A new target design is presented to model high-energy radiative accretion shocks in polars. In this paper, we present the experimental results obtained on the GEKKO XII laser facility for the POLAR project. The experimental results are compared with 2D FCI2 simulations to characterize the dynamics and the structure of plasma flow before and after the collision. The good agreement between simulations and experimental data confirms the formation of a reverse shock where cooling losses start modifying the post-shock region. With the multi-material structure of the target, a hydrodynamic collimation is exhibited and a radiative structure coupled with the reverse shock is highlighted in both experimental data and simulations. The flexibility of the laser energy produced on GEKKO XII allowed us to produce high-velocity flows and study new and interesting radiation hydrodynamic regimes between those obtained on the LULI2000 and Orion laser facilities.

Intermetallic titanium aluminides solidifying via the disordered β-phase are of great interest for several high-temperature applications in automotive and aircraft industries. In this paper the thermocyclic oxidation behavior of three β-solidifying γ-TiAl-based alloys at 800°C and 900°C in air, with and without fluorine treatment, is reported for the first time. The behavior of the well-known TNM alloy (Ti-43.5Al-4Nb-1Mo-0.1B, in at.%) is compared with that of two Nb-free model alloys which contain different amounts of Mo (Ti-44Al-3Mo and Ti-44Al-7Mo, in at.%). During thermocyclic high-temperature exposure in air a mixed oxide scale develops on all three untreated alloys. Small additions of fluorine in the subsurface region of the alloys change the oxidation mechanism from mixed oxide scale formation to alumina at both temperatures. The oxidation resistance of the fluorine treated samples was significantly improved compared to the untreated samples.

In the present study, the crystallographic features of bcc/T1/T2 three-phase microstructure in a directionally solidified Mo–32.2Nb–19.5Si–4.7B (at.%) alloy have been examined by electron back-scattering diffraction (EBSD) analysis. The alloy was directionally solidified using an optical floating zone (OFZ) furnace in a flowing Ar gas atmosphere at a constant growth rate of 10 mm/hour. The microstructure of the directionally solidified alloy is characterized by an elongated T2 phase surrounded by inclusions of bcc and T1 phases with an interwoven morphology. The T2 grains are faceted on the (001) planes and elongated along the [110] direction. The T2 phase has an orientation relationship of (001)T2 // (011)bcc and [130]T2 // [2 ${\rm{\bar 1}}$ 1]bcc with the bcc phase, whereas any particular orientation relationships of T1 phase with bcc and T2 phases have not been found. These crystallographic features of bcc/T1/T2 three-phase microstructure suggest that the primary T2 phase crystallizes and grows along the [110] direction in liquid phase, followed by nucleation of the bcc phase on the interface between T2 and liquid phases, resulting in bcc/T1 two-phase eutectic reaction surrounding the elongated T2 phase.

New low aluminium high niobium TiAl alloys exhibit a nano scale modulated microstructure consisting of lamellae with a tweed substructure. These tweed like appearing lamellae are a modulated arrangement of at least two phases. One constituent of the crystallographic modulation in the lamellae is an orthorhombic phase, which is closely related to both the hexagonal α2-Ti3Al phase and the cubic B2 ordered βo-TiAl phase.

In this study the nature and formation of this orthorhombic phase has been investigated by high-energy X-ray diffraction.

Measurements have shown that the newly formed orthorhombic phase is structurally comparable to the O phase (Ti2AlNb). It forms in the temperature range of 550 °C to 670 °C from the α2 phase by small atomic displacements and chemical reordering. The in situ experiments yielded information about the thermal stability of the orthorhombic phase. After dissolving at temperatures above 700 °C the phase can be re-precipitated by annealing within the temperature range of formation.

The existence of Pt7Cu ordering phase (intermetallic compound) was investigated by ab initio calculations and high voltage electron microscopy (HVEM) focusing on irradiation-induced ordering. The Pt7Cu ordering phase (cF32, prototype Ca7Ge) was predicted at 0 K through density functional theory (DFT), and using cluster expansion (CE) method and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation, the ordering temperature of fcc-based Pt7Cu ordering phase was estimated to be above room temperature. The formation of Pt7Cu ordering phase was confirmed by a short-time irradiation for 3.6×103 s at 600 K. MeV electron irradiation can reduce drastically the annealing time for the ordering in the Pt-Cu alloy system, indicating that the combination of the prediction by ab initio calculations and HVEM can offer the unique opportunity to investigate the existence of ordering phase in alloys.

Ensuring microstructural stability under technical relevant conditions is a determining criterion for the development of innovative high-temperature materials. In this work, the influ-ence of C and Si on the microstructural stability during creep exposure was investigated for a β-solidifying γ-TiAl based alloy with a nominal composition of Ti-43.5Al-4Nb-1Mo-0.1B (in at.%), named TNM. With a two-step heat treatment a microstructure consisting of fine lamellar α2/γ-colonies, surrounded by βo-phase and areas of discontinuous precipitation, starting from the boundaries of the lamellar colonies, was adjusted. Creep tests were carried out to examine the potential of C and Si to prevent microstructural instability during creep and hence improving the creep properties. At 815 °C the discontinuous precipitation process of the TNM alloy continues during ensuing creep testing leading to a reduced creep resistance. In comparison, the minimum creep rate of the TNM-0.3C-0.3Si alloy was significantly decreased caused by the lower βo-phase content and average lamellar spacing within the α2/γ-colonies, the precipitation of p-Ti3AlC carbides and the retarded kinetics of discontinuous precipitation.

The electronic properties of the interface between Rh clusters and CeO2 (111), (110) and (100) surfaces were studied using an isothermal-isobaric (NPT) ensemble at 773 K and 101.343 kPa using the tight binding-quantum chemical molecular dynamics (TB-QCMD) method. The amount of electronic exchange by interaction at the interface between the supported Rh55 clusters and each CeO2 surface was investigated quantitatively. A comparison of the mean square displacement (MSD) showed that the topmost oxygens on the Rh-supporting CeO2 surface exhibited higher mobility than those of the bare CeO2 surface. Although the mobility of the topmost oxygens on the bare CeO2 surface was in the order (100) > (110) > (111), this sequence was altered by the presence of Rh, so that the oxygen mobility for the more open (110) surface was the largest. The amount of electron exchange that occurred between Rh and the CeO2 (110) surface was also larger than for the (111) or (100) surface. The Ce 4f orbitals on the CeO2 (110) surface exhibited the strongest mixing with Rh 4d orbitals, which simultaneously caused restructuring and instability of the topmost Ce-O bonds. This enhancement of oxygen migration in the presence of Rh was occurred together with an increase in the number of oxygen vacancies on the ceria surface. This was because the topmost oxygens was shifted to have a stronger affinity with Rh and thus formed stronger bonds with Rh than with Ce.

In the current research, we have utilized sol-gel electrophoresis technique to grow PbTiO3 nanotube arrays in porous anodic alumina template channels. By using this method high quality and more condense nanotubes are obtained compared with other usual sol-gel methods. Also, the effect of the anodizing parameters on the diameter of the template pores, and effect of electrophoresis voltage on wall thickness were investigated.

Pentacene-based ferroelectric gate transistors with croconic acid (CrA) thin film was fabricated for the first time. The memory window (MW) of 1.9 V was obtained from the capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of Al/CrA(50 nm)/SiO2/Si(100) metal-ferroelectric-insulator-semiconductor (MFIS) diode, where the deposition temperature of CrA was room temperature (RT). Butterfly type C-V characteristics was observed for Al/CrA(50 nm)/Al/SiO2/ Si(100) metal-ferroelectric-metal (MFM) diode. Furthermore, a pentacene-based p-type organic field-effect transistor (OFET) with CrA gate insulator was fabricated, and clockwise hysteresis loop was observed in ID-VG characteristic, which is attributed to the ferroelectric properties of CrA gate insulator.

In this paper, we explore the interfacial effects appearing in highly strained La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) ultra-thin films (10-12nm) grown on BaTiO3 (BTO) ferroelectric substrates. The strong tendency to phase separation of this optimally doped manganite contributes to the exotic phenomena observed in magnetism and transport experiments: the so-called Matteucci magnetic loops, magnetic granularity and a second metal insulator transition are observed between 50K and the LCMO Curie temperature, 180K. All these properties define the multiferroic character of these heterostructures, which in LCMO//BTO system is strongly linked to magnetoelastic coupling.

We present the results of the Nobeyama Radio Observatory (NRO) M 33 All Disk (30′ × 30′, or 7.3 kpc  ×  7.3 kpc) Survey of Giant Molecular Clouds (NRO MAGiC) based on 12CO(J = 1–0) observations using the NRO 45-m telescope and 12CO(J = 3–2) observations using the ASTE 10-m telescope. The spatial resolution of the resultant 12CO(J = 1–0) map is 193, corresponding to 81 pc, which is sufficient to identify each Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) in the disk. We found clumpy structures with a typical spatial scale of  ~100 pc, corresponding to GMCs, and no diffuse, smoothly distributed component of molecular gas at this sensitivity.

We obtained a map of the molecular fraction, fmol = ΣH2/(ΣHi + ΣH2), at a 100-pc resolution. This is the first fmol map covering an entire galaxy with a GMC-scale resolution. The correlation between fmol and gas surface density shows two distinct sequences. The presence of two correlation sequences can be explained by differences in metallicity, i.e., higher (~2-fold) metallicity in the central region (r <  1.5 kpc) than in the outer parts. Alternatively, differences in scale height can also account for the two sequences, i.e., increased scale height toward the outer disk.

Epidemiological studies suggested that n-6 fatty acids, especially linoleic acid (LA), have beneficial effects on CHD, whereas some in vitro studies have suggested that n-6 fatty acids, specifically arachidonic acid (AA), may have harmful effects. We examined the association of serum n-6 fatty acids with plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). A population-based cross-sectional study recruited 926 randomly selected men aged 40–49 years without CVD during 2002–2006 (310 Caucasian, 313 Japanese and 303 Japanese-American men). Plasma PAI-1 was analysed in free form, both active and latent. Serum fatty acids were measured with gas-capillary liquid chromatography. To examine the association between total n-6 fatty acids (including LA and AA) and PAI-1, multivariate regression models were used. After adjusting for confounders, total n-6 fatty acids, LA and AA, were inversely and significantly associated with PAI-1 levels. These associations were consistent across three populations. Among 915 middle-aged men, serum n-6 fatty acids had significant inverse associations with PAI-1.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.

The authors have reported in the previous study that the sluggish decomposition of Nb3Si phase is effectively accelerated by Zr addition [1]. This is obvious at lower temperature range than the nose temperature of the TTT curve. In the present study a eutectic alloy containing 1.5 % of Zr was investigated. The crystallographic orientation relationships among phases, such as eutectic Nb and product phases formed by eutectoid decomposition of Nb3Si (eutectoid Nb and Nb5Si3 phases) in the Zr-containing sample which was heat treated at 1300°C were investigated by FESEM/EBSD for further understanding of the decomposition process in alloy with a different microstructure.

The liquid/solid interface provides an ideal environment to investigate self-assembly phenomena and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is the preferred methodology to probe the structure and the properties of physisorbed monolayers on the nanoscale. Physisorbed monolayers are of relevance in areas such as lubrication, patterning of surfaces on the nanoscale, and thin film based organic electronic devices, to name a few. It's important to gain insight in the factors which control the ordering of molecules at the liquid/solid interface in view of the targeted properties. STM provides detailed insight into the importance of molecule-substrate (epitaxy) and molecule-molecule interactions to direct the ordering of both achiral and chiral molecules on the atomically flat surface. The electronic properties of the self-assembled physisorbed molecules can be probed by taking advantage of the operation principle of STM, revealing spatially resolved intramolecular differences within these physisorbed molecules.

In-situ observation of the formation and disappearance of the surface relief associated with the twinning during the order-disorder transitions among CuAu-I (L10), CuAu-II (PAP) and disordered fcc phases was conducted using Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy equipped with a gold image furnace. The Retro effect was confirmed in poly-crystal samples, however no evidence was found in single-crystal samples. Also observed in poly-crystal samples are that the disordering temperature detected by the disappearing of relieves is different from grain to grain, and that grain boundary cracking alleviates the Retro effect. The observed phenomena were explained based on the crystallographic orientation relationship among grains investigated by FESEM/EBSD in terms of the elastic strain effect around grain boundaries induced by transition. It was confirmed that in each grain the surface relieves correspond to a set of two {011} planes having a <100> axis perpendicular to both planes in common. It was also found that the larger the average strain of two neighboring grains is, the lower the transition temperature. This observation was explained by the stress effect on the stability of a phase.

In order to overcome the brittleness of Nb-Si intermetallic compounds, a novel microstructure control through a eutectic solidification and a eutectoid decomposition reactions has been proposed for obtaining Nb matrix alloys with Nb-silicide dispersion by the present authors. As the additions of Zr and Mg accelerate the eutectoid decomposition rate and spheroidization of Nb-silicide during heat treatment, the effects of these additives on the eutectic microstructure are investigated. The effect of the growth rate during the uni-directional solidification on the microstructure of a selected alloy was examined and it was found that the following eutectoid reaction rate is strongly affected by the growth rate.

In order to attain a better oxidation resistance of Ni-based superalloys for high performance engines, a ReCr-based sigma-phase diffusion barrier coating between the MCrAlY bond coat (Al reservoir) layer and a Ni-based superalloy substrate has been proposed to suppress the diffusion of Al and other elements. The deformation behavior of TMS82+ superalloy specimens with coating layers composed of an Al-rich surface layer (corresponding to a bond coat) and a ReCr sigma-phase inner layer is investigated. In-situ observation of the bending tests using a Laser scanning confocal microscopy revealed that the crack formation in the Al-rich surface layer(s) on the tension side of the bend specimen occurs at an early stage of bending. On the other hand, small cracks in the sigma-phase layer under the Al-rich surface layer(s) are formed at the slip traces in the Ni-based superalloy single crystal substrate. This suggests a good adhesion between the sigma-phase and the Ni-based superalloy. At the compression side, in both the Al-rich surface layer(s) and the sigma-phase layer no cracking was observed until the Al-rich surface layer(s) shows buckling.

Formation of intermetallic phases upon heating of films composed of alternating layers of metal and amorphous silicon has been studied using power-compensated differential scanning calorimetry, crosssectional transmission electron microscopy, and thin film x-ray diffractrometry. Results for Ni/amorphous-Si (Ni/a-Si), Ti/a-Si, V/a- Si, and Co/a-Si are reviewed. In the first three cases, an amorphous silicide is the first phase to form. Further heating leads to thickening of the amorphous silicide and eventually to formation and growth of layers of crystalline silicides. In the case of Co/a-Si multilayer films, a crystalline silicide (CoSi) appears to be the first phase to form. In these systems calorimetric measurements suggest that there are barriers to nucleation of the crystalline phases, even though the energy reduction that would accompany their formation from pure components is large. It is suggested that interdiffusion may precede the formation of new phases at the original metal/a-Si interfaces, resulting in a significant decrease in the driving force for nucleation of the crystalline phases.