Chemical reduction of three-dimensional silica micro-assemblies into microporous silicon replicas

The carbothermal reduction of silica into silicon requires the use of temperatures well above the silicon melting point (> or =2,000 degrees C). Solid silicon has recently been generated directly from silica at much lower temperatures (< or =850 degrees C) via electrochemical reduction in molten salts. However, the silicon products of such electrochemical reduction did not retain the microscale morphology of the starting silica reactants. Here we demonstrate a low-temperature (650 degrees C) magnesiothermic reduction process for converting three-dimensional nanostructured silica micro-assemblies into microporous nanocrystalline silicon replicas. The intricate nanostructured silica microshells (frustules) of diatoms (unicellular algae) were converted into co-continuous, nanocrystalline mixtures of silicon and magnesia by reaction with magnesium gas. Selective magnesia dissolution then yielded an interconnected network of silicon nanocrystals that retained the starting three-dimensional frustule morphology. The silicon replicas possessed a high specific surface area (>500 m(2) g(-1)), and contained a significant population of micropores (< or =20 A). The silicon replicas were photoluminescent, and exhibited rapid changes in impedance upon exposure to gaseous nitric oxide (suggesting a possible application in microscale gas sensing). This process enables the syntheses of microporous nanocrystalline silicon micro-assemblies with multifarious three-dimensional shapes inherited from biological or synthetic silica templates for sensor, electronic, optical or biomedical applications.     

Effect of Y2O3 on the crystallization kinetics of TiO2 nucleated LAS glass for the production of nanocrystalline transparent glass ceramics

Crystallization kinetics of metastable β-quartz solid solution as a desirable phase for the production of transparent lithium aluminosilicate (LAS) glass ceramics was investigated in the presence of Y₂O₃. Accordingly, differential thermal analysis scans were performed thoroughly to study the mechanism of crystallization kinetics. The aim of this investigation is to discover the complicated mechanism of crystallization process in the presence of co-additives and accordingly find a way for increasing the transparency of glass ceramics. It is shown that the bulk (3D) growth is intensively increased by the enhancement of Y₂O₃. Then again, reducing nucleation and increasing growth mechanisms were recognized for the LAS system in the presence of Y₂O₃. Results of the investigation illustrate that when co-additives are added to glasses, it is necessary to nucleate the optical component separately before the growth process.     

Effect of microstructure on the breakage of tin bronze machining chips during pulverization via jet milling

In this study, jet milling was used to recycle tin bronze machining chips into powder. The main purpose of this study was to assess the effect of the microstructure of tin bronze machining chips on their breakage behavior. An experimental target jet mill was used to pulverize machining chips of three different tin bronze alloys containing 7wt%, 10wt%, and 12wt% of tin. Optical and electron microscopy, as well as sieve analysis, were used to follow the trend of pulverization. Each alloy exhibited a distinct rate of size reduction, particle size distribution, and fracture surface appearance. The results showed that the degree of pulverization substantially increased with increasing tin content. This behavior was attributed to the higher number of machining cracks as well as the increased volume fraction of brittle δ phase in the alloys with higher tin contents. The δ phase was observed to strongly influence the creation of machining cracks as well as the nucleation and propagation of cracks during jet milling. In addition, a direct relationship was observed between the mean δ-phase spacing and the mean size of the jet-milled product; i.e., a decrease in the δ-phase spacing resulted in smaller particles.     

Pseudo-<Emphasis Type="Italic">in-situ</Emphasis> stir casting: a new method for production of aluminum matrix composites with bimodal-sized B<Subscript>4</Subscript>C reinforcement

A new method was applied to produce an Al-0.5wt%Ti-0.3wt%Zr/5vol%B₄C composite via stir casting with the aim of characterizing the microstructure of the resulting composite. For the production of the composite, large B₄C particles (larger than 75 μm) with no pre-heating were added to the stirred melt. Reflected-light microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, laser particle size analysis, and image analysis using the Clemex software were performed on the cast samples for microstructural analysis and phase detection. The results revealed that as a consequence of thermal shock, B₄C particle breakage occurred in the melt. The mechanism proposed for this phenomenon is that the exerted thermal shock in combination with the low thermal shock resistance of B₄C and large size of the added B₄C particles were the three key parameters responsible for B₄C particle breakage. This breakage introduced small particles with sizes less than 10 μm and with no contamination on their surfaces into the melt. The mean particle distance measured via image analysis was approximately 60 μm. The coefficient of variation index, which was used as a measure of particle distribution homogeneity, showed some variations, indicating a relatively homogeneous distribution.     

Solidification,microstructure, and mechanical properties of the as-cast ZRE1 magnesium alloy with different praseodymium contents

The influence of praseodymium (Pr) content on the solidification characteristics, microstructure, and mechanical properties of ZRE1 magnesium (Mg) cast alloy was investigated. The obtained solidification parameters showed that Pr strongly affected the solidification time, leading to refinement of the microstructure of the alloys. When the freezing time was reduced to approximately 52 s, the grain size decreased by 12%. Mg₁₂Zn (Ce,Pr) was formed as a new phase upon the addition of Pr and was detected via X-ray diffraction analysis. The addition of Pr led to a substantial improvement in mechanical properties, which was attributed to the formation of intermetallic compounds; the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength increased by approximately 10% and 13%, respectively. Pr addition also refined the microstructure, and the hardness was recovered. The results herein demonstrate that the mechanical properties of Mg alloys are strongly influenced by their microstructure characteristics, including the grain size, volume fraction, and distribution of intermetallic phases.     

CuCrW(Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>) nanocomposite: mechanical alloying,microstructure, and tribological properties

The effect of alumina nanoparticle addition on the microstructure and tribological properties of a CuCrW alloy was investigated in this work. Mechanical alloying was carried out in a satellite ball mill. The tribological properties of the samples were evaluated using pin-on-disk wear tests with different pins (alumina, tungsten carbide, and steel pins). The results indicated that the tungsten carbide pin had a lower coefficient of friction than the alumina and steel pins because of its high hardness and low surface roughness. In addition, when the sliding rate was decreased, the weight-loss rate increased. The existence of alumina nanoparticles in the nanocomposite led to a lower weight-loss rate and to a change in the wear mechanism from adhesive to abrasive.     

Cu-Zn-Al2O3 nanocomposites:study of microstructure,corrosion,and wear properties

Alumina nanoparticles were added to a Cu-Zn alloy to investigate their effect on the microstructural, tribological, and corrosion properties of the prepared alloys. Alloying was performed using a mixture of copper and zinc powders with 0vol% and 5vol% of α-Al nanopowder in a satellite ball mill. The results showed that the Cu-Zn solid solution formed after 18 h of mechanical alloying. The mechanically alloyed powder was compacted followed by sintering of the obtained green compacts at 750℃ for 30 min. Alumina nanoparticles were uniformly distributed in the matrix of the Cu-Zn alloy. The tribological properties were evaluated by pin-on-disk wear tests, which revealed that, upon the addition of alumina nanoparticles, the coefficient of friction and the wear rate were reduced to 20% and 40%, respectively. The corrosion properties of the samples exposed to a 3.5wt% NaCl solution were studied using the immersion and potentiodynamic polarization methods, which revealed that the addition of alumina nanoparticles reduced the corrosion current of the nanocomposite by 90%.     

Fabrication and densification enhancement of SiC-particulate-reinforced copper matrix composites prepared via the sinter-forging process

The fabrication of copper (Cu) and copper matrix silicon carbide (Cu/SiC_p) particulate composites via the sinter-forging process was investigated. Sintering and sinter-forging processes were performed under an inert Ar atmosphere. The influence of sinter-forging time, temperature, and compressive stress on the relative density and hardness of the prepared samples was systematically investigated and subsequently compared with that of the samples prepared by the conventional sintering process. The relative density and hardness of the composites were enhanced when they were prepared by the sinter-forging process. The relative density values of all Cu/SiC_p composite samples were observed to decrease with the increase in SiC content.     

Boundary layer flow and heat transfer of a micropolar fluid near the stagnation point on a stretching vertical surface with prescribed skin friction

The steady laminar mixed convection boundary layer flow and heat transfer of a micropolar fluid near the stagnation point on a stretched vertical surface with prescribed skin friction were considered. The governing partial differential equations were transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations, which were then solved numerically using the shooting method. Results for the stretching velocity, the local Nusselt number, the temperature, and the velocity profiles are presented for various values of the mixed convection parameter λ and material parameter K when the Prandtl number is equal to 1. Both assisting (heated plate) and opposing (cooled plate) flow regions are considered. It is found that dual solutions exist for both assisting and opposing flows.     

Observation of a roton collective mode in a two-dimensional Fermi liquid

Understanding the dynamics of correlated many-body quantum systems is a challenge for modern physics. Owing to the simplicity of their Hamiltonians, (4)He (bosons) and (3)He (fermions) have served as model systems for strongly interacting quantum fluids, with substantial efforts devoted to their understanding. An important milestone was the direct observation of the collective phonon-roton mode in liquid (4)He by neutron scattering, verifying Landau's prediction and his fruitful concept of elementary excitations. In a Fermi system, collective density fluctuations (known as 'zero-sound' in (3)He, and 'plasmons' in charged systems) and incoherent particle-hole excitations are observed. At small wavevectors and energies, both types of excitation are described by Landau's theory of Fermi liquids. At higher wavevectors, the collective mode enters the particle-hole band, where it is strongly damped. The dynamics of Fermi liquids at high wavevectors was thus believed to be essentially incoherent. Here we report inelastic neutron scattering measurements of a monolayer of liquid (3)He, observing a roton-like excitation. We find that the collective density mode reappears as a well defined excitation at momentum transfers larger than twice the Fermi momentum. We thus observe unexpected collective behaviour of a Fermi many-body system in the regime beyond the scope of Landau's theory. A satisfactory interpretation of the measured spectra is obtained using a dynamic many-body theory.