Sintering of the NiFe2O4-10NiO/xNi Cermet

The sintering behavior of NiFe2 O4-10NiO/xNi cermet which was used as the most prospective inert anode materials for aluminum electrolysis was studied by examining the effects of raw powder particle size, sintering temperature, and the contents of Ni. The results show that fine particle size enables the powder to have high driving force for sintering. High temperature is beneficial to densification, but the ultra-high temperature does harm to the improvement of the density. The samples of NiFe2O4-10NiO/SNi has the highest relative density of 97.28 % when it is sintered at 1 350 ℃, but it decreases to 95.23 % when sintered at 1 400 ℃. Low addition of Ni has a great help to the sintering of NiFe2 O4-10NiO matrix. When the samples are sintered at 1 350 ℃ and the mass fraction of Ni is 5%, the highest relative density is gained, but the density decreases with the further increase of Ni contents. The low density of the sintered samples of NiFe2 O4-10NiO/17Ni is attributed to the high volume fraction of pores.     

Enhanced Low-field Magnetoresistence in the Absence of Mn Content in Polycrystalline La0.67Ca0.33MnO3

Magnetic and electrical transport properties of the La0.67Ca0.33Mn1-xO3 （x=0-0.16）, which were prepared by the sol-gel method followed by sintering treatment at 1 450, 1 100 and 900 ℃, respectively, were investigated. Experimental results show that, with the increase of x, the resistivity of samples increases and the insulator-metal transition temperature shifts towards lower temperature. Meanwhile, the intrinsic megnetoresistance effect is weakened and the extrinsic magnetoresistance is enhanced. For the samples with x=0.16 and 0.10 sintered at 1 100 ℃ and 900 ℃, respectively, low field magnetoresistance as high as about 50% can be observed. Furthermore, for the samples sintered at 1 100 ℃ and 900 ℃, the grain size is not only controlled by about sintering temperature, but also by the absence of Mn content x.     

Thermoelectric properties of BiSb_x (x=0.6-0.8) thermoelectric materials fabricated by different processing

In order to improve the thermoelectric properties, hot-pressing sintering and ultra high pressure sintering methods were adopted to fabricate BiSb.,. The phase and crystal structures were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The thermoelectric properties were measured at 303 K along the direction parallel to the pressing direction. The electric conductivity of the samples was measured at 303 K by the four-probe technique. To measure the Seebeck coefficient, heat was applied to the samples placed between two Cu discs. The thermoelectric electromotive force (E) was measured upon applying small temperature differences ( △T < 2℃) between the both ends of the samples. The Seebeck coefficient of the samples was determined from the value of E/△T. The results indicate that the thermoelectric properties of the samples fabricated by UHPS (ultra high pressure sintering) method are much higher than that by HPS (hot pressing sintering) method and have the highest values at x=0.7.     

The structure and properties of Ag(Nb0.8Ta0.2)O3 ceramic doped with MnNb2O6

The influences of doping of MnNb2O6 on the structure and dielectric properties of Ag(Nb0.8Ta0.2)O3 were illustrated. Ag(Nb0.8Ta0.2)O3 samples doped with different amount of preformed MnNb2O6 (1 mol%, 2 mol%, 3 mol%, 4 mol%, 6 mol%, 8 mol%) were prepared by traditional solid-state reaction method and characterized by XRD, SEM and EDS, and the dielectric properties of samples were compared. The experiment results indicated that when the doping amount of MnNb2O6 was greater than 3 mol%, second phase appeared because of the solid solution limit. The permittivity of the Ag(Nb0.8Ta0.2)O3 samples doped with MnNb2O6 firstly increased and then decreased with the sintering temperature, while the dielectric loss decreased first, and then increased slightly. 1 100 ℃ seems to be the most proper sintering temperature for most of the samples. When the amount of MnNb2O6 is about 3 mol%, the samples have the best dielectric properties, larger permittivity and smaller dielectric loss.     

Liquid Phase Sintering （LPS） and Dielectric Constant of α-Silicon Nitride Ceramic

The spark plasma sintering （SPS） was applied to prepare α-Si3 N4 ceramics of different densities with magnesia, silicon dioxide, alumina as the sintering aids. The mechanism of liquid phase sintering （LPS） wus discussed and the factors influencing the density of the prepared samples were analyzed. The dielectric constant of sintered samples was tested. The experimental results show that the density can be controlled from 2.48 g/ cm^3 to 3.09 g/ cm^3 while the content of the sintering aids and the sintering temperature alter and the dielectric constant is closely dependent on the density of obtained samples.     

Dielectric Properties of Ag（Nb1-xTax）O3 and Bi2O3 Doped Ag（Nb1-xTax）O3 Ceramics

Dielectric properties of Ag（Nb1-xTa）O3 and Bi2O3 doped Ag（Nb1-xTax）O3 solid solutions were investigated. The results show that with the increase of Ta content （x）, the sintering temperature increased, and the dielectric loss （tanδ） and the temperature coefficient （αc） decreased. Ag（Nb1-xa）O3 （x=0.4） ceramics sintered at 1 100℃ had the highest permittivity （516.8） and a lower tanδ （0.0021） at 1 MHz, and its temperature coefficient was about 191 ppm/℃. The sintering temperature of Ag（Nb1-xTa）O3 （x=0.4） was lowered by the addition of Bi2O3, and its dielectric properties were improved. Ag（Nb0.6Ta0.4）O3 ceramics with 2.5 wt% Bi203 addition presented the optimum dielectric properties （ε=566, tanδ= 0.0007 and αc≈0ppm/℃） （1 MHz）,     

Coating of LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 cathode materials with alumina by solid state reaction at room temperature

Alumina coated LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 particles were obtained by a simple method of solid state reaction at room temperature. The reaction mechanism of solid state reaction at room temperature was investigated. The structure and morphology of the coating materials were investigated by XRD, SEM and TEM. The electrochemical performances of uncoated and Al2O3-coated LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode materials were studied within a voltage window of 3.00-4.35 V at current density of 30 mA/g. SEM, TEM and EDS analytical results indicate that the surface of LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 particles is coated with very fine Al2O3 composite, which leads to the improved cycle ability though a slight decrease in the first discharge capacity is observed. It is proposed that surface treatment by solid state reaction at room temperature is a simple and effective method to improve the cycle performance of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 particles.     

Preparation and Monte Carlo Simulation of La0.67Ca0.33MnO3/Cr2O3 Composites

The （ 1 - x ） La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 （ LCMO ） ＋ x Cr2O3 composites were synthesized by a new liquid phase method. The XRD and SEM meusurements reveal that few Cr2O3 were soluble in the LCMO structure and the lattice constant of LCMO almost did not change, while most Cr2O3 were distributed at the grain boundaries or on surfaces of the LCMO grains. In resistivity versus temperature meusurements, a metal-insalator transition was observed when x 〈 0.20. The resistivity increases and the metal-insalator transition temperature deereases with the increasing content of Cr2O3 . A random resistor network （RRN） model was used to simulate the transport property of the mixture samples. The simulation results agree with the experimental observations. The results show that the method is reasonable for understanding the electronic transport of the composites of the manganite.     

Preparation of Ti3SiC2 with Aluminum by Means of Spark Plasma Sintering

Polycrystalline bulk Ti3SiC2 material with a high purity and density was fabricated by spark plasma sintering from the elemental powder mixture with starting composition of Ti3Si3Si1-xAlxC2 , where x = 0. 05 -0.2. X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscopy photographs of the fully dense samples show that a proper addition of aluminum promotes the formation, and accelerates the crystal growth rate of Ti3SIC2, conse-quently results in a high purity of the prepared samples. The synthesized Ti3 SiC2 is in plane-shape with a size of about 10- 25μm in the elongated dimension. Solid solution of aluminum decreases the thermal stability of Ti3SiC2, and lowers the temperature of Ti3SiC2 decomposeing to be 1300 ℃ .     

Manufacture Process of 8Y2O3 Stabilized ZrO2 from Nano Powders

The manufacture process of 8 mol% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 ( YSZ ) from nano powders, including the forming and sintering stages, was studied. During the forming process of YSZ powders, the relative density of YSZ increases lineally with the forming press, and the sintering linear shrinkage of YSZ to the forming press compiles to the parabola trend. When the forming press exceeding 500MPa, the samples with lower shrinkage and high density were obtained. The sintering temperature of YSZ decreases greatly because of the small size and high active surface of YSZ powders. As a result, the beginning sintering temperature of YSZ made in the experiment is as low as 825℃, and the end sintering temperature is 1300-1350℃ . The relative density of YSZ ceramic by solid sintering at 1300-1350℃ is more than 97% , with little and small pores in the uniform microstructure.     

Transport Properties of Polycrystalline La_(2/3)Ca_(1/3)Mn_(1-x)Cu_xO_3 Prepared by Sol-Gel

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The Effect of Bi2O3 on the Structure and Microwave Dielectric Properties of Ba6-3xNd8＋2xTi18O54 System（x=2/3）

The structures and dielectric properties of Ba6-3xNd8＋2xTi18O54 system（x=2/3） doped with different contents of Bi2O3, whose final molecular formula is Ba6-3x（Nd1-yBiy）8＋2xTi18O54 were investigated. It is indicated that the dielectric constant increases greatly whereas Q value（f0=4 GHz） decreases with the increase of Bi2O3 content. However, the temperature coefficient could be controlled below 0±30×10^-6/℃ in the experiment. These phenomena are related to the appearance of a new phase, Bi4Ti3O12, which has high dielectric constant. Also, that Bi^3＋（0.13 nm） substitutes for Nd^3＋（0.099 5 nm） will increase the unit cell volume, which will lead to the enlargement of the octahedron B site occupied by Ti^4＋. So the spontaneous polarization of Ti^4＋ ions will be strengthened. Besides, Bi^3＋ will fill up some vacancies which Ba^2＋ or Nd^3＋ ions leave in two A1 sites and four A2 sites. More positive ions polarize, which also contributes to higher dielectric constant. The samples got with the optimium properties are sintered at 1 200 ℃ for 4 h, when y=0.25, ε≈110, Q≈5 400（f0=4 GHz）, TCC=-4.7×10^-6/℃; When y=0.3, ε≈120, Q≈5 000（f0=4 GHz）, TCC=-24×10^-6/℃.     

Magnetostrictive distortion in Pr0.15Tbx Dy0.85-xFe2 polycrystals by X-ray diffraction

The ingots of Pr0.15 Tbx Dy0.85-x Fe2 (x=0.10-0.85) series compounds with a single phase were prepared by a arc melting method. The X-ray diffraction patterns were measured using a Philips X‘pert MPD X-ray diffractometer with a non-ambient sample stage at different temperatures, the magnetostfictive distortion in Pr0.15 Tbx Dy0.85-x Fe2 polycrystals was investigated by X-ray diffraction patterns and the magnetostfiction coefficient λ111 was calculated. The results show when the temperature is raised above the spin reorientation temperature region, a splitting appears in the reflection (440); the λ111 increase with the increasing of Tb content for Pr0.15 Tbx Dy0.85-x Fe2 polycrystals and thefull width at half maximum (FWHM) of the reflection (440) increases gradually with the increasing of Tb content.Moreover, as the FWHM of the reflection (440) decreases gradually with the increasing of temperature, the λ111 decreases slightly with the increasing of temperature at the temperature region of 223 -373 K for Pr0.15 Tb0.3 Dy0.55 Fe2 alloy.     

Structural and optical characteristics of Al x Ga1- x N/AlN superlattice

AlN/Al_0.3Ga_0.7N superlattices were grown on (0001) sapphire substrate by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The superlattice period varies from 6 to 30. The layer thickness of different period stack was designed. GaN or AlGaN template was employed for growing AlN/AlGaN superlattices. Reflectivity, SEM, AFM and XRD data of the Al _x Ga_1-x N/AlN superlattices are presented. It is found that the templates used have an intensive impact on surface roughness and interfacial properties of following AlN/AlGaN superlattices. The result of atomic force microscopy indicates that AlN/AlGaN superlattices grown on GaN template exhibit quasi-two-dimensional growth mode. The resulting superlattice has a smooth surface morphology and distinct interface. No crack is observed in the area of a 2-inch wafer. Supported by the Special Funds for Major State Basic Research Project (973 Project) (Grant No. 2006CB6049), the Hi-tech Research Project (Grant Nos. 2006AA03A103, 2006AA03A118, and 2006AA03A142), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60676057), and the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No. 20050284004)     

First-principle investigation on stability of Co-doped spinel λ-Mn4-xCoxO8

The mechanism of stability of Co-doped spinel λ-MnO2 that is referred to as spinel LixMn2O4 （x=0） was studied by using the first-principle calculation method. The total energy and formation enthalpy can be decreased remarkably due to the Co substation, resulting in a more stable structure ofλ-MnxCr2-xO4. The bond order and DOS analysis were given in detail to explain the nature of stability improvement. The calculated results show that as the content of Co dopant increases, the bond order of Mn-O becomes larger and the peak of density of states around Fermi level shifts toward lower energy. The charge density distribution illustrates that the Mn-O bonding is ionic and partially covalent, and the covalent Mn-O bonding becomes stronger with the increase of Co dopant content. The results confirm that the Co-doping will enhance the stability of λ-MnO2 and hence improve the electrochemistry performance of LixMn2O4.     

Effects of nucleating additives on crystallization and properties of CaO-B2O3-SiO2 glass-ceramics

ZrO₂, TiO₂ and P₂O₅ were doped in CaO-B₂O₃-SiO₂ glass-ceramics as nucleating additives. Effects of different nucleating additives on the phase separation and crystalline behaviors were investigated by using gradient temperature furnace, DTA and XRD. Then, sintering process of the glass-ceramics was investigated by testing sintering shrinkage, dielectric constant and loss. The experimental results shows that the glass-ceramics doped with nucleating additives represents higher crystallization, with ZrO₂ as an exceptional effective dopant to promote the precipitation of wollastonite crystal. Finally, ZrO₂ containing glass-ceramics was chosen to study the influence of sintering temperature and soaking time with the help of X-ray diffraction analysis and density measurement. The glass-ceramics can be well consolidated at 850 °C for 10 min, with low dielectric constant (5.87) and loss (3.21 × 10⁻⁴), which is desirable for LTCC application.     

Effect of BaO addition on relative density and electric conductivity of xNi/10NiO-NiFe2O4 cermets

xNi/10NiO-NiFe₂O₄ (x=5, 10, 17) cermets and those doped with 1% BaO (mass fraction) were prepared by cold isostatic pressing at 200 MPa and sintering in nitrogen atmosphere at 1 473 K. The effects of BaO addition on relative density, microstructure and electric conductivity of cermets were investigated. The results show that relative densities of xNi/10NiO-NiFe₂O₄ cermets (x=5, 10, 17) doped with 1% BaO at 1 473 K in nitrogen atmosphere are increased by 0.49%, 1.45% and 2.99% compared with those of the undoped BaO cermets, respectively. Moreover, the electric conductivities (21.98, 28.37 and 50.10 S/cm) of xNi/10NiO-NiFe₂O₄ cermets (x=5, 10, 17) doped with 1% BaO at 1 233 K are improved compared with those (18.70, 22.79 and 39.58 S/cm) of xNi/10NiO-NiFe₂O₄ cermets (x=5, 10, 17), respectively. This indicates that perhaps the addition of BaO or formation of BaFe₂O₄ and Ba₂Fe₂O₅ has an active effect on electric conductivities of xNi/10NiO-NiFe₂O₄ (x=5, 10, 17) cermets.     

The Effect of Surface Etching and Dation on the Permeability Spectrum of Nanoerystalline Fe85-xCoxNb7B8 Ribbon

Etching and oxidation were adopted to improve the frequency dependence of permeability of nanocrystalline Fe85-xCoxNb7B8 ribbons. The effect of etching and oxidation on the permeability spectrum of nanocrystalline Fe85-CoxNb7B8 ribbons was investigated. The relaxation frequency shifted to higher frequency end after etching and oxidation while the amplitude of μ1 was reduced at the same time. As a whole, μf0 rises and reflects the increasing of resistivity after etching and oxidation.