Structural transformation of carbon nanotubes to silicon carbide nanorods or microcrystals by the reaction with different silicon sources in rf induced CVD reactor

Silicon carbide (SiC) nanorods and microcrystals were synthesized through a two-step reaction scheme. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were first grown over metal catalyst-loaded Si(1 0 0) wafer surface by thermal decomposition of C₂H₂. The grown CNTs were then reacted with a gas mixture of SiH₄ and C₃H₈ or tetramethylsilane (TMS) to form β-SiC nanostructures. The growth of SiC nanorods was observed when CNTs were reacted with SiH₄ and C₃H₈, whereas SiC microcrystals were formed when reacting the CNTs with TMS. However, the SiC nanostructures were not grown without CNTs. The diameter of the nanorods was around six times larger than that of the mother nanotubes. The nanorods were crystalline β-SiC with the diameter of 300–400 nm and grew along (1 1 1) direction. The structural transformation of CNTs to SiC nanorods or to microcrystals during the reaction was discussed in this paper.     

Electrodeposited Ni,Fe,Co and Cu single and multilayer nanowire arrays on anodic aluminum oxide template

The Ni, Fe, Co and Cu single and multilayer nanowire arrays to make perpendicular magnetic recording media were fabricated with nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates from Watt solution and additives by the DC electrodeposition. The results show that the diameters of Ni, Fe, Co and Cu single and multilayer nanowires in AAO templates are 40–80 nm and the lengths are about 30 μm with the aspect ratio of 350–750. The magnetic properties of the prepared nanowires are different under different electrodepositing conditions. The remanences (B_r) of Ni/Cu/Fe multilayer nanowires are lower than those of others multilayer nanowires, and coercivity (H_c) of Ni/Cu/Fe multilayer nanowires are lower than those of others multilayer nanowires. These are compatible with the required conditions of high density magnetic media devices that should have the low coercivity to easily success magnetization and high remanence to keep magnetization after removal of magnetic field.     

Tribological properties of nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide film

Friction and wear properties of nanostructured anodic aluminum oxide (AAO)) films were studied in relation to contact load and pore size (pore diameter). Uniformly arrayed nanoporous aluminum oxide films (pores of 28 nm, 45 nm, 95 nm, and 200 nm diameter and 60-100 μm thick) were synthesized by anodization. Reciprocating wear tests using 1 mm diameter steel balls as counterpart were carried out for a wide range of load (from 1 mN to 1 N) at ambient environment. The friction coefficient reduced with the increase of load. The friction coefficient decreased by approximately 30% when the load increased by 3 orders of magnitude. The pore density marginally affected the frictional properties of AAO films. The influence of pore size on the friction coefficient was significant at relatively high loads (0.1 N and 1 N) whereas it was negligible at low loads (1 mN and 10 mN). The worn surface of AAO films tested at low loads did not experience tribochemical reaction and exhibited only mild plastic deformation. Dispersed thick smooth films were formed on the worn surface of all samples at relatively high loads whereas only extremely thin smooth film patches were rarely formed at low loads. These thick smooth films were generated by combined influence of tribochemical reaction at the contact interface and plastic deformation of compacted debris particles as evidenced by energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis. We suggest that these thick films mainly contributed to the decrease of friction regardless of the pore size.     

Electrochemical properties of Mg-based alloys containing carbon nanotubes

In this work, effects of partial substitution of Mg, Ni with AB₂ in Mg-based alloy and subsequent surface modification by further ball-milling with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on electrochemical properties were investigated. Mg_1.9(AB₂)_0.1Ni_0.8 (AB₂=LaNi₂, LaNiCo and LaNiMn) alloys were prepared by solid-state diffusion method, the nanocrystalline Mg-based alloys were prepared by ball-milling the mixture of obtained Mg_1.9(AB₂)_0.1Ni_0.8 alloys and nickel powder. It was found that the electrochemical capacities of nanocrystalline Mg_1.9(AB₂)_0.1Ni_1.8 alloys were measured to be 460–490 mAh/g. The nanocrystalline Mg-based alloys containing carbon nanotubes (10 wt.%) obtained by ball-milling after 60 min were demonstrated to show improved electrochemical properties with respect to the original nanocrystalline Mg-based alloys. The electrochemical reaction activity was detected by electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) proved the interaction between Mg_1.9(AB₂)_0.1Ni_1.8 alloys and carbon nanotubes after ball-milling, which resulted in an increase in the surface Ni/Mg ratio.     

Synthesis of manganese oxide/carbon nanotube nanocomposites using wet chemical method

Novel material with peculiar properties can be obtained by introducing foreign materials into the inner cavity of carbon nanotubes. It has been suggested that the materials encapsulated into the hollow regions of carbon nanotubes could result in a significant change of the properties of these small particles, forming new hybrid composites with extraordinary properties. In this short communication, filling of carbon nanotubes with manganese oxide by wet chemical method is demonstrated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) result showed the hollow structure of carbon nanotubes were filled with manganese oxide. Energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) spectra elucidate the presence of manganese oxide in the filled carbon nanotubes whereas SEM result showed that manganese oxide is not crystallized at the outer surface of carbon nanotubes.     

Intermediate temperature tribological behavior of carbon nanotube reinforced plasma sprayed aluminum oxide coating

Tribological behavior of plasma sprayed carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) composite coatings was examined at room temperature, 573 K and 873 K using tungsten carbide (WC) ball-on-disk tribometer. The weight loss due to wear of Al₂O₃ coating was found to be increasing with the temperature while Al₂O₃-CNT coating showed a decreasing trend in the weight loss with the temperature. Relative improvement in the wear resistance of Al₂O₃-CNT coating compared to Al₂O₃ coating was found to be 12% at room temperature which gradually increased to ∼ 56% at 573 K and ∼ 82% at 873 K. Protective layer as a result of tribo-chemical reaction was observed on the wear track of both of the coatings. The improvement in the wear resistance of Al₂O₃-CNT coating was attributed to three phenomena viz. (i) higher hardness at the elevated temperature as compared to Al₂O₃ coating, (ii) larger area coverage by protective film on the wear surface at the elevated temperature and (iii) CNT bridging between splats. The coefficient of friction (COF) of Al₂O₃ coating was nearly constant at room and elevated temperature whereas COF for Al₂O₃-CNT coating decreased at the elevated temperature (873 K).     

铝阳极氧化层的耐化学腐蚀性能(英文)

将铝放入草酸-硫酸溶液中,在其表面形成耐化学腐蚀的阳极氧化层。生成的阳极氧化层的酸性溶解试验在38℃的35mL/L85%H3PO4+20g/LCrO3溶液中按ASTMB680-80标准进行。研究了硫酸浓度为160g/L时,草酸浓度、溶液温度、阳极电流密度对溶解速率和阳极氧化膜生成比R的影响。结果发现,在低温(5℃)和高电流密度(3A/dm2)的条件下,得到耐化学腐蚀性强、致密的氧化层。添加18g/L草酸有利于阳极氧化层的形成。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、原子力显微镜(AFM)和辉光发射光谱(GDOES)来分析阳极氧化层的形貌和组成。     

An EPR investigation of electrospun polyaniline-polyethylene oxide blends

The EPR magnetic susceptibility behavior of the camphorsulfonic acid doped polyaniline (PANCSA) blends with polyethylene oxide (PEO) is reported in fibers and films. In particular, EPR investigations on electrospun (PANCSA)_0.72(PEO)_0.28 nanofibers, cast films of (PANCSA)_0.72(PEO)_0.28 and cast films of (PANCSA) were performed to investigate differences in the mesoscopic disorder as induced by the process of electrospinning. The changes observed in the Pauli susceptibility, EPR lineshape, EPR linewidth, and dc conductivity are interpreted as due to increased chain alignment in the fibers compared with the cast films.     

Zn0.95Co0.05O纳米线和纳米管的电泳沉积法可控合成（英文）

以阳极氧化铝为模板通过电泳沉积法制备Zn0.95Co0.05O纳米线和纳米管,并对电泳沉积法制备纳米线(管)的机理进行研究。系统的结构表征表明所得的纳米管和纳米线是由8～15nm的纤锌矿纳米晶构成的多晶结构,Co2+离子以代位掺杂形式掺入晶格,取代了晶格中的Zn2+离子。磁性表征显示制备的纳米线和纳米管具有室温铁磁性。由于Co在纳米线(管)中表面择优分布,纳米管的磁性明显高于纳米线。     

Kinetic models of controllable pore growth of anodic aluminum oxide membrane

An anodized Al₂O₃ (AAO) membrane with apertures about 72 nm in diameter was prepared by two-step anodic oxidation. The appearance and pore arrangement of the AAO membrane were characterized by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was confirmed that the pores with high pore aspect ratio were parallel, well-ordered, and uniform. The kinetics of pores growth in the AAO membrane was derived, and the kinetic models showed that pores stopped developing when the pressure (??) trended to equal the surface tension at the end of anodic oxidation. During pore expansion, the effects of the oxalic acid concentration and expansion time on the pore size were investigated, and the kinetic behaviors were explained with two kinetic models derived in this study. They showed that the pore size increased with extended time (r=G·t+G??), but decreased with increased concentration (r = ?K·lnc-K??) through the derived mathematic formula. Also, the values of G, G??, K, and K?? were derived from our experimental data.     

Dynamic visualization of crack propagation and bridging stress using the mechano-luminescence of SrAl2O4: (Eu,Dy,Nd)

The goal of the present investigation was to visualize the propagating crack in a mechano-luminescence (ML) material to enable the measurement of instantaneous R-curves and directly observe the bridging (shielding) stress in a fast-propagating crack system. The well-known ML compound, SrAl₂O₄: Eu²⁺, was used as a model test material. Two additional trivalent rare earth elements, Dy and Nd, were introduced as co-dopants to improve the luminescent efficiency. The initiation and growth of a crack from the mechanically machined sharp notch tip in a disc shaped compact tension (CT) specimen at a relatively high loading rate were found to be associated with the extent of light emission around the crack. An in-situ measurement of crack length and applied load for 0.3 sec yielded an instantaneous R-curve at the conventional crack propagation speed.     

Optical properties of anodic aluminum oxide films on Al1050 alloys

In this study the reflectance and nano-structure of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) films that formed on Al1050 alloys in a 15% w/w sulphuric acid solution were examined. It was found that AAO films that formed under a high bath temperature and/or low anodic current density had a high pore density (count dm^− 2). The reflectance of AAO films formed at different anodizing times is a function of their thickness. The surface reflectance spectra showed interference when the AAO films exceeded a critical thickness (~ 100 nm). The reflectance curves oscillated and were affected by the pore density. We calculated the refractive index (n) and extinction coefficient (k) of the films based on the measured film thickness and reflectance. We can see from the experimental results that reflectance decreased with increasing thickness, while increasing pore density led to an increased refractive index but decreased extinction coefficient.     

Effect of reinforcement connectivity on the elasto-plastic behavior of aluminum composites containing sub-micron alumina particles

The mechanical properties of composites consisting of an aluminum matrix with 34 and 37 vol.% sub-micron Al₂O₃ particles were studied in compression for two reinforcement architectures: interconnected and discontinuous. Both the elastic and plastic behaviors of these composites are successfully modeled using a self-consistent approach: the classical self-consistent and the three-phase self-consistent models for the interconnected and discontinuous architectures, respectively. At ambient temperature, an interconnected architecture offers only a modest increase in stiffness and strength over a discontinuous architecture of equal volume fraction. At elevated temperatures (250, 500 and 600 °C), the interconnected reinforcement becomes increasingly more effective at strengthening the composites. However, the relative increase in strength due to interconnectivity can only be exploited at small strains (1–5%) due to the early development of compressive flow instabilities in the interconnected composites. While microstructural damage controls the instability strain of the interconnected composites at ambient temperature, their low strain-hardening coefficient is the main contribution to flow instabilities at elevated temperature.     

Carbon nanocomposites synthesized by high-energy mechanical milling of graphite and magnesium for hydrogen storage

Nanocomposites obtained by mechanical milling of graphite and magnesium with organic additives (benzene, cyclohexene or cyclohexane) have been studied with the aim of preparing novel hydrogen storage materials. The organic additives were very important in the milling processes to determine the characteristics of the resulting carbon nanocomposites. The mechanical milling with high energy resulted in the generation of large amounts of dangling carbon bonds in graphite with simultaneous decomposition of graphite structure. Such dangling bonds of carbon acted as sites to take up hydrogen. It has been proved by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and neutron diffraction measurements that the hydrogen taken up in the nanocomposites exists in at least two states; in the form of C–H bond formation in the graphite component and in the form of hydride in the magnesium component. The relative amounts of two types of hydrogen strongly depended upon differences in additives used (benzene, cyclohexene or cyclohexane). When C₆D₆ besides C₆H₆ was used as additive, the hydrogen taken up was discussed from the standpoint of isotope effects. Upon addition of titanium tetraisopropoxide, the features of hydrogen uptake by the nanocomposites changed completely.     

Controllable fabrication of carbon aerogels

Nano-pore carbon aerogels were prepared by the sol-gel polymerization of resorcinol (1,3-dihydroxybenzene)(C6H4(OH)2) with formaldehyde (HCHO) in a slightly basic aqueous solution, followed by super-critical drying under liquid carbon dioxide as super-critical media and carbonization at 700 ℃ under N2 gas atmosphere. The key of the work is to fabricate carbon aerogels with controllable nano-pore structure, which means extremely high surface area and sharp pore size distribution. Aiming to investigate the effects of preparation conditions on the gelation process, the bulk density, and the physical and chemical structure of the resultant carbon aerogels, the molar ratio of R/C (resorcinol to catalyst) and the amount of distilled water were varied, consequently two different sets of samples, with series of R/C ratio and RF/W (Resorcinol-Formaldehyde to water, or the content of reactant) ratio, were prepared. The result of N2 adsorption/desorption experiment at 77 K shows that the pore sizes decreasing from 11.4 down tO2.2 nm with the increasing of the molar ratio of R/C from 100 to 400, and/or, the pore sizes decreasing from 3.8 down to 1.6 nm with the increasing of reactant content from 0.4 to 0.6.     

Properties of copolymer of 2,2′:5′,2″-terthiophene-5,5″-dicarboxylic acid and polyethylene oxide

A new type of alternating regular copolymer of 2,2′:5′,2″-terthiophene-5,5″-dicarboxylic acid (TDCA) with polyethylene oxide (PEO) was synthesized. The product was characterized by NMR, UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra, EPR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and DSC measurements. Copolymer is dissolved in dimethylformamide (DMFA) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). Using TEM, it was ascertained that due to a different chemical structure of polymeric sub-units the separated phases in the solid state are formed on a sub-nanometer level.     

Synthesis of carbon nanotubes with identical dimensions using an anodic aluminum oxide template on a silicon wafer

Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates with uniform channels of sub-micron length were fabricated on silicone wafers. Carbon was deposited on the wall of the pores via decomposition of acetylene at 800 °C. The synthesized carbon nanotubes have identical dimensions of 900 nm in length and 70 nm in diameter. Raman spectrum showed that the crystallinity of these CNTs is relatively high though no catalyst was used. The proposed technique can be applied to the fabrication of vacuum microelectronic devices.     

Solidification study of Al–Co–Cu alloys using the Bridgman method

The solidification of a series of Bridgman-grown Al–Co–Cu alloys with compositions in the vicinity of the quasicrystal was studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), electron microprobe analysis, and optical microscopy. The phase equilibria and microstructure of solidified alloys are presented; the temperatures of the involved solidification reactions were determined. These experimental data were used to construct a solidification phase diagram as to understand the crystallization path. The decagonal (D) AlCoCu quasicrystals form incongruently, but they can be primarily solidified from off-stoichiometric melts.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly (aniline-co-acrylonitrile) using organic benzoyl peroxide by inverted emulsion method

An inverted emulsion process was adopted to synthesize conducting copolymers of aniline and acrylonitrile using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as a novel oxidizing agent. The influence of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) ratio on the properties of conducting copolymers is reported. The chemical structures of the copolymers were characterized spectroscopically by UV-Vis, FT-IR, FT-Raman and EPR. The solubility of polyaniline (PAni) and PAni–PAN copolymers in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was confirmed by electronic absorption spectra. The conductivity of these copolymers lie in the range (1.26–4.20)×10⁻² S/cm. TGA thermogram of copolymers showed multi-step thermal degradation behaviour. X-ray scattering studies reflected that the copolymers are semicrystalline and showed two crystalline peaks at 17 and 25 (2θ).     

Internal inversion of thin-walled tubes using a die: experimental and theoretical investigation

The design of sound double-walled tubular parts by external inversion using a die is presently well established. Major parameters are identified, the influence of lubrication is sufficiently well understood and the typical modes of deformation that may occur during the forming process are fully characterized. In contrast to external inversion, there are almost no published works that comprehensively cover the conception of double-walled tubular parts by internal inversion using a die.This paper draws from fundamental research on the internal inversion of thin-walled tubes using a die to the establishment of formability diagrams in terms of the major process parameters. Fundamental research is based on a comprehensive theoretical and experimental investigation of a wide range of subjects, such as: development of plastic instability modes (local buckling), thickening of the tube-wall and occurrence of wrinkling phenomena at the free curved end of the inwardly inverted tubes. The influence of the frictional conditions prevailing at the contact interface between the tube and the die is also examined. The theoretical investigation is supported by numerical predictions based on the finite element flow formulation and the overall methodology is assessed by means of experimental tests on industrial Al6060 Aluminium alloy tubes (annealed and naturally aged) under laboratory-controlled conditions.