Microscopic Morphology Research Articles

Investigate on the mechanical properties and microscopic three-dimensional morphology of rock failure surfaces under different stress states

The macro and micro morphology of rock failure surfaces play crucial roles in determining the rock mechanical and seepage properties. The morphology of unloaded deep rock failure surfaces exhibits significant variability and complexity. Surface roughness is closely linked to both shear strength and crack seepage behavior. Understanding these morphology parameters is vital for comprehending the mechanical behavior and seepage characteristics of rock masses. In this study, three-dimensional optical scanning technology was employed to analyze the micromorphological properties of limestone and sandstone failure surfaces under varying stress conditions. Line and surface roughness characteristics of different rock failure surfaces were then determined. Our findings reveal a critical confining pressure value (12 MPa) that influences the damage features of Ordovician limestone failure surfaces. With increasing confining pressure, pore depth and crack formation connecting the pores also increase. Beyond the critical confining pressure, the mesoscopic roughness of the failure surface decreases, and the range of interval-distributed pore roughness diminishes. Additionally, we conducted a detailed investigation into the water conductivity properties of rocks under different stress states using Barton's joint roughness coefficient (JRC) index and rock fractal theory. The roughness features of rock failure surfaces were classified into three categories based on mesoscopic pore and crack undulation forms: straight, wavy, and jagged. We also observed significant confining pressure effects on limestone and sandstone, which exceeding the critical confining pressure led to increased water conductivity in both rocks, albeit through different mechanisms. While sandstone exhibits fissures running across it, limestone shows shear abrasion holes. Beyond the critical confining pressure, the rock failure surface becomes smoother, leading to decreased water flow blocking capacity. The fractal dimension of Ordovician limestone increases significantly under critical confining pressure, leading to a more complex mesoscopic crack extension route.

Electric-field induced phase separation and dielectric breakdown in leaky dielectric mixtures: Thermodynamics and kinetics.

Dielectric materials form the foundation of many electronic devices. When connected to a circuit, these materials undergo changes in microscopic morphology, such as the demixing of dielectric mixtures through phase separation and dielectric breakdown, resulting in the formation of micro-filaments. Consequently, the macroscopic properties and lifespan of the devices are significantly altered. To comprehend the physical mechanisms behind it, we conducted a systematic investigation of the thermodynamics of multicomponent leaky dielectric materials. Beginning with the total energy functional, we derived expressions for the binodal composition, spinodal composition, and critical points. Furthermore, we constructed and validated theoretical phase diagrams for the binary leaky dielectric mixture, incorporating three crucial freedoms: composition, temperature, and electric field strength. In addition, we analyzed the equilibrium interfacial tension impacted by the electric field and studied the dynamic aspects of dielectric materials, examining two morphological transformations: electrostriction and dielectric breakdowns. Our analysis unveiled a connection between these dynamic phenomena and the electric field-induced interfacial instability. The present work is expected to be supportive of future research on multicomponent dielectric materials by offering a comprehensive understanding of their thermodynamic and kinetic behaviors.

Research on the erosion resistance characteristics of liquid-solid two-phase flow in high-pressure manifolds

During on-site throttling spray operations, the ground high-pressure manifold is subjected to the erosive effects of high-speed liquid-solid two-phase flow, which poses a high risk of erosive damage and eventual failure. In response to the erosive conditions caused by high-speed sand-carrying liquid-solid two-phase flow on the high-pressure manifold, an experimental apparatus for erosive testing was designed, taking into account key factors such as internal pressure loads. Microscopic erosive morphologies were observed in the experiments. Subsequently, numerical simulation methods were employed to investigate the identification of erosive danger zones and the influence of different installation angles, sand content, pipe flow velocities, and viscosity on erosive areas of the manifold.The research findings indicate that the microscopic morphological changes in erosive experiments align with the micro-cutting theory, which was successfully applied in simulation. Erosive danger zones are mainly distributed on the outer arch side, the curved arc connecting section, and the initial part of the outlet straight pipe. The erosive areas do not vary with changes in installation angles, sand content, and flow velocities. As viscosity increases, the erosive area shifts. The erosive rate is positively correlated with sand content and pipe flow velocity, and with increasing viscosity, the erosive rate on the first outer arch side shows an initial decrease followed by stabilization, while the second outer arch side exhibits an initial increase followed by stabilization. As the installation angle increases, the erosion rate on the second outer arch side first shows a stable trend and then decreases rapidly. At 75°, the erosion rate reaches the lowest.

Study on the microwave absorption properties of FeCoNiCrMn/PLA 3D printed composites

The work in this paper is dedicated to the study of wave-absorbing materials for applications in extremely harsh environmental conditions such as seawater and oil. In this paper, FeNiCrMn high-entropy alloy material with corrosion resistance and polylactic acid (PLA) material with high strength and high modulus were used to prepare more environmentally adaptable FeNiCrMn/PLA electromagnetic(EM) microwave-absorbing materials by two-step method of ball milling and melt extrusion.The physical phases, microscopic morphology, EM parameters and mechanical performance of FeCoNiCrMn/PLA composites were characterized using XRD, SEM, Vector Network Analyzer and Universal Testing Machine respectively. The microwave-absorbing properties of FeCoNiCrMn/PLA composites were investigated, and the effects of their components and micro-morphology on the microwave-absorbing and mechanical performance were discussed. The results show that when the FeCoNiCrMn content reaches 25 wt% and the thickness is 4.5 mm, the minimum reflection loss of FeCoNiCrMn/PLA composites reaches −24.58 dB, and the effective microwave-absorbing bandwidth is 2.51 Ghz. The maximum tensile strength and elongation at break of the composites could reach 23.83 MPa and 7.12 %, respectively. The microwave-absorbing ability of FeCoNiCrMn composites is mainly due to their rich EM loss mechanisms, including dielectric losses such as dipole polarization, interface polarization, defect-induced polarization, etc., as well as magnetic losses such as natural resonance, exchange resonance, and eddy current losses. Finally, the wide-angle microwave-absorbing characteristics of FeCoNiCrMn/PLA 3D-printed composites were investigated, the results showed that the composites with FeCoNiCrMn content of 25 wt% had Radar Cross Section (RCS) values lower than −10 dBm² within the microwave incidence angle of −90° < θ < −6° and 6° < θ < 90°, which indicated that the composites had wide-angle microwave-absorbing capability. The materials have microwave-absorbing properties along with a certain degree of mechanical strength, and at the same time have good environmental adaptability. The FeCoNiCrMn/PLA composite wire can be used in FDM technology to prepare structural microwave absorbers, realizing the integration of “material-design-manufacturing”, which has a broad application prospect in the field of EM microwave absorption and 3D printing.

Phase compositions, microstructures, and microwave dielectric properties of novel high-entropy spinel-structured MAl2O4 ceramics

High-entropy design for MgAl2O4 spinel has rarely been reported. In this study, six novel high-entropy spinel-structured (HES) MAl2O4 ceramics were prepared through the conventional solid-state reaction method. The effect of high-entropy design on the crystal structure, microscopic morphology, and microwave dielectric performance of HES ceramics was investigated based on X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, and scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM). The analysis shows that the difference of one element among the high-entropy components can lead to an obvious variation in the lattice parameters, microstructures, and performance. The differences in microstructure, especially grain size, are the joint effects of particle size distribution, porosity, and composition. Specifically, (Mg0.2Mn0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Zn0.2)Al2O4 (HES04) ceramic sintered at 1625 °C for 4 h exhibits superior properties: εr=8.78 ± 0.03, Q×f=34,022 ± 910 GHz (@12.62 GHz), and τf=−29.3 ± 0.6 ppm/°C. These results suggest that the high-entropy strategy is an effective method to tune the dielectric properties of MgAl2O4 ceramic.

Performance evaluation of SILAR deposited Rb-Doped ZnO thin films for photodetector applications

ZnO-based photodetectors (PDs) compose a remarkable optoelectronic device field due to their high optical transmittance, electrical conductivity, wide band gap, and high binding energy. This study examined the visible light photodetector performance of the pristine and Rubidium (Rb)-doped ZnO thin films. The influence of Rb doping amount (2, 4, and 6 wt% in solution) on the electrical, optical, and structural properties of the ZnO-based thin films produced by the Successive Ion Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) technique was analyzed. Structural analyses showed that all peaks correspond to hexagonal wurtzite structure with no other peak from Rb-based phases, suggesting the high quality of the crystalline pristine and Rb-doped ZnO thin films. The morphology of the thin films shows homogenous layers formed of nanoparticles where particle size was first decreased and then increased with the increasing Rb doping according to Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) morphology analysis. Besides that, Raman spectroscopy analyses indicate that the phonon lifetimes of the ZnO-based thin films slightly increased due to the improvement of the crystal quality with the increasing amount of Rb in the SILAR solution. Photosensor measurements of the nanostructured pristine and Rb-doped ZnO thin films were measured at different light power intensities under the visible light environment. Photosensor properties were examined depending on the doping amount and light power density. In light of the literature review, our study is the first to produce Rb-doped ZnO thin films via the SILAR method, which has a promising potential for photosensor applications.Graphical

Cucurbit[7]uril-Modified Nano SiO2 for Efficient Separation of Crude Oil Emulsions: Properties and Demulsification Mechanism.

Demulsification of crude oil emulsion is an obvious problem in the whole of petroleum engineering, which needs to be dealt with urgently. In this paper, a supramolecular material Cucurbit[7]uril-SiO2 (CB-SiO2) synthesized with excellent demulsification efficiency (DE) on O/W emulsion was synthesized by a simple thermal synthesis method. The microscopic morphology and structure were investigated through modern characterization techniques. Furthermore, its stability, dynamic interfacial tension (IFT), and wettability (three-phase contact angle (CA)) were systematically investigated, and the demulsification efficiency of different conditions on crude oil emulsion was also investigated. Reassuringly, these results showed that when the temperature was 70 °C, the demulsification dosage was close to 600 mg/L and remained unchanged for 90 min; the demulsification efficiency is 2.2 times compared with the unmodified material, up to 93.63%. In addition, a plausible demulsification mechanism was proposed, which is that CB-SiO2 can adsorb and disrupt the oil-water interface, leading to oil-water separation and promoting demulsification. It is a promising demulsification material for the oil industry demulsification.

Magnetic Nitrogen-Doped Fe&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;C@ c Catalysts for Efficient Activation of Peroxymonosulfate for Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Recoverable and stable nanocatalysts are essential for peroxymonosulfate - based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) in wastewater purification treatment. In this paper, Fe3C nanorods @ nitrogen-doped carbon composites (N-Fe3C@C) with core-shell architecture were fabricated by the co-precipitation and calcination methods, and characterized and analyzed in terms of their crystal structure, microscopic morphology, and surface chemical elements. In addition, N-Fe3C@C-4 degraded 85.36% of tetracycline in 10 min under PMS, which was much higher than the catalytic ability of Fe3O4 (42.03% in 10 min). Both the active radical trapping and EPR experiments verified that 1O2 played a key role for degradation of organic dyes in PMS system. The investigation on the degradation mechanism revealed that the presence of the carbon layer facilitated to adsorb TC, accelerate free radical generation and promote the redox cycle of Fe2+/Fe3+ in the nanocatalyst. This study offers novel ideas for multifunctional catalysts for advanced wastewater purification treatment.

Mechanical properties of a novel laminated veneer bamboo using curved cross-sectional strips

Laminated veneer bamboo is a green and sustainable building material with better mechanical properties and lower discreteness than raw bamboo. Normal laminated veneer bamboo (NLVB) is usually made of flat-sawn bamboo strips, which needs to slice the curved cross-sectional bamboo strips into rectangular section. Nevertheless, the outer bamboo wall with rich vascular bundles is cut off, reducing the mechanical properties of laminated veneer bamboo. In this regard, a novel curved laminated veneer bamboo (CLVB), directly using curved cross-sectional bamboo strips, was investigated in this work. The failure modes, stress-strain relationships and load-displacement curves of CLVB material were studied and compared with NLVB material through tensile, compressive, shear and bending tests. Otsu algorithm was used to identify the proportion of vascular bundles. In addition, the microscopic morphology of the adhesive layer and vascular bundle was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Finally, the energy consumption of the specimen was calculated to compare the differences of large deformation in bending test. The results showed that the CLVB and NLVB exhibited similar failure modes in tensile, shear and bending tests, but had different failure modes in compressive test. It was demonstrated that the CLVB showed significant enhancements in the strength and modulus when compared to the NLVB. Specifically, the proportion of cross-sectional vascular bundles in the CLVB was 1.22 times larger than that of the NLVB, contributing to the better mechanical performance of fiber-loaded specimens. In addition, the CLVB had superior bonding performance with a continuous and obvious adhesive layer in the SEM observation, while the adhesive layer of NLVB was discontinuous and irregular. Compared with CLVB, NLVB consumed more energy consumption due to the extra fiber dissociation of bending specimens. In short, CLVB performed better mechanical properties, showing its great potential as an alternative material to engineered bamboo.

Rheological and microscopic characterization and correlation analysis of asphalt under high-intensity ultraviolet radiation

The lower radiation intensity (2–20 W/m2) was widely used for asphalt ultraviolet (UV) aging. The effect of high-intensity radiation on asphalt properties and microscopic morphology is unknown. This study investigated the rheological behavior, microscopic characterization, and correlation analysis of SBS modified asphalt under high-intensity UV radiation. Rheological properties tests encompassed temperature sweep (TS), multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR), and frequency sweep (FS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) tests were performed to reveal the microscopic characterization. In the early stages of UV aging, the rutting factor of asphalt was increased. The increment decreased as the UV aging time increased. The UV aging process did not alter the temperature sensitivity of asphalt. The complex shear modulus was influenced by UV radiation duration and loading frequency. Extended exposure to high-intensity UV radiation resulted in the formation of microcracks on the surface of the asphalt. The maximum molecular weight of the UV-aged asphalt was higher than that of the original asphalt. The degraded SBS modifier deteriorated the homogeneity of asphalt. The sulfoxide aging index, carbonyl aging index, number-average molecular weight (Mn), weight average molecular weight (Mw), and polymer dispersity index (PDI) presented a better correlation with rheological behavior indexes. The correlation between small molecule size (SMS), medium molecule size (MMS), and large molecule size (LMS) with rutting factor and complex shear modulus was poor. It was worth mentioning that the correlation between the MSCR test results and microscopic performance indicators was the best. Especially for the recovery rate and Jnr at 3.2 kPa, the mean absolute value of the correlation coefficient was 0.953.

A novel approach to managing facility airborne diseases: suppressing air pathogens with smoke aerosols generated from fungicide phase transition.

Environmental microorganisms are major contributors to the development and spread of disease. Chemical disinfection can inhibit pathogens and play a preventive role against diseases. In agriculture, prolonging the floating time of chemical pesticides in the air has a positive effect on the control of airborne diseases. However, the interaction of chemical pesticides with airborne pathogens is not yet known. Here, triazole fungicide was transformed into stable smoke aerosols in order to assess the feasibility of employing phase transition release pesticides for air disinfection. The phase transition had a minimal impact on hexaconazole (Hexa) and myclobutanil (Mycl), with their smoke formation rates remaining consistently >90%. In microscopic morphology, triadimenol (Tria) and epoxiconazole (Epox) are solid, and tebuconazole (Tebu), Hexa, Mycl and difenoconazole (Dife) are liquid. Liquid smoke has advantages over solid smoke in the inhibition of environmental pathogens. The floatability and spatial distribution of fungicide aerosol were optimized by the combination of smoke particles with different properties, so that the fungicide aerosol could meet the conditions of practical application. In practical applications, smoke exhibits a gentler deposition process at the target interface compared to spray, along with a more homogeneous distribution of fungicides. Moreover, fungicide smoke demonstrates superior control efficacy and leaves behind lower residual amounts on fruit. In conclusion, the implementation of fungicide phase transition as a smoke aerosol offers a viable approach to effectively suppress pathogen aerosols and enhance the control of airborne diseases. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Influence of sand particle size on the erosion-corrosion resistance of Ni2FeCrMo0.2 HEA in seawater: Particle-surface-electrochemistry interaction

The erosion-corrosion mechanism in rotary flowing seawater is hugely complicated due to the multiscale coupling processes of particle-surface impact, ion mass transfer, and interface electrochemistry. Therefore, developing erosion-corrosion resistant material and exploring the synergistic mechanism between sand erosion and electrochemical corrosion is vital. This study conducted the erosion-corrosion test on Ni2FeCrMo0.2 high-entropy alloy under the particle-seawater flow. Based on a coupled analysis of multi-component weight loss, electrochemical behavior, and microscopic damage morphology, the multiscale coupling processes of sand transportation, particle-surface impact, ion mass transfer, and interface electrochemistry were revealed. The present study found that with the increase of sand size, the energy carried by the particles promoted impact erosion. Additionally, particle movement enhanced ion mass transfer through turbulent effects, and the impact behavior disrupted the passivation film to promote electrochemical processes by reducing the thickness of the passivation film, leading to an increase in the erosion-corrosion rate. However, when the particle size continued to increase to a certain extent, the impact frequency decreased, reducing the erosion-corrosion rate. As the sand size grew, the dominant damage mechanism transitioned from pure corrosion (100 μm) to synergistic effects (200 μm, 400 μm) and then to pure erosion (800 μm). This study provides an in-depth understanding of the erosion-corrosion mechanism in seawater from the perspective of particle-ion-fluid-surface interaction by multi-element characterization.

3D internal crack propagation in brittle solids under non-uniform temperature field: Experimental and numerical simulation

In the field of engineering, elevated temperatures often induce thermal stress. Especially in brittle materials, the propagation of internal cracks under such thermal stress is frequently the primary cause of failure. We utilize the 3D internal laser-engraved crack technology to create internal cracks at various locations inside the half-Brazilian disk specimens. By precisely controlling the power of the heating device, we achieved temperature non-uniformity of the external heat source, resulting in uneven heating of the material’s surface. Simultaneously, by adjusting the geometry of the material and using semi-Brazilian disk specimens, we generated uneven temperature gradients and thermal capacities along different heat conduction paths. The internal cracks at different locations also affect the distribution of thermal stress in the material, further influencing the formation of the non-uniform temperature fields (NUTF). Through the above methods, we successfully conducted physical experiments on the 3D propagation of internal cracks in brittle materials under NUTF. Additionally, we utilized J-integral and the finite element method for thermal analysis to conduct thermo-mechanical coupled 3D numerical simulations. Furthermore, we employed a polarising microscope to analyze the microscopic morphology of 3D internal cracks. Finally, we revealed the mechanism of 3D internal crack propagation under NUTF. The results show that prefabricated internal cracks in group A produce “n-shaped” crack at a height of 15 mm and “u-shaped” cracks at heights of 25 mm and 35 mm. Meanwhile, in group B, the eccentric prefabricated internal cracks ultimately produce “s-shaped” cracks. Through analysis, it was determined that the differential formation occurred due to relative sliding between the upper and lower surfaces of the crack under longitudinal shear stress induced by NUTF. Group A cracks have smooth surfaces, which are mode I-II cracks. group B generated “lance-like” fractures with obvious “anti-binary tree”, which are mixed mode I-II-III cracks. These findings provide an experimental and theoretical basis for the study of 3D internal crack propagation modes under NUTF and deepen the understanding of fracture mechanics in brittle materials.

Thermally enhanced luminescence and photoluminescence properties of green-emitting Lu2(1-x)Tb2x(WO4)3 phosphors

A series of Lu2(1-x)Tb2x(WO4)3 (x = 0.00–1.00) white powder materials were prepared by a high-temperature solid-phase method. The crystal structure, microscopic morphology, elemental composition, bandgap energy, photoluminescence properties, and thermal stability of luminescence of the prepared materials were analyzed and studied through room and high temperature X-ray diffraction patterns, field emission scanning electron microscopy images, energy energy-dispersive spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra, diffuse reflectance spectra, room and high temperature photoluminescence spectra. Under 260 nm excitation, the green emitting Lu2(1-x)Tb2x(WO4)3 samples exhibited an optimum Tb3+ doping concentration at x = 0.30. Calculated results illustrate that the concentration quenching was mainly caused by dipole-dipole interaction. Lu1.98Tb0.02(WO4)3 phosphor exhibited thermally enhanced luminescence at 120 °C, with a maximum luminescence intensity of 254 % of the initial room temperature intensity. Lu1.4Tb0.6(WO4)3 phosphor exhibited thermally enhanced luminescence at 150 °C, with a maximum luminescence intensity of 109 % of the initial room temperature intensity. The mechanism of the thermally enhanced luminescence phenomenon is further discussed to be the adsorbed crystal water and the negative thermal expansion of the material. Thermally enhanced luminescence is of great significance in overcoming luminescent thermal quenching phenomenon, improving the luminescence efficiency, optimizing the material design, and so forth. It has potential applications in high-temperature lighting, display technology, temperature sensing, and optical anti-counterfeiting.

Complexation of locust bean gum and κ-carrageenan microgels, from aqueous phase to oil-water interface

Although polysaccharide microgels exhibit potential as clean-label emulsifiers, the stability of emulsions in commercial application is still a challenge. The current work points out that specific complexation between polysaccharide molecules and polysaccharide microgels can benefit the interfacial adsorption of polysaccharide microgels and emulsion stability. The complexation of κ-carrageenan microgels (KCMs) and locust bean gum (LBG) was investigated for the first time, which was evaluated by visual appearance, rheological behavior, thermal stability, and microscopic morphology. Results indicate the low concentration of LBG promotes the clustering of KCMs, whereas high concentration of LBG can envelop and segregate KCMs. Subsequent blending with LBG could enhance the interfacial adsorption of KCMs, and multi-layers are observed when LBG concentration exceeds 0.3 wt%. LBG can obviously decrease the emulsion droplets size and improve the storage stability of emulsions, KCMs + LBG (0.2–0.5 wt%) stabilized emulsions could keep stable after three consecutive freeze-thaw cycles. Based on the specific complexation between KCMs and LBG, the layer-by-layer emulsification could be achieved. This strategy can inspire other polysaccharide microgel emulsifiers, which could be a feasible solution for improving the stability of polysaccharides microgels stabilized emulsions.

Preparation of p-isopropylphenol polyoxyethylene ether and evaluation of its performance in concrete

P-isopropenylphenol polyoxylates (IPP-PE) were obtained by alkoxylation reaction using p-isopropylphenol phenol (IPP) and ethylene oxide (EO) as raw materials, and P-PCE polycarboxylic acid superplasticizer was obtained by free radical polymerization of ipp-PE and acrylic acid (AA) under the action of initiator and chain transfer agent. The effects of reaction temperature, acid-ether ratio, amount of chain transfer agent and initiator, and reaction time on the dispersion properties of superplasticizer were studied, and the molecular structure and microscopic morphology of the superplasticizer were characterized by FTIR,1HNMR, and SEM, and the influence of superplasticizer on concrete properties was evaluated by concrete performance tests. The test results determined that the optimal synthesis process of polycarboxylic acid superplasticizer was as follows: reaction temperature 40 °C, n(AA):n(IPP-PE)=6:1, chain transfer agent and initiator were 0.4% and 0.6% of the mass of large monomer, respectively, and the reaction time was 4.5h. The experimental results of the concrete performance test showed that the workability of concrete mixed with the self-made superplasticizer was excellent, and the initial and 1h longitudinal flowability of the superplasticizer reached 228 mm and 215 mm, respectively. The water reduction rate reached 36%, the 28d compressive strength reached 56.8 MPa, the initial slump reached 226 mm, and it had a certain retarding and air entrainment effect.

Controllable growth of Ce3+-doped fluoride nanocrystals (LaF3/KLaF4) in fluorosilicate glass

Controllable growth of nanocrystals (NCs) in optical glasses is essential to impart photonic functions for demanded applications. Here, Ce3+-doped KLaF4 and LaF3 fluoride NCs are controllably precipitated in a fluorosilicate glass via adjusting the duration and temperature of thermal treatment. The presence of phase separation in the precursor glass (PG) is derived from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and serves as the driving factor for the crystallization of fluoride NCs. The phase separation of PG, NCs distribution, microscopic morphology and particle size of NCs precipitated in the nano-glass composites (nano-GCs) are investigated by analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Structural and spectroscopic characterizations confirm the influence of the thermal treatment on the crystalline species in the nano-GCs. The developed nano-GCs exhibit intense X-ray excited luminescence with an excellent linearity with the X-ray dosage and a good thermal stability, making them suitable for radiation detection and medical imaging applications.

The effect of functional lipids on the quality of walnut butter prepared from defatted walnut meal by ball mill grinding

AbstractIn this study, walnut butter was produced by mixing functional lipids with defatted walnut meal. Three kinds of functional lipids (FL), medium‐chain triglycerides (MCT), diacylglycerol (DG), and conjugated linoleic acid glycerides (CLA), were used to make functional lipids walnut butter (DG‐WB, CLA‐WB and MCT‐WB) and their physical properties as well as microscopic morphology were compared with commercial walnut butter. The functional lipids walnut butter (FLWB) was prepared by grinding FL and defatted walnut meal through the ball milling technique. The mixing ratios of FL to defatted walnut meal were 6:4, 6.5:3.5, and 7:3. The volumetric mean particle size of emulsion formed by DG‐WB and CLA‐WB decreased by 36.23% and 20.88%, respectively when the additional amounts of DG, and CLA increased from 60 wt% to 70 wt%. The rheological and microrheological results further indicated that FLWB showed similar gel‐like behavior to commercial walnut butter. Among the FLWB with three different kinds of FL, CLA‐WB appeared more similar apparent viscosity, thixotropy, and elasticity with those of commercial walnut butter. Finally, CLA‐WB with different CLA additive amount was analyzed for microstructure. The results showed that walnut butter prepared with 65 wt% CLA was closer to commercial walnut butter in terms of processed physical properties and micro‐morphology.

The Effect of the Proportion of Rubber Components on the Properties of EVA/SBR/BR Foams

In actual production processes, pure ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) foams have a high shrinkage rate, and the foaming matrix is prone to plastic deformation, even causing the collapse of bubbles. This limits the further application of EVA foams. In this study, we incorporated styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) and butadiene rubber (BR) into EVA to improve the mechanical properties and dimensional stability of EVA composite foams without sacrificing their low-density characteristics of low density. We used a melting index meter, rotorless vulcanizing meter and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to characterize the changes in viscosity and energy storage modulus of the composite matrix. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the microscopic morphology of foams. The mechanical properties test results showed that the addition of SBR reduced the density of EVA/SBR/BR composite foams, and the addition of BR improved the mechanical properties and dimensional stability of the foams. By combining the advantages of both, the density of products is comparable to pure EVA, the tensile strength and the compressive strength are increased by 11% and 6.3% relative to pure EVA, respectively.

Study on the synergistic action of β-cyclodextrin and sodium caseinate to stabilize the seal oil pickering emulsion

In order to explore the synergistic action of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and sodium caseinate (SC) to stabilize the seal oil Pickering emulsion. Seal oil emulsions were prepared by β-CD (β-CD-E), SC (SC-E) and hybrid particles (β-CD@SC-E). Appearance and microscopic morphological analysis, particle size, ζ-potential and viscosity were used to characterize the emulsions. Droplets in emulsion stabilized by the hybrid particles were evenly, with smallest particle size (16.31 μm), largest absolute ζ-potential (27.85 mV) and higher apparent viscosity. Then, stability of the emulsions was evaluated by storage stability, centrifugation stability, pasteurization stability and salt stability. The results showed the appearance, microscopic morphology, particle size, creaming index (CI) of β-CD@SC-E were the least affected after storage, centrifugation, pasteurization and different salt concentration treatment. The interaction analysis indicated that blue shift happened in the maximum absorption wavelength, amide I of β-CD@SC. The α-helixes in β-CD@SC transformed to the β-fold and significant changes occurred in the crystal form and microstructure of β-CD@SC. All these results indicated that self-assembly occurred during the binding of β-CD and SC, which changed their original structures and enhanced their emulsification performance. Besides, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction played the vital roles during the self-assembly.