Zero-phonon linewidth and phonon satellites in the optical absorption of nanowire-based quantum dots

The optical properties of quantum dots embedded in a catalytically grown semiconductor nanowire are studied theoretically. In comparison to dots in a bulk environment, the excitonic absorption is strongly modified by the one-dimensional character of the nanowire phonon spectrum. In addition to pronounced satellite peaks due to phonon-assisted absorption, we find a finite width of the zero-phonon line already in the lowest-order calculation.Comment: final version, to appear in Physical Review Letters (4 pages with 4 figures included, minor changes with respect to first version

Experimental study and thermodynamic modeling of the Al–Co–Cr–Ni system

A thermodynamic database for the Al–Co–Cr–Ni system is built via the Calphad method by extrapolating re-assessed ternary subsystems. A minimum number of quaternary parameters are included, which are optimized using experimental phase equilibrium data obtained by electron probe micro-analysis and x-ray diffraction analysis of NiCoCrAlY alloys spanning a wide compositional range, after annealing at 900 °C, 1100 °C and 1200 °C, and water quenching. These temperatures are relevant to oxidation and corrosion resistant MCrAlY coatings, where M corresponds to some combination of nickel and cobalt. Comparisons of calculated and measured phase compositions show excellent agreement for the β–γ equilibrium, and good agreement for three-phase β–γ–σ and β–γ–α equilibria. An extensive comparison with existing Ni-base databases (TCNI6, TTNI8, NIST) is presented in terms of phase compositions

Grain refinement in additively manufactured ferritic stainless steel by in situ inoculation using pre-alloyed powder

For ferritic stainless steels, TiN has effectively been used as an inoculant to produce equiaxed grain structures in casting and welding. However, it is not established whether TiN would be an effective inoculant in additive manufacturing. In this study, the effectiveness of TiN as an inoculant in a ferritic stainless steel processed by laser powder-bed fusion is studied. An alloy without Ti is fabricated and compared to an alloy designed to form a high amount of TiN early during solidification. The work shows that the presence of TiN provides general grain refinement and that TiN-covered oxide particles are effective in enabling columnar-to-equiaxed transition in certain regions of the meltpool. The applied approach of pre-alloying powders with inoculant-forming elements offers a straightforward route to achieving fine, equiaxed grain structures in additively manufactured metallic materials. It also shows how oxygen present during the process can be utilized to nucleate effective inoculating phases

Mutations in DCC cause isolated agenesis of the corpus callosum with incomplete penetrance

Brain malformations involving the corpus callosum are common in children with developmental disabilities. We identified DCC mutations in four families and five sporadic individuals with isolated agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) without intellectual disability. DCC mutations result in variable dominant phenotypes with decreased penetrance, including mirror movements and ACC associated with a favorable developmental prognosis. Possible phenotypic modifiers include the type and location of mutation and the sex of the individual

Multicomponent diffusional reactions in tool steels : Experiment and Theory

Many phenomena determining the microstructure of a tool steel and consequently the properties of the material, are governed by multicomponent diffusion. The diffusion driven reactions that take place during, for example, tempering of a hot-work tool steel or when the microstructure develops during hot isostatic pressing of cold-work tool steel, are dependent on the types and amounts of alloying elements. In order for computational methods to be usable, these alloying effects need to be understood and incorporated in the models. In this work the influence of some typical tool steel alloying elements on the coarsening behavior of precipitates is investigated. Experimental coarsening studies are performed and the impact of the diffusion mobility descriptions and the thermodynamic descriptions are investigated by means of DICTRA coarsening calculations. The kinetic descriptions for diffusion in the body centered-cubic phase in the case of the chromium-iron-vanadium system and the chromium-iron-molybdenum system are improved by assessments of diffusion mobility parameters, and are shown to have a large impact on the calculated coarsening rate for vanadium-rich and molybdenum-rich precipitates. The effect of cobalt is examined by a coarsening experiment for vanandiumrich carbides and by a diffusion couple experiment for the investigation of the vanadium interdiffusion. The presence of cobalt is experimentally shown to have retarding effect on the coarsening rate of the carbides, but not on the vanadium diffusion. The coarsening rate of nitrogen-rich precipitates is compared to the coarsening rate of carbon-rich precipitates, and a lower coarsening rate for nitrides compared to carbides can be confirmed. Correlation between coarsening calculations and experiments is obtained suggesting that the thermodynamic description of the two systems is the underlaying reason for the different coarsening rates. Further, calculations utilizing the DICTRA software are combined with experimental investigations in order to study the possibility to apply computational methods for compound material development and explore application areas for high nitrogen alloyed tool steels produced by powder metallurgy.QC 20121011</p

Multicomponent diffusional reactions in tool steels : Experiment and Theory

Many phenomena determining the microstructure of a tool steel and consequently the properties of the material, are governed by multicomponent diffusion. The diffusion driven reactions that take place during, for example, tempering of a hot-work tool steel or when the microstructure develops during hot isostatic pressing of cold-work tool steel, are dependent on the types and amounts of alloying elements. In order for computational methods to be usable, these alloying effects need to be understood and incorporated in the models. In this work the influence of some typical tool steel alloying elements on the coarsening behavior of precipitates is investigated. Experimental coarsening studies are performed and the impact of the diffusion mobility descriptions and the thermodynamic descriptions are investigated by means of DICTRA coarsening calculations. The kinetic descriptions for diffusion in the body centered-cubic phase in the case of the chromium-iron-vanadium system and the chromium-iron-molybdenum system are improved by assessments of diffusion mobility parameters, and are shown to have a large impact on the calculated coarsening rate for vanadium-rich and molybdenum-rich precipitates. The effect of cobalt is examined by a coarsening experiment for vanandiumrich carbides and by a diffusion couple experiment for the investigation of the vanadium interdiffusion. The presence of cobalt is experimentally shown to have retarding effect on the coarsening rate of the carbides, but not on the vanadium diffusion. The coarsening rate of nitrogen-rich precipitates is compared to the coarsening rate of carbon-rich precipitates, and a lower coarsening rate for nitrides compared to carbides can be confirmed. Correlation between coarsening calculations and experiments is obtained suggesting that the thermodynamic description of the two systems is the underlaying reason for the different coarsening rates. Further, calculations utilizing the DICTRA software are combined with experimental investigations in order to study the possibility to apply computational methods for compound material development and explore application areas for high nitrogen alloyed tool steels produced by powder metallurgy.QC 20121011</p

Multicomponent diffusional reactions in tool steels : Experiment and Theory

Many phenomena determining the microstructure of a tool steel and consequently the properties of the material, are governed by multicomponent diffusion. The diffusion driven reactions that take place during, for example, tempering of a hot-work tool steel or when the microstructure develops during hot isostatic pressing of cold-work tool steel, are dependent on the types and amounts of alloying elements. In order for computational methods to be usable, these alloying effects need to be understood and incorporated in the models. In this work the influence of some typical tool steel alloying elements on the coarsening behavior of precipitates is investigated. Experimental coarsening studies are performed and the impact of the diffusion mobility descriptions and the thermodynamic descriptions are investigated by means of DICTRA coarsening calculations. The kinetic descriptions for diffusion in the body centered-cubic phase in the case of the chromium-iron-vanadium system and the chromium-iron-molybdenum system are improved by assessments of diffusion mobility parameters, and are shown to have a large impact on the calculated coarsening rate for vanadium-rich and molybdenum-rich precipitates. The effect of cobalt is examined by a coarsening experiment for vanandiumrich carbides and by a diffusion couple experiment for the investigation of the vanadium interdiffusion. The presence of cobalt is experimentally shown to have retarding effect on the coarsening rate of the carbides, but not on the vanadium diffusion. The coarsening rate of nitrogen-rich precipitates is compared to the coarsening rate of carbon-rich precipitates, and a lower coarsening rate for nitrides compared to carbides can be confirmed. Correlation between coarsening calculations and experiments is obtained suggesting that the thermodynamic description of the two systems is the underlaying reason for the different coarsening rates. Further, calculations utilizing the DICTRA software are combined with experimental investigations in order to study the possibility to apply computational methods for compound material development and explore application areas for high nitrogen alloyed tool steels produced by powder metallurgy.QC 20121011</p

Revealing the Mechanisms of Smoke during Electron Beam–Powder Bed Fusion by High-Speed Synchrotron Radiography

Electron beam–powder bed fusion (PBF-EB) is an additive manufacturing process that utilizes an electron beam as the heat source to enable material fusion. However, the use of a charge-carrying heat source can sometimes result in sudden powder explosions, usually referred to as “Smoke”, which can lead to process instability or termination. This experimental study investigated the initiation and propagation of Smoke using in situ high-speed synchrotron radiography. The results reveal two key mechanisms for Smoke evolution. In the first step, the beam–powder bed interaction creates electrically isolated particles in the atmosphere. Subsequently, these isolated particles get charged either by direct irradiation by the beam or indirectly by back-scattered electrons. These particles are accelerated by electric repulsion, and new particles in the atmosphere are produced when they impinge on the powder bed. This is the onset of the avalanche process known as Smoke. Based on this understanding, the dependence of Smoke on process parameters such as beam returning time, beam diameter, etc., can be rationalized

An Enhanced Understanding of the Powder Bed Fusion-Laser Beam Processing of Mg-Y-3.9wt%-Nd-3wt%-Zr-0.5wt% (WE43) Alloy through Thermodynamic Modeling and Experimental Characterization

Powder Bed Fusion-Laser Beam (PBF-LB) processing of magnesium (Mg) alloys is gaining increasing attention due to the possibility of producing complex biodegradable implants for improved healing of large bone defects. However, the understanding of the correlation between the PBF-LB process parameters and the microstructure formed in Mg alloys remains limited. Thus, the purpose of this study was to enhance the understanding of the effect of the PBF-LB process parameters on the microstructure of Mg alloys by investigating the applicability of computational thermodynamic modelling and verifying the results experimentally. Thus, PBF-LB process parameters were optimized for a Mg WE43 alloy (Mg-Y-3.(9wt%)-Nd-3wt%-Zr-0.5wt%) on a commercially available machine. Two sets of process parameters successfully produced sample densities &gt;99.4%. Thermodynamic computations based on the Calphad method were employed to predict the phases present in the processed material. Phases experimentally established for both processing parameters included alpha-Mg, Y2O3, Mg3Nd, Mg24Y5 and hcp-Zr. Phases alpha-Mg, Mg24Y5 and hcp-Zr were also predicted by the calculations. In conclusion, the extent of the applicability of thermodynamic modeling was shown, and the understanding of the correlation between the PBF-LB process parameters and the formed microstructure was enhanced, thus increasing the viability of the PBF-LB process for Mg alloys