Microstructure and rheological properties of a semisolid A356 alloy with erbium addition

The effects of erbium addition on the rheological properties and microstructure of a semisolid A356 alloy were studied. The semisolid slurries were prepared through the serpentine channel technique before they were thixoformed using parallel-plate compression with cylindrical discs. The grain and globule size decreases as the Er content increases, resulting in an improved and uniform distribution of spherical primary α-Al phase within the semisolid slurry. The addition of the Er modifies the grain morphology and size of the α-Al grains, resulting in a better and more uniform distribution of spherical primary α-Al phase within the semisolid slurry. As a result, rheocast quality index increases with the addition of Er, which is suitable for the thixoforming process. The A356 alloy without Er has the highest viscosity herein. The viscosity decreases, and the flow characteristics of the semisolid feedstock are expected to improve when Er is added as a result of the refinement of primary α-Al and modification of eutectic silicon. Furthermore, the refined semisolid A356 alloys with Er show a slightly larger fraction of high-angle grain boundaries compared to that for the unre?ned alloy.     

Influence of lanthanum on enhancement of mechanical and electrical properties of Cu-Al_2O_3 composites

Two kinds of Cu-Al_2O_3 composites(with and without La) were prepared via mechanical alloying-spark plasma sintering(MA-SPS) method. Microstructure, mechanical properties and electrical resistivity were investigated systematically using metallography, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, mechanical and electrical properties testing. The results indicate that an appropriate amount of La can homogenize the distribution of Al_2O_3. As such, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation of Cu-Al_2O_3-La are greatly increased. Some semi-coherent interface between Cu and Al_2O_3 is found, which means a low interface energy. The grain shape of Cu changes to irregular band with the addition of La. This change results in a density decrease of grain boundary and reduces electrical resistance. Lanthanum may exist in the form of La_2O_3.     

First-principles study of structure,mechanical and optical properties of La-and Sc-doped Y_2O_3

The electronic,mechanical and optical properties of La-and Sc-doped Y_2O_3 were investigated using firstprinciples calculations.Two doping sites of Sc and La in Y_2O_3 were modeled.The calculated values of the energy of formation show that the most energetically favorable site for a La atom in Y_2O_3 is a d-site Y atom,while for Sc a b-site Y atom is the more stable position.The calculated band gap shows a slight decrease with increasing La or Sc concentration.The calculated results for the mechanical and optical properties of Y_(2-x)R_xO_3(R = Sc or La,0x ≤ 0.1875)show that La-or Sc-doped Y_2O_3 would have enhanced strength,and thus an ability of resisting external shocks,and increased hardness and mechanical toughness.These improved mechanical properties are achieved without sacrificing the optical properties of the doped compounds.So the doping of La or Sc in Y_2O_3 is permissible in the preparation of Y_2O_3 transparent ceramics,of course,doping of La or Sc will benefit the sintering of transparent ceramics.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Sm-Al alloy and analysis of grain refinement and strengthening mechanism

The effects of Sm on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-11 Gd-2 Y-0.6 Al alloy were investigated by X-ray diffraction,optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy,energy dispersive spectrometry and high resolution transmission electron microscopy.Based on the theory of edge—edge matching and electronegativity theory,the mechanism of grain refinement is discussed.The strengthening mechanism is expounded conveniently from fine grain strengthening,coherent strengthening,precipitation strengthening and grain boundary strengthening.The results show that the micro structure of Mg-11 Gd-2 Y-0.6 Al alloy is mainly composed of a-Mg matrix,Mg_5 Gd and Mg_(24)Y_5 phases.The addition of Sm forms Mg_(41)Sm_5 phase in the alloy and refines the alloy.The addition of Sm significantly improves the mechanical properties of the alloy at room and high temperatures.When the addition of Sm is 3 wt%,the tensile strengths of the alloy at room temperature and high temperature(200℃) reach the maximum value 292 and 321 MPa,respectively.The fracture mode of the alloy at different temperatures is mainly brittle fracture and intercrystalline fracture.     

Effect of nano-SiC content on mechanical properties of SiC/2014Al composites fabricated by powder metallurgy combined with hot extrusion

Nano-SiC particulates (n-SiC_p) reinforced 2014Al matrix composites with different reinforcement volume fractions (0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1?vol.-%) were fabricated by powder metallurgy combined with hot extrusion. The effect of volume fraction of n-SiC_p on mechanical properties of composites was studied at both ambient and elevated temperatures. The increase of n-SiC_p content led to an increase in yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and a slight decrease in elongation which is much better than the composites reinforced with micro-SiC_p. The 0.5?vol.-% n-SiC_p/2014Al composite observed the highest YS and UTS of ～378 and ～573?MPa at room temperature and of ～303 and ～409?MPa at 473?K. The enhancement of the properties is suggested to be induced by uniformly dispersed and well-bonded n-SiC_p reinforcements as well as the age-hardening effect of the more and finer precipitates.     

Double-shell structure of Al3(Zr,Sc) precipitate induced by thermomechanical treatment of Al–Zr–Sc alloy cable

A spheroidal Al₃(Zr,Sc) precipitate with a double-shell structure, comprising a Sc-enriched core enveloped by a Zr-enriched inner shell and a Sc-enriched outer shell (～9 nm in thickness), appears in an Al–0.2Zr–0.1Sc alloy cable after thermomechanical treatment. The average diameter of the spheroidal Al₃(Zr,Sc) precipitate is approximately 80 nm. The double-shelled Al₃(Zr,Sc) precipitate presents three different interfaces and is semi-coherent with the Al matrix. Atom probe tomography (APT) analyses further show that the outer shell of Al₃(Zr,Sc) precipitate is Sc element enrichment. The electrical conductivity of Al–0.2Zr–0.1Sc alloy cable increases by 6.5 MS/m within the aging time from 0.2 to 100 h at 350 °C, with double-shelled Al₃(Zr,Sc) precipitate.     

Preparation of Ce~(3+)doped Bi_2O_3 hollow needle-shape with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

Ce~(3+) doped Bi_2O_3 hollow needle-shape with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity was successfully prepared via the method of chemical precipitation using Bi(NO_3)·5H_2O and Ce(NO_3)_3·6H_2O as the source of bismuth and cerium, HNO_3 as solvent and NaOH as precipitants, respectively and after calcination at 500 ℃ for 2 h. The morphology and elemental composition,crystal form,purity and specific surface area of the hollow needle Bi_2O_3 were characterized by SEM-EDS, XRD, BET and FT-IR. The photocatalytic properties of the as-obtained samples were measured by UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy and photochemical reactor. As a result, the obtained Bi_2O_3 hollow needle-shape doped with 5 wt% Ce shows good morphology, α-phase, stronger absorbent for visible light and good photocatalytic property. Under the simulated visible light of 300 W, the photodegradation rate of tetracycline over HNBCe can reach to 89.1%,which is higher than that of commercial Bi_2O_3 nanoparticles and Bi_2O_3 hollow needle-shape.     

Recent advances in solid-state LED phosphors with thermally stable luminescence

Phosphor-converted white light-emitting diode(LED) lighting has gained tremendous achievements since the invention of the InGaN blue LED by Nakamura et al., who won the Nobel Physics Prize in 2014.By far, a significant challenge comes from the thermal quenching(TQ) behavior of the present LED phosphors during the high-power LED operation or the updated laser lighting. But systematic research or review on the luminescence quenching character and/or how to realize thermally stable luminescence are lacking. Since TQ is an inherent property of phosphors, it can be diminished by different approaches.This review proceeds from the mechanism of TQ, summarizes previous researches on improving the thermal stability of LED phosphors and also discusses future research opportunities in this field. The developments of the phosphors with properties of high luminance and thermal stability, as well as the improved strategies involved,will benefit the basic researches and applications in high power lighting or high-luminance laser lighting.     

Magnetic properties and microstructure of Fe_(69.5-x)Nd_7B_(21)Nb_(2.5)Ga_x(x=0-1)alloys

The Fe_(69.5-x)Nd_7 B_(21)Nb_(2.5)Ga_x(x = 0-1)permanent magnets in the form of rods were prepared by annealing the bulk amorphous alloys.The magnetic properties,phase evolution and microstructure of the alloys were investigated systematically.It is found that the glass forming ability(GFA), microstructure and magnetic properties are sensitive to Ga content for Fe_(69.5-x)Nd_7 B_(21)Nb_(2.5)Ga_x(x = 0-1)bulk alloys.The annealed alloys are mainly composed of soft α-Fe,hard Nd_2 Fe_(14)B and nonmagnetic Nd_(1.1)Fe_4 B_4 phases.When x = 0.3,the optimally annealed magnets exhibit magnetic properties of the remanence Br = 0.63 T,intrinsic coercivity H_(cj) = 368.68 kA/m and maximum energy product(BH)_(max) = 33.73 kJ/m~3.Furthermore,magnetic field heat treatment at the temperature close to Curie temperature of Nd_2 Fe_(14)B phase was applied to the annealed Fe_(69.2)Nd_7 B_(21)Nb_(2.5)Ga_(0.3) magnet.The results of X-ray diffraction(XRD)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)indicate that the magnetic field heat treatment can be beneficial for the precipitation of α-Fe.Thus,the B_r,H_(cj) and(BH)_(max) are enhanced by 8.7%,6.3% and 16.3%,respectively.     

Effect of preparation method on physicochemical properties and catalytic performances of LaCoO_3 perovskite for CO oxidation

Perovskite oxides LaCoO_3 prepared by templating, co-precipitation and sol-gel method with different complexants were systematically characterized and its catalytic performances for CO oxidation were investigated. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, N_2 physisorption, transmission electron microscopy, temperature program reduction of hydrogen, temperature program desorption of oxygen and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement, results of which show that the properties of LaCoO_3, such as surface morphology, surface area, surface compositions, redox capability, oxygen vacancy, as well as the calcination temperature and formation mechanism, depend intimately on the preparation method. Catalytic tests indicate that the sample prepared by carbon templating method shows the best activity for CO oxidation, with full CO conversion obtained at 135 ℃. In particular, the catalyst can be activated and significant increase of activity can be obtained with the increase of reaction time. The cyclic and longterm stability of catalysts were discussed and compared.     

国产A6N01铝合金型材MIG焊接头的微观组织与力学性能

利用金相观察、显微硬度测定、拉伸和弯曲性能测试等方法研究了A6N01-T5铝合金型材MIG焊接接头的显微组织和力学性能.结果表明：焊接接头焊缝中心金属为明显的激冷形成的铸态组织,呈等轴晶状;熔合区靠近焊缝侧的结晶形态为沿散热方向排列的柱状晶,邻近熔合区的热影响区晶粒粗化.焊缝中心处具有较高的显微硬度,在距离焊缝中心10~12 mm处的热影响区显微硬度值最低.国产A6N01-T5铝合金型材焊接接头抗拉强度达到欧洲标准DIN EN 288-4的要求.     

Controllable synthesis of Eu~(3+) ions doped Zn(OH)F and ZnO micro-structures:Phase,morphology and luminescence property

Eu~(3+) ions doped Zn(OH)F and ZnO micro-structures with specific morphologies were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method only through altering the addition amount of NH_4F and hexamethylenetetramine(HMT). The phase structure, morphology and luminescence properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM), photoluminescence(PL) spectra and lifetime. The results indicate that the obtained Zn(OH)F:Eu~(3+) samples possess net-like and dandelion-like morphologies,which have an identical orthorhombic phase structure. It is found that the addition amount of raw materials such as NH_4F and HMT plays a critical role for the formation of Zn(OH)F:Eu~(3+). If the addition amounts of NH_4F or HMT are reduced by half, the hexagonal ZnO:Eu~(3+) sample with peanut-like morphology can be obtained. Under the excitation of UV light, both the as-prepared Zn(OH)F:Eu~(3+)and ZnO:Eu~(3+) samples exhibit the characteristic emission of the doped Eu~(3+).     

Effects of precursor moisture and inert N_2 atmosphere calcinations on structure and properties of alumina modified CeZrLaNd mixed oxides

CeO_2-ZrO_2 mixed oxides are widely used in the three-way catalysts due to their unique reversible oxygen storage and release capacity. Large surface area, high oxygen storage capacity and good thermal stability of cerium zirconium mixed oxides are the key properties for the automotive catalysts so as to meet the strict emission regulations. In this work, alumina modified CeZrLaNd mixed oxides were prepared by a co-precipitation method. The effects of moisture in precursor and inert N2 atmosphere during calcinations on the structure and properties were investigated by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) surface area measurements, X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction(H_2-TPR), oxygen storage capacity(OSC), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The results show that the moisture in precursor during calcinations increases the crystal grain size of the cerium zirconium mixed oxides, improving the thermal stability. And the aged surface area of sample after being calcined at1000 ℃ for 4 h reaches 68.8 m~2/g(5.7% increase compared with the common sample). The inert N2 atmosphere endows a great pore-enlarging effect, which leads to high fresh surface area of 148.9 m2/g(13.5% increase compared with the common sample) and big pore volume of 0.5705 mL/g. The redox and oxygen storage capacity are also improved by inert N2 atmosphere with high OSC value of 241.06μmolO_2/g(41.3% increase compared with the common calcination), due to the abundant formation of the crystal defects and oxygen vacancies.     

Gaseous hydrogen storage properties of Mg-Y-Ni-Cu alloys prepared by melt spinning

For purpose of promoting the hydrogen absorption and desorption thermodynamics and kinetics properties of Mg-Ni-based alloys, partially substituting Y and Cu for Mg and Ni respectively and melt spinning technique were applied for getting Mg_(25-x)Y_xNi_9 Cu(χ = 0-7) alloys. Their microstructures and phases were characterized with the help of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Their hydrogen absorbing and desorbing properties were tested by a Sievert apparatus, DSC, and TGA, which were connected with a H_2 detector. In order to estimate the dehydrogenation activation energy of alloy hydride, both Arrhenius and Kissinger methods were applied for calculation. It is found that their hydriding kinetics notably declines, however, their hydrogen desorption kinetics conspicuously improves, with spinning rate and Y content increasing. Their hydrogen desorption activation energy markedly decreases under the same constraint, and it is found that melt spinning and Y substituting Mg improve the real driving force for dehydrogenation. As for the tendency of hydrogen absorption capacity,it presents an elevation firstly and soon after a decline with the rising of spinning rate, however, it always lowers with Y content growing. With Y content and spinning rate increasing, their thermodynamic parameters(△H and △S absolute values) visibly decrease, and the starting hydrogen desorption temperatures of alloy hydrides obviously lower.     

Effects of grain size and secondary phase on corrosion behavior and electrochemical performance of Mg-3Al-5Pb-1Ga-Y sacrificial anode

Grains with size of 4.5—20.5 μm were studied for their corrosion behavior and electrochemical performance in a Mg-3 Al-5 Pb-1 Ga-Y sacrificial anode using immersion testing,electrochemical measurements and microstructure analysis.The results show that fine-grained microstructure has higher chemical activity and more negative discharge potentials than coarse-grained samples.The sample with the smallest average grain size of 4.5 μm exhibits corrosion current density of 7.473×10~(-5) A/cm~2,and work potentials of-1.721 V at current density of 10 mA/cm~2.The density of grain boundaries and LAGBs increases with grain refinement,which leads to higher rates of dissolution and diffusion for the atoms.The secondary phases promote the occurrence of corrosion and improve the chemical activity of alloy due to their higher potential than the substrate.Higher corrosion rate and discharge activity are directly attributed to the higher density of grain boundaries and LAGBs,as well as the secondary phase.     

Grain boundary segregation and its influences on ionic conduction properties of scandia doped zirconia electrolytes

Solid oxide fuel cell is a promising energy conversion system which converts chemical energy into electrical energy directly. Electrolyte is the key component and determines the working temperature. In this paper,ceria and scandia co-doped zirconia electrolytes sintered from 1300 to 1550 ℃ were chosen as research objects. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were performed to characterize the ceramic samples. The effects of grain size and grain boundary element segregation on the electrical conductivity were focused. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to calculate the bulk, grain boundary and specific grain boundary conductivity. Results show that the bulk and grain boundary ionic conductivity increases with the increasing grain size.However, the specific grain boundary conductivity decreases with the increasing grain size. This is explained by the fact that Sc~(3+) is segregated at the grain boundary, which leads to higher oxygen vacancy concentration when sintered at lower temperature.     

Phase separation and crystallization of La_2O_3 doped ZnO-B_2O_3-SiO_2 glass

In order to investigate the effect of the La_2O_3 on the phase separation and crystallization of ZnO-B_2O_3-SiO_2 glass, after the occurence of the phase separation and crystallization of glasses by heat treatment, the microstructure morphology and distribution of elements in different sample areas were characterized by the scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS); the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of the glass samples was studied by using a differential scanning calorimeter(DSC) and the precipitated crystals of crystallized glass were determined by the X-ray diffraction(XRD). The results suggest that the phase separation and crystallization of 60ZnO-30 B_2O_3-10SiO_2 glass occur at glass surface, and the incorporation of small amount(4 mol%) of La_2O_3 significantly inhibits the glass phase separation and consequently improves the thermal stability of glass.Doping of La_2O_3 accelerates the glass crystallization at the elevated temperature(660 ℃), making the depth of crystal layer thicker and diffraction intensity in XRD patterns stronger. However, due to the precipitation of several crystals that occur simultaneously when La_2O_3 doping amount is 4 mol%, crystallization of the 60ZnO-30B_2O_3-10SiO_2 glass is obviously depressed, the crystallization activation energy Ec and the relative crystallinity X_c of the glass reach the maximum and the minimum values, respectively.Although transition from one-dimensional growth of crystals to two-dimensional growth of crystals results from La_2O_3 addition, the one-dimensional growth of crystals remains dominant in crystallization process. This work can provide some useful information for preparing glass ceramics with nano-crystals precipitated in the glass surface.     

Tuning effect of silicon substitution on magnetic and high frequency electromagnetic properties of R2Fe17 and their composites

In this work, we report the tuning effect of the Si substitution on the magnetic and high frequency electromagnetic properties of R₂Fe₁₇ compounds and their paraffin composites. It is found that the introduction of Si can remarkably improve the magnetic and electromagnetic properties of the R₂Fe₁₇ compounds, making the R₂Fe_17–xSi_x-paraffin composites excellent microwave absorption materials (MAMs). By introducing the Si element, their saturation magnetizations decrease slightly, while much higher Curie temperatures are obtained. Furthermore, better impedance match is reached due to the decrease of the high-frequency permittivity ε′ by about 40%–50%, which finally enhances the performance of the microwave absorption. The peak frequency (f_RL) of the reflection loss (RL) curve moves toward high frequency domain and the qualified bandwidth (QB, RL ≤ ?10 dB) increases remarkably. The maximum QB of 3.3 GHz (12.0–15.3 GHz) is obtained for the Sm_1.5Y_0.5Fe₁₅Si₂-paraffin composite (d = 1.0 mm) and the maximum RL of ?53.6 dB is achieved for Nd₂Fe₁₅Si₂-paraffin composite (d = 2.2 mm), both surpassing most of the reported MAMs. Additionally, a distinguished dielectric microwave absorption peak is observed, which further increases the QB in these composites.