Influence of SiC microstructure on its corrosion behavior in molten FLiNaK salt

The influence of the microstructure on the corrosion rate of three monolithic SiC samples in FLiNaK salt at 900 °C for 250 h was studied. The SiC samples, labeled as SiC-1, SiC-2, and SiC-3, had corrosion rates of 0.137, 0.020, and 0.043 mg/cm²h, respectively. Compared with grain size and the presence of special grain boundaries (i.e., Σ3), the content of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) appeared to have the strongest influence on the corrosion rate of SiC in FLiNaK salt, since the corrosion rate increased six times as the concentration of high-angle grain boundaries increased from 19 to 32% for SiC-2 and SiC-1, respectively. These results stress the importance of controlling the content of HAGBs during the production process of SiC.     

Densification mechanism and microstructure characteristics of nano- and micro- crystalline alumina by high-pressure and low temperature sintering

Fully dense ceramics with retarded grain growth can be attained effectively at relatively low temperatures using a high-pressure sintering method. However, there is a paucity of in-depth research on the densification mechanism, grain growth process, grain boundary characterization, and residual stress. Using a strong, reliable die made from a carbon-fiber-reinforced carbon (C_f/C) composite for spark plasma sintering, two kinds of commercially pure α-Al₂O₃ powders, with average particle sizes of 220 nm and 3 μm, were sintered at relatively low temperatures and under high pressures of up to 200 MPa. The sintering densification temperature and the starting threshold temperature of grain growth (T_sg) were determined by the applied pressure and the surface energy relative to grain size, as they were both observed to increase with grain size and to decrease with applied pressure. Densification with limited grain coarsening occurred under an applied pressure of 200 MPa at 1050 °C for the 220 nm Al₂O₃ powder and 1400 °C for the 3 μm Al₂O₃ powder. The grain boundary energy, residual stress, and dislocation density of the ceramics sintered under high pressure and low temperature were higher than those of the samples sintered without additional pressure. Plastic deformation occurring at the contact area of the adjacent particles was proved to be the dominant mechanism for sintering under high pressure, and a mathematical model based on the plasticity mechanics and close packing of equal spheres was established. Based on the mathematical model, the predicted relative density of an Al₂O₃ compact can reach ～80 % via the plastic deformation mechanism, which fits well with experimental observations. The densification kinetics were investigated from the sintering parameters, i.e., the holding temperature, dwell time, and applied pressure. Diffusion, grain boundary sliding, and dislocation motion were assistant mechanisms in the final stage of sintering, as indicated by the stress exponent and the microstructural evolution. During the sintering of the 220 nm alumina at 1125 °C and 100 MPa, the deformation tends to increase defects and vacancies generation, both of which accelerate lattice diffusion and thus enhance grain growth.     

High dielectric constant of NiFe2O4–LaFeO3 nanocomposite: Interfacial conduction and dielectric loss

Materials exhibiting colossal dielectric constant are the most sought-after materials due to their variety of applications in various electronics industries. NiFe₂O₄ and LaFeO₃ belonging to the spinel and perovskite structures, respectively, were coupled into a nanocomposite by adapting a one-pot sol-gel synthesis. The ratio of NiFe₂O₄:LaFeO₃ was varied and the synthesized materials were studied for their dielectric behaviors. Interestingly, among the samples studied, the nanocomposite with the ratio of 1:2 of NiFe₂O₄–LaFeO₃ exhibited a high dielectric constant value of 10390 at a frequency of 1 kHz with a several-fold increase in conductivity. The high conductivity resulted in a high dielectric loss. The origin of such a high dielectric constant and loss have been attributed to the Maxwell-Wagner type space charge polarization arising from the microstructure that consists of large and continuous grain boundaries, and the conducting phase at the interface, respectively.     

High-temperature deformation in bulk polycrystalline hafnium carbide consolidated using spark plasma sintering

In this study, we report the three-point flexural strength and fracture toughness of monolithic hafnium carbide up to 2000 °C. HfC with different grain sizes was consolidated using the spark plasma sintering method. Coarse-grained monoliths showed a weak dependence on the strain rate during high-temperature tests at 1600 °C–2000 °C. In contrast, results for the ceramics with a grain size below 20 μm indicated a positive dependence of the yield strength vs strain rate. This allowed us to identify the activation energy for high-temperature deformation in flexure as 370 kJ/mol. This level of activation energy is in satisfactory agreement with reports about the diffusion of C in hafnium carbide.     

Structural dependence of microwave dielectric properties in ilmenite-type Mg(Ti1-xNbx)O3 solid solutions by Rietveld refinement and Raman spectra

Mg(Ti_1-xNb_x)O₃ (x = 0–0.09) ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method. The phase composition, sintering characteristics, microstructure and dielectric properties of Ti⁴⁺ replacement by Nb⁵⁺ in the formed solid solution Mg(Ti_1-xNb_x)O₃ (x = 0–0.09) ceramics were systematically studied. The structural variations and influence of Nb⁵⁺ doping in Mg(Ti_1-xNb_x)O₃ were also systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. X-ray diffraction and its Rietveld refinement results confirmed that Mg(Ti_1-xNb_x)O₃ (x = 0–0.09) ceramics crystallised into an ilmenite-type with R-3 (148) space group. The replacement of the low valence Ti⁴⁺ by the high valence Nb⁵⁺ can improve the dielectric properties of Mg(Ti_1-xNb_x)O₃ (x = 0–0.09). This paper also studied the different sintering temperatures for Mg(Ti_1-xNb_x)O₃ (x = 0–0.09) ceramics. The obtained results proved that 1350 °C is the best sintering temperature. The permittivity and Q × f initially increased and then decreased mainly due to the effects of porosity caused by the sintering temperature and the doping amount of Nb₂O₅, respectively. Furthermore, the increased Q × f is correlated to the increase in Ti–O bond strength as confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, and the electrons generated by the oxygen vacancies will be compensated by Nb⁵⁺ to a certain extent to suppress Ti⁴⁺ to Ti³⁺, which was confirmed by XPS. The increase in τ_f from ?47 ppm/°C to ?40.1 ppm/°C is due to the increment in cell polarisability. Another reason for the increased τ_f is the reduction in the distortion degree of the [TiO₆] octahedral, which was also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Mg(Ti_0.95Nb_0.05)O₃ ceramics sintered at 1350 °C for 2 h possessed excellent microwave dielectric properties of ε_r = 18.12, Q × f = 163618 GHz and τ_f = ?40.1 ppm/°C.     

Synthesis,characterization and charge transport properties of Pr–Ni Co-doped SrFe2O4 spinel for high frequency devices applications

Ferrites are materials of interest due to their broad applications in high technological devices and a lot of research has been focused to synthesize new ferrites. In this regard, an effort has been devoted to synthesize spinel Pr–Ni co-substituted strontium ferrites with a nominal formula of Sr_1-xPr_xFe_2-yNi_yO₄ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1, 0.0 ≤ y ≤ 1.0). The cubic structure of pure and Pr–Ni co-substituted strontium ferrite samples calcinated at 1073 K for 3 h has been confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD). Average sizes of crystallites (18–25 nm) have been estimated from XRD analysis and nanometer particle sizes of synthesized ferrites have been further verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM results have also shown that particles are mostly agglomerated and all the samples possess porosity. It has been observed that at 298 K, the values of resistivity (ρ) increase, while that of AC conductivity, dielectric loss, and dielectric constants decrease with increasing amounts of Pr³⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions. The values of dielectric parameters initially decrease with frequency and later become constant and can be explained on the basis of dielectric polarization. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies show that the charge transport phenomenon in ferrite materials is mainly controlled via grain boundaries. Overall, synthesized ferrite materials own enhanced resistivity values in the range of 1.38 × 10⁹–1.94 × 10⁹ Ω cm and minimum dielectric losses, which makes them suitable candidates for high frequency devices applications.     

Turbulent boundary layer control with a spanwise array of DBD plasma actuators

The turbulent boundary layer control on NACA 0012 airfoil with Mach number ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 by a spanwise array of dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma actuators by hot-film sensor technology is investigated.Due to temperature change mainly caused through heat produced along with plasma will lead to measurement error of shear stress measured by hot-film sensor,the correction method that takes account of the change measured by another sensor is used and works well.In order to achieve the value of shear stress change,we combine computational fluid dynamics computation with experiment to calibrate the hot-film sensor.To test the stability of the hot-film sensor,seven repeated measurements of shear stress at Ma = 0.3 are conducted and show that confidence interval of hot-film sensor measurement is from-0.18 to 0.18 Pa and the root mean square is 0.11 Pa giving a relative error 0.5％over all Mach numbers in this experiment.The research on the turbulent boundary layer control with DBD plasma actuators demonstrates that the control makes shear stress increase by about 6％over the three Mach numbers,which is thought to be reliable through comparing it with the relative error 0.5％,and the value is hardly affected by burst frequency and excitation voltage.     

Methods and mechanisms for uniformly refining deformed mixed and coarse grains inside a solution-treated Ni-based superalloy by two-stage heat treatment

The uniform refinement mechanisms and methods of deformed mixed and coarse grains inside a solution-treatment Ni-based superalloy during two-stage annealing treatment have been investigated.The two-stage heat treatment experiments include an aging annealing treatment(AT)and a subsequent recrystallization annealing treatment(RT).The object of AT is to precipitate some δ phases and consume part of storage energy to inhibit the grain growth during RT,while the RT is to refine mixed and coarse grains by recrystallization.It can be found that the recrystallization grains will quickly grow up to a large size when the AT time is too low or the RT temperature is too high,while the deformed coarse grains cannot be eliminated when the AT time is too long or the RT temperature is too low.In addition,the mixed microstructure composed of some abnormal coarse recrystallization grains(ACRGs)and a large number of fine grains can be observed in the annealed specimen when the AT time is 3 h and RT tem-perature is 980℃.The phenomenon attributes to the uneven distribution of δ phase resulted from the heterogeneous deformation energy when the AT time is too short.In the regions with a large number of δ phases,the recrystallization nucleation rate is promoted and the growth of grains is limited,which results in fine grains.However,in the regions with few δ phases,the recrystallization grains around grain boundaries can easily grow up,and the new recrystallization nucleus is difficult to form inside grain,which leads to ACRGs.Thus,in order to obtain uniform and fine annealed microstructure,it is a prereq-uisite to precipitate even-distributed δ phase by choosing a suitable AT time,such as 12 h.Moreover,a relative high RT temperature is also needed to promote the recrystallization nucleation around δ phase.The optimal annealing parameters range for uniformly refining mixed crystal can be summarized as:900℃×12 h+990℃×(40-60 min)and 900℃×12 h+1000℃×(10-15 min).     

Statistical Piezotronic Effect in Nanocrystal Bulk by Anisotropic Geometry Control

Utilizing inner-crystal piezoelectric polarization charges to control carrier transport across a metal-semiconductor or semiconductor–semiconductor interface, piezotronic effect has great potential applications in smart micro/nano-electromechanical system (MEMS/NEMS), human-machine interfacing, and nanorobotics. However, current research on piezotronics has mainly focused on systems with only one or rather limited interfaces. Here, the statistical piezotronic effect is reported in ZnO bulk composited of nanoplatelets, of which the strain/stress-induced piezo-potential at the crystals’ interfaces can effectively gate the electrical transport of ZnO bulk. It is a statistical phenomenon of piezotronic modification of large numbers of interfaces, and the crystal orientation of inner ZnO nanoplatelets strongly influence the transport property of ZnO bulk. With optimum preferred orientation of ZnO nanoplatelets, the bulk exhibits an increased conductivity with decreasing stress at a high pressure range of 200–400 MPa, which has not been observed previously in bulk. A maximum sensitivity of 1.149 µS m⁻¹ MPa⁻¹ and a corresponding gauge factor of 467–589 have been achieved. As a statistical phenomenon of many piezotronic interfaces modulation, the proposed statistical piezotronic effect extends the connotation of piezotronics and promotes its practical applications in intelligent sensing.     

A thermal perspective of flash sintering: The effect of AC current ramp rate on microstructure evolution

In flash sintering experiments, the thermal history of the sample is key to understanding the mechanisms underlying densification rate and final properties. By combining robust temperature measurements with current-ramp-rate control, this study examined the effects of the thermal profile on the flash sintering of yttria-stabilized zirconia, with experiments ranging from a few seconds to several hours. The final density was maximized at slower heating rates, although processes slower than a certain threshold led to grain growth. The amount of grain growth observed was comparable to a similar conventional thermal process. The bulk electrical conductivity correlated with the maximum temperature and cooling rate. The only property that exhibited behavior that could not be attributed to solely the thermal profile was the grain boundary conductivity, which was consistently higher than conventional in flash sintered samples. These results suggest that, during flash sintering, athermal electric field effects are relegated to the grain boundary.