Influence of pH on microstructural and optical properties of electrosynthesized CdSe thin films

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films were electrosynthesized onto well cleaned stainless steel and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass (10-15 Ω/cm²) substrates at different pH of the electrolytic solution. X-ray diffraction study reveals a cubic structure with preferential orientation along the (1 1 1) direction. The structural parameters such as grain size (D), lattice constant (a), strain (ε), dislocation density (δ), average internal stress (S) and degree of preferred orientation (I₁₁₀/I₂₂₀) in the film are calculated and they are found to be dependent on the pH of the depositing bath. EDAX analysis confirms nearly stoichiometric composition of the film deposited at pH 2.70. AFM analysis shows uniform deposition of the film over the entire substrate surface. In optical studies, the transition of the deposited film is found to be a direct allowed transition. The optical energy gaps are found to be in the range from 1.87 to 2.04 eV depending on the pH of the depositing bath. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum shows blue shift in PL peak position and reduction in luminescence intensity for the film deposited at pH other than 2.70.     

Influence of static compression on mechanical parameters of acoustic foams

The modification of elastic properties of compressed acoustic foams is investigated. The porous sample is first submitted to a static compression and then to a dynamic excitation of smaller amplitude, corresponding to acoustical applications. The static compression induces the modification of the dynamic elastic parameters of the material. This work focuses on Young's modulus. The variation is measured with two different experimental methods: The classical rigidimeter and an absorption measurement. The effective Young's modulus is directly measured with the first method and is indirectly determined through the quarter-wave length resonance of the frame with the second one. The results of the two measurements are compared and give similar tendencies. The variation of the dynamic Young's modulus as a function of the degree of compression of the sample is shown to be separated in several zones. In the zones associated with weak compression (those usually zones encountered in practice), the variation of the effective Young's modulus can be approximated by a simple affine function. The results are compared for different foams. A simple model of the dependency of the Young's modulus with respect to the static degree of compression is finally proposed for weak compressions.     

Corrosion behavior of X-70 pipe steel in near-neutral pH solution

The mechanism of near-neutral pH stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of natural gas pipelines has not been well-established since the first accident was found in the 1980s. In particular, the role of hydrogen in near-neutral pH SCC has remained unknown. In this work, cyclic voltammetry was used to comprehensively investigate the fundamentals of the electrochemical corrosion reactions occurring at the steel/solution interface in diluted, 5% CO₂/N₂-purged, near-neutral pH bicarbonate solutions. It is shown that there is no stable oxide film formed on the steel surface in near-neutral pH solution. The dissolution-based cracking mechanism does not apply for near-neutral pH SCC of pipelines. The formation of a metastable Fe(OH)₂ deposit layer shows a catalytic activity on hydrogen evolution reaction, indicating that a significant amount of hydrogen could be generated under near-neutral pH condition. The presence of corrosive anions in the soil electrolyte enhances both the anodic polarization of the steel and the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction, resulting in an increased hydrogen evolution rate. The introduction of oxygen could form a stable oxide film on the surface of steel, resulting in the loss of the surface catalytic effect on hydrogen evolution reaction. Thus, a hydrogen-based mechanism does not apply for SCC in the presence of oxygen.     

Influence of pH on the dielectric properties of egg-white lysozyme in aqueous solution

The dielectric dispersions of 5% aqueous solutions of egg-white lysozyme have been investigated at three different pH of 3.5, 7.0 and 11.0 respectively. The experiments were performed over a frequency range 0.1 – 50 MHz and at a uniform temperature of 20°C. The dielectric data were fitted to the Debye and Cole-Cole structural equations and the fitted parameters have been presented. Results showed that the dielectric properties of the lysozyme molecules were influenced by changes in pH, and these have been discussed in the light of known aggregation characteristics of the protein in aqueous solution.     

介质阻挡放电中电介质参量对放电时间特性的影响

采用介质参量不对称的装置,在大气压氩气介质阻挡放电中,研究了不同电介质温度及不同电介质材料对放电时间特性的影响.实验发现,外加电压较低时,正负半周的放电时间波形没有明显的差别;外加电压较高时,正负半周的放电脉冲个数不同.分析表明,电介质温度以及材料均影响壁电荷的积累,进而使放电特性发生改变. 关键词： 介质阻挡放电 时间特性 壁电荷 介电常数     

Photoluminescence studies of the amphoteric behavior of carbon and germanium in GaAs

Recombination radiation due to an exciton bound to neutral donors and neutral acceptors in high purity vapor phase epitaxial GaAs is investigated using high resolution photoluminescence spectroscopy at liquid helium temperatures. It is found that those samples which show the presence of germanium acceptors also exhibit a strong residual donor referred to in the literature as X₃. Samples containing carbon acceptors however, do not show the presence of X₃. In the past X₃ has been identified by some groups as due to carbon on the gallium site. The work presented here sugests that the X₃ donor is associated with germanium. This identification of the X₃ donor is in agreement with a recent assignment based on the far infrared study of neutron transmuted GaAs.     

Effect of surface states on the amphoteric behavior of Sn in vapor epitaxial GaAs

The amphoteric behavior of Sn, a commonly-used dopant in AsCl₃GaH₂ vapor epitaxy, is examined for Sn concentration from 5 × 10¹⁴ to 5 × 10¹⁷cm^?3. The compensation ratio $\text{(}\text{N}{}_{\mathrm{A}}\text{N}{}_{\mathrm{D}}\text{)}$ remains constant at 0.23 for low concentrations and begins to increase in the 10¹⁶cm^?3 range. This behavior can be explained quantitatively with non-equilibrium impurity incorporation model which takes into account 3 × 10¹¹ cm^?2 surface states.     

Influence of mesoscale three-phase parameters to the tensile behavior of concrete

In the mesoscopic level, concrete is regarded as three-phase composite material with cement matrix, aggregate, and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between them. The mechanical properties of ITZ are regarded weaker than those of the cement matrix and aggregate. In this study, a mesoscale mechanical model based on the interface specimen with a single aggregate is established to study the influence of three-phase parameters on the interface specimen under quasi-static and dynamic direct tensile loading. Besides, the loading rate effect is also considered in this study to further analyze the dynamic performance of ITZ and the whole interface specimen. According to the numerical results, it is indicated that the ITZ properties (elastic modulus and strength) play significant roles in the performance of the interface specimen under quasi-static direct tensile loading. However, the cement matrix is dominant to the mechanical properties of interface specimen under dynamic tensile loading. Moreover, the properties of ITZ (elastic modulus, strength, and DIF values) and the ITZ thickness have some influence on the dynamic performance of ITZ and the whole interface specimen under dynamic tensile loading. In contrast, the Poisson’s ratio and density of ITZ have little influence on the dynamic behavior of the whole interface specimen. Additionally, the aggregate diameter is influential to the time reaching peak stress of ITZ and the whole interface specimen, and the loading rate only influences the time to reach the peak stress of ITZ under dynamic tensile loading.     

Electrochemical behavior and microstructural characterization of 1026 Ni-B coated steel

Ni-B coatings have been deposited on the surfaces of commercial steels (SAE-1026). The depositions were carried out using the electroless plating technique employing a nickel chloride solution with borane-dimethylamine as the reducing agent. These specimens were subsequently heat treated at different temperatures (300-500 °C) and different periods of time. The obtained coating thickness was in the order of approximately 1.5 μm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used to characterize the structure and superficial morphology of the coatings. Phases like Ni, Ni₃B and Ni₄B₃ were observed through X-ray diffraction and confirmed by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) studies. Some of the precipitated phases have been structurally characterized. The corrosion behavior of the coated surfaces was carried out by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) using electrolytic sodium chlorine solutions with pH 2 and 7. The EIS results showed an active corrosion mechanism in acid solution while diffusion-reaction phenomena are predominant in neutral solution.     

Influence of temperature on the electrical signal parameters under pulsed mechanical excitation of heterogeneous construction materials

The influence of the temperature of cement-sand samples on the electrical signal parameters when the sample is excited by a pulsed mechanical action is studied. A relation between the elastic and electrical characteristics of the samples and the electrical signal parameters is established in the temperature range from 30 to ?40°C. Test results serve as a basis for developing an algorithm for nondestructive mechanoelectrical control of the structural and mechanical characteristics of heterogeneous materials with different temperatures and moisture percentages.     

Influence of different alcohols on the swelling behaviour of hydrogels

The swelling equilibrium of cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogels in alcohol solutions as a function of temperature, alcohol concentration, kind of alcohol (C₁OH–C₃OH) and gel properties was investigated experimentally. Additionally, the swelling degree as a function of the alcohol concentration was modelled with the UNIQUAC-Free Volume model in combination with the Phantom Network theory. The experiments show that, in pure water, the transition temperature is between 303.15 and 308.15?K depending on the properties of the gel and hence on the polymerization conditions. The transition from a swollen to a shrunken state is caused by the polymeric network and the change of polymer chain localization. In a system with hydrogel?+?water?+?alcohol, the swelling degree decreases with increasing alcohol concentration until the shrunken state is reached and increases again by further addition of alcohol at constant temperature. With increasing carbon number of the alcohols, the transition from a swollen to a shrunken state and vice versa shifts to lower concentrations at constant temperature. The use of the UNIQUAC-Free Volume model with Phantom Network theory leads to results in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Influence of N~+ implantation on structure,morphology, and corrosion behavior of Al in NaCl solution

Structural and morphological changes as well as corrosion behavior of N~+ implanted Al in 0.6 M Na Cl solution as function of N~+ fluence are investigated. The x-ray diffraction results confirmed Al N formation. The atomic force microscope(AFM) images showed larger grains on the surface of Al with increasing N~+ fluence. This can be due to the increased number of impacts of N~+ with Al atoms and energy conversion to heat, which increases the diffusion rate of the incident ions in the target. Hence, the number of the grain boundaries is reduced, resulting in corrosion resistance enhancement. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) and polarization results showed the increase of corrosion resistance of Al with increasing N~+ fluence. EIS data was used to simulate equivalent electric circuits(EC) for the samples.Strong dependence of the surface morphology on the EC elements was observed. The scanning electron microscope(SEM)analysis of the samples after corrosion test also showed that the surfaces of the implanted Al samples remain more intact relative to the untreated Al sample, consistent with the EIS and polarization results.     

Influence of pH on Nanofluids' Viscosity and Thermal Conductivity

Aiming at the dispersion stability of nanopartieles regarded as the guide of heat transfer enhancement, we investigate the viscosity and the thermal conductivity of Cu and Al2O3 nanoparticles in water under different pH values. The results show that there exists an optimal pH value for the lowest viscosity and the highest thermal conductivity, and that at the optimal pH value the nanofluids containing a small amount of nanoparticles have noticeably higher thermal conductivity than that of the base fluid without nanoparticles. For the two nanofluids the enhancements of thermal conductivity are observed up to 13% （Al2O3-water） or 15% （Cu-water） at 0.4 wt%, respectively. Therefore, adjusting the pH values is suggested to improve the stability and the thermal conductivity for practical applications of nanofluid.     

Effect of heat treatment on the mechanical and microstructural characterization of Mg-AZ91E/TiC composites

Mg-AZ91E/TiC_p composite was fabricated using a spontaneous infiltration technique at 950 °C under an argon atmosphere. The composites produced have 37 vol.% of metal matrix and 63 vol.% of TiC-like reinforcement. The obtained composites were subsequently solution heat-treated at 413 °C during 24 h, cold water quenched, and subsequently artificially aged at 168 and 216 °C during 16 h in an argon atmosphere. Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties was evaluated. Microstructural characterization was analyzed using different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Interface between matrix and reinforcement was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and mechanical properties were evaluated by measuring the elastic modulus and hardness. Mg, TiC, Al, and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phases through XRD were detected. Meanwhile, using TEM analysis in heat-treated composites MgAl₂O₄, MgO, and Al₂O₃ were identified. The as-fabricated composite have elastic modulus and hardness of 162 GPa and 316 Hv, respectively. After solution heat treatment and aging at 168 °C during 12 h, the composites reaches values of 178 GPa and 362 Hv for the elastic modulus and hardness, respectively. Time of aging was correlated with measures of elastic modulus and hardness.     

Effect of biotite content of hydrogels on enhanced removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution

A series of chitosan-g-poly(acrylic acid)/biotite (CTS-g-PAA/BT) hydrogels with unique clay biotite (BT) were prepared and used to remove cationic dye methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution by batch adsorption experiments. Variables of the system including BT content, initial pH, contact time, initial concentration, and temperature affecting the adsorption efficiency of MB by CTS-g-PAA/BT hydrogels were investigated. Kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption data well followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to experimental equilibrium data of MB adsorption depending on temperature. The adsorption equilibrium data obeyed Langmuir isotherm, and the monolayer adsorption capacity calculated from the Langmuir isotherm was 2,125.70 mg/g for CTS-g-PAA/10% BT at 30 °C. The adsorption capacity was much higher compared with other hydrogels with the same content of other clays. The introduction of BT into the hydrogel could effectively improve its adsorption properties and reduce the cost. Thermodynamic parameters were evaluated for the dye-adsorbent systems and revealed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. All the information gave an indication that CTS-g-PAA/10% BT could potentially be applied as an efficient adsorbent for cationic dye removal from aqueous solution.     

Effect of the microstructural porosity parameters on the fracture and deformation of copper during creep at 773 K

The parameters of intergranular fracture of copper during creep under tension at T = 773 K and σ = 12.5 MPa are determined, and the contribution of grain-boundary porosity to the increase in the creep rate at stage III is estimated. The increase in the creep rate is shown to occur due to the pore-induced decrease in the grain boundary area, an increase in the mobile-dislocation density, and the deformation of the material because of the formation of pores and cracks.     

Influence of solution parameters for the fast growth of ZnO nanostructures by laser-induced chemical liquid deposition

ZnO nanorods, nanoneedles, nanoparticles, and nanoballs were synthesized on fused quartz substrates upon irradiation of a droplet of methanolic zinc acetate dihydrate solution by an infrared (IR) continuous wave CO₂ laser for a few seconds. The addition of monoethanolamine and water to the solution improved the alignment of the nanorods and had a significant effect on the volume and morphology of the deposits. An increase of the zinc acetate concentration was found to lead to an increase of the thickness and area covered by the initial ZnO seed layer on which the nanostructures grew. By investigating the crystal structure of the deposits using X-ray and electron diffraction, we were able to show that the nanorods grow along the c axis with a high crystalline quality. Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy confirmed the high quality of the grown ZnO nanostructures. As a matter of fact, their photoluminescence spectra are dominated by an intense UV emission around 390 nm.