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This work aims to quantify the effect of a diamond-like carbon coating (DLC) treatment of aramid fibres and to reveal the conversion of a fibre-level performance leap on the macroscale mechanical behaviour. The DLC-based coating is applied directly to the reinforcement and laminates are infused with an epoxy matrix. After characterisation of the coated surfaces, the performance of the composite is analysed via interlaminar shear testing, fatigue testing and damage tolerance testing, microbond tests, and 3D finite element simulation using a cohesive zone model of the interface. The results show that the coating treatment improves the fatigue life and the S-N curve slope for the laminates, while the residual strength after impact damage and environmental conditioning (water immersion at 60 °C) remains high. The scaling factor to convert the performance on macroscale was determined to be 0.17–0.39 for the DLC-based fibre treatment. publishedVersion

The NEREID project (“NanoElectronics Roadmap for Europe: Identification and Dissemination”) is dedicated to mapping the future of European Nanoelectronics. NEREID’s objective is to develop a medium and long term roadmap for the European nanoelectronics industry, starting from the needs of applications to address societal challenges and leveraging the strengths of the European eco-system. The roadmap will also identify promising novel nanoelectronic technologies, based on the advanced concepts developed by Research Centres and Universities, as well as identification of potential bottlenecks along the innovation (value) chain. Industry applications include Energy, Automotive, Medical/Life Science, Security, loT, Mobile Convergence and Digital Manufacturing. The NEREID roadmap covers Advanced Logic and Connectivity, Functional Diversification (Smart Sensors, Smart Energy and Energy for Autonomous Systems), Beyond-CMOS, Heterogeneous Integration and System Design as well as Equipment, Materials and Manufacturing Science. This article gives an overview of the roadmap’s structure and content., Thanks are extended to the support of the EU, which has been funded the NEREID project as a Cooperation and Support action for three years from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 685559.

The main funding for the FinEstBeAMS beamline has been obtained from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (project “Estonian beamline to MAX-IV synchrotron”, granted to the University of Tartu) and from the Academy of Finland through the Finnish Research Infrastructure funding projects ( FIRI2010 , FIRI2013 , FIRI2014 ). The authors also acknowledge the funding contributions of the University of Oulu , University of Turku , Tampere University of Technology , the Estonian Research Council ( IUT 2-25 , IUT 2-26 , PRG-111 ), as well as the Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustainable energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics” TK141 (2014-2020.4.01.15-0011). The strategic funding of Finnish FIMAX consortium coordinating university , University of Oulu , for beamline personnel is also acknowledged. The authors thank the MAX IV Laboratory for financial and infrastructural support as well as for assistance during the construction of the FinEstBeaMS beamline., FinEstBeAMS is a new materials science beamline at the 1.5 GeV storage ring of the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden. It has been built based on grazing incidence monochromatization of synchrotron light, which allows to cover a remarkably wide excitation energy range from ultraviolet to soft x-rays (4.5–1450 eV). A new mobile luminescence spectroscopy end station has been commissioned with design benefitting from the advantages of a high flux elliptically polarizing undulator light source. We report on the design of the luminescence end station, its technical realization and performance achieved so far. Special attention is paid to the experimental challenges for luminescence spectroscopy under grazing incidence excitation conditions. The first luminescence results obtained demonstrate a reliable performance of the advanced setup at FinEstBeAMS., Eesti Teadusagentuur IUT 2-25,PRG-111,IUT 2-26; European Commission; University of Tartu; Academy of Finland FIRI2010,FIRI2013,FIRI2014; Tampereen Teknillinen Yliopisto; Turun Yliopisto; European Regional Development Fund; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

A highly active anode material for solid oxide fuel cells resistant to carbon deposition is developed. Co-Fe co-doped La 0.5 Ba 0.5 MnO 3- with a cubic-hexagonal heterogeneous stucture is synthesized through the Pechini method. An A-site ordered double perovskite with Co 0.94 Fe 0.06 alloy-oxide core-shell nanoparticles on its surface is formed after reduction. The phase transition and the exsolution of the nanoparticles are investigated with X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The exsolved nanoparticles with the layered double-perovskite supporter show a high catalytic activity. A single cell with that anode and a 300 μm thick La 0.8 Sr 0.2 Ga 0.8 Mg 0.2 O 3 electrolyte layer exhibits maximum power densities of 1479 and 503 mW cm -2 at 850 °C with wet hydrogen and wet methane fuels, respectively. Moreover, the single cell fed with wet methane exhibits a stable power output at 850 °C for 200 h, demonstrating a high resistance to carbon deposition of the anode due to the strong anchor of the exsolved nanoparticles on the perovskite parent. The oxide shell also preserves the metal particles from coking.

This study covers a green method to prepare hybrid lignocellulosic nanopapers by combining wood nanofibres (WNFs) and cellulose nanofibres (CNFs). The WNFs and CNFs behave synergistically to compensate for the drawbacks of each other resulting in enhanced hybrid nanopapers. The draining time of hybrid nanopapers was improved by up to 75% over CNF nanopaper, and the mechanical properties, modulus, strength and elongation, were respectively improved up to 35%, 90% and 180% over WNF nanopaper. Additionally, the water resistance of hybrid nanopapers was considerably improved with a water contact angle of 95°; the neat CNF nanopaper had a contact angle of 52°. The morphology of nanopapers, studied by electron microscopy, indicated that lignin acts as a matrix, which binds the nanofibres together and makes them impervious to external environmental factors, such as high humidity. The reported hybrid nanopapers are 100% bio-based, prepared by a simple and environmentally friendly processing route. Reported hybrid nanopapers can be used in novel applications such as gas barrier membranes and printable electronics.

This paper presents a nonlinear numerical model, which is based on the modified couple stress theory (MCST), and trigonometric shear deformation theory coupled with isogeometric analysis. The present approach captures the small scale effects on the geometrically nonlinear behaviors of functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) micro-plate with four patterns distribution. The equations of motion are established based on a Galerkin weak form associated with von-Karman nonlinear strains. The MCST utilizes only one material length scale parameter to predict the size effect in FG-CNTRC micro-plate, for which its material properties are derived from an extended rule of mixture. The solutions of nonlinear static equation are obtained by using the Newton–Raphson technique and the Newmark time iteration procedure in association with Picard method is assigned to get responses of the nonlinear dynamic problems. In addition, the Rayleigh damping is applied to consider the influence of damping characteristic on the oscillation of FG-CNTRC micro-plates. Comparisons are performed to verify the proposed approach. Afterward, the numerical examples are used to show the effects of the distribution of carbon nanotubes (CNT), their volume fraction, the material length scale parameter and the boundary conditions on the nonlinear static and dynamic behaviors of FG-CNTRC micro-plates.

J.P. Oliveira, R.M. Miranda and Telmo G. Santos acknowledgethe Portuguese Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT, I.P.) for its financial support via the project PEst-OE/EME/UI0667/2014. Telmo G. Santos and R.M. Miranda also acknowledge Project Hi2TRUST, (Refa-3335), supported by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa (Lisb@2020 and Portugal2020). The use of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques for assessing microstructural changes in processed materials is of particular importance as it can be used to assess, qualitatively, the integrity of any material/structure. Among the several NDE techniques available, electrical conductivity measurements using eddy currents attract great attention owing to its simplicity and reliability. In this work, the electrical conductivity profiles of friction stir processed Ti6Al4V, Cu, Pb, S355 steel and gas tungsten arc welded AISI 304 stainless steel were determined through eddy currents and four-point probe. In parallel, hardness measurements were also performed. The profiles matched well with the optical macrographs of the materials: while entering in the processed region a variation in both profiles was always observed. One particular advantage of electrical conductivity profiles over hardness was evident: it provides a better resolution of the microstructural alterations in the processed materials. Moreover, when thermomechanical processing induces microstructural changes that modify the magnetic properties of a material, eddy currents testing can be used to qualitatively determine the phase fraction in a given region of the material. A qualitative relation between electrical conductivity measurements and hardness is observed. authorsversion published

This paper describes the simplified model for burnup-induced fuel rod deformations occurring during base irradiation period, from manufacturing to the beginning of the transient. Model is intended to be used together with a codes that are used for analysis of whole core and plant transients. Model consist of thermal and mechanical parts. Due to the high conductance approximation for the gap conductance, the thermal part of the model can be solved independently from the mechanical model. In this way the use of iterative solvers is avoided and model is simple to implement. Model is verified against FRAPCON simulations and has been integrated to the reactor dynamics code HEXTRAN, in which it provides initial data for fuel behavior module FINIX for transient simulation. Effect of burnup initialization on simulation of reactor transients has been demonstrated with the reactor dynamics code HEXTRAN that uses FINIX as a fuel behavior module.

Sr 2-x Na x FeMo 0.65 Ni 0.35 O 6-δ is synthesized as an anode material for solid oxide fuel cells. The effects of Na on the crystalline phase and electrical properties are investigated. The main perovskite phase changes into a Ruddlesden-Popper structure after reduction when x is less than 0.1, while the material with a higher amount of Na keeps the perovskite structure. FeNi x alloy nanoparticles are exsolved during reduction, in which the content of Ni increases with the rise of Na amount. The surface oxygen vacancy concentration is also influenced by the doping of Na, and the highest value is reached when x is 0.1. Sr 1.9 Na 0.1 FeMo 0.65 Ni 0.35 O 6-δ anode exhibits the highest activity, and a single cell supported by a 300-μm-thick La 0.8 Sr 0.2 Ga 0.8 Mg 0.2 O 3-δ electrolyte layer shows maximum power densities of 1495 and 627 mW cm −2 at 850 °C with H 2 and wet CH 4 as fuels, respectively. The coking resistance of the anode is also improved with Na doping.

International audience; A full mechanical characterisation of three types of 3-D printed lattice cores was performed to evaluate the feasibility of using additive manufacturing (AM) of lightweight polymer-based sandwich panels for structural applications. Effects of the shape of three selected lattice structures on the compression, shear and bending strength has been experimentally investigated. The specimens tested were manufactured with an open source fused filament fabrication-based 3-D printer. These sandwich structures considered had skins made of polypropylene (PP)-flax bonded to the polylactic acid (PLA) lattice structure core using bi-component epoxy adhesive. The PP-flax and the PLA core structures were tested separately as well as bonded together to evaluate the structural performance as sandwich panels. The compression tests were carried out to assess the in-plane and out of plane stiffness and strength by selecting a representative number of cells. Shear band and plastic hinges were observed during the in-plane tests. The shear and three-point bending tests were performed according to the standard to ensure repeatability. The work has provided an insight into the failure modes of the different shapes, and the force-displacement history curves were linked to the progressive failure mechanisms experienced by the structures. Overall, the results of the three truss-like lattice biopolymer non-stochastic structures investigated have indicated that they are well suited to be used for potential impact applications because of their high-shear and out of the plane compression strength. These results demonstrate the feasibility of AM technology in manufacturing of lightweight polymer-based sandwich panels for potential structural uses.

Many companies are developing small modular reactors (SMR), but only few are in a licensing or demonstration phase. Several papers have studied the economy of the SMRs, but district heating studies were carried out without a reference energy system that has a high impact on the results. We modeled NuScale CHP and DHR-400 (heat only) units as a part of a city-level district heating and cooling grid. In the studied reference system, NuScale CHP and DHR-400 look cost-efficient investments with internal rates of return from 7% to 20%. Modeled heat only reactor had better profitability than CHP reactor in almost all cases except when assuming higher than 50 €/MWh electricity prices. Large heat pumps with COP of 3.5 had similar economic performance than studied SMRs. Large heat pumps are less capital intensive than SMRs and easier to accept by public, but their potential is limited by the available heat sources.

Neutral sulphite pulping of softwood as a potential biorefinery was investigated, by producing pulps at two main yield levels (55–65% and 75–85%) under various process conditions and by analysing the composition of the resulting fibre fractions and pulping spent liquors. It was found that both delignification rate and selectivity were enhanced by addition of anthraquinone (AQ 0.1% on o.d. wood) whereas delignification was accelerated by higher temperature (180 °C vs. 170 °C) and initial liquor pH (10 vs. 7). The established conditions preserved significant amount of carbohydrates, especially galactoglucomannan, in the fibres at the selected yield levels. At the yield level of 65%, still over 60% of galactoglucomannan was detected in the pulps whereas 50–70% of lignin was removed. In the spent liquors, lignosulphonates as the principal component represented the possible source of by-product in addition to acetic and formic acids.

For narrow-gap Alloy 52 dissimilar metal welds, the fusion boundary between the ferritic pressure vessel steel and austenitic Ni-base alloy weld metal is the weakest region from fracture mechanical perspective. Producing of the pre-crack for fracture toughness test specimens in the fusion boundary region to determine T 0 is challenging. For pre-cracks further away from the fusion boundary, the brittle fracture initiation does not necessarily occur on the initial crack plane, but rather in the fusion boundary region. This offset in initiation site can increase the measured fracture toughness leading to a nonconservative T 0 estimate. In this study, a method is proposed for correcting the fracture toughness for crack location and obtaining a lower boundary fracture toughness curve. The crack-location correction shows promise for analysing T 0 of specimens with pre-cracks systematically at a significant distance from the weakest region, but with brittle fracture initiation still occurring at the weakest location.

This study proposes an innovative and environment-friendly method for recycling spent lead-acid batteries without SO2 generation. Iron-containing waste was employed as a sulfur-fixing agent to retain sulfur as ferrous matte, which eliminated the generation and emissions of gaseous SO2. This work investigated the thermodynamic and experimental feasibility and conversion mechanism of the method, and evaluated its industrial applicability. A bench-scale test showed direct recoveries of 93.5% and 97.7% in crude lead and ferrous matte for lead and sulfur, respectively. The phase transformation mechanism study indicated that metallic lead from the lead paste was extracted mainly through the sequence of PbSO4 → C / C O PbS → F e 3 O 4 PbO → C / C O Pb. Sulfur in PbSO4 was thus first transferred to PbS and finally fixed as FeS. An industrial-scale pilot campaign was also conducted to confirm the feasibility and reliability of the new process.

Corrosion, wear and tribocorrosion behaviours of leaded tin bronze were examined in simulated seawater using alumina counterbody for tribological contact. Active dissolution of alloy and corrosion product development on surfaces were the dominant corrosion mechanisms. Tribological contact with counterbody removed majority of the products, thus contributing to active dissolution of freshly exposed surface. This wear-induced corrosion mechanism contributed to 45% and 60% of total material losses at the two highest potentials, 50 mV and 250 mV vs. Ag/AgCl. Pure wear of alloy occurred in the form of abrasive wear. At anodic potentials under tribological contact, corrosion raised the friction coefficient as compared to pure wear and increased wear of the alloy. These results are presented and discussed in this paper.

Post-irradiation examination (PIE) in the form of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to characterize the microstructure of several specimens of Zircaloy-2 and Zircaloy-2 plus 1% Nb that had previously underwent in-pile creep testing in the HALDEN reactor. The purpose of the examination was to explore a microstructural basis for an apparent substantially increased rate of hardening over that observed with similar materials in the higher fast-flux environments of the ATR or HFIR, and to investigate the increased creep strength exhibited by the Nb-containing alloy relative to pure Zircaloy-2. The analysis of irradiation-induced defects indicated a higher than expected density, which was consistent with the observed high hardening rate. Modeling based on mean field rate theory suggests the lower neutron flux in the HALDEN reactor results in a higher fraction of irradiation-induced defects being available for sink (loop) nucleation and growth.

Erosion, transport and deposition of wall impurities are major concerns in future magnetic fusion devices, both from the perspective of the fusion plasma and the machine wall. An extensive study on molybdenum transport and deposition performed in the TEXTOR tokamak yielded a detailed deposition map that is ideal for benchmark deposition studies. A qualitative benchmark is attempted in this article with the ASCOT code. We set up a full 3D model of the TEXTOR tokamak and studied the influence of different physical mechanisms and their strengths on molybdenum deposition patterns on the simulated plasma-facing components: atomic processes, Coulomb collisions, scrape-off layer (SOL) profiles, source distribution, marker starting energy, radial electric field strength, SOL flow and toroidal plasma rotation. The outcome comprises 13 simulations, each with 100,000 markers. The findings are: • Toroidal plasma movement, either within the LCFS or as SOL flow, is negligible. • SOL profile and marker starting energy have modest impact on deposition. • Source distribution has a large impact in combination with radial electric field profiles. • The E ⇀ × B ⇀ drift has the highest impact on the deposition profiles.

A ductility-dip-cracking (DDC)-concentrated zone (DCZ) in a width of about 3 mm was observed adjacent to the AISI 316 L/52 Mw fusion boundary (FB) in 52 Mw. The morphology, microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties and corrosion behavior in simulated primary water of DDC/DCZ were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), 3D X-ray tomography (XRT), 3D atom probe (3DAP), slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) testing and thermal dilatometry. The results indicate that DDCs are random-shaped and disc-like cavities with corrugated structure of inner surface and are parallel in groups along straight high-angle boundaries of columnar grains, ranging from micrometers to millimeters in size. Large-size M23C6 carbides dominate on the grain boundaries rather than MC (M=Nb, Ti), and thus the bonding effect of carbides is absent for the straight grain boundaries. The impurity segregation of O is confirmed for the inner surfaces of DDC. The oxide film formed on the inner surface of DDC (about 50 nm) is approximately twice as thick as that on the matrix (about 25 nm) in simulated primary water. The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation to fracture of 52 Mw-DCZ (400 MPa, 450 MPa and 20 %, respectively) are lower than those of 52 Mw-MZ (460 MPa, 550 MPa and 28 %, respectively). The intrinsic high-restraint weld structure, the additional stress/strain caused by the thermal expansion difference between AISI 316 L and 52 Mw as well as the detrimental carbide precipitation and the resulting grain boundary structure all add up to cause the occurrence of DCZ in the dissimilar metal weld.