Structure,Electrical Conducting and Thermal Expansion Properties of Ln0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Fe0.2O3 （Ln = La,Pr, Nd,Sm） Ceramics

Ln0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.2O3 （Ln=La, Pr, Nd, Sm） perovskite-type complex oxides were synthesized using a glycine-nitrate process, and the structure, electrical conducting and thermal expansion properties of the resulting ceramics were examined with regard to the nature of the lanthanide cations. The results indicated that the La, Pr and Nd specimens had a rhombohedral symmetry, while an orthorhombic structure was determined for the Sm specimen. The pseudo-cubic lattice constant decreased with smaller lanthanide cations. It was found that the electrical conducting properties declined with decreasing lanthanide cation size. Fortunately, all the compositions remained rather high electrical conductivities exceeding 650 Ω ^-1m·cm^-1 in the intermediate temperature range （600-800 ℃）. An appreciable thermal expansion increase at high temperatures was detected for all the compositions. Decreasing the size of the lanthanide cations resulted in an increase of thermal expansion. With respect to the high electrical conductivities, the Ln0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Fe0.2O3 oxides are considered to be acceptable as mixed conducting component in composite cathode designs together with doped ceria electrolytes.     

Effect of Sintering Time on Structure and Properties in CuO-doping KNN-LS-BF Piezoelectric Ceramics

The 0.6 mol% CuO-doping 0.996(0.95 Na_(0.5)K_(0.5)NbO_3-0.05 LiSbO_3)-0.004 FeBiO_3(KNN-LSBF-CuO) piezoelectric ceramics were synthesized by a solid-state reaction technique, and the structure and piezoelectric properties dependence of sintering time in KNN-LS-BF-CuO ceramics were studied. It is found that all the samples sintered for various time are perovskite structure mixed with orthorhombic symmetry phase and tetragonal phase, but the sintering time has significant influences on the crystalline and properties. When the sintering time increases from 2 hours to 6 hours, the grain of KNN-LS-BF-CuO ceramics becomes more homogeneous and more tight-arrangement. The experimental results reveal that the longer sintering time than 4 hours is beneficial for improving partial properties, such as d_(33), tgδ, and Q_m, but is adverse to ε_r and k_p, the KNNLS-BF-CuO ceramics with optimum properties can be synthesized for 6 hours at 1 060 ℃.     

Phase structure and electrical properties of La<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-doped BiInO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-PbTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramics with high curie temperature

The phase structure and electrical properties of pure and La2O3-doped Bi-InO3-PbTiO3 （BI-PT） ceramics were studied respectively. In （1 -x）BI-xPT （x=0.72-0.80） ceramics, the stability of tetragonal phase increased with increasing x, and pure perovskite structure was obtained for x=-0.80 ceramics. The phase transition temperature range was between 575 ℃ and 600 ℃ for x=0.72-0.80 ceramics, higher than that of PT （-490 ℃）. The c/a ratio almost linearly decreased with increasing La2O3 content in x-0.80 ceramics. It is believed that Pb^2＋ vacancies were formed by La^3＋ substituting Pb^2＋ in La2O3-doped BI-PT ceramics. Tc shifted to lower temperature by 30 ℃/mol% La2O3. The maximum dielectric constant 8557 around 559 ℃ was exhibited in 0.5mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics. La2O3-doped ceramics could be poled resulting from decreasing of c/a ratio and improving of dielectric loss and resistivity. The maximum piezoelectric coefficient d33 was 12 pC/N for 2mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics.     

Phase Structure and Electrical Properties of La2O3-doped BiInO3-PbTiO3 Ceramics with High Curie Temperature

The phase structure and electrical properties of pure and La2O3-doped BiInOa-PbTiO3 (BI-PT) ceramics were studied respectively.In (1-x)BI-xPT (x=0.72-0.80) ceramics,the stability of tetragonal phase increased with increasing x,and pure perovskite structure was obtained for x=0.80 ceramics.The phase transition temperature range was between 575 ℃ and 600 ℃for x=0.72-0.80 ceramics,higher than that of PT (～490 ℃).The c/a ratio almost linearly decreased with increasing La2O3 content in x=0.80 ceramics.It is believed that Pb2+ vacancies were formed by La3+ substituting Pb2+ in La2O3-doped BI-PT ceramics.Tc shifted to lower temperature by 30 ℃/mol% La2O3.The maximum dielectric constant 8557 around 559 ℃ was exhibited in 0.5mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics.La2O3-doped ceramics could be poled resulting from decreasing of c/a ratio and improving of dielectric loss and resistivity.The maximum piezoelectric coefficient d33 was 12 pC/N for 2mol%-doped BI-0.80PT ceramics.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and dielectric properties of lanthanum titanate ceramics

Lanthanum titanate (La2/3 TiO3) powders were synthesized by hydrothermal method based on the reaction of TiO2, La(NOa)a and KOH at 160℃ for 24 h followed by the treatment of acidification. The microstructure,morphology and dielectric properties were investigated by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope,transmission electron microscope and impedance method. The results show that the La2/a TiOa particles consist of nearly homogenous and lamellar grains. The particles can be sintered into porous ceramics above 1 150℃. The dielectric properties of La2/3 TiO3 show that both the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss tangent decrease with the increase of frequency.     

Sintering and Electronic Conducting Properties of Lao.7Ca0.3CrO3 Perovskite Synthesized by a Glycine-nitrate Process

La0.7 Ca0.3 CrO3 powder consisting of superfine and uniform particles （ 100-200 nm ） were synthesized using a glycine-nitrate process （ GNP ）. The sintering and electronic conducting properties of La0.7 Ca0.3 CrO3 were invetigated in the sintering temperature range of 1 200-1 450 ℃. The desired morphology of the powder significantly improved its sinterability. La0.7 Ca0.3 CrO3 ceramics sintered at 1 250-1 450 ℃ show high relative densities above 95 % . The ceramics sintered at 1 250-1 400 ℃ have very similar electronic conduct- ing properties, providing electronic conductivities around 55 Ω^-1 cm^-1 at a measuring temperature of 800 ℃ . Further increasing the sintering temperature to 1450 ℃ led to an apparent degradation of electronic conducting properties. This research demonstrates the advantage of the GNP in producing La0.7 Ca0.3 CrO3 with respect to the enhanced sintering properties and superior electronic conducting properties.     

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.     

Improved Breakdown Strength in(Ba_(0.6)Sr_(0.4))_(0.85)Bi_(0.1)TiO_3 Ceramics with Addition of CaZrO_3 for Energy Storage Application

(Ba_(0.6) Sr_(0.4))_(0.85) Bi_(0.1) TiO_3 ceramics doped with x wt%CaZrO_3(x= 0-10) were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The effects of CaZrO_3 amount on the dielectric properties and structure of(Ba_(0.6)Sr_(0.4))_(0.85) Bi_(0.1) TiO_3 ceramics were investigated. X-ray diffraction results indicated a pure cubic perovskite structure for all samples and that the lattice parameter increased till x=5 and then slightly decreased. A homogenous microstructure was observed with the addition of CaZrO_3. Dielectric measurements revealed a relaxor-like characteristic for all samples and that the diffusivity γ reached the maximum value of 1.78 at x=5. With the addition of CaZrO_3, the dielectric constant dependence on electric field was weakened, insulation resistivity enhanced and dielectric breakdown strength improved obviously and reached 19.9 k V/mm at x=7.5. In virtue of low dielectric loss(tan d0.001 5), moderate dielectric constant(er 1 500) and high breakdown strength(E_b 17.5 k V/mm), the CaZrO_3 doped(Ba_(0.6)Sr_(0.4))0.85 Bi_(0.1) TiO_3 ceramic is a potential candidate material for high power electric applications.     

Ba3La2Ti2Ta2O15: A new microwave dielectric of A5B4O15-type cation-deficient perovskites

The synthesis, structure and properties of a new A5B4O15-type cation-deficient perovskite Ba3La2Ti2Ta2O15 were discribed. The compound was prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction route. The phase and structure of the ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results reveal that the compound is successfully synthesized. The compound crystallizes in the trigonal system with unit cell parameter a=5.6730（2） A, c=11.6511（2） A, V=324.93（1） A^3 and Z=1. The microwave dielectric properties of the ceramic are studied using a network analyzer, and it shows a high dielectric constant of 45.1, a high quality factors with Q×fof21 029 GHz, and a positive τf of 5.3 ppm℃^-1.     

Preparation and Characterization of Fe^3＋ -doped Nanometer TiO2 Photocatalysts

Fe^3＋ -doped nanometer TiO2 photocatalysts were prepared by sol-gel technique. TiO2 powders with different Fe^3＋ / Ti^4 ＋ molar ratios ranging from 0. 05% to 25% were synthesized by calcinating the gels in the temperature range of 200-600 ℃ . The effects of the content of iron ions and calcination temperature on the physical properties of the powders and their photocatalytic activities were examined by the photodecorapositon of methyl orange in sunlight. The results show that Fe dopant can decrease the temperature of nanatase-ratile transformation. The ideal photocatalytic property was achieved when the sample with an Fe^3＋ / Ti^4＋ ratio of 20 at% was calcined at about 300 ℃ for an hour, which is superior to that of commercial Degussa P-25. The optimum microstructure of the Fe-doped TiO2 for a high photocatalytic activity in sunlight is consisted of nanatase and ratile.     

Controlled preparation of monodisperse CoFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanoparticles by a facile method

CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by coprecipitation method using FeCl3·6H2O and CoCl2·6H2O as precursors.The synthesized conditions were optimized,such as added means of precipitator,quantity of precipitator,the mol ratio of Fe 3+ to Co2+,reaction temperature and pH value.The synthesized material was characterized by XRD,TEM,FTIR,EDS,Raman and its magnetic properties were studied by VSM.The experimental results confirm that the sample is cubic spinel structure CoFe2O4 with a narrow size distribution and a good dispersion feature.CoFe2O4 NPs with well-controlled shape and size was obtained at 70℃.The magnetic properties indicate superparamagnetic behavior and good saturated magnetization.     

Synthesis and characterization of layered perovskite-type organic-inorganic hybrids (R-NH3)2(CH3NH3)Pb2I7

Layered organic-inorganic hybrids containing bilayer perovsikte (R-NH3)2(CH3NH3)Pb2I7 (where R=C12H25,C6H5C2H4) were synthesized by reactions in solution. The influences of the solvents and the reactant ratio on the structures of the products were investigated. The structures and the properties of the hybrids were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet and visible (UV) adsorption spectra. For comparing with the bilayer perovskite hybrids in structure and band gap magnitude, the hybrids containing monolayer perovskite (R-NH3)2PbI4 were also synthesized and characterized. The results demonstrate that the thickness of inorganic layer has obvious effect on the tunneling magnitude of the band gap but the organic part can be micro actuator of band gap.     

Effects of Adhesive Composition on Green Joining of CePO4-ZrO2 Ceramics

Green bodies of 25% CePO4/ZrO2 and ZrO2 ceramics were joined at 1450℃ for 120 min without applied pressure by using mixed powders slurries composed of CePO4 and ZrO2. The effects of CePO4/( CePO4 ZrO2 ) ratio of the adhesive on the bond strength of the joints were investigated. Maximum bond strength of 414 MPa was obtained by joining an adhesive with the ratio of 0. 5 Under the experimental conditions, the grain size of the particles grown in the joint was smaller than that in joined ceramics. The microstructure of the joint was more homogeneous than that of the matrix and without obvious crack, pores and other defects.     

Dielectric Properties of Bi_4Ti_3O_(12) Ceramics by Impedance Spectroscopic Method

Various lead-free ceramics have been investigated in search for new high-temperature dielectrics. In particular, Bi_4Ti_3O_(12) is a type of ferroelectric ceramics, which is supposed to replace leadcontaining ceramics for its outstanding dielectric properties in the near future. Ferroelectric ceramics of Bi_4Ti_3O_(12) made by conventional mixed oxide route have been studied by impedance spectroscopy in a wide range of temperature. X-ray diffraction patterns show that Bi_4Ti_3O_(12) ceramics are a single-phase of ferroelectric Bi-layered perovskite structure whether it is calcined at 800 ℃ or after sintering production. This study focused on the effect of the grain size on the electric properties of BIT ceramics. The BIT ceramics with different grain sizes were prepared at different sintering temperatures. Grain becomes coarser with the sintering temperature increasing by 50 ℃, relative permittivity and dielectric loss also change a lot. When sintered at 1 100 ℃, r values peak can reach 205.40 at a frequency of 100 k Hz, the minimum dielectric losses of four different frequencies make no difference, all close to 0.027. The values of Ea range from 0.52 to 0.68 e V. The dielectric properties of the sample sintered at 1 100 ℃ are relatively better than those of the other samples by analyzing the relationship of the grain, the internal stresses, the homogeneity and the dielectric properties. SEM can better explain the results of the dielectric spectrum at different sintering temperatures. The results show that Bi_4Ti_3O_(12) ceramics are a kind of dielectrics. Thus, Bi_4Ti_3O_(12) can be used in high-temperature capacitors and microwave ceramics.     

Low-temperature Rapid Synthesis of Ultrafine Hafnium Carbide Ceramic Powders

Nano hafnium carbide(HfC) powders were synthesized by sol-gel combining hightemperature rapid heat treatment process using citric acid and hafnium tetrachloride as the raw materials. The effects of ball milling treatment on the phase and morphology of pyrolysis products(HfO_2-C) and final HfC product were investigated and the influences of heat treatment temperature and holding time on the structure and properties of the synthesized hafnium carbide powders were also studied. The experimental results showed that the HfO_2-C powders with good uniformity and small particle size were prepared by controlling the milling time. Pure HfC powders with an average particle size of 500 nm were obtained at 1 700 ℃ with a holding time of 3 min, and the oxygen content was about 0.69 wt%, lower than that of the hafnium carbide powders prepared by SPS(0.97%).     

Effect of Constituent Core-sizes on Microstructure and Dielectric Properties of BaTiO_3@(0.6BaTiO_3-0.4BiAlO_3) Core-Shell Material

The fundamental characteristics of varied initial core-sizes of Ba Ti O3(BT) and its influential role on the morphology and dielectric properties of Ba Ti O3@0.6 Ba Ti O3-0.4 Bi Al O3(BT@0.6 BT-0.4 BA) ceramic samples were studied. Alkoxide sol-precipitation method was adopted as revised chemical route to synthesize the constituent "core" BT powders in a dispersed phase, whereas the distinctive initial nano-sized particles were affected by the pre-calcination temperatures(600-900 ℃).The microstructure of the uncoated BT ceramics revealed an exaggerated grain growth with an optimized dielectric constant(ε_(max) 9 000) whilst the coated ceramics behaved otherwise(grain growth inhibited) when sintered at an elevated temperature. Regardless of the previously studied solubility limit(about 0.1%) of BT-BA samples, BT@0.6 BT-0.4 BA maintained a maximum dielectric constant(ε_(max)) ranging from 1 592 to 1 708 and tan δ less than 2% under a unit mole ratio at room temperature. In view of all these analyses, the initial nanometer sizes of the as-prepared BT-core powders combined with the increase effect of cation substitutions of Bi~(3+) and Al~(3+) in the shell content, induced the diffuse transition phase of BT@0.6 BT-0.4 BA composition.     

Dielectric tunable properties of BaTi_4O_9-doped Ba_(0.6)Sr_(0.4)TiO_3 microwave composite ceramics

BaTi4O9-doped Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BST) composite ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction and their structure, dielectric nonlinear characteristics and microwave dielectric properties were investigated. The secondary phase of the orthorhombic structure Ba4Ti13O30 is formed among BST composite ceramics with the increase of BaTi4O9. At the same time, a duplex or bimodal grains size distribution shows fine grains in a coarse grain matrix. The degree of frequency dispersion of dielectric permittivity below Tm is increased initially and then decreased with respect to BaTi4O9. As the BaTi4O9 content increases, the tunability of composite ceramics decreases, while the Q value increases. Inter-estingly, 70 wt% BaTi4O9-doped BST has a tunability ~4.0% (under 30 kV/cm biasing) versus a permit- tivity ~68 and quality factor ~134.1 (at ~3.2 GHz).     

Synthesis and structure of NaNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ceramic powders in ultrahigh pressure field

The NaNbO3 powders were synthesized and their crystal structure changes were analyzed by ultrahigh pressure up to 6 GPa. The results indicate that the pure NaNbO3 powders can be synthesized at 300℃ under a pressure of 4 GPa, to significantly restrain the Na element volatilization compared with the traditional synthesis method. It is found that the crystal structure of synthesized NaNbO3 changes from low symmetry to high symmetry with the increase of the pressure.     

Microwave sintering of Ca0.6La0.2667TiO3 microwave dielectric ceramics

Ca0.6La0.2667TiO3 ceramics were prepared by conventional and microwave sintering techniques and their sinterability,microstruc-ture,and microwave dielectric properties were investigated in detail for comparison.Densified Ca0.6La0.2667TiO3 ceramics were obtained by microwave sintering at 1350oC for 30 min and by conventional sintering at 1450oC for 4 h.An unusual phenomenon was found that some larger grains(grain size range:8-10 μm) inclined to assemble in one area but some smaller ones(grain size range:2-4 μm) inclined to gather in another area in the microwave sintered ceramics.The microwave dielectric properties of Ca0.6La0.2667TiO3 ceramics prepared by micro-wave sintering at 1350oC were as follows:dielectric constant(εr) = 119.6,quality factor(Qf) = 17858.5 GHz,and temperature coefficient of resonant frequency(τf) = 155.5 ppm/oC.In contrast,the microwave dielectric properties of the ceramics prepared by conventional sintering at 1450oC were εr = 117.4,Qf = 13375 GHz,and τf = 217.2 ppm/oC.     

Controlled Synthesis and Application of α-Al_2O_3 for Lu_3Al_5O_(12): Ce~(3+) Green Spherical Phosphors

Al_2O_3 powders with different morphologies,namely fibrous,sheet-like,and spherical,were prepared by the hydrothermal-thermolysis method.Subsequently,polycrystalline,transparent cerium doped lutetium aluminum garnet(Lu_3Al_5O_(12):Ce~(3+))green phosphors were synthesized by high temperature solidstate method using commercial lutetium(III)oxide,cerium(III)oxide,and as-prepared Al_2O_3 powders with different morphologies.The phases,morphologies,and photoluminescent properties of the prepared phosphors were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and photoluminescence spectroscopy(PL).Moreover,the influences of the morphologies ofα-Al_2O_3 on the types of crystal structure,morphologies,and photoluminescent properties of LuAG:Ce~(3+)green phosphors were investigated.The results indicated that the morphologies and particle sizes of theα-Al_2O_3 powders could be controlled by the additives and parameters.Notably,the sphericalα-Al_2O_3 powders with good dispersibility were found to be the excellent base materials of LuAG:Ce~(3+)green phosphors for white light emitting diodes.