Functionalized TiO2@ZrO2@Y2O3 ：Eu3＋ core-multishell microspheres and their photoluminescence properties

TiO2@ZrO2@Y2O3 ：Eu3＋ composite particles with a core-multishell structure were synthesized through the combination of a layer-by-layer （LBL） self-assembly method and a sol-gel process. The obtained sam- ples were characterized with scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and fluorescence spectropho- tometry. The results showed that the composite particles had a core-multishell structure, spherical morphology, and a narrow size distribution. The presence of a ZrO2 layer on the TiO2 core can effec- tively prevent the reaction between the TiO2 core and a Y203 shell; the temperature for the reaction between the TiO2 core and the Y203 shell in the TiO2@ZrO2@Y2O3 ：Eu core-multishell phosphor can be elevated by 300 ℃ compared to that for TiO2@ZrO2：Eu. Upon excitation of the core-multishell particles in the ultraviolet （254 nm）, the Eu3＋ ion in the Y2O3 ：Eu3＋ shell shows its characteristic red emission （611 nm, 5D0→7F2）, and the photoluminescence （PL） intensity of the phosphor with the core-multishell structure was obviously greater than that of the core-shell TiO2@Y2O3 ：Eu phosphor.     

Preparation of spherical Y2SiO5 powders for thermal-spray coating

Yttrium silicate, for its high oxidation resistance, is an important candidate for protective coating for carbon-fiber-reinforced composites at temperatures above 1600 ℃. A novel method, consisting of coprecipitation, spray-drying, heat-treatment and plasma-densification, is developed to prepare Y2SiO5 powders for thermal-spraying. The composition, morphology and flowability of the synthesized Y2SiO5 powders are investigated by XRD, SEM and Hall Flowmeter, respectively. The results show that the synthesized Y2SiO5 powders are nearly spherical with high purity. The apparent density and flowability of the Y2SiO5 powders are 1.87 g/cm^3 and 37 s/50 g, respectively, which lead to a high deposition efficiency of up to 80700 for atmospheric plasma spraying.     

Optimization of the wash process and wash water recycling in the preparation of MgZnAl–CO3 layered double hydroxides

An MgZnAl–CO₃ layered double hydroxide (LDH) slurry with Na₂SO₄ as the by-product has been prepared by a co-precipitation method. The filtrates in the LDH washing process were collected according to their different levels of salinity. Filtrates with lower salinity can be used to wash a LDH slurry with higher salinity in the next cycle. Only in the final stages is pure water used. Recycling of the wash water in this way has been employed in a commercial production process, resulting in a water-saving of over 80%. The resulting MgZnAl–CO₃–LDH product has a well-formed crystalline layered structure with a low content of impurities.     

Axisymmetric thermal stress in a thin spherical shell by the method of matched asymptotic expansions

A solution of the equations of linear Thermoelasticity is presented for a closed shell with constant material properties. The solution is constructed by matching asymptotic expansions in the thinness parameter (h/a = thickness/radius of curvature) in the various regions of the shell. For clamped conditions at the (meridional opening angle-constant) edge (θ = θ₀), the solution has the character expected of a thin shell, i.e. a membrane region in the interior with a “thin shell” boundary layer near θ = θ₀. For the stress-free condition, however, an “Elasticity” layer of meridional width of order h must be introduced between the “thin-shell” layer and the edge (θ = θ₀). This solution is also compared with an asymptotic solution of the thin-shell equations and shown to agree through two orders of magnitude of h/a^1/2.     

Preparation of FeCo-, FeNi- and NiCo-alloy coated cenosphere composites by heterogeneous precipitation

Precursors of binary alloy (Fe_1/2Co_1/2, Fe_1/2Ni_1/2, Ni_1/2Co_1/2, hereinafter referred to as FeCo, FeNi, NiCo) coated cenospheres were prepared by heterogeneous precipitation under optimized conditions. Magnetic binary alloy coated cenosphere composites with core–shell structure were subsequently obtained by thermal reduction of the as-prepared precursors at 700 °C for 2 h under H₂/N₂ atmosphere. The results showed that the alloy coatings were uniform and the binary alloy coated cenosphere composites basically retained the spherical morphology, suggesting that the thickness of the alloy coating could be adjusted to fabricate core–shell composites with multilayer structures. The composites exhibited higher coercivity than the pure alloy powders, and could therefore be used for high-performance functional materials and devices.     

A novel preparation of nanosized hexagonal Mg(OH)2 as a flame retardant

Nanosized dispersive hexagonal magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂) has been prepared using an ammonia-hydrothermal method. Citric acid and monoethanolamine (MEA) were added to the reaction system during the ammonia precipitation and hydrothermal processes, respectively, to improve the crystallinity and dispersion of the (Mg(OH)₂) particles. The resulting Mg(OH)₂ samples obtained under the optimum preparation conditions were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermal gravity analysis, which showed that this newly developed procedure afforded well-dispersed hexagonal nanoplates of Mg(OH)₂ with a mean diameter of 246 nm.     

Facile aqueous synthesis and thermal insulating properties of low-density glass/TiO2 core/shell composite hollow spheres

Anatase TiO₂ shells assembled on hollow glass microspheres (HGM) with tunable morphologies were successfully prepared through a controllable chemical precipitation method with urea as the precipitator. Thus, glass/TiO₂ core/shell composite hollow spheres with low particle density (0.40 g/cm³) were fabricated. The phase structures, morphologies, particle sizes, shell thicknesses, and chemical compositions of the composite microspheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The morphology of the TiO₂ shell can be tailored by properly monitoring the reaction system component and parameters. The probable growth mechanism and fabrication process of the core/shell products involving the nucleation and oriented growth of TiO₂ nanocrystals on hollow glass microspheres was proposed. A low infrared radiation study revealed that the radiation properties of the products are greatly influenced by the unique product shell structures. A thermal conductivity study showed that the TiO₂/HGM possess low thermal conductivity that is similar to that of the pristine HGMs. This work provides an additional strategy to prepare low-density thermal insulating particles with tailored morphologies and properties.     

Example of exact solution of a problem of gas compression by a spherical shell

A study is made of the problem of isentropic compression of gas by a spherical shell of finite thickness on the exterior of which there is a vacuum. The complete solution to the problem with different boundary conditions and different equations of state for the shell and the compressible medium is possible only numerically. However, there exists a class of exact solutions to the equations of gas dynamics [1, 2] with linear radial distribution of the velocities of the particles in which contact discontinuities are allowed. For this it is necessary that both the shell and the compressible medium be described by the same equation of state p = ( – 1) E with the same specific heat ratio = c_p/c_v. There can be arbitrarily many such discontinuities in the solution, i.e., this class of solutions can describe the compression of matter by multilayer shells. In the present paper, a restriction is made to a single-layer shell with specific heat ratio = 5/3.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 176–179, November–December, 1982.     

Ideal Gas Outflow from a Cylindrical or Spherical Source into a Vacuum

The solutions of initial and boundary value problems of the outflow of an ideal (inviscid and non-heat-conducting) gas from cylindrical and spherical sources into a vacuum are obtained. Time is measured from the moment, when the source is turned on; at this moment the source is surrounded by a vacuum. The entropy, flow rate, and the Mach number of the gas outflowing from the source are given, together with the source radius; the Mach number can be greater of or equal to unity. If the source radius is greater than zero, then the flow domain in the “radial coordinate–time” plane consists of the stationary source flow and adjoining non-self-similar centered expansion wave consisting of C^?-characteristics. The stationary flow is described by the known formulas, while the expansion wave is calculated by the method of characteristics. The calculations by this method confirm the earlier obtained laws for large values of the radial coordinate. The interface between the vacuum and the expansion wave is the straight trajectory of particles and, at the same time, a unique rectilinear C^?-characteristic. For the source of zero radius (“pointwise” source) the velocity, density, and speed of sound of the outflowing gas are infinite. The gas velocity remains infinite everywhere, while the density and speed of sound become zero for any non-zero values of the radial coordinate. For the pointwise source the problem of outflow into a vacuum is self-similar. In the plane of the “self-similar” velocity and speed of sound its solution is given by three singular points of a differential equation in these variables. At one of these points the self-similar velocity is infinite, the self-similar speed of sound is zero, and the self-similar independent variable varies from zero to infinity, with the exception of the extreme values.     

Steady Flow of a Navier-Stokes Fluid Around a Rotating Obstacle

Let ? be a body immersed in a Navier-Stokes liquid ? that fills the whole space. Assume that ? rotates with prescribed constant angular velocity ω. We show that if the magnitude of ω is not “too large”, there exists one and only one corresponding steady motion of ? such that the velocity field v(x) and its gradient grad?v(x) decay like |x|^?1 and |x|^?2, respectively. Moreover, the pressure field p(x) and its gradient grad?p(x) decay like |x|^?2 and |x|^?3, respectively. These solutions are “physically reasonable” in the sense of Finn. In particular, they are unique and satisfy the energy equation. This result is relevant to several applications, including sedimentation of heavy particles in a viscous liquid.     

Fabrication of submicron barium sulfate aggregates in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid anions

Barium sulfate aggregates with an average size of 0.5 μm were synthesized at pH 7, directed by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anions. The particle morphology, chemical composition, and size distribution of the BaSO₄ aggregates were characterized. The as-synthesized BaSO₄ particles were spherical and comprised many interconnected nanoballs, of which the surface properties were affected by the EDTA anions. The adsorption of EDTA anions reversed the charge and weakened the surface polarity of BaSO₄, instigating the formation of aggregates by a self-assembly and transformation process. The resulting BaSO₄ particles at pH 9–10 were ellipsoidal and featured smooth surfaces. Based on the zeta potential of BaSO₄, variations in the morphology induced by changes in pH were closely related to the adsorption of mono- and multi-valent anions onto the electrical double layer of BaSO₄.     

Synthesis of mesoporous γ-AlOOH@Fe3O4 magnetic nanomicrospheres

Mesoporous γ-AlOOH@Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanomicrospheres were synthesized using superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as the core and aluminum isopropoxide (AIP) as the aluminum source. The obtained magnetic nanomicrospheres were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N₂ adsorption–desorption and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The effects of preparation parameters such as hydrolysis time of AIP, concentration of AIP and coating layer number on microspheres were investigated. The results indicated that the mesoporous γ-AlOOH@Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanomicrospheres consisted of a mesoporous γ-AlOOH shell and a Fe₃O₄ magnetic core. The diameter of γ-AlOOH@Fe₃O₄ nanomicrospheres was about 200 nm, the thickness of mesoporous γ-AlOOH shell was about 5 nm and the average pore size was 3.8 nm. The thickness of the mesoporous γ-AlOOH shell could be controlled via layer-by-layer coating times. The formation mechanism of the mesoporous γ-AlOOH shell involved a “chemisorption–hydrolysis” process.     

Modification of ADP extinguishing powder by siliconization in spray drying

Superfine spherical fire-extinguishing powder, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP, NH₄H₂PO₄), was prepared by spray drying and modified in situ with methyl hydrogen silicone oil (MHSO) emulsion and the fluorinated surfactant FK-510. The influences of the MHSO mass ratio on the hydrophobicity, surface composition, surface morphology, dispersion and particle-size distribution of the NH₄H₂PO₄ were studied, and the influence of the drying air temperature on the decomposition of the NH₄H₂PO₄ was also researched. The results indicate that the MHSO and FK-510 congregate on the particle surfaces and then form a hydrophobic shell. This shell improves the particle hydrophobicity and leads to a fine dispersion of the particles. During the process of preparing the precursor solution, 3 wt% (based on the weight of NH₄H₂PO₄) was chosen as the optimum value of the MHSO mass ratio. During the spray drying, a low absolute humidity of the air should be maintained, and it is very important to keep the exit-air temperature below 100 °C to avoid decomposition.     

Transient behavior of heat removal from a cylindrical heat storage vessel packed with spherical porous particles

The transient heat transfer behavior in the case of heat removal from a cylindrical heat storage vessel packed with spherical particles was investigated experimentally for various factors (flow rate, diameter of spherical particles packed, temperature difference between flowing cold air and spherical particles accumulating heat, and physical properties of spherical particles). The experiments were covered in ranges of Reynolds number based on the mean diameter of spherical particles packed Re_d = 10.3–2200, porosity?=0.310 to 0.475, ratio of spherical particle diameter to cylinder diameterd/D = 0.0075–0.177 and ratio of length of the cylinder to cylinder diameterL/D=2.5–10. It was found that especially the flow rate and the dimension of spherical particles played an important role in estimating the transient local heat transfer characteristics near the wall of the cylindrical vessel in the present heat storage system. As flow rate and diameter of spherical particles were increased under a given diameter of the cylinder heat storage vessel, the mean heat transfer coefficient between the flow cold air and the hot spherical particles increased and the time period to finish removing heat from the vessel reduced. In addition, the useful experimental correlation equations of mean heat transfer coefficient between both phases and the time period to finish removing heat from the vessel were derived with the functional relationship of Nusselt numberNu _d=f [modified Prandtl numberPr ^* (d/D), Re_d) and Fourier numberFo = f(d/D, L/D, Pr^*, Re_d).     

Dissipative particle dynamics simulation of polymer drops in a periodic shear flow

The steady-state and transient shear flow dynamics of polymer drops in a microchannel are investigated using the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method. The polymer drop is made up of 10% DPD solvent particles and 90% finite extensible non-linear elastic (FENE) bead spring chains, with each chain consisting of 16 beads. The channel’s upper and lower walls are made up of three layers of DPD particles, respectively, perpendicular to Z-axis, and moving in opposite directions to generate the shear flow field. Periodic boundary conditions are implemented in the X and Y directions. With FENE chains, shear thinning and normal stress difference effects are observed. The “colour” method is employed to model immiscible fluids according to Rothman–Keller method; the χ-parameters in Flory–Huggins-type models are also analysed accordingly. The interfacial tension is computed using the Irving–Kirkwood equation. For polymer drops in a steady-state shear field, the relationship between the deformation parameter (D_def) and the capillary number (Ca) can be delineated into a linear and nonlinear regime, in qualitative agreement with experimental results of Guido et al. [J. Rheol. 42 (2) (1998) 395]. In the present study, Ca<0.22, in the linear regime. As the shear rate increases further, the drop elongates; a sufficiently deformed drop will break up; and a possible coalescence may occur for two neighbouring drops. Dynamical equilibrium between break-up and coalescence results in a steady-state average droplet-size distribution. In a shear reversal flow, an elongated and oriented polymer drop retracts towards a roughly spherical shape, with a decrease in the first normal stress difference. The polymer drop is found to undergo a tumbling mode at high Schmidt numbers. A stress analysis shows that the stress response is different from that of a suspension of solid spheres. An overshoot in the strain is observed for the polymer drop under extension due to the memory of the FENE chains.     

Inertial-microfluidic radial migration in solid/liquid two-phase flow through a microcapillary: Particle equilibrium position

Although equilibrium of spherical particles under radial migration has been extensively investigated, mostly in macroscale flows with characteristic lengths on the order of centimeters, it is not fully characterized at relatively small Reynolds numbers, 1 ≤ Re ≤ 100. This paper experimentally studies “inertial microfluidic” radial migration of spherical particles in circular Poiseuille flow through a microcapillary. Microparticle tracking experiments are performed to obtain the spatial distribution of the particles by adopting a depth-resolved measurement technique. Through the analysis of the radial distribution of particles, inertial microfluidic circular Poiseuille flow is shown to induce a strong radial migration of particles at substantially small Re, which is quite in contrast to the pipe flows at large Re previously reported. This particle migration phenomenon is so prominent that particle equilibrium positions are formed even at small Re. However, it turns out that there exists a certain critical Re below which particle equilibrium position is almost fixed, but above which it seems to drift toward the channel wall.     

高速碰撞下圆柱壳自由梁的穿孔特性

利用二级轻气炮加载,进行了球状2A12铝弹丸垂直撞击圆柱壳自由梁实验。并进行了弹丸速度、圆柱壳直径和壁厚等因素对穿孔直径影响的数值模拟,数值模拟结果和实验结果基本吻合。通过量纲分析和数值模拟结合,推导了穿孔直径与相关影响参数的经验关系式。研究结果表明:当圆柱壳直径和厚度不变时,高速撞击产生的穿孔直径在径向和轴向都随着弹丸速度增大而增大;当弹丸速度和圆柱壳厚度不变时,高速撞击产生的穿孔直径随着圆柱壳自由梁直径的增大而减小;当弹丸速度和圆柱壳直径不变时,穿孔直径随着圆柱壳厚度的增大而减小。     

A linear stability analysis on the onset of thermal convection of a fluid with strongly temperature-dependent viscosity in a spherical shell

A linear stability analysis was performed in order to study the onset of thermal convection in the presence of a strong viscosity variation, with a special emphasis on the condition for the stagnant-lid (ST) convection where a convection takes place only in a sublayer beneath a highly viscous lid of cold fluid. We consider the temporal evolution (growth or decay) of an infinitesimal perturbation superimposed to a Boussinesq fluid with an infinite Prandtl number which is in a static (motionless) and conductive state in a basally heated planar layer or spherical shell. The viscosity of the fluid is assumed to be exponentially dependent on temperature. The linearized equations for conservations of mass, momentum, and internal (thermal) energy are numerically solved for the critical Rayleigh number, Ra _c , as well as the radial profiles of eigenfunctions for infinitesimal perturbations. The above calculations are repeatedly carried out by systematically varying (i) the magnitude of the temperature dependence of viscosity, E, and (ii) the ratio of the inner and outer radii of the spherical shell, γ. A careful analysis of the vertical structure of incipient flows demonstrated that the dominance of the ST convection can be quantitatively identified by the vertical profile of Δ _h (a measure of conversion between horizontal and vertical flows), regardless of the model geometries. We also found that, in the spherical shell relevant to the Earth’s mantle (γ = 0.55), the transition into ST convection takes place at the viscosity contrast across the layer ${r_\eta\simeq10^4}$ . Taken together with the fact that the threshold value of r _η falls in the range of r _η for a so-called sluggish-lid convection, our finding suggests that the ST-mode of convection with horizontally elongated convection cells is likely to arise in the Earth’s mantle solely from the temperature-dependent viscosity.     

A core-shell composite pigment with rutile TiO2 intensification for UV inhibition

Organic pigments generally have bright colors but poor ultraviolet (UV) resistance. To improve the UV resistance and extend the applications, a core-shell composite pigment with rutile TiO₂ intensification for UV inhibition is proposed by a facile sol-gel method in this work. A core-shell structure, with a homogeneous sol-gel TiO₂ shell containing additional nanosized rutile TiO₂ particles and with the pigment as the core, was established taking advantage of UV resistance of TiO₂ and binding ability of sol-gel. While the sol-gel TiO₂ shell alone has already shown obvious ultraviolet shielding effect, as tested over different sol-gel aging times and TiO₂ loadings, the UV resistance of the fluorescent pigments was further enhanced by binding the nanosized rutile TiO₂ in the sol-gel shell. At a sol-gel TiO₂ to rutile TiO₂ ratio of 2:1, the UV exposure time is extended about eight times compared with that of the original pigment and twice as that of the modified pigment with pure sol-gel TiO₂ for the same color change. Therefore, the novel core-shell composite pigment intensified with nanosized rutile TiO₂ particles is proved to be efficient in improving the UV resistance of organic pigments.     

Growth characteristics of spherical titanium oxide nanoparticles during the rapid gaseous detonation reaction

The nanosize grain growth characteristics of spherical single-crystal titanium oxide (TiO₂) during the rapid gaseous detonation reaction are discussed. Based on the experimental conditions and the Chapman–Jouguet theory, the Kruis model was introduced to simulate the growth characteristics of spherical TiO₂ nanoparticles obtained under high pressure, high temperature and by rapid reaction. The results show that the numerical analysis can satisfactorily predict the growth characteristics of spherical TiO₂ nanoparticles with diameters of 15–300 nm at different affecting factors, such as concentration of particles, reaction temperature and time, which are in agreement with the obtained experimental results. We found that the increase of the gas-phase reaction temperature, time, and particle concentration affects the growth tendency of spherical nanocrystal TiO₂, which provides effective theoretical support for the controllable synthesis of multi-scale nanoparticles.