Analysis of the magnetoresistance contributions in a nanocrystallized Cr-doped FINEMET alloy

The magnetoresistance (MR) was measured at 200, 250 and 300 K in magnetic fields up to B=12 T for a nanocrystallized Fe_63.5Cr₁₀Nb₃Cu₁Si_13.5B₉ alloy. Both the longitudinal (LMR) and transverse (TMR) component of the magnetoresistance decreased from B=0 to about 0.1 T. This could be ascribed to a giant MR (GMR) effect due to spin-dependent scattering of conduction electrons along their path between two Fe-Si nanograins via the non-magnetic matrix. Such a scattering may occur if the nanograin moments are not or only weakly coupled in the absence of a strong exchange coupling (due to the high Cr content in the matrix) and/or only weak dipole-dipole coupling is present (due to sufficiently large separations between the nanograins). For larger fields, the GMR saturated and a slightly nonlinear increase in MR with B was observed due to a contribution by the residual amorphous matrix. The anisotropic MR effect (AMR≡LMR−TMR) was negative for all fields and temperatures investigated. By measuring the MR of melt-quenched Fe_100−xSi_x solid solutions with x=15, 18, 20, 25 and 28, the observed AMR could be identified as originating from the Fe-Si nanograins having a D0₃ structure.     

Cellular automata simulations on nanocrystallization processes: From instantaneous growth approximation to limited growth

Cellular automata simulations have been performed to simulate the crystallization process under a limited growth approximation. This approximation resembles several characteristics exhibited by nanocrystalline microstructures and nanocrystallization kinetics. Avrami exponent decreases from a value n = 4 indicating interface controlled growth and constant nucleation rate to a value n ~ 1 indicating absence of growth. A continuous change of the growth contribution to the Avrami exponent from zero to 3 is observed as the composition of the amorphous phase becomes richer in the element present in the crystalline phase.     

Corrosion and corrosion inhibition characteristics of bulk nanocrystalline ingot iron in sulphuric acid

The corrosion and corrosion inhibition of bulk nanocrystalline ingot iron (BNII) fabricated from conventional polycrystalline ingot iron (CPII) by severe rolling was studied in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The results indicate that BNII was more susceptible to corrosion in the acidic environment essentially because of an increase in the kinetics of the anodic reaction. An amino acid cysteine (cys) was employed as a corrosion inhibitor at concentrations of 0.001 and 0.005 M. Tests in inhibited solutions revealed that cys reduced the corrosion rates of both metal specimens by different mechanisms. For CPII cys inhibited the cathodic reaction but had a stimulating effect on the anodic process at low concentration and a trivial effect at higher concentration. For BNII, cys inhibited both the cathodic and the anodic reactions, although the former effect was more pronounced. Iodide ions improved the inhibitive effect of cys without altering the inhibition mechanism.     

Electrical properties vs. microstructure of nanocrystallized V2O5-P2O5 glasses — An extended temperature range study

An electronically conducting nanomaterial was synthesized by nanocrystallization of a 90V₂O₅·10P₂O₅ glass and its electrical properties were studied in an extended temperature range from − 170 to + 400 °C. The conductivity of the prepared nanomaterial reaches 2 ? 10^− 1 S cm^− 1 at 400 °C and 2 ? 10^− 3 S cm^− 1 at room temperature. It is higher than that of the original glass by a factor of 25 at room temperature and more than 100 below − 80 °C. A key role in the conductivity enhancement was ascribed to the material's microstructure, and in particular to the presence of the large number of small (ca. 20 nm) grains of crystalline V₂O₅. The observed conductivity dependencies are discussed in terms of the Mott's theory of the electronic hopping transport in disordered systems. Since V₂O₅ is known for its ability to intercalate lithium, the presented results might be helpful in the development of cathode materials for Li-ion batteries.     

Synthesis of nanocrystals in KNb(Ge,Si)O5 glasses and chemical etching of nanocrystallized glass fibers

The nanocrystallization behavior of 25K₂O−25Nb₂O₅-(50−x)GeO₂-xSiO₂ glasses with x=0,25,and50 (i.e., KNb(Ge,Si)O₅ glasses) and the chemical etching behavior of transparent nanocrystallized glass fibers have been examined. All glasses show nanocrystallization, and the degree of transparency of the glasses studied depends on the heat treatment temperature. Transparent nanocrystallized glasses can be obtained if the glasses are heat treated at the first crystallization peak temperature. Transparent nanocrystallized glass fibers with a diameter of about 100 μm in 25K₂O-25Nb₂O₅-50GeO₂ are fabricated, and fibers with sharpened tips (e.g., the taper length is about 450 μm and the tip angle is about 12°) are obtained using a meniscus chemical etching method, in which etching solutions of 10 wt%-HF/hexane and 10 M-NaOH/hexane are used. Although the tip (aperture size) has not a nanoscaled size, the present study suggests that KNb(Ge,Si)O₅ nanocrystallized glass fibers have a potential for new near-field optical fiber probes with high refractive indices of around n=1.8 and high dielectric constants of around ε=58 (1 kHz, room temperature).     

Electrical conductivity improvement of strontium titanate doped lead vanadate glasses by nanocrystallization

The structural and electrical conductivity (σ) of annealed SrTiO₃–PbO₂–V₂O₅ glasses were studied. The annealing of initially glass samples leads to formation of nanocrystalline grains embedded in the glassy matrix. XRD patterns of the glass–ceramic samples show that nanocrystals were embedded in the glassy matrix with an average grain size of 32 nm. The glass–ceramic nanocrystals obtained by annealing at temperatures close to the crystallization temperature T_c exhibit enhancement of electrical conductivity up to four orders of magnitude than initially glasses. The enhancement of the electrical conductivity due to annealing was attributed to two interdependent factors: (i) an increase of concentration of V⁴⁺–V⁵⁺ pairs; and (ii) formation of defective, well-conducting regions along the glass–crystallites interfaces. From the conductivity temperature relation, it was found that small polaron hopping model was applicable at temperature above θ_D/2 (θ_D, the Debye temperature). The electrical conduction at T >θ_D/2 was due to non-adiabatic small polaron hopping (SPH) of electrons between vanadium ions. The parameters obtained from the fits of the experimental data to this model appear reasonable and are consistent with glass composition.     

The thermal study of oxyfluoride glass with strontium fluoride

A thulium (Tm 3+) doped oxyfluoride glass ceramic containing SrF2 nanocrystals has been presented. Transparent glass ceramic was obtained by heat treating the glass from the SiO2-Al2O3-ZnO-SrF2 system at the first crystallization temperature. Cerammization of glass was studied by DTA/DSC, XRD and SEM methods. It has been found that nanocrystallization of SrF2 strongly depends on the ratio between the components and amount of SrF2. Moreover the rare earth dopant Tm3+ influenced on the thermal properties of glass. The formation of SrF2 nanocrystals in glass ceramic was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. X-ray diffraction analysis of the transparent glass ceramic revealed that the SrF2 nanocrystals are precipitated in the glass matrix. Analysis of the local atomic interactions in the structure of oxyfluoride glass has been used to explain the course of the crystallization.     

Improved plasticity of iron-based high-strength bulk metallic glasses by copper-induced nanocrystallization

A significant enhancement in plasticity was achieved by the micro-addition of Cu in Fe-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) which have high strength at room-temperature. It was found that the nanocrystallization caused by the formation of the α-Fe phase is responsible for the improvement in plasticity of the Fe-based BMGs. Our results suggest that the micro-addition of Cu is a promising approach to enhancing the plasticity of Fe-based BMGs through compositional and structural design by microalloying.