Evaluation of Cyanex 923-coated magnetic particles for the extraction and separation of lanthanides and actinides from nuclear waste streams

In the magnetically assisted chemical separation (MACS) process, tiny ferromagnetic particles coated with solvent extractant are used to selectively separate radionuclides and hazardous metals from aqueous waste streams. The contaminant-loaded particles are then recovered from the waste solutions using a magnetic field. The contaminants attached to the magnetic particles are subsequently removed using a small volume of stripping agent. In the present study, Cyanex 923 (trialkylphosphine oxide) coated magnetic particles (cross-linked polyacrylamide and acrylic acid entrapping charcoal and iron oxide, 1:1:1, particle size=1–60 μm) are being evaluated for the possible application in the extraction and separation of lanthanides and actinides from nuclear waste streams. The uptake behaviour of Th(IV), U(VI), Am(III) and Eu(III) from nitric acid solutions was investigated by batch studies. The effects of sorption kinetics, extractant and nitric acid concentrations on the uptake behaviour of metal ions were systematically studied. The influence of fission products (Cs(I), Sr(II)) and interfering ions including Fe(III), Cr(VI), Mg(II), Mn(II), and Al(III) were investigated. The recycling capacity of the extractant-coated magnetic particles was also evaluated.     

Effect of particle size in fluidization of polyethylene particle mixtures on the extent of bed electrification and wall coating

In this work the effects of polyethylene fluidizing particle size (smaller than 400 μm) on the degree of fluidized bed electrification and wall coating formation was studied. Experiments were conducted in a stainless steel, 0.15 m diameter column, under ambient conditions. Polyethylene resin as received (20–1500 μm) as well as mono-sized and binary mixture of large (600–710 μm) and small (212–300 & 300–425 μm) polyethylene particles were fluidized while their mass, net specific charge and size distribution in the bulk of the bed and the wall coating were measured. For the binary mixture the fraction of the small particles examined were 5%–10% and 20%. The extent of wall coating varied between different cases tested with the mono-sized large particles resulting in the most amount coating. It was found that as the fraction of the small particles in the binary mixture was increased, these particles formed majority of the wall coating. At the mass fraction of 20%, the extent of wall coating and its net specific charge were similar to that of resin as received. Overall results implied that the magnitude of the smaller sized particles within the resin played an important role in the degree of particles electrostatic charging and the extent of the particles adhesion to the column wall. Small particles were found to generate a much larger net specific charge which although resulted in them coating the column wall but prevented the coating layer growth.     

Investigation of platinum(IV) ions sorption on SIRs by using photoacoustic and DRS methods

The high cost of platinum and increasing demand have prompted the recovery of Pt from low-grade ores and spent catalysts. In the present paper the investigation of solvent impregnated resin (SIR) preparation was conducted. Photoacoustic (PA) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) spectra were recorded for the prepared solvent impregnated resin. Photoacoustic spectra in the infrared area allow to distinguish the differences between the sorbent applied before and after impregnation process. Impregnation of resin is a result of physical sorption of Hostarex A 324 on macroporous Amberlite XAD 7 HP.     

Effects of sample history,time, and temperature on the sorption of monomer vapor by PVC

The sorption of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) vapor by poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) resin powders has been studied as a function of time, VCM pressure, temperature, and previous PVC history. In fine powders, sorption occurs in two separable stages, a rapid Fickean diffusion and a slow relaxation-controlled process. Hysteresis in interval sorption-desorption experiments and variable resorption behavior can be related to the relaxation-controlled process. The amount of VCM sorbed shows a pronounced variation with postpolymerization thermal history of the PVC sample; this effect seems to result from the freezing-in of differing “hole volumes” under varied conditions of glassification. The heat of VCM sorption by glassy PVC, ?4.3 kcal/mole, is nearly equal to the heat of condensation of VCM. The complex dependence of sorption behavior upon experimental variables can reasonably be interpreted as reflecting changes in hole volume with postpolymerization history.     

Studies on adhesion characteristics and corrosion behaviour of vinyltriethoxysilane/epoxy coating protective system on aluminium

The corrosion stability of vinyltriethoxysilane/epoxy coating protective system on aluminium is strongly related to the strength of bonds forming at the metal/organic coating interface. This article is a study of adhesion, composition, electrochemical and transport properties of epoxy coatings electrodeposited on bare aluminium and aluminium pretreated by vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) during exposure to 3% NaCl. The VTES film was deposited on aluminium surface from 2% vinyltriethoxysilane solution during 30 s. From the values of adhesion strength (pull-off test), time dependence of pore resistance and coating capacitance of epoxy coating (impedance measurements) and diffusion coefficient of water through epoxy coating (gravimetric liquid sorption measurements), the influence of VTES sublayer on the corrosion stability of the electrodeposited epoxy coating was shown.The work discusses the role of the VTES pretreatment in the enhanced adhesion and corrosion stability of epoxy cataphoretic coating. The electrochemical results showed that the aluminium pretreatment by VTES film improved barrier properties of epoxy coating (greater pore resistance and lower coating capacitance). The lower value of diffusion coefficient of water through epoxy coating indicates the lower porosity, while the smaller adhesion reduction points to better adhesion of epoxy coating on aluminium pretreated by VTES film. The composition of the deposited coatings investigated by XPS enabled the clarification of the bonding mechanism.     

Characterization of atomic layer deposition coated cutting tools by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and examination of cutting performance

Abstract

The performance of cutting tools was examined, involving synthesis of a 10?nm thin film of Aluminum oxide using atomic layer deposition. Characterization of coated and uncoated cutting tools was done by several methods. scanning electron microscopy was used and the images were compared with each other. Chemical characterization was performed by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Coated and uncoated cutting tools were tested with steel material in turning tests. After turning, it was observed that the adhesion effect was reduced to a large extent in turning with coated tool. It was observed that the coating showed stability at high temperatures during cutting and the cutting performance was increased. The main advantage of the coating was that the tools produced were more environmentally friendly, with a longer useful life and they were easier to recycle.     

Characterization of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Membranes Cross-Linked by Aldehyde-Substituting Cyclotriphosphazene

A new type of cross-linker, based on cyclotriphosphazene with six aldehyde groups, was used for the cross-linking of poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes. FTIR-ATR analysis indicated that cyclophosphazene reacted with poly(vinyl alcohol) by forming C–O–C bonds. TGA and DTG analysis showed that cross-linking improved the thermal stability. The swelling degree and pervaporation properties of cross-linked PVA membranes were also characterized. With increasing cross-linker concentration, swelling degrees and flux decrease while separation factors increase. Compared with PVA membranes cross-linked by glutaraldehyde, PVA membranes cross-linked by cyclophosphazene exhibited better selectivity and permeation rate.     

Sensitivity and specificity of MRI in detecting malignant spinal cord compression and in distinguishing malignant from benign compression fractures of vertebrae

The accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the detection of metastatic compression of the spinal cord and the cauda equina (MCCE) in 75 patients with known primary malignancy outside the central nervous system is determined retrospectively by comparing the MR results with findings of myelography, surgery, clinical follow-up and autopsy. The sensitivity is 93%, the specificity 97% and the overall accuracy 95%. The signal intensity measured in the sagittal MR images of a collapsed vertebral body is divided by that of an average of three adjacent normal vertebrae to form a signal intensity ratio (SIR). The SIRs of 41 metastatic and 15 post-traumatic collapsed vertebrae are calculated. A ratio of 0.8 has the most differentiating power. All benign and one malignant compressed vertebrae have SIRs greater than 0.8.     

表面氧化钛涂层增强金刚石中浅层NV色心的荧光强度

本文利用原子层沉积技术在金刚石表面沉积了一层氧化钛涂层,该方法使得金刚石中的浅层(深度小于10 nm)NV~-色心的电荷态变得稳定,同时其荧光强度增强至大约原本的2倍.这种表面涂层技术能够为固态量子体系提供厚度可控的保护层或钝化层,同时又不损伤或腐蚀体系表面,有望成为一种固态量子体系钝化或封装的方法.     

Protective silicon coating for nanodiamonds using atomic layer deposition

Ultrathin silicon coating was deposited on nanodiamonds using atomic layer deposition (ALD) from gaseous monosilane (SiH₄). The coating was performed by sequential reaction of SiH₄ saturated adsorption and in situ decomposition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were utilized to investigate the structural and morphological properties of the coating. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to compare the thermal stability of nanodiamonds before and after silicon coating. The results confirmed that the deposited cubic phase silicon coating was even and continuous. The protective silicon coating could effectively improve the oxidation resistance of nanodiamonds in air flow, which facilitates the applications of nanodiamonds that are commonly hampered by their poor thermal stability.     

Fianite: A multipurpose electronics material

Fianite-zirconium dioxide, stabilized by yttrium (YSZ) has a unique combination of physical and chemical properties that made it a very promising material for a wide range of applications. In this work, we consider the use of fianite as a bulk substrate and buffer layer for A ^III B ^V epitaxy, and as an antireflection and protective coating for photo detectors and solar cells.     

High-temperature oxidation behavior of SiO2 protective layer deposited on IN738LC superalloy by combustion CVD (CCVD)

A SiO₂ protective coating was deposited on an IN738LC alloy using CCVD. The physical properties of a SiO₂ protective layer are influenced by the amount of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, C₈H₂₀O₄Si). Therefore, the SiO₂ protective coating was deposited using different TEOS concentrations and deposition times to optimize the conditions. The deposited coating layer was confirmed to be a SiO₂ layer by SEM, EDX, and ESCA analyses. The oxidation resistance of the alloy was evaluated by thermo gravimetric analysis. The oxidation resistance of the SiO₂ protective coating was highest when the coating was processed at a TEOS concentration of 0.05 mol/l, which is the highest concentration of source material used. The surface roughness of the SiO₂ protective layer also increased with increasing TEOS concentration. The surface roughness of the coating had little effect on the oxidation resistance for a film thickness of approximately 1 μm.     

Atomic force microscopy investigation of chemically stabilized pericardium tissue

Native and chemically stabilized porcine pericardium tissue was imaged by the contact mode atomic force microscopy (AFM), in air. Chemically stabilized pericardium is used as a tissue-derived biomaterial in various fields of the reconstructive and replacement surgery. Collagen type I is the main component of the fibrous layer of the pericardium tissue. In this study, the surface topography of collagen fibrils in their native state in tissue and after chemical stabilization with different cross-linking reagents: glutaraldehyde (GA), dimethyl suberimidate (DMS) and tannic acid (TA) was investigated. It has been found that chemical stabilization causes considerable changes in the surface topography of collagen fibrils as well as in the spatial organization of the fibrils within the tissue. The observed changes in the D-spacing pattern of the collagen fibril correspond to the formation of intrafibrilar cross-links, whereas formation of interfibrilar cross-links is mainly responsible for the observed tangled spatial arrangement of fibrils and crimp structure of the tissue surface. The crimp structure was distinctly seen for the GA cross-linked tissue. Surface heterogeneity of the cross-linking process was observed for the DMS-stabilized tissue. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis was performed in order to evaluate the stabilization effect of the tissues treated with the cross-linking reagents. It has been found that stabilization with DMS, GA or TA enhances significantly the tissue resistance to SDS/NaCl extraction. The relation between the tissue stability and changes in the topography of the tissue surface was interpreted in terms of different nature of cross-links formed by DMS, GA and TA with collagen.     

Interfacing Mercury Porosimetry with Nitrogen Sorption

Combinations of gas sorption and mercury porosimetry experiments have been run in series on the same sample. This has been achieved by freezing entrapped mercury in place before a subsequent gas sorption experiment was carried out. Several different bidisperse materials with similarly shaped mercury intrusion curves and similar levels of mercury entrapment have been studied. The entrapment of mercury within certain pores in the porous medium can often lead to marked changes in the shape of the gas sorption hysteresis loop between the data obtained prior and subsequent to porosimetry. It was found that the degree of the change of shape of the sorption hysteresis loops differed markedly between different materials. The analysis of the gas sorption hysteresis loops using percolation theory has allowed information to be obtained on the pore length distribution, and/or the distribution of pore co‐ordination number and the spatial arrangement of pores within the sample, in addition to the pore connectivity and lattice size usually obtained. The interfaced experiments have also allowed the internal consistency of analysis methods based on percolation theory to be tested, semi‐empirical alternatives to the Washburn Equation for the analysis of raw mercury porosimetry data to be independently validated, and the mechanisms of mercury entrapment in various samples to be determined.     

Hydrophobizing coatings for cultural heritage. A detailed study of resin/stone surface interaction

Conservation of historical buildings is an important issue and the environmental conditions seriously affect the monument’s stones. The protection of cultural heritage buildings and monuments by surface treatment with polymers is a common practice due to their ability to form a protective layer on the monument’s surface as well as to control the transport of different fluids from the surface to the monument’s interior. In this work, three different substrates were used: Carrara marble, Botticino limestone, and Angera stone. A commercially available Si-based resin (Alpha^®SI30) was used as protective agent to improve the hydrophobicity features of the different tested materials. The surface properties of the coating and the relative interaction with the adopted stones were studied using different techniques such as contact angle measurements, electron microscope coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy.     

Synthesis and properties control of fluorinated organic-inorganic hybrid films

Fluorinated organic-inorganic hybrid films were prepared by free-radical random copolymerization and sol-gel process through dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFMA), vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES), and tetramethoxysilane (TMOS). It was found that the prepared fluorinated organic-inorganic hybrid film was very hydrophobic and exhibits excellent water repellency. Hydrophobic fluorocarbon side chains were preferentially enriched to the outermost layer at the interface of coating film-air, and three layers probably exist in the coating films. The fluorinated hybrid films possessed fluorocarbon side chains orient toward the air originating from DFMA as the top layer, hydrocarbon backbone chain originating from vinyl polymerization as the middle layer, and silica network originating from the hydrolysis and condensation of siloxane as the bottom layer. It demonstrated that most of TMOS added might be arranged to the bottom layer of the fluorinated hybrid films, and had a slight impact on the enrichment of fluorocarbon side chains of the outermost layer. However, the useful properties of the fluorinated organic-inorganic hybrid films such as thickness and corrosion resistant can be significantly improved by the increase of TMOS content.     

Study on Vulcanization and Thermal Decomposition Behaviors of Methyl Vinyl Silicone Rubber/Polyurethane Rubber Blends

The vulcanizing properties and thermal decomposition of methyl vinyl silicone rubber/ polyurethane rubber blends were studied. The results of vulcanization show that with the addition of polyurethane rubber, the viscosity, cross-linking density, activation energy and vulcanization rate of the blends decreased while the scorch behavior was not significantly changed. For the decomposition behavior, the maximum thermal decomposition rate of the blends was increased with increasing content of polyurethane rubber; however, the thermal stability of the blends was decreased. Analysis of the thermal decomposition kinetics shows that the activation energy of the blends gradually decreased.     

Thermal deformations of a glass spherical satellite

The effect of the kind of the reflecting coating of a glass spherical satellite on thermal deformations caused by the solar irradiation is considered. Two types of coating deposited on one of the hemispheres are considered: aluminum with a protective layer of bakelite varnish and interference dielectric coating for two orientations of the satellite orbit. Structures of a multilayer dielectric coating and technologies of its deposition are described.     

Preparation and Characterization of Acrylic Resin/Hindered Phenolic Antioxidant (AO80)-modified Carbon Black Nanocomposite

To improve the dispersion stability of carbon black (CB) in an acrylic resin coating, a hindered phenolic antioxidant (AO80) was chosen to modify the CB by a solid state method based on the blending of CB and AO80 in an internal mixer. The modified CB (m-CB) was directly introduced into the acrylic resin with 50% solid content in butyl acetate by ball milling without any other treatment. That the majority of the m-CB particles were nanosized in ethanol was proven by a particle size analyzer. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) micrographs indicated that the m-CB particles were also dispersed in the acrylic resin as nanoscale particles. Compared with the unmodified CB, the modification of CB can decrease the viscosity of the acrylic resin/m-CB nanocomposite and improve its flow property. The adhesion and gloss of the acrylic resin/m-CB nanocomposite were also improved. More importantly, the UV shielding and stability of the acrylic resin/m-CB nanocomposite were enhanced.     

Electrodeposited cobalt coating on Crofer22APU steels for interconnect applications in solid oxide fuel cells

A gas-tight cobalt-based protective coating was successfully applied by electroplating and subsequent oxidation. The coating covered all the surfaces of the machined gas channels of the metallic interconnect and adhered well to this substrate. Such a gas-tight coating offers effective blocking of Cr diffusion or evaporation from the interconnect and hence a reliable protection against Cr poisoning of the SOFC cathode. Chemical interactions were observed between the cobalt coating and the LSM contact layer, resulting in layer spallation during oxidation under pressureless conditions. Applying a pressure to the layers, spallation was effectively prevented. Although the area specific resistance (ASR) of the coated interconnect was higher than the uncoated one, it decreased steadily with time within the measurement period. The ASR was 28 mΩ cm² after an exposure of 1170 h. It seems thus that electroplating followed by oxidation is a promising method for the fabrication of spinel protective coatings for SOFC interconnects or other balance-of-plant components with complicated gas flow paths.