Optical properties and Judd–Ofelt analysis of Nd2O3 nanocrystals embedded in polymethyl methacrylate

PMMA matrices were doped with nano-crystalline neodymium oxides synthesized by thermal decomposition process. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements were carried out to investigate the structure, phase, and the morphology of the Nd_2O_3 nanocrystals and those embedded in the PMMA matrix. The average grain sizes were estimated 35 ± 6 nm and 46 ± 4 nm for non-annealed and annealed Nd_2O_3 particles, respectively. The grain size distributions(GSD) were calculated from the diffraction peaks of the annealed and non-annealed Nd_2O_3 powders and doped PMMA samples. The mass density, refractive index. UV-Visible absorption spectra were measured and the data were analyzed using the Judd-Ofelt approach to determine the oscillator strengths, the spontaneous emission probabilities and the branching ratios as a function of the nano-crystalline Nd_2O_3 content in the range of 0.1 wt.%-20 wt.% of MMA. Luminescence spectra upon 808 nm diode laser excitation were carried out in the wavelength range of 850-1550 nm at room temperature. The photoluminescence study has shown that the reasonably sharp emission peaks were observed upon heat treatment at 800 ℃ for 24 h for all concentrations of Nd_2O_3 nanopowders in PMMA. The infrared laser transition of Nd~(3+) ions at about 1.06 μm due to the ~4F_(3/2)→~4I_(11/2) transition was analyzed and discussed in Nd_2O_3 system for their possible applications in the photonic technology.     

Effect of Rare Earth Oxides on Catalysts Mo-Te System

Surface compositions,structures,and acidities of the Mo-Te-Fe-Ni catalysts added with La_2O_3,CeO_2,Pr_6O_(12),Nd_2O_3 and Sm_2O_3 were measured and related with the activities of the catalysts for selective oxidationof olefins.It was found that adding rare earth elements to the Mo-Te catalysts increases obviously theirselectivities to methacrolein(MAL),and the yield percentage of MAL changes periodically with the increase ofatomic numbers of rare earth elements added,and the highest yield was obtained with the catalyst containingCeO_2.The addition of CeO_2 to 9-component Mo-Te catalyst increases not only the activity of the catalyst,but also its thermostability remarkably.The mechanism of rare earth elements in the catalysts was discussed.     

Thermal and structural properties of Nd_2O_3-doped calcium boroaluminate glasses

Nd~(3+) doped CaO-Al_2O-B_2O_3-CaF_2 glasses were prepared by conventional melt-quenching technique,and their structural and thermal properties were studied.The amorphous nature of these samples was confirmed by X-ray diffraction(XRD).The measured density showed an increase with Nd_2O_3 doping,at the expense of CaO.Raman spectra presented changes with addition of Nd_2O_3,which indicated that the network structure of the glasses studied presented various borate groups,such as tetraborates,metaborates,ortho-borates and pyroborates units.The N_4 values calculated from FTIR spectra revealed that incorporation of Nd_2O_3 into glass network converted the structural units from BO_4 to BO_3.From the analysis of DTA curves,we verified that Tg increased with the addition of Nd_2O_3;it was similar to the behavior caused by modifier oxides in the structure of borate glasses.Besides that,the calculated glass stability Tx–Tg for doped samples presented a decrease if compared to the undoped glass.Specific heat and thermal conductivity did not present significant changes with Nd_2O_3 concentration,up to 2.30 mol.%.The results of density,DTA,Raman and FTIR reinforced the idea that Nd_2O_3 acted as network modifier.     

Low-temperature electrochemical synthesis and characterization of ultrafine Y（OH）_3 and Y_2O_3 nanoparticles

Ultrafine Y(OH)3 nanoparticles were successfully deposited from an additive-free 0.005 mol/L YCl3 low-temperature bath on the steel cathode at the current density of 0.5 mA/cm2 and bath temperature of 10 oC. Heat treatment of the prepared Y(OH)3 nanoparticles at 600 oC in air led to the formation of Y2O3 nanoparticles. Thermal behavior and phase transformation during the heat treatment of Y(OH)3 were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogramimetric analysis (TGA). The morphologies, crystal structures and compositions of the prepared materials were examined by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) as well as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FT-IR spectroscopy. The results showed that the prepared Y(OH)3 nanoparticles was essentially amorphous and composed of well dispersed ultrafine particles with size of 4 nm. After heat treatment, the obtained oxide product was well crystallized cubic phase of Y2O3 nanoparticles with the grain size of around 5 nm. It was concluded that low-temperature cathodic electrodeposition offered a facile and feasible way for preparation of ultrafine Y(OH)3 and Y2O3 nanoparticles.     

Magnetic Properties of La1-xSrxCoO3 （0 ≤ x ≤ 0. 5）

The measurements of temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of La1-xSrxCoO3 perovskite oxides at different Sr doping （0 ≤x ≤0.5） and annealing temperature were presented. For the sample with x = 0.1, a shoulder was observed around 150 K, and a peak which is one feature of spin glass appeared around 50 K in the curve of susceptibility versus temperature. The high-temperature （250 - 420 K）susceptibility fits well with Curie-Weiss law for all samples. Weiss constant and effective magnetic moment were determined and their variations with Sr doping and oxygen annealing condition were obtained. The Weiss constant increases monotonously with Sr content for x 〉 0.2. The values of effective moments were interpreted with the spin state of cobalt ions. Studies on the susceptibilities of the samples with x = 0.2 under different preparation temperatures and annealing temperatures show that the rising of sintering temperature and annealing temperature will increase the para-ferromagnetic transition temperature, and reduce the effective moment to normal value. Our result shows that both Co^3＋ and Co^4＋ ions should be in IS state after annealing and the oxygen annealing causes the transition of Co^3＋ spin state from HS to IS.     

Thermal and transport properties of La_(2–x)Nd_xMo_2O_9

Single-phase La_(2–x)Nd_xMo_2O_9(0≤x≤1.8) compounds were prepared using solid-state reaction technique. Their structural and thermal p roperties were characterized by room and high temperatures X-ray diffraction(XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis-differential scanningcalorimetry(TG-DSC), and high temperature Raman spectra. The transport properties were investigated using D.C. four-probe technique and Hebb-Wagner polarization method. The substitution limit of Nb~(3+) in La_(2–x)Nd_xMo_2O_9 was determined to be in the range of 1.8x1.9, and the cubic lattice parameter of La_(2–x)Nd_xMo_2O_9 decreased linearly with the increasing of x. When the Nb~(3+) substitution content x was larger than 0.6, the α/β phase transition could be depressed to such a great degree that the phase transition thermal enthalpy was not detected by DSC. The temperature dependence of electrical conductivities for La_(1.4)Nd_xMo_2O_9 below 873 K and that for LaNdMo_2O_9 below 923 K obeyed the Arrhenius law, while above 873 and 923 K Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher(VTF) model could describe the conduction behaviors satisfactorily. The transition of transport mechanism from Arrhenius to VTF was caused by the change of structure, which was supported by the high temperature XRD and Raman results. The ionic transport number of La_(1.4)Nd_xMo_2O_9 in air was larger than 0.99 at 1073 K, and with the increasing of temperature it was close to 0.98 at 1173 K. In view of the phase transition, thermal expansion and conductivity properties, La_(1.4)Nd_xMo_2O_9 should be a promising electrolyte material in La_(2–x)Nd_xMo_2O_9 series.     

Structural and superconducting properties in Y0.6Gd0.4Ba2（Nb）Cu3O7-y cuprates doped with niobium

Polycrystalline YBa2Cu3O7-y (YBCO) and Y0.6Gd0.4Ba2-xNbxCu3O7-y (YGBNCO) compounds with 0≤x≤0.225 were synthesized using standard solid state reaction technique. The structure for all samples was characterized by X-ray difference (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The transport properties were measured by the (FPP) method in the temperature range from 70 to 130 K. As the Nb content in the samples increased, a diffused phase indicating a niobium perovskite phase and a small amount of unidentified phase appeared. With the increase of Nb content, the superconducting transition temperature Tconset increased slowly with x≤0.125, and then it remained unchanged or slowly decreased with 0.125≤x≤0.225. It could be found that there was a slow decrease of zero-resistance temperature, Tcoffset, with the increase of Nb content. The larger transition width might result from the YBa2NbO6 phase, impurity and unidentified phases of the sample due to the Nb doping.     

Improvement in structure and superconductivity of YBa_2Cu_3O_(6+δ) ceramics superconductors by optimizing sintering processing

Polycrystalline YBa_2Cu_3O_(6+δ) bulks were synthesized by sol-gel method. Sintering processing played a vital role in the evolution of phase structure and microstructure, and thus significantly influenced their superconducting properties. The influence of calcination temperature, sintering temperature, on the bulks structure, morphology and superconducting behaviors were investigated. The results showed that the oxygen content drastically increased with calcination temperature and sintering temperature. The SEM images revealed that the grains grew up monotonously with increase of calcination temperature. With increased calcination and sintering temperature, the resistivity was reduced gradually and the superconducting properties increased. Moreover, it was found that the optimal superconducting properties(with the highest superconducting transition temperature T_c~(onset) and the narrowest transition width ΔT) were obtained at calcination temperature of 900 °C and sintering temperature of 950 °C.     

Influence of Adding Y_2O_3 on the Structure of the Cu-Containing Cermet

The enriching of metals to the center of sample was found and investigated during the sinterprocess of the cermet.The enrichment is caused by addition with Y_2O_3.The enriching of copper is greatly in-fluenced by sinter temperature and time.The enriching of metal can significantly enhance the electrical con-ductivity of the cermet.     

Synthesis of Al2O3/TiCN-0.2%Y2O3 Composite by Hot Pressing

Al2O3/TiCN composites were synthesized by hot pressing.The influences of components and HP temperature on mechanical properties,such as bending strength,breaking tenacity and Vickers hardness were investigated.The results showed that the mechanical properties of Al2O3/TiCN composite increased with temperature when hot pressing temperature is below 1650 ℃.The mechanical properties reached their maximums when the composites were sintered at 1650 ℃ for 30 min under hot pressing pressure of 35 MPa,the value of bending strength,breaking tenacity and Vickers hardness was 1015 MPa,6.89 MPa·m1/2,and 20.82 MPa,respectively.When hot pressing temperature was above 1650 ℃,density decreased because of decomposition with increased temperature,and mechanical properties dropped because of rapid growth of grains in size at high temperature.Microstructure analysis showed that the addition of Y2O3 led to the formation of YAG phase so as to inhibit the growth of crystals.This helped to improve breaking tenacity of the composites.TiCN particles with diameters of 1 μm dispersed at Al2O3 grain boundaries,inhibited grain growth and enhanced mechanical properties of the composites.SEM study of the propagation of indentation cracks showed that the bridge linking behavior between matrix and strengthening phase might lead to the formation of the coexisted field of crack deflection,branching and bridge linking.The mechanism of this phenomenon was that the addition of Y2O3 improved the dispersion of TiCN particles so as to enhance the tenacity of the composites.The breaking tenacity was changed from 5.94 to 6.89 MPa·m1/2.     

Effect of Yttrium Addition on Microstructures and Room Temperature Tensile Properties of Ti-47Al Alloy

The microstructures and room temperature tensile properties of a series of Ti-47Al-xY （x = 0%, 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5%, 0.7% and 1.0%（atom fraction）） were investigated systemically. Results show that both the grain size and lamellar spacing decrease remarkably with the increase of Y content. When the content of Y is greater than 0.1%, most of the Y elements accumulate along the grain boundaries and some fine particles are uniformly dispersed within the grains in the form of YAl2 compound because of the low solubility and segregation of Y in TiAl alloys. Grain-boundary seg- regation of Y element is more prominent with the increase of Y addition. Good tensile properties are obtained when Y addition ranges from 0.3 % to 0.5 %. The refinement of grain and lamellar structures and dispersion of YAl2 within the grains contribute to the improvement of tensile properties. On the other hand, for high Y-added alloys （over 0.5% Y）, tensile properties are obviously deteriorated due to brittle cleavage fracture of the coarse YAl2 network.     

Preparation of Y2O3 Nanoparticles Organosol by Microemulsion Method

Y2O3 nanoparticles organosol coated with DBS was prepared by microemulsion method. The optimum preparative conditions of Y2O3 nanoparticles organosol were obtained. TEM analysis indicates that the prepared Y2O3 nanoparticles are spherical in shape. The size is about 5 nm. The size distribution is in the narrow range and no agglomerates are observed. Y2O3 nanoparticles coated with DBS are easy to dissolve in weak polar solvents.     

Upconversion luminescence of Y2O3：Er^3＋ ,Yb^3＋ nanoparticles prepared by a homogeneous precipitation method

Y2O3： Er^3＋, Yb^3＋ nanoparticles were synthesized by a homogeneous precipitation method without and with different concentrations of EDTA 2Na. Upconversion luminescence spectra of the samples were studied under 980 nm laser excitation. The results of XRD showed that the obtained Y2O3：Er^3＋,Yb^3＋ nanoparticles were of a cubic structure. The average crystallite sizes calculated were in the range of 28-40 nm. Green and red upconversion emission were observed, and attributed to ^2H11/2,^4S3/2→^4I15/2 and ^4F9/2→^4I15/2 transitions of the ion, respectively. The ratio of the intensity of green emission to that of red emission drastically changed with a change in the EDTA 2Na concentration. In the sample synthesized without EDTA, the relative intensity of the green emission was weaker than that of the red emission. The relative intensities of green emission increased with the increased amount of EDTA 2Na used. The possible upconversion luminescence mechanisms were discussed.     

Studies on Gas Sensitive Materials of γ-Fe_2O_3 Doped with Rare Earth Oxides

Fine powders of γ-Fe_2O_3,doped with Y_2O_3,CeO_2,Eu_2O_3 or Tb_2O_3 have been prepared by the chemicalco-precipitation method.The sensitivity of gas sensation has been measured with respect to the relative resist-ance change in the ceramic matrix upon introduction of inflammable gases.The structure of the materials hasbeen studied with X-ray diffraction spectroscopy(XRD),electron diffraction spectroscopy( ED) and transmis-sion electron microscopy(TEM).The addition of rare earth oxides,which improves ceramic microstructure ofγ-Fe_2O_3,improves gas sensitivity of γ-Fe_2O_3.The stability can be increased because of the increase of phasetransition temperature.In addition,the selectivity of gas sensation of γ-Fe_2O_3 can be improved because of thevariation of rare earth oxides.     

Variation of optimum yttrium doping concentrations of perovskite type proton conductors BaZrl_xYxO3-~ （0~~~_0.3） with temperature

A solid state reaction method was used to prepare the perovskite-structured compounds BaZrl-xYxO3-a （x=0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3）. The X-ray diffraction （XRD） pattern indicated that the target perovsldte phases were obtained. With increasing Y con- centration the unit cell parameters of BaZrl-xYxO3-a samples were expanded, and Y doping became more difficult. However, high synthesis temperature is helpful to promote Y doping. The SEM results showed that the samples exhibited poor sinterability with in- creasing Y-doping content. Thermal gravimetric （TG） curves analysis showed the more mass decreasing of BaZrl-xYxO3-a （0≤x≤0.3） samples at high temperature with more Y doping and more proton introducing. The electrochemical impedance spectra （EIS） of specimens showed that conductivities of BaZrl_xYxO3（0≤x≤0.3） increased with increasing temperature from 300 to 900 ℃ in wet air. At 900 ℃, the conductivity of BaZrl-xYxO3-a （0≤x≤0.3） first increased with increasing doped amount of Y, and reached the high- est value of 1.07x 104 S/cm when x was 0.2, then decreased gradually with further increasing Y content. At 600 ℃, BaZr0.75Y0.2503-a displayed the highest conductivity, while the conductivity of BaZro.rYo.303-a was the highest at 300 ℃. The results indicated that there should be an optimum Y doping concentration yielding the highest conductivity at a constant temperature, and the optimum Y doping concentration should increase in the humidity atmosphere as the temperature decreases. So increasing the Y-doping concen- tration is helpful to improve the conductivities of BaZrl-xYxO3-a materials at low temperature.     

Superconducting Transition Temperature in YBa2Cu4O8/La2/3 Ca1/3 MnO3 / YBa2 Cu4O8 Heterostructure

YBa2Cu4O8/La2/3 Ca1/3 MnO3/YBa2Cu4O8 （ Y-124/LCMO/Y- 124） heterostructure was prepared by facing-target sputtering technique. The oscillatory superconducting transition temperature was observed when the thickness of LCMO d L is larger than critical thickness d L^CR. The metal-insulator transition temperature can only be detected at d L 〉 d L^CR. The dependence on the spacer layer in LCMO/Y-124 systems suggests strongly the interplay of ferromagnetic and superconducting couplings.     

Preparation and characterization of upconversion nanocomposite for β-NaYF_4:Yb~(3+),Er~(3+)-supported TiO_2 nanobelts

Hexagonal NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ (β-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+) nanoparticles supported on TiO2 nanobelts were prepared using two-step pro- cedures of ion-exchangeable process and hydrothermal treatment: layered titanate nanobelts were first ion-exchanged with Y3+, Yb3+ and Er3+ cations to produce titanate nanobelts with these cations, and then, the product nanobelts in NaY solution were treated under hydrothermal con- dition to transform into anatase TiO2 nanobelts supported with β-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanoparticles. The final products were characterized by various measurement techniques. Many preparation conditions, e.g., the content of added precursors, reaction time and pH value, were optimized to obtain nanocomposites including relatively uniform nanoparticles with strong upconversion (UC) emission intensity. The measurement results showed that the anatase TiO2 nanobelts, supported by the large number of β-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanoparticles with 30–70 diameter range and very strong UC emission, could be achieved under suitable preparation condition. The UC emission intensity of the nanoparticles with the concentrations of Yb3+ and Er3+ closer to 20 mol.% and 1 mol.% was the strongest.     

Effects of yttrium on recrystallization and grain growth of Mg-4.9Zn-0.7Zr alloy

Recrystallization and grain growth in Mg-4.9Zn-0.7Zr and Mg-4.9Zn-0.9Y-0.7Zr alloys as a function of temperature on deformation were investigated with regards to hot rolling and annealing. The influence of yttrium addition on the microstructure was examined by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, optical microscopy （OM）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results indicated that yttrium addition promoted nucleation of recrystallization during hot rolling process. The grain size of Mg-4.9Zn-0.7Zr alloy samples grew significantly with annealing temperature （300-400 ℃） and holding time （0-120 min）, while the microstructure of the alloy with yttrium addition remained unchanged and fine. The activation energy of grain boundary migration for Mg-4.9Zn-0.9Y-0.7Zr alloy samples （56.34 kJ/mol） was higher than that for Mg-4.9Zn-0.7Zr （42.66 kJ/mol） owing to the pinning effect of Y-containing particles. The proposed growth models of recrysta/lized grains for the two studied alloys conformed well to E. Robert＇s grain-growth equation. Besides, the ultimate strength and yield strength of the alloys with yttrium addition were improved with good plasticity.     

Effects of Y_2O_3/Y on Si-B co-deposition coating prepared through HAPC method on pure molybdenum

In order to clarify the effects of reactive element Y on the properties of Si-B co-deposition coating on Mo substrate,the Si-B-Y_2O_3 and Si-B-Y co-deposition coatings were prepared at 1300°C for 5 h by using the pack mixtures 16Si-4B-xY_2O_3/Y-4NaF-(76–x)Al_2O_3(wt.%,x=0,0.5,1,2,4,8).X-ray diffraction(XRD),energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS) and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy(WDS) techniques were used to analyze the structure and oxidation behavior of these coatings.The results revealed that the Si-B-Y_2O_3 and Si-B-Y co-deposition coatings had the same structure with that of the Si-B co-deposition coating.However,Y was incorporated into these coatings and the thicknesses of these coatings were thicker than that of the Si-B co-deposition coating.In addition,the Si-B-Y co-deposition coating demonstrated better cyclic oxidation resistance than the Si-B co-deposition coating at 1100 °C.The modifying mechanism of Y on the Si-B co-deposition coating was discussed.     

Preparation and Characterization of Sol-Gel Derived Au Nanoparticle Dispersed Y2O3：Eu Films

Gold nanoparticles dispersed Y2O3 films were prepared through a sol-gel method by using yttrium acetate and Au nanoparticles colloid as precursors. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and UV-VIS absorption spectra. XRD patterns and TEM images of Y2O3 ＋ Au films give the same resuits on structure and particle size as that of pure Y2O3 films. The surface plasma resonance （SPR） of Au nanoparticles in Y2O3 ＋ Au film was observed around 550 nm in the absorption spectrum and its position shifts to red with increasing annealing temperature is caused by the increase of dielectric constant of Y2O3 matrix and the size of Au nanoparticles. The second and third order nonlinear optical effects of Y2O3 ＋ Au films were also observed. The photoluminescent properties of Y2O3 ： Eu ＋ Au films were investigated and results indicate that there exist an energy transfer from Eu^3 ＋ to Au nanoparticles and this energy transfer decreases the emission of Eu^3 ＋ in Y2O3 ： Eu ＋ Au film.