Micron-Sized Zeolite Beta Single Crystals Featuring Intracrystal Interconnected Ordered Macro-Meso-Microporosity Displaying Superior Catalytic Performance

Zeolite Beta single crystals with intracrystalline hierarchical porosity at macro-, meso-, and micro-length scales can effectively overcome the diffusion limitations in the conversion of bulky molecules. However, the construction of large zeolite Beta single crystals with such porosity is a challenge. We report herein the synthesis of hierarchically ordered macro-mesoporous single-crystalline zeolite Beta (OMMS-Beta) with a rare micron-scale crystal size by an in situ bottom-up confined zeolite crystallization strategy. The fully interconnected intracrystalline macro-meso-microporous hierarchy and the micron-sized single-crystalline nature of OMMS-Beta lead to improved accessibility to active sites and outstanding (hydro)thermal stability. Higher catalytic performances in gas-phase and liquid-phase acid-catalyzed reactions involving bulky molecules are obtained compared to commercial Beta and nanosized Beta zeolites. The strategy has been extended to the synthesis of other zeolitic materials, including ZSM-5, TS-1, and SAPO-34.     

Stabilization of self‐assembled microdroplets using short chain alcohols

The condensation of water vapor on a volatile polymeric solution leads to a porous surface after evaporation of both solvent and water. However, the stabilization of the water microdroplet is of great importance, which can be achieved using specific polymer or adding a third substance to the polymer solution. Short chain alcohols (methanol, ethanol, and n‐propanol) are utilized to fabricate a self‐assembled porous honeycomb film of linear, low molecular weight polystyrene using the breath figure technique. A combination of breath figure processing and the effect of alcohol on a water droplet can stabilize the pattern and make pores on the surface of the polymer film. The quality of the porous honeycomb film is strongly dependent on the type of alcohols and the concentration of polymer. In a specific range of polymer and alcohol concentration, pores cover all the surface of the polymer film. This method offers the possibility of producing a honeycomb structure with no trace of additive residual after the fabrication process and avoiding polymer modification. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 709–718     

Fabrication and microstructural characterization of functionally graded porous acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and the effect of cellular morphology on creep behavior

The ability to control material properties in space and time for functionally graded viscoelastic materials makes them an asset where they can be adapted to different design requirements. The continuous microstructure makes them advantageous over conventional composite materials. Functionally graded porous structures have the added advantage over conventional functionally graded materials of offering a significant weight reduction compared to a minor drop in strength. Functionally graded porous structures of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) had been fabricated with a solid‐state constrained foaming process. Correlating the microstructure to material properties requires a deterministic analysis of the cellular structure. This is accomplished by analyzing the scanning electron microscopy images with a locally adaptive image threshold technique based on variational energy minimization. This characterization technique of the cellular morphology is analyst independent and works very well for porous structures. Inferences are drawn from the effect of processing on microstructure and then correlated to creep strain and creep compliance. Creep is strongly correlated to porosity and pore sizes but more associated to the size than to porosity. The results show the potential of controlling the cellular morphology and hence tailoring creep strain/compliance of ABS to some desired values. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 795–803     

Experimental and theoretical assessment of Fe-doped indium-oxide-based dilute magnetic semiconductors

Specimens of iron-doped indium oxide (In_1-xFe_x)₂O₃ with x?=?0.015, 0.03, 0.045 and 0.06, amalgamated through a traditional solid-state reaction method followed by H₂/air sintering, were characterised using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to investigate their structural, magnetic and morphological properties respectively. According to XRD plots, all the specimens exhibit cubic bixbyite structures along with ancillary phases. Magnetic assessment showed that In₂O₃ has a negative susceptibility, exhibiting diamagnetic behaviour at room temperature. The doping of Fe ions induces ferromagnetic (FM) ordering, which is enhanced with increasing doping content. The strength of the magnetisation increases when the specimens are exposed to H₂ but is reduced on further air sintering. A bound magnetic polaron (BMP) model is successfully fitted to the observed FM data involving localised carriers and magnetic cations. A multivariate assessment viz. a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to corroborate and strengthen the experimental determined magnetic properties. A homogeneous particle distribution was observed in all SEM micrographs and is validated through MATLAB-based simulation by applying a watershed segmentation algorithm. Surface plots also confirm the change in magnetic properties with increase in doping concentration.     

Direct visualization of the nanoscopic three‐phase structure and stiffness of NBR/PVC blends by AFM nanomechanical mapping

The PeakForce Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping based on atomic force microscope (AFM) is employed to first visualize and then quantify the elastic properties of a model nitrile rubber/poly(vinyl chloride) (NBR/PVC) blend at the nanoscale. This method allows us to consistently observe the changes in mechanical properties of each phase in polymer blends. Beyond measuring and discriminating elastic modulus and adhesion forces of each phase, we tune the AFM tips and the peak force parameters in order to reliably image samples. In view of viscoelastic difference in each phase, a three‐phase coexistence of an unmixed NBR phase, the mixed phase, and PVC microcrystallites is directly visualized in NBR/PVC blends. The nanomechanical investigation is also capable of recognizing the crosslinked rubber phase in cured rubber. The contribution of the mixed phase was quantified and it was found that the mechanical properties of blends are mainly determined by the homogeneity and stiffness of the mixed phase. This study furthers our understanding the structure–mechanical property relationship of thermoplastic elastomers, which is important for their potential design and applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 662–669     

An approach of dynamic mesh adaptation for simulating 3‐dimensional unsteady moving‐immersed‐boundary flows

In this paper, we present an approach of dynamic mesh adaptation for simulating complex 3‐dimensional incompressible moving‐boundary flows by immersed boundary methods. Tetrahedral meshes are adapted by a hierarchical refining/coarsening algorithm. Regular refinement is accomplished by dividing 1 tetrahedron into 8 subcells, and irregular refinement is only for eliminating the hanging points. Merging the 8 subcells obtained by regular refinement, the mesh is coarsened. With hierarchical refining/coarsening, mesh adaptivity can be achieved by adjusting the mesh only 1 time for each adaptation period. The level difference between 2 neighboring cells never exceeds 1, and the geometrical quality of mesh does not degrade as the level of adaptive mesh increases. A predictor‐corrector scheme is introduced to eliminate the phase lag between adapted mesh and unsteady solution. The error caused by each solution transferring from the old mesh to the new adapted one is small because most of the nodes on the 2 meshes are coincident. An immersed boundary method named local domain‐free discretization is employed to solve the flow equations. Several numerical experiments have been conducted for 3‐dimensional incompressible moving‐boundary flows. By using the present approach, the number of mesh nodes is reduced greatly while the accuracy of solution can be preserved.     

Microstructural stability and age-hardening behavior of Re-added dual two-phase Ni3Al and Ni3V intermetallic alloys

The effect of Re addition on the microstructure and hardening behaviour of the dual two-phase Ni₃Al (L1₂) and Ni₃V (D0₂₂) intermetallic alloy was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Vickers hardness test. The two-phase eutectoid microstructure accompanying the Re-rich precipitates were observed in the channel region of the alloys in which Re substituted for Ni but not in those in which Re substituted for Al and V. The concomitant addition of Nb (or Ta) with Re more stabilized the two-phase eutectoid microstructure and consequently more induced the fine precipitates in the channel region. The annealing at temperatures below the eutectoid temperature was necessary to induce the fine precipitates in the channel region and thereby result in the precipitation hardening. The fine precipitation in the channel region and related hardening was attributed to the alloying feature so that Re is soluble in the A1 (fcc) phase at high temperatures and becomes less soluble in the two intermetallic phases decomposed from the A1 phase at low temperatures.     

Hierarchical Carbon Nanowire/Ni@MnO2 Nanocomposites for High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors

A 3D hierarchical carbon cloth/nitrogen-doped carbon nanowires/Ni@MnO₂ (CC/N-CNWs/Ni@MnO₂) nanocomposite electrode was rationally designed and prepared by electrodeposition. The N-CNWs derived from polypyrrole (PPy) nanowires on the carbon cloth have an open framework structure, which greatly increases the contact area between the electrode and electrolyte and provides short diffusion paths. The incorporation of the Ni layer between the N-CNWs and MnO₂ is beneficial for significantly enhancing the electrical conductivity and boosting fast charge transfer as well as improving the charge-collection capacity. Thus, the as-prepared 3D hierarchical CC/N-CNWs/Ni@MnO₂ electrode exhibits a higher specific capacitance of 571.4 F g⁻¹ compared with those of CC/N-CNWs@MnO₂ (311 F g⁻¹), CC/Ni@MnO₂ (196.6 F g⁻¹), and CC@MnO₂ (186.1 F g⁻¹) at 1 A g⁻¹ and remarkable rate capability (367.5 F g⁻¹ at 10 A g⁻¹). Moreover, asymmetric supercapacitors constructed with CC/N-CNWs/Ni@MnO₂ as cathode material and activated carbon as anode material deliver an impressive energy density of 36.4 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 900 W kg⁻¹ and a good cycling life (72.8 % capacitance retention after 3500 cycles). This study paves a low-cost and simple way to design a hierarchical nanocomposite electrode with large surface area and superior electrical conductivity, which has wide application prospects in high-performance supercapacitors.     

La distribution on the crater surface of W-1%La2O3 produced by a single laser pulse

The W-1%La₂O₃ alloy has been irradiated by a single laser pulse (λ = 1064 nm) to simulate transient thermal loads of high energy occurring in a tokamak under operative conditions. A zone with a diameter of ~2 mm, namely, much larger than the focal spot, results to be affected by the pulse, and a crater of about 300 μm is observed in its center. La₂O₃ particles are not present inside the crater. The change of surface morphology is accompanied by elemental redistribution. Multipoint XPS analysis evidenced that the concentration of La is very low in the crater and increases moving toward the border of the affected zone while that of W shows an opposite trend. The composition changes involve only the outmost 5 nm of the sample: through depth profiling, no differences of chemical composition were detected deeper in the alloy between the center and external border of the affected area.     

A Methodology for Estimating Kinetic Parameters and Reactivity Ratios of Multi‐site Type Catalysts Using Polymerization,Fractionation, and Spectroscopic Techniques

This work describes a polymer reaction engineering framework for understanding how catalyst kinetic parameters affect the microstructure of polyolefins made with single‐ or multi‐site catalysts. Moreover, a methodology for deconvolution and kinetic parameters estimation is presented to estimate the reactivity ratios of multi‐site catalysts based on the combination of polymerization, fractionation, and spectroscopic techniques, namely, gel permeation chromatography‐IR and carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The methodology capabilities are then demonstrated and validated using a case study simulated via a Monte Carlo model including random noise in order to better represent experimental result uncertainties. The methodology can reverse engineer experimental results and estimate all relevant reaction performance parameters.