermi level are mainlyAs-4p electrons, which mediate strong interaction between the Mn-3d and As-4p states. It is noticeable that the FM ordering of dopant Mn with high magnetic moment originates from the As(4p)-Mn(3d)-As(4p) hybridization, which is attributed to the partially unfilled As-4pbands. The high FM moment of Mn is due to the double-exchange mechanism mediated by valence-band holes.

This study is related to the development of lightweight automotive materials that were carried out to develop eco-friendly vehicles worldwide. High-strength aluminum alloy is used as one of the significant lightweight materials in the field of transportation machinery, and it is used as a lightweight material in various areas, including automobiles. The A356 alloy used in this study is an excellent aluminum alloy material that has widely used as a high strength aluminum alloy material in various forming methods. In this study, to examine the characteristics of the two alloys in which Mn and Sr elements were added to the A356 alloy and the A356 alloy, both alloys were manufactured by metal mold casting, which is a gravity casting method. The obtained specimens were heat-treated under the same conditions. In this study have investigated of the microstructure analysis, thermal analysis, crystal phase analysis, and mechanical property evaluation were performed to confirm how the added Mn and Sr elements influenced the microstructure, precipitate formation, and mechanical properties.

The automotive industry has focused on the development of metallic materials with high specific strength, which can meet both fuel economy and safety goals. Here, a new class of ultrafine-grained high-Mn steels containing nano-scale oxides is developed using powder metallurgy. First, high-energy mechanical milling is performed to dissolve alloying elements in Fe and reduce the grain size to the nanometer regime. Second, the ball-milled powder is consolidated using spark plasma sintering. During spark plasma sintering, nanoscale manganese oxides are generated in Fe-15Mn steels, while other nanoscale oxides (e.g., aluminum, silicon, titanium) are produced in Fe-15Mn-3Al-3Si and Fe-15Mn-3Ti steels. Finally, the phases and resulting hardness of a variety of high-Mn steels are compared. As a result, the sintered pallets exhibit superior hardness when elements with higher oxygen affinity are added; these elements attract oxygen from Mn and form nanoscale oxides that can greatly improve the strength of high-Mn steels.

The annealing characteristics of cold-rolled Al-6.5Mg-1.5Zn-0.5Fe-0.5Mn alloy, newly designed as an automobile material, are investigated in detail, and compared with those of other aluminum alloys. Using multi-pass rolling at room temperature, the ingot aluminum alloy is cut to a thickness of 4 mm, width of 30 mm, and length of 100 mm to reduce the thickness to 1 mm (r = 75 %). Annealing after rolling is performed at various temperatures ranging from 200 to 500 oC for 1 hour. The specimens annealed at temperatures up to 300 oC show a deformation structure; however, from 350 oC they have a recrystallization structure consisting of almost equiaxed grains. The hardness distribution in the thickness direction of the annealed specimens is homogeneous at all annealing temperatures, and their average hardness decreases with increasing annealing temperature. The tensile strength of the as-rolled specimen shows a high value of 496 MPa; however, this value decreases with increasing annealing temperature and becomes 338MPa after annealing at 400 oC. These mechanical properties of the specimens are compared with those of other aluminum alloys, including commercial 5xxx system alloys.

The effect of intercritical annealing temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-9Mn-0.2C- 3Al-0.5Si medium manganese steels containing Cu and Ni is investigated in this study. Six kinds of medium manganese steels are fabricated by varying the chemical composition and intercritical annealing temperature. Hardness and tensile tests are performed to examine the correlation of microstructure and mechanical properties for the intercritical annealed medium manganese steels containing Cu and Ni. The microstructures of all the steels are composed mostly of lath ferrite, reverted austenite and cementite, regardless of annealing temperature. The room-temperature tensile test results show that the yield and tensile strengths decrease with increasing intercritical annealing temperature due to higher volume fraction and larger thickness of reverted austenite. On the other hand, total and uniform elongations, and strain hardening exponent increase due to higher dislocation density because transformation-induced plasticity is promoted with increasing annealing temperature by reduction in reverted austenite stability.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of an Fe-6.5Mn-0.08C medium-manganese steel is investigated in this study. Three kinds of medium-manganese steel specimens are fabricated by varying heat treatments of intermediate quenching (IQ), step quenching (SQ), and intercritical annealing (IA). Hardness and tensile tests are performed to examine the correlation of microstructure and mechanical properties for the Fe-6.5Mn-0.08C medium-manganese steel specimens. The IQ and SQ specimens have microstructures of martensite matrix with ferrite, whereas IA specimen exhibits microstructure of acicular ferrite matrix with martensite. The tensile test results show that the SQ specimen with martensite matrix has the highest yield strength and the lowest elongation. On the other hand, the SQ specimen has the highest hardness due to the relatively lower reduction of carbon content in martensite during intercritical annealing. According to the fractography of tensile tested specimens, the SQ specimen exhibits a dimple and quasi-cleavage fracture appearance while the IQ and IA specimens have fully ductile fracture appearance with fine-sized dimples caused by microvoid coalescence at ferrite and martensite interface.