Effects of shear bands in glassy alloy ribbons on some magnetic properties

Metallic glasses deformed in an inhomogeneous manner show degradation of structure-sensitive soft magnetic properties. Ribbons of different magnetostriction have been magnetically measured in the as-cast and in the cold-rolled state. Subsequent isochronal annealing and retesting indicates that recovery of magnetic properties may be rationalized on the basis of competition between stress relief and incipient crystallization, both of which occur during annealing. The minimum coercivity to which an inhomogeneously deformed sample may be annealed is limited primarily by magnetostriction and thermal stability of a particular metallic glass. Stress relaxation and Curie temperature measurements suggest the creation of free volume during the formation of shear bands.     

The influence of residual stresses on the mechanical and thermal properties of injection moulded ABS copolymer

The mechanical and thermal properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) were determined for as-moulded and annealed specimens in order to assess the influence of residual stresses on these properties. Mouldings were heat treated at temperatures below and above the glass transition temperature, T _g. Annealing below the glass transition removes most of the residual stresses arising during the moulding process, while annealing above the glass transition temperature removes both the residual stresses and molecular orientation. Residual stresses have a strong bearing on the end-use properties. The thermal behaviour of the mouldings are mostly affected by the stimulation of molecular motion caused by the relaxation of the residual stresses near the glass transition temperature.     

Evaluation of the structural behaviour of annealed nylon 6 fibres from density measurements

Nylon 6 fibres were annealed in the temperatures range 80–185 °C for times from 1–10 h, and the density of the annealed fibres was measured by a system based on the theory of vibrating strings. The fibre diameter was also determined, using the laser forward diffraction technique. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) measurements were used to determine the glass transition temperature and the melting point of nylon 6. Some annealed samples were subjected to X-ray diffraction to clarify the variation of crystallinity with the annealing conditions. The mechanism of structural variations for nylon 6 fibres due to the annealing process is discussed, and structural details for crystalline and non-crystalline phases of a polymer are suggested. The behaviour of the number of oriented chains, number of crystallized nuclei, relative amount of recrystallized material and the shrinkage ratio with annealing time is proposed to explain the thermal structural variations.     

Electrical and optical properties of annealed gallium arsenide thin films on glass substrates

The effects of annealing in vacuum on the electrical and optical properties of GaAs thin films deposited by the flash evaporation method were studied. Thin films of compound GaAs deposited upon glass substrates at room temperature were annealed in a vacuum of 2×10^–6 torr at different temperatures up to 350° C. The properties of the films depended strongly on annealing temperature. The lowest resistivity measured was about 1.6 × 10⁴ cm at an annealing temperature of about 240° C. The activation energy of as-deposited and annealed films were measured and compared. Optical absorption measurements of the asdeposited samples and the samples annealed at a temperature of 240° C were made as a function of photon energy.     

Influence of the annealing in nitrogen atmosphere on the XRD, EDX, SEM and electrical properties of chemical bath deposited CdSe thin films

The influence of annealing in nitrogen atmosphere on the structure, optical and electrical properties of cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films deposited by chemical bath deposition (CBD) onto glass substrates was studied. The samples were annealed in nitrogen atmosphere at various temperatures. A transition from metastable nanocrystalline cubic to stable polycrystalline hexagonal phase has been observed after annealing. The as-deposited CdSe thin films grow in the nanocrystalline cubic phase with optical band gap 1.93 eV. The electrical resistivity of the thin films has been measured in order of 10⁶ Ω cm. The activation energy of the samples has been found to be 0.26–0.19 eV at low temperature region, and 0.36–0.56 eV at high temperature region. It was also found that the activation energy and the resistivity of the films decrease with the increasing annealing temperature.     

Heat Capacity and Thermodynamic Properties of Poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene) from 2.5 to 620 K

Heat capacities and thermodynamic properties of a number of poly(chlorotrifluoToethylene) samples subjected to various thermal treatments, to achieve crystallinities ranging from approximately 10 to 90%, have been studied from 2.5 to 370 K by automated adiabatic calorimetiy and from 250 to 620 K by differential scanning calorimetry. Small heat capacity discontinuities in the temperature range from 320 to 350 K were observed in all samples with crystallinities greater than 40%. Spontaneous adiabatic temperature drifts associated with these anomalies were prasitive (exothermic) for quenched samples and negative (endothermic) for annealed samples. Therefore these anomalies were believed to be associated with a relaxation phenomenon similar to that of a glass transition. For highly quenched low crystallinity films, a much larger heat capacity discontinuity of greater than 15% was observed, amidst a crystallization exotherm. In addition to the above phenomena, annealing of the sample at any temperature between 240 to 400 K would produce a shift in the population distribution of crystallites from reorganization or melting and recrystallization. As a result, the apparent heat capacity became somewhat lowered at the annealing temperature and somewhat raised at about 20 K above the annealing temperature.     

Nano-structuring of sputtered gold layers on glass by annealing

The crystalline structure and surface morphology of gold nano-structures prepared by sputtering on a glass substrate are studied. The properties of the gold nano-structures were determined at room temperature and after annealing at 300 °C. XRD analysis provided information about the gold crystalline structure. Significant difference in the dependence of the lattice parameter on the sputtering time was found between the as-sputtered and annealed samples. By the XRD method the texture, crystallite size and lattice stress were also determined. With increasing sputtering time the layer thickness and the size of crystallites increased. Another rapid enlargement of the crystallites is observed after annealing. On the as-sputtered samples the value of micro-deformation depends on the structure thickness. After annealing, however, the micro-deformation is nearly constant regardless of the sputtering time. On both, the as-sputtered and the annealed samples the gold crystallites are preferentially [111] oriented. After the annealing significant changes in the structure surface morphology and a dramatic increase of the surface roughness are observed due to a structure relaxation at increased temperature.     

Magnetic anisotropy control in amorphous FeCoSiB films by stress annealing

It is important to control magnetic anisotropy of ferromagnetic materials. In this work, magnetic anisotropy of amorphous FeCoSiB films is controlled by stress annealing. FeCoSiB films are deposited on glass substrate and annealed with stress in vacuum. When the annealed films are released from clamp, permanent tensile or compressive strain can be introduced in the films. Influences of both tensile and compressive strain on the magnetic properties of FeCoSiB films have been studied. The results show that FeCoSiB films by stress annealing exhibit strong magnetic anisotropy while the samples by normal annealing exhibit magnetic isotropy. Easy axis along the stress is induced in the films with tensile stress, while easy axis perpendicular to the stress is induced in the samples with compressive stress. It has also been found that the magnetic anisotropy increases with the increase of the strain. The effects of strain on the magnetic properties of FeCoSiB films have been interpreted by stress induced anisotropy via magnetoelastic coupling.     

Formation and properties of cadmium sulfide buffer layer for CIGS solar cells grown using hot plate bath deposition

In the present study, cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin films were deposited on different substrates [soda glass, fluoride doped tin oxide, and tin doped indium oxide (ITO) coated glass] by a hot plate method. To control the thickness and the reproducibility of the sample production, the thin films were coated at different temperatures and deposition times. The CdS thin films were heated at 400 °C in air and forming gas (FG) atmosphere to investigate the effect of the annealing temperatures. The thickness of the samples, measured by ellipsometry, could be controlled by the deposition time and temperature of the hot plate. The phase formation and structural properties of CdS thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, whereas the optical properties were obtained by UV–vis spectroscopy. A hexagonal crystal structure was observed for CdS thin films and the crystallinity improved upon annealing. The structural and optical properties of CdS thin films were also enhanced by annealing at 400 °C in FG atmosphere (95 % N₂, 5 % H₂). The optical band gap was changed from 2.25 to 2.40 eV at different annealing temperatures and gas atmospheres. A higher electrical conductivity, for the sample annealed at FG, was noticed. The samples deposited on ITO and annealed in FG atmosphere showed the best structural and electrical properties compared to the other samples. CdS thin films can be widely used for application as a buffer layer for copper–indium–gallium–selenide solar cells.     

Low pressure annealing of gold nanostructures

Ultra-thin Au films sputtered on glass substrates were investigated. The samples were annealed in air and in an evacuated chamber. The dependence of the annealing process on ambient pressure during thermal treatment was studied. The thermally-induced changes in surface morphology were followed by atomic force microscopy. The changes have a great impact on dielectric, optical and physical properties of the prepared structures. UV–Vis absorption spectra were used to investigate optical parameters and showed the semiconducting characteristic of intrinsic Au clusters. It was found that reduced ambient pressure stabilizes the continuous structure of the thin gold film during the annealing process.     

Annealing Effect on Transport and Magnetic Properties of La_(0.67)Sr_(0.33)MnO_3 Thin Films Grown on Glass Substrates by RF Magnetron Sputtering

The manganite La0.67Sr0.33MnO3(LSMO) thin films were grown on glass substrates in a mixed argon and oxygen atmosphere by using RF magnetron sputtering.The structural characteristics,transport behaviors and magnetic properties of LSMO films were studied by annealing the films in air at 550 and 620 ℃.The out-of-plane lattice parameter a LSMO contracted after annealing and was close to that of bulk LSMO abulk,indicating that the internal strain was fully relaxed.Nanocrystalline grains were observed in the annealed films.Enhanced saturation magnetization and metal-to-insulator transition temperature(TMI=268 K) were also obtained.Curie temperatures(Tc) of the as-grown films was 340 K with the same as that of annealed at 550 ℃,but dropped to 315 K when the annealing temperature increased to 620 ℃,which can be attributed to the oxygen release during annealing in atmosphere.     

Mechanical properties of nano-silica particulate-reinforced epoxy composites considered in terms of crosslinking effect in matrix resins

In this study, the mechanical properties of nano-silica particulate-reinforced epoxy composites with different crosslinking densities were clarified experimentally to consider the interaction effects between nano-particles and the network structure in matrix resin. The matrices were prepared by curing with an excessive mixture of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A type epoxy resin as the curing agent for the stoichiometric condition. The volume fraction of the silica particles with a median diameter of 240 nm was constantly 0.2 for every composite. The crosslinking densities and glass transition temperatures of the neat epoxy resins were identified from thermo-viscoelastic properties measured by dynamic mechanical analysis. Elastic moduli and strengths of the composites and the neat epoxy resins were measured by three-point bending tests. The glass transition temperatures of the neat epoxy resins decreased linearly as the crosslinking densities decreased from the stoichiometric condition. The glass transition temperatures of the composites were reduced by adding the nano-silica particles. The bending moduli of the composites in the glassy state could be predicted by using a mixture law of the composites regardless of the crosslinking densities and glass transition temperatures. The bending strengths were found to be sensitive to the crosslinking densities: they were both higher (for composites with high crosslinking densities) and lower (for composites with low crosslinking densities) than those of the neat epoxy resin. These results demonstrate that the interaction between nano-particles and network structures reduces the bending strengths, especially for low crosslinking densities.     

Effect of Preparation Technique on Microstructure and Hydrogen Storage Properties of LaNi_(3.8)Al_(1.0)Mn_(0.2) Alloys

La Ni3.8Al1.0Mn0.2 alloy was prepared by vacuum induction melting and melt-spinning.The effects of different preparation techniques of the as-cast,cast then annealed,as-spun and spun then annealed alloys on the microstructure and hydrogen storage properties were investigated.The results indicated that the non-Ca Cu5 phases in the alloy became tinier and more dispersive after annealing or melt-spinning compared to those of the as-cast one.But in the spun then annealed alloy,the non-Ca Cu5 phases disappeared and only a single-phase with Ca Cu5 type structure was found.For all the alloys,the cell volume was increased in an order of as-cast spun then annealed cast then annealed as-spun,and the change of plateau pressure showed the opposite trend with that of the cell volume.The plateau could be flattened after melt-spinning or annealing,and the spun then annealed alloy showed the minimum plateau slope.The absorption kinetics of the alloy was promoted after melt-spinning or annealing.It is suggested that the change in cell volume and compositional homogeneity resulting from different preparation techniques contribute to the difference of the hydrogen storage properties of the investigated alloys.     

Textural Evolution of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy Sheets Undergoing Repeated Unidirectional Bending at Room Temperature

In this paper, repeated unidirectional bending (RUB), was applied to improve the texture of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheets so as to enhance their stamping properties. The samples undergoing RUB were annealed at different temperatures. The mechanical properties, formability, textural components and microstructure of the samples before and after RUB were characterized and compared. It was found that the basal textural component was reduced dramatically by RUB, and that (12ˉ12) and (12ˉ11) textural components ap...     

Formation of CuInSe2 by the selenization of sputtered Cu/In layers

Single layers of Cu and In were deposited onto Mo coated glass substrates by radio frequency sputtering. The Cu11In9 phase has been found to be the majority phase in these precursors. The selenization of the sputtered layers has been achieved by depositing a 1 μm Se layer onto the precursor by thermal evaporation followed by an annealing in vacuum. Samples were annealed at different temperatures varying between 100–600°C at intervals of 50°C. The chalcopyrite structured ternary phase of CuInSe2 with a significant amount of preferential orientation in the (112) direction was obtained in samples annealed at 400°C or above. Morphological, compositional and structural analyses of the samples annealed at different temperatures were performed using a variety of complementary techniques. The results were analysed to explain the growth of CuInSe2 on the selenization of sputtered Cu-In precursors. The occurrence of various binary phases of Cu-In, Cu-Se and In-Se in different annealing temperature ranges has also been investigated. The phenomenon of volume expansion in CuInSe2 on selenization has been found to manifest itself as a shift in the characteristic (110) X-ray diffraction peak of Mo. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

退火气氛对镶嵌在SiO2中Ag纳米颗粒热演变影响效应的研究

将70 keV的Ag离子以5×10¹⁶ cm^-2的剂量注入到SiO₂基底中, 随后分别在400~800℃的Ar、N₂、空气气氛中退火, 详细研究了样品的表面形貌、光吸收特性、结构及成分随退火气氛及退火温度的变化规律。原子力显微镜、紫外-可见分光光度计及掠入射X射线衍射仪的测试结果显示: Ar气氛退火样品中形成的Ag纳米粒子(NPs)细小均匀, 其颗粒密度在700℃时达到最大值, 光吸收性能最佳; N₂气氛退火引发Ag纳米颗粒的团聚生长, 在样品近表面形成较大的Ag NPs, 其颗粒密度也在700℃时达到最大值; 而空气中退火后, 由于AgO的形成、分解, 样品的光吸收强度随退火温度升高持续下降。最后, 卢瑟福背散射研究结果表明, 样品的这些变化主要归因于Ag原子在不同退火气氛下随退火温度的扩散行为不同。     

Synthesis and characterization of zinc stannate thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

The zinc stannate thin films were synthesized by simple and inexpensive spray pyrolysis technique on the glass and fluorine doped tin oxide coated conducting glass substrates. The as deposited films were further annealed at 500 °C temperature for 12 h. The structural optical and morphological characterization of as prepared and annealed films was carried out by XRD, UV–Vis spectroscopy, SEM and AFM techniques respectively. The structural analysis shows that films are polycrystalline and crystallized in cubic inverse spinel crystal structure. SEM studies show that grain size increases after annealing and exhibits spherical morphology. AFM study shows that roughness is higher for the post annealed film. Further the samples were tested for testing their applicability for dye sensitized solar cells. The as prepared, annealed and CNT doped samples exhibits photoconversion efficiencies 2.7, 2.8 and 3.1 % respectively.     

Annealing Effect in GaDyN on Optical and Magnetic Properties

The annealing effect on the optical and magnetic properties of the GaDyN layers was studied. The PL intensities of yellow and green bands as well as the intra-4f orbital transition of Dy³⁺ ions were found to decrease for the samples annealed at 900 and 1000 °C. It is supposed that the intra-4f orbital transition is related to the broad peak luminescence coming from defects. Increasing the annealing temperature, the magnetization becomes smaller. It is considerable that the number of electrons coming from defects was reduced by the annealing treatments and that the ferromagnetism in GaDyN is attributed as carrier induced ferromagnetism.     

Structure and properties of Ge–Sb–S–CsCl glass–ceramics

We annealed Ge–Sb–S–CsCl glass and investigated the evolution of the structural, optical and mechanical properties as a function of annealing temperature. It was found that, for the glass annealed at 280 °C for 210 h, a CsCl crystalline phase with mono-dispersedly spherical shape was formed; while for the glass annealed at 370 °C for 5 h, both β-GeS₂ and CsCl crystalline phases with irregular distribution of large grains was observed. While the density and the microhardness of the glasses increase with increasing annealing temperature, it was found that, optical loss in the glass annealed at 370 °C for 5 h was much larger than that annealed at 280 °C for 210 h.     

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of Hybrid Fibre/Glass Microspheres Composites

Abstract: This article presents the results obtained in a current study of the viscous properties on hybrid short fibre/hollow glass microspheres composites fabricated with epoxy binder. The effect of the filler volume fraction and of the fibre reinforcement on the dynamic stiffness modulus, damping coefficient and glass transition temperature was studied. These properties were determined using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in three points bending mode. The specimens were cut from plates produced by vacuum resin transfer moulding with microspheres weight contents up to 17%. Net resin exhibits storage modulus significantly higher than the 2% in weight of microspheres foam, while negligible effect was observed on the maximum loss modulus, maximum damping coefficient and glass transition temperature. The increase in filler volume fraction tends to decrease significantly storage and loss modulus at stable regions and the maximum damping coefficient, while glass transition temperature is only marginally affected. The addition of low contents of short fibre increases significantly storage modulus, particularly for carbon fibre, while maximum loss modulus does not exhibit a well‐defined tendency. Important reduction in the maximum damping coefficient was observed by the addition of both fibre reinforcements.