Ceramic fiber reinforced glass-ceramic matrix composite

A slurry of BSAS glass powders is cast into tapes which are cut to predetermined sizes. Mats of continuous chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-SiC fibers are alternately stacked with these matrix tapes. This tape-mat stack is warm-pressed to produce a 'green' composite which is heated to burn out organic constituents. The remaining interim material is then hot-pressed to form a BSAS glass-ceramic fiber-reinforced composite

Sol-Gel synthesis of MgO-SiO2 glass compositions having stable liquid-liquid immiscibility

MgO-SiO2 glasses containing up to 15 mol % MgO, which could not have been prepared by the conventional glass melting method due to the presence of stable liquid-liquid immiscibility, were synthesized by the sol-gel technique. Clear and transparent gels were obtained from the hydrolysis and polycondensation of silicon tetraethoxide (TEOS) and magnesium nitrate hexahydrate when the water/TEOS mole ratio was four or more. The gelling time decreased with increase in magnesium content, water/TEOS ratio, and reaction temperature. Magnesium nitrate hexahydrate crystallized out of the gels containing 15 and 20 mol % MgO on slow drying. This problem was partially alleviated by drying the gels quickly at higher temperatures. Monolithic gel samples were prepared using glycerol as the drying control additive. The gels were subjected to various thermal treatments and characterized by several methods. No organic groups could be detected in the glasses after heat treatments to approx. 800 C, but trace amounts of hydroxyl groups were still present. No crystalline phase was found from X-ray diffraction in the gel samples to approx. 890 C. At higher temperatures, alpha quartz precipitated out as the crystalline phase in gels containing up to 10 mol % MgO. The overall activation energy for gel formation in 10MgO-90SiO2 (mol %) system for water/TEOS mole ratio of 7.5 was calculated to be 58.7 kJ/mol

High-T sub c fluorine-doped YBa2Cu3O(y) films on ceramic substrates by screen printing

Thick films of fluorine-doped YBa2Cu3O(y) were screen printed on highly polished alumina, magnesia spinel, strontium titanate, and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates. They were annealed at 1000 C and soaked in oxygen at 450 C, followed by slow cooling to room temperature. The films were characterized by electrical resistivity measurements as a function of temperature and x-ray diffraction. The film on YSZ showed the best characteristics with a T sub c (onset) of 91 K, T sub c (R equals 0) of 88.2 K, and a transition width, delta T sub c (10-90 percent), of approximately 1.7 K. The film adhesion, probably controlled by interdiffusion of cations between the film and the substrate, was good in all cases except on strontium titanate where the film completely detached from the substrate

Chemical stability of high-temperature superconductors

A review of the available studies on the chemical stability of the high temperature superconductors (HTS) in various environments was made. The La(1.8)Ba(0.2)CuO4 HTS is unstable in the presence of H2O, CO2, and CO. The YBa2Cu3O(7-x) superconductor is highly susceptible to degradation in different environments, especially water. The La(2-x)Ba(x)CuO4 and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O HTS are relatively less reactive than the YBa2Cu3O(7-x). Processing of YBa2Cu3O(7-x) HTS in purified oxygen, rather than in air, using high purity noncarbon containing starting materials is recommended. Exposure of this HTS to the ambient atmosphere should also be avoided at all stages during processing and storage. Devices and components made out of these oxide superconductors would have to be protected with an impermeable coating of a polymer, glass, or metal to avoid deterioration during use

Influence of several metal ions on the gelation activation energy of silicon tetraethoxide

The effects of nine metal cations (Li(+), Na(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+), Cu(2+), Al(3+), La(3+), and Y(3+) on silica gel formation has been investigated by studying the hydrolysis and polycondensation of silicon tetraethoxide (TEOS) in the presence of metal nitrates. The influence of water: TEOS mole ratio, metal ion concentration, and the reaction temperature has been investigated. The overall activation energy for gel formation has been determined from the temperature dependence of the time of gelation for each system. The activation energy for -Si-O-Si- network formation is found to be 54.5 kJ/mol. The gel formation time as well as the activation energy sharply increase in the presence of Cu(2+), Al(3+), La(3+) and Y(3+). In contrast, the presence of Li(+), Na(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), or, Sr(2+) lowers the gelation time, but has no appreciable effect on the activation energy. This difference may be attributed to the participation or nonparticipation of the metal ions in the formation of the three-dimensional polymeric network during the polycondensation step. The concentration of metal ion (Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Y(3+) or the water: TEOS mole ratio had no appreciable effect on the gelation activation energy. A simple test has been proposed to determine whether a metal ion would act as a network intermediate or modifier in silica and other glassy networks

Chronopotentiometry of refractory metals, actinides and oxyanions in molten salts: A review

The applications of chronopotentiometry to the study of electrochemical behavior of three technologically important areas of refractory metals, actinides, and oxyanions in molten salts are critically reviewed. Chronopotentiometry is a very versatile diagnostic tool to understand the reaction mechanism of the electrode processes for the electrochemical reduction/oxidation of these electroactive species in molten salt solutions. Well adherent, compact, and uniformly thick coatings of refractory metals may be electrodeposited from their solutions in molten salts

Glass precursor approach to high-temperature superconductors

The available studies on the synthesis of high T sub c superconductors (HTS) via the glass precursor approach were reviewed. Melts of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O system as well as those doped with oxides of some other elements (Pb, Al, V, Te, Nb, etc.) could be quenched into glasses which, on further heat treatments under appropriate conditions, crystallized into the superconducting phase(s). The nature of the HTS phase(s) formed depends on the annealing temperature, time, atmosphere, and the cooling rate and also on the glass composition. Long term annealing was needed to obtain a large fraction of the 110 K phase. The high T sub c phase did not crystallize out directly from the glass matrix, but was preceded by the precipitation of other phases. The 110 K HTS was produced at high temperatures by reaction between the phases formed at lower temperatures resulting in multiphase material. The presence of a glass former such as B2O3 was necessary for the Y-Ba-Cu-O melt to form a glass on fast cooling. A discontinuous YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) HTS phase crystallized out on heat treatment of this glass. Attempts to prepare Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O system in the glassy state were not successful

Composition dependence of superconductivity in YBa2(Cu(3-x)Al(x))Oy

Eleven different compositions in the system YBa2(Cu(3-x)Al(x))O(y) (x = 0 to 0.3) have been synthesized and characterized by electrical resistivity measurements, powder x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The superconducting transition temperature T sub c (onset) was almost unaffected by the presence of alumina due to its limited solubility in YBa2Cu3O(7-x). However, T sub c(R = 0) gradually decreased, and the resistive tails became longer with increasing Al2O3 concentration. This was probably due to formation of BaAl2O4 and other impurity phases from chemical decomposition of the superconducting phase by reaction with Al2O3

Low temperature synthesis of CaO-SiO2 glasses having stable liquid-liquid immiscibility by sol-gel process

Calcium silicate glass compositions lying within the liquid-liquid immiscibility dome of the phase diagram, which could not have been prepared by the conventional melting method, were synthesized by the sol-gel process. Hydrolysis and polycondensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) solutions containing up to 20 mol percent calcium nitrate resulted in the formation of clear and transparent gels. The gel formation time decreased with increase in water:TEOS mole ratio, calcium content, and the reaction temperature. Smaller values of gel times in the presence of calcium nitrate are probably caused by lowering of the ionic charge on the sol particles by the salt present. The gelation activation energy, E(sub gel), was evaluated from temperature dependence of the gel time. Presence of Ca(2+) ions or the water:TEOS mole ratio did not have an appreciable effect on the value of E(sub gel). Presence of glycerol in the solution helped in the formation of crack-free monolithic gel specimens. Chemical and structural changes occurring in the gels, as a function of the heat treatments, have been monitored using DTA, TGA, IR-spectroscopy, x ray diffraction, surface area and pore size distribution measurements

Crystallization kinetics of BaO-Al2O3-SiO2 glasses

Barium aluminosilicate glasses are being investigated as matrix materials in high-temperature ceramic composites for structural applications. Kinetics of crystallization of two refractory glass compositions in the barium aluminosilicate system were studied by differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From variable heating rate DTA, the crystallization activation energies for glass compositions (wt percent) 10BaO-38Al2O3-51SiO2-1MoO3 (glass A) and 39BaO-25Al2O3-35SiO2-1MoO3 (glass B) were determined to be 553 and 558 kJ/mol, respectively. On thermal treatment, the crystalline phases in glasses A and B were identified as mullite (3Al2O3-2SiO2) and hexacelsian (BaO-Al2O3-2SiO2), respectively. Hexacelsian is a high-temperature polymorph which is metastable below 1590 C. It undergoes structural transformation into the orthorhombic form at approximately 300 C accompanied by a large volume change which is undesirable for structural applications. A process needs to be developed where stable monoclinic celsian, rather than hexacelsian, precipitates out as the crystal phase in glass B