Fabrication and characterization of iron and fluorine co-doped BST thin films for microwave applications

The effects of fluorine co-doping by means of a post-thermal annealing process of iron-doped BST thin films in a fluorine-containing atmosphere have been investigated. XPS and ToF-SIMS sputter depth profiling verified a homogeneous fluorine distribution in the thin films. By employing EPR, it was shown that singly charged ( $ {\text{Fe}}_{\text{Ti}}^{\prime } $ – $ {\text{V}}_{\text{O}}^{ \cdot \cdot } $ )^· defect complexes, as well as ‘isolated’ $ {\text{Fe}}_{\text{Ti}}^{\prime } $ centres with a distribution of $ {\text{F}}_{\text{O}}^{ \cdot } $ sites in remote coordination spheres exist in the fluorinated films. Tunability enhancement due to fluorine co-doping as well as a Q-factor enhancement due to iron doping is demonstrated.     

Measurements of Microstructural, Mechanical, Electrical, and Thermal Properties of an Al–Ni Alloy

The Al–7.5 wt% Ni alloy was directionally solidified upwards with different temperature gradients, $G$ ( $0.86\,\text{ K}~{\cdot }~ \text{ mm}^{-1}$ to $4.24\,\text{ K}~{\cdot }~\text{ mm}^{-1})$ at a constant growth rate, $V$ ( $8.34\,\upmu \text{ m}~{\cdot }~\text{ s}^{-1})$ . The dependence of dendritic microstructures such as the primary dendrite arm spacing ( $\lambda _{1}$ ), the secondary dendrite arm spacing ( $\lambda _{2}$ ), the dendrite tip radius ( $R$ ), and the mushy zone depth ( $d$ ) on the temperature gradient were analyzed. The dendritic microstructures in this study were also compared with current theoretical models, and similar previous experimental results. Measurements of the microhardness (HV) and electrical resistivity ( $\rho $ ) of the directionally solidified samples were carried out. Variations of the electrical resistivity ( $\rho $ ) with temperature ( $T$ ) were also measured by using a standard dc four-point probe technique. And also, the dependence of the microhardness and electrical resistivity on the temperature gradient was analyzed. According to these results, it has been found that the values of HV and $\rho $ increase with increasing values of $G$ . But, the values of HV and $\rho $ decrease with increasing values of dendritic microstructures ( $\lambda _{1}, \lambda _{2}, R,$ and $d$ ). It has been also found that, on increasing the values of temperature, the values of $\rho $ increase. The enthalpy of fusion ( $\Delta {H}$ ) for the Al–7.5 wt%Ni alloy was determined by a differential scanning calorimeter from a heating trace during the transformation from solid to liquid.     

Effect of Previous Milling of Precursors on Magnetoelectric Effect in Multiferroic {\mathrm{Bi}_{5}\mathrm{Ti}_{3}\mathrm{FeO}_{15}} Ceramic

$\mathrm{Bi}_{5}\mathrm{Ti}_{3}\mathrm{FeO}_{15}$ Bi 5 Ti 3 FeO 15 magnetoelectric (ME) ceramics have been synthesized and investigated. The ME effect can be described as an induced electric polarization under an external magnetic field or an induced magnetization under an external electric field. The materials in the ME effect are called ME materials, and they are considered to be a kind of new promising materials for sensors, processors, actuators, and memory systems. Multiferroics, the materials in which both ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity can coexist, are the prospective candidates which can potentially host the gigantic ME effect. $\mathrm{Bi}_{5}\mathrm{Ti}_{3}\mathrm{FeO}_{15}$ Bi 5 Ti 3 FeO 15 , an Aurivillius compound, was synthesized by sintering a mixture of $\mathrm{Bi}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}, \mathrm{Fe}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Bi 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , and $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 oxides. The precursor materials were prepared in a high-energy attritorial mill for (1, 5, and 10) h. The orthorhombic $\mathrm{Bi}_{5}\mathrm{Ti}_{3}\mathrm{FeO}_{15}$ Bi 5 Ti 3 FeO 15 ceramics were obtained by a solid-state reaction process at 1313 K. The ME voltage coefficient ( $\alpha _\mathrm{ME}$ α ME ) was measured using the dynamic lock-in method. The highest ME voltage coefficient ( $\alpha _\mathrm{ME} = 8.28\,\text{ mV }{\cdot }\text{ cm }^{-1}{\cdot }\text{ Oe }^{-1})$ α ME = 8.28 mV · cm ? 1 · Oe ? 1 ) is obtained for the sample milled for 1 h at $H_\mathrm{DC }= 4$ H DC = 4  Oe (1 Oe = 79.58  $\text{ A }{\cdot }\text{ m }^{-1})$ A · m ? 1 ) .     

Influence of pH and bath composition on properties of Ni–Fe alloy films synthesized by electrodeposition

Fe?CNi films were electrodeposited on ITO glass substrates from the electrolytes with different molar ratio of Ni $^{\boldsymbol{2+}}$ /Fe $^{\boldsymbol{2+}}$ and different pH values (2 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 1, 2 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 9, 3 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 7 and 4 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 3) at 25 $\boldsymbol{^\circ}$ C. The properties of Fe?CNi alloy films depend on both Ni $^{\boldsymbol{2+}}$ and Fe $^{\boldsymbol{2+}}$ concentrations in electrolyte and pH values. The content of Ni increases from 38% to 84% as the mole ratio of NiSO $_{\boldsymbol{4}}$ /FeSO $_{\boldsymbol{4}}$ increasing from 0 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 50/0 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 50 to 0 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 90/0 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 10 in electrolyte and slightly decreases from 65% to 42% as the pH values increase from 2 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 1 to 4 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 3. The X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the structures of the films strongly depend on the Ni content in the binary films. The magnetic performance of the films shows that the saturation magnetization ( $\boldsymbol{M}_{\boldsymbol{\rm s}})$ decreases from 1775 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 01 emu/cm $^{\boldsymbol{3}}$ to 1501 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 46 emu/cm $^{\boldsymbol{3}}$ with the pH value increasing from 2 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 1 to 4 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 3 and the saturation magnetization ( $\boldsymbol{M}_{\boldsymbol{\rm s}})$ and coercivity ( $\boldsymbol{H}_{\boldsymbol{\rm c}})$ move up from 1150 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 44 emu/cm $^{\boldsymbol{3}}$ and 58 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 86 Oe to 2498 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 88 emu/cm $^{\boldsymbol{3}}$ and 93 $\boldsymbol{\cdot}$ 12 Oe with the increase of Ni $^{\boldsymbol{2+}}$ concentration in the electrolyte, respectively.     

Evaluation of Power Heat Losses in Multidomain Iron Particles Under the Influence of AC Magnetic Field in RF Range

The magnetic properties and hyperthermia effect were studied in a magnetorheological fluid (MRF) containing iron particles of $1 \upmu \mathrm{m}\, \text{ to}\, 5 \,\upmu \mathrm{m}$ in diameter. The measurements showed that the magnetization in the saturation state reaches a value of 171 $\text{ A}\cdot \text{ m}^{2}\cdot \mathrm{kg}^{-1}$ with very small values of coercivity and remanence. They also showed the ferromagnetic behavior in the system together with a value of the magnetic susceptibility of 1.7. Theoretical and experimental results of the calorimetric effect investigation under a changeable magnetic field of high frequency ( $f = 504$ kHz) in an MRF will be presented in the article. The sample was subjected to an alternating magnetic field of different strengths ( $H = 0$ to 4 $\text{ kA}\cdot \text{ m}^{-1})$ . It results from a theoretical analysis that the heat power density (released in the MRF sample) referenced to the eddy current is proportional to the square of frequency, the magnetic field amplitude, and the iron grain diameter. Experimental results indicate that there are some reasons for the released heat energy such as: energy losses from magnetic hysteresis and eddy currents induced in the iron grains. If the magnetic field intensity amplitude grows, the participation of losses connected with magnetic hysteresis is increased. From the calorimetric measurements, the conclusion is as follows: for a magnetic field $H<1946\,\text{ A}\cdot \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ , the eddy current processes dominate in the heat generation mechanism, whereas hysteresis processes for the total release of thermal energy dominate for higher magnetic fields. Both mechanisms take equal parts in heating the tested sample at a magnetic field intensity amplitude $H= 1946\,\text{ A}\cdot \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ . The specific absorption rate referenced to the mass unit of the MRF sample at the amplitude of the magnetic field strength 4 $\text{ kA}\cdot \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ equals 24.94 $\text{ W} \cdot \mathrm{kg}^{-1}$ at a frequency $f$ = 504 kHz.     

Transfer Partial Molar Isentropic Compressibilities of (l-Alanine/l-Glutamine/Glycylglycine) from Water to 0.512 {\mathrm{mol}}\!\cdot \!{\mathrm{kg}}^{-1} Aqueous {\mathrm{KNO}}_{3}/0.512\, {\mathrm{mol}}\!\cdot \! {\mathrm{kg}}^{-1} Aqueous {\mathrm{K}}_{2}{\mathrm{SO}}_{4} Solutions Between 298.15 K and 323.15 K

Speeds of sound of (l-alanine/l-glutamine/glycylglycine $\,+\, 0.512\, {\mathrm{mol}}\cdot {\mathrm{kg}}^{-1}$ + 0.512 mol · kg ? 1 aqueous ${\mathrm{KNO}}_{3}/0.512\, {\mathrm{mol}}\cdot {\mathrm{kg}}^{-1}$ KNO 3 / 0.512 mol · kg ? 1 aqueous ${\mathrm{K}}_{2}{\mathrm{SO}}_{4}$ K 2 SO 4 ) systems have been measured for several molal concentrations of amino acid/peptide at different temperatures: $T$ T = (298.15 to 323.15) K. Using the speed-of-sound and density data, the parameters, partial molar isentropic compressibilities $\phi _{\kappa }^{0}$ ? κ 0 and transfer partial molar isentropic compressibilities $\Delta _{\mathrm{tr}} \phi _{\kappa }^{0}$ Δ tr ? κ 0 , have been computed. The trends of variation of $\phi _{\kappa }^{0}$ ? κ 0 and $\Delta _{\mathrm{tr}} \phi _{\kappa }^{0}$ Δ tr ? κ 0 with changes in molal concentration of the solute and temperature have been discussed in terms of zwitterion–ion, zwitterion–water dipole, ion–water dipole, and ion–ion interactions operative in the systems.     

Full-Potential Calculation of Structural, Electronic, and Thermodynamic Properties of Fluoroperovskite \text{ CsMF}_{3} (M?=?Be and Mg)

The structural and electronic properties of the cubic fluoroperoveskite $\text{ CsBeF}_{3}$ and $\text{ CsMgF}_{3}$ have been investigated using the full-potential-linearized augmented plane wave method within the density functional theory. The exchange-correlation potential was treated with the local density approximation and the generalized gradient approximation. The calculations of the electronic band structures show that $\text{ CsBeF}_{3 }$ has an indirect bandgap, whereas $\text{ CsMgF}_{3}$ has a direct bandgap. Through the quasi-harmonic Debye model, in which the phononic effects are considered, the effect of pressure $P$ and temperature $T$ on the lattice parameter, bulk modulus, thermal expansion coefficient, Debye temperature, and the heat capacity for $\text{ CsBeF}_{3}$ and $\text{ CsMgF}_{3}$ compounds are investigated for the first time.     

Magnetic Properties of Nanocrystalline Nickel–Cobalt Ferrites (\mathrm{Ni}_{1/2}{\mathrm{{Co}}}_{1/2}{\mathrm{{Fe}}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{4})

In this study, the nanocrystalline nickel–cobalt ferrites $(\mathrm{Ni}_{1/2}\mathrm{Co}_{1/2}\mathrm{Fe}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{4})$ were prepared via the citrate route method at $27\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ . The samples were calcined at $300\,^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ for 3 h. The crystalline structure and the single-phase formations were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Prepared materials showed the cubic spinel structure with m3m symmetry and Fd3m space group. The analyses of XRD patterns were carried out using POWD software. It gave an estimation of lattice constant “ $a$ ” of 8.3584 Å, which was in good agreement with the results reported in JCPDS file no. 742081. The crystal size of the prepared materials calculated by Scherer’s formula was 27.6 nm and the electrical conductivity was around $10^{-5}~\mathrm{S}\,\cdot \, \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ . The permeability component variations with frequency were realized. The magnetic properties of the prepared materials were analyzed by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It showed a saturation magnetization of $27.26\,\mathrm{emu} \cdot \mathrm{m}^{-1}$ and the behavior of a hard magnet.     

\text{ CO}_{2} Laser-Based Pulsed Photoacoustic Ammonia Detection

Detecting ammonia traces is relevant in health, manufacturing, and security areas, among others. As ammonia presents a strong absorption band (the $\nu _{2}$ mode) around 10  $\upmu $ m, some of the physical properties which may influence its detection by means of pulsed photoacoustic (PA) spectroscopy with a TEA $\text{ CO}_{2}$ laser have been studied. The characteristics of the ammonia molecule and the laser intensity may result in a nonlinear dependence of the PA signal amplitude on the laser fluence. Ammonia absorption can be described as a simple two-level system with power broadening. As $\text{ NH}_{3}$ is a polar molecule, it strongly undergoes adsorption phenomena in contact with different surfaces. Therefore, physical adsorption–desorption at the cell’s wall is studied. A theoretical model, based on Langmuir’s assumptions, fits well to the experimental results with stainless steel. Related to these studies, measurements led to the conclusion that, at the used fluenced values, dissociation by multiphotonic absorption at the 10P(32) laser line may be discarded. A calibration of the system was performed, and a detection limit around 190 ppb (at 224 $\text{ mJ}\cdot \text{ cm}^{-2}$ ) was achieved.     

Thermal Conductivity of Standard Sands. Part III. Full Range of Saturation

The thermal conductivity $(\lambda )$ ( λ ) of three unsaturated standard quartz sands (Ottawa C-109 and C-190, and Toyoura) was measured by a transient thermal-conductivity probe, at room temperature of approximately $25\,^{\circ }\text{ C }$ 25 ° C and at loose and tight compactions. The measurements were carried out at different degrees of saturation $(S_\mathrm{r})$ ( S r ) from dryness to full saturation. In general, a sharp $\lambda $ λ increase was observed at low $S_\mathrm{r}$ S r , followed by a moderate rise until full saturation. However, experiments on loosely compacted C-190 samples revealed $\lambda $ λ deviation from a general trend ( $\lambda $ λ vs $S_\mathrm{r})$ S r ) caused by water percolation. Alternatively, successful experiments were carried out on loosely packed unsaturated C-190 samples using 1 % agar gel. For loosely compacted C-109 and Toyoura, $\lambda $ λ data obtained from 1 % agar gel closely agreed with $\lambda $ λ data for water as a saturation medium. The measured data were used to verify a model by de Vries for unsaturated soils. The model largely underestimates experimental data at $S_\mathrm{r}<0.5$ S r < 0.5 and produces an overall root-mean-square error of about $0.2\, \text{ W }~{\cdot }~\text{ m }^{-1}~{\cdot }~\text{ K }^{-1}$ 0.2 W · m ? 1 · K ? 1 . Measured $\lambda $ λ data agreed with data by a steady-state technique (a guarded hot-plate apparatus) at dryness and full saturation and exceeded the steady-state data in the unsaturated region. However, TCP data can be considered more reliable due to a lower temperature increase during $\lambda $ λ measurements and a shorter testing time. Consequently, in the case of unsaturated soils, evaporation and migration of water and steam can be avoided.     

Mass transfer through a single grain boundary in alumina bicrystals under oxygen potential gradients

The mass-transfer behavior through grain boundaries (GBs) in alumina was systematically investigated using four types of alumina bicrystals. The alumina bicrystal wafers were exposed to the constant oxygen potential gradient $ \left( {\Updelta P_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} } \right) $ generated by the combination of two different oxygen partial pressures $ P_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} \left( {\text{II}} \right) $ and $ P_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} \left( {\text{I}} \right) $ of 10⁵ and 1?Pa, respectively, at 1923?K. Ridges were formed along the GBs on the surface subjected to $ P_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} \left( {\text{II}} \right) $ , and deep GB ditches were developed on the $ P_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} \left( {\text{I}} \right) $ surface mainly during the migration of aluminum thorough GBs from the $ P_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} \left( {\text{I}} \right) $ surface to $ P_{{{\text{O}}_{ 2} }} \left( {\text{II}} \right) $ surface. The surface morphology changes in the vicinity of the GBs were observed by atomic force microscopy. It was found that the surface morphology changes indicative of the aluminum GB diffusion were strongly dependent on the GB characteristics. The GB diffusion coefficients of aluminum estimated from the volume of the GB ridges showed a clear correlation to the local bonding environments of GB cores estimated from theoretical calculations reported previously.     

Linear complexity and correlation of a class of binary cyclotomic sequences

Let $p_1,p_2,\ldots ,p_n$ be distinct odd primes and let $e_1,e_2,\ldots ,e_n$ be positive integers. Based on cyclotomic classes proposed by Ding and Helleseth (Finite Fields Appl 4:140–166, 1998), a binary cyclotomic sequence of period $p_1^{e_{1}}p_{2}^{e_{2}}\ldots p_{n}^{e_n}$ is defined and denoted by $\underline{s_\Upsilon }$ . The linear complexity of $\underline{s_\Upsilon }$ is determined and is proved to be greater than or equal to $(p_1^{e_{1}}p_{2}^{e_{2}}\ldots p_{n}^{e_n}-1)/2$ . The autocorrelation function of $\underline{s_\Upsilon }$ is explicitly computed. Let $\ell \in \{1,2,\ldots ,n\}$ . We also explicitly compute the crosscorrelation function of $\underline{s_\Upsilon }$ and the Legendre sequence $\underline{L_{p_\ell }}$ with respect to $p_\ell $ . It is shown that $\underline{s_\Upsilon }$ and $\underline{L_{p_\ell }}$ have two-level or three-level crosscorrelation, and all their two-level crosscorrelation functions are determined.     

Experimental Measurements of Thermophysical Properties of \mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}– and \mathrm{TiO}_{2}–Ethylene Glycol Nanofluids

This paper presents measurements of the thermal conductivity and the dynamic viscosity of $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol (1 % to 3 % particle volume fraction) nanofluids carried out in the temperature range from $0\,^{\circ }$ 0 ° C to $50\,^{\circ }$ 50 ° C. The thermal-conductivity measurements were performed by using a transient hot-disk TPS 2500S apparatus instrumented with a 7577 probe (2.001 mm in radius) having a maximum uncertainty $(k=2)$ ( k = 2 ) lower than 5.0 % of the reading. The dynamic-viscosity measurements and the rheological analysis were carried out by a rotating disk type rheometer Haake Mars II instrumented with a single-cone probe (60 mm in diameter and $1^{\circ }$ 1 ° ) having a maximum uncertainty $(k=2)$ ( k = 2 ) lower than 5.0 % of the reading. The thermal-conductivity measurements of the tested nanofluids show a great sensitivity to particle volume fraction and a lower sensitivity to temperature: $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol nanofluids show a thermal-conductivity enhancement (with respect to pure ethylene glycol) from 1 % to 19.5 % and from 9 % to 29 %, respectively. $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol nanofluids exhibit Newtonian behavior in all the investigated temperature and particle volume fraction ranges. The relative viscosity shows a great sensitivity to the particle volume fraction and weak or no sensitivity to temperature: $\mathrm{TiO}_{2}$ TiO 2 –ethylene glycol and $\mathrm{Al}_{2}\mathrm{O}_{3}$ Al 2 O 3 –ethylene glycol nanofluids show a dynamic viscosity increase with respect to ethylene glycol from (4 to 5) % to 30 % and from 14 % to 50 %, respectively. Present experimental measurements were compared both with available measurements carried out by different researchers and computational models for thermophysical properties of nanofluids.     

The theoretical calculation of the flow rate of granular matter from an inclined orifice

A theoretical calculation method for the flow rate of granular matter from an inclined orifice is discussed in this article and for the inclination angles at $\theta \le 90^{\circ }$ , a theoretical relation between the flow rate $Q$ and inclination angle $\theta $ is derived; and for the inclination angles at $\theta >90^{\circ }$ , a semi-theoretical relation is established. From the relations, we found that the ratio of the flow rate from a vertical orifice, $Q_{90}$ , to that from a horizontal orifice, $Q_{0}$ , is equal to the sine of the angle of repose $\theta _{\mathrm{r}}$ , i.e., $Q_{90} /Q_0 =\sin \theta _{\mathrm{r}} $ . The theoretical relations are tested by means of the experimental data and the results indicate that the theoretical calculating values are in good agreement with the experimental data over a wide range of the inclination angles. Therefore, the formula proposed in this article can be used for the theoretical calculation of the flow rate of granular matter from an inclined orifice. The relation $Q_{90} /Q_0 =\sin \theta _{\mathrm{r}}$ may be used as an alternative approach to obtaining $\theta _{\mathrm{r}}$ : measuring $Q_{90}$ and $Q_{0}$ , and then calculating $\theta _{\mathrm{r}} $ by using formula $\theta _{\mathrm{r}} =\arcsin (Q_{90} /Q_0 )$ .     

Molecular beam epitaxy of semipolar AlN(11\bar{2}2) and GaN(11\bar{2}2) on m-sapphire

We report on the plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy of semipolar $\hbox{AlN}(11\bar{2}2)$ and GaN( $11\bar{2}2$ ) films on $(1\bar{1}00)$ m-plane sapphire. AlN deposited on m-sapphire settles into two main crystalline orientation domains, $\hbox{AlN}(11\bar{2}2)$ and $\hbox{AlN}(10\bar{1}0),$ whose ratio depends on the III/V ratio. Growth under moderate nitrogen-rich conditions enables to isolate the $(11\bar{2}2)$ orientation. The in-plane epitaxial relationships of $\hbox{AlN}(11\bar{2}2)$ on m-plane sapphire are $[11\bar{2}\bar{3}]_{\rm AlN} \vert \vert [0001]_{\rm sapphire}$ and $[1\bar{1}00]_{\rm AlN} \vert \vert [11\bar{2}0]_{\rm sapphire}.$ GaN deposited directly on m-sapphire results in ( $11\bar{2}2$ )-oriented layers with ( $10\bar{1}\bar{3}$ )-oriented inclusions. A ～100 nm-thick AlN( $11\bar{2}2$ ) buffer imposes the ( $11\bar{2}2$ )-orientation for the GaN layer grown on top. By studying the Ga-desorption on GaN( $11\bar{2}2$ ), we conclude that these optimal growth conditions corresponds to a Ga excess of one monolayer on the GaN( $11\bar{2}2$ ) surface.     

Determination of thermodynamic interactions of poly(l-lactide) and biphasic calcium phosphate/poly(l-lactide) composite by inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution

Inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution was applied to determine the thermodynamic interactions of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) and the composite of biphasic calcium phosphate and PLLA (BCP/PLLA). The specific retention volumes, $ V_{\text{g}}^{0} $ , of 11 organic compounds of different chemical nature and polarity (non-polar, donor or acceptor) were determined in the temperature range of 308–378 K for PLLA and 308–398 K for BCP/PLLA. The weight fraction activity coefficients of test sorbates, $ \Omega_{1}^{\infty } $ , and the Flory–Huggins interaction parameters, $ \chi_{12}^{\infty } $ , were estimated and discussed in terms of interactions of the sorbates with PLLA and BCP/PLLA. Also, the partial molar free energy, $ \Delta G_{1}^{\infty } $ , the partial molar heat of mixing, $ \Delta H_{1}^{\infty } $ , the sorption molar free energy, $ \Delta G_{1}^{\text{S}} $ , the sorption enthalpy, $ \Delta H_{1}^{\text{S}} $ , and the sorption entropy, $ \Delta S_{1}^{\text{S}} $ , were analyzed. A different chromatographic behavior of the two investigated samples, PLLA and BCP/PLLA, was observed. The values of $ \Omega_{1}^{\infty } $ indicated n-alkanes, diethyl ether, tetrahydrofurane (THF), cyclohexane, benzene, dioxane (except for 338 K), and ethyl acetate (EtAc) (except for 338 K) as non-solvents, and chloroform (CHCl₃) as good solvent (except for 378 K) for PLLA. For BCP/PLLA, CHCl₃, EtAc (for 378 K), dioxane (except for 378 K), and THF were indicated as good solvents.     

An energy based regression method to evaluate critical CTOA of pipeline steels by instrumented drop weight tear tests

An energy based regression method to estimate critical crack-tip-opening-angle ( $\hbox {CTOA}_\mathrm{C}$ ) of high strength and toughness pipeline steels has been established derived from the Martinelli-Venzi ductile fracture model. Key curve method was applied onto the load-displacement curves of standard pressed-notch drop-weight-tear-test specimens to evaluate the dynamic crack extension, providing a way to verify the correlation between the load and remaining ligament width. In the meanwhile, the material based parameter ( $\hbox {A}^{*} \upsigma _\mathrm{f}$ ), usually required by other $\hbox {CTOA}_\mathrm{C}$ estimation algorithm, could also be determined experimentally. As a result, $\hbox {CTOA}_\mathrm{C}$ of a typical high grade pipeline steel plate was acquired as a constant over steady-state stage during crack propagation, independent of specimen geometry.     

Thermal-Conductivity Studies of Macro-porous Polymer-Derived SiOC Ceramics

A three-dimensional reticular macro-porous SiOC ceramics structure, made of spherical agglomerates, has been thermally characterized using a freestanding sensor-based $3\omega $ method. The effective thermal conductivity of the macro-porous SiOC ceramics, including the effects of voids, is found to be $0.041\,\hbox { W}\cdot \hbox { m}^{-1}\cdot \hbox { K}^{-1}$ to $0.078\,\hbox { W}\cdot \hbox { m}^{-1}\cdot \hbox { K}^{-1}$ at room temperature, comparable with that of alumina aerogel or carbon aerogel. These results suggest that SiOC ceramics hold great promise as a thermal insulation material for use at high temperatures. The measured results further reveal that the effective thermal conductivity is limited by the low solid-phase volume fraction for the SiOC series processed at the same conditions. For SiOC ceramics processed under different pyrolysis temperatures, the contact condition between neighboring particles in the SiOC networks is another key factor influencing the effective thermal conductivity.     

Study of Glass-Transition Kinetics of Pb-Modified Se_{80}In_{20} System by Using Non-isothermal Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Glass-transition kinetics of $\mathrm{Se}_{80}\mathrm{In}_{20-\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{Pb}_{\mathrm{x}}$ ( $x =$ 0, 5, 10, and 15) chalcogenide glasses have been carried out at different heating rates by using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) under the non-isothermal condition. The glass-transition temperature $T_{\mathrm{g}}$ and peak glass-transition temperature $T_{\mathrm{pg}}$ have been determined from DSC thermograms. The reduced glass temperature $T_{\mathrm{rg}}$ , total relaxation time $\tau _{T_{g}}$ thermal-stability parameters $K^{l}$ and $S$ , the activation energy of glass transition $E_{\mathrm{g}}$ , the fragility index $F_{\mathrm{i}}$ , and the average coordination number $\langle Z\rangle $ have been calculated on the basis of the experimental results. The temperature differences $(T_{\mathrm{c}}-T_{\mathrm{g}}), K_{\mathrm{gl}}, K^{l}, S$ , and $E_{\mathrm{g}}$ are found to be maxima for $\mathrm{Se}_{80}\mathrm{In}_{10}\mathrm{Pb}_{10}$ glass. This indicates that $\mathrm{Se}_{80}\mathrm{In}_{10}\mathrm{Pb}_{10}$ glass has the highest thermal stability and glass-forming ability in the investigated compositional range. These results could be explained on the basis of modification of the chemical bond formation due to incorporation of Pb in the Se–In glassy matrix.