Papers by Keyword: Nanocrystalline Powder

Abstract: Nanocrystalline Ni₇₅Fe₂₅ (Ni₃Fe) powders were prepared by mechanical alloying process using a vario-planetary high-energy ball mill. The intermetallic Ni₃Fe formation and different physical properties were investigated, as a function of milling time, t, (in the range 6 to 96 h range), using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Mössbauer Spectroscopy techniques. X-ray diffraction were performed on the samples to understand the structural characteristics and get information about elements and phases present in the powder after different time of milling. The refinement of XRD spectra revealed the complete formation of fcc Ni (Fe) disordered solid solution after 24 h of milling time, the Fe and Ni elemental distributions are closely correlated. With increasing the milling time, the lattice parameter increases and the grains size decreases. The Mössbauer experiments were performed on the powders in order to follow the formation of Ni₃Fe compound as a function of milling time. From the adjustment of Mössbauer spectra, we extracted the hyperfine parameters. The evolution of hyperfine magnetic field shows that the magnetic disordered Ni₃Fe phase starts to form from 6 h of milling time and grow in intensity with milling time. For the milling time more than 24 h, only the Ni₃Fe disordered phase is present with a mean hyperfine magnetic field of about 29.5 T. The interpretation of the Mossbauer spectra confirmed the results obtained by XRD.

Abstract: Gadolinium–doped ZnO nanocrystalline powders were prepared by hydrothermal method using ionic liquid (1-heptyl-3-methyl imidazole bromide) as template. The crystal structure, grain size and optical properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The photocatalytic degradation of KN-R dye under simulated sunlight was chosen as a model reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activities of the undoped and doped ZnO nanocrystalline catalysts. It was shown that Gadolinium was successfully doped into ZnO powders, and thus showing enhanced performance in degradation of KN-R.

Abstract: Nanocrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT) powders with composition at the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) were synthesized by a simple aqueous based sol-gel method, using lead nitrate, zirconium nitrate and tetrabutyl titanate as the starting materials. The sol could be easily transformed into gel, firstly heated at 120°C for 10h, then at 180°C for 24h. The thermal decomposition process of the gel was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The effect of citrate addition amount on the calcining temperature was discussed. The results reveal that pure perovskite phase PZT powders can be obtained at a calcining temperature as low as 600°C. The average grain size of the powders was determined by transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The influences of calcining temperature and the pH value of the solution on the grain size were investigated. The sintering temperature and electrical properties of the ceramics derived by nano-powders were compared with those prepared by the conventional ceramic processing. The result shows that using the nanopowder, the sintering temperature could be reduced by about 100°C and the ferroelectric properties were enhanced.

Abstract: Nanocrystalline nickel ferrite powder was obtained using high energy reactive ball milling technique. Nickel oxide (NiO) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) powders were used as starting material. Milling was performed in air atmosphere using a planetary ball mill. Milling time was up to 30 hours. The product of milling was annealed at 350 oC for 4 hours in order to eliminate the internal stresses and finish the solid state reaction. X-ray diffraction analysis was used to study the nickel ferrite formation. A nanocrystallite mean size of 10 nm was found after 24 hours of milling. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDX) the particle morphology and the chemical homogeneity were studied. It was found that the obtained product has particle size in range of micron and submicron.

Abstract: Cr3C2-NiCr coatings have been used for corrosion and wear resistant applications. In the last decade, thermal sprayed coatings using nanostructured feed stock of other materials has exhibited higher hardness, strength and corrosion resistance. Hence, it is anticipated that nanostructured Cr3C2-NiCr coatings will also exhibit these properties and therefore posses improved performance characteristics. Preparation of nanostructured feed stock powders is the first step in the synthesis of nanostructured coatings and mechanical milling is an effective process to obtain the powders. Preliminary studies in which commercial Cr3C2-NiCr powders were milled in hexane and gaseous nitrogen revealed that particle and crystallite size were significantly smaller in powders milled in nitrogen. This paper presents the effect of hexane content and milling parameters on Cr3C2-Ni20Cr powder characteristics. Use of just sufficient hexane as the milling media reduced significantly the particle and crystallite sizes.

Abstract: Pr2O3-doped ceria nanopowders were synthesized by a nitrate-citrate combustion process. This route is based on the gelling of nitrate solutions by the addition of citric acid and ammonium hydroxide, followed by an intense combustion process due to an exothermic redox reaction between nitrate and citrate ions. XRD analysis showed that no impurity were observed up to x=0.3 in Ce1-xPrxO2-δ systems. The influence of ignition temperature on the characteristics of the powders was studied. The change of the crystal structure with the content of doped Pr was investigated. The highest ionic conductivity, σ600°C=2.45×10-3S/cm, was found for the composition of x=0.15.

Abstract: Mechanical milling of Al alloy powder in liquid nitrogen leads to a large reduction in the scale of the microstructure and results in material with high thermal stability and strength. However, it is important to consolidate the powder and achieve bulk material with sufficient toughness and ductility for structural applications. In this investigation, hot isostatic pressing, followed by quasiisostatic forging and hot rolling, were performed to fabricate Al 5083 plate with a predominantly ultra-fine grained microstructure. Plate produced in this way possessed enhanced tensile strength and ductility, exceeding that of conventionally processed material.

Abstract: Rare earth Yb-doped bismuth titanate Bi4-xYbxTi3O12 (BYT) nanocrystalline powders were obtained by a modified sol-gel method. TG-DTA, FI-IR and XRD were used to determine the lowest heat treatment temperature. Phase changes in the formation of BYT crystalline powders were discussed by XRD. The effect of Yb3+ cation substitution for Bi3+ cation on the microstructure of BYT was also developed with XRD. The grain size of BYT nanopowders is about 40 nm determined by TEM.

Abstract: Yb3+ and Ho3+ co-doped Lu2O3 nanocrystalline powders were synthesized by a reversestrike co-precipitation method. The as-prepared powders were examined by the X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The phase composition of the powders was cubic and the particle size was in the range of 30~50 nm. Emission and excitation spectra of the powders were measured by a spectrofluorometer and the possible upconversion luminescence mechanism was also discussed.