Thermal stability and crystallization kinetics of Ge–Se–Cd glasses

The effect is reported of varying cadmium concentration on the glass transition, thermal stability and crystallization kinetics of Ge₂₀Se_{80? x} Cd _x (x = 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 at. %) glasses. Differential scanning calorimetry results under non-isothermal conditions for the studied glasses are reported and discussed. The values of the glass transition temperature (T_g ) and the peak temperature of crystallization (T_p ) were found to be dependent on heating rate and Cd content. From the heating rate dependence of T_g and T_p , the values of the activation energy for glass transition (E_g ) and the activation energy for crystallization (E_c ) were evaluated and their composition dependence discussed. The thermal stability of the glasses was evaluated using various thermal stability criteria such as ΔT, H_g and S. The stability calculations emphasize that the thermal stability decreases with increasing Cd content.     

Investigations on ultrafast welding of glass–glass and glass–silicon

Using ultrafast laser radiation glass substrates are welded with glass and silicon plates. The pump beam is focused by a microscope objective with large NA=0.4 (beam diameter 4 μm) into the glass. After partial absorption of the optical energy, the glass is heated and melted. Procedures for high-quality welding of glass–glass and glass–silicon substrates with high-repetition ultra-fast laser radiation have been derived at the repetition rate 700 kHz. The dependencies of the dimension and geometry of the welding seam on scan velocity, repetition rate and pulse energy have been investigated defining a process window. Adding a noninterferometric technique for quantitative phase detection with the welding setup, the interaction zone of the welding seam for the welding partners glass–glass is detected. A change in refractive index is induced by heating and compression of the glass and has been detected by phase detection up to 2 μs after irradiation with 100 fs time resolution.     

Review of recent UV–Vis and infrared spectroscopy researches on wine detection and discrimination

Wine has become a commodity of significant commercial value, and the demand for high quality wine by consumers has been increasing. Suitable analytical techniques are needed for its quality control. Ultraviolet, Visible, Near-infrared and infrared spectroscopy is by far one of the most important techniques for determining the wine quality, including its components and characterization. This review will overview the available most recent applications of spectroscopic techniques in the past decade for wine quality prediction and discrimination both quantitatively and qualitatively. The fundamental principles of these techniques will be introduced briefly, and some innovative setups/instrumentations will also be illustrated. At last the limitations and prospects of spectroscopic techniques for wine industry will be discussed.     

Thermal stability and high-temperature shape memory characteristics of Ti–20Zr–10Ta alloy

The microstructure, martensite transformation behavior, thermal stability and shape memory behavior of Ti–20Zr– 10Ta high temperature shape memory alloy were investigated. The Ti–20Zr–10Ta alloy exhibited a reversible transformation with the high martensite transformation temperature of 500oC and good thermal stability. The alloy displayed the elongation of 15% and a maximum recovery stain of 5.5% with 8% pre-strain.     

Redox stability of SOFC: Thermal analysis of Ni–YSZ composites

A re-oxidation of a Ni-based SOFC can seriously damage the cells. Important aspects of this thermomechanical instability are reduction–oxidation kinetics and the dimensional behaviour of the Ni–YSZ composites. These were investigated in the temperature range of 600–1000 °C and different combinations of reduction and oxidation temperatures. Automated temperature and gas change programmes were implemented in thermogravimetry and identically repeated using a high precision dilatometer to show the dimensional behaviour of the cermets simultaneously with the Degree of Oxidation (DoO) as a function of time during redox cycling. The activation energy for reduction was 84.4 kJ/mol and the kinetics was largely linear. Different kinetic models were fitted to the reduction data; the best agreement was found using the Avrami equation. On the re-oxidation, initially linear kinetics was observed, followed by a period of parabolic kinetics slowing down to logarithmic towards full DoO. The shifts in the kinetic shape with time depended on the temperature and DoO. The rate constants for oxidation were fitted to the data. The BET surface area of the cermets after different reduction and oxidation treatments was measured and show decrease of surface area with increasing reduction temperature and no significant differences in the surface area depending on the re-oxidation temperature in the range of 600–1000 °C.     

The effect of Bi content on the thermal stability and crystallization of Se–Te chalcogenide glass

Glass formation and devitrification of intermediate alloys in the Se–Te–Bi system were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. A comparison of various simple quantitative methods to assess the level of stability of the glassy materials in the above-mentioned system is presented. All of these methods are based on characteristic temperatures, such as the glass transition temperature, T _g, the onset temperature of crystallization, T _in, the temperature corresponding to the maximum crystallization rate, T _p, or the melting temperature, T _m. In this work, a kinetic parameter, K _r(T), is added to the stability criteria. The thermal stability of several compositions of Se–Te–Bi was evaluated experimentally and correlated with the activation energies of crystallization by this kinetic criterion and compared with those evaluated by other criteria. All the results confirm that the thermal stability decreases with increasing Bi content in this glassy system. The crystallization results are analysed and the activation energy and mechanism of crystallization characterized.     

Infrared emission spectroscopy of a new Σ-Σ system of TiCl

The spectra of TiCl have been reinvestigated in the 4200-8500 cm⁻¹ region using the 1-m Fourier transform spectrometer associated with the National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak. The molecules were excited in a microwave discharge lamp operated with 3.0 Torr of He and a trace of TiCl₄ vapor, and the spectra were recorded at a resolution of 0.01 cm⁻¹. Three new bands with origins near 6938.9, 6900.2, and 6861.7 cm⁻¹ have been assigned as the 0-0, 1-1, and 2-2 bands of a new - transition. This assignment is supported by our recent ab initio calculations on TiCl and ZrCl [J. Chem. Phys. 114 (2001) 3977]. A rotational analysis of these bands has been carried out and spectroscopic constants have been extracted for the states.     

Thermal stability of a freestanding EUV filter under long-term vacuum annealing at 700–1000°C

Freestanding absorption filters based on Mo/Si and Mo/ZrSi₂ are tested under conditions of long-term heating in vacuum in the temperature range 700?C1000°C. The effect of high temperatures on the optical and structural characteristics of the films is studied. The critical thermal loads at which filters maintain their properties during many hours of testing are estimated. The mechanisms for the degradation of filter characteristics upon annealing are determined by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) data and optical measurements.     

Thermal stability of Cu–Nb nanolamellar composites fabricated via accumulative roll bonding

In situ annealing within a neutron beam line and ex situ annealing followed by transmission electron microscopy were used to study the thermal stability of the texture, microstructure, and bi-metal interface in bulk nanolamellar Cu/Nb composites (h?=?18?nm individual layer thickness) fabricated via accumulative roll bonding, a severe plastic deformation technique. Compared to the bulk single-phase constituent materials, the nanocomposite is two orders of magnitude higher in hardness and significantly more thermally stable, e.g., no observed recrystallization in Cu at temperatures as high as 85% of the melting temperature. The nanoscale h?=?18?nm individual layer thickness is maintained up to 500°C, the lamellar structure thickens but is maintained up to 700°C, and recrystallization is suppressed even up to 900°C. With increasing temperature, the texture sharpens, and among the interfaces found in the starting material, the {112}_Cu?||?{112}_Nb interface with a Kurdjumov-Sachs orientation relationship shows the greatest thermal stability. Our results suggest that thickening of the individual layers under heat treatment coincides with thermally driven removal of energetically unfavorable bi-metal interfaces. Thus, we uncover a temperature regime that maintains the lamellar structure but alters the interface distribution such that a single, low energy, thermally stable interface prevails.     

Study of tryptophan assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles by combining UV–Vis, fluorescence, and SERS spectroscopy

We developed a rapid and non-toxic method for the preparation of colloidal gold nanoparticles (GNPs) by using tryptophan (Trp) as reducing/stabilizing agent. We show that the temperature has a major influence on the kinetics of gold ion reduction and the crystal growth, higher temperatures favoring the synthesis of anisotropic nanoparticles (triangles and hexagons). The as-synthesized nanostructures were characterized by UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), fluorescence, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The UV–Vis measurements confirmed that temperature is a critical factor in the synthesis process, having a major effect on the shape of the synthesized GNPs. Moreover, fluorescence spectroscopy was able to monitor the quenching of the Trp fluorescence during the in situ synthesis of GNPs. Using Trp as molecular analyte to evaluate the SERS efficiency of as-prepared GNPs at different temperatures, we demonstrated that the Raman enhancement of the synthesized gold nanoplates is higher than that of the gold spherical nanoparticles.     

Thermal and electrical conductivities of silver–indium–tin alloys

The variations of thermal conductivity with temperature for the Ag–[x] wt% Sn–20 wt% In alloys (x=8, 15, 35, 55 and 70) were measured using a radial heat flow apparatus. From the graphs of thermal conductivity versus temperature, the thermal conductivities of solid phases at their melting temperature for the Ag–[x] wt% Sn–20 wt% In alloys (x=8, 15, 35, 55 and 70) were found to be 46.9±3.3, 53.8±3.8, 61.2±4.3, 65.1±4.6 and 68.1±4.8 W/Km, respectively. The variations of electrical conductivity of solid phases versus temperature for the same alloys were determined from the Wiedemann–Franz equation using the measured values of thermal conductivity. From the graphs of electrical conductivity versus temperature, the electrical conductivities of the solid phases at their melting temperatures for the Ag–[x] wt% Sn–20 wt% In alloys (x=8, 15, 35, 55 and 70) alloys were obtained to be 0.036, 0.043, 0.045, 0.046 and 0.053 (×10⁸/Ωm), respectively. Dependencies of the thermal and electrical conductivities on the composition of Sn in the Ag–Sn–In alloys were also investigated. According to present experimental results, the thermal and electrical conductivities for the Ag–[x] wt% Sn–20 wt% In alloys linearly decrease with increasing the temperature and increase with increasing the composition of Sn.     

Thermal oxidation and structure of polylactide–polyethylene blends

The thermal oxidation of polylactide–low-density polyethylene mixtures with additives of oxidized polyethylene as an analogue of recyclable materials is studied. It is found that the polylactide is oxidized more slowly than polyethylene, whereas the introduction of up to 30 wt % of oxidized polyethylene accelerates the thermal oxidation of the mixtures, with the physical and mechanical properties of the resultant materials remaining suitable for practical use. It is established that the presence of oxidized polyethylene has virtually no effect on the melting point of polylactide and polyethylene, somewhat increasing, however, the degree of crystallinity of the components of the blend.     

Thermal stability of sodium nitrate–sodium nitrite melts: A Raman spectra study

Abstract

A molten mixture of sodium nitrate–sodium nitrite is an important heat transfer and storage medium. It is important to research the thermal stability of such melts. In the present study, the equilibrium between nitrate and nitrite ion in sodium nitrate–sodium nitrite melts under air atmosphere was studied by Raman spectroscopy and the thermal stability of the melts was analyzed. The results show that when the temperature was greater than 644?K, for melts in which the weighted-in content of sodium nitrate is 90 mass %, the content of nitrate ion decreased slightly with temperature. However, for melts in which the weighted-in content of sodium nitrate was 10–80 mass %, the content of nitrate ion increased with temperature. Melts in which the weighted-in fraction of sodium nitrite were 15.22%, 14.71%, and 14.60% under air atmosphere showed optimal thermal stability at 644?K, 762?K, and 880?K, respectively. The findings of this study have provided a foundation for optimizing the composition of molten salts and for providing molten mixtures applicable to important industrial processes.     

Laser and Thermal Modification of Silver–Ion Implanted Glasses

We investigate sodium–calcium silicate glasses implanted with 60 keV Ag⁺ ions with a dose of 3·10¹⁶ cm^–2 at an ion current density of 10 A/cm². As a result of the ion implantation, a composite layer with silver nanoparticles is synthesized in the region near the surface. However, this layer is characterized by high nonuniformity in the size distribution of these particles over the depth of the layer. Subsequent pulsed laser irradiation in combination with equilibrium heat treatment makes it possible to modify this composite layer, improving the uniformity in the size distribution of the nanoparticles. This is particularly promising for the improvement of the technology of obtaining nonlinear optical materials. To control the parameters of the layers obtained we suggest a method based on an analysis of the optical reflection and transmission spectra measured on the side of the implanted and opposite surfaces of glass samples.     

Mössbauer spectroscopy in the investigation of new mineral–related materials

New materials based on the composition of the mineral schafarzikite, FeSb $_{2}\textit {O}_{4}$ , have been synthesised. $^{57}$ Fe- and $^{121}$ Sb- Mössbauer spectroscopy shows that iron is present as Fe $^{2+}$ and that antimony is present as Sb $^{3+}$ . The presence of Pb $^{2+}$ on the antimony sites in materials of composition FeSb $_{1.5}$ Pb $_{0.5}\textit {O}_{4}$ induces partial oxidation of Fe $^{2+}_{}$ to Fe $^{3+}$ . The quasi-one-dimensional magnetic structure of schafarzikite is retained in FeSb $_{1.5}$ Pb $_{0.5}\textit {O}_{4}$ and gives rise to weakly coupled non-magnetic Fe $^{2+}$ ions coexisting with Fe $^{3+}$ ions in a magnetically ordered state. A similar model can be applied to account for the spectra recorded from the compound Co $_{0.5}$ Fe $_{0.5}$ Sb $_{1.5}$ Pb $_{0.5}\textit {O}_{4}$ .