This study comprehensively investigates three types of graphite materials as potential anodes for potassium-ion batteries. Natural graphite, artificial carbon-coated graphite, and mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) are examined for their structural characteristics and electrochemical performances. Structural analyses, including HRTEM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and laser particle size measurements, reveal distinct features in each graphite type. XRD spectra confirm that all graphites are composed of pure carbon, with high crystallinity and varying crystal sizes. Raman spectroscopy indicates differences in disorder levels, with artificial carbon-coated graphite exhibiting the highest disorder, attributed to its outer carbon coating. Ex-situ Raman and HRTEM techniques on the electrodes reveal their distinct electrochemical behaviors. MCMB stands out with superior stability and capacity retention during prolonged cycling, attributed to its unique spherical particle structure facilitating potassium-ion diffusion. The study suggests that MCMB holds promise for potassium-ion full batteries. In addition, artificial carbon-coated graphite, despite challenges in hindering potassium-ion diffusion, may find applications in commercial potassium-ion battery anodes with suitable coatings. The research contributes valuable insights into potassiumion battery anode materials, offering a significant extension to the current understanding of graphite-based electrode performance.

The current study explores the possibility of graphene as a protective layer on the zinc substrate through an optimized electrophoretic deposition process. Graphene has been synthesized from H2SO4, HNO3, and HClO4 solutions by an electrochemical exfoliation route. This method is known for providing a scalable and economical approach to the synthesis of graphene. The exfoliated graphene nano-sheets were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–visible, and field emission scanning electron microscope to evaluate its properties. The three different synthesized forms of graphene nano-sheets were electrophoretically deposited onto Zn substrates at two different potentials. Scratch testing was employed to check the adhesion quality of the coatings. The corrosion behaviour of Zn and graphene-coated Zn substrates was studied in borate buffer and 3.5 wt% NaCl solutions through potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. It

In this research, in order to increase the oxidation resistance of graphite, kaolin and alumina powder with different ratios (26A-74S, 49A-51S, 72A-28S) and slurry method were used to create an aluminosilicate coating on the graphite substrate. In order to reduce the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of graphite with aluminosilicate coating, aluminum metaphosphate coating as an interlayer was prepared on the surface of graphite by cathodic electrochemical treatment. The isothermal oxidation test of the samples was carried out in air at a temperature of 1250 °C for 1, 3 and 5 h. The microstructure, chemical composition, and phase components of the coating were, respectively, analyzed by scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffraction. The results indicated that, by increasing the withdrawal speed of the samples in slurry method, the amount of changes in the weight of the samples has increased and therefore had a direct effect on oxidation. In addition, it was approved that, at high-temperature oxidation, AlPO4 glass phase forms on aluminum metaphosphate interlayer which retards graphite oxidation. Along with aluminum metaphosphate, aluminosilicate coating also produces a glass phase which fills and seals the voids on the surface which prevents the oxygen to reach the surface of graphite. The created double-layer coating including an interlayer of aluminum metaphosphate + slurry coating prepared with the ratio of 26A-74S as the optimal coating in this research was able to increase the oxidation resistance of graphite by 73% at a temperature of 1250 °C.

PURPOSES : The current research aims to evaluate the impact of coating materials and temperature on the percentage of bead loss in pavement markings. METHODS : Five mixtures with varying numbers of coating layers (C0, C1, C2, C3, and C4) were prepared to assess the effect of coating layers on bead loss. The effect of stripping was simulated using a modified Hamburg Wheel Tracking test. Furthermore, the influence of temperature and coating material on bead loss was examined using control mixture (without coating), YR, and SY coating mixtures. The percentage bead loss was evaluated by a developed image analysis program. RESULTS : The results demonstrated a substantial reduction in bead loss as the number of coating layers increased, with the C4 mixture showing an impressive 4.3% bead loss after 500 HWT braking cycles compared to 27.4% for the C0 mixture. Higher testing temperatures resulted in increased bead loss, with the control mixture exhibiting the highest percentage loss at 7,500 HWT rolling cycles. Conversely, the YR and SY coating mixtures displayed superior resistance to bead loss. Statistical analysis confirmed the significance of coating layers in reducing bead loss, further supporting the effectiveness of coatings in preserving bead adhesion during HWT cycles. CONCLUSIONS : The findings highlight the potential of coating materials as a key protective measure for enhancing the longevity and performance of pavement markings.

The tribology characteristics of the graphene coated PA6 were evaluated with scratch experiments. As a result, the following conclusions were obtained. The PA6 of the graphene coating shows a 0.1 improvement in friction coefficient and a lower abrasion depth than PA6 in the variable pressure-type scratch experiments. PA6 of the graphene coating showed a lower friction coefficient of 0.2 or more than PA6 in the friction coefficient in the static pressure scratch experiments, indicating that wear resistance was improved. In both the variable and the static pressure type scratch experiments, the tip depth of graphene-coated PA6 shows a thinner wear depth than PA6, showing the effect of graphene. The graphene content showed excellent tribology characteristics at 3%, and there was no difference in tribology characteristics at higher contents.

Recently, the electron transport layer (ETL) has become one of the key components for high-performance perovskite solar cell (PSC). This study is motivated by the nonreproducible performance of ETL made of spin coated SnO2 applied to a PSC. We made a comparative study between tin oxide deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) or spin coating to be used as an ETL in N-I-P PSC. 15 nm-thick Tin oxide thin films were deposited by ALD using tetrakisdimethylanmiotin (TDMASn) and using reactant ozone at 120 °C. PSC using ALD SnO2 as ETL showed a maximum efficiency of 18.97 %, and PSC using spin coated SnO2 showed a maximum efficiency of 18.46 %. This is because the short circuit current (Jsc) of PSC using the ALD SnO2 layer was 0.75 mA/cm2 higher than that of the spin coated SnO2. This result can be attributed to the fact that the electron transfer distance from the perovskite is constant due to the thickness uniformity of ALD SnO2. Therefore ALD SnO2 is a candidate as a ETL for use in PSC vacuum deposition.

Wide-area surface decontamination is essential during the sudden release of radioisotopes to the public, such as nuclear accidents or terrorist attacks. A spray coating composed of a reversible complex between poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and phenylboronic acid-grafted poly (methyl vinyl ether-alt-mono-sodium maleate) (PBA–g–PMVE–SM) was developed to remove radioactive cesium from surfaces. The simultaneous spay of PVA and PBA–g–PMVE–SM aqueous polymer solutions containing Cs adsorbent to contaminated surfaces resulted in the spontaneous formation of a PBA–diol ester bond-based gel-like coating. The Cs adsorbent suspended in the gel-like coating selectively removed Cs-137 from the Cs-contaminated surface. The used gel-like coating were removed from surfaces by simple water rinsing. This recovery way has advantages compared with costly incineration to remove the organic materials for final disposal/storage of the radioactive waste. Thus, our spray coating is suitable for practical wide-area surface decontamination. In radioactive tests, the hydrogel containing Cs-adsorbent showed substantial Cs-137 removal efficiencies of 96.996% for painted cement and 63.404% for cement, which are 2.33 times better than the values for the commercial surface decontamination coating agent DeconGel.

Domestic commercial low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste storage containers are manufactured using 1.2 mm thick cold-rolled steel sheets, and the outer surface is coated with a thin layer of primer of 10~36 μm. However, the outer surface of the primer of the container may be damaged due to physical friction, such as acceleration, resonance, and vibration during transportation. As a result, exposed steel surfaces undergo accelerated corrosion, reducing the overall durability of the container. The integrity of storage containers is directly related to the safety of workers. Therefore, the development of storage containers with enhanced durability is necessary. This paper provides an analysis of mechanical properties related to the durability of WC (tungsten carbide)-based coating materials for developing low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste storage containers. Three different WC-based coating specimens with varied composition ratios were prepared using HVOF (high-velocity oxy-fuel) technique. These different specimens (namely WC-85, WC-73, and WC-66) were uniformly deposited on cold-rolled steel surfaces ensuring a constant thickness of 250 μm. In this work, the mechanical properties of the three different WCbased coaitng materials evaluated from the viewpoints of microstructure, hardness, adheision force between substrate and coating material, and wear resistance. The cross-sectional SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscope-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) images revealed that elements W (tungsten), C (carbon), Ni (nickel), and Cr (chromium) were uniformly distributed within the each coating layers which was approximately 250 μm thick. The average hardness values of HWC-85 and HWC-73 were found to be 1,091 Hv (Vickers Hardness) and 1,083 Hv, respectively, while the HWC-66 exhibited relatively lower hardness value of 883 Hv. This indicates that a higher WC content results in increased hardness. Adhesion force between and substrates and coating materials exceeded 60 MPa for all specimens, however, there were no significant differences observed based on the tungsten carbide content. Furthermore, a taber-type abrasion tester was used for conducting abrasion resistance tests under specific conditions including an H-18 load weight at 1,000 g with rotational speed set at 60 RPM. The abrasion resistance tests were performed under ambient temperatures (RT: 23±2°C) as well as relative humidity levels (RH: 50±10%). Currently, the ongoing abrasion resistance tests will include some results in this study.

This study focuses on the development of coatings designed for storage containers used in the management of radioactive waste. The primary objective is to enhance the shielding performance of these containers against either gamma or neutron radiation. Shielding against these types of radiation is essential to ensure the safety of personnel and the environment. In this study, tungsten and boron cabide coating specimens were manufactured using the HVOF (High-Velocity Oxy Fuel) technuqe. These coatings act as an additional layer of protection for the storage containers, effectively absorbing and attenuating gamma and neutron radiation. The fabricated tungsten and boron carbide coating specimens were evaluated using two different testing methods. The first experiment evaluates the effectiveness of a radiation shielding coating on cold-rolled steel surfaces, achieved by applying a mixture of WC (Tungsten Carbide) powders. WC-based coating specimens, featuring different ratios, were prepared and preliminarily assessed for their radiation shielding capabilities. In the gamma-ray shielding test, Cs-137 was utilized as the radiation source. The coating thickness remained constant at 250 μm. Based on the test results, the attenuation ratio and shielding rate for each coated specimen were calculated. It was observed that the gammaray shielding rate exhibited relatively higher shielding performance as the WC content increased. This observation aligns with our findings from the gamma-ray shielding test and underscores the potential benefits of increasing the tungsten content in the coating. In the second experiment, a neutron shielding material was created by applying a 100 μm-thick layer of B4C (Boron Carbide) onto 316SS. The thermal neutron (AmBe) shielding test results demonstrated an approximate shielding rate of 27%. The thermal neutron shielding rate was confirmed to exceed 99.9% in the 1.5 cm thick SiC+B4C bulk plate. This indicates a significant reduction in required volume. This study establishes that these coatings enhance the gamma-ray and neutron shielding effectiveness of storage containers designed for managing radioactive waste. In the future, we plan to conduct a comparative evaluation of the radiation shielding properties to optimize the coating conditions and ensure optimal shielding effectiveness.

Radioactive waste is typically disposed of using standard 200 and 320 L drums based on acceptance criteria. However, there have been no cases evaluating the disposal and suitability of 200 L steel drums for RI waste disposal. There has been a lack of prior assessments regarding the disposal and suitability of 200 L steel drums for the disposal of RI waste. Radioactive waste is transported to disposal facilities after disposal in containers, where the drums are loaded and temporarily stored. Subsequently, after repackaging the disposal drums, the repackaged drums are transported to disposal facilities by vehicle or ship for permanent disposal. Disposal containers can be susceptible to damage due to impacts during transportation, handling, and loading, leading to potential damage to the radiation primer coating during loading. Additionally, disposal containers may be subject to damage from electrochemical corrosion, necessitating the enhancement of corrosion resistance. Metal composite coatings can be employed to enhance both abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance. The application of metal composite coatings to disposal containers can improve the durability and radiation shielding performance of radioactive waste disposal containers. The thickness of radioactive waste disposal containers is determined through radioactive shielding analysis during the design process. The designed disposal containers undergo structural analysis, considering loading conditions based on the disposal environment. This paper focuses on evaluating the structural improvements achieved through the implementation of metal composite coatings with the goal of enhancing corrosion and abrasion resistance.