Degradation of alkali-activated slag subjected to water immersion

In this study, the impacts of tap water immersion on the pore solution, phase assemblages, gel chemistry and structure, and pore structure of alkali-activated slag (AAS) pastes were studied. AAS degrades under such condition and the potential mechanisms can be concluded as lower reaction rates, gel decomposition and carbonation. The leaching...

Experimental and numerical study on the mitigation of autogenous shrinkage of cementitious material

This study experimentally investigated the effects of surfactants and water-repelling agents on the hydration process, relative humidity, and mechanical properties of Portland cement pastes. Based on the measurement results, the degree of hydration, degree of saturation, capillary tension of autogenous shrinkage, and magnitude of autogenous...

A Plant-inspired Light Transducer for High-performance Near-infrared Light Mediated Gas Sensing

Constructing near-infrared light (NIR) light-enhanced room temperature gas sensors is becoming more promising for practical application. In this study, learning from the structure and photosynthetic process of chlorophyll thylakoid membranes in plants, the first “Thylakoid membrane” structural formaldehyde (HCHO) sensor is constructed by...

Thermal deformation and stress of alkali-activated slag concrete under semi-adiabatic condition: Experiments and simulations

This study investigates the deformation of free and stress of restrained alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC), respectively, under semi-adiabatic condition. The concrete shows first thermal expansion, which is compensated soon by autogenous shrinkage. The subsequent cooling down of the concrete aggravates shrinkage and development of tensile...

A Series of Ternary Metal Chloride Superionic Conductors for High-Performance All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries

Understanding the relationship between structure, ionic conductivity, and synthesis is the key to the development of superionic conductors. Here, a series of Li_3-3_xM₁₊_xCl₆ (−0.14 < x ≤ 0.5, M = Tb, Dy, Ho, Y, Er, Tm) solid electrolytes with orthorhombic and trigonal structures are...

Temperature-sensing performance of polymer-derived SiAlCN ceramics up to 1000 °C

Temperature sensors that can operate in high-temperature and harsh environments are highly desired. However, this is a great challenge for sensing materials to operate under extreme working conditions because of oxidation and/or corrosion at high temperature. In this study, polymer-derived SiAlCN ceramics were prepared as sensing materials to...

Towards developing a new model for inclusive cities in China: The case of Xiong'an New Area

Along with unprecedented urbanization in the last few decades, cities have experienced rapid social and economic transformation in China. A major challenge facing urban authorities in the immediate future is how to plan and govern cities such that they can serve as inclusive systems where everyone is enabled and empowered to fully participate...

Current and future trends in topology optimization for additive manufacturing

Manufacturing-oriented topology optimization has been extensively studied the past two decades, in particular for the conventional manufacturing methods, for example, machining and injection molding or casting. Both design and manufacturing engineers have benefited from these efforts because of the close-to-optimal and friendly-to-manufacture...