High temperature oxidation of Ni–W coatings electroplated on steel

The high-temperature oxidation of Ni–16 at.% W coating electroplated on the steel substrate was studied at 700 and 800 °C in air. Before oxidation, the coating consisted of supersaturated, nanocrystalline Ni grains. During oxidation, oxygen diffused inward, Ni and the substrate elements such as Fe and Cr diffused outward. The outer NiO layer was not pure but had some dissolved ions of W⁶⁺ and Fe³⁺. Some Fe³⁺ ions were dissolved in the inner (NiO+NiWO₄) mixed layer, below which (W, Fe)-supersaturated, unoxidized Ni grains existed. Below these grains, tiny Ni–W–Fe precipitates, which were formed by the outward diffusion of Fe from the substrate, were surrounded by unoxidized (Fe-enriched, Cr-containing) Ni grains. Detailed oxidation mechanism of Ni–16 at.% W coating is proposed.     

Effects of adsorbent dose, its particle size and initial arsenic concentration on the removal of arsenic, iron and manganese from simulated ground water by Fe3+ impregnated activated carbon

This paper presents the observations of the study on arsenic removal from a contaminated ground water (simulated) by adsorption onto Fe³⁺ impregnated granular activated carbon (GAC-Fe). Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ have also been considered along with arsenic species in the water sample. Similar study has also been done with untreated granular activated carbon (GAC) for comparison. The effects of adsorbent dose, particle size of adsorbent and initial arsenic concentration on the removal of As(T), As(III), As(V), Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ have been discussed. Under the experimental conditions, the optimum adsorbent doses for GAC-Fe and GAC have been found to be 8 g/l and 24 g/l, respectively with an agitation time of 15 h. Particle size of the adsorbents (both GAC and GAC-Fe) has shown negligible effect on the removal of arsenic and Fe species. However, for Mn removal the effect of adsorbent particle size is comparatively more. Percentage removal of As(T), As(V) and As(III) increase with the decrease in initial arsenic concentration (As₀). However, the increase in percentage removal of all the arsenic species with decrease in As₀ are less for higher value of As₀ (3000–500 ppb) than those of the lower value of As₀ (500–10 ppb). The % removal of As(T), As(III), As(V), Fe, and Mn were 95%, 92.4%, 97.6%, 99% and 41.2%, respectively when 8 g/l GAC-Fe was used at the As₀ value of 200 ppb. However, for GAC these values were 55.5%, 44%, 71%, 98% and 97%. The pH and temperature of the study were 7 ± 0.1 and 30 ± 1 °C, respectively.     

Crystal structure, thermal expansion and electrical conductivity of Nd0.7Sr0.3Fe1−xCoxO3 (0≤x≤0.8)

The crystal structure, thermal expansion and electrical conductivity of the solid solution Nd_0.7Sr_0.3Fe_1−xCo_xO₃ for 0≤x≤0.8 were investigated. All compositions had the GdFeO₃-type orthorhombic perovskite structure. The lattice parameters were determined at room temperature by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The pseudo-cubic lattice constant decreased continuously with x. The average linear thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) in the temperature range from 573 to 973 K was found to increase with x. The thermal expansion curves for all values of x displayed rapid increase in slope at high temperatures. The electrical conductivity increased with x for the entire temperature range of measurement. The calculated activation energy values indicate that electrical conduction takes place primarily by the small polaron hopping mechanism. The charge compensation for the divalent ion on the A-site is provided by the formation of Fe⁴⁺ ions on the B-site (in preference to Co⁴⁺ ions) and vacancies on the oxygen sublattice for low values of x. The large increase in the conductivity with x in the range from 0.6 to 0.8 is attributed to the substitution of Fe⁴⁺ ions by Co⁴⁺ ions. The Fe site has a lower small polaron site energy than Co and hence behaves like a carrier trap, thereby drastically reducing the conductivity. The non-linear behaviour in the dependence of log σT with reciprocal temperature can be attributed to the generation of additional charge carriers with increasing temperature by the charge disproportionation of Co³⁺ ions.     

Electron spin resonance and electrical conductivity of vanadate glasses

Electron spin resonance (ESR) and d.c. conductivity were measured for a series of vanadium borophosphate glasses before and after heat treatment. The ESR spectra showed the presence of vanadium in the V⁴⁺ state in all untreated and heat-treated samples free from iron. The variable temperature ESR and d.c. conductivity results obtained on the sample free from iron showed an inflexion at about 140°C. The electrical conductivity was found to decrease on substitution of 1 mol.% V₂O₅ by 1 mol.% Fe₂O₃ which may be due to a decrease in the V⁴⁺/V ratio. However, the electrical conductivity was found to increase on addition of more than 1 mol.% Fe₂O₃ which may be due to possible hopping conduction between Fe²⁺−Fe³⁺, V⁴⁺−Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺−V⁵⁺. The increase in conductivity in the sample heat treated at 350°C relative to those heat treated at 300°C and 400°C may be due to the variation in the V⁴⁺/V total ratio. The activation energy values for untreated and heat-treated samples were calculated and were found to depend on the variation in the V⁴⁺/V ratio and the microstructure.     

Effects of spacer-chain length on the photoelectrochemical responses of monolayer assemblies with ruthenium tris(2,2′-bipyridine) - viologen linked disulfides

Photochemical and photoelectrochemical properties of ruthenium tris(2,2′-bipyridine) (Ru²⁺)-viologen (V²⁺) linked disulfides [RuCnVC₆S]₂ (n (number of methylene groups)=3, 7) with different spacer-chain lengths and Ru²⁺ disulfides [RuC_mS]₂ (m=13, 17) were compared. The luminescence intensity in CH₃CN was in the order of [RuC₁₃S]₂≈[RuC₁₇S]₂>[RuC₇VC₆S]₂[RuC₃VC₆S]₂, implying efficient photoinduced electron-transfer between Ru²⁺ and V²⁺ moieties in the linked compounds. The monolayer assembly of the compound was fabricated on a gold surface. In the presence of triethanolamine, the anodic photocurrent was clearly observed from the RuC_nVC₆S/Au (n=3, 7) electrode (gold electrode modified with [RuCnVC₆S]₂), and its intensity was substantially larger for n=7 than for n=3. Photocurrent action spectra for the RuC_nVC₆S/Au (n=3, 7) electrodes were well correlated with the corresponding electronic absorption spectra in solution. The photocurrent from the RuC₇VC₆S/Au electrode was reduced more effectively by the coexistence of a water-soluble viologen as compared with the RuC₃VC₆S/Au electrode. The photocurrent from the RuC_mS/Au (m=13, 17) electrode was very small. The results suggest that the spacer-chain length between the Ru²⁺ and the V²⁺ moieties profoundly affects the Ru²⁺-sensitized photocurrent.     

Fe-substituted tobermorites: Synthesis and characterization by Mössbauer spectroscopy and other techniques

The isomorphous substitution of Fe³⁺ for Si⁴⁺ in the tobermorite (Ca₅Si₆H₂O₁₈·4H₂O) structure and its effects on the cation exchange properties of tobermorites were investigated. Fe³⁺- substituted 11Å tobermorites were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The cation exchange capacities of these Fe³⁺-substituted tobermorites ranged between 82–122 meq/100g while specific Cs sorption ranged from 420–800 K_d. ⁵⁷Fe Mossbauer Spectroscopy, in addition to other techniques, was used to investigate the Fe-substitution in the tobermorite structure. None of the Mossbauer spectra revealed any absorption line due to Fe²⁺. The observed spectra were fitted to one or more closely overlapping quadrupole doublets. The assignment of Fe³⁺ among the available tetrahedral and octahedral sites was made based on the distinct differences in the observed isomer shifts. The extent of Fe³⁺_IV vs. Fe³⁺_VI site occupancies was determined from the corrected intensities of the respective quadrupole doublets.     

Temperature dependent luminescence in (Eu, Dy) doped tellurite glass

This short paper reports both the photoluminescence and the lifetime measurements of a prominent emission transition (⁵D₀→⁷F₂) of Eu³⁺ both in the presence and absence of the codopant rare earth ion (Dy³⁺) in an optical glass of the composition (79−x)TeO₂+6AlF₃+15LiF+xLn₂O₃ as a function of temperature down to 10 K.     

Structural and optical characterization of β-FeSi2 layers on Si formed by ion beam synthesis

Structural and optical properties have been investigated for surface β-FeSi₂ layers on Si(100) and Si(111) formed by ion beam synthesis using ⁵⁶Fe ion implantations with three different energies (140–50 keV) and subsequent two-step annealing at 600 °C and up to 915 °C. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry analyses have revealed Fe redistribution in the samples after the annealing procedure, which resulting in a Fe-deficient composition in the formed layers. X-ray diffraction experiments confirmed the existence of /gb-FeSi₂ by annealing up to 915 °C, whereas the phase transformation from the β to phase has been induced at 930 °C. In photoluminescence measurements at 2 K, both β-FeSi₂/Si(100) and β-FeSi₂/Si(111) samples, after annealing at 900–915 °C for 2 h, have shown two dominant emissions peaked around 0.836 eV and 0.80 eV, which nearly coincided with previously reported PL emissions from the sample prepared by electron beam deposition. Another β-FeSi₂/Si(100) sample has shown sharp emissions peaked at 0.873 eV and 0.807 eV. Optical absorption measurements at room temperature have revealed the allowed direct bandgap of 0.868–0.885 eV as well as an absorption coefficient of the order of 10⁴ cm⁻¹ near the absorption edge for all samples.     

Controllable formation of Er–Yb codoped Al2O3 films by the non-aqueous sol–gel method

1 mol%Er³⁺–10 mol%Yb³⁺ codoped Al₂O₃ thin films have been prepared on thermally oxidized SiO₂/Si(110) substrates by a dip-coating process in the non-aqueous sol–gel method from the hydrolysis of aluminum isopropoxide [Al(OC₃H₇)₃] under isopropanol environment. Addition of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as a drying control chemical additive (DCCA) into the sol suppresses formation of the cracks in the Er³⁺–Yb³⁺ codoped Al₂O₃ thin films when the rare-earth ion is doped with a high doping concentration. Homogeneous, smooth and crack-free Er³⁺–Yb³⁺ codoped Al₂O₃ thin films form at the conditions by a molar ratio of 1:1 for DMF:Al(OC₃H₇)₃. A strong photoluminescence spectrum with a broadband extending from 1.400 to 1.700 µm centered at 1.533 µm is obtained for the Er³⁺–Yb³⁺ codoped Al₂O₃ thin films, which is unrelated to the addition of DMF. Controllable formation of the Er³⁺–Yb³⁺ codoped Al₂O₃ thin films may be explained by the fact that the DMF assisted the deprotonation process of Al–OH at the surfaces of gel particles, resulting in enhancement of the degree of polymerization of sols and improvement of the mechanical properties of gel thin films.     

Characterization of Al-doped n-type ZnSe prepared under a zinc-rich growth condition by low-pressure organometallic chemical vapor deposition

High conductivity n-type ZnSe with = 0.01 ωcm and n = 2.4 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ is obtained on (100) GaAs substrates by low pressure organometallic chemical vapor deposition. The 14 meV full width at half maximum of the 77 K photoluminescence near-band-edge emission shows a high quality of as-grown Al-doped ZnSe epilayers. With a suitable Al doping level, a strong photoluminescence intensity of near-band-edge emission is obtained. The behavior of near-band-edge emission and of self-activated emission related to the incorporation of aluminum are discussed in this paper.     

Doping effects on the optical properties of evaporated a-Si:H films

Thin films of a-Si:H are deposited on substrates at 300°C by a conventional thermal evaporation technique. The electrical conductivity of these films is modified by the addition of antimony giving n-type films. The optical properties of the films are investigated using spectrophotometric measurements of the transmittance and reflectance in the wavelength range 200–3000 nm. Both the refractive index n and the absorption coefficient increase when the Sb content is increased. The absorption edge shifts to lower energies for doped films. The optical gap E_g is evaluated using three different plots for comparison, namely; (hν)^1/2, (/hν)^1/2 and (hν)^1/3. The value of E_g decreases with doping for the three expressions. The Urbach parameter E₀ is calculated and found to increase with doping from 74 meV for the undoped film to 183 meV for concentrations of 9.4 at.% Sb.     

Study of optical properties and light induced effects on Inq3 thin film used in organic light emitting devices

In this report, the optical properties of tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) metal complex Inq₃; used as light-emitting layer in electroluminescent (EL) devices are shown. The material has been synthesized and the thin films have been deposited by thermal evaporation on quartz and silicon substrates. The optical constants (n and k) of Inq₃ thin films have been determined using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Light induced effects on optical properties of films have been studied using ellipsometry, photoluminescence and UV–visible transmission measurements. Enhanced photoluminescence intensity with shift in peak position as well as modification in optical constants on light exposure in vacuum indicates phase transformation in Inq₃ films.     

Color centers and charge state recharge in γ-irradiated Yb:YAP

Gamma-ray irradiation induced color centers and charge state recharge of impurity and doped ion in 10 at.% Yb:YAP have been studied. The change in the additional absorption (AA) spectra is mainly related to the charge exchange of the impurity Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Yb³⁺ ions. Two impurity color center bands at 255 and 313 nm were attributed to Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ ions, respectively. The broad AA band centered at 385 nm may be associated with the cation vacancies and F-type center. The transition Yb³⁺ → Yb²⁺ takes place in the process of γ-irradiation. Oxygen annealing and γ-ray irradiation lead to an opposite effect on the absorption properties of the Yb:YAP crystal. In the air annealing process, the transition Fe²⁺ → Fe³⁺ and Yb²⁺ → Yb³⁺ take place and the color centers responsible for the 385 nm band was destroyed.     

D.c. properties of ZnO thin films prepared by r.f. magnetron sputtering

In the development of ZnO-based varistors the electrical properties of ZnO/Bi₂O₃ junctions and of the two individual oxides are being investigated. Following our recent work on a.c. conductivity in Al---ZnO---Al sandwich structures we currently report d.c. measurements. The structures were prepared by r.f. magnetron sputtering in an argon/oxygen mixture in the ratio 4:1. Capacitance-voltage data confirm that the Al/ZnO interface does not form a Schottky barrier and measurements of the dependence of capacitance on film thickness indicate that the relative permittivity of the films is approximately 9.7. With increasing voltage the current density changed from an ohmic to a power-law dependence with exponent n≈3. Furthermore measurements of current density as a function of reciprocal temperature showed a linear dependence above about 240 K, with a very low activation energy below this temperature consistent with a hopping process. The higher temperature results may be explained assuming a room-temperature electron concentration n₀ and space-charge-limited conductivity, dominated by traps exponentially distributed with energy E below the conduction band edge according to N = N₀exp(−E/kT_t), where k is Boltzmann's constant. Typical derived values of these parameters are: n₀ = 7.2 × 10¹⁶ m⁻³, N₀ = 1.31 × 10⁴⁵ J⁻¹ m⁻³ and T_t = 623 K. The total trap concentration and the electron mobility were estimated to be 1.13 × 10²⁵ m⁻³ and (5.7−13.1) ×10⁻³m²V⁻¹s⁻¹ respectively.     

Highly conducting Langmuir-Blodgett films of the TMTTF-CnTCNQ system

Highly conducting Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of the tetramethyltetrathia-fulvalene- alkyltetracyanoquinodimethane (TMTTF-C_n TCNQ, where C_n represents C_nH_2n+1) system are reported. The electron affinities of the acceptors C_nTCNQ (n=14, 18 or 22) in solution are almost the same and lie between those of TCNQ and dimethylTCNQ. These TCNQ derivatives form solid charge transfer complexes with TMTTF. The limiting areas of the complexes, normalized to the number of TCNQ derivatives at the air-water interface, are almost the same irrespective of the donor-to-acceptor ratio and of the length of the alkyl chain, indicating that the areas are governed by the TCNQ moiety. The monolayers of TMTTF-C_n TCNQ (n=14 or 18) are transferred onto solid substrates as LB films. Polarized UV-visible absorption spectra indicate that the long axis of TCNQ is parallel to the film surface. These LB films exhibit lateral conductivities as high as 0.4 S cm^-1 and 0.1 S cm^-1 when n=14 and n=18 respectively.     

Structural properties of swift heavy ion beam irradiated Fe/Si bilayers

The Fe/Si multilayers were prepared by electron beam evaporation in a cryo-pumped vacuum deposition system. Ag⁺ and Au⁺ ions of 100 MeV at two different fluencies such as 1 × 10¹² ions/cm² and 1 × 10¹³ ions/cm² at a pressure of 10^− 7 torr were used to irradiate the Fe/Si samples. The irradiated samples were analyzed by High-Resolution XRD and it reveals that the irradiated films are having polycrystalline nature and it confirms the formation of the β-FeSi₂. The structural parameters such as crystallite size (D), strain (ε) and dislocation density (δ) have been evaluated from the XRD spectrum. The role of the substrates and the influence of swift heavy ions on the formation of β-FeSi₂ have been discussed in this paper.     

The relationship of the volume fraction of martensite vs. plastic strain in an Fe–Mn–Si–Cr–N shape memory alloy

The volume fractions of stress-induced martensite formed by certain plastic strains were determined by X-ray diffraction and quantitative metallography in an Fe–Mn–Si–Cr–N alloy at room temperature. The results are fitted by least square method and are well consistent with an exponential function f_M=1−exp{−β[1−exp(−η)]ⁿ} deduced by Olson and Cohen, who used it to fit with experimental data for AISI304 stainless steel. The similarity of and β, as well as the difference in n for these two alloys are discussed in relation to their nucleation mechanisms.     

On the interpretation of Fe Mössbauer spectra from CdTe thin films with substitutions of Fe, In, and Sb

⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra of well characterized CdTe thin films with substitutions of Fe, In and Sb were recorded and interpreted according to the changes in the ionic radii and electronic properties of these substitutions relative to Cd in the CdTe framework. The literature reports of certain correlations among the iron valence, Fe²⁺ or Fe³⁺, and the crystallinity of the films are critically discussed and an explanation of their origin is provided. The Mössbauer results also allow direct understanding of the effect of In and Sb substitutions on the properties of the films.     

Proton-induced damage in p–n InP solar cells: the role of electron capture at high fluences

Through the technique of electron beam induced current (EBIC), the effects of proton irradiation on InP solar cells of p⁺–n polarity have been investigated. InP cells of the opposite polarity (n⁺–p) have been shown to collapse under heavy proton irradiation, due to carrier removal that first depletes and eventually type converts the base region. In contrast, we show that for cells of p⁺–n polarity, electron capture plays the dominant role in the cell radiation response at high damage levels.     

Stabilization of copper sludge by high-temperature CuFe2O4 synthesis process

Copper sludge was stabilized by high-temperature CuFe₂O₄ ferritization technique with different sintering temperature, isothermal time and Fe³⁺/M²⁺ molar ratio. Copper is stabilized by inserting the copper ion into the stable CuFe₂O₄ structure by ferritization. The result indicates that sintering temperature above 800 °C would be proper temperature range for CuFe₂O₄ synthesis. When the Fe³⁺/M²⁺ molar ratio of sludges are above the stoichiometric ratio of 2, copper ion in sludge would be stabilized and hence be kept from leaching out. From the result of relative XRD intensity ratio, the equilibrium of the ferritization reaction could be reached by prolonging the isothermal time to 10 h. Judging by the TCLP results, the optimum ferritization parameters are Fe³⁺/M²⁺ molar ratio equal to 3.5, sintering temperature at 800 °C and isothermal time above 10 h.