Ceramic hollow spheres have great potential for deep-sea applications. However, the irregularity of the conventional molding process, among other reasons, results in low wall thickness uniformity of hollow spheres. To solve this problem, in this work, we developed a biaxial rotation grouting process for deep-sea ceramic hollow buoyancy spheres, which improves the drawbacks of the traditional rotary grouting method that results in poor wall thickness uniformity of the hollow spheres due to its irregular rotational processing. In this paper, an experimental study was carried out to investigate the effects of different rotational methods, rotational speeds, rotational time, solid phase content, etc. on the wall thickness uniformity of ceramic hollow spheres. The results show that the hollow floating balls prepared by the biaxial rotation method have the lowest wall thickness standard deviation (0.04) when the rotation speed is 60 rpm, the molding time is 8 min, and the solid phase content is 70 wt%. After the hydrostatic pressure test of 120 MPa, the hydrostatic compressive strength of hollow spheres prepared by the biaxial rotation method was increased by 31.67% compared with that of the traditional process.

We synthesized tungsten-doped vanadium dioxide (W-VO₂) particles via a one-step hydrothermal method, followed by their integration with antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles to formulate a composite coating. Subsequently, the VO₂/ATO composite coating was fabricated through a spin-coating process. The impact of varying W-VO₂ content and coating thickness on the performance of the composite coatings was systematically investigated by employing X-ray diffraction, particle size distribution analysis, spectrometry, and other pertinent test methodologies. Our findings revealed that an escalation in both W-VO₂ content and coating thickness retained high transmittance in the near-infrared band at lower temperatures. However, as the temperature increased, a notable reduction in transmittance in the near-infrared band was observed, alongside a slight decrease in transmittance within the visible band. Remarkably, when the W-VO₂ content reached 5% and the coating thickness was 1 253 nm, the transmittance of the composite coating surpassed 80%. Furthermore, the heat insulation effect achieved a remarkable 10.0 °C increase. Consequently, the synthesized composite coating demonstrates significant potential for smart glass applications, particularly in the realm of heat-insulating glass.

The fossil shells on the sedimentary rocks were collected from The Historical Park, Ban Sap Noi Geopark, Phetchabun Province, Thailand. However, the fossils remained in this area were investigated on the characteristic species only in geological studies with taxonomy for fossil age predicting. To fill up the gap of these studies, the material characterization techniques were used to study the chemical composition and structure of fossil shells I, II and III. The results clearly showed that the morphologies of all fossil shells were Brachiopod fossils with different species. The functional group and elemental composition of all fossil shells showed that the high content of calcium carbonate was a major composition. In addition, the high content of quartz indicated the silica precipitation phenomenon in all fossil shells. The element composition of cross-sectional morphology and energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS mapping) were used to confirm the presence of Si element in each zone of fossil shells. The crystal structures of all fossil shells were investigated and indicated that the calcium carbonate compound was a calcite phase and silicon dioxide compound was a quartz phase. Moreover, the crystal structure of quartz phase was used to calculate the crystallinity index. The crystallinity index values in all fossil shells indicated a well-crystallized quartz. The age of fossil shells was estimated and found to be brachiopod fossil in carboniferous period with the age of about 359.2 to 299.0 million years.

A BiOI/BiOBr S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized using a solvothermal method, and its ability to degrade Congo red was thoroughly investigated. The photocatalytic performance of the BiOI/BiOBr heterojunction was compared with that of pure BiOBr and BiOI. The structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), and zeta potential analysis. The degradation rate of Congo red was determined by spectrophotometry, revealing that the BiOI/BiOBr S-scheme heterojunction exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance, achieving a degradation rate of 96.8% for a 50 mg/L Congo red solution within 75 minutes. This rate was significantly higher than those achieved by pure BiOBr (77.2%) and BiOI (83.1%). Theoretical calculations indicate that the S-scheme heterojunction effectively facilitates the separation of photogenerated charge carriers while preserving the strong redox ability of the composite. These characteristics are identified as the key factors underlying the superior photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the BiOI/BiOBr S-scheme heterostructure.

Ti₃C₂/BiOCl composite was successfully synthesized by combining BiOCl (BOC) with an exposed (110) crystal plane and Ti₃C₂ using a simple hydrothermal process. The photocatalytic performance of produced composite was evaluated using the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) under visible light. The results demonstrated that Ti₃C₂/BOC composite had higher photocatalytic activity than pure BOC. The optimum incorporation amount of Ti₃C₂ was 2 wt%. The photodegradation rate of 2 wt%-Ti₃C₂/BOC at 10 min to 20 mg/L RhB was 97.6%, which was much higher than that of BOC (75.3%). Similarly, the photodegradation rate of 2 wt%-Ti₃C₂/BOC to 10 mg/L TCH at 30 min was 80.4%, which was higher than BOC (68.1%). In addition, the prepared 2 wt%-Ti₃C₂/BOC composite also maintained good stability even after four cycles. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), transient photocurrent response (IT) and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis) confirmed that the photoelectrochemical properties of 2 wt%-Ti₃C₂/BOC composite were significantly improved. On the basis of analyzing the action mechanism of photocatalyst, it was pointed out that ·O₂- and h⁺ were the main active substances in the photodegradation of RhB and TCH by 2 wt%-Ti₃C₂/BOC.

In this smart era, more severe challenges have been brought to the mechanical performance of glass ceramic (GC)-based back plate. Herein, a new kind of GCs, the GCs embedded with high-aspect-ratio needle-like tetragonal TiO₂, is developed. A comprehensive study was conducted to unearth the microstructure, glassy structure, crystallisation properties, and mechanical performance. Remarkably, in comparison with the precursor glass, the optimized GCs exhibits much stronger mechanical performance with Vickers hardness of 6.83 GPa, elastic modulus of 80.64 GPa, and fracture toughness of 2.63 MPa·m^1/2, because of the constructured net-shaped microstructure via needle-like morphologied crystals with high aspect ratio among glass matrix.

The lipophilic hydroxyapatite (HA) nanorods were firstly synthesized by the solvothermal method using calcium oleate as the precursor. As-synthesized HA nanorods had an average aspect ratio of 11.4 with 18.4 wt% oleic acid attached on the surface. Then the hydroxyapatite/polylactic acid (HA/PLA) nanocomposites were prepared by dispersing the HA nanorods in PLA using dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂) as the volatile solvent. The influence of the HA content on the properties of the HA/PLA nanocomposites was investigated. It is found that the nanocomposite with 2 wt% HA exhibits the optimal mechanical properties. The tensile strength and elongation at break are 59.4 MPa and 18.19%, respectively. The values are enhanced by 13% and 184.2% compared with that of the pure PLA. The higher HA addition results in the decrease in the mechanical properties due to the aggregation of HA nanorods. The thermal properties of the HA/PLA nanocomposites were also examined. It is found that the thermal stability and crystallization transition temperature are decreased while the glass transition temperature and melting temperature remain basically unchanged with the increasing HA content up to 10 wt%.

NO adsorption behavior on H-ZSM-5 was investigated using a fixed-bed reactor and the adsorption mechanism was studied by temperature programmed desorption (TPD), in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Results showed that heat releasing area (HRA) occurred at the beginning of NO and O₂ co-adsorption on H-ZSM-5, and after the disappearance of HRA, zeolites with different silicate-aluminum ratios showed different adsorption efficiency. The impurities in flue gas had a negative effect on the adsorption of NO and the influence could be ranked in descending order as follows: SO₂ > H₂O > CO₂. TPD and FTIR analyses suggested that nitrates were formed during exposure of zeolites to NO without O₂ and different kinds of nitrogen oxides were observed after O₂ was added into the system. An adsorption mechanism involving rapid oxidation of NO was proposed to explain the NO adsorption behavior under aerobic atmosphere. This work may be crucial for understanding the catalysis mechanism of metal ion-based ZSM-5 zeolites and the design of proper catalyst supporter.

This paper adopted the hydrothermal method to prepare tungsten oxide (WO₃) nanorod films and studied the effects of precursor solution concentration (0.02, 0.03, 0.06 mol/L peroxytungstic acid) and annealing temperature (200, 300, 400 °C) on their electrochromic properties. The microstructure characterization of WO₃ films were performed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM), and their electrochromic properties were tested by combining an electrochemical workstation with an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer. The results showed that the precursor solution concentration directly affected the thickness (290, 560, 990 nm) and microstructure of WO₃ films, significantly impacting their electrochromic properties. However, the annealing temperature had a negligible effect. As the precursor solution concentration increased, the optical modulation of WO₃ films gradually decreased, reaching 51.1%, 43.8%, and 35.1%, respectively. The switching time first increased and then stabilized, with coloring times of 7.3, 7.7, and 7.7 s, respectively, and bleaching times of 3.8, 6.5, and 6.5 s, respectively. The coloration efficiency gradually increased but the increase was relatively small, reaching 41.8, 44.4, and 44.8 cm²/C, respectively. Moreover, the cycling stability of WO₃ films was poor, with the ratios of the final value of optical modulation to the initial value 0.33, 0.26, and 0.34, respectively. Additionally, there were bigger differences in the bleached state transmittance, while the colored state transmittance showed smaller variations. However, the former has better cycling stability than the latter. In summary, to obtain better electrochromic properties, the thickness of WO₃ films should not exceed 290 nm.

Selective dinitrogen (N₂) capture from coalbed methane (CBM) is significant in chemical industries, but it remains a challenge because of similar physicochemical properties of N₂ and CH₄. Herein, the adsorption of them on the 2D porphyrin sheets doped with various 3d transition metal ions (marked as MPor, M=Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) were comparatively investigated by using density functional theory to screen a suitable adsorbent for CBM separation. Though systematical comparison of adsorption energies of gas molecules and Gibbs free energy change the N₂ desorption process on all MPor surfaces, FePor is confirmed to be a promising adsorbent because of its undemanding regeneration conditions and modest chemical bonding state with N₂ molecule. Further mechanism analysis reveals that the charge transferred from lone pair of N₂ molecule to d_z2 orbital of Fe ion and back-donated from d_xz and d_yz orbitals of Fe ion to the unoccupied π* orbital of N₂ molecule. Such hybridization of orbitals improves the selective adsorption of N₂ from CBM.

Metakaolin (MK) and sodium alginate (SA) were employed as raw materials to prepare SA-MK geopolymers, which were inorganic/organic composites. The microscopic morphologies, mineral phases, and chemical bonds of these composites were examined using mercury intrusion porosimetry, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. And low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) experiments were conducted to study the water forms at different curing ages. In addition, fluidity, bond strength, and compressive strength measurements were conducted to determine their macroscopic mechanical properties. The obtained results revealed that SA addition improved the viscosity and adhesion of the geopolymer slurry and increased the adhesion strength and density of the geopolymers with low Si/Al ratios. Nevertheless, it also reduced the fluidity of the mixed slurry and shortened the operation time. Adding the optimal amount of SA increased the compressive strength of the MK-based geopolymers. At a SA content of 1.5 wt%, the 7-day strength of the geopolymer reached its maximum value of 28.3 MPa, which was 74.6% higher than that achieved without the addition of SA. Furthermore, the presence of SA changed the water distribution and the pore structure of the MK-based geopolymers, which strongly affected their mechanical properties.

Silicate glass-ceramics were prepared by adding 40 wt% granite wastes. The effects of CaO/MgO (C/M) molar ratio on microstructure and mechanical properties of glass-ceramics were investigated. With C/M ratio increasing, the crystallization behavior changed from bulk crystallization to surface crystallization with heat treatment at 800 °C. However, bulk crystallization occurred in all samples when crystallized at both 850 and 900 °C. The content of forsterite and tainiolite initially increased and then decreased, while diopside and kalsilite increased when heated at 850 °C. For 900 °C, the increase of C/M ratio promoted the precipitation of diopside rather than forsterite and tainiolite, and interlocked plate crystals abundantly appeared with C/M ratio ≥ 0.14. The values of Vickers hardness for samples crystallized at 850 and 900 °C increased initially followed by a decrease, while the values of fracture toughness showed the opposite trend. The glass-ceramic with C/M ratio 0.065 heated at 900 °C showed relatively high Vickers hardness ((5.7 ± 0.14) GPa) and excellent fracture toughness ((3.55 ± 0.14) MPa·m^1/2).

Fe-doped CuCrO₂ catalyst CuCr_1−xFe_xO₂ series were prepared by the sol-gel method with different Fe contents. The structure and properties of the catalysts were investigated by XRD(X-ray diffraction), SEM(scanning electron microscope), and XPS(X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and the purification effect on NO_x and PM was measured through simulated emission experiments. The results indicate that CuCrO₂ catalyst has good catalytic activity, the maximum NO_x conversion rate can be up to 28.15%, and the ignition temperature of PM can be reduced to 285 °C. When the molecular ratio of Cr: Fe=9:1, the catalyst can achieve better catalytic effect, the maximum NO_x conversion rate will be up to 30.25% and the PM ignition temperature can be reduced to 280 °C. In addition, the catalytic activity of catalyst supported on different carriers was also studied. The results show that catalyst on SiC foam ceramic carrier has better catalytic activity than that on cordierite honeycomb ceramic carrier. The maximum NO_x conversion of CuCrO₂ and CuCr_0.9Fe_0.1O₂ can be increased by 0.72% and 1.33% respectively, and the PM ignition temperature can be further reduced by 15 and 5°C respectively.

The size effects were experimentally investigated and the underlying mechanism was analyzed. The results reveal that, as the specimen size increases, the interconnectivity of macropores slightly decreases. This in turn constrains the diffusion of CO₂ and moisture in the specimens, resulting in an increase in the discrepancy between the internal and external carbonation degrees. An increase in cement paste thickness simultaneously decreases the quantity, average size, and interconnectivity of macropores, lowering the diffusion efficacy of CO₂ and moisture and exacerbating the overall heterogeneity in carbonation. Moreover, the gradual blockage of macropores leads to the emergence of localized ‘occluded zones’ with much lower carbonation degree. The reduction in aggregate size significantly alters the average diameter and connectivity of macropores. leading to notable change to overall non-uniformity. This study provides insight into improving the CO₂ curing effect of pervious concrete products and developing uniform curing methods.

This study meticulously examined the compaction and sulfate erosion resistance of cement-stabilized materials incorporating recycled brick-concrete aggregate (RBCA). To explore the effects of recycled brick aggregate (RBA) with varying particle sizes, three size ranges (4.75–9.5 mm, 9.5–19 mm and 19–31.5 mm) were used to replace 20% of the corresponding particle sizes of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) in cement-stabilized materials. The findings indicated that cement-stabilized materials utilizing RBA and RCA exhibited a lower maximum dry density and a higher optimum moisture content than natural aggregate cement-stabilized materials. The use of RBA with a particle size of 4.75–9.5 mm resulted in a lower maximum dry density and a higher optimum moisture content than 9.5–19 mm and 19–31.5 mm. Furthermore, the 7-day unconfined compressive strength of RBCA cement-stabilized materials with RBA of 4.75–9.5 mm demonstrated superior results compared to those with larger particle sizes. Regarding sulfate erosion resistance, the mass loss and unconfined compressive strength loss of the RBCA cement-stabilized materials at 56 days were highest for the 19–31.5 mm particle size of the RBA. In terms of compaction and sulfate resistance, it is recommended to use 4.75–19 mm RBA in RBCA cement-stabilized materials.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to examine the electrical properties of metakaolin (MK) cement-based materials at elevated temperatures. We utilized a new equivalent circuit to investigate the EIS results of cementitious materials blended with MK at these temperatures. A new evaluation method to high temperature damage is proposed. The findings show that both elevated temperatures and MK contents in cement mortar can impact the impedance spectra’s form properties. However, the residual compressive strength of the MK-blended cementitious material at elevated temperatures does not improve with the addition of MK. A quantitative relationship between the electrochemical parameters of the new equivalent circuit and the residual compressive strength is determined. The degree of high-temperature damage to cementitious materials can be evaluated based on these electrochemical parameters, providing a new approach for evaluating the high-temperature damage of MK-blend cementitious materials.

The use of epoxy resin (EP) to prepare epoxy recycled asphalt mixture can achieve the reuse of 100% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). However, the high stiffness and brittleness of epoxy resin result in insufficient crack resistance of mixture. To address the issue, dry-method styrene-butadiene-styrene (DSBS) and epoxy resin were mixed with aged asphalt to prepare SBS-modified epoxy reclaimed asphalt (SERA). The micro fusion characteristics and mechanical properties of SERA were evaluated, and the optimal DSBS dosage was determined based on various tests. The results show that adding DSBS can enable the tensile toughness and low-temperature performance of SERA with less EP content to reach or exceed the performance level of epoxy reclaimed asphalt (ERA) with higher EP content. At 30% EP content, the recommended dry-method SBS content is 9%; At 40% EP content, the recommended dry-method SBS content is 5%; When the EP content is 50%, the recommended dry-method SBS content is 7%.

Low porosity is very significant for cementitious composite materials (CCM) under freeze-thaw conditions. To reduce the porosity of CCM, we used wollastonite mineral fibers as a partial replacement for cement and aggregate. The five combinations, in which 10%, 32%, and 48% Wollastonite were added, were made for scanning using both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and computed tomography scan technology (CT). Then, the 2D SEM pictures and the 3D pore distribution curves are obtained before and after the freezing and thawing processes, where the micro-pores in the CCM materials are shown. The fractal dimension is used to quantify the topography image in two dimensions, as well as the pore distribution in three dimensions. This method allows for the determination of both surface porosity and volume porosity, both of which show an increase in response to an escalation of freeze-thaw cycles. It is also found that the micro-damage in the concrete is of self-similarity, and in the context of the fractal dimension, the pore evolution can be quantitatively characterized across different sizes, ranging from local to global levels, before and after freezing and thawing.

This article presents a preparation method for a tailing sand-specific polycarboxylate superplasticizer (AT9) containing multifunctional adsorption groups. By designing multifunctional adsorption groups (−COOH) as side chains grafted onto the main chain of conventional polycarboxylate ether, the antiadsorption effect is achieved. AT9 was characterized by gel permeation chromatography, and its performance was systematically evaluated in various tailings sand-cement mortar systems. A comparison was made between AT9 and traditional PCE in terms of their effects on the workability of concrete, and the interaction mechanism between AT9 and clay in cementitious systems was discussed. The results indicate that AT9 enhances the adsorption and dispersion effects of polycarboxylate superplasticizers on cement particles, and increases steric hindrance, thereby avoids intercalation adsorption of tailings sand, improves its water-reducing and slump-retaining performance, and also contributes to the strength enhancement of concrete in later stages.

This study investigates the use of a low-carbon soil stabilizer called SDG, which is made up of granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), desulfurization gypsum (DG), and calcium carbide slag (CCS), to solidify the soil. The impact of SDG components on the strength and durability of solidified soil was analysed through a series of tests, including unconfined compressive strength, water stability coefficient, water absorption rate, drying-wetting cycles, and shrinkage tests. Furthermore, microstructure characteristics were analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The study shows that the solidified soil has excellent strength and durability when the SDG stabilizer contains 60% GGBGS, 10% DG, and 30% CCS. Additionally, increasing the DG content negatively affects the soil’s resistance to water. The SDG stabilizer has potential chemical cementitious characteristics and the calcium carbide slag is rich in calcium ions, which undergo an ion exchange reaction with minerals in the soil. These findings offer new ideas for the development of soil stabilizers.

To investigate the influence of dynamic loading and freeze-thaw cycles (F-T) on the energy evolution and damage characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) reinforced concrete specimens, impact compression tests were conducted. These tests used a split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus with a diameter of 50 mm and were performed on MWCNTs concrete samples that had undergone different numbers of F-T cycles. The impact pressures applied were 0.40, 0.50, and 0.60 MPa, respectively. The effects of impact pressure and F-T number on the fractal dimension (D_f) of the fractured blocks and absorbed energy (W_s) of MWCNTs concrete were investigated. The results indicate that the D_f of the fractured blocks in MWCNTs concrete increases with the increase of impact pressure and F-T number, and under the same experimental conditions, the D_f of MWCNTs concrete is lower than that of ordinary concrete. The variation in W_s is different: the W_s of MWCNTs concrete under impact load increases with increasing impact pressure but decreases with increasing F-T number. Additionally, under the same experimental conditions, the W_s of MWCNTs concrete is greater than that of ordinary concrete. The incorporation of MWCNTs significantly enhances the impact resistance of the concrete.

In order to realize the full resource utilization of ferronickel slag (FNS) in cement-based materials, this paper studied the influences of mechanical grinding activation on the physical and chemical properties and reactivity of ferrous extraction tailing of nickel slag (FETNS). Four grinding processes of 5, 10, 20 and 30 min were set up to evaluate the influence of grinding process on the physical and chemical properties of FETNS with the aid of BET, XRD, Rietveld analysis and particle size distribution. The cement-FETNS composite cementitious material was prepared by replacing cement with 0%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% FETNS. The influence of FETNS fineness and content on the properties of composite cementitious system were characterized by mechanical properties, reaction products, early hydration process and pore structure characteristics. The results show that the grinding process can effectively improve the pozzolanic activity of FETNS. The compressive strength of FETNS-M₃₀ paste is higher than that of FETNS-M₅ paste in the early and late stages, and the later strength is higher than that of the baseline group when the content of FETNS-M₃₀ is 10%–25%. The pozzolanic activity of FETNS-M₃₀ powder is significantly improved and higher than that of FETNS-M₅ powder. Under the same content, the Ca/Si ratio of C-S-H gel in FETNS-M₃₀ paste is small, and the degree of silicate polymerization is higher. When the FETNS-M₃₀ content is 10%, the proportions of favorable pores d<50 nm (harmless pores and less-harmful pores) of FETNS-M₅ paste and FETNS-M₃₀ paste is 95.3% and 95.4%, respectively, indicating a denser pore structure of the FETNS-M₃₀ paste.

In this essay, by summarizing the research progress and achievements of various scholars at home and abroad in recent years on the material properties and corrosion resistance of magnesium phosphate cement (MPC), we review the factors influencing on the properties of MPC, and analyze the effects of raw materials, retarders, and admixtures on the properties of MPC. Two different hydration mechanisms of MPC are discussed, and finally the research progress of MPC in the field of anti-corrosion coatings for steel and ordinary concrete (OPC) is highlighted, and suggestions and prospects are given.

Green-emitting iridium (III) complexes were synthesised using chlorobridged dimer(ppy)₂Ir₂Cl₂(ppy)₂, 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-γ-pyranone,2-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyranone, and 5-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,4-pyranone as the auxiliary ligand. The structure of the target product was characterised by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy(¹H-NMR), infrared spectroscopy(IR) and mass spectrometry(MS), and its thermal stability, photophysical properties and electrochemical properties were investigated. The results show that the decomposition temperatures of Ir1, Ir2 and Ir3 are 3 49, 292 and 200 °C, respectively. The maximum emission wavelength of Ir1, Ir2 and Ir3 dissolved in dichloromethane is 491 nm. The HOMO energy level of Ir1, Ir2 and Ir3 are 5.39, −5.38, and −5.30 eV. The LUMO energy levels are −2.86, −2.85, and −2.80 eV, respectively.

Separating oil/water mixtures via superhydrophobic stainless steel mesh (SSM) is a kind of efficient methods of treating oily wastewater, and the superhydrophobic SSM with a low cost, simple fabrication process and robust usability remains a challenge. Herein, urushiol-based benzoxazine (U-D) with a strong substrate adhesion and low surface free energy was used to anchor SiO₂ particles on the SSM surface to obtain a durable superhydrophobic SSM (PU-D/SiO₂/SSM) through a simple dip-coating process, meanwhile, epoxy resin was also introduced to further improve the adhesion between coating and SSM. PU-D/SiO₂/SSM could successfully separate various immiscible oil-water mixtures with a separation efficiency of over 96% and a flux up to 27 100 L/m² h only by gravity, respectively. Especially, the modified SSM could effectively remove water from water-in-oil emulsion with a separation efficiency of 99.7%. Moreover, PU-D/SiO₂/SSM had an outstanding reusability, whose water contact angle and separation efficiency only slightly decreased after 20 cycles of separating oil/water mixture. In addition, the modified SSM also displayed a satisfactory abrasion resistance, chemical stability and self-cleaning property. Thereby, the robust PU-D/SiO₂/SSM prepared by cheap raw materials and facile dip-coating method exhibits a high potential for separating oil/water mixtures.

Aiming at solve the difficulty and low dimensional accuracy in bending titanium alloy specimens at room temperature, we proposed a compound energy field (CEF) with laser and ultrasonic forming method. Through the conventional bending, laser-assisted energy field bending and CEF-assisted bending experiments on TC4 titanium alloy, the effects of bending force, laser-assisted energy field and CEF on the springback angle and fillet radius of TC4 titanium alloy specimens in V-shape bending were analyzed. The impact of the CEF-assisted bending process on the microstructure of TC4 titanium alloy was also investigated. The results show that CEF-assisted bending process has the advantages of high energy density, simple operation process and small influence area of the microstructure performances. It is effective in reducing the springback and fillet radius of bending specimens. Thus, CEF-assisted bending effectively improves the formability and surface quality of titanium alloy specimens.

A novel type of microcapsule-encapsulated corrosion inhibitor was prepared in a water-based solution with a pH range of 7–8, and it was applied to the composite organic coating of magnesium alloy plasma electrolytic oxidation to enhance its corrosion resistance and self-healing properties. The morphology, chemical composition, structure, and functional properties of the composite coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), polarization curve, alternating current impedance, and salt immersion test. The experimental results showed that, after immersion in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for 12 h, the coating could effectively protect AZ91D from corrosion. When the coating was damaged, the exposed alloy surface would release metal ions in the corrosive environment and react with the corrosion inhibitor 8-hydroxyquinoline to form a Mg(8-HQ)₂ chelate, exhibiting significant self-healing behavior. The study results demonstrate the broad application prospects of microcapsule technology in the coating field, providing new ideas for the development of efficient anti-corrosion coatings.

This paper presented a novel and environmentally friendly approach for recovering platinum group metals (PGMs) from spent automotive exhaust catalysts. The study employed lead slag and waste graphite electrodes as raw materials, incorporating CaO as an additive to fine-tune the slag’s viscosity and density. By reducing FeO in the lead slag using waste graphite electrodes, pure Fe was obtained, effectively trapping the PGMs from the exhausted catalysts. The study explored the effects of reductant addition, trapping duration, slag basicity, and trapping temperature on the recovery rate of PGMs. The results indicated that a maximum recovery rate of 97.86% was achieved when the reductant was added at 1.5 times the theoretical amount, with a trapping duration of 60 minutes, a slag basicity of 0.7, and a trapping temperature of 1 600 °C. This research offered a greener pathway for the recovery of PGMs from spent automotive exhaust catalysts.

a-N curves of fatigue crack growth of U20Mn bainite rail after different heat treatment process were studied (The temperature is cooled from 900 to 20 °C, the cooling rate was 0.5 °C/s, 1 °C/s and salt bath isothermal respectively), the Paris formula of fatigue crack growth was fitted linearly, and the material parameters C and n were measured. The results show that the sample with cooling rate of 0.5 °C/s has the fastest crack growth rate, and the sample with salt bath isothermal has the slowest crack growth rate. The coarse M/A islands with irregular shape in bainite structure with cooling rate of 0.5 °C/s has poor resistance to fatigue crack propagation, which is not conducive to improving the fatigue performance. However, the sample with salt bath isothermal has longer fatigue life. Due to the combination of bainitie lamellar and retained austenite distributed between them, the salt bath isothermal sample can effectively improve the strength and toughness of bainite steel. The sample with cooling rate of 0.5 °C/s is mainly composed of granular bainitie structure, and the fatigue crack growth trajectory is generally gentle without large angle deflection, the sample with salt bath isothermal is mainly composed of bainite lamellar structure, and the fatigue crack growth trajectory is not straight, with a large number of Z-shaped deflection. The fatigue cracks are prone to produce branch cracks at the stress concentration of propagation deflection, and the branch crack consumes the energy of the main fatigue cracks, thus reducing the fatigue crack growth rate and improving fatigue life.

To further enhance the properties of high-entropy alloy (HEAs) and enable its potential applications, we employed a combination approach involving ball milling and induction melting to fabricate in-situ TiC reinforced composites within the FeMnNiCo high entropy alloy matrix. The effect of TiC content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were studied. It was observed that in-situ formed TiC did not induce any phase transition, maintaining the FCC structure of the high-entropy alloy matrix. As the volume fraction of TiC increased, both the number and size of TiC particles increased, leading to agglomeration in morphology. By introducing 5 vol% of TiC in the composites, a significant enhancement in ultimate tensile strength (609.2 MPa) and yield strength (349.1 MPa), corresponding to a respective increase by 32% and 46% compared to the matrix, was achieved; meanwhile, an elongation value as high as 45% was obtained. This combination of exceptional tensile strength and good plasticity is attributed to synergistic effects from orowan mechanism and solid solution strengthening.

We prepared curcumin (Cur)/carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CD) complex by grinding method. According to the characteristics of the tumor microenvironment, a pH-responsive nanogel loaded with Cur was designed and prepared (by CM-β-CD and chitosan) and consequently characterized by DLS, TEM, FTIR, ¹H NMR, SEM, etc. In vitro release results show that Cur-loaded Chitosan-CM-β-CD nanogel (Cur-CS-CM-β-CD) released Cur rapidly under acidic conditions, and its cumulative release rate is 41%, 56% and 67% at pH 7.4, 6.5 and 5.5, respectively. The cell inhibition rate of Cur-CS-CM-β-CD on MCF-7 cell lines was detected by the MTT assay. The results suggest the cell inhibition rate of Cur-CS-CM-β-CD is (50.2±2.5)% at 10 µM, (98.3±1.2)% at 40 µM and (97.5±1.2)% at 80 µM, respectively. It is revealed that the pH-responsive nanogel loaded Cur can effectively inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells and has the potential for clinical application.