Shi C. Zhang

Effect of the solvent on the particle morphology of spray dried PMMA

The effect of various solvents on the morphology of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) particles synthesized by spray drying is examined. It is concluded that the product PMMA particles, derived from the PMMA-acetone dilute solution, have a smaller particle size than those from the PMMA-THF dilute solution. This is due to the stronger PMMA-acetone interaction, since acetone is a good solvent for PMMA, while THF is a poor solvent for PMMA. By controlling the temperature of each section of the tube furnace, the heating rate was adjusted so that both solid and hollow particles could be obtained. When water was added to these dilute solutions, porous or honeycomb particles were produced due to the different evaporation rates of solvent and water. This was a result of a large difference in the solubility parameter values between PMMA and solvent. The strong interaction between PMMA and acetone results in the formation of porous particles while the weak interaction between THF and PMMA produced honeycomb structure particles.

Oxidation of ZrB2 and ZrB2-SiC Ceramics with Tungsten Additions

Abstract : The effect of tungsten additions on the oxidation behavior of zirconium diboride-based ceramics was studied. Four mole percent tungsten carbide was added to ZrB2. The oxidation behavior was studied using thermal gravimetric analysis and isothermal testing in flowing air. Upon heating to 1500 degrees C, the mass gain decreased from approx. 14 milligrams/(square centimeter) for nominally pure ZrB2 to approx. 4.5 milligrams/(square centimeter) for tungsten containing ZrB2. After heating to 1500 degrees C for three hours, the scale thickness on nominally pure ZrB2 was approx. 500 micrometers compared to approx. 100 micrometers for tungsten containing ZrB2. Tungsten additions improved the oxidation resistance of ZrB2 by modifying the morphology of the ZrO2 scale by liquid phase sintering, making it a better barrier to oxygen diffusion.