There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

http://sistemas.eel.usp.br/docentes/arquivos/2166002/1234Nb/Geetha-review2009.pdf

Ti based biomaterials, the ultimate choice for orthopaedic implants – A review

There is a special reason for reviewing this book at this time: it is the 50th edition of a compendium that is known and used frequently in most chemical and physical laboratories in many parts of the world. Surely, a publication that has been published for 56 years, withstanding the vagaries of science in this century, must have had something to offer. There is another reason: while the book is a standard fixture in most chemical and physical laboratories, including those in medical centers, it is not as frequently seen in the laboratories of physician's offices (those either in solo or group practice). I believe that the Handbook can be useful in those laboratories. One of the reasons, among others, is that the various basic items of information it offers may be helpful in new tests, either physical or chemical, which are continuously being published. The basic information may relate

Handbook of Chemistry and Physics

The science and technology of ultracapacitors are reviewed for a number of electrode materials, including carbon, mixed metal oxides, and conducting polymers. More work has been done using microporous carbons than with the other materials and most of the commercially available devices use carbon electrodes and an organic electrolytes. The energy density of these devices is 3¯5 Wh/kg with a power density of 300¯500 W/kg for high efficiency (90¯95%) charge/discharges. Projections of future developments using carbon indicate that energy densities of 10 Wh/kg or higher are likely with power densities of 1¯2 kW/kg. A key problem in the fabrication of these advanced devices is the bonding of the thin electrodes to a current collector such the contact resistance is less than 0.1 cm2. Special attention is given in the paper to comparing the power density characteristics of ultracapacitors and batteries. The comparisons should be made at the same charge/discharge efficiency.

Ultracapacitors: Why, How, and Where is the Technology

This article presents an overview of the developments in stainless steels made since the 1990s. Some of the new applications that involve the use of stainless steel are also introduced. A brief introduction to the various classes of stainless steels, their precipitate phases and the status quo of their production around the globe is given first. The advances in a variety of subject areas that have been made recently will then be presented. These recent advances include (1) new findings on the various precipitate phases (the new J phase, new orientation relationships, new phase diagram for the Fe–Cr system, etc.); (2) new suggestions for the prevention/mitigation of the different problems and new methods for their detection/measurement and (3) new techniques for surface/bulk property enhancement (such as laser shot peening, grain boundary engineering and grain refinement). Recent developments in topics like phase prediction, stacking fault energy, superplasticity, metadynamic recrystallisation and the calculation of mechanical properties are introduced, too. In the end of this article, several new applications that involve the use of stainless steels are presented. Some of these are the use of austenitic stainless steels for signature authentication (magnetic recording), the utilisation of the cryogenic magnetic transition of the sigma phase for hot spot detection (the Sigmaplugs), the new Pt-enhanced radiopaque stainless steel (PERSS) coronary stents and stainless steel stents that may be used for magnetic drug targeting. Besides recent developments in conventional stainless steels, those in the high-nitrogen, low-Ni (or Ni-free) varieties are also introduced. These recent developments include new methods for attaining very high nitrogen contents, new guidelines for alloy design, the merits/demerits associated with high nitrogen contents, etc.

Recent developments in stainless steels

Nitrogen-bearing types 304 and 316 stainless steels thermally aged at 823, 873 and 923 K for various durations were investigated to understand the relation between the sensitized microstructure (intergranular corrosion) and pitting corrosion resistance The sensitized microstructure was assessed as per ASTM A262 practice A (electrolytic etch test) and electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (EPR) tests; and pitting corrosion resistance was evaluated in an acidic chloride medium by potentiodynamic anodic polarization method The results indicated that the pitting resistance decreased as the degree of sesitization increased, and this was attributed to the formation of a heterogeneous microstructure consisting of Cr-rich M23C6 carbides, Cr-depleted regions and the carbide/matrix interfaces resulting from the sensitizing treatment Pitting attack was found at triple points, grain boundaries and precipitate/matrix interfaces Time-temperature-sensitization-pitting diagrams were developed for both the alloys based on the results, interrelating the sensitized microstructure and the pitting attack

Relationship between Pitting and Intergranular Corrosion of Nitrogen-bearing Austenitic Stainless Steels

Reliable performance and profitability are two important require- ments for any chemical industry. In order to achieve high level of reliability and excellent performance, several issues related to design, materials selection, fabrication, quality assurance, transport, storage, inputs from condition moni- toring, failure analysis etc. have to be adequately addressed and implemented. Technology related to nondestructive testing and monitoring of the plant is also essential for precise identification of defect sites and to take appropriate remedial decision regarding repair, replacement or modification of process conditions. The interdisciplinary holistic approach enhances the life of critical engineering components in chemical plants. Further, understanding the failure modes of the components through the analysis of failed components throws light on the choice of appropriate preventive measures to be taken well in advance, to have a control over the overall health of the plant. The failure analysis also leads to better design modification and condition monitoring methodologies, for the next generation components and plants. At the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, a unique combination of the expertise in design, materials selection, fabrication, NDT development, condition monitoring, life prediction and failure analysis exists to obtain desired results for achieving high levels of reliability and performance assessment of critical engineering components in chemical industries. Case studies related to design, materials selection and fabrication aspects of critical components in nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, NDT development and condition monitoring of various components of nuclear power plants, and important failure investigations on critical engineering components in chemical and allied industries are discussed in this paper. Future directions are identified and planned approaches are briefly described.

http://repository.ias.ac.in/1360/1/1360.pdf

Meeting the challenges related to material issues in chemical industries

http://jes.ecsdl.org/content/159/11/C552.full.pdf

U. Kamachi Mudali

Papers

Relationship between Pitting and Intergranular Corrosion of Nitrogen-bearing Austenitic Stainless Steels

Meeting the challenges related to material issues in chemical industries

Self-Healing Corrosion Resistive Coatings Based on Inhibitor Loaded TiO2 Nanocontainers

Corrosion behaviour of carbon materials exposed to molten lithium chloride–potassium chloride salt

Wear and tribocorrosion behaviour of 304L SS, Zr-702, Zircaloy-4 and Ti-grade2