Dislocations around precipitates in undoped AlGaN were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The dislocation images were taken under different diffraction conditions. The dislocations are classified into two types, a pure edge dislocation loop and a close-;coiled helical dislocation. Both types of dislocations were found to depend on the shape and size of the precipitate sources. It is suggested that the pure edge dislocation loop results from homogeneous shear stress and the close-;coiled helical dislocation is caused by spherically symmetrical stress concentration at round ends of the precipitates and chemical force due to defect concentration change.

The mechanical properties of a range of tribological mitigating and biocompatible films deposited on a titanium alloy substrate have been investigated using nanoindentation. For a range of carbon films investigated, the ratio of hardness to modulus was almost constant at around 0.1. The onset of film–substrate interactions of a coated system upon progressive loading could be determined as the depth of penetration at which the slope of the force versus depth curve deviated from that of an analytically derived “bulk film” system that incorporated the indenter tip effect on the contact area. For the carbon-coated systems investigated, the corresponding force, or the critical load-carrying capacity of a localized contact event by a sharp indenter, appears to scale with the elastic modulus mismatch between film and substrate.

Dry sliding wear and friction tests of CrN coating on two types of aluminum alloy substrates, 6061 Al and 7075 Al, deposited by arc ion plating were performed with a ball-on-disk tribometer. The effects of normal load and the mechanical properties of the substrate on the friction coefficient and wear resistance of CrN coating were investigated. The worn surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that surface microhardness of CrN-coated 7075 Al is higher than that of CrN-coated 6061 Al. With an increase in normal load, wear volume increases, while the friction coefficient decreases. The friction coefficient of CrN-coated 6061 Al is higher than that of CrN-coated 7075 Al, while the wear resistance of CrN-coated 6061 Al is lower than that of the CrN-coated 7075 Al. This indicates that the substrate mechanical properties have strong influence on the friction coefficient and wear of CrN coating. The main wear mechanism was fragments of CrN coating, caused by apparent plastic deformation of substrate during wear tests.

An aqueous solution of Mn(III) acetylacetonate and LiOH was sonicated at 90 °C yielding nanoparticles of different manganese oxides. The nature of the product and its morphology are strongly dependent on the pH. In parallel nonsonicated reactions were carried out under identical conditions and vigorous stirring, and the results are compared with the sonochemical reactions.

The kinetics of the formation of PbTiO3 at the PbO/TiO2 interface has been analyzed. The flux of Pb2+ and O2− ions through the PbTiO3 layer was used to derive the kinetics equation for the formation of the PbTiO3 phase. On the basis of the parabolic growth kinetics of the PbTiO3 interlayer, the reaction rate constant (k) for PbTiO3 formation was determined as a function of the average diffusion coefficient of the Pb2+ ions (DPb2+). By employment of the data from diffusion couple experiments and the free energy values for the formation of the PbTiO3 phase () into the present kinetics equation, DPb2+ in the PbTiO3 interlayer was calculated with respect to the corresponding temperature. The activation energy for diffusion (Q) and the diffusion constant (D0) of Pb2+ ions in the PbTiO3 layer could be evaluated from the Arrhenius plot of DPb2+.

Highly ordered CdTe nanowire arrays were prepared by electrochemical deposition into the pores of anodic aluminum oxide templates from an ethylene glycol bath containing CdCl2, TeCl4, and KI. Electron microscopy results showed that the length, diameter, and direction of growth of the nanowires were quite uniform. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution electron microscopy investigations showed that these nanowires had a crystalline structure of hexagonal CdTe single crystal with a uniform [001] growth direction.

The friction and wear performance were correlated with the thermal stability of reactively sputtered Si–aC:H thin films containing various Si and H concentrations. The average steady-state friction coefficients as measured by dry sliding pin-on-disk tests decreased with increasing Si and H content. Furthermore, the films with high Si and H formed thick transfer films as compared to the films with little or no Si and H content. Minimums in average ball abrasion rate and average film wear rate were observed at the Si/C = 0.10 film composition. The most intense and distinct “graphitic” Raman peaks were collected from the Si/C = 0.10 transfer film debris. In addition, the Si/C = 0.10 film also had the most distinguishable graphitic Raman signature after annealing in air at 500 °C compared to the other Si–aC:H films, suggesting a possible relationship between the nature of transfer films resulting from dry sliding in air and the bulk films that were annealed in air.

Lanthanide (Ln) doping of lead zirconate titanate (PLnZT 4/30/70) thin films was conducted to investigate effects on structural and electrical properties. Films were spin-coat deposited from precursor solutions made using a previously reported “basic route to PZT” chemistry. The remanent polarization (Pr), dielectric constant (ε), dielectric loss (tan δ), and lattice parameter values were obtained for each of the doped PLnZT films. Films doped with amphoteric cations (Tb, Dy, Y, and Ho) displayed high Pr values, square hysteresis loops, and enhanced fatigue resistance. Smaller radius Ln-doped films display an increased tendency toward (100) orientation in otherwise (111)-oriented films.

Poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) has been used as a dispersant for tape casting of SiC powders in aqueous media. The stability of SiC suspensions was studied and characterized in terms of zeta potential, sedimentation, adsorption, and rheology measurements. Zeta potential studies showed that the particle surface was negatively charged in the absence of PEI in the pH 2.5–13 ranges. Adsorptions of PEI increased the zeta potential and led to the shift of isoelectric point from pH 2.4 to pH 10.5. Sedimentation study showed that, in the absence of PEI, SiC slurries were stable around pH 6, while, in the presence of PEI, stabilization could be achieved at a condition of saturated adsorption (1.07 mg/m2) and was related to the high-;affinity adsorption in the pH = 10.5–11.5 range. The rheological measurements showed that SiC slurries (50 vol%) were well stability with slight thixotropical behavior. Finally, the best conditions to obtain a homogeneous stable slurry with high powder loading suitable for tap casting were determined.

Titanium foams fabricated by a new powder metallurgical process have bimodal pore distribution architecture (i.e., macropores and micropores), mimicking natural bone. The mechanical properties of the titanium foam with low relative densities of approximately 0.20–0.30 are close to those of human cancellous bone. Also, mechanical properties of the titanium foams with high relative densities of approximately 0.50–0.65 are close to those of human cortical bone. Furthermore, titanium foams exhibit good ability to form a bonelike apatite layer throughout the foams after pretreatment with a simple thermochemical process and then immersion in a simulated body fluid. The present study illustrates the feasibility of using the titanium foams as implant materials in bone tissue engineering applications, highlighting their excellent biomechanical properties and bioactivity.

The effects of heat treatment and sintering additives on the thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity of fine-grained SiC materials were investigated. The thermal conductivity and the electrical resistivity of dense SiC materials were measured at room temperature by a laser flash technique and a current-voltage method, respectively. The results indicated that the thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity of the SiC materials were dependent on the sintering additives and the resultant microstructure. Annealed materials with oxide additives developed microstructures consisting of elongated grains of various α/β–SiC polytypes. In contrast, annealed materials with oxynitride additives had microstructures consisting of fine equiaxed grains entirely of β–SiC phase. For the annealed materials with oxide additives the observed thermal conductivity was over 110 W/mK. For the annealed materials with oxynitride additives the observed value was 47 W/mK. The electrical resistivity of a hot-pressed material with oxide sintering additives decreased after annealing. For annealed materials with oxynitride additives, the electrical resistivity was even lower. High-resolution electron microscopy revealed a thin amorphous phase along the grain boundaries. Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy results showed that there was segregation of both Al and O atoms and a very small amount of Y atoms at grain boundaries. The results indicated that the chemistry and structure of the grain boundary has significant influence on thermal and electrical properties in SiC.

The deposition mechanism that determines the microstructure of colloidal films was investigated using a constant-filtration-rate procedure. In particular, we studied the dependence of the grain size on the filtration rate and the volume fraction of the particles in liquid. We correlated the surface diffusion distance to the final grain size and identified a processing window for large-grain colloidal films. The necessary conditions for homoepitaxy of colloidal crystals were successfully identified. In particular, the surface diffusion distance of deposited particles before embedment emerged as an important parameter for film microstructural control. Sufficiently long the diffusion distances correlated well with the slow deposition rates often required for crystal growth. Low deposition rates allowed more time for depositing particles to sample surface sites for low-energy configurations. This surface diffusion model for microstructure control has universal application to other film deposition methods for mono-dispersed particles.

The stability of Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 bulk metallic glass (BMG) upon isothermal annealing near the glass transition temperature has been investigated by using x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and the pulse echo overlap method. The density, elastic constants, and thermodynamic parameters as well as their annealing time dependence have been determined. The microstructural and properties changes of the annealed BMG were checked by acoustic measurement. Obvious structural and property changes were observed with prolonged annealing of the BMG near the glass transition temperature.

We report here the high-pressure synthesis of well-sintered millimeter-sized bulks of superhard BC2N and BC4N materials in the form of a nanocrystalline composite with diamond-like amorphous carbon grain boundaries. The nanostructured superhard B–C–N material bulks were synthesized under high P–T conditions from amorphous phases of the ball-milled molar mixtures. The synthetic B–C–N samples were characterized by synchrotron x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscope, electron energy-loss spectra, and indentation hardness measurements. These new high-pressure phases of B–C–N compound have extreme hardnesses, second only to diamond. Comparative studies of the high P–T synthetic products of BC2N, BC4N, and segregated phases of diamond + cBN composite confirm the existence of the single B–C–N ternary phases.

A systematic composition dependence study on icosahedral phase (i-phase) formation in the Al–Cu–Fe system has been carried out. Structural evolution during mechanical alloying and on subsequent heat treatment has been investigated by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The i-phase is observed to evolve from the reaction between the Al2Cu and b phases. The influence of the Cu to Fe ratio (RCuFe), Al to transition metal ratio (RAlTM), and the electron to atom ratio (e/a) on the volume fraction of the i-phase has been studied. The analysis of the present results and those published earlier indicates that quasicrystal-forming ability correlates better with the RAlTM and e/a ratios. The volume fraction of the i-phase is maximum when the RAlTM ˜ 2.3 and e/a ratio ˜ 2.0. Formation of the i-phase in Al65Cu25Fe10 by mechanical alloying is reported for the first time.

The ductile-to-brittle transition was observed in a superplastic silicon nitride nanoceramic. This transition depends on strain rates and deformation temperatures. Generally, the material exhibits ductility at low strain rates and high deformation temperatures. At 1600 °C, the material is brittle when the strain rates are higher than 10−3/s. At a fixed strain rate of 10−3/s, the material exhibits brittleness when the temperatures are lower than 1550 °C. Moreover, critical strain rate for the brittle to ductile transition depends on deformation temperature. The critical strain rates increase with increases in the deformation temperature. When the deformation temperature is 1700 °C, the critical strain rates reach a maximum at 10−2/s. The extent of superplastic deformation in the present material was found to be limited not by intergranular cavitation but by the initiation and growth of surface cracks.

Multilayers of TiC/Ti and TiC/B4C have been deposited by pulsed laser deposition. Ti, B4C, and TiC targets were used to deposit multilayer films onto 440C steel and silicon substrates at 40 °C. The structural, compositional, and mechanical properties of the multilayers were examined by x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nanoindentation techniques. Tribological properties were also evaluated using a pin-on-disc friction and wear test. The TiC/Ti films were found to have a crystalline structure, and both (200)TiC/(100)Ti and (111)TiC/(101)Ti orientation relationships were found in these films. In the TiC/B4C films, only the sample with the largest bilayer thickness (25 nm) had significant crystallinity and only the TiC layer was crystalline. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiles confirmed the presence of composition modulations in these films. Nanoindentation tests of the TiC/Ti multilayers showed hardness levels exceeding that predicted by the rule-of-mixtures. The TiC/B4C multilayers showed increasing hardness with decreasing bilayer thickness but reached only 22 GPa. The pin-on-disc tests gave friction values ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 for both sets of films. These results were correlated with the degree of crystallinity and grain structure of the films.

Precipitation-strengthened tin-based eutectic Sn–3.5 Ag alloy was investigated for its creep behavior at three temperatures ranging from 303 to 393 K, under the tensile stress range of σ/E = 10−4 to 10−3. The steady-state creep rates cover seven orders of magnitude (10−3 to 10−9 s−1). The initial microstructure was found to have Ag3Sn intermetallic compound finely dispersed in the matrix of β–Sn. By incorporation of a threshold stress, σth, into the analysis, the creep data of eutectic Sn–Ag at all temperatures can be fitted by a single straight line with a slope of seven after normalizing the steady-state creep rate and the effective stress, indicating that the creep rates are controlled by the dislocation-pipe diffusion in the Sn matrix. The steady-state creep rate, , can then be expressed as , where QC is the creep activation energy, G is the temperature-dependent shear modulus, b is Burger's vector, R is the universal gas constant, T is the absolute temperature, σ is the applied stress, A is a material-dependent constant, and , in which σOB is the Orowan bowing stress and kR is the relaxation factor.

A drastic change of the growth orientation in epitaxial Pt films grown by sputtering on MgO(001) was observed. At higher substrate temperatures, practically pure (001) epitaxial Pt films grow. On the other hand, epitaxial (111) Pt films grow at lower substrate temperatures. Interestingly, the gradual transition from (111) to (001) orientation occurs at lower temperatures when applied at a lower deposition rate. The degree of supersaturation in growth conditions is proposed as a key driver of the orientation change. When homogeneous nucleation occurs under a higher supersaturation, a large number of nuclei grow at the flat (001) terraces possessing (111) tetrahedral orientation. Under a lower supersaturation, a small number of nuclei aligned in (001) orientation to each other form dominantly at surface defects, resulting in a (001) epitaxial film with no grains. Our results suggest that one can selectively prepare either (001) or (111) epitaxial Pt films by properly adjusting substrate temperature and/or deposition rate.

Carbon fiber surfaces were analyzed by inverse gas chromatography (IGC) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). IGC measurements were carried out at infinite and finite dilution by using neutral and specific probes. At infinite dilution the dispersive component of the surface free energy and the acid–base indexes were obtained. At finite dilution the energy distribution functions were calculated. Three carbon fibers were analyzed, one untreated and two fibers treated with different sizings. The fibers have similar dispersive components of surface free energy but their acid–base characteristics are markedly different. The untreated fiber has an acidic surface, and the sized fibers have a surface with high base character. The energy distribution functions show different peaks assigned to active sites existing on the carbon fiber surfaces. The use of acid or basic probes provides different energy distribution functions with good correlation with the base and acid character of the fiber surface. Changes in surface heterogeneity revealed by energy distribution functions were correlated also with surface chemical composition derived from high-resolution XPS measurements.