The effect of V on the morphology of TiB2 particles in as-cast aluminum composites

This study presents the modification effect of trace vanadium on the in-situ formed TiB2 particles in as-cast aluminum composites. With 0.2 wt.% V addition the morphology of TiB2 was modified from hexagonal platelet or irregular feather-like shape to hexagonal prism or rectangular prism with parallel growth steps along the c-axis. Meanwhile, V rich cores were detected in the center of TiB2 and the exposure of the high-index crystal plane (1101)TiB2 was detected in Al-0.2 wt.%V. Statistical analysis of the particle size and aspect distribution both in commercial Al and Al-0.2 wt.%V was conducted. The elemental distribution and scanning electron microscopy investigation revealed that VB2 may serve as the 2D-nucleus of TiB2 particles. The growth mechanism of TiB2 under the influence of V was explored.

MgCr-LDH Nanoplatelets as Effective Oxidation Catalysts for Visible Light-Triggered Rhodamine B Degradation

In this work, we successfully exfoliated MgCr-(NO3−) LDH with large purity by a simple formamide method followed by post-hydrothermal treatment and characterized by different physico-chemical techniques. The UV-DRS study persuades the red-shifted absorption band and suitable band gap of MgCr-(NO3−) LDH for optimum light harvestation ability related to the optical properties. Alternatively, the production of elevated photocurrent density of MgCr-(NO3−) LDH (3:1, 80 °C) in the anodic direction was verified by the LSV study, which further revealed their effective charge separation efficacy. These MgCr-LDH nanosheets (3:1, 80 °C) displayed the superior Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation efficiency of 95.0% at 0.80 kW/m2 solar light intensity in 2 h. The tremendous catalytic performances of MgCr-LDH (3:1, 80 °C) were typically linked with the formation of surface-active sites for the charge trapping process due to the presence of uncoordinated metallocenters during the exfoliation process. Furthermore, the maximum amount of the active free atoms at the edges of the hexagonal platelet of MgCr-LDH causes severance of the nanosheets, which generates house of platelets of particle size ~20–50 nm for light harvestation, promoting easy charge separation and catalytic efficiency. In addition, radical quenching tests revealed that h+ and •OH play as major active species responsible for the RhB degradation.

Low-Temperature High-Efficiency Preparation of TiB2 Micro-Platelets via Boro/Carbothermal Reduction in Microwave Heated Molten Salt

A molten-salt and microwave co-facilitated boro/carbothermal reduction methodology was developed for low temperature high-efficiency synthesis of TiB2 powders. By using relatively inexpensive titanium oxide (TiO2), boron carbide (B4C) and amorphous carbon (C) as raw materials, single-phase TiB2 powders were prepared after 60 min at as low as 1150 °C or after only 20 min at 1200 °C. Such synthesis conditions were remarkably milder than those required by the conventional reduction routes using the identical reducing agent. As-synthesized TiB2 powders exhibited single-crystalline nature and well-grown hexagonal-platelet-like morphology. The achievement of low temperature high-efficiency preparation of high-quality TiB2 microplatelets in the present work was mainly attributable to the synergistic effects of molten-salt medium and microwave heating.

Synthesis, Characterization and Properties of PANI/(La-Nd Doped BaFe12O19) Composites

La-Nd co-doped barium hexaferrites, Ba0.7(LamNdn)0.3Fe12O19 (D-BaM), were successfully prepared by sol-gel method. PANI / D-BaM composites were synthesized by in-situ polymerization in solution. The structure, morphology and properties of samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), four-probe conductivity tester and vector network analyzer. The XRD patterns showed that the crystal structure of all the samples exist as M-type phases. The SEM images revealed that the particles presented a hexagonal platelet-like morphology. The magnetic properties could be improved by substitutions of La and Nd ions. The saturation magnetization (Ms) and coercive force (Hc) increased with the change of La / Nd ratio to the maximum at La / Nd = 3:1. The doped particles have also been embedded in conductive PANI to prepare electromagnetic materials, and the conductivity kept on the order of 10-2. The microwave absorbing properties of composites at 30 MHz-6 GHz improved obviously, the peak value of reflection loss could reach-7.5 dB.