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At least 37 records · Page 2

Electronic materials high-T(sub c) superconductivity polymers and composites structural materials surface science and catalysts industry participation

The fifth year of the Center for Advanced Materials was marked primarily by the significant scientific accomplishments of the research programs. The Electronics Materials program continued its work on the growth and characterization of gallium arsenide crystals, and the development of theories to understand the nature and distribution of defects in the crystals. The High Tc Superconductivity Program continued to make significant contributions to the field in theoretical and experimental work on both bulk materials and thin films and devices. The Ceramic Processing group developed a new technique for cladding YBCO superconductors for high current applications in work with the Electric Power Research Institute. The Polymers and Composites program published a number of important studies involving atomistic simulations of polymer surfaces with excellent correlations to experimental results. The new Enzymatic Synthesis of Materials project produced its first fluorinated polymers and successfully began engineering enzymes designed for materials synthesis. The structural Materials Program continued work on novel alloys, development of processing methods for advanced ceramics, and characterization of mechanical properties of these materials, including the newly documented characterization of cyclic fatigue crack propagation behavior in toughened ceramics. Finally, the Surface Science and Catalysis program made significant contributions to the understanding of microporous catalysts and the nature of surface structures and interface compounds.

Source record↗

The effect of surface conditions on the work function of insulators and semiconductors

Ionization energies of organic semiconductors were determined using single crystals of the material. The theory of the method is essentially that of Millikan's oil drop experiment. The technique employed in the experiment is based on the electrostatic method of balancing a charged particle in an electric field against the force of gravity for different excitation energies above the threshold value, and from an estimate of the balancing voltages, read off the ionization energy from the intercept of the energy axis in a plot wavelength corresponding to the balancing potential for the incident radiation of wavelength. In the modified technique which is adopted in the present experimental investigation, a small single crystal is suspended by a fine quartz fiber between two vertical capacitor plates to which a suitable high voltage is applied.

George, A.↗

Stability of Detached Solidification

Bridgman crystal growth can be conducted in the so-called "detached" solidification regime, where the growing crystal is detached from the crucible wall. A small gap between the growing crystal and the crucible wall, of the order of 100 micrometers or less, can be maintained during the process. A meniscus is formed at the bottom of the melt between the crystal and crucible wall. Under proper conditions, growth can proceed without collapsing the meniscus. The meniscus shape plays a key role in stabilizing the process. Thermal and other process parameters can also affect the geometrical steady-state stability conditions of solidification. The dynamic stability theory of the shaped crystal growth process has been developed by Tatarchenko. It consists of finding a simplified autonomous set of differential equations for the radius, height, and possibly other process parameters. The problem then reduces to analyzing a system of first order linear differential equations for stability. Here we apply a modified version of this theory for a particular case of detached solidification. Approximate analytical formulas as well as accurate numerical values for the capillary stability coefficients are presented. They display an unexpected singularity as a function of pressure differential. A novel approach to study the thermal field effects on the crystal shape stability has been proposed. In essence, it rectifies the unphysical assumption of the model that utilizes a perturbation of the crystal radius along the axis as being instantaneous. It consists of introducing time delay effects into the mathematical description and leads, in general, to stability over a broader parameter range. We believe that this novel treatment can be advantageously implemented in stability analyses of other crystal growth techniques such as Czochralski and float zone methods.

Mazuruk, K.↗

Spectral characteristics of the iron oxides with application to the Martian bright region mineralogy

Reflectance spectra of eight polymorphs of FeOOH and Fe2O3 are determined in order to clarify the nature and significance of the iron oxide mineralogy on Mars. The effect of other components that might interfere with iron oxide absorption features is qualitatively constrained through the use of the Kebulka-Munk theory. It is found that the effect of temperature complicates the identification of a given Fe(3+) phase based on the position of the 6A1-4T1 absorption feature. While the Fe(3+) crystal field transitions are spin forbidden, most of the iron oxide polymorphs exhibit anomalously intense crystal field absorption features due to magnetic coupling between adjacent FeO6 octahedra. It is suggested that the resulting deviations from observed remotely sensed reflectance spectra of Mars may provide a basis for the exclusion of many iron oxide phases as significant components of the Martian Fe(3+) mineralogy. A comparison of these results with the visible region spectra of Martian bright regions indicates that the predominant Fe(3+)-bearing phase may be a magnetically disordered material, such as amorphous gels, some ferric sulphates, and other minerals in which Fe(3+) ions in the crystal structure are not magnetically coupled.

Sherman, D. M.↗

Chemistry of electronic ceramic materials. Proceedings of the International Conference on the Chemistry of Electronic Ceramic Materials

The conference was held at Jackson Hole, Wyoming from August 17 to 22, 1990, and in an attempt to maximize the development of this rapidly moving, multidisciplinary field, this conference brought together major national and international researchers to bridge the gap between those primarily interested in the pure chemistry of inorganic solids and those interested in the physical and electronic properties of ceramics. With the many major discoveries that have occurred over the last decade, one of the goals of this meeting was to evaluate the current understanding of the chemistry of electronic ceramic materials, and to assess the state of a field that has become one of the most important areas of advanced materials research. The topics covered include: crystal chemistry; dielectric ceramics; low temperature synthesis and characterization; solid state synthesis and characterization; surface chemistry; superconductors; theory and modeling.

Davies, P. K.↗

Study of liquid-solid transition for materials processing in space. Analysis of field effects on dense liquid materials

The behavior of dense liquids near the solidification point under the influence of magnetic fields or near-zero gravity conditions were analyzed within the framework of existing liquid state models and classical field theory. The dynamic body forces which are an effect of the magnetic field on liquids are discussed. It is concluded that both magnetic fields and low gravity conditions produce an increase in the diffusion coefficient which result in an increased growth rate of crystals, and time varying magnetic fields induce eddy currents in the liquid which produce body forces and tend to disrupt convection.

Miller, R. I.↗

Free dendritic growth

Free dendritic growth refers to the unconstrained development of crystals within a supercooled melt, which is the classical 'dendrite problem'. Great strides have been taken in recent years in both the theoretical understanding of dendritic growth and its experimental status. The development of this field will be sketched, showing that transport theory and interfacial thermodynamics (capillarity theory) were sufficient ingredients to develop a truly predictive model of dendrite formation. The convenient, but incorrect, notion of 'maximum velocity' was used for many years to estimate the behavior of dendritic transformations until supplanted by modern dynamic stability theory. The proper combinations of transport theory and morphological stability seem to able to predict the salient aspects of dendritic growth, especially in the neighborhood of the tip. The overall development of cast microstructures, such as equiaxed zone formation, rapidly solidified microstructures, etc., also seems to contain additional non-deterministic features which lie outside the current theories discussed here.

Glicksman, M. E.↗

Segregation and Phase Transformations Along Superlattice Intrinsic Stacking Faults in Ni-Based Superalloys

In this study, local chemical and structural changes along superlattice intrinsic stacking faults combine to represent an atomic-scale phase transformation. In order to elicit stacking fault shear, creep tests of two different single crystal Ni-base superalloys, ME501 and CMSX-4, were performed near 750 degrees Centigrade using stresses of 552 megapascals and 750 megapascals, respectively. Through high resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) and state-of-the-art energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, ordered compositional changes were measured along SISFs (Superlattice Intrinsic Stacking Faults) in both alloys. For both instances, the elemental segregation and local crystal structure present along the SISFs are consistent with a nanoscale to D019 (ordering of a hexagonal close-packed crystal) phase transformation. Another notable observation is prominent Cr- and Co-rich Cottrell atmospheres and new evidence of more complex reordering processes responsible for the formation of these faults. These findings are further supported using density functional theory calculations and High Angle Annular Dark Field (HAADF) STEM image simulations.

STEM-EDS↗

Experimental evidence of a dimensional crossover in Y1Ba2Cu3O(7-delta)

High-resolution torque-magnetometry data have been obtained on an untwinned single crystal of Y1Ba2Cu3O(7-delta) in the temperature range 63-88 K (Tc = 90.5 K). At T = 80 K and above, the data are fitted extremely well with the accepted three-dimensional phenomenological theory, but below this temperature an anomalous torque develops when the magnetic field lies close to the Cu-O planes. The qualitative and quantitative features of these results provide strong evidence that breakdown of the three-dimensional description below 80 K is associated with a crossover to two-dimensional superconducting behavior.

Farrell, D. E.↗

Precise measurement of charged defects in III-V compounds (supplement 2)

Experimental methods and related theory which will permit the measurement of low concentrations of vacancies and other defects in III-V compound semiconductors are discussed. Once the nature of these defects has been determined, this information can be incorporated into a transport theory for devices constructed from these materials, and experiments conducted to test the theory. The vacancies and other defects in the III-V compounds are detected by measurement of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) line width. Most of the III-V compounds have at least one isotope with a nuclear quadrupole moment. In a crystal with a cubic crystal field (characteristic of most III-V compounds) there is no quadrupole splitting of the Zeeman resonance line. However, a defect removes the cubic symmetry locally and causes splitting which result in a change of the NMR width. This change can be used to detect the presence of vacancies.

Soest, J. F.↗

Linear-stability theory of thermocapillary convection in a model of float-zone crystal growth

Linear-stability theory has been applied to a basic state of thermocapillary convection in a model half-zone to determine values of the Marangoni number above which instability is guaranteed. The basic state must be determined numerically since the half-zone is of finite, O(1) aspect ratio with two-dimensional flow and temperature fields. This, in turn, means that the governing equations for disturbance quantities will remain partial differential equations. The disturbance equations are treated by a staggered-grid discretization scheme. Results are presented for a variety of parameters of interest in the problem, including both terrestrial and microgravity cases.

Neitzel, G. P.↗

Comparative study of flux pinning flux creep and critical currents between YBaCuO crystals with and without Y2BaCuO5 inclusions

In the Y-Ba-Cu-O system YBa2Cu3Ox phase is produced by the following peritectic reaction: Y2BaCuO5 + liquid yields 2YBa2Cu3Ox. Through the control of processing conditions and starting compositions it becomes possible to fabricate large crystals containing fine Y2BaCuO5(211) inclusions. Such crystals exhibit Jc values exceeding 10000 A/sq cm at 77 K and 1T. Recently, researchers developed a novel process which can control the volume fraction of 211 inclusions. Elimination of 211 inclusions is also possible. In this study, researchers prepared YBaCuO crystals with and without 211 inclusions using the novel process and compared flux pinning, flux creep and critical currents. Magnetic field dependence of Jc for YBaCuO crystals with and without 211 inclusions is shown. It is clear that fine 211 inclusions can contribute to flux pinning. It was also found that flux creep rate could be reduced by increasing flux pinning force. Critical current density estimates based on the conventional flux pinning theory were in good agreement with experimental results.

Murakami, Masato↗

Comparative study of flux pinning, creep and critical currents between YBaCuO crystals with and without Y2BaCuO5 inclusions

In the Y-Ba-Cu-O system, YBa2Cu3O(x) phase is produced by the following peritectic reaction: Y2BaCuO5 + liquid yields 2YBa2Cu3O(x). Through the control of processing conditions and starting compositions, it becomes possible to fabricate large crystals containing fine Y2BaCuO5(211) inclusions. Such crystals exhibit Jc values exceeding 10000 A/sq cm at 77 K and 1T. Recently, researchers developed a novel process which can control the volume fraction of 211 inclusions. Elimination of 211 inclusions is also possible. In this study, researchers prepared YBaCuO crystals with and without 211 inclusions using the novel process, and compared flux pinning, flux creep and critical currents. Magnetic field dependence of Jc for YBaCuO crystals with and with 211 inclusions is shown. It is clear that fine 211 inclusions can contribute to flux pinning. It was also found that flux creep rate could be reduced by increasing flux pinning force. Critical current density estimates based on the conventional flux pinning theory were in good agreement with experimental results.

Murakami, Masato↗

Characterization on defect solids

The purpose of this research has been to develop new semi-empirical techniques to describe ceramics, alloys, and metal/ceramic interfaces with applications in mind that support the materials aspects of the high speed civil transport program (HSCT). HSCT requires methods that aid in the design of alloys and ceramics for new high strength, high temperature applications. Current theoretical methods are not capable of carrying out this mission. Hence, new accurate and more efficient theoretical techniques are needed to facilitate the design of new materials and the examination of their properties. This program concentrated on modeling ceramics, but also dealt with alloy properties to a lesser degree. The primary accomplishment of this research was the development of a new equation of state (EOS) that models the energy/bond length relationship and includes terms that represent charge transfer between cations and anions. The new EOS has been used by researchers at the Naval Research Laboratory to develop a new semi-empirical method for calculating properties of ceramics and metal ceramic interfaces based on the embedded atom method. The results of the director's discretionary fund (DDF) research describing the binding energy relation was the enabling theoretical basis. Also the workers at Cleveland State and NASA Lewis have detailed an approach based on equivalent crystal theory as part of the DDF which is currently under development. In addition, initial results for using the Harris functional method have been developed. Finally, the techniques developed by us have proved useful for the study of high pressure properties of solids and have been used extensively by researchers in this field.

Schlosser, Herbert↗

The solar reflectance of a snow field

The radiative transfer equation was solved using a modified Schuster-Schwartzschild approximation to obtain an expression for the solar reflectance of a snow field. The parameters in the reflectance formula are the single scattering albedo and the fraction of energy scattered in the backward direction. The single scattering albedo is calculated from the crystal size using a geometrical optics formula and the fraction of energy scattered in the backward direction is calculated from the Mie scattering theory. Numerical results for reflectance are obtained for visible and near infrared radiation for different snow conditions. Good agreement was found with the whole spectral range. The calculation also shows the observed effect of aging on the snow reflectance.

Choudhury, B. J.↗

Asymptotic theory of steady axisymmetrical needlelike crystal growth

The present paper is concerned with the stationary needle crystal growth with arbitrary undercooling. Two classes of asymptotic solutions are discussed: (1) the regular-tip solutions, and (2) the smooth-root solutions. When the surface tension is nonzero, the regular-tip solutions may not have smooth roots. Among the regular-tip solutions, however, one can identify a 'principal regular-tip solution', which has the best behavior in the far field and is physically acceptable.

Xu, Jian-Jun↗

Prediction of dislocation generation during Bridgman growth of GaAs crystals

Dislocation densities are generated in GaAs single crystals due to the excessive thermal stresses induced by temperature variations during growth. A viscoplastic material model for GaAs, which takes into account the movement and multiplication of dislocations in the plastic deformation, is developed according to Haasen's theory. The dislocation density is expressed as an internal state variable in this dynamic viscoplastic model. The deformation process is a nonlinear function of stress, strain rate, dislocation density and temperature. The dislocation density in the GaAs crystal during vertical Bridgman growth is calculated using a nonlinear finite element model. The dislocation multiplication in GaAs crystals for several temperature fields obtained from thermal modeling of both the GTE GaAs experimental data and artificially designed data are investigated.

Tsai, C. T.↗