Geopolymer materials are attractive as inorganic binders due to their superior mechanical and eco-friendly properties. In the current study, geopolymer-based cement was prepared using aluminosilicate minerals from fly-ash with KOH as an alkaline-activator and Na2SiO3 as liquid glass. Then, calcium carbonate powder from a clam shell was mixed with the geopolymer and the mixture was coated on a concrete surface to provide points of attachment for environmental organisms to grow on the geopolymers. We investigated the effect of the shell powder grain size on the microstructure and bonding property of the geopolymers. A homogeneous geopolymer layer coated well on the concrete surface via aluminosilicate bonding, but the adhesiveness of the shell powder on the geopolymer cement was dependent on the grain size of the shell powder. Superior adhesive characteristics were shown in the shell powder of large grain size due to the deep penetration into the geopolymer by their large weight. This kind of coating can be applied to the adhesiveness of eco-materials on the surface of seaside or riverside blocks.
Yttria stabilized zirconia (Y-CSZ) single crystals show plastic deformation at high temperatures byactivating dislocations. The effect of strain rate on the plastic behavior of this crystal was studied. As increasingstrain rate from ε=1.04×10-5sec-1 to 2.08×10-5sec-1 the yield drop was suppressed and resulted in higherYoung's modulus and yield stress. Dislocation structures of the strained crystals were analyzed using atransmission electron microscope to elucidate the plastic behavior of these crystals. In the early stage of plasticdeformation, dislocation dipoles and prismatic dislocation loops were formed in both samples. However,dislocation density was increased by increasing strain rate. Strong sessile dislocations were observed in thesample with higher strain rate, which may cause the higher work hardening.
CuInSe2 (CIS) thin films were electrodeposited on Mo-coated glass substrates in acidic solutionscontaining Cu2+, In3+, and Se4+ ions, depending on deposition parameters such as deposition potential (-0.4 to-0.8V[SCE]) and pH (1.7 to 1.9). The influences of PH and deposition potential on the atomic composition ofCu, In, and Se in the deposited films were observed. The best chemical composition, approaching 1:1:2 atomicratio for the elements, was achieved at -0.5V (SCE) and pH 1.8. The as-deposited films showed low crystallinityand were annealed at 300 to 500oC for 30 min to improve crystallization. The surface morphologies,microstructures, and crystallographic structures of the annealed films as well as the as-deposited films wereanalyzed with AFM, SEM, and XRD. The defects of spherical particles appeared on the surfaces of CIS thinfilms in the as-deposited state and decreased in size and number with increasing annealing temperatures.Additionally, the crystallization to chalcopyrite structure and surface roughness (Ra) of the as-deposited thinfilms were improved with the annealing process.
The current study examined Ag migration from the Ag paste bump in the SABiT technology-applied PCB. A series of experiments were performed to measure the existence/non-existence of Ag in the insulating prepreg region. The average grain size of Ag paste was 30 nm according to X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement. Conventional XRD showed limitations in finding a small amount of Ag in the prepreg region. The surface morphology and cross section view in the Cu line-Ag paste bump-Cu line structure were observed using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The amount of Ag as a function of distance from the edge of Ag paste bump was obtained by FE-SEM with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). We used an electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA) to improve the detecting resolution of Ag content and achieved the Ag distribution function as a function of the distance from the edge of the Ag paste bump. The same method with EPMA was applied for Cu filled via instead of Ag paste bump. We compared the distribution function of Ag and Cu, obtained from EPMA, and concluded that there was no considerable Ag migration effect for the SABiT technology-applied printed circuit board (PCB).
Si nanowire/multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposite arrays were synthesized. Vertically aligned Si nanowire arrays were fabricated by Ag nanodendrite-assisted wet chemical etching of n-type wafers using HF/AgNO3 solution. The composite structure was synthesized by formation of a sheath of carbon multilayers on a Si nanowire template surface through a thermal CVD process under various conditions. The results of Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microcopy demonstrate that the obtained nanocomposite has a Si nanowire core/carbon nanotube shell structure. The remarkable feature of the proposed method is that the vertically aligned Si nanowire was encapsulated with a multiwalled carbon nanotube without metal catalysts, which is important for nanodevice fabrication. It can be expected that the introduction of Si nanowires into multiwalled carbon nanotubes may significantly alter their electronic and mechanical properties, and may even result in some unexpected material properties. The proposed method possesses great potential for fabricating other semiconductor/CNT nanocomposites.
Methylene blue (MB) was degraded by TiO2 and ZnO deposited on an activated carbon fiber (ACF) surface under UV light. The ACF/TiO2 and ACF/ZnO composites were characterized by BET, SEM, XRD, and EDX. The BET surface area was related to the adsorption capacity for composites. The SEM results showed that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are distributed on the ACF surface. The XRD results showed that the ACF/TiO2 and ACF/ZnO composites contained a unique anatase structure for TiO2 and a typical hexagonal phase for ZnO respectively. These EDX spectra showed the presence of peaks of Ti element on ACF/TiO2 composite and peaks of Zn element on the ACF/ZnO composite. The blank experiments for either illuminating the MB solution or the suspension containing ACF/TiO2 or ACF/ZnO in the dark showed that both illumination and the catalyst were necessary for the mineralization of organic dye. Additionally, the ACF/TiO2 composites proved to be efficient photocatalysts due to degradation of MB at higher reaction rates. The addition of an oxidant ([NH4]2S2O8) led to an increase of the degradation rate of MB for ACF/TiO2 and ACF/ZnO composites.
Creep tests were conducted under a condition of constant stress on two aluminum-based alloys containing particles: Al-5% Mg-0.25% Fe and Al-5% Zn-0.22% Fe. The role of grain boundary sliding was examined in the plane of the surface using a square grid printed on the surface by carbon deposition and perpendicular to the surface using two-beam interferometry. Estimates of the contribution of grain boundary sliding to the total strain, εgbs/εt reveal two trends; (i) the sliding contribution is consistently higher in the Al-Mg-Fe alloy, and (ii) the sliding contribution is essentially independent of strain in the Al-Mg-Fe alloy, but it shows a significant decrease with increasing strain in the Al-Zn-Fe alloy. Sliding is inhibited by the presence of particles and its contributions to the total strain are low. This inhibition is attributed to the interaction between the grain boundary dislocations responsible for sliding and particles in the boundaries.
Phosphorus exhibits considerable segregation in steelmaking slag. In order to recover phosphorus from slag to K3PO4 via molten iron, a carbothermic reaction using microwave heating was suggested recently. The carbothermic reduction of phosphorus from slag to molten iron using microwave heating was carried out at 2073K. However, at this temperature the thermodynamic properties of both slag and molten iron cannot be determined experimentally. Therefore, the computational approach of the so-called CALPHAD method is very useful to understand the transfer of phosphorus from slag to metal and to enhance this reaction. In the present investigation, a theoretical study of the reduction behavior of phosphorus in slag was carried out at much lower temperatures using the recently developed thermodynamic database in the FactSage program. The calculated results showed reasonable accordance with the experimental data; namely, the thermodynamic database could be applied successfully to higher temperature reactions. The current study found that higher temperature and high SiO2 concentration are favorable for the recovery of phosphorus from slag.
Various thicknesses of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films were deposited on glass substrate using pulsed dcmagnetron sputtering with a cylindrical target designed for large-area high-speed deposition. The structural,electrical, and optical properties of the films of various thicknesses were characterized. All deposited AZO filmshave (0002) preferred orientation with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. Crystal quality and surfacemorphology of the films changed according to the film thickness. The samples with higher surface roughnessexhibited lower Hall mobility. Analysis of the measured data of the optical band gap and the carrierconcentration revealed that there were no changes for all the film thicknesses. The optical transmittances weremore than 85% regardless of film thickness within the visible wavelength region. The lowest resistivity,4.13×10-4Ω·cm-1, was found in 750nm films with an electron mobility (µ) of 10.6cm2V-1s-1 and a carrierconcentration (n) of 1.42×1021cm-3.