Mesoporous composite of LiFePO4 and carbon microspheres as positive-electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Mesoporous LiFePO4/C microspheres consisting of LiFePO4 nanoparticles are successfully fabricated by an eco-friendly hydrothermal approach combined with high-temperature calcinations using cost-effective LiOH and Fe3＋ salts as raw materials.In this strategy,pure mesoporous LiFePO4 microspheres,which are composed of LiFePO4 nanoparticles,were uniformly coated with carbon（1.5nm）.Benefiting from this unique architecture,these mesoporous LiFePO4/C microspheres can be closely packed,having high tap density.The initial discharge capacity of LiFePO4/C microspheres as positive-electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries could reach 165.3 mAh/g at 0.1 C rate,which is notably close to the theoretical capacity of LiFePO4 due to the large BET surface area,which provides for a large electrochemically available surface for the active material and electrolyte.The material also exhibits high rate capability（100 mAh/g at 8 C） and good cycling stability（capacity retention of 92.2%after 400 cycles at 8 C rate）.     

Material cloud method—its mathematical investigation and numerical application for 3D engineering design

Recently, material cloud method (MCM) has been developed as a new approach for topology optimization. In MCM, an optimal structure can be obtained by manipulating the sizes and positions of material clouds, which are material patches with finite sizes and constant material densities, and the numerical analysis can be done using fixed background finite element mesh. During the optimization procedure, only active elements, where more than one material cloud is contained, are treated. With MCM, an expansion–reduction procedure of the design domain can be naturally realized through movements of material clouds, so that a true optimal solution can be found without any significant increase of computational costs. In this paper, we summarize the concept of MCM and prove the existence of optimal solution(s) in the formulation of MCM to show the mathematical rigorousness of this new method. We show the design examples for 3D engineering design problems to show the generality of this method.     

Heat and mass transfer characteristics of organic sorbent coated on heat transfer surface of a heat exchanger

This paper describes heat and mass transfer characteristics of organic sorbent coated on heat transfer surface of a fin-tube heat exchanger. The experiments in which the moist air was passed into the heat exchanger coated with sorption material were conducted under various conditions of air flow rate (0.5–1.0 m/s) and the temperature of brine (14–20°C) that was the heat transfer fluid to cool the air flow in the dehumidifying process. It is found that the sorption rate of vapor is affected by the air flow rate and the brine temperature. Meanwhile, the attempt of clarifying the sorption mechanism is also conducted. Finally the average mass transfer coefficient of the organic sorbent coated on heat transfer surface of a fin-tube heat exchanger is non-dimensionalzed as a function of Reynolds number and non-dimensional temperature, and it is found that the effect of non-dimensional temperature on them is larger than Reynolds number .     

干燥环境下表面黏附性能调控研究进展

实现黏附可控是解决微/纳机械产品黏附失效问题和发展先进黏附材料及新型微操作/微装配技术等的有效途径. 基于该研究背景,针对干燥不带电系统,对近年来发展的几类黏附调控方法进行了综述,从表面改形、材料改性及外场控制三方面介绍了织构、涂层/薄膜和复合材料、速度、温度、外力和磁场在黏附调控方面的研究进展,分析和总结了各类方法的黏附调控机理、关键影响因素和特点,并指出了应用领域,介绍了多手段复合调控黏附方法的最新研究成果. 最后,探讨了当前黏附调控方面存在的问题和未来可能的发展方向.      

基于Monte Carlo方法的磁驱动准等熵压缩实验不确定度量化评估

磁驱动准等熵压缩实验是研究材料偏离Hugoniot状态高压物性和动力学行为的重要实验技术之一,开展不确定量化评估具有重要意义和价值。基于Monte Carlo原理,结合磁驱动准等熵压缩实验过程分析、Lagrange分析和特征线正向数据处理方法建立了适用于此类实验的Monte Carlo不确定度量化评估方法,实现利用磁驱动准等熵压缩实验获取材料声速、应力、应变等物理量以及状态方程和本构关系等物理模型的不确定度量化评估。利用建立的不确定度评估方法,对文献中已开展的钽、铜和NiTi合金的磁驱动准等熵压缩实验结果进行不确定度量化评估与分析。结果表明,基于本文中方法的评估结果与国外文献以相同原理得到的评估结果一致。对基于CQ-4装置开展的NiTi合金磁驱动准等熵压缩实验的评估结果表明,设计的磁驱动准等熵压缩实验是一种可靠的精密物理实验。在此基础上,深入讨论了磁驱动准等熵压缩实验的误差相关性和敏感性。结果表明：台阶样品厚度和粒子速度的测量是影响实验精度的主要因素。     

钴基合金刷丝与碳化铬涂层高线速度磨损行为研究

在超高速磨损试验器上开展刷式密封磨损试验,摩擦副为GH5605钴基高温合金刷丝束和喷涂碳化铬耐磨涂层的跑道试样,最高摩擦线速度达到400 m/s.利用扫描电镜和能谱分析研究了摩擦表面的磨损形貌及材料成分,发现试验后的碳化铬涂层存在材料剥落和刷丝材料附着,刷丝尖端出现以犁沟和涂抹为主要特征的磨损,且摩擦线速度达到400 m/s时出现刷丝尖端粘连和严重氧化现象.通过分析刷丝尖端磨损形貌的形成机制及摩擦表面的材料转移机理,认为刷丝尖端的主要磨损机制为二体磨粒磨损,而涂层的材料剥落现象会加剧其对刷丝的磨粒磨损作用.使用共聚焦显微镜测量了磨痕深度,并与转子离心涨大变形量进行对比分析,分析结果表明超高线速度条件下转子的离心涨大增加了刷丝束和跑道涂层间的干涉,显著加剧了摩擦副的磨损.     

Comparative performance of different urea coating materials for slow release

Approximately 70%of the applied urea fertilizer may be lost into the environment.This loss is due to leaching,decomposition and ammonium volatilization in soil,water and air.Through coating,the slow release technology can be used to reduce losses and to increase the fertilizer efficiency.Sulfur has been used as a coating material,but the coating cracks easily because of its friability,sometimes being peeled off from the urea surface.In this study,four types of materials,namely,gypsum,cement,sulfur and zeolite,were mixed and used as coating materials to search for the most effective and cheap coating materials.The primary reasons for selecting these materials were improving fruit quality and preventing plant diseases,providing a plant nutrient,increasing soil fertility and water retention.The materials were also selected based on their availability,processiblity and price.The effects of the coating materials,thickness,drying time,sieving and sealant on the crushing strength and dissolution rate of urea were investigated.Coated urea with the same proportion of gypsum-sulfur exhibited high crushing strength and lower dissolution rate.However,the performance was further enhanced by applying molten paraffin wax on the hot urea surface.SEM images demonstrated that the micro-structure of gypsum-sulfur coated urea after sieving resulted in a smoother coated layer.The efficiency of the coated urea was improved by26%using gypsum-sulfur（20%total coating）,3%paraffin wax and sieving the coating materials before application.     

A Normal Force on the Free Surface of a Coated Material

The three-dimensional theoretical solution of a concentrated normal force acting on the free surface of a coated material has been deduced by applying the reflection method. It is found that all stress functions defined in the local coordinate systems with their origins placed at each mirror point can be deduced from the fundamental solution of a concentrated normal force acting on the free surface of a semi-infinite homogeneous medium. The structure of the elastic solution has been illustrated by numerical analysis. It is found that only the stress functions corresponding to the first few mirror points are influential. It is also found that the effect of material combination on the stress field shall be described by three parameters, the two Dundurs' parameters and one additional parameter.     

Comparative performance of different urea coating materials for slow release

Approximately 70% of the applied urea fertilizer may be lost into the environment. This loss is due to leaching, decomposition and ammonium volatilization in soil, water and air. Through coating, the slow release technology can be used to reduce losses and to increase the fertilizer efficiency. Sulfur has been used as a coating material, but the coating cracks easily because of its friability, sometimes being peeled off from the urea surface. In this study, four types of materials, namely, gypsum, cement, sulfur and zeolite, were mixed and used as coating materials to search for the most effective and cheap coating materials. The primary reasons for selecting these materials were improving fruit quality and preventing plant diseases, providing a plant nutrient, increasing soil fertility and water retention. The materials were also selected based on their availability, processiblity and price. The effects of the coating materials, thickness, drying time, sieving and sealant on the crushing strength and dissolution rate of urea were investigated. Coated urea with the same proportion of gypsum–sulfur exhibited high crushing strength and lower dissolution rate. However, the performance was further enhanced by applying molten paraffin wax on the hot urea surface. SEM images demonstrated that the micro-structure of gypsum–sulfur coated urea after sieving resulted in a smoother coated layer. The efficiency of the coated urea was improved by 26% using gypsum–sulfur (20% total coating), 3% paraffin wax and sieving the coating materials before application.     

Experimental study of spray cooling performance on micro-porous coated surfaces

Experiments on evaporative spray cooling of flat heaters with plain and micro-porous coated surfaces were performed in this study. Micro-porous coated surfaces were made by using the DOM [Diamond particle, Omegabond 101, Methyl-Ethyl-Keton] coating method. In pure air-jet cooling, micro-porous coating did not show heat transfer improvement over plain surface. In spray cooling, however, three different flow patterns (complete wetting, evaporative wetting and dryout) were observed on both plain and micro-porous coated surfaces. The effects of various operating conditions, such as water flow rate, particle size, and coating thickness on the micro-porous coated surface were investigated. It was found that the level of surface wetting was an important factor in determining the performance of spray cooling. The level of surface wetting depended on the balance between the amount of liquid absorbed by capillary force over porosity and the amount of liquid evaporated. A micro-porous coated surface has a very high cooling capacity, especially in the evaporative wetting zone. The liquid flow rate and coating thickness are significant factors in the evaporative wetting zone, but are not in the complete wetting zone and the dryout zone.     

New coating formulation for the slow release of urea using a mixture of gypsum and dolomitic limestone

The use of urea and urea-based fertilizers has increased considerably over the past 15 years. They currently account for approximately 51% of the world's agricultural nitrogen consumption. However, about 20–70% of the applied urea fertilizer is lost to the environment, causing serious pollution and increasing costs. These losses come from leaching, decomposition, and ammonium volatilization in the soil during handling and storage. Controlled release by coating can be used to increase urea fertilizer efficiency. We studied the use of gypsum, sulfur, and ground magnesium lime as cost-effective coating materials. All these coating materials contain nutrients required by plants. The effects of the coating composition and proportion of sealant on the rate of urea release and the crushing strength of the coated urea were investigated. We found that coated urea with the same proportion of gypsum–ground magnesium lime (GML) exhibited low urea release and high crushing strength. The performance was enhanced when using polyols as a sealant on the surface of the coated urea. A surface morphology analysis indicated a uniform and smooth surface on the coated film. The efficiency of the coated urea improved by 34.2% when using gypsum–GML (1:1 ratio) containing 1.1% polyols.     

Experimental and numerical investigations of the deformation of soft materials under tangential loading

The surface ‘tensile test’, in which tangential loads are applied through surface mounted adhesive tapes, is a viable method for the assessment of mechanical properties of soft materials, particularly biological soft materials in vivo. In the present work the deformation pattern and force–displacement relationship in the surface tensile test were experimentally investigated using surface displacement analysis (SDA) and numerically simulated using finite element modelling. The experimental and FE results showed close agreement using silicone rubber as a model material. The force–displacement relationship was found to be dependent on the tape separations. SDA measurements and FE simulation showed that the displacement and strain fields were not uniform and the distribution pattern varies with tape separation. A combined experimental–numerical approach to inversely extract material properties using multiple tests with different length scales is proposed and assessed using a model material.     

Validity of compliance calibration to cracked concrete beams in bending

The method of compliance calibration for estimating crack growth in notched beams of metallic materials and nonmetallic materials such as rock has been used extensively with success. This method has also been used with concrete, but recently its suitability for this material has been questioned. The validity of this method has been evaluated using concrete beams in three-point bending in which the crack surface is revealed by a dye-penetrant technique. The results of this study, which utilized twelve specimens precracked to varying depths and thirteen companion specimens using 0.076-mm thick Teflon notches of various depths, are presented. It was found that the compliance estimates of crack length agreed exactly with the actual length for the beams with Teflon notches. For the precracked beams the compliance estimates for crack length were in good agreement with the actual length observed at the beam surface (thus confirming previously reported results) but were greater than the average crack length revealed by dye.     

HMX基多组分PBX结构和性能的模拟研究

用分子动力学(MD)方法，对HMX基含少量TATB、F2311(粘结剂)和石蜡(钝感剂)的4组分PBX的结构和性能进行模拟研究。为细致考察各组分对主体炸药的作用，对2组分体系(HMX/TATB, HMX/F2311和HMX/石蜡)也进行类似的MD模拟。为深入揭示钝感机理和钝感剂的作用，还对HMX和石蜡超分子体系的相互作用进行量子化学第一性原理DFT计算。此外，对纯HMX及以它为基的多组分PBX的爆热和爆速进行了理论估算。结果表明，各PBX的弹性较纯HMX的有所改善，以粘结剂组分对主体炸药的力学性能影响最大。各组分的加入均或多或少地降低主体炸药的爆热和爆速。钝感剂与HMX的相互作用很弱，PBX的钝感性不是由电子结构因素所造成。多组分PBX的理论配方设计需综合考虑各种复杂因素。     

Synthesis and characterization of superhydrophobic magnesium oxysulfate whiskers

Superhydrophobic materials have attracted much attention for their special wettability. In this study, magnesium oxysulfate (MOS) whiskers were surface modified by vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) and prepared as superhydrophobic materials, which are expected to be widely used in self-cleaning, corrosion prevention, and oil-water separation. The factors of silane concentration, hydrolysis time, reaction temperature, and reaction time were investigated. The superhydrophobic MOS whiskers were synthesized. SEM and XRD turned out that there were no apparent changes in the morphology and crystallization behavior of whiskers before and after modification, while the surface was uniformly coated with a layer of non-crystal material, and the surface of the whiskers employed a chemical bond Si–O–Mg covalently connected. The thermogravimetric analysis ultimately demonstrated that surface modification was beneficial to the improvement of the thermal stability of MOS whiskers. Superhydrophobic MOS whiskers showed good compatibility with organic solvents through oil-water separation experiments, and demonstrated excellent self-cleaning performance. The methodology for the surface treatment of MOS whiskers to prepare superhydrophobic whiskers in this work may be extended for other whiskers or fillers, which may be promising for the preparation of superhydrophobic materials.     

常用摩擦副材料与抗磨添加剂配伍性研究

本文对传统的润滑油抗磨添加剂(S型、P型、S-P型)和自制的有机硼抗磨剂与常用摩擦副材料(钢、铜、铸铁)在Falex-6型多功能摩擦磨损试验机上进行了配伍性研究,测得了4种抗磨剂与6对摩擦副配合时的P-V图。作者指出,二烷基二硫代磷酸锌(ZDDP)和有机硼抗磨剂对摩擦副材料的选择性不大,特别是有机硼对铜-钢摩擦副显示出较好的减摩抗磨性能;P剂有利于铜-钢和铸铁-钢摩擦副的润滑;S剂和ZDDP更适合于钢-钢摩擦副的润滑。本文还应用X-射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)相扫描俄歇微探针仪(AES)表面分析技术对典型试件表面膜的化学结构进行了分析。     

Effect of the cone nose bluntness and the ultrasonically absorptive coating on transition in a hypersonic boundary layer

The effect of an ultrasonically-absorptive coating on laminar-turbulent transition on cones with different nose bluntnesses is experimentally investigated. The experiments were performed with a cone with the semi-vertex angle of 7° set at zero incidence in the Mach 8 flow for three Reynolds numbers. A material with a chaotic micropore structure was used as the ultrasonically-absorptive coating. One side of the model, along its generator, was coated with the porous material, while the second represented a rigid surface. The laminar-turbulent transition location was determined from the results of heat flux distribution measurements. The heat flux fluctuations were also measured on the model surface. It was found that the laminar region length increased with an increase in the bluntness radius. The ultrasonically-absorptive coating with a chaotic microstructure effectively stabilizes the boundary layer for all bluntness radii considered, increasing the laminar region length by 30 to 85%.     

The Effect of Isopropyl Alcohol and Non-Ionic Surfactant Mixtures on the Wetting of Porous Coated Paper

The influence of isopropyl alcohol and non-ionic surfactant solutions on aqueous droplet wetting behaviour on porous coated paper was determined. Paper coatings provide a micro- and nano-porous surface structure, which strictly speaking cannot be described in simple roughness terms as sub-surface lateral absorption directly impacts on the apparent contact angle. It is this very deviation from an idealised system that leads to novel wetting phenomena. Isopropyl alcohol and surfactant-based systems, both of which are commonly used in the printing industry, show differences in wetting behaviour, on both short and long timescales, with changes in the relative composition of the mixtures. Small variations of 0.1?wt% in surfactant concentration have a dramatic influence on the dynamic surface tension, and thus the wetting. It was observed that the wetting kinetics for isopropyl alcohol and surfactant solutions were different in terms of both wetting area and the penetration rate, even in cases where the dynamic surface tension of the solutions was kept the same. Different stages in the wetting and following drying processes could be observed with near infrared spectral imaging. In addition, the surfactant chemistries such as their degrees of hydrophilicity and molecular weights generated comparative differences in the wetting kinetics. The dominating factor affecting the wetting was, as expected, the solid?Cliquid interfacial energy defined on the practical porous substrate, which differed from the direct comparison with dynamic surface tension, thus exemplifying the deviation from idealised surface roughness behaviour when considering porous materials. An apparent ??equivalent?? surface roughness value for the porous material was determined, and it was seen that an increase in this equivalent parameter enhanced the rate of wetting behaviour with decreasing solution surface tension, and so also affected the wetting evolution. The wetting was enhanced by cavities in the coating layer, which were enlarged by the penetrating liquids.     

Technology showcase applications of enamel coating in agriculture

Recently various experiments were conducted at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, to study the effect of enamel coating on the performance of some agricultural equipment. In order to reduce soil adhesion on cage wheel lugs, nine different coating materials were tried and enamel coating was found to be the best among these materials. It reduced soil adhesion on cage wheel lugs considerably to avoid cage wheel blocking. To investigate effect of coating on lug forces detailed lab studies were undertaken to measure the lug forces. The effects of lug slip, soil moisture content and sinkage were investigated. It was observed that enamel coating did not affect the lug forces. The pull and lift forces generated by the enamel coated and uncoated lugs were almost the same. When enamel coated bolt-on plates were mounted on the power tiller cage wheel lugs and trials were conducted in actual field conditions, it was observed that in actual field conditions enamel coated bolt-on plates on cage wheel lugs improved the performance of a power tiller. Studies about coating effects on the drag force required to pull floats on soil surface were also conducted. It was observed that enamel coating on floats reduced the drag force significantly. It also greatly improved the scouring of a mouldboard plough used in a wet, sticky clay soil.