Waterborne elastic polyester (WEP) with different content of hard polyester was applied in the maize starch (MS) based composites (MS/WEP) via solution casting method. The effects of WEP with different contents of hard polyester on the structure and properties of starch were studied by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible, tensile test, differential scanning calorimeter, thermogravimetric analysis and moisture measurement. The experimental results show that the addition of WEP does not change the crystalline type of starch, and only reduces the crystallinity of starch. And the structure and properties of MS/WEP are related to not only the content of starch but also the microstructure of WEP or the content of hard polyester in WEP. Waterborne elastic polyester with 30wt% hard polyester (WEP30) has the best modification effect on the maize starch among all the WEPs. For example, MS/WEP30 film has the optimum toughness, aging resistance and transmittance, the lowest crystallinity and glass transition temperature among all the MS/WEP films, and the lower moisture content. It is related to the compatibility between starch and WEP, resulting from the number of physical crosslinking points in WEP.

The effects of initial oxygen concentration on the reverse leakage current of PIN rectifier diodes were studied. We fabricated the PIN rectifier diodes with different initial oxygen concentrations, and analyzed the electrical properties, anisotropic preferred etching by means of optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It is pointed out that the reverse leakage current increases exponentially with the increasing initial oxygen concentration. Furtherly, we researched and analyzed the mechanism of the effects of initial oxygen concentration on the reverse leakage current of PIN rectifier diode. It is shown that the oxygen precipitations present in an “S” curve with increasing initial oxygen concentration after high temperature diffusion. The main reason is that the nucleation and growth of oxygen precipitation at high temperature induce bulk oxidation-induced defects (B-OSF), which are mainly dislocations, and a small amount of rod stacking faults. The density of B-OSF increases with the increasing initial oxygen concentration. The existence of B-OSF has great effects on the reverse leakage current of PIN rectifier diode.

Ultra-small PbSe quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized using conventional hot-injection method. A small amount of Sn was used as a nucleation promotion agent to control nucleation and growth during the QDs synthesis process. The average diameter of the QDs is about 1.6 nm, of which absorption peak centers at 550 nm and photoluminescence peak centers at 750 nm under 350 nm laser excitation with power as low as 500 µW. Transmission electron microscopy images confirm that the QDs size well matches with the calculated diameter from Brus equation. This match and electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis proves that Sn is not involved into the final structure of the ultra-small PbSe QDs. An ion-exchange process was proposed for the nucleation control and ultra-small QDs synthesis. The prepared ultra-small QDs could be a promising candidate for luminescence, solar cell devices, and others.

ZrO₂-5CrMnMo composite samples were prepared by hot press sintering. When NiCoCrAlY powders were used as the bonding layer and the different mixtures of NiCoCrAlY alloy and 3YSZ (3mol% yttria stabilized zirconia) ceramic powders were used as the transition layers, the connection between zirconia ceramic and 5CrMnMo steel were strengthened. Three composite samples with different structures were fabricated by heat spraying and hot press sintering. Shear and thermal shock cycle tests were conducted to characterize connection strength and thermal shock resistance of these samples. The shear strength reached 95.69 MPa, and the heating shock cycles achieved to the maximum value of 27.7 times. Microstructures and connection interfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The hardness and wearing resistance of 3YSZ coat and 5CrMnMo substrate were compared, and the heat insulation property of composite samples were also discussed. It is shown that these composite materials fabricated in this research are benefited to be used as squeeze casting dies.

The microstructure and thermal characteristics of Mg-36%Ga, Mg-43%Ga, and Mg-45%Ga(wt%) alloys were investigated. The experimental results show that the microstructure of Mg-36%Ga alloy is mainly composed of primary α-Mg phase and α-Mg+Mg₅Ga₂ eutectic phase, the microstructure of Mg-43%Ga alloy is mainly composed of α-Mg+Mg₅Ga₂ eutectic phase, and the microstructure of Mg-45%Ga alloy is mainly composed of primary Mg₅Ga₂ phase and α-Mg+Mg₅Ga₂ eutectic phase. The melting enthalpies of Mg-36%Ga, Mg-43%Ga, and Mg-45%Ga are 146.41, 171.90, and 113.90 J/g, with the phase change temperature of 422.57, 422.70, and 422.90 °C, respectively. Mg-43%Ga alloy contains the highest melting enthalpy because of the highest content of α-Mg+Mg₅Ga₂ eutectic phase. In addition, the thermal expansion of the three alloys increases with increasing temperature, while the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity decreases with increasing content of Ga.

Full-Heusler alloy Fe₂TiSn was predicted to be a potential thermoelectric material with high mechanical properties and stability. Fe₂TiSn was usually prepared by arc-melting followed by annealing for 2 weeks, which takes a long time and consumes a large amount of energy. In this paper, Fe₂TiSn was prepared by an ultra-fast method, self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) combined with spark plasma sintering. The bulk materials with uniform element distribution, well controlled composition and relative densities of over 97.5% were prepared. The undoped Fe₂TiSn samples show p-type transport behavior. Co was heavily doped at the Fe site to prepare n-type Fe_2−2xCo_2xTiSn samples. The thermoelectric properties measurements carried out on the Co-doped samples show a highest ZT = 0.02 at 300 K, which is about tripe the performance of the pristine Fe₂TiSn. This study provides a new approach for the rapid and low-cost preparation of full-Heusler thermoelectric materials.

Because of its merits, acrylic resin was chosen to improve the mechanical, conductive and hydrophobic properties. Carbon fiber powders (CF), carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), and nano-TiO₂ were incorporated into the acrylic resin to prepare the corona-proof conductive composite coatings. The incorporation of CF and MWCNT may improve the conductivity and mechanical strength of the coatings. However, the addition of nano-TiO₂ may increase the hydrophobicity of the coatings. Thus, the effects of different additives on the mechanical properties, conductivity, hydrophobicity and heat resistance of the conductive film were studied. The experimental results show that the incorporation of carbon fiber powders and multi walled carbon nanotubes can significantly improve both the conductivity and mechanical properties of the conductive coatings, and the addition of nano titanium dioxide can improve the hydrophobicity of the conductive film.

A new composite antibacterial material ZnO/Cu²⁺-Chitosan/Montmorillonite (ZCCM) was prepared with montmorillonite as carrier, Zn(Ac)₂•2H₂O, Cu(NO₃)₂•3H₂O and chitosan as raw materials. ZCCM was characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen physical adsorption, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersion spectrometry. The antibacterial activity of ZCCM against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated by minimal inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration and the influence of growth curves. ZCCM displays excellent antibacterial activity which is higher than ZnO-Montmorillonite, Cu²⁺-Montmorillonite and ZnO/Cu²⁺-Montmorillonite. In addition, the antibacterial mechanism of ZCCM was investigated by analyzing bacterial morphology, integrity of cell membrane, lipid peroxidation and the effect of histidine on antibacterial activity of materials. It is found that cell morphologies of bacteria are damaged and bacterial cells are shrunken. With the increase of cell membrane permeability, the intracellular dissolved matters leak continuously. What’s more, the reactive oxygen species are generated and biomacromolecules are oxidized.

We investigated the impure phase problem and summarized its two formation mechanisms of YAG powders synthesized via the co-precipitation method. The ions loss problem caused by high concentration reaction solution in the titration process was emphatically studied, and the corresponding thermodynamic explanation was carried out. In addition, influence of powder crystallinity and its new qualitative and quantitative standards were studied. One reason of impure phase is the local nonuniform mixture of Y and Al elements in precursor, which easily causes intermediate phases during calcination and difficulty of high pure powders at low temperatures. The other reason is the precipitation dissolution during titration and then the Y³⁺/Al³⁺ loss, caused by high concentration of reaction solution. The powder crystallinity can be promoted by increasing calcination temperature or holding time of precursor. Besides the routine XRD method, the TEM-EDX method should be also introduced to directly determine the quality of crystallinity.

Three-dimensional finite element physical models considering the layered distribution of materials at the interface were developed to study the effect of the coating system on distributions of thermal residual stresses in SiC_f/Ti₂AlNb composites. Two coating systems were comparatively studied, namely C coating and C/Mo duplex-coating. The thermal residual stresses after 1 080 °C/1 h solution treatment and 800 °C/20 h ageing treatment in the composites were also analyzed. The experimental results show that Mo coating can decrease thermal residual stress magnitude in the matrix. However, it would increase the thermal residual stresses in the interfacial reaction layer of TiC. The change of radial thermal residual stress in TiC layer is inconspicuous after solid solution and ageing treatment, but the hoop and axial thermal residual stresses increase obviously. However, the heat treatment can obviously reduce hoop and axial thermal residual stresses of the matrix, which is benefit to restrain the initiation and propagation of cracks in the matrix.

The Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors were fabricated with HfO₂ as gate dielectric. AlON, NdON, and NdAlON were deposited between the gate dielectric and the Ge substrate as the interfacial passivation layer (IPL). The electrical properties (such as capacitance-voltage (C-V) and gate leakage current density versus gate voltage (J _g-V _g)) were measured by HP4284A precision LCR meter and HP4156A semiconductor parameter analyzer. The chemical states and interfacial quality of the high-k/Ge interface were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The experimental results show that the sample with the NdAlON as IPL exhibits the excellent interfacial and electrical properties. These should be attributed to an effective suppression of the Ge suboxide and HfGeOx interlayer, and an enhanced blocking role against interdiffusion of the elements during annealing by the NdAlON IPL.

Superhydrophobic cotton cellulose (CC) aerogel was prepared from budget cotton with huge output. CC aerogels were synthesized by using commercial cotton extract as a precursor through the nano-self-assembly process, CO₂ supercritical drying process, and vapor deposition. Typical, uniform hydrophobic CC aerogel structure can be confirmed by several characterization techniques. Maximum specific surface areas before and after modification are 213.80 m²·g⁻¹ and 184.33 m²·g⁻¹ with average pore sizes at 14.01 nm and 32.56 nm. The water contact angle is up to 153°, showing its superhydrophobic property. The maximum adsorption efficiency can be up to 16.0 g·g⁻¹, which exhibits excellent cycling property after 5 adsorption tests. The oil absorption mechanism of the superhydrophobic CC aerogels is investigated in detail as well. This superhydrophobic CC aerogel has excellent adsorption performance and simple, rapid, effective oil contamination treatment which has promising applications in the field of oil adsorption and water remediation in oil adsorption.

Four polyaniline-tea saponin (PTS) nanocomposites were prepared by an in-situ polymerization with tea saponin (TS) as a biosurfactant, and they were used to remove organic dyes from aqueous solution. The PTS nanocomposites were characterized by using field emission scanning electron microscopy, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and the thermogravimetric analysis. The adsorption performances of the PTS nanocomposites for organic dyes were studied by a static adsorption method. The experimental results reveal that adsorption capacities of the PTS nanocomposites are higher than that of pure polyaniline. Especially, the PTS nanocomposites exhibit excellent adsorption performances for anionic dyes because of the electrostatic interaction between the positively charged nitrogen atoms on the PTS chains and the negatively charged sulfonate ions in the anionic dyes. According to the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics results, the adsorption processes of PTS20 for CR and AB74 follow well with the pseudo second-order and Langmuir isotherm models. It is indicated that TS should be very useful in the preparation of PTS nanocomposite and in removal of toxic dyes from waste water.

Terephthalic acid, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and 1,8-octanediol were adopted as monomers and antimony trioxide as catalyst, and poly(terephthalic acid-2,5-furandicarboxylic acid-1,8-octanediol) copolyesters identified as PEOT-x, where x is the mole fraction of furandicarboxylic acid in the samples, were synthesized by direct esterification. The molecular structure of the copolyesters was characterized by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the molecular weight, molar mass dispersity, glass transition temperature, and thermal stability of the copolyesters, respectively. The mechanical properties of the samples were also investigated. The number-average molecular weight (M _n) of the samples varies from 9 700–18 800 g/mol, and molar mass dispersity (Đ = M _w/M _n) from 2.15–3.34. The initial decomposition temperature of the copolyesters is in the 332–356 °C range, with maximum decomposition rates at 390–410 °C, while the glass transition temperature (T _g) varies from 0–33 °C. Mechanical test shows that PEOT-10 has the highest tensile strength, while PEOT-90 has the largest tensile modulus and elongation at break. The experimental results show that these copolyesters can be synthesized with relatively high molecular weights, good thermal stability, and fair mechanical properties, which makes them excellent replacements for commercial polyesters, such as PET, and these properties can be tuned through the relative amounts of biomass monomer 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid used in the reactions.

We aimed at producing sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) from waste paper cellulose. For this etherification, the raw material was waste paper, the cellulose was initially alkalized with NaOH, the etherifying agent was sodium chloroacetate, and the reaction medium was water or ethanol. The method provided by us, i e, a method for preparing CMC from waste paper, was environment-friendly, could be easily implemented, and could be conveniently applied to make waste paper efficiently used with high profit, and to expand the range of usable raw materials for CMC production. We successfully synthesized CMC and prepared CMC plastic membrane. This practice changes waste into valuables, which is beneficial to our living environment. For preparation of CMC, one of the crucial factors is appropriate pretreatment of the cellulose from waste paper. The pretreatment was done with a self-built hydrolysis method. We experimentally examined the effects of the mass ratios of reactants, reaction temperature, time, and reaction environment of homogeneous or heterogeneous on CMC yield. The innovative points of this research could be stated as follows: the reaction activity of cellulose was improved by pre-hydrolysis; synthesizing CMC with cellulose from waste paper changes waste into valuables is beneficial to our living environment; and a freezing treatment for the cellulose-alkali mixture was innovatively added. The effects were exhibited by a desired final conversion efficiency.

The 21 dog-bone specimens with different fiber contents and fiber distribution (random chopped fiber or directional continuous filament fiber bundles) were designed and tested under uniaxial tension using domestic PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) fiber. High fiber content exerted positive influences on cracking stress, peak stress and deformation capacity of specimens with random chopped fiber, compared with the decrease shown in cracking stress of specimens containing directional fiber bundles. There were multiple cracks in specimens containing directional fiber bundles, while only 1–2 typical cracks could be shown in chopped fiber specimens after being broken. Random chopped fiber connected more closely with matrix compared with that only part of fiber bundles could contact with matrix. Double-fold line model and parabolic model could be used simultaneously to fit well with the uniaxial tension constitutive relations of engineered cementitious composite (ECC). Although the performance of PVA produced in China can not reach to the same level of those from Japan, there exists certain practical value in engineering according to its contribution to deformability of structure.

Based on the mechanism of stray current generation in underground structures, the concrete durability test device for stray current and sulphate in typical soil environment was designed to study the damage of concrete under the action of stray current and sulphate. The deterioration law of concrete under the action of stray current and sulphate was studied by microscopic techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The microstructure of corroded concrete was observed to determine the phase composition of erosion products. The damage performances such as quality, strength, and dynamic elastic mode of corroded concrete were performed. The experimental results show that, under the action of stray current, the products of sulfate-eroded concrete are mainly gypsum, ettringite, and thaumasite; the stray current accelerates the hydration process of cement and the erosion of concrete by sulfate; when the concrete pores are filled with the erosion product, there is an increase of approximately 10% in the concrete compressive strength and dynamic elastic modulus; and the concrete compressive strength is more sensitive to the stray current electrification period than the current intensity.

To produce high strength and ductility Mg alloys with high productivity and low energy consumption, the residual heat rolling (RHR) process was initially proposed. The microstucture and mechanical properties of AZ31 processed by RHR were investigated by optical micrscopy (OM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and electron universal testing machine. The yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation to failure of RHRed AZ31 sheet were 194 MPa 311 MPa, and 22%, respectively. The RHRed AZ31 alloys after annealing have very fine and homogeneous grains. The symmetrical rolled (SR) and RHRed AZ31 exhibit typical {0002} basal textures. The RHRed AZ31 has double-peak basal texture distribution. The basal poles of RHRed AZ31 split from normal direction (ND) to rolling direction (RD). There are few hard orientation distributions on the basal <a> slip and more soft orientation distributions on the prismatic <a> slip in the RHRed AZ31 sheets than those in the SRed AZ31sheets.

The electron paramagnetic spectra of trigonal Mn²⁺ centers in [Co(H₂O)₆]SiF₆, [Co(H₂O)₆] SnF₆, and [Co(H₂O)₆]PtCl₆ crystals were studied on the basis of the complete energy matrices for a d⁵ configuration ion in a trigonal ligand field. When Mn²⁺ is doped in the [Co(H₂O)₆]SiF₆, [Co(H₂O)₆]SnF₆, and [Co(H₂O)₆]PtCl₆ crystals crystals, there is a similar local distortion. The experimental results show that the local lattice structure around a trigonal Mn²⁺ center has an elongation distortion along the crystalline C₃ axis. From the EPR calculation, the local lattice structure parameters R=2.278A, θ=52.6406° for [Co(H₂O)₆]SiF₆, R=2.280, θ=52.4936° for [Co(H₂O)₆]SnF₆ and R=2.244A, θ=53.0616° for [Co(H₂O)₆]PtCl₆ were determined.

Using nerve guide conduits (NGCs) to promote the regeneration of PNI is a feasible alternative to autograft. Compared with NGCs made of single material, composite NGCs have a greater development prospect. Our previous research has confirmed that poly(D, L-lactic acid)/β-tricalcium phosphate/hyaluronic acid/chitosan/nerve growth factor (PDLLA/β-TCP/HA/CHS/NGF) NGCs have excellent physical and chemical properties, which can slowly release NGF and support cell adhesion and proliferation. In this study, PDLLA/β-TCP/HA/CHS/NGF NGCs were prepared and used to bridge a 10 mm sciatic nerve defect in 200–250 g Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat to verify the performance of the NGCs in vivo. Substantial improvements in nerve regeneration were observed after using the PDLLA/β-TCP/HA/CHS/NGF NGCs based on gross post-operation observation, triceps wet weight analysis and nerve histological assessment. In vivo studies illustrate that the PDLLA/β-TCP/HA/CHS/NGF sustained-release NGCs can effectively promote peripheral nerve regeneration, and the effect is similar to that of autograft.

Epoxy resin (EPR) was used to crosslink with Camellia oleifera Abel. protein to prepare wood adhesive, and the bonding performance and curing characteristics of which were mainly investigated, and the synthesis mechanism was also discussed by using model compounds. The experimental results show that EPR can significantly improve the bonding performance of Camellia oleifera Abel. protein-based adhesive, and the maximum of which reaches 0.72 MPa satisfies the strength requirement of Type II plywood in GB/T 17657-2013. After alkali treatment, the protein can more easily crosslink with EPR at low curing temperature, and the adhesive has high degree of crystallinity of curing products, high degree of crosslinking reaction, and high bonding strength. The reaction mechanism of EPR-modified Camellia oleifera Abel. protein adhesive can be divided into resinification phase and curing phase.