AZ31 Mg machined chips were recycled by extrusion at 673 K with a low extrusion ratio of 45:1 and a high extrusion ratio of 1600:1. Oxide contaminants were dispersed more uniformly in the recycled specimen with the high extrusion ratio than in that with the low extrusion ratio. In tensile tests, the recycled specimens with the high extrusion ratio showed about 50% higher 0.2% yield stress and about 20% higher tensile strength compared with those of the reference specimens, which were the extruded AZ31 Mg blocks under the same conditions as the recycled specimens. The improvement of the tensile properties was attributed not only to the small grain size, but also to the dispersed oxide contaminants.

An eight-band k·p theory that does not suffer from the spurious solution problem is demonstrated. It is applied to studying the electronic properties of InP and InAs free-standing nanowires. Band gaps and effective masses are reported as a function of size, shape, and orientation of the nanowires. We compare our results with experimental work and with other calculations.

Ba5Nb4O15 has shown excellent microwave dielectric properties and is under consideration as a low-temperature cofired ceramic material for advanced radio frequency (RF) applications. By combining tape casting and liquid phase upon sintering, sintered Ba5Nb4O15 thick films stacked to form laminates were produced with aligned elongated grains. This texture engineering, correlated with crystallographic orientation, provides remarkably high temperature stability of dielectric constant up to microwave frequency. Crystallographic texture arises in Ba5Nb4O15 induced by the primary consolidation process, hot pressing, and pulsed laser deposition. The dielectric anisotropy could be efficiently obtained in the textured samples, thereby enabling significant feasibility of microwave circuit designs.

New curable organic-inorganic hybrid materials with a low internal optical attenuation of <0.35 dB/cm at the telecommunication wavelength and high thermal stability (∼370 °C) were synthesized by a nonhydrolytic reaction using vinyltriiospropenoxysilane (VTIPS) and diphenylsilanediol (DPSD) in which alcohol condensation takes place without hydrolysis of the starting materials. The molecular structure and the reaction mechanism of the synthesized organic-inorganic hybrid materials were investigated. The nonhydrolytic reaction of VTIPS and DPSD represented a high degree of condensation, and the molecules of the organic-inorganic hybrid materials exhibited the structure of an oligosiloxane modified with diphenyl, vinyl, and isopropenoxy. These organic-inorganic hybrid materials cured by polymerization of vinyl and isopropenoxy groups can be promising candidates for optical applications due to their good optical and thermal properties in addition to the availability of soft-lithography.

Crystalline microtubes (inner diameter 240–2100 nm) consisting of C60 fullerene molecules were prepared in the mixture of C60-saturated pyridine and isopropyl alcohol kept at 0 °C. Characterization by transmission electron microscopy showed a linear relationship between the outer diameter and the inner diameter for the C60 fullerene tubes. Optical observations suggested that the specimens already had tubular structure when they were grown in the solution. Deposition of guest crystals inside the C60 fullerene tubes was performed by the following procedure: (i) ultrasonic pulverization to obtain the C60 fullerene tubes with open ends, (ii) absorption of methyl alcohol solution of KBr into the tubes by the capillary attraction, and (iii) evaporation of methyl alcohol to precipitate KBr inside the tubes. Columnar KBr crystals were then obtained by dissolving the fullerene tube walls in toluene.

In this work, we analyzed the theoretical errors of reduced Young's modulus and hardness of materials provided by single sharp indenter algorithms. According to the analysis, two conclusions can be drawn. First, various methods that use only the indentation loading and unloading curves from a single sharp indenter and omit the effect of the strain hardening exponent own the same widths of the theoretical error bands defined here. They are WEb for reduced Young's modulus and WHb for hardness. Second, the upper-bounds, BUE and BUH, and lower-bounds, BLE and BLH, of theoretical errors of the measured reduced Young's modulus and hardness might be different for different methods. These conclusions, on the one hand, are relevant to the evaluation of various established single sharp indenter algorithms. On the other hand, they provide useful information (i.e., to optimize the theoretical error bounds) for correcting an established method and the development of new single sharp indenter algorithms. According to the conclusions, an energy-based method has been devised to determine reduced Young's modulus and hardness of materials from nanoindentation tests using a standard Berkovich or Vickers indenter (equivalent to a 70.3° cone). It has been shown that the present method owns the reasonable theoretical error bounds and can provide stable results in the presence of data errors.

Unique nanowire growth was accomplished at 575 °C by the metal-induced growth (MIG) method. This involved a spontaneous reaction between metal and Si. The deposited metal worked as a catalyst layer to grow nanowires in the solid state. Various metals (Ni, Co, and Pd) were used in MIG nanowire fabrication, and the Ni-induced case was successful in demonstrating that metal species should be the dominant factor for growing nanowires. The Ni to Si composition was studied by energy dispersive spectroscopy showing the Ni diffusion inside the nanowire as well as the Ni silicide layer. The practical application of the MIG nanowire was proved by fabricating nanoscale contacts.

Further investigation on the definition of the representative strain in conical indentation was performed in this work. In particular, the representative strains proposed in the work of Cao et al. [J. Mater. Res.20, 1194 (2005)] and Ogasawara et al. [J. Mater. Res.20, 2225 (2005)] were discussed in detail. For the method using the energy-based representative strain [Cao et al., J. Mater. Res.20, 1194 (2005)], it is shown that it can be extended to a wider range of material properties (from nearly fully plastic materials to highly elastic materials). For the stress-state-based definition of the representative strain, we found, in contrast with the results reported in the work of Ogasawara et al. [J. Mater. Res.20, 2225 (2005)], that similar to the constant representative strain reported by Dao et al. [Acta Mater.49, 3899 (2001)], it works well only for a limited range of engineering materials. Based on this premise, novel definitions of the representative strain, which can lead to a one-to-one relationship with high level of accuracy between the reduced Young's modulus, the indentation loading curvature, and the representative stress are further presented. Detailed numerical analysis performed on nine kinds of engineering materials verified the effectiveness of the proposed representative strains and corresponding dimensionless functions. Experimental verification using the data for the ultrafine crystalline Ni further showed that the results reported in this paper have the potential to be applied in practice.

Partial graphitization of carbon nanofibers by high-temperature heat treatment can give improved composite properties. The intrinsic electrical conductivity of the bulk carbon nanofibers measured under compression is maximized by giving the fibers an initial heat treatment at 1500 °C. Similarly, for carbon nanofiber/polypropylene composites containing up to 12 vol% fiber, initial fiber heat treatments near 1500 °C give tensile modulus and strength superior even to composites made from fibers graphitized at 2900 °C. However, optimum composite conductivity is obtained with a somewhat lower heat-treatment temperature, near 1300 °C. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) along with x-ray diffraction (XRD) explains these results, showing that heat treating the fibers alters the exterior planes from continuous, coaxial, and poorly crystallized to discontinuous nested conical crystallites inclined at about 25° to the fiber axis.

Titanium dioxide thin films were deposited on crystalline silicon (100) substrates by delivering a liquid aerosol of titanium-diisopropoxide. The evidence of a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition process observed in the crystalline and morphological features of the films is strongly supported by the behavior of the growth rate rg as a function of the deposition temperature. The rg line shape indicates that in a wide range of temperatures (∼180–400 °C), the film formation is limited by both gas-phase diffusion of some molecular species toward the substrate surface and the thermal reaction of those species on that surface. The activation energy EA that characterizes the surface reaction depends somewhat on the precursor concentration; a fitting procedure to an equation that takes into account both limiting mechanisms (gas-phase diffusion + surface reaction) yields EA ≃ 27.6 kJ/mol.

A metal-induced crystallization (MIC) technique was used to produce large-grain poly-crystalline silicon. Two sets of samples were prepared by first sputtering Al onto glass substrates. For one set of samples, hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) was sputtered on top of the Al without breaking the vacuum. For the second set, the samples were taken out of the vacuum chamber and exposed to the atmosphere to grow a very thin layer of native aluminum oxide before sputter depositing the a-Si:H. Both sets of samples were then annealed at temperatures between 400 and 525 °C for 40 min. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the crystallization of the samples. Scanning Auger microanalysis was used to confirm that the a-Si:H and Al layers exchanged positions in this structure during the crystallization process. Auger mapping revealed the formation of large grain poly-silicon (10–20 μm). A model is proposed to explain how the crystallization process progresses with anneal temperature.

Nanostructured films of TiO2 are becoming more and more attractive as a consequence of their improved sensing properties. Screen printing represents an important low-cost alternative for the production of high-performance devices for the automotive industry. However, to obtain films with superior properties, the composition and each step of the ink production must be carefully controlled. Milling strongly influences the rheological properties of the ink and, as a consequence, the quality of the deposited film. The as-prepared ink was homogenized in a four steps-process with a three-roll mill, and the rheological properties at each intermediate stage were measured. The results showed the dramatic effect of the milling on the flow properties of the nanoink and suggested the importance of a careful control of this step. The rheological behavior of the inks was explained using the basic idea of the transient network theory (TNT) for physically cross-linked networks of polymer solutions. Only an optimized cycle of milling can assure the necessary reproducibility of the ink properties as well as their time stability.

Partial and integral enthalpies of mixing of liquid Ag–Ni and Ag–Ni–Sn alloys were determined at different temperatures, i.e., at 1500 °C for binary Ag–Ni alloys and at 1000, 1220, and 1400 °C for ternary Ag–Ni–Sn alloys. Two different Calvet-type micro-calorimeters were used for the measurements employing drop calorimetry techniques. The binary data were evaluated by means of a standard Redlich–Kister polynomial fit whereas ternary data were fitted on the basis of an extended Redlich–Kister–Muggianu model for substitutional solutions. No significant temperature dependence could be detected for the ternary enthalpies of mixing. From the experimental ternary data, it was possible to deduce the liquidus isotherm at 1000 °C as well as the extension of the liquid miscibility gap at 1220 and 1400 °C.

Four CdTe ingots with gradually increased concentration of the Sn impurity have been grown by the vertical gradient freeze method and were characterized with glow discharge mass spectroscopy, photoinduced current transient spectroscopy, resistivity, photoconductivity, and photoluminescence techniques. It was shown that the Sn impurity strongly influences resistivity and photoconductivity of the material. Concentration of Sn must be higher than the total concentration of residual acceptors to reach strong compensation. The middle-gap donor level pins the Fermi-level. Photoconductive high resistivity material can be prepared with Sn concentrations in the melt in the range 1018–1019 cm−3. In total, 6 electron traps and 3 hole traps were identified in the band gap by several complementary techniques.

The effect of grain boundary (GB) misorientation on hot tearing susceptibility of directionally solidified (DS) nickel-based superalloys was explored. We found that the castability of second generation nickel-based superalloy CMSX-4 is inferior to DS superalloy IN792, an alloy well known for bad castability. The castability of CMSX-4 is somewhat improved at a higher solidification rate. The hot tearing tendency increases with increasing GB misorientation angle. As feeding tendency becomes greater with increasing misorientation, this points to the importance of GB cohesion for solidification cracking in the alloy. Microstructure investigation reveals that hot tearing is associated with formation of continuous gamma and gamma prime eutectic films at the GB in CMSX-4. We assume that the gamma and gamma prime eutectic, which reflects the remaining liquid at the end of solidification, prevents the impinging dendrite arms from touching and in this way decreases cohesion.

A variety of biological materials composed of hierarchical phase composites can be found. These biological materials successfully combine impressive toughness with high stiffness and strength. Deposition techniques combined with high-power laser beams can imitate biological structures in technical systems. Interference phenomena, such as surface scattering, Lloyd's mirror arrangements, or interference of coherent beams, can be used to create these biomimetic long-range ordered structures on the scale of nanometers to micrometers. These structures are not limited to topographic texturing, as in the case of holographic gratings; rather, they can also create composite structures and phase transformations. This article presents a brief overview of interference techniques, their possibilities, and their limits.

The effectiveness of Oliver & Pharr's (O&P's) method, Cheng & Cheng's (C&C’s) method, and a new method developed by our group for estimating Young's modulus and hardness based on instrumented indentation was evaluated for the case of yield stress to reduced Young's modulus ratio (σy/Er) ≥ 4.55 × 10−4 and hardening coefficient (n) ≤ 0.45. Dimensional theorem and finite element simulations were applied to produce reference results for this purpose. Both O&P's and C&C's methods overestimated the Young's modulus under some conditions, whereas the error can be controlled within ±16% if the formulation was modified with appropriate correction functions. Similar modification was not introduced to our method for determining Young's modulus, while the maximum error of results was around ±13%. The errors of hardness values obtained from all the three methods could be even larger and were irreducible with any correction scheme. It is therefore suggested that when hardness values of different materials are concerned, relative comparison of the data obtained from a single standard measurement technique would be more practically useful. It is noted that the ranges of error derived from the analysis could be different if different ranges of material parameters σy/Er and n are considered.

The structures of inorganic fullerene-like (IF) MoS2 nanoparticles produced by arc discharge in water are reported in this paper. To adjust the chemistry and structure of IF nanoparticles, 2H–MoS2, graphite and composite 2H–MoS2/graphite rods were used as electrodes in the arc synthesis. In comparison to using MoS2 as both anode and cathode, mixed electrodes (graphite and MoS2) significantly increased the discharge current. Various IF-MoS2 nanoparticles were successfully produced by the water-based arc method, and their microstructures were studied using a transmission electron microscope equipped with an x-ray energy dispersive spectrometer. The IF–MoS2 nanoparticles commonly had a solid core wrapped with a few MoS2 layers and exhibit some differences in size and geometry. The IF-MoS2 nanoparticles were typically 5–30 nm in diameter as observed by transmission electron microscopy. Tiny IF-MoS2 nanoparticles (<10 nm) along with fragments of lamellar MoS2 were produced from arc discharge in water using both graphite and MoS2 electrodes. Carbon nano-onions and hybrid nanoparticles consisting of carbon and MoS2 were synthesized by using mixed electrodes of graphite and 2H–MoS2. The hybrid nanoparticles were MoS2 cores covered by a graphite shell. Our results show that the water-based arc method provides a simple tool for producing a variety of nanoparticles including some familiar and some new hybrid structures.

A highly deformable Zr–Al–Cu–Ni–Sn alloy system without any catastrophic failure has been developed and the underling mechanism for exceptional plasticity has been investigated in terms of structural characteristics and atomic movement kinetics. The as-cast Zr61.7Al8Ni13Cu17Sn0.3 bulk metallic glass has many local nanoscale ordering features. They can play a critical role in nucleating abundant shear bands that sufficiently accommodate global plasticity. During deformation at room temperature, the ordered regions do not grow, providing a structural stability, possibly from the sluggish atomic movement kinetics. Thermal activation energy for crystallization of the Zr61.7Al8Ni13Cu17Sn0.3 alloy is estimated as 3.96 eV, which is about 2.8 times higher than that of the Z41.2Ti13.8Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 alloy [Vitreloy 1 (Vit1)] and the dynamic mass flow rate is around 10 times slower than that of Vit1. A thermomechanical estimation of compressive strain rates under constant stress shows a sluggish atomic movement upon the addition of Sn.

Dense polycrystalline titania (TiO2, rutile) was converted into oriented arrays of single-crystal titania nanofibers by reaction with a noncombustible, hydrogen-bearing gas mixture at only 680–780 °C. Such nanofiber formation resulted from anisotropic etching (“nanocarving”) of the titania grains. The fibers possessed diameters of 20–50 nm and lengths of up to several microns, with the long fiber axes oriented parallel to the [001] crystallographic direction of rutile. Mass spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy indicated that oxygen, but not titanium, was removed from the specimen during the reaction with hydrogen. The removal of substantial oxygen and solid volume from the reacting surfaces, without an appreciable change in the Ti:O ratio at such surfaces, was consistent with the solid-state diffusion of titanium cations from the surface into the bulk of the specimen. The reaction-induced weight loss followed a parabolic rate law, which was also consistent with a solid-state diffusion-controlled process.