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The effect of Ni 1-2 wt.% addition on the microstructure and hardness of the aged A319 alloy were studied. Characterization analyses by x-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy suggest clearly that Ni addition forms Al-Ni-Cu-Fe, Al-Cu-Ni and Al-Ni intermetallic compounds that correlates well with equilibria conditions. Analyses by transmission electron microscopy show that aging heat treatment promotes microstructural changes in morphology, size, and spatial distribution of precipitates. Vickers micro-hardness test of Ni 1 and 2 wt.% specimens have a hardness increase from that of A319 alloy of ~6-8% with mean values of 140.98 and 142.93 HV, respectively.

Adsorption stand out among other standard techniques used for water treatment because of its remarkable simplicity, easy operation, and high removal capability. Expanded graphite has been selected as a promising agent for oil spill adsorption, but its production involves the generation of corrosive remnants and massive amounts of contaminated washing waters. Although the advantageous use of the H2O2–H2SO4 mixture was described in 1978, reported works using this method are scarce. This work deals with the urgent necessity for the development of alternative chemical routes decreasing their environmental impact (based on green chemistry concepts), presenting a process for expanded graphite production using only two intercalation chemicals, reducing the consumption of sulfuric acid to only 10% and avoiding the use of strong oxidant salts (both environmentally detrimental). Three process parameters were evaluated: milling effect, peroxide concentration, and microwave expansion. Some remarkable results were obtained following this route: high specific volumes elevated oil adsorption rate exhibiting a high oil–water selectivity and rapid adsorption. Furthermore, the recycling capability was checked using up to six adsorption cycles. Results showed that milling time reduces the specimen’s expansion rate and oil adsorption capacity due to poor intercalant insertion and generation of small particle sizes.

In this work, the mechanical properties and microstructural features of an AISI 304L stainless steel in two presentations, bulk and fibers, were systematically studied in order to establish the relationship among microstructure, mechanical properties, manufacturing process and effect on sample size. The microstructure was analyzed by XRD, SEM and TEM techniques. The strength, Young’s modulus and elongation of the samples were determined by tensile tests, while the hardness was measured by Vickers microhardness and nanoindentation tests. The materials have been observed to possess different mechanical and microstructural properties, which are compared and discussed.

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