Structure and dielectric properties of ZnO and Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> doped BaO-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> system microwave ceramics

The microwave dielectric properties and microstructure of BaTi4.3ZnyO9.6＋y ＋0.02 mol% SnO2＋0.01 mol% MnCO3＋x mol% Nb2O5（x=0-0.05, y=0-0.08） system ceramics were studied as a function of the amount of ZnO and Nb2O5 doped. Addition of （y=0-0.05） ZnO and （x=0-0.025） Nb2O5 enhanced the reactivity and decreased the sintering temperature effectively. It also increased the dielectric constant ε r and quality factor Q（=1/tan 8） of the system due to the substitution of Ti^4＋ ions with incorporating Zn^2＋and Nb^5＋ ions, which was analyzed by the reaction ZnO＋Nb2O5＋ 3 TiTxTi →ZnTi＋ 2NbTi＋3TiO2. When the system doped with （y=0.05） ZnO and （x=0.025） Nb205 were sintered at 1 160 ℃ for 6 h, the εr. Qf0 value and rfwere 36.5, 42 000 GHz, and＋1.8 ppm/℃, respectively, at 5 GHz.     

Synthesis of Ti3SiC2/TiB2 Composite by In-situ Hot Pressing （HP） Method

Ti3SiC2/TiB2 composite was successfully obtained by hot pressing Ti/TiC/Si/B4C power mixtures.Volume fraction of TiB2 in Ti3SiC2/TiB2 composite can not exceed 10%.Incorporation of excessive TiB2 will affect the reactions process.TiC and Ti5Si3 were two important intermediate phases during the whole reactions.The microstructure characteristics of the Ti3SiC2/TiB2 composites were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）.The experimental results show that the grains of Ti3SiC2/TiB2 composite are structured in a layered form,and the formation of TiB2 particles as reinforcements with elongated or equiaxed shape distributes in Ti3SiC2 matrix.     

Eleetronie Structures and Bonding Properties of Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2

The relation among electronic structure, chemical bond and property of Ti2AlC, Ti3AlC2 and doping Si into Ti2AlC was studied by density function and the discrete variation （DFT-DVM） method. After adding Si into Ti2AlC, the interaction between Si and Ti is weaker than that between Al and Ti, and the strengths of ionic and covalent bonds decrease both. The ionic and covalent bonds in Ti3AlC2, especially in Ti-Al, are stronger than those in Ti2AlC. Therefore, in synthesis of Ti2AlC, the addition of Si enhances the Ti3AlC2 content instead of Ti2AlC. The density of state （DOS） shows that there is mixed conductor characteristic in Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2. The DOS of Ti3AlC2 is much like that of Ti2AlC. Ti2SiAl1-xC has more obvious tendency to form a semiconductor than Ti2AlC, which is seen from the obvious difference of partial DOS between Si and Al 3/7.     

Synthesis and Characterization of LiCoxMn2-xO4 Cathode Materials

LiCoxMn2.04 cathode materials for lithium ion batteries were synthesized by mechanical activation-solid state reaction at 750 ℃ for 24 h in air atmosphere, and their crystal structure, morphology, element composition and electrochemical performance were characterized with XRD, SEM, ICP-AES and charge-discharge test. The experimental results show that all samples have a single spinel structure, well formed crystal shape and uniformly particle size distribution. The lattice parameters of LiCo Mn2-xO4 decrease and the average oxidation states of manganese ions increase with an increase in Co content. Compared with pure LiMn2O4, the LiCo Mn2xO4 （x=0.03-0.12） samples show a lower special capacity, but their cycling life are improved. The capacity loss of LiCo009Mn191O4 and LiCo0.1Mn1.88O4 is only 1.85% and 0.95%, respectively, after the 20th cycle. The improvement of the cycle performance is attributed to the substitution of Co at the Mn sites in the spinel structure, which suppresses the Jahn-Teller distortion and improves the structural stability.     

Effect of Pb substitution on the microstructure and ferroelectric properties of Ba<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramic

Ferroelectric Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3（BST） and partially Pb^2＋ substituted for Ba^2＋ ceramics （Ba0.7-xPbx）Sr0.3TiO3 （x=0.1-0.4, BPST） were prepared by using conventional solid-reaction method. XRD analysis shows that the samples microstructure changes from cubic phase to tetragonal one with the Pb^2＋ content increasing. ESEM analysis shows that the Pb^2＋ substituted samples have a denser and more uniform surface morphology than that of pure BST. Measured electrical properties suggest that the Pb^2＋ substitution for Ba^2＋ in the BST system enhances the ferroelectric performance obviously when x=0.2. In addition, the substitution increases the samples Curie temperature （To） r （Ba0.5Pb0.2）Sr0.3TiO3 ceramic has good ferroelectric properties measured at a maximal electric field of 30 kV/cm under the condition of room temperature. The corresponding saturated polarization （Ps）, remnant polarization （Pr） and coercive field （Ec） is respectively 15.687 μC/cm^2, 8.100 μ C/cm^2 and 6.611 kV/cm. The measured Tc of （Ba0.5Pb0.2）Sr0.3TiO3 is 117 ℃.     

Phase structure and electrical properties of La<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-doped BiInO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-PbTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramics with high curie temperature

The phase structure and electrical properties of pure and La2O3-doped Bi-InO3-PbTiO3 （BI-PT） ceramics were studied respectively. In （1 -x）BI-xPT （x=0.72-0.80） ceramics, the stability of tetragonal phase increased with increasing x, and pure perovskite structure was obtained for x=-0.80 ceramics. The phase transition temperature range was between 575 ℃ and 600 ℃ for x=0.72-0.80 ceramics, higher than that of PT （-490 ℃）. The c/a ratio almost linearly decreased with increasing La2O3 content in x-0.80 ceramics. It is believed that Pb^2＋ vacancies were formed by La^3＋ substituting Pb^2＋ in La2O3-doped BI-PT ceramics. Tc shifted to lower temperature by 30 ℃/mol% La2O3. The maximum dielectric constant 8557 around 559 ℃ was exhibited in 0.5mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics. La2O3-doped ceramics could be poled resulting from decreasing of c/a ratio and improving of dielectric loss and resistivity. The maximum piezoelectric coefficient d33 was 12 pC/N for 2mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics.     

Effects of Si and Ce on the microstructure and hydrogen storage property of Ti<Subscript>26.5</Subscript>Cr<Subscript>20</Subscript>V<Subscript>45</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>8.5</Subscript>Ce<Subscript>0.5</Subscript> alloy

In this paper, the effects of Si and Ce on the microstructure and hydrogen storage property of Ti_26.5Cr₂₀V₄₅Fe_8.5Ce_0.5 alloy were studied, respectively. First of all, effects of Si on the microstructure and hydrogen storage properties of Ti_26.5Cr₂₀(V₄₅Fe_8.5)_1−x Si _x Ce_0.5 (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 at%) alloys were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and P-C isotherm measurements. As the Si addition increases, the hydrogen absorption capacities of alloys decrease but the equilibrium pressure increases, due to the formation of Laves phase. Secondly, the effect of Ce on Ti_26.5Cr₂₀ (V₄₅Fe_8.5)_0.98Si₂ alloy was studied. It was found that Ce addition is an effective way to eliminate the effect of Si on the hydrogen storage properties of the alloy. Supported by the National Hi-Tech Research and Development Program of China (“863” Project) (Grant No. 2006AA05Z144)     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Cr-doped Li<Subscript>3</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>(PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ cathode materials Li₃V_2−x Cr _x (PO₄)₃ were prepared by a carbothermal reduction(CTR) process. The properties of the Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopic (SEM), and electrochemical measurements. Results show that the Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ has the same monoclinic structure as the undoped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃, and the particle size of Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ is smaller than that of the undoped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ and the smallest particle size is only about 1 μm. The Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ samples were investigated on the Li extraction/insertion performances through charge/discharge, cyclic voltammogram (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectra(EIS). The optimal doping content of Cr was that x=0.04 in the Li₃V_2−x Cr _x (PO₄)₃ samples to achieve high discharge capacity and good cyclic stability. The electrode reaction reversibility was enhanced, and the charge transfer resistance was decreased through the Cr-doping. The improved electrochemical performances of the Cr-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ cathode materials are attributed to the addition of Cr³⁺ ion by stabilizing the monoclinic structure. Funded by the Guangxi Natural Science Foundation(No. 0832259) and the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2007CB613607)     

Structure and Electric Properties of （1-x）（Bi1/2Na1/2） TiO3-xBaTiO3 Systems

The structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of （1-x）（Bi1/2Na1/2） TiO3-xBaTiO3 ceramics were investigated for the compositional range, x=0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10. The samples were synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction technique. All compositions show a single perovskite structure, and X-ray powder diffraction patterns can be indexed using a rhombohedral structure. Lattice constants and lattice distortion increase while the amount of BaTiO3 increases. The X-ray diffraction results show the morphotropic phase boundary （MPB） of （1-x）（Bi1/2Na12） TiO3-xBaTiO3 exists in near x=0.06-0.08. Temperature dependence of dielectric constant eT33/ε0 measurement reveals that all compositions experience one structural phase and two ferroelectric phases transition below 400℃： rhombohedral （or rhombohedral plus tetragonal） ferroelectric phase ←→ tetragonal antiferroelectric phase ←→ tetragonal paraelectric phase. Relaxor behaviors exist in the course of ferroelectric to antiferroelectric phase transition. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties are enhanced in the MPB range for （ 1-x）（Bi1/2Na1/2）TiO3-xBaTiO3.     

Low-temperature sintering and microwave dielectric properties of Ba<Subscript>2</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>4</Subscript>O<Subscript>18</Subscript> ceramics

The effects of CuO and H3BO3 additions on the low-temperature sintering,microstructure,and microwave dielectric properties of Ba2Ti3Nb4O18 ceramics were investigated.The addition of less amount of CuO (< 1 wt%) considerably facilitated the densification of Ba2Ti3Nb4O18 ceramics.Appropriate addition of H3BO3 (< 3.5 wt%) remarkably improved the microwave dielectric properties of ceramics.The addition of H3BO3 and CuO successfully reduced the sintering temperature of Ba2Ti3Nb4O18 ceramics from 1300 to 1050 ℃.B...     

Preparation and characteristics of Cu/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/MgF<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Au tunnel junction

The fabrication process of Cu/Al₂O₃/MgF₂/Au double-barrier metal/insulator/metal junction (DMIMJ) was introduced, and more stable light emission from this junction was successfully observed. The light emission physical mechanism of the junction was discussed. Results show that light emission spectrum of this structure locates at wavelength of 250–700 nm with two peaks at around 460 nm and 640 nm, which moves towards shorter wavelength region in comparison with that of the Al/Al₂O₃/Au junction. The light emission efficiency of this junction ranges from 0.7×10⁻⁵–2.0×10⁻⁵, which is 1 to 2 orders higher than that of the single-barrier Al/Al₂O₃/Au junction. The improved properties of this structure should be due to the electrons resonant tunneling effect in the double-barrier.     

Microstructures and fatigue-free properties of the La<Superscript>3+</Superscript> and Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript> doped Bi<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> thin films prepared by modified sol-gel technique

Ferroelectric Bi_3.25La_0.75Ti₃O₁₂ (BLT) and Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti₃O₁₂ (BNT) thin films were fabricated on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si (100) substrates by a modified sol-gel technique. X-ray diffraction indicated that these films were of single phase with random polycrystalline orientations. The surface morphologies of the films were observed by scanning electron microscope, showing uniform, dense films with grain size of 50–100 nm. Well-saturated hysteresis loops of the films were obtained in metal-ferroelectric-metal type capacitors with Cu top electrodes at an applied voltage of 400 kV/cm, giving the remanent polarization (2P _r) and coercive field (2E _c) values of the films of 25.1 μC/cm² and 203 kV/cm for BLT, and 44.2 μC/cm² and 296 kV/cm for BNT, respectively. Moreover, these capacitors did not show fatigue behaviors after up to 1.75×10¹⁰ switching cycles at the test frequency of 1 MHz, suggesting a fatigue-free character. The influences of the La³⁺ and Nd³⁺ doping on the properties of the films were comparatively discussed. Supported by the National Key Basic Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB932305) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, China (Grant No. 2004ABA082)     

Improved Breakdown Strength in (Ba<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.4</Subscript>)<Subscript>0.85</Subscript>Bi<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> Ceramics with Addition of CaZrO<Subscript>3</Subscript> for Energy Storage Application

(Ba_0.6Sr_0.4)_0.85Bi_0.1TiO₃ ceramics doped with x wt%CaZrO₃ (x= 0-10) were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The effects of CaZrO₃ amount on the dielectric properties and structure of (Ba_0.6Sr_0.4)_0.85Bi_0.1TiO₃ ceramics were investigated. X-ray diffraction results indicated a pure cubic perovskite structure for all samples and that the lattice parameter increased till x=5 and then slightly decreased. A homogenous microstructure was observed with the addition of CaZrO₃. Dielectric measurements revealed a relaxor-like characteristic for all samples and that the diffusivity γ reached the maximum value of 1.78 at x=5. With the addition of CaZrO₃, the dielectric constant dependence on electric field was weakened, insulation resistivity enhanced and dielectric breakdown strength improved obviously and reached 19.9 kV/mm at x=7.5. In virtue of low dielectric loss (tan δ<0.001 5), moderate dielectric constant (ε_r >1 500) and high breakdown strength (E_b >17.5 kV/mm), the CaZrO₃ doped (Ba_0.6Sr_0.4)_0.85Bi_0.1TiO₃ ceramic is a potential candidate material for high power electric applications.     

Preparation and characterization of CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>:Sb films deposited on glass substrates by R.F. sputtering

CeO2-TiO2 films and CeO2-TiO/SnO2：Sb （6 mol%） double films were deposited on glass substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering （R.F. Sputtering）, using SnO2：Sb（6 mol%） target, and CeO2- TiO2 targets with different molar ratio of CeO2 to TiO2 （CeO2：TiO2-0：1.0; 0.1：0.9; 0.2：0.8; 0.3：0.7; 0.4：0.6; 0.5：0.5; 0.6：0.4; 0.7：0.3; 0.8：0.2; 0.9：0.1; 1.0：0）. The films are characterized by UV-visible transmission and infrared reflection spectra, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）, respectively. The obtained results show that the amorphous phases composed of CeO2-TiO2 play an important role in absorbing UV, there are Ce^3-, Ce^4- and Ti^4- on the surface of the films; the glass substrates coated with CeO2-TiO2 （Ce/Ti=0.5：0.5; 0.6：0.4）/SnO2：Sb（6 mol%） double films show high absorbing UV（〉99）, high visible light transmission （75%） and good infrared reflection （〉70%）. The sheet resistance of the films is 30-50 Ω/□. The glass substrates coated with the double functional films can be used as window glass of buildings, automobile and so on.     

Manufacture Process of 8Y2O3 Stabilized ZrO2 from Nano Powders

The manufacture process of 8 mol% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 ( YSZ ) from nano powders, including the forming and sintering stages, was studied. During the forming process of YSZ powders, the relative density of YSZ increases lineally with the forming press, and the sintering linear shrinkage of YSZ to the forming press compiles to the parabola trend. When the forming press exceeding 500MPa, the samples with lower shrinkage and high density were obtained. The sintering temperature of YSZ decreases greatly because of the small size and high active surface of YSZ powders. As a result, the beginning sintering temperature of YSZ made in the experiment is as low as 825℃, and the end sintering temperature is 1300-1350℃ . The relative density of YSZ ceramic by solid sintering at 1300-1350℃ is more than 97% , with little and small pores in the uniform microstructure.     

Effect of La doping on microstructure and ferroelectric properties of Bi<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> thin films prepared by sol-gel method

The Bi4Ti3Oi2 and Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 thin films were prepared on the Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate using the sol-gel method. The effect of La doping on the microstructure and ferroelectric properties of Bi4Ti3O12 films were investigated. Both the Bi4Ti3O12 and Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 thin films exhibited typical bismuth layered perovskite structure. The 2Pr （remanent polarization） value of Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 thin films is 18.6 μC/cm^2, which is much larger than that of Bi4Ti3O12 thin films. And the Bi3.2eLa0.75Ti3O12 films show fatigue-free behavior, while the Bi4Ti3O12 thin films exhibit the fatigue problem. The mechanism of improvement of La doping was discussed.     

Enhanced Low-field Magnetoresistence in the Absence of Mn Content in Polycrystalline La0.67Ca0.33MnO3

Magnetic and electrical transport properties of the La0.67Ca0.33Mn1-xO3 （x=0-0.16）, which were prepared by the sol-gel method followed by sintering treatment at 1 450, 1 100 and 900 ℃, respectively, were investigated. Experimental results show that, with the increase of x, the resistivity of samples increases and the insulator-metal transition temperature shifts towards lower temperature. Meanwhile, the intrinsic megnetoresistance effect is weakened and the extrinsic magnetoresistance is enhanced. For the samples with x=0.16 and 0.10 sintered at 1 100 ℃ and 900 ℃, respectively, low field magnetoresistance as high as about 50% can be observed. Furthermore, for the samples sintered at 1 100 ℃ and 900 ℃, the grain size is not only controlled by about sintering temperature, but also by the absence of Mn content x.     

Preparation and ferroelectric properties of Bi<Subscript>3.4</Subscript>Ce<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> thin films grown by sol-gel method

We have investigated the preparation and properties of Bi_3.4Ce_0.6Ti₃O₁₂ thin films. The Bi_3.4Ce_0.6Ti₃O₁₂ thin films were fabricated on the Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates using sol-gel method. The structure and morphology of the films were characterized using X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The thin films showed a perovskite phase and dense microstructure. The dielectric constant and the dissipation factor of the Bi_3.4Ce_0.6Ti₃O₁₂ thin films were about 172 and 0.031 at 1 kHz, respectively. The 2P _r and 2E _c of the Bi_3.4Ce_0.6Ti₃O₁₂ thin films were 67.1 μC/cm² and 299.7 kV/cm, respectively, under an applied field of 600 kV/cm. The Bi_3.4Ce_0.6Ti₃O₁₂ film did not show fatigue up to 4.46×10⁹ switching cycles at a frequency of 1 MHz, and showed good insulating behavior according to the test of leakage current. Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (Grants No. 2004ABA082)     

Formation of bulk ferromagnetic nanostructured Fe<Subscript>40</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>40</Subscript>P<Subscript>14</Subscript>B<Subscript>6</Subscript> alloys by metastable liquid spinodal decomposition

Nanostructured Fe₄₀Ni₄₀P₁₄B₆ alloy ingots of 3–5 mm in diameter could be synthesized by a metastable liquid state spinodal decomposition method. For undercooling ΔT > 260 K, the microstructure of the undercooled specimen had exhibited liquid state spinodal decomposition in the undercooled liquid state. The microstructure could be described as two intertwining networks with small grains dispersed in them. For undercooling ΔT > 290 K, the overall microstructure of the specimen changed into a granular morphology. The average grain sizes of the small and large grains are ≅ 30 nm and ≅ 80 nm, respectively. These prepared samples are soft magnets with saturation magnetization B _s ≅ 0.744 T. Supported by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50861007) and Xinjiang University Doctoral Research Start-up Grant (Grant No. BS050102)     

Stability of titanium-aluminium nitride (Ti<Subscript>2</Subscript>AlN) at high pressure and high temperatures

The stability of Ti2AlN at high pressure of 5 GPa and different temperatures of 700-1 600 ℃ was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD),scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS).Ti2AlN was found to be stable at temperatures as high as 1 400 ℃under 5 GPa for 20 min,and was proved that it held better structure stability than Ti2AlC under 5 GPa through comparative experiments of Ti2AlN and Ti2AlC (representative compounds of M2AX phases (211 phase)).The reaction process at high pressure had some difference from that at ambient pressure/vacuum,and Ti2AlN directly decomposed to TiN and TiAl at 5 GPa and 1 500 ℃ for 20 min.Moreover,the mechanism of phase segregation was discussed.In addition,the behavior of Ti2AlN contacting with Zr at high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) was also studied.