Out with Acetonitrile: Water-assisted Accelerated-Aging Synthesis of CuI-Pyrazine Hybrid Materials

CuI and pyrazine form three hybrid materials, [(CuI)2(pyrazine)] (Yellow), [(CuI)2(pyrazine)2] (Orange), and [(CuI)(pyrazine)] (Red). In this work, Red was prepared using a green synthetic method, water-assisted accelerated-aging synthesis, for the first time. The syntheses were performed under ambient conditions with only water and no organic solvents. Depending on the reaction conditions, the other two hybrid materials can be formed as well: Orange was formed immediately after dry grinding CuI and pyrazine, while Yellow can be formed from Red and excess amount of CuI at mildly elevated temperatures. The impacts of temperature and types and amounts of liquid added to the aging mixture on the accelerated-aging synthesis were studied, and mechanisms of the synthesis and interconversions between the three CuI-pyrazine hybrid materials were proposed.

The Acoustic Performance of Expanded Perlite Composites Reinforced with Rapeseed Waste and Natural Polymers

Lignocelluloses residues from the post-harvest crop are receiving great scientific attention nowadays. Generally, the composite materials based on lignocelluloses waste present low density and weight, and better insulation properties compared with those petroleum-based. This study presents the results of experimental investigations regarding soundproofing capabilities for a composite material based on expanded perlite (EP) and natural polymers matrix (starch) reinforced with rapeseed stalks waste. The preparation of light-weight samples of composites was performed at room temperature through a mechanical mixing process of EP with starch polymers and rapeseed residues until optimum moisture content composition was obtained. Rapeseed stalks long fibers were avoided through the preliminary dry grinding procedure, and the composite was air-dried at room temperature for 48 h. Four samples of composites with different ratio of EP and rapeseed waste were considered. The evaluation of sample sound insulation characteristics was performed using the transfer-matrix method based on a four-microphone acoustic impedance tube. The paper concludes that the proposed composite provides comparative sound insulation capabilities to actual materials, with few particular aspects presented within the paper. Thus, these new materials are promising as a viable alternative to the actual large-scale utilization solutions in soundproofing applications.

Preparation, Characterization and Application of Amorphized Cellulose—A Review

This review describes the methods of cellulose amorphization, such as dry grinding, mercerization, treatment with liquid ammonia, swelling in solvents, regeneration from solutions, etc. In addition, the main characteristics and applications of amorphized celluloses are discussed. An optimal method for preparing completely amorphous cellulose (CAC) via the treatment of original cellulose material with a cold NaOH/Urea-solvent at the solvent to cellulose ratio R ≥ 5 is proposed. Structural studies show that amorphous cellulose contains mesomorphous clusters with a size of 1.85 nm and specific gravity of 1.49 g/cm3. Furthermore, each such cluster consists of about five glucopyranose layers with an average interlayer spacing of 0.45 nm. Amorphous cellulose is characterized by increased hydrophilicity, reactivity, and enzymatic digestibility. Due to its amorphous structure, the CAC can be used as a promising substrate for enzymatic hydrolysis to produce glucose, which can be applied in biotechnology for growing various microorganisms. In addition, the application of CAC in agriculture is described. A waste-free method for producing amorphous nanocellulose is considered, and the main applications of nanosized amorphous cellulose are discussed.

Grindability of carbon fiber reinforced polymer using CNT biological lubricant

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) easily realizes the integrated manufacturing of components with high specific strength and stiffness, and it has become the preferred material in the aerospace field. Grinding is the key approach to realize precision parts and matching the positioning surface for assembly and precision. Hygroscopicity limits the application of flood lubrication in CFRP grinding, and dry grinding leads to large force, surface deterioration, and wheel clogging. To solve the above technical bottleneck, this study explored the grindability and frictional behavior of CNT biological lubricant MQL through grinding experiments and friction-wear tests. Results showed that the CNT biological lubricant reduced the friction coefficient by 53.47% compared with dry condition, showing optimal and durable antifriction characteristics. The new lubrication was beneficial to suppressing the removal of multifiber block debris, tensile fracture, and tensile-shear fracture, with the advantages of tribological properties and material removal behavior, the tangential and normal grinding force, and the specific grinding energy were reduced by 40.41%, 31.46%, and 55.78%, respectively, compared with dry grinding. The proposed method reduced surface roughness and obtained the optimal surface morphology by preventing burrs, fiber pull-out, and resin smearing, and wheel clogging was prevented by temperature reduction and lubricating oil film formation. Sa and Sq of the CNT biological lubricant were reduced by 8.4% and 7.9%, respectively, compared with dry grinding. This study provides a practical basis for further application of CNT biological lubricant in CFRP grinding.

Effect of Graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) reinforcement on grindability of zirconium diboride ceramics

The grindability of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) reinforced ZrB2 was studied using resin bonded diamond grinding wheel under dry and wet conditions. A comparative study of grinding forces was performed at selected wheel surface speeds and depth of cuts for surface grinding. ZrB2-GNP showed lower normal grinding forces due to the reduced hardness. The presence of GNP reinforcement in ZrB2 resulted in lower tangential forces and reduced specific grinding energy due to the role of GNP as solid lubricant. The measured forces showed good correlation with the micro cutting model for ZrB2 and ZrB2-GNP under dry condition. The tangential forces showed same trend as normal forces at different depth of cuts and wheel surface speeds for both ZrB2 and ZrB2-GNP with average force ratios of 0.3 and 0.35 respectively. The presence of porosity in ZrB2 increased the normal grinding forces during wet grinding. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of the grinding chips indicated a mixture of both the ductile mode and the brittle mode of material removal with predominantly brittle fractured chips. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the presence of GNPs in ZrB2-GNP grinding chips. The topography of the grinding wheel showed higher wheel loading after the dry grinding than that of wet grinding. The wet grinding resulted in relatively lower surface roughness (Ra values) compared to that of dry grinding.