Papers by Author: H.K. Liu

Abstract: Ag and SnO2 nanopowders were synthesized by reverse-micelle method. The reverse micelles were prepared to form tiny aqueous droplets dispersed in oil-based solvents. Two reverse micelles containing metallic salts and reductive agents were rigorously mixed to form nanoparticles inside aqueous droplets by a reductive reaction. The spherical powders of 20~50 nm were formed during the process. The resulting Ag and SnO2 nanopowders were examined as the anode electrode for lithium-ion cells. The reversible discharge capacity of the Ag and SnO2 nanopowders after 25 cycles were 315 and 380 mAh/g, respectively.

Abstract: MgB2 polycrystalline bulk samples with additions of 0, 5, 10 and 20% wt.% nano-sized BN powders were prepared using the reaction in-situ method. All the samples were sintered at 850°C for 1h in Ar. All the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and magnetic measurements. The X-ray diffraction patterns show that the BN does not react with Mg and B during the heat treatment and remains as a separate phase. The synthesized materials thus contain two separate BN and MgB2 phases. In addition, the samples contain a small, almost constant amount of MgO. SEM shows that the samples contain MgB2 grains with average grain sizes of about 250 nm. Magnetic measurement results show that the critical current density and irreversibility fields decrease slightly as the BN level increases. The Tc drops slightly from 38.9 to 38.2 K and has a sharp transition with a transition width of less than 1 K. The field dependence of Jc for all the samples is also presented.