Formability is the ability of a material to undergo plastic deformation without being damaged. In sheet metal forming, materials are known to experience deformation in biaxial stretch mode. In order to simulate the common failure strains in sheet metal forming process, numerous formability test methods can be used. A material’s formability can be altered in several ways, one of which is post-weld heat treatment. In this study, the effect of post-weld heat treatment on the formability of aluminum alloy 6061 and SAE1020 mild steel tailor welded blanks fabricated by friction stir welding was evaluated using limiting dome height test. It was found that the specimens which underwent post-weld heat treatment recorded a lower springback and higher value of plane strain, indicating a better formability. The improved formability is attributed to microstructural homogenization, defects elimination, residual stresses relieve and IMC layer growth control from the post-weld heat treatment process.
A system-level strategy is presented to achieve high charging efficiency in triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG)-supercapacitor (SC) hybrid devices, with a focus on frequency response design.
This study reveals that the high-frequency characteristics of SCs and the prolonged output pulse duration of TENGs are critical for achieving high charging efficiency.
A three-dimensional hollow-structured MXene is synthesized as a high-frequency SC electrode material, demonstrating a twofold increase in charging efficiency compared to conventional SCs.
Biological deposition is commonly observed on wooden shipwrecks. This study employs analytical techniques, including optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier infrared transform spectroscopy (FTIR), to investigate the microscopic morphology and structural composition of barnacles and their adhesion to the wooden surface of the Yangtze Estuary II shipwreck. Results indicate that microorganisms like diatoms and Trichoderma spp. were present at the interface between the barnacles and the wooden surface. These microorganisms played a crucial role in the formation of SiO2, CaHPO4•2(H2O), FeO(OH) and CaCO3. Specifically, the bio-mineralized cell walls of diatoms and their cellular contents, including polyphosphates, provided the necessary Si and P for SiO2 and CaHPO4•2(H2O), respectively. Furthermore, during their metabolic processes, diatoms and Trichoderma spp. supply dissolved Fe ions, which contribute to the formation of FeO(OH) on the wooden surface. This study elucidates four types of bio-mineralized products resulting from microbial activity on the salvaged wooden shipwreck.
Chemoexcited Photodynamic Therapy
Inspired by the ancient Chinese myth of “Hou Yi Shooting the Suns,” the cover features a striking representation where the largest sun symbolizes the healthy eye, while others represent diseased eyes impacted by neovascularization. The arrows, representing the synthesized NCCR drug, target corneal neovascularization, offering a potential treatment to restore sight and improve eye health. More details can be found in article number 2411030 by Changlong Wang, Hua Gao, and co-workers.
Intermetallic Compounds
In article number 2408889, Suresh Bhargava and co-workers showed that intermetallic compounds offer great potential for hydrogen storage. This review examines their synthesis, structural properties, and key factors like void volume, lattice structure, and hydride formation enthalpy, providing insights into optimising their performance for low-temperature hydrogen storage applications.
Supercapacitors
In article number 2406369, Ebrahim Alhajri, Nilesh R Chodankar, Tae Jung Park, and co-workers designed a longevous protic hybrid supercapacitor based on 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene anode and Prussian Blue Analogue nanocomposite NiHCC/rGO cathode was designed, and the device demonstrated maximum specific energy and power of 38 Wh kg−1 and 20.67 kW kg−1, respectively, with no loss of capacitance throughout 15,000 cycles of charge-discharge test.
The significance and challenges associated with high-sulfur loading and lean electrolytes in lithium–sulfur batteries are comprehensively reviewed.
Catalytic properties of MXenes-based electrocatalysts are optimized via d-band center tuning, internal electric field constructing, single-atom seeding, and cocktail effects introducing.
The structure–activity relationships between MXenes-based electrocatalysts and lithium–sulfur battery performances are comprehensively summarized.