In the present work, Zn–10Al–2Cu–0.05Ti (ZA10) alloy tubes with a diameter of 12.5 mm and wall thickness of 1.2 mm were fabricated by one-pass and double-pass Conform continuous extrusion. A stabilizing heat treatment [350 °C, 30 min (furnace cooling) + 120 °C, 12 h (air cooling)] was also applied to some of the double-pass tubes to improve the quality of their weld seams. The yield strength, ultimate

The microstructures, mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of a new WE43 alloy (Mg–4Y–1.6Nd–2Sm–0.5Zr) were investigated. The microstructure of the as-cast alloy includes a Mg matrix, Mg41Sm5, Mg41Nd5 and Mg24Y5 eutectic phases, as well as β-phase. After an optimal solution treatment, the eutectic phases are almost completely dissolved; only a few spots of blocky Mg–Y compounds remain at grain

The widespread application of direct ethanol fuel cells is hampered due to the low activity, high cost and poor operation durability of electrocatalysts for ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Herein, we report a one-pot synthetic method to synthesize PdPb3 nanochains with well-defined shape, size and composition via a solution-phase reduction method. The morphology, composition distribution and structure

Abstract Exploring non-noble metal and high-activity electrocatalysts through a simple and controllable protocol remains a great challenge for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and zinc–air batteries. Herein, we developed a melt polymerization strategy to synthesize iron-polyphthalocyanine (FePPc) metallic–organic frameworks (MOFs) over the carbon black matrix (FePPc@CB). Through non-covalent \(\uppi\)–\(\uppi\)

Understanding the role of heat transfer between catalysts and substrates is important for enhancing photothermal CO2 catalysis. Herein, we investigate the effect of different substrates, including silicon wafers, glass slides and copper plates, on the photothermal catalytic performance of commercial Ni catalysts. The highest CO2 conversion rate and CO selectivity are observed in the catalyst film on

The Ti51.44Zr16.26Cu30Sn2.3 (at%) amorphous filler alloy in a ribbon form was prepared by melt spinning. The Ti–6Al–4V alloy was brazed in vacuum furnace by using the Ti51.44Zr16.26Cu30Sn2.3 amorphous filler alloy. The effects of brazing temperature and holding time on the interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of the Ti–6Al–4V brazed joints were investigated. The brazed joints are composed

Isothermal oxidation resistance, oxide scale evolution and failure mechanism of Ce-doped Co–Al–W–Mo–Ta–B alloy (0.01 at%, 0.05 at%, 0.10 at% and 0.20 at% Ce) exposed at 800 °C were compared. The 0.01Ce and 0.05Ce alloys were consisted of γ/γ′ coherent microstructure, while the κ-Co3W compound precipitated at the grain boundary of the 0.10Ce and 0.20Ce alloys in addition to the γ/γ′ microstructure.

Abstract In this work, nickel/T-Nb2O5 nanoparticles encapsulated in mesoporous carbon nanofibers (denoted as Ni/T-Nb2O5@CNFs) are successfully prepared through a simple electrospinning route and succedent heating treatment. The presence of Ni in carbon nanofibers is beneficial for enhancing the electronic conductivity and the initial Coulombic efficiency. Ni/T-Nb2O5 nanoparticles are homogeneously

ZrB2–Al2O3 composite powders were synthesized at 1100 °C using a novel ZrB2 precursor and Al powders as raw materials. The final ZrB2–Al2O3 composite powders consisted of submicron Al2O3 and nanosize ZrB2 (50–100 nm) particles, which were homogeneously mixed in microscale. Combined with thermodynamic calculation and experiment results, the formation mechanism of ZrB2–Al2O3 composite powders was proposed

In this work, a novel approach of leaching valuable metals, such as niobium, yttrium and cerium, from a niobium-bearing ore of low grade by roasting KHSO4–H2SO4 system was experimentally studied. Through the work, the effects of roasting temperature, roasting time, mass ratio of agents to ore and the types of leaching agents on the extraction of Nb, Y and Ce were investigated, and the roasting KHSO4–H2SO4–ore

Here, N- and P-doped carbon–carbon nanotube CoP (NPC-CNTs-CoP) nanoparticles dodecahedra are achieved by multistep calcination of the Zn-doped zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-67 precursor (ZnCo-ZIF). In the structures, the presence of N and P atoms, abundant CNTs and the CoP nanoparticles can enhance electrochemical activity and promote the structural stability of materials. As the temperature increases

Abstract Magnesium hydride (MgH2) is a candidate material for hydrogen storage. MgH2–AlH3 composite shows superior hydrogen desorption properties than pure MgH2. However, this composite still suffers from poor cycling performance. In this work, NbF5 was utilized to improve the cycling properties of the MgH2–AlH3 composite. Cycling hydrogen desorption studies show that NbF5 significantly improves the

Abstract A nickel alloy matrix high-temperature self-lubricating coating (77.5 wt% (Ni–Cr–Mo–Al)–12.5 wt% Ag–10 wt% BaF2/CaF2) was prepared by plasma spraying technique. Results show that the Vickers microhardness of coating is (2.9 ± 0.5) GPa, and the average bonding strength is about (35.6 ± 0.5) MPa. The coating rubbing against Inconel 718 superalloy pin exhibits superior tribological performance

Bi2(Te,Se)3 alloys are conventional commercial thermoelectric materials for solid-state refrigeration around room temperature. In recent years, much attention has been paid to various advanced thermoelectric composite materials due to the unique thermoelectric properties. In this work, Bi2Se3/TiO2 composites were prepared by hot pressing the plate-like Bi2Se3 powders coated in situ with hydrolyzed

Lithium metal has been regarded as one of the most promising anode materials for high-energy-density batteries due to its extremely high theoretical gravimetric capacity of 3860 mAh·g−1 along with its low electrochemical potential of − 3.04 V. Unfortunately, uncontrollable Li dendrite growth and repetitive destruction/formation of the solid electrolyte interphase layer lead to poor safety and low Coulombic

As a kind of important light alloys, the Al alloys exhibit mechanical properties that are closely related to the microstructures. Changing the main alloying elements and adjusting heat treatments are usually approaches to tune the microstructure and hence artificially control the mechanical properties. However, the windows for the two approaches have become quite narrow, after extensive studies in

Rejuvenation heat treatments can restore the microstructures and mechanical properties of the degraded turbine blades in gas turbine engines. Herein we analyze the effects of rejuvenation heat treatments on the microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of damaged and undamaged specimens of a Ni-based superalloy, K403. The damaged specimens were found to have degraded microstructures

A series of Y2O3 fully stabilized HfO2 ceramics (Hf1−xYxO2−0.5x, x = 0.20, 0.24, 0.28, 0.32, 0.36 and 0.40) were synthesized by solid-state reaction at 1500 °C. The phase composition, thermal conductivity and sintering behavior at 1400 °C of the ceramic bulks were studied. The Hf1−xYxO2−0.5x ceramics were comprised of pure cubic phase with disordered fluorite structure. No phase transformation occurred

Polycrystalline cubic boron nitride was sintered under high temperature (1400 °C) and high pressure (5.5 GPa) using an in situ synthesis method. The composition, microstructure, relative density and mechanical properties of the polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) with different contents of Gd2O3 were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive

Layered LiMO2 (M = Ni, Co, and Mn) is a type of promising cathode materials for high energy density and high work voltage lithium-ion batteries. However, the poor rate performance and low power density hinder its further applications. The capacity fade is related to the structural transformation in the layered LiMO2. In this work, the structural changes of bi-material cathode composed of mesoporous

Three-dimensional (3D) printed titanium alloy implants hold enormous potential in orthopedic applications to avoid stress shielding. However, titanium alloy is bioinert, limiting its application and making surface modification a necessity. In this paper, porous implants were treated by acid etching and anodizing to improve the bioactivity, which was evaluated by simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion

In order to study the effect of pulse current treatment on the mechanical properties, microstructure and cutting performance of YG8 cemented carbide, experiments were carried out by using self-made pulse current treatment device to treat cemented carbide samples with different current densities (J = 5, 10 and 15 A·mm−2). After the treatment of pulse current, when the current density increased from

The Ni–Co–Cr–W–Mo system is critical for the design of nickel-based superalloys. This system stabilizes different topologically close-packed (TCP) phases in many commercially superalloys with high W and Mo contents. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermodynamic calculations were applied to investigate the thermodynamics of the precipitates in two different

At present, Nb3Sn superconductors are becoming more popular in high magnetic fields. The growth law of Nb3Sn phase in a planar CuSn/Nb diffusion couple has been studied, whereas the formation mechanism of Nb3Sn phase in a cylindrical CuSn/Nb diffusion couple is still controversial. The purpose of this work is to investigate the growth exponent of Nb3Sn phase at the initial stage of annealing by use

The microstructure and hot tensile behaviors of the different heat-treated Ti2AlNb sheets were investigated by backscattered electron image (BSE), electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and tensile tests. The grain sizes and contents of α2, B2/β and O phases were quantitatively studied. As the heating time increases at 970 °C, the mean grain size and content

Abstract High-alloyed superalloy U720Li is difficult to be processed through the conventional cast and wrought route. Boron is an important strengthening element for superalloys, but the role of boron in the hot ductility of U720Li alloy is not clear. This study is focused on the effect of boron addition, in the range of < 0.0005 wt%–0.0240 wt%, on the microstructure and hot ductility behavior of superalloy

In the present work, the magnetization reversal behavior for the melt spinning (Nd0.8Ce0.2)2Fe12Co2−xZrxB (x = 0, 0.5) permanent alloys with high coercivity was investigated by analyzing the hysteresis curves and the recoil loops. Compared to the Zr-free alloy, the Zr-doped sample obtains higher magnetic properties: coercivity of Hcj = 650.5 kA·m−1, squareness of Hk/Hcj = 0.76 and maximum energy product

Abstract A recent progress in new emerging two-dimensional (2D) materials has provided promising opportunity for gas sensing in ultra-low detectable concentration. In this work, we have demonstrated a flexible NO2 gas sensor with porous structure graphene on polyethylene terephthalate substrates operating at room temperature. The gas sensor exhibited good performance with response of 1.2% and a fast

This work presents the electronic behavior of Ti and TiN thin films when exposed to electrolytes with pH levels of 2, 7 and 13 for 90 days. Staircase potentio-electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests were performed on the 100-nm Ti and TiN monolithic films, and Mott–Schottky analysis of these tests was used to determine the films’ semiconductive behavior and changes in the donor/acceptor density

Melt processing is a promising process to fabricate Mg–CNTs (carbon nanotubes) composites with high performance and large dimensions. In this work, the liquid-mixing technique and ball-milling processes as well as the stirring casting method were used to prepare ZM1-1.0CNTs-L and ZM1-1.0CNTs-B composites, respectively. The composites were studied using optical microscopy (OM), Raman spectroscopy, scanning

Abstract The practical application of Li–S batteries is severely restricted by limited cycle life and low sulfur loading. Here, a common industrial paint, methylated amino resin (MAR), was employed as a novel multifunctional binder to address these issues. The S cathodes by using MAR binder (S@MAR) demonstrate an excellent reversible capacity of 480.9 mA·h·g−1 after 400 cycles at a rate of 0.5 C, and

Abstract The B4C matrix composite intended for armor applications still presents restrictions, such as low sintering density, production of large parts and inherited brittleness. Herein, research on this topic is discussed in detail. First, the material outlook of armor applications is organized from the development of composite armor and ceramic materials for armor to the B4C matrix composite and

Abstract The evolution of semisolid microstructure during partial remelting of (CNTs + Sip)/AZ91D powder compacts prepared by cold pressing was studied. The results indicate that rapid grain coarsening is driven by the dissolution of eutectic β phase material during the initial heating period of 0–10 min, so the AZ91D powders with fine equiaxed grains surrounded by intergranular eutectic phases evolve

Abstract The thermoelectric transport properties of Zr0.43Hf0.57NiSn half-Heusler compounds were investigated for samples sintered with different spark plasma sintering (SPS) periods: 8, 32 and 72 min. By means of scanning transmission electron microscopy with a high-angular annular dark-field detector (STEM-HAADF), it was found that sintering time affected the defect concentration, namely the amount

A low-density single crystal (LDS) alloy with the composition of high Mo content was designed. The extra 1.5 wt% Mo was added in the Alloy A with the composition of Ni–6.5Al–8.0Mo–2.4Cr–6.2Ta–4.9Co–1.5Re–(0.01–0.05)Y (wt%) to study the influence of Mo on the lattice parameter and partitioning behavior. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron

An investigation of lanthanum oxide (La2O3) addition to tungsten heavy alloy (WHA) with a ternary composition of W–7Ni–3Fe was reported in this study. The mixed powders were sintered using spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. La2O3 was added in increments of 0.25 wt%, 0.50 wt%, 0.75 wt% and 1.00 wt% to WHA, respectively. The sintered samples were characterized for microstructural evolution and mechanical

Abstract Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) are recognized as such promising supercapacitor materials for the practical application, due to their superior electrical conductivity and excellent redox activity. Here, self-supported three-dimensional NiCoP nanoparticles embedded in NiCoO2 nanowires (NiCoO2/NiCoP) electrode consisting of nickel cobalt phosphides (NiCoP) with high activity and nickel cobalt

Abstract To explore the silicate lattice-based nanophosphors, a series of Eu3+-doped Z2Si3O8 (Z = Mg, Ca and Sr) materials were prepared by sol–gel procedure. The metal nitrates and silica powder were used as precursor components for the synthesis of these luminescent materials. Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier

The stoichiometric LaCoO3 and nonstoichiometric LaCo1.2O3 perovskite catalysts were prepared by citric acid sol–gel method, and then, LaCoO3 perovskite was etched with nitric acid. The structure, surface composition and reducibility of the catalyst were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen desorption, transmission electron microscope (TEM), temperature program reduction of H2 (H2-TPR) and X-ray

Abstract Folic acid and D-gluconic acid-capped gadolinium oxide nanorods and nanocuboids were synthesized via co-precipitation method. Comparative study of relaxivity factor on the role of capping and morphology for enhancing contrast ability for T1 and T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was investigated. The obtained r2/r1 ratio for folic acid and D-gluconic acid-capped gadolinium oxide nanorods

The metal-organic-decomposed lanthanum cerium oxide (LaCeO2) solution was spin-coated on p-type Si substrate to form thin films. The method of microwave-assisted annealing was adopted to modify the surface properties of the deposited thin films. The post-deposition annealing (PDA) at different microwave powers and thermal annealing temperature of 400 °C was performed on LaCeO2 thin films spin-coated

Bismuth tellurohalides with Rashba-type spin splitting exhibit unique Fermi surface topology and are developed as promising thermoelectric materials. However, BiTeBr, which belongs to this class of materials, is rarely investigated in terms of the thermoelectric transport properties. In the study, polycrystalline bulk BiTeBr with intensive texture was synthesized via spark plasma sintering (SPS). Additionally

Amputations of the upper extremity are severely debilitating, current treatments support very basic limb movement, and patients undergo extensive physiotherapy and psychological counselling. There is no prosthesis that allows the amputees near-normal function. With increasing number of amputees due to injuries sustained in accidents, natural calamities and international conflicts, there is a growing

Abstract Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) composite ceramics were prepared by hot pressing with the addition of Y2O3 and AlN. The effects of different Y2O3–AlN contents on microstructural evolution, mechanical properties and thermal diffusion coefficients of h-BN composite ceramics were investigated. The results indicate that Y2O3–AlN forms a liquid phase during the sintering process, achieving a good

Ti44Al6Nb-based alloy ingots with different cerium (Ce) contents (0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20; at%) were prepared by non-consumable vacuum arc smelting furnace (WK-II). The surface quality, macrostructure, microstructure, compressive properties and fracture morphology of these ingots were studied. The results show that Ce has few influences on the surface quality. Ce can refine grain size and the average

A kind of Ni–Cr–Fe–B–Si system amorphous alloy was used as interlayer in transient liquid-phase bonding (TLP bonding) of polycrystalline superalloy K465. The bonding behavior, microstructure feature and the tensile properties of the joints were investigated. There are B-rich phase and Si-rich phase formed in the center of the seam after bonding at 1210 °C for 30 min. The isothermal solidification is