Utilizing Binary Phase Segregation and Extrusion to Enhance the Electronic Properties of Graphene Nanocomposites.

Our goal in this study is to incorporate graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in a polymer blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and isotactic polypropylene (iPP) to facilitate the dispersion of GNPs and use the morphology of phase segregation to create a pathway for concentrating GNPs to achieve percolation with lower GNP concentration. Investigating the interfacial properties between PLA/GNPs and iPP/GNPs, we noticed that iPP has a lower contact angle on GNPs compared to PLA on GNPs. This showed a great potential that the GNP are easily confined in iPP rather than in PLA domains or at the PLA/PP interfaces.

In-Situ Analysis of Corrosion Products in Molten Salt: X-ray Absorption Reveals Both Ionic and Metallic Species.

Understanding and controlling the chemical processes between molten salts and alloys is vital for the safe operation of molten-salt nuclear reactors. Corrosion processes in molten salts are highly dependent on the redox potential of the solution that changes with the presence of fission and corrosion processes, and as such, reactor designers develop electrochemical methods to monitor the salt. However, electrochemical techniques rely on the deconvolution of broad peaks, a process that may be imprecise in the presence of multiple species that emerge during reactor operation.

Disorder in HoTi Zr O: pyrochlore to defect fluorite solid solution series.

Pyrochlore (ABO) is an important, isometric structure-type because of its large variety of compositions and structural derivatives that are generally related to different disordering mechanisms at various spatial scales. The disordering is key to understanding variations in properties, such as magnetic behavior or ionic conduction. Neutron and X-ray total scattering methods were used to investigate the degree of structural disorder in the HoTi Zr O ( = 0.

Irradiation-Dependent Helium Gas Bubble Superlattice in Tungsten.

The implantation of noble gas atoms into metals at high gas concentrations can lead to the self-organization of nanobubbles into superlattices with symmetry similar to the metal host matrix. Here, we examine the influence of implantation parameters on the formation and structure of helium gas bubble superlattices within a tungsten host matrix to uncover mechanistic insight into the formation process. The determination of the size and symmetry of the gas bubbles was performed using a combination of small angle x-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy.