Effect of Accelerated Aging on Microstructure and Initiation of Vapor-Deposited PETN Films
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Knepper, Robert Alan↗
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Results for “Film microstructures”
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Austenite formation and cementite dissolution during intercritical annealing of a medium-manganese steel from a martensitic condition
In the present study, in situ high-energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD), dilatometry, and metallography were conducted for the purpose of understanding microstructure evolution during intercritical annealing of a Fe-0.19C-4.39Mn steel from a martensitic initial condition. Three different simulations for austenite growth and solute partitioning during isothermal holding were conducted using the DICTRA™ module of Thermo-Calc®. The microstructures after intercritical annealing exhibit film-like retained austenite; however, in situ HEXRD indicates that retained austenite in the initial martensitic microstructure had decomposed upon heating to the isothermal holding temperature, suggesting that film-like austenite may be generated during intercritical annealing via nucleation and growth of new austenite and without necessarily preserving initial retained austenite films in the martensitic microstructure. Metallography and in situ HEXRD also indicate that cementite had formed upon heating but did not readily dissolve during an 1800 s isothermal hold although considerable growth of austenite had occurred during the isothermal hold, suggesting that austenite nucleation and initial growth during intercritical annealing does not solely occur due to carbon partitioning. A simulation incorporating cementite suggests that the increase in austenite fraction during intercritical annealing initially occurs in association with Mn partitioning followed by austenite growth induced by gradual cementite dissolution.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Thermal evolution of defects in undoped zinc oxide grown by pulsed laser deposition
Undoped ZnO films are grown by pulsed laser deposition on c-plane sapphire with different oxygen pressures. Thermal evolutions of defects in the ZnO films are studied by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), Raman spectroscopy, and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), and with the electrical properties characterized by the room temperature Hall measurement. Oxygen deficient defect related Raman lines 560 cm{sup −1} and 584 cm{sup −1} are identified and their origins are discussed. Thermal annealing induces extensive Zn out-diffusion at the ZnO/sapphire interface and leaves out Zn-vacancy in the ZnO film. Two types of Zn-vacancy related defects with different microstructures are identified in the films. One of them dominates in the samples grown without oxygen. Annealing the sample grown without oxygen or growing the samples in oxygen would favor the Zn-vacancy with another microstructure, and this Zn-vacancy defect persists after 1100 °C annealing.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Low-voltage scanning electron microscopy of multilayer polymer systems
The possibilities of low-voltage scanning electron microscopy for visualization of specific features of the microstructure in internal layers of multilayer polymer films are demonstrated by the example of “chitosan–polyelectrolyte complex–alginic acid” composite. The process of electron beam interaction with a sample at low electron energies is considered. The key parameters of low-voltage electron microscopy, which make it possible to increase the resolution of SEM images of polymer systems, are discussed.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
The effect of microstructure on microbiologically influenced corrosion
Results of several investigations involving stainless steels, aluminum alloys, and low-alloy steels are reviewed, and the effect of welding on microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) susceptibility in these materials is discussed. Emphasis is placed on research performed at California Polytechnic State University on the relationship between MIC and metallurgical microstructure. Topics addressed include initial stages of film development in materials with different microstructure and surface conditions, effects of inclusion on the MIC response of materials, aluminum 2219, effects of welding, and constitutional liquation.
Walsh, Dan↗
Improvement of critical current density in thallium-based (Tl,Bi)Sr(1.6)Ba(0.4)Ca2Cu3O(x) superconductors
Epitaxial (Tl,Bi)Sr(1.6)Ba(0.4)Ca2Cu3O(x) ((Tl,Bi)-1223) thin films on (100) single crystal LaAlO3 substrates were synthesized by a two-step procedure. Phase development, microstructure, and relationships between film and substrate were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Resistance versus temperature, zero-field-cooled and field cooled magnetization, and transport critical current density (J(sub c)) were measured. The zero-resistance temperature was 105-111 K. J(sub c) at 77 K and zero field was greater than 2 x 10(exp 6) A/sq cm. The films exhibited good flux pinning properties.
Ren, Z. F.↗
Effect of Interface Structure on the Hydrophobicity, Mechanical and Optical Properties of HfO2/Mo/HfO2 Multilayer Films
We report on the super-hydrophobicity and tunable and optical and mechanical properties of transparent HfO2(50 nm)/Mo(20 nm)/HfO2(50 nm) multilayer films facilitated by engineering the ceramic-metal interface microstructure. A comparative study of nano-columnar and glassy (dense) structured HfO2/Mo/HfO2 multilayer films demonstrate the remarkable effect of interface structure on their hydrophobicity and mechanical properties. The nano-columnar structured multilayer films exhibit the dominance over the glassy structured stack in terms of their enhanced characteristics, namely the mechanical characteristics, anti-reflection behavior, visible transmittance, and hydrophobicity. While hydrophobicity is derived from the combined effect of hierarchical surface roughness and nano-columnar structure of the top and bottom Hf-oxide ceramic layers, the enhanced mechanical response is derived from the columnar structure of Mo metallic interlayer vertically aligned with overall multilayer stack. The combination of super-hydrophobicity and enhanced mechanical properties of optically transparent HfO2/Mo/HfO2 multilayer films through HfO2-Mo interface structure control as demonstrated in this work may provide a pathway to further tune the efficiency and in the optimization of architectures for energy-saving applications.
EFFICIENT GLASS WINDOWS, ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES, TH↗
Microstructures and Properties of Nanostructured TiN/MoS{sub 2}/Ag Composite Film Prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition
In this work, the structural and mechanical properties, tribological performance, and lubrication mechanism from room temperature to 900 °C of TiN/MoS{sub 2}/Ag composite films were investigated in detail. Nanostructured TiN/MoS{sub 2}/Ag composite film was obtained by assembling targets using pulsed laser deposition. The incorporation of lubricant layered MoS{sub 2} and soft metal Ag led to degraded mechanical properties, which could contribute to the lower friction coefficients at low temperatures. When the temperature increased to above 500 °C, the generated high-temperature lubricant MoO{sub 3} and silver molybdates played a critical synergetic lubrication effect, which formed a layer of lubricating film and reduced the friction coefficient. Thus, the cooperation of various lubrication phases contributed to improvement of tribological performance and resulted in continuous lubrication from room temperature to 900 °C.
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
Aggregation Dynamics of Colloidal Particles in Tin Perovskite Crystalline Film Formation
We present an approach to understanding the crystallization of tin-based perovskite films for photovoltaic applications, starting from precursor suspensions processed via spin-coating. By integrating colloidal theory with the fluid dynamics of suspensions, this approach elucidates the influence of both chemical variables and process parameters on the crystallization pathways of perovskite suspensions and the resulting microstructural features of the solid films. Specifically, the incorporation of SnCl 2 as an additive was found to accelerate crystallization, whereas tBP induces a slowdown of the process leading, however, to a marked improvement in film uniformity and microstructural quality.
Crystallization↗
Extreme Magneto-transport of Bulk Carbon Nanotubes in Sorted Electronic Concentrations and Aligned High Performance Fiber
We explored high-field (60 T) magneto-resistance (MR) with two carbon nanotube (CNT) material classes: (1) unaligned single-wall CNTs (SWCNT) films with controlled metallic SWCNT concentrations and doping degree and (2) CNT fiber with aligned, long-length microstructure. All unaligned SWCNT films showed localized hopping transport where high-field MR saturation definitively supports spin polarization instead of a more prevalent wave function shrinking mechanism. Nitric acid exposure induced an insulator to metal transition and reduced the positive MR component. Aligned CNT fiber, already on the metal side of the insulator to metal transition, had positive MR without saturation and was assigned to classical MR involving electronic mobility. Subtracting high-field fits from the aligned fiber’s MR yielded an unconfounded negative MR, which was assigned to weak localization. It is concluded that fluctuation induced tunnelling, an extrinsic transport model accounting for most of the aligned fiber’s room temperature resistance, appears to lack MR field dependence.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Role of microstructures on the M1-M2 phase transition in epitaxial VO2 thin films
Vanadium dioxide (VO2) with its unique sharp resistivity change at the metal-insulator transition (MIT) has been extensively considered for the near-future terahertz/infrared devices and energy harvesting systems. Controlling the epitaxial quality and microstructures of vanadium dioxide thin films and understanding the metal-insulator transition behaviors are therefore critical to novel device development. The metal-insulator transition behaviors of the epitaxial vanadium dioxide thin films deposited on Al2O3 (0001) substrates were systematically studied by characterizing the temperature dependency of both Raman spectrum and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Our findings on the correlation between the nucleation dynamics of intermediate monoclinic (M2) phase with microstructures will open a new avenue for the design and integration of advanced heterostructures with controllable multifunctionalities for sensing and imaging system applications.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Fabrication of super-hydrophobic surfaces on aluminum alloy substrates by RF-sputtered polytetrafluoroethylene coatings
In this work, we present a method of fabricating super-hydrophobic surface on aluminum alloy substrate. The etching of aluminum surfaces has been performed using Beck's dislocation etchant for different time to create micrometer-sized irregular steps. An optimised etching time of 50 s is found to be essential before polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating, to obtain a highest water contact angle of 165±2° with a lowest contact angle hysteresis as low as 5±2°. The presence of patterned microstructure as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) together with the low surface energy ultrathin RF-sputtered PTFE films renders the aluminum alloy surfaces highly super-hydrophobic.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Correlation between structural and mechanical properties of RF magnetron sputter deposited hydroxyapatite coating
Highlights: • Microstructure and mechanical properties of textured hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings were evaluated. • TEM results revealed two types of coating microstructure corresponding to the film texture. • Elastic performance of the coating was determined by the texture of the HA coating. • HA coating with (300) texture showed larger elastic recovery. - Abstract: In the present study hydroxyapatite (HA) thin films with a,b-plain and c-plain preferential orientation were prepared by means of RF-magnetron sputtering with water vapor addition into a working gas atmosphere to investigate the influence of microstructural features on mechanical performance of the coating at nanoscale. The mechanical properties of the HA coatings textured along a,b- and c-axes by nanoindentation conclusively highlight that elastic modulus, H/E ratio, H{sup 3}/E{sup 2} parameter and percent of elastic recovery are determined by preferential orientation of the film. Nanoindentation reveals that the HA films exhibiting (300) texture possess commensurate nanohardness and lower elastic modulus compared to (002) oriented films, indicating that the former films possess higher resistance to cracking. The (002) and (300) textured coatings exhibited a nanohardness of 4.7 ± 2.0 GPa and 4.4 ± 2.2 GPa, respectively. The elastic modulus of the HA film with (300) and (002) preferential orientation was 75 ± 40 GPa and 103 ± 40 GPa, respectively. The HA coating with (300) texture showed a higher percentage of elastic recovery of 92% within unloading than that of the (002) textured film (69%).
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Magnetic Features of Boron Doping on Hf{sub 2}Co{sub 11} Thin Films
The effect of boron (B) doping on the structural and magnetic properties is studied systematically in the Hf{sub 2}Co{sub 11} thin films. The modified crystal microstructure and annealing process enhanced the coercive field up to 1754 Oe. In order to obtain superior magnetic properties, the optimum doping ratios should be properly controlled attentively. To identify the structure, B-doped Hf{sub 2}Co{sub 11} thin films were investigated by temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction analysis for the first time. The hard magnetic phase of Hf{sub 2}Co{sub 11}B{sub x} thin films was formed to orthorhombic phase with some Co impurities and had a crystallization temperature around 823 K.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Sputter deposition of ultrathick Bi coatings onto rotating substrates for inertial confinement fusion
Sputter-deposited Bi is a potential candidate material for the production of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) hohlraums, which are sphero-cylindrical canisters that serve as the housing for hydrogen-fuel-filled capsules in ICF implosions. The fabrication of hohlraums involves deposition onto rotating sphero-cylindrical substrates and, hence, requires an understanding of oblique angle deposition phenomena. Here, we systematically study the effect of dynamic substrate tilt on properties of Bi films deposited onto rotating planar substrates. Results show that film morphology, porosity, and electrical resistivity depend on substrate tilt. In comparison with films deposited onto substrates adhered to a stationary sample holder, films deposited on rotating substrates have more uniform microstructure with fewer void defects. Based on Monte Carlo simulations, these changes in film morphology and microstructure are attributed to averaging and geometric effects related to sample position and rotation. In conclusion, the fabrication of an ∼ 50-µm-thick Bi film on a rotating sphero-cylindrical mandrel demonstrates a significant step toward the production of Bi hohlraums.
Bismuth↗
Origin of graphitic filaments on improving the electron field emission properties of negative bias-enhanced grown ultrananocrystalline diamond films in CH{sub 4}/Ar plasma
Microstructural evolution of bias-enhanced grown (BEG) ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) films has been investigated using microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition in gas mixtures of CH{sub 4} and Ar under different negative bias voltages ranging from −50 to −200 V. Scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterize the morphology, growth rate, and chemical bonding of the synthesized films. Transmission electron microscopic investigation reveals that the application of bias voltage induced the formation of the nanographitic filaments in the grain boundaries of the films, in addition to the reduction of the size of diamond grains to ultra-nanosized granular structured grains. For BEG-UNCD films under −200 V, the electron field emission (EFE) process can be turned on at a field as small as 4.08 V/μm, attaining a EFE current density as large as 3.19 mA/cm{sup 2} at an applied field of 8.64 V/μm. But the films grown without bias (0 V) have mostly amorphous carbon phases in the grain boundaries, possessing poorer EFE than those of the films grown using bias. Consequently, the induction of nanographitic filaments in grain boundaries of UNCD films grown in CH{sub 4}/Ar plasma due to large applied bias voltage of −200 V is the prime factor, which possibly forms interconnected paths for facilitating the transport of electrons that markedly enhance the EFE properties.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Aluminum induced crystallization of amorphous Ge thin films on insulating substrate
Aluminium (metal) induced crystallization of amorphous Ge in bilayer and multilayer Ge/Al thin films deposited on quartz substrate at temperature well below the crystallization temperature of bulk Ge is reported. The crystallization of poly-Ge proceeds via formations of dendritic crystalline Ge grains in the Al matrix. The observed phases were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The microstructure of Al thin film layer was found to have a profound influence on such crystallization process and formation of dendritic grains.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Fabrication and accelerated long-term stability test of asymmetrical hollow fiber-supported thin film oxygen separation membrane
Asymmetrical hollow fiber-supported thin film membrane may provide microstructural advantages for air separation and oxygen production. The fabrication of such a membrane is usually very difficult, particularly the sintering behaviors and thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) mismatch among multiple layers. This directly affects the reliability and long-term stability of the membrane. Here, in this research, the sintering behaviors of a set of simple oxides are systematically studied and ZnO is identified as a material component for composite substrate La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3-δ (LSCF)-ZnO. The LSCF-ZnO ratios are further optimized by trading off several factors, e.g., matching the sintering behaviors and TECs of the LSCF-ZnO composite with those of LSCF thin film separation layer while enhancing the substrate strength. With the identified LSCF-ZnO ratio, the LSCF-ZnO composite hollow fiber substrate precursor is formed through slurry spinning process with porous microstructure being formed via phase inversion process. The thin film LSCF dense separation layer is then dip-coated on the substrate followed by co-sintering process. A thin, porous PrBaCo(Fe 0.6 Zr 0.2 Y 0.2 )O 5+δ (PBCFZY) catalyst layer is fabricated on the dense LSCF separation layer with dip-coating and sintering process, forming an asymmetrical membrane device LSCF-ZnO/LSCF/PBCFZY. Oxygen permeation test of the device is systematically conducted, and the fundamental mechanisms are analyzed. An accelerated long-term stability test of the membrane is also conducted (~550h, 46 thermal cycling loads), demonstrating excellent robustness and durability. The device is characterized and analyzed before and after the test. By replacing a considerable amount of high cost LSCF with low cost ZnO in the substrate, it not only enhances the stability but also reduces the capital cost of the membrane for practical applications.
42 ENGINEERING↗