The structure of rapidly solidified ribbons of Al-12 at. % Zn alloy

The structure of melt spun rapidly solidified ribbons of the Al-12 at.% Zn alloy has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy and by X-ray diffraction. Four solidification processes differing in the extent of associated segregation of zinc have been found to be operative during the solidification of the ribbon. These successive processes beginning from above the sites of good contact of the melt with the rotating plane of the copper substrate are as follows: massive planar growth of grains, arrayed dendritic growth, unaligned growth of dendrites, and star-like dendritic growth out from fragments of dendrites. Smaller grains resulting from the last two mentioned processes have been also found within the regions located above the sites of poor contact of the melt with the substrate (lift-off regions). All indicated successive growth modes starting with the epitaxial regrowth of grains have been also found to proceed during the solidification of the melt flowed over the already solidified alloy ribbon. Grain boundary precipitation of equilibrium β (≈︁ Zn) phase has been detected in all stages of solidification. High density of lattice defects built-up during solidification is leading to the immediate intragranular heterogeneous precipitation of β phase at elevated temperatures within the two-phase region without the formation of intermediate metastable precipitates.     

The effect of Pt-group metal additions on the thermal stability of Fe- and Ni-based glassy alloys

The influence of dilute concentrations (<10 at.%) of Pt-group metals (Re, Ru, Os, Ir, Pd and Pt) on the thermal-stability of melt-spun (Fe or Ni) Si₁₀B₁₂-based amorphous alloys has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. The stability of the Fe-based alloys, with the exception of those containing Pd or Pt, can be related to both the electronic and atomic-size differences between solvent and solute metal species, as we observed previously for other solutes from groups IVa–VIa. Addition of Ru, Pd or Pt to glassy NiSi₁₀B₁₂ has little effect on the stability, and no correlation with atomic size or electron concentration could be established.     

Effect of the magnetism of manganese on the resistivity of liquid manganese–zinc alloys

The electrical resistivity of liquid Mn_xZn_1−x alloys has been measured as a function of temperature between the liquidus and 850 °C for a manganese concentration x from 0 to 0.3. The electrical resistivity results has been interpreted within the extended Faber–Ziman formalism taking into account energy dependent phase shifts. Spin-dependent scattering of the conduction electrons has been considered and shows a better agreement with the experimental values than the classical spin-independent approach.     

Application of the model of locally nonequilibrium solidification to the process of structure formation in alloys rapidly quenched by spinning

Solidification of a binary alloy rapidly quenched by spinning [1] has been studied by mathematical simulation.     

The structure of liquid Sb---Se alloys

The structure of liquid Sb_1-xSe_x alloys with x = 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7 was investigated in the temperature range of 600–800°C. The neutron diffraction measurements were carried out by using the high intensity total (HIT) scattering spectrometer of the booster synchrotron utilization facility (BSF) at the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics. A prepeak is observed in the structure factor for these three alloys. It suggests that the medium-range order stillo remains melting for liquid Sb_1-xSe_x alloys, with x = 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7. The structure factor liquid Sb₂Se₃ alloys shows no appreciable temperature variation. For liquid Sb_0.5Se_0.5 alloy, the intensity of the prepeak exhibits an apparent decrease in the temperature range in which the non-metal-metal transition occurs. The non-metal-metal transition in liquid Sb---Se alloys is due to the change in the medium range structure.     

The amorphous structure of immiscible Fe---Cu---Ag alloys

By means of facing target dc sputtering, an amorphous phase has been produced for immiscible Fe---Cu---Ag alloys at around the central concentration of the ternary phase diagram. The radial distribution function estimated from X-ray diffraction measurements indicates that a tetrahedron is the dominant structure unit and that the average coordination number is about 11. In the extended X-ray absorption fine structure radial structure function, a clear peak is detected at the nearest neighbor distance, but the peak intensity is weaker than those for binary crystalline Fe---Cu and Fe---Ag alloys and no clear peak is detectable at larger distances. A hard or soft sphere dense random packing model is appropriate for the amorphous structure in these immiscible alloys.     

The effect of structural relaxation on the local structure of Cu40Zr60 amorphous alloys

Structural relaxation phenomena associated with heat treatments near the glass transition temperature range were investigated in liquid-quenched amorphous Cu₄₀Zr₆₀ alloys by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and EXAFS. A kinetic study was performed by DSC in order to determine the evolution of the configurational enthalpy ($\text{3 H}{}_{\mathrm{\sigma }}$) against temperature (upon continuous heating or during isothermal annealing treatments) and to define the heat treatment suitable to obtain highly relaxed samples.SAXS results show that the structure of the relaxed samples remains homogeneous at the intermediate range of order up to at least 100 Å, whatever be the previous heat treatment. EXAFS detects a slight change in the local structure only for the most highly relaxed samples; this change could be interpreted by a variation of 0.5 atom in the coordination numbers (probably of the ZrZr pairs) or by a change of the disorder parameter of about 0.01 Å.No phase separation is detected in the relaxed amorphous Cu₄₀Zr₆₀ specimens.     

Effects of poly(vinyl alcohol) additions on the structure of silica xerogels

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/silica hybrid xerogels were prepared from sonohydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and additions of water-solution of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The samples were studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), nitrogen adsorption, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). On drying at room temperature the resulting xerogels exhibit a fairly bimodal porous structure composed by small mesopores and micropores. The pore size distribution of the mesopores was found to follow approximately a power-law with the pore size. The micropore structure was associated to an evolution at a high resolution level of the mass fractal structure of the original wet gels. The role of the PVA addition on the pore structure of the xerogels is to diminish the specific surface area and the pore volume without to change substantially the pore mean size.     

The effect of solute on ultrasonic grain refinement of magnesium alloys

An experimental study has been conducted to assess the structural refinement of magnesium and its alloys by ultrasonic irradiation during solidification. It is shown that (i) ultrasonic irradiation leads to significant refinement only in the presence of adequate solute, which is alloy dependent; (ii) the attendant grain density increases linearly with increase in solute content at a given irradiation level; (iii) increasing the solute content at a low irradiation level above the cavitation threshold is more effective than substantially increasing the irradiation intensity; and (iv) the difference in the grain size between two ultrasonicated magnesium alloys is mainly determined by the solute content rather than the irradiation intensity. In view of these, the effect of ultrasonic irradiation on solute redistribution in a solidifying magnesium alloy seems rather limited even at a substantial intensity level such as 1700 W cm⁻². The implications of these findings are discussed and a mechanism is proposed to account for the experimental observations.     

The structure and effective pair potential of liquid manganese near the melting point

A simple-metal theory can describe, in some favorable cases, the structures of liquid 3d transition metals when the pseudopotential parameters are chosen appropriately. This is shown, using the Percus-Yevick integral equation, for liquid manganese which has a half-filled d band and is claimed to be difficult to handle theoretically. The Ashcroft empty-core form for the s-electron pseudopotential is employed. The value of core radius is determined from the density of liquid manganese at 1533 K and the effective valence, Z_s, is determined by the value of the plasma parameter with which the liquid structures and thermodynamic properties are well described by the one-component plasma (OCP) model. The validity of the value of Z_s is supported by the Gibbs-Bogoliubov method using the OCP reference system.     

The effect of Sn addition on the glass-forming ability of Cu-Ti-Zr-Ni-Si metallic glass alloys

The effect of Sn substitution for Ni on the glass-forming ability was studied in Cu₄₇Ti₃₃Zr₁₁Ni_8−xSn_xSi₁ (x=0,2,4,6,8) alloys by using thermal analysis and X-ray diffractometry. With increasing x from 0 to 8, the glass transition temperature, T_g, of melt-spun Cu₄₇Ti₃₃Zr₁₁Ni_8−xSn_xSi₁ alloys increased gradually from 720 to 737 K. On the other hand, the crystallization temperature, T_x, increased from 757 K at x=0 to 765 K at x=2, being nearly same with further increase of x. Partial substitution of Ni by Sn in Cu₄₇Ti₃₃Zr₁₁Ni₈Si₁ promotes the glass formation. Both amorphous Cu₄₇Ti₃₃Zr₁₁Ni_8−xSn_xSi₁ alloys prepared by melt spinning and injection casting showed similar crystallization process during continuous heating in DSC. Temperature range of undercooled liquid region exhibits good correlation with the critical diameter for the formation of an amorphous phase in injection casting.     

Effect of minor additions on structure and volatilization loss in simulated nuclear borosilicate glasses

Structural and thermal properties are reported for a range of caesium oxide-containing alkali borosilicate glasses, of the form xCs₂O(100 − x)ZMW (0 < x < 10), where ZMW represents a variety of simulated base-glasses. Glass densities increase and glass transition temperatures decrease with increase in caesium oxide concentration. Mass-loss from the melt is found to depend on composition in the same manner as the fraction of silicon Q³ units, resolved from ²⁹Si MAS NMR, and is related to the presence of danburite medium-range order units, resolved from ¹¹B MAS NMR. Volatilization is shown to occur even in the absence of caesium oxide and the mixed alkali borosilicate composition of the volatile species, evolved from the melt at high temperature, is independent of the starting composition of the glass.     

The effect of composition on the structure of sodium borophosphate glasses

Glasses in the system 40(P₂O₅)-x(B₂O₃)-(60 − x)(Na₂O) (10 ? x ? 30 mol%) have been prepared by the melt-quenching technique. Thermal properties were studied using differential thermal analysis and the relationship between composition and thermal stability was obtained. Structural characterization was achieved by a combination of experimental data (infrared and Raman spectroscopy, ¹¹B and ³¹P solid state NMR). In particular, variations in the phosphate network structure upon addition of B₂O₃ and Na₂O were investigated. Analysis of the data indicates that with increasing B₂O₃ content and decreasing Na₂O, the glass network shows increasing levels of cross-linking between phosphate and borate units. Evidence of direct B-O-P bonds was observed. In the compositional range investigated, borate groups contain boron almost exclusively in four-fold coordination.     

The effect of inter-cluster interactions on the structure of colloidal clusters

Colloidal systems present exciting opportunities to study clusters. Unlike atomic clusters, which are frequently produced at extremely low density, colloidal clusters may interact with one another. Here we consider the effect of such interactions on the intra-cluster structure in simulations of colloidal cluster fluids. A sufficient increase in density leads to a higher population of clusters in the ground state. In other words, inter-cluster interactions perturb the intra-cluster behaviour, such that each cluster may no longer be considered as an isolated system. Conversely, for dilute, weakly interacting cluster fluids little dependence on colloid concentration is observed, and we thus argue that it is reasonable to treat each cluster as an isolated system.     

The effect of changes in relative humidity on the hydration rate of Pachuca obsidian

The effect of relative humidity on the hydration rate of obsidian and other glasses has been debated since the early work of [I. Friedman, R. Smith, Am. Antiquity 25 (1960) 476]. While more recent work has been in general agreement that a relative humidity dependence does exist, hydration profiles as a function of relative humidity have not been obtained. In this paper we present the results of a study in which samples of Pachuca obsidian were hydrated for approximately 5 days at 150 °C at relative humidities ranging from 21% to 100%, and the resultant profiles were measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The results suggest that the hydration rate is, indeed, a function of relative humidity, but for the relative humidity levels commonly observed in most soils the effects on hydration dating are expected to be relatively small. In addition, analysis of the surface values as sorption isotherms and comparisons with nitrogen sorption isotherms suggests that water is relatively strongly bound to the obsidian surface. By assuming a situation in which the ‘surface’ refers to active centers within the glass we have shown that an adsorption model provides a useful approach to modeling the diffusive process.     

The surface structure and catalytic properties of partially crystallized Fe---Si---B alloys

The surface structure of partially crystallized Fe₇₈Si₁₂B₁₀ alloys was investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, high resolution electron microscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy and was correlated with their catalytic properties. Highly dispersed minute -Fe particles were observed in the amorphous matrix. After chemical treatment of the partially crystallized Fe---Si---B alloys with NaOH solution, large stripes of B₂O₃ were discovered because of the aggregation of a boron-containing phase. Boron- or silicon-containing surface films were formed on the -Fe particles by diffusion, causing the deactivation of these alloy catalysts.