Negative magnetization and exchange bias effect in Fe-doped CoCr2O4

Polycrystalline ceramics of Co(Cr_1-xFe_x)₂O₄ (0?≤?x?≤?0.12) were experimentally studied based on a series of temperature and time-dependent dc magnetic measurements using different magnetic field histories. Magnetization in field cooling process was continuously decreased for doping content x in the range of 0?≤?x?≤?0.04. Remarkable negative magnetization is observed when x reaches to 0.06 and persists up to x?=?0.1. Two-sublattice model is established and competition of the two magnetic sublattices is responsible for the phenomenon. The magnetic switching effect is realized just by changing the magnitude of the applied magnetic field and double magnetocaloric effects are obtained. These unique features under low magnetic fields show attractive for application in spintronic devices due to that the magnetic state can effectively be tuned through magnetic field or temperature. Besides, the system exhibits both positive and negative exchange bias fields which are considered to be originating from the unidirectional anisotropy of exchange coupling of antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic phases and spin reorientation of the two sublattices magnetic moments, respectively.     

Effects of chemical etching on structure and properties of Y0.5Gd0.5Ba2Cu3O7-z coated conductors

Corrosion resistance is a crucial property to achieve successful superconducting joints of Y_0.5Gd_0.5Ba₂Cu₃O_7-z (YGdBCO) coated conductors (CCs). Cu and Ag metallic layers need to be fully removed from the area of conductor to be joint to allow for a superconducting path across the joint. Therefore, when using a wet etching process to remove the metallic layers, the joint performance can be significantly influenced by the etching conditions. The effects of chemical etching with ammonia water and hydrogen peroxide mixture on crystal structure, surface microstructure and critical current (I_c) of YGdBCO CCs were systematically investigated. We found the set of etching parameters that does not affect conductor performance, leaving the I_c of the YGdBCO conductor unchanged upon etching. However, when the etching conditions are not optimal, decrease in I_c was found and the underlying reasons driving the degradation were investigated. Raman spectroscopy and XRD analysis indicated that the reduced I_c is mainly due to oxygen deficiency in the YGdBCO crystal lattice.     

Similarities and differences between male and female novice designers on color‐concept associations for warnings,action required,and signs and equipment status messages

This research examined the male and female novice designers toward color associations for the concepts used for ‘warnings’, ‘action required’, and ‘signs and equipment status’ through a questionnaire‐based study. A total of 178 Hong Kong Chinese final year undergraduate design students (89 males and 89 females) participated in the study. The test used required the participants to indicate their choice of one of nine colors to associations with each of 38 concepts in a color‐concept table, so that any one color could be associated with any one of the concepts. For both male and female groups of novice designers, chi‐square tests revealed a strong color association for each concept tested in this study (P < .05). The results showed males and females agreed on some color‐concept association stereotypes which were therefore gender neutral. The male and female novice designers had the same color associations and similar levels of stereotype strengths for 21 concepts. The nine strongest and therefore most useful color‐concept association stereotypes for both male and female novice designers were: red‐danger, red‐fire, red‐hot, red‐stop, red‐emergency, red‐error, blue‐cold, blue‐male, and green‐exit. However, the male and female novice designers had different color association stereotypes for the standby (green vs. yellow), emergency exit (green vs. red), and toxic (purple vs. black) concepts, and the strengths of the 14 remaining associations for both groups were not at equivalent levels. Overall, it is anticipated that the findings of this study will act as a useful reference for novice designers and other design practitioners to optimize color coding in the design of ‘warnings’, ‘action required’, and ‘signs and equipment status’ messages.     

A datamining approach to classify,select and predict the formation enthalpy for intermetallic compound hydrides

In this paper, two techniques of datamining tools were adopted, a principal component analysis (PCA) and artificial neural network (ANN). A PCA to classify, select and identify several combinations between transition element A and B (B = Ti, Zr, Hf, Sc, Y, La and Th) and ANN to predict ΔH for ternary hydrides. Based on the datasets selected from different works, a principal component analysis (PCA) has been applied to select, classify and identify around 76 possible combinations between transition metal elements A and B. The results showed that the clustering of combinations A-B are significantly influenced by the atomic parameters of element A, such atomic radius (R_A), Pauling's electronegativity (χ_A) and atomic electron density (Z_A/R_A³). From 76 combinations, 55 systems which have χ_A ≥ 1.5, Z_A/R_A³>1.28 and R_A < 1.46 Å are categorized as group 1. On the other hand, 21 systems which have χ_A < 1.5, Z_A/R_A³ < 1.28, and R_A > 1.46 Å are categorized as group 2. From the first group, 46 different combinations are identified and have a negative ΔH, within 18 well-known promising binary alloys of hydrogen storage.An (6-15-1) architecture of artificial neural network (ANN) has been developed to estimate the ΔH for the other ternary hydrides selected from different published works. The performance indices such as relative error, coefficient of determination (R²) and mean square error (MSE) were used to control the performance of obtained results. In addition to this, the ΔH obtained from ANN model were compared with those experimental data and theoretical results available in the literature.     

Improved properties of scandia and yttria co-doped zirconia as a potential thermal barrier material for high temperature applications

Due to the limited temperature capability of current YSZ thermal barrier coating (TBC) material, considerable effort has been expended world-wide to research new candidates for TBC applications above 1200?°C. Our study suggested that Sc₂O₃ and Y₂O₃ co-doped ZrO₂ (ScYSZ) had excellent t’ phase stability even after annealed at 1500?°C for 336?h. The thermal expansion coefficient of ScYSZ was comparable to the value of YSZ. The thermal conductivity of fully dense ScYSZ was in the range of 2.13–1.91?W?m^?1?K^?1 (25–1300?°C), approximately 25% lower than that of YSZ. Although the fracture toughness of dense ScYSZ was slightly lower than YSZ, an evident decline in elastic modulus was found. Additionally, thermal cycling lifetime of plasma sprayed ScYSZ coating (914 cycles) at 1300?°C was about 2.6 times longer than its YSZ counterpart. The superior comprehensive properties confirm that ScYSZ is a prospective candidate material for high-temperature TBC application.     

In-situ TEM study of the aging micromechanisms in a BaTiO3-based lead-free piezoelectric ceramic

Aging and fatigue are the two main concerns regarding the performance reliability of piezoelectric ceramics. Compared with fatigue, less efforts have been made towards clarifying the micromechanisms of aging. In this report, we employ electric field in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to directly visualize the domain structure evolution during fatigue and the subsequent aging process in the 0.5Ba(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃–0.5(Ba_0.7Ca_0.3)TiO₃ (BZT–BCT) polycrystalline ceramic. The macroscopic aging behaviors, including the development of internal bias field (E_bias) and the degradation in switchable polarization (2P_r), are correlated with the microscopic domain wall clamping and domain disruption resulted from the redistribution of oxygen vacancies driven by depolarization field.     

Protective nature of nano-TiN coatings shaped by EPD on Ti substrates

The hardness and corrosion resistance of TiN coatings, processed by Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) to cover polished and unpolished Ti substrates, have been evaluated. A deposition time of 5 min has been enough to obtain a cohesive layer of 7–8 μm in thickness. The coatings were thermally treated in vacuum atmosphere at 1200 °C for 1 h with heating and cooling rates of 5 °C min^?1. The surfaces have been covered homogeneously optimizing the properties of the Ti substrates. Uniform and dense TiN coatings have been obtained onto polished substrates, while on unpolished Ti the nitrogen diffuses toward the substrate, moderately dissolving TiN coating. The nanohardness values of the polished samples have been increased from 2.8–4.8 GPa up to 6.5–8.5 GPa. Besides, the corrosion current density has been reduced more than one order of magnitude obtaining a protective efficiency of 82%. These values have been compared with other works in literature where authors used complex and costly processing techniques, demonstrating the strong impact of the colloidal processing over the specific properties of the material.     

Chromia Scale Thermally Grown on Pure Chromium Under Controlled <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>(O<Subscript>2</Subscript>) Atmosphere: II—Spallation Investigation Using Photoelectrochemical Techniques at a Microscale

Pure chromium oxidized at 900 °C at low oxygen partial pressure (10^?12 atm) gives duplex Cr₂O₃ scale with an internal part made of equiaxed grains and exhibiting an n-type conduction, and an external part made of columnar grains and exhibiting a p-type conduction. Spalled regions occurring during cooling have been studied with photoelectrochemical techniques at a microscale. New information in the form of a specific image (structural quality image) could be obtained and revealed a level of structural defect density in the internal chromia subscale higher than that measured in the non-spalled region. The results complement the spallation scenario proposed in part I of this work.     

Efficacy of Irradiated Bioactive Glass 45S5 on Attenuation of Microbial Growth and Eradication of Biofilm from AISI 316 L Discs: In-vitro Study

Silicon - Bacterial infection associated with medical implants remains a serious and costly drawback with both temporary and permanent consequences. Recently, some bioactive glasses have been found...