Thermal conductivity of gaseous CFCl3 (Freon 11) and CF2Cl2 (Freon 12) and their mixtures with N2 at 292K

Thermal conductivity of the gases CFCl₃ (Freon 11), CF₂Cl₂ (Freon 12), and their binary mixtures with nitrogen have been measured at 292 K. The results for the mixtures are compared with various theoretical models, which give the thermal conductivity as a function of concentration using properties of the pure components. From the experimental results, the mutual diffusion coefficients for the two systems are calculated.     

Photoluminescence and Raman study of Cu2ZnSn(SexS1 − x)4 monograins for photovoltaic applications

The quaternary semiconductors Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ and Cu₂ZnSnS₄ have attracted a lot of attention as possible absorber materials for solar cells due to their direct bandgap and high absorption coefficient (> 10⁴ cm⁻¹). In this study we investigate the optical properties of Cu₂ZnSn(Se_xS_1 − x)₄ monograin powders that were synthesized from binary compounds in the liquid phase of potassium iodide (KI) flux materials in evacuated quartz ampoules. Radiative recombination processes in Cu₂ZnSn(Se_xS_1 − x)₄ monograins were studied by using low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. A continuous shift from 1.3 eV to 0.95 eV of the PL emission peak position with increasing Se concentration was observed indicating the narrowing of the bandgap of the solid solutions. Recombination mechanisms responsible for the PL emission are discussed. Vibrational properties of Cu₂ZnSn(Se_xS_1 − x)₄ monograins were studied by using micro-Raman spectroscopy. The frequencies of the optical modes in the given materials were detected and the bimodal behaviour of the A₁ Raman modes of Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ and Cu₂ZnSnS₄ is established.     

The study on electrical behavior of Gd2O3-WO3 complex ceramics at high temperature

Gd₂O₃-WO₃ complex ceramics are fabricated by the conventional solid-state reaction process. The electrical characteristics and dielectric properties of the samples were measured at various ambient temperatures in a low electric field (E < 150 V/mm). As the temperature increases, the dielectric constant and the loss tangent show an obvious change at about 50 °C and 330 °C. When the temperature is above 200 °C, the samples display stable nonlinear electrical properties characterized by semiconductivity, and the nonlinearity increases along with increasing temperature. XRD analysis reveals that Gd₂W₂O₉ is the main phase and Gd₂O₃ is the secondary phase. Based on the phase transition of tungsten trioxide, these electrical properties of Gd₂O₃-WO₃ complex ceramics can be simply explained.     

Optical properties of amorphous, erbium-doped yttrium alumino-borate thin films

In this paper, we report on the optical characterizations of erbium-doped yttrium alumino-borate glassy thin films prepared by the polymeric precursor and sol-gel routes and the spin-coating technique. High quality planar waveguides were produced by a multilayer processing of Y_1−xEr_xAl₃(BO₃)₄ compositions with x = 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.30, and 0.50. Their optical properties were investigated using transmission, photoluminescence, and m-lines spectroscopy, whereas high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM) was applied to check film thickness and surface homogeneity. The refractive indices determined from transmission and m-lines spectroscopy are in good agreement just like the film thickness measured by HR-SEM and transmission spectroscopy. We observed low propagation losses, together with efficient photoluminescence emission for polymeric precursor thin films, involving low cost and environment friendly reactants.     

Distribution of pyrochlore phase in Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 films and suppression with a Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 interfacial layer

Thin films of the relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si (Pt/Si) substrates both with and without a Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ (PZT) interfacial layer were investigated. Perovskite and pyrochlore coexistence was observed for PMN-PT thin films without a PZT interfacial layer. Interestingly, most of the pyrochlore phase was observed in single-coated films and in the first layer of multi-coated films. The pyrochlore phase exhibited grains with an average size of about 25 nm, which is smaller than those of the perovskite phase (about 90 nm). In contrast, for PMN-PT thin films grown on a PZT interfacial layer, the formation of a pyrochlore phase at the interface between PMN-PT layers and the substrate is completely suppressed. Moreover, small grains are not observed in the films with a PZT interfacial layer. The measured polarization-electric field (P-E) hysteresis loops of PMN-PT films with and without PZT layers indicate that enhanced electrical properties can be obtained when a PZT interfacial layer is used. These enhanced properties include an increase in the value of remanent polarization P_r from 2.7 to 5.8 μC/cm² and a decrease in the coercive field E_c from 60.5 to 28.0 kV/cm.     

Mechanical properties and microstructure of Al2O3/TiAl in situ composites doped with Cr2O3

Al₂O₃/TiAl composites were successfully fabricated from powder mixtures of Ti, Al, TiO₂ and Cr₂O₃ by a hot-press-assisted exothermic dispersion method. The effect of the Cr₂O₃ addition on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Al₂O₃/TiAl composites was characterized, and the results showed that the Rockwell hardness, flexural strength and fracture toughness of the composites increased as the Cr₂O₃ content increased. When the Cr₂O₃ content was 2.5 wt%, the flexural strength and the fracture toughness attained peak values of 925 MPa and 8.55 MPa m^1/2, respectively. This improvement of mechanical properties was due to the more homogeneous and finer microstructure developed from the addition of Cr₂O₃ and an increase in the ratio of α₂-Ti₃Al to γ-TiAl matrix phases.     

Processing and properties of zirconia-toughened alumina ceramics

Al₂O₃:ZrO₂ ceramics have been prepared from physically mixed pure oxide powders. The results indicate that careful processing of the starting powders and a two-stage sintering process can avoid expensive processing methods like hot pressing/hot isostatic pressing used for achieving high densification. The mechanical properties were measured and the resultant microstructure studied to explain the toughening behaviour of this material.     

Large-scale synthesis of single-crystal alpha manganese sesquioxide nanowires via solid-state reaction

Smooth single-crystal α-Mn₂O₃ nanowires have been fabricated using a one-step solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction patterns show that the nanowires have pure phase of α-Mn₂O₃. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to investigate the size and morphology of the products. The α-Mn₂O₃ nanowires exhibit mean diameter of 50 nm and length of 10 μm. Selected-area electron diffraction pattern demonstrates the single-crystal structure of the α-Mn₂O₃ nanowires, which are in good agreement with the X-ray diffraction results. The processes of the reactions and the phase transitions were also studied by using a simultaneous thermal gravimetric/differential thermal analyzer. It is found that the concentration of the precursor MnCO₃ is a crucial factor in the formation of the nanowires. This work provides the probability of the industrialization of fabricating smooth single-crystal α-Mn₂O₃ nanowires.     

Spectroscopic properties of red Bi4Ge3O12 by vertical Bridgman method

Red Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ (BGO) single crystals had been grown by vertical Bridgman (VB) method. The structure of this crystal was determined by XRD. The absorption and emission spectra of the red BGO in visible and near infrared region (NIR) were measured at room temperature. The emission intensity of the red BGO is weaker than that of ordinary BGO at about 500 nm. Interestingly, the red BGO shows a significant emission band centered at about 1495 nm. The red BGO faded and its properties recovered after ultraviolet (UV) irradiation or annealing.     

Gas sensing properties of Cu and Cr activated BST thick films

H₂S gas sensing properties of BST ((Ba_0.67Sr_0.33)TiO₃)) thick films are reported here for the first time. BST ceramic powder was prepared by mechanochemical process. Thick films of BST were prepared by screen-printing technique. The sensing performance of the films was tested for various gases. The films were surface customized by dipping them into aqueous solutions of CuCl₂ and CrO₃ for various intervals of time. These surface modified BST films showed improved sensitivity to H₂S gas (100 ppm) than pure BST film. Chromium oxide was observed to be a better activator than copper oxide in H₂S gas sensing. The effect of microstructure and amount of activators on H₂S gas sensing were discussed. The sensitivity, selectivity, stability, response and recovery time of the sensor were measured and presented.     

Radiative recombination in Cu2ZnSnSe4 monograins studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy

In this study we investigated the optical properties of Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ monograin powders that were synthesized from binary compounds in the liquid phase of flux material (KI) in evacuated quartz ampoules. The monograin powder had p-type conductivity. Radiative recombination processes in Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ monograins were studied using photoluminescence spectroscopy. The detected low-temperature (T = 10 K) photoluminescence band at 0.946 eV results from band-to-impurity recombination in Cu₂ZnSnSe₄. The ionization energy of the corresponding acceptor defect was found to be 69 ± 4 meV. Additional photoluminescence bands detected at 0.765 eV, 0.810 eV and 0.860 eV are proposed to result from Cu₂SnSe₃ phase whose presence in the as-grown monograins was detected by Raman spectroscopy and SEM analysis. Considering photoluminescence results, it is proposed that the optical bandgap energy of Cu₂ZnSnSe₄ is around 1.02 eV at 10 K.     

Magnetic shielding using high-temperature superconductors

Magnetic shields of various high-temperature superconductors, YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x (YBCO), YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x -Ag composites (random inclusions as well as non-random coatings) and Bi₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O _x (BSCCO) were prepared by uniaxial as well as isostatic compression with various dimensions. The shielding properties were measured at 77 K for dc and ac magnetic fields in the range of frequencies from 100 Hz to 10 kHz. The critical penetration field (CPF), defined as the value of the applied magnetic field at which a detectable field was observed inside the cylinder, varied from cylinder to cylinder and also with the ageing of the cylinders in the case of YBCO shields. The highest value of CPF was 16 G at 77 K for YBCO shield prepared by isostatic compression. Even though the stability of BSCCO shields with respect to ageing is good, the CPF values are very low compared to those for YBCO. Detailed studies were performed in the case of YBCO shields. The CPF decreased as a function of time over a period of 90 days. The CPF decreased as the frequency of the applied field was increased. The wave form of the field inside the pot for a sinusoidal applied field was highly distorted and showed the presence of higher harmonics with appreciable amplitude. The wave form was Fourier-analysed to yield the field inside the shield along with the harmonics. The shields with Ag addition seem to give better performance at high fields.     

Effect of alumina particle size and thermal condition of casting on microstructure and mechanical properties of stir cast Al–Al2O3 composites

Abstract

Metal matrix composites are considered as a distinct category of the advanced materials, which have low weight, high strength, high modulus of elasticity, low thermal expansion coefficient and high wear resistance. Among them, Al–Al₂O₃ composites have achieved significant attention due to their desired properties. In the present research, Al–Al₂O₃ composites with 5 vol.-% alumina were produced by stir casting at a temperature of 800°C. Two different particle sizes of alumina were used as 53–63 and 90–105 μm. The microstructure of the samples was evaluated by SEM. In addition, the mechanical properties of the samples were measured, and hence, the optimum temperature and particle size of alumina to be added to the Al matrix were determined. The results demonstrated the positive effect of alumina on improving the properties of Al–Al₂O₃ composites.     

Statics and dynamics in the system of high-Tcsuperconductor and permanent magnet

Equilibrium and small oscillations in the system of high-T _c superconductor (SC) and permanent magnet (PM) are considered. A phenomenological theory based on the observed magnetization curves for SC is given. The measured forces and oscillation frequencies in the system of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ superconductor and SmCo₅ permanent magnet are compared with the theoretical predictions. Conclusions are made as to the possible applications for studying the SC properties of materials.     

First-principles study on electronic structure, phase stability, and optical properties of In2X2O7 (X═C, Si, Ge or Sn)

In₂Ge₂O₇ and In₂Si₂O₇ are commonly used as scintillation materials. More studies on In₂X₂O₇ (X═C, Si, Ge, or Sn) are important to explore the possibility of using these materials for optoelectronic devices. This work presents results dealing with structural properties, electronic structure, chemical bonding, carrier effective masses, and optical spectra of polymorphs of In₂X₂O₇ obtained from first-principles calculations. The monoclinic phase of In₂Ge₂O₇, cubic and monoclinic phases of In₂Si₂O₇, as well as cubic phase of In₂Sn₂O₇ are known in scientific literature. From the total energy calculations at high pressure/strain we have found that the monoclinic phase of In₂Si₂O₇, In₂Ge₂O₇, and In₂Sn₂O₇ can be transformed into the cubic phase. The cubic phase of In₂Ge₂O₇ and In₂Sn₂O₇ is found to be more stable than the monoclinic phase. However, the monoclinic phase of In₂C₂O₇ and In₂Si₂O₇ is more stable than the cubic phase. The phase stability study suggests that In₂C₂O₇ is not stable, and that it might dissociate into corresponding binary oxides. Effective masses of electrons and holes have been estimated. Analysis of optical properties shows that in Si solar cells In₂Si₂O₇ and In₂Sn₂O₇ can be used as antireflection coating layer.     

Microstructure, electrical and optical characteristics of Mg(Zr0.05Ti0.95)O3 thin films grown on Si substrate by sol-gel method

Optical properties and microstructures of Mg(Zr_0.05Ti_0.95)O₃ thin films prepared by sol-gel method on n-type Si(100) substrates at different annealing temperatures have been investigated. The surface structural and morphological characteristics analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) were found to be sensitive to the deposition conditions, such as annealing temperature (600-800 °C). The optical transmittance spectra of the Mg(Zr_0.05Ti_0.95)O₃ thin films were measured by using UV-visible recording spectro-photometer. The diffraction pattern showed that the deposited films exhibited a polycrystalline microstructure. All films exhibited Mg(Zr_0.05Ti_0.95)O₃ peaks orientation perpendicular to the substrate surface and the grain size with the increase in the annealing temperature. The dependence of the microstructure and dielectric characteristics on annealing temperature was also investigated.     

Structural Studies of the Superconducting La2.5Y0.5CaBa3(Cu1?xFex)7Oz (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) Perovskite System by Neutron Diffraction

We have investigated the effect of Fe substitution on the structural and superconducting properties of La_2.5Y_0.5CaBa₃(Cu_1–x Fe _x )₇O _z system by Rietveld refinement of the neutron diffraction patterns of three samples with x = 0.02 (labelled B₁), x = 0.06 (B₂), and x = 0.10 (B₃) along with X-ray diffraction, resistivity, AC susceptibility, and oxygen-content measurements. Samples B₁, B₂, and B₃ are superconducting with T _c ^R=0 values of 73, 62, and 41 K, respectively. Neutron diffraction studies confirm (i) the formation of a single phase tetragonal structure (space group P4/mmm) for all three samples, (ii) Ca and Y ions substitution at the La site concomitantly displaces La onto Ba sites, and (iii) increasing x from 0.02 to 0.10 increases oxygen content (the amount of oxygen per unit cell), as well as Cu(1)— O(4) and Cu(1)— O(1) bond lengths whereas Cu(2)— O(4) bond length decreases with corresponding decrease in T _c to 41 K due to increasing occupancy of Fe ions at Cu(2) site. The change in bond lengths with oxygen content are essentially the same as those of Fe content (x). Present studies establish a correlation between the bond lengths (Cu(1)— O(1), Cu(1)— O(4), and Cu(2)— O(4)) and the measured T _c values of three samples.     

Room-temperature synthesis of nanometric α-Bi2O3

Nanometric Bi₂O₃ powder was successfully synthesized by applying the method based on self-propagating room temperature reaction (SPRT) between bismuth nitrates and sodium hydroxide. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and Rietveld's structure refinement method were applied to characterize prepared powder. It revealed that synthesized material is a single phase monoclinic α-Bi₂O₃ (space group P2₁/c with cell parameters a = 5.84605(4)Å, b = 8.16339(6) Å, c = 7.50788(6) Å and β = 112.9883(8)). Powder particles were of nanometric size (about 50 nm). Raman spectral studies conformed that the obtained powder is single phase α-Bi₂O₃. Specific surface area of obtained powder was measured by Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) method.     

Microstructural and superconductive studies of Ag-YBa2Cu3O7?x composites

Composites of Ag-YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x were synthesized and carefully characterized for crystal structure and microstructure by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, SEM, TEM, and EDAX techniques in order to investigate the effect of Ag additions on the superconducting properties of 123 compounds. The a.c. susceptibility data show thatT _c (onset) of 123+Ag composites vary between 90.2 and 91.8 K. TheJ _c values we measured for 123 material without silver were in the range of earlier reported values for the pure 123 material. Whereas there is a relatively small increase in the critical current for the YBCO/Ag₂O ratio of 3, the variation of the grain size of the composites shows that theseJ _c changes are due to slight variations in the grain size rather than any dramatic effect of Ag inclusions as speculated earlier.     

BaTiO3-SrTiO3 layered dielectrics for energy storage

BaTiO₃-SrTiO₃ (BST) thick films (~ 250-390 μm) with layered structures were fabricated by tape-casting and lamination process. Layered composites with various Ba/Sr ratios were obtained by lamination of BaTiO₃ (BT) and SrTiO₃ (ST) tapes in different spatial configurations (2-2). As-prepared BST ceramics showed much improved sinterability over the laminates of pure BT or pure ST tapes. Dielectric properties of materials were measured in the temperature range of 25 °C to 200 °C. The method of utilizing of layered structures offered flexibility to maximize the energy storage capability at specific operating conditions: (temperature and electric field) by tailoring the dielectric properties through varying the spatial configurations of BT and ST films.