Degradation performance and mechanism toward methyl orange via nanoporous copper powders fabricated by dealloying of ZrCuNiAl metallic glassy precursors

The catalyst of nanoporous Cu (NP-Cu) powders, with the chemical composition of Cu79.63Ni6.85O13.53 (at.%), was successfully fabricated by dealloying of Zr-Cu-Ni-Al metallic glassy precursors. The as-prepared NP-Cu powders, co-existing with Cu2O phase on Cu ligament surface, had a three-dimensional (3D) network porous structure. The NP-Cu powders/H2O2 system showed superior catalytic degradation efficiency toward azo dyes in both acidic (pH 2) and neutral (pH 7) environments. Moreover, the cyclic tests indicated that this powder catalyst also exhibited good durability. A novel degradation mechanism of NP-Cu powders/H2O2 was proposed: the high degradation performance in acidic environment was mainly derived from heterogeneous reaction involved with a specific pathway related to Cu3+ to produce HO•, while in neutral environment it was primarily resulted from homogeneous reaction with the generation of HO• from the classical Cu-based Fenton-like process. This work indicates that the NP-Cu powders have great potential applications as catalysts for wastewater treatments.

Fine Copper Powders Production

The article is devoted to the description of a method for producing electrolytic copper powder with an average particle size of 3 to 10 μm. In order to increase the proportion of the finely dispersed fraction during the electrolysis process, the composition of the electrolyte was changed. In particular, the content of chloride ions was increased from 6 to 53 mg/dm3. After the growth of the powder in industrial baths, its subsequent drying and sieving on vibrating screens, samples were obtained with a fraction of 5 μm content in the range from 3 to 38 %. Additionally, air classification of powders was carried out at various speeds of the classifier rotor from 800 to 2000 rpm. Based on the results of the study, the optimal ranges of the specific surface area and the size of the initial powder particles before classification, as well as the composition of the electrolyte and the operating modes of the classifier, were determined.

Preparation and selective laser sintering of nylon-12 coated copper powders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to prepare metal/polymer composite materials prepared by additive manufacturing (AM) technology. Design/methodology/approach The effect of sintering parameters including laser power, scanning speed and slice thickness on strength and accuracy of selective laser sintering (SLS) parts were analyzed experimentally. Then, the laser sintering mechanism of nylon-12 coated copper was discussed through analyzing the interfacial reaction of nylon-12 and copper. The SLS parts were infiltrated with epoxy resin to meet the strength requirements of injection molding. Findings In this study, mechanical mixed nylon-12/copper and nylon-12 coated copper composite powders were investigated and compared as SLS materials. An effective dissolution–precipitation method was proposed to prepare nylon-12 coated copper powders with better processing and mechanical properties. The bending strength and modulus of fabricated parts after infiltration with epoxy reach 65.3 MPa and 3,200 MPa, respectively. Originality/value The composite materials can be used in the manufacture of injection molds with a conformal cooling channel for the production of common plastics in prototype quantities, showing a broad application prospect in rapid tooling.

Testing of Sinters Made of Copper Powders Coated with Carbon Structure Containing Graphene

This paper presents the results of preliminary tests on specimens made from mixtures of dendritic copper powder (CuE) with the graphene-coated copper powder (CuG) in a range from 20% to 100% (CuG). The properties of the powder mixtures, green compacts and sinters were determined. To study the properties of the powder mixtures, the following tests were carried out: a measurement of the CuG powder grain size after the grinding process, measurements of the bulk density and tap density of the prepared powder mixtures. The porosity of the produced green compacts and the sinters was calculated as well as the densification capabilities of the powder mixtures by die pressing, cold isostatic pressing and sintering in a reducing atmosphere were tested. Moreover, the nature of the porosity formation was analysed using an optical microscope and the Brinell hardness was determined. The measured Brinell hardness was in the range of 17 HB for sinters made from CuG to 34 HB for sinters made from a 20% CuG powder mixture. More than six hundred measurements that were made in this study show that the high CuG content in the powder mixture reduce the hardness of the sinters as well increase their porosity.

The Extrusion and SPS of Zirconium–Copper Powders and Studies of Selected Mechanical Properties

Zr-2.5Cu and Zr-10Cu powder mixtures were consolidated in the extrusion process and using the spark plasma sintering technique. In these studies, material tests were carried out in the fields of phase composition, microstructure, hardness and tensile strength for Zr-Cu materials at room temperature (RT) and 400 °C. Fractography analysis of materials at room temperature and 400 °C was carried out. The research took into account the anisotropy of the materials obtained in the extrusion process. For the nonequilibrium SPS process, ZrCu2 and Cu10Zr7 intermetallic compounds formed in the material at sintering temperature. Extruded materials were composed mainly of α-Zr and ZrCu2. The presence of intermetallic compounds affected the reduction in the strength properties of the tested materials. The highest strength value of 205 MPa was obtained for the extruded Zr-2.5Cu, for which the samples were cut in the direction of extrusion. For materials with 10 wt.% copper, more participation of the intermetallic phase was formed, which lowered the mechanical properties of the obtained materials. In addition to brittle intermetallic phases, the materials were characterized by residual porosity, which also reduced the strength properties.