Mössbauer Spectroscopy on Nuclear Power Plant Materials

Experimental results of original irradiated reactor pressure vessel surveillance specimens are presented and discussed in the paper. In 1994, the new Extended Surveillance Specimen Program for Nuclear Reactor Material Study was started in collaboration with the nuclear power plant (NPP) Bohunice and NPP Research Institute Trnava (Slovakia). Three batches of special prepared Mössbauer samples (after 1, 2 and 3 years stay in irradiation channels) were measured and interpreted using the new four components approach of Mössbauer spectra evaluation with the aim to observe microstructural changes due to thermal and neutron treatment resulting from operating conditions in NPP. The systematic changes in the relative areas of Mössbauer spectra components were observed and discussed.     

On the microscopic foundations of elasticity

The modeling of the elastic properties of disordered or nanoscale solids requires the foundations of the theory of elasticity to be revisited, as one explores scales at which this theory may no longer hold. The only cases for which microscopically based derivations of elasticity are documented are (nearly) uniformly strained lattices. A microscopic approach to elasticity is proposed. As a first step, microscopically exact expressions for the displacement, strain and stress fields are derived. Conditions under which linear elastic constitutive relations hold are studied theoretically and numerically. It turns out that standard continuum elasticity is not self-evident, and applies only above certain spatial scales, which depend on details of the considered system and boundary conditions. Possible relevance to granular materials is briefly discussed. Received 18 March 2002 and Received in final form 29 May 2002     

Nonlinear optical characterization of cluster dynamic in water in oil microemulsion by a pump probe laser beam technique

We present a new pump probe laser beams configuration for the nonlinear optical characterization of microemulsions. We detect the variation of the on-axis optical intensity of the probe beam as generated by the concentration profile induced in an optically thin film of microemulsion by the pump beam. A mathematical model has been introduced to describe the phenomenon. The technique allows the determination of both Kerr-like optical nonlinearity and time constants and, therefore, it gives information both on cluster dimension and their shape. We discuss its application to WAD (water/AOT/decane, where AOT denotes sodium-bis-di-ethyl-sulfosuccinate) with the application of a strong electric field of optical source. Comparison between theoretical predictions and experimental results confirms the presence of giant optical nonlinearity in the absence of turbidity divergence. Chainlike shape of clusters, of the kind already reported with the application of strong electric field, could justify this result. Received 26 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: vicari@na.infn.it     

Restructuring of force networks

The compaction of granular packings or soils is a collective process which for higher densities becomes increasingly slower reaching glassy behaviour. We present a study of this problem from various points of view, in particular we will represent the evolving force network that percolates through the system by an inverse fiber rupture model. Received 15 March 2002 and Received in final form 29 July 2002     

Simulation on the Effect of Brownian Motion on Nanoparticle Trajectories in a Pulsed Microplasma Cluster Source

We describe a simulation of the nanoparticle trajectories in a pulsed cluster beam source. Clusters, formed by condensation of atomic vapor in a helium bath, and considered here as rigid spheres having a diameter of 1.5nm, were tracked during their travel inside the source cavity, an aerodynamic lens, and a cylindrical nozzle. Steady state supersonic laminar flow of helium is considered in an axi-symmetric geometry aiming to simulate, within some limitations, the conditions under which cluster formation takes place in a pulsed microplasma cluster source. In spite of the unsteady nature of the pulsed source, the time scale characterizing particle motion in the flow field is significantly smaller than the characteristic time constant for the evolution of gas pressure in the source. For this reason, a steady simulation can shed some light on the understanding of processes governing nanoparticle motion in a pulsed vaporization source. The extent to which the Brownian diffusion can affect the particle extraction from the source is investigated. Simulations have shown that the Brownian motion perturbs the clusters from the trajectories dictated by the carrier gas and increases the rate of cluster deposition on the source internal walls. However, it does not hinder the aerodynamic focalization produced by the lens even in nano-size cluster regime. This result is qualitatively confirmed by experiment.     

Evolution of magnetism in U(Ni 1- xPd x) Si single crystals

Single crystals of U(Ni_1-xPd_x)₂Si₂ with x = 0.05, 0.09 and 0.135 have been grown. Magnetization and electrical resistivity measurements were performed in a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields in order to study stability of magnetic phases in the solid solutions between UNi₂Si₂ and UPd₂Si₂ with a special emphasis on the type of ground state. In UPd₂Si₂ the simple AFI-type antiferromagnetic structure of U moments is observed at low temperatures. UNi₂Si₂ adopts the uncompensated AF structure (UAF) with the + + - stacking of U moments along the c-axis and consequently this compound exhibits a spontaneous magnetization corresponding to 1/3 of the U moment. The substitution of Pd for Ni leads to a rapid decay of the spontaneous magnetization. The evolution of magnetization and electrical resistivity behavior with Pd doping is tentatively attributed to the coexistence of the AF-I and UAF phases in the ground state of U(Ni_0.91Pd_0.09)₂Si₂ and U(Ni_0.865Pd_0.135)₂Si₂. In this scenario, the volume fraction of the AF-I phase rapidly grows with Pd doping on account of the UAF. At lowest temperatures an irreversible transition to the UAF phase is observed when a sufficiently high magnetic field is applied along the c-axis. Received 28 March 2002 / Received in final form 8 August 2002 Published online 19 December 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: sech@mag.mff.cuni.cz     

磁控溅射法制备金团簇纳米颗粒及性能表征

 采用磁控溅射法制备金团簇纳米颗粒，用透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、紫外可见光分光光度计(UV-Vis)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等分析手段对其表征，研究了金团簇纳米颗粒的形貌、颗粒度、结构、光吸收性质及物质成份。研究结果表明：制备的金团簇纳米颗粒呈球形，平均粒径在10 nm左右，粒径分布均匀，无团聚、氧化现象，颗粒的结构为面心立方。在519 nm处出现团簇颗粒的表面等离子共振吸收峰，测试得到Au(4f_7/2)和Au(4f_5/2)电子的结合能分别为83.3 eV和86.9 eV，并且没有出现金的氧化产物。     

W/Cu梯度功能材料的高热负荷性能研究

用等离子体喷涂和热压方法制作了W/Cu梯度功能材料(FGM)样品,用大功率ND∶YAG激光对其进行了高热负载模拟实验.结果表明,在100～400MW@m-2的瞬时(脉冲宽度为4ms)热负载下,经过200～700次热循环,未发现有W-Cu复合体开裂.在123MW@m-2的功率密度下作用700次,发现钨表面有再结晶现象及严重的晶界腐蚀和裂纹,再结晶的平均晶粒尺寸约为5～10μm,垂直于表面呈柱状结构,再结晶层厚度约20～30μm.由于激光的淬冷效应,晶粒生长的趋势并不明显.在398MW@m-2功率密度下出现了明显的腐蚀坑,坑内呈疏松的蜂窝结构,坑的边缘出现了明显沉积区,能谱分析表明沉积区集聚了大量的金属杂质.等离子体喷涂试样比热压试样更易产生晶界的断裂的裂纹.在相同的热负荷条件下,W/Cu FGM的重量损失低于石墨材料的重量损失.     

Recent advances on thermoelectric materials

By converting waste heat into electricity through the thermoelectric power of solids without producing greenhouse gas emissions, thermoelectric generators could be an important part of the solution to today’s energy challenge. There has been a resurgence in the search for new materials for advanced thermoelectric energy conversion applications. In this paper, we will review recent efforts on improving thermoelectric efficiency. Particularly, several novel proof-of-principle approaches such as phonon disorder in phonon-glass-electron crystals, low dimensionality in nanostructured materials and charge-spin-orbital degeneracy in strongly correlated systems on thermoelectric performance will be discussed.