Rheometric properties of micron-sized CaCO3 suspensions stabilised by a physical polyol/silica gel for polyurethane foams

This article considers the rheometric properties of mixtures containing a micron-sized mineral filler of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in a polymer matrix gelled by adding colloidal silica (CS). These mixtures, consisting of a polymer matrix (polyols, catalysts, surfactant) are used to produce polyurethane foams. The suspending phase (polymer matrix/CS) has a yield stress that has been linked to fractal aggregation of the colloidal filler. Suspensions without any colloidal silica (polymer matrix/CaCO₃), show aggregation of CaCO₃ which is most probably due to the adsorption of catalysts present in the polymer matrix. Beyond a critical CaCO₃ volume fraction, a yield stress is detected indicating a 3D connected structure. In the case of suspensions containing colloidal silica (polymer matrix/CaCO₃/SC), the yield stress is due to a combination of the fractal network formed by the colloidal silica and aggregation of the micron-sized particles of CaCO₃.     

钛基片的化学机械抛光技术研究

采用化学机械抛光（CMP）方法对钛基片进行纳米级平坦化处理,通过系列抛光试验优化抛光液组成和抛光工艺条件后,得到AFM-Ra为0.159 nm的纳米级抛光表面和156.5 nm/min的抛光速率。抛光液的电化学分析结果表明：二氧化硅颗粒和乳酸在钛表面有不同程度的吸附缓蚀作用,氨水和F-的络合、扩散作用能破坏缓蚀膜层,两者的中间平衡状态才能得到最佳抛光效果。抛光后钛表层XPS测试结果显示钛表层经过化学氧化形成疏松氧化层后,再通过磨粒和抛光垫的机械作用去除。     

Rheology and structure of precipitated silica and poly(dimethyl siloxane) system

The reinforcing capability of precipitated silica in poly(dimethyl siloxane: PDMS) was characterized by means of bound rubber formation, solvent swelling, yield stress, rheological and dynamic properties. Volume concentration of precipitated silica in PDMS was varied from 0 to 0.16. The homogeneity of the compounds after mixing was confirmed by studying a uniformity of dispersion of silica particles in PDMS via SEM morphology of vulcanizates. Bound rubber measurements of the compounds and solvent swelling studies of vulcanizates showed that the precipitated silica exhibited much stronger interaction with PDMS than that of typical carbon black with rubbers but less than that of fumed silica with PDMS. At high volume concentrations of silica (0.128 and 0.160), a yield behavior was evident from the storage modulus measurements. The network formation due to an interaction between the precipitated silica and PDMS was visualized via dynamic property measurements.     

Endurance Tests on a Colloidal Damper Destined to Vehicle Suspension

Endurance tests on a colloidal damper destined to vehicle suspension are performed. Such absorber represents an ecological application of nano-damping; it employs the hysteresis which occurs when water is forced to penetrate and then naturally exudes from a nanoporous silica gel matrix, modified to become liquid-repellent. Damping performances decrease at the increasing of the number of working cycles, partially since the silica gel grains that undergo gradual fatigue fracture are able to escape at the packing used to seal the test chamber, and partially due to the fatigue fracture alone, which is accompanied by an enhancement of the hydrophilic silanol groups on the silica gel surface and a pore size redistribution. In order to augment damper’s life, silica gel is introduced inside of a tank that is separated by a filter from the main cylinder, in which only water is supplied. One discusses the influence of filtration on the colloidal damper performances and the variation of damper’s life versus the ratio of filter pore’s diameter to the mean size of the silica gel particles.     

Gas Sorption and the Consequent Volumetric and Permeability Change of Coal I: Experimental

Experimental and numerical investigations were conducted to study adsorption and desorption of pure and multicomponent gas on coal, and the sorption-induced volumetric strain and permeability change of the coal. This paper presents the experimental work. Using CO \(_2\) , N \(_2\) , and CO \(_2\) and N \(_2\) binary mixtures of different composition as injection gases, the measurements were conducted on a cylindrical composite coal core at varying pore pressures and constant effective confining pressure. Sorption was measured using a volumetric method. The initial and equilibrium system pressure and gas phase composition were measured. The total amount of adsorption and the composition of the adsorbed phase (for adsorption of binary gas mixtures) were calculated based on material balance. During the process of sorption, the volume of the core was monitored by recording the volume of the water in the confining pressure vessel. Sorption-induced strain was calculated as the ratio of the sorption-induced volumetric change to the initial volume of the core. After adsorption equilibrium was reached, the permeability of the core was measured based on the Darcy equation for gas flow. Sorption and permeability measurements were conducted for each test gas at first increasing and then decreasing pressures. Volumetric strain was only measured while pore pressure increased. To our knowledge, this is the first study measuring adsorption, volumetric strain, and permeability on the same piece of core with the same apparatus.     

纯铅化学机械抛光中工艺参数对抛光性能的影响

为获得高质量纯铅表面,采用化学机械抛光(CMP)的方法并辅以自制抛光液,研究了胶体二氧化硅抛光颗粒的形状、粒径和浓度、加载压力、抛光头与抛光盘转向和转速、抛光液流量等工艺参数对铅片表面材料去除率和粗糙度的影响. 研究表明:小粒径异形(眉形)胶体二氧化硅抛光颗粒相较于大粒径球形颗粒更有利于铅片抛光,抛光颗粒的粒径和浓度对纯铅抛光性能的影响主要取决于铅片表面与胶体二氧化硅颗粒以及抛光垫表面丝绒的耦合作用关系. 随着加载压力、抛光头与抛光盘转向和转速、抛光液流量的改变,铅片表面和抛光垫之间驻留的层间抛光液的厚度以及状态发生改变,从而直接影响抛光液的流动性、润滑性和分散性,以及影响抛光颗粒和化学试剂与铅片表面的机械化学作用,进而影响抛光质量和材料去除率. 通过对工艺参数影响的研究和对工艺参数的优化,最终获得了表面粗糙度R_a为1.5 nm的较为理想的超光滑纯铅表面,同时材料去除率能够达到适中的380 ?/min.      

Laminar flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanoparticle colloidal dispersions in water

Numerical analysis is performed to examine axisymmetric laminar flow and heat transfer characteristics of colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles in water (nanofluids). Effect of volume fraction on flow and heat transfer characteristics is investigated. Eight different materials, alumina, copper, copper oxide, diamond, gold, graphite, silver, and zirconia are considered. Heat transfer and property measurements were conducted previously for Alumina nanofluid and the results have shown that nanofluids behave as homogeneous mixtures. It is found that oxide-based nanofluids offer the least heat transfer enhancement compared to elements-based nanofluids. For a given volume flow rate, all nanofluids exhibited linear increase in heat transfer enhancement with increasing colloids volume fraction, up to 0.05. Furthermore, it is found that in the thermal entrance region, a hydrodynamically developing flow exhibits significantly higher heat transfer enhancement than fully-developed conditions.     

Numerical study on adsorption enhancement of rectangular adsorption bed

The present paper has dealt with the one-sidewall cooling effect of spherical adsorbent particles packed in a rectangular bed on water vapor adsorption characteristics by a 2-dimensional numerical analysis. The analysis model was considered that one-sidewall of a rectangular packed bed with homogeneous spherical silica gel particles was cooled and another walls were adiabatic. The moist air flowed into the rectangular adsorption bed packed with spherical adsorbent particles. Fuji Sylsia silica gel B was selected as a suitable adsorbent with high adsorption ability over high relative humidity. Numerical results revealed the effects of moist air inlet humidity, airflow velocity, size of spherical silica gel particles, width of the rectangular packed bed, and the side-wall cooling temperature on the amount of water vapor adsorption.     

Experimental and numerical investigations on the performance of dehumidifying desiccant beds composed of silica-gel and thermal energy storage particles

Enhanced efficiency of the adsorption process in the dehumidifier is a key element for improved performance of desiccant cooling systems. Due to the exothermic nature of the adsorption process, the dehumidification and cooling capacity are limited by significant temperature changes in the adsorption column. In the present study, the effects of integration of sensible and latent heat storage particles in the desiccant bed for in situ management of released adsorption heat are investigated. For this purpose, column experiments are performed using an initially dry granular bed made of silica-gel particles or a homogeneous mixture of silica gel and inert sensible or latent heat storage particles. The packed bed is subject to a sudden uniform air flow at selected values of temperature and humidity. Also, a packed bed numerical model is developed that includes the coupled non-equilibrium heat and moisture transfer in the solid and gas phases. Investigations of the heat and mass transfer characteristics are reported using the composite structure and the results are compared with the base case of simple silica gel bed. Improved desiccant cooling system performance can be obtained by appropriate adjustment of desiccant cycle operation and proper choice of the volume ratio of thermal energy storage particles.     

Effects of polyethyleneimine-functionalized MCM-41 on flame retardancy and thermal stability of polyvinyl alcohol

Hyperbranched polyethylenimine (PEI)-functionalized mesoporous silica (MCM@PEI) was synthesized and used to produce poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites. The modified nanofiller was characterized with infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and N₂ adsorption. When compared with pure mesoporous silica (MCM), the MCM@PEI nanoparticles exhibited better dispersion in the PVA matrix. The effects of MCM@PEI on the thermal and flame properties of PVA nanocomposites were also studied. Improvement in the thermal properties was confirmed by enhanced thermal stability and char yield. Incorporation of MCM@PEI in PVA led to a significant drop in the heat release rate and the total heat release.     

The structure of colloidal polyethylenimine–silica nanocomposite microparticles

Deposition of silica from an organosilane tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) onto parent polyethylenimine (PEI) microgel particles produces a novel PEI–silica nanocomposite, which possesses greater adsorption capacity for copper ions than either parent material. This study explores factors governing interactions of silica with the PEI matrix, along with structural features of resulting PEI–silica composite particles, to explain their properties and determine their application potential. The influence of initial TEOS/PEI mass ratio and the duration of silica deposition on the final silica content and distribution in the composite are studied. A comparative analysis of the structural architecture of chemically etched silica remnants, original PEI–silica composite particles and the parent PEI-microgel is carried out using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and electron microscopy techniques. It is found that silica sol nanoparticles are evenly distributed throughout the PEI-microgel framework and interlinked with it via electrostatic interactions, enabling a structural model of the PEI–silica nanocomposite to be proposed. The chemical stability of resulting nanocomposite particles in parallel with the parent PEI-microgel is tested and shown to be robust for more than 100 days of storage in aqueous dispersions across a range of pH conditions, highlighting the application potential for these particles in copper capture.     

SURFACE METALLIZATION OF CENOSPHERES AND PRECIPITATORS BY ELECTROLESS PLATING

This paper reports the use of a colloidal Pd^0 catalysis system to metallize the surface of precipitators separated from coal fly-ash, and metals such as Cu, Ni etc. are deposited on the precipitators surface. Alternatively, according to the characteristic surface of cenospheres, an Ag coating catalysis system is adopted to first deposit Ag on the cenospheres surface, followed, if necessary, by the deposition of other metals such as Cu, Ni, etc. on the Ag coating to produce monolayer and multilayer metal-coated cenospheres. The surface characteristics and the morphologies of the metal coatings are examined in detail with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. It can be shown that the quality of metal coatings derived from the Aa coatina catalysis system, is better than that of the colloidal Pd^0 catalysis system.     

Microstructure of shear-thickening concentrated suspensions determined by flow-USANS

Reversible shear thickening in colloidal suspensions is a consequence of the formation of hydroclusters due to the dominance of short-ranged lubrication hydrodynamic interactions at relatively high shear rates. Here, we develop and demonstrate a new method of flow-ultra small angle neutron scattering to probe the colloidal microstructure under steady flow conditions on length scales suitable to characterize the formation of hydroclusters. Results are presented for a model near hard-sphere colloidal suspension of 260 nm radius (10% polydisperse) sterically stabilized silica particles in poly(ethylene glycol) at shear rates in the shear thinning and shear thickening regime for dilute, moderately concentrated, and concentrated (ordered) suspensions. Hydrocluster formation is observed as correlated, broadly distributed density fluctuations in the suspension with a characteristic length scale of a few particle diameters. An order–disorder transition is observed to be coincident with shear thickening for the most concentrated sample, but the shear-thickened state shows hydrocluster formation. These structural observations are correlated to the behavior of the shear viscosity and discussed within the framework of theory, simulation, and prior experiments.     

Effects of anionic additives on the rheological behavior of aqueous calcium montmorillonite suspensions

Three different experimental measurements, namely, rheology, particle sizing, and x-ray diffraction (XRD), were used to study the effect of anionic additives on the properties of bentonite suspensions. The three additives were sodium carboxymethylcellulose, xanthan gum, and sodium dodecyl sulfate. Flow curves were obtained from shear stress–shear rate measurements, and the viscoelastic properties were determined from oscillatory and transient measurements. Mineralogical data were evaluated by XRD and the particle size analysis performed by light scattering technique. The presence of the surfactant modifies the face-to-face interactions and yields changes of the mixtures rheological behavior at low deformation rates. Polymers act by coating each clay particle and prevent their agglomeration. Therefore, the additives are responsible for the mechanisms of destructuration and structure reorganization as well as the mixtures viscous and viscoelastic behavior.     

Rheological characterization of bimodal colloidal dispersions

In order to investigate the effect of the particle size distribution on the rheological properties of concentrated colloidal dispersions both steady-state shear and oscillatory measurements have been performed on well-characterized bimodal dispersions of sterically stabilized PMMA particles. Replacing a minor amount of large particles by small ones in a concentrated dispersion, keeping the total effective volume fraction constant, decreases the viscosity quite drastically. On the other hand, replacing a small amount of small particles by big ones hardly effects the viscosity at all. This behavior can be attributed to the deformability of the stabilizing polymer layer. A procedure is proposed to calculate the limiting viscosities in a bimodal colloidal dispersion starting from the characteristics of the monodisperse systems. A good agreement has been obtained between the calculated values and the experimental results. The linear viscoelastic properties of the concentrated dispersions have been investigated by means of oscillatory measurements. The plateau values of the storage modulus for the bimodal dispersions decrease with an increasing fraction of the coarse particles. By substituting the bimodal dispersion by an equivalent monodisperse system the storage modulus can be superimposed on the values for the monodisperse suspensions when plotted as a function of the mean interparticle distance.     

A rheological approach to the stability of humic acid/clay colloidal suspensions

Steady-state, oscillatory, and transient rheological determinations were used to assess the stability of homoionic sodium montmorillonite (NaMt) suspensions at constant ionic strength (10^–2 mol/l NaCl) and different pH values, after adsorption of humic acid (HA) on the particles. The adsorption of the latter was first spectrophotometrically determined, at pH 3 and 9. While at pH 9 adsorption saturation was observed, at pH 3 the adsorption density continued to grow up to the maximum equilibrium HA concentration reached (∼200 mg/l). Considering the similarity between the structure of edge surfaces of NaMt particles and the surfaces of silica and alumina, the adsorption of HA was also investigated on the latter solids. The results suggest that at pH 3 humic acids adsorb preferentially on edge surfaces, mainly through electrostatic attraction with positively charged aluminol groups. This hypothesis is indirectly confirmed by zeta potential, ζ, values: while HA concentration has little effect on ζ for silica, the addition of HA yields the zeta potential of alumina increasingly negative for all pH values. Using shear stress vs shear rate plots, the yield stress of NaMt was determined as a function of particle concentration, C, for pH 3, 5, 7, and 9, with and without addition of 50 mg/l HA. The yield stress, σ_y, was fitted with a power law σ_y∝C ⁿ ; it was found that n values as high as 12 are characteristic of NaMt suspensions at pH 9 in the presence of HA. This indicates a strong stabilizing effect of humic acid. This stabilization was confirmed by oscillometric measurements, as the storage modulus G′ in the viscoelastic linear region also scales with C, displaying large n values at neutral and basic pHs in the presence of HA. The modulus (in the viscoelastic linear region, for a frequency ν=1 Hz) was found to increase with time, but G′ was lower at any time when HA was added, a consequence of the stabilization provided by HA. Similarly, creep-recovery experiments demonstrated that NaMt suspensions containing HA displayed a less elastic behavior, and a permanent deformation. Modeling the results as a Kelvin-Voigt model allowed one to establish a new scaling law of the reciprocal instantaneous deformation with C. As before, high values of n were found for suspensions at pH 9 in the presence of HA.     

Observations on the rheological response of alkali activated fly ash suspensions: the role of activator type and concentration

This paper reports the influence of activator type and concentration on the rheological properties of alkali-activated fly ash suspensions. A thorough investigation of the rheological influences (yield stress and plastic viscosity) of several activator parameters, including: (i) the cation type and concentration of alkali hydroxide and (ii) the alkali-to-binder ratio (n) and silica modulus (M_s), and (iii) the volume of the activation solution, on the suspension rheology is presented. The results indicate a strong dependence on the cation and its concentration in the activation solution. The viscosity of the activation solution and the volumetric solution-to-powder ratio are shown to most strongly influence the plastic viscosity of the suspension. The suspension yield stress is predominantly influenced by the changes in fly ash particle surface charge and the ionic species in the activator. A shift from non-Newtonian to Newtonian flow behavior is noted in the case of silicate-based suspensions for M_s?≤?1.5. This behavior, which is not observed at higher M_S values, or when the fly ash is dispersed in hydroxide solutions or pure water, is hypothesized to be caused by colloidal siliceous species present in this system, or surface charge effects on the fly ash particles. Comparisons of the rheological response of alkali-activated suspensions to that of portland cement-water suspensions are also reported.     

Laboratory and Simulation Investigation of Enhanced Coalbed Methane Recovery by Gas Injection

Methane/carbon dioxide/nitrogen flow and adsorption behavior within coal is investigated simultaneously from a laboratory and simulation perspective. The samples are from a coalbed in the Powder River Basin, WY. They are characterized by methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen sorption isotherms, as well as porosity and permeability measurements. This coal adsorbs almost three times as much carbon dioxide as methane and exhibits significant hysteresis among pure-component adsorption and desorption isotherms that are characterized as Langmuir-like. Displacement experiments were conducted with pure nitrogen, pure carbon dioxide, and various mixtures. Recovery factors are greater than 94% of the OGIP. Most interestingly, the coal exhibited ability to separate nitrogen from carbon dioxide due to the preferential strong adsorption of carbon dioxide. Injection of a mixture rich in carbon dioxide gives slower initial recovery, increases breakthrough time, and decreases the volume of gas needed to sweep out the coalbed. Injection gas rich in nitrogen leads to relatively fast recovery of methane, earlier breakthrough, and a significant fraction of nitrogen in the produced gas at short times. A one-dimensional, two-phase (gas and solid) model was employed to rationalize and explain the experimental data and trends. Reproduction of binary behavior is characterized as excellent, whereas the dynamics of ternary systems are predicted with less accuracy. For these coals, the most sensitive simulation input were the multicomponent adsorption–desorption isotherms, including scanning loops. Additionally, the coal exhibited a two-porosity matrix that was incorporated numerically.     

Is vorticity-banding due to an elastic instability?

A possible mechanism for the vorticity-banding instability is proposed on the basis of experiments with colloidal rod-like particles that exhibit an isotropic–nematic phase transition. The proposed mechanism is similar to the well-known elastic instability for polymer systems that is due to nonuniform elastic deformation of polymer chains as a result of gradients in the local shear rate (the Weissenberg effect). However, the role of polymer chains is now played by inhomogeneities that exist in systems exhibiting vorticity banding. For the rod-like colloidal system investigated here, inhomogeneities are formed during the early stages of phase separation. Nonuniform deformation of these inhomogeneities are thus proposed to lead to hoop stresses which give rise to banded structures where there is secondary, weakly rolling flow within each of the bands. Many of the features found experimentally for the rod-like colloidal system can be understood on the basis of this proposed mechanism. For different types of systems that also show vorticity banding, inhomogeneities can be identified, which might lead to vorticity banding for the same reasons as for the rod-like colloidal systems studied here.     

Single bubble growth in saturated pool boiling of binary mixtures

Nucleate pool boiling experiments for binary mixtures, which are consisted of R11 and R113, were performed with constant wall temperature condition. Results for binary mixtures were also compared with pure fluids. A microscale heater array and Wheatstone bridge circuits were used to maintain the constant temperature of the heating surface and to obtain heat flow rate measurements with high temporal and spatial resolutions. Bubble growth images were captured using a high-speed CCD camera synchronized with the heat flow rate measurements.The departure time for binary mixtures was longer than that for pure fluids, and binary mixtures had a higher onset of nucleate boiling (ONB) temperature than pure fluids. In the asymptotic growth region, the bubble growth rate was proportional to a value between t^1/6 and t^1/4. The bubble growth behavior was analyzed to permit comparisons with binary mixtures and pure fluids at the same scale using dimensionless parameters. There was no discernible difference in the bubble growth behavior between binary mixtures and pure fluids for a given ONB temperature. And the departure radius and time were well predicted within a ±30% error.The minimum heat transfer coefficient of binary mixtures occurred near the maximum |y−x| value, and the average required heat flux during bubble growth did not depend on the mass fraction of R11 as more volatile component in binary mixtures. Finally, the results showed that for binary mixtures, a higher ONB temperature had the greatest effect on reducing the heat transfer coefficient.