Morphology study of oriented SmBCO film deposited by MOCVD

c-axis-oriented SmBa_2Cu_3O_7(SmBCO) films have been deposited on(100)- LaA1O_3(LAO)substrate by metal organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD) technique.The effects of deposition temperature(T_(dep)) and total pressure(P_(tot)) on the orientation and microstructure of SmBCO films were investigated.The orientation of SmBCO films transformed from α-axis to c-axis with increasing of T_(dep) from 900 to 1 100℃.At T_(dep)=1 050℃,SmBCO films had c-axis orientation and tetragon surface.At P_(tot)~(dep)=400-800 Pa and T_(dep)=1 050 ℃,totally c-axis-oriented SmBCO films were obtained.The R_(dep) of SmBCO films increased firstly and then decreased with increasing P_(tot).The surface of SmBCO films exhibited tetragon morphology at 1 050 ℃ and400 Pa.Maximum thickness of SmBCO film deposited was 1.2μm at P_(tot)= 600 Pa,and the corresponding R_(dep)was 7.2 μm·h~(-1).     

Entransy dissipation minimization for generalized heat exchange processes

This paper investigates the MED(Minimum Entransy Dissipation) optimization of heat transfer processes with the generalized heat transfer law q ∝(△(T~n))~m T. For the fixed amount of heat transfer, the optimal temperature paths for the MED are obtained. The results show that the strategy of the MED with generalized convective law q ∝(△T)~m T is that the temperature difference keeps constant, which is in accordance with the famous temperature-difference-field uniformity principle, while the strategy of the MED with linear phenomenological law q ∝△(T~(-1)) is that the temperature ratio keeps constant. For special cases with Dulong-Petit law q ∝(△T)~(1.25) and an imaginary complex law q ∝(△(T~4))~(1.25), numerical examples are provided and further compared with the strategies of the MEG(Minimum Entropy Generation), CHF(Constant Heat Flux) and CRT(Constant Reservoir Temperature) operations. Besides, influences of the change of the heat transfer amount on the optimization results with various heat resistance models are discussed in detail.     

Reaction mechanism and microstructure evolution of reaction sintered <Emphasis Type="Italic">h</Emphasis>-BN

Hexagonal boron nitride ceramic (h-BN) based on the nitridation of B powders was obtained by reaction sintering method. The effects of sintering temperature on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the resultant products were investigated and the reaction mechanism was discussed. Results showed that the reaction between B and N₂ occurred vigorously at temperatures ranging from 1 000 °C to 1 300 °C, which resulted in the generation of t-BN. When the temperature exceeded 1 450 °C, transformation from t-BN to h-BN began to occur. As the sintering temperature increased, the spherical particles of t-BN gradually transformed into fine sheet particles of h-BN. These particles subsequently displayed a compact arrangement to achieve a more uniform microstructure, thereby increasing the strength.     

Effects of the annealing heating rate on sputtered aluminum oxide films

Al_xO_y films by DC reactive magnetron sputtering were annealed in air ambient at 500 ℃for 1 h with different heating rates of 5,15,and 25 ℃/min.Then heat treatments at 900 ℃ were carried out on these 500 ℃-annealed films to simulate the high-temperature application environment.Effects of the annealing heating rate on structure and properties of both 500 ℃-annealed and 900 ℃-heated films were investigated systematically.It was found that distinct γ-Al_2O_3 crystallization was observed in the 900 ℃-heated films only when the annealing heating rates are 15 and 25 ℃/min.The 500 ℃-annealed film possessed the most compact surface morphology in the case of 25 ℃/min.The highest microhardness of both 500 ℃-annealed and 900℃-heated films were obtained when the annealing heating rate was 15 ℃/min.     

Composition dependence of phase structure and electrical properties of (1−y)Bi1−xNdxFeO3−yBiScO3 ceramics

In this work, we have studied a new lead-free ceramic of(1-y)Bi_(1-x)Nd_xFeO_(3-y)BiScO_3(0.05≤x≤0.15 and 0.05≤y≤0.15) prepared by a conventional solid-state method, and the influences of Nd and Sc content on their phase structure and electrical properties were investigated in detail. The ceramics with 0.05≤x≤0.10 and 0.05≤y≤0.15 belong to an R3 c phase, and the rhombohedral-like and orthorhombic multiphase coexistence is established in the composition range of 0.125≤x≤0.15 and y=0. The electrical properties of the ceramics can be enhanced by modifying x and y values. The highest piezoelectric coefficient(d33~51 p C/N) is obtained in the ceramics with x=0.075 and y=0.125, which is superior to that of a pure BiFeO_3 ceramic. In addition, a lowest dielectric loss(tan δ~0.095%, f=100 k Hz) is shown in the ceramics with x=0.15 and y=0 due to the involvement of low defect concentrations, and the improved thermal stability of piezoelectricity at 20–600oC is possessed in the ceramics. We believe that the ceramics can play a meaningful role in the high-temperature lead-free piezoelectric applications.     

Effects of annealing processes on Cu<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Si<Subscript>1-<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> thin films

The Cu _x Si_1-x thin films have been grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with in situ annealing on Si (001) and Si (111), respectively. The transformation of phase was detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the as-deposited films were composed of Cu on both Si (001) and Si (111). The annealed thin films consisted of Cu + η”-Cu₃Si on Si (001) while Cu + η’-Cu₃Si on Si (111), respectively, at annealed temperature (T _a) = 300-600 °C. With the further increasing of T _a, at T _a= 700 °C, there was only one main phase, η”-Cu₃Si on Si (001) while η’-Cu₃Si on Si (111), respectively. The annealed thin films transformed from continuous dense structure to scattered-grain morphology with increasing T _a detected by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). It was also showed that the grain size would enlarge with increasing annealing time (t _a).     

Density function theory study of electronic,optical and thermodynamic properties of CaN<Subscript>2</Subscript>, SrN<Subscript>2</Subscript> and BaN<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We put forward a first-principles density-functional theory about the impact of pressure on the structural and elastic properties of bulk CaN₂, SrN₂ and BaN₂. The ground state properties of three alkaline earth diazenides were obtained, and these were in good agreement with previous experimental and theoretical data. By using the quasi-harmonic Debye model, the thermodynamic properties including the debye temperature Θ _D, thermal expansion coefficient α, and grüneisen parameter γ are successfully obtained in the temperature range from 0 to 100 K and pressure range from 0 to 100 GPa, respectively. The optical properties including dielectric function ε(?), absorption coefficient α(?), reflectivity coefficient R(?), and refractive index n(?) are also calculated and analyzed.     

YIG thin film for RF integrated inductor

The yttrium iron garnet(YIG) thin films prepared by the sol-gel method and rapid thermal annealing(RTA) process for integrated inductor are investigated. The X-ray diffraction(XRD) results indicate that the YIG film annealed above 650 ℃ is poly-crystalline with single-phase garnet structure. Moreover, it can be found that the initial permeability μi, saturation magnetization M_S and coercivity H_c of these YIG films increase with increasing RTA temperature. Low temperature annealing after crystallization can further improve the magnetic properties of YIG film. Thereby, a planar integrated inductor in the presence of Si substrate/SiO_2 layer/Y_(2.8)Bi_(0.2)Fe_5O_(12) thin film/Cu spiral coil structure is fabricated successfully by the standard IC processes. Due to the magnetic enhancement originated from YIG film, the inductance L and quality factor Q of the inductor with YIG film are improved in a certain frequency range.     

Bimodal plate structures induced by pulsed laser in duplex-phase Zr alloy

A duplex-phase Zr-2.5Nb alloy was treated by pulsed laser, followed by careful microstructural characterization using field emission gun scanning electron microscope and attached electron backscatter diffraction. Beneath the modification zones with common uniform α-plate structures(UPS), a layer of unreported bimodal α-plate structures(BPS) featured by coarse(submicron)plates forming multiple cores surrounded by dense fine(nanoscale) plates was found. Presence of such BPS is attributed to non-equilibrium thermodynamic conditions induced by the pulsed laser treatments. Limited diffusion of Nb due to the short pulse during laser heating allows β phases with distinctly different Nb contents to be presented: Nb-enriched prior β films and Nb-depleted β phases, transforming into the fine and the coarse plates during cooling, respectively. Orientation analyses show that both types of plates in the BPS are aroused essentially from a single β orientation, suggesting epitaxial growth of the Nb-depletedβ phases from the preexisting β films.     

Stability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">γ</Emphasis>′ multimodal microstructure in a Ni-based powder metallurgy superalloy

Multimodal size distribution of γ′ phase was obtained in a slow-cooling experiment following supersolvus solution treatment (1191°C). The morphology of the secondary γ′ particles exhibited splitting and protrusion instabilities. In the subsequent aging process (815°C), reverse coarsening was observed, i.e., the average precipitate size decreased with increasing aging time. Reverse coarsening slows the coarsening rate of the precipitates, increases the hardness of the alloy, and greatly improves the morphological stability of the γ′ phase.     

Crystal growth,structure and properties of bismuth triborate BiB<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>6</Subscript> crystal

BiB₃O₆ (BIBO) single crystals with size of 46×23×10 mm³ and weight of 26.0 g have been successfully grown by top-seeded method. Problems encountered in the growth process of this crystal have been discussed in detail, and the methods of growing high-quality large crystals have been put forward. The relationship between their structure and properties is studied. The space group of monoclinic BiB₃O₆ is C2 and the cell parameters are a=7.1203(7) Å, b=4.9948(7) Å, c=6.5077(7) Å, β=105.586(8)″, and V=222.93(5) ų. The density of BIBO is 4.8965 g/cm³. The Mohs’s scale of hardness is 5.5–6. There is no cleavage face in the crystal. The transmittance of BIBO is about 80 percent in the range from visible coherent light to near-infrared light. The ultraviolet cutoff wavelength is at 276 nm. BiB₃O₆ is a biaxial crystal and has two sets of axes, and the relative orientation of (X, Y, Z) with regard to (a, b, c) is: X//b, (Y, c)=47.2°, (Z, a)=31.6°, determined by X-ray analysis combined with polarized microscopy. Second-harmonic-generation (SHG) experiments were carried out for the first time. In type I phase-matching (PM) directions (11.1°, 90°) and (168.9°, 90°), SHG conversion efficiencies of two directions for 1.064 μm light are up to 67.7% and 58%, respectively. We have also obtained the third-harmonic-generation (THG) of 1.064 μm. The comparative experiments between BIBO and KTP were carried out on conversion efficiency, transmittance and hardness. All the above results indicate that BiB₃O₆ is a kind of excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal.     

Synthesis of MnxZn（1-x）Fe2O4 Nanopartieles by Ball-milling Hydrothermal Method

SMnxZn1-xFe2O4 （x=1,0.9,0.8,0.7,0.6,0.5,0.25,0） nanoparticles were prepared by ball-milling hydrothermal and investigated by X-ray diffraction, DTG and TEM. Nanocrystallite grain size was determined by X-ray linewidth to be from 63 A to 274 A. The thermal properties indicate absorbed water still remain at low temperature, crystalline wate will be decomposed from 230 ℃ to 260 ℃, partial Mn^2＋ will be oxidized near 730 ℃. TEM shows the ferrite particles pocess a spherical morphology and uniform nanosize.     

Rheological behaviors of fresh cement pastes with polycarboxylate superplasticizer

The rheologicalbehaviors of fresh cement paste with polycarboxylate superplasticizer were systematically investigated.Influentialfactors including superplasticizer to cement ratio(Sp/C),water to cement ratio(w/c),temperature,and time were discussed.Fresh cement pastes with Sp/Cs in the range of 0 to 2.0% and varied W/Cs from 0.25 to 0.5 were prepared and tested at 0,20 and 40 °C,respectively.Flowability and rheologicaltests on cement pastes were conducted to characterize the development of the rheologicalbehavior of fresh cement pastes over time.The exprimentalresults indicate that the initialflowability and flowability retention over shelf time increase with the growth in superplasticizer dosage due to the plasticizing effect and retardation effect of superplasticizer.Higher temperature usually leads to a sharper drop in initialflowability and flowability retention.However,for the cement paste with high Sp/C or w/c,the flowability is slightly affected by temperature.Yield stress and plastic viscosity show similar variation trends to the flowability under the abovementioned influentialfactors at low Sp/C.In the case of high Sp/C,yield stress and plastic viscosity start to decline over shelf time and the decreasing rate descends at elevated temperature.Moreover,two equations to roughly predict yield stress and plastic viscosity of the fresh cement pastes incorporating Sp/C,w/c,temperature and time are developed on the basis of the existing models,in which experimentalconstants can be extracted from a database created by the rheologicaltest results.     

Influence of water and oil immersion on the tribological properties of Excentrodendron hsienmu

Modern composite materials and lignum vitae are widely studied and used in water-lubricated bearings. Noise, wear and tear, environmental pollution, and limited resources restrict the application of these materials. Thus, alternatives to lignum vitae for water-lubricated bearings should be identified and developed. In this work, the chemical composition and mechanical and tribological properties of water-, vegetable oil-, and gear oil-immersed and wax- and water-extracted Excentrodendron hsienmu (E. hsienmu) samples were studied. Results showed that the friction coefficients of the water- and gear oil-immersed and waxand water-extracted E. hsienmu samples are significantly smaller than those of the wax- and water-extracted lignum vitae samples. The grinding crack widths of the water-extracted gear oil-immersed E. hsienmu samples are smaller than those of the water-immersed lignum vitae samples. The preliminary results show that it is possible to provide an environmentally friendly method that could replace lignum vitae and other composite materials for water-lubricated bearings.     

Microstructure and growth kinetics of silicide coatings for TiAl alloy

In order to improve the oxidation resistance of Ti Al alloy, silicide coatings were prepared by pack cementation method at 1273, 1323, and 1373 K for 1-3 hours. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) were employed to investigate the microstructures and phase constitutions of the coatings. The experimental results show that all silicon deposition coatings have multi-layer structure. The microstructure and composition of silicide coatings strongly depend on siliconizing temperatures. In order to investigate the rate controlling step of pack siliconizing on Ti Al alloy, coating growth kinetics was analyzed by measuring the mass gains per unit area of silicided samples as a function of time and temperature. The results showed that the rate controlling step was gas-phase diffusion step and the growth rate constant(k) ranged from 1.53 mg~2/(cm~4·h~2) to 2.3 mg~2/(cm~4·h~2). Activation energy(Q) for the process was calculated as 109 k J/mol, determined by Arrhenius' equation: k = k0 exp[–Q/(RT)].     

Vacuum degree effects on betavoltaics irradiated by <Superscript>63</Superscript>Ni with differently apparent activity densities

For many current betavoltaics, beta sources and PN junction energy conversion units are separated. The air gap between the two parts could stop part of decay beta particles, which results in inefficient performance of the betavoltaic. By employing ⁶³Ni with an apparent emission activity density of 7.26×10⁷ and 1.81×10⁸ Bq cm^?2, betavoltaic performance levels were calculated at a vacuum degree range of 1×10⁵ to 1×10^?1 Pa and measured at 1.0×10⁵ and 1.0×10⁴ Pa, respectively. Results show that betavoltaic performance levels improve significantly as the vacuum degree increases. The maximum output power (P _max) exhibits the largest change, followed by short-circuit current (I _sc), open-circuit voltage (V _oc), and fill factor. The vacuum degree effects on I _sc, V _oc, and P _max of the betavoltaic with low apparent activity density ⁶³Ni are more significant than those of the betavoltaic with high apparent activity density ⁶³Ni. Moreover, the improved efficiencies of the measured performances are larger than the calculated efficiencies because of the low ratio of I _sc and reverse saturation current (I ₀). The values of I ₀, ideality factor, and shunt resistance were estimated to modify the equivalent circuit model. The calculation results based on this model are closer to the measurement results. The results of this research can provide a theoretical foundation and experimental reference for the study of vacuum degree effects on betavoltaics of the same kind.     

Coupling of Pi2 wave energy in the inner magnetosphere as inferred from low-latitude ground observations

Taking advantage of high time-resolution (1 s) geomagnetic field measurements obtained at low-latitude stations, we investigated frequency differences of Pi2 pulsations between the dayside and the nightside. Firstly, we examined two Pi2 cases globally observed by multiple ground stations and found that the dominant frequency peaks at the dayside showed latitudinal dependence, i.e., the higher (lower) frequency peak was predominant at lower (higher) latitude. We also noticed that the dominant Pi2 frequency on the nightside was apparently higher than that on the dayside. We argue that the multiple frequency peaks observed on the ground are harmonics of a plasmaspheric cavity resonance mode (CRM) and that the latitudinal dependence of the dominant frequency peaks may result from the energy coupling between the CRM and field line resonance (FLR) occurred in the near Earth space. We also argue that the frequency difference between the dayside and the nightside could be caused by the reason that a higher harmonic was observed in the nightside plasmasphere but was not effectively observed in the dayside. In addition, we statistically examined 829 Pi2 events that were simultaneously recorded at Kakioka (KAK, Maglat=27.2°) and Jicamarca (JIC, Maglat=0.0°), the two stations separated by ～10 h in local time (LT) and one of them (JIC) is located at the dip equator. We found that the Pi2 frequency observed at KAK on the nightside was higher than that observed at JIC on the dayside on average. After investigating the occurrence histogram of the frequency difference (Δf=f _JIC?f _KAK) for the events simultaneously observed at KAK and JIC, we found that close to half of the events had the identical frequency (|Δf|<1.0 mHz). The statistical results are consistent with the facts reflected by case studies.     

Structural,anisotropic and thermodynamic properties of Imm2-BCN

Structural, anisotropic, and thermodynamic properties of Imm2-BCN were studied based on density function theory with the ultrasoft psedopotential scheme in the frame of the generalized gradient approximation(GGA). The elastic constants were confirmed that the predicted Imm2-BCN is mechanically stable. The anisotropy of elastic properties were also studied systematically. The anisotropy studies of Young's modulus, shear modulus, linear compressibility, and Poisson's ratio show that the Imm2-BCN exhibits a large anisotropy. Through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, the relations between the equilibrium volume V, thermal expansion α, the heat capacity C_V and CP, the Grüneisen parameter γ, and the Debye temperature Θ_D with pressure P and temperature T were also studied systematically.     

Elimination of Voids at Interface of <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-SiC Films and Si Substrate by Laser CVD

Void-free β-SiC films were deposited on Si(001) substrates by laser chemical vapor deposition using hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) as the precursor. The effect of the time of introducing HMDS, i e, the substrate temperature when HMDS introduced (T_in), on the preferred orientation, surface microstructure and void was investigated. The orientation of the deposited SiC films changed from <001> to random to <111> with increasing T_in. The surface showed a layer-by-layer microstructure with voids above T_in ? 773 K, and then transformed into mosaic structure without voids at T_in= 298 K. The mechanism of the elimination of voids was discussed. At T_in =298 K, Si surface can be covered by an ultrathin SiC film, which inhibits the out-diffusion of Si atoms from substrate and prohibites the formation of the voids.     

Effects of Annealing Process on Crystallization and Low Temperature Resistance Properties of PP-R Composites

The effects of the annealing process on the mechanical properties and crystallization behaviors of polypropylene random copolymer(PP-R) composites were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), wide-angle X-ray diffraction(WAXD), and dynamic mechanical analysis(DMA), and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The experimental results indicated that the annealing process significantly influenced the comprehensive properties of PP-R composites. At temperatures below 23 ℃, the impact strength of the PP-R composites annealed at 120 ℃ for 6 h was relatively high at 74.73 k J/m~2, which was 16.8% higher than that of the samples annealed at 80 ℃ for 6 h. At low temperatures(-30-0 ℃), the impact strength ranged from approximately 13.31 k J/m~2 to 54.4 k J/m~2. In addition, the annealing process conducted at 120 ℃ for 6 h improved the crystalline structure and low-temperature toughness of the PP-R composites and induced α-form to β-form crystal transformation. The work provides a possible method to reinforce and toughen the semicrystalline polymer at low temperatures(-30-0 ℃) by annealing.