Small additions of nanofiber materials make it possible to change the properties of polymers. However, the uniformity of the additive distribution and the strength of its bond with the polymer matrix are determined by the surface of the nanofibers. Silanes, in particular, allow you to customize the surface for better interaction with the matrix. The aim of our work is to study an approach to silanization of nanofibers of aluminum oxide to obtain a perfect interface between the additive and the matrix. The presence of target silanes on the surface of nanofibers was shown by XPS methods. The presence of functional groups on the surface of nanofibers was also shown by the methods of simultaneous thermal analysis, and the stoichiometry of functional groups with respect to the initial hydroxyl groups was studied. The number of functional groups precipitated from silanes is close to the number of the initial hydroxyl groups, which indicates a high uniformity of the coating in the proposed method of silanization. The presented technology for silanizing alumina nanofibers is an important approach to the subsequent use of this additive in various polymer matrices.

The technological inspection of the electrolyte composition in aluminum production is performed using calibration X-ray quantitative phase analysis (QPA). For this purpose, the use of QPA by the Rietveld method, which does not require the creation of multiphase reference samples and is able to take into account the actual structure of the phases in the samples, could be promising. However, its limitations are in its low automation and in the problem of setting the correct initial values of profile and structural parameters. A possible solution to this problem is the application of the genetic algorithm we proposed earlier for finding suitable initial parameter values individually for each sample. However, the genetic algorithm also needs tuning. A self-configuring genetic algorithm that does not require tuning and provides a fully automatic analysis of the electrolyte composition by the Rietveld method was proposed, and successful testing results were presented.

Eco-friendly polymer composites in the form of granules based on biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) with the inclusion of montmorillonite (MMT) from 5 to 50 wt% were prepared by solution-casting and melt extrusion. The physicochemical properties of the composite granules were studied using FTIR spectroscopy, XRDA, DSC, and TGA methods. The paper presents comparative values of crystallinity of composite granules which depend on the method of measuring (XRDA, DSC). It was shown that the crystallinity of PCL/MMT granules was affected by the preparation method and by the MMT content, and that with increase in MMT content, crystallinity increased by up to 61–67%. The change in crystallinity of the granules also affected its biodegradation in soil. At the end of exposure in soil, the mass loss for the granules prepared by solution-casting was more than 90%, whereas for the composite granules prepared by extrusion it was less than 60%. Applying melt extrusion enabled obtaining intercalated composites with predictable features, whereas only mixed-structure microcomposites could be prepared by solution-casting.

Separation of graphite particles from impurities while preserving the graphite’s flaky structure during processing is an essential challenge in graphite beneficiation. Thermal grinding of cryptocrystalline graphite, as proposed by A. D. Dmitriev, is a promising approach to address this challenge. This research was aimed to identify the optimal thermal grinding parameters for graphite that maximize the separation of cryptocrystalline graphite particles from impurity minerals without compromising the graphite’s flaky morphology. Graphite ore samples from the Kureiskoye deposit with a particle size fraction of –20+15 mm were used for this research. The optimal thermal grinding conditions selected for the work included maintaining the graphite temperature at 800–850 °C for 20 minutes, with an initial graphite moisture content of 5 %. Thermally ground graphite with a particle size of –0.2+0.16 mm, exhibiting a carbon content of 91–95 % and a crystallinity degree of 39.5 %, has been identified as the most promising fraction for new products. The isolated fraction of thermally ground graphite meets the specifications for graphite grade GT-2 under GOST 17022–81, with an ash content not exceeding 8.2 %, moisture content of 0.58 %, sulfur content of 0.06 %, iron content of 0.78 %, and no detectable volatile substances. The yield of the –0.2+0.16 mm fraction is approximately 10 %, with 20–30 % consisting of barren ore that can be effectively utilized as a filler in concrete mixes, while the remaining graphite can be used in metallurgical applications. Successful separation of the flaky component from cryptocrystalline graphite through thermal grinding significantly broadens the range of thermally ground graphite-based products, including the production of crucibles for melting metals and alloys.