Fine tubular fibers composed of C60 and C70 fullerene molecules were successfully fabricated by the liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation method. The walls of the tubular fibers were crystalline, and the fullerene molecules were densely packed along the growth axis of tube wall. The tubular structures are called “fullerene nanotubes.” The inner diameter and the outer diameter of C70 tubes showed a linear relationship, suggesting a constant wall thickness of the tubes. The tubular structures composed of C70 molecules could be formed when their diameter was larger than about 240 nm. The fullerene tubes were successfully fabricated by using a C60-C70 soot as well. The formation of fullerene nanotubes can be understood by assuming a mechanism of core dissolution of the solvated fullerene nanowhiskers.

Using conventional and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), the effects of rolling at room temperature on the microstructures of amorphous Al90Fe5Gd5 and Al86.8Ni3.7Y9.5 were compared. In rolled Al90Fe5Gd5, nanocrystallites were observed at shear bands, whereas none were observed in rolled Al86.8Ni3.7Y9.5. When HRTEM was combined with with Fourier transform filtering, nanoscale, low-density defects were imaged. In Al90Fe5Gd5, the shear bands contain few defects, which are concentrated at the boundary zone between the shear bands and undeformed region, whereas in Al86.8Ni3.7Y9.5, the shear bands contain a uniform distribution of defects with a density higher than the undeformed region. The preferential precipitation of nanocrystallites in rolled Al90Fe5Gd5 is attributed to a kinetic effect due to uniformly-distributed excess free volume in the shear bands.

We report a unique morphology of diamond nanoplatelets synthesized by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition on Ni coated polycrystalline diamond substrates. The diamond nanoplatelets were as thin as approximately 30 nm. Electron microscopy showed that the diamond nanoplatelets appear in a shape consisting of trapezoid and parallelogram tabular crystallites. Furthermore, the diamond nanoplatelets were single crystalline, as shown by electron diffraction. The edges of nanoplatelets were along the 〈110〉 direction with both the top and bottom tabular surfaces parallel to the {111} plane. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the twinned planes are parallel to the platelet and side-face structure in ridge shape is bounded by {100} and {111} planes. Lateral growth of diamond nanoplatelet is believed to result from twin and ridge face structure. An oriented thin graphite layer was observed on some diamond nanoplatelets.

Ferroelectric nanolithography is a new approach to processing nanostructures, which can position multiple components made of various materials into predefined configurations. Local polarization in ferroelectric compounds is manipulated to control the surface electronic structure and direct attachment of molecules and particles. Here, the presence of optically excited electron-hole pairs on ferroelectric domains is confirmed, and reaction paths for photo reduction of several reactive metal particles are determined. Subsequent and simultaneous deposition of multiple metals is demonstrated, and the magnetic properties of Co based particles are confirmed.

Dense MgO ceramics with nanometer to submicrometer grain size were fabricated by high-temperature hot-isostatic pressing, low-temperature hot-pressing, and spark plasma sintering. The elastic properties were determined by sound wave velocity measurements. Young's and shear moduli of nanocrystalline MgO were lower by 13% than those with submicrometer grain size. Softening of the elastic properties was analyzed and related to the lower density and lower elastic moduli of the grain boundaries compared to the crystal interior. Young's and shear moduli of the grain boundaries were evaluated as 90 and 34 GPa, respectively. This leads to a more than 3-fold decrease in the effective elastic moduli with the decrease of grain size into the nanometer range.

The orientation and electrical properties of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films deposited on a Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate using lanthanum nickel nitrate as a conductive buffer layer were analyzed. The lanthanum nickel nitrate buffer layer was not only electrically conductive but also effective in controlling the texture of the lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin film. The role of the lanthanum nickel nitrate buffer layer and its effects on the orientation of the PZT thin film were analyzed by x-ray diffraction, electron beam back-scattered diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The annealed lanthanum nickel nitrate buffer layer was sufficiently conducting for use in longitudinal electrode configuration devices. The dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of the highly (100) oriented PZT films grown with the lanthanum nickel nitrate buffer layer were measured and compared with those of (111) and (100) oriented PZT films deposited without a buffer layer.

The single-step synthesis and densification of the WC–6Co cemented carbide starting from elemental powders was obtained by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The operating conditions that guarantee the complete conversion of the reactants to the desired full dense material have been identified. Specifically, under the application of 800 A and a mechanical pressure of 40 MPa for about 200 s, a product with relative density higher than 99%, hardness of 14.97 ± 0.35 GPa, and 12.5 ± 1.0 MPa m0.5 fracture toughness was obtained. A kinetic investigation of the SPS process was also performed. It revealed that an intermediate phase, i.e., W2C, is the first carbide formed during the carburization process. It was observed that the synthesis and sintering stages take place simultaneously. It was also found that as the applied pulsed current intensity was augmented, the synthesis/sintering time required decreased significantly.

C60 nanowhiskers fabricated by liquid–liquid interfacial precipitation method and pristine C60 powder were sintered at 800 °C under 5.5 GPa for 2 h. The specimens showed high micro-Vickers hardness about 1100 kg/mm2 and electrical resistivity as low as several Ωm. Structural characterization by x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and Raman spectroscopy revealed that most of C60 molecules were broken to form turbostratic graphite by high-pressure and high-temperature treatment. Comparison with the pristine C60 powder sintered under the same conditions suggests that the structural change depends microscopically on the C60 molecules, but the size and the morphology of the starting material also affect the macroscopic sintering process.

The initial stages of the interaction between the Fe–Cr alloy metallic interconnect and Sr-doped LaMnO3 (LSM) electrode of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) were investigated under cathodic polarization at the temperature range of 700–900 °C. Cr deposits on the Y2O3–ZrO2 (YSZ) electrolyte surface increased with the polarization time. However, it was observed that at the early stages of the reaction, there is no preferential Cr deposition at the three-phase boundary areas at the LSM electrode/YSZ electrolyte interface region. With the decrease of the temperature the Cr deposition reduced significantly, probably due to the significant reduction in the partial pressure of the gaseous Cr species and the cationic diffusivities in the LSM electrode. The results clearly demonstrated that the deposition of Cr species at the LSM electrode/YSZ electrolyte is basically a chemical reaction and kinetically controlled by the nucleation reaction between the gaseous Cr species and the Mn2+ species generated under cathodic polarization.

Two-dimensional arrays of embedded channels with cross-sectional diameters of 1–3 μm were fabricated in silica-on-silicon thin film structures. The channel arrays were fabricated using void-forming borophosphosilcate glass (BPSG) deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) over templates patterned and etched using standard photolithographic methods and reactive ion etching. The sizeand shape of the channels could be controlled by adjusting the depth, width, and spacing of the template ridges, the dopant levels in the BPSG, and the annealing conditions. Optimization of the channel fabrication process through detailed investigation of the process variables is presented. Potential applications inphotonics, sensors, and microfluidics are discussed.

Adhesion of thin films of epitaxial oxides to nickel-based metallic substrates is important for the successful development of high-temperature superconductor coated conductors. Detachment of epitaxial oxide buffer layers at the oxide/metal interface during either oxide growth or subsequent processing renders the conductor useless. In this study, thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) has been used to identify and understand one of the causes of buffer layer detachment, oxidation of carbon at the oxide–metal interface to form carbon monoxide. Results of TDS indicate that on the surface of a bare nickel-based alloy substrate, the rate of carbon oxidation depends on both the supply of carbon from the substrate and the supply of oxygen from the vapor. Sulfur at the surface of the alloy substrate reduces the rate of carbon oxidation. The effectiveness of various treatments of the bare substrate to eliminate CO formation and epitaxial oxide detachment has been demonstrated. TDS provides both a means to evaluate the kinetics of the oxidation reaction and a tool to assess the need and effectiveness of a substrate oxidation treatment.