Microstructural evolution of YSZ electrolyte aerosol-deposited on porous NiO-YSZ

Dense, crack-free, ～7.5 μm thick, 8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) film was aerosol deposited on porous NiO-YSZ anode substrates at room temperature without additional high-temperature sintering. The films’ microstructures and gas permeability were observed after annealing at various temperatures. The dense, gas-tight film that was observed up to 1000 °C became porous at higher temperatures probably due to structural instability related to oxygen non-stoichiometry. A cell using such film as electrolyte showed an open cell voltage of 1.10 V and a maximum power density of 0.51 W/cm² at 750 °C.     

Effect of electrode and substrate on the fatigue behavior of PZT thick films fabricated by aerosol deposition

10 μm-thick lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films with identical LaNiO₃ (LNO) top and bottom electrodes were fabricated on silicon and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates by aerosol deposition (AD). A Pt electrode was also made for comparison. The dielectric, ferroelectric and fatigue behaviors at different fields were investigated. The PZT films on YSZ/LNO showed the highest dielectric and ferroelectric properties and good fatigue behavior under various fields. PZT films with a Pt electrode also showed good fatigue behavior up to 10⁸ cycles as thicker film can minimize the effect of defect entrapment near the interface.     

Influences of Ta, Nb, or Mo additions in Zr-based bulk metallic glasses on microstructure and thermal properties

The master-alloy ingots for casting bulk metallic glasses are routinely prepared by arc melting a mixture of pure elements. This paper addresses the difficulty in achieving complete and homogeneous melting of refractory component additions in Zr-based BMGs using the above procedure, and its influences on the microstructure and thermal behavior of alloys.     

UBET analysis of the closed-pass ring rolling of rings having arbitrarily shaped profiles

A simple but effective upper-bound elemental technique (UBET) for prediction of the torque and the deformation pattern during the ring-rolling of rings having arbitrarily shaped profiles is proposed. In order to describe the three-dimensional material flow of profile ring rolling, a new element with a curvilinear side is introduced and the corresponding kinematically admissible velocity field is derived. Upper-bound analysis is carried out for rolling rings with a circular groove or protrusion having a round corner fillet. Comparing with the experimental results, the roll torque and the profile formation are predicted with reasonable accuracy. The effects of some parameters are investigated also. Despite the simplifying assumptions, some aspects of the deformation mechanics in profile ring rolling are shown to be described successfully by the proposed method.     

Mechanical properties of anatase and semi-metallic TiO2 nanotubes

We report for the first time on mechanical properties of anodically formed, self-organized TiO₂ nanotube layers on titanium. We compare their behavior in their virgin state and after conversion to their semi-metallic form by an acetylene treatment. We show that the acetylene treatment leads to significant enhanced hardness, tensile strength and friction behavior.     

Effects of Alkaline-Earth-Metal Addition on the Sinterability and Microwave Characteristics of (Zr,Sn)TiO4 Dielectrics

The sinterability and microwave dielectric properties of (Zr_0.8Sn_0.2)TiO₄ with additions of 1 mol% of magnesium, calcium, strontium, or barium were examined. All the alkaline-earth metals were effective for densification, and the order of effectiveness was as follows: Mg < Ca < Sr < Ba. The dielectric constant and the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency were not influenced very much by the additives; however, a strong deterioration of the quality factor ( Q ) did occur when magnesium was added. The presence of grain-boundary phases was confirmed via microstructural observation, using transmission electron microscopy. In addition, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis was performed to investigate the cause of the deterioration in the Q value.     

Sintering Behavior of Nanocrystalline Zirconia Doped with Alumina Prepared by Chemical Vapor Synthesis

Powders of nanocrystalline zirconia doped with 3–30 mol% alumina have been synthesized using chemical vapor synthesis (CVS). Dense or mesoporous ceramics of small and narrowly distributed grain and pore sizes in the nanometer range are obtained via pressureless vacuum sintering. The microstructural development of the doped samples is strongly dependent on the alumina content. Sintering of zirconia samples with 3 and 5 mol% alumina at temperatures of 1000°C for 1 h results in fully dense, transparent ceramics with grain sizes of 40–45 nm and homogeneous microstructures.     

Effects of a Conducting LaNiO3 Thick Film as a Buffer Layer of a Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Film on Titanium Substrates

A conducting 8-μm-thick LaNiO₃ (LNO) film was deposited on a Ti substrate by aerosol deposition for use as a diffusion barrier between a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and a Ti substrate during postannealing. The deposited 20-μm-thick PZT films were annealed at 800°C. The PZT film deposited without LNO was cracked and partially detached from the substrate after postannealing, presumably due to a severe reaction with the Ti substrate, while no significant reactions were observed when the LNO buffer layer was used. The remnant polarization and relative dielectric constant of the 20-μm-thick annealed PZT films deposited on the LNO-buffered Ti substrate were 43 μC/cm² and 1010, respectively.     

Acoustic emission behavior of epoxies during tensile loading

The acoustic emission behavior during tensile loading of two common epoxy systems of different ductility was investigated at different loading rates. At low threshold voltage, it was possible to register acoustic emissions before the final failure. Only very few emissions were recorded compared with the amount commonly recorded for metals and composite materials. The acoustic emissions detected were of burst-type, revealing a brittle damage accumulation process. They originated from the initiation and incremental growth of microcracks of stochastic nature. The events occurred before gross yielding and during the final “brittle” failure process. Basically no events were detected between gross yielding and the final failure during which large scale yielding, necking, and stable crack growth took place. The occurrence of events at the different loading rates was strongly influenced by the yielding behavior and fracture toughness, characterized by the yield stress σ_y and the plane-strain fracture toughness K_Ic respectively. K_Ic was inversely dependent on the total number of events up to gross yielding. The event distribution normalized with respect to the conditions at gross yielding was hardly affected by the loading rate.