The interest in superhydrophobic surfaces has grown exponentially over recent decades. Since the lotus leaf dual hierarchical structure was discovered, researchers have investigated the foundations of self-cleaning behavior. Generally, surface micro/nanostructuring combined with low surface energy of materials leads to extreme anti-wetting properties. The great number of papers on this subject attests the efforts of scientists in mimicking nature to generate superhydrophobicity. Besides the thirst for knowledge, scientists have been driven by the many possible industrial applications of superhydrophobic materials in several fields. Many methods and techniques have been developed to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces, and the aim of this paper is to review the recent progresses in preparing manmade superhydrophobic surfaces.

Recent advances in designing superhydrophobic surfaces.

In β titanium alloys, the β stabilizers segregate easily and considerable effort has been devoted to alleviate/eliminate the segregation. In this work, instead of addressing the segregation problems, the segregation was utilized to develop a novel microstructure consisting of a nanometre-grained duplex (α+β) structure and micrometre scale β phase with superior mechanical properties. An as-cast Ti-9Mo-6W alloy exhibited segregation of Mo and W at the tens of micrometre scale. This was subjected to cold rolling and flash annealing at 820 oC for 2 and 5 mins. The solidification segregation of Mo and W leads to a locally different microstructure after cold rolling (i.e., nanostructured β phase in the regions rich in Mo and W and plate-like martensite and β phase in regions relatively poor in Mo and W), which play a decisive role in the formation of the heterogeneous microstructure. Tensile tests showed that this alloy exhibited a superior combination of high yield strength (692 MPa), high tensile strength (1115 MPa), high work hardening rate and large uniform elongation (33.5%). More importantly, the new technique proposed in this work could be potentially applicable to other alloy systems with segregation problems.

/pdf/segregation-mediated-heterogeneous-structure-in-a-metastable-2xv5g80sro.pdf

Segregation mediated heterogeneous structure in a metastable β titanium alloy with a superior combination of strength and ductility

The mechanical properties of ex-situ and in-situ metallic glass matrix composites (MGMCs) have proven to be both scientifically unique and of potentially important for practical applications. However, the underlying deformation mechanisms remain to be studied. In this article, we review the development, fabrication, microstructures, and properties of MGMCs, including the room-temperature, cryogenic-temperature, and high-temperature mechanical properties upon quasi-static and dynamic loadings. In parallel, the deformation mechanisms are experimentally and theoretically explored. Moreover, the fatigue, corrosion, and wear behaviors of MGMCs are discussed. Finally, the potential applications and important unresolved issues are identified and discussed.

/pdf/metallic-glass-matrix-composites-4gwn3l3aoz.pdf

Metallic glass matrix composites

Thermodynamics and kinetics of phase transformation in rare earth–magnesium alloys: A critical review

Photocatalysis is an ecofriendly technique that emerged as a promising alternative for the degradation of many organic pollutants. The weaknesses of the present photocatalytic system which limit their industrial applications include low-usage of visible light, fast charge recombination, and low migration ability of the photo-generated electrons and holes. Therefore, various elements such as noble metals and transition metals as well as non-metals and metalloids (i.e., graphene, carbon nanotube, and carbon quantum dots) are doped into the photocatalyst as co-catalysts to enhance the photodegradation performance. The incorporation of the co-catalyst which alters the photocatalytic mechanism was discussed in detail. The application of photocatalysts in treating persistent organic pollutants such as pesticide, pharmaceutical compounds, oil and grease and textile in real wastewater was also discussed. Besides, a few photocatalytic reactors in pilot scale had been designed for the effort of commercializing the system. In addition, hybrid photocatalytic system integrating with membrane filtration together with their membrane fabrication methods had also been reviewed. This review outlined various types of heterogeneous photocatalysts, mechanism, synthesis methods of biomass supported photocatalyst, photocatalytic degradation of organic substances in real wastewater, and photocatalytic reactor designs and their operating parameters as well as the latest development of photocatalyst incorporated membrane.

An overview of photocatalytic degradation: photocatalysts, mechanisms, and development of photocatalytic membrane

Twin recrystallization mechanisms and exceptional contribution to texture evolution during annealing in a magnesium alloy

https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/portal/files/55244960/Gao_et_al_Deformation_mechanisms_Acta_Materialia.pdf

Dikai Guan

Papers

Segregation mediated heterogeneous structure in a metastable β titanium alloy with a superior combination of strength and ductility

Twin recrystallization mechanisms and exceptional contribution to texture evolution during annealing in a magnesium alloy

Deformation mechanisms in a metastable beta titanium twinning induced plasticity alloy with high yield strength and high strain hardening rate

Individual effect of recrystallisation nucleation sites on texture weakening in a magnesium alloy: Part 1- double twins

Basal slip mediated tension twin variant selection in magnesium WE43 alloy