X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study on surface reaction on titanium by laser irradiation in nitrogen atmosphere

The surface reaction on titanium due to pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiation in a nitrogen atmosphere was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The laser, with a wavelength of 532 nm (SHG mode), was irradiated on a titanium substrate in an atmosphere-controlled chamber, and then the substrate was transported to an XPS analysis chamber without exposure to air. This in situ XPS technique makes it possible to clearly observe the intrinsic surface reaction. The characteristics of the surface layer strongly depend on the nitrogen gas pressure. When the pressure is 133 kPa, an oxynitride and a stoichiometric titanium nitride form the topmost and lower surface layers on the titanium substrate, respectively. However, only a nonstoichiometric titanium oxide layer containing a small amount of nitrogen is formed when the pressure is lower than 13.3 kPa. Repetition of laser shots promotes the formation of the oxide layer, but the formation is completed within a few laser shots. After the initial structure is formed, the chemical state of the surface layer is less influenced by the repetition of laser shots.     

Characterization and field emission characteristics of carbon nanotubes modified by titanium carbide

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were modified by depositing a thin layer of titanium film on the surface using magnetron sputtering method, followed by vacuum annealing at 900 °C for 2 h. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed that the as-deposited thin titanium film reacted with carbon atoms to form titanium carbide after annealing. The experiment results show that the thickness of sputter-deposited titanium film has significant effect on the field emission J-E characteristic of modified CNTs film. The titanium carbide-modified CNTs film obtained by controlling the titanium sputtering time to 2 min showed an improved field emission characteristics with a significant reduction in the turn-on electric field and an obvious increase in the emission current density as well as an improvement in emission stability. The improvement of field emission characteristics achieved is attributed to the low work function and good resistance to ion bombardment of titanium carbide.     

Hydrogen outgassing mechanism in titanium materials

This paper addresses a hydrogen outgassing mechanism in titanium materials with extremely low outgassing property by investigating the distribution of hydrogen atoms concentration in depth below the surface, and the activation energy for desorption of dissolved hydrogen atoms into the boundary region between the surface oxide layer and the bulk titanium and that of adsorbed hydrogen atoms on the surface. The distribution of hydrogen atoms concentration in depth below the surface was analyzed by a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The activation energy for desorption of dissolved hydrogen atoms was estimated by the thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) measurement with various heating rates. The activation energy for desorption of adsorbed hydrogen atoms was estimated by the temperature dependence of the outgassing rate in titanium material. In the titanium material, hydrogen atoms show maximum concentration at the boundary between the surface oxide layer and the bulk titanium. Concentration of hydrogen atoms decreases rapidly at the surface oxide layer, while it decreases slowly in the deep region below the surface layer-bulk boundary by the vacuum evacuation without/with the baking process. The activation energy for desorption of 1.02 eV of dissolved hydrogen atoms into the surface layer-bulk boundary is about three times as large as that of 0.38 eV of the adsorbed hydrogen atoms on the surface. These results suggest that the hydrogen outgassing mechanism in the titanium material is composed the follows processes, i.e. the slow hydrogen atoms diffusion at the surface layer-bulk boundary, quick hydrogen atoms diffusion at the surface oxide layer and rapid desorption of adsorbed hydrogen atoms on the surface. This outgassing mechanism gives very low hydrogen concentration near the surface, which results in the extremely low outgassing rate in titanium materials.     

Hydrogen permeability of titanium at room temperature

The hydrogen permeability of titanium of grades VT1-00 and VT1-0 and of titanium iodide is investigated under saturation from glow-discharge plasma and in the cathodic process of the sulfuric acid electrolyte. A modified electrochemical method for investigating the hydrogen permeability of titanium at room temperature is proposed. Diffusion-coefficient values of hydrogen in titanium of differing purity are determined.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 51–54, April, 1982.     

Hydrogen diffusion in titanium at room temperature

The diffusion of hydrogen in technically pure VT1-00 titanium is studied at room temperature under conditions of hydrogen penetration from a glow discharge plasma. Hydrogen penetration occurs under conditions of hydride phase growth. The diffusion coefficients of hydrogen in titanium at room temperature are estimated.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 43–47, March, 1982.     

Optical characteristics of particles produced using electroerosion dispersion of titanium in hydrogen peroxide

Titanium oxide particles are produced using electric-discharge dispersion of titanium in aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide. Electron vacuum microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and diffuse reflection spectroscopy are used to study the morphology, composition, and optical characteristics of the erosion particles. It has been demonstrated that the particles consist of titanium and titanium oxides with different valences. The edge of the optical absorption is located in the UV spectral range. The band gap is 3.35 eV for indirect transitions and 3.87 eV for direct allowed transitions. The band gap decreases due to the relatively long heating in air at a temperature of 480–550°C, so that powder oxide compositions can be obtained, the optical characteristics of which are similar to optical characteristics of anatase. The erosion products are completely oxidized to rutile after annealing in air at a temperature of 1000°C.     

Photoreactive titanium oxide layer prepared from a titanium naphthenate

Highly transparent titanium oxide thin films were prepared on soda-lime–silica slide glass substrates from a titanium naphthenate precursor. Films prefired at 500 °C for 10 min were finally heat treated at 500 °C for 30 min in air. Crystallinity of the films was analyzed by high resolution X-ray diffraction analysis. A sharp absorption edge of the TiO₂ film was observed. The estimated energy band gap for the film is larger than that of single crystal TiO₂.     

单个钛原子储氢能力和储氢机制的第一性原理研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法研究了单个过渡金属钛原子吸附氢分子的物理机制. 研究表明,单个钛原子最多能吸附8对氢分子,吸附结构为对称的两个类金字塔型结构, 其平均吸附能为- 0.28 eV.通过计算轨道能级和差分电荷密度分布,分析决定吸附结构、 吸附能大小以及吸附氢分子数目的内在物理机制.研究表明,钛原子的4s电子转移到3d轨道上, 从而产生较强的极化电场,导致氢分子极化,钛原子通过静电极化作用吸附氢分子. 本文的研究将对设计高密度储氢材料有一定的指导作用.     

Analysis of the interface between a pulsed laser deposited calcium phosphate coating and a titanium alloy substrate

Calcium phosphate coatings deposited on titanium alloy are intended to add a bioactive surface to medical implants. This work presents the characterisation of the interface between Ti-6Al-4V and a crystalline calcium phosphate coating obtained by pulsed laser deposition, with a KrF excimer laser, at 575 °C and under a 45 Pa water-vapour atmosphere. The coating–substrate system was studied by secondary-ion mass spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that the deposition process promotes the interdiffusion of substrate elements into the coating and coating elements into the substrate oxide layer. Thus, a graded layer of mixed calcium phosphate and amorphous titanium oxide is formed. For the substrate, a hydroxyapatite coating acts more as a barrier for oxygen incoming from a gas than as an oxygen source during deposition. Moreover, oxygen diffusion into the substrate occurs. Thus, the content of oxygen of this oxide layer diminishes with depth. When the oxygen concentration is low enough it is incorporated in solid solution in the titanium alloy . PACS 81.15.Fg; 68.55.-a; 87.68.+z     

PAC measurements in titanium and titanium-hydrogen alloys

Measurements have been performed with the PAC method in pure hcp titanium and highly concentrated titanium hydrogen alloys to investigate the temperature dependence of the electric field gradient (EFG) in both systems. In pure titanium it can be explained by a recent theoretical model; in the titanium hydride the EFG reveals a strong decrease with temperature, which indicates enhanced local vibration amplitudes. Furthermore the interaction of hydrogen and oxygen impurities with the¹¹¹In probe atoms have been studied.     

High-temperature proton conductors: hydrogen injection and pumping

The electrochemical injection of hydrogen into inert gases was demonstrated using tubes of the high-temperature proton conductors BaZr_0.9Y_0.1O_3−x and CaZr_0.9In_0.1O_3−x. By applying a voltage with the right polarity protons can be driven to the inner electrodes. Recombination of the protons at the cathode leads to high-purity hydrogen which is injected into the gas stream. Since most inert gas streams contain a small amount of oxygen, hydrogen evolving at the cathode can react with that O₂ effectively lowering the p_o2. Thus, by increasing the proton current gas titration curves are obtained in analogy to strong acid — strong base titrations. Modelling of such curves is presented. This method of reducing the effective p_o2 by adding hydrogen in a controlled manner is discussed and compared with the classic technique of pumping oxygen electrochemically out of a gas stream using Y-stabilized zirconia tubes. Steam electrolysis was also demonstrated as well as the proton pick-up of the tubes by exposure of one side of the tubes to ethanol or acetone vapors. Paper presented at the 7th Euroconference on Ionics, Calcatoggio, Corsica, France, Oct. 1–7, 2000.     

Rapid reduction of titanium dioxide nano-particles by reduction with a calcium reductant

Micro-, submicron-, and nano-scale titanium dioxide particles were reduced by reduction with a metallic calcium reductant in calcium chloride molten salt at 1173 K, and the reduction mechanism of the oxides by the calcium reductant was explored. These oxide particles, metallic calcium as a reducing agent, and calcium chloride as a molten salt were placed in a titanium crucible and heated under an argon atmosphere. Titanium dioxide was reduced to metallic titanium through a calcium titanate and lower titanium oxide, and the materials were sintered together to form a micro-porous titanium structure in molten salt at high temperature. The reduction rate of titanium dioxide was observed to increase with decreasing particle size; accordingly, the residual oxygen content in the reduced titanium decreases. The obtained micro-porous titanium appeared dark gray in color because of its low surface reflection. Micro-porous metallic titanium with a low oxygen content (0.42 wt%) and a large surface area (1.794 m² g⁻¹) can be successfully obtained by reduction under optimal conditions.     

Sonochemical method for producing titanium metal powder

We demonstrate a sonochemical method for producing titanium metal powder. The method uses low intensity ultrasound in a hydrocarbon solvent at near-ambient temperatures to first create a colloidal suspension of liquid sodium–potassium alloy in the solvent and then to reduce liquid titanium tetrachloride to titanium metal under cavitation conditions. XRD data collected for the reaction products after the solvent removal show only NaCl and KCl, with no diffraction peaks attributable to titanium metal or other titanium compounds, indicating either the formation of amorphous metal or extremely small crystallite size. TEM micrographs show that hollow spheres formed of halide salts and titanium metal, with diameters with diameters ranging from 100 to 500 nm and a shell thickness of 20 to 40 nm form during the synthesis, suggesting that the sonochemical reaction occurs inside the liquid shell surrounding the cavitation bubbles. Metal particle sizes are estimated to be significantly smaller than 40 nm from TEM data. XRD data of the powder after annealing and prior to removal of the alkali chloride salts provides direct evidence that titanium metal was formed during the sonochemical synthesis.     

A vibrational and TDS study of sulfur adsorbates on Cu(100): Evidence for CH3S species

Vibrational (EELS) and TDS data for methyl mercaptan (CH₃SH), dimethyl sulfide (CH₃)₂S and dimethyl disulfide (CH₃S)₂ are analyzed to determine the nature of the adsorption states on Cu(100). Dimethyl sulfide is reversibly adsorbed on Cu(100); no dissociation (CS bond breaking) was found. By contrast, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl disulfide dissociate below 300 K to form adsorbed CH₃S (methyl mercaptide) species. Depending on the coverage, two orientations of methyl mercaptide are found: linear and bent. The two different orientations can be distinguished via the surface dipole selection rule by different intensities of the methyl rocking and deformation vibrations. By contrast with the methoxy species, which on Cu(100) decomposes to formaldehyde, no H₂C=S is liberated during decomposition of CH₃S. The mercaptide is stable to ∼ 350 K, but decomposes at higher temperatures to form adsorbed sulfur and recombinant methane, hydrogen and ethane. The methane appears to be formed by methyl-hydrogen recombination when the C-S bond scission occurs. TDS results show that sulfur released from the decomposition poisons the surface toward further adsorption. In addition, the selectivity toward methane versus ethane can be altered by pre-titrating the adsorbed hydrogen with oxygen, thereby changing the relative methyl-hydrogen and methyl-methyl recombination probabilities.     

Synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline titanium nitride powder from rutile and anatase as precursors

In this research nanosized titanium nitride powder was synthesized through reaction of titanium oxide with ammonia gas. The reaction was carried out at a very slow heating rate. Two different TiO₂ starting powders contained rutile and anatase phase and differed in initial particle size and surface area. The crystallite size of TiN powders synthesized at 1000 °C was obtained about 40 nm for anatase sample. Surface area and particle size were found to be 19 m²/g, 70 nm for rutile sample and 31 m²/g, 39 nm for anatase sample, respectively. The rutile sample showed an increasing trend in surface area during conversion to the nitride, whilst the anatase sample followed an adverse trend. TiN powder synthesized from anatase had the highest surface area and smallest particle size due to the specification of initial precursor.     

Growth and characteristics of lead sulfide nanocrystals produced by the porous alumina membrane

Lead sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals were formed by using Pb nanowires reacted with hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas. The structure and composition of the as-prepared nanocrystals were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. According to the differential scanning calorimeter analysis, the PbS nanocrystals in a cubic structure owned excellent thermal stability. Furthermore, the optical properties including photoluminescence (PL) and Raman scatting spectrum were also measured. The PL emission measurement of the PbS nanocrystal showed that there was an orange-red emission peak located around 655 nm. A significant quantum confinement effect made the energy gap of PbS produce a blue shift from 0.41 eV to 1.9 eV.     

Experimental and computational study of diethyl sulfide pyrolysis and mechanism

The pyrolysis of diethyl sulfide (C₂H₅SC₂H₅), a simulant for mustard chemical warfare agents, was studied in a turbulent flow reactor with extractive gas composition analysis by GC/MS and FTIR. Experiments were performed at approximately atmospheric pressure for four different temperatures between 630 and 740 °C with maximum residence times between 0.06 and 0.08 s. Temperature and species profiles were obtained on the centerline of the reactor. The mixing characteristics in the reactor were determined by using carbon monoxide as a tracer. 80% destruction of diethyl sulfide was observed for the experiment at the temperature of 740 °C and the residence time of 0.06 s. The following species were quantified: diethyl sulfide, ethylene, methane, ethane, acetylene, carbon disulfide, and thiophene. In addition, ethanethiol, methyl thiirane CH₃-(Cy-CH-CH₂-S), ethyl methyl disulfide, and diethyl disulfide were identified but not quantified. A light yellow solid containing sulfur condensed in sampling probes. Thermochemical properties for all species and a detailed mechanism were developed for modeling the reaction system. Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters were based on density functional theory and ab initio calculations using isodesmic work reactions for enthalpies. Kinetic parameters for chemical activation and unimolecular dissociation reactions were determined with multi frequency quantum RRK analysis for k(E) and master equation for fall-off. Important reactions were identified by sensitivity analysis and reaction pathway analysis of the mechanism. Model predictions show overall good agreement with experiment.     

Characteristics of electrohydrodynamically prepared titanium dioxide films

A titanium dioxide precursor sol flowing through a needle at a flow rate of 10^-10 m³ s^-1 was subjected to an electric field of 4.5 kV to generate droplets in the size range 0.3–6 μm. The droplets were collected on a silicon substrate to form uniformly thick, dense films. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and UV/Vis spectroscopy were used to characterize as-deposited and annealed films. Raman spectra show the annealed films were anatase phase with annealing converting it to the rutile phase. The energy bandgap of the titanium dioxide film annealed to 500 °C shows an indirect bandgap energy of 3.50 eV and a direct bandgap energy of 3.95 eV. PACS 81.15.Rs; 81.07.-b; 78.20.-e; 78.30.-j; 78.67.-n; 78.70.ck     

Surface modification of the titanium implant using TEA CO2 laser pulses in controllable gas atmospheres - Comparative study

Interaction of a TEA CO₂ laser, operating at 10.6 μm wavelength and pulse duration of 100 ns (FWHM), with a titanium implant in various gas atmospheres was studied. The Ti implant surface modification was typically studied at the moderate laser beam energy density/fluence of 28 J/cm² in the surrounding of air, N₂, O₂ or He. The energy absorbed from the TEA CO₂ laser beam is partially converted to thermal energy, which generates a series of effects, such as melting, vaporization of the molten material, shock waves, etc. The following titanium implant surface changes and phenomena were observed, depending on the gas used: (i) creation of cone-like surface structures in the atmospheres of air, N₂ and O₂, and dominant micro-holes/pores in He ambient; (ii) hydrodynamic features, most prominent in air; (iii) formation of titanium nitride and titanium oxide layers, and (iv) occurrence of plasma in front of the implant. It can be concluded from this study that the reported laser fluence and gas ambiences can effectively be applied for enhancing the titanium implant roughness and creation of titanium oxides and nitrides on the strictly localized surface area. The appearance of plasma in front of the implants indicates relatively high temperatures created above the surface. This offers a sterilizing effect, facilitating contaminant-free conditions.     

Role of oil derived carbonaceous phase in the performance of sewage sludge-based materials as media for desulfurizaton of digester gas

Desulfurization adsorbents for purification of digester gas were prepared by pyrolysis of sewage sludge impregnated with spent mineral oil. To evaluate the changes in the structural and chemical properties the pyrolysis time and temperature varied. The materials were characterized using adsorption of nitrogen, FTIR, XRD, ICP, SEM and thermal analysis. Their catalytic activity was tested in the removal of hydrogen sulfide from simulated mixture of digester gas. The results indicated the importance of new carbon phase from the oil precursor. It provided mesoporosity, which increased the dispersion of catalytic phase and space for storage of surface reaction products. The results indicated that the adsorbents obtained at 950 °C are much more active in the process of hydrogen sulfide oxidation than those obtained at 650 °C. Moreover, longer heat treatment is also beneficial for the development of surface catalytic properties. Extensive pyrolysis stabilizes carbon phase via increasing its degree of aromatization and provides activation agents for this phase coming from decomposition and rearrangement of inorganic phase.