Fabrication of ZrO2/rGO nanocomposites by flash sintering under AC electric fields

Ceramic matrix nanocomposites containing graphene possess superior mechanical properties. However, these nanocomposites are very difficult to be prepared using the conventional methods due to severe grain growth and simultaneous degradation of the graphene at high sintering temperatures and long dwell time. Herein, the dense ZrO₂/rGO (reduced graphene oxide) nanocomposites are successfully fabricated by flash sintering of the green compacts consisting of ZrO₂ nanoparticles and graphene oxide (GO) at 893–951℃ in merely 5 seconds under the alternating current (AC) electric fields of 130–150 V cm⁻¹. The GO can be in situ thermal reduced during the flash sintering. The as-prepared ZrO₂/rGO nanocomposites exhibit excellent mechanical properties. This study presents a green and simple approach to fabricate the dense ceramic matrix nanocomposites reinforced with graphene at low temperatures in a short time.     

A Novel Method to Fabricate Silicon Nanowire p–n Junctions by a Combination of Ion Implantation and in-situ Doping

We demonstrate a novel method to fabricate an axial p–n junction inside <111> oriented short vertical silicon nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy by combining ion implantation with in-situ doping. The lower halves of the nanowires were doped in-situ with boron (concentration ~10¹⁸ cm⁻³), while the upper halves were doubly implanted with phosphorus to yield a uniform concentration of 2 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³. Electrical measurements of individually contacted nanowires showed excellent diode characteristics and ideality factors close to 2. We think that this value of ideality factors arises out of a high rate of carrier recombination through surface states in the native oxide covering the nanowires.     

Alternating current electrical field effects on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) growing in hydroponic culture with and without cadmium contamination

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a 10 Hz alternating current (10 Hz 1 V cm⁻¹) and a 50 Hz alternating current (50 Hz 1 V cm⁻¹) on the lettuce plant (Lactuca sativa) growing in a hydroponic (soil-free) culture. Thirty lettuce plants were pre-germinated, and then 15 of them were treated with cadmium solution (CdCl₂) of 5 mg/L in concentration. Ten plants (five plants with Cd and five plants without Cd) were subjected to a 10 Hz alternating current (AC) electrical field; 10 plants were subjected to a 50 Hz AC field. The rest of the plants were used as a control. The lettuce plants were harvested after a growth of 60 days. The chlorophyll content, biomass and metal content of the lettuce plants were determined. The biomass of the plants growing in non-contaminated medium was 28 and 106% higher under the 10 and the 50 Hz AC fields respectively compared to the control. Although the plant biomass was reduced by the presence of Cd in the growth medium, the biomass of the plants growing in Cd contaminated medium was 40 and 63% higher respectively for 10 and 50 Hz AC field compared to the plant growing in Cd contaminated medium without electrical treatment. Increased uptake of Cd in the plant shoot was found with the 50 Hz AC field. Significant accumulation and uptake of Cu in plant roots and shoots was found under both electrical treatments.     

Direct Crystallization of Sulfate‐Type Layered Hydroxide,Derivation of (Gd,Tb)2O3 Green Phosphor,and Photoluminescence

The sulfate‐type layered hydroxides of (Gd_1?xTb_x)₂(OH)₅(SO₄)_0.5·nH₂O (x = 0.06–0.10) have been directly crystallized via hydrothermal reaction at 120°C and pH ~10.0, without the need of conventional anion exchange. The primary crystallites were found to be thin platelets having lateral sizes of ~450–1000 nm and thicknesses of ~65–85 nm. Combined analysis by DTA/TG, FTIR, and XRD revealed that the layered compounds convert into cubic (Gd_1?xTb_x)₂O₃ solid‐solutions through dehydration, dehydroxylation, and desulfuration up to ~1200°C and via a (Gd_1?xTb_x)₂O_2.5(SO₄)_0.5 intermediate phase. Optical spectroscopies found that the layered compounds and the derived oxides have their strongest 4f⁸→4f⁷5d¹ transition excitations at ~248 and 305 nm and optimal Tb³⁺ contents of 9 at.% (x = 0.09) and 8 at.%, respectively. Both the types of materials exhibit the strongest emission at ~544 nm (the ⁵D₄→⁷F₅ transition of Tb³⁺), but the oxide has an emission intensity ~3 times that of the hydroxide. Fluorescence lifetime of the 544 nm green emission was found to decrease from 2.45 to 2.15 ms along with increasing Tb³⁺ content for the oxide, and smaller values of ~1.55 ms were derived for the layered hydroxides.     

Fabrication method,dielectric properties,and electromagnetic absorption performance of high alumina fly ash-based ceramic composites

Mullite-Al₂O₃-SiC composites were in-situ synthesized through carbothermal reduction reaction of fly ash (FA) with a high alumina content and activated carbon (AC). The effects of sintering temperature, holding time, and amount of AC on the β-SiC yield, microstructure, dielectric properties, and electromagnetic (EM) absorption performance of the composites in the 2–18 GHz frequency range were studied. The results show that increasing the AC improves the porosities of the composites, with the highest porosity of 56.17% observed. The β-SiC yield varies considerably as the sintering parameters were altered, with a maximum yield of 23% achieved under conditions of 12 wt% AC, 1400 °C sintering temperature, and 3 h holding time. With a thickness of 3.5 mm, this composite has excellent EM absorption performance, exhibiting a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of -51.55 dB at 7.60 GHz. Significantly, the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reaches 3.39 GHz when the thickness is 3.0 mm. These results demonstrate that the composite prepared under ideal conditions can absorb 99.99% of the waves passing through it. Because of the interfacial polarization, conductive loss, and impedance matching of the heterostructure, the synthesized mullite-Al₂O₃-SiC composites with densities ranging from 1.43 g/cm³ to 1.62 g/cm³ demonstrate outstanding EM attenuation capabilities. Therefore, this study presents a remarkable way of utilizing fly ash to fabricate inexpensive, functional ceramic materials for EM absorption applications.     

A replacement of traditional insulation refractory brick by a waste-derived lightweight refractory castable

Lightweight insulation refractories are essential for high-temperature performance to reduce energy consumption. This study investigates a new insulation material, that is, solid waste rice husk ash (RHA) derived lightweight refractory castable, replacing traditional insulation refractory brick. The RHA is generated after the burning of rice husk as biomass fuel. The RHA is used as an aggregate and alkali-extracted silica sol from RHA as a binder to fabricate the insulation castable. The nanosilica containing (~30 wt%) sol is employed to synthesize the refractory castable by varying the sol amount (2.5-12.5 wt% silica from sol). The castable specimens are cast by a vibro-caster and fired at 900-1200°C in a muffle furnace. The physic-mechanical and thermal conductivity (κ) of the castable is investigated. At 1100°C with 10 wt% dry sol retaining sample shows an excellent apparent porosity (~65%), low bulk density (~ 0.8 g/cm³), and κ (0.136 W/m k) with sustainable compressive strength (6 MPa). The acquired results are a good match with the literature (other wastes-derived insulation materials) and industrial (silica insulation brick) obtained data. These promising outcomes may inspire the refractory industries for using RHA as an aggregate and RHA extracted sol as a binder for making insulation castable.     

Insights into microstructural formation of pulse plasma semisolid to liquid processing of Al2O3–ZrO2 eutectic ceramics

This present work concentrated on a novel one‐step pulse discharge plasma melting method, directly from a powder mixture of nano‐sized Al₂O₃–ZrO₂(Y₂O₃) to in situ fabricate Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ binary eutectic in a short processing time. A continuous transition from submicro‐sized polycrystalline to non‐equilibrium eutectic was traced based on pulse discharge plasma semisolid to liquid processing. The uniform colony microstructure with an average inter‐lamellar or inter‐rod spacing of ~200 nm was obtained at a growth rate of ~275 μm/s, and the inter‐lamellar or inter‐rod spacing was a good fit for the inverse‐square‐root dependence of the growth rate as λ_a = 3.32 × v^?1/2.     

Effects of Gd Substitution on Sintering and Optical Properties of Highly Transparent (Y0.95−xGdxEu0.05)2O3 Ceramics

Highly transparent (Y_0.95?xGd_xEu_0.05)₂O₃ (x = 0.15–0.55) ceramics have been fabricated by vacuum sintering at the relatively low temperature of 1700°C for 4 h with the in‐line transmittances of 73.6%–79.5% at the Eu³⁺ emission wavelength of 613 nm (~91.9%–99.3% of the theoretical transmittance of Y_1.34Gd_0.6Eu_0.06O₃ single crystal), whereas the x = 0.65 ceramic undergoes a phase transformation at 1650°C and has a transparency of 53.4% at the lower sintering temperature of 1625°C. The effects of Gd³⁺ substitution for Y³⁺ on the particle characteristics, sintering kinetics, and optical performances of the materials were systematically studied. The results show that (1) calcining the layered rare‐earth hydroxide precursors of the ternary Y–Gd–Eu system yielded rounded oxide particles with greatly reduced hard agglomeration and the particle/crystallite size slightly decreases along with increasing Gd³⁺ incorporation; (2) in the temperature range 1100°C–1480°C, the sintering kinetics of (Y_0.95?xGd_xEu_0.05)₂O₃ is mainly controlled by grain‐boundary diffusion with similar activation energies of ~230 kJ/mol; (3) Gd³⁺ addition promotes grain growth and densification in the temperature range 1100°C–1400°C; (4) the bandgap energies of the (Y_0.95?xGd_xEu_0.05)₂O₃ ceramics generally decrease with increasing x; however, they are much lower than those of the oxide powders; (5) both the oxide powders and the transparent ceramics exhibit the typical red emission of Eu³⁺ at ~613 nm (the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition) under charge transfer (CT) excitation. Gd³⁺ incorporation enhances the photoluminescence and shortens the fluorescence lifetime of Eu³⁺.     

Controlled Synthesis of Layered Rare‐Earth Hydroxide Nanosheets Leading to Highly Transparent (Y0.95Eu0.05)2O3 Ceramics

Chemical precipitation at the freezing temperature of ~4°C has directly yielded layered rare‐earth hydroxide [LRH, Ln₂(OH)₅NO₃·nH₂O, Ln = Y_0.95Eu_0.05] nanosheets (up to 7 nm thick) for the Y/Eu binary system, with the interlayer NO₃^? exchangeable with SO₄^2?. Calcining the sulfate derivative at 1100°C for 4 h produces well‐dispersed and readily sinterable Ln₂O₃ red phosphor powders (~14.8 m²/g) that can be densified into highly transparent ceramics via optimized vacuum sintering at the relatively low temperature of 1700°C for 4 h (average grain size ~14 μm; in‐line transmittance ~80% at the 613 nm Eu³⁺ emission or ~99% of the theoretical transmittance of Y₂O₃ single crystal). Our systematic studies also found that (1) the extent of SO₄^2? exchange and the interlayer distance of LRH are both affected by the SO₄^2?/Ln³⁺ molar ratio (R), and an almost complete exchange is achievable at R = 0.25 as expected from the chemical formula (one SO₄^2? replaces two NO₃^? for charge balance). The optimal R value for sintering, however, was found to be 0.03; (2) The Ln³⁺ concentration for LRH synthesis substantially affects properties of the resultant oxides, and hard agglomeration has been significantly reduced at the optimized Ln³⁺ concentration of 0.05–0.075 mol/L; (3) Sulfate exchange significantly alters the thermal decomposition pathway of LRH, and was found essential to produce well‐dispersed and highly sinterable oxide powders; (4) Both the oxide powders and transparent ceramics exhibit the typical red emission of Eu³⁺ at ~613 nm (the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition) under charge‐transfer (CT) excitation. Red‐shifted CT band center, stronger excitation/emission, and shorter fluorescence lifetime were, however, observed for the transparent ceramics.     

Thermoelectric Efficiency of Reduced SrTiO3 Ceramics Modified with La and Nb

Ceramics of La_xSr_1?xNb_yTi_1?yO₃ (LSNT) were synthesized under various reducing atmospheres. Covering the specimens with graphite carbon felt under an Ar‐gas flow during sintering drastically enhanced the electrical conductivity, σ. Ti K‐edge absorption spectra indicated the presence of Ti³⁺ for heavily reduced specimens. The increase in conductivity was attributed to the 3d band of Ti³⁺. The maximum value for the figure of merit, ZT, was obtained for strontium titanate ceramics modified with both 5 mol% La and 5 mol% Nb, namely 5/5‐LSNT, exhibiting a ZT value of ~0.221 at 473 K. This high ZT value was almost 1.5 × larger than that of the conventional 10 mol% La‐doped sample, 10/0‐LSNT (ZT~0.144), and was mainly attributed to the larger Seebeck coefficient of the material.     

Effect of Hydrothermal Treatment of Rapeseed on Antioxidant Capacity of the Pressed Rapeseed Oil

Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the quantitative effects of two independent variables, rapeseed moisture content and conditioning temperature, on the antioxidant capacity (AC) and total phenolic (TPC), tocopherol (TTC), and phosphorus contents (PC) in the pressed rapeseed oils. The mean AC results for the crude rapeseed oils ranged from 199.8 to 947.2 μmolTE/100 g. TPC and PC in the crude rapeseed oils correlated significantly (P < 0.01) and positively with AC of oils (R ² = 0.9498 and 0.4396, respectively). The experimental results of AC, TPC, and PC were close to the predicted values calculated from the polynomial response surface model equations (R ² = 0.9801, 0.9747 and 0.9165, respectively). The effect of oil processing temperature on AC and TPC was about 1.5 times greater than the effect of moisture level in rapeseed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In-situ</Emphasis> nanofabrication via electrohydrodynamic jetting of countercharged nozzles

Summary  Methods to in-situ construct nanostructures are the key tools of nanotechnology. Herein, for the enforced combination of two nanomaterials, an in-situ combination technique, ‘electrohydrodynamic jetting of countercharged nozzles (EJC)’, was explored. EJC used an attraction force between negative and positive surface charges generated by electrohydrodynamic spinning and spraying. The obtained nanostructures were dependent on the types of materials and jetting conditions. Poly(methyl methacrylate) nano- or micro-fibers were uniformly combined with polystyrene nano- or microparticles. When lipoic acid (an antioxidant drug) was used instead of polystyrene, composite structures of fibers and surface nanodots resulted. The method could also enforce gold nanoparticles stick onto the surface of fibers. EJC is an efficient technique to fabricate composite nanostructures using materials with a wide range of properties.     

A local field emission study of partially aligned carbon-nanotubes by atomic force microscope probe

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study the field emission (FE) properties of a dense array of long and vertically quasi-aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes grown by catalytic chemical vapor deposition on a silicon substrate. The use of nanometric probes enables local field emission measurements to be made allowing the investigation of effects that are not detectable with a conventional parallel plate setup, where the emission current is averaged over a large sample area. The micrometric inter-electrode distance allows one to achieve high electric fields with a modest voltage. These features made us able to characterize field emission for macroscopic electric fields up to 250 V/μm and attain current densities larger than 10⁵ A/cm². FE behaviour is analyzed in the framework of the Fowler–Nordheim theory. A field enhancement factor γ ≈ 40–50 and a turn-on field E_turn-on 15 V/μm at an inter-electrode distance of 1 μm are estimated. Current saturation observed at high voltages in the I-V characteristics is explained in terms of a series resistance of the order of MΩ. Additional effects, such as electrical conditioning, CNT degradation, response to laser irradiation and time stability are investigated and discussed.     

Enhanced Luminescence of Eu-Doped TiO2 Nanodots

Monodisperse and spherical Eu-doped TiO₂ nanodots were prepared on substrate by phase-separation-induced self-assembly. The average diameters of the nanodots can be 50 and 70 nm by changing the preparation condition. The calcined nanodots consist of an amorphous TiO₂ matrix with Eu³⁺ ions highly dispersed in it. The Eu-doped TiO₂ nanodots exhibit intense luminescence due to effective energy transfer from amorphous TiO₂ matrix to Eu³⁺ ions. The luminescence intensity is about 12.5 times of that of Eu-doped TiO₂ film and the luminescence lifetime can be as long as 960 μs.     

Effects of microwave radiation on electrodeposition processes at tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) electrodes

In situ microwave activation is investigated for the electrodeposition of a metal (gold) and for a metal oxide (hydrous Ti(IV) oxide) onto tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) film electrodes. It is demonstrated that localized microwave heating of the ITO film can be exploited to affect electrodeposition processes.The electrochemically reversible and temperature sensitive one-electron redox system Fe(CN)₆^3−/4− was employed in aqueous solution in order to calibrate the average surface temperature at the ITO film electrode. In the presence of microwave radiation the average electrode surface temperature reached ca. 363 K whereas under the same conditions the bulk solution temperature reached ca. 313 K. Therefore localized heating of the ITO film appears to be important.The rate of electrodeposition of gold from an aqueous 1 mM tetrachloroaurate(III) solution in 0.1 M KCl (adjusted to pH 2) is enhanced by microwave activation. However, the morphology of deposits remains un-effected. Hydrous titanium (IV) oxide films were electrodeposited from an aqueous solution of 1 mM TiCl₃ in 0.1 M acetate buffer pH 4.7. Dense films with blocking character were obtained with conventional heating but a fibrous more open deposit forms in the presence of microwaves.     

Fabrication and Characterization of Transparent (Y0.98−xTb0.02Eux)2O3 Ceramics with Color‐Tailorable Emission

Transparent (Y_0.98?xTb_0.02Eu_x)₂O₃ (x = 0–0.04) ceramics with color‐tailorable emission have been successfully fabricated by vacuum sintering at the relatively low temperature of 1700°C for 4 h. These ceramics have the in‐line transmittances of ~73%–76% at 613 nm, the wavelength of Eu³⁺ emission (the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition). Thermodynamic calculation indicates that the Tb⁴⁺ ions in the starting oxide powder can essentially be reduced to Tb³⁺ under ~10^?3 Pa (the pressure for vacuum sintering) when the temperature is above ~394°C. The photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra of the transparent (Y_0.98?xTb_0.02Eu_x)₂O₃ ceramics exhibit one spin‐forbidden (high‐spin, HS) band at ~323 nm and two spin‐allowed (low‐spin, LS) bands at ~303 and 281 nm. Improved emissions were observed for both Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ by varying the excitation wavelength from 270 to 323 nm, without notably changing the color coordinates of the whole emission. The transparent (Y_0.98Tb_0.02)₂O₃ ceramic exhibits the typical green emission of Tb³⁺ at 544 nm (the ⁵D₄→⁷F₅ transition). With increasing Eu³⁺ incorporation, the emission color of the (Y_0.98?xTb_0.02Eu_x)₂O₃ ceramics can be precisely tailored from yellowish‐green to reddish‐orange via the effective energy transfer from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺ under the excitation with the peak wavelength of the HS band. At the maximum Eu³⁺ emission intensity (x = 0.02), the ceramic shows a high energy‐transfer efficiency of ~85.3%. The fluorescence lifetimes of both the 544 nm Tb³⁺ and 613 nm Eu³⁺ emissions were found to decrease with increasing Eu³⁺ concentration.     

Electrochemical and mechanical stability of LixLa0.557TiO3-δ perovskite electrolyte at various voltages

Perovskite Li_xLa_0.557TiO₃ electrolytes in all-solid-state lithium batteries are operated under a voltage gradient, which potentially induces the electrochemical and mechanical instability. To simulate the properties of Li_xLa_0.557TiO₃ (LLTO) under application relevant conditions, samples are charged (or discharged) to 0.2 V, 3.2 V, 4.0 V, and 4.5 V, respectively. The Li ion conductivity is 9.55 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm at 3.2 V and decreases obviously to 2.54 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm as the voltage increases to 4.5 V, whereas the value of the LLTO-0.2 V is between that of LLTO-3.2 V and LLTO-4.0 V. In terms of mechanical behavior, elastic modulus (E), hardness (H), and fracture toughness (K_IC) of LLTO operated at different voltages are also tested using depth-sensitive indentation. The results can be used in the designing, monitoring and also improving of the battery cells.     

Decomposition and nutrient release from mixed plant litters of contrasting quality in an agroforestry parkland in the south-Sudanese zone of West Africa

We investigated under field and laboratory conditions the decomposition and nutrient release from mixed leaf litters of Faidherbia albida (Del) A. Chev. and Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn. f. in the south-Sudanese zone of West Africa. Litterbags containing F. albida and V. paradoxa litters in varying proportions were placed on the soil surface and buried in plots receiving the following treatments: no fertilizer (control); nitrogen; phosphorus as Triple Superphosphate (TSP); and phosphorus as rock phosphate from Burkina Faso (BP). At each litterbags collection date, the undecomposed litter from each species was separated, and its remaining mass, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents were determined. F. albida decomposed faster (k-values ranged from 0.060 to 0.171 week⁻¹) than V. paradoxa (k-values ranged from 0.020 to 0.056 week⁻¹) and released more nutrient than V. paradoxa. Mixing litters accelerated the decomposition rate of both F. albida and V. paradoxa litter. Decomposition was faster in the nitrogen and TSP plots than in the control and BP plots, and buried litter decomposed more rapidly than surface litter Also under laboratory conditions, F. albida litter decomposed more rapidly than V. paradoxa litter as the microbial specific growth rate were 0.135 h⁻¹ and 0.069 h⁻¹, respectively. Results indicated that mixing litters of contrasting qualities may be a promising option to regulating decomposition/mineralization rates from organic material.     

Structural and dielectric properties of CuO nanoparticles

The DC conduction and dielectric behaviour of copper oxide nanoparticles prepared by sol-gel method and sintered at 950 °C were studied in the temperature range of 200–526 K. The formation of single phase monoclinic CuO was confirmed by x-ray diffraction. Chemical composition of the CuO ceramic was investigated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique. Although XRD analysis shows the formation of single phase CuO, XPS spectra revealed the presence of Cu³⁺ and Cu²⁺. Deviation from linearity ln (σ_DC) vs. 1/T plot at ~390 K was observed, which indicates that DC conduction in the CuO pellet is dominated by two different conduction mechanisms. The results obtained on AC conductivity indicate that AC conduction mechanism could be well explained by the multihopping model at low frequencies, while high frequency AC conductivity data can be described by small polaron tunnelling model. The dielectric relaxation mechanism in the CuO pellet was studied by impedance spectroscopy. It was found that while dielectric constant is an increasing function of temperature, it decreases with increasing frequency. The obtained impedance spectra indicated that the grain boundary effects and intergranular activities play a crucial role on the dielectric relaxation processes.     

A Coated Infiltration Growth Technique for Fabricating Single‐Grain Y–Ba–Cu–O Bulk Superconductor

A coated infiltration growth technique was proposed to fabricate single‐grain Y?Ba?Cu?O bulk superconductor, in which a liquid source coated Y₂BaCuO₅ (Y‐211) preform was employed and the liquid source composition was 3BaO + 5CuO. Experimental results indicated that, the sample exhibited a single‐grain morphology on the top surface, and the liquid source coating always existed surrounding the bulk which contributed to the complete growth of the sample. The homogeneous distribution of fine Y‐211 inclusions in microstructure and a satisfactory J_c performance of 5.67 × 10⁴ A/cm² in self‐field at 77 K have also been observed.