Biopolymer-assisted synthesis of yttrium oxide nanoparticles

Yttrium oxide nanopowder was prepared by a novel technique using an alginate biopolymer as a precursor. The technique is based on thermal decomposition of an yttrium alginate gel, which is produced in the form of beads by ionic gelation between the yttrium solution and sodium alginate. The effect of post-annealing temperature on the particle size of the nanocrystals was investigated at various tempera- tures. The products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The size of the nanocrystalline Y2O3 particles varied from 22.7 to 38.7 nm, depending on the annealing temperature and time. The grain size distribution （GSD） was also determined. The GSD became more non-symmetrical as the annealing temperature increased, and the width of the distributions for the powders produced using the alginate method was less affected by heat treatment. This alginate method was compared with the conventional glycine combustion method, on the basis of particle size. The particles obtained using the proposed technique were smaller than those obtained using the combustion method. Alginate-assisted thermal decomposition is therefore an easy and cost-effective method for preparing nanosized Y2O3 crystals.     

Influence of grading on the undrained behavior of granular materials

This paper aims at investigating the influence of grading on the undrained behavior of granular materials. Series of undrained triaxial tests were carried out with two different materials, glass balls and Hostun sand. For each material, samples with different gradings and similar relative densities were prepared. Experimental results show that the undrained shear strength decreases when the coefficient of uniformity C_u=d₆₀/d₁₀$C_{\mathrm{u}}=d_{60}/d_{10}$ increases from 1.1 to 20. The conditions of instability for the selected granular materials were also analyzed, based on the sign of the second-order work during undrained triaxial loading. The results demonstrate a significant influence of the grading: increasing the coefficient of uniformity heightens the potential of static liquefaction and the materials become more unstable. Furthermore, numerical tests using the three-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) were conducted on assemblies of spheres. The DEM inter-particle parameters were derived from the experimental test results on glass balls. The DEM simulations showed similar behaviors compared to experimental results and confirmed the influence of the grain size distribution on the stress–strain relationship and instability phenomena.     

Homogenization scheme for brittle intergranular decohesion in polycrystalline aggregates

The overall fracture behaviour of polycrystalline aggregates is strongly conditioned by intergranular failure, as is the case in copper alloys subjected to dynamic embrittlement. The self-consistent scheme is extended to account for grain boundary decohesion using a nonlinear cohesive law. The effective tensile response up to failure is computed for a Cu–Ni–Si alloy based on the homogenization method. In particular, the proposed approach allows for identification of the grain boundary critical energy release rate from the macroscopic tensile curve.     

Continuum framework for dislocation structure,energy and dynamics of dislocation arrays and low angle grain boundaries

We present a continuum framework for dislocation structure, energy and dynamics of dislocation arrays and low angle grain boundaries that are allowed to be nonplanar or nonequilibrium. In our continuum framework, we define a dislocation density potential function on the dislocation array surface or grain boundary to describe the orientation dependent continuous distribution of dislocations in a very simple and accurate way. The continuum formulations incorporate both the long-range dislocation interaction and the local dislocation line energy, and are derived from the discrete dislocation model. The continuum framework recovers the classical Read–Shockley energy formula when the long-range elastic fields of the low angle grain boundaries are canceled out. Applications of our continuum framework in this paper are focused on dislocation structures on static planar and nonplanar low angle grain boundaries and misfitting interfaces. We present two methods under our continuum framework for this purpose, including the method based on the Frank׳s formula and the energy minimization method. We show that for any (planar or nonplanar) low angle grain boundary, the Frank׳s formula holds if and only if the long-range stress field in the continuum model is canceled out, and it does not necessarily hold for a total energy minimum dislocation structure.     

低噪声HT_c rf SQUID芯片可控制备的实验研究

针对低内禀噪声要求条件下HTcrf SQUID芯片制备成品率和优质率低等问题,通过对YBCO薄膜的PLD制备工艺参数及所制作的YBCO薄膜性能与微观形貌的观测分析,提出晶界结构的非均匀和不一致性可能是影响低噪声台阶边沿型晶界结制备质量的观点,进而以淀积温度为典型控制参数设计了一组实验,对实验获取的YBCO薄膜和SQUID芯片的性能测试表明:YBCO薄膜生长的三高条件(高淀积温度、高氧分压和高激光能量密度)易造成薄膜表面平整度恶化和晶界构型的不均匀,而选择合适的淀积温度可有效提高SQUID芯片的噪声性能。     

Grain boundary behavior in metallic solid solutions as deduced from diffusion and segregation experiments

Grain boundary diffusion and segregation experiments have been carried out in the same metallic solid solutions by means of radio-isotopes and Auger techniques. It was shown that the mass transport parameters could only be understood by assuming the formation of “2D phases” in “segregated grain boundaries” where the main bonds between atoms were identical to those which limit the bulk solid solubility of the solutes.     

A study of the determination of grain boundary diffusivity and energy through the thermally grown oxide ridges on a Fe-22Cr alloy surface

Abstract

The grain boundaries (GBs) present in polycrystalline materials are important with respect to materials behaviour and properties. During the transient stage of oxidation, the higher GB diffusivity results in heterogeneous oxidation structures in the form of oxide ridges that emerge along the alloy GBs. In an attempt to delve into the more fundamental aspects of the GBs, such as GB energy, the size of the oxide ridges was quantitatively measured by atomic force microscopy on the post oxidation surface of a Fe-22 wt % Cr alloy after an oxidation exposure at 800 °C in dry air. The GB diffusivity was calculated utilising the ridge size data and the relationship between the GB diffusivity and the GB characteristics was determined. Furthermore, the GB energy was calculated from the GB diffusivity data, also to make comparison with the data available in the literature. The absolute value of the calculated GB energy was quite close to the values reported in the literature. However, compared to the extremely low temperature (0 K) data-set from the literature, the data-set obtained from this study showed much less spread. The smaller variation range may be attributed to the higher temperature condition (1073 K) in this study.     

Coherent vs. incoherent switching for elongated CoPt–O grains in high-anisotropy medium

In most micro-magnetic models, a coherent switching mode is assumed for magnetic grains in the media. In this paper, we use state-of-art perpendicular recording media to study the magnetic switching behavior at different temperatures. The temperature dependence of the coercive field is measured and used as an indication of the strength of the thermal activation. For the thinner samples, the normalized coercive field can be described by an Arrhenius–Néel Brown (ANB) model. This model suggests that coherent switching dominates in these samples. For the thicker films, the normalized coercive field and, hence, the switching volume does not increase with increasing thickness, indicating the existence of incoherent switching. For the particular CoPt–O alloy studied, the crossover from coherent to incoherent switching occurs at a thickness of about 21 nm. For an average grain diameter of 7 nm, this corresponds to a grain aspect ratio of 3.