Thermodynamics for chemical vapor synthesis of Nb nanopowder in NbCl_5-H_2-Ar system

Thermodynamics for chemical vapor synthesis （CVS） of Nb nanopowder in NbCl5-H2-Ar system was investigated by using FactSage software. The validation experiments were conducted to confirm the thermodynamics points. The results indicate that under the atmospheric pressure, the reduction approach from NbCl5（g） to Nb（s） is a stage-wise process with the formation of complex sub-chlorides, and is controllable at low hydrogen ratio （mole ratio of n（NbCl5）：n（H2）＆lt;1：180） and low temperature （＆lt;1050 ＆#176;C）. Furthermore, a reasonable amount of inert loading gas is favorable to increase the reduction ratio of NbCl5 and the powder yield. The as-synthesized Nb nanopowder with the homogeneous size of 30-50 nm and the powder yield of 85% （mass fraction） is obtained by the CVS process under n（NbCl5）：n（H2）：n（Ar）=1：120：1 and 950 ＆#176;C with the NbCl5 reduction rate of 96.1%.

Synthesis and photoluminescence of Y and Cd co-doped ZnO nanopowder

Y and Cd co-doped ZnO nanopowders were prepared via chemical precipitation method in order to modify the band gap and increase the luminescent intensity. The structures and optical properties of the as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and photoluminescence （PL）. The effects of Y and Cd ions on the optical properties of the samples were studied. Doping of Y into ZnO evidently increases the intensity of UV emission, or co-doping of Y and Cd enhances the UV emission, narrows the band gap of ZnO and hence red shifts the UV emission at the same time. Therefore, Y and Cd co-doped ZnO nanopowders exhibit an intense violet emission in the room temperature PL spectrum, which could be a potential candidate material for optoelectronic applications.

Effects of Metal and Composite Metal Nanopowders on the Thermal Decomposition of Ammonium Perchlorate (AP) and the Ammonium Perchlorate/Hydroxyterminated Polybutadiene (AP/HTPB) Composite Solid Propellant

Effects of metal (Ni, Cu, Al) and composite metal (NiB, NiCu, NiCuB) nanopowders on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) and composite solid propellant ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyterminated polybutadiene (AP/HTPB) were studied by thermal analysis (DTA). The results show that metal and composite metal nanopowders all have good catalytic effects on the thermal decomposition of AP and AP/HTPB composite solid propellant. The effects of metal nanopowders on the thermal decomposition of AP are less than those of the composite metal nanopowders. The effects of metal and composite metal nanopowders on the thermal decomposition of AP are different from those on the thermal decomposition of the AP/HTPB composite solid propellant.

Microwave sintering of Mo nanopowder and its densification behavior

In order to prepare high-performance Mo with fine and homogeneous microstructure to meet the demand of high-technology applications such as metallurgical,mechanical,national defense,aerospace and electronics applications,the microwave sintering process and densification mechanism of Mo nanopowder were studied.In this experiment,Mo nanopowder and micropowder were used for conventional sintering and microwave sintering at different sintering temperatures and sintering time,respectively.The results showed that with the increase in the sintering temperature,the increase rates of the relative density and hardness increased rapidly at first and then slowed down.The relative density rapidly reached 95%,followed by a small change.Mo nanopowder with a relative density of 98.03% and average grain size of 3.6 μm was prepared by microwave sintering at 1873 K for30 min.According to the analysis of the sintering kinetics,its densification is attributed to the combination of volumetric diffusion and grain boundary diffusion mechanisms.The calculated sintering activation energy of Mo nanopowder was 203.65 kJ/mol,which was considerably lower than that in the conventional sintering,suggesting that the microwave sintering was beneficial to the enhancement in the atom diffusion and densification for the powder.The results confirm that the microwave sintering is a promising method to economically prepare molybdenum with high properties.

Yttrium aluminum garnet (Y_3A_(l5)O_(12)) nanopowders synthesized by the chemical method

The homogeneously dispersed, less agglomerated YAG nanopowders are synthesized by the citrate-gel method followed by low-temperature self-propagating combustion reaction, using Y2O3, Al(NO3)3?9H2O and citric acid as starting materials. This method effectively solves the problems caused by solid-state reaction at high temperature and the hard ag-glomerates brought by the chemical precipitation method. The powders are characterized by TG-DTA, XRD, FT-IR and TEM respectively. The experiments show that the forming temperature of YAG crystal phase is 850°C and the pseudo-YAG crystalline appears during the calcination and transforms to pure YAG at 1050°C. The powders with sizes less than 50 nm are observed by TEM micrography, which is consistent with the result calculated by Scherrer's formula. The powders consist of single grains.

Synthesis and Characterization of Rare Earth-Doped CuO Nanopowder and Its Infrared Characteristic

The nano composite powder of rare earth-doped CuO were prepared by the stearic gel method and characterized by means of X-ray (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and IR. Microscopic investigation of the nanopowder was measured by AFM. The result shows that the grain sizes are in the order of nanometers, approximately 10, 12, 22, 32 and 40 nm for the nanopowder deposited at 600, 650, 700, 750 and 800 ℃. The grains grow up with the increase of sintering temperature. There are some agglomeration and selfassemble phenomenon in the particles. IR result indicates that the vibration kurtosis was changed with the different sintering temperature.

Raman Spectroscopic Study of Silicon Nanopowders

Vibrational properties of silicon nanopowders are discussed with reference to Raman spectroscopic measurements. The powders were produced in a low pressure rf plasma from the cluster induced agglomeration of positive ions formed during the dissociation of silane. Influence of thermal treatment and the crystallization phenomena of the powder were studied. Raman spectroscopic measurements reveal size quantization effects for the particles as well as the existence of partially ordered regions in the apparently amorphous primary particles. The crystalline and amorphous volume fraction in the material were calculated from the relative spectraI intensities. The results obtained in these experiments are consistent with the observations from recent high resolution transmission electron microscopy studies of these powders

Development of Nanopowder Synthesis Using Induction Plasma

The application of induction plasma technology developed for the synthesis of nano- metric powders is summarized. A brief description of the scientific basis for the induction plasma processes is given, followed by the presentation of an induction plasma system developed by Tekna, together with various examples of the nanopowders synthesized using its facilities. The advantages of the induction plasma process over alternative techniques and its adaptability into industrial- scale operation is particularly illustrated. Some specific issues related to the nanopowder synthesis process are also discussed.

On the Plasma-Chemical Synthesis of Nanopowders

This paper presents an overview of nanopowders preparation using low-temperature plasma (LTP). LTP with its unique processing capabilities provides an attractive and chemically unspecific route for powder synthesis. Nanopowders such as oxides, nitrides, carbides, catalysts and other nanopowders have been successfully synthesized in LTP reactors based on high intensity arcs, plasma jets and radio-frequency (r. f.) inductively coupled discharges.

Preparation of crystalline Mg(OH)2 nanopowder from serpentinite mineral

In this paper we describe a route to produce crystalline Mg（OH）2 nanopowders from serpentinite ore distributed in the Halilovskiy array （Russia, Orenburg region）. An efficient extraction route consisting of treatment on serpentinite in 40% HNO3 at 80 ℃followed by NH4OH titration for Mg（OH）2 precipitation was demonstrated. In this study, crystalline Mg（OH）2 nanopowders have been synthesized by solvothermal reaction method using （Mg（NO3）2·6H2O） which were obtained from serpentinite, NH4OH as a precipitator, and hydroxyethylated nonylphenol as surface-active substance. Microstructure and phase composition of samples were investigated employing scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, X-ray phase analysis （XRD）, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy （ICP-OES）. XRD reveals that Mg（OH）2 nanopowder with high purity has the brucite structure. It was found that crystalline Mg（OH）2 nanopowders exclusively consist of lamellar-like structures and the sizes of Mg（OH）2 are 30-265 nm length or width.

Effect of Surface Modification on Behaviors of Cerium Oxide Nanopowders

Study was made on the effect of surface modification on the behaviors of cerium oxide nanopowders.A surfactant-sodium dodecyl sulfate（C12H25SO4Na）was used to modify the surface of CeO2 powder particles.The unmodified and modified CeO2 powders were characterized by using a powder comprehensive characteristic tester,laser particle size analyzer,specific surface area tester,X-ray diffraction tester,and a scanning electron microscope.The testing and analysis results showed that C12H25SO4Na surface modification might increase the flowability and dispersity,and decrease the specific surface area and agglomeration of CeO2 powders.The mechanism of the surface modification of CeO2 powder particles was also discussed.

PARTICLE SIZE AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF Ni NANOPOWDERS PREPARED BY ANODIC ARC PLASMA

Pure Ni nanopowders were successfully prepared by the method of anodic arc disch arged plasma with homemade experimental apparatus. The particle size, mircostruc ture and morphology of the particles by this process were characterized via X-ra y powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the corre sponding selected area electron diffraction (SAED); The specific surface area an d pore parameters were investigated by multi-point full analysis of nitrogen ads orption-desorption isotherms at 77K by Brunauer- Emmett-Teller (BET) surface are a analyzer; The chemical composition were determined by X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (XEDS) equipped in SEM and element analyze instrument. The experime nt results indicate that the samples by this method with high purity,the crystal structure of the particles is as same as the bulk material, is fcc structure, w ith average particle sizes about 47nm, ranging from 20 to 70nm, and distributed uniformly in spherical chain shapes, the specific surface areavis 14.23m2/g, po re volume of pore is 0.09cm3/g and average pore diameter is 23nm.

Intense up-conversion emissions of yb3＋/Dy3＋ co-doped A12O3 nanopowders prepared by non-aqueous sol-gel method＊

yb3＋/Dy3＋ co-doped A1203 nanopowders have been prepared by the non-aqueous sol-gel method and their up- conversion photoluminescence spectra are measured under excitation by a 980-nm semiconductor laser. The results show that there are comparatively abundant spectra of up-conversion emissions centered at 378, 408, 527 and 543, and 663 nm, corresponding to 4C9/2→ 6H13/2, 4C9/2→ 6Hll/2, 4115/2 → 6H13/2, and 4F9/2 →6Hll/2 transitions of Dy3＋, respectively. Two-photon and three-photon processes are involved in ultraviolet, violet, green, and red up-conversion emissions. The energy transition between Yb3＋ and Dy3＋ is discussed.

Surface treatment of titanium dioxide nanopowder using rotary electrode dielectric barrier discharge reactor

Titanium dioxide(Ti O_(2))nanopowder(P-25;Degussa AG)was treated using dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)in a rotary electrode DBD(RE-DBD)reactor.Its electrical and optical characteristics were investigated during RE-DBD generation.The treated TiO_(2)nanopowder properties and structures were analyzed using x-ray diffraction(XRD)and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).After RE-DBD treatment,XRD measurements indicated that the anatase peak theta positions shifted from 25.3°to 25.1°,which can be attributed to the substitution of new functional groups in the TiO_(2)lattice.The FTIR results show that hydroxyl groups(OH)at 3400 cm-1 increased considerably.The mechanism used to modify the TiO_(2)nanopowder surface by air DBD treatment was confirmed from optical emission spectrum measurements.Reactive species,such as OH radical,ozone and atomic oxygen can play key roles in hydroxyl formation on the TiO_(2)nanopowder surface.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND PREPARATION OF Ni,Al AND Fe NANOPOWDERS

ＭＩＣＲＯＳＴＲＵＣＴＵＲＥＡＮＤＰＲＥＰＡＲＡＴＩＯＮＯＦＮｉ，ＡｌＡＮＤＦｅＮＡＮＯＰＯＷＤＥＲＳ①ＷｅｉＱｉｎａ，ｂ，ＬａｉＹｉｎｇｌｉｎｇａ，ＹａｎｇＨｏｎｇａ，ＬｉＣｈａｎｇｇｅｎｇａａＤｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｏｆＡｐｐｌｉｅｄＰｈｙｓｉｃｓａ...

Novel Salt-Assisted Combustion Synthesis of High Surface Area Ceria Nanopowders by An Ethylene Glycol-Nitrate Combustion Process

A novel salt-assisted combustion process with ethylene glycol as a fuel and nitrate as an oxidant to synthesize high surface area celia nanopowders was reported. The effects of various tunable conditions, such as fuel-to-oxidant ratio, type of salts, and amount of added salts, on the characteristics of the as-prepared powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and BET surface area measurement. A mechanism scheme was proposed to illustrate the possible formation processes of well-dispersed ceria nanoparticles in the salt-assisted combustion synthesis. It was verified that the simple introduction of leachable inert inorganic salts as an excellent agglomeration inhibitor into the redox mixture precursor leads to the formation of well-dispersed ceria particles with particle size in the range of 4 ～6 nm and a drastic increase in the surface area. The presence of KCl results in an over ten-fold increment in specific surface area from 14.10 m^2·g^-1 for the produced ceria powders via the conventional combustion synthesis process to 156.74 m^2·g^-1 for the product by the salt-assisted combustion synthesis process at the same molar ratio of ethylene glycol-nitrate.

Characterization of YSZ Ceramic Nanopowders Synthesized at Different Temperatures via Polyacrylamide Gel Method

Tetragonal zirconia (T-ZrO2) ceramic nanopowders stabilized with 3 mol% Y2O3 were synthesized via polyacrylamide gel method, using ZrOCl2?8H2O and Y(NO3)3?6H2O as raw materials. The effect of temperature on phase composition and morphology of YSZ nanopowders and sintering behavior of YSZ ceramics was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Vickers hardness tester. The aging-resistance of YSZ ceramics was measured by means of aging experiments. The results demonstrated that the phase composition of YSZ ceramic nanopowders had no obvious change and it was composed of T-ZrO2. Particle size of well-dispersed YSZ ceramic nanopowders increased from 17 to 35 nm with increasing calcining temperature from 600 to 800 ℃. There was noticeable negative correlation between calcining temperature and the relative density of YSZ ceramic at the same sintering temperature. The aging experiments showed that water vapor facilitated tetragonal to monoclinic phase transformation, and the sample that had smaller grain size exhibited better aging-resistance. It can be concluded that when the calcining temperature is 600 ℃ and sintering temperature is 1550 ℃, the relative density and hardness of YSZ ceramic arrive at the peak of 96.64% and 11.135 GPa respectively, and it has less microcracks and excellent aging-resistance.

Annealing effect on structure and green emission of ZnO nanopowder by decomposing precursors

ZnO nanopowder is successfully synthesized by annealing the precursors in oxygen gas using the chemical precipitation method. Structural and optical properties of thus synthesized ZnO nanopowder are characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and photoluminescence （PL）. The morphology of ZnO nanopowders evolves from nanorod to cobble as annealing temperature increases from 500 to 1000℃, while spiral structures are observed in the samples annealed at 900 and 1000℃. The PL spectra of ZnO nanopowder consist of largely green and yellow emission bands. The green emission from ZnO nanopowder depends strongly on the annealing temperature with a peak intensity at a temperature lower than 800℃ while the yellow emission is associated with interstitial oxygen Oi.

The graphene nanopowder for electro-catalytic oxidation of dopamine and uric acid in the presence of ascorbic acid

The graphene nanopowder for electro-catalytic oxidation of dopamine and uric acid in the presence of ascorbic acid has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry,linear polarization and chronoamperometry.The graphene nanopowder modified electrode was prepared using the drop coating method,which displayed excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of dopamine and uric acid compared with the bare glassy carbon electrode in phosphate buffer solution at pH=7.0.Linear responses for dopamine and uric acid were obtained in the ranges of3.3μmol/L to 249.1μmol/L and 6.7μmol/L to 386.3μmol/L with detection limits of 1.5μmol/L and 2.7μmol/L(S/N=3),respectively.The response time was less than 2 s in case of dopamine and 3 s in case of uric acid,respectively.The results demonstrated that the graphene nanopowder had potential for detecting dopamine and uric acid.

Synthesis of Vanadium Carbide Nanopowders via Mechanical Alloying and Microwave Heating Methods

A simple and fast method of preparation of vanadium carbide(V_8 C_7) nanopowders using mechanical alloying assisted microwave heating method was demonstrated. The micron-sized V_2O_5 and nano-sized carbon black were used as starting materials. The as-prepared powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry(TG-DSC), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) techniques. The experimental results show that the V_8C_7 powders can be obtained by microwave heating at 1 100 ℃ for 1 h(34 wt% C). The synthesized powders show good dispersion and are mainly composed of spherical or near-spherical particles with a mean diameter of about 30 nm. The XPS spectra show that the surface of the specimen mainly consists of V, C, and O three species elements.