In this study, varying contents of ultrafine bamboo-char (UFBC) were introduced into PLA/bamboo particle (BP) biocomposites as new reinforcements to improve the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of the biocomposites. The new strategy was aiming to realize the synergistic effects of reinforcement and toughening of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites through a simple method without surface modification and other additives. The maximum tensile strength, modulus, and elongation at break of 45.20 MPa, 540.50 MPa, and 7.53% were reached at 5.0 wt% UFBC content, which were slightly lower than those of pure PLA. The maximum modulus of elasticity of the ternary biocomposites was 5316.1 MPa at 5.0 wt% UFBC content, which was approximately 2 times higher than the pure PLA. Impact strength reached a maximum value of 38.56 J/m when the UFBC content was 5 wt%, and improved by 376% compared with pure PLA of 7.88 J/m. Meanwhile, compared with the PLA/BP binary composite of 20.50 J/m, it improved 88%. A concrete-like microstructure system was achieved (i.e., cement, sand, and rebar corresponding to PLA, UFBC, and BP, respectively).

Herein, we report the detailed optoelectronic characteristics of low cost fabricated pristine and 1, 5, 10, and 15 wt% Mg-doped ZnO films on the FTO substrate (MZO/FTO) through the spin coating technique. High crystallinity and single phase of the film were confirmed by X-ray diffraction investigation. The average crystallite size was in the range of 46–78 nm. Homogeneous distribution of Mg doping in ZnO was approved by elemental mapping analysis. The fiber-like surface morphology was confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy analysis. Optical transparency was observed in the range of 40–80% for the fabricated films. The optical band gaps for direct and indirect transitions obtained from Tauc’s relation are in the range of 3.103–3.283 eV and 2.423–2.968 eV, respectively. It is also observed that the energy gap of MZO films decreases with an increase in Mg doping from 1 to 15%. The respective stable values of absorption and refractive indices are obtained in the range of ∼0.036–0.088 and ∼1.71–2.1. The linear and nonlinear optical susceptibilities as well as the nonlinear refractive index values were calculated. Additionally, Z-scan measurement was carried out at 532 nm wavelength. The nonlinear absorption coefficient and the imaginary part of third-order nonlinear susceptibility were estimated and corresponding values are obtained in the range of 0.35–123 (×10−5) cm/W and 0.084–29.7 (×10−8) e.s.u., respectively. Moreover, the optical limiting threshold values were obtained in the range of 2.57–6.34 kJ/cm2. The MZO/FTO films are showing strong optical limiting behavior compared to pristine. The output results suggest that MZO films are better contenders for optoelectronic applications.

The 2Cr13/316L multilayered composite plates were fabricated by hot rolling with recycle heating step. The effect of rolling reductions on microstructure and properties was investigated. The 2Cr13 layer consists of martensite and lath ferrite, but the middle layer has less ferrite than both sides. The content and grains of ferrite increase with the increase of the reduction and number of reheating, which leads to a decrease in the hardness of the 2Cr13 layer. The hardness of the 2Cr13 layer is determined by the volume ratio of martensite and ferrite. Tensile strength of the specimens with the rolling reduction of 72% and 82% reached 815.8 MPa and 763.4 MPa, while elongations were 20% and 20.8%, respectively. With the increase of the rolling reduction, the fracture mode also changed from cleavage fracture to dimple fracture. There were no cracks and delamination when the 2Cr13/316L composite plate bent to 130° and 180°, which indicated better interfacial bonding.

The strong interactions between Mg and Ni/NiH4 are attributed to harsh operating conditions and difficulties for H2 release, restricting the practical applications of the Mg-based hydrides. In this study, a new method of interstitial nonmetals co-doping was proposed to reduce the strong interactions. The calculation results showed that the method of interstitial nonmetals co-doping causes a more significant reduction in the thermal stability of Mg-based hydrides, as compared with the methods of either single transition metal or nonmetal doping. To determine the influence mechanism, a theoretical study was conducted based on the first-principles calculations. The computations demonstrated that the criss-cross action between B–Ni and N–Mg bonds weakens the bonding effects between Mg and Ni/NiH4. Besides, the mutual interactions between nonmetals and H atoms could weaken Ni–H bonding effects and stimulate the breaking of stable NiH4 clusters, thereby facilitating the release of H2 from the hydride.

Activated carbon (AC) has been widely used as catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in air-cathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Here we demonstrate a new method to improve the AC air-cathode by blending it with reduced graphene oxide (rGO). rGO sheets are first deposited on Ni foam and AC is then brushed onto it with controlled mass loading. rGO sheets not only improve the electrical conductivity of AC, but also provide a large number of ORR areas. Rotating ring disk electrode measurements reveal that the number of transferred electrons at rGO-AC cathode is 3.5, indicating the four-electron pathway is the dominant process. Significantly, the MFC with rGO-AC cathode delivers a maximum power density of 2.25 ± 0.05 W/m2, which is substantially higher than that of plain AC cathode (1.35 ± 0.07 W/m2) and those for other air-cathode MFCs using AC as ORR catalyst under the same mass loading.

High entropy alloys are multicomponent alloys, which consist of five or more elements in equiatomic or nearly equiatomic concentrations. These materials are hypothesized to show significantly decreased self-diffusivities. For the first time, diffusion of all constituent elements in equiatomic CoCrFeNi and CoCrFeMnNi single crystals and additionally solute diffusion of Mn in the quaternary alloy is investigated using the radiotracer technique, thereby the tracer diffusion coefficients of 57Co, 51Cr, 59Fe, 54Mn, and 63Ni are determined at a temperature of 1373 K. The components are characterized by significantly different diffusion rates, with Mn being the fastest element and Ni and Co being the slowest ones. Furthermore, solute diffusion of Cu in the CoCrFeNi single crystal is investigated in the temperature range of 973–1173 K using the 64Cu isotope. In the quaternary alloy, Cu is found to be a fast diffuser at the moderate temperatures below 1273 K and its diffusion rate follows the Arrhenius law with an activation enthalpy of about 149 kJ/mol.

Highly ordered wrinkling morphologies of liquid crystalline polymer films are demonstrated based on simple multi-rubbing. The spontaneous pattern formation of periodic wrinkling morphology is achieved through utilizing plasma treatment on a predefined alignment layer. The multi-directional ordering on the alignment layer obtained through selectively covering the alignment layer with a protective layer, which is chemically inert and keeps alignment properties during another rubbing process. The ordering of the wrinkle pattern can be tailored through a molecular orientation of liquid crystal (LC) and a process condition, including film thickness, plasma treatment, and rubbing. The proposed methods enable the spontaneous pattern formation of well-aligned one- or two-dimensionally periodic microstructures over a large area, without an additional template or patterning steps. Since the LC polymer incorporated the optical anisotropic mesogenic groups into polymer chains, it has an optical birefringence in the film and it can be utilized for optical devices requiring a microstructure on a surface.

Carbon is doped into a CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy as an interstitial atom, improving the single phase solid solution alloy with a good combination of strength and ductility at room temperature by introducing deformation twins. In situ neutron diffraction (ND) is applied to investigate the carbon-doped CoCrFeMnNi deformation mechanism and micromechanical behaviors during uniaxial tension at room and elevated temperatures. With in situ results accompanied with the microstructure and texture measurement, it is found that the plastic deformation is dominated by dislocation slip at an early stage at both temperatures. However, at high strain level, deformation is mediated simultaneously by deformation twins and microbands at room temperature, while it is governed solely by microbands at elevated temperature of 573 K. The evolution of lattice strain, peak intensity, and peak width from in situ ND elucidates the micromechanical behaviors regarding the role of slips and twins. The texture represented by orientation distribution function indicates that the initial specimen possesses a relatively strong {112}〈110〉 texture component, and the room-temperature tension deformed texture comprises of slip-induced fiber texture and twinning-induced {115}〈552〉 texture component.

Carbon-doped titania was fabricated via carbothermal treatment in nitrogen–acetylene gas flow and further used as a precursor for multiwalled titanate nanotube (TNT) synthesis via alkaline hydrothermal route. Investigation of the reaction products after hydrothermal treatment of carbon-doped titania using Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method shows the successful formation of TNTs. The presence of carbon was proved although the type of incorporation could not be certified. All samples show approximately the same carbon content before and after hydrothermal treatment. An increasing pretreatment temperature of titania precursor powders yields more secondary products in the nanotube samples, indicating lower reactivity of the titanium oxycarbide phase during hydrothermal treatment. In this study, TNTs with 6 wt% carbon and with the highest specific surface area of 340 m2/g were formed via hydrothermal treatment of carbon-doped titania precursor powder exposed to 700 °C during carbothermal pretreatment.