The influence of grain size and texture on the Young's modulus of nanocrystalline nickel and nickel–iron alloys

Hardness and Young's modulus were measured by nanoindentation on a series of electrodeposited nanocrystalline nickel and nickel–iron alloys. Hardness values showed a transition from regular to inverse Hall–Petch behaviour, consistent with previous studies. There was no significant influence of grain size on the Young's modulus of nanocrystalline nickel and nickel–iron alloys with grain sizes greater than 20?nm. The Young's modulus values for nanocrystalline nickel and nickel–iron alloys for grain sizes less than 20?nm were slightly reduced when compared to their conventional (randomly oriented) polycrystalline counterparts. The observed trend with decreasing grain size was found to be consistent with composite model predictions that consider the influence of intercrystalline defects. However, there was some notable variability of the measured values when compared to the model predictions. Three theoretical relationships were used to characterise the anisotropic elastic behaviour of these materials. As a result, texture was also considered to have an influence on the measured Young's modulus and used to explain some of the observed variability for the entire grain size range (9.8–81?nm).     

The interaction of dislocation loop and γ' precipitate in nickel based alloys

The nucleation and growth of interstitial loops during irradiation has a : ontrolling effect on the subsequent swelling behaviour of metals. In nickel based alloys containing ordered γ' precipitate (Ni₃Al, Ti), interactions occur between the nucleated loops and γ' particles. This effect has been studied in two nickel based alloys using a High Voltage Electron Microscope.

For the case of Nimonic 80A alloy containing 18% volume fraction : gamma;' precipitate, dislocation loop-particle interactions obeyed the developed isotropic elasticity theory.²'³'¹² Consequently, rather low dislocation densities were developed and the swelling resistance was high during electron irradiation. In Nimonic 115A alloy, loop nucleation and growth was dependent on the availability of interfacial dislocation surrounding the γ' particles.

With regard to the swelling behaviour of γ' hardened alloys, it : s concluded that several mechanisms contribute to make these materials resistant.

Coherency strains at the γ' particles reduce the density of : limbing dislocations.

The γ' precipitate affects the climb efficiency of the : ucleated dislocations by:

pinning the dislocation line, thus introducing a line tension force : hich opposes dislocation climb and reduces swelling;

reducing the available volume of material in which dislocation loops : an nucleate and grow.     

Moir patterns and step edges on few-layer graphene grown on nickel films

Few-layer graphene grown on Ni thin films has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy. In most areas on the surfaces, moir′e patterns resulted from rotational stacking faults were observed. At a bias lower than 200 mV, only one sublattice shows up in regions without moir′e patterns while both sublattices are seen in regions with moir′e pattens. This phenomenon can be used to identify AB stacked regions. The scattering characteristics at various types of step edges are different from those of monolayer graphene edges, either armchair or zigzag.     

Magnetic properties of substitutional solid solutions of nickel and iron hexacyanoferrate–hexacyanochromate

In order to evaluate the influence of substitution at the central metal ion position in transition hexacyanometallates in some detail, the magnetic studies were carried out on a series of solid solutions of metal hexacyanometallates of the composition M[Fe^II(CN)₆]_{1? x} [Cr^III(CN)₆] _x , where M?=?Ni^II and Fe^III. The temperature and field dependences of magnetization were studied using a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. The field dependence of the samples at 5?K shows a hysteresis behaviour. For M?=?Ni^II, the transition temperature increases with increase in the substitution of low-spin Fe(III) by Cr(III) in the hexacyanometallate unit. The saturation magnetization was found to decrease with increase in the iron concentration. The observed variation in the magnetic properties, such as the value of T _C and the nature of magnetic ordering, is attributed to the variation in the composition of the transition-metal ion in the coordination sphere of carbon. On the other hand, for M?=?Fe^III, the transition temperature and saturation magnetization remained almost unchanged, indicating that substitution at the carbon coordination site did not produce any change in the magnetic interaction among the transition-metal ions through the cyanide ions.     

Precipitation of γ′ phase and helium bubbles during proton and α-particle irradiation of nickel–silicon

Segregation of silicon was induced by light-ion irradiation at elevated temperatures in Ni–8Si specimens. Its occurrence at external surfaces, helium-induced cavities, dislocation loops, coherent twin boundaries, grain boundaries, and precipitate-matrix interfaces has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Layers of ordered γ^′ (Ni₃Si) phase were formed at most of these point defect sinks. The behaviour of grain boundary precipitation was found to be exceptional in various respects. In particular, a high rate of precipitation distinguishes grain boundaries from all other kinds of point defect sinks investigated here. This phenomenon of rapid precipitation was found to be adjoined to precipitation-driven grain boundary migration and is attributed to a radiation-induced “discontinuous” precipitate reaction. Observations of helium bubble distributions created during α-particle irradiations at growing dislocation loops and at migrating grain boundaries are also briefly discussed.     

Cation distribution by Rietveld,spectral and magnetic studies of chromium-substituted nickel ferrites

Ultrafine crystals of chromium-substituted nickel ferrite were prepared by wet chemical co-precipitation method using sulphates of respective metal ions. Formation of these materials has been confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction method. The fine crystal nature of these materials is evidenced from scanning electron microscope (SEM). Cation distribution has been investigated using X-ray diffraction technique. Cation distribution indicates that chromium occupy octahedral site for all the values of composition x. The saturation magnetization and magneton number both are decreasing with increase of chromium concentration x. The decrease in saturation magnetization and magneton number is attributed to the substitution of the Cr³⁺ ions. Curie temperature (T _C ) from susceptibility plot is found to decrease with Cr concentration x. Curie temperature of all the compositions are also obtained theoretically and it agrees with observed Curie temperature.     

The influence of nickel dopant on the microstructure and optical properties of SnO2 nano-powders

The microstructure and optical properties of Ni-doped SnO2 nano-powders are studied in detail. By Ni-doping, not only the grain size reduces, but also the grain shape changes from nano-rods to spherical particles. The crystallization becomes better with annealing temperature increasing. The band gap energy decreases as nickel doping level increases. The sp-d hybridization and alloying effect due to amorphous SnO2-x phase should be responsible for the band gap narrowing effect. Nickel dopant does not change the photoluminescence （PL） peak positions.     

Synthesis and characterization of nickel–manganese oxide via the hydrothermal route for electrochemical capacitors

Nano-sized and well dispersed manganese oxide and nickel–manganese oxide (Ni–Mn–O) powders are synthesized via the hydrothermal route. The addition of nickel ions significantly affects the morphology, particle size and the electrochemical properties of the obtained powders. Adding nickel ions results in a significant change in the shape of the powders from rod-like to plate-like. The electrochemical analysis of the electrode reveals that the specific capacitance of the synthesized powders is greatly increased with the addition of nickel ions. When the hydrothermal temperature is increased to 125 °C, the specific capacitance also increases to 284 F/g and decreases by about 4% after 1500 cycles of charge and recharge. Ni–Mn–O is considered to be a promising material for the electrodes used in electrochemical capacitors.     

The effect of vacuum annealing on the remediation abilities of iron and iron−nickel nanoparticles

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles are effective remediators of uranium from solution. It is postulated that the improved core crystallinity and the migration of impurity phases to the nanoparticle surfaces induced by annealing may improve their corrosion resistance and reactive lifespan. The ability of annealed and non-annealed Fe and FeNi nanoparticles to remediate a U-contaminated effluent from AWE, Aldermaston was investigated. Nanoparticles (of diameter typically between 0 and 100 nm) were introduced to the effluent and allowed to react for 7 days during which the liquid and nanoparticulate solids were periodically sampled. In all the systems, the maximum U-uptake occurred within 1 h of introduction, with variable efficiency. The Fe nanoparticles removed 98% of the total U from solution, resulting in a final U-concentration of <4 μg/L. A rapid release of Fe into solution was recorded early in the reaction period: attributed to limited partial dissolution of the nanoparticles. Annealing the Fe nanoparticles did not affect their efficiency but the dissolution of Fe was significantly reduced and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy indicated slower progressive oxidation. The performance of the FeNi nanoparticles was significantly improved by annealing, with U-uptake increasing from 50 to 94%. Although the dissolution of Ni was completely inhibited by annealing, the Fe dissolution increased compared to that observed for the non-annealed FeNi nanoparticles, in contrast to behaviour exhibited by Fe-annealed nanoparticles. In all the systems, U was reduced to U(IV) and retained on the surfaces of the nanoparticulate solids for up to 48 h; the U-stability was not affected by annealing the Fe or the FeNi nanoparticles before use.     

Step structures on III-V phosphide (001) surfaces: how do steps and Sb affect CuPt ordering of GaInP2?

The observation of III-V phosphide (001)-(2 x 2) surfaces makes it possible to solve a long standing mystery of step structures. First-principles calculations show that a bulklike type-B step on a hydrogenated 2 x 2 surface is more stable than a rebonded one by 1.1 eV/unit step. In contrast, this energy difference for a H-free beta(2 x 4) surface is only 0.5 eV/unit step. The large difference explains why the CuPt ordering of GaInP is stronger in metal-organic chemical vapor deposition than in molecular beam epitaxy. However, a minute amount of Sb will preferentially attach to the 2 x 2 surface steps and induce additional step structures that cause ordering disruption.     

Synthesis of monodisperse and high moment nickel–iron (NiFe) nanoparticles using modified polyol process

Monodisperse NiFe nanoparticles with different compositions have been successfully synthesized by surfactant free simple modified polyol method. In the process, polyethylene glycol was used as a solvent media and it has been found to play a key role to act as a reducing agent as well as a stabilizer simultaneously. XRD, TEM, and EDS analysis techniques were used to characterize the synthesized nanoparticles. TEM images displayed formation of a thin oxide layer around the nanoparticles, and confirmed by detection of some oxygen element using EDS measurement. The magnetic properties of the synthesized NiFe NPs samples were measured by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature, and the saturation magnetization value was found to be iron content dependent.     

Carbon–metal interfaces analyzed by aberration-corrected TEM: How copper and nickel nanoparticles interact with MWCNTs

Experimental confirmation for the stronger interaction of Ni with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) compared to Cu with MWCNTs is presented. The interfaces between Cu (Ni) nanoparticles side-on oriented onto MWCNTs are analyzed with high spatial resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) of the carbon K-edge. The EEL spectra reveal a rehybridization from sp² to sp³ hybridized carbon of the outermost MWCNT layer at the Ni interface, but no such rehybridization can be observed at the Cu interface. The EELS results are supported by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, which show a better wetting behavior of Ni and a smaller gap at the Ni–MWCNT interface, as compared to the corresponding Cu interfaces. The different behavior of Cu and Ni can be explained in terms of differing valence d-orbital occupancy. For the successful experimental demonstration of this effect the use of a soft chemical metal deposition technique is crucial.     

Critical exponentβ for hyperfine fields in nickel

The magnetic hyperfine fields for⁶³Ni,⁶⁶Cu, and⁶⁷Zn nuclei in nickel metal have been measured by means of perturbed-ray angular distribution techniques at different temperatures up to 1 K below the Curie temperature,T _C . The temperature dependence of the fields can be very well fitted by (1—T/T _C ) with best values=0.322(16) for⁶³NiNi, = 0.427(42) for⁶⁶CuNi, and=0.427(14) for⁶⁷ZnNi respectively. The differences between these exponents indicate that there could be probe atom dependent deviations from proportionality between hyperfine field and bulk magnetization in the critical region.Work performed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a doctorate in physics at the Freie Universität, Berlin     

Lithium-rich layered nickel–manganese oxides as high-performance cathode materials: the effects of composition and PEG on performance

Lithium-rich layered nickel–manganese oxide (LRL-NMO) as a cathode material for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries was successfully prepared using an oxalic acid co-precipitation method, with polyethylene glycol (PEG1000) as an additive. The effects of the Ni/Mn ratio and of PEG on the phase purity, morphology, and electrochemical performance of LRL-NMO were investigated with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and charge/discharge testing. Li[Li_0.167Ni_0.25Mn_0.580]O₂ delivered the best electrochemical performance among the various Li[Li_1/3?2x/3Ni _x Mn_2/3?x/3]O₂ (0?<?x?<?0.5) materials. Furthermore, the sample to which an appropriate amount of PEG had been added showed much smaller and more uniform particle size, higher discharge capacity and energy density, better cycling stability, and lower resistance. The material prepared by adding 9 wt% PEG exhibited high discharge capacity and stability; after 100 cycles at 2 C, it still delivered a discharge capacity of 125.6 mAh g^?1, which was 50 % higher than that of a sample prepared without PEG.     

III–V on silicon: Observation of gallium phosphide anti-phase disorder by low-energy electron microscopy

The formation of anti-phase disorder is a major obstacle in the heteroepitaxy of III–V semiconductors on silicon. For an investigation of the anti-phase domain (APD) structure of GaP/Si(100) samples on mesoscopic length scales, we applied dark-field imaging in a low-energy electron microscope (LEEM) to thin GaP films grown on Si(100) substrates by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). A contamination-free transfer of the samples from the MOVPE ambient to the ultra-high vacuum chamber of the microscope ensured that the atomically well-ordered, P-rich (2 × 2)/c(4 × 2) reconstruction of the surface was preserved. Mutually perpendicular oriented domains of the characteristic GaP(100) reconstruction identify the APDs in the GaP film at the surface and enabled us to achieve high contrast LEEM images. Striped patterns of APDs reflect the regular terrasse structure of the two-domain Si(100)(2 × 1) substrate far away from defects. APDs in the proximity of the defects have larger lateral extensions and are arranged in target pattern-like structures around the defects. In contrast to transmission electron microscopy, which was also applied in a specific dark-field mode for comparison, the characterization of anti-phase disorder by LEEM is non-destructive, does not require elaborate sample preparation, and addresses extended length scales.     

Ultrafast magneto-optics in nickel: magnetism or optics?

Several magnetic and optical processes contribute to the magneto-optical response of nickel thin films after excitation by a femtosecond laser pulse. We achieved a first complete identification by explicitly measuring the time-resolved Kerr ellipticity and rotation, as well as its temperature and magnetic field dependence in epitaxially grown (111) and (001) oriented Cu/Ni/Cu wedges. The first hundreds of femtoseconds the response is dominated by state filling effects. The true demagnetization takes approximately 0.5-1 ps. At the longer (sub-ns) time scales the spins are found to precess in their anisotropy field. Simple and transparent models are introduced to substantiate our interpretation.     

Studies on the characteristics of Barkhausen emission and evaluation of the critical fields for domain wall notion in nickel

Acoustic Barkhausen Emission(ABE)and ElectromagneticBarkhausen Emission(EBE)have been measured.Explanations of the re-sponse of nickel to an applied magnetic field are considered using energydensity diagrams and critical fields deduced using Kersten's modifiedtheory.These theoretical models are correlated with ABE and EBEmeasurements,providing further confirmation of the origins of ABE beingnon-180°domain wall motion.This paper also shows that the motion ofdomain walls,on increasing the magnetising fields from saturation to satu-ration,follows the sequence of 71°-180°-109°.Values of criticalfields correponding to 71°,180°and 109°wall motions in nickel are de-termined using these techniques.