Ni catalysts with Mo promoter for methane steam reforming

NiO/Al(2)O(3) catalyst precursors were prepared by simultaneous precipitation, in a Ni:Al molar ratio of 3:1, promoted with Mo oxide (0.05, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 wt%). The solids were characterized by adsorption of N(2), XRD, TPR, Raman spectroscopy and XPS, then activated by H(2) reduction and tested for the catalytic activity in methane steam reforming. The characterization results showed the presence of NiO and Ni(2)AlO(4) in the bulk and Ni(2)AlO(4) and/or Ni(2)O(3) and MoO(4)(-2) at the surface of the samples. In the catalytic tests, high stability was observed with a reaction feed of 4:1 steam/methane. However, at a steam/methane ratio of 2: 1, only the catalyst with 0.05% Mo remained stable throughout the 500 min of the test. The addition of Mo to Ni catalysts may have a synergistic effect, probably as a result of electron transfer from the molybdenum to the nickel, increasing the electron density of the catalytic site and hence the catalytic activity. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mapping the hot deformation microstructure of Ni-30Fe alloy

The evolution of structure during the hot working of an austenitic Ni-30%Fe alloy is studied using EBSD analysis of samples tested in torsion. A microstructural map in temperature-strain space that plots grain size, cell size, fracture and dynamic recrystallization is presented.

The influence of heat treatment on the corrosion behaviour of as-spun amorphous Al88Ni6La6 alloy in 0.01 M NaCl solution

The effect of the heat treatment on the corrosion behaviour of amorphous Al₈₈Ni₆La₆ made by melt-spun has been investigated by electrochemical measurements. Heat treatment was carried out at 523 K and 673 K for 4 min and 15 min respectively. The evolution of the crystallization process after annealing was identified by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) as well as X-ray diffraction. The XRD patterns show that the structure of samples heat-treated at higher temperature changes towards a crystal state. The results obtained from the polarization curves reveal that all Al₈₈Ni₆La₆ alloys exhibit spontaneously passivated behaviour. Furthermore, it is noted that the partially crystallized alloy has the best corrosion resistance in comparison with as-spun amorphous and fully crystallized alloys, while the fully crystallized sample shows deterioration in the corrosion resistance.

Processing and mechanical properties of porous Ti-Mo alloy for biomedical applications

Titanium and some of its alloys are well accepted as load-bearing implant materials due to their excellent mechanical properties, superior corrosion resistance, and outstanding biocompatibility. However, solid implant materials may suffer from the problems of adverse tissue reaction, biomechanical mismatch and lack of new bone tissue ingrowth ability. In the present study, porous titanium-molybdenum (Ti-Mo) alloy was fabricated by the space-holding sintering method. The pore size, pore shape and porosity can be controlled through choosing appropriate space-holding particle materials. Electron scanning microscopy (SEM) was used for the characterisation of the porous Ti-Mo alloy. The mechanical properties of the porous Ti-Mo alloy samples were investigated by compressive tests. Results indicated that the porous Ti-Mo alloy provides promising potential for new implant materials with new bone tissue ingrowth ability and mechanical properties mimicking those of natural bone.

Dynamic recrystallization of austenite in Ni-30 Pct Fe model alloy : microstructure and texture evolution

The microstructure and crystallographic texture development in an austenitic Ni-30 pct Fe model alloy was investigated within the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) regime using hot torsion testing. The prominent DRX nucleation mechanism was strain-induced grain boundary migration accompanied by the formation of large-angle sub-boundaries and annealing twins. The increase in DRX volume fraction occurred through the formation of multiple twinning chains. With increasing strain, the pre-existing Σ3 twin boundaries became gradually converted to general boundaries capable of acting as potent DRX nucleation sites. The texture characteristics of deformed grains resulted from the preferred consumption of high Taylor factor components by new recrystallized grains. Similarly, the texture of DRX grains was dominated by low Taylor factor components as a result of their lower consumption rate during the DRX process. The substructure of deformed grains was characterized by “organized,” banded subgrain arrangements, while that of the DRX grains displayed “random,” more equiaxed subgrain/cell configurations.

Texture evolution and softening processes in an austenitic Ni-30Fe alloy subjected to hot deformation and subsequent annealing

The current work has investigated the texture development in an austenitic Ni-30Fe model alloy during deformation within the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) regime and after post-deformation annealing. Both the deformed matrix and DRX texture displayed the expected FCC shear components, the latter being dominated by the low Taylor factor grains, which was presumably caused by their lower consumption rate during DRX. The deformed matrix grains were largely characterized by organized, microband structures, while the DRX grains showed more random, complex subgrains/cell arrangements. The latter substructure type proved to be significantly less stable during post-deformation annealing. The recrystallization of the deformed matrix occurred through nucleation and growth of new grains fully replacing the deformed structure, as expected for the classical static recrystallization (SRX). Unlike the DRX grains, the SRX texture was essentially random. By contrast, a novel softening mechanism was revealed during annealing of the fully DRX microstructure. The initial post-dynamic softening stage involved rapid growth of the dynamically formed nuclei and migration of the mobile boundaries in line with the well-established metadynamic recrystallization (MDRX) mechanism, which weakened the starting DRX texture. However, in parallel, the sub-boundaries within the deformed DRX grains progressively disintegrated through dislocation climb and dislocation annihilation, which ultimately led to the formation of dislocation-free grains. Consequently, the weakened DRX texture largely remained preserved throughout the annealing process.

Substructure and texture characteristics of the deformed matrix and dynamically recrystallized grains in a Ni-30%Fe austenitic alloy

The substructure and crystallographic texture characteristics of both the deformed matrix and dynamically recrystallized (DRX) grains were investigated in a Ni-30%Fe austenitic model alloy subjected to hot torsion. Deformation was performed at a temperature of 1000°C using strain rates of 1, 0.1 and 0.01 s-1, which produced a range of DRX grain sizes. Electron back-scattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were employed in the investigation. Both the deformed matrix and DRX grains revealed the texture components expected for simple shear deformation by crystallographic slip. The texture of DRX grains was dominated by low Taylor factor components as a result of their lower consumption rate during growth of these grains. There was a marked difference in the substructure characteristics between the deformed matrix and DRX grains regardless of the grain size and orientation. The deformed matrix substructure was largely characterized by organized, banded subgrain arrangements with alternating misorientations. By contrast, the substructure of DRX grains was generally more random in character and displayed complex, more equiaxed subgrain/cell arrangements characterized by local accumulation of misorientations. Based on the experimental observations, a mechanism of the distinct substructure development within DRX grains has been proposed.

Comparative study of ni effect on the corrosion behavior of low alloy steels in FGD and acid rain environments

The alloying effect of a small amount of nickel on low alloy steel for application to flue gas desulfurization(FGD) systems was studied. The structural characteristics of the rust layer were investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The electrochemical properties were examined by means of potentiostatic polarization test, potentiodynamic polarization test, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) in a modified green death solution of 16.9 vol.% H2SO4+0.35 vol.% HC1 at 60°C and an acid rain solution of 6.25 X 10-5 M H2S04+5.5 X 10-3 M NaCl at room temperature. It was found that as the amount of nickel increased, the corrosion rate increased in the modified green death solution, which seemed to result from micro-galvanic corrosion between NiS and alloy matrix. In acid rain solution, the corrosion rate decreased as the amount of nickel increased due to the repulsive force of NiFe204 rust against Cl-ions by electronegativity.

Orientation dependence of the substructure characteristics in a Ni- 30%Fe austenitic alloy deformed in hot torsion

The present work examines the microstructure and texture evolution in a Ni-30wt.%Fe austenitic model alloy deformed in torsion at 1000 °C, with a particular emphasis on the orientation dependence of the substructure characteristics within the deformed original grains. Texture of these grains was principally consistent with that expected for simple shear and comprised the main A, B and C components. The deformation substructure within the main texture component grains was characterised by "organised" arrays of parallel microbands with systematically alternating misorientations, locally accompanied by micro-shear bands within the C grains. With increasing strain, the mean subgrain size gradually decreased and the mean misorientation angle concurrently increased towards the saturation. The stored deformation energy within the main texture component grains was principally consistent with the respective Taylor factor values. The microband boundaries corresponded to the expected single slip {111} plane for the A oriented grains while these boundaries for the C oriented grains represented a variety of planes even for a single grain.