PREPARING NANO-CRYSTALLINE La DOPED WC/Co POWDER BY HIGH ENERGY BALL MILLING

The La doped WC/Co powder was prepared by high energy ball milling. The changes of crystal structure, micrograph and defect of the powder were investigated by means of XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM (scanning electron microscope) and DTA (differential thermal analysis). The results show that adding trace La element into carbides is effective to minish the grain size of WC/Co powder. The La doped carbides powder with grain size of 30nm can be obtained after 10h ball milling. The XRD peak of Co phase disappeared after 20h ball milling, which indicated solid solution (or secondary solid solution) of Co phase in WC phase. The La doped powder with grain size of 10nm is obtained after 30h ball milling. A peak of heat release at the temperature of 470℃ was emerged in DTA curve within the range of heating temperature, which showed that the crystal structure relaxation of the powder appeared in the process of high energy ball milling. After consolidated the La doped WC/Co alloy by high energy ball milling exhibits ultra-fine grain sizes and better mechanical properties.

Synthesis and Characterization of Storage Energy Materials Prepared from Nano-crystalline Cellulose/Polyethylene Glycol

This paper gives a brief report of the synthesis of a new kind of solid-solid phase change materials （SSPCMs）, nano-crystalline cellulose/polyethylene glycol （NCC/PEG）. These PCMs have very high ability for energy storage, and their enthalpies reach 103.8 J/g. They are composed of two parts, PEG as functional branches for energy storage, and NCC as skeleton. The flexible polymer PEG was grafted onto the surface of rigid powder of NCC by covalent bonds. The results of DSC, FT-IR were briefly introduced, and some comments were also given.

Stress Field of Non-equilibrium Grain Boundaries in Nano-crystalline Metals

Introducing the stress distribution near grain boundaries to improve the dislocation pileup model for the Halt-Petch (H-P) relation, the continuous distribution of dislocations in the pileup could be solved by means of Tschebysheff polynomials for the Hilbert transformation. An analytical formula of the stress intensity factor for the dislocation pileup is obtained. The reverse H-P relation may be explained by the modified dislocation-pileup-model.

Effect of Gas Sources on the Deposition of Nano-Crystalline Diamond Films Prepared by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Nano-crystalline diamond （NCD） films were deposited on silicon substrates by a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （MPCVD） reactor in C2H5OH/H2 and CH4/H2/O2 systems, respectively, with a constant ratio of carbon/hydrogen/oxygen. By means of atomic force microscopy （AFM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）, it was shown that the NCD films deposited in the C2H5OH/H2 system possesses more uniform surface than that deposited in the CH4/H2/O2 system. Results from micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed that the quality of the NCD films was different even though the plasmas in the two systems contain exactly the same proportion of elements. In order to explain this phenomenon, the bond energy of forming OH groups, energy distraction in plasma and the deposition process of NCD films were studied. The experimental results and discussion indicate that for a same ratio of carbon/hydrogen/oxygen, the C2H5OH/H2 plasma was beneficial to deposit high quality NCD films with smaller average grain size and lower surface roughness.

Reinforcement of Lignin-Based Phenol-Formaldehyde Adhesive with Nano-Crystalline Cellulose (NCC): Curing Behavior and Bonding Property of Plywood

The curing behavior of lignin-based phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resin with different contents of nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at different heating rates (5, 10 and 20&degC/min) and the bonding property was evaluated by the wet shear strength and wood failure of two-ply plywood panels after soaking in water (48 hours at room temperature and followed by 1-hour boiling). The test results indicated that the NCC content had little influence on the peak temperature, activation energy and the total heat of reaction of LPF resin at 5 and 10&degC/min. But at 20&degC/min, LPF0.00% (LPF resin without NCC) showed the highest total heat of reaction, while LPF0.25% (LPF resin containing 0.25% NCC content) and LPF0.50% (LPF resin containing 0.50% NCC content) gave the lowest value. The wet shear strength was affected by the NCC content to a certain extent. With regard to the results of one-way analysis of variance, the bonding quality could be improved by NCC and the optimum NCC content ranged from 0.25% to 0.50%. The wood failure was also affected by the NCC content, but the trend with respect to NCC content was not clear.

The Character of Photo-electrochemistry of Palladium Implanted TiO_2 Nano-crystalline Electrode

A new electrode was prepared by using Pd implanted into nano-crystalline TiO2 and the character of photo-electrochemistry of implanted electrodes was investigated. The energy band structure of nano-crystalline TiO2 has not changed after implantation with Pd. The photo-current (i(ph)) of palladium implanted TiO2 nano-crystalline electrode is larger than that of pure TiO2 nanocrystalline electrode.

Brightness of Blue/Violet Luminescent Nano-Crystalline AZO and IZO Thin Films with Effect of Layer Number:For High Optical Performance

From different reports, it （AZO） and indium-doped including usage areas. We nanocrystalline films with is realized that there is a need to consider all sides of aluminum-doped zinc oxide zinc oxide （IZO） thin films with their optical, luminescence and surface properties establish an assessment to carry out further information to summarize AZO and IZO impact of the layer number.

Dynamic modeling of preloaded size-dependent nano-crystalline nano-structures

The vibration behavior of size-dependent nano-crystalline nano-beams is investigated based on nonlocal, couple stress and surface elasticity theories. A nano- crystalline nano-beam is composed of three phases which are nano-grains, nano-voids, and interface. Nano-voids or porosities inside the material have a stiffness-softening impact on the nano-beam. A Eringen＇s nonlocal elasticity theory is applied in the analysis of nano-crystalline nano-beams for the first time. Residual surface stresses which are usually neglected in modeling nano-crystalline nano-beams are incorporated into nonlocal elasticity to better understand the physics of the problem. Also, a modified couple stress theory is used to capture rigid rotations of grains. Applying a differential transform method （DTM） satisfying various boundary conditions, the governing equations obtained from the Hamilton＇s principle are solved. Reliability of the proposed approach is verified by comparing the obtained results with those provided in the literature. The effects of the nonlocal parameter, surface effect, couple stress, grain size, porosities, and interface thickness on the vibration characteristics of nano-crystalline nano-beams are explored.

Preparation of Nano-crystalline Tungsten Carbide Thin Film by Magnetron Sputtering and Their Electrocatalytic Property for PNP Reduction

Nano-crystalline tungsten carbide thin films were deposited on Ni substrates by magnetron sputtering using WC as target material. The crystal structure and morphology of the thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） Electrochemical investigations showed that the electrode of the thin film exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity in the reaction of p-nitrophenol （PNP） reduction. FT-IR analysis indicated that p-aminophenol （PAP） was synthesized after two step reduction of PNP on nano-crystalline tungsten carbide thin film electrode.

PREPARATION OF NANO-CRYSTALLINE Fe-Cu THIN FILMS AND THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES

Fe-Cu thin films of 0.2 mum in thickness with different Cu contents wereprepared by using r.f. magnetron sputtering onto glass substrate. The effect of sputteringparameters, including Ar gas pressure and input rf power, on the structure and magnetic propertieswas investigated. It was found that when the power is lower than 70W, the structure of the filmsremained single bcc-Fe phase with Cu solubility of up to 50at. percent. TEM observations for thebcc-Fe phase showed that the grain size was in the nanometer range of less than 20nm. The coercivityof Fe- Cu films was largely affected by not only Ar gas pressure but also rf power, and reachedabout 2.5Oe in the pressure of 0.67-6.67Pa and in the power of less than 100W. In addition,saturation magnetization, with Cu content less than 60at. percent, was about proportional to thecontent of bcc-Fe. When Cu content was at 60at. percent, however, saturation magnetization was muchsmaller than its calculation value.

Fabrication of nano-crystalline W-Ni-Fe pre-alloyed powders by mechanical alloying technique

Nano-crystalline pre-alloyed powders of W-Ni-Fe were fabricated by high energy ball milling mechanical alloying (MA) technique. The change of appearances and the crystallite sizes of powders before and after high energy ball milling were investigated by XRD, TOPAS P software, SEM and EDS. The results show that the nano-crystalline pre-alloyed powders can be fabricated by 5 h high energy ball milling. During the MA process, the diffusion of W, Ni and Fe happens in the process of repeated welding and fracturing. As a result, nano-crystalline supersaturated solid solutions are formed. The crystallite sizes won't be refined after 10 h ball milling. The crystallite sizes of different compositions are almost the same under the same MA condition. Due to the toughening mechanism of rare earth element, the powders of 90W-4Ni-2Fe-3.8Mo-0.2RE alloy are seriously agglomerated after ball milling compared with the other alloys. It can be concluded that the optimal sintering temperature of 90W-4Ni-2Fe-3.8Mo-0.2RE pre-alloyed powders after 15 h mechanical alloying is 1 300-1 350 ℃.

Size Effects of Nano-crystalline Cellulose

Natural cellulose with the crystal form of cellulose Ⅰ, when treated with condensed lye (e.g. 18%NaOH), can change into new crystal form of cellulose Ⅱ. But the nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC) can do it when only treated with dilute lye (e.g. 1%NaOH) at room temperature and even can dissolve into slightly concentrated lye (e.g. 4%NaOH).

Preparation of Nano-Crystalline Diamond Films on Poly-Crystalline Diamond Thick Films by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Nano-crystalline diamond （NCD） films were prepared on poly-crystalline diamond （PCD） thick flims by the microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （MPCVD） method. Free standing PCD thick film （50 mm in diameter） with a thickness of 413 μm was deposited in CHn/H2 plasma. It was then abraded for 2 hours and finally cut into pieces in a size of 10×10 mm^2 by pulse laser. NCD fihns were deposited on the thick film substrates by introducing a micro-crystalline diamond （MCD） interlayer. Results showed that a higher carbon concentration （5%） and a lower substrate temperature （650℃） were feasible to obtain a highly smooth interlayer, and the appropriate addition of oxygen （2%） into the gas mixture was conducive to obtaining a smooth nano-crystalline diamond film with a tiny grain size.

Hexagonal Nano-Crystalline BCN Films Grown on Si (100) Substrate Studied by X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Hexagonal nano-crystalline boron carbonitride (h-BCN) films grown on Si (100) substrate have been precisely investigated. The films were synthesized by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using tris-dimethylamino borane as a single-source molecular precursor. The deposition was performed by setting RF power at 400 - 800 W. The reaction pressure was at 2.6 Pa and the substrate temperature was recorded at 700°C - 800°C. Formation of the nano-crystalline h-BCN compound has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The diffraction peaks at 26.3° together with a small unknown peak at 29.2° were elucidated due to the formation of an h-BCN structure. The films composed of B, C, and N atoms with different B-N, B-C, C-N chemical bonds in forming the sp2-BCN atomic configuration studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Orientation and local structures of the h-BCN hybrid were studied by near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) measurements. The dominant presence of p* and s* resonance peaks of the sp2-hybrid orbitals in the B K-edge NEXAFS spectra revealed the formation of the sp2-BCN configuration around B atoms like-BN3 in h-BN. The orientation was suggested on the basis of the polarization dependence of B K-edge and N K-edge of the NEXAFS spectra.

Study of Nano-crystalline Silicon Films

By using strong hydrogen dilution of silane in PECVD system and controlling the deposition parameters strictly, we have prepared a-Si:H and nc-Si:H as well as μc-Si:H films respectively. The structural characters of nc-Si: H films detected by means of HREM, Raman and X-ray diffraction spectra are identified as coinciding with the known definition of nanometer solids. The unique electrical and optical properties of nc-Si:H films are considered as the consequence of its novel structures.

Nucleation and growth mechanism of electrodeposited Ni−W alloy

The nucleation and growth mechanism of electrodeposited Ni−W alloy were investigated.Cyclic voltammetry(CV)and chronoamperometry(CA)were used to examine the electrochemical behavior and nucleation mechanism of the electrodeposited Ni−W alloy.The nucleation type and kinetic parameters of the electrodeposited Ni−W alloy were obtained from the CA analysis results.SEM,AFM,and TEM were also used to investigate the nucleation and growth process of the electrodeposition of Ni−W alloy.The results demonstrate that the nucleation and initial stages of the growth phase of the Ni−W alloy undergo the formation,movement,and aggregation of atoms,single crystals,and nanoclusters.When the size of single crystal increases up to approximately 10 nm and the average size of the crystal granules is approximately 68 nm,they no longer grow.Increasing the applied potential increases the number of nuclei but does not affect the size of the final crystal granules.Therefore,the electrodeposited Ni−W alloy shows a nanocrystalline structure.

Ultrafine Grain Tungsten Heavy Alloys with Excellent Performance Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering

Ultrafine grain tungsten heavy alloys (WHAs) were successfully produced from the nano-crystalline powders using spark plasma sintering.The present study mainly discussed the effects of sintering temperature on the density,microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys.The relative density of 98.12% was obtained at 1 050 ℃,and the tungsten grain size is about 871 nm.At 1 000 ℃-1 200 ℃,the mechanical properties of the alloys tend to first rise and then goes down.After SPS,the alloy exhibits improved hardness (84.3 HRA at 1 050 ℃) and bending strength (987.16 MPa at 1 100 ℃),due to the ultrafine-grained microstructure.The fracture mode after bending tests is mainly characterized as intergranular or intragranular fracture of W grains,interfacial debonding of W grains-binding phase and ductile tearing of binding phase.The EDS analysis reveals a certain proportion of solid solution between W and Ni-Fe binding phase.The good mechanical properties of the alloys can be attributed to grain refinement and solid solution strengthening.

Influence of TiCl_4 treatment on performance of dye-sensitized solar cell assembled with nano-TiO_2 coating deposited by vacuum cold spraying

Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) treatment was employed to TiO2 coating deposited on fluoride-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass and indium oxide doped tin oxide (ITO) conducting glass, respectively. The nano-crystalline TiO2 coating was deposited using a composite powder composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and 25 nm TiO2 particles by vacuum cold spraying (VCS) process. A commercial N-719 dye was used to adsorb on the surface of TiO2 coating to prepare TiO2 electrode, which was applied to assemble dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC). The cell performance was measured under simulated solar light at an intensity of 100 mW·cm-2. Results show that with an FTO substrate the DSC composed of a VCS TiO2 electrode untreated by TiCl4 gives a short-circuit current density of 13.1 mA·cm-2 and an open circuit voltage of 0.60 V corresponding to an overall conversion efficiency of 4.4%. It is found that after TiCl4 treatment to the VCS TiO2 electrode with an FTO substrate, the short circuit current density of the cell increases by 31%, the open-circuit voltage increases by 60 mV and a higher conversion yield of 6.5% was obtained. However, when an ITO substrate is used to deposit TiO2 coating by VCS, after TiCl4 treatment, the conversion efficiency of the assembled cell reduces slightly due to corrosion of the conducting layer on the ITO glass by TiCl4.

Characterization of Pr-CeO_2 Nano-crystallites Prepared by Low-temperature Combustion&Hydrothermal Synthesis

Pr-CeO2 Nano-crystalline red pigments were prepared by low-temperature combustion with a later hydrothermal treatment using Ce（NO3）3·6H2O and Pr6O11 as raw materials. The phase composition, coloring mechanism and morphology of pigments were analyzed by XRD, SEM, EDS and XPS. Results showed that Pr-CeO2 solid solution with a fluorite structure was obtained by the diffusion of Pr^＋3 into CeO2 crystal lattice during the synthesis process. XPS analysis indicated that Pr^＋3 substitutes Ce^＋4 in CeO2 and is compensated by oxygen vacancies. Compared with low-temperature combustion synthesis, the Pr-CeO2 pigments prepared with a subsequent hydrothermal treatment have an average grain size of about 16.70 nm, and the crystallinity and red tonality are improved.

Synthesis and characteristics of W-Ni-Fe nano-composite powders prepared by mechanical alloying

The mixture of 90W 7Ni 3Fe(mass fraction, %) powders was milled in a planetary ball mill. Its structure changed during milling, the surface characteristics and thermal stability of the milled powders were studied with X ray diffraction(XRD), Brunaure Emmett Teller (BET) nitrogen adsorption technique and differential thermal analysis(DTA). The results show that high energy ball milling leads to the formation of composite powders with amorphous binder phase and supersaturated W(Ni, Fe) nano crystalline grains in which great lattice distortion exists. The crystallization temperature of the amorphous binder phase during heating decreases with milling time. The specific surface area and the pore size of the powder mixtures decreases with milling time due to agglomeration and welding between particles.