Consolidation Of Particles Research Articles

Fabrication of Spherical Colloidal Supraparticles via Membrane Emulsification.

Colloidal supraparticles are micrometer-scale assemblies of primary particles. These supraparticles have potential application in photonic materials, catalysis, gas adsorption, and drug delivery. Thus, the synthesis of colloidal supraparticles with a narrow size distribution and high yield has become essential. Here, we demonstrate membrane emulsification as a high-throughput approach for fabricating spherical supraparticles with a narrow size distribution and control over particle size and crystallinity. Spherical supraparticles with well-ordered surface structures are synthesized by generating emulsion droplets of an aqueous colloidal dispersion in fluorocarbon oil using a Shirasu porous glass membrane followed by the consolidation of particles through water removal within the emulsion. We systematically investigate process parameters, including the flow rate of the particle dispersion, the particle concentration, and the average pore diameter of the membrane, on the mean size and size distribution of the supraparticles, revealing key factors governing supraparticle properties and production throughput. A comparative evaluation with commonly employed methods highlights the advantage of membrane emulsification, which combines well-defined internal structure and controlled supraparticle sizes with comparably high yields on the order of tens of grams per day. Importantly, in contrast to widely used droplet-based microfluidics, membrane emulsification allows fabrication of supraparticles in nonfluorinated oil. Overall, membrane emulsification offers a simple yet versatile method for fabricating colloidal supraparticles with high quality and yield and may serve as a bridge between existing high-precision techniques, such as droplet-based microfluidics, and high-throughput processes with less control, such as spray-drying.

Impact of polymer molecular weight and dispersity on the coalescence of polypropylene powders suitable for laser powder bed fusion

Understanding and controlling the fundamental processes governing the coalescence of polymers is vital to enable the design of polymeric materials for improved mechanical performance and quality of manufactured structures, including those fabricated via additive manufacturing techniques. Our group has utilized thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) to produce spherical and size controlled polypropylene (PP) powders from 12,000 (12k), 250,000 (250k), and 340,000 (340k) molecular weight (Mw) PP, including 50-50 wt% blends of 12k/250k,12k/340k, and 250k/340k, and a 33-33-33 wt% blend of 12k/250k/340k to investigate the impact of polymer Mw, and thus zero-shear viscosity, on particle coalescence and its implication in laser powder bed fusion. The particles exhibit similar size distributions with an average particle size, Dx(50), in the range of 58 μm–86 μm. The coalescence behavior of the powders, evaluated via hot-stage microscopy, show that adding 12k PP in the blend significantly alters the coalescence dynamics of the 250k and 340k PP, dramatically increasing their coalescence rate. The substantial drop in zero-shear viscosity with addition of 12k PP provides the driving force for the pronounced enhancement in coalescence. Strong agreement between experimental results and the Hopper model of coalescence is observed only if corrected for extensional flow, exemplifying the importance of extensional flow on the coalescence process. The results also indicate that the 12k PP in the blend does not surface segregate in the TIPS process, but is homogeneously distributed in the blend. More broadly, these results provide molecular-level insight into how control of powder molecular weight characteristics and viscosity can offer pathways to optimize the consolidation of particles in manufacturing processes, including laser powder bed fusion.

High-performance single crystal Ni-rich cathode with regulated lattice and interface constructed by separated lithiation and crystallization calcination

Incorporating high valence dopants, such as W6+ and Mo6+ has been verified to be effective for tuning the microstructure and grain boundary of polycrystal Ni-rich cathode. However, the hindered consolidation of primary particles induced by dopants during lithiation calcination limits the utilization of those dopants to crystalize single-crystal Ni-rich cathodes with stabilized lattice and surface. Herein, high performance single crystal LiNi0.84Co0.11Mn0.05O2 cathode with Al3+ and W6+ regulated lattice and boundary phase was construed based on commercial process with two-step calcination process containing separated lithiation and crystallization. The introduction of appropriate amount of Al3+ in the first lithiation calcination of 6 h endows the bulk of crystalline with enhanced lattice stability, while the incorporation of W6+ with stoichiometrical LiOH in the secondary crystallization calcination of 6 h renders uniformly distributed surface layer without hampering the growth of single-crystal. With the Al3+ doped bulk lattice, W6+ doped subsurface region and hetero-epitaxially grown Li2WO4, the cathode infused by two-step calcination exhibits high discharge capacity, rate performance, and cycling stability. Specifically, the modified LiNi0.84Co0.11Mn0.05O2 exhibits exceptional capacity retention, maintaining 88.98% of its initial capacity after 200 cycles at a rate of 1 C within a voltage window of 2.7–4.3 V at a temperature of 25 °C in half-cell. This performance is markedly superior to the capacity retention of 72.96% observed for pristine cathode. Even when subjected to a stringent test after 200 cycles at the same rate, the modified cathode sustains an impressive capacity retention of 82.41% at an elevated cut-off voltage of 4.5 V and a temperature of 30 °C.

Raw material design, sintering temperature optimization and development mechanism investigation of self-foaming porous bricks with high solid waste addition

In recent years, the contradiction between the huge production of municipal sludge and industrial residue and the shortage of landfill space has driven the exploration of novel effective methods to valorize these solid wastes. In this research, blast furnace slag (BFS), municipal sewage sludge (MSS) and kaolin are combined innovatively as precursor materials to manufacture self-foaming porous bricks, and the sintering behavior of bricks under different BFS doses and sintering temperatures is deeply studied to reveal the development mechanism. The results indicate that the formation of Fe2O3-hematite during sintering leads to a reddish-brown appearance of the bricks, while the generation of CaAl2Si2O8-anorthite with lower melting points helps to enhance the vitrification process. Besides, the increase in BFS dose or sintering temperature has significant impacts on the evolution of the brick physicochemical properties. This occurs because changing the dose of BFS or sintering temperature can obviously regulate the internal morphological characteristics of bricks, such as particle consolidation, pore size and structural compactness. Among them, large-sized pores are considered as the weak areas of mechanical strength, which is also the responsibility for the worst compressive strength of bricks sintered at 1300 °C. Finally, under the optimal sintering conditions of 15 % BFS dose and 1250 °C sintering temperature, the compressive strength, water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density and linear shrinkage of the resulting brick are 65 MPa, 0.45 %, 2.50 %, 2.34 g/cm3 and 19.56 %, respectively. Overall results demonstrate that using recycled sludge and waste slag in brick manufacturing can produce products with desired performance, providing preferable solutions for solid waste valorization and sustainable brick production.

Optimisation of thermal regime and consolidation properties of high-silica magnesium-containing pellets

An in-depth study on the preparation process of high-silica magnetite magnesium pellets based on a grate-rotary kiln process is of great significance for promoting the utilisation of low-grade magnetite resources. When the magnetic hematite ratio is 30% and the proportion of magnesia is 1.5%, the performance of green pellets is the best. The preparation of high-silica magnesium pellets requires two stages of grate preheating for additional heating, and the appropriate preheating system is 1150°C for 15 min. The suitable magnetic hematite mixture ratio of pellets should not exceed 30%, and the reasonable magnesia ratio should not exceed 1.5%. Otherwise, the preheating temperature should be further increased, or the preheating time should be extended. The suitable roasting temperature is low, only 1225°C for 15 min, and the pellet strength can reach more than 2365N. Magnetic hematite and added magnesium flux inhibited the continuous crystallisation consolidation property in the pellet. The high SiO2 content in the gangue of high-silica magnetite impedes the recrystallisation consolidation of Fe2O3 particles in the pellet. At the same time, the primary Fe2O3 in the magnetic hematite mixed ore is less reactive than the new Fe2O3 in the magnetite oxidation. With the roasting process, the magnesium ferrite content in the pellet increases, and the recrystallisation consolidation is inhibited, so the grate-rotary kiln process to produce high-silica magnesium-containing pellets is suitable to use a higher preheating temperature to meet the requirements of grate-rotary kiln pellet strength.

Amyloid Nanofibril-Assisted Spray Drying of Crumpled Supraparticles.

Nanofibrils are known to improve the cohesion of supraparticle (SP) assemblies. However, tailoring the morphology of SPs using nanofibrillar additives is not well developed. Herein, β-lactoglobulin amyloid nanofibrils (ANFs) are investigated as means to impart morphological control over the assembly process of spray-dried SPs composed of 10-100nm silica nanoparticles (SiNPs). Phytoglycogen (PG) and silver nanowires (AgNWs) are used to assess the influence of building block softness and aspect ratio, respectively. The results demonstrate that ANFs promote the onset of structural arrest during the particle consolidation enabling the preparation of corrugated SP morphologies. The critical ANF loading required to induce SP corrugation increases by roughly 1vol% for every 10-nm increase in SiNP diameter, while the ensuing ANF network density decreases with SiNP volume fraction and increases with SiNP diameter. Results imply that ANF length starts to become influential when it approaches the SiNP diameter. ANFs display a reduced effectiveness in altering soft PG SP morphology compared with hard SiNPs of comparable size. In SiNP-AgNW SPs, ANFs induce a toroid-to-corrugated morphology transformation for sufficiently large SPs and small SiNPs. The results illustrate that ANFs are effective additives for the morphological engineering of spray-dried SPs important for numerous applications.

Rapid Simulation of Electro-Chemo-Mechanical Deformation of Li-ion Batteries Based On Porous Electrode Theory

Lithium-ion batteries change their geometric dimensions during cycling as a macroscopic result of a series of microscale mechanisms, including but not limited to diffusion-induced expansion/shrinkage, gas evolution, growth of solid-electrolyte interphase, and particle cracking. Predicting the nonlinear dimensional changes with mathematical models is critical to the lifetime prediction, health management, and non-destructive assessment of batteries. In this study, we present an approach to implement an elastoplasticity model for powder materials into the porous electrode theory (PET). By decomposing the overall deformation into elastic, plastic, and diffusion-induced portions and using the powder plasticity model to describe the plastic portion, the model can capture the reversible thickness change caused by Li-ion (de-)intercalation as well as the irreversible thickness change due to the rearrangement and consolidation of particles. For real-world applications of the model to predict battery health and safety, the key lies in solving the mathematical equations rapidly. Here, we implemented the coupled model into the open-source software PETLION for millisecond-scale simulation. The computational model is parameterized using values gathered from literature, tested under varying conditions, briefly compared to real-world observations, and qualitatively analyzed to find parameter-output relations.

Additive Manufacturing of Electrically Conductive Multi-Layered Nanocopper in an Air Environment.

The additive manufacturing (AM) of functional copper (Cu) parts is a major goal for many industries, from aerospace to automotive to electronics, because Cu has a high thermal and electrical conductivity as well as being ~10× cheaper than silver. Previous studies on AM of Cu have concentrated mainly on high-energy manufacturing processes such as Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Electron Beam Melting, and Binder Jetting. These processes all require high-temperature heat treatment in an oxygen-free environment. This paper shows an AM route to multi-layered microparts from novel nanoparticle (NP) Cu feedstocks, performed in an air environment, employing a low-power (<10 W) laser sintering process. Cu NP ink was deposited using two mechanisms, inkjet printing, and bar coating, followed by low-power laser exposure to induce particle consolidation. Initial parts were manufactured to a height of approximately 100 µm, which was achieved by multi-layer printing of 15 (bar-coated) to 300 (inkjetted) layers. There was no evidence of oxidised copper in the sintered material, but they were found to be low-density, porous structures. Nonetheless, electrical resistivity of ~28 × 10-8 Ω m was achieved. Overall, the aim of this study is to offer foundational knowledge for upscaling the process to additively manufacture Cu 3D parts of significant size via sequential nanometal ink deposition and low-power laser processing.

The Effect of Powder Re-Use on the Coalescence Behaviour and Isothermal Crystallisation Kinetics of Polyamide 12 within Powder Bed Fusion.

Polymer powder bed fusion (PBF) is becoming increasingly popular for the fabrication of lightweight, high-performance parts, particularly for medical and aerospace applications. This study investigates the effect of powder re-use and material aging on the coalescence behaviour, melt flowability, and isothermal crystallisation kinetics of polyamide-12 (PA-12) powder. With increased powder re-use, a progressive reduction in melt flowability and material coalescence is observed; at 200 °C, the particle consolidation time increases from 15 s in virgin powder to 180 s in powder recovered from build 6. The observed changes in the behaviour of PA-12 were attributed to polycondensation and cross-linking; these aging phenomena also create structural defects, which hinder the rate and extent of primary crystallisation. At an isothermal crystallisation temperature of 165 °C, the crystallisation half-time increased from 12.78 min in virgin powder to 23.95 min in powder re-used across six build cycles. As a result, the commonly used Avrami model was found to be unsuitable for modelling the crystallisation behaviour of aged PA-12 powder, with the co-efficient of determination (R2) reducing from >0.995 for virgin powder to as low as 0.795 for re-used powder. On the other hand, an alternative method, the Hay model, is able to successfully track full phase transformation within re-used powder (R2 > 0.99). These results highlight the importance of selecting the most appropriate model for analysing the crystallisation kinetics of PA-12 powder re-used across multiple build cycles. This understanding is crucial for obtaining the strong mechanical properties and dimensional precision required for the fabrication of functional, end-use parts within PBF.

Enhancing the sustainable production of cost-effective ceramics with high strength using kaolin, sewage sludge and blast-furnace slag

Solid waste treatment remains an unavoidable environmental burden for modern cities. Currently, the multipurpose utilization of solid waste in construction and building materials is worth in-depth research as it furnishes high-value commercialization pathways with environmental and economic benefits for managing waste and addressing resource scarcity. This study explored the cost-effective ceramic fabrication from 40 % sewage sludge, 10 % blast-furnace slag and 50 % kaolin through in-situ sintering method, which enhanced the sustainable production of ceramic materials. The influences of firing temperature on the ceramic sintering effects, including mineral composition, micromorphology, pore structure and process performance, were systematically investigated. Results showed that the particle consolidation and sintering degrees of finished ceramics continuously increased as the firing temperature raised, presenting different surface, cross-sectional and pore structure characteristics. This was because increasing the firing temperature changed natures of the formed glass phase, such as content and viscosity. Moreover, variations in the ceramic structure would further affect its process performance. The ceramics prepared at 1250 °C were determined to have best firing effects with the densest structure and excellent performance, and the corresponding water absorption, bulk density, apparent porosity and compressive strength were 0.97 %, 2.32 g/cm3, 2 % and 70 MPa, respectively. Finally, comparisons with other researches confirmed that the developed ceramics possessed strong competitiveness in process performance. The presented study provided data support for the value-added application and sintering optimization of waste slag and sludge in ceramic production.

Lightweight TiC based cermet fabricated by a pre-solid phase sintering-assisted pressureless infiltration process

This paper introduces a novel process, known as pre-solid phase sintering-assisted pressureless infiltration (PSPS-PI), aimed at addressing issues related to the segregation of hard particles and excessive porosity in the manufacturing of lightweight cermet based on TiC. The PSPS-PI process involves compressing a green TiC powder compact with a minor Ni powder addition, followed by vacuum-based solid-phase sintering to create a fully consolidated TiC preform. This study explores the influence of TiC particle size and Ni content on the microstructure and properties of TiC–Cu composites, conducting a comparison with direct pressureless infiltration (D-PI). The results indicate that the high-melting-point Ni element promotes the formation of sintering necks between TiC and Ni, aiding in the consolidation of TiC particles. The stable skeleton ensures that TiC particles remain in their initial positions during subsequent pressureless infiltration, effectively preventing TiC powder segregation. TiC and Ni create a dissolutive wetting system during pressureless infiltration. The formation of the Ni2SnTi intermetallic compound significantly enhances the wettability with Cu alloy, leading to a reduction in porosity and the occurrence of crack defects within the composite. As particle size decreases, the preform's porosity decreases, resulting in a reduced proportion of soft metal binder and lower residual stress. Consequently, finer TiC powder leads to improved cermet hardness and a reduction in the number of micro-crack defects. In general, PSPS-PI allows for the attainment of low porosity, a uniform microstructure, enhanced hardness, and outstanding wear resistance in the lightweight cermet based on TiC with the appropriate TiC particle size (D50 = 10.2 μm), achieving a remarkable hardness of 642.9 (Hv30) and excellent toughness.

Ceramic coating on rubber by aerosol deposition with cryogenic substrate cooling

Aerosol deposition (AD) is a non-thermal ceramic coating process based on the impact consolidation of ceramic particles upon impact with the substrate. AD forms dense, thick ceramic films on a variety of hard substrates. However, because the substrate must be hard to form a ceramic film by AD, the process does not work on flexible materials, especially rubber, where non-thermal ceramic coating is required. In this study, we fabricate dense, thick ceramic coatings on soft rubber substrates by cooling the rubber substrate below its glass transition temperature during deposition. The ceramic coating on rubber shows optical transparency, mechanical properties, and microstructure comparable to the ceramic film formed by AD on a hard substrate.

Thermal behavior and morphology evolution of polyamide 12 in laser powder bed fusion process: Experimental characterization and numerical simulation

A particle scale numerical model of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) for semi-crystalline polymer PA12 is presented in this work. The model is developed by the finite element method under the framework of the level-set method. The asymmetrical and kinetical thermal behavior of semi-crystalline polymer is implemented in the thermal model, enabling better considering the latent heats during different phase transformation processes. Particle consolidation under laser irradiation is simulated by hydrodynamics. The physical properties of PA12 powder are identified by experiments regarding the inputs of the numerical model. Before performing L-PBF processing simulations, the numerical powder bed model, the implementation of crystallization kinetics, and the related hydrodynamic parameters are verified by comparing simple simulations with the experiments. The influence of phase transformation latent heat on the temperature calculation and the consequent melt pool profile is discussed in the single-track simulation: the peak temperature on the top surface of the substrate is significantly lower when properly considering the re-melting fusion latent heat with the modified crystallization kinetics. As a result, a shallower melt pool is obtained. The effect of processing parameters on the temperature field and shape of the melt pool is also modeled. This parametric study indicates that decreasing the scanning velocity can eliminate the inter-layer lack of fusion phenomenon. Additionally, the thermal interaction between adjacent scanning tracks can improve the fusion continuity in the gap area of neighbor tracks. Finally, optical observations are conducted to validate the simulated morphology of the melt pool. A good agreement between numerical results and experimental observations is obtained, indicating the ability of the numerical model to simulate the PA12 L-PBF process.

Atomic structure, thermal stability and isothermal crystallization kinetics of novel Co-based metallic glasses with excellent soft magnetic properties

In this work, Co66-xFexHf6.5B27.5 (x = 0, 10, 15, 20) metallic glasses (MGs) have been prepared by melt-spinning, and a comprehensive qualitative study including the atomic structure, thermal behavior, crystallization kinetics, and magnetic properties of the MGs is presented. The addition of Fe notably improves the thermal stability of the prepared glasses by increasing the width of the supercooled liquid region (SLR) from 26 K to 55 K. Analysis of the structure factor and the reduced-pair distribution function (PDF) reveal subtle variations in short-range ordering (SRO) and an increase of the atomic packing density of the glassy phase by 20 at% Fe addition. Notable rises in saturation polarization, Js, (from 0.21 T to 0.67 T), Curie point, Tc, (from 315 K to 530 K) and coercivity, Hc, (from 0.5 A/m to 2.5 A/m) are found after Fe alloying. The isothermal crystallization kinetics determined by the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK) approach demonstrate that the novel Co46Fe20Hf6.5B27.5 MG exhibits a remarkably higher activation energy and a significantly longer incubation time (about 16 min) before crystallization compared to existing Fe-free (x = 0) as well as most other Fe/Co-based MGs. Slight increases in Js (up to 5%) and Tc (about 4.7%), and a remarkable drop in Hc (up to 80%) are achieved for the Co46Fe20Hf6.5B27.5 MG upon isothermal annealing for a period of 3600 s. The attractive features such as high thermal stability, low coercivity of 0.5 A/m, and higher Js (up 0.7 T) compared to many Co-based glasses, make Co46Fe20Hf6.5B27.5 MG a promising soft magnetic material for future applications in power electronics, electric machines, and fabrication of large-size glassy samples by hot consolidation of MG particles.

FIELD STUDIES OF SLAB FOUNDATIONS’ SETTLEMENTS FOR TWO-SECTION MULTI-STOREY BUILDING ON WEAK WATER-SATURATED SOILS

Problem statement. In the construction of multi-storey and high-rise buildings with significant loads on the foundation, especially in the presence of weak water-saturated soils from above, pile and slab foundations are usually used to meet the requirements of the building code [1] on the maximum permissible deformations. The possibility of using slab foundations in this case must be confirmed by calculations with a scientific and technical justification of the accepted model of the soil foundation and its parameters. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the application of the model of the soil base in the form of finite width elastic layer and its parameters based on observations of the subsidence of adjacent multi-story buildings on slab foundations during the construction process and to compare the actual values of foundation deformations with calculated. Conclusions. The research results confirmed the possibility of applying the model of the soil base in the form of finite width elastic layer for predicting the deformations of equally story sectional buildings on large-sized slab foundations, the basis of which are weak water-saturated sandy soils from the surface. However, it should be noted that in this case, the excess of the actual settlement of buildings over the estimated is due to the failure to take into acount the processes of filtration consolidation and mechanical suffusion of sand particles into the crushed stone bed, which can further be taken into acount by reducing of soil deformation modules in this model of the soil base.

Grafted MXenes Based Electrolytes for 5V‐Class Solid‐State Batteries

AbstractPolymer blends based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs), combining the advantages of multiple polymers, are promising for the utilization of 5 V‐class cathodes (e.g., LiCoMnO4 (LCMO)) with enhanced safety. However, severe macro‐phase separation with defects and voids in polymer blends restrict the electrochemical stability and ionic migration of SPEs. Herein, inorganic compatibilizer polyacrylonitrile grafted MXene (MXene‐g‐PAN) is exploited to improve the miscibility of the poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVHF)/PAN blends and suppress the consolidation of phase particles. The resulting SPE exhibits a high anodic stability with an ionic conductivity of 2.17 × 10−4 S cm−1, enabling a stable and reversible Li platting/stripping (over 2500 h). The fabricated solid Li‖LCMO cell delivers a 5.1 V discharge voltage with a decent capacity (131 mAh g−1) and cycling performance. Subsequently, the solid all‐in‐one graphite‖LCMO battery is also constructed to extend the application of MXene based SPEs in flexible batteries. Benefiting from the interface‐less design, outstanding mechanical flexibility and stability is achieved in the battery, which can endure various deformations with a low‐capacity loss (&lt; ≈10%). This study signifies a significant development on solid flexible lithium ion batteries with enhanced performance, stability, and reliability by investigating the miscibility of polymer blends, benefiting for the design of high‐performance SPEs.

Damage of Green Synthetic Cement Slurry to Clastic Rock Reservoir

Green synthesis and metal oxide composites have attracted much attention from researchers of industry and academia. As a typical application of green synthesis and metal oxide composites, the protection of oil and gas reservoirs is related to various links such as exploration, drilling, completion, and development. It is a complex and systematic project, which directly affects whether the oil and gas fields can be discovered, evaluated, and efficiently developed in time, and it is also related to the development of oil and gas fields recovery rate. As the most critical part of oil and gas well construction, the cementing process mainly pays attention to the safe pumping of the cement slurry and the long-term effective interlayer isolation capability of the cement sheath. Less attention is paid to the reservoir protection during the cementing process. The high-pressure difference between the annulus and the formation, the high fluid loss, and the high solids content of the cementing slurry during the cementing process have also become major challenges. In order to solve this problem, this study takes a typical clastic rock block in an oilfield in western China as the research object and carries out a geological survey of fracture development, pressure deficit, and cement slurry permeability leakage in the reservoir. The reservoir physical properties, clay mineral characteristics, and formation water quality of rock reservoirs are analyzed. The influence of cement slurry filtrate and solid phase particles on reservoir clay expansion rate and permeability was tested by core porosity and permeability tester. XRD and SEM techniques were used to analyze the damage mechanism of cement slurry filtrate and solid phase particles to the reservoir. The research results show that the average porosity of the clastic rock reservoir in the study area is 15%, the permeability is high, the average pore size of the reservoir is between 37 and 56 μm, the microfractures are developed in the reservoir section, and the porosity and permeability conditions are good; high-valent cations and inorganic ions in the filtrate generate inorganic scales such as CaCO3 and Mg(OH)2 and cross-link with dissolved polymers to form flocculation substances, which cause the filtrate to damage the reservoir, and at the same time, the cement particles in the pore throats in the near wellbore zone are lost along with the leakage. Furthermore, hydration, tightly bonding the inert admixture and the clastic rock formation, forms a tight sealing layer, which reduces the permeability of the reservoir sharply; the expansive clay particles in the reservoir absorb the moisture of the cement slurry filtrate and expand. The volume of the particles increases, and the porous formation containing expansive clay minerals absorbs moisture and causes internal expansion, and the volume expansion rate can reach 9%, which eventually causes the porosity and permeability of the reservoir to decrease, resulting in reservoir damage and solid phase in the cement slurry. The damage of particles to the reservoir is mainly due to the blockage of the reservoir pore throats and the hydration and consolidation of cement particles inside the reservoir caused by the external admixtures in the cement slurry that do not participate in the hydration reaction. The solid phase particles form a filter cake on the surface of the reservoir core and cannot enter the reservoir, but under the condition of porous formation leakage, the solid phase particles with a particle size of 1–10 μm in the cement slurry will directly penetrate into the reservoir rock resulting in shallow plugging in the reservoir near the wellbore. The research results provide theoretical data support for the research on low-damage cementing slurry technology in clastic rock reservoirs. The work provides an important application guidance to green synthesis and metal oxide composites.

Effect of the addition of sintering aid on densification behaviour of alumina ceramic

ABSTRACT Alumina ceramic densified using microwave sintering (2.45 GHz, 2800 W) process at temperature of 1500℃ for 1 h. The consolidation of alumina particles (≈2 µm) was assisted by MgO and TiO2 additives in various proportions. The influence of MgO and TiO2 additives on densification mechanism and physical property of alumina has been studied. It has been observed that the density attained a maximum value of 3.95 g/cm3 for sample doped with MgO (0.25 vol %) and TiO2 (0.25 vol %). The microstructure study and microhardness results reveal that the addition of optimum amount of doping i.e. 0.25 vol % MgO and 0.25 vol % TiO2 is the feasible way to improve the densification of alumina and physical properties.

DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY OF BOILED SAUSAGES ENRICHED WITH SPELT FLOUR

DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY OF BOILED SAUSAGES ENRICHED WITH SPELT FLOUR

High Pressure (HP) in Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) Processes: Application to the Polycrystalline Diamond.

High-Pressure (HP) technology allows new possibilities of processing by Spark Plasma Synthesis (SPS). This process is mainly involved in the sintering process and for bonding, growing and reaction. High-Pressure tools combined with SPS is applied for processing polycrystalline diamond without binder (binderless PCD) in this current work. Our described innovative Ultra High Pressure Spark Plasma Sintering (UHP-SPS) equipment shows the combination of our high-pressure apparatus (Belt-type) with conventional pulse electric current generator (Fuji). Our UHP-SPS equipment allows the processing up to 6 GPa, higher pressure than HP-SPS equipment, based on a conventional SPS equipment in which a non-graphite mold (metals, ceramics, composite and hybrid) with better mechanical properties (capable of 1 GPa) than graphite. The equipment of UHP-SPS and HP-SPS elements (pistons + die) conductivity of the non-graphite mold define a Hot-Pressing process. This study presents the results showing the ability of sintering diamond powder without additives at 4–5 GPa and 1300–1400 °C for duration between 5 and 30 min. Our described UHP-SPS innovative cell design allows the consolidation of diamond particles validated by the formation of grain boundaries on two different grain size powders, i.e., 0.75–1.25 μm and 8–12 μm. The phenomena explanation is proposed by comparison with the High Pressure High Temperature (HP-HT) (Belt, toroidal-Bridgman, multi-anvils (cubic)) process conventionally used for processing binderless polycrystalline diamond (binderless PCD). It is shown that using UHP-SPS, binderless diamond can be sintered at very unexpected P-T conditions, typically ~10 GPa and 500–1000 °C lower in typical HP-HT setups. This makes UHP-SPS a promising tool for the sintering of other high-pressure materials at non-equilibrium conditions and a potential industrial transfer with low environmental fingerprints could be considered.