Synthesis of Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd∶YAG) Nano-Sized Powders by Low Temperature Combustion

The homogeneously dispersed, less agglomerated (Nd0.01Y0.99)3Al5O12 nano-sized powders were synthesized by the low temperature combustion (LCS), using Nd2O3, Y2O3, Al(NO3)3·9H2O, ammonia water and citric acid as starting materials. This method effectively solves the problems caused by solid-state reaction at high temperature and hard agglomerates brought by the chemical precipitation method. The powders were characterized by TG-DTA, XRD, FT-IR, TEM respectively and the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of (Nd0.01Y0.99)3Al5O12 green and sintered ceramic disks were measured. The results show that the forming temperature of YAG crystal phase is 850 ℃ and YAP crystal phase appearing during the calcinations transforms to pure YAG at 1050 ℃. The particle size of the powders synthesized by the LCS is in a range of 20～50 nm depending on the thermal treatment temperatures. The effectively induced cross section (σin) with the value 4.03×10-19 cm2 of (Nd0.01Y0.99)3Al5O12 ceramics is about 44% higher than that of single crystal.

Synthesis and Characterization of Nano-sized Boron Powder Prepared by Plasma Torch

Hydrogen thermal plasma jet was employed to prepare nano-sized boron powder with hydrogen reduction of BCI3. The maximum yield of nano-sized boron powders was about 50% with the operational conditions of H2/BCl3 of 4.5：1, total feed of 4.9 m3/h, and plasma power of 25 kW. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, field emission scanning electron microscopy （FE-SEM）, and inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry （ICP-MS）, inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectrometry （ICP-AES）, inductive combustion infrared absorption （ICIA） and infrared thermal conductivity of oxygen and nitrogen analyzer （ITCA）. The results show that the boron powders have different crystal structures with higher dispersion and purity. The average diameter is about 50 nm, and the purity is 90.29% or so. This new technology can use simple process to produce high quality boron powders, and is feasible for industrial production.

Micro-aluminum powder with bi-or tri-component alloy coating as a promising catalyst:Boosting pyrolysis and combustion of ammonium perchlorate

A novel design of micro-aluminum(μAl)powder coated with bi-/tri-component alloy layer,such as:Ni-P and Ni-P-Cu(namely,Al@Ni-P,Al@Ni-P-Cu,respectively),as combustion catalysts,were introduced to release its huge energy inside Al-core and promote rapid pyrolysis of ammonium perchlorate(AP)at a lower temperature in aluminized propellants.The microstructure of Al@Ni-P-Cu demonstrates that a three-layer Ni-P-Cu shell,with the thickness of~100 nm,is uniformly supported byμAl carrier(fuel unit),which has an amorphous surface with a thickness of~2.3 nm(catalytic unit).The peak temperature of AP with the addition of Al@Ni-P-Cu(3.5%)could significantly drop to 316.2℃ at high-temperature thermal decomposition,reduced by 124.3℃,in comparison to that of pure AP with 440.5℃.It illustrated that the introduction of Al@Ni-P-Cu could weaken or even eliminate the obstacle of AP pyrolysis due to its reduction of activation energy with 118.28 kJ/mol.The laser ignition results showed that the ignition delay time of Al@Ni-P-Cu/AP mixture with 78 ms in air is shorter than that of Al@Ni-P/AP(118 ms),decreased by 33.90%.Those astonishing breakthroughs were attributed to the synergistic effects of adequate active sites on amorphous surface and oxidation exothermic reactions(7597.7 J/g)of Al@Ni-P-Cu,resulting in accelerated mass and/or heat transfer rate to catalyze AP pyrolysis and combustion.Moreover,it is believed to provide an alternative Al-based combustion catalyst for propellant designer,to promote the development the propellants toward a higher energy.

Preparation and Sinterability of Mn-Zn Ferrite Powders by Sol-Gel Method

Mn-Zn spinel ferrites were synthesized by sol-gel method. Effects of calcined temperature on structure and particle size of MnZnFe2O4 were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD patterns indicate that the ultra fine Mn-Zn ferrite exhibits a spinel crystal structure. SEM images show that the powder fired at 900℃for 2 h has an average diameter of 60 ~ 90 nm. The particle size becomes larger with the increasing of calcined temperature and the distribution of particle becomes even more homogeneous. Sintering behaviors of synthesized ferrite powders depend on the powder characteristics and high temperatures have induced the good crystallization of particles.

Preparation and Characterization on Nano- Sized Barium Titanate Powder Doped with Lanthanum by Sol-Gel Process

The nano-sized BaTiO3:La3+ powders were prepared by sol-gel process using butyl phthalate, barium acetate and lanthanum oxide as raw material, and these samples were tested by means of TG-DTA, XRD and SEM. The results indicate that with the annealing temperature and the doped concentration rising, the powders' particle sizes will increase and decrease respectively. When annealing temperature is 900℃and doped concentration is 7%, the phase is cubic without other phases, and the particle size of power is 43 .34 nm.

Structural,morphological and photoluminescence characterizations of Sm^(3+) doped Y_(2)O_(3) nano-sized phosphors synthesized by ultrasound assisted sol-gel method

Nanosized 1 at% Sm^(3+)doped Y_(2)O_(3)powders were prepared by an ultrasound assisted sol-gel method.Y_(2)O_(3):Sm^(3+)powders crystallize in Y_(2)O_(3)pure cubic phase and XRD analysis shows that the as-used agitation protocol affects strongly the crystallite’s shape and mean size.The recorded emission spectra under λ_(em)=600 nm exhibit two absorption bands;the first one is assigned to O^(2-)→Sm^(3+)charge transfer state(CTS) with a maximum absorption at 223 nm,and the second is due to intraconfigurational transition 4f^(5)-4f^(5) of Sm^(3+) with a maximum absorption at 407 nm.The 223 and 407 nm transitions are attributed to characteristics intra-configurational transitions of Sm^(3+).All emission spectra are dominated by reddish/orange luminescence located at 606 nm and assigned to ^(4)G_(5/2)→^(6)H_(7/2) transition.It is found that the photoluminescence intensity of samples obtained under excitation at 407 nm is 60 times smaller than that obtained under 223 nm excitation.Decay time measurements of the ^(4)G_(5/2)→^(6)H_(7/2) luminescence transition indicate that decay time of nano-sized powder is significantly shorter than bulk material one.

Deposition of nano-crystalline tungsten carbide powders from gaseous WO_(2)(OH)_(2)

Lower WC grain sizes in the nanometer range have positive effects on the properties of hardmetals(e.g.,hardness),but the established production processes of WC are limited to grain sizes of about 150 nm.To produce WC powder with grain sizes in the lower nanometer range,an alternative WC production process based on the chemical vapor transport(CVT) reaction of WO_(3) and H_(2)O forming gaseous WO_(2)(OH)_(2) at about 1100 ℃,followed by a carburation reaction with H_(2)/CH_(4)-gas mixtures was investigated.The influences of different process parameters such as furnace temperature,humidity and gas flows were investigated to improve the process.With the right set of parameters the produced powder consisted mainly of agglomerated WC grains with a size of about 5 nm.Beside the common hexagonal WC phase,the cubic WC1-xphase was stabilized due to the small crystallite sizes.In addition,a thin layer of amorphous carbon was present on the powder surface due to the catalytic methane decomposition on the WC surface.The amount of oxidic and metallic residues in the product powder was minimized with the parameter optimization and the powder yield was increased up to about 50%.With further optimization of the process parameters and usage of improved flow breakers,the purity and yield of the product powder can be further improved.Since an application in the hardmetal section is not realistic at the moment,applications in the catalysis sector could be considered due to the small grain size and good catalytic activity of the cubic WC1-xphase.

Promotional effect of silica on the combustion of nano-sized aluminum powder in carbon dioxide

This paper presents how the combustion performance of nano-sized aluminum(nAl)powder in carbon dioxide are affected by silica. The ignition and combustion performance of nAl powder with silica addition were studied by a high-temperature tube furnace. An s-type thermocouple and a high-speed motion acquisition instrument were performed to evaluate the ignition temperature, maximum combustion temperature, maximum change of rate of temperature, and combustion propagation speed. The combustion efficiency and combustion products were measured and analyzed by a gas-volumetric method and an X-ray diffraction. The results show that silica added into nAl powder can enhance its maximum combustion temperature and maximum change of rate of temperature, while its ignition temperature increases slightly. The nAl powders with addition of 6.00 wt.% and 12.00 wt.% silica present high combustion propagation speeds, especially for the latter, it has high combustion efficiency. The effect mechanism of silica on the combustion of nAl powder in carbon dioxide was discussed.

Ceramic membrane separation technique for washing nano-sized ceramic powder precursors

Washing using ceramic micro-filtration membranes was studied in the preparation of nano-sized TiO2 and A1203 powder precursors obtained by wet chemical methods. The key parameters for the washing process, such as operation pressure, cross-flow velocity, and slurry concentration, were examined and optimized. The shape and size of particles influenced the structure of the filter cake, leading to different permeation flux for different systems. The results demonstrated that washing using ceramic membranes is superior to the traditional plate-and-frame filtration and could be considered an advanced technique for ultra-fine powder preparation by wet-chemical method.

Preparation of Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Transparent Ceramics by Homogeneous Precipitation Method

substitutes tion, high loosely dis Neodymium doped-yttrium aluminum garnet （Nd ： YAG） transparent polycrystalline ceramics already become of single crystals because they are provided with easy fabrication, low cost, large size, highly doped concentraheat conductivity, mass fabrication, multi-layers and multi-filnctions. The Nd：YAG precursor powders with persed , slightly agglomerated, super fine and YAG cubic crystal phase were synthesized at 1100 ℃ by the homogeneous precipitation method, using Nd2O3, Y2O3, Al（NO3）3·9H2O and urea as raw materials, （NH4）2SO4 as electrical stabilizer, TEOS as sintering additive. The Nd：YAG transparent ceramics were prepared after being vacuum sintered at 1700 ℃ for 5 h. The Nd：YAG ceramic materials were characterized by the TG-DTA, XRD, FT-IR, TEM, FEG-ESEM and FT-PL. The results show that the crystallization temperature of YAG is 850 ℃ and the intermediate crystal phase YAP forming during the heat treatment transforms to YAG cubic crystal phase at 1050 ℃. The lasing wavelength of （Nd0.01 Y0.99）3Al5O12 transparent ceramics is 1.065 μm and there exists a slight red-shift compared to the single crystal with the same chemical composition. The optical transmittance is 45 % in the visible light and 58 % in the near infrared light and the optical transmittance descends with the decreasing the wavelength.

Aging Behavior of Nano-SiC/2014Al Composite Fabricated by Powder Metallurgy and Hot Extrusion Techniques

The aging-hardening kinetics of powder metallurgy processed 2014Al alloy and its composite have been studied. The existence of n-SiC particulates leads to the increase of peak hardness. Interestingly, the aginghardening peak of the composite takes place at earlier time than that of the unreinforced alloy. Transmission electron microscopy（TEM） studies indicated that the major precipitation phases are Al_5Cu_2Mn_3 and θ′（Al_2Cu）. Besides, Ω phase appeared in both specimens at peak hardening condition, which has been rarely observed previously in aluminum metal matrix composites without Ag. Accelerated aging kinetics and increased peak hardness may be attributed to the higher dislocation density resulted from the mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion between n-SiC and 2014Al matrix. The results are beneficial to fabricating high performance composites for the application in automobile field such as pistons, driveshaft tubes, brake rotors, bicycle frames, railroad brakes.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Crystallization of Nd:YAG Ceramics

（Nd0.01Y0.99）3Al5O12 nano-sized powders were synthesized by low temperature combustion （LCS）, using Nd2O3, Y2O3, Al（NO3）3.9H2O, ammonia water and citric acid as starting materials. The powders were characterized by TG-DTA, XRD, FT-IR, ICP and TEM, respectively. The grain sizes were calculated by the Scherrer＇s formula using the full width at half maximum （FWHM） of YAG （420） crystal plane diffraction lines. The study focused on crystallization of ceramics at different heat treatment temperatures. The experimental results show that crystallizing temperature of YAG is 850 ℃, and the intermediate crystal phase YAP, appearing during heat treatment, transforms to YAG cubic crystal phase at the temperature of 1 050℃. The particle size of the powders synthesized by LCS is nano-sized. With the temperature increasing, the mean grain sizes raise, the stand deviations keep almost at the value of 2.0 and the lattice parameters decrease. The grains mainly grow by grain boundary diffusion. The lattice parameter expansion is caused by an increase of the repulsive dipolar interactions on surfaces of crystallites,

Preparation of nano-crystalline tungsten powders from gaseous WO_(2)(OH)_(2)

The industrial production of tungsten powder is carried out by the reduction of tungsten oxide powder via hydrogen.In this process,the size of the W particles is limited to particle sizes larger than 100 nm.To get below this limit,alternative processes are needed.In the current work,the possibility of preparing W powder below 100 nm via a vapour phase reduction of volatile WO_(2)(OH)_(2)by hydrogen was investigated.The process consists of two stages.In the first stag,e WO_(2)(OH)_(2)is formed by reacting WO3 with water vapour at temperatures of 1000–1100°C.In the second stage,WO_(2)(OH)_(2)is reduced by hydrogen at about 1000°C to form metallic tungsten.The influence of process parameters such as furnace temperature,humidity and gas flow on the WO_(2)(OH)_(2)evaporation and formation of tungsten powder was investigated.The characterization of the resulting powders was performed by X-ray diffraction(XRD),field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).By optimization of the reaction conditions,powder with a metallic tungsten content of about 70 at%besides tungsten oxides was produced with metal particle sizes down to 5 nm.Further optimization should lead to a high tungsten content and a high product yield.Due to the small particle size,applications in catalysis might be possible,although an industrial realization of the process seems unrealistic at moment.

Interface microstructure and diffusion of vacuum annealed ceramic coating on superalloy GH202

In order to improve the wear resistance and high-temperature oxidation resistance of superalloy GH202, the ultrafine-grain ceramic coating containing nano-size nickel particles was obtained by flow coat method on the surface of GH202. The interface microstructure between ceramic coating and superalloy GH202 substrate during vacuum diffusion was studied. It is shown that Al2O3 oxide layer and (Ti, N) compound exist in the alloy substrate close to interface. During long time diffusion, nano-size nickel powders gradually congregate and grow up, and the confluent interface appears, which shows that the nano-size nickel powders have the effect of restraining the coating from failure.

Microstructure and Tensile Properties of ZK60 Alloy Fabricated by Simplified Rapid Solidification Powder Metallurgy (S-RS P/M) Process

This study investigated the microstructures and mechanical properties of ZK60 alloy prepared by a simplified rapid solidification powder metallurgy （RS P/M） processing system （S-RS P/M）, which consists of warm press in dry air and hot extrusion. Microstructure characterizations showed that S-RS P/M alloy consisted of magnesium matrix and oxide stringers of ~1 #m in width. TEM （transmission electron microscopy） observations illustrated nano-size magnesia particles （10-30 nm） constituted oxide stringer in detail. Due to a relatively higher volume of nano-size magnesia particle produced during S-RS P/M process, 0.2% yield strength of S-RS P/M ZKO0 alloy was found to be as high as 382 MPa, which is 10% higher than that of RS P/M alloy. The improvement in mechanical properties is mainly attributed to the combination effects of Orowan mechanism and coefficient of thermal expansion （CTE） mismatch because of the approximately same average grain size.