Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China (中国有色金属学报)•2026•DOI: 10.1016/S1003-6326(26)67060-4
The microstructural evolution and property response of Cu−0.3Be−2.0Ni and Cu−0.3Be−2.0Ni−0.2Al alloys subjected to solution treatment at 950 °C for 30 min, 70% cold rolling, and aging at 450 °C for 60 min were systematically investigated. The baseline Cu−0.3Be−2.0Ni alloy precipitates predominantly the Ni−Be phase with a transformation sequence of γ″→γ′→γ, whereas the Al-modified alloy exhibits co-precipitation of Ni3Al and nanoscale Be−Ni phases. This synergistic precipitation yields a hardness of HV 268, yield strength of 824 MPa, tensile strength of 881 MPa, elongation of 9%, and electrical conductivity of 47% IACS in the Cu−0.3Be−2.0Ni−0.2Al alloy, compared to HV 238, 785 MPa, 840 MPa, 10%, and 50% IACS for the Al-free counterpart. Relative to conventional aging, thermo-mechanical treatment increases hardness by 13% and conductivity by 6.8% in the Al-containing alloy, while the Al-free alloy shows a 6% hardness increase with marginal conductivity improvement. The co-precipitation mechanism effectively compensates for the strength loss typically associated with reduced Be content, demonstrating a viable pathway for low-cost, high-performance Cu−Be alloys.
Nano-Micro Letters•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40820-025-01654-y
Transition metal carbides, known as MXenes, particularly Ti3C2Tx, have been extensively explored as promising materials for electrochemical reactions. However, transition metal carbonitride MXenes with high nitrogen content for electrochemical reactions are rarely reported. In this work, transition metal carbonitride MXenes incorporated with Pt-based electrocatalysts, ranging from single atoms to sub-nanometer dimensions, are explored for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The fabricated Pt clusters/MXene catalyst exhibits superior HER performance compared to the single-atom-incorporated MXene and commercial Pt/C catalyst in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes. The optimized sample shows low overpotentials of 28, 65, and 154 mV at current densities of 10, 100, and 500 mA cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 29 mV dec−1, a high mass activity of 1203 mA mgPt−1 and an excellent turnover frequency of 6.1 s−1 in the acidic electrolyte. Density functional theory calculations indicate that this high performance can be attributed to the enhanced active sites, increased surface functional groups, faster charge transfer dynamics, and stronger electronic interaction between Pt and MXene, resulting in optimized hydrogen absorption/desorption toward better HER. This work demonstrates that MXenes with a high content of nitrogen may be promising candidates for various catalytic reactions by incorporating single atoms or clusters.
Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s12613-024-3026-1
To address the limitations associated with conventional Fenton processes, which often exhibit a restricted pH range and present challenges in terms of catalyst recovery and second pollutant, magnetic heterogeneous halloysite (HNT)/MnFe2O4 catalysts were optimally synthesized, which could achieve 90% removal efficiency for 50 mg/L methylene blue (MB) at pH 4–10 and have high hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) utilization efficiencies. In addition, the catalysts could be easily separated from a solution through magnetic separation. The degradation efficiency of MB exhibited remarkable resilience against common aqueous interferents with anions (NO3−, Cl−, SO4^2−, CO3^2−, HCO3−) and humic acid, demonstrating negligible inhibitory effects. Notably, carbonate species (CO3^2− and HCO3−) even elicited a promotional effect on the catalytic process. Furthermore, the removal efficiency of MB only decreased by less than 10% in the fifth cycle compared with that of a fresh catalyst. Furthermore, the HNT/MnFe2O4 catalyst effectively degraded various organic pollutants, such as benzohydroxamic acid, xanthate, and eosin Y. The excellent catalytic performance of the catalysts was attributed to the synergistic effects between HNT and MnFe2O4. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra and quenching experiments indicated that the main reactive oxygen species that participated in the degradation process were ·OH and ·O2−. ·OH directly attacked MB molecules, and ·O2− accelerated the reduction of metal ions. Therefore, the catalysts showed considerable potential for organic pollutant degradation. This study provides valuable insights into the synthesis of novel catalysts and their practical applications in organic wastewater purification.
Int. Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials (矿物冶金与材料学报)•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s12613-024-3057-7
To advance the precise regulation and high-value utilization of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), this work systematically investigated five treatment strategies, including calcination, acid treatment, alkali treatment, acid treatment of calcined HNTs, and alkali treatment of calcined HNTs, to modulate their structural and application properties. The structural characteristics, surface properties, and methylene blue (MB) adsorption capacity of HNTs under multiple treatments were systematically analyzed. Calcination at varying temperatures modified the crystal structure, morphology, and surface properties of HNTs, with higher calcination temperatures reducing their reactivity towards MB. Moderate acid treatment expanded the lumen and decreased the surface potential of HNTs, significantly enhancing MB adsorption capacity. In contrast, alkali treatment dispersed the multilayered walls of HNTs and raised surface potential, reducing MB affinity. Acid treatment of calcined HNTs effectively increased their specific surface areas by leaching most of Al while maintaining the tubular structure, thereby maximizing MB adsorption. Alkali treatment of calcined HNTs destroyed the tubular structure and resulted in poor MB adsorption. HNTs pre-calcined at 600°C for 3 h and acid-treated at 60°C for 8 h exhibited an optimal specific surface area of 443 m2·g−1 and an MB adsorption capacity of 190 mg·g−1. Kinetic and Arrhenius equation fittings indicated that chemical reactions control interactions of acids and alkalis with HNTs. This study provides a comprehensive comparison and analysis of five treatment methods, offering insights into regulating the structures and surface properties of HNTs by controlling the treatment condition, thereby laying a foundation for their efficient utilization in practical applications.