Lack of association between the P413L variant of chromogranin B and ALS risk or age at onset: a meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xinglong; Li, Shimei; Xing, Dongmei; Li, Peiyun; Li, Ci; Qi, Ling; Xu, Yanming; Ren, Hui

2018-02-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common motor neuron disease, is thought to result from interaction of genetic and environmental risk factors. Whether the potentially functional exonic P413L variant in the chromogranin B gene influences ALS risk and age at onset is controversial. We meta-analysed or other studies assessing the association between the P413L variant and ALS risk or age at ALS onset indexed in Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and SinoMed databases. Five case-control studies were analysed, involving 2639 patients with sporadic ALS, 201 with familial ALS and 3381 controls. No association was detected between risk of either ALS type and the CT + TT genotype or T-allele of the P413L variant. Age at ALS onset was similar between carriers and non-carriers of the T-allele. The available evidence suggests that the P413L variant of chromogranin B is not associated with ALS risk or age at ALS onset. These results should be validated in large, well-designed studies.

Engineering of nearly strain-free ZnO films on Si(1 1 1) by tuning AlN buffer thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkatachalapathy, Vishnukanthan; Galeckas, Augustinas; Lee, In-Hwan; Kuznetsov, Andrej Yu.

2012-01-01

ZnO properties were investigated as a function of AlN buffer layer thickness (0–100 nm) in ZnO/AlN/Si(1 1 1) structures grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. A significant improvement of ZnO film crystallinity by tuning AlN buffer thickness was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, topography and photoluminescence measurements. An optimal AlN buffer layer thickness of 50 nm is defined, which allows for growth of nearly strain-free ZnO films. The presence of free excitons at 10 K suggests high crystal quality for all ZnO samples grown on AlN/Si(1 1 1) templates. The intensities of neutral and ionized donor bound exciton lines are found to correlate with the in-plane and out-of-plane strain in the films, respectively.

Engineering of nearly strain-free ZnO films on Si(1 1 1) by tuning AlN buffer thickness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venkatachalapathy, Vishnukanthan, E-mail: vishnukanthan.venkatachalapathy@smn.uio.no [Department of Physics/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo (Norway); Galeckas, Augustinas [Department of Physics/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo (Norway); Lee, In-Hwan [School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Research Centre for Advanced Materials Development (RCAMD), Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); Kuznetsov, Andrej Yu. [Department of Physics/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo (Norway)

2012-05-15

ZnO properties were investigated as a function of AlN buffer layer thickness (0-100 nm) in ZnO/AlN/Si(1 1 1) structures grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. A significant improvement of ZnO film crystallinity by tuning AlN buffer thickness was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, topography and photoluminescence measurements. An optimal AlN buffer layer thickness of 50 nm is defined, which allows for growth of nearly strain-free ZnO films. The presence of free excitons at 10 K suggests high crystal quality for all ZnO samples grown on AlN/Si(1 1 1) templates. The intensities of neutral and ionized donor bound exciton lines are found to correlate with the in-plane and out-of-plane strain in the films, respectively.

Provably Secure and Subliminal-Free Variant of Schnorr Signature

OpenAIRE

Zhang , Yinghui; Li , Hui; Li , Xiaoqing; Zhu , Hui

2013-01-01

Part 2: Asian Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security (AsiaARES); International audience; Subliminal channels present a severe challenge to information security. Currently, subliminal channels still exist in Schnorr signature. In this paper, we propose a subliminal-free variant of Schnorr signature. In the proposed scheme, an honest-but-curious warden is introduced to help the signer to generate a signature on a given message, but it is disallowed to sign messages independently. ...

Ni-free Zr-Cu-Al-Nb-Pd bulk metallic glasses with different Zr/Cu ratios for biomedical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Lu; Yokoyama, Yoshihiko; Wu, Wei; Liaw, Peter K; Pang, Shujie; Inoue, Akihisa; Zhang, Tao; He, Wei

2012-08-01

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) possess attractive properties for prospective biomedical applications. The present study designs Ni-free Zr-Cu-Al-Nb-Pd BMGs and investigates their in vitro biocompatibility by studying mechanical properties, bio-corrosion resistance, and cellular responses. The Ti-6Al-4V alloy is used as a reference material. It is found that the Zr-based BMGs exhibit good mechanical properties, including high strengths above 1600 MPa, high hardness over 4700 MPa, and low elastic moduli of 85-90 GPa. The Zr-based BMGs are corrosion resistant in a simulated body environment, as revealed by wide passive regions, low passive current densities, and high pitting overpotentials. The formation of ZrO(2)-rich surface passive films of the Zr-based BMGs contributes to their high corrosion resistance, whereas their pitting corrosion in the phosphate buffered saline solution can be attributed to the sensitivity of the ZrO(2) films to the chloride ion. The general biosafety of the Zr-based BMGs is revealed by normal cell adhesions and cell morphologies. Moreover, the Zr/Cu content ratio in the alloy composition affects the biocompatibility of the Zr-based BMGs, by increasing their corrosion resistance and surface wettability with the increase of the Zr/Cu ratio. Effects of Zr/Cu ratios can be used to guide the future design of biocompatible Zr-based BMGs. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

ITO-free organic light-emitting diodes with MoO3/Al/MoO3 as semitransparent anode fabricated using thermal deposition method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Hsin-Wei; Huang, Ching-Wen; Kao, Po-Ching; Chu, Sheng-Yuan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • In this paper, the structure of the proposed devices is substrate (glass; polyethersulfone (PES))/anode (MoO 3 /Al/MoO 3 ; MoO 3 /Al)/α-naphthylphenylbiphenyl diamine (NPB) (40 nm)/tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) (60 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (150 nm). • The optical transmittance of the metal layer was enhanced by depositing metal oxidation (MoO 3 ) and metal (Al) layers. • The optimized films show the typical sheet resistance of 7 Ω/sq and a high transmittance of 70% at 550 nm. • The indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-free OLEDs with the fabricated composite anodes on a glass substrate exhibited the high luminance and current efficiency of 21,750 cd/m 2 and 3.18 cd/A, respectively. • The bending effects on PES substrate by depositing metal oxidation (MoO 3 ) and metal (Al) layers were also investigated. • MoO 3 covering the Al layer modifies the surface of the electrode and enhances the durability. The surface roughness of the bi-layer films was higher than that of the tri-layer films. Therefore, OLEDs with OMO anode outperform those with bi-layer films anode. - Abstract: In this paper, semitransparent electrodes with the structure substrate/MoO 3 /Al/MoO 3 (OMO) were fabricated via the thermal deposition method for use as the anode in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The optical transmittance of the metal layer was enhanced by depositing metal oxidation (MoO 3 ) and metal (Al) layers. The optimal thickness of the Al thin films was determined to be 15 nm for high optical transmittance and good electrical conductivity. The optimized films show the typical sheet resistance of 7 Ω/sq and a high transmittance of 70% at 550 nm. The indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-free OLEDs with the fabricated composite anodes on a glass substrate exhibited the high luminance and current efficiency of 21,750 cd/m 2 and 3.18 cd/A, respectively. In addition, bending effects on the polyethersulfone (PES) substrate/MoO 3 /Al/MoO 3 and PES substrate/MoO 3 /Al structures were

Hillock Formation, Metal Lifting and Voiding of an AlCu Metallization due to Temperature Treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foerster, J.; Schuderer, B.; Haeuser, M.; Kallensee, O.; Gross, Th.

2004-01-01

A metalstack with a layer composition of Ti/TiN/AlCu/TiN was evaluated in an AlCu metallization. Reliability results show a higher electromigration lifetime compared to a Ti/AlCu/Ti/TiN stack. During the metallization process flow large elevations were seen by optical inspection. Analysis by SEM cross sections showed different deviations. A metal lifting with void formation as consequence was found in large aluminum areas above tungsten plugs. Also voiding in the passivated Metal 2 and the unpassivated Metal 3 with a cracked anti-reflective coating as a result of the expansion of the aluminum was seen. The influence of processes with high thermal budget on the stress behaviour of the new metalstack was investigated. The final annealing was found as the process with the most critical influence. This study shows the influence of different final annealing temperatures on hillock formation and voiding using a Ti/TiN/AlCu/TiN metalstack. A reduction of the maximum temperature of the final annealing process is necessary for using the new AlCu metallization stack. The use of a surface treatment before deposition showed an optimization of the adhesion

Physical properties of Pd and Al transition metals and Pd-Al binary metal alloy investigated by using molecular dynamics simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coruh, A.; Uludogan, M.; Tomak, M.; Cagin, T.

2002-01-01

In this study, physical properties, such as Pair Distribution Function g(r), Structure Factor S(k)''1'',''4, Diffusion Coefficient D''2''.''4, Intermediate Scattering function S(k,t)''3'',''4 and Dynamical Structure Factor S(k,w)''3'',''4 of some transition metals and metal alloys are investigated by using molecular dynamics simulation method. The simulation is specified for Pd, Al transition metals and Pd-Al binary metal alloys in the liquid form for different concentrations and at various temperatures by using Quantum Sutton-Chen (Q-SC) inter atomic potential. Intermediate scattering function and dynamical structure factor are calculated for various values of wave vector k. Results are in good agreement with published data''1'',''3'',''4

Cu-Al alloy formation by thermal annealing of Cu/Al multilayer films deposited by cyclic metal organic chemical vapor deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, Hock Key; Yoon, Jaehong; Kim, Hyungjun; Lee, Nae-Eung

2013-05-01

One of the most important issues in future Cu-based interconnects is to suppress the resistivity increase in the Cu interconnect line while decreasing the line width below 30 nm. For the purpose of mitigating the resistivity increase in the nanoscale Cu line, alloying Cu with traces of other elements is investigated. The formation of a Cu alloy layer using chemical vapor deposition or electroplating has been rarely studied because of the difficulty in forming Cu alloys with elements such as Al. In this work, Cu-Al alloy films were successfully formed after thermal annealing of Cu/Al multilayers deposited by cyclic metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (C-MOCVD). After the C-MOCVD of Cu/Al multilayers without gas phase reaction between the Cu and Al precursors in the reactor, thermal annealing was used to form Cu-Al alloy films with a small Al content fraction. The resistivity of the alloy films was dependent on the Al precursor delivery time and was lower than that of the aluminum-free Cu film. No presence of intermetallic compounds were detected in the alloy films by X-ray diffraction measurements and transmission electron spectroscopy.

The dissimilar brazing of Kovar alloy to SiCp/Al composites using silver-based filler metal foil

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Peng; Xu, Dongxia; Zhai, Yahong; Niu, Jitai

2017-09-01

Aluminum metal matrix composites with high SiC content (60 vol.% SiCp/Al MMCs) were surface metallized with a Ni-P alloy coating, and vacuum brazing between the composites and Kovar alloy were performed using rapidly cooled Ag-22.0Cu-15.9In-10.86Sn-1.84Ti (wt%) foil. The effects of Ni-P alloy coating and brazing parameters on the joint microstructures and properties were researched by SEM, EDS, and single lap shear test, respectively. Results show that Ag-Al intermetallic strips were formed in the 6063Al matrix and filler metal layer because of diffusion, and they were arranged regularly and accumulated gradually as the brazing temperature was increased ( T/°C = 550-600) or the soaking time was prolonged ( t/min = 10-50). However, excessive strips would destroy the uniformity of seams and lead to a reduced bonding strength (at most 70 MPa). Using a Ni-P alloy coating, void free joints without those strips were obtained at 560 °C after 20 min soaking time, and a higher shear strength of 90 MPa was achieved. The appropriate interface reaction ( 2 μm transition layer) that occurred along the Ni-P alloy coating/filler metal/Kovar alloy interfaces resulted in better metallurgical bonding. In this research, the developed Ag-based filler metal was suitable for brazing the dissimilar materials of Ni-P alloy-coated SiCp/Al MMCs and Kovar alloy, and capable welding parameters were also broadened.

ITO-free organic light-emitting diodes with MoO{sub 3}/Al/MoO{sub 3} as semitransparent anode fabricated using thermal deposition method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Hsin-Wei; Huang, Ching-Wen [Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Kao, Po-Ching [Department of Electrophysics, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 60004, Taiwan (China); Chu, Sheng-Yuan, E-mail: chusy@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Electrical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China)

2015-08-30

Highlights: • In this paper, the structure of the proposed devices is substrate (glass; polyethersulfone (PES))/anode (MoO{sub 3}/Al/MoO{sub 3}; MoO{sub 3}/Al)/α-naphthylphenylbiphenyl diamine (NPB) (40 nm)/tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) (60 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (150 nm). • The optical transmittance of the metal layer was enhanced by depositing metal oxidation (MoO{sub 3}) and metal (Al) layers. • The optimized films show the typical sheet resistance of 7 Ω/sq and a high transmittance of 70% at 550 nm. • The indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-free OLEDs with the fabricated composite anodes on a glass substrate exhibited the high luminance and current efficiency of 21,750 cd/m{sup 2} and 3.18 cd/A, respectively. • The bending effects on PES substrate by depositing metal oxidation (MoO{sub 3}) and metal (Al) layers were also investigated. • MoO{sub 3} covering the Al layer modifies the surface of the electrode and enhances the durability. The surface roughness of the bi-layer films was higher than that of the tri-layer films. Therefore, OLEDs with OMO anode outperform those with bi-layer films anode. - Abstract: In this paper, semitransparent electrodes with the structure substrate/MoO{sub 3}/Al/MoO{sub 3} (OMO) were fabricated via the thermal deposition method for use as the anode in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The optical transmittance of the metal layer was enhanced by depositing metal oxidation (MoO{sub 3}) and metal (Al) layers. The optimal thickness of the Al thin films was determined to be 15 nm for high optical transmittance and good electrical conductivity. The optimized films show the typical sheet resistance of 7 Ω/sq and a high transmittance of 70% at 550 nm. The indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-free OLEDs with the fabricated composite anodes on a glass substrate exhibited the high luminance and current efficiency of 21,750 cd/m{sup 2} and 3.18 cd/A, respectively. In addition, bending effects on the polyethersulfone (PES) substrate/MoO{sub 3

A Comparative Study of Additively Manufactured Thin Wall and Block Structure with Al-6.3%Cu Alloy Using Cold Metal Transfer Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baoqiang Cong

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In order to build a better understanding of the relationship between depositing mode and porosity, microstructure, and properties in wire + arc additive manufacturing (WAAM 2319-Al components, several Al-6.3%Cu deposits were produced by WAAM technique with cold metal transfer (CMT variants, pulsed CMT (CMT-P and advanced CMT (CMT-ADV. Thin walls and blocks were selected as the depositing paths to make WAAM samples. Porosity, microstructure and micro hardness of these WAAM samples were investigated. Compared with CMT-P and thin wall mode, CMT-ADV and block process can effectively reduce the pores in WAAM aluminum alloy. The microstructure varied with different depositing paths and CMT variants. The micro hardness value of thin wall samples was around 75 HV from the bottom to the middle, and gradually decreased toward the top. Meanwhile, the micro hardness value ranged around 72–77 HV, and varied periodically in block samples. The variation in micro hardness is consistent with standard microstructure characteristics.

Obtención de Variantes Hiperactivas e Inactivas de la Endocelulasa Cel9 de Myxobacter Sp. Al-1 Obtención de Variantes Hiperactivas e Inactivas de la Endocelulasa Cel9 de Myxobacter Sp. Al-1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Pedraza-Reyes

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Debido a su aplicación industrial, existe un gran interés en la producción de celulasas con propiedades bioquímicas novedosas. Por ello, en el presente trabajo se utilizó una estrategia basada en un método de mutagénesis aleatoria in vivo para la obtención de variantes de la endocelulasa Cel9 del microorganismo gram-negativo Myxobacter Sp. AL-1. Siguiendo este enfoque, se obtuvieron cepas transformantes de Escherichia coli capaces de secretar variantes de la proteína Cel9 cuyas actividades específicas fueron incrementadas hasta 7.5 veces con respecto a la actividad mostrada por la enzima nativa. Del mismo modo, se generaron cepas de E. coli productoras de variantes de la proteína Cel9 con baja o nula actividad enzimática. Experimentos de subclonación y fraccionamiento celular revelaron que las mutaciones asociadas con los fenotipos de las variantes de la enzima Cel9 ocurrieron en la secuencia del gen cel9. Así mismo, se demostró que los fenotipos de las cepas mutantes carentes de actividad enzimática no dependen de su incapacidad para secretar las proteínas mutantes. Además de su potencial aplicación biotecnológica, los resultados obtenidos en este trabajo permiten avanzar en el entendimiento de la relación estructura-función de la celulasa Cel9 de Myxobacter Sp. AL-1.Due to its biotechnological impact, there is currently a growing interest in the production of cellulases with novel biochemical properties. Here, multiple generations of random mutagenesis in vivo and screening were employed to generate variants of the modular cellulase Cel9 from Myxobacter Sp. AL-1. Following this approach, Cel9 variants which showed increases upto 7.5 fold of cellulase activity were obtained. In addition, Cel9 mutants which completely lost the ability to degrade cellulose were also obtained. Results revealed that mutations associated with the phenotype of the Cel9 variants occurred on the mutant gene sequence and that themutants with null

Study of structure and surface morphology of two-layer contact Ti/Al metallization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirill D. Vanyukhin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Ti/Al/Ni/Au metallization widely used in the technology of GaN base devices have a very important imperfection i.e. rough surface. There are different opinions about the causes of this imperfection: balling-up of molten aluminum or the appearance of intermetallic melt phases in the Au–Al system. To check the effect of the former cause, we have studied the formation of rough surface after annealing of Ti/Al metallization which is used as a basis of many metallization systems for GaN. The substrates were made from silicon wafers covered with Si3N4 films (0.15 μm. On these substrates we deposited the Ti(12 nm/Al(135 nm metallization system. After the deposition the substrates were annealed in nitrogen for 30 s at 850 °С. The as-annealed specimens were tested for metallization sheet resistivity, appearance and surface morphology. We have shown that during annealing of the Ti/Al metallization system, mutual diffusion of the metals and their active interaction with the formation of intermetallic phases occur. This makes the metallization system more resistant to subsequent annealing, oxidation and chemical etching. After annealing the surface of the Ti/Al metallization system becomes gently matted. However, large hemispherical convex areas (as in the Ti/Al/Ni/Au metallization system do not form. Thus, the hypothesis on the balling-up of molten aluminum on the surface of the Ti/Al metallization system has not been confirmed.

Fabrication of Functionally Graded Ti and γ-TiAl by Laser Metal Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Lei; Chen, Xueyang; Zhang, Yunlu; Newkirk, Joseph W.; Liou, Frank

2017-12-01

TiAl alloys have become a popular choice in the aerospace and automotive industries, owing to their high specific yield strength, specific modulus, and oxidation resistance over titanium alloys and Ni-based super alloys at elevated temperatures. Although laser metal deposition (LMD) techniques have been available for manufacturing metal alloys for a decade, limited research has been focused on joining intermetallic materials with dissimilar materials using LMD. Here, LMD was used to join titanium aluminide Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb and commercially pure titanium with an innovative transition path. The theorized transition was implemented by fabricating functionally graded material (FGM). Porosity- and crack-free deposits were successfully fabricated. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy analysis revealed the final composition was very close to the design composition. X-ray diffraction showed the expected phases were formed. The Vickers hardness, ultimate tensile strength, and coefficient of thermal expansion were evaluated to characterize the FGM's mechanical and physical properties. The properties of the material were comparable to those of as-cast material as reported in the literature.

Fermi level pinning in metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/InGaAs gate stack after post metallization annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winter, R.; Krylov, I.; Cytermann, C.; Eizenberg, M. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel); Tang, K.; Ahn, J.; McIntyre, P. C. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States)

2015-08-07

The effect of post metal deposition annealing on the effective work function in metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/InGaAs gate stacks was investigated. The effective work functions of different metal gates (Al, Au, and Pt) were measured. Flat band voltage shifts for these and other metals studied suggest that their Fermi levels become pinned after the post-metallization vacuum annealing. Moreover, there is a difference between the measured effective work functions of Al and Pt, and the reported vacuum work function of these metals after annealing. We propose that this phenomenon is caused by charging of indium and gallium induced traps at the annealed metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interface.

Surface free energy of alkali and transition metal nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aqra, Fathi; Ayyad, Ahmed

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: Size dependent surface free energy of spherical, cubic and disk Au nanoparticles. - Highlights: • A model to account for the surface free energy of metallic nanoparticles is described. • The model requires only the cohesive energy of the nanoparticle. • The surface free energy of a number of metallic nanoparticles has been calculated, and the obtained values agree well with existing data. • Surface energy falls down very fast when the number of atoms is less than hundred. • The model is applicable to any metallic nanoparticle. - Abstract: This paper addresses an interesting issue on the surface free energy of metallic nanoparticles as compared to the bulk material. Starting from a previously reported equation, a theoretical model, that involves a specific term for calculating the cohesive energy of nanoparticle, is established in a view to describe the behavior of surface free energy of metallic nanoparticles (using different shapes of particle: sphere, cube and disc). The results indicate that the behavior of surface energy is very appropriate for spherical nanoparticle, and thus, it is the most realistic shape of a nanoparticle. The surface energy of copper, silver, gold, platinum, tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, paladium and alkali metallic nanoparticles is only prominent in the nanoscale size, and it decreases with the decrease of nanoparticle size. Thus, the surface free energy plays a more important role in determining the properties of nanoparticles than in bulk materials. It differs from shape to another, and falls down as the number of atoms (nanoparticle size) decreases. In the case of spherical nanoparticles, the onset of the sharp decrease in surface energy is observed at about 110 atom. A decrease of 16% and 45% in surface energy is found by moving from bulk to 110 atom and from bulk to 5 atom, respectively. The predictions are consistent with the reported data

Vacuum-free processed bulk heterojunction solar cells with E-GaIn cathode as an alternative to Al electrode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ongul, Fatih; Yuksel, Sureyya Aydın; Bozar, Sinem; Gunes, Serap; Cakmak, Gulbeden; Guney, Hasan Yuksel; Egbe, Daniel Ayuk Mbi

2015-01-01

In this paper, the photovoltaic characteristics of bulk heterojunction solar cells employing an eutectic gallium–indium (EGaIn) alloy as a top metal contact which was coated by a simple and inexpensive brush-painting was investigated. The overall solar cell fabrication procedure was vacuum-free. As references, regular organic bulk heterojunction solar cells employing thermally evaporated Aluminum as a top metal contact were also fabricated. Inserting the ZnO layer between the active layer and the cathode electrodes (Al and EGaIn) improved the photovoltaic performance of the herein investigated devices. The power conversion efficiencies with and without EGaIn top electrodes were rather comparable. Hence, we have shown that the EGaIn, which is liquid at room temperature, can be used as a cathode. It allows an easy and rapid device fabrication that can be implemented through a vacuum free process. (paper)

Donnan membrane speciation of Al, Fe, trace metals and REEs in coastal lowland acid sulfate soil-impacted drainage waters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, Adele M.; Xue, Youjia [School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Kinsela, Andrew S. [School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Heights, NSW 2234 (Australia); Wilcken, Klaus M. [Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Lucas Heights, NSW 2234 (Australia); Collins, Richard N., E-mail: richard.collins@unsw.edu.au [School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia)

2016-03-15

Donnan dialysis has been applied to forty filtered drainage waters collected from five coastal lowland acid sulfate soil (CLASS) catchments across north-eastern NSW, Australia. Despite having average pH values < 3.9, 78 and 58% of Al and total Fe, respectively, were present as neutral or negatively-charged species. Complementary isotope dilution experiments with {sup 55}Fe and {sup 26}Al demonstrated that only soluble (i.e. no colloidal) species were present. Trivalent rare earth elements (REEs) were also mainly present (> 70%) as negatively-charged complexes. In contrast, the speciation of the divalent trace metals Co, Mn, Ni and Zn was dominated by positively-charged complexes and was strongly correlated with the alkaline earth metals Ca and Mg. Thermodynamic equilibrium speciation calculations indicated that natural organic matter (NOM) complexes dominated Fe(III) speciation in agreement with that obtained by Donnan dialysis. In the case of Fe(II), however, the free cation was predicted to dominate under thermodynamic equilibrium, whilst our results indicated that Fe(II) was mainly present as neutral or negatively-charged complexes (most likely with sulfate). For all other divalent metals thermodynamic equilibrium speciation calculations agreed well with the Donnan dialysis results. The proportion of Al and REEs predicted to be negatively-charged was also grossly underestimated, relative to the experimental results, highlighting possible inaccuracies in the stability constants developed for these trivalent Me(SO{sub 4}){sub 2}{sup −} and/or Me–NOM complexes and difficulties in modeling complex environmental samples. These results will help improve metal mobility and toxicity models developed for CLASS-affected environments, and also demonstrate that Australian CLASS environments can discharge REEs at concentrations an order of magnitude greater than previously reported. - Highlights: • CLASS discharge large amounts of metals and their speciation is poorly

Efficient Construction of Free Energy Profiles of Breathing Metal-Organic Frameworks Using Advanced Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Demuynck, Ruben; Rogge, Sven M J; Vanduyfhuys, Louis; Wieme, Jelle; Waroquier, Michel; Van Speybroeck, Veronique

2017-12-12

In order to reliably predict and understand the breathing behavior of highly flexible metal-organic frameworks from thermodynamic considerations, an accurate estimation of the free energy difference between their different metastable states is a prerequisite. Herein, a variety of free energy estimation methods are thoroughly tested for their ability to construct the free energy profile as a function of the unit cell volume of MIL-53(Al). The methods comprise free energy perturbation, thermodynamic integration, umbrella sampling, metadynamics, and variationally enhanced sampling. A series of molecular dynamics simulations have been performed in the frame of each of the five methods to describe structural transformations in flexible materials with the volume as the collective variable, which offers a unique opportunity to assess their computational efficiency. Subsequently, the most efficient method, umbrella sampling, is used to construct an accurate free energy profile at different temperatures for MIL-53(Al) from first principles at the PBE+D3(BJ) level of theory. This study yields insight into the importance of the different aspects such as entropy contributions and anharmonic contributions on the resulting free energy profile. As such, this thorough study provides unparalleled insight in the thermodynamics of the large structural deformations of flexible materials.

Nanoindentation studies of ex situ AlN/Al metal matrix nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fale, Sandeep; Likhite, Ajay; Bhatt, Jatin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Formation of in-situ phases nucleated on AlN particles strengthens the matrix. • Formation of in-situ phases increases with AlN content in nanocomposites. • Stronger in-situ phases results in increased hardness and modulus of elasticity. - Abstract: Nanocrystalline Aluminium nitride (AlN) powder is dispersed in different weight ratio in Aluminum matrix to fabricate metal matrix nanocomposite (MMNC) using ex situ melt metallurgy process. The synthesized Al–AlN nanocomposites are studied for phase analysis using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and for hardness behavior using microindentation and nanoindentation tests. Quantitative analysis of the oxide phases is calculated from thermodynamic data and mass balance equation using elemental data obtained from energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results. Role of oxide phases in association with AlN particles is investigated to understand the mechanical behavior of composites using nanoindentation tester. Load–displacement profile obtained from nanoindentation test reveals distribution of oxide phases along with AlN particle and their effect on indent penetration

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with a low sub-threshold swing on free-standing GaN wafer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinke Liu

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper reported AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs with low sub-threshold swing SS on free-standing GaN wafer. High quality AlGaN/GaN epi-layer has been grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD on free-standing GaN, small full-width hall maximum (FWHM of 42.9 arcsec for (0002 GaN XRD peaks and ultralow dislocation density (∼104-105 cm-2 were obtained. Due to these extremely high quality material properties, the fabricated AlGaN/GaN HEMTs achieve a low SS (∼60 mV/decade, low hysteresis of 54 mV, and high peak electron mobility μeff of ∼1456 cm2V-1s-1. Systematic study of materials properties and device characteristics exhibits that GaN-on-GaN AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are promising candidate for next generation high power device applications.

A double metal process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawley, F.; Vasche, G.; Caywood, J.M.; Houck, B.; Boyce, J.; Tso, L.

1988-01-01

A dual layer metallization process is studied using a Tungsten 10% Titanium/Molybdenum sandwich (TiW/Mo) first metal with an Al/.5% Cu for the second metal. This metallization process has: 1) very reliable shallow junction contacts without junction spiking, 2) very high electromigration resistance and (3) A very smooth defect free surface throughout the process. Contact resistance of 50 and 30 ohm-um2 for P and N type silicon respectively is achieved. The TiW/Mo film stress is studied and an optimum condition for low compressive stress is defined. The TiW/Mo is etched using a corrosion free etch process. Electromigration data is presented showing TiW/Mo to be at least an order of magnitude better than Al/Si. The intermetal oxide layer is a planarized sandwich of LTO/SOG/LTO providing a smooth positive slope surface for the Metal 2. Metal l/Metal 2 via resistances are studied with 1.25 ohm-um2 values obtained

Hypervelocity impact on Zr51Ti5Ni10Cu25Al9 bulk metallic glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, W.; Huang, Y.J.; Pang, B.J.; Shen, J.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Hypervelocity impact experiments were performed on a bulk metallic glass. → Morphology of the bullet hole presents three different regions. → The post-impact samples keep glassy structure. → Mechanical properties of the post-impact samples were studied by nanoindentation. → Mechanical properties of the post-impact samples were discussed by free-volume model. - Abstract: In this study, the hypervelocity impact experiments were performed on Zr 51 Ti 5 Ni 10 Cu 25 Al 9 bulk metallic glass using a two-stage light gas gun. The morphologies of the bullet holes exhibit three different regions: melting area, vein-pattern area, and radiating core feature area, suggesting that various regions experience different stress states during the hypervelocity impact. For the post-impact samples, the nano-hardness increases and plastic deformability decreases both with the increase in the distance from the bullet hole and with the decrease in the impact velocity, which is discussed by means of spherical stress wave theory and free-volume model.

Synthesis of new metal-matrix Al-Al2O3-graphene composite materials

Science.gov (United States)

Elshina, L. A.; Muradymov, R. V.; Kvashnichev, A. G.; Vichuzhanin, D. I.; Molchanova, N. G.; Pankratov, A. A.

2017-08-01

The mechanism of formation of ceramic microparticles (alumina) and graphene in a molten aluminum matrix is studied as a function of the morphology and type of precursor particles, the temperature, and the gas atmosphere. The influence of the composition of an aluminum composite material (as a function of the concentration and size of reinforcing particles) on its mechanical and corrosion properties, melting temperature, and thermal conductivity is investigated. Hybrid metallic Al-Al2O3-graphene composite materials with up to 10 wt % alumina microparticles and 0.2 wt % graphene films, which are uniformly distributed over the metal volume and are fully wetted with aluminum, are synthesized during the chemical interaction of a salt solution containing yttria and boron carbide with molten aluminum in air. Simultaneous introduction of alumina and graphene into an aluminum matrix makes it possible to produce hybrid metallic composite materials having a unique combination of the following properties: their thermal conductivity is higher than that of aluminum, their hardness and strength are increased by two times, their relative elongation during tension is increased threefold, and their corrosion resistance is higher than that of initial aluminum by a factor of 2.5-4. We are the first to synthesize an in situ hybrid Al-Al2O3-graphene composite material having a unique combination of some characteristics. This material can be recommended as a promising material for a wide circle of electrical applications, including ultrathin wires, and as a structural material for the aerospace industry, the car industry, and the shipbuilding industry.

Decreased Charge Transport Barrier and Recombination of Organic Solar Cells by Constructing Interfacial Nanojunction with Annealing-Free ZnO and Al Layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chunyu; Zhang, Dezhong; Li, Zhiqi; Zhang, Xinyuan; Guo, Wenbin; Zhang, Liu; Ruan, Shengping; Long, Yongbing

2017-07-05

To overcome drawbacks of the electron transport layer, such as complex surface defects and unmatched energy levels, we successfully employed a smart semiconductor-metal interfacial nanojunciton in organic solar cells by evaporating an ultrathin Al interlayer onto annealing-free ZnO electron transport layer, resulting in a high fill factor of 73.68% and power conversion efficiency of 9.81%. The construction of ZnO-Al nanojunction could effectively fill the surface defects of ZnO and reduce its work function because of the electron transfer from Al to ZnO by Fermi level equilibrium. The filling of surface defects decreased the interfacial carrier recombination in midgap trap states. The reduced surface work function of ZnO-Al remodulated the interfacial characteristics between ZnO and [6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC 71 BM), decreasing or even eliminating the interfacial barrier against the electron transport, which is beneficial to improve the electron extraction capacity. The filled surface defects and reduced interfacial barrier were realistically observed by photoluminescence measurements of ZnO film and the performance of electron injection devices, respectively. This work provides a simple and effective method to simultaneously solve the problems of surface defects and unmatched energy level for the annealing-free ZnO or other metal oxide semiconductors, paving a way for the future popularization in photovoltaic devices.

Time-dependent liquid metal flows with free convection and free surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McClelland, M.A.

1990-11-01

A finite element analysis is given for time-dependent liquid metal flows with free convection and free surfaces. Consideration is given to a two-dimensional shallow trough with vertical walls maintained at different temperatures. The spatial formulation incorporates mixed Lagrangian approximations to the velocity, pressure, temperature, and interface position. The time integration method is performed using the Trapezoid Rule with step-size control. The Galerkin method is employed to reduce the problem to a set of nonlinear algebraic equations which are solved with the Newton-Raphson method. Calculations are performed for conditions relevant to the electron beam vaporization of refractory metals. The Prandtl number is 0.015, and Grashof numbers are in the transition region between laminar and turbulent flow. The results reveal the effects of flow intensity, surface-tension gradients, and mesh and time-step refinement

Synthesis of halide- and solvent free metal borohydrides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grinderslev, Jakob; Møller, Kasper Trans; Richter, Bo

have challenges due to their high desorption kinetics and limited reversibility at moderate conditions.[2],[3],[4] In this work, we present a new approach to synthesize halide- and solvent free metal borohydrides starting from the respective metal hydride. The synthetic strategy ensures that no metal...... to the metal. Hence, the powdered M(BH4)3∙DMS is heated to 140 °C for 4 hours to obtain pure M(BH4)3. The rare-earth metal borohydrides have been investigated by infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis (TGA-DSC-MS). Furthermore, the structural trends are investigated by synchrotron radiation powder X...

Anatomy-performance correlation in Ti-based contact metallizations on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammed, Fitih M.; Wang, Liang; Koo, Hyung Joon; Adesida, Ilesanmi

2007-01-01

A comprehensive study of the electrical and surface microstructural characteristics of Ti/Au, Ti/Al/Au, Ti/Mo/Au, and Ti/Al/metal/Au schemes, where metal is Ir, Mo, Nb, Pt, Ni, Ta, and Ti, has been carried out to determine the role of constituent components of multilayer contact metallizations on Ohmic contact formation on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. Attempts have been made to elucidate the anatomy (composition-structure) performance correlation in these schemes. Evidences have been obtained for the necessity of the Al and metal barrier layer as well as an optimal amount of Ti for achieving low-resistance Ohmic contact formation. A strong dependence of electrical properties and intermetallic interactions on the type of metal barrier layer used was found. Scanning electron microscopy characterization, coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, has shown evidence for alloy aggregation, metal layer fragmentation, Al-Au solid solution formation, and possible Au and/or Al reaction with metal layer. Results from the present study provide insights on the active and the necessary role various components of a multilayer contact metallization play for obtaining excellent Ohmic contact formation in the fabrication of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

Surface modification of nanodiamond through metal free atom transfer radical polymerization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, Guangjian; Liu, Meiying; Shi, Kexin; Heng, Chunning; Mao, Liucheng; Wan, Qing; Huang, Hongye [Department of Chemistry, Nanchang University, 999 Xuefu Avenue, Nanchang 330031 (China); Deng, Fengjie, E-mail: fengjiedeng@aliyun.com [Department of Chemistry, Nanchang University, 999 Xuefu Avenue, Nanchang 330031 (China); Zhang, Xiaoyong, E-mail: xiaoyongzhang1980@gmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Nanchang University, 999 Xuefu Avenue, Nanchang 330031 (China); Wei, Yen, E-mail: weiyen@tsinghua.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry and the Tsinghua Center for Frontier Polymer Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 (China)

2016-12-30

Highlights: • Surface modification of ND with water soluble and biocompatible polymers. • Functionalized ND through metal free surface initiated ATRP. • The metal free surface initiated ATRP is rather simple and effective. • The ND-poly(MPC) showed high dispersibility and desirable biocompatibility. - Abstract: Surface modification of nanodiamond (ND) with poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) [poly(MPC)] has been achieved by using metal free surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The ATRP initiator was first immobilized on the surface of ND through direct esterification reaction between hydroxyl group of ND and 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide. The initiator could be employed to obtain ND-poly(MPC) nanocomposites through SI-ATRP using an organic catalyst. The final functional materials were characterized by {sup 1}H nuclear magnetic resonance, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis in detailed. All of these characterization results demonstrated that ND-poly(MPC) have been successfully obtained via metal free photo-initiated SI-ATRP. The ND-poly(MPC) nanocomposites shown enhanced dispersibility in various solvents as well as excellent biocompatibility. As compared with traditional ATRP, the metal free ATRP is rather simple and effective. More importantly, this preparation method avoided the negative influence of metal catalysts. Therefore, the method described in this work should be a promising strategy for fabrication of polymeric nanocomposites with great potential for different applications especially in biomedical fields.

Surface modification of nanodiamond through metal free atom transfer radical polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Guangjian; Liu, Meiying; Shi, Kexin; Heng, Chunning; Mao, Liucheng; Wan, Qing; Huang, Hongye; Deng, Fengjie; Zhang, Xiaoyong; Wei, Yen

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Surface modification of ND with water soluble and biocompatible polymers. • Functionalized ND through metal free surface initiated ATRP. • The metal free surface initiated ATRP is rather simple and effective. • The ND-poly(MPC) showed high dispersibility and desirable biocompatibility. - Abstract: Surface modification of nanodiamond (ND) with poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) [poly(MPC)] has been achieved by using metal free surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The ATRP initiator was first immobilized on the surface of ND through direct esterification reaction between hydroxyl group of ND and 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide. The initiator could be employed to obtain ND-poly(MPC) nanocomposites through SI-ATRP using an organic catalyst. The final functional materials were characterized by 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis in detailed. All of these characterization results demonstrated that ND-poly(MPC) have been successfully obtained via metal free photo-initiated SI-ATRP. The ND-poly(MPC) nanocomposites shown enhanced dispersibility in various solvents as well as excellent biocompatibility. As compared with traditional ATRP, the metal free ATRP is rather simple and effective. More importantly, this preparation method avoided the negative influence of metal catalysts. Therefore, the method described in this work should be a promising strategy for fabrication of polymeric nanocomposites with great potential for different applications especially in biomedical fields.

Structural and superconducting characteristics of YBa2Cu3O7 films grown by fluorine-free metal-organic deposition route

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, Yue; Chu, Jingyuan; Qureishy, Thomas

2018-01-01

Microstructure and superconducting performance of YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) films deposited on LaAlO3 single crystal (LAO) substrates by a fluorine-free metal-organic deposition (FF-MOD) technique, have been studied by means of X-ray reciprocal space mapping (RSM), cross-sectional transmission electron mi...... external magnetic field at 77 K. This work offers an in-depth insight into the correlation between the microstructure and superconductivity in the MOD YBCO films.......Microstructure and superconducting performance of YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) films deposited on LaAlO3 single crystal (LAO) substrates by a fluorine-free metal-organic deposition (FF-MOD) technique, have been studied by means of X-ray reciprocal space mapping (RSM), cross-sectional transmission electron....... It is suggested that associated partial dislocations formed at the boundary between the stacking faults and YBCO matrix act as strong linear (or dot) pinning centers. These structural characteristics are well in line with the better superconducting performance of the low fluorine-MOD film, in particular under...

Assessment of strength characteristics of Al2024 ECAP metal using small punch testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Young Wha; Choi, Jeong Woo; Yoon, Kee Bong; Kim, Seon Hwa

2006-01-01

When subjected to severe shear deformation by ECAP, microstructure of Al2024 becomes extremely refined. To measure the strength of that, Small Punch(SP) testing method was adopted as a substitute for the conventional uniaxial tensile testing because the size of material processed by ECAP were limited to ψ12 mm in transverse direction. SP tests were performed with specimens in longitudinal and transverse directions of Al2024 ECAP metal. For comparing the strength values with those assessed by SP tests, uniaxial tensile tests were also conducted with specimens in longitudinal direction. Failure surfaces of the tested SP specimens showed that failure mode was shear deformation and Al2024 ECAP metal has an anisotropy in strength. Thus, conventional equations proposed for assessing the strength characteristics were improper to assess those of Al2024 ECAP metal. In this paper a way of assessing the strength of Al2024 ECAP metal was proposed and was proven to be effective

Tuning CNT Properties for Metal-Free Environmental Catalytic Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raquel P. Rocha

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs as metal-free catalysts is a novel approach for heterogeneous liquid phase catalytic systems. Textural and chemical modifications by liquid/gas phase or mechanical treatments, as well as solid state reactions, were successfully applied to obtain carbon nanotubes with different surface functionalities. Oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur are the most common heteroatoms introduced on the carbon surface. This short-review highlights different routes used to develop metal-free carbon nanotube catalysts with enhanced properties for Advanced Oxidation Processes.

Deformation behavior, corrosion resistance, and cytotoxicity of Ni-free Zr-based bulk metallic glasses.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, L; Qiu, C L; Chen, Q; Chan, K C; Zhang, S M

2008-07-01

Two Ni-free bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) of Zr(60)Nb(5)Cu(22.5)Pd(5)Al(7.5) and Zr(60)Nb(5)Cu(20)Fe(5)Al(10) were successfully prepared by arc-melting and copper mold casting. The thermal stability and crystallization were studied using differential scanning calorimetry. It demonstrates that the two BMGs exhibit very good glass forming ability with a wide supercooled liquid region. A multi-step process of crystallization with a preferential formation of quasicrystals occurred in both BMGs under continuous heating. The deformation behavior of the two BMGs was investigated using quasi-static compression testing. It reveals that the BMGs exhibit not only superior strength but also an extended plasticity. Corrosion behaviors of the BMGs were investigated in phosphate buffered solution by electrochemical polarization. The result shows that the two BMGs exhibit excellent corrosion resistance characterized by low corrosion current densities and wide passive regions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that the passive film formed after anodic polarization was highly enriched in zirconium, niobium, and aluminum oxides. This is attributed to the excellent corrosion resistance. Additionally, the potential cytotoxicity of the two Ni-free BMGs was evaluated through cell culture for 1 week followed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl-)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and SEM observation. The results indicate that the two Ni-free BMGs exhibit as good biocompatibility as Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and thus show a promising potential for biomedical applications. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Study of helium diffusion, implanted at a cyclotron, in face-centered cubic metals: Au, Ag and Al

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sciani, V.

1985-01-01

Helium in metals is produced by nuclear reactions of energetic particles. In nuclear technology the interest on helium in metals is import, due to its production by (n, α) reaction. Because helium has extremely low solubility in metals, the precipitation in the form of filled bubbles at elevated temperatures occurs, which have detrimental effects on mechanical properties and may limit the lifetime of structural components. One typical example is the high temperature embrittlement. The nucleation and growth of the bubbles strongly depends on the mobility of the helium. This work presents the study of helium diffusion in Au, Ag and Al at temperatures above room temperature. The helium created by (n, α) reactions has been simulated by homogeneous alpha particles implantation in cyclotron, at room temperature, in specimens of thicknesses between 5 and 50 μm and helium concentration between 10 -3 to 10 ppm. After implantation, the specimens were dropped in a furnace in a UHV-chamber and the diffusion was measured by observing the He-release during linear and isothermal annealings. The occurence of free diffusion was comparing the dependence of release kinetics on helium concentration, sample thickness, time and heating rate to diffusion theory and is clearly separeted from agglomeration process. The diffusion constants of helium in Au, Ag and Al follow an Arrhenius behavior, with: Au:D o =10 -1.0 cm 2 /s ΔH=1.70eV Ag:D 0 =10 -1.2 cm 2 /s ΔH=1.51eV Al:D o =10 +0.5 cm 2 /s ΔH=1.40eV. The results are compared to self-diffusion and to the diffusion of other gases in these metals. Comparison with theoretical estimates favours the vacancy mechanism for helium diffusion in Au, Ag and Al. (author) [pt

Effect of AlN growth temperature on trap densities of in-situ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition grown AlN/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph J. Freedsman

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The trapping properties of in-situ metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD grown AlN/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterostructure field-effect transistors (MIS-HFETs with AlN layers grown at 600 and 700 °C has been quantitatively analyzed by frequency dependent parallel conductance technique. Both the devices exhibited two kinds of traps densities, due to AlN (DT-AlN and AlGaN layers (DT-AlGaN respectively. The MIS-HFET grown at 600 °C showed a minimum DT-AlN and DT-AlGaN of 1.1 x 1011 and 1.2 x 1010 cm-2eV-1 at energy levels (ET -0.47 and -0.36 eV. Further, the gate-lag measurements on these devices revealed less degradation ∼ ≤ 5% in drain current density (Ids-max. Meanwhile, MIS-HFET grown at 700 °C had more degradation in Ids-max ∼26 %, due to high DT-AlN and DT-AlGaN of 3.4 x 1012 and 5 x 1011 cm-2eV-1 positioned around similar ET. The results shows MIS-HFET grown at 600 °C had better device characteristics with trap densities one order of magnitude lower than MIS-HFET grown at 700 °C.

al mena: a comprehensive resource of human genetic variants integrating genomes and exomes from Arab, Middle Eastern and North African populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Koshy, Remya; Ranawat, Anop; Scaria, Vinod

2017-10-01

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) encompass very unique populations, with a rich history and encompasses characteristic ethnic, linguistic and genetic diversity. The genetic diversity of MENA region has been largely unknown. The recent availability of whole-exome and whole-genome sequences from the region has made it possible to collect population-specific allele frequencies. The integration of data sets from this region would provide insights into the landscape of genetic variants in this region. We integrated genetic variants from multiple data sets systematically, available from this region to create a compendium of over 26 million genetic variations. The variants were systematically annotated and their allele frequencies in the data sets were computed and available as a web interface which enables quick query. As a proof of principle for application of the compendium for genetic epidemiology, we analyzed the allele frequencies for variants in transglutaminase 1 (TGM1) gene, associated with autosomal recessive lamellar ichthyosis. Our analysis revealed that the carrier frequency of selected variants differed widely with significant interethnic differences. To the best of our knowledge, al mena is the first and most comprehensive repertoire of genetic variations from the Arab, Middle Eastern and North African region. We hope al mena would accelerate Precision Medicine in the region.

Quantification of the free volume in Zr45.0Cu39.3Al7.0Ag8.7 bulk metallic glasses subjected to plastic deformation by calorimetric and dilatometric measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yue; Hahn, Horst

2009-01-01

Zr 45.0 Cu 39.3 Al 7.0 Ag 8.7 bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were prepared using suction casting technique. Plastic deformations were carried out by cold rolling and high-pressure torsion (HPT). The absolute contents of free volume in the as-cast, preheated and deformed samples were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dilatometry using the free volume model (FVM). The parameters required in the FVM are experimentally determined to be b = 0.107, β = 642.1 kJ/mol, D * = 10.3 and T 0 = 496.9 K, respectively. The equilibrium free volume determined by these parameters is in good agreement with that calculated from previous enthalpy relaxation experiments, showing the reliability of the values of the parameters. It is found that the content of free volume in the as-cast sample is 0.533% with respect to the atomic volume of the BMG. The free volume in the HPT deformed sample is determined to be 0.672%, which is the largest among all the samples. The excess free volume introduced by cold rolling is found to increase with the deformation strain and show weak strain rate dependent behavior. Finally, attempts are made to simulate the experimental DSC curve using a bimolecular kinetics in the flow defect model. However, the result shows that the kinetics of free volume may be more complicated than as described as a bimolecular process.

Allotropic Carbon Nanoforms as Advanced Metal-Free Catalysts or as Supports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hermenegildo Garcia

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This perspective paper summarizes the use of three nanostructured carbon allotropes as metal-free catalysts (“carbocatalysts” or as supports of metal nanoparticles. After an introductory section commenting the interest of developing metal-free catalysts and main features of carbon nanoforms, the main body of this paper is focused on exemplifying the opportunities that carbon nanotubes, graphene, and diamond nanoparticles offer to develop advanced catalysts having active sites based on carbon in the absence of transition metals or as large area supports with special morphology and unique properties. The final section provides my personal view on future developments in this field.

Polymer-noble metal nanocomposites: Review

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Folarin, OM

2011-09-01

Full Text Available because of their multi-functionality, ease of process-ability, potential for large-scale manufacturing, significantly lighter than metals, ease of synthesis when compared to the oxide/noble metal multi-layers (Gass et al., 2006; Lee et al., 2003.... their easy aggregation arising from their high surface free energy (Lee et al., 2006). In the design of nanocomposites, one must consider the properties of the polymer matrix as well as the stability of the nanoparticles and more importantly...

NUCLEOSYNTHESIS AND EVOLUTION OF MASSIVE METAL-FREE STARS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heger, Alexander; Woosley, S. E.

2010-01-01

The evolution and explosion of metal-free stars with masses 10-100 M sun are followed, and their nucleosynthetic yields, light curves, and remnant masses determined. Such stars would have been the first to form after the big bang and may have left a distinctive imprint on the composition of the early universe. When the supernova yields are integrated over a Salpeter initial mass function (IMF), the resulting elemental abundance pattern is qualitatively solar, but with marked deficiencies of odd-Z elements with 7 ≤ Z ≤ 13. Neglecting the contribution of the neutrino wind from the neutron stars that they form, no appreciable abundances are made for elements heavier than germanium. The computed pattern compares favorably with what has been observed in metal-deficient stars with [Z] ∼ sun ; where 1 B = 1 Bethe = 10 51 erg) for a Salpeter IMF, and may have played a role in reionizing the universe. Neglecting rotation, most of the stars end their lives as blue supergiants and form supernovae with distinctive light curves resembling SN 1987A, but some produce primary nitrogen due to dredge-up and become red supergiants. These make brighter supernovae like typical Type IIp's. For the lower mass supernovae considered, the distribution of remnant masses clusters around typical modern neutron star masses, but above 20-30 M sun , with the value depending on explosion energy, black holes are copiously formed by fallback, with a maximum hole mass of ∼40 M sun . A novel automated fitting algorithm is developed for determining optimal combinations of explosion energy, mixing, and IMF in the large model database to agree with specified data sets. The model is applied to the low-metallicity sample of Cayrel et al. and the two ultra-iron-poor stars HE0107-5240 and HE1327-2326. Best agreement with these very low metallicity stars is achieved with very little mixing, and none of the metal-deficient data sets considered show the need for a high-energy explosion component. In

Free Sorting and Association Task: A Variant of the Free Sorting Method Applied to Study the Impact of Dried Sourdough as an Ingredienton the Related Bread Odor.

Science.gov (United States)

Pétel, Cécile; Courcoux, Philippe; Génovesi, Noémie; Rouillé, Jocelyn; Onno, Bernard; Prost, Carole

2017-04-01

This paper presents a new variant of the free sorting method developed to analyze the relationship between dried sourdough (DSD) and corresponding DSD-bread (bread) odors. The comparison of DSD and bread sensory characteristics is complicated due to their specific features (for example, acidity for DSD and a characteristic "baked bread" aroma for breads). To analyze them at the same time, this study introduces a new variant of the free sorting method, which adds an association task between DSD and bread after those of free sorting and verbalization. This separation makes it possible to change the product between tasks. It was applied to study the impact of 6 European commercial DSDs on their related DSD-bread. According to our results, this methodology enabled an association between different kinds of products and thus underlined the relationship between them. Moreover, as this methodology contains a verbalization task, it provides product descriptions. Compared with the standard free sorting method, free sorting with an association task gives the distance (i) between DSDs, (ii) between breads, and (iii) between DSDs and breads. The separation of product assessment through sorting and association avoids the separation of products according to their category (DSD or bread). © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Hydrogen evolution by a metal-free electrocatalyst

KAUST Repository

Zheng, Yao

2014-04-28

Electrocatalytic reduction of water to molecular hydrogen via the hydrogen evolution reaction may provide a sustainable energy supply for the future, but its commercial application is hampered by the use of precious platinum catalysts. All alternatives to platinum thus far are based on nonprecious metals, and, to our knowledge, there is no report about a catalyst for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution beyond metals. Here we couple graphitic-carbon nitride with nitrogen-doped graphene to produce a metal-free hybrid catalyst, which shows an unexpected hydrogen evolution reaction activity with comparable overpotential and Tafel slope to some of well-developed metallic catalysts. Experimental observations in combination with density functional theory calculations reveal that its unusual electrocatalytic properties originate from an intrinsic chemical and electronic coupling that synergistically promotes the proton adsorption and reduction kinetics. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Environmentally safe corrosion inhibition of Mg-Al-Zn alloy in chloride free neutral solutions by amino acids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Helal, N.H. [Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, Fayoum (Egypt); Badawy, W.A., E-mail: wbadawy@cu.edu.eg [Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, 12 613 Giza (Egypt)

2011-07-30

Highlights: > Phenyl alanine at a concentration of 2 x 10{sup -3} mol dm{sup -3} gives 93% corrosion inhibition efficiency for the corrosion of the Mg-Al-Zn alloy. > The corrosion inhibition process is based on the adsorption of the amino acid molecules on the active sites of the alloy surface by physical adsorption mechanism. > The adsorption free energy was 15.72 kJ mol{sup -1}. - Abstract: The corrosion inhibition of Mg-Al-Zn alloy was investigated in stagnant naturally aerated chloride free neutral solutions using amino acids as environmentally safe corrosion inhibitors. The corrosion rate was calculated in the absence and presence of the corrosion inhibitor using the polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The experimental impedance data were fitted to theoretical data according to a proposed electronic circuit model to explain the behavior of the alloy/electrolyte interface under different conditions. The corrosion inhibition process was found to depend on the adsorption of the amino acid molecules on the metal surface. Phenyl alanine has shown remarkably high corrosion inhibition efficiency up to 93% at a concentration of 2 x 10{sup -3} mol dm{sup -3}. The corrosion inhibition efficiency was found to depend on the concentration of the amino acid and its structure. The mechanism of the corrosion inhibition process was discussed and different adsorption isotherms were investigated. The free energy of the adsorption process was calculated for the adsorption of different amino acids on the Mg-Al-Zn alloy and the obtained values reveal a physical adsorption of the inhibitor molecules on the alloy surface.

Environmentally-relevant concentrations of Al(III) and Fe(III) cations induce aggregation of free DNA by complexation with phosphate group.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Chao; Kang, Fuxing; Zhang, Wei; Shou, Weijun; Hu, Xiaojie; Gao, Yanzheng

2017-10-15

Environmental persistence of free DNA is influenced by its complexation with other chemical species and its aggregation mechanisms. However, it is not well-known how naturally-abundant metal ions, e.g., Al(III) and Fe(III), influence DNA aggregation. This study investigated aggregation behaviors of model DNA from salmon testes as influenced by metal cations, and elucidated the predominant mechanism responsible for DNA aggregation. Compared to monovalent (K + and Na + ) and divalent (Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ ) cations, Al(III) and Fe(III) species in aqueous solution caused rapid DNA aggregations. The maximal DNA aggregation occurred at 0.05 mmol/L Al(III) or 0.075 mmol/L Fe(III), respectively. A combination of atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that Al(III) and Fe(III) complexed with negatively charged phosphate groups to neutralize DNA charges, resulting in decreased electrostatic repulsion and subsequent DNA aggregation. Zeta potential measurements and molecular computation further support this mechanism. Furthermore, DNA aggregation was enhanced at higher temperature and near neutral pH. Therefore, DNA aggregation is collectively determined by many environmental factors such as ion species, temperature, and solution pH. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dendrite-Free Sodium-Metal Anodes for High-Energy Sodium-Metal Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Bing; Li, Peng; Zhang, Jinqiang; Wang, Dan; Munroe, Paul; Wang, Chengyin; Notten, Peter H L; Wang, Guoxiu

2018-05-31

Sodium (Na) metal is one of the most promising electrode materials for next-generation low-cost rechargeable batteries. However, the challenges caused by dendrite growth on Na metal anodes restrict practical applications of rechargeable Na metal batteries. Herein, a nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon nanotube (NSCNT) paper is used as the interlayer to control Na nucleation behavior and suppress the Na dendrite growth. The N- and S-containing functional groups on the carbon nanotubes induce the NSCNTs to be highly "sodiophilic," which can guide the initial Na nucleation and direct Na to distribute uniformly on the NSCNT paper. As a result, the Na-metal-based anode (Na/NSCNT anode) exhibits a dendrite-free morphology during repeated Na plating and striping and excellent cycling stability. As a proof of concept, it is also demonstrated that the electrochemical performance of sodium-oxygen (Na-O 2 ) batteries using the Na/NSCNT anodes show significantly improved cycling performances compared with Na-O 2 batteries with bare Na metal anodes. This work opens a new avenue for the development of next-generation high-energy-density sodium-metal batteries. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Enzyme-Free Electrochemical Glucose Sensors Prepared by Dealloying Pd-Ni-P Metallic Glasses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuqiao Zeng

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We report the formation of enzyme-free electrochemical glucose sensors by electrochemical dealloying palladium-containing Pd-Ni-P metallic glasses. When metallic glasses with different Pd contents are used as the dealloying precursor alloys, palladium-based nanoporous metals with different ligament and pore sizes can be obtained. The chemical compositions of the nanoporous metals also vary according to the different precursor compositions. All the as-obtained nanoporous metals exhibit electrochemical catalytic activity towards the oxidation of d-glucose, indicating that the nanoporous metals prepared by dealloying the Pd-Ni-P metallic glasses are promising materials for enzyme-free electrochemical glucose sensor.

Catalyst-free growth of InN nanorods by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min Hwa; Moon, Dae Young; Park, Jinsub; Nanishi, Yasushi; Yi, Gyu-Chul; Yoon, Euijoon

2012-01-01

We demonstrated the growth of catalyst-free InN nanostructures including nanorods on (0001) Al 2 O 3 substrates using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. As the growth time increased, growth rate along c-direction increased superlinearly with decreasing c-plane area fractions and increasing side wall areas. It was also found that desorption from the sidewalls of InN nanostructures during the InN nanorods formation was one of essential key parameters of the growth mechanism. We propose a growth model to explain the InN nanostructure evolution by considering the side wall desorption and re-deposition of indium at top c-plane surfaces. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Fast progressive lower motor neuron disease is an ALS variant: A two-centre tract of interest-based MRI data analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Hans-Peter; Agosta, Federica; Riva, Nilo; Spinelli, Edoardo G; Comi, Giancarlo; Ludolph, Albert C; Filippi, Massimo; Kassubek, Jan

2018-01-01

The criteria for assessing upper motor neuron pathology in pure lower motor neuron disease (LMND) still remain a major issue of debate with respect to the clinical classification as an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) variant. The study was designed to investigate white matter damage by a hypothesis-guided tract-of-interest-based approach in patients with LMND compared with healthy controls and ´classical´ ALS patients in order to identify in vivo brain structural changes according to the neuropathologically defined ALS affectation pattern. Data were pooled from two previous studies at two different study sites (Ulm, Germany and Milano, Italy). DTI-based white matter integrity mapping was performed by voxelwise statistical comparison and by a tractwise analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA) maps according to the ALS-staging pattern for 65 LMND patients (clinically differentiated in fast and slow progressors) vs. 92 matched controls and 101 ALS patients with a 'classical' phenotype to identify white matter structural alterations. The analysis of white matter structural connectivity by regional FA reductions demonstrated the characteristic alteration patterns along the CST and also in frontal and prefrontal brain areas in LMND patients compared to controls and ALS. Fast progressing LMND showed substantial involvement, like in ALS, while slow progressors showed less severe alterations. In the tract-specific analysis according to the ALS-staging pattern, fast progressing LMND showed significant alterations of ALS-related tract systems as compared to slow progressors and controls. This study showed an affectation pattern for corticoefferent fibers in LMND with fast disease progression as defined for ALS, that way confirming the hypothesis that fast progressing LMND is a phenotypical variant of ALS.

First-principles investigations of Ni3Al(111) and NiAl(110) surfaces at metal dusting conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saadi, Souheil; Hinnemann, Berit; Appel, Charlotte C.

2011-01-01

We investigate the structure and surface composition of the γ′-Ni3Al(111) and β-NiAl(110) alloy surfaces at conditions relevant for metal dusting corrosion related to catalytic steam reforming of natural gas. In regular service as protective coatings, nickel–aluminum alloys are protected...... by an oxide scale, but in case of oxide scale spallation, the alloy surface may be directly exposed to the reactive gas environment and vulnerable to metal dusting. By means of density functional theory and thermochemical calculations for both the Ni3Al and NiAl surfaces, the conditions under which CO and OH...... adsorption is to be expected and under which it is inhibited, are mapped out. Because CO and OH are regarded as precursors for nucleating graphite or oxide on the surfaces, phase diagrams for the surfaces provide a simple description of their stability. Specifically, this study shows how the CO and OH...

Transition-Metal-Free Biomolecule-Based Flexible Asymmetric Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yun; Wang, Hua; Hao, Rui; Guo, Lin

2016-09-01

A transition-metal-free asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is successfully fabricated based on an earth-abundant biomass derived redox-active biomolecule, named lawsone. Such an ASC exhibits comparable or even higher energy densities than most of the recently reported transition-metal-based ASCs, and this green ASC generation from renewable resources is promising for addressing current issues of electronic hazard processing, high cost, and unsustainability. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The metal-organic framework MIL-53(Al) constructed from multiple metal sources: alumina, aluminum hydroxide, and boehmite.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zehua; Wu, Yi-nan; Li, Jie; Zhang, Yiming; Zou, Xin; Li, Fengting

2015-04-27

Three aluminum compounds, namely alumina, aluminum hydroxide, and boehmite, are probed as the metal sources for the hydrothermal synthesis of a typical metal-organic framework MIL-53(Al). The process exhibits enhanced synthetic efficiency without the generation of strongly acidic byproducts. The time-course monitoring of conversion from different aluminum sources into MIL-53(Al) is achieved by multiple characterization that reveals a similar but differentiated crystallinity, porosity, and morphology relative to typical MIL-53(Al) prepared from water-soluble aluminum salts. Moreover, the prepared MIL-53(Al) constructed with the three insoluble aluminum sources exhibit an improved thermal stability of up to nearly 600 °C and enhanced yields. Alumina and boehmite are more preferable than aluminum hydroxide in terms of product porosity, yield, and reaction time. The adsorption performances of a typical environmental endocrine disruptor, dimethyl phthalate, on the prepared MIL-53(Al) samples are also investigated. The improved structural stability of MIL-53(Al) prepared from these alternative aluminum sources enables double-enhanced adsorption performance (up to 206 mg g(-1)) relative to the conventionally obtained MIL-53(Al). © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Characterization of N-polar AlN in GaN/AlN/(Al,Ga)N heterostructures grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Haoran; Mazumder, Baishakhi; Bonef, Bastien; Keller, Stacia; Wienecke, Steven; Speck, James S.; Denbaars, Steven P.; Mishra, Umesh K.

2017-11-01

In GaN/(Al,Ga)N high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMT), AlN interlayer between GaN channel and AlGaN barrier suppresses alloy scattering and significantly improves the electron mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas. While high concentrations of gallium were previously observed in Al-polar AlN interlayers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, the N-polar AlN (Al x Ga1-x N) films examined by atom probe tomography in this study exhibited aluminum compositions (x) equal to or higher than 95% over a wide range of growth conditions. The also investigated AlN interlayer in a N-polar GaN/AlN/AlGaN/ S.I. GaN HEMT structure possessed a similarly high x content.

CW substrate-free metal-cavity surface microemitters at 300 K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Chien-Yao; Chang, Shu-Wei; Chuang, Shun Lien; Germann, Tim D; Pohl, Udo W; Bimberg, Dieter

2011-01-01

In this paper substrate-free metal-cavity surface microemitters are demonstrated. The optical cavity is formed by a metal reflector, metal-surrounded sidewall and n-doped distributed-Bragg reflector, which provides optical feedback and carrier injection. We describe a simple design principle with the modal properties modified by geometry and metal-insulator cladding. Both resonant cavity light-emitting diodes (1.85 µm diameter and 0.6 µm height) and lasers (2.0 µm diameter and 2.5 µm height) are successfully fabricated and characterized. These two types of devices operate at room temperature under continuous-wave (CW) operation. Since the devices are substrate-free, they can be bonded to any substrates. From the threshold currents of the lasers, we obtain a high characteristic temperature of 425 K in the range of 10–27 °C. We also discuss a general approach to improve the diffraction from small-aperture devices

NEK1 genetic variability in a Belgian cohort of ALS and ALS-FTD patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Hung Phuoc; Van Mossevelde, Sara; Dillen, Lubina; De Bleecker, Jan L; Moisse, Matthieu; Van Damme, Philip; Van Broeckhoven, Christine; van der Zee, Julie

2018-01-01

We evaluated the genetic impact of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) risk gene never in mitosis gene a-related kinase 1 (NEK1) in a Belgian cohort of 278 patients with ALS (n = 245) or ALS with frontotemporal dementia (ALS-FTD, n = 33) and 609 control individuals. We identified 2 ALS patients carrying a loss-of-function (LOF) mutation, p.Leu854Tyrfs*2 and p.Tyr871Valfs*17, that was absent in the control group. A third LOF variant p.Ser1036* was present in 2 sibs with familial ALS but also in an unrelated control person. Missense variants were common in both patients (3.6%) and controls (3.0%). The missense variant, p.Arg261His, which was previously associated with ALS risk, was detected with a minor allele frequency of 0.90% in patients compared to 0.33% in controls. Taken together, NEK1 LOF variants accounted for 1.1% of patients, although interpretation of pathogenicity and penetrance is complicated by the observation of occasional LOF variants in unaffected individuals (0.16%). Furthermore, enrichment of additional ALS gene mutations was observed in NEK1 carriers, suggestive of a "second hit" model were NEK1 variants may modify disease presentation of driving mutations. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of a low-energy–density re-scan in fabricating crack-free Al85Ni5Y6Co2Fe2 bulk metallic glass composites via selective laser melting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, X.P.; Kang, C.W.; Huang, H.; Sercombe, T.B.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We proposed a re-scan strategy to prevent crack propagation in SLM. • The re-scan should be carried out at a low laser energy density. • The underlying mechanism is through reduction and relief of residual stresses. • Lowered temperature gradient and superplasticity account for reduction of stress. • For the first time, a crack-free BMGCs gear with a large size was produced. - Abstract: In this paper, we have investigated the use of a re-scanning strategy to prevent propagation of macro-cracks during the selective laser melting of an Al 85 Ni 5 Y 6 Co 2 Fe 2 bulk metallic glass composites (BMGCs). These cracks form as a result of the high residual stress caused by the rapid heating and cooling of the material by the laser beam. Unlike crystalline materials, the BMGCs possess a supercooled liquid region in which the residual stress can be relieved by plastic flow. We show that by using a high power initial scan (designed to melt the material) followed by a lower power re-scan (for stress relief) cracking can be prevented. Using this approach, crack-free Al 85 Ni 5 Y 6 Co 2 Fe 2 BMGCs components have been fabricated, including a gear with a diameter ∼25 mm and height ∼10 mm

Weld microstructure in cast AlSi9/SiC(p metal matrix composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Wysocki

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Welded joint in cast AlSi9/SiC/20(p metal matrix composite by manual TIG arc welding using AlMg5 filler metal has been described inhis paper. Cooling curves have been stated, and the influence in distribution of reinforced particles on crystallization and weldmicrostructure. Welded joint mechanical properties have been determined: hardness and tensile.

Influence of metallic surface states on electron affinity of epitaxial AlN films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mishra, Monu; Krishna, Shibin; Aggarwal, Neha [Advanced Materials and Devices Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi110012 (India); Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NPL Campus, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India); Gupta, Govind, E-mail: govind@nplindia.org [Advanced Materials and Devices Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi110012 (India); Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NPL Campus, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India)

2017-06-15

The present article investigates surface metallic states induced alteration in the electron affinity of epitaxial AlN films. AlN films grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy system with (30% and 16%) and without metallic aluminium on the surface were probed via photoemission spectroscopic measurements. An in-depth analysis exploring the influence of metallic aluminium and native oxide on the electronic structure of the films is performed. It was observed that the metallic states pinned the Fermi Level (FL) near valence band edge and lead to the reduction of electron affinity (EA). These metallic states initiated charge transfer and induced changes in surface and interface dipoles strength. Therefore, the EA of the films varied between 0.6–1.0 eV due to the variation in contribution of metallic states and native oxide. However, the surface barrier height (SBH) increased (4.2–3.5 eV) adversely due to the availability of donor-like surface states in metallic aluminium rich films.

Direct detection of neutral metal atoms in electron-stimulated desorption: Al from CH3O/Al(111) - velocity distribution and absolute yield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitten, J.E.; Young, C.E.; Pellin, M.J.; Gruen, D.M.; Jones, P.L.

1994-01-01

Electron-stimulated desorption of neutral aluminum from the system CH 3 O/Al(111) has been directly monitored via quasiresonant photoionization with 193 nm excimer laser light and confirmed by two-step resonant ionization, utilizing the Al 3d 2 D manifold. Velocity distribution measurements for the neutral Al peak at ∼ 800 m/s for 1 keV incident electron energy. An absolute yield of 3.2 x 10 -6 Al atoms/electron was determined by comparison with sputtering measurements in the same apparatus. This is the first observation of electron-stimulated metal desorption from adsorbate-covered metallic surfaces

Surface modification of nanodiamond through metal free atom transfer radical polymerization

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Guangjian; Liu, Meiying; Shi, Kexin; Heng, Chunning; Mao, Liucheng; Wan, Qing; Huang, Hongye; Deng, Fengjie; Zhang, Xiaoyong; Wei, Yen

2016-12-01

Surface modification of nanodiamond (ND) with poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) [poly(MPC)] has been achieved by using metal free surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The ATRP initiator was first immobilized on the surface of ND through direct esterification reaction between hydroxyl group of ND and 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide. The initiator could be employed to obtain ND-poly(MPC) nanocomposites through SI-ATRP using an organic catalyst. The final functional materials were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis in detailed. All of these characterization results demonstrated that ND-poly(MPC) have been successfully obtained via metal free photo-initiated SI-ATRP. The ND-poly(MPC) nanocomposites shown enhanced dispersibility in various solvents as well as excellent biocompatibility. As compared with traditional ATRP, the metal free ATRP is rather simple and effective. More importantly, this preparation method avoided the negative influence of metal catalysts. Therefore, the method described in this work should be a promising strategy for fabrication of polymeric nanocomposites with great potential for different applications especially in biomedical fields.

Free standing bulk metallic glass microcomponents: Tooling considerations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Byrne, Cormac; Eldrup, Morten Mostgaard; Ohnuma, Masato

2010-01-01

Bulk metallic glasses have enormous potential for use in small-scale devices such as MEMS and biomedical components. Thermoplastic forging of free standing components poses challenges unlike those seen when forging crystalline materials. Central to these challenges is the simultaneous advantage/disadvantage...

Thermomechanical cycling and two-way memory effect induced in Cu-Zn-Al

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pons, J.

1999-01-01

The two-way shape memory effect (TWME) has been induced by thermomechanical cycling in Cu-Zn-Al alloys using a dedicated hydraulic mechanical testing soft machine with complete computer control of force, elongation and temperature. The results concerning single crystals (composition Cu-16.9 wt.% Zn-7.7 wt.% Al, nominal M s of 273 K) and polycrystals (Cu-15.8 wt.% Zn-8.3 wt.% Al, nominal M s of 230 K, mean grain size of 1 mm) are reported for two training protocols (sequence of one thermomechanical cycle of education followed by one stress free thermal cycle to check the TWME or twenty consecutive thermomechanical cycles followed by one or two checking thermal cycles). The capacity of the trained specimen for producing work under an antagonist compressive stress is also studied and the behaviour of the deformation of the specimen under such a condition at different temperatures is analysed in terms of a competition between the contributions of the different variants: trained variants with an intrinsic deformation in the direction of the tensile stress of the training process, trained variants with an intrinsic deformation which is not well orientated with respect to this direction (in the polycrystal) and new variants with an intrinsic deformation in the direction of the compressive stress which can replace the educated variants. (orig.)

Interfacial properties of stanene-metal contacts

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Ying; Pan, Feng; Ye, Meng; Wang, Yangyang; Pan, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Xiuying; Li, Jingzhen; Zhang, Han; Lu, Jing

2016-09-01

Recently, two-dimensional buckled honeycomb stanene has been manufactured by molecular beam epitaxy growth. Free-standing stanene is predicted to have a sizable opened band gap of 100 meV at the Dirac point due to spin-orbit coupling (SOC), resulting in many fascinating properties such as quantum spin Hall effect, quantum anomalous Hall effect, and quantum valley Hall effect. In the first time, we systematically study the interfacial properties of stanene-metal interfaces (metals = Ag, Au, Cu, Al, Pd, Pt, Ir, and Ni) by using ab initio electronic structure calculations considering the SOC effects. The honeycomb structure of stanene is preserved on the metal supports, but the buckling height is changed. The buckling of stanene on the Au, Al, Ag, and Cu metal supports is higher than that of free-standing stanene. By contrast, a planar graphene-like structure is stabilized for stanene on the Ir, Pd, Pt, and Ni metal supports. The band structure of stanene is destroyed on all the metal supports, accompanied by a metallization of stanene because the covalent bonds between stanene and the metal supports are formed and the structure of stanene is distorted. Besides, no tunneling barrier exists between stanene and the metal supports. Therefore, stanene and the eight metals form a good vertical Ohmic contact.

Al/Ni metal intermetallic composite produced by accumulative roll bonding and reaction annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mozaffari, A.; Hosseini, M.; Manesh, H. Danesh

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Al/Ni metallic composites produced by accumulative roll bonding were heat treated at different temperatures and periods, to investigate the effect of reaction annealing on the structure and mechanical properties. → Based on the annealing conditions, various intermetallic phases were formed. The structure and composition of the composites were detected by SEM and XRD techniques. → The strength of the initial metallic composite can be improved due to the formation of the hard intermetallic phases, by the heat treatment process. - Abstract: In this research, Al/Ni multilayers composites were produced by accumulative roll bonding and then annealed at different temperatures and durations. The structure and mechanical properties of the fabricated metal intermetallic composites (MICs) were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses were used to evaluate the structure and composition of the composite. The Al 3 Ni intermetallic phase is formed in the Al/Ni interface of the samples annealed at 300 and 400 deg. C. When the temperature increased to 500 deg. C, the Al 3 Ni 2 phase was formed in the composite structure and grew, while the Al 3 Ni and Al phases were simultaneously dissociated. At these conditions, the strength of MIC reached the highest content and was enhanced by increasing time. At 600 deg. C, the AlNi phase was formed and the mechanical properties of MIC were intensively degraded due to the formation of structural porosities.

Crystallization behavior of Zr62Al8Ni13Cu17 Metallic Glass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jo Mi Sun

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The crystallization behavior has been studied in Zr62Al8Ni13Cu17 metallic glass alloy. The Zr62Al8Ni13Cu17 metallic glass crystallized through two steps. The fcc Zr2Ni phase transformed from the amorphous matrix during first crystallization and then the Zr2Ni and residual amorphous matrix transformed into a mixture of tetragonal Zr2Cu and hexagonal Zr6Al2Ni phases. Johnson-Mehl-Avrami analysis of isothermal transformation data suggested that the formation of crystalline phase is primary crystallization by diffusion-controlled growth.

Alternative route to metal halide free ionic liquids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takao, Koichiro; Ikeda, Yasuhisa

2008-01-01

An alternative synthetic route to metal halide free ionic liquids using trialkyloxonium salt is proposed. Utility of this synthetic route has been demonstrated by preparing 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid through the reaction between 1-methylimidazole and triethyloxonium tetra-fluoroborate in anhydrous ether. (author)

Analysis of Terminal Metallic Armor Plate Free-Surface Bulging

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Rapacki, Jr, E. J

2008-01-01

An analysis of the bulge formed on the free-surface of the terminal metallic plate of an armor array is shown to lead to reasonable estimates of the armor array's remaining penetration/perforation resistance...

Demonstrating electromagnetic control of free-surface, liquid-metal flows relevant to fusion reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Hvasta, M. G.; Kolemen, E.; Fisher, A. E.; Ji, H.

2018-01-01

Plasma-facing components (PFC’s) made from solid materials may not be able to withstand the large heat and particle fluxes that will be produced within next-generation fusion reactors. To address the shortcomings of solid PFC’s, a variety of liquid-metal (LM) PFC concepts have been proposed. Many of the suggested LM-PFC designs rely on electromagnetic restraint (Lorentz force) to keep free-surface, liquid-metal flows adhered to the interior surfaces of a fusion reactor. However, there is very little, if any, experimental data demonstrating that free-surface, LM-PFC’s can actually be electromagnetically controlled. Therefore, in this study, electrical currents were injected into a free-surface liquid-metal that was flowing through a uniform magnetic field. The resultant Lorentz force generated within the liquid-metal affected the velocity and depth of the flow in a controllable manner that closely matched theoretical predictions. These results show the promise of electromagnetic control for LM-PFC’s and suggest that electromagnetic control could be further developed to adjust liquid-metal nozzle output, prevent splashing within a tokamak, and alter heat transfer properties for a wide-range of liquid-metal systems.

TDP-43 protein variants as biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Stephanie M; Khan, Galam; Harris, Brent T; Ravits, John; Sierks, Michael R

2017-01-25

TDP-43 aggregates accumulate in individuals affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases, representing potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Using an atomic force microscopy based biopanning protocol developed in our lab, we previously isolated 23 TDP-43 reactive antibody fragments with preference for human ALS brain tissue relative to frontotemporal dementia, a related neurodegeneration, and healthy samples from phage-displayed single chain antibody fragment (scFv) libraries. Here we further characterize the binding specificity of these different scFvs and identify which ones have promise for detecting ALS biomarkers in human brain tissue and plasma samples. We developed a sensitive capture ELISA for detection of different disease related TDP-43 variants using the scFvs identified from the ALS biopanning. We show that a wide variety of disease selective TDP-43 variants are present in ALS as the scFvs show different reactivity profiles amongst the ALS cases. When assaying individual human brain tissue cases, three scFvs (ALS-TDP6, ALS-TDP10 and ALS-TDP14) reacted with all the ALS cases and 12 others reacted with the majority of the ALS cases, and none of the scFvs reacted with any control samples. When assaying individual human plasma samples, 9 different scFvs reacted with all the sporadic ALS samples and again none of them reacted with any control samples. These 9 different scFvs had different patterns of reactivity with plasma samples obtained from chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (c9orf72) cases indicating that these familial ALS genetic variants may display different TDP-43 pathology than sporadic ALS cases. These results indicated that a range of disease specific TDP-43 variants are generated in ALS patients with different variants being generated in sporadic and familial cases. We show that a small panel of scFvs recognizing different TDP-43 variants can generate a neuropathological and plasma biomarker

Atomic structure and formation of CuZrAl bulk metallic glasses and composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaban, I.; Jóvári, P.; Escher, B.; Tran, D.T.; Svensson, G.; Webb, M.A.; Regier, T.Z.; Kokotin, V.; Beuneu, B.; Gemming, T.; Eckert, J.

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: Partial radial distribution functions for Cu 47.5 Zr 47.5 Al 5 metallic glass and relevant crystal structures. - Abstract: Cu 47.5 Zr 47.5 Al 5 metallic glass is studied experimentally by high-energy X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution, electron diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The atomic structure of the glass is modeled by reverse Monte-Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. RMC modeling of seven experimental datasets enabled reliable separation of all partial pair distribution functions for Cu 47.5 Zr 47.5 Al 5 metallic glass. A peculiar structural feature of the ternary alloy is formation of the strong Al–Zr bonds, which are supposed to determine its high viscosity and enhanced bulk glass formation. Analysis of the local atomic order in Cu 47.5 Zr 47.5 Al 5 glass and Cu 10 Zr 7 , CuZr 2 and CuZr B2 crystalline structures elucidates their similarities and differences explaining the phase formation sequence by devitrification of the glass.

Atomically Thin Al2O3 Films for Tunnel Junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Wilt, Jamie; Gong, Youpin; Gong, Ming; Su, Feifan; Xu, Huikai; Sakidja, Ridwan; Elliot, Alan; Lu, Rongtao; Zhao, Shiping; Han, Siyuan; Wu, Judy Z.

2017-06-01

Metal-insulator-metal tunnel junctions are common throughout the microelectronics industry. The industry standard AlOx tunnel barrier, formed through oxygen diffusion into an Al wetting layer, is plagued by internal defects and pinholes which prevent the realization of atomically thin barriers demanded for enhanced quantum coherence. In this work, we employ in situ scanning tunneling spectroscopy along with molecular-dynamics simulations to understand and control the growth of atomically thin Al2O3 tunnel barriers using atomic-layer deposition. We find that a carefully tuned initial H2O pulse hydroxylated the Al surface and enabled the creation of an atomically thin Al2O3 tunnel barrier with a high-quality M -I interface and a significantly enhanced barrier height compared to thermal AlOx . These properties, corroborated by fabricated Josephson junctions, show that atomic-layer deposition Al2O3 is a dense, leak-free tunnel barrier with a low defect density which can be a key component for the next generation of metal-insulator-metal tunnel junctions.

Chemical sensitive interfacial free volume studies of nanophase Al-rich alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lechner, W.; Puff, W.; Wuerschum, R.; Wilde, G.

2006-01-01

Full text: Al-based nanocrystalline alloys have attracted substantial interest due to their outstanding mechanical properties. These alloys can be obtained by crystallization of melt-spun amorphous precursors or by grain refinement upon repeated cold-rolling of elemental layers. For both synthesis routes, the nanocrystallization process is sensitively affected by interfacial chemistry and free volumes. In order to contribute to an atomistic understanding of the interfacial structure and processes during nanocrystallization, the present work deals with studies of interfacial free volumes by means of positron-annihilation-spectroscopy. In addition to positron lifetime spectroscopy which yields information on the size of free volumes, coincident Doppler broadening of the positron-electron annihilation photons is applied as novel technique for studying the chemistry of interfaces in nanophase materials on an atomistic scale. Al-rich alloys of the above mentioned synthesis routes were studied in this work. (author)

A new high-κ Al2O3 based metal-insulator-metal antifuse

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Min; Zhong, Huicai; Li, Li; Wang, Zhigang

2018-06-01

In this paper, a new metal-insulator-metal (MIM) antifuse was fabricated with the high κ Al2O3 deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) as the dielectric. On this high κ antifuse structure, the very low on-state resistance was obtained under certain programming conditions. It is the first time that the antifuse on-state resistance has been found decreasing along with the increase of dielectric film thickness, which is attributed to a large current overshoot during breakdown. For the device with a dielectric thickness of 12 nm, very large overshoot current (∼60 mA) was observed and extremely low on-state resistance (∼10 Ω) was achieved.

Superconducting properties of GdBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub y} films by metal-organic deposition using new fluorine-free complex solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, T. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University, Johoku 3-5-1, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8561 (Japan); Kita, R. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University, Johoku 3-5-1, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8561 (Japan); CREST-JST, Honcho 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan)], E-mail: terkita@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp; Miura, O. [Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minamiosawa 1-1, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0364 (Japan); CREST-JST, Honcho 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan); Ichinose, A. [CRIEPI, Nagasaka 2-6-1, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 240-0916 (Japan); CREST-JST, Honcho 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan); Matsumoto, K. [Kyushu Institute of Techonology, Sensui-cho, Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu, Hukuoka 804-8550 (Japan); CREST-JST, Honcho 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan); Yoshida, Y. [Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); CREST-JST, Honcho 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan); Mukaida, M. [Kyushu University, Hakozaki 6-10-1, Higashi-ku 4-3-16, Fukuoka 992-8510 (Japan); CREST-JST, Honcho 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan); Horii, S. [University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8586 (Japan); CREST-JST, Honcho 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan)

2008-09-15

GdBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub y} (GdBCO) films have been prepared on LaAlO{sub 3} single-crystal substrates by metal-organic deposition (MOD) using new fluorine-free complex solutions consisting of metal 2-ethylhexanates (2-EH) and metal naphthenates. The dispersion of T{sub c} values for GdBCO films improved by using a complex solution, rather than only a solution of metal naphthenates. c-axis oriented GdBCO films with flat surfaces were grown under lower calcining temperatures and higher firing temperatures than in the process using only metal naphthenates. The T{sub c} and J{sub c} of the GdBCO films were 91.2 K and 0.61 MA/cm{sup 2}, respectively, at 77 K at self-field.

The evolving genetic risk for sporadic ALS.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Summer B; Downie, Jonathan M; Tsetsou, Spyridoula; Feusier, Julie E; Figueroa, Karla P; Bromberg, Mark B; Jorde, Lynn B; Pulst, Stefan M

2017-07-18

To estimate the genetic risk conferred by known amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-associated genes to the pathogenesis of sporadic ALS (SALS) using variant allele frequencies combined with predicted variant pathogenicity. Whole exome sequencing and repeat expansion PCR of C9orf72 and ATXN2 were performed on 87 patients of European ancestry with SALS seen at the University of Utah. DNA variants that change the protein coding sequence of 31 ALS-associated genes were annotated to determine which were rare and deleterious as predicted by MetaSVM. The percentage of patients with SALS with a rare and deleterious variant or repeat expansion in an ALS-associated gene was calculated. An odds ratio analysis was performed comparing the burden of ALS-associated genes in patients with SALS vs 324 normal controls. Nineteen rare nonsynonymous variants in an ALS-associated gene, 2 of which were found in 2 different individuals, were identified in 21 patients with SALS. Further, 5 deleterious C9orf72 and 2 ATXN2 repeat expansions were identified. A total of 17.2% of patients with SALS had a rare and deleterious variant or repeat expansion in an ALS-associated gene. The genetic burden of ALS-associated genes in patients with SALS as predicted by MetaSVM was significantly higher than in normal controls. Previous analyses have identified SALS-predisposing variants only in terms of their rarity in normal control populations. By incorporating variant pathogenicity as well as variant frequency, we demonstrated that the genetic risk contributed by these genes for SALS is substantially lower than previous estimates. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

Synthesis of Fe-Al nanoparticles by hydrogen plasma-metal reaction

CERN Document Server

Liu Tong; Li Xing Guo

2003-01-01

Fe-Al nanoparticles of eight kinds have been prepared by hydrogen plasma-metal reaction. The morphology, crystal structure, and chemical composition of the nanoparticles obtained were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffractometry (XRD), and induction-coupled plasma spectroscopy. The particle size was determined by TEM and Brunaumer-Emmet-Teller gas adsorption. It was found that all the nanoparticles have spherical shapes, with average particle size in the range of 29-46 nm. The oxide layer in nanoparticles containing Al after passivation is not observable by XRD and TEM. The Al contents in Fe-Al ultrafine particles are about 1.2-1.5 times those in the master alloys. The evaporation speeds of Al and Fe in Fe-Al alloys are mutually accelerated at a certain composition. The crystal structures of the Fe-Al nanoparticles vary with the composition of the master alloys. Pure Fe sub 3 Al (D0 sub 3) and FeAl (B2) structures are successfully produced with 15 and 25 at.% Al in bulks, respe...

Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Al-MCM-41 via In Situ Aqueous Synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alonso-Lemus, I.; Aguilar-Elguezabal, A.; Alvarez-Contreras, L.; Verde-Gomez, Y.

2010-01-01

MCM-41 have been used to custom synthesize catalysts in because of the controllable properties, such as pore size, active phase incorporation, crystal size, and morphology, among others. In this paper, a simple and versatile method for the incorporation of platinum, ruthenium, and palladium onto Al-MCM-41 mesoporous silica by direct inclusion of various precursors was studied. M/Al-MCM-41 structure, textural properties, morphology, and elemental composition were analyzed. The results obtained indicate that the Al-MCM-41 mesoporous-ordered structure was not affected by metallic particle incorporation. High-surface areas were obtained (1131 m2/g). Metallic nanoparticles dispersion on Al-MCM-41 was homogeneous for all samples and its particles sizes were between 6?nm to 20 nm. Microscopy results show round shape particles in platinum and palladium samples; however, ruthenium catalysts exhibit a spherical and rod shapes. Electrochemical testing for Pt/Al-MCM-41 showed electrocatalytic activity for H2 oxidation which indicates that these materials can be used as a catalyst in electrochemical devices.

ENHANCEMENT OF ACIDITY AND CATALYTIC ACTIVITY OF ALUMINA BASED METAL ORGANIC FRAMEWORK (MIL-53 Al)

OpenAIRE

Yilmaz, Esra; Sert, Emine; Atalay, Ferhan Sami

2017-01-01

Metal organic frameworks are highly porous materials which are formed bycombination of metal precursor and salts as inorganic part and ligand asorganic part. They have many advantages such as low density, high surface area,tunable pore size and high porosity. Due to peculiar features, such asunsaturated metal active sites, high surface area and easily functionalization,its usage as catalyst are promising.  The MIL-53(Al) structure contains chains of transcorner-sharing [AlO4(OH)2] oc...

Crack-free AlGaN-based UV LED on Si(111) substrate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saengkaew, P.; Dadgar, A.; Blaesing, J.; Witte, H.; Mueller, M.; Guenther, K.M.; Fey, T.; Bastek, B.; Bertram, F.; Kurnatowski, M. von; Wieneke, M.; Hempel, T.; Veit, P.; Clos, R.; Christen, J.; Krost, A. [FNW/IEP/AHE Otto-von-Guericke-Universitaet Magdeburg (Germany)

2010-07-01

To achieve low-cost UV LEDs on large-diameter substrates it is a very interesting approach to grow AlGaN on low-cost Si substrates. Here, AlGaN layers and AlGaN LED structures grown on Si(111) were additionally monitored by in-situ curvature measurements. They show that with the insertion of AlN-based SL buffer layers and LT-AlN interlayers, the AlGaN layers are under compressive stress during growth enabling to compensate tensile stress after cooling. To characterize the crystalline quality, HR-XRD measurements were performed. Cross-sectional TEM to investigate dislocation propagation and annihilation. n- and p- conductivities were achieved by Si and Mg doping of the layers, respectively. By C-V and Hall-effect measurements, the maximum free-electron concentration of 2.6{sup +18} cm{sup -3} and free-hole concentration of 2.4{sup +17} cm{sup -3} by using a structure of Mg-doped GaN/Al{sub 0.1}Ga{sub 0.9}N multilayers for the latter were determined. A GaN/Al{sub 0.1}Ga{sub 0.9}N MQW structure showed near UV-luminescence around 350-360 nm. The optical and electrical properties of AlGaN-based LED samples were further characterized by I-V, EL, PL and CL measurements. The I-V measurements show forward-diode characteristics with turn-on voltage about 2.6-3.1 V.

Interface evolution and shear strength of Al/Ti bi-metals processed by a spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miriyev, Aslan, E-mail: aslan.miriyev@columbia.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University in the City of New York, 500 W. 120th St., Mudd 220, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Levy, Asaf; Kalabukhov, Sergey; Frage, Nachum [Department of Materials Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer Sheva 8410501 (Israel)

2016-09-05

Microstructural evolution of the Al/Ti bi-metal interface during heat treatment in a spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus was investigated under various conditions for the first time. A mechanism of interfacial layer growth was suggested based on the results of SEM, TEM and X-ray diffraction analysis. A continuous TiAl{sub 3} intermetallic layer was formed at the Al/Ti interface even after a processing time as short as about a minute. The TiAl{sub 3} layer grew mainly into the Ti part, while only a few individual grains grew into the Al part. Evolution of the interlayer was determined by Al diffusion through the (TiAl{sub 3}/TiAl{sub 3}) grain boundary. The activation energy of the process was 140 kJ/mol. The shear strength of the interface in the Al/Ti bi-metal was determined after various heat treatments. The shear strength of the bi-metal was limited by the properties of aluminum, with no effect of interlayer thickness or current mode and pulse pattern of the SPS treatment being detected. - Highlights: • Spark plasma sintering apparatus was used for heat treatment of Al/Ti bi-metals. • Microstructural evolution of Al/Ti interface during SPS treatment was investigated. • A continuous TiAl{sub 3} intermetallic layer was formed at the Al/Ti interface. • The bi-metal shear strength was limited by the properties of pure aluminum. • No effect of TiAl{sub 3} thickness or SPS current mode and pulse pattern was detected.

Analytical methods for determination of free metal ion concentration, labile species fraction and metal complexation capacity of environmental waters: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Pesavento, Maria; Alberti, Giancarla; Biesuz, Raffaela

2009-01-12

Different experimental approaches have been suggested in the last few decades to determine metal species in complex matrices of unknown composition as environmental waters. The methods are mainly focused on the determination of single species or groups of species. The more recent developments in trace elements speciation are reviewed focusing on methods for labile and free metal determination. Electrochemical procedures with low detection limit as anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) and the competing ligand exchange with adsorption cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE-AdCSV) have been widely employed in metal distribution studies in natural waters. Other electrochemical methods such as stripping chronopotentiometry and AGNES seem to be promising to evaluate the free metal concentration at the low levels of environmental samples. Separation techniques based on ion exchange (IE) and complexing resins (CR), and micro separation methods as the Donnan membrane technique (DMT), diffusive gradients in thin-film gels (DGT) and the permeation liquid membrane (PLM), are among the non-electrochemical methods largely used in this field and reviewed in the text. Under appropriate conditions such techniques make possible the evaluation of free metal ion concentration.

Spray pyrolysis synthesis of γ-Al_2O_3 supported metal and metal phosphide catalysts and their activity in the hydrodeoxygenation of a bio-oil model compound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ly, Hoang Vu; Im, Kyungmin; Go, Youngchae; Galiwango, Emmanuel; Kim, Seung-Soo; Kim, Jinsoo; Choi, Jae Hyung; Woo, Hee Chul

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Spherical γ-Al_2O_3 supported metal and metal phosphide catalysts were synthesized by spray pyrolysis method. • Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of 2-furyl methyl ketone (FMK) was conducted using metal/metal phosphide catalysts. • FMK was converted into 2-allyl furan and methyl cyclohexane. • The highest FMK conversion of 83% was achieved over 10 wt% Ni/γ-Al_2O_3 catalysts at reaction temperature of 400 °C. - Abstract: In this study, spherical γ-Al_2O_3 supported metal and metal phosphide (Ni, Co, Ni_2P and CoP) catalysts were successfully prepared by combining sol-gel and spray pyrolysis methods. First boehmite sol was prepared based on the Yoldas process and then the corresponding metal salts were added to the sol at the desired concentration, followed by spray pyrolysis of the mixed solution. As the well-mixed solution was transformed to spherical γ-Al_2O_3 supported metal and metal phosphide catalysts during spray pyrolysis process, the metal species were uniformly distributed in the mesoporous γ-Al_2O_3 supports. The product catalysts were investigated under different conditions for hydrodeoxygenation of bio-oil model compound, 2-furyl methyl ketone (FMK), which is the main component of the bio-oil product from pyrolysis of Saccharina japonica. Among the investigated catalysts, the 10 wt% Ni/γ-Al_2O_3 catalyst after calcination at 800 °C showed the highest FMK conversion of 83.02% at the reaction temperature of 400 °C. The gas and liquid products were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) with TCD/FID detectors and GC–MS, respectively, to determine the product compositions.

Loss of metal ions, disulfide reduction and mutations related to familial ALS promote formation of amyloid-like aggregates from superoxide dismutase.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeynep A Oztug Durer

Full Text Available Mutations in the gene encoding Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1 are one of the causes of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS. Fibrillar inclusions containing SOD1 and SOD1 inclusions that bind the amyloid-specific dye thioflavin S have been found in neurons of transgenic mice expressing mutant SOD1. Therefore, the formation of amyloid fibrils from human SOD1 was investigated. When agitated at acidic pH in the presence of low concentrations of guanidine or acetonitrile, metalated SOD1 formed fibrillar material which bound both thioflavin T and Congo red and had circular dichroism and infrared spectra characteristic of amyloid. While metalated SOD1 did not form amyloid-like aggregates at neutral pH, either removing metals from SOD1 with its intramolecular disulfide bond intact or reducing the intramolecular disulfide bond of metalated SOD1 was sufficient to promote formation of these aggregates. SOD1 formed amyloid-like aggregates both with and without intermolecular disulfide bonds, depending on the incubation conditions, and a mutant SOD1 lacking free sulfhydryl groups (AS-SOD1 formed amyloid-like aggregates at neutral pH under reducing conditions. ALS mutations enhanced the ability of disulfide-reduced SOD1 to form amyloid-like aggregates, and apo-AS-SOD1 formed amyloid-like aggregates at pH 7 only when an ALS mutation was also present. These results indicate that some mutations related to ALS promote formation of amyloid-like aggregates by facilitating the loss of metals and/or by making the intramolecular disulfide bond more susceptible to reduction, thus allowing the conversion of SOD1 to a form that aggregates to form resembling amyloid. Furthermore, the occurrence of amyloid-like aggregates per se does not depend on forming intermolecular disulfide bonds, and multiple forms of such aggregates can be produced from SOD1.

Polymer-Oxide Nanolayer/Al Composite Cathode for Efficient Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Guo, Tzung-Fang; Wen, Ten-Chin

2007-01-01

...). The author proposed to place a salt-free, polymer-oxide nanolayer at the interface between the light-emissive polymer layer with Al as the device cathode instead of using low work function metals, such as Ca or LiF/Al...

A free-piston Stirling cryocooler using metal diaphragms

Science.gov (United States)

Caughley, Alan; Sellier, Mathieu; Gschwendtner, Michael; Tucker, Alan

2016-12-01

A novel concept for a free-piston Stirling cryocooler has been proposed. The concept uses a pair of metal diaphragms to seal and suspend the displacer of a free-piston Stirling cryocooler. The diaphragms allow the displacer to move without rubbing or moving seals, potentially resulting in a long-life mechanism. When coupled to a metal diaphragm pressure wave generator, the system produces a complete Stirling cryocooler with no rubbing parts in the working gas space. Initial modelling of this concept using the Sage modelling tool indicates the potential for a useful cryocooler. A proof-of-concept prototype was constructed and achieved cryogenic temperatures. A second prototype was designed and constructed using the experience gained from the first. The prototype produced 29 W of cooling at 77 K and reached a no-load temperature of 56 K. Sage predicted the macroscopic behaviour of the prototype well but did not provide sufficient insights to improve performance significantly. This paper presents details of the development, modelling and testing of the proof-of-concept prototype and a second, improved prototype.

On the applicability of nearly free electron model for resistivity calculations in liquid metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorecki, J.; Popielawski, J.

1982-09-01

The calculations of resistivity based on the nearly free electron model are presented for many noble and transition liquid metals. The triple ion correlation is included in resistivity formula according to SCQCA approximation. Two different methods for describing the conduction band are used. The problem of applicability of the nearly free electron model for different metals is discussed. (author)

AlN metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors using Si-ion implantation

Science.gov (United States)

Okumura, Hironori; Suihkonen, Sami; Lemettinen, Jori; Uedono, Akira; Zhang, Yuhao; Piedra, Daniel; Palacios, Tomás

2018-04-01

We report on the electrical characterization of Si-ion implanted AlN layers and the first demonstration of metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) with an ion-implanted AlN channel. The ion-implanted AlN layers with Si dose of 5 × 1014 cm-2 exhibit n-type characteristics after thermal annealing at 1230 °C. The ion-implanted AlN MESFETs provide good drain current saturation and stable pinch-off operation even at 250 °C. The off-state breakdown voltage is 2370 V for drain-to-gate spacing of 25 µm. These results show the great potential of AlN-channel transistors for high-temperature and high-power applications.

Preparation of carbon-free TEM microgrids by metal sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janbroers, S.; Kruijff, T.R. de; Xu, Q.; Kooyman, P.J.; Zandbergen, H.W.

2009-01-01

A new method for preparing carbon-free, temperature-stable Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) grids is presented. An 80% Au/20% Pd metal film is deposited onto a 'holey' microgrid carbon supported on standard mixed-mesh Au TEM grids. Subsequently, the carbon film is selectively removed using plasma cleaning. In this way, an all-metal TEM film is made containing the 'same' microgrid as the original carbon film. Although electron transparency of the foil is reduced significantly, the open areas for TEM inspection of material over these areas are maintained. The metal foil can be prepared with various thicknesses and ensures good electrical conductivity. The new Au/Pd grids are stable to at least 775 K under vacuum conditions.

Preparation of carbon-free TEM microgrids by metal sputtering.

Science.gov (United States)

Janbroers, S; de Kruijff, T R; Xu, Q; Kooyman, P J; Zandbergen, H W

2009-08-01

A new method for preparing carbon-free, temperature-stable Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) grids is presented. An 80% Au/20% Pd metal film is deposited onto a 'holey' microgrid carbon supported on standard mixed-mesh Au TEM grids. Subsequently, the carbon film is selectively removed using plasma cleaning. In this way, an all-metal TEM film is made containing the 'same' microgrid as the original carbon film. Although electron transparency of the foil is reduced significantly, the open areas for TEM inspection of material over these areas are maintained. The metal foil can be prepared with various thicknesses and ensures good electrical conductivity. The new Au/Pd grids are stable to at least 775K under vacuum conditions.

TiO2 Photocatalyzed Oxidation of Free and Complex Metallic Cyanides.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valladares, J. E.; Esteghamatdarsthad, B.; Renteria, J.

2006-07-01

The TiO2 photo catalyzed oxidation of free cyanide and transition metal cyanide complexes often found in industrial mining wastes were studied. The photoreactor system used was a UV illuminated and stirred tank with suspended particles of TiO2. After to determine the optimization parameters such as light intensity, concentration of complex and free cyanides, in ideal conditions, the effect of the presence of different type of anions was also studied. The model substances chosen were potassium cyanide and cyanides complexes of Iron, Cobalt and Copper in a strong alkaline solution (pH = 11.0 - 12.0). The experimental results indicate that in the case of the hexaferricyanide complex Fe(CN)6 3, the reaction occur in two steps. The first step is the breakdown of the metal-cyanide bond (photo-dissociation) forming free cyanide (CN-) and Fe3+ ions. The second step is the photo-oxidation of the free cyanides formed before. The ions Fe3+ and OH- present in the alkaline solution, precipitate as iron hydroxide Fe(OH)3. During the photo-dissociation step of the iron complex, free CN- ions produced reaches a maximum concentration before it is eliminated by photo-oxidation. The free cyanide produced from the hexaferricyanide complex disappears rapidly at a velocity of 64.6 + - 5.0 ?M/min. This rate of photo-oxidation is comparable with the experiments using just alkaline solutions of potassium cyanide ('free cyanides'). In contrast, in alkaline solutions of cyanide complexes of Cu and Co the rate of photo-oxidation was substantially reduced (6.17+ - 0.80 ?M/min and 0.04 + - 0.010 ?M/min, respectively) and do not show any initial increase of free cyanides in the suspension. The slower rate of photo-oxidation suggests the formation of very stable hydroxyl-cyanide polymeric metallic complexes in the reaction mix. The photo-oxidation pathway of the nitrogen oxide products was also investigated and found that the final product consists mainly of nitrate ions. (Author)

Antimicrobial Activity of Nitric Oxide-Releasing Ti-6Al-4V Metal Oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Reger, Nina A.; Meng, Wilson S.; Gawalt, Ellen S.

2017-01-01

Titanium and titanium alloy materials are commonly used in joint replacements, due to the high strength of the materials. Pathogenic microorganisms can easily adhere to the surface of the metal implant, leading to an increased potential for implant failure. The surface of a titanium-aluminum-vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V) metal oxide implant material was functionalized to deliver an small antibacterial molecule, nitric oxide. S-nitroso-penicillamine, a S-nitrosothiol nitric oxide donor, was covalently immobilized on the metal oxide surface using self-assembled monolayers. Infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm the attachment of the S-nitrosothiol donor to the Ti-Al-4V surface. Attachment of S-nitroso-penicillamine resulted in a nitric oxide (NO) release of 89.6 ± 4.8 nmol/cm2 under physiological conditions. This low concentration of nitric oxide reduced Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis growth by 41.5 ± 1.2% and 25.3 ± 0.6%, respectively. Combining the S-nitrosothiol releasing Ti-6Al-4V with tetracycline, a commonly-prescribed antibiotic, increased the effectiveness of the antibiotic by 35.4 ± 1.3%, which allows for lower doses of antibiotics to be used. A synergistic effect of ampicillin with S-nitroso-penicillamine-modified Ti-6Al-4V against S. epidermidis was not observed. The functionalized Ti-6Al-4V surface was not cytotoxic to mouse fibroblasts. PMID:28635681

Ion beam sputter deposited TiAlN films for metal-insulator-metal (Ba,Sr)TiO3 capacitor application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.-Y.; Wang, S.-C.; Chen, J.-S.; Huang, J.-L.

2008-01-01

The present study evaluated the feasibility of TiAlN films deposited using the ion beam sputter deposition (IBSD) method for metal-insulator-metal (MIM) (Ba,Sr)TiO 3 (BST) capacitors. The BST films were crystallized at temperatures above 650 deg. C. TiAlN films deposited using the IBSD method were found having smooth surface and low electrical resistivity at high temperature conditions. TiAlN films showed a good diffusion barrier property against BST components. The J-E (current density-electric field) characteristics of Al/BST/TiAlN capacitors were good, with a high break down electric field of ± 2.5 MV/cm and a leakage current density of about 1 x 10 -5 A/cm 2 at an applied field of ± 0.5 MV/cm. Thermal stress and lateral oxidation that occurred at the interface damaged the capacitor stacking structure. Macro holes that dispersed on the films resulted in higher leakage current and inconsistent J-E characteristics. Vacuum annealing with lower heating rate and furnace cooling, and a Ti-Al adhesion layer between TiAlN and the SiO 2 /Si substrate can effectively minimize the stress effect. TiAlN film deposited using IBSD can be considered as a potential electrode and diffusion barrier material for MIM BST capacitors

Base-oxidant promoted metal-free N-demethylation of arylamines

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A metal-free oxidative N-demethylation of arylamines with triethylamine as a base and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as oxidant is reported in this paper. The reaction is general, practical, inexpensive, non-toxic, and the method followed is environmentally benign, with moderate to good yields.

Parameters affecting the production of Al-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ metal matrix particulate composite, (MMPC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaid, A.I.O.; Jaber, F.

2003-01-01

Aluminum-ceramic composites were made by powder metallurgy up to early 80's. Since then several attempts Metal have been made to produce these composites by liquid metallurgy method. Different techniques have been reported to produce these composites by this method and many difficulties have been encountered in wetting the particles by the molten metal due to the difference in densities which caused non uniform distribution of the particles in the matrix resulting in poor mechanical strength. In this paper, the production of aluminum-aluminum oxide (Al-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/) metal matrix composite by different techniques is investigated. These include injection, centrifugal vortex, compocasting and a newly suggested method, modified vortex technique. The effect of the process parameters are investigated and discussed and the optimum process conditions were determined. It was found that preheating of the alumina powder for one hour at 1050 deg. before introducing it to the aluminum melt is vital to be accepted by the melt. Incorporation of the alumina particles by injecting them below the surface of the melt resulted in better wettability of the particles but no more than 10% volume fraction was achieved. Similarly, in the centrifuged casting technique, the same volume fraction of the Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ particles was obtained and in both techniques existence of porosity was observed. The vortex technique, when its parameters were optimized resulted in higher volume fraction, as 25% of alumina particles was achieved with better particle distribution than those obtained by the injection and centrifuged casting methods. Comparison among the different techniques is made based on volume fraction, particle distribution, soundness and micro segregation. A new method, based on modifying the vortex technique is given and discussed. The mechanical strength and hardness of Al-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ MMPC produced by this method were determined. It was found that an increase of 100% in

Metal-free carbon materials-catalyzed sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes: A review on heterogeneous catalysts and applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qingxia; Mao, Qiming; Zhou, Yaoyu; Wei, Jianhong; Liu, Xiaocheng; Yang, Junying; Luo, Lin; Zhang, Jiachao; Chen, Hong; Chen, Hongbo; Tang, Lin

2017-12-01

In recent years, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), especially sulfate radical based AOPs have been widely used in various fields of wastewater treatment due to their capability and adaptability in decontamination. Recently, metal-free carbon materials catalysts in sulfate radical production has been more and more concerned because these materials have been demonstrated to be promising alternatives to conventional metal-based catalysts, but the review of metal-free catalysts is rare. The present review outlines the current state of knowledge on the generation of sulfate radical using metal-free catalysts including carbon nanotubes, graphene, mesoporous carbon, activated carbon, activated carbon fiber, nanodiamond. The mechanism such as the radical pathway and non-radical pathway, and factors influencing of the activation of sulfate radical was also be revealed. Knowledge gaps and research needs have been identified, which include the perspectives on challenges related to metal-free catalyst, heterogeneous metal-free catalyst/persulfate systems and their potential in practical environmental remediation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microstructural discovery of Al addition on Sn–0.5Cu-based Pb-free solder design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Jahyun; Lee, Changsoo; Hong, Sung Jea; Kim, Keun-Soo; Lee, Hyuck Mo

2015-01-01

It is important to develop Pb-free solder alloys suitable for automotive use instead of traditional Sn–Pb solder due to environmental regulations (e.g., Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)). Al addition has been spotlighted to enhance solder properties. In this study, we investigated the microstructural change of Sn–0.5Cu wt.% based Pb-free solder alloys with Al addition (0.01–0.05 wt.%). The small amount of Al addition caused a remarkable microstructural change. The Al was favored to form Cu–Al intermetallic compounds inside the solder matrix. We identified the Cu–Al intermetallic compound as Cu_3_3Al_1_7, which has a rhombohedral structure, using EPMA and TEM analyses. This resulted in refined Cu_6Sn_5 networks in the Sn–0.5Cu based solder alloy. In addition, we conducted thermal analysis to confirm its stability at a high temperature of approximately 230 °C, which is the necessary temperature range for automotive applications. The solidification results were substantiated thermodynamically using the Scheil solidification model. We can provide criteria for the minimum aluminum content to modify the microstructure of Pb-free solder alloys. - Graphical abstract: The minor Al additions refined eutectic Cu_6Sn_5 IMC networks on the Sn–0.5Cu based solder alloys. The microstructure was dramatically changed with the minor Al addition. - Highlights: • We observed dramatic microstructure-change with Al additions. • We defined Cu_3_3Al_1_7 IMC with Al additions using TEM analysis. • We investigated grain refinement with Al additions using EBSD. • We discussed the refinement based on Scheil solidification model.

Microstructural discovery of Al addition on Sn–0.5Cu-based Pb-free solder design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koo, Jahyun; Lee, Changsoo [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Hong, Sung Jea [MK Electron Co., Ltd., Yongin Cheoin-gu 316-2 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Keun-Soo, E-mail: keunsookim@hoseo.edu [Department of Display Engineering, Hoseo University, Asan 336-795 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hyuck Mo, E-mail: hmlee@kaist.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-11-25

It is important to develop Pb-free solder alloys suitable for automotive use instead of traditional Sn–Pb solder due to environmental regulations (e.g., Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)). Al addition has been spotlighted to enhance solder properties. In this study, we investigated the microstructural change of Sn–0.5Cu wt.% based Pb-free solder alloys with Al addition (0.01–0.05 wt.%). The small amount of Al addition caused a remarkable microstructural change. The Al was favored to form Cu–Al intermetallic compounds inside the solder matrix. We identified the Cu–Al intermetallic compound as Cu{sub 33}Al{sub 17}, which has a rhombohedral structure, using EPMA and TEM analyses. This resulted in refined Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5} networks in the Sn–0.5Cu based solder alloy. In addition, we conducted thermal analysis to confirm its stability at a high temperature of approximately 230 °C, which is the necessary temperature range for automotive applications. The solidification results were substantiated thermodynamically using the Scheil solidification model. We can provide criteria for the minimum aluminum content to modify the microstructure of Pb-free solder alloys. - Graphical abstract: The minor Al additions refined eutectic Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5} IMC networks on the Sn–0.5Cu based solder alloys. The microstructure was dramatically changed with the minor Al addition. - Highlights: • We observed dramatic microstructure-change with Al additions. • We defined Cu{sub 33}Al{sub 17} IMC with Al additions using TEM analysis. • We investigated grain refinement with Al additions using EBSD. • We discussed the refinement based on Scheil solidification model.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of nano-multilayered Zr-O/Al-O coatings deposited by cathodic vacuum arc plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhitomirsky, V.N.; Kim, S.K.; Burstein, L.; Boxman, R.L.

2010-01-01

Nano-multilayered Zr-O/Al-O coatings with alternating Zr-O and Al-O layers having a bi-layer period of 6-7 nm and total coating thickness of 1.0-1.2 μm were deposited using a cathodic vacuum arc plasma process on rotating Si substrates. Plasmas generated from two cathodes, Zr and Al, were deposited simultaneously in a mixture of Ar and O 2 background gases. The Zr-O/Al-O coatings, as well as bulk ZrO 2 and Al 2 O 3 reference samples, were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XPS spectra were analyzed on the surface and after sputtering with a 4 kV Ar + ion gun. High resolution angle resolved spectra were obtained at three take-off angles: 15 o , 45 o and 75 o relative to the sample surface. It was shown that preferential sputtering of oxygen took place during XPS of bulk reference ZrO 2 samples, producing ZrO and free Zr along with ZrO 2 in the XPS spectra. In contrast, no preferential sputtering was observed with Al 2 O 3 reference samples. The Zr-O/Al-O coatings contained a large amount of free metals along with their oxides. Free Zr and Al were observed in the coating spectra both before and after sputtering, and thus cannot be due solely to preferential sputtering. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the Zr-O/Al-O coatings had a nano-multilayered structure with well distinguished alternating layers. However, both of the alternating layers of the coating contained of a mixture of aluminum and zirconium oxides and free Al and Zr metals. The concentration of Zr and Al changed periodically with distance normal to the coating surface: the Zr maximum coincided with the Al minimum and vice versa. However the concentration of Zr in both alternating layers was significantly larger than that of Al. Despite the large free metal concentration, the Knoop hardness, 21.5 GPa, was relatively high, which might be attributed to super-lattice formation or formation of a metal-oxide nanocomposite within the layers.

Recent Progress in Graphite Intercalation Compounds for Rechargeable Metal (Li, Na, K, Al)-Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jiantie; Dou, Yuhai; Wei, Zengxi; Ma, Jianmin; Deng, Yonghong; Li, Yutao; Liu, Huakun; Dou, Shixue

2017-10-01

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with higher energy density are very necessary to meet the increasing demand for devices with better performance. With the commercial success of lithiated graphite, other graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) have also been intensively reported, not only for LIBs, but also for other metal (Na, K, Al) ion batteries. In this Progress Report, we briefly review the application of GICs as anodes and cathodes in metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries. After a brief introduction on the development history of GICs, the electrochemistry of cationic GICs and anionic GICs is summarized. We further briefly summarize the use of cationic GICs and anionic GICs in alkali ion batteries and the use of anionic GICs in aluminium-ion batteries. Finally, we reach some conclusions on the drawbacks, major progress, emerging challenges, and some perspectives on the development of GICs for metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries. Further development of GICs for metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries is not only a strong supplement to the commercialized success of lithiated-graphite for LIBs, but also an effective strategy to develop diverse high-energy batteries for stationary energy storage in the future.

Morphological and structural characterizations of dendrimer-mediated metallic Ti and Al thin film nanocomposites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curry, M. [Center for Materials for Information Technology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States); Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States); Li, X. [Center for Materials for Information Technology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States); Department of Metallurgical and Materials Science and Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States); Zhang, J. [Center for Materials for Information Technology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States); Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States); Weaver, M.L. [Center for Materials for Information Technology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States); Department of Metallurgical and Materials Science and Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States); Street, S.C. [Center for Materials for Information Technology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States) and Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0209 (United States)]. E-mail: sstreet@bama.ua.edu

2007-02-26

Evidence is presented here for significant influence on the surface topography of Ti and Al films in the presence of poly(amidoamine) dendrimer monolayers [generations G(4-8)] on SiO {sub x}. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis clearly indicates formation of nitrides and carbides for Ti metal grown on dendrimer monolayers. In addition, obvious trends in measured correlation lengths and crystalline growth modes of Ti films indicate grain sizes tracking the intrinsic roughness of dendrimer monolayers. No formation of metal nitride is observed for Al depositions. Atomic force microscopy analyses show significant changes in rms vertical roughness and aggregation of as-deposited Ti or Al in presence of dendrimer monolayers.

Formation of Negative Metal Ions in a Field-Free Plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsson, E

1969-02-15

A field-free and homogeneous plasma of a large volume is formed by neutron irradiation of {sup 3}He at a density corresponding to NTP and at gas temperatures in the range 300-1600 deg K. The accuracy and ease by which the source density of free electrons can be varied and controlled offers special possibilities to study recombination and attachment phenomena in the absence of diffusion. These possibilities are described and utilized for the study of the effects of mixing the helium gas with metal vapours. Attachment of electrons to neutral metal atoms is found to be the dominant cause of electron removal for metal concentrations above certain limits. Negative metal ions are formed and the rate of their formation was determined to be about 10{sup -13} cm{sup 3}/s. Evidence is also presented, that for such conditions where formation of negative metal ions does not occur, the electrons are lost in electron-ion recombinations, in which the third body is not an electron. No molecular helium spectrum is observed from the plasma when it is very close to spectroscopic purity. Instead, between 3,000-7,000 A only one atomic helium line at 5875 A is observed. The recombination of He{sup +}{sub 2} may therefore be dissociative. A difference in recombination behaviour between {sup 3}He and {sup 4}He at high pressures may therefore exist considering results from previous work on {sup 4}He.

Formation of Negative Metal Ions in a Field-Free Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsson, E.

1969-02-01

A field-free and homogeneous plasma of a large volume is formed by neutron irradiation of 3 He at a density corresponding to NTP and at gas temperatures in the range 300-1600 deg K. The accuracy and ease by which the source density of free electrons can be varied and controlled offers special possibilities to study recombination and attachment phenomena in the absence of diffusion. These possibilities are described and utilized for the study of the effects of mixing the helium gas with metal vapours. Attachment of electrons to neutral metal atoms is found to be the dominant cause of electron removal for metal concentrations above certain limits. Negative metal ions are formed and the rate of their formation was determined to be about 10 -13 cm 3 /s. Evidence is also presented, that for such conditions where formation of negative metal ions does not occur, the electrons are lost in electron-ion recombinations, in which the third body is not an electron. No molecular helium spectrum is observed from the plasma when it is very close to spectroscopic purity. Instead, between 3,000-7,000 A only one atomic helium line at 5875 A is observed. The recombination of He + 2 may therefore be dissociative. A difference in recombination behaviour between 3 He and 4 He at high pressures may therefore exist considering results from previous work on 4 He

Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor Cores using Uranium-Free Metallic Fuels for Maximizing TRU Support Ratio

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

You, WuSeung; Hong, Ser Gi

2014-01-01

The depleted uranium plays important roles in the SFR burner cores because it substantially contributes to the inherent safety of the core through the negative Doppler coefficient and large delayed neutron. However, the use of depleted uranium as a diluent nuclide leads to a limited value of TRU support ratio due to the generation of TRUs through the breeding. In this paper, we designed sodium cooled fast reactor (SFR) cores having uranium-free fuels 3,4 for maximization of TRU consumption rate. However, the uranium-free fuelled burner cores can be penalized by unacceptably small values of the Doppler coefficient and small delayed neutron fraction. In this work, metallic fuels of TRU-(W or Ni)-Zr are considered to improve the performances of the uranium-free cores. The objective of this work is to consistently compare the neutronic performances of uranium-free sodium cooled fast reactor cores having TRU-Zr metallic fuels added with Ni or W and also to clarify what are the problematic features to be resolved. In this paper, a consistent comparative study of 400MWe sodium cooled burner cores having uranium-based fuels and uranium-free fuels was done to analyze the relative core neutronic features. Also, we proposed a uranium-free metallic fuel based on Nickel. From the results, it is found that tungsten-based uranium-free metallic fuel gives large negative Doppler coefficient due to high resonance of tungsten isotopes but this core has large sodium void worth and small effective delayed neutron fraction while the nickel-based uranium-free metallic fuelled core has less negative Doppler coefficient but smaller sodium void worth and larger effective delayed neutron fraction than the tungsten-based one. On the other hand, the core having TRU-Zr has very high burnup reactivity swing which may be problematic in compensating it using control rods and the least negative Doppler coefficient

Preparation of carbon-free TEM microgrids by metal sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janbroers, S., E-mail: stephan.janbroers@albemarle.com [Albemarle Catalysts B.V., Nieuwendammerkade 1-3, 1030 BE, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft (Netherlands); Kruijff, T.R. de; Xu, Q. [Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft (Netherlands); Kooyman, P.J. [DelftChemTech, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 136, 2628 BL, Delft (Netherlands); Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft (Netherlands); Zandbergen, H.W. [Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft (Netherlands)

2009-08-15

A new method for preparing carbon-free, temperature-stable Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) grids is presented. An 80% Au/20% Pd metal film is deposited onto a 'holey' microgrid carbon supported on standard mixed-mesh Au TEM grids. Subsequently, the carbon film is selectively removed using plasma cleaning. In this way, an all-metal TEM film is made containing the 'same' microgrid as the original carbon film. Although electron transparency of the foil is reduced significantly, the open areas for TEM inspection of material over these areas are maintained. The metal foil can be prepared with various thicknesses and ensures good electrical conductivity. The new Au/Pd grids are stable to at least 775 K under vacuum conditions.

Functionally graded Ti6Al4V and Inconel 625 by Laser Metal Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Pulugurtha, Syamala R.

The objective of the current work was to fabricate a crack-free functionally graded Ti6Al4V and Inconel 625 thin wall structure by Laser Metal Deposition (LMD). One potential application for the current material system is the ability to fabricate a functionally graded alloy that can be used in a space heat exchanger. The two alloys, Inconel 625 and Ti6Al4V are currently used for aerospace applications. They were chosen as candidates for grading because functionally grading those combines the properties of high strength/weight ratio of Ti6Al4V and high temperature oxidation resistance of Inconel 625 into one multifunctional material for the end application. However, there were challenges associated with the presence of Ni-Ti intermetallic phases (IMPs). The study focused on several critical areas such as (1) understanding microstructural evolution, (2) reducing macroscopic cracking, and (3) reducing mixing between graded layers. Finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to understand the effect of process conditions on multilayer claddings for simplified material systems such as SS316L and Inconel 625 where complex microstructures did not form. The thermo-mechanical models were developed using Abaqus(TM) (and some of them experimentally verified) to predict temperature-gradients; remelt layer depths and residual stresses. Microstructure evolution along the functionally graded Ti6Al4V and Inconel 625 was studied under different processing and grading conditions. Thermodynamic modeling using Factsage (v 6.1) was used to construct phase diagrams and predict the possible equilibrium major/minor phases (verified experimentally by XRD) that may be present along the functionally graded Ti6Al4V and Inconel 625 thin wall structures.

Assessment of the Binding of Protons, Al and Fe to Biochar at Different pH Values and Soluble Metal Concentrations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Dang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Biochar can retain large amounts of protons and metals in the drainage water from acid sulfate soils and mine sites. Metal sorption can, however, be influenced by many factors, such as pH and metal composition. This study investigated proton, Al, and Fe retention capacity of eucalyptus biochar (1% w/v at different pH and metal concentrations. In the absence of metals, the biochar had a high proton binding capacity, (up to 0.035 mmol of H+, whereas its capacity to retain hydroxide ions was limited. A batch experiment was carried out at pH 4 and pH 7 with 10−6, 10−5, 10−4, 10−3, and 10−2 M of added Fe or Al. Added metals precipitated considerably prior to addition of the biochar except that Al remained highly soluble at pH 4. The biochar had a high retention capacity for Al and Fe; at high (>1 mM concentrations, over 80% of soluble metals were retained. Metal competition for binding sites of both Al and Fe at different ratios was investigated, but increasing concentrations of one metal did not reduce retention of the other. The results confirmed that biochar has high metal binding capacity under both acidic and neutral conditions.

Large scale metal-free synthesis of graphene on sapphire and transfer-free device fabrication.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Hyun Jae; Son, Minhyeok; Park, Chibeom; Lim, Hyunseob; Levendorf, Mark P; Tsen, Adam W; Park, Jiwoong; Choi, Hee Cheul

2012-05-21

Metal catalyst-free growth of large scale single layer graphene film on a sapphire substrate by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process at 950 °C is demonstrated. A top-gated graphene field effect transistor (FET) device is successfully fabricated without any transfer process. The detailed growth process is investigated by the atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies.

Metal pollution in Al-Khobar seawater, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

Alharbi, Talal; Alfaifi, Hussain; El-Sorogy, Abdelbaset

2017-06-15

In order to assess heavy metals pollution along the Al-Khobar coastline, 30 seawater samples and 15 sediment ones were collected for Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Cd, Hg and Pb analysis by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). The analysis indicated a southward decreasing pattern in most heavy metal concentrations and the average values of Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, As and Cr were higher than the ones reported from some worldwide seas and gulfs. Most of the highest levels were recorded within the bays and were related with in situ under sediments especially that composed of clays and very fine sands, and in localities characterized with anthropogenic activities like landfilling, desalination plants, fishing boats, oil spills and solid rubbish. The results of the present study provide useful background for further marine investigation and management in the Arabian Gulf region. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interfacial phenomena in the reactions of Al-B, Al-Ti-B, and Al-Zr-B alloys with KF-AlF3 and NaF-AlF3 melts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, M.S.; Terry, B.S.; Grieveson, P.

1993-01-01

The interfacial phenomena occurring during the contacting of liquid Al-B, Al-Ti-B, and Al-Zr-B melts with KF-AlF 3 liquid fluxes have been investigated by optical examination of quenched metal drops previously immersed in the liquid fluxes. Reactions in the Al-B/KF-AlF 3 system involve the formation of metastable AlB 12 at the metal/flux interface. At high KBF 4 levels in the flux, the AlB 12 is dispersed in the flux and also at low KBF 4 levels in the metal. Reactions in the Al-Ti-B/KF-AlF 3 system involve the formation of TiB 2 , which may be dispersed in either the metal or the flux depending upon the composition of the flux. The results obtained for the Al-Ti-B/NaF-AlF 3 and Al-Zr-B/KF-AlF 3 systems were similar to those observed for the Al-Ti-B/KF-AlF 3 system

Hydrogen release at metal-oxide interfaces: A first principle study of hydrogenated Al/SiO{sub 2} interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Jianqiu, E-mail: jianqiu@vt.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Goodwin Hall, 635 Prices Fork Road - MC 0238, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Tea, Eric; Li, Guanchen [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Goodwin Hall, 635 Prices Fork Road - MC 0238, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Hin, Celine [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Goodwin Hall, 635 Prices Fork Road - MC 0238, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States); Department of Material Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech, Goodwin Hall, 635 Prices Fork Road-MC 0238, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (United States)

2017-06-01

Highlights: • Hydrogen release process at the Al/SiO{sub 2} metal-oxide interface has been investigated. • A mathematical model that estimates the hydrogen release potential has been proposed. • Al atoms, Al−O bonds, and Si−Al bonds are the major hydrogen traps at the Al/SiO{sub 2} interface. • Hydrogen atoms are primarily release from Al−H and O−H bonds at the Al/SiO{sub 2} metal-oxide interface. - Abstract: The Anode Hydrogen Release (AHR) mechanism at interfaces is responsible for the generation of defects, that traps charge carriers and can induce dielectric breakdown in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors. The AHR has been extensively studied at Si/SiO{sub 2} interfaces but its characteristics at metal-silica interfaces remain unclear. In this study, we performed Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to study the hydrogen release mechanism at the typical Al/SiO{sub 2} metal-oxide interface. We found that interstitial hydrogen atoms can break interfacial Al−Si bonds, passivating a Si sp{sup 3} orbital. Interstitial hydrogen atoms can also break interfacial Al−O bonds, or be adsorbed at the interface on aluminum, forming stable Al−H−Al bridges. We showed that hydrogenated O−H, Si−H and Al−H bonds at the Al/SiO{sub 2} interfaces are polarized. The resulting bond dipole weakens the O−H and Si−H bonds, but strengthens the Al−H bond under the application of a positive bias at the metal gate. Our calculations indicate that Al−H bonds and O−H bonds are more important than Si−H bonds for the hydrogen release process.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of direct metal laser sintered TI-6AL-4V

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Becker, Thorsten Hermann

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS is a selective laser melting (SLM manufacturing process that can produce near net shape parts from metallic powders. A range of materials are suitable for SLM; they include various metals such as titanium, steel, aluminium, and cobalt-chrome alloys. This paper forms part of a research drive that aims to evaluate the material performance of the SLM-manufactured metals. It presents DMLS-produced Ti-6Al-4V, a titanium alloy often used in biomedical and aerospace applications. This paper also studies the effect of several heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V processed by SLM. It reports the achievable mechanical properties of the alloy, including quasi-static, crack growth behaviour, density and porosity distribution, and post-processing using various heat-treatment conditions.

A simple method to prepare ZnO and Al(OH)3 nanorods by the reaction of the metals with liquid water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panchakarla, L.S.; Shah, M.A.; Govindaraj, A.; Rao, C.N.R.

2007-01-01

Reaction of liquid water with Zn and Al powders and foils have been investigated in the 25-75 deg. C range. The reaction of Zn metal powder with water in this temperature range yields ZnO nanorods. The diameter of the nanorods decreases slightly with the increase in the reaction temperature, accompanied by an increase in the relative intensity of UV emission band. Zn metal foils also yield ZnO nanorods on reaction with water in the 25-75 deg. C range. Reaction of Al metal powder or foil with water in the 25-75 deg. C range yields Al(OH) 3 nanorods. The formation of ZnO and Al(OH) 3 nanorods by the reaction of the metals with water is suggested to occur because of the decomposition of water by the metal giving hydrogen. - Graphical abstract: The reaction of water at a temperature in the 25-27 deg. C range with zinc metal gives rise to ZnO nanorods; with Al metal water gives Al(OH) 3 nanorods

Ion beam sputter deposited TiAlN films for metal-insulator-metal (Ba,Sr)TiO{sub 3} capacitor application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, S.-Y. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, Ta-Hsueh Road, Tainan, Taiwan (China); Wang, S.-C. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Technology, No. 1, Nantai St, Yung-Kang City, Tainan, Taiwan (China); Chen, J.-S. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, Ta-Hsueh Road, Tainan, Taiwan (China); Huang, J.-L. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, Ta-Hsueh Road, Tainan, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: jlh888@mail.ncku.edu.tw

2008-09-01

The present study evaluated the feasibility of TiAlN films deposited using the ion beam sputter deposition (IBSD) method for metal-insulator-metal (MIM) (Ba,Sr)TiO{sub 3} (BST) capacitors. The BST films were crystallized at temperatures above 650 deg. C. TiAlN films deposited using the IBSD method were found having smooth surface and low electrical resistivity at high temperature conditions. TiAlN films showed a good diffusion barrier property against BST components. The J-E (current density-electric field) characteristics of Al/BST/TiAlN capacitors were good, with a high break down electric field of {+-} 2.5 MV/cm and a leakage current density of about 1 x 10{sup -5} A/cm{sup 2} at an applied field of {+-} 0.5 MV/cm. Thermal stress and lateral oxidation that occurred at the interface damaged the capacitor stacking structure. Macro holes that dispersed on the films resulted in higher leakage current and inconsistent J-E characteristics. Vacuum annealing with lower heating rate and furnace cooling, and a Ti-Al adhesion layer between TiAlN and the SiO{sub 2}/Si substrate can effectively minimize the stress effect. TiAlN film deposited using IBSD can be considered as a potential electrode and diffusion barrier material for MIM BST capacitors.

Growth and Device Performance of AlGaN/GaN Heterostructure with AlSiC Precoverage on Silicon Substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae-Hoon Lee

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A crack-free AlGaN/GaN heterostructure was grown on 4-inch Si (111 substrate with initial dot-like AlSiC precoverage layer. It is believed that introducing the AlSiC layer between AlN wetting layer and Si substrate is more effective in obtaining a compressively stressed film growth than conventional Al precoverage on Si surface. The metal semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET, fabricated on the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure grown with the AlSiC layer, exhibited normally on characteristics, such as threshold voltage of −2.3 V, maximum drain current of 370 mA/mm, and transconductance of 124 mS/mm.

Targeted Genetic Screen in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Reveals Novel Genetic Variants with Synergistic Effect on Clinical Phenotype

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johnathan Cooper-Knock

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS is underpinned by an oligogenic rare variant architecture. Identified genetic variants of ALS include RNA-binding proteins containing prion-like domains (PrLDs. We hypothesized that screening genes encoding additional similar proteins will yield novel genetic causes of ALS. The most common genetic variant of ALS patients is a G4C2-repeat expansion within C9ORF72. We have shown that G4C2-repeat RNA sequesters RNA-binding proteins. A logical consequence of this is that loss-of-function mutations in G4C2-binding partners might contribute to ALS pathogenesis independently of and/or synergistically with C9ORF72 expansions. Targeted sequencing of genomic DNA encoding either RNA-binding proteins or known ALS genes (n = 274 genes was performed in ALS patients to identify rare deleterious genetic variants and explore genotype-phenotype relationships. Genomic DNA was extracted from 103 ALS patients including 42 familial ALS patients and 61 young-onset (average age of onset 41 years sporadic ALS patients; patients were chosen to maximize the probability of identifying genetic causes of ALS. Thirteen patients carried a G4C2-repeat expansion of C9ORF72. We identified 42 patients with rare deleterious variants; 6 patients carried more than one variant. Twelve mutations were discovered in known ALS genes which served as a validation of our strategy. Rare deleterious variants in RNA-binding proteins were significantly enriched in ALS patients compared to control frequencies (p = 5.31E-18. Nineteen patients featured at least one variant in a RNA-binding protein containing a PrLD. The number of variants per patient correlated with rate of disease progression (t-test, p = 0.033. We identified eighteen patients with a single variant in a G4C2-repeat binding protein. Patients with a G4C2-binding protein variant in combination with a C9ORF72 expansion had a significantly faster disease course (t-test, p = 0.025. Our data are

The Gellyfish: an in-situ equilibrium-based sampler for determining multiple free metal ion concentrations in marine ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Free metal ions are usually the most bioavailable and toxic metal species to aquatic organisms, but they are difficult to measure because of their extremely low concentrations in the marine environment. Many of the current methods for determining free metal ions are complicated a...

Reagent-Free Electrophoretic Synthesis of Few-Atom-Thick Metal Oxide Nanosheets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hou, Chengyi; Zhang, Minwei; Zhang, Lili

2017-01-01

Engineering traditional materials into the new form of atomic and free-standing two-dimensional structures is of both fundamental interest and practical significance, but it is in general facing challenges especially for metal oxide semiconductors. We herein report an ultragreen method for the cost......-effective and fast preparation of atomic metal oxide nanosheets that can be further transformed into nanofilms. The method combines top-down building block synthesis and bottom-up electrophoretic assembly in water under ambient conditions, using only bulk metal and Milli-Q water without involving any additional...

Magnetic domains and frustration in metallic CePdAl

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lucas, Stefan; Huesges, Zita; Huang, Chien-Lung; Stockert, Oliver [Max Planck Institute CPfS, Dresden (Germany); Fritsch, Veronika; Sakai, Akito [EP 6, Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, University of Augsburg (Germany); Grube, Kai; Taubenheim, Christian; Loehneysen, Hilbert von [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany)

2016-07-01

Magnetic frustration is an exciting topic in condensed matter physics, since it can lead to new ground states of materials, e.g. a spin liquid or spin glass state. Effects of magnetic frustration have been investigated intensively for insulating materials. However, the existence of magnetic frustration in metallic systems is still under debate. CePdAl is a metallic Kondo system, where geometric magnetic frustration arises from the formation of Ce ions on a distorted Kagome lattice. Neutron scattering experiments revealed, that only two thirds of the magnetic Ce moments order antiferromagnetically below T{sub N}=2.7 K, whereas the other third remains mainly disordered. Thermodynamic as well as neutron scattering measurements are presented to verify the existence of partial magnetic frustration in CePdAl. Recently neutron diffraction experiments under magnetic fields applied along two orthogonal directions in the magnetically hard basal plane were performed. They show opposite effects on the magnetic intensity of a selected magnetic domain depending on the field direction with respect to the propagation vector. If this is only an effect of different domain population or also due to a change in magnetic frustration shall be discussed.

Novel manufacturing process of nanoparticle/Al composite filler metals of tungsten inert gas welding by accumulative roll bonding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fattahi, M., E-mail: fattahi.put@gmail.com [Technical Inspection Engineering Department, Petroleum University of Technology, Abadan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Noei Aghaei, V. [Aerospace Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Dabiri, A.R. [Technical Inspection Engineering Department, Petroleum University of Technology, Abadan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Amirkhanlou, S. [Young Researchers and Elite Club, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Akhavan, S.; Fattahi, Y. [Materials Engineering Department, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2015-11-11

In the present work, accumulative roll bonding (ARB) was used as an effective method for manufacturing nanoparticle/Al composite filler metals of tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. After welding, the distribution of ceramic nanoparticles and mechanical properties of welds were investigated. By applying ARB, ceramic nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed in the composite filler metals. Consequently, the welds produced by these filler metals had a uniform dispersion of ceramic nanoparticles in their compositions. The test results showed that the yield strength of welds was greatly increased when using the nanoparticle/Al composite filler metals. The improvement in the yield strength was attributed to the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch and Orowan strengthening mechanisms. Therefore, according to the results presented in this paper, it can be concluded that the nanoparticle/Al composite filler metals can serve as a novel filler metal for TIG welding of aluminum and its alloys.

Friction stir processed Al - Metal oxide surface composites: Anodization and optical appearance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gudla, Visweswara Chakravarthy; Jensen, Flemming; Canulescu, Stela

2014-01-01

Multiple-pass friction stir processing (FSP) was employed to impregnate metal oxide (TiO2, Y2O3 and CeO2) particles into the surface of an Aluminium alloy. The surface composites were then anodized in a sulphuric acid electrolyte. The effect of anodizing parameters on the resulting optical...... dark to greyish white. This is attributed to the localized microstructural and morphological differences around the metal oxide particles incorporated into the anodic alumina matrix. The metal oxide particles in the FSP zone electrochemically shadowed the underlying Al matrix and modified the local...

From melamine sponge towards 3D sulfur-doping carbon nitride as metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jingjing; Li, Bin; Li, Songmei; Liu, Jianhua

2017-07-01

Development of new and efficient metal-free electrocatalysts for replacing Pt to improve the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of great importance to emerging renewable energy technologies such as metal-air batteries and polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Herein, 3D sulfur-doping carbon nitride (S-CN) as a novel metal-free ORR electrocatalyst was synthesized by exploiting commercial melamine sponge as raw material. The sulfur atoms were doping on CN networks uniformly through numerous S-C bonds which can provide additional active sites. And it was found that the S-CN exhibited high catalytic activity for ORR in term of more positive onset potential, higher electron transfer number and higher cathodic density. This work provides a novel choice of metal-free ORR electrocatalysts and highlights the importance of sulfur-doping CN in metal-free ORR electrocatalysts.

Fabrication of BN/Al(-Mg) metal matrix composite (MMC) by pressureless infiltration technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, W.G.; Kwon, H. [School of Advanced Materials Eng., Kookmin Univ., Seoul (Korea)

2004-07-01

BN/Al(-Mg) metal matrix composite (MMC) was fabricated by the pressureless infiltration technique. The phase characterizations of the composites were analyzed using the SEM, TEM, EDS and EPMA on reaction products after the electrochemical dissolution of the matrix. It is confirmed that aluminum nitride (AlN) was formed by the reaction of Mg{sub 3}N{sub 2} and Al alloy melt. Plate type AlN and polyhedral type Mg(-Al) boride were formed by the reaction between Mg{sub 3}N{sub 2}, BN and molten Al in the composite. The reaction mechanism in the fabrication of BN/Al(-Mg) MMC was derived from the phase analysis results and the thermodynamic investigation. (orig.)

Recent Progress in Graphite Intercalation Compounds for Rechargeable Metal (Li, Na, K, Al)‐Ion Batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jiantie; Dou, Yuhai; Wei, Zengxi; Li, Yutao; Liu, Huakun; Dou, Shixue

2017-01-01

Abstract Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) with higher energy density are very necessary to meet the increasing demand for devices with better performance. With the commercial success of lithiated graphite, other graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) have also been intensively reported, not only for LIBs, but also for other metal (Na, K, Al) ion batteries. In this Progress Report, we briefly review the application of GICs as anodes and cathodes in metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries. After a brief introduction on the development history of GICs, the electrochemistry of cationic GICs and anionic GICs is summarized. We further briefly summarize the use of cationic GICs and anionic GICs in alkali ion batteries and the use of anionic GICs in aluminium‐ion batteries. Finally, we reach some conclusions on the drawbacks, major progress, emerging challenges, and some perspectives on the development of GICs for metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries. Further development of GICs for metal (Li, Na, K, Al) ion batteries is not only a strong supplement to the commercialized success of lithiated‐graphite for LIBs, but also an effective strategy to develop diverse high‐energy batteries for stationary energy storage in the future. PMID:29051856

Microstructure evolution of Al/Mg butt joints welded by gas tungsten arc with Zn filler metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Fei; Zhang Zhaodong; Liu Liming

2012-01-01

Based on the idea of alloying welding seam, Gas tungsten arc welding method with pure Zn filler metal was chosen to join Mg alloy and Al alloy. The microstructures, phases, element distribution and fracture morphology of welding seams were examined. The results indicate that there was a transitional zone in the width of 80–100 μm between the Mg alloy substrate and fusion zone. The fusion zone was mainly composed of MgZn 2 , Zn-based solid solution and Al-based solid solution. The welding seam presented distinct morphology in different location owning to the quite high cooling rate of the molten pool. The addition of Zn metal could prevent the formation of Mg–Al intermetallics and form the alloyed welding seam during welding. Therefore, the tensile strengths of joints have been significantly improved compared with those of gas tungsten arc welded joints without Zn metal added. Highlights: ► Mg alloy AZ31B and Al alloy 6061 are welded successfully. ► Zinc wire is employed as a filler metal to form the alloyed welding seam. ► An alloyed welding seam is benefit for improving of the joint tensile strength.

Wear study of Al-SiC metal matrix composites processed through microwave energy

Science.gov (United States)

Honnaiah, C.; Srinath, M. S.; Prasad, S. L. Ajit

2018-04-01

Particulate reinforced metal matrix composites are finding wider acceptance in many industrial applications due to their isotropic properties and ease of manufacture. Uniform distribution of reinforcement particulates and good bonding between matrix and reinforcement phases are essential features in order to obtain metal matrix composites with improved properties. Conventional powder metallurgy technique can successfully overcome the limitation of stir casting techniques, but it is time consuming and not cost effective. Use of microwave technology for processing particulate reinforced metal matrix composites through powder metallurgy technique is being increasingly explored in recent times because of its cost effectiveness and speed of processing. The present work is an attempt to process Al-SiC metal matrix composites using microwaves irradiated at 2.45 GHz frequency and 900 W power for 10 minutes. Further, dry sliding wear studies were conducted at different loads at constant velocity of 2 m/s for various sliding distances using pin-on-disc equipment. Analysis of the obtained results show that the microwave processed Al-SiC composite material shows around 34 % of resistance to wear than the aluminium alloy.

Electrochemical dopamine sensor based on P-doped graphene: Highly active metal-free catalyst and metal catalyst support.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Ke; Wang, Fan; Zhao, Xiao-Lin; Wang, Xin-Wei; Tian, Ye

2017-12-01

Heteroatom doping is an effective strategy to enhance the catalytic activity of graphene and its hybrid materials. Despite a growing interest of P-doped graphene (P-G) in energy storage/generation applications, P-G has rarely been investigated for electrochemical sensing. Herein, we reported the employment of P-G as both metal-free catalyst and metal catalyst support for electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA). As a metal-free catalyst, P-G exhibited prominent DA sensing performances due to the important role of P doping in improving the electrocatalytic activity of graphene toward DA oxidation. Furthermore, P-G could be an efficient supporting material for loading Au nanoparticles, and resulting Au/P-G hybrid showed a dramatically enhanced electrocatalytic activity and extraordinary sensing performances with a wide linear range of 0.1-180μM and a low detection limit of 0.002μM. All these results demonstrated that P-G might be a very promising electrode material for electrochemical sensor applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of Cu-Hf-Al ternary systems and tungsten wire/particle reinforced Cu48Hf43Al9 bulk metallic glass composites for strengthening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Joyoung; An, Jihye; Choi-Yim, Haein

2010-01-01

Stable bulk glass forming alloys can be developed over a wide range of compositions in Cu-Hf-Al ternary systems starting from the Cu 49 Hf 42 Al 9 bulk metallic glass. Ternary Cu-Hf-Al alloys can be cast directly from the melt into copper molds to form fully amorphous strips with thicknesses of 1 to 6 mm. The maximum critical diameter of the new Cu-Hf-Al ternary alloy was 6 mm. X-ray diffraction patterns were used to confirm the amorphous nature of the ternary Cu-Hf-Al alloys. To increase the toughness of these metallic glasses, we reinforced the Cu 48 Hf 43 Al 9 bulk metallic glass-forming liquid with a 50% volume fraction of tungsten particles and an 80% volume fraction of tungsten wires with diameters of 242.4 μm. Composites with a critical diameter of 7 mm and length 70 mm were synthesized. The structure of the composites was confirmed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties of the composites were studied in compression tests. The thermal stability and the crystallization processes of the Cu-Hf-Al alloys and composites were investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Values of the glass transition temperature (T g ), the crystallization temperature (T x ), and the supercooled liquid region (ΔT = T x - T g ) are given in this paper.

Pressure effect on crystallization of metallic glass Fe72P11C6Al5B4Ga2 alloy with wide supercooled liquid region

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jiang, Jianzhong; Olsen, J. S.; Gerward, Leif

2000-01-01

The effect of pressure on the crystallization behavior of metallic glass Fe72P11C6Al5B4Ga2 alloy with a wide supercooled liquid region has been investigated by in situ high-pressure and high-temperature x-ray diffraction measurements using synchrotron radiation. In the pressure range from 0 to 2...... mobility and changes of the Gibbs free energy of various phases with pressure. ©2000 American Institute of Physics....

Exposure of metallic copper surface on Cu-Al2O3-carbon catalysts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Menon, P.G.; Prasad, J.

1970-01-01

The bifunctional nature of Cu---Al2O3-on-carbon catalysts, used in the direct catalytic conversion of ethanol to ethyl acetate, prompted an examination of the dispersion of Cu on the composite catalyst. For this, the N2O-method of Osinga et al. for estimation of bare metallic copper surface on

[Correlation of Persistent Free Radicals, PCDD/Fs and Metals in Waste Incineration Fly Ash].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tian-jiao; Chen, Tong; Zhan, Ming-xiu; Guo, Ying; Li, Xiao-dong

2016-03-15

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are relatively highly stable and found in the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Recent studies have concentrated on model dioxin formation reactions and there are few studies on actual waste incineration fly ash. In order to study EPFRs and the correlation with dioxins and heavy metals in waste incineration fly ash, the spins of EPFRs, concentration of PCDD/Fs and metals in samples from 6 different waste incinerators were detected. The medical waste incineration fly ash from Tianjin, municipal solid waste incineration fly ash from Jiangxi Province, black carbon and slag from municipal solid waste incinerator in Lanxi, Zhejiang Province, all contained EPFRs. Above all the signal in Tianjin sample was the strongest. Hydroxyl radicals, carbon-center radicals and semiquinone radicals were detected. Compared with other samples, Jiangxi fly ash had the highest toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) of dioxins, up to 7.229 4 ng · g⁻¹. However, the dioxin concentration in the Tianjin sample containing the strongest EPFR signals was only 0.092 8 ng · g⁻¹. There was perhaps little direct numeric link between EPFRs and PCDD/Fs. But the spins of EPFRs in samples presented an increasing trend as the metal contents increased, especially with Al, Fe, Zn. The signal strength of radicals was purposed to be related to the metal contents. The concentration of Zn (0.813 7% ) in the Tianjin sample was the highest and this sample contained much more spins of oxygen-center radicals. We could presume the metal Zn had a greater effect on the formation of EPFRs, and was easier to induce the formation of radicals with a longer half-life period.

Vacuum brazing of electroless Ni-P alloy-coated SiCp/Al composites using aluminum-based filler metal foil

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Peng; Xu, Dongxia; Niu, Jitai

2016-12-01

Using rapidly cooled (Al-10Si-20Cu-0.05Ce)-1Ti (wt%) foil as filler metal, the research obtained high-performance joints of electroless Ni-P alloy-coated aluminum matrix composites with high SiC particle content (60 vol%, SiCp/Al-MMCs). The effect of brazing process on joint properties and the formation of Al-Ni and Al-Cu-Ni intermetallic compounds were investigated, respectively. Due to the presence of Ni-P alloy coating, the wettability of liquid filler metal on the composites was improved obviously and its contact angle was only 21°. The formation of Al3Ni2 and Al3(CuNi)2 intermetallic compounds indicated that well metallurgical bonding occurred along the 6063Al matrix alloy/Ni-P alloy layer/filler metal foil interfaces by mutual diffusion and dissolution. And the joint shear strength increased with increasing the brazing temperature from 838 to 843 K or prolonging the soaking time from 15 to 35 min, while it decreased a lot because of corrosion occurring in the 6063Al matrix at high brazing temperature of 848 K. Sound joints with maximum shear strength of 112.5 MPa were obtained at 843 K for soaking time of 35 min. In this research, the beneficial effect of surface metallization by Ni-P alloy deposits on improving wettability on SiCp/Al-MMCs was demonstrated, and capable welding parameters were broadened as well.

Adsorption of heavy metals from aqueous solutions by Mg-Al-Zn mingled oxides adsorbent.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Sayed, Mona; Eshaq, Gh; ElMetwally, A E

2016-10-01

In our study, Mg-Al-Zn mingled oxides were prepared by the co-precipitation method. The structure, composition, morphology and thermal stability of the synthesized Mg-Al-Zn mingled oxides were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, N 2 physisorption, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry. Batch experiments were performed to study the adsorption behavior of cobalt(II) and nickel(II) as a function of pH, contact time, initial metal ion concentration, and adsorbent dose. The maximum adsorption capacity of Mg-Al-Zn mingled oxides for cobalt and nickel metal ions was 116.7 mg g -1 , and 70.4 mg g -1 , respectively. The experimental data were analyzed using pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order kinetic models in linear and nonlinear regression analysis. The kinetic studies showed that the adsorption process could be described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Experimental equilibrium data were well represented by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Also, the maximum monolayer capacity, q max , obtained was 113.8 mg g -1 , and 79.4 mg g -1 for Co(II), and Ni(II), respectively. Our results showed that Mg-Al-Zn mingled oxides can be used as an efficient adsorbent material for removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater samples.

Metal-Free N-Arylation of Secondary Amides at Room Temperature

OpenAIRE

Tinnis, Fredrik; Stridfeldt, Elin; Lundberg, Helena; Adolfsson, Hans; Olofsson, Berit

2015-01-01

The arylation of secondary acyclic amides has been achieved with diaryliodonium salts under mild and metal-free conditions. The methodology has a wide scope, allows synthesis of tertiary amides with highly congested aryl moieties, and avoids the regioselectivity problems observed in reactions with (diacetoxyiodo)benzene.

Low-density to high-density transition in Ce75Al23Si2 metallic glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Q S; Lou, H B; Gong, Y; Wang, X D; Jiang, J Z; Fang, Y Z; Wu, F M; Yang, K; Li, A G; Yan, S; Yu, X H; Lathe, C

2010-01-01

Using in situ high-pressure x-ray diffraction (XRD), we observed a pressure-induced polyamorphic transition from the low-density amorphous (LDA) state to the high-density amorphous (HDA) state in Ce 75 Al 23 Si 2 metallic glass at about 2 GPa and 300 K. The thermal stabilities of both LDA and HDA metallic glasses were further investigated using in situ high-temperature and high-pressure XRD, which revealed different pressure dependences of the onset crystallization temperature (T x ) between them with a turning point at about 2 GPa. Compared with Ce 75 Al 25 metallic glass, minor Si doping shifts the onset polyamorphic transition pressure from 1.5 to 2 GPa and obviously stabilizes both LDA and HDA metallic glasses with higher T x and changes their slopes dT x /dP. The results obtained in this work reveal another polyamorphous metallic glass system by minor alloying (e.g. Si), which could modify the transition pressure and also properties of LDA and HDA metallic glasses. The minor alloying effect reported here is valuable for the development of more polyamorphous metallic glasses, even multicomponent bulk metallic glasses with modified properties, which will trigger more investigations in this field and improve our understanding of polyamorphism and metallic glasses.

Solid-liquid interface free energies of pure bcc metals and B2 phases

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, S. R.; Gunawardana, K. G. S. H.; Mendelev, M. I.

2015-04-01

The solid-liquid interface (SLI) free energy was determined from molecular dynamics (MD) simulation for several body centered cubic (bcc) metals and B2 metallic compounds (space group: P m 3 ¯ m ; prototype: CsCl). In order to include a bcc metal with a low melting temperature in our study, a semi-empirical potential was developed for Na. Two additional synthetic "Na" potentials were also developed to explore the effect of liquid structure and latent heat on the SLI free energy. The obtained MD data were compared with the empirical Turnbull, Laird, and Ewing relations. All three relations are found to predict the general trend observed in the MD data for bcc metals obtained within the present study. However, only the Laird and Ewing relations are able to predict the trend obtained within the sequence of "Na" potentials. The Laird relation provides the best prediction for our MD data and other MD data for bcc metals taken from the literature. Overall, the Laird relation also agrees well with our B2 data but requires a proportionality constant that is substantially different from the bcc case. It also fails to explain a considerable difference between the SLI free energies of some B2 phases which have nearly the same melting temperature. In contrast, this difference is satisfactorily described by the Ewing relation. Moreover, the Ewing relation obtained from the bcc dataset also provides a reasonable description of the B2 data.

Investigation of metal coatings for the free electron laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, M.L.; Arendt, P.N.; Springer, R.W.; Cordi, R.C.; McCreary, W.J.

1985-01-01

We are investigating the deposition and characteristics of metal coatings for use in environments such as the Free Electron Laser where the radiation resistance of metal coatings could prove to be of great benefit. We have concentrated our initial efforts on silver laminate coatings due to the high reflectance of silver at 1 micron wavelength. Our initial laminate coatings have utilized thin layers of titanium oxide to break up the columnar structure of the silver during electron-beam deposition on fused silica substrates. Our initial results on equal coating thickness samples indicate an improvement in damage threshold that ranges from 1.07 to 1.71 at 351 nm

Structural Differentiation between Layered Single (Ni) and Double Metal Hydroxides (Ni–Al LDHs) Using Wavelet Transformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siebecker, Matthew G. [University of Delaware, Delaware Environmental Institute; Sparks, Donald L. [University of Delaware, Delaware Environmental Institute

2017-09-07

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are anionic clays important in disciplines such as environmental chemistry, geochemistry, and materials science. Developments in signal processing of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data, such as wavelet transformation (WT), have been used to identify transition metals and Al present in the hydroxide sheets of LDHs. The WT plots of LDHs should be distinct from those of isostructural single metal hydroxides. However, no direct comparison of these minerals appears in the literature using WT. This work systematically analyzes a suite of Ni-rich mineral standards, including Ni–Al LDHs, single metal Ni hydroxides, and Ni-rich silicates using WT. The results illustrate that the WT plots for α-Ni(OH)2 and Ni–Al LDHs are often indistinguishable from each other, with similar two-component plots for the different mineral types. This demonstrates that the WT of the first metal shell often cannot be used to differentiate an LDH from a single metal hydroxide. Interlayer anions adsorbed to the hydroxide sheet of α-Ni(OH)2 affect the EXAFS spectra and are not visible in the FT but are clearly resolved and discrete in the WT.

Investigation of spin-gapless semiconductivity and half-metallicity in Ti2MnAl-based compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lukashev, P.; Staten, B.; Hurley, N.; Kharel, P.; Gilbert, S.; Fuglsby, R.; Huh, Y.; Valloppilly, S.; Zhang, W.; Skomski, R.; Sellmyer, D. J.; Yang, K.

2016-01-01

The increasing interest in spin-based electronics has led to a vigorous search for new materials that can provide a high degree of spin polarization in electron transport. An ideal candidate would act as an insulator for one spin channel and a conductor or semiconductor for the opposite spin channel, corresponding to the respective cases of half-metallicity and spin-gapless semiconductivity. Our first-principle electronic-structure calculations indicate that the metallic Heusler compound Ti 2 MnAl becomes half-metallic and spin-gapless semiconducting if half of the Al atoms are replaced by Sn and In, respectively. These electronic structures are associated with structural transitions from the regular cubic Heusler structure to the inverted cubic Heusler structure.

Metal-free TEMPO-promoted C(sp³)-H amination to afford multisubstituted benzimidazoles.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Ding; Long, Ya-Qiu

2014-05-16

An efficient TEMPO-air/cat. TEMPO-O2 oxidative protocol was developed to synthesize multisubstituted or fused tetracyclic benzimidazoles via a metal-free oxidative C-N coupling between the sp(3) C-H and free N-H of readily available N(1)-benzyl/alkyl-1,2-phenylenediamines.

Comprehensive analysis of the mutation spectrum in 301 German ALS families.

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Kathrin; Brenner, David; Weydt, Patrick; Meyer, Thomas; Grehl, Torsten; Petri, Susanne; Grosskreutz, Julian; Schuster, Joachim; Volk, Alexander E; Borck, Guntram; Kubisch, Christian; Klopstock, Thomas; Zeller, Daniel; Jablonka, Sibylle; Sendtner, Michael; Klebe, Stephan; Knehr, Antje; Günther, Kornelia; Weis, Joachim; Claeys, Kristl G; Schrank, Berthold; Sperfeld, Anne-Dorte; Hübers, Annemarie; Otto, Markus; Dorst, Johannes; Meitinger, Thomas; Strom, Tim M; Andersen, Peter M; Ludolph, Albert C; Weishaupt, Jochen H

2018-04-12

Recent advances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) genetics have revealed that mutations in any of more than 25 genes can cause ALS, mostly as an autosomal-dominant Mendelian trait. Detailed knowledge about the genetic architecture of ALS in a specific population will be important for genetic counselling but also for genotype-specific therapeutic interventions. Here we combined fragment length analysis, repeat-primed PCR, Southern blotting, Sanger sequencing and whole exome sequencing to obtain a comprehensive profile of genetic variants in ALS disease genes in 301 German pedigrees with familial ALS. We report C9orf72 mutations as well as variants in consensus splice sites and non-synonymous variants in protein-coding regions of ALS genes. We furthermore estimate their pathogenicity by taking into account type and frequency of the respective variant as well as segregation within the families. 49% of our German ALS families carried a likely pathogenic variant in at least one of the earlier identified ALS genes. In 45% of the ALS families, likely pathogenic variants were detected in C9orf72, SOD1, FUS, TARDBP or TBK1 , whereas the relative contribution of the other ALS genes in this familial ALS cohort was 4%. We identified several previously unreported rare variants and demonstrated the absence of likely pathogenic variants in some of the recently described ALS disease genes. We here present a comprehensive genetic characterisation of German familial ALS. The present findings are of importance for genetic counselling in clinical practice, for molecular research and for the design of diagnostic gene panels or genotype-specific therapeutic interventions in Europe. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The Metal-poor non-Sagittarius (?) Globular Cluster NGC 5053: Orbit and Mg, Al, and Si Abundances

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Baitian; Fernández-Trincado, J. G.; Geisler, Doug; Zamora, Olga; Mészáros, Szabolcs; Masseron, Thomas; Cohen, Roger E.; García-Hernández, D. A.; Dell’Agli, Flavia; Beers, Timothy C.; Schiavon, Ricardo P.; Sohn, Sangmo Tony; Hasselquist, Sten; Robin, Annie C.; Shetrone, Matthew; Majewski, Steven R.; Villanova, Sandro; Schiappacasse Ulloa, Jose; Lane, Richard R.; Minnti, Dante; Roman-Lopes, Alexandre; Almeida, Andres; Moreno, E.

2018-03-01

Metal-poor globular clusters (GCs) exhibit intriguing Al–Mg anti-correlations and possible Si–Al correlations, which are important clues to decipher the multiple-population phenomenon. NGC 5053 is one of the most metal-poor GCs in the nearby universe and has been suggested to be associated with the Sagittarius (Sgr) dwarf galaxy, due to its similarity in location and radial velocity with one of the Sgr arms. In this work, we simulate the orbit of NGC 5053, and argue against a physical connection between Sgr and NGC 5053. On the other hand, the Mg, Al, and Si spectral lines, which are difficult to detect in the optical spectra of NGC 5053 stars, have been detected in the near-infrared APOGEE spectra. We use three different sets of stellar parameters and codes to derive the Mg, Al, and Si abundances. Regardless of which method is adopted, we see a large Al variation, and a substantial Si spread. Along with NGC 5053, metal-poor GCs exhibit different Mg, Al, and Si variations. Moreover, NGC 5053 has the lowest cluster mass among the GCs that have been identified to exhibit an observable Si spread until now.

Improved oxidation resistance of group VB refractory metals by Al+ ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hampikian, J.M.

1996-01-01

Aluminum ion implantation of vanadium, niobium, and tantalum improved the metals' oxidation resistances at 500 C and 735 C. Implanted vanadium oxidized only to one-third the extent of unimplanted vanadium when exposed at 500 C to air. The oxidative weight gains of implanted niobium and tantalum proved negligible when measured at 500 C and for times sufficient to fully convert the untreated metals to their pentoxides. At 735 C, implantation of vanadium only slightly retarded its oxidation, while oxidative weight gains of niobium and tantalum were reduced by factors of 3 or more. Implanted niobium exhibited weight gain in direct proportion to oxidation time squared at 735 C. Microstructural examination of the metals implanted with selected fluences of the 180 kV aluminum ions showed the following. The solubility limit of aluminum is extended by implantation, the body centered cubic (bcc) phases being retained to ∼60 at. pct Al in all three metals. The highest fluence investigated, 2.4 x 10 22 ions/m 2 , produced an ∼400-nm layer of VAl 3 beneath the surface of vanadium, and ∼300-nm layers of an amorphous phase containing ∼70 at. pct Al beneath the niobium and tantalum surfaces. All three metals, implanted to this fluence and annealed at 600 C, contained tri-aluminides, intermetallic compounds known for their oxidation resistances. Specimens implanted to this fluence were thus selected for the oxidation measurements

Phase separation and nanocrystal formation in Al-based metallic glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonowicz, Jerzy

2007-01-01

Nanocrystallization in a group of Al-RE and Al-RE-TM (RE = rare earth, TM = transition metal) melt-spun amorphous alloys was studied using in situ small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering techniques (SAXS/WAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The SAXS/WAXS measurements were carried out during isothermal annealing at temperatures close to crystallization point. A continuously growing interference maximum shifting progressively toward lower angles was found to develop in SAXS regime. Simultaneously taken WAXS spectra reveal formation of the primary fcc-Al nanocrystalline phase. The presence of the SAXS signal maximum indicates the spatial correlation between the compositional fluctuations. The peak position decay is an evidence of an increase of the fluctuation spacing characteristic for the coarsening stage of phase separation. The SAXS/WAXS data analysis indicates that amorphous phase decomposition triggers and controls the fcc-Al nanocrystalline phase formation. The glassy phase initially decomposes into Al-rich and RE-rich regions with typical lengths scale of about 10 nm. The nanocrystals nucleate preferentially inside the Al-rich amorphous regions and their growth is constrained by the region size because of the sluggish atomic diffusion in the RE-rich zones. A different crystallization mechanism is demonstrated in Al-Y-Ni-Co glass where WAXS spectra show formation of the fcc-Al primary phase but no interference peak in SAXS regime was found

Effect of Different Variants of Heat Treatment on Mechanical Properties of the AlSi17CuNiMg Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarco A.

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Dispersion hardening, as the main heat treatment of silumins having additions of copper and magnesium, results in considerable increase of tensile strength and hardness, with simultaneous decrease of ductility of the alloy. In the paper is presented an attempt of introduction of heat treatment operation consisting in homogenizing treatment prior operation of the dispersion hardening, to minimize negative effects of the T6 heat treatment on plastic properties of hypereutectoidal AlSi17CuNiMg alloy. Tests of the mechanical properties were performed on a test pieces poured in standardized metal moulds. Parameters of different variants of the heat treatment, i.e. temperature and time of soaking for individual operations were selected basing on the ATD (Thermal Derivation Analysis diagram and analysis of literature. The homogenizing treatment significantly improves ductility of the alloy, resulting in a threefold increase of the elongation and more than fourfold increase of the impact strength in comparison with initial state of the alloy. Moreover, the hardness and the tensile strength (Rm of the alloy decrease considerably. On the other hand, combination of the homogenizing and dispersion hardening enables increase of elongation with about 40%, and increase of the impact strength with about 25%, comparing with these values after the T6 treatment, maintaining high hardness and slight increase of the tensile strength, comparing with the alloy after the dispersion hardening.

Some aspects of the metal purity in high strength Al-alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banizs, K.; Csernay-Balint, J.; Voeroes, G.

1990-01-01

The effect of Fe and Si on the properties of some high strength age-hardenable Al-alloys was investigated. It was found that a certain quantity (> 0.15 %) of Fe is advantageous to the formation of the cell-structure in the cast ingot both in the AlCuMg and AlZnMgCu alloys. An increased Fe-content causes a finer cell-structure. A higher Fe:Si ratio results in more homogeneous cell size distribution. Higher Si-content in the alloy decreases the favourable cast parameter range and increases the inclination to cracking of large diameter (> 270 mm) ingots. The reason of the correlation found between metal purity and mechanical properties is discussed

MAI-free performance of PMU-OFDM transceiver in time-variant environment

Science.gov (United States)

Tadjpour, Layla; Tsai, Shang-Ho; Kuo, C.-C. J.

2005-06-01

An approximately multi-user OFDM transceiver was introduced to reduce the multi-access interference (MAI ) due to the carrier frequency offset (CFO) to a negligible amount via precoding by Tsai, Lin and Kuo. In this work, we investigate the performance of this precoded multi-user (PMU) OFDM system in a time-variant channel environment. We analyze and compare the MAI effect caused by time-variant channels in the PMU-OFDM and the OFDMA systems. Generally speaking, the MAI effect consists of two parts. The first part is due to the loss of orthogonality among subchannels for all users while the second part is due to the CFO effect caused by the Doppler shift. Simulation results show that, although OFDMA outperforms the PMU-OFDM transceiver in a fast time-variant environment without CFO, PMU-OFDM outperforms OFDMA in a slow time-variant channel via the use of M/2 symmetric or anti-symmetric codewords of M Hadamard-Walsh codes.

Impacts of zinc layer and pouring method on interface performance for Al-22Si/ZL104 bi-metal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun-feng Zhao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Bi-metal material consisting of spray-formed Al-22Si and ZL104 is a suitable candidate for applications in internal combustion engines. This research investigated the effects of surface treatment and appropriate gating system on the microstructures and mechanical properties in evaluating the optimal strategy for producing high quality bi-metal materials. The bi-metal materials were prepared using ZL104 gravity casting by different pouring types around the spray-formed Al-22Si with varied surface treatments. The wettability between Al-22Si and ZL104 was significantly improved when Zn coating was used to remove the natural oxide layer. This research also obtained the improved interfacial microstructures and interfacial bonding strength for materials when applying the appropriate pouring method. The hardness profiles of Al-22Si/ZL104 bi-metal were consistent with the observed microstructures. The average tensile strength of the bi-metal material with zinc coating is ~42.3 MPa, which is much higher than that with oxide film at ~10 MPa. The process presented is a promising and effective approach for developing materials in the automotive industry.

A Liquid Metal Flume for Free Surface Magnetohydrodynamic Experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nornberg, M.D.; Ji, H.; Peterson, J.L.; Rhoads, J.R.

2008-01-01

We present an experiment designed to study magnetohydrodynamic effects in free-surface channel flow. The wide aspect ratio channel (the width to height ratio is about 15) is completely enclosed in an inert atmosphere to prevent oxidization of the liquid metal. A custom-designed pump reduces entrainment of oxygen, which was found to be a problem with standard centrifugal and gear pumps. Laser Doppler Velocimetry experiments characterize velocity profiles of the flow. Various flow constraints mitigate secondary circulation and end effects on the flow. Measurements of the wave propagation characteristics in the liquid metal demonstrate the surfactant effect of surface oxides and the damping of fluctuations by a cross-channel magnetic field

Al and Si Influences on Hydrogen Embrittlement of Carbide-Free Bainitic Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanguo Li

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A first-principle method based on the density functional theory was applied to investigate the Al and Si influences on the hydrogen embrittlement of carbide-free bainitic steel. The hydrogen preference site, binding energy, diffusion behaviour, and electronic structure were calculated. The results showed that hydrogen preferred to be at the tetrahedral site. The binding energy of the cell with Si was the highest and it was decreased to be the worst by adding hydrogen. The diffusion barrier of hydrogen in the cell containing Al was the highest, so it was difficult for hydrogen to diffuse. Thus, hydrogen embrittlement can be reduced by Al rather than Si.

Physiological responses of Tillandsia albida (Bromeliaceae) to long-term foliar metal application.

Science.gov (United States)

Kováčik, Jozef; Klejdus, Bořivoj; Stork, František; Hedbavny, Josef

2012-11-15

The impact of 2-month foliar application of cadmium, nickel and their combination (10 μM) on Tillandsia albida was studied. Cadmium caused damage of tissue but assimilation pigments were depressed in Cd+Ni variant only. Stress-related parameters (ROS and peroxidase activities) were elevated by Cd and Cd+Ni while MDA content remained unaffected. Free amino acids accumulated the most in Ni alone but soluble proteins were not influenced. Among phenolic acids, mainly vanillin contributed to increase of their sum in all variants while soluble phenols even decreased in Cd+Ni and flavonols slightly increased in Cd variants. Phenolic enzymes showed negligible responses to almost all treatments. Mineral nutrients (K, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, and Zn) were not affected by metal application but N content increased. Total Cd or Ni amounts reached over 400 μg g(-1) DW and were not affected if metal alone and combined treatment is compared while absorbed content differed (ca. 50% of total Cd was absorbed while almost all Ni was absorbed). These data indicate tolerance of T. albida to foliar metal application and together with strong xerophytic morphology, use for environmental studies is recommended. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation of nano-biomaterials with Leptolyngbia foveolarum and heavy metal biosorption by free and immobilized algal cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toncheva-Panova, T.; Pouneva, I.; Sholeva, M.; Chernev, G.

2010-01-01

Using the sol-gel procedure nano-biomaterials with incorporation of Leptolyngbia foveolarum in the silica matrix were manufactured. The immobilization of algal cells was confirmed with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) investigations and photos. Observation of nano-biomaterials with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) shows nanostructure with well-defined nanounits and their aggregates. The potential of the Antarctic isolate L. foveolarum for sorption of Cu 2+ and Cd 2+ was studied by incubation of free algal cells and those immobilized in nano-biomaterials in the salts solutions of the two heavy metals. The rest of the heavy metal was determined with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES). It was established that the heavy metal biosorption capacity demonstrated by the free Leptolyngbia cells was retained after their incorporation in the nano-matrices. Free cells as well as embedded in silica nano-matrix sequestered the two heavy metals with greater affinity for copper. The highest binding capacity, 76% of the initial Cu 2+ concentration possessed nano-biomaterials with incorporated vegetative L. foveolarum cells, compared to 68% of free cells. For cadmium the degree of biosorption was lower - 35% by free cells and 30.2% by those incorporated in the biocer. (authors)

Cytocompatible in situ forming chitosan/hyaluronan hydrogels via a metal-free click chemistry for soft tissue engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Ming; Ma, Ye; Mao, Jiahui; Zhang, Ziwei; Tan, Huaping

2015-07-01

Injectable hydrogels are important cell scaffolding materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Here, we report a new class of biocompatible and biodegradable polysaccharide hydrogels derived from chitosan and hyaluronan via a metal-free click chemistry, without the addition of copper catalyst. For the metal-free click reaction, chitosan and hyaluronan were modified with oxanorbornadiene (OB) and 11-azido-3,6,9-trioxaundecan-1-amine (AA), respectively. The gelation is attributed to the triazole ring formation between OB and azido groups of polysaccharide derivatives. The molecular structures were verified by FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, giving substitution degrees of 58% and 47% for chitosan-OB and hyaluronan-AA, respectively. The in vitro gelation, morphologies, equilibrium swelling, compressive modulus and degradation of the composite hydrogels were examined. The potential of the metal-free hydrogel as a cell scaffold was demonstrated by encapsulation of human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) within the gel matrix in vitro. Cell culture showed that this metal-free hydrogel could support survival and proliferation of ASCs. A preliminary in vivo study demonstrated the usefulness of the hydrogel as an injectable scaffold for adipose tissue engineering. These characteristics provide a potential opportunity to use the metal-free click chemistry in preparation of biocompatible hydrogels for soft tissue engineering applications. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct Growth of Graphene on Silicon by Metal-Free Chemical Vapor Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Tai, Lixuan; Zhu, Daming; Liu, Xing; Yang, Tieying; Wang, Lei; Wang, Rui; Jiang, Sheng; Chen, Zhenhua; Xu, Zhongmin; Li, Xiaolong

2018-06-01

The metal-free synthesis of graphene on single-crystal silicon substrates, the most common commercial semiconductor, is of paramount significance for many technological applications. In this work, we report the growth of graphene directly on an upside-down placed, single-crystal silicon substrate using metal-free, ambient-pressure chemical vapor deposition. By controlling the growth temperature, in-plane propagation, edge-propagation, and core-propagation, the process of graphene growth on silicon can be identified. This process produces atomically flat monolayer or bilayer graphene domains, concave bilayer graphene domains, and bulging few-layer graphene domains. This work would be a significant step toward the synthesis of large-area and layer-controlled, high-quality graphene on single-crystal silicon substrates. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Experimental and numerical investigation of liquid-metal free-surface flows in spallation targets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Batta, A., E-mail: batta@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany Hermann-von-Helmholtz-PLATZ 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Class, A.G.; Litfin, K.; Wetzel, Th. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany Hermann-von-Helmholtz-PLATZ 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Moreau, V.; Massidda, L. [CRS4 Centre for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia, Polaris, Edificio 1, 09010 Pula, CA (Italy); Thomas, S.; Lakehal, D. [ASCOMP GmbH Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland); Angeli, D.; Losi, G. [DIEF – Department of Engineering “Enzo Ferrari”, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Vignolese 905, 41125 Modena (Italy); Mooney, K.G. [University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Amherst (United States); Van Tichelen, K. [SCK-CEN, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium)

2015-08-15

Highlights: • Experimental study of free surface for lead bismuth eutectic target. • Numerical investigation of free surface of a liquid metal target. • Advanced free surface modelling. - Abstract: Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) are extensively investigated for the transmutation of high-level nuclear waste within many worldwide research programs. The first advanced design of an ADS system is currently developed in SCK• CEN, Mol, Belgium: the Multi-purpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications (MYRRHA). Many European research programs support the design of MYRRHA. In the framework of the Euratom project ‘Thermal Hydraulics of Innovative nuclear Systems (THINS)’ a liquid-metal free-surface experiment is performed at the Karlsruhe Liquid Metal Laboratory (KALLA) of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The experiment investigates a full-scale model of the concentric free-surface spallation target of MYRRHA using Lead Bismuth Eutectic (LBE) as coolant. In parallel, numerical free surface models are developed and tested which are reviewed in the article. A volume-of-fluid method, a moving mesh model, a free surface model combining the Level-Set method with Large-Eddy Simulation model and a smoothed-particle hydrodynamics approach are investigated. Verification of the tested models is based on the experimental results obtained within the THINS project and on previous water experiments performed at the University Catholic de Louvain (UCL) within the Euratom project ‘EUROpean Research Programme for the TRANSmutation of High Level Nuclear Waste in Accelerator Driven System (EUROTRANS)’. The design of the target enables a high fluid velocity and a stable surface at the beam entry. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of both experimental and numerical results obtained for free surface target characterization. Without entering in technical details, the status, the major achievements and lessons for the future with respect to

Optical performance and metallic absorption in nanoplasmonic systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Matthew D; Blaber, Martin G

2009-03-02

Optical metrics relating to metallic absorption in representative plasmonic systems are surveyed, with a view to developing heuristics for optimizing performance over a range of applications. We use the real part of the permittivity as the independent variable; consider strengths of particle resonances, resolving power of planar lenses, and guiding lengths of planar waveguides; and compare nearly-free-electron metals including Al, Cu, Ag, Au, Li, Na, and K. Whilst the imaginary part of metal permittivity has a strong damping effect, field distribution is equally important and thus factors including geometry, real permittivity and frequency must be considered when selecting a metal. Al performs well at low permittivities (e.g. sphere resonances, superlenses) whereas Au & Ag only perform well at very negative permittivities (shell and rod resonances, LRSPP). The alkali metals perform well overall but present engineering challenges.

Nanoselective area growth and characterization of dislocation-free InGaN nanopyramids on AlN buffered Si(111) templates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundaram, S.; El Gmili, Y. [CNRS, UMI 2958 Georgia Tech-CNRS, 2 Rue Marconi, 57070 Metz (France); Puybaret, R.; Li, X.; Bonanno, P. L.; Voss, P. L.; Ougazzaden, A., E-mail: abdallah.ougazzaden@georgiatech-metz.fr [CNRS, UMI 2958 Georgia Tech-CNRS, 2 Rue Marconi, 57070 Metz (France); School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, GT Lorraine, 57070 Metz (France); Pantzas, K.; Patriarche, G. [CNRS, UPR LPN, Route de Nozay, 91460 Marcoussis (France); Salvestrini, J. P. [Universite de Lorraine, Centrale Supelec, LMOPS, EA 4423, 2 rue E. Belin, 57070 Metz (France)

2015-09-14

We report the metal organic chemical vapor deposition growth of dislocation-free 100 nm thick hexagonal InGaN nanopyramid arrays with up to 33% of indium content by nano-selective area growth on patterned AlN/Si (111) substrates. InGaN grown on SiO{sub 2} patterned templates exhibit high selectivity. Their single crystal structure is confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscope combined with an energy dispersive X-ray analysis, which also reveals the absence of threading dislocations in the InGaN nanopyramids due to elastic strain relaxation mechanisms. Cathodoluminescence measurements on a single InGaN nanopyramid clearly show an improvement of the optical properties when compared to planar InGaN grown under the same conditions. The good structural, morphological, and optical quality of the InGaN nanostructures grown on AlN/Si indicates that the nano-selective area growth technology is attractive for the realization of site-controlled indium-rich InGaN nanostructure-based devices and can also be transferred to other highly mismatched substrates.

Integrated Microanalytical System for Simultaneous Voltammetric Measurements of Free Metal Ion Concentrations in Natural Waters

OpenAIRE

Noël, Stéphane; Tercier-Waeber, Mary-Lou; Lin, Lin; Buffle, Jacques; Guenat, Olivier; Koudelka-Hep, Milena

2007-01-01

A complexing gel integrated microelectrode (CGIME) for direct measurements of free metal ion concentrations in natural waters has been developed. It is prepared by the successive deposition of microlayers of a chelating resin, an antifouling agarose gel and Hg on a 100-interconnected Ir-based microelectrode array. The trace metals of interest are in a first step accumulated on the chelating resin in proportion to their free ion concentration in solution, then released in acidic solution and d...

Gate metal dependent electrical characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Sang-Mo; Kang, Min-Seok

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We investigated transfer characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors. • We demonstrate the effect of the barrier height of Schottky gate metals. • The conduction mechanisms examine by comparing the experimental results with numerical simulations. • 2-DEG concentration depends on the barrier height of Schottky gate metals. - Abstract: We investigated transfer characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and the effect of the barrier height of Schottky gate metals. It is found that the threshold voltage of the HEMT structures with the Ni Schottky contact shows a positive shift compared to that of the Ti Schottky contacts (ΔV th = 2.9 V). The maximum saturation current of the HEMT structures with the Ti Schottky contact (∼1.4 × 10 7 A/cm 2 ) is found to be ∼2.5 times higher than that of the Ni Schottky contact (2.9 × 10 7 A/cm 2 ). The conduction mechanisms have been examined by comparing the experimental results with numerical simulations, which confirm that the increased barrier height is mainly attributed to the reduction of 2-DEG concentration

Gate metal dependent electrical characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koo, Sang-Mo, E-mail: smkoo@kw.ac.kr; Kang, Min-Seok, E-mail: hyde0220@gmail.com

2014-10-15

Highlights: • We investigated transfer characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors. • We demonstrate the effect of the barrier height of Schottky gate metals. • The conduction mechanisms examine by comparing the experimental results with numerical simulations. • 2-DEG concentration depends on the barrier height of Schottky gate metals. - Abstract: We investigated transfer characteristics of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and the effect of the barrier height of Schottky gate metals. It is found that the threshold voltage of the HEMT structures with the Ni Schottky contact shows a positive shift compared to that of the Ti Schottky contacts (ΔV{sub th} = 2.9 V). The maximum saturation current of the HEMT structures with the Ti Schottky contact (∼1.4 × 10{sup 7} A/cm{sup 2}) is found to be ∼2.5 times higher than that of the Ni Schottky contact (2.9 × 10{sup 7} A/cm{sup 2}). The conduction mechanisms have been examined by comparing the experimental results with numerical simulations, which confirm that the increased barrier height is mainly attributed to the reduction of 2-DEG concentration.

Melting decontamination and free release of metal waste at Studsvik RadWaste Co. in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawatsuma, Shinji; Ishikawa, Keiji; Matsubara, Tatsuo; Donomae, Yasushi; Imagawa, Yasuhiro

2006-01-01

The Studsvik RadWaste Co. in Sweden was visited on August 29, 2005 by members of radioactive waste and decommissioning subgroup of central safety task force in old Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute as 'Overseas investigation'. The visit afforded us the chance to survey melting and decontaminating of metallic waste in this company and the status of free release. Domestic and foreign radioactive metallic waste is accepted in this company after 1987, and the majority of the decontaminated waste have been released freely. In the background of the big effort of this company and the strong leadership of the regulator (SSI: Swedish radiation protection Authority), prosperous operation was able to have been achieved. This survey was done based on 'Free release of radioactive metallic waste in Europe: the free release experience for 17 years at Studsvik RadWaste Co. in Sweden' by Dr. J. Lorenzen. (author)

High energy transmission of Al2O3 doped with light transition metals

KAUST Repository

Schuster, Cosima

2012-01-31

The transmission of transparent colored ceramics based on Al2O3doped with light transition metals is measured in the visible and infrared range. To clarify the role of the dopands we perform ab initiocalculations. We discuss the electronic structure and present optical spectra obtained in the independent particle approximation. We argue that the gross spectral features of Co- and Ni-doped Al2O3 samples are described by our model, while the validity of the approach is limited for Cr-doped Al2O3.

High energy transmission of Al2O3 doped with light transition metals

KAUST Repository

Schuster, Cosima; Klimke, J.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2012-01-01

The transmission of transparent colored ceramics based on Al2O3doped with light transition metals is measured in the visible and infrared range. To clarify the role of the dopands we perform ab initiocalculations. We discuss the electronic structure and present optical spectra obtained in the independent particle approximation. We argue that the gross spectral features of Co- and Ni-doped Al2O3 samples are described by our model, while the validity of the approach is limited for Cr-doped Al2O3.

A Metal-Free Regioselective Multicomponent Approach for the Synthesis of Free Radical Scavenging Pyrimido-Fused Indazoles and Their Fluorescence Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeyakannu Palaniraja

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This study deals with a new and efficient metal-free regioselective synthesis of pyrimido-fused indazoles with nitrogen ring junction motifs. We have developed a metal-free domino type reaction between 3-aminoindazole, aryl aldehydes and aceotophenones in the presence of KOH/DMF that leads to pyrimido[1,2-b]indazole analogues. Response Surface Methodology (RSM coupled with a Box-Behnken design (BBD were utilized for exploring the effect of base used (A, temperature of reaction (B and (C, reaction time. This approach can allow access to a variety of pyrimidoindazole fluorophores and related compounds. The compound N,N-dimethyl-4-(2-phenylpyrimido[1,2-b]indazol-4-ylaniline (4e displays the maximum fluorescence intensity at 518 nm and shows a fluorescence quantum yield of 0.068. The synthesized pyramido-fused indazoles have been evaluated for their free radical scavenging activity and compound 4f showed good antioxidant activity.

Familial ALS

Science.gov (United States)

Boylan, Kevin

2015-01-01

Synopsis Genes linked to ALS susceptibility are being identified at an increasing rate owing to advances in molecular genetic technology. Genetic mechanisms in ALS pathogenesis appear to exert major effects in ~10% of patients, but genetic factors at some level may be important components of disease risk in most ALS patients. Identification of gene variants associated with ALS has informed concepts of the pathogenesis of ALS, aided the identification of therapeutic targets, facilitated research to develop new ALS biomarkers, and supported the establishment of clinical diagnostic tests for ALS-linked genes. Translation of this knowledge to ALS therapy development is ongoing. PMID:26515623

Microstructure and wear behaviour of Al/TiB2 metal matrix composite

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Popoola, AP

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Al/TiB2 metal matrix composite (MMCs) was fabricated on aluminium AA1200 with the aim of improving the wear resistance property of the substrate. The characterization of the MMCs was carried out by Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron...

Liver X Receptor Genes Variants Modulate ALS Phenotype.

Science.gov (United States)

Mouzat, Kevin; Molinari, Nicolas; Kantar, Jovana; Polge, Anne; Corcia, Philippe; Couratier, Philippe; Clavelou, Pierre; Juntas-Morales, Raul; Pageot, Nicolas; Lobaccaro, Jean -Marc A; Raoul, Cedric; Lumbroso, Serge; Camu, William

2018-03-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is one of the most severe motor neuron (MN) disorders in adults. Phenotype of ALS patients is highly variable and may be influenced by modulators of energy metabolism. Recent works have implicated the liver X receptors α and β (LXRs), either in the propagation process of ALS or in the maintenance of MN survival. LXRs are nuclear receptors activated by oxysterols, modulating cholesterol levels, a suspected modulator of ALS severity. In a cohort of 438 ALS patients and 330 healthy controls, the influence of LXR genes on ALS risk and phenotype was studied using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The two LXRα SNPs rs2279238 and rs7120118 were shown to be associated with age at onset in ALS patients. Consistently, homozygotes were twice more correlated than were heterozygotes to delayed onset. The onset was thus delayed by 3.9 years for rs2279238 C/T carriers and 7.8 years for T/T carriers. Similar results were obtained for rs7120118 (+2.1 years and +6.7 years for T/C and C/C genotypes, respectively). The LXRβ SNP rs2695121 was also shown to be associated with a 30% increase of ALS duration (p = 0.0055, FDR = 0.044). The tested genotypes were not associated with ALS risk. These findings add further evidence to the suspected implication of LXR genes in the disease process of ALS and might open new perspectives in ALS therapeutics.

High-power spallation target using a heavy liquid metal free surface flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Litfin, K.; Fetzer, J.R.; Batta, A.; Class, A.G.; Wetzel, Th.

2015-01-01

A prototype of a heavy liquid metal free surface target as proposed for the multi-purpose hybrid research reactor for high-tech applications in Mol, Belgium, has been set up and experimentally investigated at the Karlsruhe Liquid Metal Laboratory. A stable operation was demonstrated in a wide range of operating conditions and the surface shape was detected and compared with numerical pre-calculations employing Star-CD. Results show a very good agreement of experiment and numerical predictions which is an essential input for other windowless target designs like the META:LIC target for the European Spallation Source. (author)

Parity-Forbidden Transitions and Their Impact on the Optical Absorption Properties of Lead-Free Metal Halide Perovskites and Double Perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Weiwei; Wang, Xiaoming; Xiao, Zewen; Wang, Jianbo; Mitzi, David B; Yan, Yanfa

2017-07-06

Using density functional theory calculations, we analyze the optical absorption properties of lead (Pb)-free metal halide perovskites (AB 2+ X 3 ) and double perovskites (A 2 B + B 3+ X 6 ) (A = Cs or monovalent organic ion, B 2+ = non-Pb divalent metal, B + = monovalent metal, B 3+ = trivalent metal, X = halogen). We show that if B 2+ is not Sn or Ge, Pb-free metal halide perovskites exhibit poor optical absorptions because of their indirect band gap nature. Among the nine possible types of Pb-free metal halide double perovskites, six have direct band gaps. Of these six types, four show inversion symmetry-induced parity-forbidden or weak transitions between band edges, making them not ideal for thin-film solar cell applications. Only one type of Pb-free double perovskite shows optical absorption and electronic properties suitable for solar cell applications, namely, those with B + = In, Tl and B 3+ = Sb, Bi. Our results provide important insights for designing new metal halide perovskites and double perovskites for optoelectronic applications.

Electrochemical Corrosion Behaviour of Alumina-Al 6061 and Silicon Carbide-Al 6061 Metal-Matrix Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamed, K.E.; Gad, M.M.A.; El-Sayed, A.A.; Moustafa, O.H.

2001-01-01

The electrochemical corrosion behaviour of powder metallurgy-processed metal-matrix composites (MMCs)based on Al alloy 6061 reinforced with particulate Al 2 O 3 or Sic has been studied in chloride-containing environment. Also, the corrosion behaviour of the unrein forced Al 6061 produced by the same route investigated. Electrochemical tests were conducted on composites containing 10 and 20 vo l% of both reinforced particulates. Potentiodynamic polarization tests have been carried out in neutral as well as acidic and alkaline de-aerated 10 -3 M Na CI solution. In the neutral environment, the addition of Al 2 O 3 particulates was found to shift both the corrosion potential (E corr ) and the break down potential (E b ) slightly into the positive direction irrespective of the volume fraction added (10 and 20 vo l%). On the other hand , Sic caused a shift of E corr into the active site while the E b value was slightly ennobled. For both composites, the corrosion current values at the break down potentials were almost the same as the unrein forced alloy. In an attempt to further clarify the role of both particulate addition, cathodic polarization runs were conducted in both acidic (ph 3) and alkaline (ph 9)solutions for 20 vo l% of Al 2 O 3 and 20 vo l% Sic composite specimens. This indicated that cathodic current values for Sic composites were higher than those corresponding to the unrein forced alloy 6061, and those for the Al 2 O 3 composites were lower

Twinning processes in Cu-Al-Ni martensite single crystals investigated by neutron single crystal diffraction method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molnar, P.; Sittner, P.; Novak, V.; Lukas, P.

2008-01-01

A neutron single crystal diffraction method for inspecting the quality of martensite single crystals is introduced. True interface-free martensite single crystals are indispensable for, e.g. measurement of elastic constants of phases by ultrasonic techniques. The neutron diffraction method was used to detect and distinguish the presence of individual lattice correspondence variants of the 2H orthorhombic martensite phase in Cu-Al-Ni as well as to follow the activity of twinning processes during the deformation test on the martensite variant single crystals. When preparing the martensite single variant prism-shaped crystals by compression deformation method, typically a small fraction of second unwanted martensitic variant (compound twin) remains in the prism samples. Due to the very low stress (∼1 MPa) for the compound twinning in many shape memory alloys, it is quite difficult not only to deplete the martensite prisms of all internal interfaces but mainly to keep them in the martensite single variant state for a long time needed for further investigations

Effect of Cl2 plasma treatment and annealing on vanadium based metal contacts to Si-doped Al0.75Ga0.25N

Science.gov (United States)

Lapeyrade, Mickael; Alamé, Sabine; Glaab, Johannes; Mogilatenko, Anna; Unger, Ralph-Stephan; Kuhn, Christian; Wernicke, Tim; Vogt, Patrick; Knauer, Arne; Zeimer, Ute; Einfeldt, Sven; Weyers, Markus; Kneissl, Michael

2017-09-01

In order to understand the electrical properties of V/Al/Ni/Au metal contacts to Si-doped Al0.75Ga0.25N layers, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was performed on differently treated AlGaN:Si surfaces before metal deposition, and transmission electron microscopy was used to study the semiconductor-metal interface after contact annealing at 900 °C. Cl2 plasma etching of AlGaN increases the aluminum/nitrogen ratio at the surface, and Al oxide or oxynitride is always formed by any surface treatment applied after etching. After contact annealing, a complex interface structure including amorphous AlOx and different metal phases such as Al-Au-Ni, V-Al, and V2N were found. The electrical properties of the contacts were determined by thermionic emission and/or thermionic field emission in the low voltage regime. Nearly ohmic contacts on AlGaN surfaces exposed to a Cl2 plasma were only obtained by annealing the sample at a temperature of 815 °C under N2/NH3 prior to metallization. By this treatment, the oxygen contamination on the surface could be minimized, resulting in a larger semiconductor area to be in direct contact with metal phases such as Al-rich Al-Au-Ni or V-Al and leading to a contact resistivity of 2.5 × 10-2 Ω cm2. This treatment can be used to significantly reduce the operating voltage of current deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes which will increase their wall plug efficiency and lower the thermal stress during their operation.

Modulation of the effective work function of a TiN metal gate for NMOS requisition with Al incorporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Kai; Ma Xueli; Yang Hong; Wang Wenwu

2013-01-01

The effect of Al incorporation on the effective work function (EWF) of TiN metal gate was systematically investigated. Metal—oxide—semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with W/TiN/Al/TiN gate stacks were used to fulfill this purpose. Different thickness ratios of Al to TiN and different post metal annealing (PMA) conditions were employed. Significant shift of work function towards to Si conduction band was observed, which was suitable for NMOS and the magnitude of shift depends on the processing conditions. (semiconductor technology)

Patterned CoCrMo and Al2 O3 surfaces for reduced free wear debris in artificial joint arthroplasty.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarabolsi, Mohamad; Klassen, Thomas; Mantwill, Frank; Gärtner, Frank; Siegel, Frank; Schulz, Arndt-Peter

2013-12-01

Surface wear of corresponding tribological pairings is still a major problem in the application of artificial joint surgery. This study aims at developing wear reduced surfaces to utilize them in total joint arthroplasty. Using a pico-second laser, samples of medical CoCrMo metal alloy and Al2 O3 ceramic were patterned by laser material removal. The subsequent tribological investigations employed a ring-on-disc method. The results showed that those samples with modified surfaces show less mass or volume loss than those with a regular, smooth surface. Using calf serum as lubricating medium, the volume loss of the structured CoCrMo samples was eight times lower than that of regular samples. By structuring Al2 O3 surfaces, the wear volume could be reduced by 4.5 times. The results demonstrate that defined surface channels or pits enable the local sedimentation of wear debris. Thus, the amount of free debris could be reduced. Fewer abrasives in the lubricated so-called three-body-wear between the contact surfaces should result in less surface damage. Apart from direct influences on the wear behavior, less amounts of free debris of artificial joints should also be beneficial for avoiding undesired reactions with the surrounding soft tissues. The results from this study are very promising. Future investigations should involve the use of simulators meeting the natural conditions in the joint and in vivo studies with living organisms. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley Company.

Evaluation of liquid fragility and thermal stability of Al-based metallic glasses by equivalent structure parameter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xuelian; Bian Xiufang; Hu Lina

2010-01-01

Based on extended Ideal-Atomic-Packing model, we propose an equivalent structure parameter '6x+11y' to evaluate fragility and thermal stability of Al-TM-RE metallic glasses, where x and y are composition concentrations of transition metal (TM) and rare earth (RE), respectively. Experimental results show that glass forming compositions with '6x+11y' near 100 have the smallest fragility parameter and best structure stability. In addition, '6x+11y' parameter has a positive relationship with onset-crystallization temperature, T x . Al-TM-RE glassy alloys with (6x+11y)≤100 undergo primary crystallization of fcc-Al nanocrystals, while alloys with (6x+11y)>100 exhibit nanoglassy or glassy crystallization behavior.

Microstructure investigation of NiAl-Cr(Mo) interface in a directionally solidified NiAl-Cr(Mo) eutectic alloyed with refractory metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Y.X.; Cui, C.Y.; Guo, J.T.; Li, D.X.

2004-01-01

The microstructure of a directionally solidified NiAl-Cr(Mo) eutectic alloyed with refractory metal in as-processed and heat-treated states has been studied by means of scanning electron microscopy and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The microstructure of the NiAl-Cr(Mo) eutectic was characterized by lamellar Cr(Mo) phases embedded within NiAl matrix with common growth direction of . The interface between NiAl and lamellar Cr(Mo) did not have any transition layers. Misfit dislocations were observed at the NiAl-Cr(Mo) interface. In addition to lamellar Cr(Mo) phases, coherent Cr(Mo, Ni, Al) precipitates and NiAl precipitates were also observed in the NiAl matrix and lamellar Cr(Mo) phases, respectively. After hot isostatic pressing and heat treatment, the NiAl-Cr(Mo) interfaces became smooth and straight. Square array of misfit dislocations was directly observed at the (0 0 1) interface between NiAl and Cr(Mo, Ni, Al) precipitate. The configuration of misfit dislocation network showed a generally good agreement with prediction based on the geometric O-lattice model

Effects of Al addition on atomic structure of Cu-Zr metallic glass

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Feng; Zhang, Huajian; Liu, Xiongjun; Dong, Yuecheng; Yu, Chunyan; Lu, Zhaoping

2018-02-01

The atomic structures of Cu52Zr48 and Cu45Zr48Al7 metallic glasses (MGs) have been studied by molecular dynamic simulations. The results reveal that the molar volume of the Cu45Zr48Al7 MG is smaller than that of the Cu52Zr48 MG, although the size of the Al atom is larger than that of the Cu atom, implying an enhanced atomic packing density achieved by introducing Al into the ternary MG. Bond shortening in unlike atomic pairs Zr-Al and Cu-Al is observed in the Cu45Zr48Al7 MG, which is attributed to strong interactions between Al and (Zr, Cu) atoms. Meanwhile, the atomic packing efficiency is enhanced by the minor addition of Al. Compared with the Cu52Zr48 binary MG, the potential energy of the ternary MG decreases and the glass transition temperature increases. Structural analyses indicate that more Cu- and Al-centered full icosahedral clusters emerge in the Cu45Zr48Al7 MG as some Cu atoms are substituted by Al. Furthermore, the addition of Al leads to more icosahedral medium-range orders in the ternary MG. The increase of full icosahedral clusters and the enhancement of the packing density are responsible for the improved glass-forming ability of Cu45Zr48Al7.

Effects of Insert Metal Type on Interfacial Microstructure During Dissimilar Joining of TiAl Alloy to SCM440 by Friction Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jong-Moon; Kim, Ki-Young; Kim, Kyoung-Kyun; Ito, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Makoto; Oh, Myung-Hoon

2018-03-01

Although the welding zone of direct bonding between a TiAl alloy and SCM440 can be obtained by friction welding, martensitic transformation and the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) and cracks result in a lower tensile strength of the joints relative to those of other welding techniques. Insert metals were used as a buffer layer to relieve stress while increasing the bond strength. In this study, the microstructure and mechanical properties on welded joints of a TiAl alloy and SCM440 with various insert metals, were investigated. The TiAl/Cu/SCM440 and TiAl/Ni/SCM440 joints were fabricated using a servo-motor-type friction welding machine. As a result, it was confirmed that the formation of a welding flash was dependent on the insert metal type, and the strength of the base metal. At the TiAl/Cu/SCM440 interface, the formation of IMCs CuTiAl and Cu2TiAl was observed at TiAl/Cu, while no IMC formation was observed at Cu/SCM440. On the other hand, at the TiAl/Ni/SCM440 interface, several IMCs with more than 100 μm thickness were found, and roughly two compositions, viz., Ti2NiAl3 and TiNi2Al, were observed at the TiAl/Ni interface. At the Ni/SCM440 interface, 10 μm-thick FeNi and others were found.

Effects of Insert Metal Type on Interfacial Microstructure During Dissimilar Joining of TiAl Alloy to SCM440 by Friction Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jong-Moon; Kim, Ki-Young; Kim, Kyoung-Kyun; Ito, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Makoto; Oh, Myung-Hoon

2018-05-01

Although the welding zone of direct bonding between a TiAl alloy and SCM440 can be obtained by friction welding, martensitic transformation and the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) and cracks result in a lower tensile strength of the joints relative to those of other welding techniques. Insert metals were used as a buffer layer to relieve stress while increasing the bond strength. In this study, the microstructure and mechanical properties on welded joints of a TiAl alloy and SCM440 with various insert metals, were investigated. The TiAl/Cu/SCM440 and TiAl/Ni/SCM440 joints were fabricated using a servo-motor-type friction welding machine. As a result, it was confirmed that the formation of a welding flash was dependent on the insert metal type, and the strength of the base metal. At the TiAl/Cu/SCM440 interface, the formation of IMCs CuTiAl and Cu2TiAl was observed at TiAl/Cu, while no IMC formation was observed at Cu/SCM440. On the other hand, at the TiAl/Ni/SCM440 interface, several IMCs with more than 100 μm thickness were found, and roughly two compositions, viz., Ti2NiAl3 and TiNi2Al, were observed at the TiAl/Ni interface. At the Ni/SCM440 interface, 10 μm-thick FeNi and others were found.

Low-frequency noise in AlTiO/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction field-effect transistors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Le, Son Phuong; Ui, Toshimasa; Nguyen, Tuan Quy; Shih, Hong-An; Suzuki, Toshi-kazu, E-mail: tosikazu@jaist.ac.jp [Center for Nano Materials and Technology, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292 (Japan)

2016-05-28

Using aluminum titanium oxide (AlTiO, an alloy of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TiO{sub 2}) as a high-k gate insulator, we fabricated and investigated AlTiO/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor heterojunction field-effect transistors. From current low-frequency noise (LFN) characterization, we find Lorentzian spectra near the threshold voltage, in addition to 1/f spectra for the well-above-threshold regime. The Lorentzian spectra are attributed to electron trapping/detrapping with two specific time constants, ∼25 ms and ∼3 ms, which are independent of the gate length and the gate voltage, corresponding to two trap level depths of 0.5–0.7 eV with a 0.06 eV difference in the AlTiO insulator. In addition, gate leakage currents are analyzed and attributed to the Poole-Frenkel mechanism due to traps in the AlTiO insulator, where the extracted trap level depth is consistent with the Lorentzian LFN.

FecB, a periplasmic ferric-citrate transporter from E. coli, can bind different forms of ferric-citrate as well as a wide variety of metal-free and metal-loaded tricarboxylic acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Sambuddha; Paul, Subrata; Nguyen, Leonard T; Chu, Byron C H; Vogel, Hans J

2016-01-01

The Escherichia coli Fec system, consisting of an outer membrane receptor (FecA), a periplasmic substrate binding protein (FecB) and an inner membrane permease-ATPase type transporter (FecC/D), plays an important role in the uptake and transport of Fe(3+)-citrate. Although several FecB sequences from various organisms have been reported, there are no biophysical or structural data available for this protein to date. In this work, using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), we report for the first time the ability of FecB to bind different species of Fe(3+)-citrate as well as other citrate complexes with trivalent (Ga(3+), Al(3+), Sc(3+) and In(3+)) and a representative divalent metal ion (Mg(2+)) with low μM affinity. Interestingly, ITC experiments with various iron-free di- and tricarboxylic acids show that FecB can bind tricarboxylates with μM affinity but not biologically relevant dicarboxylates. The ability of FecB to bind with metal-free citrate is also observed in (1)H,(15)N HSQC-NMR titration experiments reported here at two different pH values. Further, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments indicate that the ligand-bound form of FecB has greater thermal stability than ligand-free FecB under all pH and ligand conditions tested, which is consistent with the idea of domain closure subsequent to ligand binding for this type of periplasmic binding proteins.

Metal oxide, Group V-VI chalcogenides and GaN/AlGaN photodetectors

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Md. Rezaul

In this work, a simple, low-cost and catalyst free one-step solution processing of onedimensional Sb2S3 nanostructures on polyimide substrates was done. This structure demonstrated its potential application as a photoconductor in the UV and visible regime. Using-field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), grazing incidence X-Ray diffraction, Raman spectra and transmission electron microscopy measurements, it was shown that the Sb 2S3 films have high crystallinity, uniform morphology and nearstoichiometric composition. Further, using tauc plot, it was found that the films have a direct bandgap of 1.67 eV. MSM photodetectors, fabricated using these films showed a clear photo response in both UV as well as visible wavelength. These devices showed UV on/off ratio as high as 160 under the light intensity of 30 mW/cm2 and a small rise time and fall time of 44 ms 28 ms respectively. The effect of geometry of metal pad and bonding wire orientation of a multi-channel FET on the coupling of THz radiation was studied. The spatial variation images were taken by raster scan with the resolution of 0.07 mm steps in both x and y directions. An effective gate bias, where the effect of noise is minimum and photoresponse is maximum, was used for imaging. By applying VGS =-2.8V and VDS =380mV, the images were taken for all different combinations of activated bonding wires and metal pads. It was observed that, effect of bonding wire orientation is negligible for the large source pad as the radiation is coupled basically between drain and gate pad. Effect of drain bonding wire on coupling depends on the maximum width or diameter of metal pad and the incoming wavelength. In this work, Position of activated Drain pad and orientation of respective bonding wire defined the image tilting angle. Voltage drop across the shorting metal between drain pads, also played a role in increasing the asymmetry by selectively exciting a certain portion of FET Channels more than the other portion

Metal-free hydration of aromatic haloalkynes to α-halomethyl ketones

KAUST Repository

Ye, Min

2016-10-01

A highly regioselective and efficient metal-free hydration of aromatic haloalkynes to alpha-halomethyl ketones using cheap tetrafluoroboric acid as catalyst is described. The protocol is conducted under convenient conditions and affords products in good to excellent yields, with broad substrate scope, including a variety of aromatic alkynyl chlorides, alkynyl bromides, and alkynyl iodides. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metal-free hydration of aromatic haloalkynes to α-halomethyl ketones

KAUST Repository

Ye, Min; Wen, Yuelu; Li, Huifang; Fu, Yejuan; Wang, Qinghao

2016-01-01

A highly regioselective and efficient metal-free hydration of aromatic haloalkynes to alpha-halomethyl ketones using cheap tetrafluoroboric acid as catalyst is described. The protocol is conducted under convenient conditions and affords products in good to excellent yields, with broad substrate scope, including a variety of aromatic alkynyl chlorides, alkynyl bromides, and alkynyl iodides. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on Mg/Al Weld Seam Based on Zn–Mg–Al Ternary Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liming Liu

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Based on the idea of alloying welding seams, a series of Zn–xAl filler metals was calculated and designed for joining Mg/Al dissimilar metals by gas tungsten arc (GTA welding. An infrared thermography system was used to measure the temperature of the welding pool during the welding process to investigate the solidification process. It was found that the mechanical properties of the welded joints were improved with the increasing of the Al content in the Zn–xAl filler metals, and when Zn–30Al was used as the filler metal, the ultimate tensile strength could reach a maximum of 120 MPa. The reason for the average tensile strength of the joint increasing was that the weak zone of the joint using Zn–30Al filler metal was generated primarily by α-Al instead of MgZn2. When Zn–40Al was used as the filler metal, a new transition zone, about 20 μm-wide, appeared in the edge of the fusion zone near the Mg base metal. Due to the transition zones consisting of MgZn2- and Al-based solid solution, the mechanical property of the joints was deteriorated.

Combinatorial development of antibacterial Zr-Cu-Al-Ag thin film metallic glasses.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yanhui; Padmanabhan, Jagannath; Cheung, Bettina; Liu, Jingbei; Chen, Zheng; Scanley, B Ellen; Wesolowski, Donna; Pressley, Mariyah; Broadbridge, Christine C; Altman, Sidney; Schwarz, Udo D; Kyriakides, Themis R; Schroers, Jan

2016-05-27

Metallic alloys are normally composed of multiple constituent elements in order to achieve integration of a plurality of properties required in technological applications. However, conventional alloy development paradigm, by sequential trial-and-error approach, requires completely unrelated strategies to optimize compositions out of a vast phase space, making alloy development time consuming and labor intensive. Here, we challenge the conventional paradigm by proposing a combinatorial strategy that enables parallel screening of a multitude of alloys. Utilizing a typical metallic glass forming alloy system Zr-Cu-Al-Ag as an example, we demonstrate how glass formation and antibacterial activity, two unrelated properties, can be simultaneously characterized and the optimal composition can be efficiently identified. We found that in the Zr-Cu-Al-Ag alloy system fully glassy phase can be obtained in a wide compositional range by co-sputtering, and antibacterial activity is strongly dependent on alloy compositions. Our results indicate that antibacterial activity is sensitive to Cu and Ag while essentially remains unchanged within a wide range of Zr and Al. The proposed strategy not only facilitates development of high-performing alloys, but also provides a tool to unveil the composition dependence of properties in a highly parallel fashion, which helps the development of new materials by design.

Effect of Rare Earth Metals on the Microstructure of Al-Si Based Alloys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saleh A. Alkahtani

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present study was performed on A356 alloy [Al-7 wt %Si 0.0.35 wt %Mg]. To that La and Ce were added individually or combined up to 1.5 wt % each. The results show that these rare earth elements affect only the alloy melting temperature with no marked change in the temperature of Al-Si eutectic precipitation. Additionally, rare earth metals have no modification effect up to 1.5 wt %. In addition, La and Ce tend to react with Sr leading to modification degradation. In order to achieve noticeable modification of eutectic Si particles, the concentration of rare earth metals should exceed 1.5 wt %, which simultaneously results in the precipitation of a fairly large volume fraction of insoluble intermetallics. The precipitation of these complex intermetallics is expected to have a negative effect on the alloy performance.

Microstructural Evolution of Ti-6Al-4V during High Strain Rate Conditions of Metal Cutting

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Lei; Schneider, Judy

2009-01-01

The microstructural evolution following metal cutting was investigated within the metal chips of Ti-6Al-4V. Metal cutting was used to impose a high strain rate on the order of approx.10(exp 5)/s within the primary shear zone as the metal was removed from the workpiece. The initial microstructure of the parent material (PM) was composed of a bi-modal microstructure with coarse prior grains and equiaxed primary located at the boundaries. After metal cutting, the microstructure of the metal chips showed coarsening of the equiaxed primary grains and lamellar. These metallographic findings suggest that the metal chips experienced high temperatures which remained below the transus temperature.

Abrupt symmetry decrease in the ThT2Al20 alloys (T = 3d transition metal)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uziel, A.; Bram, A.I.; Venkert, A.; Kiv, A.E.; Fuks, D.; Meshi, L.

2015-01-01

Th-T-Al system, where T-3d transition metals, was studied at ThT 2 Al 20 stoichiometry to establish the influence of T on the structural stability of ternary aluminide formed. Different alloys were prepared, varying T in the row from Ti to Fe. Using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods it was found that ThT 2 Al 20 phase adopts CeCr 2 Al 20 structure type when T = Ti, V, and Cr. Starting from Mn, the symmetry of the stable Al-rich phase, which forms in the alloys with the same composition, decreases from cubic to orthorhombic. The results of Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations coincide with experiments. Concepts of the Theory of Coordination Compounds and Jahn–Teller effect were used to explain the observed abrupt change of the symmetry. These considerations were supported by DFT calculations. - Highlights: • Type of transition metal influences symmetry change in the ThT 2 Al 20 alloys. • It was found that cubic ThT 2 Al 20 phase is stable for T = Ti, V and Cr. • When T = Mn, Fe–Al + orthorhombic ThT 2 Al 10 are formed, lowering the symmetry. • Experimental results and DFT calculations were in full agreement. • TCC and of Jahn–Teller effect were used for explanation of the results

La interstitial defect-induced insulator-metal transition in the oxide heterostructures LaAl O3 /SrTi O3

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jun; Yang, Ming; Feng, Yuan Ping; Rusydi, Andrivo

2017-11-01

Perovskite oxide interfaces have attracted tremendous research interest for their fundamental physics and promising all-oxide electronic applications. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we propose a surface La interstitial promoted interface insulator-metal transition in LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110). Compared with surface oxygen vacancies, which play a determining role on the insulator-metal transition of LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (001) interfaces, we find that surface La interstitials can be more experimentally realistic and accessible for manipulation and more stable in an ambient atmospheric environment. Interestingly, these surface La interstitials also induce significant spin-splitting states with a Ti dy z/dx z character at a conducting LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) interface. On the other hand, for insulating LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) (<4 unit cells LaAl O3 thickness), a distortion between La (Al) and O atoms is found at the LaAl O3 side, partially compensating the polarization divergence. Our results reveal the origin of the metal-insulator transition in LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) heterostructures, and also shed light on the manipulation of the superior properties of LaAl O3 /SrTi O3 (110) for different possibilities in electronic and magnetic applications.

4,6-Dimethyl-dibenzothiophene conversion over Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-TiO{sub 2}-supported noble metal catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nunez, Sara [Departamento de Ingenieria de Procesos e Hidraulica, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, San Rafael Atlixco 186, Vicentina, Iztapalapa, 09340, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Escobar, Jose, E-mail: jeaguila@imp.mx [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas 152, San Bartolo Atepehuacan, Gustavo A. Madero, 07730, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Vazquez, Armando; Reyes, Jose Antonio de los [Departamento de Ingenieria de Procesos e Hidraulica, Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, San Rafael Atlixco 186, Vicentina, Iztapalapa, 09340, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Hernandez-Barrera, Melissa [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas 152, San Bartolo Atepehuacan, Gustavo A. Madero, 07730, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

2011-03-15

Research highlights: {yields} Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-TiO{sub 2} (molar ratio Al/Ti = 2, AT2) mixed oxides were pore-filling impregnated to obtain Pd, Pt and Pd-Pt catalysts with {approx}1 wt% nominal metal loading. {yields} Reduced catalysts were tested in the 4,6-dimethyl-dibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization (HDS). {yields} In Pd-containing materials, TiO{sub 2} incorporation into the alumina support was favorable to the catalytic activity of noble metal catalysts. {yields} Enhanced intrinsic activity (per exposed metallic site) was obtained in Pt-containing catalysts supported on the AT2 mixed oxide. {yields} Yield to different products over various catalysts seemed to be strongly influenced by metallic particles dispersion. - Abstract: Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-TiO{sub 2} (molar ratio Al/Ti = 2, AT2) mixed oxides were synthesized using a low-temperature sol-gel method and were further pore-filling impregnated to obtain Pd and Pt catalysts with {approx}1 wt% nominal metal loading. Simultaneous impregnation was used to prepare bimetallic materials at Pd:Pt = 80:20. Solids characterization was carried out by N{sub 2}-physisorption, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM and E-FTEM), X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction and CO-chemisorption. Reduced (350 deg. C, H{sub 2} flow) catalysts were tested in the 4,6-dimethyl-dibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization (HDS) (in n-dodecane, at 300 deg. C and 5.5 MPa, batch reactor). In Pd-containing materials, TiO{sub 2} incorporation into the alumina support was favorable to the catalytic activity of noble metal catalysts, where bimetallic Pd-Pt with AT2 carrier had the highest organo-S compound conversion. Enhanced intrinsic activity (per exposed metallic site) was obtained in Pt-containing catalysts supported on the AT2 mixed oxide (as compared to alumina-supported ones). Yield to different products over various catalysts seemed to be strongly influenced by

Insulator-semiconductor interface fixed charges in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor devices with Al2O3 or AlTiO gate dielectrics

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Son Phuong; Nguyen, Duong Dai; Suzuki, Toshi-kazu

2018-01-01

We have investigated insulator-semiconductor interface fixed charges in AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) devices with Al2O3 or AlTiO (an alloy of Al2O3 and TiO2) gate dielectrics obtained by atomic layer deposition on AlGaN. Analyzing insulator-thickness dependences of threshold voltages for the MIS devices, we evaluated positive interface fixed charges, whose density at the AlTiO/AlGaN interface is significantly lower than that at the Al2O3/AlGaN interface. This and a higher dielectric constant of AlTiO lead to rather shallower threshold voltages for the AlTiO gate dielectric than for Al2O3. The lower interface fixed charge density also leads to the fact that the two-dimensional electron concentration is a decreasing function of the insulator thickness for AlTiO, whereas being an increasing function for Al2O3. Moreover, we discuss the relationship between the interface fixed charges and interface states. From the conductance method, it is shown that the interface state densities are very similar at the Al2O3/AlGaN and AlTiO/AlGaN interfaces. Therefore, we consider that the lower AlTiO/AlGaN interface fixed charge density is not owing to electrons trapped at deep interface states compensating the positive fixed charges and can be attributed to a lower density of oxygen-related interface donors.

Transient structural distortion of metal-free Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase triggers aberrant oligomerization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teilum, Kaare; Smith, Melanie H; Schulz, Eike

2009-01-01

remained enigmatic, however, as is the case in other protein-misfolding diseases. Here, we target the critical conformational change that defines the earliest step toward aggregation. Using nuclear spin relaxation dispersion experiments, we identified a short-lived (0.4 ms) and weakly populated (0.......7%) conformation of metal-depleted SOD1 that triggers aberrant oligomerization. This excited state emanates from the folded ground state and is suppressed by metal binding, but is present in both the disulfide-oxidized and disulfide-reduced forms of the protein. Our results pinpoint a perturbed region......Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to the misfolding of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). ALS-related defects in SOD1 result in a gain of toxic function that coincides with aberrant oligomerization. The structural events triggering oligomerization have...

Validation of Transfer Functions Predicting Cd and Pb Free Metal Ion Activity in Soil Solution as a Function of Soil Characteristics and Reactive Metal Content

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pampura, T.; Groenenberg, J.E.; Lofts, S.; Priputina, I.

2007-01-01

According to recent insight, the toxicity of metals in soils is better related to the free metal ion (FMI) activity in the soil solution than to the total metal concentration in soil. However, the determination of FMI activities in soil solution is a difficult and time-consuming task. An alternative

Thermal stability and magnetocaloric properties of GdDyAlCo bulk metallic glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liang, L. [State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Hui, X. [State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China)], E-mail: huixd01@hotmail.com; Chen, G.L. [State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China)

2008-01-25

Gd{sub 56-x}Dy{sub x}Al{sub 24}Co{sub 20} (x = 16, 20 and 22) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) alloys with a diameter of 2, 3 and 3 mm, respectively, were prepared by using copper mold casting. These alloys exhibit higher values of the glass transition temperature, crystallization temperature, and activation energy of the glass transition and crystallization, compared with those of other known rare-earth-based BMGs. A maximum magnetic entropy changes of 15.78 J/(kg K) is obtained in Gd{sub 40}Dy{sub 16}Al{sub 24}Co{sub 20}, which is the maximal among all the bulk metallic glasses, and is much larger than those of the known crystalline magnetic refrigerant compound Gd{sub 5}Si{sub 2}Ge{sub 1.9}Fe{sub 0.1} and pure Gd metal. All the three BMG alloys have a broader temperature range of the entropy change peak, resulting in larger refrigerate capacities (RC) than those of conventional crystalline materials. The excellent magnetocaloric properties combining with high thermal stability make them an attractive candidate for magnetic refrigerants in the temperature range of 20-100 K.

Band structure engineering and vacancy induced metallicity at the GaAs-AlAs interface

KAUST Repository

Upadhyay Kahaly, M.

2011-09-20

We study the epitaxial GaAs-AlAs interface of wide gap materials by full-potential density functional theory. AlAsthin films on a GaAs substrate and GaAsthin films on an AlAs substrate show different trends for the electronic band gap with increasing film thickness. In both cases, we find an insulating state at the interface and a negligible charge transfer even after relaxation. Differences in the valence and conduction band edges suggest that the energy band discontinuities depend on the growth sequence. Introduction of As vacancies near the interface induces metallicity, which opens great potential for GaAs-AlAs heterostructures in modern electronics.

Athermal metal optics made of nickel plated AlSi40

Science.gov (United States)

Gebhardt, Andreas; Kinast, Jan; Rohloff, Ralf-Rainer; Seifert, Walter; Beier, Matthias; Scheiding, Sebastian; Peschel, Thomas

2017-11-01

Metal optics is an inherent part of space instrumentation for years. Diamond turned aluminum (Al6061) mirrors are widely used for application in the mid- and near-infrared (mid-IR and NIR, respectively) spectral range. Aluminum mirrors plated with electroless nickel (NiP) expand the field of application towards multispectral operating instruments down to the ultraviolet wavelengths. Due to the significant mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between aluminum and NiP, however, this advantage occurs at the cost of bimetallic bending. Challenging requirements can be met by using bare beryllium or aluminum beryllium composites (AlBeMet) as a CTE tailored substrate material and amorphous NiP as polishable layer. For health reasons, the use of beryllium causes complications in the process chain. Thus, the beryllium approach is subjected to specific applications only. Metal optics has proven to be advantageous in respect of using conventional CNC and ultra-precision fabrication methods to realize complex and light-weighted instrument structures. Moreover, the mirror designs can be effectively optimized for a deterministic system assembly and optimization. Limitations in terms of dimensional stability over temperature and time are mainly given by the inherent material properties (figures of merit) of the substrate material in interaction with the polishing layer. To find an optimal compromise, a thermal matched aluminum-silicon alloy (silicon contents ≍ 40 wt%) plated with NiP (AlSi40/NiP ) was investigated in a joined project of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy MPIA and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF. The main tasks of the project were the minimization of the bimetallic bending, the development of reliable stabilizing and aging procedures, and the establishment of a proven fabrication method. This paper describes fundamental results regarding the optimization of the athermal material combination

Improvement of the thermoplastic formability of Zr65Cu17.5Ni10Al7.5 bulk metallic glass by minor addition of Erbium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Q.; Zeng, X.R.; Fu, M.W.; Chen, S.S.; Jiang, J.

2016-01-01

The softness of Zr 65 Cu 17.5 Ni 10 Al 7.5 bulk metallic glass (BMG) in the super-cooled liquid range (SCLR) is obviously improved by minor addition of 2% Er, which makes (Zr 65 Cu 17.5 Ni 10 Al 7.5 ) 98 Er 2 (Zr65Er2) to be a very formable Be-free Zr-based BMG. It is found the lower glass transition temperature of Zr65Er2 has an important contribution to the improvement of formability, which is contrary to the general understanding that the larger fragility and wider super-cooled liquid region (SCLR) are the major reasons for better thermoplastic formability. This finding is well explained by using the linear simplification of the SCLR in Angell plot. Zr65Er2 also has lower crystallization temperature and melting temperature, which is believed to be related to the formation of short-range ordering with lower transition energy rather than the composition shift to near eutectic. The above results help understand the effect of minor addition of rare-earth to the formability of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses.

Correlation of Mechanical Properties in Bulk Metallic Glasses with 27Al NMR Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-01

recycle delay of 300 ms. Magnetization measurements were conducted at room temperature using a Quantum Design SQUID magne- tometer. The magnetization of...Gangopadhyay A K, et al. First X-ray scattering studies on electrostatically levitated metallic liquids: Demonstrated influence of local icosahedral

Interfacial Microstructure Formed by Reactive Metal Penetration of Al into Mullite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, T.B.; Ewsuk, K.G.; Fahrenholtz, W.G.; Loehman, R.E.; Lu, P.

1999-01-01

Microstructure in the reaction interface between molten Al and dense mullite have been studied by transmission electron microscopy to provide insight into mechanisms for forming ceramic-metal composites by reactive metal penetration. The reactions, which have the overall stoichiometry, 3Al number sign iz01 + (8+ x)A1 + 13 AlzO + xA1 + 6Si, were carried out at temperatures of 900, 1100, and 1200oC for 5 minutes and 60 minutes, and 1400oC for 15 minutes. Observed phases generally were those given in the above reaction, although their proportions and interracial rnicrostructures differed strongly with reaction temperature. After reaction at 900oC, a thin Al layer separated unreacted mullite from the cx-AlzO and Al reaction products. No Si phase was found near the reaction front. After 5 minutes at 1100''C, the nxtction front contained Si, ct-A120, and an aluminum oxide phase with a high concentration of Si. After 60 minutes at 11O(YC many of the cx-A120g particles were needle-shaped with a preferred orientation. After reaction at 1200oC, the reaction front contained a high density of Si particles that formed a continuous layer over many of the mullite grains. The sample reacted at 140VC for 15 minutes had a dense ct-A120J reaction layer less than 2m thick. Some isolated Si particles were present between the a-AlzO layer and the unreacted mullite. Using previously measured reaction kinetics data, the observed temperature dependence of the interracial microstructure have been modeled as three sequential steps, each one of which is rate-limiting in a different temperature range

A new method to synthesize sulfur-doped graphene as effective metal-free electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhai, Chunyang; Sun, Mingjuan [School of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211 (China); Zhu, Mingshan, E-mail: mingshanzhu@yahoo.com [School of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211 (China); Song, Shaoqing [School of Chemistry, Biology and Materials Science, East China Institute of Technology, Nanchang 330013 (China); Jiang, Shujuan, E-mail: sjjiang@ecit.edu.cn [School of Chemistry, Biology and Materials Science, East China Institute of Technology, Nanchang 330013 (China)

2017-06-15

Highlights: • S doped graphene was facile synthesized by one-pot solvothermal method. • DMSO acted as S source as well as reaction solvent. • S-RGO worked as an efficient metal-free electrocatalyst for ORR. • S-RGO acted as a promising candidate instead of Pt-based catalyst. - Abstract: The exploration of a metal-free catalyst with highly efficient yet low-cost for the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) is under wide spread investigation. In this paper, by using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as S source as well as solvent, we report a new, low-cost, and facile solvothermal route to synthesize S-doped reduced graphene oxide (S-RGO). The existence of S element in the framework of RGO was solidly confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The as-synthesized S-RGO can be worked as an efficient metal-free electrocatalyst for ORR. Moreover, compared to commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst, the S-RGO displays superior resistance to crossover effect and stability by evaluating the addition of methanol and CO poisoning experiment. This result not only shows S-RGO as a promising candidate instead of Pt-based catalyst for ORR, but also provides a new approach for the preparation of metal-free electrocatalyst in future.

Donnan membrane speciation of Al, Fe, trace metals and REEs in coastal lowland acid sulfate soil-impacted drainage waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Adele M; Xue, Youjia; Kinsela, Andrew S; Wilcken, Klaus M; Collins, Richard N

2016-03-15

Donnan dialysis has been applied to forty filtered drainage waters collected from five coastal lowland acid sulfate soil (CLASS) catchments across north-eastern NSW, Australia. Despite having average pH values70%) as negatively-charged complexes. In contrast, the speciation of the divalent trace metals Co, Mn, Ni and Zn was dominated by positively-charged complexes and was strongly correlated with the alkaline earth metals Ca and Mg. Thermodynamic equilibrium speciation calculations indicated that natural organic matter (NOM) complexes dominated Fe(III) speciation in agreement with that obtained by Donnan dialysis. In the case of Fe(II), however, the free cation was predicted to dominate under thermodynamic equilibrium, whilst our results indicated that Fe(II) was mainly present as neutral or negatively-charged complexes (most likely with sulfate). For all other divalent metals thermodynamic equilibrium speciation calculations agreed well with the Donnan dialysis results. The proportion of Al and REEs predicted to be negatively-charged was also grossly underestimated, relative to the experimental results, highlighting possible inaccuracies in the stability constants developed for these trivalent Me(SO4)2(-) and/or Me-NOM complexes and difficulties in modeling complex environmental samples. These results will help improve metal mobility and toxicity models developed for CLASS-affected environments, and also demonstrate that Australian CLASS environments can discharge REEs at concentrations an order of magnitude greater than previously reported. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interface States in AlGaN/GaN Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor High Electron Mobility Transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Qian; Du Kai; Li Yu-Kun; Shi Peng; Feng Qing

2013-01-01

Frequency-dependent capacitance and conductance measurements are performed on AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and NbAlO/AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor HEMTs (MISHEMTs) to extract density and time constants of the trap states at NbAlO/AlGaN interface and gate/AlGaN interface with the gate-voltage biased into the accumulation region and that at the AlGaN/GaN interface with the gate-voltage biased into the depletion region in different circuit models. The measurement results indicate that the trap density at NbAlO/AlGaN interface is about one order lower than that at gate/AlGaN interface while the trap density at AlGaN/GaN interface is in the same order, so the NbAlO film can passivate the AlGaN surface effectively, which is consistent with the current collapse results

Experimental study of the features of the running part liquid metal target on lead-bismuth alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beznosov, A.V.; Meluzov, A.G.; Novozhilova, O.O.; Efanov, A.D.

2007-01-01

The results of experimental investigations of the through part of a full-scale liquid metal target of an accelerator-control system, where the working cavity of the target communicates directly with the particle accelerator cavity, are presented. Two design variants were investigated - with vertical and horizontal orientation of the target axis in space and spinning of the flow in front of the nozzle adapter located in front of the entrance of the eutectic into the working cavity of the target. The profiles obtained for the free coolant surface with liquid metal flowing through vertically and horizontally positioned targets are presented. It is confirmed that when the pressure of the free surface of the liquid metal corresponds to the pressure in the accelerator cavity it is possible that liquid metal will not flow into the cavity simulating the connecting piece for inflow of accelerated particles with the piece oriented vertically or horizontally [ru

Free surface modeling of contacting solid metal flows employing the ALE formulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Stelt, A.A.; Bor, Teunis Cornelis; Geijselaers, Hubertus J.M.; Akkerman, Remko; Huetink, Han; Merklein, M.; Hagenah, H.

2012-01-01

In this paper, a numerical problem with contacting solid metal flows is presented and solved with an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) finite element method. The problem consists of two domains which mechanically interact with each other. For this simulation a new free surface boundary condition

Formation and stability of aluminum-based metallic glasses in Al-Fe-Gd alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Y.; Poon, S.J.; Shiflet, G.J.

1988-01-01

Metallic glasses, a class of amorphous alloys made by rapid solidification, have been studied quite extensively for almost thirty years. It has been recognized for a long time that metallic glasses are usually very strong and ductile, and exhibit high corrosion resistance relative to crystalline alloys with the same compositions. Recently, metallic glasses containing as much as 90 atomic percent aluminum have been discovered independently by two groups. This discovery has both scientific and technological implications. The formability of these new glasses have been found to be unusual. Studies of mechanical properties in these new metallic glasses show that many of them have tensile strengths over 800MPa, greatly exceeding the strongest commercial aluminum alloys. The high strengths of aluminum-rich metallic glasses can be of significant importance in obtaining high strength low density materials. Therefore, from both scientific and technological standpoints, it is important to understand the formation and thermal stability of these metallic glasses. Al-Fe-Gd alloys were chosen for a more detailed study since they exhibit high tensile strengths

Biocompatible Ni-free Zr-based bulk metallic glasses with high-Zr-content: compositional optimization for potential biomedical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Nengbin; Huang, Lu; Chen, Wenzhe; He, Wei; Zhang, Tao

2014-11-01

The present study designs and prepares Ni-free Zr60+xTi2.5Al10Fe12.5-xCu10Ag5 (at.%, x=0, 2.5, 5) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) by copper mold casting for potential biomedical application. The effects of Zr content on the in vitro biocompatibility of the Zr-based BMGs are evaluated by investigating mechanical properties, bio-corrosion behavior, and cellular responses. It is found that increasing the content of Zr is favorable for the mechanical compatibility with a combination of low Young's modulus, large plasticity, and high notch toughness. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the Zr-based BMGs are corrosion resistant in a phosphate buffered saline solution. The bio-corrosion resistance of BMGs is improved with the increase in Zr content, which is attributed to the enrichment in Zr and decrease in Al concentration in the surface passive film of alloys. Regular cell responses of mouse MC3T3-E1 cells, including cell adhesion and proliferation, are observed on the Zr-Ti-Al-Fe-Cu-Ag BMGs, which reveals their general biosafety. The high-Zr-based BMGs exhibit a higher cell proliferation activity in comparison with that of pure Zr and Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The effects of Zr content on the in vitro biocompatibility can be used to guide the future design of biocompatible Zr-based BMGs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biocompatible Ni-free Zr-based bulk metallic glasses with high-Zr-content: Compositional optimization for potential biomedical applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hua, Nengbin, E-mail: flower1982cn@126.com [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian University of Technology, 350118 Fuzhou (China); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, 350116 Fuzhou (China); Huang, Lu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2100 (United States); Chen, Wenzhe [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian University of Technology, 350118 Fuzhou (China); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, 350116 Fuzhou (China); He, Wei [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2100 (United States); Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2200 (United States); Zhang, Tao [Key Laboratory of Aerospace Materials and Performance (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, 100191 Beijing (China)

2014-11-01

The present study designs and prepares Ni-free Zr{sub 60+x}Ti{sub 2.5}Al{sub 10}Fe{sub 12.5−x}Cu{sub 10}Ag{sub 5} (at.%, x = 0, 2.5, 5) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) by copper mold casting for potential biomedical application. The effects of Zr content on the in vitro biocompatibility of the Zr-based BMGs are evaluated by investigating mechanical properties, bio-corrosion behavior, and cellular responses. It is found that increasing the content of Zr is favorable for the mechanical compatibility with a combination of low Young's modulus, large plasticity, and high notch toughness. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the Zr-based BMGs are corrosion resistant in a phosphate buffered saline solution. The bio-corrosion resistance of BMGs is improved with the increase in Zr content, which is attributed to the enrichment in Zr and decrease in Al concentration in the surface passive film of alloys. Regular cell responses of mouse MC3T3-E1 cells, including cell adhesion and proliferation, are observed on the Zr–Ti–Al–Fe–Cu–Ag BMGs, which reveals their general biosafety. The high-Zr-based BMGs exhibit a higher cell proliferation activity in comparison with that of pure Zr and Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The effects of Zr content on the in vitro biocompatibility can be used to guide the future design of biocompatible Zr-based BMGs. - Highlights: • Ni-free Zr{sub 60+x}Ti{sub 2.5}Al{sub 10}Fe{sub 12.5−x}Cu{sub 10}Ag{sub 5} (at.%, x = 0, 2.5, 5) BMGs were fabricated. • Plasticity and notch toughness of BMGs are enhanced by high-Zr-content. • The high-Zr-based BMGs exhibit excellent bio-corrosion resistance in PBS solution. • The biosafety of BMGs is revealed by regular cell adhesion and proliferation. • High-Zr-bearing BMGs are favorable for potential applications as biomaterials.

Transition metal coordination chemistry ofN,N-bis(2-{pyrid-2-ylethyl})hydroxylamine.

Science.gov (United States)

Belock, Christopher W; Cetin, Anil; Barone, Natalie V; Ziegler, Christopher J

2008-08-18

Although directly relevant to metal mediated biological nitrification as well as the coordination chemistry of peroxide, the metal complexes of hydroxylamines and their functionalized variants remain largely unexplored. The chelating hydroxylamine ligand N,N-bis(2-{pyrid-2-ylethyl})hydroxylamine can be readily generated via a solvent free reaction in high purity; however, the ligand is prone to decomposition which can hamper metal reaction. N,N-bis(2-{pyrid-2-ylethyl})hydroxylamine forms stable complexes with chromium(III), manganese(II), nickel(II), and cadmium(II) ions, coordinating in a side-on mode in the case of chromium and via the nitrogen in the case of the latter three metal ions. The hydroxylamine ligand can also be reduced to form N,N-bis(2-{pyrid-2-ylethyl})amine upon exposure to a stoichiometric amount of the metal salts cobalt(II) nitrate, vanadium(III) chloride, and iron(II) chloride. In the reaction with cobalt nitrate, the reduced ligand then chelates to the metal to form [N,N-bis(2-{pyrid-2-ylethyl})amine]dinitrocobalt(II). Upon reaction with vanadium(III) chloride and iron(III) chloride, the reduced ligand is isolated as the protonated free base, resulting from a metal-mediated decomposition reaction.

Rational design of binder-free noble metal/metal oxide arrays with nanocauliflower structure for wide linear range nonenzymatic glucose detection

KAUST Repository

Li, Zhenzhen

2015-06-12

One-dimensional nanocomposites of metal-oxide and noble metal were expected to present superior performance for nonenzymatic glucose detection due to its good conductivity and high catalytic activity inherited from noble metal and metal oxide respectively. As a proof of concept, we synthesized gold and copper oxide (Au/CuO) composite with unique one-dimensional nanocauliflowers structure. Due to the nature of the synthesis method, no any foreign binder was needed in keeping either Au or CuO in place. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt in combining metal oxide and noble metal in a binder-free style for fabricating nonenzymatic glucose sensor. The Au/CuO nanocauliflowers with large electrochemical active surface and high electrolyte contact area would promise a wide linear range and high sensitive detection of glucose with good stability and reproducibility due to its good electrical conductivity of Au and high electrocatalytic activity of CuO.

Down-conversion phosphors as noble-metal-free co-catalyst in ZnO for efficient visible light photocatalysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, Haipeng [Institute of Coordination Bond Metrology and Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Liu, Xinjuan, E-mail: lxj669635@126.com [Institute of Coordination Bond Metrology and Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Liu, Jiaqing [Engineering Research Center for Nanophotonics & Advanced Instrument, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062 (China); Lei, Wenyan [Institute of Coordination Bond Metrology and Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Li, Jinliang [Engineering Research Center for Nanophotonics & Advanced Instrument, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062 (China); Wu, Tianyang [Institute of Coordination Bond Metrology and Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Li, Ping [Shanghai Nanotechnology Promotion Center, Shanghai 200237 (China); Li, Huili; Pan, Likun [Engineering Research Center for Nanophotonics & Advanced Instrument, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062 (China)

2017-01-01

Graphical abstract: ZnO-Lu{sub 3}(Al,Si){sub 5}(O,N){sub 12}:Ce{sup 3+} hybrid photocatalysts were synthesized via a fast microwave-assisted approach for visible light photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutions with a high degradation rate of 91%. - Highlights: • ZnO-Lu{sub 3}(Al,Si){sub 5}(O,N){sub 12}:Ce{sup 3+} were synthesized via a facile microwave-assisted method. • Lu{sub 3}(Al,Si){sub 5}(O,N){sub 12}:Ce{sup 3+} acts as co-catalyst to facilitates the self-sensitized degradation of MB. • ZnO-Lu{sub 3}(Al,Si){sub 5}(O,N){sub 12}:Ce{sup 3+} exhibited enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity. • A high MB degradation rate of 91% was achieved under visible light irradiation. - Abstract: Exploring novel visible light responsive photocatalysts is one of greatly significant issues from the viewpoint of using solar energy. Here we report the yellow-orange emitting α-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-doped Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12}:Ce{sup 3+} (Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5-x}Si{sub x}O{sub 12-x}N{sub x}:Ce{sup 3+}) phosphors as a noble-metal-free co-catalyst for enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of ZnO. The results show that ZnO-Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5-x}Si{sub x}O{sub 12-x}N{sub x}:Ce{sup 3+} hybrid photocatalysts using a fast microwave-assisted approach exhibits a 91% methylene blue (MB) degradation under visible light irradiation at 240 min, which evidence the synergistic effect of ZnO and Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5-x}Si{sub x}O{sub 12-x}N{sub x}:Ce{sup 3+} that suppress the rate of charge recombination and increase the self-sensitized degradation of MB. ZnO-down conversion phosphors can be envisaged as potential candidate in environmental engineering and solar energy applications.

ZnAl2O4@SiO2 nanocomposite catalyst for the acetylation of alcohols, phenols and amines with acetic anhydride under solvent-free conditions

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Saeed Farhadi; Kosar Jahanara

2014-01-01

A ZnAl2O4@SiO2 nanocomposite was prepared from metal nitrates and tetraethyl orthosilicate by the sol-gel process, and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, transmission electron microscopy, and N2 adsorption-desorption measurements. The nanocomposite was tested as a heterogeneous catalyst for the acetylation of alcohols, phenols, and amines under solvent-free conditions. Under optimized conditions, efficient acetylation of these substrates with acetic anhy-dride over the ZnAl2O4@SiO2 nanocomposite was obtained. Acetylation of anilines and primary aliphatic amines proceeded rapidly at room temperature, while the reaction time was longer for the acetylation of alcohols and phenols, showing that an amine NH2 group can be selectively acetylated in the presence of alcoholic or phenolic OH groups. The catalyst can be reused without obvious loss of catalytic activity. The catalytic activity of the ZnAl2O4@SiO2 nanocomposite was higher than that of pure ZnAl2O4. The method gives high yields, and is clean, cost effective, compatible with sub-strates having other functional groups and it is suitable for practical organic synthesis.

Metal-insulator transition at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface revisited: A hybrid functional study

KAUST Repository

Cossu, Fabrizio

2013-07-17

We investigate the electronic properties of the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface using density functional theory. In contrast to previous studies, which relied on (semi-)local functionals and the GGA+U method, we here use a recently developed hybrid functional to determine the electronic structure. This approach offers the distinct advantage of accessing both the metallic and insulating multilayers on a parameter-free equal footing. As compared to calculations based on semilocal GGA functionals, our hybrid functional calculations lead to a considerably increased band gap for the insulating systems. The details of the electronic structure show substantial deviations from those obtained by GGA calculations. This casts severe doubts on all previous results based on semilocal functionals. In particular, corrections using rigid band shifts (“scissors operator”) cannot lead to valid results.

Dendrite-Free Electrodeposition and Reoxidation of Lithium-Sodium Alloy for Metal-Anode Battery

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-01

Dendrite-Free Electrodeposition and Reoxidation of Lithium-Sodium Alloy for Metal-Anode Battery Johanna K. Star 1 , Yi Ding 2 , and Paul A. Kohl ,1, * 1...Journal Article 3. DATES COVERED 01-11-2011 to 01-11-2011 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE DENDRITE-FREE ELECTRODEPOSITION AND REOXIDATION OF LITHIUM-SODIUM...can short circuit the anode and cathode . Anode- cathode short circuits are especially dangerous when a flammable organic solvent is used as the

Study on surface wave characteristics of free surface flow of liquid metal lithium for IFMIF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoashi, Eiji; Sugiura, Hirokazu; Yoshihashi-Suzuki, Sachiko; Yamaoka, Nobuo; Horiike, Hiroshi; Kanemura, Takuji; Kondo, Hiroo

2011-01-01

The international fusion materials irradiation facility (IFMIF) presents an intense neutron source to develop fusion reactor materials. The free surface flow of a liquid metal Lithium (Li) is planned as a target irradiated by two deuteron beams to generate intense neutrons and it is thus important to obtain knowledge of the surface wave characteristic for the safety and the efficiency of system in the IFMIF. We have been studying on surface wave characteristics experimentally using the liquid metal Li circulation facility at Osaka University and numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, FLUENT. This paper reports the results of the surface fluctuation, the wave height and the surface velocity in the free surface flow of the liquid metal Li examined experimentally and numerically. In the experiment, an electro-contact probe apparatus was used to obtain the surface fluctuation and the wave height, and a high speed video was used to measure the surface velocity. We resulted in knowledge of the surface wave growth mechanism. On the other hand, a CFD simulation was also conducted to obtain information on the relation of the free surface with the inner flow. In the simulation, the model included from a two-staged contraction nozzle to a flow channel with a free surface flow region and simulation results were compared with the experimental data. (author)

Effect of Ge addition on mechanical properties and fracture behavior of Cu-Zr-Al bulk metallic glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malekan, M.; Shabestari, S.G.; Gholamipour, R.; Seyedein, S.H.

2009-01-01

Effect of the addition of a small amount of Ge on mechanical properties and fracture behavior of Cu 50 Zr 43 Al 7 (at.%) bulk metallic glass were studied. The Cu 50 Zr 43 Al 7 alloy has a surprising glass-forming ability (GFA), and the glassy rods up to 4 mm in diameter can be formed. Partial addition of Ge causes the crystalline phases precipitate in the glassy matrix of (Cu 50 Zr 43 Al 7 ) 100-x Ge x (x = 0, 1, 2) rods with a diameter of 4 mm. In uniaxial compression, Cu 50 Zr 43 Al 7 bulk metallic glass exhibit high strength of 1692 MPa and very limited plasticity of 0.05%. When Ge increases from 0 to 2 at.%, the strength decreases, but plastic strain increases about 2.5%. Fracture surface and shear bands of samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Evaluation of Ce3+ and alkali metal ions Co-doped LiSrAlF6 crystalline scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakahara, Shingo; Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yokota, Yuui; Pejchal, Jan; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Suzuki, Shotaro; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Fukuda, Kentaro; Yoshikawa, Akira

2013-01-01

High scintillation efficiency of Eu-doped LiSrAlF 6 (LiSAF) and LiCaAlF 6 (LiCAF) codoped with alkali metal ions has been reported in our recent studies. Thus in this paper, we demonstrated the scintillation properties of 1% Ce-doped LiSAF crystals with 1% alkali metal ions co-doping to increase the light yield and understand the scintillation mechanism. The crystals showed intense emission band corresponding to the 5d-4f transition of Ce 3+ , and their light yields under thermal neutron excitation were higher than that of the Ce only doped crystal. Especially, the light yield of Ce–Na co-doped crystal exceeded about two times that of Ce only doped one. -- Highlights: ► Ce-doped and alkali metal co-doped LiSAF crystals were grown by μ-PD method. ► Alkali metal co-doped crystals showed higher light yield than Ce only doped crystal. ► Decay time of alkali metal co-doped LiSAF were longer than that of Ce only doped one

Metal-free photochemical silylations and transfer hydrogenations of benzenoid hydrocarbons and graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Papadakis, Raffaello; Li, Hu; Bergman, Joakim; Lundstedt, Anna; Jorner, Kjell; Ayub, Rabia; Haldar, Soumyajyoti; Jahn, Burkhard O.; Denisova, Aleksandra; Zietz, Burkhard; Lindh, Roland; Sanyal, Biplab; Grennberg, Helena; Leifer, Klaus; Ottosson, Henrik

2016-10-01

The first hydrogenation step of benzene, which is endergonic in the electronic ground state (S0), becomes exergonic in the first triplet state (T1). This is in line with Baird's rule, which tells that benzene is antiaromatic and destabilized in its T1 state and also in its first singlet excited state (S1), opposite to S0, where it is aromatic and remarkably unreactive. Here we utilized this feature to show that benzene and several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to various extents undergo metal-free photochemical (hydro)silylations and transfer-hydrogenations at mild conditions, with the highest yield for naphthalene (photosilylation: 21%). Quantum chemical computations reveal that T1-state benzene is excellent at H-atom abstraction, while cyclooctatetraene, aromatic in the T1 and S1 states according to Baird's rule, is unreactive. Remarkably, also CVD-graphene on SiO2 is efficiently transfer-photohydrogenated using formic acid/water mixtures together with white light or solar irradiation under metal-free conditions.

Challenges in reconstructing an isolated anterior tooth with a metal-free crown

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Max Doria Costa

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Currently, new esthetic treatments are available to the dentist due to the advent of ceramic-ceramic prostheses. A new option has become part of daily clinical practice, with the promise of esthetic optimization through the elimination of metal in prosthetic crowns. The translucence of these new systems allows the transmission of light through the tooth structure, minimizing gingival darkness and producing a vibrant and natural appearance. Case Report: The patient, 30 years old, female, showed with a fractured tooth crown at the cervical level in the right lateral incisive. It was observed that the tooth had prior adequate endodontic treatment. A metal-free restorative system was selected. A plaster model was obtained for subsequent tooth preparative scanning and manufacture of ceramic framework. After receiving the framework, adjustments were made and the color choice of covering ceramic, following the protocol of choice for a chroma suboptimal aiming further characterization. After the ceramics application, adjustments in shape, texture, and occlusion were made. The crown was characterized by exterior paint, getting a favorable result, restoring esthetics and function. Discussion : The metal-free systems are a viable alternative to the restorative treatment when esthetics is desired, allowing a natural and harmonious smile, combined with the reliability of the restorative material.

The ALS-FTD-Q: A new screening tool for behavioral disturbances in ALS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Raaphorst, J.; Beeldman, E.; Schmand, B.; Berkhout, J.; Linssen, W.H.J.P.; Van den Berg, L.H.; Pijnenburg, Y.A.L.; Grupstra, H.F.; Weikamp, J.G.; Schelhaas, H.J.; Papma, J.M.; van Swieten, J.C.; de Visser, M.; de Haan, R.J.

2012-01-01

Objective: The assessment of behavioral disturbances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is important because of the overlap with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (ALS-bvFTD). Motor symptoms and dysarthria are not taken into account in currently used behavioral questionnaires. We

The ALS-FTD-Q: a new screening tool for behavioural disturbances in ALS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Raaphorst, J.; Beeldman, E.; Schmand, B.; Berkhout, J.; Linssen, W.H.J.P.; van den Berg, L.H.; Pijnenburg, Y.A.; Grupstra, H.F.; Weikamp, J.G.; Schelhaas, H.J.; Papma, J.M.; van Swieten, J.C.; de Visser, M.; de Haan, R.J.

2012-01-01

Objective: The assessment of behavioral disturbances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is important because of the overlap with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (ALS-bvFTD). Motor symptoms and dysarthria are not taken into account in currently used behavioral questionnaires. We

The ALS-FTD-Q A new screening tool for behavioral disturbances in ALS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Raaphorst, Joost; Beeldman, Emma; Schmand, Ben; Berkhout, Joris; Linssen, Wim H. J. P.; van den Berg, Leonard H.; Pijnenburg, Yolande A.; Grupstra, Hepke F.; Weikamp, Janneke G.; Schelhaas, H. Jurgen; Papma, Janne M.; van Swieten, John C.; de Visser, Marianne; de Haan, Rob J.

2012-01-01

Objective: The assessment of behavioral disturbances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is important because of the overlap with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (ALS-bvFTD). Motor symptoms and dysarthria are not taken into account in currently used behavioral questionnaires. We

The ALS-FTD-Q: a new screening tool for behavioral disturbances in ALS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Raaphorst, J.; Beeldman, E.; Schmand, B.A.; Berkhout, J.; Linssen, W.H.J.P.; Berg, L.H. van den; Pijnenburg, Y.A.; Grupstra, H.F.; Weikamp, J.G.; Schelhaas, H.J.; Papma, J.M.; van Swieten, J.C.; Visser, M. de; Haan, R.J. de

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The assessment of behavioral disturbances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is important because of the overlap with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (ALS-bvFTD). Motor symptoms and dysarthria are not taken into account in currently used behavioral questionnaires. We

The cognitive profile of behavioural variant FTD and its similarities with ALS: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Beeldman, Emma; Raaphorst, Joost; Klein Twennaar, Michelle; Govaarts, Rosanne; Pijnenburg, Yolande A L; de Haan, Rob J; de Visser, Marianne; Schmand, Ben A

2018-02-09

Approximately 30% of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have cognitive impairment and 8%-14% fulfil the criteria for behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bv-FTD). The cognitive profiles of ALS and bv-FTD have been reported to be comparable, but this has never been systematically investigated. We aimed to determine the cognitive profile of bv-FTD and examine its similarities with that of ALS, to provide evidence for the existence of a cognitive disease continuum encompassing bv-FTD and ALS. We therefore systematically reviewed neuropsychological studies on bv-FTD patients and healthy volunteers. Neuropsychological tests were divided in 10 cognitive domains and effect sizes were calculated for all domains and compared with the cognitive profile of ALS by means of a visual comparison and a Pearson's r correlation coefficient. We included 120 studies, totalling 2425 bv-FTD patients and 2798 healthy controls. All cognitive domains showed substantial effect sizes, indicating cognitive impairment in bv-FTD patients compared to healthy controls. The cognitive domains with the largest effect sizes were social cognition, verbal memory and fluency (1.77-1.53). The cognitive profiles of bv-FTD and ALS (10 cognitive domains, 1287 patients) showed similarities on visual comparison and a moderate correlation 0.58 (p=0.13). When social cognition, verbal memory, fluency, executive functions, language and visuoperception were considered, i.e. the cognitive profile of ALS, Pearson's r was 0.73 (p=0.09), which raised to 0.92 (p=0.03), when language was excluded in this systematic analysis of patients with a non-language subtype of FTD. The cognitive profile of bv-FTD consists of deficits in social cognition, verbal memory, fluency and executive functions and shows similarities with the cognitive profile of ALS. These findings support a cognitive continuum encompassing ALS and bv-FTD. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text

Device Performance and Reliability Improvements of AlGaN/GaN/Si MOSFET Using Defect-Free Gate Recess and Laser Annealing

Science.gov (United States)

2015-02-15

of AlGaN/GaN/Si MOSFET Using Defect-Free Gate Recess and Laser Annealing 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA2386-11-1-4077 5b. GRANT NUMBER Grant AOARD...MOSFET Using Defect-Free Gate Recess and Laser Annealing ”. Under the USAF-Taiwan research program, the partner institution was National Chiao Tung...CHAPTER 1: In Situ Atomic Layer Deposition Half Cycle Study of Al2O3 Growth on AlGaN/GaN - Initial and wet chemical treated AlGaN surfaces were

Advance on Al2O3 Particulates Reinforced Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites (Al-MMCs Manufactured by the Power Metallurgy(PM Methods- Improved PM Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Lina

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Aluminum metal matrix composites (Al-MMCs with Al2O3 particulates as reinforcement fabricated by the power metallurgy (PM methods have gained much attention due to their unique characteristics of the wide range of Al2O3 particles addition, easy-operating process and effectiveness. The improved PM techniques, such as the high energy ball milling, powder extruder and high pressure torsion were applied to further strengthening the properties or/and diminishing the agglomeration of strength particles. The formation of liquid phase assisted densification of compacts to promote the sintering of composites. Complex design of Al2O3 particles with other particles was another efficient method to tailor the properties of Al-MMCs.

Competitive inhibition of a metal-free porphyrin oxygen-reduction catalyst by water

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Trojánek, Antonín; Langmaier, Jan; Záliš, Stanislav; Samec, Zdeněk

2012-01-01

Roč. 48, č. 34 (2012), s. 4094-4096 ISSN 1359-7345 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP208/11/0697 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40400503 Keywords : metal -free porphyrin * competitive inhibition * liquid-liquid interfaces Subject RIV: CG - Electrochemistry Impact factor: 6.378, year: 2012

Evaluation of liquid metal embrittlement of SS304 by Cd and Cd-Al solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, J.K.; Iyer, N.C.; Begley, J.A.

1992-01-01

The susceptibility of stainless steel 304 to liquid metal embrittlement (LME) by cadmium (Cd) and cadmium-aluminum (Cd-Al) solutions was examined as part of a failure evaluation for SS304-clad cadmium reactor safety rods which had been exposed to elevated temperatures. The active, or cadmium (Cd) bearing, portion of the safety rod consists of a 0.756 in. diameter aluminum allow (Al-6061) core, a 0.05 in. thick Cd layer, and a 0.042 in. thick Type 304 stainless steel cladding. The safety rod thermal tests were conducted as part of a program to define the response of reactor core components to a hypothetical LOCA for the Savannah River Site (SRS) production reactor. LME was considered as a potential failure mechanism based on the nature of the failure and susceptibility of austenitic stainless steels to embrittlement by other liquid metals

Structure alterations in Al-Y-based metallic glasses with La and Ni addition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi, X. M.; Wang, X. D., E-mail: wangxd@zju.edu.cn, E-mail: jiangjz@zju.edu.cn; Yu, Q.; Cao, Q. P.; Jiang, J. Z., E-mail: wangxd@zju.edu.cn, E-mail: jiangjz@zju.edu.cn [International Center for New-Structured Materials (ICNSM), Laboratory of New-Structured Materials, and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Zhang, D. X. [State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Zhang, J.; Hu, T. D. [Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China); Lai, L. H.; Xie, H. L.; Xiao, T. Q. [Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203 (China)

2016-03-21

The atomic structures of Al{sub 89}Y{sub 11}, Al{sub 90}Y{sub 6.5}La{sub 3.5}, and Al{sub 82.8}Y{sub 6.07}Ni{sub 8}La{sub 3.13} metallic glasses have been studied by using high energy X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption fine structure combined with the ab initio molecular dynamics and reverse Monte Carlo simulations. It is demonstrated that the partial replacement of Y atoms by La has limited improvement of the glass forming ability (GFA), although La atoms reduce the ordering around Y atoms and also the fractions of icosahedron-like polyhedra centered by Al atoms. In contrast, Ni atoms can significantly improve the GFA, which are inclined to locate in the shell of polyhedra centered by Al, Y, and La atoms, mainly forming Ni-centered icosahedron-like polyhedra to enhance the spatial connectivity between clusters and suppress the crystallization.

Ammonia and hydrazine. Transition-metal-catalyzed hydroamination and metal-free catalyzed functionalization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bertrand, Guy [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)

2012-06-29

high temperatures and long reaction times. To address this issue, we have developed several new families of carbon- and boron-based ligands, which are even better donors. The corresponding metal complexes (particularly gold, rhodium, iridium, and ruthenium) of all these species will be tested in the Markovnikov and anti-Markovnikov hydroamination of alkynes, allenes, and also alkenes with ammonia and hydrazine. We will also develop metal-free catalytic processes for the functionalization of ammonia and hydrazine. By possessing both a lone pair of electrons and an accessible vacant orbital, singlet carbenes resemble and can mimic the chemical behavior of transition metals. Our preliminary results demonstrate that specially designed carbenes can split the N–H bond of ammonia by an initial nucleophilic activation that prevents the formation of Lewis acid-base adducts, which is the major hurdle for the transition metal catalyzed functionalization of NH₃. The use of purely organic compounds as catalysts will eliminate the major drawbacks of transition-metal-catalysis technology, which are the excessive cost of metal complexes (metal + ligands) and in many cases the toxicity of the metal.

Potentially toxic metals in ombrotrophic peat along a 400 km English-Scottish transect

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, E.J. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Lancaster), Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom); Hughes, S. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Bangor), Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UP (United Kingdom); Lawlor, A.J. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Lancaster), Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom); Lofts, S. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Lancaster), Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom); Simon, B.M. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Lancaster), Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom); Stevens, P.A. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Bangor), Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UP (United Kingdom); Stidson, R.T. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Lancaster), Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom); Tipping, E. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Lancaster), Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: et@ceh.ac.uk; Vincent, C.D. [Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Lancaster), Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP (United Kingdom)

2005-07-15

Four samples of ombrotrophic peat were collected from each of 10 upland locations in a transect from the southern Pennines to the Highland Boundary Fault, a total distance of ca. 400 km. Bulk compositions and other properties were determined. Total contents of Al and heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) were determined following digestion with hydrofluoric acid, and concentrations of metals extractable with dilute nitric acid were also measured. Supernatants obtained from aqueous extractions of the peat samples were analysed for pH, major cations and anions, dissolved organic carbon and dissolved metals, and concentrations of free metal ions (Al{sup 3+}, Ni{sup 2+}, etc.) were estimated by applying a chemical speciation model. Both total and HNO{sub 3}-extractable metal concentrations varied along the transect, the highest values being found at locations close to industrial and former mining areas. The HNO{sub 3}-extractable soil metal contents of Ni, Cu and Cd were appreciably lower than lowest-observed-effect-concentrations (LOEC) for toxicity towards microorganisms in acid, organic rich soils. However, the contents of Zn at two locations, and of Pb at five locations exceeded LOECs, suggesting that they may be exerting toxic effects in the peats. Soil solution concentrations of free heavy metal ions (Cu{sup 2+}, Zn{sup 2+}, Cd{sup 2+}, Pb{sup 2+}) were substantially lower than LOECs for toxicity towards vascular plants, whereas concentrations of Al{sup 3+} were near to toxic levels at two locations. - P eat metal contents depend upon proximity to industrial and mining areas; the metals may be exerting toxic effects in some places.

Predicting Metal Speciation & Bioavailability via Estimation of Metal-Organic Thermodynamic Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, A.; Howells, A. E.; Shock, E.

2017-12-01

The biological fate of any metal depends on its chemical form in the environment. Arsenic for example, is extremely toxic in the form of inorganic As+3 but completely benign in the organic form of arsenobetaine. Thus, given an exhaustive set of reactions and their equilibrium constants (logK), the bioavailability of any metal can be obtained for blood plasma, hydrothermal fluids or any system of interest. While many data exist for metal-inorganic ligands, logK data covering the temperature range of life for metal-organic complexes are sparse. Hence, we decided to estimate metal-organic logK values from correlations with the commonly available values of ligand pKa. Metal ion specific correlations were made with ligands classified according to their electron donor atoms, denticity and other chemical factors. While this approach has been employed before (Carbonaro et al. 2007, GCA 71, 3958-3968), new correlations were developed that provide estimates even when no metal-organic logK is available. In addition, we have used the same methods to make estimates of metal-organic entropy of association (ΔaS), which can provide logK for any temperature of biological relevance. Our current correlations employ logK and ΔaS data from 30 metal ions (like the biologically relevant Fe+3 & Zn+2) and 74 ligands (like formate and ethylenediamine), which can be expanded to estimate the metal-ligand reaction properties for these 30 metal ions with a possibly limitless number of ligands that may belong to our categories of ligands. With the help of such data, copper speciation was obtained for a defined growth medium for methanotrophs employed by Morton et al. (2000, AEM 66, 1730-1733) that agrees with experimental measurements showing that the free metal ion may not be the bioavailable form in all conditions. These results encourage us to keep filling the gaps in metal-organic logK data and continue finding relationships between biological responses (like metal-accumulation ratios

Microstructure and Mechanical Property of 3003 Aluminum Alloy Joint Brazed with Al-Si-Cu-Zn Filler Metal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LI Xiao-qiang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Al-Si-Cu-Zn filler metal was developed to braze 3003 aluminum alloy. The microstructure and fracture surface of the joint were analyzed by XRD, SEM and EDS, and the effects of brazing temperature on microstructure and property of the joint were investigated. The results show that good joints are obtained at brazing temperature of 540-580℃ for 10min. The brazed joint consists of α(Al solid solution, θ(Al2Cu intermetallic compound, fine silicon phase and AlCuFeMn+Si phase in the central zone of brazed seam, and α(Al solid solution and element diffusion layers at both the sides of brazed seam, and the base metal. The room temperature (RT shear fracture of the joint occurs at the interface between the teeth shape α(Al in the diffusion layer and the center zone of brazed seam, which is mainly characterized as brittle cleavage. As the brazing temperature increases, α(Al solid solution crystals in the diffusion zone grow up, and the interfacial bonding of the joint is in the form of interdigitation. Brazing at 560℃ for 10min, the RT shear strength of the joint reaches the maximum value of 92.3MPa, which is about 62.7% of the base material.

Selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide by ethylene over metal-modified ZSM-5- and {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eraenen, K; Kumar, N; Lindfors, L E [Aabo Akademi, Turku (Finland). Lab. of Industrial Chemistry

1997-12-31

Metal-modified ZSM-5 and {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalysts were tested in reduction of nitric oxide by ethylene. Different metals were introduced into the ZSM-5 catalyst by ion-exchange and by introduction of metals during the zeolite synthesis. To prepare bimetallic catalysts a combination of these methods was used. The {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was impregnated with different metals by the incipient wetness technique and by adsorption. Activity measurements showed that the ZSM-5 based catalysts were more active than the {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} based catalysts. The highest conversion was obtained over a ZSM-5 catalyst prepared by introduction of Pd during synthesis of the zeolite and subsequently ion-exchanged with copper. (author)

Selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide by ethylene over metal-modified ZSM-5- and {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eraenen, K.; Kumar, N.; Lindfors, L.E. [Aabo Akademi, Turku (Finland). Lab. of Industrial Chemistry

1996-12-31

Metal-modified ZSM-5 and {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalysts were tested in reduction of nitric oxide by ethylene. Different metals were introduced into the ZSM-5 catalyst by ion-exchange and by introduction of metals during the zeolite synthesis. To prepare bimetallic catalysts a combination of these methods was used. The {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was impregnated with different metals by the incipient wetness technique and by adsorption. Activity measurements showed that the ZSM-5 based catalysts were more active than the {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} based catalysts. The highest conversion was obtained over a ZSM-5 catalyst prepared by introduction of Pd during synthesis of the zeolite and subsequently ion-exchanged with copper. (author)

Elucidating the 3D structures of Al(iii)-Aβ complexes: a template free strategy based on the pre-organization hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mujika, Jon I; Rodríguez-Guerra Pedregal, Jaime; Lopez, Xabier; Ugalde, Jesus M; Rodríguez-Santiago, Luis; Sodupe, Mariona; Maréchal, Jean-Didier

2017-07-01

Senile plaques are extracellular deposits found in patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and are mainly formed by insoluble fibrils of β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides. The mechanistic details about how AD develops are not fully understood yet, but metals such as Cu, Zn, or Fe are proposed to have a non-innocent role. Many studies have also linked the non biological metal aluminum with AD, a species whose concentration in the environment and food has been constantly increasing since the industrial revolution. Gaining a molecular picture of how Al(iii) interacts with an Aβ peptide is of fundamental interest to improve understanding of the many variables in the evolution of AD. So far, no consensus has been reached on how this metal interacts with Aβ, partially due to the experimental complexity of detecting and quantifying the resulting Al(iii)-Aβ complexes. Computational chemistry arises as a powerful alternative to investigate how Al(iii) can interact with Aβ peptides, as suitable strategies could shed light on the metal-peptide description at the molecular level. However, the absence of any reliable template that could be used for the modeling of the metallopeptide structure makes computational insight extremely difficult. Here, we present a novel strategy to generate accurate 3D models of the Al(iii)-Aβ complexes, which still circumvents first principles simulations of metal binding to peptides of Aβ. The key to this approach lies in the identification of experimental structures of the isolated peptide that are favourably pre-organized for the binding of a given metal in configurations of the first coordination sphere that were previously identified as the most stable with amino acid models. This approach solves the problem of the absence of clear structural templates for novel metallopeptide constructs. The posterior refinement of the structures via QM/MM and MD calculations allows us to provide, for the first time, physically sound models for Al

Viscosity of SiO2-"FeO"-Al2O3 System in Equilibrium with Metallic Fe

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mao; Raghunath, Sreekanth; Zhao, Baojun

2013-08-01

The present study delivered the measurements of viscosities in SiO2-"FeO"-Al2O3 system in equilibrium with metallic Fe. The rotational spindle technique was used in the measurements at the temperature range of 1473 K to 1773 K (1200 °C to 1500 °C). Molybdenum crucibles and spindles were employed in all measurements. The Fe saturation condition was maintained by an iron plate placed at the bottom of the crucible. The equilibrium compositions of the slags were measured by EPMA after the viscosity measurements. The effect of up to 20 mol. pct Al2O3 on the viscosity of the SiO2-"FeO" slag was investigated. The "charge compensation effect" of the Al2O3 and FeO association has been discussed. The modified quasi-chemical viscosity model has been optimized in the SiO2-"FeO"-Al2O3 system in equilibrium with metallic Fe to describe the viscosity measurements of the present study.

Non-thiolate ligation of nickel by nucleotide-free UreG of Klebsiella aerogenes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin-Diaconescu, Vlad; Joseph, Crisjoe A.; Boer, Jodi L.; Mulrooney, Scott B.; Hausinger, Robert P.; Maroney, Michael J.

2016-12-21

Nickel-dependent ureases are activated by a multiprotein complex that includes the GTPase UreG. Prior studies showed that nucleotide-free UreG from Klebsiella aerogenes is monomeric and binds one nickel or zinc ion with near-equivalent affinity using an undefined binding site, whereas nucleotide-free UreG from Helicobacter pylori selectively binds one zinc ion per dimer via a universally conserved Cys-Pro-His motif in each protomer. Iodoacetamide-treated K. aerogenes UreG was nearly unaffected in nickel binding compared to non-treated sample, suggesting the absence of thiolate ligands to the metal. X-ray absorption spectroscopy of nickel-bound UreG showed the metal possessed four-coordinate geometry with all O/N donor ligands including one imidazole, thus confirming the absence of thiolate ligation. The nickel site in Strep-tag II-modified protein possessed six-coordinate geometry, again with all O/N donor ligands, but now including two or three imidazoles. An identical site was noted for the Strep-tag II-modified H74A variant, substituted in the Cys-Pro-His motif, ruling out coordination by this His residue. These results are consistent with metal binding to both His6 and a His residue of the fusion peptide in Strep-tagged K. aerogenes UreG. We conclude that the nickel- and zinc-binding site in nucleotide-free K. aerogenes UreG is distinct from that of nucleotide-free H. pylori UreG and does not involve the Cys-Pro-His motif. Further, we show the Strep-tag II can perturb metal coordination of this protein.

Experimental and computational study on the phase stability of Al-containing cubic transition metal nitrides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rovere, Florian; Mayrhofer, Paul H; Music, Denis; Ershov, Sergey; Baben, Moritz to; Schneider, Jochen M; Fuss, Hans-Gerd

2010-01-01

The phase stability of Al-containing cubic transition metal (TM) nitrides, where Al substitutes for TM (i.e. TM 1-x Al x N), is studied as a function of the TM valence electron concentration (VEC). X-ray diffraction and thermal analyses data of magnetron sputtered Ti 1-x Al x N, V 1-x Al x N and Cr 1-x Al x N films indicate increasing phase stability of cubic TM 1-x Al x N at larger Al contents and higher temperatures with increasing TM VEC. These experimental findings can be understood based on first principle investigations of ternary cubic TM 1-x Al x N with TM = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Y, Zr and Nb where the TM VEC and the lattice strain are systematically varied. However, our experimental data indicate that, in addition to the decomposition energetics (cubic TM 1-x Al x N → cubic TMN + hexagonal AlN), future stability models have to include nitrogen release as one of the mechanisms that critically determine the overall phase stability of TM 1-x Al x N.

Manufacture of hypoeutectic Al-Si metal powders for dispersion matriz in nuclear fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raffaeli, H A; Harri, S; Acosta, M; Castillo Guerra, R; Rossi, G; Fabro, J O; Rubiolo, G H

2012-01-01

Within the framework of the development of low enriched nuclear fuels for research reactors, U.Mo/Al is the most promising option that has however to be optimized. Indeed at the U.Mo/Al interfaces between U.Mo particles and the Al matrix, an interaction layer grows under irradiation inducing an unacceptable fuel swelling. Adding silicon in limited content into the Al matrix has clearly improved the in-pile fuel behaviour. This breakthrough is attributed to an U.Mo/Al.Si protective layer around U.Mo particles appeared during fuel manufacturing. The present work deals with three techniques applied to produce metal powders of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys: ball milling, centrifugal atomization and gas atomization. Size and microstructure of the particles are analyzed in the three techniques. The best result is found with the gas atomization system, flakes and rods morphology predominates in the produced powders, with particle sizes below 150 microns and the greater mass population (65%) is between 150 and 125 microns. The particle surface is smooth and the high solidification rate provides a good distribution of the α-Al primary and eutectic phase within each particle (author)

Nucleation and Growth of Cu-Al Intermetallics in Al-Modified Sn-Cu and Sn-Ag-Cu Lead-Free Solder Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Reeve, Kathlene N.; Anderson, Iver E.; Handwerker, Carol A.

2015-03-01

Lead-free solder alloys Sn-Cu (SC) and Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) are widely used by the microelectronics industry, but enhanced control of the microstructure is needed to improve solder performance. For such control, nucleation and stability of Cu-Al intermetallic compound (IMC) solidification catalysts were investigated by variation of the Cu (0.7-3.0 wt.%) and Al (0.0-0.4 wt.%) content of SC + Al and SAC + Al alloys, and of SAC + Al ball-grid array (BGA) solder joints. All of the Al-modified alloys produced Cu-Al IMC particles with different morphologies and phases (occasionally non-equilibrium phases). A trend of increasing Cu-Al IMC volume fraction with increasing Al content was established. Because of solidification of non-equilibrium phases in wire alloy structures, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments revealed delayed, non-equilibrium melting at high temperatures related to quenched-in Cu-Al phases; a final liquidus of 960-1200°C was recorded. During cooling from 1200°C, the DSC samples had the solidification behavior expected from thermodynamic equilibrium calculations. Solidification of the ternary alloys commenced with formation of ternary β and Cu-Al δ phases at 450-550°C; this was followed by β-Sn, and, finally, Cu6Sn5 and Cu-Al γ1. Because of the presence of the retained, high-temperature phases in the alloys, particle size and volume fraction of the room temperature Cu-Al IMC phases were observed to increase when the alloy casting temperature was reduced from 1200°C to 800°C, even though both temperatures are above the calculated liquidus temperature of the alloys. Preliminary electron backscatter diffraction results seemed to show Sn grain refinement in the SAC + Al BGA alloy.

Comparative evaluation of metal ions release from titanium and Ti-6Al-7Nb into bio-fluids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lori A Joseph

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The study was designed to investigate the effects of pH, chloride ions and nature of some bio-fluids on the amount of metal ions released from titanium and TiAl 6 Nb 7 plates following incubation in actual and simulated bio-fluids over time. Methods: The amounts of released metal ions from commercially pure titanium (CpTi and TiAl 6 Nb 7 of surgical grade on immersion in 20 mL Hank′s solution of pH 4.0 or 7.0, Hank′s solution of high chloride ions concentration, Whole Blood Serum (WBS and Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS at 37° C were determined over an incubation time of 20 weeks using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The levels of released metal ions were compared by two-way ANOVA and Duncan′s post-hoc tests. The amounts of titanium ions released by the samples were analyzed by Pearson′s correlation. Results: TiAl 6 Nb 7 plate showed no release of Ti ions into the test solutions until after 12 weeks of incubation, while Ti ions were released from the CpTi plate from the 1 day immersion time. The re-lease of measurable amount of Al ions from TiAl 6 Nb 7 was after 12 weeks of incubation. The rate of release of Ti and Al ions from the samples increased initially with incubation time and then stabilized due to adsorption-desorption equilibrium. Conclusion: The results showed that variations in pH and chloride ions of the test media has a sig-nificant effect on the amounts of Ti ions released, while increase in chloride ions concentration sig-nificantly elevates the release of Al ions into the bio-fluids.

Spatial distribution and metal contamination in the coastal sediments of Al-Khafji area, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

Alharbi, Talal; Alfaifi, Hussain; Almadani, Sattam A; El-Sorogy, Abdelbaset

2017-11-13

To document the spatial distribution and metal contamination in the coastal sediments of the Al-Khafji area in the northern part of the Saudi Arabian Gulf, 27 samples were collected for Al, V, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg, Sr, As, Fe, Co, and Ni analysis using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results revealed the following descending order of the metal concentrations: Sr > Fe > Al > As > Mn > Ni > V > Zn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Co > Hg > Cd. Average levels of enrichment factor of Sr, As, Hg, Cd, Ni, V, Cu, Co, and Pb were higher than 2 (218.10, 128.50, 80.94, 41.50, 12.31, 5.66, 2.95, 2.90, and 2.85, respectively) and that means the anthropogenic sources of these metals, while Al, Zn, Cr and Mn have enrichment factor less than 2, which implies natural sources. Average values of Sr, Hg, Cd, Cr, Ni, and As in the coastal sediments of Al-Khafji area were mostly higher than the values recorded from the background shale and earth crust and from those results along coasts of the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The highest levels of Cu in the northern part of the studied coastline might be due to Al-Khafji desalination plant, while levels of Al, Ni, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in the central part may be a result of landfilling and industrial sewage. The highest levels of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, and V in the southern part seem to be due to oil pollutants from Khafji Joint Operations (KJO). The higher values of Sr in the studied sediments in general and particularly in locality 7 could relate to the hypersalinity and aragonitic composition of the scleractinian corals abundant in that area.

Pesticides Curbing Soil Fertility: Effect of Complexation of Free Metal Ions

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Sukhmanpreet; Kumar, Vijay; Chawla, Mohit; Cavallo, Luigi; Poater, Albert; Upadhyay, Niraj

2017-07-01

Researchers have suggested that the reason behind infertility is pernicious effect of broad spectrum pesticides on non target, beneficial microorganism of soil. Here, studying the chelating effect of selective organophosphate and carbamate pesticides with essential metal ions, at all possible combinations of three different pH (4±0.05, 7±0.05 and 9±0.05) and three different temperatures (15±0.5°C, 30±0.5°C and 45±0.5°C), shows very fast rate of reaction which further increases with increase of pH and temperature. Carbonyl oxygen of carbamate and phosphate oxygen of organophosphate were found to be common ligating sites among all the complexes. Formed metal complexes were found to be highly stable and water insoluble on interaction with essential metal ions in solvent medium as well as over silica. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations not only reinforced the experimental observations, but, after a wide computational conformational analysis, unraveled the nature of the high stable undesired species that consist of pesticides complexed by metal ions from the soil. All in all, apart from the direct toxicity of pesticides, the indirect effect by means of complexation of free metal ions impoverishes the soil.

Pesticides Curbing Soil Fertility: Effect of Complexation of Free Metal Ions

KAUST Repository

Kaur, Sukhmanpreet

2017-07-04

Researchers have suggested that the reason behind infertility is pernicious effect of broad spectrum pesticides on non target, beneficial microorganism of soil. Here, studying the chelating effect of selective organophosphate and carbamate pesticides with essential metal ions, at all possible combinations of three different pH (4 ± 0.05, 7 ± 0.05 and 9 ± 0.05) and three different temperatures (15 ± 0.5°C, 30 ± 0.5°C and 45 ± 0.5°C), shows very fast rate of reaction which further increases with increase of pH and temperature. Carbonyl oxygen of carbamate and phosphate oxygen of organophosphate were found to be common ligating sites among all the complexes. Formed metal complexes were found to be highly stable and water insoluble on interaction with essential metal ions in solvent medium as well as over silica. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations not only reinforced the experimental observations, but, after a wide computational conformational analysis, unraveled the nature of the high stable undesired species that consist of pesticides complexed by metal ions from the soil. All in all, apart from the direct toxicity of pesticides, the indirect effect by means of complexation of free metal ions impoverishes the soil.

Pesticides Curbing Soil Fertility: Effect of Complexation of Free Metal Ions

KAUST Repository

Kaur, Sukhmanpreet; Kumar, Vijay; Chawla, Mohit; Cavallo, Luigi; Poater, Albert; Upadhyay, Niraj

2017-01-01

Researchers have suggested that the reason behind infertility is pernicious effect of broad spectrum pesticides on non target, beneficial microorganism of soil. Here, studying the chelating effect of selective organophosphate and carbamate pesticides with essential metal ions, at all possible combinations of three different pH (4 ± 0.05, 7 ± 0.05 and 9 ± 0.05) and three different temperatures (15 ± 0.5°C, 30 ± 0.5°C and 45 ± 0.5°C), shows very fast rate of reaction which further increases with increase of pH and temperature. Carbonyl oxygen of carbamate and phosphate oxygen of organophosphate were found to be common ligating sites among all the complexes. Formed metal complexes were found to be highly stable and water insoluble on interaction with essential metal ions in solvent medium as well as over silica. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations not only reinforced the experimental observations, but, after a wide computational conformational analysis, unraveled the nature of the high stable undesired species that consist of pesticides complexed by metal ions from the soil. All in all, apart from the direct toxicity of pesticides, the indirect effect by means of complexation of free metal ions impoverishes the soil.

Excess free volume in metallic glasses measured by X-ray diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yavari, Alain Reza; Moulec, Alain Le; Inoue, Akihisa; Nishiyama, Nobuyuki; Lupu, Nicoleta; Matsubara, Eiichiro; Botta, Walter Jose; Vaughan, Gavin; Di Michiel, Marco; Kvick, Ake

2005-01-01

In crystalline materials, lattice expansion as measured by diffraction methods differs from the expansion of the sample dimensions as measured by dilatometry, due to the contribution of thermal vacancies to the latter. We have found that in glassy materials and metallic glasses in particular, this is not the case for the contribution of free volume. These findings are the first direct experimental confirmation of simulation results indicating that atomic size holes are unstable in glasses such that free volume is dispersed randomly. This allows direct measurement of excess free volume in glasses using diffraction methods in place of dilatometry, which is difficult to use once the sample softens at the glass transition temperature T g and above. Quenched-in and deformation-induced free-volume ΔV f were measured by X-ray diffraction in transmission during heating using synchrotron light. The measured thermal expansion coefficients α th were the same as in dilatometry. The glass transition T g appeared as a break in the value of α th at T g . The 'change-of-slope method' was applied to the kinetics of relaxation to derive the activation energy for the free-volume annihilation process

Atomic Scale Investigation of Structural Properties and Glass Forming Ability of Ti100- x Al x Metallic Glasses

Science.gov (United States)

Tahiri, M.; Hasnaoui, A.; Sbiaai, K.

2018-06-01

In this work, we employed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study Ti-Al metallic glasses (MGs) using the embedded atom method (EAM) potential to model the atomic interaction with different compositions. The results showed evidence of the metallic glass formation induced by the split occurring in the second peak of the radial distribution function (RDF) curves implying both Ti and Al atoms. The common neighbor analysis (CNA) method confirmed the presence of the icosahedral clusters with a maximum amount observed for an alloy with 75 pct of Al. Analysis of coordination numbers (CNs) indicated that the total CNs are nearly unchanged in these systems. Finally, Voronoi tessellation analyses (VTA) showed a higher value of the number of icosahedral units at Ti25Al75 composition. This specific composition represents a nearby peritectic point localized at a low melting point in the Ti-Al binary phase diagram. The glass forming ability (GFA) becomes important when the fraction of Al increases by forming and connecting "icosahedral-like" clusters (12-coordinated and 13-coordinated ) and by playing a main role in the structure stability of the Ti-Al MGs.

Atomic Scale Investigation of Structural Properties and Glass Forming Ability of Ti100-x Al x Metallic Glasses

Science.gov (United States)

Tahiri, M.; Hasnaoui, A.; Sbiaai, K.

2018-03-01

In this work, we employed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study Ti-Al metallic glasses (MGs) using the embedded atom method (EAM) potential to model the atomic interaction with different compositions. The results showed evidence of the metallic glass formation induced by the split occurring in the second peak of the radial distribution function (RDF) curves implying both Ti and Al atoms. The common neighbor analysis (CNA) method confirmed the presence of the icosahedral clusters with a maximum amount observed for an alloy with 75 pct of Al. Analysis of coordination numbers (CNs) indicated that the total CNs are nearly unchanged in these systems. Finally, Voronoi tessellation analyses (VTA) showed a higher value of the number of icosahedral units at Ti25Al75 composition. This specific composition represents a nearby peritectic point localized at a low melting point in the Ti-Al binary phase diagram. The glass forming ability (GFA) becomes important when the fraction of Al increases by forming and connecting "icosahedral-like" clusters (12-coordinated and 13-coordinated ) and by playing a main role in the structure stability of the Ti-Al MGs.

Effect of metal complexation to anti-inflammatory over the action against oxidative and free radicals: ketoprofen action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manente, Francine Alessandra; Mello, Lucas Rosolen de Almeida; Vellosa, Jose Carlos Rebuglio; Khalil, Omar Arafat Kdudsi; Carvalho, Claudio Teodoro de; Bannach, Gilbert

2011-01-01

Free radicals are highly reactive species generated in living organisms for the purpose of protection. However, in some circumstances, they are responsible for the occurrence or aggravation of tissue damage. Many anti-inflammatory drugs have a direct effect on free radicals and not radical reactive species, which contributes to its actions against inflammation. Ketoprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent that generates free radicals by photo irradiation and has an important hemolytic effect with that. The complexation of metals to different drugs has been used as a strategy to improve the pharmacological action of different molecules and reduce their side effects. This paper presents the results of ketoprofen and their metallic complexes action on erythrocytes and free radicals. It was observed that the cerium enhances the scavenger properties of ketoprofen on free radicals, while copper enhances its action over non-radical oxidants. Copper also reduced the hemolytic effect presented by ketoprofen meanwhile its cerium derivative maintained it. (author)

Low-density to high-density transition in Ce{sub 75}Al{sub 23}Si{sub 2} metallic glass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, Q S; Lou, H B; Gong, Y; Wang, X D; Jiang, J Z [International Center for New-Structured Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Fang, Y Z; Wu, F M [College of Mathematics, Physics and Information Engineering, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang (China); Yang, K; Li, A G; Yan, S; Yu, X H [Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203 (China); Lathe, C, E-mail: qiaoshizeng@gmail.co, E-mail: jiangjz@zju.edu.c [HASYLAB am DESY, Notkestrasse 85, Hamburg D-22603 (Germany)

2010-09-22

Using in situ high-pressure x-ray diffraction (XRD), we observed a pressure-induced polyamorphic transition from the low-density amorphous (LDA) state to the high-density amorphous (HDA) state in Ce{sub 75}Al{sub 23}Si{sub 2} metallic glass at about 2 GPa and 300 K. The thermal stabilities of both LDA and HDA metallic glasses were further investigated using in situ high-temperature and high-pressure XRD, which revealed different pressure dependences of the onset crystallization temperature (T{sub x}) between them with a turning point at about 2 GPa. Compared with Ce{sub 75}Al{sub 25} metallic glass, minor Si doping shifts the onset polyamorphic transition pressure from 1.5 to 2 GPa and obviously stabilizes both LDA and HDA metallic glasses with higher T{sub x} and changes their slopes dT{sub x}/dP. The results obtained in this work reveal another polyamorphous metallic glass system by minor alloying (e.g. Si), which could modify the transition pressure and also properties of LDA and HDA metallic glasses. The minor alloying effect reported here is valuable for the development of more polyamorphous metallic glasses, even multicomponent bulk metallic glasses with modified properties, which will trigger more investigations in this field and improve our understanding of polyamorphism and metallic glasses.

Investigating the atomic level influencing factors of glass forming ability in NiAl and CuZr metallic glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sedighi, Sina; Kirk, Donald Walter; Singh, Chandra Veer, E-mail: chandraveer.singh@utoronto.ca; Thorpe, Steven John [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, Room 140, 184 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E4 (Canada)

2015-09-21

Bulk metallic glasses are a relatively new class of amorphous metal alloy which possess unique mechanical and magnetic properties. The specific concentrations and combinations of alloy elements needed to prevent crystallization during melt quenching remains poorly understood. A correlation between atomic properties that can explain some of the previously identified glass forming ability (GFA) anomalies of the NiAl and CuZr systems has been identified, with these findings likely extensible to other transition metal–transition metal and transition metal–metalloid (TM–M) alloy classes as a whole. In this work, molecular dynamics simulation methods are utilized to study thermodynamic, kinetic, and structural properties of equiatomic CuZr and NiAl metallic glasses in an attempt to further understand the underlying connections between glass forming ability, nature of atomic level bonding, short and medium range ordering, and the evolution of structure and relaxation properties in the disordered phase. The anomalous breakdown of the fragility parameter as a useful GFA indicator in TM–M alloy systems is addressed through an in-depth investigation of bulk stiffness properties and the evolution of (pseudo)Gruneisen parameters over the quench domain, with the efficacy of other common glass forming ability indicators similarly being analyzed through direct computation in respective CuZr and NiAl systems. Comparison of fractional liquid-crystal density differences in the two systems revealed 2-3 times higher values for the NiAl system, providing further support for its efficacy as a general purpose GFA indicator.

A metal-free general procedure for oxidation of secondary amines to nitrones.

Science.gov (United States)

Gella, Carolina; Ferrer, Eric; Alibés, Ramon; Busqué, Félíx; de March, Pedro; Figueredo, Marta; Font, Josep

2009-08-21

An efficient and metal-free protocol for direct oxidation of secondary amines to nitrones has been developed, using Oxone in a biphasic basic medium as the sole oxidant. The method is general and tolerant with other functional groups or existing stereogenic centers, providing rapid access to enantiomerically pure compounds in good yields.

Free volume model: High-temperature deformation of a Zr-based bulk metallic glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bletry, M.; Guyot, P.; Blandin, J.J.; Soubeyroux, J.L.

2006-01-01

The homogeneous deformation of a zirconium-based bulk metallic glass is investigated in the glass transition region. Compression tests at different temperatures and strain rates have been conducted. The mechanical behavior is analyzed in the framework of the free volume model, taking into account the dependence of the flow defect concentration on deformation. The activation volume is evaluated and allows one to gather the viscosity data (for the different strain rates and temperatures) on a unique master curve. It is also shown that, due to the relation between flow defect concentration and free volume, it is not possible to deduce the equilibrium flow defect concentration directly from mechanical measurements. However, if this parameter is arbitrarily chosen, mechanical measurements give access to the other parameters of the model, these parameters for the alloy under investigation being of the same order of magnitude as those for other metallic glasses

Nanoscale “Quantum” Islands on Metal Substrates: Microscopy Studies and Electronic Structure Analyses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Da-Jiang Liu

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Confinement of electrons can occur in metal islands or in continuous films grown heteroepitaxially upon a substrate of a different metal or on a metallic alloy. Associated quantum size effects (QSE can produce a significant height-dependence of the surface free energy for nanoscale thicknesses of up to 10–20 layers. This may suffice to induce height selection during film growth. Scanning STM analysis has revealed remarkable flat-topped or mesa-like island and film morphologies in various systems. We discuss in detail observations of QSE and associated film growth behavior for Pb/Cu(111, Ag/Fe(100, and Cu/fcc-Fe/Cu(100 [A/B or A/B/A], and for Ag/NiAl(110 with brief comments offered for Fe/Cu3Au(001 [A/BC binary alloys]. We also describe these issues for Ag/5-fold i-Al-Pd-Mn and Bi/5-fold i-Al-Cu-Fe [A/BCD ternary icosohedral quasicrystals]. Electronic structure theory analysis, either at the level of simple free electron gas models or more sophisticated Density Functional Theory calculations, can provide insight into the QSE-mediated thermodynamic driving force underlying height selection.

Fluoride free new nano-particles-Mn-Biotite synthesis for removal of some toxic heavy metals, Th(IV) and U(VI) from aqueous solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elsabawy, K. M.; Abou-Sekkina, M. M.

2013-01-01

The present paper aims to synthesize new family of fluoride free Mn- Biotite type having the optimized formula NaMn/sub 2.5/(Al,Si)/sub 4/O/sub 10/(OH)/sub 2/. The free fluoride Mn- Biotite was prepared carefully by using solid- state reaction technique using nominal compositions of individual oxides in the main formula for the potential removal of some heavy metals and some radioactive elements from aqueous solution. The crystal structure of Mn-Biotite was well characterized via powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The particle size was estimated and found to be 54 nm. Analysis of XRD profile indicated that Mn- Biotite is belonging mainly to the monoclinic crystal structure. Infrared spectroscopy (IR) showed the most intensive absorption peaks for monoclinic phase observed at 3420, 2360, 1620, 1440cm/sup -1/. Furthermore the morphological microstructure was investigated by SE-microscopy (SEM), the estimated grain size was found to be in between (0.8-7.7) micro m. Electron spin resonance (ESR) proved that Mn-biotite has paramagnetic behavior. Also DC- electrical conductivity and TGA were investigated. In conclusion results suggest that the synthesized Mn- biotite can be used as good ion exchanger with high performance to remove heavy metals and some radioactive species from wastewater. (author)

Comparison of metal concentrations in rat tibia tissues with various metallic implants.

Science.gov (United States)

Okazaki, Yoshimitsu; Gotoh, Emiko; Manabe, Takeshi; Kobayashi, Kihei

2004-12-01

To compare metal concentrations in tibia tissues with various metallic implants, SUS316L stainless steel, Co-Cr-Mo casting alloy, and Ti-6Al-4V and V-free Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloys were implanted into the rat tibia for up to 48 weeks. After the implant was removed from the tibia by decalcification, the tibia tissues near the implant were lyophilized. Then the concentrations of metals in the tibia tissues by microwave acid digestion were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Fe concentrations were determined by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The Fe concentration in the tibia tissues with the SUS316L implant was relatively high, and it rapidly increased up to 12 weeks and then decreased thereafter. On the other hand, the Co concentration in the tibia tissues with the Co-Cr-Mo implant was lower, and it increased up to 24 weeks and slightly decreased at 48 weeks. The Ni concentration in the tibia tissues with the SUS316L implant increased up to 6 weeks and then gradually decreased thereafter. The Cr concentration tended to be higher than the Co concentration. This Cr concentration linearly increased up to 12 weeks and then decreased toward 48 weeks in the tibia tissues with the SUS316L or Co-Cr-Mo implant. Minute quantities of Ti, Al and V in the tibia tissues with the Ti-6Al-4V implant were found. The Ti concentration in the tibia tissues with the Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta implant was lower than that in the tibia tissues with the Ti-6Al-4V implant. The Zr, Nb and Ta concentrations were also very low. The Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloy with its low metal release in vivo is considered advantageous for long-term implants.

Enhanced magnetic properties in ZnCoAlO caused by exchange-coupling to Co nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Qi; Dizayee, Wala; Li, Xiaoli; Score, David S; Neal, James R; Behan, Anthony J; Mokhtari, Abbas; Alshammari, Marzook S; Al-Qahtani, Mohammed S; Blythe, Harry J; Fox, A Mark; Gehring, Gillian A; Chantrell, Roy W; Heald, Steve M; Xu, Xiao-Hong

2016-01-01

We report the results of a sequence of magnetisation and magneto-optical studies on laser ablated thin films of ZnCoAlO and ZnCoO that contain a small amount of metallic cobalt. The results are compared to those expected when all the magnetization is due to isolated metallic clusters of cobalt and with an oxide sample that is almost free from metallic inclusions. Using a variety of direct magnetic measurements and also magnetic circular dichroism we find that there is ferromagnetism within both the oxide and the metallic inclusions, and furthermore that these magnetic components are exchange-coupled when aluminium is included. This enhances both the coercive field and the remanence. Hence the presence of a controlled quantity of metallic nanoparticles in ZnAlO can improve the magnetic response of the oxide, thus giving great advantages for applications in spintronics. (paper)

Simulating the production of free defects in irradiated metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinisch, H.L.

1995-01-01

Under cascade-producing irradiation by high energy neutrons or charged particles, only a small fraction of the initially displaced atoms contribute to the population of free defects that are available to migrate throughout the metal and cause microstructural changes. Although, in principle, computer simulations of free defect production could best be done using molecular dynamics, in practice, the wide ranges of time and distance scales involved can be done only by a combination of atomistic models that employ various levels of approximation. An atomic-scale, multi-model approach has been developed that combines molecular dynamics, binary collision models and stochastic annealing simulation. The annealing simulation is utilized in calibrating binary collision simulations to the results of molecular dynamics calculations, as well as to model the subsequent migration of the defects on more macroscopic time and size scales. The annealing simulation and the method of calibrating the multi-model approach are discussed, and the results of simulations of cascades in copper are presented. The temperature dependence of free defect production following simulated annealing of isolated cascades in copper shows a differential in the fractions of free vacancies and interstitial defects escaping from the cascade above stage V. This differential, a consequence of the direct formation of interstitial clusters in cascades and the relative thermal stability of vacancy and interstitial clusters during subsequent annealing, is the basis for the production bias mechanism of void swelling. (orig.)

Nueva variante de abordaje al surco ciliar en la fijación transescleral de lentes de cámara posterior New variant of approach to the ciliary sulcus in the transcleral fixation of posterior chamber lens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ileana Vila Dópico

2002-06-01

Full Text Available Se expone una variante de abordaje al surco ciliar para la fijación del lente intraocular de cámara posterior, que está a nuestro alcance, en pacientes en que no existe soporte capsular o este es insuficiente. Se describe la técnica. Se realizó en 17 pacientes de los que se obtuvo mejoría visual en todos los casos (20/50-20/20 con un seguimiento promedio de 12 meses. Esta variante tiene la ventaja de evitar el paso de la aguja por el surco ciliar a ciegas, pues se utiliza el abordaje a través de la esclera y con ello evitamos dañar estructuras oculares aledañas evitando el riesgo de complicaciones por lo que se logra la recuperación anatómica y funcional en todos los casos.A variant to approach the ciliary sulcus for fixating the posterior chamber intraocular lens, which is within our reach, in patients with insufficient or no capsular support, is explained. The technique is described here and it was applied to 17 patients. Visual improvement was obtained in all cases (20/50-20/20 with an average follow-up of 12 months. This variant allows to prevent the blind passage of the needle through the ciliary sulcus, since it is approached via the sclera, avoiding to damage adjoining ocular structures and to have complications, and making possible the anatomic and functional recovery of all patients.

Separation of Non-metallic Inclusions from a Fe-Al-O Melt Using a Super-Gravity Field

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Gaoyang; Song, Bo; Guo, Zhancheng; Yang, Yuhou; Song, Mingming

2018-02-01

An innovative method for separating non-metallic inclusions from a high temperature melt using super gravity was systematically investigated. To explore the separation behavior of inclusion particles with densities less than that of metal liquid under a super-gravity field, a Fe-Al-O melt containing Al2O3 particles was treated with different gravity coefficients. Al2O3 particles migrated rapidly towards the reverse direction of the super gravity and gathered in the upper region of the sample. It was hard to find any inclusion particles with sizes greater than 2 μm in the middle and bottom areas. Additionally, the oxygen content in the middle region of the sample could be reduced to 0.0022 mass pct and the maximum removal rate of the oxygen content reached 61.4 pct. The convection in the melt along the direction of the super gravity was not generated by the super-gravity field, and the fluid velocity in the molten melt consisted only of the rotating tangential velocity. Moreover, the motion behavior of the Al2O3 particles was approximatively determined by Stokes' law along the direction of super gravity.

Grain refining of Al-4.5Cu alloy by adding an Al-30TiC master alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, Kazuaki [Toyota Motor Corp., Shizuoka (Japan). Materials Engineering Div. III; Flemings, M.C. [Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering

1998-06-01

A particulate Al-30 wt pct TiC composite was employed as a grain refiner for the Al-4.5 wt pct Cu alloy. The composite contains submicron TiC particles. The addition of the TiC grain refiner to the metal alloy in the amount of 0.1 Ti wt pct effected a remarkable reduction in the average grain size in Al-4.5 wt pct Cu alloy castings. With the content of over 0.2 Ti wt pct, the grain refiner maintained its refining effectiveness even after a 3,600-second holding time at 973 K. The TiC particles in the resulting castings were free of interfacial phases. It is concluded that the TiC are the nucleating agents and that they are resistant to the fading effect encountered with most grain refiners.

Synthesis of TiCuAg thick film inks for glass frit free metallization of aluminium nitride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adlassnig, A.; Schuster, J. C.; Smetana, W.; Reicher, R.

1997-01-01

A glas frit free screen printing ink for metallization of AIN was developed. Bonding to the substrate is achieved by active metal additives. The metallic component consists of Cu and Ag powder synthesized from inorganic salts by the polyol process, and Cu-Ti powder synthesized by arc melting, milling and ultracentrifugation. This ternary powder mixture was introduced to a specifically developed organic vehicle and screen printed onto AIN. The detailed development process and the results will be presented. (author)

Effects of Computer-Aided Manufacturing Technology on Precision of Clinical Metal-Free Restorations.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ki-Hong; Yeo, In-Sung; Wu, Benjamin M; Yang, Jae-Ho; Han, Jung-Suk; Kim, Sung-Hun; Yi, Yang-Jin; Kwon, Taek-Ka

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the marginal fit of metal-free crowns made by three different computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems. The maxillary left first premolar of a dentiform was prepared for all-ceramic crown restoration. Thirty all-ceramic premolar crowns were made, ten each manufactured by the Lava system, Cercon, and Cerec. Ten metal ceramic gold (MCG) crowns served as control. The marginal gap of each sample was measured under a stereoscopic microscope at 75x magnification after cementation. One-way ANOVA and the Duncan's post hoc test were used for data analysis at the significance level of 0.05. The mean (standard deviation) marginal gaps were 70.5 (34.4) μm for the MCG crowns, 87.2 (22.8) μm for Lava, 58.5 (17.6) μm for Cercon, and 72.3 (30.8) μm for Cerec. There were no significant differences in the marginal fit among the groups except that the Cercon crowns had significantly smaller marginal gaps than the Lava crowns (P < 0.001). Within the limitation of this study, all the metal-free restorations made by the digital CAD/CAM systems had clinically acceptable marginal accuracy.

Effects of Nb addition on icosahedral quasicrystalline phase formation and glass-forming ability of Zr--Ni--Cu--Al metallic glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Cang; Li, Chunfei; Inoue, Akihisa; Haas, Volker

2001-01-01

This work shows that the crystallization process of Zr--Ni--Cu--Al metallic glass is greatly influenced by adding Nb as an alloying element. Based on the results of the differential scanning calorimetry experiments for metallic glasses Zr 69-x Nb x Ni 10 Cu 12 Al 9 (x=0--15at.%), the crystallization process takes place through two individual stages. For Zr 69 Ni 10 Cu 12 Al 9 (x=0), metastable hexagonal ω-Zr and a small fraction of tetragonal Zr 2 Cu are precipitated upon completion of the first exothermic reaction. Contrary to this alloy, the precipitation of a nanoquasicrystalline phase is detected when 5--10 at.% Nb is added. Furthermore, the crystallization temperature T x , supercooled liquid region ΔT x and reduced temperature T g /T L (T g is the glass transition temperature, T L the liquidus temperature) increase with increasing Nb content. These results indicate that adding Nb content to Zr--Ni--Cu--Al metallic glasses not only induces quasicrystalline phase formation, but also enhances glass-forming ability. Copyright 2001 American Institute of Physics

Analysis of atomic mobility in a Cu38Zr46Ag8Al8 bulk metallic glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiao, J.C.; Pelletier, J.M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Atomic mobility in Cu 38 Zr 46 Ag 8 Al 8 bulk metallic glass have been investigated by DMA. ► Loss factor is directly connected to the energy lost during application of the stress. ► Structural relaxation and crystallization induces a decrease of the atomic mobility. ► The concentration of quasi-point defects links to atomic mobility in metallic glasses. - Abstract: Atomic mobility in as-cast and annealed Cu 38 Zr 46 Ag 8 Al 8 bulk metallic glass samples is analyzed by performing dynamic mechanical analysis. The loss factor is directly connected to the energy lost during application of the stress. Structural relaxation process and crystallization lead to a decrease of the atomic mobility in the bulk metallic glass. A physical model, based on the concept of quasi point defects is introduced, to describe the atomic mobility. Movements in amorphous materials are correlated. The correlation factor χ reflects the atomic mobility in bulk metallic glasses: structural relaxation and crystallization lead to a decrease of χ, implying the reduction of atomic mobility. The evolution of elastic, visco-elastic and viscoplastic components after structural relaxation and partial crystallization state during the mechanical response has been obtained. Compared with as-cast state, structural relaxation induced an increase of elastic component and a decrease of visco-elastic component in the metallic glass.

Metallic Glasses as Potential Reinforcements in Al and Mg Matrices: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Jayalakshmi

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Development of metal matrix composites (MMCs with metallic glass/amorphous alloy reinforcements is an emerging research field. As reinforcements, metallic glasses with their high strength (up to ~2 GPa and high elastic strain limit (~2% can provide superior mechanical properties. Being metallic in nature, the glassy alloys can ensure better interfacial properties when compared to conventional ceramic reinforcements. Given the metastable nature of metallic glasses, lightweight materials such as aluminum (Al and magnesium (Mg with relatively lower melting points are suitable matrix materials. Synthesis of these advanced composites is a challenge as selection of processing method and appropriate reinforcement type (which does not allow devitrification of the metallic glass during processing is important. Non-conventional techniques such as high frequency induction sintering, bidirectional microwave sintering, friction stir processing, accumulative roll-bonding, and spark plasma sintering are being explored to produce these novel materials. In this paper, an overview on the synthesis and properties of aluminum and magnesium based composites with glassy reinforcement produced by various unconventional methods is presented. Evaluation of properties of the produced composites indicate: (i retention of amorphous state of the reinforcement after processing; (ii significant improvement in hardness and strength; (iii improvement/retention of ductility; and (iv high wear resistance and low coefficient of friction. Further, a comparative understanding of the properties highlights that the selection of the processing method is important in producing high performance composites.

Electrical and materials properties of AlN/ HfO{sub 2} high-k stack with a metal gate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reid, Kimberly G. [Tokyo Electron U.S., 14338 FM 1826, Austin, TX 78737 (United States)], E-mail: kim@ireid.com; Dip, Anthony [Tokyo Electron U.S., 2400 Grove Blvd., Austin, TX 78747 (United States)], E-mail: anthony.dip@us.tel.com; Sasaki, Sadao [Tokyo Electron U.S. (United States)], E-mail: Sadao.sasaki@us.tel.com; Triyoso, Dina [Freescale Semiconductor Inc., 3501 Ed Bluestein Blvd, Austin, TX 78721 (United States)], E-mail: Dina.Triyoso@freescale.com; Samavedam, Sri [Freescale Semiconductor Inc., 3501 Ed Bluestein Blvd, Austin, TX 78721 (United States)], E-mail: Sri.Samavedam@freescale.com; Gilmer, David [SEMATECH 2706 Montopolis Drive, Austin, TX 78741 (United States)], E-mail: David.Gilmer@sematech.org; Gondran, Carolyn F.H. [Process Characterization Laboratory, ATDF/SEMATECH, 2706 Montopolis Drive, Austin, Texas 78741 (United States)], E-mail: Carolyn.Gondran@atdf.com

2009-02-27

In this study, aluminum nitride (AlN) was grown by molecular layer deposition on HfO{sub 2} that had been deposited on 200 mm Si (100) substrates. The AlN was grown on HfO{sub 2} using sequential exposures of trimethyl-aluminum and ammonia (NH{sub 3}) in a batch vertical furnace. Excellent thickness uniformity on test wafers from the top of the furnace to the bottom of the furnace (across the furnace load) was obtained. The equivalent oxide thickness was 16.5-18.8 A for the AlN/HfO{sub 2} stack on patterned device wafers with a molybdenum oxynitride metal gate with leakage current densities from low 10{sup -5} to mid 10{sup -6} A/cm{sup 2} at threshold voltage minus one volt. There was no change in the work function with the AlN cap on HfO{sub 2} with the MoN metal gate, even with a 1000 deg. C anneal.

Chloro-benquinone Modified on Graphene Oxide as Metal-free Catalyst: Strong Promotion of Hydroxyl Radical and Generation of Ultra-Small Graphene Oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, He; Wang, Juehua; Zhang, Di; Dai, Qin; Han, Qingzhen; Du, Penghui; Liu, Chenming; Xie, Yongbing; Zhang, Yi; Cao, Hongbin; Fan, Zhuangjun

2017-03-01

Carbon-based metal-free catalyst has attracted more and more attention. It is a big challenge to improve catalytic activity of metal-free catalyst for decomposition of H2O2 to produce hydroxyl radical (HO•). Here, we report chloro-benquinone (TCBQ) modified on graphene oxide (GO) as metal-free catalyst for strong promotion of HO•. By the incorporation of GO, the HO• production by H2O2 and TCBQ is significantly promoted. Based on density functional theory, TCBQ modified GO (GO-TCBQ) is more prone to be nucleophilic attacked by H2O2 to yield HO• via electron transfer acceleration. Furthermore, the generated HO• can cut GO nanosheets into uniform ultra-small graphene oxide (USGO) through the cleavage of epoxy and C-C bonds. Interestingly, the damaged GO and in situ formed GO fragments can further enhance decomposition of H2O2 to produce HO•. Different from other catalytic processes, the GO-TCBQ metal-free catalysis process can be enhanced by GO itself, producing more HO•, and uniform USGO also can be generated. Thus, the metal free catalysis will be considered a fabrication method for uniform USGO, and may be extended to other fields including detoxifying organic pollutants and the application as disinfectants.

Exchange corrections to the bulk plasmon cross section of slow electrons in metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, S.; Goodman, B.; Tosatti, E.

1981-08-01

We present a calculation of the simplest exchange correction to the low-energy electron cross section for plasmon creation in a free-electron-like metal with the density of Al. The resulting cancellation effect is found to be much too small to account for the anomalous delayed onset of plasmon losses, found in core level photo emission for Al. (author)

First-principles study of new quaternary Heusler compounds without 3d transition metal elements: ZrRhHfZ (Z = Al, Ga, In)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaotian [School of Material Sciences and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130 (China); Institute for Superconducting & Electronic Materials (ISEM), University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2500 (Australia); Cheng, Zhenxiang, E-mail: cheng@uow.edu.au [Institute for Superconducting & Electronic Materials (ISEM), University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2500 (Australia); Guo, Ruikang [School of Material Sciences and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130 (China); Wang, Jianli [Institute for Superconducting & Electronic Materials (ISEM), University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2500 (Australia); Rozale, Habib [Condensed Matter and Sustainable Development Laboratory, Physics Department, University of Sidi-Bel-Abbès, 22000 Sidi-Bel-Abbès (Algeria); Wang, Liying [Department of Physics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350 (China); Yu, Zheyin [Institute for Superconducting & Electronic Materials (ISEM), University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2500 (Australia); Liu, Guodong, E-mail: gdliu1978@126.com [School of Material Sciences and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130 (China)

2017-06-01

Plane-wave pseudo-potential methods based on density functional theory are employed to investigate the electronic structures, and the magnetic and half-metallic properties of the newly designed quaternary Heusler compounds ZrRhHfZ (Z = Al, Ga, In) without 3d transition metal elements. The calculated results show that ZrRhHfZ (Z = Al, Ga, In) compounds are half-metallic, with 100% spin polarization around the Fermi level. The structural stability of these compounds has been tested from the aspects of their cohesion energy and formation. The spin-flip/half-metallic gaps of ZrRhHfZ (Z = Al, Ga, In) compounds are quite large, with values of 0.2548 eV, 0.3483 eV, and 0.2866 eV, respectively. These compounds show Slater-Pauling behavior, and the total spin magnetic moment per unit cell (M{sub t}) scales with the total number of valence electrons (Z{sub t}) following the rule: M{sub t} = Z{sub t} - 18. The magnetization of ZrRhHfZ (Z = Al, Ga, In) compounds mainly comes from the 4d electrons of the Zr atoms and the 5d electrons of the Hf atoms. Furthermore, the effects of uniform strain and tetragonal deformation on the half metallicity has been investigated in detail, which is important for practical application. Finally, we reveal that the half-metallicity can be maintained when the Coulomb interactions are considered. - Highlights: • New quaternary compounds without 3d transition metal elements have been designed. • The electronic structures and magnetism of the ZrRhHfZ compounds have been studied. • The effect of strain on the half-metallic behavior has been tested. • The effect of the Coulomb interactions on the half-metallicity has been investigated.

Direct fabrication of metal-free hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure as efficient cathode catalysts of fuel cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Yanqi; Liu, Mingda; Nie, Huagui, E-mail: huaguinie@126.com; Gu, Cancan; Liu, Ming; Yang, Zhi, E-mail: yang201079@126.com; Yang, Keqin; Chen, Xi’an; Huang, Shaoming, E-mail: smhuang@wzu.edu.cn [Wenzhou University, Nanomaterials and Chemistry Key Laboratory (China)

2016-06-15

Despite the good progress in developing carbon catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the current metal-free carbon catalysts are still far from satisfactory for large-scale applications of fuel cell. Developing hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure is considered to be an ideal method to inhibit graphene stacking and improve their catalytic performance. Herein, we fabricated metal-free hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure, through using a new strategy that involves direct metal-free catalytic growth from assembly of SiO{sub 2} spheres. To our knowledge, although much researches involving the synthesis of graphene balls have been reported, investigations into the direct metal-free catalytic growth of hollow graphene balls are rare. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic performance shows that the resulting hollow graphene balls have significantly high catalytic activity. More importantly, such catalysts also possess much improved stability and better methanol tolerance in alkaline media during the ORR compared with commercial Pt/C catalysts. The outstanding performances coupled with an easy and inexpensive preparing method indicated the great potential of the hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure in large-scale applications of fuel cell.Graphical AbstractHollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure have been successfully fabricated, through using a new strategy that involves direct metal-free catalytic growth from 3D assembly of SiO{sub 2} spheres. The hollow graphene balls can exhibit a high catalytic activity, long-term stability, and an excellent methanol tolerance for the oxygen reduction reaction.

Direct fabrication of metal-free hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure as efficient cathode catalysts of fuel cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Yanqi; Liu, Mingda; Nie, Huagui; Gu, Cancan; Liu, Ming; Yang, Zhi; Yang, Keqin; Chen, Xi’an; Huang, Shaoming

2016-01-01

Despite the good progress in developing carbon catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the current metal-free carbon catalysts are still far from satisfactory for large-scale applications of fuel cell. Developing hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure is considered to be an ideal method to inhibit graphene stacking and improve their catalytic performance. Herein, we fabricated metal-free hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure, through using a new strategy that involves direct metal-free catalytic growth from assembly of SiO_2 spheres. To our knowledge, although much researches involving the synthesis of graphene balls have been reported, investigations into the direct metal-free catalytic growth of hollow graphene balls are rare. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic performance shows that the resulting hollow graphene balls have significantly high catalytic activity. More importantly, such catalysts also possess much improved stability and better methanol tolerance in alkaline media during the ORR compared with commercial Pt/C catalysts. The outstanding performances coupled with an easy and inexpensive preparing method indicated the great potential of the hollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure in large-scale applications of fuel cell.Graphical AbstractHollow graphene balls with a self-supporting structure have been successfully fabricated, through using a new strategy that involves direct metal-free catalytic growth from 3D assembly of SiO_2 spheres. The hollow graphene balls can exhibit a high catalytic activity, long-term stability, and an excellent methanol tolerance for the oxygen reduction reaction

Investigation of 'surface donors' in Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor heterostructures: Correlation of electrical, structural, and chemical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Ťapajna, M.; Stoklas, R.; Gregušová, D.; Gucmann, F.; Hušeková, K.; Haščík, Š.; Fröhlich, K.; Tóth, L.; Pécz, B.; Brunner, F.; Kuzmík, J.

2017-12-01

III-N surface polarization compensating charge referred here to as 'surface donors' (SD) was analyzed in Al2O3/AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) heterojunctions using scaled oxide films grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition at 600 °C. We systematically investigated impact of HCl pre-treatment prior to oxide deposition and post-deposition annealing (PDA) at 700 °C. SD density was reduced down to 1.9 × 1013 cm-2 by skipping HCl pre-treatment step as compared to 3.3 × 1013 cm-2 for structures with HCl pre-treatment followed by PDA. The nature and origin of SD was then analyzed based on the correlation between electrical, micro-structural, and chemical properties of the Al2O3/GaN interfaces with different SD density (NSD). From the comparison between distributions of interface traps of MOS heterojunction with different NSD, it is demonstrated that SD cannot be attributed to interface trapped charge. Instead, variation in the integrity of the GaOx interlayer confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is well correlated with NSD, indicating SD may be formed by border traps at the Al2O3/GaOx interface.

Abrupt symmetry decrease in the ThT{sub 2}Al{sub 20} alloys (T = 3d transition metal)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uziel, A.; Bram, A.I. [Department of Materials Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501 (Israel); Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501 (Israel); Venkert, A. [Nuclear Research Center-Negev, POB 9001, Beer-Sheva (Israel); Kiv, A.E.; Fuks, D. [Department of Materials Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501 (Israel); Meshi, L., E-mail: louisa@bgu.ac.il [Department of Materials Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501 (Israel); Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501 (Israel)

2015-11-05

Th-T-Al system, where T-3d transition metals, was studied at ThT{sub 2}Al{sub 20} stoichiometry to establish the influence of T on the structural stability of ternary aluminide formed. Different alloys were prepared, varying T in the row from Ti to Fe. Using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods it was found that ThT{sub 2}Al{sub 20} phase adopts CeCr{sub 2}Al{sub 20} structure type when T = Ti, V, and Cr. Starting from Mn, the symmetry of the stable Al-rich phase, which forms in the alloys with the same composition, decreases from cubic to orthorhombic. The results of Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations coincide with experiments. Concepts of the Theory of Coordination Compounds and Jahn–Teller effect were used to explain the observed abrupt change of the symmetry. These considerations were supported by DFT calculations. - Highlights: • Type of transition metal influences symmetry change in the ThT{sub 2}Al{sub 20} alloys. • It was found that cubic ThT{sub 2}Al{sub 20} phase is stable for T = Ti, V and Cr. • When T = Mn, Fe–Al + orthorhombic ThT{sub 2}Al{sub 10} are formed, lowering the symmetry. • Experimental results and DFT calculations were in full agreement. • TCC and of Jahn–Teller effect were used for explanation of the results.

Ultrasound-driven design of new mesoporous metal catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaeferhans, Jana; Pazos Perez, Nicolas; Andreeva, Daria [Physikalische Chemie II, Univ. Bayreuth (Germany); Skorb, Ekaterina [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kolloid- und Grenzflaechenforschung, Golm (Germany)

2011-07-01

Mesoporous metal nanocomposites were formed by a ''green chemistry'' method with ultrasound irradiation. The sonication technique combines the fabrication of a mesoporous support consisting of metallic particles (Al, Mg) several tens of micrometers in size and the subsequent incorporation of metal (Ag, Au, Pt etc.) nanoparticles into its pores. Next to filling the mesoporous support with particles we are also able to form mesoporous alloys e.g. AlNi or CoAlFe. The resulting material is analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, small-angle neutron scattering and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller and the Barrett-Joyner-Halenda method. Surface areas up to 200 m{sup 2}/g with a narrow pore size distribution around 3 nm can be achieved. The mesoporous structures are analyzed by confocal light microscopy after coloring the particles with dye. We explain the formation of the mesoporous inner structures by the following mechanism: Thermal etching and recrystallization of metals by ultrasound-stimulated high-speed jets of liquid form the porous structure that is stabilized by surface oxidation through free radicals generated during cavitation. We expect this approach to be universal and opening perspectives for a whole new class of catalytic materials that can be prepared in a fairly easy and cost effective way.

Atomistic approach to predict the glass-forming ability in Zr–Cu–Al ternary metallic glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, C.Y. [Center for Advanced Structural Materials, Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Liu, X.J. [State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Zheng, G.P. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Niu, X.R. [Center for Advanced Structural Materials, Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Liu, C.T., E-mail: chainliu@cityu.edu.hk [Center for Advanced Structural Materials, Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)

2015-04-05

Highlights: • An atomistic approach has been developed to predict the glass forming ability (GFA) in Zr–Cu–Al ternary alloy system. • Both of the thermodynamic and structure-dependent kinetic effects to glass formation have been taken into account. • The first-principles calculation and molecular dynamics simulation have been performed. • The approach predicts the best glass former in the model Zr–Cu–Al alloy system. • The predicted GFA is consistent with various experimental results. - Abstract: Prediction of composition-dependent glass-forming ability (GFA) remains to be a key scientific challenge in the metallic-glass community, especially in multi-component alloy systems. In the present study, we apply an atomistic approach to predict the trend of GFA effectively in the Zr–Cu–Al ternary alloy system from alloy compositions alone. This approach is derived from the first-principles calculations based on the density-functional theory and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. By considering of both the thermodynamic and atomic-structure induced kinetic effects, the predicted GFA trend from this approach shows an excellent agreement with experimental data available in this alloy system, manifesting its capability of seeking metallic glasses with superior GFA in ternary alloy systems.

Interface Microstructure and Deformation Behavior of an Al-Cu Dissimilar Metal Plate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kwang Seok; Lee, Su Eun; Kwon, Yong-Nam [Korea Institute of Materials Science, Changwon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jung Su [Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Min Jung; Bae, Dong Hyun [Korea Clad Tech. Co. Ltd., Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

2013-07-15

The aim of this article is to elucidate the influence of reduction ratio during roll bonding on the microstructural evolution, mechanical properties and room-temperature formability of Al-Cu 2-ply clad metal. The evolution of the interface microstructure was first characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) attached with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The presence of an intermetallic compound as well as severe grain refinement was detected at the interface of the Al-Cu bimetal fabricated under the highest reduction ratio of 65% adopted in this study. Taking into account the difference of the microstructure with a reduction the ratio, mechanical properties and bonding strength were then evaluated by uniaxial tensile and peel tests. It was observed that the bonding strength, elongation and tensile strength for Al-Cu 2-ply sheets were incomparably reduced by decreasing the reduction ratio during the roll bonding process, which directly correlated with the microstructural evolution at the interface. Moreover, the higher reduction ratio during the roll bonding, the more room temperature formability could be achieved for Al-Cu 2-ply sheet by applying both three-point bending and Erichsen tests.

Determination of free acid in U(VI)-Al(III) solution by Gran plot titration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suh, Moo Yul; Lee, Chang Heon; Sohn, Se Chul; Kim, Jung Suk; Kim, Won Ho; Eom, Tae Yoon

1999-01-01

The determination method of free acid in spent U-Al nuclear fuel solutions by Gran plot titration was described. Effect of U(VI) and Al(III) on the alkalimetric titration of nitric acid was investigation in oxalate complexing media as well as in noncomplexing media. Positive biases were observed in both titration media when the end-point was estimated by the Gran plot method. It was found that the cause of the bias was U(VI) in the oxalate complexing media, but Al(III) in the noncomplexing media. The relative error was less than 1% in the titration of 0.1 M HNO 3 at a U(VI):Al(III):H + mole ratio of up to 2:12:1 as long as the pH of the oxalate titration media was sustained to be below 5.0 at the beginning of titration. The method was successfully applied to the determination of nitric acid in a solution of HANARO reactor fuel with U:Al mole ratio of 1:6

Forged HITEMAL: Al-based MMCs strengthened with nanometric thick Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} skeleton

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balog, Martin, E-mail: ummsbama@savba.sk [Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Racianska 75, 83102 Bratislava (Slovakia); Krizik, Peter; Nosko, Martin; Hajovska, Zuzana [Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Racianska 75, 83102 Bratislava (Slovakia); Victoria Castro Riglos, Maria [Centro Atómico Bariloche, Av. Bustillo 9.500, 8400 Bariloche, Río Negro (Argentina); Rajner, Walter [New Materials Development GmbH, Römerstrasse 28, 83410 Laufen, Leobendorf (Germany); Liu, De-Shin [National Chung Cheng University, 168 University Rd., Min-Hsiung, 62102 Chia-Yi, Taiwan (China); Simancik, Frantisek [Institute of Materials and Machine Mechanics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Racianska 75, 83102 Bratislava (Slovakia)

2014-09-08

Bulk Al–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} metal matrix composites (MMCs) named HITEMAL (high temperature aluminum) were fabricated in situ by forging compaction of five different types of gas-atomized commercial purity Al powders with a mean particle size in the range of 1–9 µm. As-forged HITEMAL consisted of (sub)micrometric Al grains (matrix) decorated with nanometric thick amorphous Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (a-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) skeleton. Low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) free of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} were located in the Al grain interior. The Al grain size and the portion of LAGBs increased with the increase in the relative powder surface area. As-forged HITEMAL shows excellent thermal stability up to 400 °C for 24 h. Annealing at temperatures ≥450 °C led to crystallization and morphological transformation from a-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} skeleton to nanometric γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles. Owing to the pinning effect of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase, no Al grain growth took place during annealing up to 500 °C. HITEMAL showed attractive mechanical properties especially when tested at 300 °C (yield strength up to 220 MPa, Young's modulus up to 58 GPa). Despite the presence of a nearly continuous a-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} skeleton along adjacent Al grains, forged HITEMAL materials had reasonable room temperature elongation of 7–26%. HITEMAL's elongation decreased as the Al grain size decreased and with increased testing temperature. The loss in elongation (uniform and total) was attributed to the inhomogeneous flow, which occurred due to high densities of high angle grain boundaries (dislocation sinks) and small content of LAGBs. The strength of HITEMAL stemmed from grain boundary mediated strengthening mechanisms. The results showed a positive deviation from the Hall–Petch plot, which is typical behavior of ultrafine-grained metals. Transformation of a-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} skeleton to γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles led to deterioration of the HITEMAL strength and Young's modulus.

Development of in-Situ Al-Si/CuAl2 Metal Matrix Composites: Microstructure, Hardness, and Wear Behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmoud M. Tash

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In the present work, in-situ metal matrix composites were fabricated through squeeze casting. The copper particles were dispersed with different weight percentages (3%, 6%, 10%, and 15% into Al-12% Si piston alloy. Also, heat treatments were performed at 380 °C and 450 °C for holding times of 6 and 18 h. The microstructures, X-ray diffractometer (XRD pattern, hardness, and wear characteristics were evaluated. The results showed that these copper particles have reacted with the aluminum under all of the aforementioned processing conditions resulting in the formation of fine copper aluminide intermetallics. Most of the intermetallics were CuAl2, while AlCu appeared in a small ratio. Additionally, these intermetallics were homogenously distributed within the alloy matrix with up to 6% Cu addition. The amounts of those intermetallics increased after performing heat treatment. Most of these intermetallics were CuAl2 at 380 °C, while the Cu-rich intermetallics appeared at 450 °C. Increasing the holding time to 18 h, however, led to grain coarsening and resulted in the formation of some cracks. The hardness of the resulting composite materials was improved. The hardness value reached to about 170 HV after heat treating at 380 °C for 8 h. The wear resistance of the resulting composite materials was remarkably improved, especially at lower additions of Cu and at the lower heat treatment temperature.

B2O3/Al2O3 as a new, highly efficient and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the selective synthesis of β-enamino ketones and esters under solvent-free conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Jiu-Xi; Gao, Wen-Xia; Jin, Hui-Le; Ding, Jin-Chang; Wu, Hua-Yue

2010-01-01

Boron oxide adsorbed on alumina (B 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 ) has been found to be a new and highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of β-enamino ketones and esters by the enamination of various primary and secondary amines with β-dicarbonyl compounds under solvent-free conditions. The important features of this methodology are broad substrate scope, high yield, no requirement of metal catalysts, high regio- and chemoselectivity and environmental friendliness. In addition, the catalyst could be recovered easily after the reactions and reused without evident loss of reactivity. (author)

Al-rich beta zeolites. Distribution of Al atoms in the framework 4 and related protonic and metal-ion species

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sazama, Petr; Tabor, Edyta; Klein, Petr; Wichterlová, Blanka; Sklenák, Štěpán; Mokrzycki, Lukasz; Pashková, Veronika; Ogura, M.; Dědeček, Jiří

2016-01-01

Roč. 333, JAN 2016 (2016), s. 102-114 ISSN 0021-9517 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-12113S; GA ČR GA15-13876S; GA ČR(CZ) GA15-14007S Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : Template-free BEA* * Framework Al * Lewis and Bronsted acid ity Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 6.844, year: 2016

Impact of process parameters on the structural and electrical properties of metal/PZT/Al2O3/silicon gate stack for non-volatile memory applications

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Prashant; Jha, Rajesh Kumar; Singh, Rajat Kumar; Singh, B. R.

2018-02-01

In this paper, we present the structural and electrical properties of the Al2O3 buffer layer on non-volatile memory behavior using Metal/PZT/Al2O3/Silicon structures. Metal/PZT/Silicon and Metal/Al2O3/Silicon structures were also fabricated and characterized to obtain capacitance and leakage current parameters. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT::35:65) and Al2O3 films were deposited by sputtering on the silicon substrate. Memory window, PUND, endurance, breakdown voltage, effective charges, flat-band voltage and leakage current density parameters were measured and the effects of process parameters on the structural and electrical characteristics were investigated. X-ray data show dominant (110) tetragonal phase of the PZT film, which crystallizes at 500 °C. The sputtered Al2O3 film annealed at different temperatures show dominant (312) orientation and amorphous nature at 425 °C. Multiple angle laser ellipsometric analysis reveals the temperature dependence of PZT film refractive index and extinction coefficient. Electrical characterization shows the maximum memory window of 3.9 V and breakdown voltage of 25 V for the Metal/Ferroelectric/Silicon (MFeS) structures annealed at 500 °C. With 10 nm Al2O3 layer in the Metal/Ferroelectric/Insulator/Silicon (MFeIS) structure, the memory window and breakdown voltage was improved to 7.21 and 35 V, respectively. Such structures show high endurance with no significant reduction polarization charge for upto 2.2 × 109 iteration cycles.

On the competition in phase formation during the crystallisation of Al-Ni-Y metallic glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Styles, M.J.; Sun, W.W.; East, D.R.; Kimpton, J.A.; Gibson, M.A.; Hutchinson, C.R.

2016-01-01

Glassy metals exhibit a range of interesting properties including high strength and corrosion resistance, but often have poor toughness and tensile ductility in the fully amorphous state. It has been shown that combinations of desirable properties can be achieved by the partial crystallisation of glass-forming alloys, either during controlled solidification or by annealing a fully amorphous glass. The aim of this investigation is to understand the competition in phase formation during the crystallisation of metallic glasses in the Al-Ni-Y system. High-resolution, in situ synchrotron powder diffraction has been used to quantitatively follow the evolution of phases in 5 different alloys between Al 87 Ni 9 Y 4 and Al 75 Ni 15 Y 10 , as they were continuously heated to melting and subsequently cooled back to ambient temperature. Upon heating, the first crystallisation product was found to vary from FCC Al to the intermetallic Al 9 Ni 2 phase with increasing Ni concentration. In addition, the crystallisation sequence also changed from a two-stage to a three-stage process. High number densities of crystallites (∼10 23  m −3 ) were observed initially for both FCC Al and Al 9 Ni 2 . Upon cooling, the partially disordered Al 9 Ni 3 Y phase was found to form preferentially over the intermetallic phases observed during heating. The difference in competition in phase formation during heating and cooling are discussed in terms of nucleation barriers calculated using a recent thermodynamic assessment of the Al-Ni-Y system. The role of compositional heterogeneities in the as-quenched glasses and long-range diffusion on the nucleation process is discussed. - Graphical abstract: High-resolution, in situ synchrotron powder diffraction has been used to quantitatively follow the evolution of phases in 5 different alloys between Al 87 Ni 9 Y 4 and Al 75 Ni 15 Y 10 , as they were continuously heated to melting and subsequently cooled back to ambient temperature. Upon heating, the

The MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 system - Free energy of pyrope and Al2O3-enstatite. [in earth mantle formation

Science.gov (United States)

Saxena, S. K.

1981-01-01

The model of fictive ideal components is used to determine Gibbs free energies of formation of pyrope and Al2O3-enstatite from the experimental data on coexisting garnet and orthopyroxene and orthopyroxene and spinel in the temperature range 1200-1600 K. It is noted that Al2O3 forms an ideal solution with MgSiO3. These thermochemical data are found to be consistent with the Al2O3 isopleths that could be drawn using most recent experimental data and with the reversed experimental data on the garnet-spinel field boundary.

A transition-metal-free synthesis of arylcarboxyamides from aryl diazonium salts and isocyanides.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Zhonghua; Zhu, Qiang

2013-08-16

A transition-metal-free carboxyamidation process, using aryl diazonium tetrafluoroborates and isocyanides under mild conditions, has been developed. This novel conversion was initiated by a base and solvent induced aryl radical, followed by radical addition to isocyanide and single electron transfer (SET) oxidation, affording the corresponding arylcarboxyamide upon hydration of the nitrilium intermediate.

Improvement of the thermoplastic formability of Zr{sub 65}Cu{sub 17.5}Ni{sub 10}Al{sub 7.5} bulk metallic glass by minor addition of Erbium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Q. [Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Zeng, X.R., E-mail: zengxier@szu.edu.cn [Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China); JANUS Precision Components Co., LTD., Dongguan 523000 (China); Fu, M.W., E-mail: mmmwfu@polyu.edu.hk [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Chen, S.S. [Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Special Functional Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Jiang, J. [Institute of Applied Physics, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330029 (China)

2016-12-01

The softness of Zr{sub 65}Cu{sub 17.5}Ni{sub 10}Al{sub 7.5} bulk metallic glass (BMG) in the super-cooled liquid range (SCLR) is obviously improved by minor addition of 2% Er, which makes (Zr{sub 65}Cu{sub 17.5}Ni{sub 10}Al{sub 7.5}){sub 98}Er{sub 2} (Zr65Er2) to be a very formable Be-free Zr-based BMG. It is found the lower glass transition temperature of Zr65Er2 has an important contribution to the improvement of formability, which is contrary to the general understanding that the larger fragility and wider super-cooled liquid region (SCLR) are the major reasons for better thermoplastic formability. This finding is well explained by using the linear simplification of the SCLR in Angell plot. Zr65Er2 also has lower crystallization temperature and melting temperature, which is believed to be related to the formation of short-range ordering with lower transition energy rather than the composition shift to near eutectic. The above results help understand the effect of minor addition of rare-earth to the formability of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses.

Thickness engineering of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 films to suppress interfacial reaction and diffusion of Ni/Au gate metal in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs up to 600 °C in air

Science.gov (United States)

Suria, Ateeq J.; Yalamarthy, Ananth Saran; Heuser, Thomas A.; Bruefach, Alexandra; Chapin, Caitlin A.; So, Hongyun; Senesky, Debbie G.

2017-06-01

In this paper, we describe the use of 50 nm atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al2O3 to suppress the interfacial reaction and inter-diffusion between the gate metal and semiconductor interface, to extend the operation limit up to 600 °C in air. Suppression of diffusion is verified through Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) depth profiling and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and is further supported with electrical characterization. An ALD Al2O3 thin film (10 nm and 50 nm), which functions as a dielectric layer, was inserted between the gate metal (Ni/Au) and heterostructure-based semiconductor material (AlGaN/GaN) to form a metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistor (MIS-HEMT). This extended the 50 nm ALD Al2O3 MIS-HEMT (50-MIS) current-voltage (Ids-Vds) and gate leakage (Ig,leakage) characteristics up to 600 °C. Both, the 10 nm ALD Al2O3 MIS-HEMT (10-MIS) and HEMT, failed above 350 °C, as evidenced by a sudden increase of approximately 50 times and 5.3 × 106 times in Ig,leakage, respectively. AES on the HEMT revealed the formation of a Ni-Au alloy and Ni present in the active region. Additionally, XRD showed existence of metal gallides in the HEMT. The 50-MIS enables the operation of AlGaN/GaN based electronics in oxidizing high-temperature environments, by suppressing interfacial reaction and inter-diffusion of the gate metal with the semiconductor.

Study on transfer-free graphene synthesis process utilizing spontaneous agglomeration of catalytic Ni and Co metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyoshi, Makoto; Mizuno, Masaya; Banno, Kazuya; Kubo, Toshiharu; Egawa, Takashi; Soga, Tetsuo

2015-01-01

Transfer-free graphene synthesis process utilizing metal agglomeration phenomena was investigated by using carbon films deposited on Ni or Co catalyst metals on SiO 2 /Si substrates. As a result of metal agglomeration at high temperatures, multilayer graphene films appeared to be formed directly on SiO 2 films. The microscopic Raman mapping study revealed that graphene films were preferentially synthesized around areas where metal films disappeared at an early stage of agglomeration, and that they finally covered almost the whole surface. It was also found that the synthesized graphene films tended to have better structural qualities and lower layer numbers with the increase in the starting metal thicknesses regardless of the kinds of catalyst metals. Raman study also showed that they had good two-dimensional uniformity in the structural quality. (paper)

scanning speed influence on the physical properties of laser metal

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

2017-01-01

Jan 1, 2017 ... result of the preliminary study that produces full dense and pore free deposits. ... Keywords: Additive manufacturing, Laser metal deposition (LMD), Material efficiency, Titanium alloy. 1. ... parts. Ti6Al4V is the most commonly produced titanium alloy ... In this study, effect of laser transverse speed or scanning.

Search for half-metallic magnets with large half-metallic gaps in the quaternary Heusler alloys CoFeTiZ and CoFeVZ (Z=Al, Ga, Si, Ge, As, Sb)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong, Lun; Yi, Lin; Gao, G.Y.

2014-01-01

We investigate the electronic structure and magnetic properties of the twelve quaternary Heusler alloys CoFeTiZ and CoFeVZ (Z=Al, Ga, Si, Ge, As, Sb) by using the first-principles calculations. It is shown that only CoFeTiSi, CoFeTiAs and CoFeVSb are half-metallic ferromagnets with considerable half-metallic gaps of 0.31, 0.18 and 0.17 eV, respectively. CoFeTiAl and CoFeTiGa are conventional semiconductors, and other alloys exhibit nearly half-metallicity or their half-metallic gaps are almost zero eV. We also find that the half-metallicities of CoFeTiSi, CoFeTiAs and CoFeVSb can be preserved under appropriate uniform and in-plane strains. The considerable half-metallic gaps and the robust half-metallicities under uniform and in-plane strains make CoFeTiSi, CoFeTiAs and CoFeVSb promising candidates for spintronic applications. - Highlights: • CoFeTiSi, CoFeTiAs and CoFeVSb have considerable half-metallic gaps. • Total magnetic moments obey the Slater–Pauling behavior of quaternary Heusler half-metals. • CoFeTiSi, CoFeTiAs and CoFeVSb retain half-metallicity under uniform and in-plane strains

Effects of Computer-Aided Manufacturing Technology on Precision of Clinical Metal-Free Restorations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ki-Hong Lee

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the marginal fit of metal-free crowns made by three different computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM systems. Materials and Methods. The maxillary left first premolar of a dentiform was prepared for all-ceramic crown restoration. Thirty all-ceramic premolar crowns were made, ten each manufactured by the Lava system, Cercon, and Cerec. Ten metal ceramic gold (MCG crowns served as control. The marginal gap of each sample was measured under a stereoscopic microscope at 75x magnification after cementation. One-way ANOVA and the Duncan’s post hoc test were used for data analysis at the significance level of 0.05. Results. The mean (standard deviation marginal gaps were 70.5 (34.4 μm for the MCG crowns, 87.2 (22.8 μm for Lava, 58.5 (17.6 μm for Cercon, and 72.3 (30.8 μm for Cerec. There were no significant differences in the marginal fit among the groups except that the Cercon crowns had significantly smaller marginal gaps than the Lava crowns (P<0.001.  Conclusions. Within the limitation of this study, all the metal-free restorations made by the digital CAD/CAM systems had clinically acceptable marginal accuracy.

Transglutaminase-Catalyzed Bioconjugation Using One-Pot Metal-Free Bioorthogonal Chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Rachel, Natalie M; Toulouse, Jacynthe L; Pelletier, Joelle N

2017-10-18

General approaches for controlled protein modification are increasingly sought-after in the arena of chemical biology. Here, using bioorthogonal reactions, we present combinatorial chemoenzymatic strategies to effectuate protein labeling. A total of three metal-free conjugations were simultaneously or sequentially incorporated in a one-pot format with microbial transglutaminase (MTG) to effectuate protein labeling. MTG offers the particularity of conjugating residues within a protein sequence rather than at its extremities, providing a route to labeling the native protein. The reactions are rapid and circumvent the incompatibility posed by metal catalysts. We identify the tetrazine ligation as most-reactive for this purpose, as demonstrated by the fluorescent labeling of two proteins. The Staudinger ligation and strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition are alternatives. Owing to the breadth of labels that MTG can use as a substrate, our results demonstrate the versatility of this system, with the researcher being able to combine specific protein substrates with a variety of labels.

ZrCuAl Bulk Metallic Glass spall induced by laser shock

Science.gov (United States)

Jodar, Benjamin; Loison, Didier; Yokoyama, Yoshihiko; Lescoute, Emilien; Berthe, Laurent; Sangleboeuf, Jean-Christophe

2017-06-01

To face High Velocity Impacts, the aerospace industry is always seeking for innovative materials usable as debris shielding components. Bulk Metallic Glasses (BMG) revealed interesting mechanical properties in case of static and quasi-static loading conditions: high elasticity, high tenacity, low density and high fracture threshold... The department of Mechanics and Glass of the Institut of Physics Rennes conducted on the ELFIE facility, laser shock experiments to study the behavior of a ternary ZrCuAl BMG under high strain rate, up-to fragmentation process. On the one hand, in-situ diagnostics were used to measure ejection velocities with PDV and debris morphologies were observed by Shadowgraphy. On the other hand, spalled areas (dimensions and features) were characterized through post-mortem analysis (optical observations, profilometry and SEM). These results are compared to experimental and numerical data on the crystalline forms of the ZrCuAl basic compounds.

Unprecedented propane–SCR-NOx activity over template-free synthesized Al-rich Co-BEA* zeolite

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Sazama, Petr; Mokrzycki, Lukasz; Wichterlová, Blanka; Vondrová, Alena; Pilař, Radim; Dědeček, Jiří; Sklenák, Štěpán; Tabor, Edyta

2015-01-01

Roč. 332, DEC 2015 (2015), s. 201-211 ISSN 0021-9517 R&D Projects: GA TA ČR(CZ) TH01021259; GA ČR GA15-13876S Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : beta zeolite * Al-rich BEA* * OSDA-free synthesis Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 7.354, year: 2015

Gold nanoparticle plasmon resonance in near-field coupled Au NPs layer/Al film nanostructure: Dependence on metal film thickness

Science.gov (United States)

Yeshchenko, Oleg A.; Kozachenko, Viktor V.; Naumenko, Antonina P.; Berezovska, Nataliya I.; Kutsevol, Nataliya V.; Chumachenko, Vasyl A.; Haftel, Michael; Pinchuk, Anatoliy O.

2018-05-01

We study the effects of coupling between plasmonic metal nanoparticles and a thin metal film by using light extinction spectroscopy. A planar monolayer of gold nanoparticles located near an aluminum thin film (thicknesses within the range of 0-62 nm) was used to analyze the coupling between the monolayer and the thin metal film. SPR peak area increase for polymer coated Au NPs, non-monotonical behavior of the peak area for bare Au NPs, as well as red shift and broadening of SPR at the increase of the Al film thickness have been observed. These effects are rationalized as a result of coupling of the layer of Au NPs with Al film through the field of localized surface plasmons in Au NPs that causes the excitation of collective plasmonic gap mode in the nanostructure. An additional mechanism for bare Au NPs is the non-radiative damping of SPR that is caused by the electrical contact between metal NPs and film.

Piezo-tunnel effect in Al/Al2O3/Al junctions elaborated by atomic layer deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Rafael, R.; Puyoo, E.; Malhaire, C.

2017-11-01

In this work, the electrical transport in Al/Al2O3/Al junctions under mechanical stress is investigated in the perspective to use them as strain sensors. The metal/insulator/metal junctions are elaborated with a low temperature process (≤200 °C) fully compatible with CMOS back-end-of-line. The conduction mechanism in the structure is found to be Fowler-Nordheim tunneling, and efforts are made to extract the relevant physical parameters. Gauge factors up to -32.5 were found in the fabricated devices under tensile stress. Finally, theoretical mechanical considerations give strong evidence that strain sensitivity in Al/Al2O3/Al structures originates not only from geometrical deformations but also from the variation of interface barrier height and/or effective electronic mass in the tunneling oxide layer.

Wetting of metals and glasses on Mo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saiz, Eduardo; Tomsia, Antoni P.; Saiz, Eduardo; Lopez-Esteban, Sonia; Benhassine, Mehdi; de Coninck, Joel; Rauch, Nicole; Ruehle, Manfred

2008-01-08

The wetting of low melting point metals and Si-Ca-Al-Ti-O glasses on molybdenum has been investigated. The selected metals (Au, Cu, Ag) form a simple eutectic with Mo. Metal spreading occurs under nonreactive conditions without interdiffusion or ridge formation. The metals exhibit low (non-zero) contact angles on Mo but this requires temperatures higher than 1100 C in reducing atmospheres in order to eliminate a layer of adsorbed impurities on the molybdenum surface. By controlling the oxygen activity in the furnace, glass spreading can take place under reactive or nonreactive conditions. We have found that in the glass/Mo system the contact angle does not decrease under reactive conditions. In all cases, adsorption from the liquid seems to accelerate the diffusivity on the free molybdenum surface.

Response to Lefebvre et al.

Science.gov (United States)

Takeda, K; Kou, I; Kawakami, N; Yasuhiko, Y; Ogura, Y; Imagawa, E; Miyake, N; Matsumoto, N; Sudo, H; Kotani, T; Nakamura, M; Matsumoto, M; Watanabe, K; Ikegawa, S

2017-11-01

Congenital scoliosis (CS) is a common vertebral malformation with incidence of up to 1 of 1000 births worldwide. Recently, TBX6 has been reported as the first disease gene for CS: about 10% of CS patients are compound heterozygotes of rare null mutations and a common haplotype composed by 3 SNPs in TBX6. Lefebvre et al in this journal reported that 2 patients with spondylocostal dysostosis (SCD), a rare skeletal dysplasia affecting spine and ribs also have TBX6 mutations: 1 carried the microdeletion and a rare missense variant, and another 2 rare missense variants. We investigated the pathogenicity of the 3 missense variants in SCD by a luciferase assay. The results were negative for the proposal of Lefebvre et al. We consider these 2 SCD patients are more probably compound heterozygotes of null mutations and a common risk haplotype just as CS patients with TBX6 mutations. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

CONDENSED MATTER: STRUCTURE, MECHANICAL, AND THERMAL PROPERTIES: Observation of β-Relaxation in Sub-Tg Isothermally Annealed Al-Based Metallic Glasses

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hong-Wang; Tong, Wei-Ping; Zhao, Xiang; Zuo, Liang; Wang, Jian-Qiang

2008-09-01

Al85 Ni5 Y8 C02 and Al 85 Ni5 Y6 C02 Fe2 metallic glasses are fabricated by melt spinning. A kink or a small exothermic peak is observed for both the samples isothermally annealed at sub-glass transition temperatures. Temperature modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC) data disapprove amorphous phase separation. The activation energies derived from Kissinger plots of the exothermic process on DSC curve around glass transition temperature are consistent with those of β -relaxation of metallic glasses.

Fabrication and Analysis of the Wear Properties of Hot-Pressed Al-Si/SiCp + Al-Si-Cu-Mg Metal Matrix Composite

Science.gov (United States)

Bang, Jeongil; Oak, Jeong-Jung; Park, Yong Ho

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to characterize microstructures and mechanical properties of aluminum metal matrix composites (MMC's) prepared by powder metallurgy method. Consolidation of mixed powder with gas atomized Al-Si/SiCp powder and Al-14Si-2.5Cu-0.5Mg powder by hot pressing was classified according to sintering temperature and sintering time. Sintering condition was optimized using tensile properties of sintered specimens. Ultimate tensile strength of the optimized sintered specimen was 228 MPa with an elongation of 5.3% in longitudinal direction. In addition, wear properties and behaviors of the sintered aluminum-based MMC's were analyzed in accordance with vertical load and linear speed. As the linear speed and vertical load of the wear increased, change of the wear behavior occurred in order of oxidation of Al-Si matrix, formation of C-rich layer, Fe-alloying to matrix, and melting of the specimen

High-performance web services for querying gene and variant annotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Xin, Jiwen; Mark, Adam; Afrasiabi, Cyrus; Tsueng, Ginger; Juchler, Moritz; Gopal, Nikhil; Stupp, Gregory S; Putman, Timothy E; Ainscough, Benjamin J; Griffith, Obi L; Torkamani, Ali; Whetzel, Patricia L; Mungall, Christopher J; Mooney, Sean D; Su, Andrew I; Wu, Chunlei

2016-05-06

Efficient tools for data management and integration are essential for many aspects of high-throughput biology. In particular, annotations of genes and human genetic variants are commonly used but highly fragmented across many resources. Here, we describe MyGene.info and MyVariant.info, high-performance web services for querying gene and variant annotation information. These web services are currently accessed more than three million times permonth. They also demonstrate a generalizable cloud-based model for organizing and querying biological annotation information. MyGene.info and MyVariant.info are provided as high-performance web services, accessible at http://mygene.info and http://myvariant.info . Both are offered free of charge to the research community.

Mesoporous mixed metal oxides derived from P123-templated Mg-Al layered double hydroxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jun; Zhou Jideng; Li Zhanshuang; He Yang; Lin Shuangshuang; Liu Qi; Zhang Milin; Jiang Zhaohua

2010-01-01

We report the preparation of mesoporous mixed metal oxides (MMOs) through a soft template method. Different amounts of P123 were used as structure directing agent to synthesize P123-templated Mg-Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs). After calcination of as-synthesized LDHs at 500 o C, the ordered mesopores were obtained by removal of P123. The mesoporous Mg-Al MMOs fabricated by using 2 wt% P123 exhibited a high specific surface area of 108.1 m 2 /g, and wide distribution of pore size (2-18 nm). An investigation of the 'memory effect' of the mesoporous MMOs revealed that they were successfully reconstructed to ibuprofen intercalated LDHs having different gallery heights, which indicated different intercalation capacities. Due to their mesoporosity these unique MMOs have particular potential as drug or catalyst carriers. - Graphical abstract: Ordered mesoporous Mg-Al MMOs can be obtained through the calcination of P123-templated Mg-Al-CO 3 LDHs. The pore diameter is 2.2 nm. At the presence of ibuprofen, the Mg-Al MMOs can recover to Mg-Al-IBU LDHs, based on its 'remember effect'. Display Omitted

Contact-free measurement of the flow field of a liquid metal inside a closed container

OpenAIRE

Heinicke Christiane

2014-01-01

The measurement of flow velocities inside metal melts is particularly challenging. Due to the high temperatures of the melts it is impossible to employ measurement techniques that require either mechanical contact with the melt or are only adaptable to translucent fluids. In the past years a number of electromagnetic techniques have been developed that allows a contact-free measurement of volume flows. One of these techniques is the so-called Lorentz Force Velocimetry (LFV) in which the metal...

Manufacturing And High Temperature Oxidation Properties Of Electro-Sprayed Fe-24.5% Cr-5%Al Powder Porous Metal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Kee-Ahn

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Fe-Cr-Al based Powder porous metals were manufactured using a new electro-spray process, and the microstructures and high-temperature oxidation properties were examined. The porous materials were obtained at different sintering temperatures (1350°C, 1400°C, 1450°C, and 1500°C and with different pore sizes (500 μm, 450 μm, and 200 μm. High-temperature oxidation experiments (TGA, Thermal Gravimetry Analysis were conducted for 24 hours at 1000°C in a 79% N2+ 21% O2, 100 mL/min. atmosphere. The Fe-Cr-Al powder porous metals manufactured through the electro-spray process showed more-excellent oxidation resistance as sintering temperature and pore size increased. In addition, the fact that the densities and surface areas of the abovementioned powder porous metals had the largest effects on the metal’s oxidation properties could be identified.

Bio-recovery of non-essential heavy metals by intra- and extracellular mechanisms in free-living microorganisms.

Science.gov (United States)

García-García, Jorge D; Sánchez-Thomas, Rosina; Moreno-Sánchez, Rafael

2016-01-01

Free-living microorganisms may become suitable models for recovery of non-essential and essential heavy metals from wastewater bodies and soils by using and enhancing their accumulating and/or leaching abilities. This review analyzes the variety of different mechanisms developed mainly in bacteria, protists and microalgae to accumulate heavy metals, being the most relevant those involving phytochelatin and metallothionein biosyntheses; phosphate/polyphosphate metabolism; compartmentalization of heavy metal-complexes into vacuoles, chloroplasts and mitochondria; and secretion of malate and other organic acids. Cyanide biosynthesis for extra-cellular heavy metal bioleaching is also examined. These metabolic/cellular processes are herein analyzed at the transcriptional, kinetic and metabolic levels to provide mechanistic basis for developing genetically engineered microorganisms with greater capacities and efficiencies for heavy metal recovery, recycling of heavy metals, biosensing of metal ions, and engineering of metalloenzymes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Liquid phase surface melting of AA8011 aluminum alloy by addition of Al/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nano-composite powders synthesized by high-energy milling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sohi, M. Heydarzadeh [School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Hojjatzadeh, S.M.H., E-mail: Hojatzadeh@yahoo.com [Department of Welding, Science and Research Branch, Azad University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Moosavifar, Sh. S.; Heshmati-Manesh, S. [School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2014-09-15

Highlights: • Aluminum matrix composite layers reinforced with alumina particles were fabricated. • Non milled powders caused porosity in the microstructures because of poor wettability. • The ball milling of powders was significantly improved the wettability of nano ceramic particles. • The micro hardness of the layers was approximately 3 times greater than that of the base metal. - Abstract: Poor wettability of particles is an obstacle in formation of sound composite layer via surface melting. Pre-coating of particles with metallic material by different techniques, such as ball milling may enhance the wettability of the particles with molten metal. In this study, composite surface layers containing Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles were fabricated on the surface of AA8011 aluminum substrates by tungsten inert gas (TIG) surface melting using preplaced layers of Al/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powder mixtures in two different forms: (1) a mixture of 40 wt% Al and 60 wt% of 50 nm Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powders and (2) a mixture obtained by mechanical alloying of 40 wt% Al and 60 wt% of 60 μm Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powders. Morphology evolution of powders during ball milling and the microstructure of the fabricated composite layers were studied through conventional characterization techniques, such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Microhardness measurements were also performed across the alloyed zone. The results indicated that the layer fabricated by the second route showed a defect free structure with a more uniform distribution of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles in comparison with the layer obtained by the first route. It was also noticed that the uniform dispersion of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles in the fabricated layer increased the hardness to 133 HV which was over 3 times of that of the base metal.

Corrosion performance of SiCsubp/6061 Al metal matrix composites in sodium chloride solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohmad Soib bin Selamat

1995-01-01

The corrosion performance of silicon carbide particle/aluminium metal matrix composites (SiCsubp/Al) were studied in sodium chloride solution by means of electrochemical, microscopic, gravimetric and analytical techniques. The materials under investigation were compocasting processed 6061 Al reinforced with increasing amounts of SiC particles. Potentiostatic polarization tests were done in 0.1M NaCl solutions that were aerated or deaerated to observe overall corrosion behaviour. It was seen that the corrosion potentials did not vary greatly in relation to the amounts of SiCsubp reinforcement. Corrosion tests showed that the degree of corrosion increased with increasing SiCsubp content. SEM analysis technique was used to study the corroded samples and the pitting morphology. By TEM, no intermetallic layer was found at SiC/Al interface. A model for pitting process was proposed

Infrared Spectroscopy of Metal Ion Complexes: Models for Metal Ligand Interactions and Solvation

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Michael

2006-03-01

Weakly bound complexes of the form M^+-Lx (M=Fe, Ni, Co, etc.; L=CO2, C2H2, H2O, benzene, N2) are prepared in supersonic molecular beams by laser vaporization in a pulsed-nozzle cluster source. These species are mass analyzed and size-selected in a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Clusters are photodissociated at infrared wavelengths with a Nd:YAG pumped infrared optical parametric oscillator/amplifier (OPO/OPA) laser or with a tunable infrared free-electron laser. M^+-(CO2)x complexes absorb near the free CO2 asymmetric stretch near 2349 cm-1 but with an interesting size dependent variation in the resonances. Small clusters have blue-shifted resonances, while larger complexes have additional bands due to surface CO2 molecules not attached to the metal. M^+(C2H2)n complexes absorb near the C-H stretches in acetylene, but resonances in metal complexes are red-shifted with repect to the isolated molecule. Ni^+ and Co^+ complexes with acetylene undergo intracluster cyclization reactions to form cyclobutadiene. Transition metal water complexes are studied in the O-H stretch region, and partial rotational structure can be measured. M^+(benzene) and M^+(benzene)2 ions (M=V, Ti, Al) represent half-sandwich and sandwich species, whose spectra are measured near the free benzene modes. These new IR spectra and their assignments will be discussed as well as other new IR spectra for similar complexes.

Thermodynamic driving force effects in the oxygen reduction catalyzed by a metal-free porphyrin

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Trojánek, Antonín; Langmaier, Jan; Samec, Zdeněk

2012-01-01

Roč. 82, SI (2012), s. 457-462 ISSN 0013-4686 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP208/11/0697 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40400503 Keywords : oxygen reduction * metal-free porphyrin * electrocatalysis Subject RIV: CG - Electrochemistry Impact factor: 3.777, year: 2012

Green Synthesis of InP/ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots for Application in Heavy-Metal-Free Light-Emitting Diodes

OpenAIRE

Kuo, Tsung-Rong; Hung, Shih-Ting; Lin, Yen-Ting; Chou, Tzu-Lin; Kuo, Ming-Cheng; Kuo, Ya-Pei; Chen, Chia-Chun

2017-01-01

Quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) have been considered as potential display technologies with the characterizations of high color purity, flexibility, transparency, and cost efficiency. For the practical applications, the development of heavy-metal-free QD-LEDs from environment-friendly materials is the most important issue to reduce the impacts on human health and environmental pollution. In this work, heavy-metal-free InP/ZnS core/shell QDs with different fluorescence were prepare...

Effect of isothermal annealing on the compressive strength of a ZrAlNiCuNb metallic glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Min; He Yuehui

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Only structural relaxation happens during annealing at the temperature below T g . → Nanocrystallization happens during annealing at the temperature above T g . → The compressive strength increases with annealing time up to 20 min. → The compressive strength decreases with annealing time after 20 min. - Abstract: The effects of isothermal annealing on the microstructures and compressive strength of a Zr 56 Al 10.9 Ni 4.6 Cu 27.8 Nb 0.7 bulk metallic glass (BMG) have been studied using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and compression tests. It has been shown that only structural relaxation happens during annealing at the temperature below T g (glass transition temperature), while both structural relaxation and nanocrystallization happen during annealing at the temperature above T g . Compression tests indicated that the strength of the BMG increases with annealing time at 437 deg. C up to 20 min, after which the strength starts to decrease. The strength evolution of the BMG with the annealing time is due to combined effects of the variations of the free volume and nanocrystals.

Fluorine-doped carbon nanotubes as an efficient metal-free catalyst for destruction of organic pollutants in catalytic ozonation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Chen, Shuo; Quan, Xie; Yu, Hongtao

2018-01-01

Metal-free carbon materials have been presented to be potential alternatives to metal-based catalysts for heterogeneous catalytic ozonation, yet the catalytic performance still needs to be enhanced. Doping carbon with non-metallic heteroatoms (e.g., N, B, and F) could alter the electronic structure and electrochemical properties of original carbon materials, has been considered to be an effective method for improving the catalytic activity of carbon materials. Herein, fluorine-doped carbon nanotubes (F-CNTs) were synthesized via a facile method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. The as-synthesized F-CNTs exhibited notably enhanced catalytic activity towards catalytic ozonation for the degradation of organic pollutants. The oxalic acid removal efficiency of optimized F-CNTs was approximately two times as much as that of pristine CNTs, and even exceeded those of four conventional metal-based catalysts (ZnO, Al 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , and MnO 2 ). The XPS and Raman studies confirmed that the covalent CF bonds were formed at the sp 3 C sites instead of sp 2 C sites on CNTs, not only resulting in high positive charge density of C atoms adjacent to F atoms, but remaining the delocalized π-system with intact carbon structure of F-CNTs, which then favored the conversion of ozone molecules (O 3 ) into reactive oxygen species (ROS) and contributed to the high oxalic acid removal efficiency. Furthermore, electron spin resonance (ESR) studies revealed that superoxide radicals (O 2 - ) and singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) might be the dominant ROS that responsible for the degradation of oxalic acid in these catalytic systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visible Light-Induced Metal Free Surface Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate on SBA-15

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Ma

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP is one of the most versatile techniques to modify the surface properties of materials. Recent developed metal-free SI-ATRP makes such techniques more widely applicable. Herein photo-induced metal-free SI-ATRP of methacrylates, such as methyl methacrylate, N-isopropanyl acrylamide, and N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, on the surface of SBA-15 was reported to fabricate organic-inorganic hybrid materials. A SBA-15-based polymeric composite with an adjustable graft ratio was obtained. The structure evolution during the SI-ATRP modification of SBA-15 was monitored and verified by FT-IR, XPS, TGA, BET, and TEM. The obtained polymeric composite showed enhanced adsorption ability for the model compound toluene in aqueous conditions. This procedure provides a low-cost, readily available, and easy modification method to synthesize polymeric composites without the contamination of metal.

Hydrogenation of cyclohexene with LaNi@#5@#-@#x@#Al@#x@#Hn metal hydrides, suspended in cyclohexane or ethanol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Snijder, E.D.; Snijder, E.D.; Versteeg, Geert; van Swaaij, Willibrordus Petrus Maria

1993-01-01

The hydrogenation of cyclohexene on the metal hydride forming alloys LaNi4.8Al0.2, LaNi4.9Al0.1 and LaNi5, all suspended in cyclohexane and LaNi5 suspended in ethanol, has been investigated. Two sources for hydrogen are recognized: hydrogen supplied by the gas phase and hydrogen which is available

Structural Design Principle of Small-Molecule Organic Semiconductors for Metal-Free, Visible-Light-Promoted Photocatalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Huang, Wei; Li, Run; Gehrig, Dominik; Blom, Paul W M; Landfester, Katharina; Zhang, Kai A I

2016-08-08

Herein, we report on the structural design principle of small-molecule organic semiconductors as metal-free, pure organic and visible light-active photocatalysts. Two series of electron-donor and acceptor-type organic semiconductor molecules were synthesized to meet crucial requirements, such as 1) absorption range in the visible region, 2) sufficient photoredox potential, and 3) long lifetime of photogenerated excitons. The photocatalytic activity was demonstrated in the intermolecular C-H functionalization of electron-rich heteroaromates with malonate derivatives. A mechanistic study of the light-induced electron transport between the organic photocatalyst, substrate, and the sacrificial agent are described. With their tunable absorption range and defined energy-band structure, the small-molecule organic semiconductors could offer a new class of metal-free and visible light-active photocatalysts for chemical reactions. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Estimation of metal temperature of MCrAlY coated IN738 components based on interdiffusion behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, Kristian Vinter; Hald, John

2006-01-01

Interdiffusion at the interface between a Co-36.5Ni-17.5Cr-8Al-0.5Y, MCrAlY coating and the underlying IN738 superalloy was studied in a large matrix of specimens isothermally heat treated up to 12,000 hours at temperatures 875°C, 925°C or 950°C. Microstructural investigations and calculated phas....... The developed model was used to estimate metal temperatures for a service exposed, first stage gas turbine blade....

Efficient population-scale variant analysis and prioritization with VAPr.

Science.gov (United States)

Birmingham, Amanda; Mark, Adam M; Mazzaferro, Carlo; Xu, Guorong; Fisch, Kathleen M

2018-04-06

With the growing availability of population-scale whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing, demand for reproducible, scalable variant analysis has spread within genomic research communities. To address this need, we introduce the Python package VAPr (Variant Analysis and Prioritization). VAPr leverages existing annotation tools ANNOVAR and MyVariant.info with MongoDB-based flexible storage and filtering functionality. It offers biologists and bioinformatics generalists easy-to-use and scalable analysis and prioritization of genomic variants from large cohort studies. VAPr is developed in Python and is available for free use and extension under the MIT License. An install package is available on PyPi at https://pypi.python.org/pypi/VAPr, while source code and extensive documentation are on GitHub at https://github.com/ucsd-ccbb/VAPr. kfisch@ucsd.edu.

The Effectors and Sensory Sites of Formaldehyde-responsive Regulator FrmR and Metal-sensing Variant *

Science.gov (United States)

Osman, Deenah; Piergentili, Cecilia; Chen, Junjun; Sayer, Lucy N.; Usón, Isabel; Huggins, Thomas G.; Robinson, Nigel J.; Pohl, Ehmke

2016-01-01

The DUF156 family of DNA-binding transcriptional regulators includes metal sensors that respond to cobalt and/or nickel (RcnR, InrS) or copper (CsoR) plus CstR, which responds to persulfide, and formaldehyde-responsive FrmR. Unexpectedly, the allosteric mechanism of FrmR from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is triggered by metals in vitro, and variant FrmRE64H gains responsiveness to Zn(II) and cobalt in vivo. Here we establish that the allosteric mechanism of FrmR is triggered directly by formaldehyde in vitro. Sensitivity to formaldehyde requires a cysteine (Cys35 in FrmR) conserved in all DUF156 proteins. A crystal structure of metal- and formaldehyde-sensing FrmRE64H reveals that an FrmR-specific amino-terminal Pro2 is proximal to Cys35, and these residues form the deduced formaldehyde-sensing site. Evidence is presented that implies that residues spatially close to the conserved cysteine tune the sensitivities of DUF156 proteins above or below critical thresholds for different effectors, generating the semblance of specificity within cells. Relative to FrmR, RcnR is less responsive to formaldehyde in vitro, and RcnR does not sense formaldehyde in vivo, but reciprocal mutations FrmRP2S and RcnRS2P, respectively, impair and enhance formaldehyde reactivity in vitro. Formaldehyde detoxification by FrmA requires S-(hydroxymethyl)glutathione, yet glutathione inhibits formaldehyde detection by FrmR in vivo and in vitro. Quantifying the number of FrmR molecules per cell and modeling formaldehyde modification as a function of [formaldehyde] demonstrates that FrmR reactivity is optimized such that FrmR is modified and frmRA is derepressed at lower [formaldehyde] than required to generate S-(hydroxymethyl)glutathione. Expression of FrmA is thereby coordinated with the accumulation of its substrate. PMID:27474740

Distribution and metal contamination in the coastal sediments of Dammam Al-Jubail area, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Sorogy, Abdelbaset; Al-Kahtany, Khaled; Youssef, Mohamed; Al-Kahtany, Fahd; Al-Malky, Mazen

2018-03-01

Present work aims to document the distribution and metal contamination in the coastal sediments of the Dammam Al-Jubail area, Saudi Arabian Gulf. Twenty-six samples were collected for Al, V, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg, Sr, As, Fe, Co and Ni analysis. Results of enrichment factor indicated that Sr, Cd, Cu, Hg, V, As, Ni, Cr and Zn gave enrichment factors higher than 2 (98.87, 40.28, 33.20, 27.87, 26.11, 14.10, 6.15, 3.72 and 2.62 respectively) implying anthropogenic sources, while Pb, Mn and Al have very low background level (1.37, 0.71, 0.124 respectively), probably originated from natural sources. Average concentrations of Sr, V, Hg, Cd and As were mostly higher than those from the background shale and the earth crust, the Caspian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the sediment quality guidelines, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Oman. The higher levels of the studied metals are mostly related samples with high Al and TOM content, as well as the visible anthropogenic pollutants along the studied coastline. The most recorded anthropogenic pollutants were sewage effluent, landfilling due to coastal infrastructure development, oil spills, petrochemical industries and desalination plants in Al-Jubail industrial city. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Machinability study of Al-TiC metal matrix composite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siddappa P. N.

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites have emerged as an advanced class of structural materials have a combination of different, superior properties compared to an unreinforced matrix, which can result in a number of service benefits such as increased strength, higher elastic moduli, higher service temperature, low CTE, improved wear resistance, high toughness, etc. The excellent mechanical properties of these materials together with weight saving makes them very attractive for a variety of engineering applications in aerospace, automotive, electronic industries, etc. Hence, these materials provide as alternative substitutes for conventional engineering materials when specific mechanical properties necessary for required applications. In this work an attempt is made to study the machining parameters of Al6061/TiC MMC. The composite is developed by reinforcing TiC particles in varying proportions of 3, 6, 9 and 12 % weight fractions to the Al6061 matric alloy through stir casting technique. Cutting forces were measured by varying cutting speed and feed rate with constant depth of cut for different % weight fractions. The results showed that the cutting force increases with the increase of feed rate and decreases with the increase of cutting speed for all the weight fractions. Cutting parameters were optimized using Taguchi technique.

Shock response of Ni/Al reactive inter-metallic composites

Science.gov (United States)

Cherukara, Mathew; Germann, Timothy; Kober, Edward; Strachan, Alejandro

2014-03-01

Intermolecular reactive composites find diverse applications in defense, microelectronics and medicine, where strong, localized sources of heat are required. Motivated by experimental work which has shown that high-energy ball milling can significantly improve the reactivity as well as the ease of ignition of Ni/Al inter-metallic composites, we present large scale (~41 million atom) molecular dynamics simulations of shock-induced chemistry in porous, polycrystalline, lamellar Ni/Al nano-composites, which are designed to capture the microstructure that is obtained post milling. Shock propagation in these porous, lamellar materials is observed to be extremely diffuse, leading to substantial inhomogeneity in the local stress states of the material. We describe the importance of pores as sites of initiation, where local temperatures can rise to several thousands of degrees, and chemical mixing is accelerated by vortex formation and jetting in the pore. We also follow the evolution of the chemistry after the shock passage by allowing the sample to ``cook'' under the shock induced pressures and temperatures for up to 0.5 ns. Multiple ``tendril-like'' reaction fronts, born in the cauldron of the pores, propagate rapidly through the sample, consuming it within a nanosecond. US Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Contract No. HDTRA1-10-1-0119.

Determination of the free ion concentration of trace metals in soil solution using a soil column Donnan membrane technique

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weng, L.; Temminghoff, E.J.M.; Riemsdijk, van W.H.

2001-01-01

Accurate measurement of the free metal ion is difficult, especially for trace metals present in very small concentrations (less than micromolar) in natural systems. The recently developed Donnan membrane technique can measure the concentrations in solution in the presence of inorganic and organic

Plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition of TiN/Al2O3 stacks for metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoogeland, D.; Jinesh, K.B.; Roozeboom, F.; Besling, W.F.A.; Sanden, van de M.C.M.; Kessels, W.M.M.

2009-01-01

By employing plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition, thin films of Al2O3 and TiN are subsequently deposited in a single reactor at a single substrate temperature with the objective of fabricating high-quality TiN/Al2O3 / p-Si metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors. Transmission electron microscopy

Demonstration of InAlN/AlGaN high electron mobility transistors with an enhanced breakdown voltage by pulsed metal organic chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xue, JunShuai, E-mail: junshuaixue@hotmail.com; Zhang, JinCheng; Hao, Yue [Key Laboratory of Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi' an 710071 (China)

2016-01-04

In this work, InAlN/AlGaN heterostructures employing wider bandgap AlGaN instead of conventional GaN channel were grown on sapphire substrate by pulsed metal organic chemical vapor deposition, where the nominal Al composition in InAlN barrier and AlGaN channel were chosen to be 83% and 5%, respectively, to achieve close lattice-matched condition. An electron mobility of 511 cm{sup 2}/V s along with a sheet carrier density of 1.88 × 10{sup 13 }cm{sup −2} were revealed in the prepared heterostructures, both of which were lower compared with lattice-matched InAlN/GaN due to increased intrinsic alloy disorder scattering resulting from AlGaN channel and compressively piezoelectric polarization in barrier, respectively. While the high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) processed on these structures not only exhibited a sufficiently high drain output current density of 854 mA/mm but also demonstrated a significantly enhanced breakdown voltage of 87 V, which is twice higher than that of reported InAlN/GaN HEMT with the same device dimension, potential characteristics for high-voltage operation of GaN-based electronic devices.

Highly Sensitive and Selective Sensing of Free Bilirubin Using Metal-Organic Frameworks-Based Energy Transfer Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Yaran; Li, Xiqian; Lv, Xueju; Jia, Qiong

2017-09-13

Free bilirubin, a key biomarker for jaundice, was detected with a newly designed fluorescent postsynthetically modified metal organic framework (MOF) (UIO-66-PSM) sensor. UiO-66-PSM was prepared based on the aldimine condensation reaction of UiO-66-NH 2 with 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde. The fluorescence of UIO-66-PSM could be effectively quenched by free bilirubin via a fluorescent resonant energy transfer process, thus achieving its recognition of free bilirubin. It was the first attempt to design a MOF-based fluorescent probe for sensing free bilirubin. The probe exhibited fast response time, low detection limit, wide linear range, and high selectivity toward free bilirubin. The sensing system enabled the monitor of free bilirubin in real human serum. Hence, the reported free bilirubin sensing platform has potential applications for clinical diagnosis of jaundice.

Effects of gamma-ray-induced free radicals on the metal content and amino acid composition of human metallothionein-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goossens, Lieven

2011-01-01

Metallothioneins (MTs), a low-mass class of metalloproteins, are characterized by a high thiolate sulphur and metal content. MTs are involved in metal homeostasis and heavy metal detoxification, and are efficient scavengers of free radicals. This article describes zinc release from human MT-1 and modification of its amino acid composition when subjected to free radicals generated during gamma ray radiolysis. The effect of gamma ray radiolysis of untreated and metal-depleted human MT-1 was tested under multiple aerobic and anaerobic conditions at increasing irradiation doses. Under all conditions, a rapid increase of serine in the early stages of irradiation was observed. Irradiation for longer times led to cysteic acid formation, except under argon atmosphere. Several other amino acid concentrations gradually decreased. Formation of limited amounts of hydroxyproline, hydroxylysine and ornithine as well as some less common derivatives such as cystathionine occurred as side-effects. (author)

Physiological responses of Tillandsia albida (Bromeliaceae) to long-term foliar metal application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kováčik, Jozef; Klejdus, Bořivoj; Štork, František; Hedbavny, Josef

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Impact of foliar Cd, Ni and Cd + Ni application on Tillandsia albida was studied. ► Cd caused visible damage and enhanced stress parameters in combined treatment. ► Nitrogenous compounds were slightly affected but phenols were up- and down-regulated. ► Mineral nutrients (K, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, and Zn) were not affected by any of treatments. ► Total Cd or Ni reached ca. 0.04% and Ni was more absorbed than Cd. - Abstract: The impact of 2-month foliar application of cadmium, nickel and their combination (10 μM) on Tillandsia albida was studied. Cadmium caused damage of tissue but assimilation pigments were depressed in Cd + Ni variant only. Stress-related parameters (ROS and peroxidase activities) were elevated by Cd and Cd + Ni while MDA content remained unaffected. Free amino acids accumulated the most in Ni alone but soluble proteins were not influenced. Among phenolic acids, mainly vanillin contributed to increase of their sum in all variants while soluble phenols even decreased in Cd + Ni and flavonols slightly increased in Cd variants. Phenolic enzymes showed negligible responses to almost all treatments. Mineral nutrients (K, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, and Zn) were not affected by metal application but N content increased. Total Cd or Ni amounts reached over 400 μg g −1 DW and were not affected if metal alone and combined treatment is compared while absorbed content differed (ca. 50% of total Cd was absorbed while almost all Ni was absorbed). These data indicate tolerance of T. albida to foliar metal application and together with strong xerophytic morphology, use for environmental studies is recommended.

Enhanced interfacial thermal transport in pnictogen tellurides metallized with a lead-free solder alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devender,; Ramanath, Ganpati, E-mail: Ramanath@rpi.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180 (United States); Lofgreen, Kelly; Devasenathipathy, Shankar; Swan, Johanna; Mahajan, Ravi [Intel Corporation, Assembly Test and Technology Development, Chandler, Arizona 85226 (United States); Borca-Tasciuc, Theodorian [Department of Mechanical Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180 (United States)

2015-11-15

Controlling thermal transport across metal–thermoelectric interfaces is essential for realizing high efficiency solid-state refrigeration and waste-heat harvesting power generation devices. Here, the authors report that pnictogen chalcogenides metallized with bilayers of Sn{sub 96.5}Ag{sub 3}Cu{sub 0.5} solder and Ni barrier exhibit tenfold higher interfacial thermal conductance Γ{sub c} than that obtained with In/Ni bilayer metallization. X-ray diffraction and x-ray spectroscopy indicate that reduced interdiffusion and diminution of interfacial SnTe formation due to Ni layer correlates with the higher Γ{sub c}. Finite element modeling of thermoelectric coolers metallized with Sn{sub 96.5}Ag{sub 3}Cu{sub 0.5}/Ni bilayers presages a temperature drop ΔT ∼ 22 K that is 40% higher than that obtained with In/Ni metallization. Our results underscore the importance of controlling chemical intermixing at solder–metal–thermoelectric interfaces to increase the effective figure of merit, and hence, the thermoelectric cooling efficiency. These findings should facilitate the design and development of lead-free metallization for pnictogen chalcogenide-based thermoelectrics.

Corrosion behavior of Al-Fe-sputtering-coated steel, high chromium steels, refractory metals and ceramics in high temperature Pb-Bi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abu Khalid, Rivai; Minoru, Takahashi

2007-01-01

Corrosion tests of Al-Fe-coated steel, high chromium steels, refractory metals and ceramics were carried out in high temperature Pb-Bi at 700 C degrees. Oxygen concentrations in this experiment were 6.8*10 -7 wt.% for Al-Fe-coated steels and 5*10 -6 wt.% for high chromium steels, refractory metals and ceramics. All specimens were immersed in molten Pb-Bi in a corrosion test pot for 1.000 hours. Coating was done with using the unbalanced magnetron sputtering (UBMS) technique to protect the steel from corrosion. Sputtering targets were Al and SUS-304. Al-Fe alloy was coated on STBA26 samples. The Al-Fe alloy-coated layer could be a good protection layer on the surface of steel. The whole of the Al-Fe-coated layer still remained on the base surface of specimen. No penetration of Pb-Bi into this layer and the matrix of the specimen. For high chromium steels i.e. SUS430 and Recloy10, the oxide layer formed in the early time could not prevent the penetration of Pb-Bi into the base of the steels. Refractory metals of tungsten (W) and molybdenum (Mo) had high corrosion resistance with no penetration of Pb-Bi into their matrix. Penetration of Pb-Bi into the matrix of niobium (Nb) was observed. Ceramic materials were SiC and Ti 3 SiC 2 . The ceramic materials of SiC and Ti 3 SiC 2 had high corrosion resistance with no penetration of Pb-Bi into their matrix. (authors)

Laser metal deposition of Ti6Al4V: A study on the effect of laser power on microstructure and microhardness

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mahamood, RM

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The effect of laser power on the resulting microstructure and microhardness of laser metal deposited Ti6Al4V powder on Ti6Al4V substrate has been investigated. The tracks were deposited using 99.6 % pure Ti6Al4V powder of particle size ranging...

Formation of TiC/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} composites from metal-polymer-precursors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jost, H.; Braun, M.; Staedler, C. [Technische Univ. Berlin (Germany). Inst. fuer Nichtmetallische Werkstoffe

2002-07-01

A new synthesis route for TiC/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} materials was developed starting from a mixed metal-polymer precursor. The Precursor was prepared from aluminium nitrate, titantetrachloride and polymethacrylic acid dissolved in a solvent in order to achieve a high homogeneity of the precursor reactants. (orig.)

Diagrams of the variations in the free energy of formation of metallic compounds (1960)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darras, R.; Loriers, H.

1960-01-01

The variations in the standard free energy ΔG produced during the formation of the principal simple metallic compounds have been calculated as a function of the temperature from recently published data, and are presented in convenient diagram form. Their usefulness in metallurgy is illustrated by some possible applications. (author) [fr

Characterization of a glass frit free TiCuAg-thick film metallization applied on aluminium nitride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reicher, R.; Smetana, W.; Adlassnig, A.; Schuster, J. C.; Gruber, U.

1997-01-01

The metallization of aluminium nitride substrates by glass frit free Ti CuAg-thick film pastes were investigated. Adhesion properties of the conductor paste were tested by measuring tensile strength and compared with commercial Cu-thick film pastes (within glass frit). Also numerical analysis of temperature-distribution and thermal extension of metallized aluminium nitride ceramic, induced by a continuous and a pulsed working electronic device were made with a finite element program. (author)

Wear behaviour of the couple polyethylene Ti6Al4V: Effects of the metallic surface preparation and nitrogen implantation

Science.gov (United States)

Martinella, R.; Giovanardi, S.; Palombarini, G.; Corchia, M.; Delogu, P.; Giorgi, R.; Tosello, C.

The wear behaviour improvement of the tribological couple Ti6Al4V-UHMWPE is of great interest to the medical field. Wear tests were carried out in water on a reciprocating UHMWPE annulus on implanted Ti6Al4V disc tribotestcr, with loads and velocities simulating those of hip joints. A comparison of wear behaviours was also carried out between untreated Ti6Al4V samples and Ti6Al4V subjected to a special lapping procedure. UHMWPE worn against ion-implanted and especially lapped Ti alloy showed the lowest wear rate, while, the highest (about one order of magnitude) was shown by the UHMWPE against untreated Ti6Al4V samples. XPS and AES surface analyses were carried out on metallic discs to examine the chemical composition of the surface before wear tests. Moreover depth distribution of nitrogen in implanted samples was determined using the same techniques. SEM observations displayed a polyethylene transfer film on all metallic surfaces, particularly on untreated Ti6Al4V samples. A discussion about uselessness of more conventional surface treatments for the Ti alloy is also reported.

Dendrite-free Li metal anode enabled by a 3D free-standing lithiophilic nitrogen-enriched carbon sponge

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Guangmei; Ren, Xiaohua; Ma, Xiaoxin; Zhang, Le; Zhai, Wei; Ai, Qing; Xu, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Lin; Si, Pengchao; Feng, Jinkui; Ding, Fei; Ci, Lijie

2018-05-01

Lithium metal is considered as the ultimate anode material for high-energy Li battery systems. However, the commercial application of lithium anode is impeded by issues with safety and low coulombic efficiency induced by Li dendrite growth. Herein, a free-standing three-dimensional nitrogen-enriched graphitic carbon sponge with a high nitrogen content is proposed as a multifunctional current collect for Lithium accommodation. The abundant lithiophilic N-containing functional groups are served as preferred nucleation sites to guide a uniform Li deposition. In addition, the nitrogen-enriched graphitic carbon sponge with a high specific surface area can effectively reduce the local current density. As a result of the synergistic effect, the nitrogen-enriched graphitic carbon sponge electrode realizes a long-term stable cycling without dendrites formation. Notably, the as-obtained composite electrode can deliver an ultra-high specific capacity of ∼3175 mA h g-1. The nitrogen-enriched graphitic carbon sponge might provide innovative insights to design a superior matrix for dendrite-free Li anode.

Metal exposure and accumulation patterns in free-range cows (Bos taurus) in a contaminated natural area: Influence of spatial and social behavior

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roggeman, S.; Brink, van den N.W.; Praet, van N.; Blust, R.; Bervoets, L.

2013-01-01

Possible effects of spatial metal distribution, seasonal-, ecological- and ethological parameters, on the metal exposure of cows were investigated. Therefore the habitat use, vegetation selection and foraging behavior of two free ranging Galloway herds in a metal polluted nature reserve were

The problem of intermixing of metals possessing no mutual solubility upon explosion welding (Cu-Ta, Fe-Ag, Al-Ta)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenberg, B.A., E-mail: bella@imp.uran.ru [Institute of Metal Physics, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, S. Kovalevskoi str. 18, Ekaterinburg, 620990 (Russian Federation); Ivanov, M.A. [Kurdyumov Institute of Metal Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Vernadskogo blvd. 36, Kiev, 03680 (Ukraine); Rybin, V.V. [State Polytechnical University, Politekhnicheskaya str. 29, St. Petersburg, 195251 (Russian Federation); Elkina, O.A.; Antonova, O.V.; Patselov, A.M.; Inozemtsev, A.V.; Plotnikov, A.V.; Volkova, A.Yu. [Institute of Metal Physics, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, S. Kovalevskoi str. 18, Ekaterinburg, 620990 (Russian Federation); Besshaposhnikov, Yu.P. [OJSC Ural Chemical Machine Building Plant, Khibinogorskii Lane 33, Ekaterinburg, 620010 (Russian Federation)

2013-01-15

On the basis of the results obtained for joints of dissimilar metals such as copper-tantalum and iron-silver, the reason of immiscible suspensions mixing upon explosion welding has been cleared out. It has been found that the interface (plain or wavy) is not smooth and contains inhomogeneities, namely, cusps and local melting zones. The role of granulating fragmentation providing partitioning of initial materials as a main channel of input energy dissipation has been revealed. It has been shown that in joints of metals possessing normal solubility the local melting zones are true solutions, but if metals possess no mutual solubility the local melting zones are colloidal solutions. Realization of either emulsion or suspension variant takes place. The results can be used in the development of new joints of metals possessing no mutual solubility. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Immiscible pairs Ta/Cu and Fe/Ag are welded successfully by explosive welding. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Fragmentation provides for partitioning as the main energy dissipation channel. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Immiscible metals form colloidal solid solutions during solidification. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Melting and boiling temperatures ratio determines the colloidal solution type. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Local melting zones being in suspension form enhance welds hardening.

Energetic, structural and electronic properties of metal vacancies in strained AlN/GaN interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Kioseoglou, J; Pontikis, V; Komninou, Ph; Pavloudis, Th; Chen, J; Karakostas, Th

2015-04-01

AlN/GaN heterostructures have been studied using density-functional pseudopotential calculations yielding the formation energies of metal vacancies under the influence of local interfacial strains, the associated charge distribution and the energies of vacancy-induced electronic states. Interfaces are built normal to the polar direction of the wurtzite structure by joining two single crystals of AlN and GaN that are a few atomic layers thick; thus, periodic boundary conditions generate two distinct heterophase interfaces. We show that the formation energy of vacancies is a function of their distance from the interfaces: the vacancy-interface interaction is found repulsive or attractive, depending on the type of the interface. When the interaction is attractive, the vacancy formation energy decreases with increasing the associated electric charge, and hence the equilibrium vacancy concentration at the interface is greater. This finding can reveal the well-known morphological differences existing between the two types of investigated interfaces. Moreover, we found that the electric charge is strongly localized around the Ga vacancy, while in the case of Al vacancies is almost uniformly distributed throughout the AlN/GaN heterostructure. Crucially, for the applications of heterostructures, metal vacancies introduce deep states in the calculated bandgap at energy levels from 0.5 to 1 eV above the valence band maximum (VBM). It is, therefore, predicted that vacancies could initiate 'green luminescence' i.e. light emission in the energy range of 2.5 eV stemming from electronic transitions between these extra levels, and the conduction band, or energy levels, due to shallow donors.

Influence of industrial heavy metal pollution on soil free-living nematode population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pen-Mouratov, Stanislav; Shukurov, Nosir; Steinberger, Yosef

2008-01-01

The effect of distance from a heavy metal pollution source on the soil nematode community (trophic structure, sex structure, and taxa composition) was investigated along a 15-km transect originating at the Almalyk Industrial Complex, Uzbekistan (pollution source). The soil nematode community was exposed to heavy metal influence both directly and through soil properties changes. Pollution effect on the density and biomass of soil free-living nematodes was found to be highest at pollution source, with fungivores and plant parasites dominating at the upper and deeper soil layers next to the pollution source. These groups decreased along the transect, yielding domination to bacteria- and fungi-feeders. The sex ratio of nematode communities was found to be dependent on heavy metal pollution levels, with the juveniles being the most sensitive nematode group. The Maturity and modified Maturity Indices, reflecting the degree of disturbance of the soil ecosystem, were found to be the most sensitive indices. - Trophic structure and sex ratio of soil nematode population are sensitive tools for monitoring industrial pollution

Influence of industrial heavy metal pollution on soil free-living nematode population

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pen-Mouratov, Stanislav [The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900 (Israel); Shukurov, Nosir [Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Academy of Sciences, Tashkent 700041 (Uzbekistan); Steinberger, Yosef [The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900 (Israel)], E-mail: steinby@mail.biu.ac.il

2008-03-15

The effect of distance from a heavy metal pollution source on the soil nematode community (trophic structure, sex structure, and taxa composition) was investigated along a 15-km transect originating at the Almalyk Industrial Complex, Uzbekistan (pollution source). The soil nematode community was exposed to heavy metal influence both directly and through soil properties changes. Pollution effect on the density and biomass of soil free-living nematodes was found to be highest at pollution source, with fungivores and plant parasites dominating at the upper and deeper soil layers next to the pollution source. These groups decreased along the transect, yielding domination to bacteria- and fungi-feeders. The sex ratio of nematode communities was found to be dependent on heavy metal pollution levels, with the juveniles being the most sensitive nematode group. The Maturity and modified Maturity Indices, reflecting the degree of disturbance of the soil ecosystem, were found to be the most sensitive indices. - Trophic structure and sex ratio of soil nematode population are sensitive tools for monitoring industrial pollution.

Anti-irradiation performance against helium bombardment in bulk metallic glass (Cu{sub 47}Zr{sub 45}Al{sub 8}){sub 98.5}Y{sub 1.5}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mei, Xianxiu, E-mail: xxmei@dlut.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams, Dalian University of Technology, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116024 (China); Wang, Bin; Dong, Chuang; Gong, Faquan; Wang, Younian [Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams, Dalian University of Technology, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116024 (China); Wang, Zhiguang [Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

2013-07-15

Highlights: ► This paper used He{sup 2+} ion-irradiated metallic glass (Cu{sub 47}Zr{sub 45}Al{sub 8}){sub 98.5}Y{sub 1.5} and the W metal with the energy of 500 keV. ► There was no significant irradiation damage phenomenon on the surface of metallic glass at different irradiation fluences. ► For irradiated W, the peeling, delamination and flaking appeared numerously at fluences of 1 × 10{sup 18} and 2 × 10{sup 18} ions/cm{sup 2}. ► The resistance to He{sup 2+} irradiation of metallic glass (Cu{sub 47}Zr{sub 45}Al{sub 8}){sub 98.5}Y{sub 1.5} was superior to the one in W metal. -- Abstract: In order to compare the resistance to He{sup 2+} ion induced irradiation between metallic glass and polycrystal W metal, this paper used different fluences of He{sup 2+} ion-irradiated metallic glass (Cu{sub 47}Zr{sub 45}Al{sub 8}){sub 98.5}Y{sub 1.5} and polycrystal W with an energy of 500 keV. The SRIM simulation calculation results showed that the range (1.19 μm) of He{sup 2+} in metallic glass was greater than the one (0.76 μm) in polycrystal W. The SEM analysis showed that there was no significant irradiation damage phenomenon on the surface of metallic glass, and there was only a damage layer 1.45 μm away from the surface when the fluence reached 2 × 10{sup 18} ions/cm{sup 2}. For W, there were surface peeling, flaking and other surface damages at a fluence of 1 × 10{sup 18} ions/cm{sup 2}; when the fluence increased to 2 × 10{sup 18} ions/cm{sup 2}, multilayer detachment phenomenon appeared. The surface root mean square roughness of metallic glass (Cu{sub 47}Zr{sub 45}Al{sub 8}){sub 98.5}Y{sub 1.5} first increased and then decreased with the increase of fluence. The surface reflectivity of (Cu{sub 47}Zr{sub 45}Al{sub 8}){sub 98.5}Y{sub 1.5} decreased with the increase of fluence. Through detection by XRD, it was found that (Cu{sub 47}Zr{sub 45}Al{sub 8}){sub 98.5}Y{sub 1.5} always maintained amorphous phase after different fluences of radiation. The

Synthesis and characterization of near-IR absorbing metal-free and zinc(II phthalocyanines modified with aromatic azo groups

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Mukaddes Özçeşmeci

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Metal-free and zinc(II phthalocyanine complexes bearing peripheral (E-4-((2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yldiazenyl units have been synthesized. Novel phthalonitrile derivative required for the preparation of phthalocyanine complexes was prepared by coupling 4-aminophthalonitrile and 2-naphthol. The structures of these new compounds were characterized by using elemental analyses, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. In the UV-Vis spectra a broad absorption band appears for phthalocyanine complexes at around 450–500 nm resulting from azo-group introduced onto the phthalocyanine ring. The photophysical properties of metal-free and zinc(II phthalocyanines were studied in tetrahydrofuran.

Mechanical characterization of SiC particulate & E-glass fiber reinforced Al 3003 hybrid metal matrix composites

Science.gov (United States)

Narayana, K. S. Lakshmi; Shivanand, H. K.

2018-04-01

Metal matrix composites constitute a class of low cost high quality materials which offer high performance for various industrial applications. The orientation of this research is towards the study of mechanical properties of as cast silicon carbide (SiC) particulates and Short E-Glass fibers reinforced Aluminum matrix composites (AMCs). The Hybrid metal matrix composite is developed by reinforcing SiC particulates of 100 microns and short E-Glass fibers of 2-3 mm length with Al 3003 in different compositions. The vortex method of stir casting was employed, in which the reinforcements were introduced into the vortex created by the molten metal by means of mechanical stirrer. The mechanical properties of the prepared metal matrix composites were analyzed. From the studies it was noticed that an improvement in mechanical properties of the reinforced alloys compared to unreinforced alloys.

Free Energy Landscape of the Dissolution of Gibbsite at High pH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Zhizhang; Kerisit, Sebastien N.; Stack, Andrew G.; Rosso, Kevin M.

2018-03-26

The individual elementary reactions involved in the dissolution of a solid into solution remain mostly speculative due to a lack of suitable, direct experimental probes. In this regard, we have applied atomistic simulations to map the free energy landscape of the dissolution of gibbsite from a step edge, as a model of metal hydroxide dissolution. The overall reaction combines kink site formation and kink site propagation. Two individual reactions were found to be rate-limiting for kink site formation, that is, the displacement of Al from a step site to a ledge adatom site and its detachment from ledge/terrace adatom sites into the solution. As a result, a pool of mobile and labile Al adsorbed species, or adatoms, exists before the release of Al into solution. Because of the quasi-hexagonal symmetry of gibbsite, kink site propagation can occur in multiple directions. Overall, the simulation results will enable the development of microscopic mechanistic models of metal oxide dissolution.

Stability of medium range order in Al-based metallic glass compacted by severe plastic deformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kovács, Zs.; Henits, P. [Department of Materials Physics, Eötvös University, P.O.B. 32, H-1518 Budapest (Hungary); Varga, L.K. [Research Institute for Solid state Physics and Optics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O.B. 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary); Schafler, E. [Physics of Nanostructured Materials, Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna (Austria); Révész, Á., E-mail: reveszadam@ludens.elte.hu [Department of Materials Physics, Eötvös University, P.O.B. 32, H-1518 Budapest (Hungary)

2013-06-05

Highlights: ► High pressure torsion has been applied to produce low-porosity bulk Al-based amorphous specimens. ► The compacted disks possess higher hardness than the original glass. ► Mechanical and thermal impacts have only minor effects on the glassy structure. ► Medium range order is an inherent feature of the amorphous state. -- Abstract: High pressure torsion has successfully been applied to produce low-porosity, bulk specimens from Al-based metallic glass ribbons (Al{sub 85}Y{sub 8}Ni{sub 5}Co{sub 2}, Al{sub 85}Ce{sub 8}Ni{sub 5}Co{sub 2} and Al{sub 85}Gd{sub 8}Ni{sub 5}Co{sub 2}). The compacted disks possess higher hardness than the original glass and have substantial glass fraction with nanocrystalline precipitations. Mechanical and thermal impacts have only minor effects on the glassy structure as demonstrated by the stability of the X-ray diffraction halo positions. Unchanged halos reveal that medium range order is a key characteristic of the amorphous state.

Electronic structure and dynamics of metal and metal-covered surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Shu.

1992-01-01

The unoccupied electronic states of;Ni(111) and Al(111) have been studied using angle-resolved inverse-photoemission (IPE) spectroscopy. We have characterized the n = 1 image potential state on Ni(111) measuring an effective mass of m * /m = 1, consistent with recent two-photon photoemission results as well as theoretical calculations using a phase-analysis model, but differing considerably from the earlier angle-resolved IPE measurements. The bulk related features on Ni(111) observed in our experiment agree very well with an empirical Ni band structure calculation. On Al(111), we have conducted an extensive study of the image potential resonance using both angle-resolved IPE spectroscopy and tunneling spectroscopy with the scanning tunneling microscope. We have used Al as a testing case for both nearly-free-electron model and first-principles calculations were needed to obtain a semi-quantitative account of the bulk features of Al, a simple metal. Improved quantitative agreement occurred when excitation effects were considered. In addition, several surface resonance features have been identified and characterized on Al(111). We have also conducted a geometric structural investigation of a metal overlayer system, Ni/Cu(111), using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy with CO as a probe molecule. The results indicate island formation and two-dimensional mixing at the initial stage of bimetallic interface formation. A new adsorption site with CO bonded to both Ni and Cu has been discovered on the Ni-Cu intermixed surface. IPE results for the Cu-covered Ni(111) surface show an enhanced angular range for the Cu image state. Finally, the unique ability of Auger-photoelectron coincidence spectroscopy to probing local valence electronic structure has been tested in a case study of TaC(111). A novel Auger decay channel has also been observed

Selection of variants with high levels of biotin from cultured green Lavandula vera cells irradiated with gamma rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, K.; Yamada, Y.

1982-01-01

Cultured green Lavandula vera cells were irradiated with various dosages of gamma rays which increased the variation in the amount of free biotin produced by the cell clones. Variant sublines containing much more free biotin than the original line were obtained by repeated selection. The effectiveness of gamma rays for the induction of the variant sublines is described

Development of an in-situ multi-component reinforced Al-based metal matrix composite by direct metal laser sintering technique — Optimization of process parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Subrata Kumar; Bandyopadhyay, Kaushik; Saha, Partha

2014-01-01

In the present investigation, an in-situ multi-component reinforced aluminum based metal matrix composite was fabricated by the combination of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis and direct metal laser sintering process. The different mixtures of Al, TiO 2 and B 4 C powders were used to initiate and maintain the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis by laser during the sintering process. It was found from the X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy that the reinforcements like Al 2 O 3 , TiC, and TiB 2 were formed in the composite. The scanning electron microscopy revealed the distribution of the reinforcement phases in the composite and phase identities. The variable parameters such as powder layer thickness, laser power, scanning speed, hatching distance and composition of the powder mixture were optimized for higher density, lower porosity and higher microhardness using Taguchi method. Experimental investigation shows that the density of the specimen mainly depends upon the hatching distance, composition and layer thickness. On the other hand, hatching distance, layer thickness and laser power are the significant parameters which influence the porosity. The composition, laser power and layer thickness are the key influencing parameters for microhardness. - Highlights: • The reinforcements such as Al 2 O 3 , TiC, and TiB 2 were produced in Al-MMC through SHS. • The density is mainly influenced by the material composition and hatching distance. • Hatching distance is the major influencing parameter on porosity. • The material composition is the significant parameter to enhance the microhardness. • The SEM micrographs reveal the distribution of TiC, TiB 2 and Al 2 O 3 in the composite

Microstructure and properties of an Al-Ti-Cu-Si brazing alloy for SiC-metal joining

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Chun-duo; Ma, Rui-na; Wang, Wei; Cao, Xiao-ming; Yu, Yan

2017-05-01

An Al-Ti-Cu-Si solid-liquid dual-phase alloy that exhibits good wettability and appropriate interfacial reaction with SiC at 500-600°C was designed for SiC-metal joining. The microstructure, phases, differential thermal curves, and high-temperature wetting behavior of the alloy were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and the sessile drop method. The experimental results show that the 76.5Al-8.5Ti-5Cu-10Si alloy is mainly composed of Al-Al2Cu and Al-Si hypoeutectic low-melting-point microstructures (493-586°C) and the high-melting-point intermetallic compound AlTiSi (840°C). The contact angle, determined by high-temperature wetting experiments, is approximately 54°. Furthermore, the wetting interface is smooth and contains no obvious defects. Metallurgical bonding at the interface is attributable to the reaction between Al and Si in the alloy and ceramic, respectively. The formation of the brittle Al4C3 phase at the interface is suppressed by the addition of 10wt% Si to the alloy.

Recent Advances in Metal-Free Quinoline Synthesis

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Ginelle A. Ramann

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The quinoline ring system is one of the most ubiquitous heterocycles in the fields of medicinal and industrial chemistry, forming the scaffold for compounds of great significance. These include anti-inflammatory and antitumor agents, the antimalarial drugs quinine and chloroquine, and organic light-emitting diodes. Quinolines were first synthesized in 1879, and since then a multitude of synthetic routes have been developed. Many of these methods, such as the Skraup, Doebner–Von Miller, and Friedlander quinoline syntheses, are well-known but suffer from inefficiency, harsh reaction conditions, and toxic reagents. This review focuses on recent transition metal-free processes toward these important heterocycles, including both novel routes and modifications to established methods. For example, variations on the Skraup method include microwave irradiation, ionic liquid media, and novel annulation partners, all of which have shown increased reaction efficiency and improved yield of the heteroring-unsubstituted quinoline products. Similarly, modifications to other synthetic routes have been implemented, with the quinoline products displaying a wide variety of substitution patterns.

Free-Standing GaMnAs Nanomachined Sheets for van der Pauw Magnetotransport Measurements

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Jae-Hyun Lee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available We report on the realization of free-standing GaMnAs epilayer sheets using nanomachining techniques. By optimizing the growth conditions of the sacrificial Al0.75Ga0.25As layer, free-standing metallic GaMnAs (with ~6% Mn microsheets (with TC ~85 K with integrated electrical probes are realized for magnetotransport measurements in the van der Pauw geometry. GaMnAs epilayer needs to be physically isolated to avoid buckling effects stemming from the release of lattice mismatch strain during the removal of the AlGaAs sacrificial layer. From finite element analysis, symmetrically placed and serpentine-shaped electrical leads induce minimal thermal stress at low temperatures. From magnetotransport measurements, changes in magnetic anisotropy are readily observed.

Structural study of conventional and bulk metallic glasses during annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pineda, E.; Hidalgo, I.; Bruna, P.; Pradell, T.; Labrador, A.; Crespo, D.

2009-01-01

Metallic glasses with conventional glass-forming ability (Al-Fe-Nd, Fe-Zr-B, Fe-B-Nb compositions) and bulk metallic glasses (Ca-Mg-Cu compositions) were studied by synchrotron X-ray diffraction during annealing throughout glass transition and crystallization temperatures. The analysis of the first diffraction peak position during the annealing process allowed us to follow the free volume change during relaxation and glass transition. The structure factor and the radial distribution function of the glasses were obtained from the X-ray measurements. The structural changes occurred during annealing are analyzed and discussed.

Design of new metal-free dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells: A first-principles study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gu, Xiong; Zhou, Le; Li, Yawei [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Sun, Qiang, E-mail: sunqiang@pku.edu.cn [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Center for Applied Physics and Technology, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Jena, Puru [Department of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284 (United States)

2012-08-06

Five new metal-free dyes with acceptor–π–donor (A–π–D) structure are studied using first-principles calculation based on density functional theory. Benzothiadiazole (BTD) and triphenylamine (TPA) were chosen, respectively, as an acceptor and a donor with 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylamino-styryl)-4H-pyran (DCM) as a π linker. The linker was further modified by -CH=CH- resulting in a red-shift with improved absorption spectra caused by the smaller energy gap and the increased orbital hybridization. The designed dyes are found to exhibit wide absorption spectra, high molar extinction coefficients, desirable orbital distributions, and good energy levels alignment, and hence can have potential applications in dye-sensitized solar cells. -- Highlights: ► New metal-free dyes with A–π–D architecture. ► With wide absorption spectra and high molar extinction coefficients. ► With desirable orbital distribution and good energy levels alignment.

Investigation of Product Performance of Al-Metal Matrix Composites Brake Disc using Finite Element Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fatchurrohman, N; Marini, C D; Suraya, S; Iqbal, AKM Asif

2016-01-01

The increasing demand of fuel efficiency and light weight components in automobile sectors have led to the development of advanced material parts with improved performance. A specific class of MMCs which has gained a lot of attention due to its potential is aluminium metal matrix composites (Al-MMCs). Product performance investigation of Al- MMCs is presented in this article, where an Al-MMCs brake disc is analyzed using finite element analysis. The objective is to identify the potentiality of replacing the conventional iron brake disc with Al-MMCs brake disc. The simulation results suggested that the MMCs brake disc provided better thermal and mechanical performance as compared to the conventional cast iron brake disc. Although, the Al-MMCs brake disc dissipated higher maximum temperature compared to cast iron brake disc's maximum temperature. The Al-MMCs brake disc showed a well distributed temperature than the cast iron brake disc. The high temperature developed at the ring of the disc and heat was dissipated in circumferential direction. Moreover, better thermal dissipation and conduction at brake disc rotor surface played a major influence on the stress. As a comparison, the maximum stress and strain of Al-MMCs brake disc was lower than that induced on the cast iron brake disc. (paper)

An Advanced Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor Core Concept Using Uranium-Free Metallic Fuels for Maximizing TRU Burning Rate

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Wuseong You

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we designed and analyzed advanced sodium-cooled fast reactor cores using uranium-free metallic fuels for maximizing burning rate of transuranics (TRU nuclides from PWR spent fuels. It is well known that the removal of fertile nuclides such as 238U from fuels in liquid metal cooled fast reactor leads to the degradation of important safety parameters such as the Doppler coefficient, coolant void worth, and delayed neutron fraction. To resolve the degradation of the Doppler coefficient, we considered adding resonant nuclides to the uranium-free metallic fuels. The analysis results showed that the cores using uranium-free fuels loaded with tungsten instead of uranium have a significantly lower burnup reactivity swing and more negative Doppler coefficients than the core using uranium-free fuels without resonant nuclides. In addition, we considered the use of axially central B4C absorber region and moderator rods to further improve safety parameters such as sodium void worth, burnup reactivity swing, and the Doppler coefficient. The results of the analysis showed that the final design core can consume ~353 kg per cycle and satisfies self-controllability under unprotected accidents. The fuel cycle analysis showed that the PWR–SFR coupling fuel cycle option drastically reduces the amount of waste going to repository and the SFR burner can consume the amount of TRUs discharged from 3.72 PWRs generating the same electricity.

76 FR 56157 - Brandeis University, et al.; Notice of Consolidated Decision on Applications for Duty-Free Entry...

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2011-09-12

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Brandeis University, et al.; Notice of Consolidated Decision on Applications for Duty-Free Entry of Electron Microscope This is a decision... Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. Docket Number: 11-042. Applicant: Brandeis University, Waltham, MA...

Metal screen retention for thoron daughter free atoms and atoms attached to condensation nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cash, W.; Webb, J.; Fitts, D.; Skrable, K.W.; Chabot, G.E.

1978-01-01

Metal support screens available in a 47 mm commercial filter holder (model F3052-4, available from Scientific Products, Bedford, MA) assembly were tested for retention of thoron daughter atoms and atoms attached to condensation nuclei as a function of the flow rate of the carrier air stream. Sources of Pb-212 were generated on the surface of a metal disk by exposing the disk to thoron emanation generated from a special preparation of Th-228. This source of Pb-212, in transient equilibrium with its daughters, was placed in a flow through chamber connected in series to two of the metal screens backed by a glass fiber filter. Most of the recoil product radioactivity emitted from the Pb-212 source and collected on the screens was due to single atoms of Tl-208, which is born by alpha decay of Bi-212 with a recoil energy of 116 keV. Some free atoms of Bi-212 were also observed. Alpha autoradiographs of Filter samples placed on the downstream side of the two metal screens gave proof of the existence of Pb-212 aggregates through their alpha star images. These aggregate recoil particles were found to have a much higher penetration through the screens than free atoms of Tl-208 and Bi-212. Penetration of Tl-208 atoms and ions decreased exponentially as the inverse of the carrier air flow rate. Penetration varied from 0.047 at 0.088 cfm to 0.661 at 2.47 cfm. Atoms of Pb-212 attached to condensation nuclei were obtained by passing thoron into a reaction chamber containing naturally occurring condensation nuclei from the laboratory. The retention for these attached species varied both as a function of the flow rate and the age of the aerosol. The maximum retention varied from 0.525% at 6.38 cfm to 3.5% at 0.636 cfm for respective delay times of 120 and 30 minutes post the introduction of the thoron into the reaction chamber. A system consisting of a single screen backed by a glass fiber filter may be used to obtain the numbers of radon or thoron daughter free atoms and attached

Tribological Behavior of Aluminum Alloy AlSi10Mg-TiB2 Composites Produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)

Science.gov (United States)

Lorusso, Massimo; Aversa, Alberta; Manfredi, Diego; Calignano, Flaviana; Ambrosio, Elisa Paola; Ugues, Daniele; Pavese, Matteo

2016-08-01

Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is an additive manufacturing technique for the production of parts with complex geometry and it is especially appropriate for structural applications in aircraft and automotive industries. Aluminum-based metal matrix composites (MMCs) are promising materials for these applications because they are lightweight, ductile, and have a good strength-to-weight ratio This paper presents an investigation of microstructure, hardness, and tribological properties of AlSi10Mg alloy and AlSi10Mg alloy/TiB2 composites prepared by DMLS. MMCs were realized with two different compositions: 10% wt. of microsize TiB2, 1% wt. of nanosize TiB2. Wear tests were performed using a pin-on-disk apparatus on the prepared samples. Performances of AlSi10Mg samples manufactured by DMLS were also compared with the results obtained on AlSi10Mg alloy samples made by casting. It was found that the composites displayed a lower coefficient of friction (COF), but in the case of microsize TiB2 reinforcement the wear rate was higher than with nanosize reinforcements and aluminum alloy without reinforcement. AlSi10Mg obtained by DMLS showed a higher COF than AlSi10Mg obtained by casting, but the wear rate was higher in the latter case.

Infiltration processing of metal matrix composites using coated ceramic particulates

Science.gov (United States)

Leon-Patino, Carlos Alberto

2001-07-01

A new process was developed to fabricate particulate metal matrix composites (MMCs). The process involves three steps: (1) modifying the particulate surface by metal coating, (2) forming a particulate porous compact; and (3) introducing metal into the channel network by vacuum infiltration. MMCs with different reinforcements, volume fractions, and sizes can be produced by this technique. Powders of alumina and silicon carbide were successfully coated with nickel and copper in preparation for infiltration with molten aluminum. Electroless Ni and Cu deposition was used since it enhances the wettability of the reinforcements for composite fabrication. While Cu deposits were polycrystalline, traces of phosphorous co-deposited from the electroless bath gave an amorphous Ni-P coating. The effect of metal coating on wetting behavior was evaluated at 800°C on plain and metal-coated ceramic plates using a sessile drop technique. The metallic films eliminated the non-wetting behavior of the uncoated ceramics, leading to equilibrium contact angles in the order of 12° and below 58° for Ni and Cu coated ceramics, respectively. The spreading data indicated that local diffusion at the triple junction was the governing mechanism of the wetting process. Precipitation of intermetallic phases in the drop/ceramic interface delayed the formation of Al4C3. Infiltration with molten Al showed that the coated-particulates are suitable as reinforcing materials for fabricating MMCs, giving porosity-free components with a homogeneously distributed reinforcing phase. The coating promoted easy metal flow through the preform, compared to the non-infiltration behavior of the uncoated counterparts. Liquid state diffusion kinetics due to temperature dependent viscosity forces controlled the infiltration process. Microstructural analysis indicated the formation of intermetallic phases such as CuAl 2, in the case of Cu coating, and Ni2Al3 and NiAl 3 when Ni-coated powders were infiltrated. The

Fabrication of a Porous Metal via Selective Phase Dissolution in Al-Cu Alloys

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Juan Vargas-Martínez

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Through free corrosion, a new low cost porous material was successfully fabricated by removing a single phase of a binary aluminum-copper alloy. This selective phase dissolution was carried out an Al-Al2Cu eutectic alloy of the Al-Cu binary system and additionally for two hypereutectic compositions. The porosity of the material depends on the microstructure formed upon solidification. For this reason, several solidification methods were studied to define the most convenient in terms of uniformity and refinement of the average pore and ligament sizes. The samples were corroded in a 10% v/v NaOH aqueous solution, which demonstrated to be the most convenient in terms of time involved and resulting porosity conditions after the corrosion process. The porosity was measured through analysis of secondary electron images. The effectiveness of the process was verified using X-ray diffraction, which showed that, under the proposed methodology, there was complete removal of one of the phases, namely the aluminum one.

Comparison of metal release from various metallic biomaterials in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Okazaki, Yoshimitsu; Gotoh, Emiko

2005-01-01

To investigate the metal release of each base and alloying elements in vitro, SUS316L stainless steel, Co-Cr-Mo casting alloy, commercially pure Ti grade 2, and Ti-6Al-4V, V-free Ti-6Al-7Nb and Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloys were immersed in various solutions, namely, alpha-medium, PBS(-), calf serum, 0.9% NaCl, artificial saliva, 1.2 mass% L-cysteine, 1 mass% lactic acid and 0.01 mass% HCl for 7d. The difference in the quantity of Co released from the Co-Cr-Mo casting alloy was relatively small in all the solutions. The quantities of Ti released into alpha-medium, PBS(-), calf serum, 0.9% NaCl and artificial saliva were much lower than those released into 1.2% L-cysteine, 1% lactic acid and 0.01% HCl. The quantity of Fe released from SUS316L stainless steel decreased linearly with increasing pH. On the other hand, the quantity of Ti released from Ti materials increased with decreasing pH, and it markedly attenuated at pHs of approximately 4 and higher. The quantity of Ni released from stainless steel gradually decreased with increasing pH. The quantities of Al released from the Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-7Nb alloys gradually decreased with increasing pH. A small V release was observed in calf serum, PBS(-), artificial saliva, 1% lactic acid, 1.2% l-cysteine and 0.01% HCl. The quantity of Ti released from the Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloy was smaller than those released from the Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-7Nb alloys in all the solutions. In particular, it was approximately 30% or smaller in 1% lactic acid, 1.2% L-cysteine and 0.01% HCl. The quantity of (Zr + Nb + Ta) released was also considerably lower than that of (Al + Nb) or (Al + V) released. Therefore, the Ti-15Zr-4Nb-4Ta alloy with its low metal release in vitro is considered advantageous for long-term implants. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Ltd.

Phase equilibria in M-X-X' and M-Al-X ternary systems (M-transition metal, X,X'-B,C,N,Si) and crystal chemistry of ternary compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gusev, A.I.

1996-01-01

The data on phase equilibria in the M-X-X' and M-Al-X ternary systems (M-transition metal of 3 to 8 groups, X-B,C, N, Si) have been considered and summarized. modern oxygen-free advanced ceramics is based on these ternary systems. Phase diagrams of the 130 ternary systems have been discussed, more than two hundred ternary phases forming in these systems have been systematized and described. The typical crystal structures of ternary compounds and phase have been considered, the common and distinctive features of these structures have been analysed. It has been shown that the ternary compounds with octahedral atomic groups XM 6 have a regions of homogeneity. Refs. 240

Structure, thermal and mechanical properties of in situ Al-based metal matrix composite reinforced with Al2O3 and TiC submicron particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Peng; Mei Zhi; Tjong, S.C.

2005-01-01

We report herein the structure and characterization of in situ Al-based metal matrix composites (MMCs) prepared from the Al-10 wt.% TiO 2 and Al-10 wt.% TiO 2 -1.5 wt.% C systems via hot isostatic pressing (HIP) at 1000 deg C and 100 MPa. The structure, morphology and thermal behavior of HIPed samples were studied by means of the X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results indicated that fined Al 2 O 3 particles and large intermetallic Al 3 Ti plates were in situ formed in the Al-10 wt.% TiO 2 sample during HIPing. However, the introduction of C to the Al-TiO 2 system was beneficial to eliminate large intermetallic Al 3 Ti plates. In this case, Al 2 O 3 and TiC submicron particles were in situ formed in the Al-10 wt.% TiO 2 -1.5 wt.% C sample. Three-point-bending test showed that the strength and the strain-at-break of the HIPed Al-10 wt.% TiO 2 -1.5 wt.% C sample were significantly higher than those of its Al-10 wt.% TiO 2 counterpart. The improvement was derived from the elimination of bulk Al 3 Ti intermetallic plates and from the formation of TiC submicron particles. DSC measurements and thermodynamic analyses were carried out to reveal the reaction formation mechanisms of in situ reinforcing phases. The DSC results generally correlated well with the theoretical predictions. Finally, the correlation between the structure-property relationships of in situ composites is discussed

Physiological responses of Tillandsia albida (Bromeliaceae) to long-term foliar metal application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kovacik, Jozef, E-mail: jozkovacik@yahoo.com [Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno (Czech Republic); CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno (Czech Republic); Klejdus, Borivoj [Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno (Czech Republic); CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno (Czech Republic); Stork, Frantisek [Department of Botany, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Safarik University, Manesova 23, 041 67 Kosice (Slovakia); Hedbavny, Josef [Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno (Czech Republic)

2012-11-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Impact of foliar Cd, Ni and Cd + Ni application on Tillandsia albida was studied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cd caused visible damage and enhanced stress parameters in combined treatment. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nitrogenous compounds were slightly affected but phenols were up- and down-regulated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mineral nutrients (K, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, and Zn) were not affected by any of treatments. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Total Cd or Ni reached ca. 0.04% and Ni was more absorbed than Cd. - Abstract: The impact of 2-month foliar application of cadmium, nickel and their combination (10 {mu}M) on Tillandsia albida was studied. Cadmium caused damage of tissue but assimilation pigments were depressed in Cd + Ni variant only. Stress-related parameters (ROS and peroxidase activities) were elevated by Cd and Cd + Ni while MDA content remained unaffected. Free amino acids accumulated the most in Ni alone but soluble proteins were not influenced. Among phenolic acids, mainly vanillin contributed to increase of their sum in all variants while soluble phenols even decreased in Cd + Ni and flavonols slightly increased in Cd variants. Phenolic enzymes showed negligible responses to almost all treatments. Mineral nutrients (K, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, and Zn) were not affected by metal application but N content increased. Total Cd or Ni amounts reached over 400 {mu}g g{sup -1} DW and were not affected if metal alone and combined treatment is compared while absorbed content differed (ca. 50% of total Cd was absorbed while almost all Ni was absorbed). These data indicate tolerance of T. albida to foliar metal application and together with strong xerophytic morphology, use for environmental studies is recommended.

Surface polyPEGylation of Eu"3"+ doped luminescent hydroxyapatite nanorods through the combination of ligand exchange and metal free surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Guangjian; Liu, Meiying; Heng, Chunning; Huang, Qiang; Mao, Liucheng; Huang, Hongye; Hui, Junfeng; Deng, Fengjie; Zhang, Xiaoyong; Wei, Yen

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Surface modification of HAp nanorods through the combination of ligand exchange reaction and metal free SI-ATRP. • HAp-polyPEGMA displayed high water dispersibility, good biocompatibility and biological imaging capability. • Metal free ATRP can overcome the toxic and fluorescence quenching effects of metal catalysts of conventional ATRP. - Abstract: The Eu"3"+ doped luminescent hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanorods with uniform size and morphology can be synthesized by hydrothermal route. However, these HAp nanorods are coated by hydrophobic oleylamine, which makes them difficult to be dispersed in aqueous solution and impede their biomedical applications. In this work, Eu"3"+ doped luminescent polymers functionalized HAp nanorods were prepared through the combination of ligand exchange reaction and metal free surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. In this procedure, the amino group functionalized HAp nanorods were first prepared by ligand exchange reaction using adenosine monophosphate (AMP) as ligand. Then the Br-containing initiators (HAp-Br) were introduced onto the surface of HAp-AMP nanorods through the amidation reaction. Finally, polymers functionalized HAp nanorods were prepared by metal free ATRP method using poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) as monomer and 10-phenylphenothiazine (PTH) as organic photocatalyst. The properties of these obtained HAp nanocomposites (HAP-polyPEGMA nanorods) were characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis in detail. The cell imaging of these HAP-polyPEGMA nanorods was examined using laser scanning confocal microscope to evaluate their biomedical applications. We demonstrated for the first time that hydrophobic luminescent HAp nanorods can be functionalized with polyPEGMA through the combination of ligand exchange reaction and metal free surface initiated

Experimental and Numerical Study on the Tensile Behaviour of UACS/Al Fibre Metal Laminate

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Jia; Wang, Wen-Xue; Zhang, Jia-Zhen; Wu, Su-Jun; Li, Hang

2015-10-01

A new fibre metal laminate fabricated with aluminium sheets and unidirectionally arrayed chopped strand (UACS) plies is proposed. The UACS ply is made by cutting parallel slits into a unidirectional carbon fibre prepreg. The UACS/Al laminate may be viewed as aluminium laminate reinforced by highly aligned, discontinuous carbon fibres. The tensile behaviour of UACS/Al laminate, including thermal residual stress and failure progression, is investigated through experiments and numerical simulation. Finite element analysis was used to simulate the onset and propagation of intra-laminar fractures occurring within slits of the UACS plies and delamination along the interfaces. The finite element models feature intra-laminar cohesive elements inserted into the slits and inter-laminar cohesive elements inserted at the interfaces. Good agreement are obtained between experimental results and finite element analysis, and certain limitations of the finite element models are observed and discussed. The combined experimental and numerical studies provide a detailed understanding of the tensile behaviour of UACS/Al laminates.

High-temperature vacant lattice site formation in solids and free volumes in melts studied by positron lifetime measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaefer, H.E.

1991-01-01

In the present paper a concise review is given of the application of positron lifetime measurements to the study of high-temperature vacancies in intermetallic compounds (F 76.3 Al 23.7 ), in metal oxides (NiO), in elemntal semiconductors (Si, Ge), and of the oxygen loss or uptake in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . Investigations of free volumes in elemental melts (Al, In, Ge) are included. (orig.)

High-temperature vacant lattice site formation in solids and free volumes in melts studied by positron lifetime measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, H.-E.

1991-05-01

In the present paper a concise review is given of the application of positron lifetime measurements to the study of high-temperature vacancies in intermetallic compounds (F 76.3Al 23.7), in metal oxides (NiO), in elemental semiconductors (Si, Ge), and of the oxygen loss or uptake in YBa 2Cu 3O 7-δ. Investigations of free volumes in elemental melts (Al, In, Ge) are included.

Residual stress in TI6AL4V objects produced by direct metal laser sintering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Van Zyl, Ian

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Direct Metal Laser Sintering produces 3D objects using a layer-by- layer method in which powder is deposited in thin layers. Laser beam scans over the powder fusing powder particles as well as the previous layer. High-concentration of laser energy input leads to high thermal gradients which induce residual stress within the as- built parts. Ti6Al4V (ELI samples have been manufactured by EOSINT M280 system at prescribed by EOS process-parameters. Residual stresses were measured by XRD method. Microstructure, values and directions of principal stresses inTi6Al4V DMLS samples were analysed.

Darkfield illumination improves microscopic detection of metals in Timm's stained tissue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baatrup, E; Frederickson, C J

1989-01-01

Deposits of trace or toxic metals can be quickly identified by light microscopical surveys of tissue sections stained for metals by variants of Timm's silver enhancement method. The present work shows that the small, isolated silver grains that label isolated deposits of metal in tissue are undet...... are undetectable in brightfield light microscopy but are easily detected in darkfield microscopy. Darkfield illumination is therefore recommended for improving the detection of trace or toxic metals in tissue. Udgivelsesdato: 1989-Aug......Deposits of trace or toxic metals can be quickly identified by light microscopical surveys of tissue sections stained for metals by variants of Timm's silver enhancement method. The present work shows that the small, isolated silver grains that label isolated deposits of metal in tissue...

The research of a method for determination of total carbon, combination carbon and free carbon in beryllium metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Xingzhong; Zhu Xiaohong

1996-02-01

A method for determination of total carbon, combination carbon and free carbon in beryllium metal with LECO CS-344 carbon/sulphur determinant has been studied. Tungsten-copper mixed pellets are used as flux to the determination of total carbon. Ratio of weight of the flux to the sample is greater than 20:1. Good analytical results are got. By this method the relative standard deviation is <10% when the content of total carbon in the range of 0.050%∼0.080% in beryllium. A standard steel sample of carbon is added into beryllium, the recoveries are 94%∼106%. For determination of free carbon, the sample are decomposed with 3 mol/L HCl, filtered and followed determination. By this method the relative standard deviation is ≤10% when the content of free carbon in the range of 0.006%∼0.020% in beryllium. the balance of total carbon and free carbon is equal to combination carbon. The method is used to determine the sample of content of total carbon in the range of 0.050%∼1.00%, free carbon in the range of 0.006%∼0.500% in metal beryllium. (6 refs., 1 fig., 13 tabs.)

GenProBiS: web server for mapping of sequence variants to protein binding sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Konc, Janez; Skrlj, Blaz; Erzen, Nika; Kunej, Tanja; Janezic, Dusanka

2017-07-03

Discovery of potentially deleterious sequence variants is important and has wide implications for research and generation of new hypotheses in human and veterinary medicine, and drug discovery. The GenProBiS web server maps sequence variants to protein structures from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), and further to protein-protein, protein-nucleic acid, protein-compound, and protein-metal ion binding sites. The concept of a protein-compound binding site is understood in the broadest sense, which includes glycosylation and other post-translational modification sites. Binding sites were defined by local structural comparisons of whole protein structures using the Protein Binding Sites (ProBiS) algorithm and transposition of ligands from the similar binding sites found to the query protein using the ProBiS-ligands approach with new improvements introduced in GenProBiS. Binding site surfaces were generated as three-dimensional grids encompassing the space occupied by predicted ligands. The server allows intuitive visual exploration of comprehensively mapped variants, such as human somatic mis-sense mutations related to cancer and non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms from 21 species, within the predicted binding sites regions for about 80 000 PDB protein structures using fast WebGL graphics. The GenProBiS web server is open and free to all users at http://genprobis.insilab.org. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

A metal-free organic-inorganic aqueous flow battery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huskinson, B; Marshak, MP; Suh, C; Er, S; Gerhardt, MR; Galvin, CJ; Chen, XD; Aspuru-Guzik, A; Gordon, RG; Aziz, MJ

2014-01-08

As the fraction of electricity generation from intermittent renewable sources-such as solar or wind-grows, the ability to store large amounts of electrical energy is of increasing importance. Solid-electrode batteries maintain discharge at peak power for far too short a time to fully regulate wind or solar power output(1,2). In contrast, flow batteries can independently scale the power (electrode area) and energy (arbitrarily large storage volume) components of the system by maintaining all of the electro-active species in fluid form(3-5). Wide-scale utilization of flow batteries is, however, limited by the abundance and cost of these materials, particularly those using redox-active metals and precious-metal electrocatalysts(6,7). Here we describe a class of energy storage materials that exploits the favourable chemical and electro-chemical properties of a family of molecules known as quinones. The example we demonstrate is ametal-free flow battery based on the redox chemistry of 9,10-anthraquinone-2,7-disulphonic acid (AQDS). AQDS undergoes extremely rapid and reversible two-electron two-proton reduction on a glassy carbon electrode in sulphuric acid. An aqueous flow battery with inexpensive carbon electrodes, combining the quinone/hydroquinone couple with the Br-2/Br- redox couple, yields a peak galvanic power density exceeding 0.6 W cm(-2) at 1.3 A cm(-2). Cycling of this quinone-bromide flow battery showed >99 per cent storage capacity retention per cycle. The organic anthraquinone species can be synthesized from inexpensive commodity chemicals(8). This organic approach permits tuning of important properties such as the reduction potential and solubility by adding functional groups: for example, we demonstrate that the addition of two hydroxy groups to AQDS increases the open circuit potential of the cell by 11% and we describe a pathway for further increases in cell voltage. The use of p-aromatic redox-active organic molecules instead of redox-active metals

Chrysler Upset Protrusion Joining Techniques for Joining Dissimilar Metals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Logan, Stephen [FCA US LLC, Auburn Hills, MI (United States)

2017-09-28

joining of Mg die castings to aluminum (Al) and steel sheet components of various thicknesses, strengths and coating configurations. While most development focused on the simpler round boss version of the process, an additional phase of the work focused on devel-opment of an oval boss version to support applications with narrow flanges, while yet another vari-ant of the process, known as Upset Cast Riveting (UCR), was developed and evaluated for joining mixed metals that may not necessarily include Mg or Al die cast components. Although each varia-tion posed unique challenges described later in the report, all variations were successfully produced and evaluated, and each could be further developed for specific types of commercial applications. In this project, UPJ performed favorably against the benchmark self-pierce riveting (SPR) process in Mg AM60B to Al 6013 combinations although significant corrosion challenges were observed in both processes, especially for the bare Mg to bare Al configurations. Additional challenges were observed in joining Mg to steel with the UPJ process (SPR was not evaluated for this combination as it was not considered viable). To pass FCA’s specified corrosion tests with Mg/steel combina-tions, new steel treatments were evaluated, as well as adhesives and sealed edges. These showed significant improvement. In general, UPJ performed very well in Mg to Al 6016 combinations, even in corrosion evaluation of the bare Mg to bare Al configuration (again, SPR was not evaluated for this material combination as the 1.1 mm thick Al6016 sheet thickness was considered too thin for the SPR process). The improvement in corrosion performance of the Mg to Al 6016 combina-tion over the Mg to Al 6013 combination was thought to be a result of the lower copper content in the Al 6016 alloy. Oval boss joints showed substantial improvement in all joint strength criteria compared to 8.0-mm diameter round boss joints but were not evaluated for corrosion performance

Microscopic Electron Dynamics in Metal Nanoparticles for Photovoltaic Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarzyna Kluczyk

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Nanoparticles—regularly patterned or randomly dispersed—are a key ingredient for emerging technologies in photonics. Of particular interest are scattering and field enhancement effects of metal nanoparticles for energy harvesting and converting systems. An often neglected aspect in the modeling of nanoparticles are light interaction effects at the ultimate nanoscale beyond classical electrodynamics. Those arise from microscopic electron dynamics in confined systems, the accelerated motion in the plasmon oscillation and the quantum nature of the free electron gas in metals, such as Coulomb repulsion and electron diffusion. We give a detailed account on free electron phenomena in metal nanoparticles and discuss analytic expressions stemming from microscopic (Random Phase Approximation—RPA and semi-classical (hydrodynamic theories. These can be incorporated into standard computational schemes to produce more reliable results on the optical properties of metal nanoparticles. We combine these solutions into a single framework and study systematically their joint impact on isolated Au, Ag, and Al nanoparticles as well as dimer structures. The spectral position of the plasmon resonance and its broadening as well as local field enhancement show an intriguing dependence on the particle size due to the relevance of additional damping channels.

Dissolved trace metals (Ni, Zn, Co, Cd, Pb, Al, and Mn) around the Crozet Islands, Southern Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Castrillejo, Maxi; Statham, Peter J.; Fones, Gary R.; Planquette, Hélène; Idrus, Farah; Roberts, Keiron

2013-10-01

A phytoplankton bloom shown to be naturally iron (Fe) induced occurs north of the Crozet Islands (Southern Ocean) every year, providing an ideal opportunity to study dissolved trace metal distributions within an island system located in a high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) region. We present water column profiles of dissolved nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), aluminium (Al), and manganese (Mn) obtained as part of the NERC CROZEX program during austral summer (2004-2005). Two stations (M3 and M1) were sampled downstream (north) of Crozet in the bloom area and near the islands, along with a control station (M2) in the HNLC zone upstream (south) of the islands. The general range found was for Ni, 4.64-6.31 nM; Zn, 1.59-7.75 nM; Co, 24-49 pM; Cd, 135-673 pM; Pb, 6-22 pM; Al, 0.13-2.15 nM; and Mn, 0.07-0.64 nM. Vertical profiles indicate little island influence to the south with values in the range of other trace metal deprived regions of the Southern Ocean. Significant removal of Ni and Cd was observed in the bloom and Zn was moderately correlated with reactive silicate (Si) indicating diatom control over the internal cycling of this metal. Higher concentrations of Zn and Cd were observed near the islands. Pb, Al, and Mn distributions also suggest small but significant atmospheric dust supply particularly in the northern region.

Development of an in-situ multi-component reinforced Al-based metal matrix composite by direct metal laser sintering technique — Optimization of process parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, Subrata Kumar, E-mail: subratagh82@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Agartala, Tripura 799055 (India); Bandyopadhyay, Kaushik; Saha, Partha [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302 (India)

2014-07-01

In the present investigation, an in-situ multi-component reinforced aluminum based metal matrix composite was fabricated by the combination of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis and direct metal laser sintering process. The different mixtures of Al, TiO{sub 2} and B{sub 4}C powders were used to initiate and maintain the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis by laser during the sintering process. It was found from the X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy that the reinforcements like Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, TiC, and TiB{sub 2} were formed in the composite. The scanning electron microscopy revealed the distribution of the reinforcement phases in the composite and phase identities. The variable parameters such as powder layer thickness, laser power, scanning speed, hatching distance and composition of the powder mixture were optimized for higher density, lower porosity and higher microhardness using Taguchi method. Experimental investigation shows that the density of the specimen mainly depends upon the hatching distance, composition and layer thickness. On the other hand, hatching distance, layer thickness and laser power are the significant parameters which influence the porosity. The composition, laser power and layer thickness are the key influencing parameters for microhardness. - Highlights: • The reinforcements such as Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, TiC, and TiB{sub 2} were produced in Al-MMC through SHS. • The density is mainly influenced by the material composition and hatching distance. • Hatching distance is the major influencing parameter on porosity. • The material composition is the significant parameter to enhance the microhardness. • The SEM micrographs reveal the distribution of TiC, TiB{sub 2} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} in the composite.