Complexes formed between montmorillonite, saturated in Li+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Co2+, Fe3+, Cu2+ and Zn2+, and trimethyl phosphites (TMP) and triethyl phosphites (TEP) were studied. In all of the cases, phosphites penetrate into the interlayer space of the montmorillonite and produce solvates whose basal spacing varies depending on the characteristics of the exchangeable cation. All the complexes with low basal spacing (Li+, Na+, Mg2+, Co2+ and Zn2+) are stable in vacuum, whereas those with high basal spacing, formed by the Ca2+ sample with TMP, and Ca2+ and Fe3+ samples with TEP are transformed into low basal spacing complexes in vacuum. The complexes with high basal spacing (Cu2+ sample with TMP and TEP) are stable in vacuum.

The TMP and TEP complexes stable in vacuum with low spacing are thermally destroyed in one or two stages with two loss maxima, as a result of partial burning of phosphite molecules. Those with high spacing (Cu2+) are destroyed in two stages; the first is probably the result of the transformation process from high to low spacing, as a consequence of the structural reorganization of the molecules which remain in the interlayer space, and the second, could be associated with the destruction of low spacing complexes.

The IR spectra show that the molecule and the cation are linked by the P of the phosphite, which produces a reinforcement of the other bonds in the molecule, caused by an inductive effect. The phosphite intercalation is accompanied by a partial isomerization of phosphite to phosphonate.

The heat of adsorption of phosphites shows that the molecule-cation bond is ion-dipole. In the Cu sample with trimethyl phosphite, this bond seems to be reinforced by retrodonation of electrons from copper to ligand. Finally, the possible disposition of phosphite molecules in the interlayer space is considered. For this purpose, ab initio calculations have been performed on the different conformers of the TMP molecule at 6–31G* and 6–31+G* basis sets.

A CeO2/ZrO2-hydroxyapatite (HA) composite bio-ceramic coating was prepared on ZK60 magnesium (Mg) alloy by using micro-arc oxidation (MAO) and electrophoretic deposition (EPD). MAO coating was done as the basal layer was grown in alkaline electrolyte with the addition of nanoparticles (CeO2 and ZrO2) to improve the mechanical properties of coating. A HA coating as the covering layer was deposited on the surface of MAO coating for improving the biological properties of the coating. The phase compositions and morphology of coatings were monitored with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Adhesion and wear resistance of coatings were evaluated using a scratch test and a pin-on-disc sliding wear test. The corrosion resistance of coatings was evaluated in a simulated body fluid (SBF) using electrochemical tests at 36.5 ± 0.5 °C. The experimental results showed that the CeO2/ZrO2-HA composite coating on Mg alloy effectively improved its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Combining MAO and EPD is a promising modification technology for degradable Mg alloys as biomaterials.

Three important low valent transition metal oxides were synthesized in supercritical methanol by using inorganic metal salts as precursors. X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were applied to analyze the composition, structure, and morphology of the products. Results showed that Cu2O, MoO2, and V2O3 were obtained successfully under a supercritical condition of 240 °C and 9.0 MPa. MoO2 and V2O3 displayed sphere-like morphology with average particle sizes of 20–40 and 20–50 nm, respectively. Cu2O particles displayed edge-truncated cubic morphology with a particle size of 2.5 μm. Formation mechanism proposed that high valent metal oxides (CuO, MoO3, and V2O5) were formed firstly in supercritical methanol by the decomposing of precursors and then reduced to target products by free hydroxyl anions. In addition, methanol performed important roles not only as a reaction medium but also as a reducing agent under supercritical fluid conditions.

We report the direct visualization of point defect clustering in {113} planes of silicon crystal using a transmission electron microscope, which was supported by structural modeling and high-resolution electron microscope image simulations. In the initial stage an accumulation of nonbonded interstitial–vacancy (I–V) pairs stacked at a distance of 7.68 Å along neighboring atomic chains located on the {113} plane takes place. Further broadening of the {113} defect across its plane is due to the formation of planar fourfold coordinated defects (FFCDs) perpendicular to chains accumulating I–V pairs. Closely packed FFCDs create a sequence of eightfold rings in the {113} plane, providing sites for additional interstitials. As a result, the perfect interstitial chains are built on the {113} plane to create an equilibrium structure. Self-ordering of point defects driven by their nonisotropic strain fields is assumed to be the main force for point defect clustering in the {113} plane under the existence of an energy barrier for their recombination.