Thermometric analysis of blood metabolites in ICU patients

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Real-time monitoring of patient’s blood metabolites, such as glucose and lactate, could potentially improve surgery and recovery outcomes for...     

Rate sensitivity and deformation mechanism of semi-crystalline polymers during instrumented indentation

Instrumented indentation tests using both constant loading rate (CLR) and continuous stiffness measurement (CSM) operation modes were performed to investigate the deformation mechanism and their sensitivity to the deformation rate in semi-crystalline polymers through the quantitative analysis of load-depth loading and unloading curves. The strain rate was constant during the CSM tests, while the strain rate decreased with the increasing of loading time in CLR tests. The mechanical response mechanism of the semi-crystalline polymers to these tests was very complicated because of the combined effects of strain-hardening in the crystal phase and strain-softening in the amorphous phase. Results show that the loading index m reflects the strain-hardening or strain-softening response during indentation. When m > 2, the mechanical response was due to the strain-hardening, and when m < 2, the response was due to strain-softening. A method based on the measured contact hardness was proposed to obtain the unloading stiffness, and the other mechanical parameters could then be determined according to the unloading stiffness.     

Stochastic chemo-physical-mechanical degradation analysis on hydrated cement under acidic environments

The accumulation of material degradation under contact with aggressive aqueous environments could lead to reduced structural reliability. In terms of hydrated cementitious materials, such interactions often result in the chemo-physical-mechanical (CPM) degradation, which represents a multiphysics process of high non-linearity and complexity. By further considering the inevitable uncertainties associated with both the materials and the serving conditions, solving such a process requires novel probabilistic approaches. This paper presents a stochastic chemo-physical-mechanical (SCPM) degradation analysis on the hydrated cement under acidic environment. The SCPM analysis consists of modelling the stochastic chemophysical degradation by finite element method, and assessing the mechanical deterioration through analytical micromechanics. The proposed modelling framework couples the conventional Monte Carlo Simulation with a novel support vector regression algorithm. The present method is able to not only address the detailed degradation mechanisms, but also ensure low computational costs for an accurate SCPM degradation assessment.     

Full counting statistics of transport electrons through a two-level quantum dot with spin–orbit coupling

We study the full counting statistics of transport electrons through a semiconductor two-level quantum dot with Rashba spin–orbit (SO) coupling, which acts as a nonabelian gauge field and thus induces the electron transition between two levels along with the spin flip. By means of the quantum master equation approach, shot noise and skewness are obtained at finite temperature with two-body Coulomb interaction. We particularly demonstrate the crucial effect of SO coupling on the super-Poissonian fluctuation of transport electrons, in terms of which the SO coupling can be probed by the zero-frequency cumulants. While the charge currents are not sensitive to the SO coupling.     

The Effect of Metal‐Ligand Affinity on Fe3O4_Supported Co–Rh Catalysts for Dicyclopentadiene Hydroformylation

The catalytic performances of Co‐Rh/Fe₃O₄ catalysts modified with phosphine ligands (PPh₃) and its analogues on dicyclopentadiene hydroformylation were evaluated. Among these catalysts, Co‐Rh/Fe₃O₄ modified with tris(p‐trifluoromethylphenyl)phosphine was determined to be effective for monoformyltricyclodecanes production, whereas Co‐Rh/Fe₃O₄ modified with PPh₃ or tri‐p‐tolylphosphine was effective for the diformyltricyclodecanes production. To investigate the ligand effects, the complex catalyst system (Co‐Rh/Fe₃O₄ and phosphine ligand) was subjected to pretreatment with syngas and then characterized by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG‐DTA). It was determined that the threshold decomposition temperature reflected the corresponding Rh‐phosphine interaction strength, affecting the catalytic selectivity toward different products. A weak Rh‐phosphine interaction was desirable to produce monoformyltricyclodecanes with fast reaction kinetics, whereas a strong Rh‐phosphine complex was required for the synthesis of diformyltricyclodecanes. In addition to the selectivity rule shown in the PPh₃ series, experiments with other ligands also demonstrated similar selectivity trends.     

Pitch-Based Laminated Carbon Formed by Pressure Driving at Low Temperature as High-Capacity Anodes for Lithium Energy Storage Systems

Pitch has been used to prepare electrodes by high-temperature heat treatments for supercapacitors, lithium-ion batteries, on account of its rich aromatic ring structure. Here, the toluene-soluble component of pitch is used to prepare a kind of laminated carbon. This was realized by a template-free synthesis at low temperature with the addition of pressure. The toluene-soluble component has a small molecular weight, which makes the thermal deformation ability stronger and then enhances the orientation of the carbon layer with the help of pressure. The prepared anode exhibits a splendid electrochemical performance compared with the traditional graphite anode. A high stable capacity of approximately 550 mAh g⁻¹ at 50 mA g⁻¹, which is much higher than graphite (372 mAh g⁻¹), is obtained. Also, when the current density is up to 2 A g⁻¹, the capacity is about 150 mAh g⁻¹. Surprisingly, it also delivers a superior cycling performance. And when used as the anode/cathode electrode for lithium-ion capacitors, a high energy density can be obtained. The present work offers an opportunity to utilize the pitch source in lithium energy storage with promising cycle life, high energy/power density, and low cost.     

Hydrogenation of acetylene into ethane–ethene mixtures over modified Pd–alumina catalysts

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On the use of edge cracked short bend beam specimen for PMMA fracture toughness testing under mixed-mode I/II

In this paper an inclined edge cracked short beam specimen subjected to symmetric three-point bend loading was designed and examined for conducting mixed-mode I/II fracture toughness experiments. The aspect ratio (i.e. length to width ratio) and the loading span distance are considered much lower than the other conventional cracked bend beam samples. Crack tip parameters such as stress intensity factors and T-stress were computed numerically for this specimen by several finite element analyses and it was demonstrated that the specimen is able to produce full combinations of mode I and II including pure mode II. The practical capability of the short bend beam specimen was studied experimentally by conducting a set of mixed-mode fracture tests on PolymethylMethacrylate (PMMA) as a well-known model brittle material. The critical stress intensity factors, the direction of fracture kinking and the path of fracture trajectory were investigated both experimentally and theoretically using two stress and strain-based fracture criteria. The fracture toughness of tested PMMA was decreased by moving towards mode II case due to the effect of T-stress on the fracture mechanism of the short bend beam specimen.     

ZCuPb20Sn5合金耐磨性能研究

ZCuPb₂₀Sn₅合金作为柱塞泵转子内衬材料，因其含铅量高，而具有良好的减摩耐磨性能，可避免转子在工作中的磨损失效问题. 选用销盘式摩擦磨损试验机，以ZCuPb₂₀Sn₅和45钢为摩擦副，研究了不同PV值和油润滑条件下，ZCuPb₂₀Sn₅合金的摩擦磨损性能. 结果表明:随着PV值的增加，ZCuPb₂₀Sn₅合金的摩擦系数先增加后减小，而磨损率呈增加趋势. 在载荷50 N和线速度2.410 m/s条件下，摩擦系数和磨损率最低，摩擦系数最低能达到0.010，平均摩擦系数达到1个最低峰值点0.063；在载荷250 N、线速度3.610 m/s以及PV值为126 MPa·m/s的条件下，摩擦系数达到另一低峰值0.070，磨损率为2.972×10?7 mm3/(N·m). PV值最大时，摩擦系数和磨损率最大. 载荷小于150 N时，在油润滑的作用下，主要磨损机制为轻微黏着磨损；载荷大于150 N时，在铅和油的协同作用下，以黏着磨损为主，少量磨粒磨损；当载荷大于250 N时，摩擦系数与磨损率均偏高，以磨粒磨损为主，局部有少量氧化磨损.