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Results for “AMORPHOUS STATE”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Solid state amorphization of nanocrystalline nickel by cryogenic laser shock peening

In this study, complete solid state amorphization in nanocrystalline nickel has been achieved through cryogenic laser shock peening (CLSP). High resolution transmission electron microscopy has revealed the complete amorphous structure of the sample after CLSP processing. A molecular dynamic model has been used to investigate material behavior during the shock loading and the effects of nanoscale grain boundaries on the amorphization process. It has been found that the initial nanoscale grain boundaries increase the initial Gibbs free energy before plastic deformation and also serve as dislocation emission sources during plastic deformation to contribute to defect density increase, leading to the amorphization of pure nanocrystalline nickel.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Solid state amorphization of metastable Al 0.5 TiZrPdCuNi high entropy alloy investigated by high voltage electron microscopy

Here, the phase stability of high entropy alloy (HEA), Al 0.5 TiZrPdCuNi, under fast electron irradiation was studied by in-situ high voltage electron microscopy (HVEM). The initial phase of this alloy quenched from the melt was dependent on cooling rate. At high cooling rates an amorphous phase was obtained, whereas a body-centered cubic ( b.c.c. ) phase were obtained at low cooling rates. By thermal crystallization of the amorphous phase b.c.c. phase nano-crystals were formed. Upon fast electron irradiation solid state amorphization (SSA) was observed in b.c.c. phase regardless of the initial microstructure (i.e., “coarse crystalline structure” or “nano-crystalline structure with grain boundaries as a sink for point defects”). SSA behavior in the Al 0.5 TiZrPdCuNi HEAs was investigated by in-situ transmission electron microscopy observations. Because the amorphization is very rarely achieved in a solid solution phase under fast electron irradiation in common metallic materials, this result suggests that the Al 0.5 TiZrPdCuNi HEA from other common alloys and the other HEAs. The differences in phase stability against the irradiation between the Al 0.5 TiZrPdCuNi HEA and the other HEAs were discussed. This is the first experimental evidence of SSA in HEAs stimulated by fast electron irradiation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1991

Processing Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductors from amorphous state

The bismuth based high T sub c superconductors can be processed via an amorphous Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu oxide. The amorphous oxides were prepared by melting the constituent powders in an alumina crucible at 1200 C in air followed by pouring the liquid onto an aluminum plate, and rapidly pressing with a second plate. In the amorphous state, no crystalline phase was identified in the powder x ray diffraction pattern of the quenched materials. After heat treatment at high temperature the amorphous materials crystallized into a glass ceramic containing a large fraction of the Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O(x) phase T sub c = 110 K. The processing method, crystallization, and results of dc electrical resistivity and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements are discussed.

Chiang, C. K.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Theoretical Modeling of the Non-equilibrium Amorphous State in 1T-TaS{sub 2}

1T-TaS{sub 2} is known for it’s remarkably complex phase diagram and it’s unique long-lived metastable hidden (H) state. Recently, a novel metastable state has been discovered using higher fluences for photoexcitation than in the case of the H state. The state has been dubbed as amorphous (A) due to it’s similarity to glass. Expanding on the work of Brazovskii and Karpov, we show that the A state can be successfully modeled with classical interacting polarons on a two dimensional hexagonal lattice. We have found that the polaron configuration of the A state corresponds to a frustrated screened Coulomb system, where there is no order-disorder phase transition.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1990

Processing Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductors from amorphous state

Researchers produced superconducting ceramics of the Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system started from a glass. To form the glass, the mixed oxide powder was melted at 1200 C in air. The liquid was quenched rapidly by pouring it onto an aluminum plate and rapidly pressing with another plate. The quenched compound was in the form of black amorphous solid, whose x-ray powder pattern has no crystalline peaks. After heat treatment at high temperatures, the glass crystallized into a superconductor. The crystalline phases in the superconductor identified using x-ray diffraction patterns. These phases were that associated with the superconducting phases of T(sub c) = 80 K (Bi2Ca1Sr2Cu2Ox) and of T(sub c) = 110 K (Bi2Ca2Sr2Cu3Ox). The dc resistivity and the ac susceptibility of these superconductors were studied.

Chiang, C. K.↗
DOE OSTI2021

A medium-range structure motif linking amorphous and crystalline states

Amorphous materials have no long-range order, but there are ordered structures at short range (2–5 Å), medium range (5–20 Å) and even longer length scales. While regular and semiregular polyhedra are often found as short-range ordering in amorphous materials, the nature of medium-range order has remained elusive. Consequently, it is difficult to determine whether there exists any structural link at medium range or longer length scales between the amorphous material and its crystalline counterparts. Moreover, an amorphous material often crystallizes into a phase of different composition, with very different underlying structural building blocks, further compounding the issue. Here, we capture an intermediate crystalline cubic phase in a Pd-Ni-P amorphous alloy and reveal the structure of the medium-range order, a six-membered tricapped trigonal prism cluster (6M-TTP) with a length scale of 12.5 Å. We find that the 6M-TTP can pack periodically to several tens of nanometres to form the cube phase. Our experimental observations provide evidence of a structural link between the amorphous and crystalline phases in a Pd-Ni-P alloy at the medium-range length scale and suggest that it is the connectivity of the 6M-TTP clusters that distinguishes the crystalline and amorphous phases. These findings will shed light on the structure of amorphous materials at extended length scales beyond that of short-range order.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Exchange bias and bistable magneto-resistance states in amorphous TbFeCo thin films

Amorphous TbFeCo thin films sputter deposited at room temperature on thermally oxidized Si substrate are found to exhibit strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Atom probe tomography, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping have revealed two nanoscale amorphous phases with different Tb atomic percentages distributed within the amorphous film. Exchange bias accompanied by bistable magneto-resistance states has been uncovered near room temperature by magnetization and magneto-transport measurements. The exchange anisotropy originates from the exchange interaction between the ferrimagnetic and ferromagnetic components corresponding to the two amorphous phases. This study provides a platform for exchange bias and magneto-resistance switching using single-layer amorphous ferrimagnetic thin films that require no epitaxial growth.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Mechanisms of Alkali Ionic Transport in Amorphous Oxyhalides Solid State Conductors

Amorphous oxyhalides have attracted significant attention due to their relatively high ionic conductivity (1 mS cm –1 ), excellent chemical stability, mechanical softness, and facile synthesis routes via standard solid‐state reactions. These materials exhibit an ionic conductivity that is almost independent of the underlying chemistry, in stark contrast to what occurs in crystalline conductors. In this work, we employ machine learning interatomic potentials to construct large‐scale molecular dynamics trajectories encompassing hundreds of nanoseconds to obtain statistically converged transport properties. We find that the amorphous state consists of chain fragments of metal‐anion tetrahedra of various lengths. By analyzing the residence time of alkali cations migrating around tetrahedrally‐coordinated metals, we find that oxygen anions limit alkali diffusion. By computing the full Einstein expression of the ionic conductivity, we demonstrate that the alkali transference number of these materials is strongly influenced by distinct‐particles correlations, while alkali transport is dictated by uncorrelated self‐diffusion. By extending this analysis to chemical compositions AMX 2.5 O 0.75 , spanning different alkaline (A = Li, Na, K), metallic (M = Al, Ga, In), and halogen (X = Cl, Br, I) species, we clarify why the diffusion properties of these materials remain largely insensitive to variations in atomic isovalent chemistry.

amorphous materials↗
DOE OSTI2023

E-beam-enhanced solid-state mechanical amorphization of α-quartz: Reduced deformation barrier via localized excess electrons as network modifiers

Under hydrostatic pressure, α-quartz (α-SiO 2 ) undergoes solid-state mechanical amorphization wherein the interpenetration of [SiO 4 ] 2- tetrahedra occurs and the material loses crystallinity. This phase transformation requires a high hydrostatic pressure of 14GPa because the repulsive forces resulting from the ionic nature of the Si–O bonds prevent the severe distortion of the atomic configuration. Herein, we experimentally and computationally demonstrate that e-beam irradiation changes the nature of the interatomic bonds in α-quartz and enhances the solid-state mechanical amorphization at nanoscale. Specifically, during in situ uniaxial compression, a larger permanent deformation occurs in α-quartz submicron pillars compressed during e-beam irradiation than in those without e-beam irradiation. Microstructural analysis reveals that the large permanent deformation under e-beam irradiation originates from the enhanced mechanical amorphization of α-quartz and the subsequent viscoplastic deformation of the amorphized region. Further, atomic-scale simulations suggest that the delocalized excess electrons introduced by e-beam irradiation move to highly distorted atomic configurations and alleviate the repulsive force, thus reducing the barrier to the solid-state mechanical amorphization. In conclusion, these findings deepen our understanding of electron–matter interactions and can be extended to new glass forming and processing technologies at nano- and microscale.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Radiation Tolerance and Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured Amorphous-Ceramic/Metal Composites

The objective of this work was to use a radically non-traditional approach to design amorphous-ceramic/metal composites for service in extreme irradiation environments. The project was built on a strong integration among four research teams for materials synthesis and characterization, ion irradiation, mechanical evaluation, and atomic scale modeling. Rather than try to prevent microstructure changes in polycrystalline aggregates, the research team worked to evolve composite systems where one of the constituents is intentionally synthesized in a non-crystalline or “amorphous” state. Because amorphous materials possess no translational symmetry, such alloys do not contain conventional crystal defects such as vacancies, interstitials, or dislocations. These materials offer the possibility of eliminating the root cause responsible for radiation damage in polycrystalline solids - namely the production of point defects and clusters thereof in collision cascades - and could serve as the basis for developing a new class of structural materials with unprecedented resistance to radiation. The amorphous alloys were used to develop advanced amorphous-ceramic/metal composites with greatly improved radiation tolerance and stability above 500oC, and improved mechanical performance by combining the good properties of amorphous materials (high strength and elastic limit) with those of crystalline materials (high toughness, strain hardening). The ceramic component of the composite consisted of a high crystallization temperature and radiation tolerant amorphous alloy composed of Si-O-C, silicon oxycarbide, while the metal layer was Fe and Fe(Cr), chosen to serve as model materials for steel. A prime hypothesis that drove this work is that the composite interface, together with the composite constituents, would provide significantly enhanced radiation tolerance, similar to or superior to those observed in metallic nanolayered structures, in a more engineering relevant material system. As our experimental data and modeling show, we have successfully developed a new class of ceramic/metal composites that can be adapted for engineering applications, thus significantly impacting improved materials performance for advanced nuclear reactors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗