ABSTRACT
Development of high-performance cutting tool materials is one of the critical parameters enhancing the surface finishing of high-speed machined products. Ti(C,N)-based cermets reinforced with and without different contents of silicon nitride were designed and evaluated to satisfy the requirements. In fact, the effect of silicon nitride addition to Ti(C,N)-based cermet remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of Si3N4 additive on microstructure, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of Ti(C,N)-based cermet cutting tools. In the present work, α-Si3N4 "grade SN-E10" was utilized with various fractions up to 6 wt.% in the designed cermets. A two-step reactive sintering process under vacuum was carried out for the green compact of Ti(C,N)-based cermet samples. The samples with 4 wt.% Si3N4 have an apparent solid density of about 6.75 g/cm3 (relative density of about 98 %); however, the cermet samples with 2 wt.% Si3N4 exhibit a superior fracture toughness of 10.82 MPa.m1/2 and a traverse rupture strength of 1425.8 MPa. With an increase in the contents of Si3N4, the Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of Ti(C,N)-based cermets have an inverse behavior trend. The influence of Si3N4 addition on thermal stability is clarified to better understand the relationship between thermal stability and mechanical properties of Ti(C,N)-based cermets.
ABSTRACT
Nanocrystalline alumina-zirconia-based eutectic ceramics fabricated with high-energy beams and composed of ultrafine, three-dimensionally entangled, single-crystal domains are a special category of eutectic oxides that exhibit exceptionally high-temperature mechanical properties, such as strength and toughness as well as creep resistance. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review on the basic principles, advanced solidification processes, microstructure and mechanical properties of alumina-zirconia-based eutectic ceramics, with particular attention to the status of the art on a nanocrystalline scale. Some basic principles of coupled eutectic growth are first introduced based on previously reported models, followed by concise introduction of solidification techniques and the control strategy of solidification behavior from the processing variables. Then, the microstructural formation of nanoeutectic structure is elucidated with regard to different hierarchical scales, and mechanical properties such as hardness, flexural and tensile strength, fracture toughness and wear resistance are discussed in detail for a comparative study. Nanocrystalline alumina-zirconia-based eutectic ceramics with unique microstructural and compositional characteristics have been produced with high-energy beam-based processes, and in many cases, promising improvements in mechanical performance have been reported as contrasting with conventional eutectic ceramics.
ABSTRACT
Surface reactions occurring on LiMn2O4, LiCoO2, LiNiO2, Li[Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3]O2, and LiFePO4 during charging and overcharging are studied by in situ and ex situ Auger electron spectroscopy. Carbon surface stability at the cathode solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI), associated with carbonate formation, decomposition, and CO/CO2 evolution, on different electrodes during cycling correlates with their cycle life. To understand how associated CO and CO2 evolution affects cycle stability, LiMn2O4 is cycled in flowing gas. Flowing Ar enhances cycle life by a factor of 2, while flowing Ar with 1% CO2 reduces cycle life by a factor of 2. CO2 is proposed to degrade cycle life by trapping Li and metal ions as carbonate in the anode SEI.
ABSTRACT
A facile co-electrodeposition method has been developed to fabricate reduced graphene oxide/polypyrrole (rGO/PPy) composite films, with sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate as both a surfactant and supporting electrolyte in the precursor solution. The introduction of rGO into the PPy films forms porous structure and enhances the conductivity across the film, leading to superior electrochemical performance. By controlling the deposition time and rGO concentration, the highest area capacitance can reach 411 mF/cm2 (0.2 mA/cm2) for rGO/PPy films, whereas optimized specific capacitance is as high as 361 F/g (0.2 mA/cm2). All of the composite films exhibit excellent rate capability (at least 175 F/g at the current density of 12 mA/cm2) compared with pure PPy film (only 12 F/g at the current density of 12 mA/cm2). The rGO/PPy composite exhibits excellent cycling stability that maintains 104% of its initial capacitance after cycling for 2000 cycles and 80% for 5000 cycles. The two-electrode solid-state supercapacitor (SC) based on rGO/PPy composite electrodes demonstrates good rate performance, excellent cycling stability, as well as a high area capacitance of 222 mF/cm2. The solid-state planar SC based on the rGO/PPy composite exhibits an area capacitance of 9.4 mF/cm2, demonstrating great potential for fabrication of microsupercapacitors.
