YBaCuO ceramics-based DC interferometer with current-formed weak links

The results of the study of dc interferometers and SQUIDS from the thick-film YBa_1·5Ca_0·5Cu₃O_7\t-\gd ceramics are presented here. It is shown that under the influence of high-density currents through the film constriction the differential resistance of interferometers thus formed increases by 2–3 orders of magnitude and the voltage-field characteristics become more regular. The frequency dependence of intrinsic noise in dc SQUIDs based on thick-film interferometers is investigated. It is demonstrated that in the white noise frequency region (1–10 Hz) the energy sensitivity is withinδɛ _n =10⁻²⁸ to 10⁻²⁹ J/Hz.     

Structural characterization of lead sulfide thin films by means of X-ray line profile analysis

X-ray diffraction patterns of chemically deposited lead sulphide thin films have been recorded and X-ray line profile analysis studies have been carried out. The lattice parameter, crystallite size, average internal stress and microstrain in the film are calculated and correlated with molarities of the solutions. Both size and strain are found to contribute towards the broadening of X-ray diffraction line. The values of the crystallite size are found to be within the range from 22–33 nm and the values of strain to be within the range from 1·0 × 10⁻³–2·5 × 10⁻³.     

Dielectric, elastic, anelastic and conductivity behaviour of ferroelectromagnetic composites, Ni0·5Zn0·5Fe1·95O4?δ + Ba0·8Pb0·2TiO3

Ferroelectromagnetic composites with compositions, X Ni_0·5Zn_0·5Fe_1·95O_4−δ + (1 − X) Ba_0·8Pb_0·2TiO₃, in which X varies as 0, 0·005, 0·010, 0·015, 0·020, 0·040, 0·060, 0·080 and 1 in mole %, were prepared by conventional ceramic double sintering process. The presence of two phases was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The temperature variation of dielectric constant, ɛ′, dielectric loss, tan δ, d.c. conductivity, a.c. conductivity, elastic and anelastic behaviour of ferrite-ferroelectric composites were studied in the temperature range 30–350°C. The a.c. conductivity measurements on these composites in the frequency range 100 Hz-1 MHz at room temperature reveal that the conduction mechanism is due to small polaron hopping. The dielectric and elastic data were discussed in the light of phase transitions.     

Thickness dependent electrical properties of CdO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis method

A large number of thin films of cadmium oxide have been prepared on glass substrates by spray pyrolysis method. The prepared films have uniform thickness varying from 200–600 nm and good adherence to the glass substrate. A systematic study has been made on the influence of thickness on resistivity, sheet resistance, carrier concentration and mobility of the films. The resistivity, sheet resistance, carrier concentration and mobility values varied from 1·56–5·72×10⁻³ Ω-cm, 128–189 Ω/□, 1·6–3·9×10²¹ cm⁻³ and 0·3–3 cm²/Vs, respectively for varying film thicknesses. A systematic increase in mobility with grain size clearly indicates the reduction of overall scattering of charge carriers at the grain boundaries. The large concentration of charge carriers and low mobility values have been attributed to the presence of Cd as an impurity in CdO microcrystallites. Using the optical transmission data, the band gap was estimated and found to vary from 2·20–2·42 eV. These films have transmittance around 77% and average reflectance is below 2·6% in the spectral range 350–850 nm. The films aren-type and polycrystalline in nature. SEM micrographs of the CdO films were taken and the films exhibit clear grains and grain boundary formation at a substrate temperature as low as 523 K.     

Electrical properties of Gd-modified Pb(SnTi)O3 ferroelectric ceramics

The Polycrystalline samples of (Pb_1−x Gd _x )(Sn_0.45Ti_0.55)_1−x/4O₃ (PGST) (x = 0, 0.05, 0.07, 0.1) were prepared using a standard mixed-oxide method. The XRD and SEM studies of the samples reveal that PGST samples have tetragonal symmetry with uniform grain distribution. Measurements of dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac electrical conductivity were made in a wide temperature (300–650 K) and frequency (100 Hz to 1 MHz) range. These materials undergo a ferroelectric–paraelectric phase transition at 569, 582, 598, and 603 K for x = 0, 0.05, 0.07, 0.1, respectively. The ferroelectric property of some samples at room temperature was confirmed through the study of hysteresis loops. The Cole–Cole plots (ε′′ vs. ε′) at 125 and 150 °C form semicircular arcs with the center lying underneath the abscissa, deviated from the ideal Debye relaxation model to some extent. In all the compounds, the slope of ln σ_ac ~ 1/T shows a distinct variation for temperature below 450, 450 K to T _c and for T > T _c. The room temperature ac conductivity at 10 kHz lies in the range of 10⁻⁵–10⁻⁶ (Ω⁻¹ m⁻¹).     

Structure and Features of the Motion of a Cathode Spot on a Continuous Titanium Cathode

High-speed video filming by the VS-FAST-NG CCD-array-based video camera from the firm of Videoskan with speeds of 1000 and 5000 frames per second and exposure time of 1·10⁻³ and 2·10⁻⁴ sec, respectively, is conducted. It is established that the arc burns from two or three cathode spots for (1–1.2)·10⁻³ sec. The mean and local speeds of the group of cathode spots are determined. If there is no external magnetic field present, the mean speed is equal to 5–6 m/sec. If there is a magnetic field B = 0.005 T present, the mean speed is equal to 15–16 m/sec. __________ Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 10, pp. 42–44, October, 2005.     

Diffusion of erbium in silicon

Diffusion of erbium in silicon has been investigated by the electric method. The erbium diffusion coefficient in the temperature range 1150–1250 °C increases from 1.4×10⁻¹³ to 6.2×10^{− 13} cm²·s⁻¹. The values obtained for the diffusion coefficient of erbium in silicon are in good agreement with data obtained by the method of tagged atoms. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 24, 68–71 (January 26, 1998)     

Magnetostriction power actuators for superprecision positioning

Magnetostriction actuators for superprecision positioning in steps of 10⁻² nm over a range of displacements up to 1 m have been developed and investigated. The actuators generate forces up to 10⁴ N and are suitable as power actuators in steps of 10 nm. Exact displacement is achieved by an active element made from Terfenol D alloy based on rare-earth metals with a high magnetostriction. The actuators can be controlled manually without any additional power source or by using a computer. For manual control the minimum linear-displacement step does not exceed 3 nm, and when the device is used on a turntable the minimum linear displacement step is 15·10^−3" while for computer control these quantities are 10⁻² nm and 4·10^−5", respectively. Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 5, pp. 56–62, May, 1997.     

Size dependent optical characteristics of chemically deposited nanostructured ZnS thin films

ZnS thin films of different thicknesses were prepared by chemical bath deposition using thiourea and zinc acetate as S²⁻ and Zn²⁺ source. The effect of film thickness on the optical and structural properties was studied. The optical absorption studies in the wavelength range 250–750 nm show that band gap energy of ZnS increases from 3·68–4·10 eV as thickness varied from 332–76 nm. The structural estimation shows variation in grain size from 6·9–17·8 nm with thickness. The thermoemf measurement indicates that films prepared by this method are of n-type.     

Preparation, characterization and conductivity studies of Li3?2xAl2?xSbx(PO4)3

New NASICON type materials of composition, Li_3−2x Al_2−x Sb _x (PO₄)₃ (x = 0·6 to 1·4), have been prepared and characterized by powder XRD and IR. D.C. conductivities were measured in the temperature range 300–573 K by a two-probe method. Impedance studies were carried out in the frequency region 10²−10⁶ Hz as a function of temperature (300–573 K). An Arrhenius behaviour is observed for all compositions by d.c. conductivity and the Cole-Cole plots obtained from impedance data do not show any spikes on the lower frequency side indicating negligible electrode effects. A maximum conductivity of 4·5 × 10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹ at 573 K was obtained for x = 0·8 of the Li_3−2x Al_2−x Sb _x (PO₄)₃ system.     

Optical and electrical properties of SnO2 films prepared by chemical vapour deposition

Transparent and conducting SnO₂ films are prepared at 500°C on quartz substrates by chemical vapour deposition technique, involving oxidation of SnCl₂. The effect of oxygen gas flow rate on the properties of SnO₂ films is reported. Oxygen with a flow rate from 0·8–1·35 lmin⁻¹ was used as both carrier and oxidizing gas. Electrical and optical properties are studied for 150 nm thick films. The films obtained have a resistivity between 1·72 × 10⁻³ and 4·95 × 10⁻³ ohm cm and the average transmission in the visible region ranges 86–90%. The performance of these films was checked and the maximum figure of merit value of 2·03 × 10⁻³ ohm⁻¹ was obtained with the films deposited at the flow rate of 1·16 lmin⁻¹.     

Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties of novel Y-type polyurethanes with high thermal stability of dipole alignment

2,3-Di-(2′-hydroxyethoxy)benzylidenemalononitrile (3) was prepared and condensed with 2,4-toluenediisocyanate and 3,3′-dimethoxy-4,4′-biphenylenediisocyanate to yield novel Y-type polyurethanes 4–5 containing 2,3-dioxy benzylidenemalononitrile group as a nonlinear optical (NLO)-chromophore, which constituted parts of the polymer backbones. Polyurethanes 4–5 were soluble in common organic solvents such as acetone and N,N-dimethylformamide. They showed a thermal stability up to 270 °C in thermogravimetric analysis thermograms and the glass-transition temperatures (T _g) obtained from differential scanning calorimetry thermograms were around 116–135 °C. The second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficients (d ₃₃) of poled polymer films at 106.4 mm⁻¹ fundamental wavelength were around 9.07 × 10⁻¹⁹ C (2.72 × 10⁻⁹ esu). The dipole alignment exhibited high thermal stability up to 10 °C higher than T _g, and there was no SHG decay below 145 °C due to the partial main-chain character of the polymer structure, which was acceptable for nonlinear optical device applications.     

Thermal Conductivity of a Simulated Fuel with Dissolved Fission Products

The thermal diffusivity of a simulated fuel with fission products forming a solid solution was measured using the laser-flash method in the temperature range from room temperature to 1673 K. The density and the grain size of the simulated fuel with the solid solutions used in the measurement were 10.49 g · cm⁻³ (96.9% of theoretical density) at room temperature and 9.5 μm, respectively. The diameter and thickness of the specimens were 10 and 1 mm, respectively. The thermal diffusivity decreased from 2.108 m² · s⁻¹ at room temperature to 0.626 m² · s⁻¹ at 1673 K. The thermal conductivity was calculated by combining the thermal diffusivity with the specific heat and density. The thermal conductivity of the simulated fuel with the dissolved fission products decreased from 4.973 W · m⁻¹ · K⁻¹ at 300 K to 2.02 W · m⁻¹ · K⁻¹ at 1673 K. The thermal conductivity of the simulated fuel was lower than that of UO₂ by 34.36% at 300 K and by 15.05% at 1673 K. The difference in the thermal conductivity between the simulated fuel and UO₂ was large at room temperature, and decreased with an increase in temperature. Paper presented at the Seventeenth European Conference on Thermophysical Properties, September 5–8, 2005, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.     

Study of oxidation behaviour of Zr-based bulk amorphous alloy Zr65Cu17.5Ni10Al7.5 by thermogravimetric analyser

The oxidation behaviour of Zr-based bulk amorphous alloy Zr₆₅Cu_17.5Ni₁₀Al_7.5 has been studied in air environment at various temperatures in the temperature range 591–684 K using a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA). The oxidation kinetics of the alloy in the amorphous phase obeys the parabolic rate law for oxidation in the temperature range 591–664 K. The values of the activation energy and pre-factor as calculated from the Arrhenius temperature dependence of the rate constants have been found to be 1.80 eV and 2.12 × 10⁹ g·cm⁻²·sec^−1/2, respectively.     

Li-storage and cycling properties of spinel,CdFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>, as an anode for lithium ion batteries

Cadmium ferrite, CdFe₂O₄, is synthesized by urea combustion method followed by calcination at 900°C and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques. The Li-storage and cycling behaviour are examined by galvanostatic cycling, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and impedance spectroscopy in the voltage range, 0·005–3·0 V vs Li at room temperature. CdFe₂O₄ shows a first cycle reversible capacity of 870 (± 10) mAhg⁻¹ at 0·07C-rate, but the capacity degrades at 4 mAhg⁻¹ per cycle and retains only 680 (± 10) mAhg⁻¹ after 50 cycles. Heat-treated electrode of CdFe₂O₄ (300°C; 12 h, Ar) shows a significantly improved cycling performance under the above cycling conditions and a stable capacity of 810 (± 10) mAhg⁻¹ corresponding to 8·7 moles of Li per mole of CdFe₂O₄ (vs theoretical, 9·0 moles of Li) is maintained up to 60 cycles, with a coulombic efficiency, 96–98%. Rate capability of heat-treated CdFe₂O₄ is also good: reversible capacities of 650 (± 10) and 450 (± 10) mAhg⁻¹ at 0·5 C and 1·4 C (1 C = 840 mAg⁻¹) are observed, respectively. The reasons for the improved cycling performance are discussed. From the CV data in 2–15 cycles, the average discharge potential is measured to be ∼0·9 V, whereas the charge potential is ∼2·1 V. Based on the galvanostatic and CV data, ex situ-XRD, -TEM and -SAED studies, a reaction mechanism is proposed. The impedance parameters as a function of voltage during the 1st cycle have been evaluated and interpreted. Dedicated to Prof. C N R Rao on his 75th birthday, and his contributions to science for the past 56 years     

Dielectric and pyroelectric properties of a composite of ferroelectric ceramic and polyurethane

Flexible piezo- and pyroelectric composite was made in the thin film form by spin coating. Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) ceramic powder was dispersed in a castor oil-based polyurethane (PU) matrix, providing a composite with 0–3 connectivity. The dielectric data, measured over a wide range of frequency (10^–5 Hz to 10⁵ Hz), shows a loss peak around 100 Hz related with impurities in the polymer matrix. There is also an evidence of a peak in the range 10^–4 Hz, possibly originating from the glass transition temperature T_g of the polymer. The pyroelectric coefficient at 343 K is 7.0×10^–5 C·m^–2·K^–1 which is higher than that of β-PVDF (1×10^–5 C·m^–2·K^–1). Electronic Publication     

Surface alloying of steels in the process of mechanical pulse treatment

It is shown that intense saturation of the surface layers of a hardened metal with nickel, copper, and chromium from electroplates occurs in the course of mechanical pulse treatment in the zone of frictional contact. In this case, the mass transfer coefficients range from 0.95·10⁻⁷ to 1.1·10⁻⁷ m²/sec. It is established that the number of alloying elements is defined by the number of generated dislocations. Karpenko Physicomechanical Institute, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, L'viv. Translated from Fizyko-Khimichna Mekhanika Materialiv, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 108–110, May–June, 1998.     

Reduction of aluminum oxide in a nonequilibrium hydrogen plasma

A new method is proposed and experimental investigations are carried out aimed at reducing aluminum oxide in a nonequilibrium hydrogen plasma of a combined glow discharge (CGD) at a pressure of 1315.8–13,158 Pa, a discharge current of 5·10⁻²–3 A, and a hydrogen flow rate of 10⁻⁶–10⁻⁴ nm³/sec. A high degree of conversion of the aluminum oxide (60%) with an energy consumption of 20 kW·h/kg of Al₂O₃ is attained. Reduction of metals from oxides and other compounds in a CGD nonequilibrium hydrogen plasma can be used for producing rare-earth and high-purity metals. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizcheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 580–584, May–June, 2000.     

A study on leaching behaviour of cement blocks used as matrix for fixation of Cs activity along with ferric

Study on the cementation of the regenerated activity (from spent resin using ferric as regenerant) containing ferric in cement matrix showed that compressive strength and leaching behaviour are better when the ferric strength was < 5 N. The diffusion coefficient of Cs from the cement matrix was found to be in the range 2.4 × 10⁻⁵ cm²/day and 5.9 × 10⁻⁵ cm²/day with ferric solutions of strength in the range 0.5–3 N. When bentonite and vermiculite were included in the cement matrix, the diffusion coefficient of Cs was found to be in the range 6.2 × 10⁻⁷ cm²/day to 1.26 × 10⁻⁵ cm²/day with ferric strength in the same range.     

Characterization of La1 −x Sr1 +x Cu5 −x Fe x O12 + δ (0 ≤x ≤ 1·0) by dc electrical conductivity,magnetic susceptibility and EPR measurements(0 ≤x ≤ 1·0) by dc electrical conductivity,magnetic susceptibility and EPR measurements

The DC electrical resistivity results of La_{4 −x} Sr_{1 +x} Cu_{5 −x} Fe _x O_{12 + δ} (0 ≤x ≤ 1·0) showed that for S1 (x = 0) and S2 (x = 0·25) the temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR), dρ/dT, is positive and slightly increases with increasing temperature in the range 20–270 K. This shows the metallic nature of S1 and S2. For the samples S3(x = 0·5) and S4 (x = 0·75), TCR slightly increases in the range 20–270 K, with change in sign from negative to positive at ∼ 80 K and ∼ 130 K, respectively. These results show the metal-insulator type transition in S3 and S4. For the sample S5 (x = 1·0), the TCR is negative and gradually increases in the range 20–270 K, which shows its semiconductor-like behaviour. The activation energy for S5 is found to be 0·21 × 10⁻² eV. Furthermore, the DC resistivity results of S1–S5 in the range 350–660 K are in conformity with the low temperature results. The very weak temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility results of S1–S3 show Pauli-paramagnetic behaviour in the range 77K–400 K, while S4 and S5 exhibit Pauli-paramagnetic behaviour in the range 77–850 K. Long-range antiferromagnetic interaction is observed in S5 (x = 1·0) belowT _c ∼ 100 K. The room temperature EPR lineshapes gradually improve from metallic S1 (x = 0) to semiconductor-like S5(x = 1·0). Negativeg-shift is observed in the samples S2–S5 with increasing trend ing _iso-values of 1·880 in S2 to 1·961 in S5. However, theg _iso-value for S1 could not be observed due to very poor lineshape.