The maximum undercoolings of 304, 318, 308, and 296 K were achieved, respectively, in Fe-22, 26, 30, and 34 at.% Co alloys. The metastable bcc phase nucleated from melts when undercoolings exceeded critical ones. The critical undercoolings for the formation of metastable bcc phase from Fe-22, 26, 30, and 34 at.% Co melts were 104, 156, 204, and 248 K, respectively. The morphologies of as-obtained metastable bcc phase exhibited five typical patterns: dendrite cores with primary and second arms, well-developed second arms, and radiated, lath, and platelike structures. Based on the classical nucleation theory, the solidification behavior of the melts was analyzed with regard to the metastable phase formation when the melts were undercooled greater than critical undercoolings. The formation of various morphologies was also evaluated to consider the solidification behavior of the undercooled melts.

Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-based ceramics were thermally annealed at 700–900 °C for 4 h. Both the relative dielectric constant and dissipation factor in the vicinity of transition temperature were increased when the specimens were thermally annealed at 700–900 °C, but the diffusion factor was decreased. After thermal annealing, the maximum dielectric constant Km was increased from about 11,000 to 26,000. These phenomena can be related to the domain wall motion and the elimination of internal stress.

The crystallization temperature of yttria-doped tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (Y-TZP) amorphous precursors can be lowered 150 °C below that currently used (≥500 °C), if “seeding assisted chemical coprecipitation” is used. Completely crystallized Y-TZP nanocrystalline powder was obtained by calcining at 350 °C in air; the Y-TZP precursors seeded with 10 wt% of nanometric (∼8 nm) Y-TZP particles. The seed particles enhanced both the nucleation and the crystallization rates at lower temperatures. From such a powder, 99% dense and nanostructured (grain size, <90 n m) Y-TZP bodies can be prepared by sintering below 1050 °C.

Large-sized β–Si3N4 crystals up to 10 mm in length and 0.3 mm in diameter with low impurity concentration are successfully grown from silicon melt in a nitrogen atmosphere. By controlling the concentration of impurities in the silicon melt, a new kind of β–Si3N4 crystal, that is, a transparent coloring one with an absorption edge around a wavelength of 520 nm, is obtained.

Subsolidus equilibria in air in the La2O3−CeO2−Co2O3 system were studied with the aim to obtain information on possible interactions between LaCoO3-based cathode and CeO2-based solid electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). No ternary compound was found. The tie line is between LaCoO3 and CeO2.

The chemical reactions and the compositional characteristics of liquids which lead to the phase formation of the Bi(Pb)-2223 [(Bi, Pb): Sr: Ca: Cu: O] superconductor have been studied for a precursor composition of Bi1.8Pb0.4Sr2Ca2.2Cu3Ox. The combined techniques of quenching, powder x-ray diffraction, differential thermal/thermogravimetric analysis (DTA/TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the subsolidus phases and the presence of liquid. Samples were annealed under purified air and under a volume fraction mixture of 7.5% O2/92.5% Ar. The effects of Ag in both the pure air and the 7.5% O2/92.5% Ar experiments were also studied. Results are discussed with respect to their processing implications.

Compared to entrapped spherical pores in YBa2Cu3O7−y (123) crystals melt-textured without additives, the pores entrapped within 123 crystals melt-textured with 5 wt% BaCeO3 are elongated and aligned parallel to (100), (010), and (001) growth planes of the 123 crystals. The front side of the pores that meets first the growth front of the 123 crystal is faceted but the backside is wavy. Many BaCeO3 particles are segregated at the wavy surface. The crystallographic alignment of the elongated pores and the segregation of BaCeO3 particles are discussed in terms of the contact angle of the pores on the growth front and interfacial energy relationships between the related phases.

Rod-shaped samples of YBa2Cu3O6+x (Y123) with different contents of Y2BaCuO5 (Y211) are textured by the partial-zone melting method in order to produce single-domain specimens. The microstructure and magnetic properties of the samples are analyzed as a function of the Y211 initial addition. Y211 precipitates are more homogeneously distributed and smaller, and the superconducting properties of the sample also improve, so when the initial content of Y211 increases, Jc values are high. Texture analysis is carried out by the x-ray pole figure technique.

Inorganic-organic hybrids (M–O–PDMS hybrids) have been synthesized from silanolterminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and inorganic sources of Al(O–sec–C4H9)3, Ti(OC2H5)4, and Ta(OC2H5)5. The molar ratio of M(OR)n/PDMS and the inorganic component derived from the different metal alkoxides were found to influence the structure and mechanical properties of the hybrids. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements showed that the interaction between the inorganic component and PDMS increased in the order Al–O–PDMS < Ta–O–PDMS < Ti–O–PDMS hybrid. The stress-strain experiments revealed that the mechanical properties of the M–O–PDMS hybrids differed by the inorganic component, reflecting the network structure and strength of the interaction between the inorganic component and PDMS.

Phase transformation and physical characteristics of the spray-pyrolyzed Tl–Ba–Ca–Cu–O superconducting films with 3 mol% silver dopant have been studied using electrical resistivity, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The major phase formed in the resultant film, annealed at a temperature of 885 °C for 3 min, was found to be the nearly single-phase, high-Tc Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3Oy (Tl-2223). The multiple phase of Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3Oy and TlBa2Ca2Cu3Oy (Tl-1223) appeared at annealing temperatures lower and higher than 885 °C. It was also observed that Ag dopant effectively reduces normal resistivity at 300 K and enhances the phase transformation of single-Tl-layer Tl-1223 to double-Tl-layer Tl-2223 phases and further helps to form the nearly single-phase Tl-2223 within a short duration. Critical transition temperature (Tc,zero) and current density (Jc, 77 K, 0 Tesla) of the best resultant film were shown to be 123 K and 5.7 × 104 A/cm2, respectively.

Impurity atmospheres around dislocations have been studied in n-type Si-doped liquid encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) GaAs substrates by micro-Raman spectroscopy, diluted Sirtl-like etching with light (DSL) method, and electron-beam-induced current (EBIC). A complete morphological study of the recombinative atmospheres revealed by photoetching was achieved by phase stepping microscopy (PSM), which is an optical interferometry technique allowing to obtain the surface topography with a high vertical resolution (in the nanometer range). The minority carrier diffusion length was measured by EBIC at different points of the atmospheres. Structural distortion at the regions surrounding the dislocation core were observed by micro-Raman spectroscopy. The carrier depletion depth and the recombination of the photogenerated carriers were also studied by Raman spectroscopy, obtaining a good agreement with the EBIC data and the photoetching rates. Impurity gettering and diffusion and defect reactions involving As interstitials are assumed to play a major role in the formation of the recombinative atmospheres.

An In0.25Ga0.75Sb/InAs strained-layer superlattice, grown by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) on a GaSb[001] substrate, has been characterized by four-circle x-ray diffractometry. This system, proposed by Maliot and Smith for ir detection application, is challenging because of the two group V species and the likelihood of cross-incorporation of the different elements during growth, leading possibly to interdiffusion and thus, to a more diffuse interface. High-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD) profiles were obtained about several reciprocal lattice points in order to extract a reliable set of structural parameters. The profiles were then successfully modeled by computer simulation. The presence of many sharp higher-order satellite reflections in the XRD profiles is a measure of the high quality of the superlattices. The normal and lateral structural coherence was also measured and will be discussed.

We have studied the thermoelectric properties of a SiC-based thermoelectric semiconductor with Ag and polysilastylene (PSS) as a dopant and as a sintering additive, respectively. Ag is an effective dopant to decrease the electrical resistivity of the SiC-based p-type thermoelectric semiconductor. It introduces carrier (hole) concentration 103−104 times larger than the case of Al-doped SiC with the typical doping concentration. PSS can control the sample density, which is one of the important factors in decreasing the electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of the sintered samples. The figure of merit of the sample with Ag 2.0 wt% and PSS 0.1 wt% was estimated to reach 4 × 10−4 K−1 at 700 °C. This value implies that the SiC/Ag system is one of the promising thermoelectric materials for a high-temperature region.

The synthesis of nanocrystalline Fe, Fe–4 wt% Al, and Fe–10 wt% Al solid solutions by SPEX ball milling has been studied. The microstructural evolution during ball milling, as well as subsequent heat treatment, has been characterized. The results demonstrate that ball milling promotes the formation of αFe–4 wt% Al and αFe–10 wt% Al solid solutions by reducing the activation energy of these alloys and generating thermal energy during this process. For Fe–10 wt% Al powders milled for various time intervals up to approximately 20 min, the FeAl intermetallic compound is formed. For alloys annealed at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1000 °C, the addition of 10 wt% Al to Fe significantly enhances the thermal stability of the nanocrystalline Fe–Al alloys. Interestingly, the addition of Al within the range of 4–10 wt% seems to have little effect on the thermal stability of these alloys annealed under the same conditions. Also, the thermal stability improves for alloys milled in air as opposed to those processed using Ar.

Recently, it was demonstrated that grain refinement in undercooled Cu30Ni70 is brought about by a remelting of those initially formed dendrites (termed novel dendrites) which are unstable against melting. Also, it was found that in the same transition regime, there is a sharp drop in the specific volume of the undercooled specimens. Before entering into the transition regime, the novel dendrites found in an undercooled specimen are arranged in a regular pattern and the microstructures consist of large dendrites. Voids are found mainly at the dendritic spacings of the large dendrites. On the other hand, near the upper end of the transition regime, the microstructures consist of equiaxed refined grains. Furthermore, each of these grains contains a novel dendrite. Voids have moved to the interdendritic or grain boundaries. Based on these observations, a solidification mechanism of undercooled molten Cu30Ni70 is proposed.

Ultrafine Fe–Ni(C) particles of various compositions were prepared by arc discharge synthesis in a methane atmosphere. The particles were characterized by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy disperse spectroscopy, chemical analysis, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and magnetization measurement. The carbon atoms solubilizing at interstitial sites in γ–(Fe, Ni, C) solution particles have the effects of forming austenite structure and changing microstructures as well as magnetic properties. A carbon layer covers the surface of Fe–Ni(C) particles to form the nanocapsules and protect them from oxidization. The mechanism of forming Fe–Ni(C) nanocapsules in the methane atmosphere was analyzed.

Chemical element properties are generally classified in six groups: size, atomic number, electrochemical factor, valence-electron, cohesive energy, and angular valence-orbital. It is well known that some bulk properties of materials, like electrical conductivity and heat capacity of metals, may be interpreted in principle based on their constituent chemical element properties. In this study, effects of additives in galvanizing have been correlated to the chemical element properties of the additives. By screening all chemical elements (in the periodic table of elements) with this model, new additives, like Ca, Sc, Ge, Sr, and Y, have been predicted to reduce the steel weight loss in galvanizing. This model may also help to design new alloys as additives.

Composites containing micron-sized lead zirconate titanate and nanometer-sized lead sulfide in a glass matrix were prepared using a sol-gel technique. The PbS size ranged from 3.5 to 15.3 nm. It was possible to pole some of these nanocomposites. The measured values of saturation polarization, remanent polarization, and coercive field showed an increase as the PbS particle size was enhanced. The composites exhibited improvement in the piezoelectric and pyroelectric behavior as compared to that of the base glass-ceramic.

A novel method was studied for producing a ceramic-metal matrix composite (cermet) of Mo metal and zirconia powder. The first step was to precipitate dissolved molybdenum from solution onto activated zirconia powder. The molybdenum plated out on the zirconia as molybdenum hydroxide. Next, the coated powders were heated in a tube furnace under hydrogen gas to reduce the molybdenum hydroxide to metallic molybdenum. Finally, the powders were pressed and sintered into cermet pellets. The Mo coatings were 1.5 to 4.2 μm thick and very uniform, enabling the particles to be sintered together. The sintered pellets had superb electrical conductivity (less than 1 ohm of resistance).

A novel polyaniline-molybdenum trisulfide composite has been prepared by chemical polymerization from an acidic (1 M HCl) aqueous solution containing aniline and ammonium tetrathiomolybdate. The presence of molybdenum trisulfide in the polyaniline matrix induces morphological change to the polymer as evidenced by scanning electron micrographs. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry indicate that polyaniline-molybdenum trisulfide is slightly less crystalline than polyaniline-HCl. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and elemental analysis have been used to confirm the presence of molybdenum trisulfide in the polymer matrix. The XPS data also confirm that molybdenum trisulfide and tetrathiomolybdate anions are present with polyaniline to form a new inorganic-organic composite.