Recent Patents on Materials Science - Volume 8, Issue 3, 2015

As representative non-contact optical techniques, Moiré methods have been extensively used to visualize deformation distributions of materials, arrangements of structures, and shape features of objects in research and industrial fields. This article overviews the up-to-date developments of Moiré techniques and applications to in-plane and out-of-plane deformation measurement, planar structure characterization and three-dimensional shape analysis based on recently published patents. The planar periodic structure parameters, alignment accuracies, overlay errors, defects as well as distortions, and document security are able to be accurately detected. The heights or depths, three-dimensional shapes, three-dimensional surface profiles or topographies, and surface flatness are also effectively obtainable. The phase-shifting technique and the color technique have been used to improve the measurement accuracy. Further developments of Moiré techniques are promoted by the demands of high-accuracy, extremely small- or large-scale, multi-scale, dynamic, high-temperature, three-dimensional, and on-line measurements.

In the recent years, a number of patents have been developed to improve grinding techniques that will be beneficial to the environment. Among them, nanofluid minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) has emerged as the extremely significant aspect in grinding because of environmentally friendly, energy efficient and cost-effective properties. One patent is about a supply system for the grinding fluid in nano-particle jet MQL, which produced MQL lubricant by adding solid nanoparticles in degradable grinding fluid. During grinding process, grinding fluid could be served in lubrication, cooling, cleaning and rust prevention, thus enabling to prolong service life of the grinding wheel, protect workpiece processing quality and precision, improve production efficiency, and lower cost. In considering of environmental protection, low carbon, processing performance and economical efficiency, flood grinding could not adapt to the concept of green manufacturing and sustainable development any longer. The clean and pollution-free MQL grinding technique has attracted wide research attentions. Particularly, with the continuous development of nanotechnology, nanofluid MQL grinding which combines nanotechnology and MQL grinding technique further improves the poor cooling effect of MQL grinding and becomes the frontier research topic of grinding process. This paper describes research progresses of nanofluid MQL grinding mainly from different nanofluids, different base oil, different nanofluid concentrations and efflux parameters, and proposes the development trend of nanofluid MQL grinding.

Electronic ceramics have been widely investigated because of their useful properties for various applications. These ceramics exhibit excellent properties such as dielectric, piezoelectric, semiconducting, pyroelectric, electro-optic, magnetic, and superconducting properties. They are usually produced via the conventional mixed oxide route. Raw materials are mixed before calcining. The calcined powder is then pressed into green pellets. The green pellets are sintered for densification and grain growth. The reaction-sintering process for preparing electronic ceramics is simple and effective. Calcination of the conventional mixed oxide route is conducted in the heating up period. Therefore, the calcination and the following pulverization are bypassed, saving both time and expense. This review paper examines reports about electronic ceramics prepared via the reaction-sintering process and recent patents also.

Soft magnetic composites (SMCs) have the advantages of high permeability as silicon steel sheet and low eddy current loss as ferrite core, and have more extensive application for magnetic core. Insulation coating technology is one of the key processes for SMCs. This paper is a review on patents and scientific research literatures related to insulation coating materials and coating technologies for SMCs. The insolution coating materials include organic, inorganic, mixture and new type coating treatment, especially inorganic includes mineral acids or salts coating, nano oxide coating and magnetic substance coating. Finally, the development on insulation coating technology for SMCs is also discussed.

Controlling the water adhesion is fundamental for various applications such as in water harvesting or liquid transportation. In nature, superhydrophobic properties (high apparent contact angles (Θ) and low water adhesion) as well as parahydrophobic properties (high Θ and high water adhesion) are present in flora and fauna. Here, in order to reproduce parahydrophobic properties, nanostructured conducting polymers are elaborated by electropolymerization of 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene (ProDOT) bearing phenyl groups. The use of phenyl groups allows to reduce the polymer surface energy in comparison to long fluorocarbon of hydrocarbon chains. We show that various fibrous morphologies as well as parahydrophobic properties can be controlled with the used electrolyte. This work is also important with the aim to replace long perfluorocarbon chains due to their bioaccumulative potential. This work also opens new doors to patent these kinds of materials and to envisage their commercialization.

The Nanocomposite graphite/epoxy material has a high mechanical tensile strength after improving, its Young's modulus substantially strengthening the matrix with nano-particles of graphite. Few patents on the absorption of water by a nanocomposite were published. In this study, we investigate the influence of the absorption of water by the matrix on the fiber matrix interface damage. Our contribution is related to the development of an analytical model based on a genetic approach, using a basic model formalism of Weibull, the model of Cox and the laws diffusion of water in a polymer, where the damage was located by a non-linear acoustic technical. The results show that the rate humidity at 60% does not affect the fiber matrix interface damage of graphite epoxy nanocomposite compared to the other composite materials carbon-epoxy (T300/914) and Polyétheréthercétone (PEEK/APC2) whose interface damage increase to 0.2. Therefore, our findings revealed that the model worked well with the phenomenon of damage to unidirectional composite and nanocomposite materials.

Transparent conductive aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films had been prepared on glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering with different sputtering powers using an ultra- high density ceramic target at 100°C Crystallinity levels, microstructures, optical and electrical properties of these thin films were systematically investigated by the scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction diffractometer, UV-visible spectrophotometer and four-point probe method. All the AZO thin films exhibited preferential orientation along the (0 0 2) plane with hexagonal wurtzite structure. The average transmittance of the thin films is over 86%, the highest transmittance 88.97% and the lowest resistivity 3x10-4Ω·cm are simultaneously obtained at 200W. With the sputtering power increase, the grain growth was deteriorated and the resistivity increased from 3x10-4Ω·cm to 2.5x10- 3Ω·cm. The band gaps of AZO films range from 3.81eV to 3.89eV. This article discussed some important patents related to the methods of depositing AZO thin films.