Effect of Unplasticized Poly Vinyl Chloride (UPVC) Molecular Weight and Graft-Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (g-ABS) Content on Compatibility and Izod Impact Strength of UPVC/g-ABS Blends

In this study three grades of rigid poly vinyl chloride (PVC) having different molar masses were melt blended with graft-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (g-ABS) in different compositions. The effect of PVC molecular weight and g-ABS composition on the compatibility and Izod impact strength of the blends were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed a single glass transition temperature (T_g) for all the blends, representative of miscibility between the PVC phase and the styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) phase of g-ABS which, in turn, led to compatibility of the PVC/g-ABS blends. It was observed that in all the PVC grades the blends Izod impact strength increased with increasing g-ABS content. Also, at a given composition of g-ABS, by increasing the molecular weight of the PVC phase the impact strength of the blends increased. The morphology of the fracture surfaces from the impact tests were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs and the results showed that with increasing g-ABS content in the blend, cloudy regions increased and eventually begin to overlap each other, and the deformed material on the fracture surfaces increased. This was attributed to the blend compatibility causing greater energy dissipation in the fracture process.     

Microstructural and magnetic properties of Ax:Zn1-xO (A=Mn,Gd and Mn/Gd) nanocrystals

We report the microstructural and magnetic properties of transition (3d) and rare earth (4f) metal substituted into the A_x:Zn_1?xO (A=Mn, Gd and Mn/Gd) nanocrystal samples synthesized by solgel method. The structural properties and morphology of all samples have been analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and scanning electron microscopy. The impurity phase in the XRD patterns for all samples is not seen, except (Mn/Gd):ZnO sample where a very weak secondary phase of Gd₂O₃ is observed. Due to the large mismatch of the ionic radii between Mn²⁺ and Gd³⁺ ions, the strain inside the matrix increases, unlike the crystallite size decreases with the substitution of Mn and Gd into ZnO system. A couple of additional vibration modes due to the dopant have been observed in Raman spectrum. The magnetic properties have been studied by vibrating sample magnetometer. The magnetic hysteresis shows that Mn:ZnO and Gd:ZnO have soft ferromagnetic (FM) behaviour, whereas (Mn/Gd):ZnO has strong FM behaviour at room temperature (RT). The enhancement of ferromagnetism (FM) in (Mn/Gd):ZnO sample might be related to short-range FM coupling between Mn²⁺ and Gd³⁺ ions via defects potential and/or strain-induced FM coupling due to the expansion lattice by doping. The experimental results indicate that RTFM can be achieved by co-substitution of 3d and 4f metals in ZnO which can be used in spintronics applications.     

Direct comparison of the electrical,optical, and structural phase transitions of VO2 on ZnO nanostructures

We examined the temperature-dependent electrical, optical, and structural properties of VO₂ on ZnO nanorods with different lengths in the temperature range from 30 to 100 °C. ZnO nanorods with a uniform length were grown on Al₂O₃ substrates using a metal organic chemical vapor deposition, and subsequently, VO₂ was ex-situ deposited on ZnO nanorods/Al₂O₃ templates using a sputtering deposition. The optical properties of the VO₂/ZnO nanorods were measured simultaneously with direct current (DC) resistance using the reflectivity of an infrared (IR) laser beam with a wavelength of 790 nm. The local structural properties around V atoms of VO₂/ZnO nanorods were simultaneously measured with the DC resistance using x-ray absorption fine structure at the V K edge. Direct comparison of the temperature-dependent resistance, IR reflectivity, and local structure reveals that an optical phase transition first occurs, a structural phase transition follows, and an insulator-to-metal transition finally appears during heating.     

The Peculiar Temperature Response of Dynamic Rheological Behaviors of Poly (Vinyl Chloride)/trioctyl Trimellitate (100/70) System

The dynamic rheological behavior, application of time-temperature superposition (TTS) and the failure mechanism of TTS are studied for the poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/trioctyl trimellitate (TOTM) (100/70) system. The Arrhenius equation, Williams–Landel—Ferry (WLF) equation, mathematical non-linear fitting and manual shift are applied to TTS fitting. For the PVC/TOTM (100/70) system, none of those methods can give well-superimposed master curves with either single horizontal shift or two-dimensional (horizontal and vertical) shift. The failure reason is attributed to the thermorheological complexity of the PVC/TOTM (100/70) system. Curves of the storage modulus versus the frequency can be well fitted with an empirical equation (G′=G′₀+Kω ⁿ ) usually used to describe filled polymer systems, indicating the multilevel flowing unit characteristic in this system. With the increase of test temperature, the structure of the PVC/TOTM (100/70) system changes and an apparent transition appears in the rheological behavior. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results reveal that for the PVC/TOTM (100/70) system there are microcrystallites present below 220°C, but above the rheological transition temperature (190°C) the bulk of the microcrystallites melted, which corresponds to the appearance of viscous flow participating in the rheological behavior. It verifies the fact that the gel networks crosslinked by microcrystallites dominate the rheological behavior below the transition temperature in the PVC/TOTM (100/70) system. The quantity of microcrystallites remaining in the melt determines the perfection of the physical gel networks. With the increase of test temperature, the microcrystallites melted gradually and the gel networks are broken up.     

Effect of nanoparticle dispersion on glass transition in thin films of polymer nanocomposites

We present spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements on thin films of polymer nanocomposites consisting of gold nanoparticles embedded in poly(styrene). The temperature dependence of thickness variation is used to estimate the glass transition temperature, T _g . In these thin films we find a significant dependence of T _g on the nature of dispersion of the embedded nanoparticles. Our work thus highlights the crucial role played by the particle polymer interface morphology in determining the glass transition in particular and thermo-mechanical properties of such nanocomposite films.     

Optical investigation of A-plane ZnO/ZnMgO multiple quantum wells grown by pulsed laser deposition

In this study, we present the optical characteristics of A-plane ZnO/ZnMgO multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with different well widths grown on R-plane sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The energy gaps of ZnO and ZnMgO have been observed by photoluminescence (PL) and absorption spectra. The electrons confined in the ZnO wells transit from the electron ground sub-band to the heavy-hole ground sub-band (noted as 11H) located at 3.40 and 3.57 eV for the ZnO/ZnMgO MQWs samples with well widths of 5.6 and 1.2 nm, respectively. The strong anisotropic polarization characteristic has been studied by polarization-dependent PL measurements. For comparison, we also calculated the transition energies of different well thicknesses varying from 1 to 6 nm. The theoretical results match quite well with the experimental values and revealing the suitable conduction band offset Q_c=0.6. The temperature dependence of PL spectra is being investigated, in the temperature range between 10 and 300 K.     

Electrical properties of a solid polymeric electrolyte of PVC–ZnO–LiClO4

The ZnO filler has been introduced into a solid polymeric electrolyte of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)–ZnO–LiClO₄, replacing costly organic filler for conductivity improvement. Ionic conductivity of PVC–ZnO–LiClO₄ as a function of ZnO concentration and temperature has been studied. The electrolyte samples were prepared by solution casting technique. The ionic conductivity was measured using impedance spectroscopy technique. It was observed that the conductivity of the electrolyte varies with ZnO concentration and temperature. The temperature dependence on the conductivity of electrolyte was modelled by Arrhenius and Vogel–Tammann–Fulcher equations, respectively. The temperature dependence on the conductivity does not fit in both models. The highest room temperature conductivity of the electrolyte of 3.7 × 10⁻⁷ Scm⁻¹ was obtained at 20% by weight of ZnO and that without ZnO filler was found to be 8.8 × 10⁻¹⁰ Scm⁻¹. The conductivity has been improved by 420 times when the ZnO filler was introduced into the PVC–LiClO₄ electrolyte system. It was also found that the glass transition temperature of the electrolyte PVC–ZnO–LiClO₄ is about the same as PVC–LiClO₄. The increase in conductivity of the electrolyte with the ZnO filler was explained in terms of its surface morphology.     

Mechanical spectrum study of glass transition by a composite method

Normalized mechanical spectra of glycerol, 1,2-propanediol carbonate and poly(vinyl chloride)/di(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate (PVC/DOP) blends were studied in the temperature range from 100 to 300 K by a composite method. The dynamic glass transition was observed, which exhibits a peak of temperature-dependent loss modulus. The peak moves toward higher temperature with higher measuring frequency, which accords with the relaxation feature of the dynamic glass transition. Another characteristic temperature can be marked in the mechanical spectrum by the onset of storage modulus change, which is labeled as T_gm. T_gm is found to be nearly equal to the calorimetric glass transition temperature in glycerol, 1,2-propanediol carbonate and di(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate. As we expected, this onset temperature in the mechanical spectrum has an intimate relation with the calorimetric glass transition of materials, and it can be regarded as a representative when the calorimetric glass transition temperature is not available. Finally, normalized mechanical spectra of PVC/DOP blends with different PVC content were obtained and mechanical glass transition temperatures T_gm were determined.     

Critical Exponents of Kappa Carrageenan in the Coil-Helix and Helix-Coil Hysteresis Loops

The steady-state fluorescence technique was used to study coil-helix (sol-gel) and helix-coil (gel-sol) transitions of the kappa carrageenan-water system with various carrageenan contents. Fluorescence (I) and scattered light (I_sc ) intensities were measured against temperature to determine critical phase transition temperatures and exponents. It was observed that the coil-helix transition temperatures, T_ch were much lower than the helix-coil (T_hc ) transition temperatures due to the hysteresis of the phase transition loops. The gel fraction exponent (β) was measured and found to be in accord with the classical Flory-Stockmayer model.     

A Study on Properties of Poly(vinyl chloride)/Poly(α-methylstyrene-acrylonitrile) Binary Blends

Blends of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and poly(α-methylstyrene-acrylonitrile) (α-MSAN) with variable composition of 0 to 100 wt% were prepared by melt mixing. Properties of binary blends were extensively studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), heat distortion temperature (HDT), mechanical properties, melt flow rate (MFR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). A single glass transition temperature (T_g ) was observed by DSC and DMTA, indicating miscibility between PVC and α-MSAN. The results of ATR-FTIR indicated that specific strong interactions were not present in the blends and the miscibility was due to interaction between –CN and PVC. With increasing amount of α-MSAN, considerable increase occurred in HDT, flexural strength, and flexural modulus compared with reverse s-shaped decrease in impact strength and elongation at break. Synergism was observed in tensile strength and MFR. No phase separation was observed in SEM photographs, indicating miscibility between PVC and α-MSAN. In addition, morphology of the impact-fractured surfaces, including roughness and non-fused particles, correlated well with the mechanical properties and MFR.     

Temperature dependence of Cu2O orientations in oxidation of Cu (111)/ZnO (0001) by oxygen plasma

The role of temperature on the oxidation dynamics of Cu₂O on ZnO (0001) was investigated during the oxidation of Cu (111)/ZnO (0001) by using the oxygen plasma as oxidant. A transition from single crystalline Cu₂O (111) orientation to micro-zone phase separation with multiple orientations was revealed when the oxidation temperature increased from 300 ℃ to higher. The experimental results clearly showed the effect of oxidation temperature with the assistance of oxygen plasma on changing the morphology of Cu (111) film and enhancing the lateral nucleation and migration abilities of cuprous oxides. A vertical top-down oxidation mode and a lateral migration model were proposed to explain the different nucleation and growth dynamics of the temperature-dependent oxidation process in the oxidation of Cu (111)/ZnO (0001).     

Pure and Sn-, Ga- and Mn-doped ZnO gas sensors working at different temperatures for formaldehyde,humidity, NH<Subscript>3</Subscript>, toluene and CO

ZnO and Sn-, Ga- and Mn-doped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by a coprecipitation method, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectra (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra. The gas sensing properties were studied using formaldehyde, relative humidity, NH₃, toluene and CO as the probes. The results show that all particles have wurtzite ZnO phase, though Sn–ZnO has a relatively smaller particle (and crystallite) size than the other three samples. Gas sensing property tests reveal that the temperature where the gas sensing maximum is gained (T _M) is changed by different dopants: Sn–ZnO and Mn–ZnO have relatively lower T _M (∼100°C lower) compared with that of pure ZnO, while Ga–ZnO has the same T _M as pure ZnO except in CO sensing. Thermoluminescence (TL) spectra were used to investigate the mechanism of T _M change. The peak positions of Ga–ZnO and ZnO are the same at 300–350°C, while that of Sn–ZnO shifts to 250–300°C, which might contribute to the same T _M of Ga–ZnO and pure ZnO and relatively lower T _M of Sn–ZnO. In the case of Mn–ZnO, the luminescence emission is evidently limited by its black color.     

Electrical and optical spectroscopy on ZnO:Co thin films

Magnetic oxide semiconductors, for example the highly transparent and intrinsically n-type conducting zinc oxide doped with the 3d transition metal Co (ZnO:Co), are promising for the emerging field of spintronics [1]. We investigated n-conducting ZnO:Co thin films with a Co content of nominal 0.02, 0.20, or 2.00 at. %. The substitution of Co cations in the tetrahedral sites of wurtzite ZnO with Zn was confirmed at low temperature by the 1.877 eV photoluminescence between crystal field split d-levels of Co²⁺ (d⁷) ions. Based on theoretical studies, it is predicted that the formation of electron levels with zinc interstitials (I_Zn) or hole levels with zinc vacancies (V_Zn) is necessary to induce ferromagnetism, whereas the formation of electron levels with oxygen vacancies (V_O) is detrimental for ferromagnetism in ZnO:Co [2]. Cobalt generates a hole level in ZnO [3]. We investigated the generation of electron levels in n-conducting ZnO:Co in dependence on the Co content by means of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). However, because of the ambiguous categorization of deep defects in n-conducting ZnO (V_O, I_Zn), an optimization of defect-related ferromagnetism in ZnO:Co is not possible at the moment. PACS 78.30.Fs; 91.60.Ed; 91.60.Mk     

Mn掺杂ZnO稀磁半导体材料的制备和磁性研究

采用共沉淀方法制备了名义组分为Zn_1-xMn_xO(x=0.001,0.005,0.007,0.01)的Mn掺杂的ZnO基稀磁半导体材料,并研究了在大气气氛下经过不同温度退火后样品的结构和磁性的变化.结果表明：样品在600℃的大气条件下退火后, 仍为单一的六方纤锌矿结构的ZnO颗粒材料;当样品经过800℃退火后,Mn掺杂量为0.007,0.01的样品中除了ZnO纤锌矿结构外还观察到ZnMnO₃第二相的存在.磁性测量表明,大气条件下600℃退火后的样品,呈现出室温铁磁性;而800℃退火后的样品,其室温铁磁性显著减弱,并表现为明显的顺磁性.结合对样品的光致发光谱的分析,认为合成样品的室温铁磁性是由于Mn离子对ZnO中的Zn离子的替代形成的. 关键词： ZnO 掺杂 稀磁半导体 铁磁性     

Ferroelectric phase transition of Ba1− x Sr x Ti0.6Zr0.4O3 ceramics

Perovskite type Ba_{1? x} Sr _x Ti_0.6Zr_0.4O₃ (with x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.5) ceramics have been synthesized through solid oxide reaction route. The room temperature XRD study suggests the compositions have single phase cubic symmetry. Microstructural studies have shown a step decrease in grain size. The dielectric study reveals that the materials are of relaxor type and undergo a diffuse type ferroelectric phase transition. The diffusivity increases with increase in Sr contents in the studied composition range. The transition temperature decreases with increase in Sr contents due to the decrease in grain size.     

An experimental exploration of chemical bond characteristic,bulk modulus and phase stability in ZnO:Cu nanocrystals under high pressure

The high pressure induced phase transitions in Zn_1−x Cu _x O (x=0.005 and 0.011) are investigated by angle-dispersive synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction. As the pressure increases, phase transformations from the wurtzite structure to the rocksalt structure are observed in both samples, with the transition pressures at 9.8 GPa and 7.9 GPa, respectively. With the increasing of the Cu-doping concentration in ZnO, crystalline parameters, the bulk moduli, and the Zn–O bond lengths all increased, meanwhile, the transition pressures decreased. The results could be explained in terms of the reduction of phase transformation barriers and the lowering of bond energy.     

Thermal diffusion near glass transition in Ge-Se glasses measured by photoacoustics

The glass transition in Ge _x Se_1−x ) (0·1 ⩽x ⩽ 0·25) glasses has been investigated using the photoacoustic (PA) technique. It is found that the PA amplitude and phase undergo anomalous changes at the glass transition temperatureT _g. The amplitude has critical minimum and phase has maximum values atT _g. The variation of the thermal diffusivity, determined by measuring the frequency dependence of the PA amplitude and phase, with temperature shows sharp decrease near the glass transition temperature. The temperature dependence of the optical energy gap also has been measured and it shows a decrease with temperature for all compositions, the rate of decrease being higher for temperatures greater thanT _g.     

Superconductivity in the Ti-D system under pressure

The pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperature in TiD_0.74 has been measured up to 30 GPa in a diamond high-pressure chamber. It is found that the deuteride TiD_0.74 becomes a superconductor at pressures corresponding to the transition to the high-pressure ζ phase, with a transition temperature that increases from 4.17 to 4.43 K in the interval P=14–30 GPa. The value extrapolated to atmospheric pressure T _c (0)=4.0 K is significantly lower than the superconducting transition temperature (T _c =5.0 K) measured earlier in the metastable state obtained by quenching TiD_0.74 under pressure. It is assumed that the significant difference of the extrapolated value from the superconducting transition temperature in the metastable state after quenching under pressure is caused by a phase transition on the path from the stability region of the ζ phase under pressure to the region of the metastable state at atmospheric pressure. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 2153–2155 (December 1998)     

Phase transition and linear thermal expansion of (Pb1− x Ba x )ZrO3 ceramics

(Pb_{1? x} Ba _x )ZrO₃ ceramics for the composition range 0?≤?x?≤?0.30 were prepared by the mixed oxide solid state reaction method. Phase transition was studied by dielectric and dilatometric measurements. The ferroelectric to paraelectric phase transition temperature was progressively shifted to a lower temperature by replacing lead with barium. The x?=?0.20 sample showed the maximum dielectric constant of 16,300 at the transition temperature. For compositions 0?≤?x?≤?0.075, the antiferroelectric to ferroelectric phase transition exhibited a large linear thermal expansion. However, the antiferroelectric to ferroelectric phase transition did not exist for 0.10?≤?x?≤?0.30 samples. A phase diagram for PBZ ceramics prepared by the conventional mixed oxide method was also present.     

Co掺杂纳米ZnO微结构的正电子湮没研究

利用正电子湮没技术研究了10 at.% Co掺杂的Co₃O₄/ZnO纳米复合物中退火对缺陷的影响. 利用X射线衍射(XRD)测量了Co₃O₄/ZnO纳米复合物的结构和晶粒尺寸. 随着退火温度升高,Co₃O₄相逐步消失,ZnO晶粒尺寸也有显著增加. 经过1000 ℃以上退火后,Co₃O₄相完全消失,并出现了CoO的岩盐结构. 正电子湮没寿命测量显示出Co₃O₄ /ZnO纳米复合物中存在大量的Zn空位和空位团. 这些空位缺陷可能存在于纳米复合物的界面区域. 当退火温度达到700 ℃后Zn空位开始恢复,空位团也开始收缩. 900 ℃以上退火后,所有空位缺陷基本消失,正电子寿命接近ZnO完整晶格中的体态寿命值. 符合多普勒展宽谱测量也显示Co₃O₄ /ZnO纳米复合物经过900 ℃以上退火后电子动量分布与单晶ZnO基本一致,表明界面缺陷经过退火后得到消除. 关键词： ZnO 界面缺陷 正电子湮没