Interfacial strength and chemistry of additive-free silicon nitride ceramics brazed with aluminium

Two kinds of additive-free silicon nitride ceramics were brazed with aluminium; one was with as-ground faying surfaces and the other was with faying surfaces heat-treated at 1073K for 1.8 ksec in air. The heat-treatment of the silicon nitride ceramics formed a silicon oxynitride layer on the faying surfaces and increased the brazing strength of the joints. A silica-alumina non-crystalline layer and a β′-sialon layer were formed successively from the aluminium side at the interface of the joints. The heat-treatment which made the former layer thicker is a necessary process in making reliable, strong brazed joints.     

Theoretical analysis of RAIM in the occurrence of simultaneous two-satellite faults

Most algorithms on receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) are under the assumption of a single-satellite fault, because there is an extremely small probability that significant simultaneous multiple-satellite faults may occur. However, after the implementation of the Galileo system in a few years, there will be more satellites in view for the user to utilise together with GPS satellites, and a combination of them will bring better performance for RAIM. On the other hand, with the help of wide area augmentation system and the use of dual-frequency operation, pseudo-range errors will be reduced greatly. Thus, tighter alert limits are required for RAIM, and formerly `small' errors should not be neglected. All of those factors make it necessary to consider simultaneous multiple-satellite faults. A detailed theoretical analysis of RAIM under the condition of two-satellite faults for both vertical and horizontal directions is presented. The characteristic/max slopes for every pair of satellites are then deduced in order to calculate the tighter vertical/horizontal protection level for RAIM     

On structural and high temperature electrochemical properties of ZrO2 thin film coating on Zr metal produced by carbonate melt

Melt of NaCO₃ can favor oxidation of Zr to form ZrO₂ thin film on Zr surface, which is used to make Zr/ZrO₂ oxidation/reduction electrode of pH sensor for testing elevated temperature aqueous solutions. Using SEM, EPMA, XPS, EXAFS and HRTEM, we found that ZrO₂ film is tightness and solid with 20 μm thickness composed by nanometer-sized monoclinic crystals. Zr/ZrO₂ interface is characterized of zoning structure according to topography and chemical composition in five zones: oxygen-rich ZrO₂, ZrO₂, oxygen-rich Zr metal, oxygen-bearing Zr and Zr from outmost to center. Melt oxidation process of Zr involved oxidation time, air and temperature. The air is important effect on structural and electrochemical properties of ZrO₂ thin film for making elevate temperature electrochemical sensor. If oxygen air largely presented in carbonate melting process, ZrO₂ thin film is not tightness and not for oxidation/reduction electrode.     

Probing the thermal decomposition process of layered double hydroxides through in situ <Superscript>57</Superscript>Fe Mössbauer and in situ X-ray diffraction experiments

The thermal decomposition properties of Mg–Fe hydrotalcites were studied through in situ ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and in situ X-ray diffraction. Abrupt changes in the quadrupolar splitting measured in the Mössbauer spectra revealed a phase transition from the starting lamellar structure to a new crystalline arrangement. By analyzing the Mössbauer parameters we show that the material is highly disordered in the 300–400 °C temperature range. This hypothesis is confirmed by the X-ray results whose diffractograms indicated the collapse of the lamellar structure and the formation of a solid solution.     

Development of polyurethane elastomer composite materials by addition of milled fiberglass with coupling agent

Polyurethane elastomer composites were developed using milled fiberglass and their mechanical properties were studied. In particular, the organically chemical treatment of the milled fiberglass was investigated in detail. It was demonstrated that both strength and toughness of the resulting elastomer composites were improved considerably with the addition content of fiberglass. Furthermore, it was indicated that the optimal properties can be achieved by the proper addition of milled fiberglass that was chemically treated using coupling agent.     

Grazing incidence reflection absorption Fourier transform infrared (GIRA-FTIR) spectroscopic studies on the ferroelectric behavior of poly(vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene) ultrathin films

Grazing incidence reflection absorption Fourier transform infrared (GIRA-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to characterize the ferroelectric behavior of a thin poly(vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene) P(VDF–TrFE) copolymer. The lab-built GIRA-FTIR apparatus allowed the heating and corona poling process to be carried out whilst collecting the GIRA spectra of the thin polymer film. The Curie transition from the ferroelectric to paraelectric phase was confirmed from the abrupt change in intensity of the 849 cm⁻¹ band in the RA-FTIR spectrum. It was found that the Curie temperature dropped dramatically when the film thickness was lowered to below a certain critical value of approximately 100 nm. The switching of the CF₂ dipoles in the ferroelectric crystals after applying the external electric field could be determined by monitoring the change in the 849 cm⁻¹ band intensity. For the 600 nm thick P(VDF–TrFE) film, the switching of the dipoles appears to occur almost instantaneously, while the kinetics of dipole switching of the 75 nm thick film were significantly retarded. The repeated switchability of the CF₂ dipoles upon the application of a bipolar cyclic electric field was also confirmed. The bistability of the film due to remnant polarization was also confirmed from the absorbance of the 849 cm⁻¹ band after removing the applied voltage during corona poling.