First-Principle Study of Electronic and Half-Metallic Ferromagnetic Properties of Vanadium (V)-Doped Cubic BP and InP

In this study, we use the first-principle calculations of density functional theory with gradient generalized approximation of Wu–Cohen to investigate the doping effect of vanadium impurity on structural, electronic and magnetic properties of In_1?x V _x P and B_1?x V _x P alloys at various concentrations x = 0.0625, 0.125 and 0.25. Owing to the metallic nature of majority spin and semiconducting minority spin, the In_1?x V _x P compounds exhibit a half-metallic character with total magnetic moments of 2 μ _B, while the B_1?x V _x P has metallic nature for all concentrations. The results of exchange parameters revealed that exchange coupling between vanadium atoms and the conduction band is ferromagnetic, confirming the magnetic feature of In_1?x V _x P and B_1?x V _x P. From our findings, we have predicted that the In_1?x V _x P alloys seem to be potential materials for spintronics.     

The anodic dissolution of zinc and zinc alloys in alkaline solution. I. Oxide formation on electrogalvanized steel

The polarization behaviour of zinc in alkaline solution has been investigated using atomic emission spectroelectrochemistry. By independently measuring the oxidation rate of zinc (electrical current) and the rate of Zn²⁺ dissolution (partial elemental current) it is possible to calculate the amount of insoluble zinc cations produced at any instant. Assuming the insoluble cations are present as a zinc oxide film, the growth of this film as a function of potential and time was determined. On the basis of kinetic evidence, it was found that at least three forms of zinc based oxide/hydroxide films form during polarization experiments. Type I oxide formation occurs when the metal/electrolyte interface becomes locally saturated with Zn²⁺ ions. Type II oxide forms on the metal surface underneath the film of Type I oxide but has little inhibiting effect on zinc dissolution. Type III oxide is produced in much smaller quantity and results in a transition to the passive state. This may be due to a potential induced transition of Type II → Type III oxide.     

Atomic emission spectroelectrochemistry applied to dealloying phenomena II. Selective dissolution of iron and chromium during active-passive cycles of an austenitic stainless steel

Atomic emission spectroelectrochemistry was used to investigate selective dissolution of a 304 austenitic stainless steel sample in 2 M H₂SO₄. The partial dissolution rates of Fe, Cr, Ni, Mn, Mo, and Cu were measured as function of time during a series of potentiostatic triggered activation/passivation cycles. When first exposed to sulfuric acid solution, the steel sample was in a passive state with a total steady state ionic dissolution rate expressed as an equivalent current density of 10 μA cm⁻². A transition into the active and passive state could be triggered by cathodic (−700 mV vs. Ag/AgCl) and anodic (+400 to +700 mV vs. Ag/AgCl) potentiostatic pulses respectively of variable time. Excess Cr dissolution was observed during the activation cycle as compared to Fe and a depletion of Cr dissolution was observed during the passivation cycle. These results are interpreted in terms of the dissolution of a Cr rich passive layer during activation and selective dissolution of Fe, Mn, Ni and other elements to form a Cr rich passive layer during passivation. Quantitative analysis of the excess Cr showed that the residual film contained approximately 0.38 μg Cr/cm². Fe does not appear to be incorporated into the film at this early stage of passive film growth. Residual films of metallic nickel and copper were formed on the surface during the active period that subsequently dissolved during passivation.     

Theoretical study of structural,electronic and optical properties of novel ternary alloys $$\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}{\hbox {Se}}_{{x}}$$ ($$x =$$x= 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75)

We report on the investigation of the structural, electronic, and optical properties of binary compounds (MgO and MgSe) and their ternary \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\) (\(x=0.25, 0.5, 0.75\)) alloys within the density functional theory based on the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method as implemented in the WIEN2k code. We have used the revised Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation (GGA-PBEsol) to calculate the structural properties and analyze the effect of the Se composition on the lattice constant and the bulk modulus of \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\). The calculated electronic properties by employing the GGA-PBEsol and TB-mBJ approaches show that \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\) alloys have a direct band gap \(\Gamma \)–\(\Gamma \) for \(x = 0, 0.25, 0.5\) and 0.75, suggesting the possibility of their use in the long wavelength optoelectronic applications. The optical properties such as the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, the refractive index, and the reflectivity of \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\) are computed by using the accurate TB-mBJ potential. The wide band gaps larger than 3.1 eV mean that \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\) alloys can be used in the applications of the ultraviolet region of the spectrum. Our data for all studied bowing parameters of \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{x}\) may serve as references for future experimental studies.     

A study by a genetic algorithm for optimizing the arrangement of the fibers on the damage to the fiber–matrix interface of a composite material

The objective of this work is to optimize the arrangement of the fibers to reduce damage to the fiber matrix interface of a composite material. The results obtained by the genetic algorithm based on the volume fraction of reinforcement show a good agreement between numerical simulation and the actual behavior of both materials T300/914 and PEEK/APC2, however, it would be interesting to see the effect of thermal stress on the optimization of the arrangement by the molecular dynamics method.     

A generic approach to detect design patterns in model transformations using a string-matching algorithm

Software and Systems Modeling - Maintaining software artifacts is a complex and time-consuming task. Like any other program, model transformations are subject to maintenance. In a maintenance...     

The cathodic dissolution of Al, Al2Cu, and Al alloys

The cathodic dissolution of aluminum has been investigated for 99.99% Al, synthetic Al₂Cu, and three Al–Cu–Mg alloys: AA2024, AA7050, and AA2214 offering a range of over two orders of magnitude in hydrogen reduction activity. Atomic emission spectroelectrochemistry (AESEC) was used to directly measure the dissolution rate of the alloy components as a function of the cathodic current during potential sweep and potential step experiments. It was found that for all samples, regardless of the cathodic current density, the stoichiometric ratio of OH produced to Al dissolved varied between 1.4 and 1.8. This value is interpreted in terms of a simple model in which hydroxide generation, Al(OH)₃ formation/dissolution, and Al(OH)₄⁻ diffusion are kinetically coupled together. The selective dissolution of Mg and Cu is also measured and discussed.     

Structural stability,electronic structure,and novel transport properties with high thermoelectric performances of ZrIrX (X $$$$ As,Bi, and Sb)

We use the first-principles-based density functional theory with full potential linearized augmented plane wave method to investigate the structural, elastic, electronic, and thermoelectric properties of ZrIrAs, ZrIrBi, and ZrIrSb. The calculated structural and elastic constants with generalized gradient potential developed by Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (GGA-PBEsol) reveal that our compounds are stable in the cubic LiAlSi-type structure. The electronic structures are calculated with GGA-PBEsol and improved by Tran–Blaha modified Becke–Johnson (TB-mBJ) potential. The thermoelectric properties were determined at temperatures of 300, 600, and 800 K with respect to the p-type and n-type doping levels. We find that the thermopower factors are larger for p-type doping, implying that the hole doping provides more enhancement of thermoelectric performances in ZrIrAs, ZrIrBi, and ZrIrSb. Among them, the best thermopower values were found for the ZrIrAs compound with optimal doping levels of 46.17, 133.05, and 185.92 \(\times 1014\,\upmu \hbox {W}\, \mathrm{cm}^{-1}\; \hbox {K}^{-2}\;\hbox {s}^{-1}\) at temperatures of 300, 600, and 800 K, respectively.