Ti3SiC2-formation during Ti–C–Si multilayer deposition by magnetron sputtering at 650 °C

Titanium Silicon Carbide films were deposited from three separate magnetrons with elemental targets onto Si wafer substrates. The substrate was moved in a circular motion such that the substrate faces each magnetron in turn and only one atomic species (Ti, Si or C) is deposited at a time. This allows layer-by-layer film deposition. Material average composition was determined to Ti0.47Si0.14C0.39 by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to gain insights into thin film atomic structure arrangements. Using this new deposition technique formation of Ti3SiC2 MAX phase was obtained at a deposition temperature of 650 °C, while at lower temperatures only silicides and carbides are formed. Significant sharpening of Raman E2g and Ag peaks associated with Ti3SiC2 formation was observed

Deformation behavior of gold/copper multilayer systems

Two sets of Au/Cu multilayers with a total thickness of 2 µm were deposited with magnetron sputtering onto Si/SiO2 with an individual layer thickness of 250 nm and 25 nm. Subsets of the samples were treated with rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at temperatures of 300°C and 400°C for 60 s each to allow inter-diffusion and alloying at the Au/Cu interfaces. The mechanical behavior was evaluated by nanoindentation with a Vickers indenter at maximum loads of 20 mN to 500 mN. Cross sections of the nanoindentations were prepared by focused ion beam technique to investigate the deformation phenomena of the multilayer structure by scanning electron microscopy. In comparison of both, the 25 nm and the 250 nm structure, respectiveley, the latter shows a delamination near the indenter edge normal vector to the substrate surface, whereas the thin layers show buckling and shear banding as deformation mechanisms and no delamination occurs. The Martens hardness HM determined at a depth of 10 % of the total multilayer thickness increases from 1.8 GPa to 2.2 GPa with the annealing at 300°C for the 250 nm layers and to 2.9 GPa with the reduction of the layer thickness to 25 nm. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal a strong texture in \u3c111\u3e direction normal to the substrate surface and the formation of a Au-Cu solid solution phase during annealing. The decrease in individual layer thickness leads to a classic increase of the Martens hardness due to dislocation pile-up and a significant change in deformation behavior from dislocation plasticity to shear banding, which Li et al. [1] describe as buckling-assisted grain boundary sliding. After annealing, a notable increase of the hardness is observed for the 250 nm layers, while for the 25 nm layers it does not change significantly. Subsequent TEM investigations shall provide information on the processes in the layers and at the layer interfaces. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Effect of thermoplastic morphology on mechanical properties in laser-assisted joining of polyamide 6 with aluminum

This paper examined the joining zone between semi-crystalline polyamide 6 and aluminum EN AW 6082 in laser-based joining and evaluated the mechanical properties of the joint. The joint tests were carried out in overlap configuration and a characterized in terms of energy per unit length. The mechanical properties were examined to the point of cohesive failure. An increasing energy per unit length resulted in a reduced crosshead displacement in short-term testing and a decreased fatigue strength. Further material testing was carried out locally at various positions within the joining zone. The mechanical properties were correlated with results of a hardness test, thermoplastic morphology, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). By combining the findings with heat-treated samples at elevated temperatures, secondary crystallization was identified and evidenced as a primary effect among the changes in mechanical properties due to the heat treatment of the thermoplastic material

Silicon carbide formation in reactive silicon-carbon multilayers

An alternative low thermal budget silicon carbide syntheses route is presented. The method is based on self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of binary silicon-carbon-based reactive multilayers. With this technique, it is possible to obtain cubic polycrystalline silicon carbide at relatively low annealing temperatures by a solid state reaction. The reaction starts above 600 °C. The transformation process proceeds in a four-step process. The reaction enthalpy was determined to be (-70 ± 4) kJ/mol

Teaching ostomy care and how to deal with accompanying shame and disgust in nursing education

In einer Gesellschaft des 21. Jahrhunderts, die gepr\ue4gt ist von Sch\uf6nheitsidealen und Leistungsorientierung, scheinen die Begriffe Ekel und Scham wenig Platz zu haben. Kommt es durch unterschiedliche Krankheitsbilder oder Erkrankungen zur Ver\ue4nderung des K\uf6rperbildes gekoppelt mit Ver\ue4nderungen der Ausscheidungsm\uf6glichkeit wie bei Stomaanlagen, kommen Ekel- und Schamgef\ufchle zum Tragen. Der vorliegenden Masterarbeit liegt die Fragestellung, in welcher Weise kann die Stomaversorgung und der Umgang mit Ekel und Scham im Unterricht der allgemeinen Gesundheits- und Krankenpflege vermittelt werden, zu Grunde. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit werden Begriffe, Definitionen und die allgemeine Gesundheits- und Krankenpflegeausbildung erkl\ue4rt. Im Anschluss wird der Fokus auf die Pflegep\ue4dagogik gerichtet und wie die Stomaversorgung, im Zuge dessen auch die Beratung, Schulung und Anleitung, im Unterricht vermittelt wird. Weiters werden Erfahrungen und m\uf6gliche Strategien im Umgang mit Ekel- und Schamempfindung sowie Strategien f\ufcr Lernende, Pflegepersonen und Betroffene aufgezeigt.AbstractIn the 21st century, the ideals of disgust and shame seem to have little place in a society impressed with the ideals of beauty and oriented towards achievement and success. However, when illness causes a change in the way in which a persons perceives themselves and this is linked with changes in how body excretion is removed, for example with the use of a colostomy bag, then feelings of disgust and shame become more eminent. The central question of this Masters thesis deals with the question of, how the use of a stoma and the association with disgust and shame can be fully covered and dealt with in the education of general nurses. The first part deals with concepts and definitions as well as explaining the syllabus and training involved in general nursing education. Subsequently, the main focus is on nursing pedagogic and how a stoma and the associated-patient care, involving the consultation, training and guidance, can be taught to nursing students. Experiences with the perception of disgust and shame along with strategies for student nurses, qualified nurses as well persons who are affected by this ailment are also illustrated and discussed.vorgelegt von Martina HopfeldAbweichender Titel laut cbersetzung des Verfassers/der VerfasserinMasterarbeit Karl-Franzens-Universit\ue4t Graz 201

Preparation and Properties of Co/Fe Multilayers and Co-Fe Alloy Films for Application in Magnetic Field Sensors

In magnetoelectric sensors for the detection of weak magnetic fields, the magnetostrictivecomponent is required to show a high strain at small magnetic field changes. Co-Fe alloys, amongrare earth free materials, have one of the largest saturation magnetostriction and are magnetically softat the same time. In this study, Co-Fe alloy films with 66 at.-% Co are prepared by magnetron sputterdeposition of Co/Fe-multilayers which differ in their individual layer structure and in a subsequentrapid thermal annealing process. The influence of the initial bilayer period and the annealing temperatureon the phase formation and film structure are investigated. X-ray diffraction revealed a higherfraction of the desired face-centered cubic solid solution for thicker individual layers after the 800 °Cannealing. The change of the electrical in-plane resistivity reaches a minimum around 500 °C and iscorrelating well with the observed grain growth and solid solution phase formation. The investigationof magnetic properties with vibrating sample magnetometry shows coercive fields of 3.2 kA/m and2.2 kA/m for fully alloyed films with initial bilayer periods of 25 nm and 250 nm, respectively.</jats:p