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As the information age progresses, the electronics industry is evolving towards smaller and more sophisticated products. However, electrostatic potentials easily penetrate these components, causing damage. This underscores the urgent need for materials with superior antistatic properties to safeguard electronic devices from such damage. Antistatic coatings typically rely on polymers as the primary material, enhanced with conductive fillers and additives to improve performance. Despite significant progress, these coatings still face challenges related to advanced processing technologies and the integration of electrical and mechanical properties. Among various conductive fillers, the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS stands out for its exceptional conductivity, environmental stability, and long cycle life. Additionally, epoxy resin (EP) is widely utilized in polymer coatings due to its strong adhesion to diverse substrates during curing. Here, we develop highly conductive and strongly adhesive PEDOT:PSS inks by combining PEDOT:PSS with EP using a composite engineering approach. These inks are used to fabricate PEDOT:PSS coatings by direct ink writing (DIW). We systematically evaluate the DIW of PEDOT:PSS-EP coatings, which show high electrical conductivity (ranging from 0.59 ± 0.07 to 41.50 ± 3.26 S cm−1), strong adhesion (ranging from 15.84 ± 2.18 to 99.3 ± 9.06 kPa), and robust mechanical strength (8 MPa). Additionally, we examine the surface morphology, wettability, and hardness of the coatings with varying PEDOT:PSS content. The resultant coatings demonstrate significant potential for applications in antistatic protection, electromagnetic shielding, and other flexible electronic technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploitation of clean and efficient fire extinguishing materials has substantial implications for improving disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief capabilities, maintaining public safety, and protecting people's lives and property as well as the natural environment. Natural polymer hydrogel with high water containment, excellent film formation, high heat insulation, ecofriendliness, and degradability has huge potential in achieving new breakthroughs for developing clean and efficient fire extinguishing materials and products. In recent years, the exploitation of hydrogel extinguishing materials and the fabrication of products has attracted great attention, gradually replacing traditional fire extinguishing products. In this perspective, an in-depth review of the evolution of hydrogels applied for fire extinguishing and prevention is presented. Firstly, the extinguishing principles of hydrogel extinguishants are explained. Secondly, the preparation strategies and evaluation system of the hydrogel extinguishants are emphatically discussed. Although great progress has been made in developing high-performance hydrogel extinguishants, it remains challenging to develop cost-effective, degradable, and easy-to-use hydrogel extinguishants. Additionally, we highlight the importance of considering the commercial aspects of hydrogel extinguishants. Looking into the future, hydrogel extinguishants are promising, but continued investment in research and development is necessary to overcome the challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before steel can be utilized, pickling is necessary to remove surface oxidation products. However, as the ferrous ion concentration in the pickling solution increases, the pickling rate significantly diminishes, necessitating the treatment of spent pickling solution (SPS) to mitigate its hazardous effects prior to disposal. Current industrial methods predominantly rely on neutralization and precipitation techniques, which are cost-prohibitive and generate substantial by-products, thus failing to meet environmental protection standards. In this study, a new method, which is based on the formation of FeC2O4·2H2O precipitate in a strong acid solution, is proposed to treat the SPS. Initially, the SPS undergoes a two-step impurity removal process, followed by the controlled addition of oxalic acid dihydrate (H2C2O4·2H2O) to precipitate iron. The resulting precipitate is filtered, washed, and vacuum-dried, and the regenerated acid is recycled back into the pickling tank. When 1 g/10 mL of H2C2O4·2H2O is used, the iron removal rate achieves 60%, and the acidity of the regenerated acid increases by 11.3%. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and thermogravimetric–differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) characterization showed that the precipitate was α-FeC2O4·2H2O, with an average particle size of about 3.19 μm and a purity of 95.24%. This process innovatively achieves efficient recycling of acid and iron resources, offering a potential solution to the industrial challenge of difficult SPS treatment in the steel industry and meeting the urgent need for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-entropy alloys (HEAs), which were introduced as a pioneering concept in 2004, have captured the keen interest of numerous researchers. Entropy, in this context, can be perceived as representing disorder and randomness. By contrast, elemental compositions within alloy systems occupy specific structural sites in space, a concept referred to as structure. In accordance with Shannon entropy, structure is analogous to information. Generally, the arrangement of atoms within a material, termed its structure, plays a pivotal role in dictating its properties. In addition to expanding the array of options for alloy composites, HEAs afford ample opportunities for diverse structural designs. The profound influence of distinct structural features on the exceptional behaviors of alloys is underscored by numerous examples. These features include remarkably high fracture strength with excellent ductility, antiballistic capability, exceptional radiation resistance, and corrosion resistance. In this paper, we delve into various unique material structures and properties while elucidating the intricate relationship between structure and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion of steel materials has become a global issue, causing significant socio-economic losses and safety concerns. Hot-dip galvanizing is currently one of the most widely used steel anti-corrosion processes. With the rapid advancement of science and technology and emerging industries, the performance of pure galvanized products struggles to meet the demands of practical applications in various environments. Consequently, researchers have begun introducing various metals into the zinc solution to form high-performance alloy coatings. This article primarily explains the process flow of hot-dip galvanizing and the impact of metal elements such as Al, Mg, Sn, and Bi on the coating, as well as outlining the major issues currently faced by the hot-dip galvanizing process. The objective is to offer a more comprehensive introduction to those new to the field of hot-dip galvanizing and to provide theoretical insights for addressing production issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AlxCoCrFeNi2.1 (x = 0, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.3) multi-component high-entropy alloy (HEA) was synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), The impact of the percentage of Al on crystal structure transition, microstructure evolution and mechanical properties were studied. Crystal structure was investigated by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results show that with the increasing of Al content, the crystal structure of the alloys gradually transformed from a nanocrystalline phase of FCC to a mix of FCC and BCC nanocrystalline. The hardness was found to increase steadily from 433 HV to 565 HV due to the increase in fraction of BCC nanocrystalline phase. Thus, the compressive fracture strength increased from 1702 MPa to 2333 MPa; in contrast, the fracture strain decreased from 39.8% to 15.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanoparticles have excellent lubricating properties, however, they are less involved in metal protection. In this study, easily prepared candle soot was added to electroless nickel-phosphorus plating as a re-enforcement particle. Ball-disc friction and wear tests were conducted to evaluate the wear-resistance capabilities of the electroless Ni-P coating and Ni-P-CS (Candle Soot) composite coatings. The parameters for the friction coefficient, wear amount, and friction morphology of the Ni-P-CS composite coatings were studied after being heat-treated (300 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C, and 600 °C). The surface morphology and phase composition of the Ni-P-CS composite coatings after thermal treatment at various temperatures were also investigated. The results are as follows: heat treatment strengthens the local hardness of the Ni-P-CS composite coating but does not further enhance wear resistance. Compared with the Ni-P coating and the heat-treated Ni-P-CS composite coating, the Ni-P-CS composite coatings without heat treatment have a lower friction coefficient (0.35) and better wear resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precipitation behaviors of the topologically close-packed (TCP) phases in the bicrystal DD5 superalloy have been investigated. The results showed that the [001] crystallographic orientations are consistent with that of adjacent grains; however, the direction of the needle-like TCP phases is not consistent with that of the γ phase channels. The angle between needle-like TCP phases and γ phase channels is 45°, but the angle between the needle-like TCP phases of the adjacent grains is equal to the misorientation of the adjacent grains. Furthermore, during long-term aging, the needle-like TCP phases gradually decompose and transform into globular and short rod-like phases. The TCP phases precipitate preferentially in the dendrite. It is difficult to precipitate at the interdendrite/grain boundary, which is caused by the segregation of the constituent elements of the TCP phase to the dendrite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although steel slag exhibits cementitious properties, the addition of steel slag in cement is still limited due to both the presence of excess iron oxides and instability of free lime and periclase. This paper proposes a method for oxidizing molten slag in air, aiming at extraction of superfluous wustite and stabilization of free lime and periclase. Mineralogical characteristics of raw slag and modified products were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy equipped with backscattered electron imaging (SEM-BEI), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Thermodynamic calculations were performed to aid to discuss the experimental results. The results indicate that non-magnetic wustite and periclase are transformed into magnetic spinel (magnetite/magnesioferrite) after oxidation. Temperature has a significant effect on the formation of spinel. The mass fraction of free lime decreases from 3.54 wt.% to 0.96 wt.% as a result of the conversion from free lime to calcium ferrite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sintering process of belite sulphoaluminate cement (CSA 1 The abbreviations used in this essay are listed as below: belite sulphoaluminate cement = CSA, ordinary Portland cement = OPC, C = CaO, S = SiO 2 , A = Al 2 O 3 , F = Fe 2 O 3 , S ¯ = SO 3 , H = H 2 O. 1 ) clinker is still not clear to date. Besides, there are few reports concerning producing CSA by recycled BOF slag. Therefore, the sintering process of CSA was investigated from this perspective and the results can be a reference for BOF slag disposal. Four kinds of CSA clinkers with different additions of BOF slag were sintered at 1300 °C for 30 min. The sintering process was traced by heating microscope and the characteristics were analyzed by XRD, SEM-EDS and TAM Air. The results showed that the sintering degree of CSA clinker could be predicted by analyzing its sintering process. Furthermore, BOF slag could improve the melting state of CSA clinkers due to its composition containing iron oxide, manganese oxide and magnesium oxide. However, expansion was detected when the temperature reached 420 °C, which was arose by combined factors, namely volatilization of CO 2 decomposed from MgCO 3 and the thermal expansion of raw materials itself. The rational ratios of C 2 S, C 4 A 3 S ¯ , C 4 AF in CSA clinker with 14% BOF slag as raw material stood at 50%, 30%, 20% and its early hydration behavior was better than that of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) at the initial 16 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]