Preparation of biaxially textured Ce1-x(Y0.2Zr0.8)xOδ buffer layers on RABiTS NiW tapes by chemical solution deposition

Highly (100)-oriented Ce_1-x(Y_0.2Zr_0.8)_xO_δ (CYZO) films were prepared on biaxially textured NiW substrates by a chemical solution deposition approach using metal inorganic salts as starting materials. It has been found that both the preferential orientation and surface roughness of CYZO films decrease gradually with increasing of the doping percentage of Y³⁺ and Zr⁴⁺ ions. The epitaxial growth relationship of (220)_CYZO//(200)_NiW and [00?l]_CYZO//[001]_NiW was demonstrated by XRD texture measurement as well as atomic resolution STEM observation. XRD, Raman and XPS spectra results indicate that Y³⁺ and Zr⁴⁺ ions were indeed introduced into CeO₂ lattice to substitute Ce⁴⁺ ions and form cubic fluorite CYZO solid solution. Moreover, CeO₂ buffer layer can be endowed a strong enough capability to prevent element diffusion through co-doping of yttrium and zirconium, provided that an optimal doping ratio of them is adopted. This will provide a new approach to fabricating strong-barrier single buffer layer for coated conductor.     

Highly thermally conductive POSS-g-SiCp/UHMWPE composites with excellent dielectric properties and thermal stabilities

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane grafting thermally conductive silicon carbide particle (POSS-g-SiCp) fillers, are performed to fabricate highly thermally conductive ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites combining with optimal dielectric properties and excellent thermal stabilities, via mechanical ball milling followed by hot-pressing method. The POSS-g-SiCp/UHMWPE composite with 40 wt% POSS-g-SiCp exhibits relative higher thermal conductivity, lower dielectric constant and more excellent thermal stability, the corresponding thermally conductive coefficient of 1.135 W/mK, the dielectric constant of 3.22, and the 5 wt% thermal weight loss temperature of 423 °C, which holds potential for packaging and thermal management in microelectronic devices. Agari’s semi-empirical model fitting reveals POSS-g-SiCp fillers have strong ability to form continuous thermally conductive networks.     

Highly conductive multilayer-graphene paper as a flexible lightweight electromagnetic shield

A graphene-based porous paper made of multilayer graphene (MLG) microsheets is developed for application as a flexible electrically conducting shielding material at radio frequency. The production process is based on the thermal expansion of a graphite intercalated compound, the successive liquid-phase exfoliation of the resulting expanded graphite in a proper solvent, and finally the vacuum filtration of the MLG-suspension using a nanoporous alumina membrane. Enhancement of the electrical conductivity and electromagnetic shielding properties of the MLG paper is achieved by gentle annealing at 250 °C overnight, and by mechanical compression at 5 MPa. The obtained results show that the developed MLG papers are characterized by an electrical conductivity up to 1443.2 S/cm, porosity around 43%, high flexibility, shielding effectiveness up to 55 dB at 18 GHz with a thickness of 18 μm. Numerical simulations are performed in order to understand the main factors contributing to the shielding performance of the new material.     

Preparation and freezing behavior of TiO2 nanoparticle suspensions

Freeze casting can prepare porous materials with high porosity, directional pores, and complex shapes. However, due to the difficulty of obtaining nanoparticle suspensions with high solids loading, the formed bodies usually experience large shrinkage and have low strength in the process of vacuum drying and heat treatment. To address these problems, we studied the zeta potential, agglomeration, and rheological property of commercial P25 TiO₂ nanoparticle suspensions by adjusting the pH value and the sodium hexametaphosphate additive amount of the suspensions. Suspensions with up to 30 vol% solids loading were prepared. The water freezing process and the directional arrangement of the pores are influenced by freezing temperature gradient, and porous TiO₂ samples with directional laminar structures are obtained.     

Carbon black modification of mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers

The effects of carbon black (CB) on the microstructural development within mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers are reported. Unlike carbon nanotubes, which were previously studied for modifying fiber microstructure, CB represents a significantly lower cost alternative making it more favorable for industrial application. Additionally, the aspect ratio of CB is much closer to unity than carbon nanotubes, which have an aspect ratio ∼100 to 1000. Fibers were produced by first dispersing CB into a synthetic mesophase pitch at a dilute concentration of 0.3 wt%. These precursor materials were spun and then processed into carbon fibers. Unmodified (0 wt%) carbon fibers exhibited a severe radial texture with increasing orientation of graphitic pleats away from the fiber core. Carbon fibers modified with CB showed a strong flat layer structure, with only a slight increase in pleat folding away from the core. This difference in structure was also accompanied by a decrease in the number of fibers that exhibited “pac-man” splitting. No discernable reduction was observed in the graphitic crystallinity (interplanar spacing and crystallite size) or axial orientation of crystallites within the fiber, as a result of nanomodification.     

Processing and phase separation of LSMO-based multiferroic composite ceramics

In this paper, the effect of processing conditions on phase separation and crystal structure of (x) La_0.625Sr_0.375MnO₃–(1 − x) LuMnO₃ composite system was studied by XRD and SEM. The results confirm that there is a solid solution of monoclinic phase of space group P112₁/a in this system, i.e. (La_0.625Sr_0.375)_x Lu_1−xMnO₃ is formed for x = 0.980–1.0. For 0 < x ≤ 0.975, the immiscibility region shows clear separation of both La-rich and Lu-rich phases. The optimal preparation conditions were found for this system: sintering at 1250 and 1350 °C for samples of monoclinic La-rich phase and for the immiscibility region, respectively.     

Synthesis of polycrystalline gallium oxide solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector by Aerosol Deposition

An aerosol deposition method was used to fabricate a solar-blind photodetector (for UV-C) using thin films of β-Ga₂O₃, which is a wide-bandgap oxide material. The Ga₂O₃ films deposited at room temperature presented a polycrystalline structure and a thickness of approximately 4 µm and showed a high transmittance of approximately 70–80 % in the visible region; the transmittance was approximately 60–80 % even after heat treatment up to a 800 °C. The Ga₂O₃ films that were post-annealed at a temperature of 800 °C showed an I_photo/I_dark ratio of approximately 40,000 in the solar-blind region with a light source of 254 nm, together with very good light detection characteristics (initial rising and decay times of 0.45 s and 0.13 s, respectively). Because of the good performances observed for the Ga₂O₃ thin films even at extreme conditions, they exhibit a high potential for use as photodetectors in several applications.     

Colloidal stability of surfactant-free radiation curable polyurethane dispersions

Radiation-curable polyurethane dispersions (UV-PUDs) are colloidal dispersions whose stability is mainly ensured by the electrostatic repulsion between the negatively charged polymer particles. In this article, particle stabilization is presented in terms of the physico-chemical characteristics of the polymer dispersion and its microstructure. The phenomenon of the colloidal destabilization at higher temperature is studied by multiple light scattering, then correlated with the evolution of the particle size distributions and the measurement of the apparent critical coagulation concentration of a salt as an indication of the energy barrier at the surface of the particles. The investigation of selected chemical parameters of the polymer on the colloidal stability aims to identify the most relevant ones with an understanding of the underlying mechanism. The study underlines that UV-PUDs constitute a waterborne polymer family with its own identity, adding complexity to the traditional radiation curing chemistry. Finally, it highlights the new perspectives offered for novel environmental-friendly products with high-end performance and extended stability and robustness.     

Sequential ion-electron irradiation of zirconium carbide ceramics: Microstructural analysis

Zirconium Carbide (ZrC_x) was irradiated with 10 MeV Au³⁺ ions to a dose of 10 displacements per atoms (dpa) and subsequently with 100 and 300 keV electrons in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). After ion irradiation, dislocation loops were observed in the microstructure and an increase in the number of carbon vacancies was revealed by Raman spectroscopy. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis showed that neither amorphization nor oxidation occurred during ion irradiation of the specimen. Subsequent electron irradiation of the pre-implanted ZrC_x foil led to formation of nanosized tetragonal ZrO₂ precipitates (5−10 nm diameter) on the surface of the TEM lamella. The formation of the new oxide phase was not related to the electron beam-induced heating of the specimen, but to electron stimulated oxidation caused by the residual oxygen inside the transmission electron microscope. Changes in size and density of ZrO₂ crystallites were observed between the pristine and ion irradiated ZrC_x regions following electron irradiation, suggesting that the initial microstructure of the ZrC_x substrate played a key role in the nucleation and growth of the oxide islands. The obtained results provide insights into the microstructural response of ZrC_x to different types of radiation and the inadvertent effects of the electron beam during TEM analysis of in-situ and ex-situ ion irradiated ZrC_x. Additionally, the findings of this work suggest a method to prepare local ZrO₂ nanoprecipitates within ZrC_x grains by selective electron beam irradiation.     

Microstructure of TiO2 porous ceramics by freeze casting of nanoparticle suspensions

During freeze casting of TiO₂ porous ceramics, the porous architecture is strongly influenced by TiO₂ particle size, solids loading, and cooling temperature. This work investigates the influences of particle size, freezing substrate, and cooling temperature on the TiO₂ green bodies prepared by freeze casting. The results show that the lamellar channel width with 100 nm particles is larger than that of 25 nm particles, yet the ceramic wall thickness is noticeably decreased. The lamellar structure is more ordered when using a copper sheet than glass as its freezing substrate. A finer microstructure results when frozen at − 50 ℃ than − 30 ℃. Such porous materials have application potentials in a wide range of areas such as photocatalysis, solar cells, and pollutant removal and should be further studied.