Laser-Heated Diamond-Anvil Cell (LHDAC) in Materials Science Research

Laser-heated diamond-anvil cell (LHDAC) is emerging as the most suitable, economical and versatile tool for the measurement of a large spectrum of physical properties of materials under extreme pressure and temperature conditions. In this review, the recent developments in the instrumentation, pressure and temperature measurement techniques, results of experimental investigations from the literature were discussed. Also, the future scope of the technique in various avenues of science was explored.

Experimental investigation on pressure-buildup characteristics of a water lump immerged in a molten lead pool

Motivated to understand the pressure-buildup characteristics in a circumstance of a water droplet immerged inside a heavy liquid metal pool,which is a key phenomenon during a Steam Generator Tube Rupture accident of Lead-cooled Fast Reactor,many experiments have been conducted by injecting water lumps into a molten lead pool at Sun Yat-sen University.In order to deepen the understanding of the influence of melt material,this lead experiment was compared with a Lead-Bismuth-Eutectic(LBE)experiment in the literature.For both experiments,a steam explosion occurred in a small part of the experi-mental runs,which generally leads to strengthened pressure buildup.Regarding the non-explosion experimental cases,the impact of all parameters employed in lead experiments(i.e.,water lump volume,water lump shape,molten pool depth,and temperature of water and melt)on the pressure buildup is non-negligible and similar to that in our previous experiments using LBE.Notably,limited pressure buildup with an increase in water lump volume was also observed.A slightly more violent pressure buildup tends to appear in the lead experiments than in the LBE experiments under the same experimental conditions,which may be due to the higher thermal conductivity of lead than of LBE.In a few experimental runs with a relatively low melt temperature close to the melting point of lead,local solidification of liquid lead was observed,restricting pressure buildup.For the lead and LBE experiments,the calculated melt kinetic energy conversion efficiencyηhas a relatively small value(not exceeding 1.6%),and theηvalues have an overall positive correlation with the impulse on the molten pool.

Electrical Properties of GeTe-based Ternary Alloys

Ge_（50-x）Sb_xTe_（50） and Ge_（50-x）Bi_xTe_（50） ternary alloys were synthesized by vacuum melting at 1273 K with the starting materials of Ge, Bi, Sb, and Te. The lattice structures were analyzed based on X-ray diffraction patterns, which could all be indexed to R3m rhombic structure. Electrical properties measurements revealed that the Ge-Sb-Te ternary alloys were p-type semiconductors with high electrical conductivity of 4.5×10~5S？m^（-1） near room temperature. And the maximum electrical property was obtained at Ge_45Sb_5Te_50, with the power factor of 2.49×10^（-3）W？m^（-1）K^（-2） at 640 K. Due to the existence of secondary phases, the electrical conductivity of Ge-Bi-Te system was lower and Seebeck coefficient was higher comparing with those of Ge-Sb-Te system.

Electron Beam Melted Beta-type Ti–24Nb–4Zr–8Sn Porous Structures With High Strength-to-Modulus Ratio

Electron beam melting （EBM） has been used to manufacture β-type Ti-24Nb-4Zr-8Sn porous compo- nents with 70% porosity, EBM-produced components have favorable structural features （i.e. smooth strut surfaces, fewer defects） and an （α ＋ β）-type microstructure, similar to that subjected to aging treat- ment. EBM-produced components exhibit more than twice the strength-to-modulus ratio of porous Ti- 6A1-4V components having the same porosity. The processing-microstructure-property relationship and deformation behavior of EBM-produced components are discussed in detail. Such porous titanium com- ponents composed of non-toxic elements and having high strength-to-modulus ratio are highly attractive for biomedical applications.