Miniaturization of components and devices calls for an increased effort on physically motivated continuum theories, which can predict size-dependent plasticity by accounting for length scales associated with the dislocation microstructure. An important recent development has been the formulation of a Continuum Dislocation Dynamics theory (CDD) that provides a kinematically consistent continuum description of the dynamics of curved dislocation systems [T. Hochrainer, et al., Philos. Mag.87, 1261 (2007)]. In this work, we present a brief overview of dislocation-based continuum plasticity models. We illustrate the implementation of CDD by a numerical example, bending of a thin film, and compare with results obtained by three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) simulation.

Line width and line thickness thermal strain components in passivated Al and Cu lines were observed to relax much more than the line length strain component. Although the width-to-thickness ratios were large, 3.5 and 4.4 for Al and Cu lines, respectively, the behaviors of the thermal stresses were far from the equibiaxial. Observed changes in deviatoric strains between room temperature and 190 °C for Al and 300 °C for Cu were consistent with a model in which the changes in line width and line thickness strains were simply related to changes in line length strains by the uniaxial Poisson’s ratio. Changes in line length strains were determined by the differences in metal and substrate thermal expansion coefficients and the magnitudes of temperature changes through retained elastic strain coefficients for Al of 30% for heating and for Cu of 60% for heating and 80% for cooling, with the balance accommodated by relaxation.

This work reports the continuous and large-scale production of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) from xylene/ferrocene in a swirled floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition reactor using argon as the carrier gas. The concentration of ferrocene used was 0.01 g/mL of xylene. In every run, 50-mL xylene gas was used together with xylene/ferrocene mixture injected into the reactor by means of a burette. The MWCNTs produced were characterized using the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectra. TEM analysis showed a poor production rate at 850 °C and a good production in the range of 900–1000 °C with optimal production rate at 950 °C. Furthermore, xylene/ferrocene mixture produced more MWCNTs at 950 °C with H:Ar (1:7) as the carrier gas. The diameters of the MWCNTs in the temperatures studied ranged from 15 to 95 nm with wall thicknesses between 0.5 and 0.8 nm.

Spinning carbon nanotube (CNT) thread directly from 4–6 mm long aligned carbon nanotube arrays is reported here. The strength of carbon nanotube thread was improved by optimizing the chemical vapor deposition parameters for growing long aligned carbon nanotube arrays. The morphological and structural characterization of CNT arrays and threads were studied by Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. After optimization of growth parameters threads were spun with diameters between 10 and 70 μm. We have achieved thread strength of about 280 MPa.

Tungsten nanoparticles (W-NPs) with average sizes ranging between 30 and 80 nm were prepared by thermolytic decomposition of tungsten hexacarbonyl in presence of a mixture of surfactants, oleic acid and oleyl amine. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results reveal that the surfactants oleic acid and oleyl amine bonded to the surface of W-NP through their functional groups, which in turn render stability to the nanopowders with respect to coarsening or aggregation. XPS results also confirm that carbon is present only at the surface of the W-NPs. The as-synthesized W-NPs were amorphous, and on heat treatment at 600 °C for 1 h, the amorphous powders transform into a body-centered cubic crystalline form (α-W).

High-concentration niobium (V)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles of the nonequilibrium chemical composition have been synthesized via Ar/O2 radio-frequency thermal plasma oxidation of mist precursor solutions with various Nb5+ concentrations (Nb/(Ti + Nb) = 0–25.0 at.%). The solubility as high as ∼25.0 at.% has not been achieved before by wet-chemical techniques. The preferable anatase formation was attained in the plasma-synthesized powders and was enhanced by the niobium doping. All the powders were heated at high temperatures (600–800 °C) to investigate their phase transformation, band gap variation, inter-particulate binding behavior, and photocatalytic stability. The transformation from anatase to rutile was effectively inhibited by increasing the Nb5+ content. The Nb5+ doping prevented the band gap of TiO2 from narrowing after the heating. At high temperatures, Nb5+ doping could not only preserve particle size but also prevent inter-particulate binding. High concentration (25.0 at.%) Nb5+ doping retained the photocatalytic performance almost invariably irrespective of being thermally treated.

Upon rapid heating to a high temperature (~800 °C), mixtures of nitrate compounds and urea created nano and submicron metal particles. The process (reductive/expansion synthesis, RES) results in atomic scale mixing. The product formed from mixed-nitrate (Fe + Ni) salts and urea created true metallic alloy. Unlike other product-from-powder synthesis processes, this process produced only zero valent metal. Initial work suggests this method is a scalable and efficient means for making metallic nanoparticles. Although this is primarily a phenomenological report, a preliminary model is presented: Initially, nitrates decompose to oxide; thus in the absence of urea metal oxide particles form, as in the case of combustion synthesis. In the case of urea/nitrate mixtures, there is a “convolution” of decomposition processes. Urea decomposes to yield reducing gases, leading to the formation of metal rather than oxide. Rapid “expansion” of gas leads to “shattering,” resulting in highly dispersed particles.

Flake-like Fe particles with controllable size and structures were achieved by modulating only the grinding speed; evidence provided by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, resistivity measurement system, and vector network analyzer disclosed the conductivity; and microwave electromagnetic (EM) and absorbing characteristics of the resultant products strongly depended on their morphology and structure. As grinding speed (V) increases from 0 to 250 revolutions per minute (rpm), the crystalline size decreases; meanwhile, both internal strain and diameter/thickness ratio increase and the conductivity reaches the maximal value at V = 140 rpm because of the improvement of the surface conductivity. Thin flake-like Fe particles facilely obtained at high grinding speed present higher values of the permittivity and permeability than spherical particles, which are ascribed to the multiple polarizations and the natural resonance. Thus, the aforementioned products with high permeability and low cost may be promising candidates for EM compatibility materials.

Broadband spectral conversion from visible light to near-infrared radiation in Ce3+–Nd3+/Yb3+ codoped yttrium aluminum garnet is reported. Excitation, emission spectra, and decay curves have been measured to prove the energy transfer from Ce3+ to Nd3+ or Yb3+. The energy transfer efficiencies have been estimated, and the mechanisms of the energy transfer between Ce3+ and Nd3+/Yb3+ have been proposed. Ce3+–Nd3+ codoped YAG can obtain more effective emission in the desired near-infrared region (around 1100 nm) through broadband conversion, showing potential application to improve the conversion efficiency of Si solar cells.

Near-infrared quantum cutting involving the conversion of one visible photon into two near-infrared photons was demonstrated in Ca0.99−xYbxWO4: Tb0.01 phosphors. From the analysis of the refinement of x-ray diffraction patterns, the suitable concentration range of Yb3+ in Ca0.99WO4: 0.01Tb3+ was determined to be 0–20%. By investigating their luminescent spectra and decay lifetimes, second-order downconversion from Tb3+ to Yb3+ were proved and the possible quantum cutting mechanism was proposed. Quantum efficiency related to Yb3+ concentration was calculated and the maximum efficiency was reached at 140.4%. Because the energy of Yb3 + 2F7/2 → 2F5/2 transition matches well with the band gap of the crystalline Si, the Ca0.99−xYbxWO4: Tb0.01 phosphors could be potentially applied in silicon-based solar cells.

To detect the relatively strong scattering signals of the Raman scattering and the x-ray diffraction (XRD) from CdS and those from the CdS/CdTe interface, an inverted CdTe solar cell structure was prepared and a 35-nm-thick CdS film was deposited on the surface of a CdTe solar cell structure. The Raman and high-resolution XRD scattering spectra allowed us to qualitatively study the interdiffusion and its related reactions at the CdS/CdTe interface. Interdiffusion began to occur at a relatively low temperature of about 350 °C, which coincided with the CdS phase transformation from cubic to hexagonal phase. Substantial interdiffusion of S and Te occurred after heat treatment at a temperature of 550 °C, resulting in formation of S-rich and Te-rich CdSxTe1−x alloy at the CdS/CdTe interface, with S and Te atomic concentration of ∼9% and 11% diffused into the CdTe and the CdS films, respectively.

Nanoparticles of Cd1–xCuxS (x = 0–0.15) were synthesized by chemical coprecipitation using thiophenol as a capping agent. The x-ray diffraction patterns reveal that the pure and doped CdS nanoparticles are single phase with cubic zinc blende structure. The transmission electron microscopy shows the average size of the nanoparticles is about 8.5 nm. Optical absorption spectra indicate the energy gap decreases with increasing Cu2+ concentration. The broad emission peak around 520 nm is completely quenched with increasing Cu2+ content. The electron spin resonance analysis also confirms the Cu (II) ion to be doped substitutionally in CdS nanoparticles and the Lande factor of all the samples with sharp resonance is g = 2.0.

Iodine-doped CdS (I-CdS) with controllable morphologies, pure hexagonal phase, and enhanced photocatalytic activity was synthesized via a mild hydrothermal process with polyvinylpyrrolidone-iodine (PVP-I) acting as the template-directing reagent and iodine source. The morphologies of the as-prepared samples could be adjusted from irregular cone-shaped particles to uneven microspheres, further to smooth microspheres, while the crystal phases were also transformed from mixed cubic and hexagonal phases to pure hexagonal phase upon increasing the molar ratio of PVP-I to Cd2+ from 0 to 2. The iodine doping could result in red shift of the absorption edges and band gap narrowing of the I-CdS samples. Importantly, a critical point of 0.5 of molar ratio of PVP-I to Cd2+ for iodine doping was found to be necessary for obtaining a pure hexagonal phase that facilitates the improving of photocatalytic activity on the degradation of Rhodamine B in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation.

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) belongs to a class of important II–VI semiconductors widely used in optical, sensor, and laser materials and quantum-dot light-emitting diodes. Here we present the first direct calorimetric measurement of the surface energy of wurtzite CdSe. CdSe nanoparticles with particle size between 20 and 60 nm were prepared by a hydrothermal method without additives to control morphology, and the surface energy was derived from the drop solution enthalpies in molten sodium molybdate and from water adsorption calorimetry. The surface energy of the hydrated surface is 1.31 ± 0.26 J/m2, whereas that of the anhydrous surface is 1.65 ± 0.27 J/m2. These values are significantly lower than those for ZnO and many other oxides.