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Thermochemical heat storage (THS) systems have recently attracted a lot of attention in research and development. In this study, an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template, fabricated by a two-step anodization method, was used for the first time as the matrix material for a THS system. Different salts were studied as thermochemical materials for their suitability in low-grade heat storage application driven by solar energy for an open system. Compositions were prepared by absorbing CaCl2, MgCl2, LiCl, LiNO3 and mixtures of these salts under a vacuum in an AAO matrix. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy was used to examine the morphology of the produced AAO composites. Thermal energy storage capacities of the composites were characterized using a differential scanning calorimeter. Characterization analysis showed that anodized Al plates were suitable matrix materials for THS systems, and composite sorbent prepared with a 1:1 ratio LiCl/LiNO3 salt mixture had the highest energy value among all composites, with an energy density of 468.1 kJ·kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ni-B-Mo coating on steel by electroless plating and the evaluation of the morphology and corrosion performance after applying heat treatments at different temperatures for 1 h were investigated in this study. The 25-μm-thick coating was uniform and adhesion between the substrate and the coating was good. The coating consisted of an amorphous-like structure in their as-plated condition, and after annealing at 400 °C for 1 h, crystallized nickel, nickel borides, and molybdenum carbide were formed. Immersion tests in 10% HCl solution and potentiodynamic polarization measurements in 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution were applied to investigate corrosion resistance. The corrosion performance of heat-treated coatings was compared with steel and the as-plated coating. By increasing the annealing temperature, corrosion potential shifted toward a noble direction, corrosion current density decreased and the weight loss of specimens decreased, demonstrating an increase in corrosion resistance. Best corrosion performance was achieved by the coating heat treated at 550 °C . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]