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A large number of non-degradable materials have severely damaged the ecological environment. Now, people are increasingly pursuing the use of environmentally friendly materials to replace traditional chemical materials. Polyhydroxyalkonates (PHAs) are receiving increasing attention because of the unique biodegradability and biocompatibility they offer. However, the applications of PHAs are still limited due to high production costs and insufficient study. This project examines the optimal electrospinning parameters for the production of PHA-based fibrous membranes for air filtration. A common biodegradable polyester, Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), was electrospun into a nanofibrous membrane with a well-controlled surface microstructure. In order to produce smooth, bead-free fibers with micron-scale diameters, the effect of the process parameters (applied electric field, solution flow rate, inner diameter of hollow needle, and polymer concentration) on the electrospun fiber microstructure was optimized. The well-defined fibrous structure was optimized at an applied electric field of 20 kV, flow rate of 0.5 mL/h, solution concentration of 12 wt.%, and needle inner diameter of 0.21 mm. The morphology of the electrospun PHBV fibrous membrane was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy were used to explore the chemical signatures and phases of the electrospun PHBV nanofiber. The ball burst strength (BBS) was measured to assess the mechanical strength of the membrane. The small pore size of the nanofiber membranes ensured they had good application prospects in the field of air filtration. The particle filtration efficiency (PFE) of the optimized electrospun PHBV fibrous membrane was above 98% at standard atmospheric pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The influence of yttrium on the corrosion residual strength of an AZ91D magnesium alloy was investigated detailedly. Scanning electron microscope was employed to analyze the microstructure and the fractography of the studied alloys. The microstructure of AZ91D magnesium alloy is remarkably refined due to the addition of yttrium. The electrochemical potentiodynamic polarization curve of the studied alloy was performed with a CHI 660b electrochemical station in the three-electrode system. The result reveals that yttrium significantly promotes the overall corrosion resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy by suppressing the cathodic reaction in corrosion process. However, the nucleation and propagation of corrosion pits on the surface of the 1.0wt.% Y modified AZ91D magnesium alloy indicate that pitting corrosion still emerges after the addition of yttrium. Furthermore, stress concentration caused by corrosion pits should be responsible for the drop of corrosion residual strength although the addition of yttrium remarkably weakens the effect of stress concentration at the tip of corrosion pits in loading process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The effect of corrosion on the tensile behaviour of the 1.0wt.% Ce modified AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated by the immersion of the test bar in 3.5wt.% NaCl aqueous solution for 0, 12, 40, 108, 204, 372 and 468h with the subsequent tensile tests in this paper. The fractography was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that pitting corrosion should be responsible for the drop of the corrosion residual strength within the testing time. The depth of the corrosion pits was statistically and quantitatively obtained by an optical microscopy and the maximal value was recorded as the extreme depth of the corrosion pit. Furthermore, the corrosion residual strength is linearly dependent on the extreme depth of the corrosion pit, which can be attributed to the loss of cross-sectional area and the emergence of stress concentration caused by the initiation and development of corrosion pits. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The corrosion residual strength of the 1.0wt.% Yttrium modified AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated with the pre-corrosion of the samples in 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution at pH 7.0. In order to analyze the effect of corrosion on the tensile strength, scanning electronic microscope (SEM), optical microscope (OM) and camera were used to record the corrosion morphology and fracture texture. The tensile behavior of test sample was performed on an AG-10TA materials test machine. The results reveal that the initiation and development of corrosion pit, which results in the variation of the surface configuration of the test sample and thus leads to the stress concentration at the corrosion pit, is the main reason for the drop of the corrosion residual strength. The corrosion residual strength closely depends on the dimension of the extreme depth of corrosion pit other than the amount of corrosion pits. The variation of the corrosion residual strength follows the regulation of exponential decay from 0 to 204h. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The closed-cell Zn-22Al composite foams reinforced by 3 vol.% Al2O3 short fibers were fabricated with melt foaming method using CaCO3 as blowing agent. The distributions of the short fibers in the composite foams were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the compressive properties of the composite foams were investigated in quasi-static condition. The compression test indicated that Zn–22Al/Al2O3 composite foams show better compressive properties than Zn–22Al alloy foams. The compressive curves of the composite foams exhibit a smooth and no dentate collapse plateau region; the compressive yield stress and energy absorption capacity of the composite foams increase more rapidly than those of Zn–22Al alloy foams with increasing density. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]