No abrupt reaction was observed during mechanical alloying (MA) of Ru and Al powder mixtures with an eutectic composition (Ru70Al30). As-milled powders constitute mainly a Ru(Al) solid solution and/or mixture (matrix), and a very small quantity of RuAl. The complete reaction between Ru and Al during MA was speculated to be hampered by excess Ru in Ru70Al30. No exothermic heat release was detected in differential scanning calorimetry for as-milled powders. Precipitation of RuAl from as-milled Ru(Al) matrix was observed after annealing at various temperatures. The phase fraction of Ru and RuAl reaches an approximately equilibrium value after annealing at 1173 K.

Epitaxial (Pb1−xSrx)TiO3 (PST, x = 4 0.0–0.24) thin films were grown on MgO(001) single-crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition. General x-ray diffraction techniques including θ–2θ scan and rocking curve were used to determine lattice constants, degree of c-axis orientation, and crystal quality of the tetragonal thin films. The degree of c-axis orientation in the epitaxial PST films increased as Sr concentration (x) increased, which in turn induces the systematic change in the Curie temperature as well as the transformation strain at and below the Curie temperature. An inverse relation between the c-domain abundances and the transformation strains is established.

Heteroepitaxial growth of the cubic skutterudite phase CoSb3 on (001) InSb substrates was achieved by pulsed laser deposition using a substrate temperature of 270 °C and a bulk CoSb3 target with 0.75 at.% excess Sb. An InSb (a0 = 4 0.6478 nm) substrate was chosen for its lattice registry with the antimonide skutterudites (e.g., CoSb3 with a = 0 4 0.9034 nm) on the basis of a presumed 45° rotated relationship with the InSb zinc blende structure. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirmed both the structure of the films and their epitaxial relationship: (001)CoSb3 ∥ (001)InSb; [100]CoSb3 ∥ [110]InSb.

Well-crystallized Ba2Zn2Fe12O22 (Zn2–Y) films with high c-axis oritentation were successfully formed on Ag substrates at low temperature by the polymeric precursor method. A precursor solution with stoichiometric Ba2+, Zn2+, and Fe3+ ions was deposited on the substrates by a dip-coating. The films were then heat-treated at temperatures ranging from 700 to 900 °C. The crystallization process of c-axis-oriented Zn2–Y films occurred at the considerably low temperature of 750 °C, though a small amount of spinel oxides contaminated them. The films had hexagonal grain structures which were developed by increasing the heat-treatment temperature. Magnetization curves of the Zn2–Y film heated at 900 °C clearly indicated that the film had large in-plane magnetic anisotropy and had small in-plane coercivity.

The inelastic deformation of nacre that leads to its structural robustness has been characterized in a recent experimental study. This article develops a model for the inelastic behavior, measured in tension, along the axis of the aragonite plates. The model is based on observations for abalone nacre that the inelasticity is associated with periodic dilatation bands. These bands contain coordinated separations at the periphery of the plates. The separations open as the material strains. The response is attributed to nanoscale asperities on the surfaces of the plates. The model calculates the stresses needed to displace the plates, resisted by elastic contacts at the asperities. The results are compared with the measured stress/strain curves.

Nacre (mother-of-pearl) from mollusc shells is a biologically formed lamellar ceramic. The inelastic deformation of this material has been experimentally examined, with a focus on understanding the underlying mechanisms. Slip along the lamellae tablet interface has been ascertained by testing in compression with the boundaries oriented at 45° to the loading axis. The steady-state shear resistance τss has been determined and inelastic strain shown to be as high as 8%. The inelastic deformation was realized by massive interlamellae shearing. Testing in tension parallel to the tablets indicates inelastic strain of about 1%, occurring at a steady-state stress, σsss ≈ 110 MPa. The strain was associated with the formation of multiple dilatation bands at the intertablet boundaries accompanied by interlamellae sliding. Nano-asperities on the aragonite tablets and their interposing topology provide the resistance to interfacial sliding and establish the level of the stress needed to attain the inelastic strain. Detailed mechanisms and their significance for the design of robust ceramics are discussed.

Combustion synthesis of Al2O3–TiC–ZrO2 nanoceramics by reactions in the TiO2–Al–C–ZrO2 system is a new method with advantages of simplicity and efficiency. In this work, the effect of ZrO2 nanoparticles on the thermodynamics of combustion synthesis of the TiO2–Al–C system is studied to obtain desired phases. The result of thermodynamic analysis shows that the adiabatic temperature Tad of the system stays at about 2327 K (the melting point of Al2O3) with the addition of ZrO2in the range of 0–15 wt% and the fraction of molten Al2O3 varied from 100% to 78%. The possible combustion products are discussed with an approach of an overlapped phase stability diagram of the Al–O–N, Ti–O–N, Zr–O–N, and C–O–N systems at 2300 K. It has been shown that the combustion product is a mixture of Al2O3–TiC–ZrO2, which coincides with the results obtained by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy.

We studied in detail the chemical structure evolution of Pb(Zr1−x, Tix)O3 (PZT) thin films on Pt electrodes during the initial thermal steps of their preparation using an alkoxide-based sol-gel process. Absorption-reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (AR-FTIRS) was used to monitor chemical reactions occurring in the films on a real temperature scale. We demonstrate that the chemical state of the pyrolyzed film strongly depends on pyrolysis conditions and can have a large effect on the orientation selection in the film. First, residual acetate groups, resulting from incomplete decomposition of the Pb acetate precursor, strengthen the (111) PZT texture component after crystallization. Second, OH bonds, which are seen to remain in the film after pyrolysis under specific conditions, are seen to strengthen the intensity of the PZT(100) reflection. Possible mechanisms behind these observations are discussed.

Quantum atomistic simulations of crystalline silicon and germanium have been carried out by the path-integral Monte Carlo method. The interatomic interactions were modeled by Stillinger–Weber-type potentials, with parameters adequate to quantum simulations. Quantum zero-point motion together with anharmonicity of the interatomic potential led to a lattice expansion of 7 × 10−3 Å for both Si and Ge. Results for the equation-of-state (volume versus pressure) and for the thermal expansion coefficient agreed well with experimental results for both materials at T > 100 K and for hydrostatic pressures up to 100 kbar.

In situ straining transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments were performed to study the propagation of the shear bands in the Zr56.3Ti13.8Cu6.9Ni5.6Nb5.0Be12.5 bulk metallic glass based composite. Contrast in TEM images produced by shear bands in metallic glass and quantitative parameters of the shear bands were analyzed. It was determined that, at a large amount of shear in the glass, the localization of deformation occurs in the crystalline phase, where formation of dislocations within the narrow bands are observed.

Bi4Ti3O12 thin films were grown epitaxially on SrTiO3(100) substrates by chemical solution deposition using metal naphthenates as starting materials. Homogeneous Bi–Ti solution with toluene was spin-coated onto the substrates and pyrolyzed at 500 °C for 10 min in air. Highly c-axis-oriented Bi4Ti3O12 thin films were crystallized by annealing pyrolyzed films at ≥650 °C. The x-ray pole-figure analysis indicated that the Bi4Ti3O12 thin films have an epitaxial relationship with the SrTiO3(100) substrates. The surface morphology of the films annealed at lower temperature, i.e., 650 °C, exhibited flat and smooth surfaces, while films annealed at higher temperatures, i.e., 750 and 800 °C, were characterized by three-dimensional outgrowth.

A simple procedure for the purification of the single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) product synthesized by the hydrogen arc-discharge method was proposed and discussed. The procedure involves ultrasonication in alcohol, oxidation in fixed air, and soaking in hydrochloric acid. Most of the amorphous carbon and carbon nanoparticles as well as metal particles in the product was successfully removed, according to the results obtained from transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and resonant laser Raman measurements. With this procedure, a 41 wt% yield of the SWNTs with a purity of about 96% was achieved after purification.

A scanning thermal microscope (SThM) was used to measure the thermal conductivity of thin sputter-deposited films in the thickness range of 10 nm–10 μm. The SThM method is based on a heated tip that is scanned across the surface of a sample. The heat flowing into the sample is correlated to the local thermal conductivity of the sample. Issues like the contact force, the surface roughness of the sample, and tip degradation, which determine to a great extent the contact area between tip and surface, and thus the heat flow to the sample, are addressed in the paper. A calibration curve was measured from known reference materials to quantify the sample heat flow. This calibration was used to determine the effective thermal conductivity of samples. Further, the heat diffusion through a layered sample due to a surface heat source was analyzed with an analytical and numerical model. Measurements were performed with films of aluminum, ZnS–SiO2, and GeSbTe phase change material of variable thickness and sputter-deposited on substrates of glass, silicon, or polycarbonate. It is shown in the paper that the SThM is a suitable tool to visualize relative differences in thermal structure of nanometer resolution. Determination of the thermal conductivity of thin layers is possible for layers in the micrometer range. It is concluded that the SThM is not sensitive enough to measure accurately the thermal conductivity of thin films in the nanometer range. Suggestions for improvement of the SThM method are given.

The analysis of metallothermic reduction as an electronically mediated reaction predicted that the particle size of solid product could be reduced if the reaction were conducted in a medium that is a mixed conductor (ionic and electronic). This prediction was confirmed by reacting TaCl5 with sodium, each dissolved in liquid ammonia, to produce tantalum powder having an average particle size over an order of magnitude finer than the micron-sized powders produced commercially today. Metallothermic reduction in a mixed conducting medium has been extended to a multicomponent system in order to synthesize nanosized powder of Nb3Al by co-reduction of NbCl5 and AlCl3 both dissolved in liquid ammonia.

Two types of threading dislocations with edge components were investigated by a high-resolution transmission electron microscope in undoped GaN epilayers grown on Al2O3 substrates. One is a fully filled core with regular contraction and stretch of bright dots, and the other is incompletely filled with one bright dot less and irregular contraction and stretch of bright dots. The bright dots were distorted and degenerated into bright line segments at cores in areas with smaller local dislocation intervals. The calculated results suggested that the distorted bright regions are attributable to the glide and/or climb caused by nearby dislocation interactions.

Amorphous silicon–nitrogen (a–Si1−xNx:H) alloys, thin films, and multilayers deposited by ultrahigh-vacuum plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition were studied and modeled by x-ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements. The analysis of XRR data obtained from the single-layer samples allowed us to calculate the density, thickness, and interface roughness of each layer. To check the deposition parameters, the deviation (tnom – texp)/(tnom) of the measured thickness texp from the nominal thickness tnom was evaluated. Based on these results, a simulation of a multilayer film, obtained by deposition alternating stoichiometric and substoichimetric layers was carried out. It is shown that the best fitting is obtained by introducing into the XRR calculation a thickness distribution with a standard deviation related to the deviation (tnom – texp)/(tnom) estimated for the single layers.

Metastable solidification of small droplets of Nd11.8Fe82.3B5.9 and Nd14Fe79B7 alloys was performed in an 8-m drop tube filled with helium. The results showed that the solidification path of the droplets depends on the alloy composition and on the droplet size. For Nd11.8Fe82.3B5.9 alloy, larger droplets are solidified by primary iron formation and subsequent Nd2Fe14B crystallization from the residual liquid phase, whereas smaller ones tend to be frozen by metastable primary Nd2Fe17Bx growth (x = 0–1). A similar transition of the solidification path from primary iron formation to primary Nd2Fe17Bx formation occurred in Nd14Fe79B7 alloy with reducing droplet size. However, metastable primary growth of Nd2Fe14B was also observed within a wide droplet size range prior to the appearance of the metastable Nd2Fe17Bx phase. Nucleation and growth of different phases were considered to produce an explanation of the observed phase selection phenomena in these two alloys.

The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the photoluminescence properties of Al3+, Pr3+ doped perovskite-type La2/3TiO3 and pyrochlore-type La2Ti2O7 phosphor, which is characterized by the red emission (1D2 →3H4 transition) of the Pr3+ ion. The explanation for the energy transfer and the corresponding critical distance is proposed on the basis of the role of Al3+ ions in the perovskite-type La2/3TiO3:Pr phosphor. To clarify the distinction of photoluminescence properties between the perovskite-type La2/3TiO3 and the pyrochlore-type La2Ti2O7, the trap-involved process and the charge transfer band have been investigated, respectively.

Semiconductor PbS quantum dots doped-SiO2 organically modified silicate (ormosil) gels were synthesised via sol-gel by using high-power ultrasounds (sonogel). The effect of PbS crystal concentration and the addition of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane acting as surface capping agent (SCA) were investigated. By adjustment of the SCA to lead ratio, PbS nanoparticles of different sizes and morphologies were obtained. Textural parameters were calculated from N2 physisorption isotherms. The PbS galena phase was identified by x-ray diffraction, the crystal size by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and the exciton confinement by ultraviolet–visible–near-infrared spectrophotometry. Crystallite mean sizes of spheres and cubes ranging from 6.5 to 10.5 nm and needles 7-nm wide and 15–20 nm long, for different PbS and SCA concentrations, were obtained. These results differ from those predicted by the effective mass approximation corroborating the band gap modifications in the smallest nanocrystals. The method allows the control of the crystal size and improves the stabilization of the PbS nanocrystals.

Results are presented of a study on the mechanical stress dependence of the resistance of polycrystalline silicon (Poly-Si) films doped with different atomic species. Two types of Poly-Si film implanted with boron and phosphorus ions were studied, namely, B-doped films of 400 nm and P-doped films of 250 nm thickness, which were deposited by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition at 620 °C on thermally oxidized silicon wafers. The film doping was done by ion implantation at 50 keV, with a dose of boron and phosphorus of 2 × 1014 and 5.3 × 1014 cm−2, respectively. The Poly-Si films were annealed in a N2 ambient at 1000 °C for 20 min to activate the implanted atoms. A controlled amount of external stress was applied to the silicon wafers to study the impact on the electrical performance of the implanted Poly-Si resistors. The resistance of the B-doped Poly-Si films is shown to increase by the mechanical stress, while the resistance of the P-implanted Poly-Si films remained unchanged. It is concluded that this difference is related to the structural differences between Poly-Si films implanted with boron and phosphorus, respectively.