Fei Long

Preparation of nano-sized zirconium carbide powders through a novel active dilution self-propagating high temperature synthesis method

High quality nano-sized zirconium carbide (ZrC) powders were successfully fabricated via a developed chemical active dilution self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) method assisted by ball milling pretreatment process using traditional cheap zirconium dioxide powder (ZrO2), magnesium powder (Mg) and sucrose (C12H22O11) as raw materials. FSEM, TEM, HRTEM, SAED, XRD, FTIR and Raman, ICPAES, laser particle size analyzer, oxygen and nitrogen analyzer, carbon/sulfur determinator and TG-DSC were employed for the characterization of the morphology, structure, chemical composition and thermal stability of the as-synthesized ZrC samples. The as-synthesized samples demonstrated high purity, low oxygen content and evenly distributed ZrC nano-powders with an average particle size of 50nm. In addition, the effects of endothermic rate and the possible chemical reaction mechanism were also discussed.

XPS Studies on Composite TiO2-SiO2 Thin Films Deposited on Metal Substrate by Sol-Gel

Through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, by the aid of Ar+ sputtering, chemical composition and the valence state of elements on surface and at depth of TiO2-SiO2 thin films and metal substrates have been studied. Results show that: on surface, elements of Cr, Mn, Ti, Fe exist in the form of their respective stable state, but Si is unstable and exhibits stoichiometrical disturbance when heat treated at 800°C; at depth, after sputtering for 5 minutes and 17 minutes, elements of Cr, Mn, Ti and Ni exist in the form of their respective stable state, but Si and Fe are unstable and exhibit stoichiometrical disturbances; at depth, after sputtering for 57 minutes, all of the Cr, Mn, Ti, Si, Ni and Fe exist in the form of their respective stable state. Results of chemical composition and their content by weight percent of TiO2-SiO2 thin films and metal substrates reveal that: Fe, Cr, and Mn diffuse from metal substrates to the thin films in scale; Ni diffuses few and Si collects to the metal substrate surface

Hydrothermal synthesis and electrochemical performance of Mn-doped V6O13 as cathode material for lithium-ion battery

MnxV6−xO13 (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04) were successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method followed by heat-treatment. Both crystal domain size, electronic conductivity and the lithium diffusion coefficient of the MnxV6−xO13 samples were influenced by the doping amount of Mn2+. When x = 0.02, the product was nano-sized particles and exhibited the best electrochemical performance. The enhanced electrochemical performance originated from its higher total conductivity and higher lithium diffusion coefficient.

Adhesion of TiC/Fe Cermet Interface with C Vacancy: A First-Principles Study

This work focus on the effects of C vacancy on wetting of Fe to TiC/Fe at the cermet interfaces. We do the whole work using the first-principles density functional theories. The ideal work of adhesion of the pure interface is not big enough, comparing with the expeimental value. Our calculations suggest that the C vacancy at the interface is a very important factor for interface banding of TiC/Fe cermet composite. An adequate quantities of C vacancies at the interface can improve the wetting of TiC/Fe interfaces.

Macro-Residual Stress in 304 Stainless Steel Coated with ZrO2-CeO2 Thin Films by Sol-Gel Process

X-ray diffraction (XRD) method to measure the residual stress existing in the metal substrate surface layer was introduced and the sol-gel ZrO2-CeO2 thin film was successfully prepared on SUS304 stainless steel substrate by dip-coating process. The macro residual stress existing in metal substrate was analyzed by XRD. It turns out that the compressive stress existing in the metal substrate surface layer increases with the increase of heat-treated temperature. Based on the above study, colored stainless steels of high quality were prepared by sol-gel process.

A Facile Approach for the Synthesis of Zn2SnO4/BiOBr Hybrid Nanocomposites with Improved Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance

In this study, a novel Zn2SnO4/BiOBr hybrid photocatalyst was prepared via a mild hydrothermal synthesis combined with a chemical deposition method. The morphological structure, chemical composition, crystal structure, and optical properties were comprehensively characterized by a series of measurement techniques. Morphological observation showed that fine Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles were anchored on the nanoplate surface of a flower-like BiOBr 3D hierarchical structure. The experimental results of UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy revealed that the visible-light absorptive capacity of the Zn2SnO4/BiOBr hybrid photocatalyst was promoted, as compared to that of pure Zn2SnO4. Evidenced by electro-negativity theoretical calculation, Zn2SnO4 and BiOBr possessed matched band edges for accelerating photogenerated charge separation at the interface. The Zn2SnO4/BiOBr hybrid photocatalyst exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance in the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. According to the band energy structure and the experimental results, the enhanced photocatalytic performance was ascribed to the improved visible-light absorptive capacity and the contact interface between Zn2SnO4 nanoparticles and BiOBr nanoplates, being able to favor the prompt charge migration and suppress the recombination of photogenerated carriers in the hybrid system.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal stability of CeO2 stabilized ZrO2 ultra fine nanoparticles via a sol-gel route

CeO2 stabilized ZrO2 ultra fine nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via a simple and effective sol-gel synthetic approach by using zirconylchloride octahydrate, cerium nitrate hexahydrate, and citric acid as starting materials. A series of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N2-sorption analysis, were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the as-prepared samples. XRD studies indicate that the as-synthesized sample is of well crystallized tetragonal phase of CeO2 stabilized ZrO2 with high purity. TEM images show that the as-synthesized sample is composed of a large number of fine dispersive nanoparticles with an average size about 10 nm. The as-synthesized tetragonal CeO2 stabilized ZrO2 sample was heated at different temperatures in order to evaluate its thermal stability. The exprimental results reveal that the as-synthesized tetragonal CeO2 stabilized ZrO2 sample exhibits excellent stability without the occurrence of phase transformation.

Non-Woven Operational Stability of Dynamic Membrane Bioreactor and its Fluence Factors

The paper adopts the NW-DMBR to treat the domestic wastewater; examines the stability of the operation and analyzes the effect of organic loading of inflow, sludge loading, hydraulic retention time, dissolved oxygen and pH on the stability. The purpose is about obtaining the best parameters through the system operation from the experiments and providing the main references for the application in engineering.

Solvothermal Synthesis of Pyrite (FeS2)

Pyrite nano-powder was synthetized in a high-pressure solvothermal process in the ethanediol solvent, with Fe(NO3)3·9H2O and NH2CSNH2 as the raw materials. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the results show that the product has a pure phase in a typical cubic crystal. The effects of temperature, aging time and surfactant on the shape of the crystallites were investigated systematically. The nano-powder synthetized shows itself in various micro-shapes such as granule, globular and flake, with its diameter ranging from hundreds of nanometers to one micrometer.

First-Principles Study of the Properties of Clean and Ni-Doped TiC/Fe Interfaces

First-principles plane-wave pseudopotential calculations of the electron structure and energetics of the interfaces of clean and Ni-doped TiC/Fe are reported. We predicted the atomic structure, bonding, and the interface binding energy of TiC(100)/Fe(100) and TiC(100)/Fe(110). By comparing the interface bonding energy and the total charge density distribution, the interface have priority to combine in TiC(100)/Fe(100) and TiC(100)/Fe(110) ways, where the former’s interface binding energy is higher. So the structure of TiC(100)/Fe(100) is more stable. The doped Ni atoms have preferential access to Fe-based body and form FeNi alloy, and enhance the interface bonding energy, thus effectively reducing the system energy of TiC(100)/Fe(100) and TiC(100)/Fe(110) interfaces, increasing the bonding strength and stability of interfaces of the composite materials.