Porous pure SnO₂ nanofibers (NFs) and La₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs)-embedded porous SnO₂ NFs were successfully synthesized via electrospinning followed by calcination. These materials were systematically evaluated as gas-sensing elements in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) sensors. The La₂O₃ NPs embedded in porous SnO₂ NFs demonstrated superior gas-sensing performance compared to pure SnO₂ NFs. Specifically, the incorporation of La₂O₃ resulted in a 12-fold enhancement in gas-sensing response towards ethanol, significantly improving both sensitivity and selectivity by tuning the carrier concentration and modifying oxygen deficiencies and chemisorbed oxygen levels. Thus, La₂O₃ NPs embedded in SnO₂ NFs present a promising strategy for the development of high-performance ethanol gas sensors.

In this study, tin oxide (SnO₂)/polyaniline (PANI) composite nanowires (NWs) with varying amounts of PANI were synthesized for carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas sensing at room temperature (RT, 25 °C). SnO₂ NWs were fabricated via the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) method, followed by coating with PANI. CO₂ sensing investigations revealed that the sensor with 186 μL PANI exhibited the highest response to CO₂ at RT. Additionally, the optimized sensor demonstrated excellent selectivity for CO₂, long-term stability, and reliable performance across different humidity levels. The enhanced sensing performance of the optimized sensor was attributed to the formation of SnO₂-PANI heterojunctions and the optimal PANI concentration. This study underscores the potential of SnO₂-PANI composites for CO₂ detection at RT.

In this paper, the ballistic damage mechanism and residual bearing capacity of ceramic/backing plate armor were investigated. First, a series of lightweight armors were prepared, consisting of ceramic and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber-reinforced resin matrix composite (UHMWPE) plates, and were wrapped in a high-strength fabric. Then, the ceramic/UHMWPE armors were hit by one or two bullets, and finally subjected to compression testing. The results showed that the main failure mode of integral ceramic/UHMWPE armors was ceramic brittle fracture. Many zigzag patterns on the compression curve indicated that the specimens had undergone the stages of crack propagation, ceramic fragment reorganization, plastic deformation of UHMWPE backing plate, interlaminar tearing, and overall fracture. The failure of spliced ceramic/UHMWPE armors was mainly due to the dislocation between ceramic sheets; the smooth compression curves indicated that there was no recombination of ceramic fragments and obvious interlayer debonding during the compression. Under the maximum load, each ceramic/UHMWPE armor with ballistic damage did not suddenly break and fail. The structure and thickness of ceramic plates all had an impact on residual strength: under the same structure, the greater the thickness, the greater the residual strength, but the relationship between them was not linear; under the same thickness, the residual strength of the spliced ceramic/UHMWPE armor was higher. The residual strength was also related to the number of shots: after two bullets hit, its value was only one-third of that after one bullet hit.

This work aims to address key issues in the ballistic performance of ceramic-based composite armor, particularly at the joints of spliced ​​bulletproof panels. The edge structure of C/C-SiC ceramic plates and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is redesigned to superimpose the joint areas. These structurally optimized composite pads are examined by numerical simulation of impact dynamics to understand their anti-penetration performance whose accuracy is then validated by live fire tests. The results reveal that (1) the ceramic plates with improved edge design enhance the anti-penetration efficiency, (2) the established dynamic constitutive model of penetration resistance effectively predicts the ballistic performance of the armor pad, and (3) inability to penetrate high-speed real bullets through the armor suggests that the ballistic performance fully meets the protection requirements of the MIL-A-46103EIII Class 2 A standard. In this regard, structural regulation of the shape of the ceramic-based composite plates allows for the design of lightweight armor with improved bulletproof capability.

A stable support substrate for catalytically active metal nanoparticles (NPs) plays an important role in various chemical transformation reactions. This study describes the effective integration of catalytically active palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) into recycled carbon black (rCB) obtained from scrap tires. The loading efficiency and dispersion degree of PdNPs prepared via a deposition-precipitation method are thoroughly compared to those prepared with conventional Vulcan CB. As the rCB powder exhibits relatively larger surface areas and wider pore size distributions, slightly polydisperse and more PdNPs are integrated across rCB than those on CB. These composite materials are subsequently tested as catalysts in the Suzuki coupling and styrene hydrogenation reactions. For the Suzuki reaction using phenylboronic acid and bromobenzene, the PdNPs on rCB exhibit slightly higher reactivity than those on CB (TOF of ∼9/h vs ∼8/h), presumably due to the structural features of the integrated PdNPs and the relatively hydrophobic characteristics of the rCB substrate. For the hydrogenation reaction, both composite materials easily result in over 99% yield under ambient conditions with similar activation energies of ∼32 kcal/mol. These composite materials are also recyclable in both reactions without a detectable loss of the PdNP catalyst and its activity. Understanding the physicochemical properties of rCB and demonstrating their potential use as a catalyst support substrate evidently suggest the possibility of replacing conventional CB, which also provides an idea of upcycling waste tires in the development of practical and green reaction systems.

In this paper, a multilayer body model in which material properties and wear coefficient change with node coordinates is proposed, so that the wear profile is not restricted by the singularity of the interface of the coated contact pairs. The conversion rate of the adhered particles was obtained to describe the growth and expansion of the debris at the fretting interface based on experiments, and the wear model of coated contact pair considering the dynamic evolution of the debris layer was established. By comparing the previous experimental and computational results, the wear calculation method proposed in this paper is more reasonable to predict the wear profile of the coated contact pair. In addition, the influence of the debris layer on the wear depth, friction width, and contact pressure in the fretting process is analyzed, indicating that the existence of the debris layer can delay the wear process. Finally, the fretting wear life of the SCMV steel contact pair deposited with the W-DLC coating is estimated.