Benzotriazole as an inhibitor of brass corrosion in chloride solution

The current research explores the formation of protective layers on copper, zinc and copper-zinc (Cu-10Zn and Cu-40Zn) alloys in chloride solution containing benzotriazole (BTAH), by use of electrochemical techniques, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electrochemical reactions and surface products formed at the open circuit potential and as a function of the potential range are discussed. The addition of benzotriazole to aerated, near neutral 0.5 M NaCl solution affects the dissolution of copper, zinc, Cu-10Zn and Cu-40Zn alloys. The research also compares the inhibition efficiency and Gibbs adsorption energies of the investigated process. Benzotriazole, generally known as an inhibitor of copper corrosion is also shown to be an efficient inhibitor for copper-zinc alloys and zinc metal. The surface layer formed on alloys in BTAH-inhibited solution comprised both oxide and polymer components, namely Cu₂O and ZnO oxides, and Cu(I)-BTA and Zn(II)-BTA polymers. The formation of this mixed copper-zinc oxide polymer surface film provides an effective barrier against corrosion of both metal components in chloride solution.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for surface film analysis in corrosion research

Surface films on metals and alloys often protect them from reaction with the environment, and hence a knowledge of their protective properties and composition could be invaluable for predicting their corrosion behaviour. XPS (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) could provide a quantitative analysis of the chemical composition, the nature of valence states and elemental distribution within the surface films. The present paper reviews the potential of this technique in corrosion studies. A brief review of the work done on the passivation of iron and iron-chromium alloys and on the inhibition studies on copper base alloys has been given. A few examples of investigations carried out at authors’ laboratory are also included. An attempt has been made to establish a correlation between the compositions of the films formed and corrosion behaviour of carbon steel in 10.5 pH lithium hydroxide solution and of Cu-Ni alloys and sacrificial Al-Zn-Sn alloys in synthetic sea-water.     

Conductivity of copper phthalocyanine-polystyrene composite films in the presence of adsorbed oxygen

The electrical conductivity and adsorption-resistive response to nitrogen dioxide of composite films containing copper phthalocyanine nanoparticles dispersed into the polystyrene matrix are investigated experimentally. The results are analyzed using the two-level model of hopping conductivity. The contributions to the conductivity from intrinsic and impurity localization centers are singled out, and the concentrations of the localization centers in copper phthalocyanines free of impurities as well as the electron localization radii in impurity and intrinsic states are determined.     

Preparation of a Superparamagnetic Nanocomposite with a High Content of Magnetic Iron Oxide in a PMMA Matrix by Precipitation Polymerization

We have prepared nanocomposites containing large amounts of superparamagnetic nanoparticles dispersed in a polymethyl methacrylate matrix. The preparation was divided into three steps. In the first step, maghemite nanoparticles were synthesized using coprecipitation from aqueous solutions, followed by coating with oleic acid (OA). In the second step, the OA-coated nanoparticles were dispersed in n-decane to prepare a stable, concentrated suspension. Finally, methyl methacrylate was added to the suspension and in situ polymerization was carried out at elevated temperatures. The content of nanoparticles was controlled by varying the nanoparticles/monomer ratio. The main focus was on controlling the nanocomposite's homogeneity. The nanocomposites were characterized using X-ray powder diffractometry, TEM, SEM, thermogravimetry, FT-IR, NMR and magnetic measurements. The TEM analysis showed that the nanoparticles were well dispersed in the polymer matrix. They retained their superparamagnetic nature even when encapsulated by polymer with concentrations up to 48 wt%. The high loading of magnetic nanoparticles resulted in relatively high saturation magnetizations of the nanocomposites, up to 31 emu/g.     

Ultrasonic properties of nanoparticles-liquid suspensions

A polymer colloidal solution having dispersed nanoparticles of Cu and Au metals have been developed using a novel chemical method. Average size of the nanoparticles could be varied in the 4-10 nm range by conducting the reaction at an elevated temperature of 50-70 degrees C. Colloidal solutions of representative concentrations of 0.1-2.0 wt% Cu/Au contents in the primary solutions are used to study the modified ultrasonic attenuation and ultrasonic velocity in PVA polymer molecules on incorporating the Cu/Au particles. A characteristic behaviour of the ultrasonic velocity and the attenuation are observed at the particular temperature/particle concentration. The results demonstrate that the primary reaction during the nanoparticles-PVA colloidal formation occurs in divided groups in small micelles. The results are analyzed predicting the enhanced thermal conductivity of the samples.     

Effect of copper addition on some properties of rapidly solidified lead-free Sn–-10 wt% Zn alloys

This study aimed at investigating the effect of adding copper (Cu) on some properties of the lead-free alloys which rapidly solidified from melt. X-ray analysis, hardness, elastic modulus, electrical conductivity and resistivity were studied. The results indicated that the alloy hardness and elastic modulus improved by increasing the copper (Cu) content and decreasing the zinc (Zn) content. The electrical conductivity ranged from 0.250 to 0.847?×?10⁷ ohm^?1 m^?1 for the alloy under study. The electrical resistivity increases linearly with temperature until the melting point is reached. The residual resistivity results from disturbances in the lattice rather than caused by thermal vibration and the most drastic increases in the residual resistivity are caused by foreign atoms in solid solution with matrix metal. The electrical resistivity values ranged from 11.8 to 40?×?10^?8 ohm m, when the copper content changed from 0.0 to 2.0 wt% and zinc changed from 8.0 to 10.0 wt%.     

电阻率与强度性能的关联及铜合金性能分区

铜合金以低电阻率为特征,由于电阻率与强度存在着共同的微观结构机理,两者往往协同变化,而导致难以对合金进行性能的全面评估和选材.本文以Cu-Ni-Mo合金作为研究对象,以团簇结构[Mo_1-Ni_(12)]构建固溶体的近程序结构模型,解析了电阻率和强度依赖于成分的定量变化规律,并定义了拉伸强度/电阻率的值为代表合金本质特性的"强阻比",得到了完全固溶态Cu-Ni-Mo合金的强阻比为7×10~8MPa/?·m,完全析出态的强阻比为(310—490)×10~8MPa/?·m.进而应用强阻比对常用铜合金进行了性能分区,给出铜合金材料选材的依据,得出了基于Cu-(Cr, Zr, Mg, Ag, Cd)等二元基础体系的铜合金适用于高强高导应用,而基于Cu-(Be, Ni, Sn, Fe, Zn, Ti, Al)等为基础二元体系的铜合金不能实现高强高导.该强阻比为310的特征性能分界线的发现为合金性能的全面评估提供了量化依据,可指导高强高导铜合金的选材和研发.     

Effects of copper nanoparticles on the thermodynamic,electrical and optical properties of a disc-shaped liquid crystalline material showing columnar phase

Thermodynamic, electrical and optical studies have been carried out on a discotic liquid crystal (DLC), namely 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11-hexabutyloxytriphenylene (possessing columnar phase) and its copper nanoparticles (0.6 wt%) based composite. The ionic conductivity of DLC–copper nanocomposite has increased by about two orders of magnitude as compared to the pure system. Dielectric permittivity has also increased. The absorption spectra for pure and nanocomposites have been studied by UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The optical study suggests that surface plasmon resonance has been introduced in DLC due to the incorporation of copper nanoparticles. It has been observed that the presence of nanoparticles has decreased the optical band gap to 3.3 eV from 4.2 eV of the pure DLC. Enhanced properties are useful for one-dimensional conduction and photovoltaic applications.     

Hall-Effekt und spezifischer elektrischer Widerstand flüssiger Übergangsmetalle

The Hall-coefficient and the electrical resistivity of liquid transition metals and their alloys with mono- and polyvalent simple metals have been measured with a sensitiveac current-ac magnetic field method. The transport properties of liquid transition metals are quite different from the well known behavior of liquid simple metals. The pure liquid metals La, Ce, Pr, Nd and U and also a great number of alloys of transition metals with simple metals show a positive sign of the Hall-coefficient. For alloys of transition metals with polyvalent simple metals we observed negative temperature coefficients of the electrical resistivity over large concentration ranges. This behavior can be understood by a modified form of the Faber-Ziman formula for the electrical resistivity of liquid metals.     

非晶态合金的电阻应变系数

本文系统地研究了Pd-,Cu-,Ni-和Fe-基非晶态合金在拉伸过程中的电阻变化以及成分、冷变形和热处理对电阻应变系数k的影响。电阻随应变增大而升高,k为正。合金电阻应变系数总是低于纯组元。硬态试样的电阻应变系数比淬火态的高,比退火态的更高。应用推广的Ziman电阻率理论讨论了非晶态合金电阻应变系数的物理本质及其影响因素。 关键词：     

Studies on transport properties of copper doped tungsten diselenide single crystals

During recent years, transition metal dichalcogenides of groups IVB, VB and VIB have received considerable attention because of the great diversity in their transport properties. 2H-WSe₂ (Tungsten diselenide) is an interesting member of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC's) family and known to be a semiconductor useful for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications. The anisotropy usually observed in this diamagnetic semiconductor material is a result of the sandwich structure of Se-W-Se layers interacting with each other, loosely bonded by the weak Van der Waals forces. Recent efforts in studying the influence of the anisotropic electrical and optical properties of this layered-type transition metal dichalcogenides have been implemented by doping the samples with different alkali group elements. Unfortunately, little work is reported on doping of metals in WSe₂. Therefore, it is proposed in this work to carry out a systematic growth of single crystals of WSe₂ by doping it with copper in different proportions i.e. Cu_xWSe₂ (x=0, 0.5, 1.0) by direct vapour transport technique. Transport properties like low and high temperature resistivity measurements, high pressure resistivity, Seebeck coefficient measurements at low temperature and Hall Effect at room temperature were studied in detail on all these samples. These measurements show that tungsten diselenide single crystals are p-type whereas doped with copper makes it n-type in nature. The results obtained and their implications are discussed in this paper.     

Properties of metal atoms hosted inside graphite’s layer lattice

Graphite samples containing several different metals have been prepared and their optical, electrical and magnetic properties investigated. It was found that ordinary metals lose their characteristic metallic lustre on incorporation inside graphite and thus their optical reflectivities are greatly reduced. Electrical conduction of graphite is only slightly altered by transition metal hosting and these observations point towards an absence of metal-donated free electron gas in such composite materials. Nanoscale iron oxide particles are easily accommodated inside graphite’s structure through doping with a ferrofluid and again an absence of long range cooperative effects is observed. Iron oxide-containing graphite exhibits strong paramagnetic behaviour and it was used to make cores for high frequency signal transformers. PACS 81.05.Uw; 78.40.-q; 75.50.Tt     

Synthesis and luminescent properties of PEO/lanthanide oxide nanoparticle hybrid films

In this study, we investigate the optical properties of lanthanide oxide nanoparticles dispersed in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) network as thermally stable polymeric films. The aim of this work is both to keep a good optical transparency in the visible domain and to obtain luminescent materials after incorporation of nanoparticles. For this purpose, we develop luminescent nanocrystals of oxides containing terbium ion as a doping element in Gd₂O₃. These sub-5-nm lanthanide oxides nanoparticles have been prepared by direct oxide precipitation in high-boiling polyalcohol solutions and characterized by luminescence spectroscopy. PEO/lanthanide oxide nanohybrid films are prepared by radical polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate after introduction of lanthanide oxide particles.As a first result; the obtained films present interesting luminescence properties with a very low lanthanide oxide content (up to 0.29 wt%). Furthermore, these films are still transparent and keep their original mechanical properties.Prior to describe the specific applications to optical use, we report here the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and luminescent properties of. nanohybrid films.     

Enhancing effects of nanoparticles on polymer-OLED performances

We have previously reported that the silane coating of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) of maghemite phase could be used to protect iron oxide cores during plasma heat treatment, and even help to reduce their phase to magnetite with higher magnetization. In this work, an additional layer of an electrically conductive polypyrrole was added on top of the silane-coated MNPs, producing core?Cshell particles with sizes ranging from 150 to 500?nm. A microwave plasma heat treatment was used to convert the amorphous, already-conductive polypyrrole coatings into a more electrically conductive graphitic structure, while simultaneously reducing the iron oxide phase to magnetite. The treatment produced core?Cshell particles with better microwave absorption properties over the frequency of 1?C18?GHz, with a maximum reflection loss (absorption) of these MNPs at ?37?dB at 10.3?GHz for samples containing 70?wt% of plasma-treated core?Cshell nanoparticles embedded in wax. By comparison, the maximum absorption for the same amount of untreated nanoparticles was only ?18?dB at 7.5?GHz. The improved electromagnetic wave absorption properties were due to higher electrical conductivity of the more ordered, graphitic-like polypyrrole shell structures. This relatively simple protocol could thus be used to synthesize highly magnetic and conductive nanocomposites for electromagnetic interference shielding applications, particularly at the high frequency range.     

Fabrication and characterization of iron oxide nanoparticles filled polypyrrole nanocomposites

The effect of iron oxide nanoparticle addition on the physicochemical properties of the polypyrrole (PPy) was investigated. In the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles, PPy was observed in the form of discrete nanoparticles, not the usual network structure. PPy showed crystalline structure in the nanocomposites and pure PPy formed without iron oxide nanoparticles. PPy exhibited amorphous structure and nanoparticles were completely etched away in the nanocomposites formed with mechanical stirring over a 7-h reaction. The thermal stability of the PPy in the nanocomposites was enhanced under the thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites increased greatly upon the initial addition (20 wt%) of iron oxide nanoparticles. However, a higher nanoparticle loading (50 wt%) decreased the conductivity as a result of the dominance of the insulating iron oxide nanoparticles. Standard four-probe measurements indicated a three-dimensional variable-range-hopping conductivity mechanism. The magnetic properties of the fabricated nanocomposites were dependent on the particle loading. Ultrasonic stirring was observed to have a favorable effect on the protection of iron oxide nanoparticles from dissolution in acid. A tight polymer structure surrounds the magnetic nanoparticles, as compared to a complete loss of the magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles during conventional mechanical stirring for the micron-sized iron oxide particles filled PPy composite fabrication.     

Poly ethylene oxide (PEO)–LiI polymer electrolytes embedded with CdO nanoparticles

Improvement of electrical conductivity of poly ethylene oxide (PEO)–LiI polymer electrolytes is necessary for their use in solid state lithium ion battery. In this study a new kind of PEO–LiI-based polymer electrolytes embedded with CdO nanoparticles with improved electrical conductivity has been prepared and characterized. The electron microscopic studies confirm that CdO nanoparticles of average size 2.5 nm are dispersed in the PEO matrix. The glass transition temperature of the PEO–LiI electrolyte decreases with the introduction of CdO nanoparticle in the polymer matrix. X-ray diffraction, electron microscopic, and differential scanning calorimetry studies show that the amorphous phase of PEO increases with the introduction of CdO nanoparticle and that the increase in amorphous phase is maximum for 0.10 wt% CdO doping. The electrical conductivity of the sample with 0.10 wt% CdO increases by three orders in magnitude than that of the PEO–LiI electrolyte. The electrical conductivity of PEO–LiI electrolyte embedded with CdO nanoparticle exhibits VTF behavior with reciprocal temperature indicating a strong coupling between the ionic and the polymer chain segmental motions.     

A study of Fermi level shifts in copper-gallium and copper-germanium alloys by x-ray absorption spectroscopy

The K x-ray absorption discontinuities of copper, gallium and germanium in pure metals as well as in six copper-gallium and three copper-germanium alloys have been studied using a Cauchois-type bent crystal spectrograph. It is observed that in all the systems the K discontinuity of copper shifts towards the higher energy side, while the discontinuities of gallium and germanium shift to the lower energy side relative to their positions in the respective pure metals. The magnitudes of the shifts are found to increase with the decrease in the content of the absorbing atom in the alloys. The observed shifts are explained on the basis of the free-electron theory of metals and the rigid-band model for alloys.     

Composites of nanotubular polyaniline containing Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Results of charge-transport and magnetic measurements of nanotubular polyaniline (PANI) composites containing Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles (～10nm) synthesized by a "template-free" method are reported. The T^{-1/2} resistivity has been observed, and dc magnetic susceptibility data are fitted to an equation χ=χ^*_P+C/T. With increasing weight ratio of Fe_3O_4, the electrical conductivity and temperature- independent susceptibility χ^*_P increase, and the Curie-type susceptibility is suppressed at low temperatures. Further discussions have been given. The PANI-H_3PO_4/Fe_3O_4 composite containing 27wt% of Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles is superparamagnetic, exhibiting very little hysteresis even at 5K.     

Electronic properties of nanocrystalline tin oxide dispersed in monolithic mesoporous silica

This paper is devoted to the study of the electrical properties of nanocrystalline tin oxide dispersed in the mesoporous silica. By immersing the silica in precursor solutions with different concentrations and heat-treatment, different samples were obtained. With precursor concentrations increasing from 0.1 to 4.0 M, the resistivities of the samples decrease from 3.15×10⁶ to 2.43×10³ Ω cm. The resistivity changes with the measurement time, and the deviations from Ohm's law in the voltage–current (V–I) measurements illustrate the capacitance property of these nanocomposites. For this new kind of nanocomposites, the obtained results provide experimental evidence of the conducting mechanism for tin oxide nanoparticles.     

Ag-rich phase formation in the Cu-6 wt% Al alloy with Ag additions

Ag-rich phase formation in the Cu-6 wt% Al alloy with additions of 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 wt% Ag was studied using microhardness changes with temperature and time, differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The results indicated that the Ag-rich phase formation follows two different processes depending on Ag concentration. For alloys with 4 and 6 wt% Ag the precipitate formation occurs as a second-order mechanism while for alloys with 8, 10 and 12 wt% Ag a zero-order reaction was observed.