The nanopipes in undoped GaN epilayers grown on sapphire substrates were investigated by field emission high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS). In the HREM images, the cores of the nanopipes appeared disordered in the thin regions and more ordered in the thicker regions, indicating the amorphous layer on the surface has a significant influence on the visible image of the nanopipe in the thin regions. The EDS spectra showed that composition of the materials in nanopipes was mainly oxygen, carbon, and gallium elements. The results suggest that the nanopipes are related to impurities.

Conducting thin films were prepared by entrapping water-suspended polyaniline into a silica matrix by a sol-gel route. Without metal oxide, the conductivity of the film decreased after heat treatment. However, in the presence of metal oxides such as TiO2 and Al2O3, the conductivity increased after heat treatment at 85 °C and reached 17 Scm−1 The conductivity of the film depended on the kinds and amounts of metal oxides and the temperature of heat treatment.

A 59% Sc–41% Ti deformation-processed metal-metal composite was produced by rolling to a true strain of 2.3 at 873 K followed by cold rolling to a total true strain of 3.6. Rolling reduced the original eutectoid microstructure to lamellae of α–Sc and α–Ti with average lamellar thicknesses of 150 nm (Sc) and 120 nm (Ti). The cold-rolled material had an ultimate tensile strength of 942 MPa and a specific strength of 259 J/g. The Sc matrix was oriented with the 〈0001〉 tilted 22° from the sheet normal direction toward the rolling direction, an unusual texture for an HCP metal with a low c/a ratio, which suggests Sc may deform primarily by basal slip.

This communication reports rapid, efficient syntheses of the zirconium-organic metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) precursors Zr(acac)4 and Zr(dpm)4 (acac = acetylacetonate; dpm = dipivaloylmethanate) as well as a new, highly volatile, air- and moisture-stable Zr precursor based on a tetradentate Schiff-base ligand, Zr(tfacen)2 (tfacen = bis-trifluoroacetylacetone-ethylenediiminate). The improved one-step synthetic routes employ tetrakis(dimethylamido)zirconium as a common intermediate and represent a major advance over previous methods employing ZrCl4 or diketonate metathesis. Furthermore, Zr(tfacen)2 is shown to be an effective metal-organic precursor for the MOCVD-mediated growth of (100) oriented yttria-stabilized zirconia thin films.

The influence of composition and high-temperature heat treatment on phase content and superconducting properties of the Yni2B2C phase was investigated. Phase relations in those parts of the Y–Ni–B–C quaternary phase diagram, which are relevant for the YNi2B2C intermetallic phase formation, were revealed by x-ray diffraction, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and high-temperature differential thermoanalysis. A widespread interval of superconducting transition temperatures TC = 10.4–15.2 K and small transition width <0.3 K were determined from samples of different nominal compositions after high-temperature annealing. The different intrinsic properties are ascribed to composition variations of the YNi2B2C phase and related to structure parameters, residual resistance ratios, and element concentrations determined by the electron probe microanalysis.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was utilized to investigate microstructures of heteroepitaxial SiC/Si films, grown from single-source precursors such as tetramethylsilane [TMS, Si(CH3)4], hexamethyldisilane [HMDS, Si2(CH3)6], and 1,3-disilabutane [1,3-DSB, H3SiCH2SiH2CH3]. In the case of TMS/H2 and HMDS/H2 samples, SiC/Si films grown at relatively high precursor concentration and/or low temperatures showed columnar grains with a high degree of epitaxial relationship with the Si substrate. Higher quality films with larger grains were observed in the case of high temperature and/or low precursor concentration samples, although a high density of interfacial voids was observed. Samples grown from pure 1,3-DSB at a low pressure showed high quality single crystalline films with few interfacial voids. It was suggested that the microstructural behavior of these films closely resembles that of the SiC films formed during the carbonization of Si surfaces by the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons, in which the nucleation rate of the film at the initial stage plays a key role. The improvement achieved during the 1,3-DSB growth is proposed to be due to the low growth pressure and the 1 : 1 ratio of Si and C associated with this precursor.

Hydrogenated silicon carbide films (SiC :H) were deposited using the electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) technique from a mixture of methane, silane, and hydrogen, and using diborane and phosphine as doping gases. The effects of changes in the microwave power on the deposition rate and optical band gap were investigated, and variations in the photo- and dark-conductivities and activation energy were studied in conjunction with film analysis using the Raman scattering technique. In the case of boron-doped samples, the conductivity increased rapidly to a maximum, followed by rapid reduction at high microwave powers. The ratio of the photo- to dark-conductivity (σph/σd) peaked at microwave power of ∼600 W. Under conditions of high microwave power, Raman scattering analysis showed evidence of the formation and increase in the silicon microcrystalline and diamond-like phases in the films, the former of which could account for the rapid increase and the latter the subsequent decrease in the conductivity. In the case of phosphorus-doped SiC :H samples, it was found that increase in the microwave power has the effect of enhancing the formation of the silicon microcrystalline phase in the films which occurred in correspondence to a rapid increase in the conductivity and reduction in the activation energy. The conductivity increase stabilized in samples deposited at microwave powers exceeding 500 W probably as a result of dopant saturation. Results from Raman scattering measurements also showed that phosphorus doping has the effect of enhancing the formation of the silicon microcrystals in the film whereas the presence of boron has the effect of preserving the amorphous structure.

The crystal growth of InSb thin films on mica substrates was investigated by conventional three temperature vacuum evaporation with varied Sb/In flux ratios and temperature programming for the substrate. The Sb/In flux ratio was varied from higher than 1.0 (about 2.0 is optimum), to less than 1.0 (about 0.7 is optimum), to again much higher than 1.0 during the stages of evaporation. The electromagnetic characteristics were investigated and x-ray analysis of the films at various stages was undertaken. The films obtained contained no excess In and they were (111) highly oriented in x-ray analysis, showing high electron mobility. These films were used to prepare high performance Hall elements.

A commercial Al–Li alloy, in which the superplastic microstructure is developed by “strain-assisted continuous recrystallization” in early stages of flow, was studied using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Results revealed that exposing the material to a temperature of 525 °C (optimal temperature of superplastic deformation for this alloy) led to agglomeration of single vacancies into vacancy clusters of size of approximately four vacancies. Evidence for superplastic strain-induced cavitation was not found at 450 °C up to an elongation of 432% and at 525 °C up to 341%, the initial strain rate of deformation in both cases being 1.0 ×10−3 s−1. These results have practical significance.

This paper is concerned with the effective piezoelectric moduli of a special class of dispersions called matrix laminates composites that are known to possess extremal elastic and dielectric moduli. It is assumed that the matrix material is an isotropic dielectric, and the inclusions and composites are transversely isotropic piezoelectrics that share the same axis of symmetry. The exact expressions for the effective coefficients of such structures are obtained. They can be used to approximate the effective properties of any transversely isotropic dispersion. The advantages of our approximations are that they are (i) realizable, i.e., correspond to specific microstructures; (ii) analytical and easy to compute even in nondegenerate cases; (iii) valid for the entire range of phase volume fractions; and (iv) characterized by two free parameters that allow one to “tune” the approximation and describe a variety of microstructures. The new approximations are compared with known ones.

We report here the remarkable abrasion wear resistance (normal pressure: 2.92 to 5.42 MPa; sliding speed: 0.25 to 3 m/s) of a soft (relative to other structural ceramics) melt-oxidized ceramic matrix composite Al2O3 –SiC–(Al, Si). In spite of being half as hard and more porous than zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA), a common cutting tool material, this composite fabricated at 1100 °C shows wear resistance comparable to that of ZTA at sliding speeds more than 2 m/s. The ability of this composite to generate a metal-rich tribofilm when rubbed and its high thermal shock resistance are factors which may be responsible for this unique performance.

Al/Mg2Si composites were in situ fabricated by the usual die-casting technique, and effects of the Si contents in the composites on microstructures and tensile strengths were investigated. Experimental results show that extra Si contents in Al/Mg2Si composites induce a ductile matrix and a uniform distribution of in situ particles. The refined microstructures lead to an obvious increase in both strength and ductility of the metal matrix composites (MMCs). The effects of extra Si on both the solidification process and fracture characteristics of the Al/Mg2Si composites were analyzed.

To improve mechanical properties of NiAl, a method for making NiAl matrix composites containing oxide ceramics is introduced. The method involves oxidation of NiAl powder in air to form a thin and uniform oxide scale, mainly Al2O3, on the NiAl particles. The Al2O3 contents increase with increasing oxidation temperature. The NiAl/Al2O3 composites are then formed by hot-pressing the oxidized NiAl powder under vacuum atmosphere. Al2O3 inhibits the grain growth of NiAl during the hot-pressing. The residual stress and the Ni-rich NiAl composition exist in the hot-pressed NiAl/Al2O3 composites. Strength and toughness data on NiAl/Al2O3 composites indicate that the use of oxidation of NiAl powder is a viable technique for improving these properties over that of monolithic NiAl.

Morphotropic phase boundaries and temperature dependent phase transitions of (1 – x) PbZrO3 + x (Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3 (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) solid solutions were investigated by x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dielectric property analysis. Two morphotropic phase transitions at room temperature were found at x = 0.1 and 0.13, which were from antiferroelectric orthorhombic (with 4 × 4 × 2 superlattice [orthorhombic (I)]) to antiferroelectric orthorhombic (with 2 × 2 × 2 superlattice [orthorhombic (II)]) and from orthorhombic (II) to ferroelectric rhombohedral, respectively. With increasing temperature, the samples with 0.01 ≤ x < 0.1 showed two phase transitions, i.e., from orthorhombic (I) to orthorhombic (II) and from orthorhombic (II) to cubic. The other samples had only one phase transition with increasing temperature. Phase transition temperatures of all the samples were measured using DSC, and a phase diagram for the solid solutions was constructed. A model illustrating the antiparallel shift of Pb ions in the orthorhombic (II) phase was also proposed.

Nanocrystalline zirconia powders in pure form and doped with yttria and calcia were prepared by the precipitation method. In the as-prepared condition, all the doped samples show only monoclinic phase, independent of the dopants and dopant concentration. On annealing the powders at 400 °C and above, in the case of 3 and 6 mol% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 (3YSZ and 6YSZ), the monoclinic phase transforms to tetragonal and cubic phases, respectively, whereas in 3 and 6 mol% CaO stabilized ZrO2 (3CSZ and 6CSZ), the volume percentage of the monoclinic phase gradually decreases up to the annealing temperature of about 1000 °C and then increases for higher annealing temperatures. The presence of monoclinic phase in the as-prepared samples of doped zirconia has been attributed to the lattice strain effect which results in the less symmetric lattice. For the annealing temperatures below 1000 °C, the phenomenon of partial stabilization of the tetragonal phase in 3CSZ and 6CSZ can be explained in terms of the grain size effect. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observations reveal the lattice strain structure in the as-prepared materials. The particles are found to be a tightly bound aggregate of small crystallites with average size of 10 nm. The morphology of the particles is observed to be dependent on the dopants and dopant concentration.

The effect of TiO2 addition on the crystallization and phase transformation process in Li2O · Al2O3 · 4SiO2 gels with various TiO2 contents was investigated using differential thermal analysis, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The activation energy increased from 98.2 to 184.6 kcal/mol as the TiO2 content rose from 2.0 to 8.0 wt. %. The crystallization sequence and phase transformation were similar in LAS gels with various wt.% of TiO2 additions, except in the case of a 2.0 wt.% TiO2 content. During calcination from 800 to 1200 °C, crystallization of the β-spodumene phase progressed with increasing temperature, and a minor crystalline phase, rutile, also appeared.

Early-stage processes involving the polymerization of zirconium species in aqueous solutions at elevated temperatures (∼100 °C) as well as colloid formation were studied. Small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) data were analyzed via Guinier, “longrods,” and Porod plots to determine particle growth kinetics and morphology. Our SAXS data suggest that zirconium tetramers and octamers polymerize into larger clusters and elongated-rod-(or needle)-shaped primary particles, which have a length of a few nanometers and a radius of gyration of cross section between 4 and 5 Å. Cube-shaped particles are aggregates of the needlelike primary particles. The transition from zirconium tetramer to a colloidal sol particle follows a mass-fractal growth (1 < fractal dimension, D <3)

Rare-earth aluminates, LnAlO3 (Ln = Dy, Er, Gd, La, Nd, Pr, Sm, and Y) were prepared using the mixed oxide method, and their microwave dielectric properties were examined at X-band. Most rare-earth aluminates have suitable permittivities and quality factors for applications as dielectric resonators, but a modification of τf is necessary due to the coefficient's large negative value. When considering dielectric properties and lattice matching, YalO3 rather than LaAlO3, was suggested as a promising substrate material for microstrip antennas utilizing high-temperature superconductor thin films. Rare-earth aluminates with a rhombohedral structure exhibited larger permittivities than those with an orthorhombic structure. This difference was attributed to the difference in ionic size and coordination number. It was demonstrated that a nonzero magnetic susceptibility of rare-earth aluminates has an adverse effect on their quality factor. An abrupt variation in the temperature coefficient of permittivity was discussed in terms of oxygen octrahedra tilting.

Yttrium-doped (Sr0.45Pb0.55)TiO3 ceramics have been studied by complex impedance analysis. As a sort of NTC-PTC composite thermistor, it exhibited a significantly large negative temperature coefficient of resistivity below Tc in addition to the ordinary PTC characteristics above Tc. It is found that the NTC effect in NTC-PTC materials was not originated from the deep energy level of donor (bulk behavior), but from the electrical behavior of the grain boundary. Therefore, the NTC-PTC composite effect was assumed to be a grain boundary effect, and yttrium was a donor at shallow energy level. The NTC-PTC ceramics were grain boundary controlled materials.

The structure, nonstoichiometry, and electrical conductivity of compositions in the BaBiO3– Ba(Ce1-xGdx)O3-x/2 system have been investigated in an attempt to prepare new mixed (ionic-electronic) conducting oxides. The substitution of Bi into Ba(Ce1-xGdx)O3-x/2 decreases the concentration of oxygen-ion vacancies, and the effective negative charge of the Gd dopant is compensated by the mixed valence of Bi (3+, 5+). For low Bi contents a decrease in ionic conductivity decreases the overall conductivity; however, higher levels of Bi introduce significant electronic conductivity, and for Ba(Bi0.5Ce0.5)O3, σtotal ≈ 1 S/cm at 800 °C in air. Compositions in the Ba(Bi0.5Ce0.5-xGdx)O3 pseudobinary system undergo a B-cation order-disorder transformation at 1300–1350 °C for x = 0.5 and at ≈1250 °C for x = 0.4; all other compositions retain a disordered B-site arrangement. While these disordered perovskites exhibit oxygen nonstoichiometry under reducing conditions at elevated temperatures, with the extent of reduction decreasing with increasing Gd content, their ordered counterparts remain close to stoichiometry. The electronic conductivities of this pseudobinary could be fitted to a “band-type” model, and, despite the presence of oxygen vacancies for the lower values of x, no significant ionic conductivity was observed.