In this work, the effects of annealing treatment on the crystalline structure and mechanical property changes of polypropylene random copolymer (PPR) were comparatively investigated. Wide angle x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry were used to study the crystalline structure evolution of the annealed PPR sample. The relaxation behavior of the annealed PPR sample was analyzed using dynamic mechanical analysis. The mechanical properties and the toughening mechanism were also investigated. The results showed that the crystalline structure evolution of the annealed PPR sample depended on the annealing temperature. Due to the largely increased molecular chain mobility in the amorphous region, which promoted the plastic deformation of the annealed PPR sample under the impact condition, largely enhanced impact strength was achieved at a moderate annealing temperature. Further results showed that relatively shorter annealing duration could induce the apparent changes of crystalline structure and mechanical properties of the PPR sample.

A high open-circuit voltage (VOC) of an organic photovoltaic device (OPV) has been realized using an ultrathin electron donor layer, 2,3-Bis(2-(diphenylamino)-9,9′- spirobifluorene-7-yl)fumaronitrile (PhSPFN), which exhibits the most suitable and low-lying highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) to align between the anode and donor energy levels. The planar heterojunction OPV, represented as indium tin oxide electrode/PhSPFN/fullerene C60/bathocuproine/aluminum electrode shows high performance with a VOC of 0.91 V, short current density of 3.9 mA/cm2, fill factor of 56% and power conversion efficiency of 2% under an air-mass of 1.5 global illumination at 1 sun. In addition, the effect of the VOC change is discussed in terms of various donor materials. The VOC turns out to be restricted to the energetic alignment between the work function of the anode and the HOMO level, indicating that the optimization of VOC requires energetically good contact between the anode and organic materials.

A technique of controlling growth gas flow rate for adjusting crystal resistivity is presented in this paper. The experimental results showed that high growth gas flow rate could affect SiC crystal resistivity remarkably. The SiC crystal resistivity would get higher and higher with increasing growth gas flow rate. The purifying effect of gas flow rate was contributing to resistivity increase at a relatively low flow rate range. As for the high gas flow rate, increase of resistivity might be explained by the well-known site competition effect. Then, one explanation for reducing nitrogen content in the crystal via increasing gas flow rate was put forward. Namely, the Si component in the gas species may more easily go through the graphite crucible at the initial stage to make the growth ambient C-rich when the gas flow rate is ∼800 sccm or more and hence suppress nitrogen incorporation into carbon site to increase crystal resistivity. This result is very helpful to grow high purity high resistivity SiC ingots.

Nanoscale metal–insulator–metal (MIM) diodes consisting of a nanoscale-thickness insulator layer sandwiched between two dissimilar metal layers offer the potential for very high frequency alternating current to direct current signal rectification. Active nanoscale tuning of electronic tunneling through the insulator layer to form point contact diodes has previously been limited to barriers composed of soft organic films due to the force limitations of conductive-atomic force microscopy. In this paper, MIM diodes with oxide-based insulators are formed in situ with sub-nanometer depth precision and characterized using a nanoindenter equipped with electrical testing capabilities. Simultaneous measurement of both electrical and nano-mechanical information is accomplished in an MIM stack of the form Nb/Nb2O5/boron-doped diamond nanoindenter tip. Using this technique, we show that the diode behavior can be electromechanically tuned over a range of more than 1 V at equivalent currents via small changes in indentation depth and the results can be modeled using a Fowler–Nordheim approximation.

Storage is the main problem to use hydrogen as a fuel in the car industry. Porous carbons are promising storage materials. We have performed computer simulations to investigate carbide-derived porous carbons, showing that these materials exhibit a structure of connected pores with graphitic walls. We then apply a thermodynamic model to evaluate the hydrogen storage. The model accounts for the quantum effects of the motion of the molecules in the pores. The pore widths optimizing the storage depend on pore shape, temperature, and pressure. At 300 K and 10 MPa, the optimal widths lie in the range 6–10 Å. The predictions are consistent with experiment. The calculated storage capacities fall below the targets proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy. This is a consequence of the weak interaction between hydrogen and the pore walls. Metallic doping enhances the binding energy of hydrogen to the walls, which has promising consequences for hydrogen storage.

Unique cocoon- and rod-shaped alpha-phase ferric oxide, hematite (α-Fe2O3) is prepared by a simple, scalable and surfactant-free chimie douce synthesis. The structure and morphology is confirmed by x-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical properties of α-Fe2O3 anodes are investigated using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The mesoporous α-Fe2O3 exhibited an initial discharge capacity >1741 mAh/g with excellent cycling performance and rate capabilities. The solvent used for the preparation of α-Fe2O3 plays a key role in determining the morphology of the materials, which greatly influenced its electrochemical properties.

(Ti,Mn)Al/Al2O3 composites were successfully synthesized by reactive hot pressing from Ti–Al–TiO2–MnO2 system. The effect of Mn coming from the Al–MnO2 reaction on the microstructure and mechanical properties of (Ti,Mn)Al/Al2O3 in situ composites was investigated in detail. The results show that the as-prepared products are mainly composed of (Ti,Mn)Al matrix (including a little of Ti3Al) and Al2O3 particles, together with a few amount of Al77.5Mn22.5 phases. The (Ti,Mn)Al matrix is refined and the in situ generated Al2O3 particles distribute uniformly on the boundaries of (Ti,Mn)Al by incorporation of Mn. The (Ti,Mn)Al/Al2O3 composite with 1.92 wt% Mn possesses the best mechanical properties. Compared with Mn-free samples obtained from Ti–Al–TiO2 system, the hardness, flexural strength, and fracture toughness are enhanced by 53.46%, 76.49%, and 64.21%, respectively. The strengthening and toughening mechanisms were also discussed specifically.

In this study, silicon nanowire (SiNW)/polycaprolactone composites with different surface topographies were fabricated by straightforward embedding or printing methods and their cytocompatibility was evaluated with a bone-relevant cell line derived from mouse stroma. The incorporation of biocompatible polymers with semiconducting SiNWs can ideally provide an enhanced environment to support proliferation and differentiation functions of bone cells. Cell/composite interactions were assessed with suitable assays including viability and alkaline phosphatase activity, while scanning electron microscopy characterization was used to study the morphology of cells grown on composites. Such results suggest that for nanowires in a vertical array, the presence of the polymer improves cellular attachment and overall viability relative to the nanowire-only system.

Bismuth silicate with two morphologies (nanoflowers/nanoplates) was successfully fabricated with silica aerogels via a hydrothermal method in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-mediated processes for the first time. The obtained nanomaterials were characterized using x-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. It was found that the concentration of PVP plays an important role in the formation of the hierarchical nanoflowers. The formation mechanism for this novel morphology was proposed on the basis of experimental results. Moreover, the photocatalytic performances of Bi2SiO5 nanoflowers/nanoplates were also investigated. The results revealed that Bi2SiO5 nanoflowers exhibited higher activity than Bi2SiO5 nanoplates due to its suitable morphology, higher BET surface area.

Porous Al2O3 ceramics were fabricated using a rapid gelation to fix the foam structure after mechanical foaming. The slurry was made with deionized water, Al2O3 powder, a water-soluble copolymer of isobutylene and maleic anhydride, and a surfactant. The resultant gel formed at room temperature in air. The influence of the surfactant (EMAL TD) content on gelling behavior, pore structure (porosity, cell size), shrinkage behavior, and compressive strength of the resultant porous Al2O3 ceramics was evaluated. Porous Al2O3 ceramics were sintered in only one step without debinding because of the low concentration of additives (≤0.5 wt%). The porous Al2O3 ceramics had porosities from 20 to 89% and cell sizes from 60 to 220 μm. The compressive strength was 75 MPa when the porosity was 60%.

Solidification of undercooled Ni–4.5 wt% B alloy melt was investigated by glass fluxing and cyclic superheating. A maximum melt undercooling up to ΔTp = 283 K has been achieved. If ∆Tp < 175 ± 10 K, the primary solidification is L → Ni3B; the structure consists of Ni3B dendrite + lamellar eutectic; the phase sizes and fractions depend on ∆Tp. If ∆Tp ≥ 175 ± 10 K, the primary solidification is L → Ni/Ni23B6; the structure consists of the dot-phase region + the anomalous eutectic/network boundary; the phase fractions mainly depend on ∆Tr; the dot phases are determined as rod eutectic and dot precipitates, while the network boundary is the divorced eutectic. The solidification pathways show that there is a common critical nucleation temperature, 1227 ± 10 K, for metastable eutectic reaction in hypoeutectic and hypereutectic Ni–Ni3B alloys.

The structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon (a-C) films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results of the plasmon excitation energy shift and through-thickness elemental concentration show a multilayered a-C film structure comprising an interface layer consisting of C, Si, and, possibly, SiC, a buffer layer with continuously increasing sp3 fraction, a relatively thicker layer (bulk film) of constant sp3 content, and an ultrathin surface layer rich in sp2 hybridization. A detailed study of the C K-edge spectrum indicates that the buffer layer between the interface layer and the bulk film is due to the partial backscattering of C+ ions interacting with the heavy atoms of the silicon substrate. The results of this study provide insight into the minimum thickness of a-C films deposited by FCVA under optimum substrate bias conditions.

A nanostructured surface layer was fabricated in the surface of 316L stainless steel by a novel fast multiple rotation rolling (FMRR) technique. The microstructure and the tensile properties of the treated sample were investigated in detail. The experimental results indicate that a nanograined (NG) film was successfully obtained in the surface of the sample. Equiaxed nanograins with the average grain size of about 12 nm are achieved in the surface layer. At the sample time, deformation-induced α-martensite is produced during the FMRR treatment. The volume fraction of martensite is about 20%. The yield strength (0.2% offset) of the sample, of which one side is of NG structure and the other is coarse grained (CG), is increased by 51% in comparison with that of the CG sample. Though the plasticity is diminished slightly for the FMRR specimen, the elongation still reaches a high value of about 38% owing to the contribution of the CG structure.

Nanoindentation was performed on amorphous silicon nitride films of different thicknesses deposited on gallium arsenide (GaAs) (001) substrates using a conical indenter. Both “pop-in” and ‘pop-out’ were observed from the load-displacement curves when the indentation load exceeded a critical value. Pop-in occurring during loading is associated with plane-slip in the GaAs substrate, and pop-out during unloading is attributed to the interfacial delamination between the film and the substrate. Finite element modeling (FEM) was used to analyze the stress evolution during unloading. The FEM results showed that the stress at the interface evolved from compressive to tensile status during the withdrawal of indentation load, and the interfacial debonding was induced at a critical tensile stress, which is consistent with the pop-out observed. A deformation model for interpreting the pop-in and pop-out events is thereby proposed.

The microstructures of the cast Mg–3Al–1Zn–xCe (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 wt%) alloys produced by twin-roll casting were observed to reveal the effect of cerium (Ce) on the Mg–3Al–1Zn (AZ31) alloy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image of Al4Ce particles at the centers of grains was observed, and the crystallographic calculations between Al4Ce and α-Mg were examined on the basis of the edge-to-edge matching model. The results indicated that the addition of Ce effectively reduces the grain size of the cast AZ31 alloy produced by twin-roll casting. The finest grains with an average grain size of 55 μm are achieved at 0.4 wt% addition of Ce. TEM observation and good crystallographic matching between Al4Ce and α-Mg suggest that promotion of heterogeneous nucleation of α-Mg on Al4Ce particles formed in the melt is responsible for the grain refinement when adding Ce to the cast AZ31 alloy.

In an attempt to study the thermal transport at the interface between nanotubes and graphene, vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were grown on graphite thin film substrates. A systematic cross-sectional probing of the materials’ morphology of the interface by scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that an excellent bond existed between the nanotubes and the substrate along some fraction of interface. Imaging and electron diffraction analyses performed at the boundary reveal a polycrystalline interfacial structure. Compositional probing along the interface by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy revealed that there were no catalyst particles or other impurities present. The estimated interfacial thermal resistance of lower than 5–7.5 (mm2K)/W suggests that this type of CNT/graphite interface could open up multiple routes toward the designing and development of advanced thermal interface materials for aerospace and nano-/microelectronics applications.

The strain-rate sensitivity of ultrafine-grained aluminum (Al) and nanocrystalline nickel (Ni) is studied with an improved nanoindentation creep method. Using the dynamic contact stiffness thermal drift influences can be minimized and reliable creep data can be obtained from nanoindentation creep experiments even at enhanced temperatures and up to 10 h. For face-centered cubic (fcc) metals it was found that the creep behavior is strongly influenced by the microstructure, as nanocrystalline (nc) as well as ultrafine-grained (ufg) samples show lower stress exponents when compared with their coarse-grained (cg) counterparts. The indentation creep behavior resembles a power-law behavior with stress exponents n being ∼ 20 at room temperature. For higher temperatures the stress exponents of ufg-Al and nc-Ni decrease down to n ∼ 5. These locally determined stress exponents are similar to the macroscopic exponents, indicating that similar deformation mechanisms are acting during indentation and macroscopic deformation. Grain boundary sliding found around the residual indentations is related to the motion of unconstrained surface grains.

The effect of a strong magnetic field on the solid solubility and the microsegregation during directional solidification of Al–Cu alloy at lower growth speeds (1–10 μm/s) has been investigated experimentally. Results indicate that the magnetic field causes the reduction of the grain boundary and promotes the amalgamation of the grains. Further, measurement results reveal that the magnetic field increases the solid solubility and decreases the microsegregation. It is also found that the value of the solid solubility increases as the magnetic field and the temperature gradient increase. The modification of the solid solubility and the microsegregation under the magnetic field is attributed to the thermoelectric magnetic force acting on the solid and the interdendritic thermoelectric magnetic convection. The present work may initiate a new method to enhance the solid solubility and to eliminate the microsegregation in Al-based alloys via an applied strong magnetic field during directional solidification.

In this study, stimuli-responsive ionic poly(acrylamide–itaconic acid) (P(AAm–IA)) and poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide–itaconic acid) (P(DMA–IA)) hydrogels have been prepared by free radical crosslinking copolymerization in aqueous solution using N,N-methylenebisacrylamide as the crosslinking agent. In particular, the swelling ratio and elasticity of both hydrogel systems including the effect of ionic comonomer itaconic acid (IA) content were investigated. In spite of the similarity in monomer/crosslinker ratio and the content of ionic comonomer in the hydrogel structures, comparable differences were observed in their swelling capacity and elasticity. Compared to P(DMA–IA) hydrogels, P(AAm–IA) hydrogels exhibit higher swelling capacity in water and a more pronounced dependency of the swelling ratio on the ionic comonomer content. The incorporation of a small amount of IA into the network structure causes the hydrogel system to exhibit polyelectrolyte type swelling behavior. P(AAm–IA) and P(DMA–IA) hydrogels showed good response to the valency of counterions and pH of the external solution.