Influence of Nanoparticle Size on Strain at the Core-Shell Interface

This work deals with the strain at the core-shell interface of Fe nanoparticles. Series of Fe nanoparticles with various mean diameters were prepared by precipitation in solid state in binary Cu-Fe alloy. Further, nanoparticles were isolated by dissolution of Cu matrix. High-energy X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to probe structure of nanoparticles. XRD measurements suggest presence of the core-shell structure, where core and shell of the nanoparticles are formed of α-Fe and CuFe$_{2}$O$_{4}$ phase, respectively. Strains in core and shell were estimated as a function of nanoparticles size by Williamson-Hall method

Atomic structure, thermal stability and isothermal crystallization kinetics of novel Co-based metallic glasses with excellent soft magnetic properties

In this work, Co$_{66-x}$Fe$_x$Hf$_{6.5}$B$_{27.5}$ (x = 0, 10, 15, 20) metallic glasses (MGs) have been prepared by melt-spinning, and a comprehensive qualitative study including the atomic structure, thermal behavior, crystallization kinetics, and magnetic properties of the MGs is presented. The addition of Fe notably improves the thermal stability of the prepared glasses by increasing the width of the supercooled liquid region (SLR) from 26 K to 55 K. Analysis of the structure factor and the reduced-pair distribution function (PDF) reveal subtle variations in short-range ordering (SRO) and an increase of the atomic packing density of the glassy phase by 20 at% Fe addition. Notable rises in saturation polarization, Js, (from 0.21 T to 0.67 T), Curie point, Tc, (from 315 K to 530 K) and coercivity, Hc, (from 0.5 A/m to 2.5 A/m) are found after Fe alloying. The isothermal crystallization kinetics determined by the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK) approach demonstrate that the novel Co$_{46}$Fe$_{20}$Hf$_{6.5}$B$_{27.5}$ MG exhibits a remarkably higher activation energy and a significantly longer incubation time (about 16 min) before crystallization compared to existing Fe-free (x = 0) as well as most other Fe/Co-based MGs. Slight increases in Js (up to 5%) and Tc (about 4.7%), and a remarkable drop in Hc (up to 80%) are achieved for the Co$_{46}$Fe$_{20}$Hf$_{6.5}$B$_{27.5}$ MG upon isothermal annealing for a period of 3600 s. The attractive features such as high thermal stability, low coercivity of 0.5 A/m, and higher Js (up 0.7 T) compared to many Co-based glasses, make C$_{46}$Fe$_{20}$Hf$_{6.5}$B$_{27.5}$ MG a promising soft magnetic material for future applications in power electronics, electric machines, and fabrication of large-size glassy samples by hot consolidation of MG particles

Structural Evolution in Wet Mechanically Alloyed Co-Fe-(Ta,W)-B Alloys

In the present study, the effect of wet mechanical alloying (MA) on the glass-forming ability (GFA) of Co43Fe20X5.5B31.5 (X = Ta, W) alloys was studied. The structural evolution during MA was investigated using high-energy X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and magnetic measurements. Pair distribution function and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy were used to characterize local atomic structure at various stages of MA. Besides structural changes, the magnetic properties of both compositions were investigated employing a vibrating sample magnetometer and thermomagnetic measurements. It was shown that using hexane as a process control agent during wet MA resulted in the formation of fully amorphous Co-Fe-Ta-B powder material at a shorter milling time (100 h) as compared to dry MA. It has also been shown that substituting Ta with W effectively suppresses GFA. After 100 h of MA of Co-Fe-W-B mixture, a nanocomposite material consisting of amorphous and nanocrystalline bcc-W phase was synthesized

High Temperature Oxidation Behavior of Creep Resistant Steels in Water Vapour Containing Environments

This study describes the water vapour effect on the oxidation resistance of 9Cr creep resistant steels. Boiler P91 and MarBN steels were oxidized for 3000 h in a simulated humid atmosphere with ~10% water vapour. The oxidation kinetics had a stable course for 1000 h and was evaluated by the weight gain curves for both experimental steels and both oxidation temperatures. The oxidation rate was higher at 650 °C versus 600 °C, as reflected by the oxidation rate coefficient. A significant increase occurred after 1000 h of oxidation, which was related to the local breakdown oxide scale and oxide nodules were formed on steel. This oxidation behavior was influenced by the fact that a compact spinel structure of iron oxides and alloying elements were not formed on the steel. Analysis after 3000 h of exposure showed hematite Fe2O3 formed on the outer layer, magnetite Fe3O4 on the middle layer, and the bottom layer consisted of iron-chromium-spinel (Fe,Cr)2O3

Experimental Study of the Evolution of Creep-Resistant Steel’s High-Temperature Oxidation Behavior

This study shows that in an atmosphere containing water vapor, the oxide layer on the surface of the 9CrNB steel MarBN (Martensitic 9Cr steel strengthened by Boron and MX Nitrides) was formed by an outer layer of hematite Fe2O3 and Cr2O3 and an inner two-phase layer of Fe3O4 and Fe3O4 + (Fe, Cr)2O4, which was confirmed by XRD analysis. Part of the layer consisted of nodules and pores that were formed during the increase in oxides when the present H2O(g) acted on the steel surface. The diffusion mechanism at temperatures of 600 and 650 °C and at longer oxidation times supported the “healing process” with a growing layer of Fe oxides and the presence of Cr and minor alloying elements. The effects of alloying elements were quantified using a concentration profile of the oxide layer based on quantitative SEM analysis, as well as an explanation of the mechanism influencing the structure and chemical composition of the oxide layer and the steel-matrix–oxide interface. In addition to Cr, for which the content reached the requirement of exceeding 7.0 wt. % in the inner oxide layer, W, Co, Mn, and Si were also found in increased concentrations, whether in the form of the present Fe-Cr spinel oxide or as part of a continuously distributed layer of Mn2O3 and SiO2 oxides at the steel-matrix–oxide interface. After long-term high-temperature oxidation, coarser carbides of the M23C6 type (M = Fe,W) significantly depleted in Cr were formed at the oxide-layer/matrix interface. In the zone under the oxide layer, very fine particles of MC (M = V, Nb, and to a lesser extent also Cr in the particle lattice of the given phase) were observed, with a higher number of particles per unit area compared to the state before oxidation. This fact was a consequence of Cr diffusion to the steel surface through the subsurface zone

Gd(III) metal-organic framework as an effective humidity sensor and its hydrogen adsorption properties

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a class of nanoporous materials built up by metal ions and organic linkers with several interesting potential applications. The present study described the synthesis and characterization of Gd(III)-based MOF with the chemical composition [Gd(BTC)(H$_2$O)]·DMF (BTC – trimesate, DMF = N,N′-dimethylformamide), known as MOF-76(Gd) for hydrogen adsorption/desorption capacity and humidity sensing applications. The structure and morphology of as-synthesized material were studied using powder X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The crystal structure of MOF-76(Gd) consists of gadolinium (III) and benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate ions, one coordinated aqua ligand and one crystallization DMF molecule. The polymeric framework of MOF-76(Gd) contains 1D sinusoidally shaped channels with sizes of 6.7 × 6.7 Å propagating along c crystallographic axis. The thermogravimetric analysis, heating infrared spectroscopy and in-situ heating powder X-ray diffraction experiments of the prepared framework exhibited thermal stability up to 550 °C. Nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurement at −196 °C showed a BET surface area of 605 m$^2$ g$^{−1}$ and pore volume of 0.24 cm$^3$ g$^{−1}$. The maximal hydrogen storage capacity of MOF-76(Gd) was 1.66 wt % and 1.34 wt % −196 °C and −186 °C and pressure up to 1 bar, respectively. Finally, the humidity sensing measurements (water adsorption experiments) were performed, and the results indicate that MOF-76(Gd) is a suitable material for moisture sensing application with a fast response (11 s) and recovery time (2 s) in the relative humidity range of 11–98%

Cytotoxicity study and influence of SBA-15 surface polarity and pH on adsorption and release properties of anticancer agent pemetrexed

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Cryogenic-temperature-induced structural transformation of a metallic glass

The plasticity of metallic glasses depends largely on the atomic-scale structure. However, the details of the atomic-scale structure, which are responsible for their properties, remain to be clarified. In this study, in-situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction and strain-rate jump compression tests at different cryogenic temperatures were carried out. We show that the activation volume of flow units linearly depends on temperature in the non-serrated flow regime. A plausible atomic deformation mechanism is proposed, considering that the activated flow units mediating the plastic flow originate from the medium-range order and transit to the short-range order with decreasing temperature

In situ high-energy X-ray diffraction study of thermally-activated martensitic transformation far below room temperature in CuZr-based bulk metallic glass composites

The martensitic transformation within B2 phase plays a critical role for the ductility of CuZr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) composites, yet the underlying mechanism for the martensitic transformation process needs further investigations. Here, we found that the onset temperature of the thermally-activated martensitic transformation for CuZr-based BMG composites was reduced to 162.7 ± 2.5 K, which is far lower than those of polycrystalline samples, due to the stabilization of the austenitic phase induced by crystalline-amorphous interfaces. In situ high-energy X-ray diffraction measurements (HEXRD) further demonstrate that the thermally-activated martensitic transformation is governed by an extremely incomplete martensitic transformation from B2 to B19’ and B33 phases without the decomposition of B2 phase which generally appears in polycrystalline samples. Due to unconfined stress states during the thermally-activated martensitic transformation, B33 phase forms more early during thermal process than deformation process. The present study provides a further understanding on the martensitic transformation behaviors of shape memory type CuZr-based BMG composites