CeO2-doped YBaCuO monoliths synthesized with a top-seeded melt growth process in a conventional box furnace exhibited values of trapped magnetic field of up to 1.33 T at 77 K. To our knowledge, this is the highest value of trapped field reported for a melt-textured YBaCuO monolith. A suitable temperature profile and the use of high-density Y2BaCuO5 substrates led to reproducible single-domain crack-free samples investigated by optical and scanning electron microscopy and trapped field measurements. The zero-field-cooled levitation forces at 77 K of standard samples amounted to 70–83 N. A transport critical current density of up to 1.3 × 105 A/cm2 in self field at 77 K was obtained.

Large, single-grain Y–Ba–Cu–O (YBCO) was fabricated via the infiltration of Ba–Cu–O liquid into a precursor body composed of solid, porous Y2BaCuO5 (Y-211) and observed to trap a magnetic field of 0.15 T at 77 K. In this process a NdBCO seed crystal was used to promote heterogeneous nucleation, which allows the fabrication of single-grain YBCO containing a uniform and very fine distribution of Y-211 inclusions in the YBa2Cu3O7−δ(Y-123) matrix without the addition of Pt. These superior microstructural features and significant field trapping ability compared with samples processed by conventional top-seeded melt growth suggest this technique could be a practical alternative for processing large, single-grain superconductors for engineering applications.

Layered materials are susceptible to failure upon temperature cycling. This paper describes an intriguing mechanism: cracking in a brittle layer caused by ratcheting in an adjacent ductile layer. For example, on a silicon die directly attached to an organic substrate, cracking often occurs in the silicon nitride film over aluminum pads. The silicon die and the organic substrate have different thermal expansion coefficients, inducing shear stresses at the die corners. Aided by cycling temperature, the shear stresses cause ratcheting in the aluminum pads. Incrementally, the stress relaxes in the aluminum pads and builds up in the overlaying silicon nitride film, leading to cracks.

TiO2-coated hydroxyapatite single crystals were prepared by hydrolysis of Ti-bearing dicalcium phosphate powder. On the surface of the TiO2-coated hydroxyapatite single crystals, TiO2 regions and hydroxyapatite regions can function as photocatalysts and adsorbents for organic contaminants, respectively, allowing simultaneous decomposition of organic contaminants by the photocatalysis of TiO2 under irradiation. Therefore, the TiO2-coated hydroxyapatite single crystals can favorably be applied for antibacterial applications and environmental purification.

The structure of Ag nanoparticles, embedded in crystalline SiO2 by high-dose implantation, was investigated. It was found that single crystal is favored over multiple-twinned particles. In addition, the contracted (111) lattice spacing of the Ag nanocrystals was measured by x-ray diffraction.

Tetragonal ferroelectric materials are polarized to induce the anisotropy necessary for the piezoelectric effect. This poling of the material is inherently an orientation process. Pole figure texture measurements of poling and cross-poling in a lead zirconate titanate Navy VI material show domain motion. The resulting axisymmetric and three-dimensional textures demonstrate the contribution of 90° domain motion to piezoelectricity. Cross-poling results in strong orientations with lower applied fields than in the initial poling steps.

Co3O4 was prepared in aqueous solutions through a staged oxidation process. When the mole ratio of starting chemicals Co2+:OH− is ≤1:2 (Co2+ as a limiting reagent), the formation reaction follows the brucitelike phase to cobalt oxide-hydroxide, and then to cubic spinel. However, when the ratio of Co2+:OH− is > 1:2 (OH− as a limiting reagent), the reaction path changes to the brucite-like to hydrotalcite-like phase, and then to the spinel. Using the present method, Co3O4 can be formed at a temperature as low as 40 °C, and single-phase spinel Co3O4 can be prepared at 50 °C within hours under normal atmospheric pressure.

Tests with actual ground water from Hanford site, and fundamental studies of 2Na+ → Sr2+ exchange equilibria revealed that a synthetic clay is extremely selective for 90Sr with a high capacity for uptake. Comparative studies with existing Sr selective ion exchangers clearly revealed that the present synthetic clay exhibited the best performance for 90Sr removal from actual ground water collected from three different locations at Hanford. This novel Sr ion sieve is expected to be useful for the decontamination of the environment after accidental release and contamination with 90Sr.

The band offsets and band gap are the most important parameters that determine the electrical and optical behavior of a heterojunction. In situ scanning tunneling spectroscopy was employed to measure the valence-band offset of strained Si1−xGex-on-Si (100) for the first time. The valence-band offsets of the strained Si0.77Ge0.23 and Si0.59Ge0.41 on Si(100) were found to be 0.21 and 0.36 eV, respectively. The results were in good agreement with theory and with results from other experimental methods. Due to band bending and surface states, it was difficult to determine the conduction band edge at the interface of the Si1−xGex/Si exactly but we found that the conduction band offset is much smaller than the valence-band offset.

Small additions of Hf to directionally solidified NiAl–Cr(Mo) eutectic resulted in precipitation of a high density of Heusler phase Ni2AlHf along with fine G-phase Ni16Hf6Si7. The Heusler phase was mainly located on the grain boundary region. The fine G-phase formed in the presence of Si, which was a contamination resulting from contact with ceramic shell molds during directional solidification of the alloy. These fine G-phases were cuboidal in shape and coherent with the NiAl matrix. After hot isostatic pressing and aging treatment, the fine G-phases completely disappeared. The density of the Heusler phase was partially reduced, and the Heusler particles precipitated preferentially on the NiAl/Cr(Mo) interfaces and grain boundaries of the NiAl matrix. Some Heusler particles precipitated locally within the NiAl matrix, and small amounts of them precipitated within the Cr(Mo) phase. The structures of the NiAl/Ni2AlHf and NiAl/Ni16Hf6Si7 interfaces were investigated by high-resolution electron microscopy. The habit plane of the fine G-phase was {001}NiAl. This result was in good agreement with calculation based on the linear elastic theory. The misfit dislocation network on the NiAl/Ni2AlHf (110) interface was calculated from the O-lattice model and compared with the observation, which showed good agreement.

The behavior of Au in the course of the primary crystallization process of Fe87Zr7B5Au1 amorphous alloy was examined by use of atom probe field ion microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In the early stage of crystallization, Au atoms were still distributed uniformly in the amorphous matrix. Au atoms form clusters at a later stage when more α–Fe particles are present. The Au clusters were observed to be separated from α–Fe particles, indicating that Au clusters do not stimulate nucleation of α–Fe particles. During the growth of α–Fe grains, cosegregation of Au and Zr occurred without any influence on the α–Fe grain growth. We conclude that Au addition has no effect on nanocrystallization of Fe–Zr–B amorphous alloys.

A nanoscale icosahedral quasicrystalline phase was confirmed as a primary precipitation phase in the melt-spun Zr70TM10Pd20 (TM = Fe, Co, or Cu) ternary glassy alloys with a two-stage crystallization process. The onset temperature of the transformation from amorphous to icosahedral phase is 713 K for Fe-, 696 K for Co-, and 680 K for Cu-containing alloys at the heating rate of 0.67 Ks−1. The size of the icosahedral particles is in the range of 20 to 50 nm for the Zr70Cu10Pd20 glassy alloy annealed for 120 s at 720 K. The icosahedral phase has a very fine particle size in a diameter range below 10 nm for the Zr70Fe10Pd20 and Zr70Co10Pd20 alloys. The crystallization reaction after the first exothermic peak results in the transition from the icosahedral to crystalline phases through a sharp exothermic reaction. Thus, the formation of the nanoscale icosahedral phase indicates the possibility that an icosahedral short-range order exists in the present glassy alloys.

Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films were deposited on Pt/SiO2/Si substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using solid delivery system. The effects of deposition parameters such as the substrate temperature, the concentration of Pb precursor in the precursor mixtures, and the reactor pressure on the structural and electrical properties of PZT thin films were investigated. To obtain single-phase PZT thin films, the optimal range of the substrate temperature should be between 600 and 650 °C. The PbO content in PZT thin films was proportional to the fraction of Pb in the precursor mixture below 550 °C, but it was independent of the fraction of Pb in the mixture above 600 °C. With the increment of the reactor pressure, Zr contents in PZT thin films were increased, and the Pb/(Zr + Ti) ratio became more stoichiometric so that the ferroelectric properties were improved.

Ferroelectric(Ba0.67Sr0.33)TixO3 (BST) thin films with x = 0.98, 1.00, 1.02, and 1.04 were prepared by the sol-gel technology, and their thermal, structural, dielectric, and gas sensing properties were systematically characterized. The amorphous (Ba0.67Sr0.33)TixO3 thin film capacitive devices were made on Si substrate to detect hydrogen gas and to study hydrogen-induced interfacial polarization potential.Experimental results showed that the Schottky I–V behavior appears in these Pd/amorphous BST thin film/metal capacitive devices and that enhanced interfacial dipole potentials as large as 4.5 V at 1000 ppm hydrogen gas in air were newly observed, which is about 7 times larger than the best value reported under similar testing conditions. It was clearly shown that the hydrogen-induced interfacial polarization potential is closely correlated with the microstructure of ferroelectric thin films and the enhancement of this interfacial polarization potential is mainly attributed to the high dielectric constant of amorphous ferroelectric thin films. A simple hydrogen interface-blocking model is also presented to explain this interesting phenomenon.

Structural evolution of undoped and boron-doped submicron vapor-grown carbon fibers (S-VGCFs) was monitored as a function of heat-treatment temperature (HTT). Based on x-ray and Raman data, over the range of HTT from 1800 to 2600 °C, it was found that boron atoms act as catalysts to promote graphitization due to boron's higher diffusivity. For the range of HTT from 2600 to 2800 °C, the process of boron out-diffusion from the host material induces defects, such as tilt boundaries; this process would be related with the improved capacity and Coulombic efficiency of boron-doped S-VGCFs. When 10 wt% S-VGCFs was used as an additive to synthetic graphite, the cyclic efficiency of the capacities was improved to almost 100%.

The microstructure and crystallographic orientation relationship of CaF2–MgO eutectics produced for the first time were characterized by electron microscopy. The eutectic contains single-crystal MgO rods (∼0.7 μm in size, spaced ∼8 μm) oriented parallel to the cubic axis of a CaF2 matrix. The rods present low-energy {100}CaF2 //{111}MgO interfaces. Light guiding was experimentally proved and considered for possible optical applications. Crack propagation was also studied to show the potential improvement in fracture toughness through crack deflection at the interfaces.

Tantalum zinc oxide (TZO) with the chemical formula Ta2Zn3O8 can be generated from the reaction of 3 mol ZnO and 1 mol Ta2O5 at elevated temperatures. This phase has been shown to exhibit blue cathodoluminescence at low electron beam voltages. It has also been realized in thin film form on silicon substrate, making TZO an important material for monolithic field emission display devices. The structure type of TZO has been investigated using powder x-ray diffraction techniques. The unit cell of this phase has been determined and found to be monoclinic. These results allow for indexing of the powder pattern first reported by Kasper in 1967 and correct for a discrepancy in the single-crystal structure lattice constants reported by Waburg and Muller-Buschbaum in 1984.

Glass-ceramics containing the LiNbO3 phase were used to grow nanometer-sized silver metal particles with median diameters in the range 10.5–17.3 nm. These nanocomposites showed large values of dielectric constant of the order of 103–104. Bergman's space charge model of a two-component composite gave results that differed from the experimental data. The polarization mechanism was concluded to be electronic in origin. An interrupted metallic strand model developed earlier by Rice and Bernasconi was used to explain the results obtained in the present specimen system.

The phase relations and microwave dielectric properties of (1−x)ZnNb2O6–xTiO2 were investigated using x-ray powder diffraction and a network analyzer. Four phase regions were studied with increasing TiO2 mol% (x): columbite solid solution, ixiolite (ZnTiNb2O8) solid solution, mixture of ixiolite and rutile solid solutions, and rutile solid solution. It was suggested that the microwave properties depend on crystal structure rather than chemical composition. In the columbite solid solution region, an order–disorder transition was found with an increasing amount of TiO2, and the quality factor decreased sharply. ZnTiNb2O8 (x = 0.5), has a fully disordered structure and possesses a quality factor of 42,500, relative dielectric constant (εr) of 34.3, and temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τf) of −52 ppm/°C. In the mixture region of ixiolite and rutile structure, τf was modified to around 0 ppm/°C.

Lead zirconate titanate [Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (PZT)] powders and ferroelectric thin films with a composition near the morphotropic phase boundary [Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3] were prepared by a modified sol-gel process using zirconium oxynitrate-2-hydrate as the zirconium source and ethylene glycol as solvent. The precursor solution was prepared from lead acetate-3-hydrate, tetrabutyl titanate, and zirconium oxynitrate-2-hydrate. Perovskite PZT powders were obtained after sintering at 450 °C for 2 h. Films rapid-thermally annealed at 650 °C for 1 min formed well-crystallized perovskite.Microstructures of these films indicated the presence of nano-sized grains (∼50 nm). The remnant polarization was 28.5 μC/cm2, and the coercive field was 39.8 kV/cm. Ferroelectric polarization fatigue test of In/PZT/Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si showed a high fatigue resistance up to 3 × 1010 cycles before Pr decreased by 50%.