Molybdenum-tungsten (Mo-W) alloy sputtering targets are widely utilized in fields like electronics, nanotechnology, sensors, and as gate electrodes for TFT-LCDs, owing to their superior properties such as hightemperature stability, low thermal expansion coefficient, electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance. To achieve optimal performance in application, these targets’ purity, relative density, and grain size of these targets must be carefully controlled. We utilized nanopowders, prepared via the Pechini method, to obtain uniform and fine powders, then carried out spark plasma sintering (SPS) to densify these powders. Our studies revealed that the sintered compacts made from these nanopowders exhibited outstanding features, such as a high relative density of more than 99%, consistent grain size of 3.43 μm, and shape, absence of preferred orientation.

The purpose of this study is to prepare WO3 nanopowders by high-energy milling in mixture gas (7 % H2+Ar) with various milling times (10, 30, and 60 min). The phase transformation, particle size and light absorption properties of WO3 nanopowders during reduction via high-energy milling are studied. It is found that the particle size of the WO3 decreases from about 30 μm to 20 nm, and the grain size of WO3 decreases rapidly with increasing milling time. Furthermore, the surface of the particles due to the pulverization process is observed to change to an amorphous structure. UV/Vis spectrophotometry shows that WO3 powder with increasing milling times (10, 30, 60 min) effectively extends the light absorption properties to the visible region. WO3 powder changes from yellow to gray and can be seen as a phenomenon in which the progress of the color changes to blue. The characterization of WO3 is performed by high resolution X-ray diffractometry, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, UV/Vis spectrophotometry and Particle size analysis.

Recently, interest in technology for eco-friendly energy harvesting has been increasing. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is one of the most fascinating materials that has been used in energy harvesting technology as well as micro-filters by utilizing an electrostatic effect. To enhance the performance of the electrostatic effect-based nanogenerator, most studies have focused on enlarging the contact surface area of the pair of materials with different triboelectric series. For this reason, one-dimensional nanofibers have been widely used recently. In order to realize practical energy-harvesting applications, PVDF nanofibers are modified by enlarging their contact surface area, modulating the microstructure of the surface, and maximizing the fraction of the β-phase by incorporating additives or forming composites with inorganic nanoparticles. Among them, nanocomposite structures incorporating various nanoparticles have been widely investigated to increase the β-phase through strong hydrogen bonding or ion-dipole interactions with -CF2/CH2- of PVDF as well as to enhance the mechanical strength. In this study, we report the recent advances in the nanocomposite structure of PVDF nanofibers and inorganic nanopowders.

The gas sensor is essential to monitoring dangerous gases in our environment. Metal oxide (MO) gas sensors are primarily utilized for flammable, toxic and organic gases and O3 because of their high sensitivity, high response and high stability. Tungsten oxides (WO3) have versatile applications, particularly for gas sensor applications because of the wide bandgap and stability of WO3. Nanosize WO3 are synthesized using the hydrothermal method. Asprepared WO3 nanopowders are in the form of nanorods and nanorulers. The crystal structure is hexagonal tungsten bronze (MxWO3, x =< 0.33), characterized as a tunnel structure that accommodates alkali ions and the phase stabilizer. A gas detection test reveals that WO3 can detect acetone, butanol, ethanol, and gasoline. This is the first study to report this capability of WO3.

In the present work, we synthesize nano-sized ZnO, SnO2, and TiO2 powders by hydrothermal reaction using metal chlorides. We also examine the energy-storage characteristics of the resulting materials to evaluate the potential application of these powders to dye-sensitized solar cells. The control of processing parameters such as pressure, temperature, and the concentration of aqueous solution results in the formation of a variety of powder morphologies with different sizes. Nano-rod, nano-flower, and spherical powders are easily formed with the present method. Heat treatment after the hydrothermal reaction usually increases the size of the powder. At temperatures above 1000oC, a complete collapse of the shape occurs. With regard to the capacity of DSSC materials, the hydrothermally synthesized TiO2 results in the highest current density of 9.1 mA/cm² among the examined oxides. This is attributed to the fine particle size and morphology with large specific surface area.

F-containing TiO2 nanopowders are synthesized using simple wet processes (precipitation-based and hydrothermal) from ammonium hexafluorotitanate (AHFT, (NH4)2TiF6) as a precursor to apply as a photocatalyst for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). The surface properties of the prepared samples are evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results confirm that the synthesized anatase TiO2 has sphere-like shapes, with numerous small nanoparticles containing fluorine on the surface. The photocatalytic activity of F-containing TiO2 compared with F-free TiO2 is characterized by measuring the degradation of RhB using a xenon lamp. The photocatalytic degradation of F-containing TiO2 exhibits improved photocatalytic activity, based on the positive effects of adsorbed F ions on the surface.

Molybdenum (Mo) is one of the representative refractory metals for its high melting point, superior thermal conductivity, low density and low thermal expansion coefficient. However, due to its high melting point, it is necessary for Mo products to be fabricated at a high sintering temperature of over 1800-2000 oC. Because this process is expensive and inefficient, studies to improve sintering property of Mo have been researched actively. In this study, we fabricated Mo nanopowders to lower the sintering temperature of Mo and tried to consolidate the Mo nanopowders through ultra high pressure compaction. We first fabricated Mo nanopowders by a mechano-chemical process to increase the specific surface area of the Mo powders. This process includes a high-energy ball milling step and a reduction step in a hydrogen atmosphere. We compacted the Mo nanopowders with ultra high pressure by magnetic pulsed compaction (MPC) before pressureless sintering. Through this process, we were able to improve the green density of the Mo compacts by more than 20% and fabricate a high density Mo sintered body with more than a 95 % sintered density at relatively low temperature.

Ni wires with a diameter and length of 0.4 and 100 mm, respectively, and a purity of 99.9% are electrically exploded at 25 cycles per minute. The Ni nanopowders are successfully synthesized by a pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method, in which Ar gas is used as the ambient gas. The characterization of the nanopowders is carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a high-resolution transmission electronmicroscope (HRTEM). The Ni nanopowders are classified for a multilayer ceramic condenser (MLCC) application using a type two Air-Centrifugal classifier (model: CNI, MP-250). The characterization of the classified Ni nanopowders are carried out using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and particle size analysis (PSA) to observe the distribution and minimum classification point (minimum cutting point) of the nanopowders.

In this study, 5 um sized ZrSiO4 was ground to 1.9 um, 0.3 um, and 0.1 um sized powders by wet high energy milling process, and the sintering characteristics were observed. Pure ZrSiO4 itself can-not be sintered to these levels of theoretical density, but it was possible to sinter ZrSiO4 powder of nano-scale size of, −0.1 um to the theoretical density and to lower the sintering temperature for full density. Also, the decomposition of ZrSiO4 with a size in the micron range resulted in the formation of monoclinic ZrO2; however, in the nano sized range, the decomposition resulted in the tetragonal phase of ZrO2. So, it was possible to improve the sintering characteristics of nano-sized ZrSiO4 powders.

Using reverse micelle processing, ZnAl2O4 nanopowders were synthesized from a mixed precursor(consisting of Zn(NO3)2 and Al(NO3)3). The ZnAl2O4 was prepared by mixing the aqueous solution at a molar ratio of Zn : Al = 1 : 2. The average size and distribution of the synthesized powders with heat treatment at 600 oC for 2 h were in the range of 10-20 nm and narrow, respectively. The average size of the synthesized powders increased with increasing water to surfactant molar ratio. The XRD diffraction patterns show that the phase of ZnAl2O4 was spinel(JCPDS No. 05-0669). The synthesized and calcined powders were characterized using a thermogravimetric - differential scanning calorimeter(TG-DSC), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM). The effects of the synthesis parameter, such as the molar ratio of water to surfactant, are discussed.

Flake-like LiCoO2 nanopowders were fabricated using electrospinning. To investigate their formation mech-anism, field-emssion scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were carriedout. Among various parameters of electrospinning, we controlled the molar concentration of the precursor and the PVPpolymer. When the molar concentration of lithium and cobalt was 0.45 M, the morphology of LiCoO2 nanopowders wasirregular and round. For 1.27 M molar concentration, the LiCoO2 nanopowders formed with flake-like morphology. Forthe PVP polymer, the molar concentration was set to 0.011 mM, 0.026 mM, and 0.043 mM. Irregular LiCoO2 nanop-owders were formed at low concentration (0.011 mM), while flake-like LiCoO2 were formed at high concentration(0.026 mM and 0.043 mM). Thus, optimized molar concentration of the precursor and the PVP polymer may be relatedto the successful formation of flake-like LiCoO2 nanopowders. As a results, the synthesized LiCoO2 nanopowder can beused as the electrode material of Li-ion batteries.

In this study, the synthesis of nickel nanoparticles and copper nanospheres for the potential applications of MLCC electrode materials has been studied by plasma arc evaporation method. The change in the broad distribution of the size of nickel and copper nanopowders is successfully controlled by manifesting proper mixture of gas ambiance for plasma generation in the size range of 20 to 200 nm in diameter. The factors affecting the mean diameter of the nanopowder was studied by changing the composition of reactive gases, indicating that nitrogen enhances the formation of larger particles compared to hydrogen gas. The morphologies and particle sizes of the metal nanoparticles were observed by SEM, and ultrathin oxide layers on the powder surface generated during passivation step have been confirmed using TEM. The metallic FCC structure of the nanoparticles was confirmed using powder X-ray diffraction method.

Pure zirconia and x mol% calcia partially stabilized zirconia (x = 1.5, 3, and 8) nanopowders were synthesized by hydrothermal method with various reaction temperatures for 24 hrs. The precipitated precursor of pure zirconia and x mol% calcia doped zirconia was prepared by adding NH4OH to starting solutions; resulting sample was then put into an autoclave reactor. The optimal experimental conditions, such as reaction temperatures and times and amounts of stabilizer CaO, were carefully studied. The synthesized ZrO2 and x mol% CaO-ZrO2 (x = 1.5, 3, and 8) powders were characterized by XRD, SEM, TG-DTA, and Raman spectroscopy. When the hydrothermal temperature was as low as 160˚C, pure ZrO2 and x mol% CaO-ZrO2 (x = 1.5 and 3) powders were identified as a mixture of monoclinic and tetragonal phases. However, a stable tetragonal phase of zirconia was observed in the 8 mol% calcia doped zirconia nanopowder at hydrothermal temperature above 160˚C. To observe the phase transition, the 3 mol% CaO-ZrO2 and 8 mol% CaO-ZrO2 nanopowders were heat treated from 600 to 1000˚C for 2h. The 3 mol% CaO-ZrO2 heat treated at above 1000˚C was found to undergo a complete phase transition from mixture phase to monoclinic phase. However, the 8 mol% calcia doped zirconia appeared in the stable tetragonal phase after heat treatment. The result of this study therefore should be considered as the preparation of 8 mol% CaO-ZrO2 nanopowders via the hydrothermal method.

Tungsten nanopowders were produced by the method of wires electrical explosion in the different gases. The study of phase and dispersed composition of the powders was carried out. The influence of electrical parameters such as the value of energy input in wire and the arc stage of the explosion was discussed. The factors that make for decreasing the particles size are the lower pressure of surrounding gas and the use of addition of chemically reactive gas.

The current situation of the nanopowders production technology based on the process of electrical explosion of wires is described. The advantages and disadvantages of the electroexplosive technology are indicated. The results of studies characterizing the effect of the electrical explosion conditions on the nanopowders properties are presented, including latest results: conditions of nanopowders passivation, conditions of nanopowders production having narrow size distribution, the methods of nanopowders diagnostic and standartization. In addition, the application and area of future research on this technology are proposed.

Ag spot-coated Cu nanopowders were synthesized by a hydrothermal-attachment method (HA) using oleic acid capped Ag hydrosol. Cu nano powders were synthesized by pulsed wire exploding method using 0.4 mm in diameter of Cu wire (purity 99.9%). Synthesized Cu nano powders are seen with comparatively spherical shape having range in 50 nm to 150 nm in diameter. The oleic acid capped Ag hydrosol was synthesized by the precipitation-redispersion method. Oleic acid capped Ag nano particles showed the narrow size distribution and their particle size were less than 20 nm in diameter. In the case of nano Ag-spot coated Cu powders, nanosized Ag particles were adhered in the copper surface by HAA method. The components of C, O and Ag were distributed on the surface of copper powder.

Carbon-coated Cu nanopowders with core/shell structure have been successfully fabricated by pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method, in which a mixed gas of Ar/ (10 vol.%) was used as an ambient gas. The characterization of the samples was carried out using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). It was found that the nanoparticles show a spherical morphology with the size ranging of 10-40 nm and are covered with graphite layers of 2-4 nm. When oxygen-passivated Cu nanopowders were annealed under flowing argon gas (600 and 800), the crystallinity of phase and the particle size gradually increased. On the other hand, carbon-coated Cu nanopowders remained similar to as-prepared case with no additional oxide or carbide phases even after the annealing, indicating that the metal nanoparticles are well protected by the carbon-coating layers.

The sintering behavior and mechanical property of Mo nanopowder was investigated as a function of various sintering condition. Mo oxide nanopowders were milled using a high energy ball-milling process. After the ball milling for 20h, the crystalline size of was about 20 nm. The nanopowders were reduced at the temperature of without holding time in atmosphere. The sinterability of Mo nanopowder and commercial Mo powder was investigated by dilatometric analysis. Mo nanopowder and commercial Mo powder were sintered at for 1 hand for 3 h, respectively. In both specimens the measured relative density was about 95%. But the measured hardness values were 2.34 GPa for nanopowder and 1.87 GPa for commercial powder. Probably due to finer grain size of the sintered body prepared from Mo nanopowder than that prepared using commercial Mo powder. The mean grain sizes were measured to be about 1.4 mm and 6.2 mm, respectively.

Aluminum nitride (AlN) nanopowders with low degree of agglomeration and uniform particle size were synthesized by carbothermal reduction of alumina and subsequent direct nitridization. Boehmite powder was homogeneously admixed with carbon black nanopowders by ball milling. The powder mixture was treated under ammonia atmosphere to synthesize AlN powder at lour temperature. The effect of process variables such as boehmite/carbon black powder ratio, reaction temperature and reaction time on the synthesis of AlN nanopowder was investigated.

The Ti-Ni alloy nanopowders were synthesized by a levitational gas condensation (LGC) by using a micron powder feeding system and their particulate properties were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. The starting Ti and Ni micron powders were incorporated into the micron powder feeding system. An ingot type of the Ti-Ni ahoy was used as a seed material for the levitation and evaporation reactions. The collected powders were finally passivated by oxidation. The x-ray diffraction experiments have shown that the synthesized powders were completely alloyed with Ti and Ni and comprised of two different cubic and monoclinic crystalline phases. The TEM results showed that the produced powders were very fine and uniform with a spherical particle size of 18 to 32nm. The typical thickness of a passivated oxide layer on the particle surface was about 2 to 3 nm. The specific surface area of the Ti-Ni alloy nanopowders was based on BET method.