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At least 1,549 records · Page 86

Secondary recrystallization behavior in strip-cast grain-oriented silicon steel processed by isothermal secondary annealing

Highlights: • Abnormal grain growth was successfully developed after annealing at 1025 °C for 15 min. • The formation mechanism of the Goss and {110}<227> secondary grains was elucidated. • Retention of matrix grain colonies in the interior or at the grain boundaries of secondary grains was explained. - Abstract: The primary annealed sheets of strip-cast grain-oriented silicon steel were isothermally secondary annealed for 15 min under 100% H{sub 2} atmosphere. The microstructure and crystallographic orientation at different annealing temperatures were characterized and the secondary recrystallization behavior was elucidated. It was observed that relatively complete abnormal grain growth occurred at 1025 °C. Incomplete abnormal grain growth developed when the temperature was lower than 1025 °C, and normal grain growth occurred when the temperature was higher than 1025 °C. During the abnormal grain growth, both of the Goss and {110}<227> grains developed because of the rapid decrease of the inhibiting force and the limited annealing time. Considering the high energy boundary (HE), coincidence site lattice boundary (CSL) and solid-state wetting (SSW) models for abnormal grain growth, the first one explained the development of the Goss and {110}<227> grains. Another result was that several matrix grain colonies were observed in the interior or at the boundaries of secondary grains after abnormal grain growth. The grains at the periphery of these colonies showed a large fraction of high energy boundaries (20–45° misorientation) with the surrounding secondary grain and similar grain size with the unconsumed matrix grains. Therefore, these colonies were expected to be consumed by prolonging the annealing time and thus the limited annealing time was responsible for their occurrence. A possible explanation for the dominated high energy boundaries instead of low energy boundaries at the periphery of these colonies was proposed. All of these behaviors promoted the understanding of abnormal grain growth.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Response relationship between loading condition and corrosion fatigue behavior of nickel-aluminum bronze alloy and its crack tip damage mechanism

Highlights: • The differences of corrosion fatigue behavior of NAB alloy in air and in 3.5% NaCl solution are carefully compared. • The corrosion environment significantly accelerates the crack growth of NAB alloy and decreases the fatigue threshold. • The corrosion fatigue crack growth rate increases with the decrease of loading frequency. • The acidification and the dealumination occur in process of corrosion fatigue, resulting in the deterioration of crack tip. - Abstract: Corrosion fatigue is one of the major forms for nickel‑aluminum bronze alloy used in marine propeller. It is greatly important to understand the corrosion fatigue behavior of nickel‑aluminum bronze alloy in seawater for the purpose of improving the service life of marine equipment. In this study, corrosion fatigue crack growth rate of nickel‑aluminum bronze alloy in 3.5% NaCl solution was tested under various stress intensity factors, stress ratios and loading frequencies to reveal its corrosion fatigue mechanism. The results show that corrosion environment significantly accelerates the crack growth and decreases the corrosion fatigue threshold, which is attributed to the corrosion reactions between the metals of crack tip and corrosive medium. Among the various factors, loading frequency has more predominant influence on the corrosion fatigue crack growth rate of nickel‑aluminum bronze alloy, which can be rationally explained by the hydrogen embrittlement mechanism. Additionally, in the process of corrosion fatigue crack growth, the acidification and the dealumination would occur at the crack tip, resulting in the corrosion dissolution of κ phases and the deterioration in mechanical properties of crack tip.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of microstructures on hot compression behavior of a Ti-43Al-2Si alloy fabricated by cold crucible continuous casting

Highlights: • TiAl alloys with different lamellar colonies were fabricated by cold crucible continuous casting. • EBSD was used to investigate the evolution of lamellae during the hot compression. • Lamellar colony boundaries promote the dynamic recrystallization process. - Abstract: To investigate the influence of lamellar orientation and colony boundary on deformation behavior, fully lamellar Ti-43Al-2Si alloys were prepared by cold crucible continuous casting and isothermal compression tests were conducted at different temperatures in the range 1373–1523 K with a strain rate of 0.01 s{sup −1}. The as-cast microstructures were elongated colony with lamellae oriented at nearly 45° to the compression direction and equiaxed colony with various lamellae orientations, respectively. The results revealed that serious cracking or sliding traces appeared on the surface of deformed specimens with elongated colony original microstructure and that their peak stresses were lower compared to those of specimens with equiaxed colony original microstructure. The relationship between deformation behaviors and as-cast microstructure was analyzed in detail. It was found that the recrystallization/globularization level is significantly lower than that in specimens with equiaxed colony original microstructure during hot deformation owing to the preferred nucleation sites in colony boundaries. Finally, the lamellae conversion process was characterized to reveal the softening mechanisms of full lamellar TiAl-based alloy during hot compression.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Non-isothermal creep aging behaviors of an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy

Highlights: • A novel non-isothermal creep aging (NICA) process is proposed to improve sheet metal forming efficiency. • Appropriate heating-cooling rate is conducive to obtain desired creep deformation and material properties. • The time consumption in optimized NICA process is about half of that in conventional creep aging process. • In NICA, the precipitates formed in heating will be dissolved nearby the peak temperature and re-precipitated in cooling. - Abstract: To shorten production period and reduce manufacturing cost of high strength aluminum alloy integral panel components, a novel non-isothermal creep age forming (CAF) technology was developed. Taking an Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy as the case material, the non-isothermal creep aging (NICA) behavior and the conventional isothermal creep aging (ICA) behavior were comparatively investigated. The corresponding creep deformations, material performance variations and precipitate microstructure evolutions were studied by creep aging tests, mechanical property and corrosion resistance tests, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterizations. Unlike the ICA which contains short heating and cooling stages and long holding stage, the NICA only has heating and cooling stages, viz., the alloy is heated slowly and the cooling stage begins immediately when reaching the peak temperature. In the NICA process, the precipitates nucleate and grow up in the first half of heating stage, resulting in the reduction of creep rate and enhancement of mechanical strength. The coarsening of precipitates occurs in the second half of heating stage, elevating the creep rate and significantly improving the corrosion resistance. Nearby the peak temperature, the primary precipitates partially dissolve, and the creep rate, mechanical strength and corrosion resistance decrease. Distinctive from the ICA process, a secondary precipitation phenomenon takes place in the cooling stage of NICA, leading to the recovery of high mechanical strength. The higher heating-cooling rate (1 °C/min) is not beneficial to accumulating creep deformation in the shorter creep aging period, while the lower one (0.25 °C/min) causes the loss of mechanical strength due to the excessive dissolution of precipitates. The moderate heating-cooling rate (0.5 °C/min) can lead to larger creep deformation, better mechanical properties and more satisfactory corrosion resistances in the NICA treated alloy, reaching 87.0% of creep strain, 105.7% of yield strength and 97.9% of electric conductivity in the ICA treated alloy. It is worth noting that the time consumption of the optimal NICA process is only 52.9% of the ICA process.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Continuous microstructure evolution of ball rolled TWIP Ti15Mo alloy and its effect on phase precipitation behavior

Highlights: • Gradient microstructure was induced by ball rolling method in a Ti15Mo alloy. • Twin density increased and then decreased as increasing distance from surface. • Ultrafine (α + β) duplex structure was formed in the heavily deformed region. • α-phase in plate was precipitated in twined region in slightly deformed region. • Strengthening by formation of sub/nano-grains was notable than that by twins. - Abstract: A β-type Ti15Mo alloy with {332}<113> twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) effect was utilized to investigate the continuous microstructure evolution of β-matrix by ball rolling method. Precipitation behavior of α-phase and strengthening mechanism were examined in regions with different strain. Amounts of intersected twins were present in the slightly deformed region of β-matrix, and their area fraction decreased with an increase of distance from rolled surface. The β-matrix close to surface was heavily deformed to result in the formation of abundant subgrains and nanograins, which was caused by cooperative occurrence of twinning refinement, intragranular dislocation activities and subgrain rotation. Mechanical twins provided the preferential nucleation sites for plate-like α-phase with strong variant selection. Equiaxed α-phase preferentially nucleated at the boundaries of subgrains and nanograins with weak variant selection to form the ultrafine (α + β) duplex structure. Due to the formation of subgrains and nanograins as well as the strain hardening, strengthening became more significant than that by twinning refinement solely. Similarly, the ultrafine (α + β) duplex structure exhibited a better strengthening effect than that by precipitation of plate-like α-phase. The diversities of deformation microstructure combined with different precipitation behaviors of α-phase are desirable for controlling the mechanical properties of β-type TWIP titanium alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Quantifying the inter- and intra-granular stresses and their effects on deformation behaviors for the polycrystalline hexagonal beryllium by neutron diffraction

Highlights: • The inter- and intra-granular stresses are quantified for the polycrystalline hexagonal metal beryllium. • Composite behavior of the internal stresses is revealed in the polycrystalline beryllium. • Those internal stresses show the obvious grain-orientation dependence. • Those stresses can be significantly tuned by the temperature and strain rate effects. • The dislocation slip and twinning are quantified together with the inter- and intra-granular stored energies. - Abstract: The internal stresses developing at different length scales play the important role in materials performance. This importance has been well recognized for the cubic metals, however, not for the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) ones. The present work investigates the intergranular and intragranular stresses in the polycrystalline hexagonal beryllium by neutron diffraction. The correlation between those internal stresses and the deformation mechanism is revealed, and the strain rate and temperature effects on those stresses are presented. A composite behavior of intergranular and intragranular stresses is observed, which can be significantly tuned by the temperature and strain rate effects. The intergranular stress and stored energy are large for the soft-oriented grains (SOGs), while the intragranular stress and stored energy are large for the hard-oriented ones (HOGs). Both of those stresses are significantly high for the dynamic strain rate while they are relatively low for the elevated temperature. The large internal stresses in the dynamically compressed specimen should be attributed to the large number of twins and high density of dislocations. Different HOGs-SOGs configurations are proposed on the light of those observations, which might facilitate the properties controlling and extend the application scope for the hcp metal beryllium.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The effect of grain boundary character evolution on the intergranular corrosion behavior of advanced Al-Mg-3wt%Zn alloy with Mg variation

Highlights: • The relationship among GBCD, GBPs, IGC behavior and Mg content in the age hardenable Al-Mg-3.0wt%Zn alloy is established. • None of grain boundaries are found to be immune to the GBPs. • GBPs along low angle grain boundaries are more discontinuous than high angle grain boundaries. • The IGC mechanism of Al-Mg-3.0wt%Zn alloy is clarified. • A new method for the statistical analysis of the continuity of GBPs is used in this paper. The characteristics of grain boundary and grain boundary precipitates of Al-Mg-3wt%Zn alloy with different Mg contents were systematically investigated. Observation by optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy show that the morphology and composition of the grain boundary precipitates change little with the variation in the Mg content. Based on the statistical analysis of the spacings between two adjacent grain boundary precipitates, we find that the decrease in the Mg content reduces the continuity of the grain boundary precipitates. Comparing this result with the electron backscattered diffraction analysis, it can be concluded that the continuity of grain boundary precipitates is affected by the proportion of low angle grain boundaries. The observations of grain boundary precipitates at both low angle grain boundaries and high angle grain boundaries using transmission electron microscopy indicate that low angle grain boundaries have more discontinuous grain boundary precipitates. Combining these results with the results of the intergranular corrosion test, the microscopic features of this corrosion behavior and corrosion mechanism are revealed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hot deformation behavior and flow stress modeling of a Ni-based superalloy

The deformation behavior of a novel Ni-based superalloy was investigated using isothermal compression on a Gleeble system at temperatures between 1050 and 1210 °C with strain rates between 0.001 and 0.1 s –1 . Flow-stress curves and electron backscatter diffraction maps were employed to experimentally identify the various flow mechanisms operative during deformation. Deformation at temperatures below 1130 °C presented strong work hardening with limited restoration during dynamic softening leading to partially recrystallized microstructures. Increasing the deformation temperature to and above 1130°C enhanced the driving force for dislocation and grain boundary mobility thereby enabling dynamic recovery (DRV) and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) mechanisms to better operate. Here, the influence of the strain rate was more evident during deformation at these temperatures. Increasing the strain rate from 0.001 s –1 to 0.1 s –1 resulted in a transition in dominant softening mechanism from DRV to DRX. Flow stress modeling using the Zener-Hollomon parameter was performed to obtain the activation energy and the constitutive equation for hot deformation of the alloy. Strong changes in flow behavior affected the accuracy of the flow stress model, and thus, the model was used alternatively to identify deformation parameters associated with various flow regimes. In doing so, the activation energy and the other equation constants were obtained for each deformation mechanism observed experimentally.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Predicting phase behavior in high entropy and chemically complex alloys

The interest in high entropy alloys and other metallic compounds with four or more elements at near-equiatomic ratios has drawn attention to the ability to rapidly predict phase behavior of these complex materials, particularly where existing thermodynamic data are lacking. In this paper, we discuss aspects of this from the point of view of predicting without utilizing (or fitting) experimental data. Of particular interest are heuristic approaches that provide prediction of single-phase compositions, more rigorous approaches that tackle the thermodynamics from a more fundamental point of view, and simulation approaches that provide further insight into the behaviors. This paper covers cases of all three of these, in order to examine the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, and to indicate directions where these may be utilized and improved upon. Of particular interest is moving beyond “which composition may form a solid solution,” to recognizing the importance of underlying thermodynamic realities that affect the temperature- and composition-dependent transformations of these materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Strengthening mechanisms, hardening/softening behavior, and microstructure evolution in an LPSO magnesium alloy at elevated temperatures

Here, rapid degradation of the mechanical properties of conventional Mg alloys with temperature precludes their wide application in industry. The LPSO (long period stacking ordered) Mg alloys, on the other hand, show considerable potential to achieve excellent high-temperature mechanical performance. In this study, a Mg-5.1Y-2.4Zn (wt.%) extrusion alloy with the microstructure comprising of α-Mg matrix and LPSO phase was prepared. It is shown that the yield strength of the alloy at 200 °C retained ~83% of the yield strength of 198 MPa at room temperature (RT). Importantly, the ductility also improved, owing to the increased non-basal slip activities at elevated temperatures. In contrast to RT and 200 °C, the alloy exhibited softening tensile behavior with an apparent loss of yield strength at 300 °C. In-situ lattice strain analysis revealed that load transfer from α-Mg to LPSO remains effective at temperatures up to 200 °C, governing the high yield strength of the alloy. The post-mortem analysis by means of electron microscopy confirmed that the LPSO phase is structurally stable at 200 °C. In particular, the high strain hardenability is rationalized by the sandwiched LPSO structures together with stacking faults serving as effective obstacles to the motion of non-basal dislocations. The load transfer effect disappears at the temperature of 300 °C, resulting in the fast deterioration of strength of the alloy. The cracking of the LPSO phase along with the recrystallizing of α-Mg grains were found to be the main causes for the softening behavior of the alloy at 300 °C.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Influence of high-strain-rate compression and subsequent heat treatment on (TiNbZr) 89 (AlTa) 11 refractory high-entropy alloys: Dynamic-mechanical behavior and microstructural changes

This study explored the dynamic-mechanical behavior of a novel low-density (TiNbZr) 89 (AlTa) 11 refractory high-entropy alloy (RHEA) across strain rates ranging from 1.0×10 3 to 3.5×10 3 s –1 . A significant increase in the yield and ultimate compressive strengths with rising strain rates up to 3.0×10 3 s –1 was observed and attributed to enhanced dislocation activities and stress-induced microstructural transformations. The formation of the B2 phase and Zr 5 Al 3 precipitates was found to be crucial in bolstering the alloy strength at high strain rates. Beyond strain rates of 3.0×10 3 s –1 , a decrease in strength occurred due to thermal softening and strain localization. Microstructural analyses at 3.5×10 3 s –1 revealed grain refinement, the development of micro shear bands, and dislocation tangles, which were indicative of dynamic recrystallization. Besides, the findings also revealed that the post-dynamic compression heat treatment further enhanced the hardness and microstructural stability of the alloy. These results highlight the potential of the (TiNbZr) 89 (AlTa) 11 RHEA for applications requiring materials with high strength-to-weight ratios, particularly in dynamically loaded environments. It is expected that the results of this study will further advance our fundamental understanding of the behavior of RHEAs under extreme conditions, thereby opening new avenues for material innovation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Enhanced piezoelectric output voltage and Ohmic behavior in Cr-doped ZnO nanorods

Highlights: • Low cost highly crystalline Cr-doped ZnO nanorods were synthesized. • Enhancement in dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties were observed. • A high output voltage was obtained in AFM. • Cr-doping resulted in enhanced conductivity and better Ohmic behavior in ZnO/Ag contact. - Abstract: Highly crystalline Cr-doped ZnO nanorods (NRs) were synthesized by solution technique. The size distribution was analyzed by high resolution tunneling electron microscope (HRTEM) and particle size analyzer. In atomic force microscope (AFM) studies, peak to peak 8 mV output voltage was obtained on the application of constant normal force of 25 nN. It showed high dielectric constant (980) with phase transition at 69 °C. Polarization vs. electric field (P–E) loops with remnant polarization (6.18 μC/cm{sup 2}) and coercive field (0.96 kV/cm) were obtained. In I–V studies, Cr-doping was found to reduce the rectifying behavior in the Ag/ZnO Schottky contact which is useful for field effect transistor (FET) and solar cell applications. With these excellent properties, Cr-doped ZnO NRs can be used in nanopiezoelectronics, charge storage and ferroelectric applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Corrosion behavior of magnetic ferrite coating prepared by plasma spraying

Graphical abstract: The saturation magnetization (M{sub s}) of the ferrite coating is 34.417 emu/g while the M{sub s} value of the ferrite powder is 71.916 emu/g. It can be seen that plasma spray process causes deterioration of the room temperature soft magnetic properties. - Highlights: • Spinel ferrite coatings have been prepared by plasma spraying. • The coating consists of nanocrystalline grains. • The saturation magnetization of the ferrite coating is 34.417 emu/g. • Corrosion behavior of the ferrite coating was examined in NaCl solution. - Abstract: In this study, spray dried spinel ferrite powders were deposited on the surface of mild steel substrate through plasma spraying. The structure and morphological studies on the ferrite coatings were carried out using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and Raman spectroscopy. It was showed that spray dried process was an effective method to prepare thermal spraying powders. The coating showed spinel structure with a second phase of LaFeO{sub 3}. The magnetic property of the ferrite samples were measured by vibrating sample magnetometer. The saturation magnetization (M{sub s}) of the ferrite coating was 34.417 emu/g. The corrosion behavior of coating samples was examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. EIS diagrams showed three corrosion processes as the coating immersed in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The results suggested that plasma spraying was a promising technology for the production of magnetic ferrite coatings.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Memristive behavior and forming mechanism of homogeneous TiO{sub x} device

Highlights: • We fabricated a homogeneity TiO{sub x} device with excellent memristive behavior. • The double-interface conductive filament model is suggested. • The calculated I–V curve is in agreement with the experimental results. • The switching voltage could be adjusted by selecting the proper electrode materials. - Abstract: A homogeneous titanium oxide device is fabricated by Molecular Beam Epitaxy and the excellent memristive behavior could be observed. The resistance ratio between high resistance state and low resistance state increases as the thickness of titanium oxide or the oxygen content reduces. The forming voltage is lower than the previous report. Based on the experimental results, we suggest a double-interface conductive filament model and calculate the current–voltage curve of the device in agreement with experimental measurements. The result indicates that the forming voltage of the device will rise with increasing of the chemical potential differences across the two interfaces. In other words, the switching voltage could be adjusted by selecting a proper electrode and oxide materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Green solid-state chemical synthesis and excellent xylene-detecting behaviors of Y-doped α-MoO{sub 3} nanoarrays

Graphical abstract: Y-doped α-MoO{sub 3} arrays constructed by nanorods are firstly synthesized by facile two-step solid-state chemical reaction, which exhibited excellent xylene-sensing property. - Highlights: • The Y-doped α-MoO{sub 3} nanoarrays constructed by nanorods were simply synthesized by solid-state chemical reaction. • The α-MoO{sub 3} arrays exhibited excellent gas-sensing properties for xylene. • This study is helpful to explore the xylene gas-sensitive materials with good comprehensive performance. - Abstract: Y-doped α-MoO{sub 3} nanoarrays constructed by nanorods were simply synthesized by a facile and simple two-step solid-state chemical reaction. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were applied to characterize the micro-structures and surface chemical composition of the as-prepared products. The results suggested that Y element had been successfully doped into the α-MoO{sub 3} nanoarrays. The gas-sensing behaviors of Y-doped nanoarrays toward seven kinds of harmful gases were also investigated. The results indicated that the Y-doped α-MoO{sub 3} nanoarrays display not only an improved response (the response value reaches 28.3 to 100 ppm xylene), but also an excellent selectivity to xylene. The good xylene-detecting behaviors were attributed to smaller size and the relative larger surface area. Furthermore, the doping of Y increased the electron donor defects and oxygen vacancies, which accelerated the mobility of oxygen ions and enhanced the conductivity of material, resulting in enhanced response to xylene.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Scaling study of magnetic phase transition and critical behavior in Nd0.55Sr0.45Mn0.98Ga0.02O3 manganite

Highlights: • The sample of Nd{sub 0.55}Sr{sub 0.45}Mn{sub 0.98}Ga{sub 0.02}O{sub 3} was synthesized via a solid state reaction route. • The PM to FM phase transition of this sample is found to be of second-order. • The critical behaviors and scaling relation for Nd{sub 0.55}Sr{sub 0.45}Mn{sub 0.98}Ga{sub 0.02}O{sub 3} have also been investigated by modified Arrott plot and critical isotherm analysis. • The estimated critical exponents are close to the values for 3D-Ising model. - Abstract: Microscopic magnetic interactions and magnetism can be probed by studying the critical paramagnetic–ferromagnetic phase transition of magnetic materials. In this work, the critical behavior of the lightly Ga-doped manganites Nd{sub 0.55}Sr{sub 0.45}Mn{sub 0.98}Ga{sub 0.02}O{sub 3} (NSMGO) has been investigated. Scaling analysis reveals the critical exponents β = 0.308, γ = 1.197, and δ = 4.916, where their self-consistency and reliability are verified by the Widom scaling law and the scaling equation. These exponents indicate that the magnetic phase transition in NSMGO belongs to the anisotropic 3D-Ising universality class. Nevertheless, the asymptotic critical exponents β{sub eff} and γ{sub eff} are found to approach to the values of 3D-Heisenberg model, implying the existence of isotropic short-range magnetic interactions. We suggest that, although the Nd-based manganites possess a strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy, this effect can be partly averaged out in view of the present polycrystalline NSMGO. Therefore, in the asymptotic critical region, the phase transition reveals the crossover from the scaling of 3D-Ising toward 3D-Heisenberg universality class.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Unusual superparamagnetic behavior in bulk Ba 0.198 La 0.784 Ti 0.096 Fe 0.8 O 3-δ

Here, we report the observation of superparamgnetic behavior induced by the substitution La 3+ by Ba 2+ at A-sites and Fe +3 by Ti 4+ at B-sites. Ba 0.198 La 0.784 Ti 0.096 Fe 0.8 O 3-δ was synthesized via solid state reaction. The Rietveld refinements revealed an orthorhombic (Pbnm). The low-mag STEM results showed that the particles were found to exhibit square like shape and formed in single crystal with high degree of crystallinity. The particle size ranges of 50 300 nm. Element mapping demonstrates a complementary distribution between Ba and La, while homogenous distribution is found for Fe and O. The optical band gap determined from UV-vis analysis is equal to 1.93 eV which is smaller than the reported one for LaFeO 3 and BaTiO 3 . The hysteresis loops at 300 K and 10 K show superparamagnetic behavior, which deviate extremely from the antiferromagnetic nature of LaFeO 3 perovskite. The temperature dependent magnetization demonstrates that the material kept a net magnetization of 12.29 (emu/g) at very low temperature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A structural underpinning of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior behind temperature-switchable liquids

In this work, we use state-of-the-art X-ray scattering and molecular dynamics to analyze amine-water mixtures that show the unusual lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior. The goal is to provide direct experimental evidence for the entropy-lowering molecular cluster formation hypothesized as necessary for LCST behavior. Differential wide-angle X-ray scattering and pair distribution analysis and small-angle X-ray scattering measurements were combined with molecular modeling and liquid-liquid equilibrium measurements, revealing direct experimental evidence for the hypothesis. However, the response of the amine phase to accommodating water is even more subtle than the simple hypothesis suggests, with the formation of robust nanoscale reverse micelles. The techniques developed in this paper can be expected to yield insights in the use of temperature-switchable liquids in solvent extraction and other separations, and the stabilization of organelles in living cells that do not have physical membranes but do require compositional gradients to operate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗