The microstructural evolution and piezoelectric properties of lead-free ceramics (0.98-x)(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3–x(Na0.5K0.5)NbO3–0.02BaTiO3 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.98, abbreviated as (0.98-x)NBT–xNKN–0.02BT) were investigated. The effects of the amount of NKN on the crystal structure, microstructural evolution, and piezoelectric properties were examined. The 0.93NBT–0.05NKN–0.02BT ceramics having a lower NKN content gave good performances with piezoelectric properties of d33 = 140 pC/N and kp = 21%, because of the soft additive Nb5+ ions at the B sites. However, a paraelectric cubic phase was observed in the wide range of compositions between x = 0.1 and x = 0.9. At a higher NKN content of x > 0.9, a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) between the tetragonal and orthorhombic phases was found in the 0.015NBT–0.965NKN–0.02BT ceramics, and the piezoelectric properties were enhanced (d33 = 135 pC/N, kp = 29%). The piezoelectric properties of this system were closely related to its crystal structure.

A series of novel epoxy/clay nanocomposites (EPOCg-x) were prepared with a selected epoxy resin and x wt% of a mechanically ground phosphorus-containing organoclay (POCg). The results of x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared, and field emission scanning electron microscopy measurements showed that POCg was size-reduced, and its silicate layers were disordered by the grinding process. The results of XRD and transmission electron microscopy of the nanocomposites suggested that the POCg particles were well-dispersed in the epoxy matrix with a combination of intercalation and destruction platelet structures. The as-prepared nanocomposites remained thermally stable above 376 °C. Furthermore, the storage modulus in the glass state, surface hardness, char residue, and limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the as-prepared nanocomposite were all significantly increased with increasing the POCg content. The large increment of LOI, 10 units higher than that of neat epoxy, indicated that an extraordinary enhancement on flame retardancy was obtained from EPOCg-5.

Temperature and film thickness are expected to have an influence on the mechanical properties of thin films. However, mechanical testing of ultrathin metallic films at elevated temperatures is difficult, and few experiments have been conducted to date. Here, we present a systematic study of the mechanical properties of 80–500-nm-thick polycrystalline Au films with and without SiNx passivation layers in the temperature range from 123 to 473 K. The films were tested by a novel synchrotron-based tensile testing technique. Pure Au films showed strong temperature dependence above 373 K, which may be explained by diffusional creep. In contrast, passivated samples appeared to deform by thermally activated dislocation glide. The observed activation energies for both mechanisms are considerably lower than those for the bulk material, indicating that concomitant stress relaxation mechanisms are more pronounced in the thin film geometry.

Herein we report on the synthesis and characterization of Cr2GeC, a member of the so-called Mn+1AXn (MAX) phase family of layered machinable carbides and nitrides. Polycrystalline samples were synthesized by hot pressing pure Cr, Ge, and C powders at 1350 °C at ∼45 MPa for 6 h. No peaks other than those associated with Cr2GeC and Cr2O3, in the form of eskolaite, were observed in the x-ray diffraction spectra. The samples were readily machinable and fully dense. The steady-state Vickers hardness was 2.5 ± 0.1 GPa. The Young’s moduli measured in compression and by ultrasound were 200 ± 10 and 245 ± 3 GPa, respectively; the shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio deduced from the ultrasound results were 80 GPa and 0.29, respectively. The ultimate compressive strength for a ∼20 μm grain size sample was 770 ± 30 MPa. Samples compressively loaded from 300 to ∼570 MPa exhibited nonlinear, fully reversible, reproducible, closed hysteretic loops that dissipated ∼20% of the mechanical energy, a characteristic of the MAX phases, in particular, and kinking nonlinear elastic solids, in general. The energy dissipated is presumably due to the formation and annihilation of incipient kink bands. The critical resolved shear stress of the basal plane dislocations—estimated from our microscale model—is ∼22 MPa. The incipient kink band and reversible dislocation densities, at the maximum stress of 568 MPa, are estimated to be 1.2 × 10−2 μm−3 and 1.0 × 1010 cm−2, respectively.

Y2SiO5 has potential applications as a high-temperature structural ceramic and environmental/thermal barrier coating. In this work, we synthesized single-phase Y2SiO5 powders utilizing a solid–liquid reaction method with LiYO2 as an additive. The reaction path of the Y2O3/SiO2/LiYO2 mixture with variation in temperatures and the role of the LiYO2 additive on preparation process were investigated in detail. The powders obtained by this method have good sinterability. Through a pressureless sintering process, almost fully dense Y2SiO5 bulk material was achieved with a very high density of 99.7% theoretical.

The effect of microstructural inhomogeneities with different length scale on the plasticity of (Ti45Zr16Be20Cu10Ni9)100–xTax (x = 0, 5, and 10) bulk glassy alloys has been studied. The formation of specific heterogeneous microstructures with a different type of structural inhomogeneity, i.e., short-/medium-range ordered clusters or micrometer-scale ductile dendrites combined with a glassy matrix, evolved by appropriately tuning the alloy chemistry, improves the room temperature plasticity up to ∼12.5% and ∼15%, respectively. The pronouncedly enhanced plasticity is mainly attributed to the retardation of shear localization and multiplication of shear bands by controlling the plastic and failure instabilities otherwise responsible for premature failure.

Atomic force microscopy images showed that the size of the CdTe quantum dots (QDs) slightly increased with increasing annealing temperature up to 350 °C. Photoluminescence spectra showed that the excitonic peak corresponding to the interband transition from the ground electronic subband to the ground heavy-hole band (E1–HH1) in the CdTe/ZnTe QDs annealed at 350 °C was shifted to lower energy compared with that in as-grown CdTe/ZnTe QDs. The full width at half-maximum of the E1–HH1 transition peak in the CdTe/ZnTe QDs annealed at 350 °C decreased resulting from the improvement of the crystallinity for the annealed CdTe QDs.

We have fabricated a class of colloidal electrorheological (ER) fluids, in which suspended TiO2 particles were synthesized by a sol-gel method and modified by 1,4-butyrolactone molecules with a permanent molecular dipole moment of 4.524 D. Compared with pure TiO2 ER fluids, the quasi-static yield stress of the polar- molecules-modified ER fluid is enhanced as high as 48.1 kPa when subjected to an external electric field of 5 kV/mm. Also, it possesses other attractive characters such as low current density (<14 μA/cm2) and low sedimentation. Based on a Green’s function method, we present a first-principles approach to investigate colloidal electrostatic interactions. Excellent agreement between experiment and theory has been shown for the enhancement ratio of quasi-static yield stress, which quantitatively reveals that enough polar molecules oriented within the field-directed gap between the colloidal particles can unexpectedly enhance the interactions, thus yielding the unusual enhancement. This shows a promising and flexible direction for achieving more highly active ER materials.

The effect of electropulsing treatment (EPT) on the solution behavior of aged Mg alloy AZ61 strip was investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that EPT accelerated tremendously the dissolution of β phase into α matrix in an aged Mg alloy AZ61 strip. The dissolution of β phase took place in less than 4 s at relatively low temperature under EPT, compared with that in conventional heat treatment. A mechanism for rapid solid solution process during EPT was proposed based on the coupling of the thermal and athermal effects. The results in this investigation indicated that EPT played an important role in the nonequilibrium microstructural evolution in the alloy. It is supposed that EPT can provide a highly efficient approach for solid solution treatment of the alloy.

Pulsed-laser-induced Si nanostructures on Si substrates were investigated using third harmonic Nd3+:yttrium aluminum garnet (355nm) laser irradiation under ambient conditions. Nanostructures were found in the laser-irradiated areas as well as in their surrounding areas. The laser-irradiated areas contained Si nanoparticles with an average size of about 50 nm. In the vicinity of the laser-irradiated areas, uniform nc-Si/SiOx core–shell structures were observed. Scanning electron microscopy images indicate that the core–shell structures had an average size of 500 nm while Raman data show that the Si cores were made of a large number of much smaller Si nanocrystals (nc-Si). The photoluminescence (PL) measurement of nc-Si/SiOx core–shells exhibited a broad visible emission centered at 640 nm, which can be assigned as due to defects at the interface between nc-Si and SiOx as well as oxygen-related defects.

Diatoms are single-celled algae that make silica shells called frustules that possess periodic structures ordered at the micro- and nanoscale. Nanostructured titanium dioxide (TiO2) was deposited onto the frustule biosilica of the diatom Pinnularia sp. Poly-l-lysine (PLL) conformally adsorbed onto surface of the frustule biosilica. The condensation of soluble Ti-BALDH to TiO2 by PLL-adsorbed diatom biosilica deposited 1.32 ± 0.17 g TiO2/g SiO2 onto the frustule. The periodic pore array of the diatom frustule served as a template for the deposition of the TiO2 nanoparticles, which completely filled the 200-nm frustule pores and also coated the frustule outer surface. Thermal annealing at 680 °C converted the as-deposited TiO2 to its anatase form with an average nanocrystal size of 19 nm, as verified by x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, and SEM/TEM. This is the first reported study of directing the peptide-mediated deposition of TiO2 into a hierarchical nanostructure using a biologically fabricated template.

A novel technique based in the combination of vapor silanization and chemical vapor deposition, hereafter referred to as activated vapor silanization (AVS), is shown to be an effective biofunctionalization technique. The AVS process results in thin organic films with a high surface amine concentration when deposited on substrates with different chemical characteristics, such as silicon, porous silicon, or gold. Chemical characterization shows that the films are composed of carbon (hydrocarbon, C–Si, C–C), silicon (different oxidation states), nitrogen (primary and secondary amines), oxygen, and hydrogen. Relevantly, the amines are also distributed along the film thickness, ensuring functionality even after some degradation of the films. AVS films behave practically as monocrystalline silicon substrates under loading–unloading tests. In addition, the AVS films behave as permeable membranes for molecules smaller than 5 Å, and the amine surface concentration is estimated to be 8 NH2/nm2 for molecules of about 12 Å, which is three times higher than that obtained with standard silanization procedures.

The nanostructure of Six(SiO2)1–x films deposited on quartz substrate, where x varies from 0 to 1, was determined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy in the sample regions with x ≈ 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 0.75. In the Si0.5(SiO2)0.5 region, the formation of a Si nanocrystallite network was established. At high concentrations of Si nanocrystallites, nanotwins and stacking faults occurred in the crystallites. Large Si crystallites appeared at x ⩾ 0.5 in the quartz substrate under the interface, while the film presented nanopores over the interface. The mechanisms for the formation of the nanocrystallites were discussed and correlated with the film properties.

Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS™) is a laser-assisted manufacturing process that offers the possibility of producing metallic coatings and components with highly nonequilibrium microstructures. In this work, the microstructure developed by LENS deposition of Cu47Ti33Zr11Ni8Si1 powder on a bulk metallic glass substrate, with nominal composition Zr58.5Nb2.8Cu15.6Ni12.8Al10.3, is investigated. Single-layer deposition results in the formation of an inhomogeneous but partially amorphous layer above a crystalline heat-affected zone. Elemental analysis of the deposited layer indicates incomplete mixing of the powder with the melt pool. The as-deposited alloy exhibits a single glass transition event and its primary crystallization event is consistent with the first crystallization temperature of the Cu-based powder. Subsequent remelting of this layer results in a still partially amorphous deposit with a uniform composition of (Zr + Nb)51.8Cu24.7Ti3.4Ni16.4Al3.7. The remelted layer exhibits a structural rearrangement immediately prior to the primary crystallization event, possibly associated with the formation of a quasicrystalline phase.

The high-strain-rate mechanical properties, deformation mechanisms, and fracture characteristics of a bulk metallic glass (BMG)-matrix composite, consisting of an amorphous Zr57Nb5Cu15.4Ni12.6Al10 (LM106) matrix with crystalline tungsten reinforcement particles, were investigated using gas gun anvil-on-rod impact experiments instrumented with velocity interferometry (VISAR) and high-speed digital photography. The time-resolved elastic-plastic wave propagation response obtained through VISAR and the transient deformation states captured with the camera provided information about dynamic strength and deformation modes of the composite. Comparison of experimental measurements with AUTODYN-simulated transient deformation profiles and free surface velocity traces allowed for validation of the pressure-hardening Drucker–Prager model, which was used to describe the deformation response of the composite. The impacted specimens recovered for post-impact microstructural analysis provided further information about the mechanisms of dynamic deformation and fracture characteristics. The overall results from experiments and modeling revealed a strain to failure of ∼45% along the length and ∼7% in area, and the fracture initiation stress was found to decrease with increasing impact velocity because of the negative strain-rate sensitivity of the BMG.

The formation of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) and their room temperature mechanical properties have been investigated in a serial of Ni65−xZr20Nb15Pdx (x = 0∼15; at.%) quaternary alloys, which are hopefully hydrogen-permeation materials. The partial substitution of Ni with Pd in Ni65Zr20Nb15 alloy has proved to be effective in improving glass-forming ability (GFA) and thermal stability. In particular, good BMG-forming compositions were revealed within the Pd content range of 2.5–12.5 at.%, and BMG rods of 3 mm in diameter were successfully made at compositions Ni57.5Zr20Nb15Pd7.5 and Ni55Zr20Nb15Pd10 by copper mold casting. The addition of Pd enhanced the thermal stability of the supercooled liquid. With an increase of Pd content, the supercooled liquid span, ΔTx = Tx − Tg, increased from 29 K at Ni65Zr20Nb15 to 47 K at Ni52.5Zr20Nb15Pd12.5. The Pd-bearing BMGs exhibited high fracture strength, which ranged from 2750 to 2850 MPa. These Pd-bearing BMGs showed a certain degree of toughness, and the highest plastic strain, about 2%, was reached in the Ni60Zr20Nb15Pd5 BMG.

Compositionally graded (Ba1−xSrx)TiO3 (BST) thin films (with 0.0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.25) were grown by pulsed laser deposition on the (100)MgO single-crystal substrates covered with a conductive La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (LSCO) layer as a bottom electrode. Their epitaxial growth, dielectric response, and microstructure were characterized. The epitaxial relationships between the BST, LSCO, and MgO can be determined as [001]BST//[001]LSCO//[001]MgO and (100)BST//(100)LSCO//(100)MgO, from the x-ray diffraction (rocking curve, ϕ scans) and electron-diffraction patterns. Dielectric data showed that the room temperature values of the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the graded BST films were 630 and 0.017 at 100 kHz, respectively. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images reveal that both the BST films and the LSCO bottom electrode grow with a columnar structure, and they have flat interfaces and overall uniform thickness across the entire specimen. Cross-sectional high-resolution TEM images reveal that at the LSCO/MgO(100) interface, an interfacial reaction is not seen, whereas edge-type interfacial dislocations with their extra half-planes residing in the LSCO side are observed with an average interval of 2.20 nm, close to the theoretical value of 2.15 nm. At/near the LSCO/BST interface, the graded BST films grow perfectly and coherently on the LSCO lattice because they have the same type of crystal structure and almost same lattice constants, and no interfacial dislocations are observed. Planar TEM images show that the graded films exhibit granular and/or polyhedral morphologies with an average grain size of 50 nm, and the aligned rectangular-shaped voids were also observed. High-resolution TEM images show that the length sizes of voids vary from 8 to 15 nm, and with width of 5 to 10 nm along the 〈001〉 direction in the (100) plane.

Ordered hierarchical mesoporous zirconia fiber was prepared by using collagen fiber as a template, and it was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption techniques, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis. It was found that the zirconia fiber obtained is approximately 1–4 μm in outer diameter and 0.5–1 mm in length, and the surface of the fiber exhibits unique corncob-like mesoporous morphology. This study indicates that collagen fiber, with hierarchical supermolecular structures, could be used as an ideal template to prepare porous metal oxide fibers.

The interfacial reactions and ball shear properties of an In–48wt%Sn solder joint with an electroplated Au/Ni ball grid array substrate were investigated with increasing numbers of reflows using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, x-ray diffractometry, and bonding testing. After one reflow, two different intermetallic compound (IMC) layers, AuIn and AuIn2, were formed at the solder–substrate interface. The AuIn was completely transformed into the AuIn2 after three reflows. The AuIn2 IMC layer broke off, and a thin continuous Ni3(SnxIn1–x)4 IMC layer was formed between the molten solder and the exposed Ni substrate after four reflows. After 10 reflows, the AuIn2 IMC layer completely spalled off the substrate and the Ni3(SnxIn1–x)4 IMC layer was dissolved into the molten solder. These interfacial reactions greatly affected the shear properties of the solder joint.

The amorphous-to-crystalline transformation behavior of Fe48Cr15Mo14Y2C15B6 bulk metallic glasses was first investigated by high-temperature differential scanning calorimetry. Three events were detected with onset temperatures at 922, 975, and 1036 K, respectively. In situ synchrotron radiation x-ray diffraction patterns were collected during continuous heating and analyzed with the Rietveld approach. To describe simultaneously the amorphous fraction and crystallization products as a function of temperature, a paracrystalline structure-factor model was developed. It was included for quantitative evaluation of the amorphous phase, together with the structure factor of Cr23C6- and Fe3Mo3C-type phases observed during crystallization. Volume fractions of phases as well as lattice parameters, average lattice disorder, and crystallite size of the crystallized phases have been followed as a function of temperature. In this way, the structure evolution and thermal events have been closely inspected and accounted for by a crystallization mechanism.