Effects of Yttrium on the Microstructures and Interfaces in a Low Expansion Superalloy

The forms and structures of the phases in Fe-Ni-Co-Nb-Ti-Si low expansion superal-loys have been studied using analytical electron microscopy, high resolution electron microscopy, chemical phase analysis, X-ray diffraction, etc. The effects of yttrium on the microstructures and properties in the superalloys have also been investigated. The results reveal that trace yttrium mainly located in the platelet precipitates makes the crystal structure changed. The platelet precipitates become smaller, denser and rather homogeneous with appropriate yttrium addition. Compared with the conventional low expansion superalloy, the misfit of the platelet phase with the matrix in the yttrium-containing low expansion superalloy decreases from 0.7% to 0.07%, which indicates very low stress at the interface.

Investigation on Oxidation Behavior of Al-Cu-Fe Quasi-crystal

An Al62.5Cu25Fe12.5 quasi-crystalline alloy was prepared by are melting. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the microstructure of the quasi-crystalline alloy. Isothermal weight gain of the Al-Cu-Fe quasi-crystal at elevated temperature in dry air was measured by means of a thermal balance and the oxidation behavior was evaluated by oxidation kinetic curves, from which it was deduced that the quasi-crystal exhibits good oxidation resistance. The surface morphologies of the Al-Cu-Fe quasi-crystal after isothermal oxidation at 700°C and 800°C for different times were observed. The oxidation resistance of quasi-crystalline powder and normal crystalline powder in the Al-Cu-Fe system was also quantitatively compared in quantity.

Performance of grouts for post-tensioned prestressed structures

New high performance grouts with high volume stability and good fluidity were prepared with Portland cement and a multifunctional admixture (MFA). The theological characteristics and mechanical performance of the grouts were investigated. The addition of MFA effectively improves the pseudo-plasticity of the grout. The Ma cone flow time decreases obviously, and the bleeding rate tends to be zero. The deformation behaviors of fresh mixture and hardened grout are systematically studied. Mercury injection method (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractory analysis experiments are used to analyze the microstructure evolution of the grouts, which manifests that the co-action of the early bubble reaction and the latter ettringite crystallization ensure the volume stability throughout the whole hydration process and result in refined pore structure of the grout.

Microstructure and properties of mullite-based porous ceramics produced from coal fly ash with added Al_2O_3

Using coal fly ash slurry samples supplemented with different amounts of Al2O3, we fabricated mullite-based porous ceramics via a dipping-polymer-replica approach, which is a popular method suitable for industrial application. The microstructure, phase composition, and compressive strength of the sintered samples were investigated. Mullite was identified in all of the prepared materials by X-ray diffraction analysis. The microstructure and compressive strength were strongly influenced by the content of Al2O3. As the Al/Si mole ratio in the starting materials was increased from 0.84 to 2.40, the amount of amorphous phases in the sintered microstructure decreased and the compressive strength of the sintered samples increased. A further increase in the Al2O3content resulted in a decrease in the compressive strength of the sintered samples. The mullite-based porous ceramic with an Al/Si molar ratio of 2.40 exhibited the highest compressive strength and the greatest shrinkage among the investigated samples prepared using coal fly ash as the main starting material. © 2017, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Design and fabrication of broad angular range depth-graded C/W multilayer mirror for hard X-ray optics

In this paper, a depth-graded C/W multilayer mirror with broad grazing incident angular range, consisting of three multilayer stacks, each of which has different period thickness d and the layer pair number, was designed and fabricated by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. For calculating the definite performance of such a mirror, the saturation effects of the interfacial imperfection, such as interface roughness and diffusion, were emerged. The reflectivity of the mirror was measured by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument at Cu Kα radiation (λ = 0.154 nm), the measured reflectivity was about 30% in a broad grazing incident angular range (0.55°-0.85°). By the fitting data, the thickness of each layer is almost same as the one designed and the roughness in the multilayer is about 0.85 nm, which is larger than the prospective value of 0.5 nm.

Microstructure and properties of an Al–Ti–Cu–Si brazing alloy for SiC–metal joining

An Al–Ti–Cu–Si solid–liquid dual-phase alloy that exhibits good wettability and appropriate interfacial reaction with SiC at 500–600°C was designed for SiC–metal joining. The microstructure, phases, differential thermal curves, and high-temperature wetting behavior of the alloy were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and the sessile drop method. The experimental results show that the 76.5Al–8.5Ti–5Cu–10Si alloy is mainly composed of Al–Al2Cu and Al–Si hypoeutectic low-melting-point microstructures (493–586°C) and the high-melting-point intermetallic compound AlTiSi (840°C). The contact angle, determined by high-temperature wetting experiments, is approximately 54°. Furthermore, the wetting interface is smooth and contains no obvious defects. Metallurgical bonding at the interface is attributable to the reaction between Al and Si in the alloy and ceramic, respectively. The formation of the brittle Al4C3phase at the interface is suppressed by the addition of 10wt% Si to the alloy. © 2017, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Interface roughness, surface roughness and soft X-ray reflectivity of Mo/Si multilayers with different layer number

A series of Mo/Si multilayers with the same periodic length and different periodic number were prepared by magnetron sputtering, whose top layers were respectively Mo layer and Si layer. Periodic length and interface roughness of Mo/Si multilayers were determined by small angle X-ray diffraction （SAXRD）. Surface roughness change curve of Mo/Si multilayer with increasing layer number was studied by atomic force microscope （AFM）. Soft X-ray reflectivity of Mo/Si multilayers was measured in National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory （NSRL）. Theoretical and experimental results show that the soft X-ray reflectivity of Mo/Si multilayer is mainly determined by periodic number and interface roughness, surface roughness has little effect on reflectivity.

Investigation of ultra-short-period W/C multilayers for soft X-ray optics

Ultra-short-period W/C multilayers having periodic thickness range of 1.15-3.01 nm have been fabricated for soft X-ray optics using the high vacuum direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering system. These multilayers were characterized by low-angle X-ray diffraction (LAXRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that the multilayer thin films with periodic thickness more than 1.5 nm have clear W-C interface and low roughness. But the structure of the periodic thickness below 1.5 nm is not clear. Finally, three ways to improve the performance of the multilayers are suggested.

Write-once medium with BiO_x thin films for blue laser recording

BiOx films are prepared by reactive direct current （DC） magnetron sputtering from a metallic bismuth target in Ar ＋O2 with different O2/Ar ratios. It is found that the optical property of BiOx films is sensitive to O2/Ar ratios and the films deposited at O2/Ar ratio of 0.5 have the best reflectivity contrast under the same conditions. The structure and optical characteristics of the films are studied by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, and spectrophotometer. As revealed by investigations, the phase transition is mainly responsible for the change of optical properties. The static test results indicate that the BiO~ films have good writing sensitivity for blue laser beams. A high reflectivity contrast of about 52% at a writing power of 11 mW and writing pulse width of 800 ns is obtained. In addition, the films demonstrate good stability after being read for 10000 times.

Heteroepitaxial growth of InP/GaAs(100) by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Using two-step method InP epilayers were grown on GaAs（100） substrates by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition （LP-MOCVD）. X-ray diffraction （XRD） and room-temperature （RT） photolu- minescence （PL） were employed to characterize the quality of InP epilayer. The best scheme of growing InP/GaAs（100） heterostructures was obtained by optimizing the initial low-temperature （LT） InP growth conditions, investigating the effects of thermal cycle annealing （TCA） and strained layer superlattice （SLS） on InP epilayers. Compared with annealing, 10-periods Ga0.1In0.9P/InP SLS inserted into InP epilayers can improve the quality of epilayers dramatically, by this means, for 2.6-#m-thick heteroepitaxial InP, the full-widths at half-maximum （FWHMs） of XRD ω and ω-28 scans are 219 and 203 arcsec, respectively, the RT PL spectrum shows the band edge transition of InP, the FWHM is 42 meV. In addition, the successful growth of InP/In0.53Ga0.47As MQWs on GaAs（100） substrates indicates the quality of device demand of InP/GaAs heterostructures.

Influence of annealing on the structural,optical and electrical properties of indium oxide films deposited on c-sapphire substrate

Indium oxide(In_2O_3) films were prepared on Al_2O_3(0001) substrates at 700 °C by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD).Then the samples were annealed at 800 °C,900 °C and 1 000 °C,respectively.The X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis reveals that the samples were polycrystalline films before and after annealing treatment.Triangle or quadrangle grains can be observed,and the corner angle of the grains becomes smooth after annealing.The highest Hall mobility is obtained for the sample annealed at 900 °C with the value about 24.74 cm^2·V^(-1)·s^(-1).The average transmittance for the films in the visible range is over 90%.The optical band gaps of the samples are about 3.73 e V,3.71 e V,3.70 eV and 3.69 eV corresponding to the In_2O_3 films deposited at 700 °C and annealed at 800 °C,900 °C and 1 000 °C,respectively.

Optical properties and structures of silver thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering with different thicknesses

A series of thin Ag films with different thicknesses grown under identical conditions are analyzed by means of spectrophotometer. From these measurements the values of refractive index and extinction coefficient are calculated. The films are deposited onto BK7 glass substrates by direct current （DC） magnetron sputtering. It is found that the optical properties of the Ag films can be affected by films thickness. Below critical thickness of 17 nm, which is the thickness at which Ag films form continuous films, the optical properties and constants vary significantly with thickness increasing and then tend to a stable value up to about 40 nm. At the same time, X-ray diffraction measurement is carried out to examine the microstructure evolution of Ag films as a function of films thickness. The relation between optical properties and microstructure is discussed.

Enhancement of upconversion luminescence due to the formation of nanocrystals in Er^(3+)-doped tellurite glasses

Optically transparent Er^3＋-doped tellurite-based nanocrystallized glasses with the composition of 70TeO2.15Li2O·15Nb2O5·0.5Er2O3 （mol） have been prepared bv a conventional melting quenching and the subsequent heat treatment processes. The sizes of grown nanocrystals in glass matrix appear to be 35-50 nm from the X-ray diffraction （XRD） measurement. The microhardness measurement shows that the Vickers hardness values of the nanoerystallized tellurite glasses are larger （33%-62%） than those in the base glass. The Raman spectra imply that the maximum phonon energy of the based glass decreases and shifts from 668 to 638 cm^-1 after heat-treatment. Visible upconversion luminescence and infrared luminescence of the base glass and heat-treated glasses under 980-nm laser diode （LD） excitation are investigated. The 524-, 546- and 656-nm upconversion intensities by 980-nm pumping increase significantly.

Preparation of nanodiamonds by laser irradiation of graphite

Graphite powders were irradiated by pulsed laser at room temperature and normal pressure and then boiled in perchloric acid. Samples were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron diffraction pattern (EDP), X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, and Raman spectroscopy. The analyses on the HRTEM images, EDP, and XRD show that the diamond particles with a size of about 5 nm are obtained. The shifting and broadening of the diamond peak in Raman spectrum indicate that there are high defect density and residual internal stress in synthetic diamond.

Effect of nanocrystals on up-conversion luminescence of Er^(3+),Yb^(3+) co-doped glass-ceramics

Different up-conversion luminescent spectra of Er^3＋ ions were observed in the oxyfluoride glass-ceramics. The ratio of two fluorides in the original compositions was modified in order to form different nanocrystals. The intensity of up-conversion luminescence increased sharply when the ratio of PbF2 and CdF2 was 40：10. The data of differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction were used to explain the optimization fluoride ratio. The intensity of up-conversion luminescence is not only decided by the crystallizability but also mainly related with the stoiehiometric proportion of fluoride nanocrystals in the glass-ceramics.

Synthesis and optical properties of PbMoO_4 nanoplates

Nanometer sized lead molybdate （PbMoO4） plates are prepared through conventional hydrothermal together with sonochemical methods. The plates are then characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectrometry, photoluminescence spectrometry, and ultraviolet-visible （UV-VIS） spectrometry. The results indicate that the nanoplates have a characteristically narrow particle size distribution and their tetragonal scheelite-type structure is confirmed by both X-ray diffractometry and FTIR spectrometry. When the nanoplates are compared with the corresponding bulk crystals, blue shifts in their photoluminescence peaks, wider optical band gaps, and the broadening of the X-ray diffractometer peaks are observed. These can be ascribed to the decrease in crystal size.

Study on the laser treatment of electroless Ni-P-SiC composite coatings

Effect of the laser treatment on electroless Ni-P-SiC composite coatings was investigated. The microscopic structure, surface morphology, ingredient, and performance of the Ni-P-SiC composite coatings were synthetically analyzed by the use of X-ray diffraction apparatus, scanning electron microscope, energy distribution spectrometer, micro-hardness tester, wear tester and so on. It was found that the composite coatings did make crystalloblastic transformation after laser heating. Structural analysis confirmed that some new types of phase Ni2Si or Ni3Si compound would emerge in the Ni-P-SiC coatings after laser treatment. The micro-hardness measurement results showed that when the laser power was 450 W with scanning speed of 0.5 m/min, the hardness of the coating was superior to the coating obtained by the conventional furnace heating, and wear resistance of the composite coating after laser treating could also improve.

Nonlinear optical properties of a self-organized dye thin film

A self-organized thin film of a cyanine dye is fabricated by the spin-coating technique and is characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, infrared （IR） spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray diffraction, eUipsometer, and atomic force microscopy （AFM）. The nonlinear optical properties of the thin films are investigated by degenerate four wave mixing （DFWM） technique. The cyanine dye thin film sample exhibits high optical nonlinearities （χ^（3） = 2.55 × 10^-12 esu）, and the mechanism is analyzed by the exciton coupling theory.

Novel Tm^(3+)-doped transparent fluorozirconate glass-ceramic containing nanocrystalline

A new transparent Tm^3＋-doped ZrFa-based nanocrystallized glass with the composition of 55ZrFa-20BaF2- 18.8YF3-5A1F5-1.2TmF3 （tool%） （ZBYA） has been prepared by a conventional melting quenching technique and the subsequent heat treatment processes. The glass characteristic temperatures, the apparent activation energy, and the Avrami parameter for crystallization are estimated on the basis of different scanning calorimetry （DSC）. The sizes of grown nanocrystals in the glass matrix appear to be 30-36.5 nm and it is studied as a function of the nucleation temperature, also the peak intensity of the nanocrystalline is studied as a function of the nucleation temperature from the X-ray diffraction （XRD） measurement. The microhardness measurement shows that the Vickers microhardness （Hy） values of the heat-treated glass samples are larger than that of the based glass about 17.26%-42.04%.

Laser induced self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of TiNi alloy

TiNi alloy, especially porous TiNi, a good biocompatible material, can be made by laser induced self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). A 40-W CO2 laser was used to ignite the powders of Ti and Ni, and TiNi intermetallic compound was synthesized by SHS in a reaction kettle of stainless steel. High-speed photography, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate and analyze the reaction process, phase composing, and microstructure of the product, respectively. The influence factors on the reaction process and the product were discussed. The results indicate that laser induced SHS is an efficient, energy-saving method; The phase ingredient of the product consists of TiNi, Ti2Ni, and Ni3Ti. With the increase of the preparing pressure of the sample, the reacting rate decreases; With the increase of the laser power and the preheating temperature, the reacting rate increases. Under the condition of 30℃/min, the synthesis reaction had been carried out consistently and completely.