Pressureless sintered 3Y-TZP/20%Al2O3 composite ceramic

Nanometer 3Y-TZP/20%Al₂O₃ (mass fraction) composite powders prepared by the chemical coprecipitation method were pressureless sintered at 1550 °C for 2 h. Effects of calcining temperatures at 800 °C, 1 000 °C, and 1 200 °C on phase structure, relative density, and Vicker’s hardness of the sintered bodies were studied. The results show that 1 000 °C was the optimal calcining temperature, and the powder calcined was composed of tetragonal zirconia with the Scherrer crystalline size of 6.3nm. The relative density was up to 98.5% under pressureless sintering, and the sintered body was t-ZrO₂ (without m-ZrO₂)+α-Al₂O₃ with the average size of 0.4 μm. Foundation item: State Key Laboratory for Powder Metallurgy(No.9706-36) Biography of the first author: YIN Bang-yao, born in 1966, majoring in advanced ceramic materials.     

Influence of Mg3N2 powder on microstructures and mechanical properties of AZ31 Mg alloy

In order to obtain an effective and reliable grain refiner for Mg-Al alloys, 1% （mass fraction） Mg3N2 was added into AZ31 Mg alloy. The microstructures of the Mg alloys were studied by optical microscopy, scan electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, and the mechanical properties were determined. The results show that adding a small amount of Mg3N2 to AZ31 Mg alloy can refine the grain size from 103 to 58 μm. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of AZ31 Mg alloy are 174.1MPa and 8.3%, respectively. After the addition of 1% Mg3N2, the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of AZ31 Mg alloy are increased up to 198.7 MPa and 11.8%, respectively. The grain refinement mechanism is that AIN is formed after Mg3N2 is added. Both AIN and Mg phases are of HCP lattice structure, and the disregistry between Mg phases and AIN along （0001）Mg//（0001）AIN is 3.04%, which is very effective for heterogeneous nucleation.     

Si3N4-doped Zr50Al15Ni10Cu25 glassy alloy by mechanical alloying and sintering process

Zr₅₀Al₁₅Ni₁₀Cu₂₅ amorphous powder was synthesized by mechanical alloying. The effect of Si₃N₄ addition on the crystallization behavior of the alloy during sintering process was studied. Thermal stability of the powders was performed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The phase and microstructure of the powders and bulk specimens sintered were determined by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that, introducing 0.05% (mass fraction) Si₃N₄ can enhance the crystallization activation energy of the Zr₅₀Al₁₅Ni₁₀Cu₂₅ amorphous powders, which indicates that Si₃N₄ addition has hindrance effect on forming crystals from Zr₅₀Al₁₅Ni₁₀Cu₂₅ amorphous powder. However, 0.10% Si₃N₄ results in the decrease of the crystallization activation energy, which makes its crystallization process easy to occur.     

Ferroelectric properties of Bi3.4Ho0.6Ti3O12 thin films prepared by sol-gel method

We have prepared the Ho-substituted bismuth titanate (Bi_3.4Ho_0.6Ti₃O₁₂, BHT) thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates using sol-gel method. The crystal structure and morphology of the films were characterized using X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The BHT film shows a single phase of Bi-layered Aurivillius structure and dense microstructure. The 2Pr and 2Ec of the 600-nm-thick BHT film were 38.4 μC/cm² and 376.1 kV/cm, respectively at applied electric field 500 kV/cm. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss are about 310 and 0.015 at a frequency of 1 MHz, respectively. The Pr value decreased to 93% of its pre-fatigue values after 4.46×10⁹ switching cycles at 1 MHz frenquency, and the BHT film shows good insulating behavior according to the test of leakage current. Supported by the Hubei Province Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 2007ABA309)     

Synthesis and sintering of Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>Si thermoelectric generator by spark plasma sintering

Raw Mg,Si powder were used to fabricate Mg2Si bulk thermoelectric generator by spark plasma sintering （SPS）.The optimum parameters to synthesize pure Mg2Si powder were found to be 823 K,0 MPa,10 min with excessive content of 10wt% Mg from the stoichiometric Mg2Si.Mg2Si bulk was synthesized and densified simultaneously at low temperature （823 K） and high pressure （higher than 100 MPa） from the raw powder,but Mg,Si could not react completely,and the sample was not very dense with some microcracks on the surface.Then,Mg,Si powder reacted at 823 K,0 MPa,10 min in SPS chamber to form Mg2Si green compact,again sintered by SPS at 1023 K,20 MPa,5 min.The fabricated sample only contained Mg2Si phase with fully relative density.     

Fabrication of GaN films through reactive reconstruction of magnetron sputtered ZnO／Ga2O3

A simple and easily operated technique was developed to fabricate GaN films. GaN films possessing hexagonal wurtzite structure were fabricated on Si(111) substrates with ZnO buffer layers through nitriding Ga2O3 films in the tube quartz furnace. ZnO buffer layers and Ga3O3 films were deposited on Si substrates in turn by using radio frequncy magnetron sputtering system before the nitriding process. The structure and composition of GaN films were studied by X-ray diffraction, selected area electron diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer. The morphologies of GaN films were studied by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that ZnO buffer layer improves the crystalline quality and the surface morphology of the films relative to the films grown directly on silicon substrates. The measurement result of room-temperature photoluminescence spectrum indicates that the photoluminescence peaks locate at 365 nm and 422 nm.     

Synthesis of Ti3SiC2/TiB2 Composite by In-situ Hot Pressing （HP） Method

Ti3SiC2/TiB2 composite was successfully obtained by hot pressing Ti/TiC/Si/B4C power mixtures.Volume fraction of TiB2 in Ti3SiC2/TiB2 composite can not exceed 10%.Incorporation of excessive TiB2 will affect the reactions process.TiC and Ti5Si3 were two important intermediate phases during the whole reactions.The microstructure characteristics of the Ti3SiC2/TiB2 composites were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）.The experimental results show that the grains of Ti3SiC2/TiB2 composite are structured in a layered form,and the formation of TiB2 particles as reinforcements with elongated or equiaxed shape distributes in Ti3SiC2 matrix.     

Synthesis and characterization of Mg3(PO4)2-coated Li1.05Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 cathode material for Li-ion battery

Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coated Li_1.05Ni_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3O₂ cathode materials were synthesized via co-precipitation method. The morphology, structure, electrochemical performance and thermal stability were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), cyclic voltammetry(CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS), charge/discharge cycling and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). SEM analysis shows that Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coating changes the morphologies of their particles and increases the grains size. XRD and CV results show that Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coating powder is homogeneous and has better layered structure than the bare one. Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coating improved high rate discharge capacity and cycle-life performance. The reason why the cycling performance of Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coated sample at 55 °C was better than that of room temperature was the increasing of lithium-ion diffusion rate and charge transfer rate with temperature rising. Mg₃(PO₄)₂-coating improved the cathode thermal stability, and the result was consistent with thermal abuse tests using Li-ion cells: the Mg₃(PO₄)₂ coated Li_1.05Ni_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3O₂ cathode did not exhibit thermal runaway with smoke and explosion, in contrast to the cells containing the bare Li_1.05Ni_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3O₂. Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20273047)     

Preparation of LiFePO4 for lithium ion battery using Fe2P2O7 as precursor

In order to obtain a new precursor for LiFePO4, Fe2P2O7 with high purity was prepared through solid phase reaction at 650 ℃ using starting materials of FeC2O4 and NH4H2PO4 in an argon atmosphere. Using the as-prepared Fe2P2O7, Li2CO3 and glucose as raw materials, pure LiFePO4 and LiFePO4/C composite materials were respectively synthesized by solid state reaction at 700 ℃ in an argon atmosphere. X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy（SEM） were employed to characterize the as-prepared Fe2P2O7, LiFePO4 and LiFePO4/C. The as-prepared Fe2P2O7 crystallizes in the Cl space group and belongs to β-Fe2P2O7 for crystal phase. The particle size distribution of Fe2P2O7 observed by SEM is 0.4-3.0 μm. During the Li^＋ ion chemical intercalation, radical P2O7^4- is disrupted into two PO4^3- ions in the presence of O^2-, thus providing a feasible technique to dispose this poor dissolvable pyrophosphate. LiFePO4/C composite exhibits initial charge and discharge capacities of 154 and 132 mA·h/g, respectively.     

Fabrication and characterization of composite YSZ-La9.33Si6O26 oxygen-ion conductor

To improve the conductivity of Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) based oxygen-ion conductor, Zr_0.85Y_0.15O_1.925-La_9.33Si₆O₂₆ (YSZ-LSO) composite ceramics with the mass fraction of La_9.33Si₆O₂₆ (LSO) of 15% were prepared by using a modified coprecipitation method. The phases, microstructures and conductivities of the YSZ, LSO and YSZ-LSO were investigated by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and complex impedance, respectively. The results show that the as-calcined powder of YSZ-LSO composite has the grain size less than 10 nm, and the as-sintered composite ceramics are composed of YSZ and LSO phases. The conductivity can be enhanced obviously by composite method. At 700 °C, the conductivity of the composite ceramic is 0.125 S/cm, which is one order in magnitude higher than that of the YSZ ceramic and two orders in magnitude higher than that of LSO ceramic. By analyzing the impedance spectra and modulus spectra, the interfacial effect on the conductivity improvement was proposed.     

Comparative study of β-Si3N4 powders prepared by SHS sintered by spark plasma sintering and hot pressing

β-Si3N4 powders prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) with additions of Y2O3 and Al2O3 were sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Si3N4 ceramics prepared using this method were compared with those obtained by hot pressing process. Well densified Si3N4 ceramics with finer and homo- geneous microstructure and better mechanical properties were obtained in the case of the SPS technique at 200°C lower than that of hot pressing. The microhardness is 15.72 GPa, the bending strength is 716.46 MPa, and the fracture toughness is 7.03 MPa?m1/2.     

Electrochemical behavior of K3Fe（CN）6 in water-in-oil microemulsion

A water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion composed of Triton X-100, n-hexanol, n-hexane and water solution with hydrochloric acid was prepared. K₃Fe(CN)₆ was added in as a water-soluble electroactive probe, and its electrochemical behavior was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It is found that the H⁺ concentration of the water phase has a great effect on the conductivity of the W/O microemulsion, and hence influences the electrochemical behavior of K₃Fe(CN)₆. When the pH value of water phase is about 7, the electrical conductivity of the W/O microemulsion is only 1.2×10⁻⁶ S/cm, and K₃Fe(CN)₆ almost cannot react at the glassy carbon electrode. But when the H⁺ concentration is more than 3 mol/L, the W/O microemulsion has a good electrical conductivity and K₃Fe(CN)₆ shows good electrochemical performance in it. The results of CV and EIS studies indicate that the electrochemical behavior of Fe(CN)₆ ³⁻/Fe(CN)₆ ⁴⁻ in the W/O microemulsion is different from that in the aqueous solution. This may be due to the unique liquid structure of the W/O microemulsion and the unique mass transfer in the W/O microemulsion. Foundation item: Projects(20673036, J0830415) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Projects(05JT1026, 2007JT2013) supported by the Science Technology Project of Hunan Province, China     

BaZr0.9Y0.1O2.95/Na2SO4 composite with enhanced protonic conductivity

Heterogeneous composite BaZr_0.1Y_0.9O_2.95/Na₂SO₄ was designed and fabricated with Y-doped BaZrO₃ as matrix and Na₂SO₄ as dispersant by conventional powder processing to improve the total conductivity of barium zirconate. The electrical conduction of the composite was studied by electrical and electrochemical methods. Microstructure of the heterogeneous composite was examined by SEM. The experimewtal results show that the protonic conductivity of Y-doped BaZrO₃ is greatly improved upon incorporating Na₂SO₄ in the material. Microstructure observation indicates that a multiphase structure with Na₂SO₄ disperses at the grain boundaries of BaZr_0.1Y_0.9O_2.95. Electromotive force (EMF) measurements under fuel cell conditions reveal that the total ionic transport number of the composite is more than 0.9 at 750 °C. Funded by the National natural Science Foundation of China(No. 50872090)     

Properties of plasma sprayed NiCrAlY+(ZrO2+Y2O3) coating on refractory steel surface

NiCrAlY+(ZrO₂+Y₂O₃) thermal barrier coating was prepared on the surface of refractory steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti with plasma spraying technique. The phases and microstructure of the thermal barrier coating were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the bonding between thermal barrier coating and substrate is sound. The surface hardness of 1Cr18Ni9Ti reaches up to 1 000 HV, but that of substrate is only 300 HV. The patterns sprayed with CoNiCrAlY+(ZrO₂+Y₂O₃) ceramic coating have a good heat insulation effect at 800 °C for heat insulation temperature difference reaches 54 °C, which increases the operating temperature and service life of refractory steel. Foundation item: Project (5040202140) supported by Scientific Research Common Program of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education     

Preparation and structure characteristics of nano-Bi2O3 powders with mixed crystal structure

The nano-Bi2O3 powders were prepared by a chemical precipitation method with Bi(NO3)3, HNO3 and NaOH as reactants. The structural characteristics and morphology of nano-Bi2O3 powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The results show that under the optimum condition that 300g/L Bi(NO3)3 reacts at 90℃ for 2 h, the Bi203 powders with 60 nm on the average and 99.5% in purity are obtained. The prepared nano-Bi2O3 powders contain a mixed crystal structure of monoclinic and triclinic instead of traditional structure of monoclinic α-Bi2O3. And the mixed crystal structure is stable in air. The reason for the appearance of the mixed crystal structure may be that the ionic radius ratio of Bi^3 to O^2- changes easily during the formation of nano-Bi2O3 particles by a chemical precipitation method.     

Chemical reaction of in-situ processing of NiAl/Al2O3 composite by using thermite reaction

NiAl/Al₂O₃ composite were synthesized by thermite reaction of nickel oxide and aluminum powder mixtures. The phase, the microstructure of the composite, as well as the thermite reaction mechanism, were investigated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The experimental results show that the thermite reaction leads to the interpenetrating network structure of NiAl/Al₂O₃ at 1223K for 60 min and the chemical reaction apparent activation energy is E_ap=166.960±13.496 kJ·mol⁻¹ in the NiO/Al system. Funded by the Younger Teacher Foundation of High School of Anhui Province (No. 2003jq158)     

Preparation and properties of 4.25Cu-0.75Ni／NiFe2O4 cermet

4.25Cu-0.75Ni/NiFe₂O₄ cermets were prepared by doping NiFe₂O₄ ceramic matrix with the mixed powders of Cu and Ni or Cu-Ni alloy powder as the electrical conducting metallic elements. The effects of technological parameters, such as the adding modes of metallic elements, the ball milling time, the sintering time and the sintering temperature, on the relative density and resistivity of the cermets were studied. The results show that the resistivity of 4.25Cu-0.75Ni/NiFe₂O₄ cermets decreases with increasing temperature, and has a turning point at 590 °C, which is similar to that of NiFe₂O₄ ceramic. The sintering temperature and adding modes of metallic elements have a great influence on the properties of 4.25Cu-0.75Ni/NiFe₂O₄ cermets. When the sintering temperature increases from 1200 °C to 1300 °C, the relative density increases from 89.86% to 95.33%, and the resistivity at 960 °C decreases from 0.11 Ω · cm to 0.03 Ω · cm, respectively. When the metallic elements are added with the mixed powders of Cu and Ni, the cermets of finely and uniformly dispersed metallic phase, high density and electric conductivity are obtained. The relative density and resistivity at 960 °C are 90.23% and 0.04 Ω · cm respectively for the cermet samples sintered at 1200 °C for 2 h, which are both better than those of the cermets prepared under the same technique conditions but with the metallic elements added as 85Cu-15Ni alloy powders. Foundation item: Project (G1999064903) supported by the National Key Fundamental Research and Development Program of China; project(2001AA335013) supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China; project (50204014) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Synthesis of γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles by chemical precipitation method

Highly pure active γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles were synthesized from aluminum nitrate and ammonium carbonate with a little surfactant by chemical precipitation method. The factors affecting the synthesis process were studied. The properties of γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles were characterized by DTA, XRD, BET, TEM, laser granularity analysis and impurity content analysis. The results show that the amorphous precursor Al(OH)₃ sols are produced by using 0.1 mol/L Al(NO₃)₃ · 9H₂O and 0.16 mol/L (NH₄)₂CO₃ · H₂O reaction solutions, according to the volume ratio 1.33, adding 0.024% (volume fraction) surfactant PEG600, and reacting at 40 °C, 1 000 r/min stirring rate for 15 min. Then, after stabilizing for 24 h, the precursors were extracted and filtrated by vacuum, washed thoroughly with deionized water and dehydrated ethanol, dried in vacuum at 80°C for 8 h, final calcined at 800 °C for 1 h in the air, and high purity active γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles can be prepared with cubic in crystal system, O _H ⁷ -FD3M in space group, about 9 nm in crystal grain size, about 20 nm in particle size and uniform size distribution, 131. 35 m²/g in BET specific surface area, 7 – 11 nm in pore diameter, and not lower than 99.93% in purity. Foundation item: Project(03JJY3015) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province     

Characteristics of LiCoO2, LiMn2O4 and LiNi0.45Co0.1Mn0.45O2 as cathodes of lithium ion batteries

LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ was synthesized from Li₂CO₃ and a triple oxide of nickel, cobalt and manganese at 950 °C in air. The structures and characteristics of LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂, LiCoO₂ and LiMn₂O₄ were investigated by XRD, SEM and electrochemical measurements. The results show that LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ has a layered structure with hexagonal lattice. The commercial LiCoO₂ has sphere-like appearance and smooth surfaces, while the LiMn₂O₄ and LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ consist of cornered and uneven particles. LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ has a large discharge capacity of 140.9 mA · h/g in practical lithium ion battery, which is 33.4% and 2.8% above that of LiMn₂O₄ and LiCoO₂, respectively. LiCoO₂ and LiMn₂O₄ have higher discharge voltage and better rate-capability than LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂. All the three cathodes have excellent cycling performance with capacity retention of above 89.3% at the 250th cycle. Batteries with LiMn₂O₄ or LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ cathodes show better safety performance under abusive conditions than those with LiCoO₂ cathodes. Foundation item: Project(50302016) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Project(2005037698) supported by the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China     

Mechanism and behaviors of Cr3+-doped TiO2

TiO₂ powder and TiO₂ thin film on the surface of glazed ceramic tile were prepared by sol-gel method. The influences of different doping Cr³⁺ concentration on the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ were discussed, UV-visible and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to test the performance of TiO₂ powder and film. The results indicate that photocatalytic activity of doping Cr³⁺-TiO₂ thin film is higher than that of powder, and the interaction between Cr³⁺-doped and substrate can greatly enhance the photocatalytic activity. The results of X-ray diffraction and photoabsorption show that the Cr³⁺-doped energy level in TiO₂ is 0.62 eV high from the top of valence band, which belongs to the type of deep energy level doping. On the basis of the semiconductor energy level theory and Cr³⁺ dopant energy level, the semiconductor energy level model of Cr³⁺ in TiO₂ powder and thin film were established, and the doping mechanisms of Cr³⁺-doped in TiO₂ powder and thin film were analyzed. Foundation item: Project (20466001) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China