Detonation synthesis of carbon nano-onions via liquid carbon condensation
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to van Buuren, T..
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The widespread use of magnets in actuators, generators and sensors has driven materials optimization research for decades, aiming to match the desirable properties of high remnant magnetization, and a high coercive field, to maximizing the energy product. Currently, Dy-doped NdFeB offers the best values, but its low operating temperature and the supply challenges of Dy are driving a search for alternatives. One such notion is the development of exchange coupled magnets, which combine a high coercivity (hard) magnet with a less coercive (soft) material which has a higher magnetization and no RE content. The strength of this approach is that exchange coupling between the two phases maintains the anisotropy in the soft material at high coercive fields. The result is a composite material with high energy density that can, theoretically, exceed the performance of the pure hard phase for specific architectures. In this experiment we studied two candidate materials for an exchange coupled magnet: NiFeB coated SmCo 5 , and Ni@CoFe 2 O 4 core shell nanoparticles, using element-specific XMCD hysteresis loops to investigate the magnetisation reversal process in these composite systems.
We report the self-irradiation of Pu alloys generates He that is trapped within the metal matrix in the form of He bubbles. The distribution of these He bubbles in δ-phase Pu-Ga alloys exhibits a peak near a radius of 0.7 nm, and this size is remarkably stable as function of time. When annealed, the He bubbles in δ-Pu alloys grow, coarsening the distribution. However, the magnitude of this coarsening is uncertain, as different experimental methods reveal bubbles that differ by at least one order of magnitude. Small-angle x-ray scattering results, which can probe a wide range of bubble sizes, imply only a mild coarsening of the He bubble distribution for an annealing treatment of 425 °C for 24 h, and analysis of the He bubble content suggests that He is actually lost from the bubbles with annealing.
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The dynamics of carbon condensation in detonating high explosives remains controversial. Detonation model validation requires data for processes occurring at nanometer length scales on time scales ranging from nanoseconds to microseconds. A new detonation endstation has been commissioned to acquire and provide time-resolved small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) from detonating explosives. Hexanitrostilbene (HNS) was selected as the first to investigate due to its ease of initiation using exploding foils and flyers, vacuum compatibility, high thermal stability, and stoichiometric carbon abundance that produces high carbon condensate yields. The SAXS data during detonation, collected with 300 ns time resolution, provide unprecedented signal fidelity over a broad q-range. This fidelity permits the first analysis of both the Guinier and Porod/power-law regions of the scattering profile during detonation, which contains information about the size and morphology of the resultant carbon condensate nanoparticles. To bolster confidence in these data, the scattering angle and intensity were additionally cross-referenced with a separate, highly calibrated SAXS beamline. The data show that HNS produces carbon particles with a radius of gyration of 2.7 nm in less than 400 ns after the detonation front has passed, and this size and morphology are constant over the next several microseconds. These data directly contradict previous pioneering work on RDX/TNT mixtures and TATB, where observations indicate significant particle growth (50% or more) continues over several microseconds. The power-law slope is about −3, which is consistent with a complex disordered, irregular, or folded sp{sup 2} sub-arrangement within a relatively monodisperse structure possessing radius of gyration of 2.7 nm after the detonation of HNS.
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Current synthesis methods of nanoporous Cu–C composites offer limited control of the material composition, structure, and properties, particularly for large Cu loadings of ≳20 wt%. Here, we describe two related approaches to realize novel nanoporous Cu–C composites based on the templating of recently developed carbon-nanotube aerogels (CNT-CAs). Our first approach involves the trapping of Cu nanoparticles while CNT-CAs undergo gelation. This method yields nanofoams with relatively high densities of ≳65 mg cm -3 for Cu loadings of ≳10 wt%. Our second approach overcomes this limitation by filling the pores of undoped CNT-CA monoliths with an aqueous solution of CuSO 4 followed by (i) freeze-drying to remove water and (ii) thermal decomposition of CuSO 4 . With this approach, we demonstrate Cu–C composites with a C matrix density of -25 mg cm -3 and Cu loadings of up to 70 wt%. These versatile methods could be extended to fabricate other nanoporous metal–carbon composite materials geared for specific applications.
Complex target structures are necessary to take full advantage of the unique laboratory environment created by inertial confinement fusion experiments. For example, uses-ofignition targets that contain a thin layer of a low density nanoporous material inside a spherical ablator shell allow placing dopants in direct contact with the DT fuel. The ideal foam for this application is a low-density hydrocarbon foam that is strong enough to survive wetting with cryogenic hydrogen, and low enough in density (density less than ~30 mg/cc) to not reduce the yield of the target. Here, we discuss the fabrication foamlined uses-of-ignition targets, and the development of low-density foams that can be used for this application.