This work presents an original way for preparing TiO-based coatings by thermal spraying. As titanium monoxide is oxidized by the mere trace of oxygen contained in hydrogen, it is obvious that plasma spraying of TiO powder does not lead easily to the formation of a titanium monoxide coating. However, thermodynamical calculations show that the conditions necessary for the preparation of TiO can be reached, at the titanium melting temperature (Tm=1933 K), when oxygen reacts with liquid metal in the presence of excess carbon. These results have led to experiments in which TiO-based coatings have been prepared by spraying a stoichiometric mixture of graphite and titanium grains onto cast iron in air. In optimal conditions, a gas-tight hard coating (1000 ± 15 HV3) of a TiO-based phase (composition: TiO0.81±0.06C0.04±0.02) has been obtained.

Surface damage from machining operations is a potential source of failure in metallic components. The ability to quantitatively characterize the depth and extent of the damage layer is critical to controlling the machining process. Electron back scattered diffraction and synchrotron high energy x-ray diffraction were applied to the measurement of machining surface damage in a Ni-based super alloy. Both techniques clearly showed a plastic deformation profile below the surface as a function of the machining conditions used. Using the average intragrain misorientation parameter, the electron back scattered diffraction was able to quantify the amount of surface damage from one surface treatment to another. In addition, the x-ray diffraction measurements were able to simultaneously measure the elastic strain as a function of depth from the surface.

Low-temperature processing as low as 550–700 °C of Pt/SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT)/Bi4Ti3O12 (BIT)/p-Si heterostructure has been performed by a sol-gel method. The effects of annealing temperature on current density, C-V characteristics, and memory windows of Pt/SBT/BIT/p-Si heterostructure were investigated. The SBT/BIT multilayer films were polycrystalline with no pyrochlore phase and no preferred orientation. The leakage current density was under 3 × 10−7 A/cm2 at 5 V with asymmetry hysteresis loops for Pt/SBT/BIT/p-Si heterostructure. Although all C-V curves showed clockwise ferroelectric hysteresis loops and the memory window reached a maximum of 0.78 V at a sweep voltage of 5 V, the memory window changed asymmetrically with the variation of annealing temperature and sweep voltage. The maximum memory window of Pt/SBT/BIT/p-Si heterostructure prepared at lower temperatures was narrower at lower sweep voltage. The asymmetric behavior of the C-V characteristics was discussed in terms of electron injection from Si and the ferroelectric polarization effect.

In this work, Sr4La2Ti4Nb6O30 ceramics with tetragonal filled tungsten bronze structure were prepared, and the dielectric characteristics and ferroelectric transition were investigated. The room-temperature dielectric constant of the present ceramics showed very weak frequency dependency; it decreased from 570.4 to 561.7 when the frequency varied from 200 Hz to 1 MHz, and a comparatively low-dielectric loss was observed (in the order of 10−3). Unlike the situation for Ba4Ln2Ti4Nb6O30 (Ln = La, Nd and Sm), Sr4La2Ti4Nb6O30 ceramics showed a diffuse ferroelectric phase transition, and the diffuseness exponent γ was 1.61. Moreover, the obvious frequency dispersion was observed over a broad frequency range from 200 Hz to 1 MHz, and the maximum dielectric constant temperature Tmax shifted to higher temperatures with increasing frequency. The dielectric data agreed closely with the Vogel–Fulcher relationship. We concluded that tungsten bronze Sr4La2Ti4Nb6O30 has the relaxor ferroelectric nature.

Generally, ratcheting is studied on round specimens under tension–compression tests with a nonzero mean load. This work explored the possibility of studying ratcheting by indentation fatigue with a flat cylindrical indenter. In the experiment, emphasis was concentrated on the influence of maximum indentation load (Pmax.), indentation load variance (ΔP = Pmax − Pmin) and frequency of cycling (f) on the indentation depth–cycle curves. The experimental results showed that the indentation depth–cycle curves are analogous to the conventional strain–cycle curve of uniaxial fatigue testing, which has a primary stage of decaying indentation depth per cycle followed by a secondary stage of nearly constant rate of indentation depth per cycle. It was found that the steady-state indentation depth per cycle is an approximate linear function of maximum indentation load (Pmax) and indentation load variance (ΔP = Pmax − Pmin) in the log–log grid. This relationship can be given with a power-law expression as an analogous equation of steady-state ratcheting rate. Further study showed that the influence of frequency of cycling on the steady state indentation depth per cycle can be ignored when the frequency of cycling exceeds a certain value. Finally, comparison was made between the conventional uniaxial fatigue test and indentation fatigue test for the steady-state stage. It was shown that the conventional uniaxial fatigue parameters can be obtained by the indentation fatigue method.

Tin(II) organosilicophosphate glasses were prepared by nonaqueous acid–base reactions using orthophosphoric acid, dimethyldichlorosilane, and tin(II)chloride as the starting materials. The structure of the methylsiloxane-phosphate copolymer (methylsilicophosphate) and tin(II) methylsilicophosphate glasses was mainly investigated by the 31P nuclear magnetic resonance technique. A chain structure composed of the –(P–O–Si–O)m– silicophosphate bonds was found as the main structural unit in the methylsilicophosphate prepared by mixing orthophosphoric acid and dimethyldichlorosilane at room temperature. Tin(II) methylsilicophosphate glasses could be prepared by introducing SnCl2 as a cross-linking agent of silicophosphate chains. By increasing the reaction temperature, it was possible to promote the reaction and then to increase the network dimensions of the resultant tin(II) methylsilicophosphate glasses. It was found that the glasses with a high degree of condensation tend to have a better water durability in a humid atmosphere.

CdZnTe:In single crystals were annealed in CdZn vapors through a method involving a high-temperature step and a low-temperature step in sequence. The effects of annealing on the properties of CdZnTe:In were characterized with photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The neutral acceptor bound exciton (A0, X) peak, which was on the right shoulder of the neutral donor bound exciton (D0, X) peak, disappeared after annealing. A fine donor-acceptor pair structure and its longitudinal optical phonon replicas were clear before annealing. However, both of them became undistinguishable in the PL spectrum of annealed CdZnTe:In. The two phenomena imply that the annealing treatment can remove the impurities from CdZnTe:In wafers effectively. In addition, the intensity of Dcomplex band fell remarkably after annealing, which confirmed that Cd vacancies were well-compensated in the annealing treatment.

Further investigation on the definition of the representative strain in conical indentation was performed in this work. In particular, the representative strains proposed in the work of Cao et al. [J. Mater. Res.20, 1194 (2005)] and Ogasawara et al. [J. Mater. Res.20, 2225 (2005)] were discussed in detail. For the method using the energy-based representative strain [Cao et al., J. Mater. Res.20, 1194 (2005)], it is shown that it can be extended to a wider range of material properties (from nearly fully plastic materials to highly elastic materials). For the stress-state-based definition of the representative strain, we found, in contrast with the results reported in the work of Ogasawara et al. [J. Mater. Res.20, 2225 (2005)], that similar to the constant representative strain reported by Dao et al. [Acta Mater.49, 3899 (2001)], it works well only for a limited range of engineering materials. Based on this premise, novel definitions of the representative strain, which can lead to a one-to-one relationship with high level of accuracy between the reduced Young's modulus, the indentation loading curvature, and the representative stress are further presented. Detailed numerical analysis performed on nine kinds of engineering materials verified the effectiveness of the proposed representative strains and corresponding dimensionless functions. Experimental verification using the data for the ultrafine crystalline Ni further showed that the results reported in this paper have the potential to be applied in practice.

Dense polycrystalline titania (TiO2, rutile) was converted into oriented arrays of single-crystal titania nanofibers by reaction with a noncombustible, hydrogen-bearing gas mixture at only 680–780 °C. Such nanofiber formation resulted from anisotropic etching (“nanocarving”) of the titania grains. The fibers possessed diameters of 20–50 nm and lengths of up to several microns, with the long fiber axes oriented parallel to the [001] crystallographic direction of rutile. Mass spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy indicated that oxygen, but not titanium, was removed from the specimen during the reaction with hydrogen. The removal of substantial oxygen and solid volume from the reacting surfaces, without an appreciable change in the Ti:O ratio at such surfaces, was consistent with the solid-state diffusion of titanium cations from the surface into the bulk of the specimen. The reaction-induced weight loss followed a parabolic rate law, which was also consistent with a solid-state diffusion-controlled process.

Effective grain alignment in bismuth titanate ceramic was successfully realized by a novel pressure sintering technology, centrifugal sintering, in which centrifugal force is introduced by high-speed rotation of materials during the process of sintering. X-ray diffraction analyses indicated a very high orientation degree with a Lotgering factor f of ∼0.96 in centrifugal sintered samples. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that the platelike grains are well oriented with their c axes parallel to centrifugal force. The mechanism responsible for grain alignment with introduction of centrifugal force was tentatively proposed.

The hydration of controlled tricalcium and dicalcium silicate mixtures was investigated using inelastic neutron scattering. The amount of Ca(OH)2 produced by each mixture was quantified based on the vibrational mode at approximately 41 meV. The results of compressive strength testing correlate with the amount of Ca(OH)2 produced and with previous results from quasielastic neutron scattering. These results establish a link between hydration mechanics and the evolution of hydration products leading to desirable properties, such as strength.

BaTiO3 particle/polyvinylbutyral composite films were synthesized from titanium-organics and barium ions in aqueous solution using a direct current (dc) field. Titanium-organic films on stainless substrates were reacted with barium nitrate solution under dc field. BaTiO3 nanoparticles were formed in the precursor film at temperatures as low as 30 °C at atmospheric pressure. The crystallization of BaTiO3 particles was dependent on the synthetic conditions, such as applied field, reaction time, and temperature. Crystalline BaTiO3 particles were synthesized in the polymer matrix at 2.3 V/cm and 50 °C for 2 h. The absorption edge of BaTiO3 particle/polyvinylbutyral composite was 343 nm and was blue-shifted compared with that of micron-sized BaTiO3.

Sn–Zn-based alloys are promising low melting-point Pb-free solders, and it has been reported that their wetting properties and oxidation resistance can be improved with the addition of Cu. The interfacial reactions in the Sn–9 wt% Zn–xCu/Cu couples at 250 °C and Sn–9 wt% Zn–xCu/Ni at 280 °C were examined in this study. A thick γ–Cu5Zn8 phase layer and a very thin β′–CuZn phase layer were formed in both the Sn–9 wt% Zn/Cu and the Sn–9 wt% Zn–1 wt% Cu/Cu couples. The γ–Ni5Zn21 phase layer was formed in both the Sn–9 wt% Zn/Ni and Sn–9 wt% Zn–1 wt% Cu/Ni couples. With longer reaction time, the δ–Ni3Sn4 phase were formed in the Sn–9 wt% Zn/Ni couple as well. In both the Cu and Ni couples, the Zn-containing γ phases were uniform and planar and were the dominant reaction products. However, when the Cu content of the Sn–9 wt% Zn–xCu solders was 10 wt%, the interfacial reaction product becomes the η–Cu6Sn5 phase in both the Cu and Ni couples.

A novel red emitting phosphor, Eu3+-doped Ba2SnO4, has been synthesized by solid-state reaction. Photoluminescence (PL) excitation spectrum of Ba2Sn0.925Eu0.075O4 shows the strongest broad band from 220 to 280 nm due to the charge transfer (CT) band of Eu3+–O2−, and the band centered at 180 nm could be caused by the CT band of Ba2+–O2−. The band (110–130 nm) could be attributed to SnO68− octahedron band absorption. It is found that under 254 nm excitation, Ba2Sn1−xEuxO4 (0.025 ≤ x ≤ 0.125) exhibits a strong emission at around 592 nm, and with the increase in Eu3+, the phosphors present orange to red luminescence due to the decreasing of the site symmetry of Eu3+. The maximum PL intensity has been obtained for 7.5 mol% concentration of Eu3+ in Ba2SnO4. On the other hand, under 147 nm excitation, the phosphors do not emit effectively because of inefficient absorption in vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region.

The purpose of this erratum is to correct the omission of a coauthor, Joshua C. Falkner, Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, Texas.