The microstructure of a low-carbon steel after high current density electropulsing treatment was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was found that nanostructured γ-Fe could be formed in the coarse-grained steel after the electropulsing treatment. The mechanism of the formation of a nanostructure was discussed. It was thought that change of the thermodynamic barrier during phase transformation under electropulsing was a factor that cannot be neglected. It was reasonable to anticipate that a new method might be developed to produce nanostructured materials directly from the conventional coarse-grained crystalline materials by applying high current density electropulsing.

The phase separation behavior in a Cu–Co nanoparticle was investigated using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The modified embedded atom method (MEAM) was adopted to describe the interatomic potentials for the Cu–Co alloy system. Some of the cross potential parameters were fitted with experimental data such as mixing enthalpy and lattice constants of Cu–Co alloys. The present MC simulation combined with the MEAM potential describes well the phase separation between face-centered-cubic (fcc) Cu and fcc Co during the annealing of the particle.

Lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT9/65/35) ceramics were prepared from their oxide mixture via reactive sintering without involving a calcination step. PLZT ceramics sintered at 1000 °C for 4 h possessed a grain size of 3–4 μm, a dielectric constant of 3670, a dielectric loss of 0.033 at 1 kHz, and a remnant polarization of 5.7 μC/cm2 and coercive field of 4.6 kV/cm, respectively. Transparent PLZT ceramics were obtained by annealing the sintered samples at 1125 °C for 6 h repeatedly for 4 times without using hot pressing or oxygen flow. The grain size of PLZT ceramics increased to 4–6 μm, with dielectric constant of 5187 and dielectric loss (1 kHz) of 0.036, and remnant polarization of 11 μC/cm2 and coercive field of 5.3 kV/cm. The transparent PLZT ceramics demonstrated a transmittance of 42% at a wavelength of 550 nm.

Lead zirconate titanate (PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3; PZT) thick film with a thickness of 70 µm was prepared by the electrophoretic deposition method from a raw oxide mixture of PbO, ZrO2, and TiO2. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the sintered PZT thick film. Single phase PZT was observed in the films sintered at 900 °C and above. The film sintered at 1000 °C for 30 min exhibited a dielectric constant of 1050 with a dielectric loss of about 0.05 measured at 1 kHz, a maximum polarization of 29 µC/cm2, a remnant polarization of 19 µC/cm2, and a coercive field of 21 kV/cm. This simple process to form PZT thick films may also be applied to the preparation of other multicomponent ceramics and ceramic films.

Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) is one of the most established techniques for the observation and local modification of ferroelectric domain structures on the submicron level. Both electrostatic and electromechanical interactions contribute at the tip-surface junction in a complex manner, which has resulted in multiple controversies in the interpretation of PFM. Here we analyze the influence of experimental conditions such as tip radius of curvature, indentation force, and cantilever stiffness on PFM image contrast. These results are used to construct contrast mechanism maps, which correlate the imaging conditions with the dominant contrast mechanisms. Conditions under which materials properties can be determined quantitatively are elucidated.

ZnO nanoparticles were mixed with branched low-density polyethylene and were found to increase the resistance of the polymer to thermal degradation without changing other thermal properties. Submicron-size ZnO particles were mixed with low-density polyethylene for comparison, and it was found that the increased thermal stability of the nanocomposite was due to the surface properties of nanoparticles smaller than approximately 100 nm in diameter.

The formation of turbostratic boron nitride (tBN) phase on the cubic boron nitride (cBN) phase was investigated at specific conditions. The cBN film was deposited on the Si substrate by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. When the bias voltage at the substrate was adjusted to –85 V, the tBN phase nucleated on the cBN phase and grew simultaneously with the cBN phase. This was a critical bias voltage below which only the tBN phase was formed. The surface morphology of this film was typically shown as nodules dispersed on a very flat surface. The formation of nodulelike tBN phases seemed to be caused by a small variation of local stress on the growth surface. Once the nucleation of the nodulelike tBN phase occurred, the growth of tBN phase was accelerated. Transmission electron microscopy result showed evidence of the stress relaxation of the film caused by the formation of tBN phase at the interface of the tBN and cBN phases.

We investigated the crystal structure of Ti3SiC2 by means of high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). Two polymorphs, α– and β–Ti3SiC2, were identified. The amount of the α phase was larger than the β phase, indicating that the former has lower energy than the latter. We also found that the bright spots in HREM images of Ti3SiC2 do not necessarily correspond to the atomic columns; thus an intuitive interpretation of the image contrast in terms of the stacking sequences of the close-packed layers should be made cautiously

Ni/8 mol% Y2O3-stabilized zirconia cermets are used in thin-film electrolyte solid-oxide fuel cells as support substrates. Rapid oxidation of the metallic Ni can cause failure of the substrate and of the whole system. The rate of Ni oxidation in air and in an inert atmosphere containing water vapor was determined as a function of temperature between 500 and 950 °C. A logarithmic rate law describes the oxidation kinetics in air, whereas a linear rate law fits the first branch of the curve of the experimental data in a humidified inert atmosphere. The substrate exhibits no significant mechanical degradation after uniform oxidation under moderate conditions. However, the observed bending of the samples after oxidation in humidified argon, due to the nonuniform oxidation, can cause damage to fuel cell

A statistical method of the design of experiments and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to obtain optimized sputtering conditions for oriented ZnS thin films doped with 5% manganese on glass substrates. The effects on the five sputtering factors—substrate temperature, radio frequency power, sputtering pressure, sputtering time, and pre-sputtering time—were simultaneously investigated by using the design of experiments and ANOVA. Through only 16 experiments, it was proved statistically at the 5% level that the substrate temperature was the only significant control factor. ZnS films were then deposited under the optimized sputtering conditions on fused quartz and thermally annealed in a reducing ambient (5% H2 diluted in Ar) at 500, 600, 700, and 800 °C. It was found that the crystallinity and triboluminescence intensity of the films were enhanced by postannealing up to 700 °C.

Finite element simulations are performed to analyze the contact deformation regimes induced by a sharp indenter in elastic – power-law plastic solids. As the yield strength (σys) and strain hardening coefficient (n) decrease or, alternatively, as Young's modulus (E) increases, the contact regime evolves from (i) an elastic–plastic transition, to (ii) a fully plastic contact response, and to (iii) a fully plastic regime where piling-up of material at the contact area prevails. In accordance with preliminary analyses by Johnson, it is found that Tabor's equation, where hardness (H) = 2.7σr, applies within the fully plastic regime of elastic – power-law plastic materials. The results confirm the concept of the uniqueness of the characteristic strain, ∈r = 0.1, that is associated with the uniaxial stress, σr. A contact deformation map is constructed to provide bounds for the elastic–plastic transition and the fully plastic contact regimes for a wide range of values of σ ys, n, and E. Finally, the development of piling-up and sinking-in at the contact area is correlated with uniaxial mechanical properties. The present correlation holds exclusively within the fully plastic contact regime and provides a tool to estimate σ ys and n from indentation experiments.

The photoluminescence properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide powder SiO0.92H0.53 were investigated. The powder was prepared by reacting lithium with trichlorosilane in tetrahydrofuran. The luminescence peak energy was located between 1.0 and 1.61 eV. The samples were treated under different conditions such as annealing, hydrolysis, and hydrolysis plus HF etching. The changes of the photoluminescent intensity and location on the treated powders can be explained by the electronic density of state model of amorphous semiconductors. The temperature dependence of luminescence properties of the powders can be described by the relationship of thermal quenching effect: ln[Io/I(T) – 1] = ED/Eo = T/To at temperatures between 100 and 300 K.

To study interfacial particle-to-particle bonding mechanisms, an ultrathin film of pyrrole was deposited on alumina nanoparticles using a plasma polymerization treatment. High resolution transmission electron microscopy experiments showed that an extremely thin film of the pyrrole layer (2 nm) was uniformly deposited on the surfaces of the nanoparticles. In particular, the particles of all sizes (10–150 nm) exhibited equally uniform ultrathin films indicating well-dispersed nanoparticles in the fluidized bed during the plasma treatment. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy experiments confirmed the nano-surface deposition of the pyrrole films on the nanoparticles. The pyrrole-coated nanoparticles were consolidated at a temperature range (approximately 250 °C) much lower than the conventional sintering temperature. The density of consolidated bulk alumina has reached about 95% of the theoretical density of alumina with only a few percent of polymer in the matrix. After low-temperature consolidation, the micro-hardness test was performed on the bulk samples to study the strength that was related to particle-particle adhesion. The underlying adhesion mechanism for bonding of the nanoparticles is discussed.

The microstructures and mechanical behavior of bulk nanocrystalline γ–Ni–xFe (n-Ni–Fe) with x = ∼19–21 wt%, synthesized by a mechanochemical method plus hot-isostatic pressing, were investigated using microstructural analysis [x-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, light emission spectrum, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and optical microscopy (OM)], and mechanical (indentation and compression) tests, respectively. The results indicated that the yield strength (σ0.2) of n-Ni–Fe (d ∼ 33 nm) is about 13 times greater than that of conventional counterpart. The change of yield strength with grain size was basically in agreement with Hall–Petch relation in the size range (33–100 nm) investigated. OM observations demonstrated the existence of two sets of macroscopic bandlike deformation traces mostly orienting at 45–55° to the compression axis, while AFM observations revealed that these bandlike traces consist of ultrafine lines. The cause for high strength and the possible deformation mechanisms were discussed based on the characteristics of microstructures and deformation morphology of n-Ni–Fe.

Sequential pulsed-laser irradiation of silicon in SF6 atmospheres induced the formation of an ensemble of microholes and microcones. Profilometry measurements and direct imaging with an intensifying charge-coupled device camera were used to study the evolution of this microstructure and the laser-generated plume. Both the partial pressure of SF6 and the total pressure of an SF6-inert gas mixture strongly influenced the maximum height that the microcones attained over the initial surface. The cones first grew continuously with the number of pulses, reached a maximum, and then began to recede as the number of laser pulses increased further. The growth of the cones was closely connected with the evolution of the laser-generated plume.

The present paper reports the effect of partial replacement of Ni by Cu in the Al85Y8Ni5Co2 alloy. The studied alloys were produced by rapid solidification. Glass-formation, crystallization behavior, and stability of the supercooled liquid were studied by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Partial replacement of Ni by Cu in the Al85Y8Ni5Co2 metallic glass caused formation of the nanoscale α–Al particles and resulted in a decrease in the crystallization temperature and disappearance of the supercooled liquid.

The dependences of the properties of Au/Ni/Si/Ni contacts, deposited on p-GaN epilayers by using electron-beam evaporation, on the Si layer thickness and the annealing temperature were investigated with the goal of producing contacts with low specific resistances. The results of the current–voltage (I–V) curves showed that the lowest specific contact resistance obtained for the Au/Ni/Si/Ni contact with a 1200-Å- thick Si layer on p-type GaN annealed at 700 °C for 1 min in a nitrogen atmosphere was 8.49 × 10-4 Ω cm2. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements on the annealed Au/Ni/Si/Ni/p-GaN/sapphire heterostructure showed that Ni3Si, GaAu, and NiGa layers were formed at the Au/Ni/Si/Ni/p-GaN interfaces. While the intensities corresponding to the Ni3Si layer decreased with increasing annealing temperature above 700 °C, those related to the GaAu and the NiGa layers increased with increasing temperature. These results indicate that the Au/Ni/Si/Ni contacts with 1200-Å-thick Si layers annealed at 700 °C hold promise for potential applications in p-GaN-based optoelectronic devices.

SiC/ZTM (zirconia-toughened mullite) nanocomposites were prepared by hot pressing mixtures of mullite gel, 2Y-TZP, and SiC nanopowders. The intimate mixing of Al2O3 and SiO2 components in the starting powder prevented intermediate ZrSiO4 phase formation during sintering. Addition of nano-sized SiC significantly retarded the matrix grain growth, making the microstructure much finer and more uniform. Transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that many SiC nanoparticles were found in mullite and ZrO2 grains, and low-energy grain boundaries and mullite–liquid interfaces parallel to the {110} planes of rodlike mullite grains were formed. It is deduced that the formation of rodlike mullite grains is the result of the preferential development of these low-energy grain boundaries and mullite–liquid interfaces. The mechanical properties of the SiC/ZTM nanocomposite showed significant improvement over those of ZTM, and further enhancement in the mechanical properties was achieved by combinative strengthening with nano- and micro-sized SiC.

Lead magnesium niobate–lead titanate [Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PMN)–PbTiO3 (PT)] films were synthesized using pulsed laser deposition, and the effect of substrates on the deposition behavior of the PMN–PT film was investigated. Phase evolution of PMN–PT thin films was found to depend significantly on the type of the substrate used during deposition. Though a mixture of pyrochlore and perovskite was observed when films were deposited on a Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate, the oxide substrates, such as (Ba0.5Sr0.5)RuO3/Si, SrTiO3, and LaAlO3, enabled the deposition of pure perovskite. Scanning Auger microprobe, transmission electron microscope, and x-ray diffraction analysis showed that an interfacial layer between the substrates and the oxide film was central to the phase evolution behavior. On the Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate, an interfacial layer of lead–platinum (Pb–Pt) played a major role in the formation of the pyrochlore phase. However, on oxide substrates, there was no interfacial layer and interdiffusion of A-site cations was observed between the PMN film and the oxide electrodes.

The cationic dyes rhodamine 6G (R6G) and oxazine 4 (Ox4) were intercalated into oriented lithium hectorite (LiHT, a synthetic fluor-mica) films by ion-exchange, and their orientation was studied by x-ray and polarized spectroscopy. Orientation of dyes was determined by basal spacing obtained by x-ray diffraction data, showing that angles of the long axis were 60° for R6G and 47° for Ox4 against the layer. Polarized ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy showed that the high-order H-aggregate of R6G and Ox4 were oriented at 64° and 52° against layers, respectively; other states of dyes were oriented at much lower angles. The interlayer distance was mostly determined by dimensions of the high-order H-aggregate.