Ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of novel relaxor ferroelectric single crystals PMNT

Relaxor ferroelectric single crystals PMNT with the size of 40 mm×80 mm have been grown by a modified Bridgman method and their ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties have been characterized.The properties varied with the compositions and cut types.On the (001) cut,PMNT76/24 single crystals exhibited a dielectric constant of about 3 400,a dielectric loss of tan＜0.7%,a piezoelectric constant d33 of 980 pC/N,an electromechanical coupling factor kt of 0.55 and Tc of about 110℃.Whereas the properties of PMNT67/33 single crystals on (001) cut were better: ε of about 5 300,tanδ＜0.6%,d33 up to 3 000 pC/N,kt 0.64,k33 0.93 and Tc of about 150℃.The piezoelectric properties on other cuts such as (110) and (111) were much lower than those on the (001) cut.The rhombohedral PMNT crystals grown by this method showed more excellent piezoelectric properties than those grown by high temperature solution method and higher value of kt than the rhombohedral PZNT single crystals.It has also been found that the fluctuation in ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties was related to such factors as composition uniformity and poling degree.     

Dielectric,piezoelectric, and ferroelectric properties of lanthanum-modified PZTFN ceramics

Specimens of Pb_1?1.5xLa_x(Zr_0.53Ti_0.47)_1?y?zFe_yNb_zO₃(x = 0, 0.004, 0.008, 0.012, and 0.016, y = z = 0.01) (PZTFN) ceramics were synthesized by a semi-wet route. In the present study, the effect of La doping was investigated on the structural, microstructural, dielectric, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric properties of the ceramics. The results show that, the tetragonal (space group P4mm) and rhombohedral (space group R3c) phases are observed to coexist in the sample at x = 0.012. Microstructural investigations of all the samples reveal that La doping inhibits grain growth. Doping of La into PZTFN improves the dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics. The hysteresis loops of all specimens exhibit nonlinear behavior. The dielectric, piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties show a maximum response at x ≥ 0.012, which corresponds to the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB).     

Effect of magnesium and nickel coatings on the wetting behavior of alumina toughened zirconia by molten Al-Mg alloy

The wettability of alumina toughened zirconia (ZTA) by Al-Mg alloy was investigated using the sessile drop technique. The effects of nickel coating, magnesium content, nitrogen atmosphere, and processing temperature on the contact angle between the molten alloy and the substrate were determined. Likewise, the effect of these factors on the wetting properties was studied. The results showed that the nickel coating on the ceramic substrate caused a significant reduction in solid/liquid surface energy and the contact angle decreased obviously. The presence of magnesium in the molten aluminum alloy in nitrogen atmosphere reduced the contact angle effectively. The presence of magnesium in the alloy must be at a minimum amount of 2wt%-3wt%. Moreover, it was suggested that some chemical reactions in the Al-Mg-N system led to the production of Mg₃N₂ and AlN compositions. These compositions improved the wetting properties of the systems by reducing the surface energy of the molten. It was shown that increasing the temperature is also an effective factor for the enhancement of wetting properties.     

PTA clad (Cr,Fe)7C3/γ-Fe in situ ceramal composite coating

A wear-resistant (Cr, Fe)₇C₃/γ-Fe in situ ceramal composite coating was fabricated on the substrate of 0.45wt%C carbon steel by a plasma-transferred arc cladding process using the Fe-Cr-C elemental powder blends. The microstructure, microhardness, and dry-sliding wear resistance of the coating were evaluated. The results indicate that the microstructure of the coating, which was composed of (Cr, Fe)₇C₃ primary phase uniformly distributed in the γ-Fe, and the (Cr, Fe)₇C₃ eutectic matrix was metallurgically bonded to the 0.45wt%C carbon steel substrate. From substrate to coating, the microstructure of the coating exhibited an evident epitaxial growth character. The coating, indehiscent and tack-free, had high hardness and appropriate gradient. It had excellent wear resistance under the dry sliding wear test condition.     

Lead-bismuth-free piezoceramics （Na0.5K0.44Li0.06）Nb0.95Sb0.05O3-Na5.6Cu1.2Sb10O29

Newly developed sintering aid Na5.6Cu1.2Sb10O29 (NCS) and lead-bismuth-free piezoceramics (Na0.5K0.44Li0.06) Nb0.95Sb0.05O3 (NKLNS) were prepared by the conventional solid state reaction. The effects of sintering aid NCS on the electrical properties of NKLNS were investigated. It was found that the addition of a proper amount of sintering aid NCS to NKLNS is effective not only on improving the density and the piezoelectric activity, but also on reducing the dielectric loss of NKLNS. The NKLNS doped with 0.4 mol% NCS has a piezoelectric constant d33 as high as 261pC/N and an electromechanical coupling factor k33 above 60%. These results show that NCS-doped NKLNS is a promising and practicable candidate for lead-bismuth-free piezoceramics.     

Effect of Li content on the microstructure and properties of lead-free piezoelectric(K0.5Na0.5)1-xLixNbO3 ceramics prepared by SPS

Lead-free piezoelectric (K_0.5Na_0.5)_1-xLi_xNbO₃ (x = 0at%-20at%) ceramics were synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at low temperature and the effects of LiNbO₃ addition on its crystal structure and properties were also studied. When the Li content was less than 6at%, a single proveskite phase with the similar structure of (K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃ was formed; and a secondary phase with K₃Li₂Nb₅O₁₅ structure was observed in the 6at% < x < 20at% compositional range. Furthermore, LiNbO₃ existed as the third phase when the Li content was higher than 8at%. The grain sizes increased from 200-500 nm to 5-8 μm when the K₃Li₂Nb₅O₁₅ and LiNbO₃ like phases were formed. With increasing Li content, the relative density of the ceramics first decreased from 97% to 93% and then kept constant. The piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃, dielectric constant, and planner electromechanical coupling factor exhibited a decreasing tendency with increasing Li content because of the decrease in density and the formation of the secondary phase such as K₃Li₂Nb₅O₁₅ and LiNbO₃. The formation of dense microstructure with a single phase is necessary in improving the properties of the (K_0.5Na_0.5)_1-xLi_xNbO₃ ceramics.     

Analysis of magnetic mechanisms of 3d-doped ZnO diluted magnetic semiconductors by an abnormal peak on M-T curve

The crystallographic structures and magnetic properties of a Zn0.95Co0.05O thin film deposited on a C-sapphire substrate using a dual-beam pulsed laser deposition method were characterized. It was shown from crystallographic analysis that the film belongs to the wurtzite structure with the C-axis aligned with that of the substrate. Magnetic hysteresis loops were observed till up to room temperature. A small peak around 55 K was noticed on the magnetization vs. temperature curve. The corresponding temperature of the small peak is close to that of ‘the abnormal peak’ reported by X.M. Zhang et al. From the results obtained, no correlation was found between the abnormal peak and the quantum effects. The magnetic behaviors in the Zn0.95Co0.05O film cannot be explained by the ferromagnetism in diluted magnetic semiconductors. The magnetic mechanisms in ZnO-based diluted magnetic semiconductors are also discussed.     

Effects of substrate temperature and ambient oxygen pressure on growth of Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 thin films by pulsed laser deposition

Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 thin films were grown on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates with pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at temperatures ranging from 823 to 923 K with the varied ambient oxygen pressure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data confirmed the single phase of polycrystalline Ba(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 thin films. The effects of substrate temperature and ambient oxygen pressure on the surface morphologies of the thin films were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the growth dynamics of thin films was discussed. Larger grains and denser surface morphologies were observed with increasing substrate temperature. While finer grains were produced with increasing ambient oxygen pressure due to more frequent collisions between the ejected species and ambient oxygen molecules. The influence of the substrate temperature and ambient oxygen pressure on the dielectric properties was also discussed. Improved dielectric constant and decreased dielectric loss was observed for the thin film deposited at evaluated temperature.     

Improvement in the piezoelectric temperature stability of （K0.5Na0.5）NbO3 ceramics

Through an analysis of the temperature stability of(K0.5Na0.5)NbO3(KNN)based ceramics and KNN solid solutions,we propose a method to enhance the temperature stability of KNN materials.These materials are valuable for their piezoelectric properties.To verify the feasibility of this method,0.9(K1-xNax)NbO3-0.06LiNbO3-0.04CaTiO3(KNLN-CaTiO3)ceramics were designed,and their structure and properties were studied.The results show that KNLN-CaTiO3(x=0.54)ceramics have a good temperature stability over a wide temperature range(25-320°C).Also,they have good piezoelectric properties(d33=152 pC/N in x=0.54).This result confirms the feasibility of our proposed solution for improving the piezoelectric properties of KNN-based ceramics that have poor temperature stability.     

Microstructure and properties of Ag–Ti_3SiC_2 contact materials prepared by pressureless sintering

Ti_3SiC_2-reinforced Ag-matrix composites are expected to serve as electrical contacts. In this study, the wettability of Ag on a Ti_3SiC_2 substrate was measured by the sessile drop method. The Ag–Ti_3SiC_2 composites were prepared from Ag and Ti_3SiC_2 powder mixtures by pressureless sintering. The effects of compacting pressure(100–800 MPa), sintering temperature(850–950°C), and soaking time(0.5–2 h) on the microstructure and properties of the Ag–Ti_3SiC_2 composites were investigated. The experimental results indicated that Ti_3SiC_2 particulates were uniformly distributed in the Ag matrix, without reactions at the interfaces between the two phases. The prepared Ag–10 wt%Ti_3SiC_2 had a relative density of 95% and an electrical resistivity of 2.76 × 10-3 mΩ?cm when compacted at 800 MPa and sintered at 950°C for 1 h. The incorporation of Ti_3SiC_2 into Ag was found to improve its hardness without substantially compromising its electrical conductivity; this behavior was attributed to the combination of ceramic and metallic properties of the Ti_3SiC_2 reinforcement, suggesting its potential application in electrical contacts.     

Microstructure,crystalline phase and electrical properties of Li_(0.06)(Na_(0.5)K_(0.5))_(0.94)Nb_(1-2x/5)Mg_xO_3 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

MgO-modified Li0.06(Na0.5K0.5)0.94NbO3(L6NKN) lead-free piezoelectric ceramics were synthesized by normal sintering at a relatively low temperature of 1000°C.The crystalline phase,microstructure,and electrical properties of the ceramics were investigated with a special emphasis on the influence of MgO content.The addition of MgO effectively improves the sinterability of the L6NKN ceramics.X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the morphotropic phase boundary(MPB) separating orthorhombic and tetragonal phases for the ceramics lies in the range of Mg doping content(x) from 0.3at% to 0.7at%.High electrical properties of the piezoelectric constant(d33=238 pC/N),planar electromechanical coupling coefficient(kp=41.5%),relative dielectric constant(εr=905),and remanent polarization(Pr=38.3 μC/cm2) are obtained from the specimen with x=0.5at%,which suggests that the Li0.06(Na0.5K0.5)0.94Nb(1-2x/5)MgxO3(x=0.5at%) ceramic is a promising lead-free piezoelectric material.     

The development of Bi Fe O3-based ceramics

The multiferroic properties of Bi Fe O3-based ceramics were improved through optimizing their sintering method and doping with certain rare earth elements in pure Bi Fe O3. Some methods, especially liquid-phase sintering method has largely decreased the densities of oxygen vacancies and Fe2in Bi Fe O3-based ceramics, and thus their resistivity became high enough to measure the saturated polarization and the large piezoelectric d33 coefficient under the high electric field of [150 k V/cm. Besides,multiferroic properties were improved through the rare earth elements’ doping in pure Bi Fe O3. Magnetization commonly increases with the proportional increase of Nd,La, Sm and Dy contents up to ＊30 %, while ferroelectric phase can transform to paraelectric phase at a certain proportion. An improved magnetoelectric coupling was often observed at ferroelectric phase with a relatively large proportion. Besides, an enhanced piezoelectric coefficient is expected in Bi Fe O3-based ceramics with morphotropic phase boundaries as they are already observed in thin epitaxial Bi Fe O3 films.     

Microstructure and properties of Ag–Ti3SiC2 contact materials prepared by pressureless sintering

Ti₃SiC₂-reinforced Ag-matrix composites are expected to serve as electrical contacts. In this study, the wettability of Ag on a Ti₃SiC₂ substrate was measured by the sessile drop method. The Ag–Ti₃SiC₂ composites were prepared from Ag and Ti₃SiC₂ powder mixtures by pressureless sintering. The effects of compacting pressure (100–800 MPa), sintering temperature (850–950℃), and soaking time (0.5–2 h) on the microstructure and properties of the Ag–Ti₃SiC₂ composites were investigated. The experimental results indicated that Ti₃SiC₂ particulates were uniformly distributed in the Ag matrix, without reactions at the interfaces between the two phases. The prepared Ag–10wt%Ti₃SiC₂ had a relative density of 95% and an electrical resistivity of 2.76×10-3 mΩ·cm when compacted at 800 MPa and sintered at 950℃ for 1 h. The incorporation of Ti₃SiC₂ into Ag was found to improve its hardness without substantially compromising its electrical conductivity; this behavior was attributed to the combination of ceramic and metallic properties of the Ti₃SiC₂ reinforcement, suggesting its potential application in electrical contacts.     

Variation of the uniaxial tensile behavior of ultrafine-grained pure aluminum after cyclic pre-deformation

To explore the influence of cyclic pre-deformation on the mechanical behavior of ultrafine-grained (UFG) materials with a high stacking fault energy (SFE), UFG Al processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) was selected as a target material and its tensile behavior at different pre-cyclic levels D (D=N_i/N_f, where N_i and N_f are the applied cycles and fatigue life at a constant stress amplitude of 50 MPa, respectively) along with the corresponding microstructures and deformation features were systematically studied. The cyclic pre-deformation treatment on the ECAPed UFG Al led to a decrease in flow stress, and a stress quasi-plateau stage was observed after yielding for all of the different-state UFG Al samples. The yield strength σ_YS, ultimate tensile strength σ_UTS, and uniform strain ε exhibited a strong dependence on D when D ≤ 20%; however, when D was in the range from 20% to 50%, no obvious change in mechanical properties was observed. The micro-mechanism for the effect of cyclic pre-deformation on the tensile properties of the ECAPed UFG Al was revealed and compared with that of ECAPed UFG Cu through the observations of deformation features and microstructures.     

Characterization of Cu3P phase in Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu0.5P/Cu solder joints

This article reports the effects of phosphorus addition on the melting behavior, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Sn3.0Ag0.SCu solder. The melting behavior of the solder alloys was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The interracial micro- structure and phase composition of solder/Cu joints were studied by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry. Thermodynamics of Cu-P phase formation at the interface between Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu0.5P solder and the Cu substrate was characterized. The results indicate that P addition into Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu solder can change the microstructure and cause the appearance of rod-like CuaP phase which is distributed randomly in the solder bulk. The Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu0.5P joint shows a mixture of ductile and brittle fracture after shear test- ing. Meanwhile, the solidus temperature of Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu solder is slightly enhanced with P addition.     

Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance of Cr7C3/γ-Fe Ceramal Composite Coating Fabricated by Plasma Cladding

A new type in situ Cr7C3/γ-Fe ceramal composite coating was fabricated on substrate of hardened and tempered grade C steel by plasma cladding with Fe-Cr-C alloy powders. The ceramal composite coating has a rapidly solidified microstructure consisting of primary Cr7C3/γ- and the Cr7C3/γ-Fe eutectics, and is metallurgically bonded to the degree C steel substrate. The corrosion resistances of the coating in water solutions of 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 and 3.5% NaCl were evaluated utilizing the electrochemical polarization corrosion-test method. Because of the inherent excellent corrosion-resisting properties of the constituting phase and the rapidly solidified homogeneous microstructure, the plasma clad ceramal composite coating exhibits excellent corrosion resistance in the water solutions of 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 and 3.5% NaCl.     

Microstructure and properties of Ga-modified 0.7BiFeO3-0.3BaTiO3 solid solution

Binary solid solutions 0.7Bi (GaxFe1-x)O3-0.3BaTiO3 (x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1) ceramics were prepared by traditional ceramic process. All the ceramic samples showed single perovskite phase except the sam- ple with x = 0.1. The effects of gallium doping on microstructure, ferromagnetic, ferroelectric, dielectric properties and conductivity were investigated. The results indicated that Ga-dopant could improve the sintering ability of the solid solution when the Ga content x was below 0.05. When x was over 0.05, the sintering ability of the solid solution was weakened, and the phase structure of 0.7BiFeO3-0.3BaTiO3 solid solution changed from rhombohedral phase into tetragonal ferroelectric phase. The electrical resistivity increased with the Ga content increasing. Both ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism were observed in all the ceramic samples. With the Ga content increasing, the remanent magnetization Mr increased and the magnetic coercive field Hc decreased. However, the remanent polarization Pr fluctu- ated, increasing firstly and decreasing later.     

Microstructure characterization of high-energy product Nd-Fe-B thin film

A Si/Mo(50 nm)/Nd-Fe-B(400 nm)/Mo(50 nm) film with relatively high-energy product (BH)max⊥=247 kJ/m³) was prepared on a Si substrate heated at 650 °C. The microstructure of the film was investigated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The Nd-Fe-B thin film shows a notable out-of-plane c-axis texture. The (110) orientated Mo grains is proved to promote the growth of c -axis oriented texture of the Nd2Fe14B grains, which is favorable to achieve a high remanence. Nano-scale spherical Nd-O phases compos ed of randomly orientated polycrystalline grains and a sharp grain boundary without grain boundary phase between two Nd2Fe14B grains are observed. The coercivity highly depends on a certain amount of Nd-O phase and interface morphology.     

Strain-induced modulation of magnetic anisotropy in Co/BaTiO_3 composite

A uniaxial magnetic anisotropy Co film was grown on a single-crystal Ba Ti O3（BTO） substrate. The strain yielded by the voltage-induced ferroelastic domain switching in the BTO substrate was recorded by atomic force microscope and modulated the magnetism of the Co film. The manipulation of the magnetism of the Co film is experimentally demonstrated by voltage dependence of magnetic hysteresis loops measured via magneto-optic Kerr effect.     

Crystallization kinetics of sea-salt aerosols studied by high-speed photography

Morphological changes with decreasing relative humidity(RH) of supersaturated sea-salt aerosol droplets on a quartz substrate were observed using a high-speed video-camera.Stable gypsum(CaSO4·2H2O) or the metastable hemihydrate(CaSO4·0.5H2O) were precipitated as the RH decreased.The dynamic process of crystal growth under steady-state humidity was studied by controlling the RH;the metastable hemihydrate was precipitated at 70.5%-77.1% RH,and the apparent crystal growth rate was between 1.42 and 2.33 μm3/s.Stable gypsum was formed at 80.7%-82.2% RH,and the apparent crystal growth rate was between 0.70 and 0.81 μm3/s.