The optimization of standard test method for chemical composition of ceramic materials by spectrophotometry

Chemical composition of ceramic materials is one of the key properties and its determination is complex and time-consuming. The melting of silicon dioxide is the most important and difficult step for its determination. This paper is about optimizing the pretreatment method from the test standard, QB/T 2578-2002 <Standard test method for chemical composition of ceramic materials by spectrophotometry>. It is not convenient to use mixed flux (lithium hydroxide and boric acid) for melting ceramic materials. We replaced it by lithium metaborate and inspected the influence. After optimization, ceramic materials can be melted more completely. The test steps don’t change much except CaOandthe test result is the same as before.

Anomalous mechanical materials squeezing three-dimensional volume compressibility into one dimension

Anomalous mechanical materials, with counterintuitive stress-strain responding behaviors, have emerged as novel type of functional materials with highly enhanced performances. Here we demonstrate that the materials with coexisting negative, zero and positive linear compressibilities can squeeze three-dimensional volume compressibility into one dimension, and provide a general and effective way to precisely stabilize the transmission processes under high pressure. We propose a “corrugated-graphite-like” structural model and discover lithium metaborate (LiBO2) to be the first material with such a mechanical behavior. The capability to keep the flux density stability under pressure in LiBO2 is at least two orders higher than that in conventional materials. Our study opens a way to the design and search of ultrastable transmission materials under extreme conditions.

Calcium metaborate induced thin walled carbon nanotube syntheses from CO2 by molten carbonate electrolysis

An electrosynthesis is presented to transform the greenhouse gas CO2 into an unusually thin walled, smaller diameter morphology of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs). The transformation occurs at high yield and coulombic efficiency of the 4-electron CO2 reduction in a molten carbonate electrolyte. The electrosynthesis is driven by an unexpected synergy between calcium and metaborate. In a pure molten lithium carbonate electrolyte, thicker walled CNTs (100–160 nm diameter) are synthesized during a 4 h CO2 electrolysis at 0.1 A cm−2. At this low current density, CO2 without pre-concentration is directly absorbed by the air (direct air capture) to renew and sustain the carbonate electrolyte. The addition of 2 wt% Li2O to the electrolyte produces thinner, highly uniform (50–80 nm diameter) walled CNTs, consisting of ~ 75 concentric, cylindrical graphene walls. The product is produced at high yield (the cathode product consists of > 98% CNTs). It had previously been demonstrated that the addition of 5–10 wt% lithium metaborate to the lithium carbonate electrolyte boron dopes the CNTs increasing their electrical conductivity tenfold, and that the addition of calcium carbonate to a molten lithium carbonate supports the electrosynthesis of thinner walled CNTs, but at low yield (only ~ 15% of the product are CNTs). Here it is shown that the same electrolysis conditions, but with the addition of 7.7 wt% calcium metaborate to lithium carbonate, produces unusually thin walled CNTs uniform (22–42 nm diameter) CNTs consisting of ~ 25 concentric, cylindrical graphene walls at a high yield of > 90% CNTs.

ICP-MS AND ICP-AES ANALYSIS OF PLANT REFERENCE MATERIALS

Two methods — ICP-MS and ICP-AES are used for certification of the new reference material — needles of Siberian pine (NSP-1). Techniques of the analysis include decomposition of plant samples in two different ways: acid digestion in a microwave system MARS-5 and lithium metaborate fusion followed by ICP-MS and ICP-AES analysis of the solutions. Simultaneous determinations of all the elements were carried out in low, medium and high resolution using SF-mass-spectrometer ELEMENT and atomic-emission spectrometer IRIS Advantage with external calibrations and internal standards (In — ICP-MS, Sc —ICP-AES). Middle and high resolutions of ICP mass spectrometer were used for interference corrections. Data obtained by ICP-MS and ICP-AES with different decomposition techniques are in good agreement. The ICP-MS and ICP-AES techniques have been validated by the analysis of three plant reference materials: LB-1 (leaf of a birch), Tr-1 (grass mixture) and EK-1 (Canadian pondweed). These techniques were used for the determination of 38 elements in the new reference material NSP-1. Relative standard deviations for most of the determined elements were below 10%. Combination of ICP-MS and ICP-AES techniques for certification of the new reference material makes it possible to expand the set of elements to be determined and to reduce the total analysis time.