Friction: the importance of accurately specifying the method of sample preparation and the test conditions

Buffing and splitting have both been used to prepare test pieces from products or thick sheets of rubber and it has been found that whereas the coefficients of friction against steel of buffed and split surfaces differ only slightly, the same parameters measured against PTFE can vary by as much as 2:1. Surprisingly, moulded sheets gave intermediate results on steel but very low results on PTFE, up to four times lower than split surfaces. The lubricating effect of water was more velocity-dependent against steel than against PTFE. A buffed rubber surface tested wet on PTFE gave results indistinguishable from a moulded rubber surface tested dry. A buffed leather surface tested wet on steel showed an increase in coefficient of friction compared with the corresponding dry material, but on PTFE there was little change.These experiments illustrated that results on one material could not be used to predict results on a different material and that test conditions must always be closely specified. The surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy but differences in structure were insufficient to account for differences in friction.     

光电沉积Co-Pi对Ta3N5水分解性能的影响及机理

Co-Pi是一种低廉高效的氧化水产氧助催化剂,助催化剂担载方法及条件是光阳极太阳能水分解效率的提升的关键因素之一。以光阳极材料Ta₃N₅为基底,针对光电沉积担载助催化剂Co-Pi开展了一系列研究,研究表明光电沉积Co-Pi过程中,照射光强的影响较小,而外加偏压和担载电量的影响很大,是Co-Pi担载的关键因素;通过阻抗谱测试定量分析了Co-Pi担载条件对Ta₃N₅/电解液界面载流子输运的影响,表明Co-Pi担载电压和电量直接影响界面光生载流子的传输,进而决定了Ta₃N₅水分解性能的高低;发现最优担载偏压对不同的Ta₃N₅均适用,而最优担载电量和光阳极的表面粗糙度存在正相关关系,要针对光阳极表面粗糙度调节助催化剂担载条件。     

光电沉积Co-Pi对Ta3N5水分解性能的影响及机理

Co-Pi是一种低廉高效的氧化水产氧助催化剂,助催化剂担载方法及条件是光阳极太阳能水分解效率提升的关键因素之一。以光阳极材料Ta_3N_5为基底,针对光电沉积担载助催化剂Co-Pi开展了一系列研究,研究表明光电沉积Co-Pi过程中,照射光强的影响较小,而外加偏压和担载电量的影响很大,是Co-Pi担载的关键因素;通过阻抗谱测试定量分析了Co-Pi担载条件对Ta_3N_5/电解液界面载流子输运的影响,表明Co-Pi担载电压和电量直接影响界面光生载流子的传输,进而决定了Ta_3N_5水分解性能的高低;发现最优担载偏压对不同的Ta_3N_5均适用,而最优担载电量和光阳极的表面粗糙度存在正相关关系,要针对光阳极表面粗糙度调节助催化剂担载条件。     

热轧对涂层导体用镍基带立方织构形成的影响

热机械加工制备的立方织构Ni及其合金带材广泛用于YBCO涂层导体的基带。涂层导体的制备要求基带具有强的立方织构和小的晶界角。通过在冷轧前进行热轧制备了强立方织构的镍基带。用三维取向分布函数（ODF）研究了轧制织构和再结晶织构，通过扫描电镜EBSD的观测，分析了晶粒取向分布和立方织构晶界微取向角分布。结果表明，冷轧前进行热轧有利于形成很强的立方织构和小的晶界微取向角。     

Influence of pyrolysis temperature on the properties of sol–gel derived zinc oxide films

The influence of pyrolysis temperature on the properties of sol–gel derived zinc oxide films has been investigated. As-deposited films were pyrolyzed at 300 °C for 30 min and at 500 °C for 10 min. Final annealing was done at 600 °C for 30 min in air. The as-grown films deposited on soda-lime-silica glass substrates were highly c-axis oriented. Distinct grain structure was present in the film pyrolyzed at 500 °C, while the surface of the film pyrolyzed at 300 °C was smooth and no observed texture. The surface of ZnO pyrolyzed at 300 °C was covered with needle-like grain growth. With increasing pyrolysis temperature at 500 °C, a three-dimensional island formation was appeared.     

Pulse plating effect on microstructure and corrosion properties of Zn–Ni alloy coatings

The influence of pulse plating parameters on the surface morphology, grain size, lattice imperfection and corrosion properties of Zn–Ni alloy has been studied. The coatings were electrodeposited in an alkaline cyanide-free solution. AFM was applied for surface morphology examination, XRD measurements were carried out for phase composition and texture analysis, electron probe microanalysis was used for alloy chemical composition studies, while electrochemical techniques were applied for corrosion performance evaluation. The pulse plated Zn–Ni coatings appeared to consist of the γ-Zn₂₁Ni₅ phase and the composition of the alloy depended on the plating parameters. The grain size, lattice imperfection and homogeneity of grain distribution were established to be the main factors determining corrosion behaviour of the coating. Presented at the 4th Baltic Conference on Electrochemistry, Greifswald, March 13–16, 2005     

Influence of Ti additions on the martensitic phase transformation and mechanical properties of Cu–Al–Ni shape memory alloys

The effect of Ti additions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu–Al–Ni shape memory alloys (SMA) was studied by means of a differential scanning calorimeter, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), a tensile test, a hardness test, and a shape memory effect test. The experimental results show that the Ti additions have an effective influence on the phase transformation behavior through generating a new phase into the microstructure, which is known as X-phase and/or controlling the grain size. The results of the XRD confirmed that the X-phase is a combination of two compounds, AlNi₂Ti and Ti₃·3Al. Nevertheless, it was found that with 0.7 mass% of Ti, the best phase transformation temperatures and mechanical properties were obtained. These improvements were due to the highest existence of the X-phase into the alloy along with a noticeable decrement of grain size. The Ti additions to the Cu–Al–Ni SMA were found to increase the ductility from 1.65 to 3.2 %, corresponding with increasing the strain recovery by the shape memory effect from 50 to 100 %; in other words, a complete recovery occurred after Ti additions.     

Fabrication of biaxial textured NiO on Ni in a one-step process

A novel method for the preparation of biaxial textured nickel oxide on commercially available nickel via a modified surface oxidation epitaxy (SOE) process has been developed. Following studies of different heat-treatment procedures for both texturing of nickel and for the fabrication of nickel oxide the following method was found to yield the best results. Nickel was first textured under an argon — hydrogen atmosphere at 1000°C for 120 min, then the temperature was lowered to 800°C and the atmosphere was changed to argon with 3 ppm oxygen. Smooth and crack free c-axis textured and a–b aligned NiO buffer layers with an out-of-plane texture of 7.8° and an in-plane texture of 9.4° were successfully produced. Higher oxygen partial pressure and temperatures resulted in increased surface roughness and excessive grain growth.      

Instrument-induced effects in the analysis of polycyclic aromatic compounds by capillary gas chromatography with atomic emission detection (GC-AED)

Peak splitting of high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic compounds originating from the microwave plasma of an atomic emission detector (AED) coupled to a GC has been described and evaluated. The influence of the solute structure, solute concentration, and physical conditions in the AED (such as detector temperature, make-up gas flow, concentration of reagent gases and distance of column end from the plasma) have been studied. An explanation is presented for peak splitting, which is based on an insufficient solute decomposition and solute mass flow in the discharge tube. Modification of the instrument by introduction of additional make-up gas applied through the transfer line has been shown to improve peak shape and solute response.     

Multiple solvation configurations around phthalocyanine in helium droplets

Recent measurements of the emission spectrum of phthalocyanine solvated in superfluid helium nanodroplets exhibit a constant 10.3 cm(-1) splitting of each emission line relative to the absorption spectrum. This splitting has been attributed to two distinct helium environments near the surface of the phthalocyanine molecule. Rigid-body path-integral Monte Carlo provides a means of investigating the origin of the splitting on a detailed microscopic level. Path-integral Monte Carlo simulations of 4He(N)-phthalocyanine at 0.625 K with N ranging from 24 to 150 show two distinct helium configurations. One configuration is commensurate with the molecular substrate and the other is a triangular lattice. We investigate the energetics of these two configurations and use a method for calculating electronic spectral shifts for aromatic molecule-rare-gas clusters due to dispersive interactions to estimate the spectral splitting that would arise from the two helium configurations seen for N=150. The results are in reasonable agreement with the experimentally measured splitting, supporting the existence of two distinct local helium environments near the surface of the molecule in the nanodroplets.     

Experimental set-up for determination of the large-strain tensile behaviour of polymers at low temperatures

In this study, we present a method to determine the large-strain tensile behaviour of polymers at low temperatures using a purpose-built temperature chamber made of polycarbonate (PC). This chamber allows for several cameras during testing. In our case, two digital cameras were utilized to monitor the two perpendicular surfaces of the test sample. Subsequently, the pictures were analysed with digital image correlation (DIC) software to determine the strain field on the surface of the specimen. In addition, a thermal camera was used to monitor self-heating during loading. It is demonstrated that the PC chamber does not influence the stress-strain curve as determined by DIC. Applying this set-up, a semi-crystalline cross-linked low-density polyethylene (XLPE) under quasi-static tensile loading has been successfully analysed using DIC at four different temperatures (25 °C, 0 °C, −15 °C, −30 °C). At the lower temperatures, the conventional method of applying a spray-paint speckle failed due to embrittlement and cracking of the spray-paint speckle when the tensile specimen deformed. An alternative method was developed utilising white grease with a black powder added as contrast. The results show a strong increase in both the Young’s modulus and the flow stress for decreasing temperatures within the experimental range. We also observe that although the XLPE material is practically incompressible at room temperature, the volumetric strains reach a value of about 0.1 at the lower temperatures.     

TEXTURE AND CRYSTALLINITY EVOLUTION IN ISOTACTIC POLYPROPYLENE INDUCED BY ROLLING AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

The orientation and crystallinity evolution of isotactic polypropylene （iPP） induced by rolling were studied using wide angle X-ray scattering with an area detector. The tensile mechanical properties of rolled isotactic polypropylene sheets were also measured in this work. The texture component method was used to analyze the rolling texture. The rolling texture consists mainly of （010）[001], （130）[001] and [001]//RD fiber components in the sample with a rolling true strain of 1.5. The results reveal that crystallinity drastically decreases during rolling. It is suggested that amorphization is a deformation mechanism which takes place as an alternative to crystallographic intralamellar slip depending on the orientation of the lamellae. Both the orientation and crystallinity affect the tensile mechanical properties of rolled polypropylene. Crystallinity influences the elastic modulus on both directions and yield strength on transverse direction at the first stage of deformation. Orientation is the main reason for the changes of mechanical properties, especially at the latter part of deformation. The changes of both tensile strength and elongation percentage on rolling direction are larger than those on transverse direction, which results from the orientation. At last, the anisotropic mechanical properties occur on the rolling and transverse direction： high tensile strength with low elongation percentage on rolling direction and low tensile strength with high elongation percentage on transverse direction.     

Loaded rubber-like materials subjected to small-amplitude vibrations

This paper proposes a constitutive law and a method for characterizing highly preloaded viscoelastic materials subjected to linear （small-amplitude） vibrations. A multiplicative non-separable variables law has been suggested to model the behavior that depends on both stretch and time/frequency. This approach allows splitting the intricate combined test performed simultaneously on both stretch and frequency, generally in a limited experimental domain up to 100 Hz, into two independent tests. Thus, on one hand, the dynamic complex modulus dependent on frequency alone is evaluated on the basis of vibration tests in a large experimental domain up to 100 kHz. On the other hand, energetic parameters are determined from a quasi-static hyperelastic tensile test. The complex modulus, dependent on both stretch and frequency, is then deduced from the results acquired from uncoupled investigations. This work shows that, in extension, the elastic modulus increases with increasing stretch, and the loss factor decreases with increasing stretch; while, in compression, around the material undeformed state, the modulus increases as the stretch increases till a certain value of compression stretch （upturn point depending on material characteristics）, and then the modulus decreases as the stretch increases. Globally, preload rigidifies materials but reduces their damping property. These results closely match a well-known observation in solid mechanics.     

扫描电子显微镜研究聚丙烯腈纤维的织态结构和缺陷

<正> 碳纤维的性能与所用原料聚丙烯腈(PAN)纤维的质量有密切关系.特别是PAN纤维的织态结构(包括各级的超分子结构)及其缺陷对碳纤维的结构和性能有很大影响.PAN纤维的结构特征与纺丝工艺条件有密切关系.但用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)研     

添加剂的吸附行为及其对Ni沉积层性能的影响

采用电化学及X射线衍射等方法研究有机添加剂苯磺酸钠、苯亚磺酸钠和糖精的吸附作用及其对Ni电沉积层的电化学活性、晶粒尺寸、织构及显微硬度的影响．结果表明，苯亚磺酸钠和糖精使Ni沉积层的电化学活性提高，（111）晶面的织构系数明显增大，而使（290）晶面的织构系数减小，还导致沉积层的晶粒尺寸显著减小和显微硬度提高；然而，苯磺酸钠对沉积层的活性及织构影响很小．讨论了上述添加剂的作用．     

Simulation of texture formation processes in carbonaceous mesophase fibres

Carbon fibres are spun from carbonaceous mesophases using standard melt spinning techniques. These melt spun carbon fibres exhibit a set of distinct cross-sectional textures. Two widely reported textures in literature are the planar radial (PR) and planar polar (PP). This work uses a mesoscopic model, based on the classical Landau-de Gennes theory of liquid crystals adapted to carbonaceous mesophases, to elucidate the principles that control the texture formation processes. The model is able to capture the microstructure and the formation of the PR and PP textures. A phase diagram for classical PR and PP textures has been constructed in terms of temperature and fibre radius, thus establishing the processing conditions and geometric factors that lead to the selection of these textures. The multipath formation process of the planar polar texture through defect splitting, direct planar polar formation, and defect annihilation has been thoroughly characterized. The results of this work provide new knowledge for optimization and control of mesophase carbon fibre textures.     

Structure and Properties of Self-reinforced Material Made from Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene-montmorillonite Nanocomposite

High-strength and high-modulus ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), named self-re-inforced material, was obtained by the elongation of UHMWPE-montmorillonite nanocomposite at melting temperature. According to the scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, a great deal of fibrillar texture formed in the direction of elongation, and the tensile fractured surface was similar to that of highly oriented fiber. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) and selective area electron diffraction (SAED) analyses reveal that the reinforced phase of the self-reinforced material is an extended chain crystal and its size is about 50--200 nm wide and several microns long, and the montmorillonite layers are broken up to pieces in the size from 100 to 10 nm. The broken layers which have a huge surface area interacting strongly with macro-molecules reduces the entanglement density of UHMWPE and induces the chain orientation in flow field. It is supposed that the astriction of montmorillonite layers to polyethylene chains is not only end-tethered but also side-tethered. The differential scan calorimetry(DSC) analysis shows that there are two endothermal peaks for the self-reinforced material, of which the peak at a higher temperature(136.4℃) is ascribed to the melt-ing of the reinforced phase.     

添加剂的吸附行为及其对Ni沉积层性能的影响

采用电化学及X射线衍射等方法研究有机添加剂苯磺酸钠、苯亚磺酸钠和糖精的吸附作用及其对Ni电沉积层的电化学活性、晶粒尺寸、织构及显微硬度的影响．结果表明，苯亚磺酸钠和糖精使Ni沉积层的电化学活性提高，（111）晶面的织构系数明显增大，而使（200）晶面的织构系数减小，还导致沉积层的晶粒尺寸显著减小和显微硬度提高；然而，苯磺酸钠对沉积层的活性及织构影响很小．讨论了上述添加剂的作用．     

TiO2-Based Porous Materials Obtained from Gels, in Different Experimental Conditions

The gels which are precursors of TiO₂ porous materials are prepared by the controlled hydrolysis-condensation of titanium isopropoxide by polymeric method. In the present work, a study of the influence of different experimental conditions (water/alkoxide ratio, solvent/alkoxide ratio and temperature) on the structure and texture of the polymeric gels obtained with the same type of alkoxide has been investigated. The structural and textural modifications for the unsupported materials have been detected using DTA/TGA, XRD, specific surface area and pore size computerized measurements. The optical properties of the supported materials deposited on silicon wafers have been investigated using ellipsometric method. Supported and unsupported porous materials with different structure and texture have been obtained depending on different experimental and thermal treatment conditions.