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At least 163 records · Page 9

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NASA NTRS1977

Superconductivity in sputtered CuMO6S8

Samples were prepared by melting the metals, followed by annealing to various temperatures. The result was a structurally weak material. Sputtered films on sapphire substrates were prepared and studied. The substrates give the films mechanical strength and permit easy attachment of electrical leads. Materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, electrical resistance vs. temperature, and critical current measurements. Some of the results on CuMo6S8 are presented.

Alterovitz, S.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Analysis of ablation debris from natural and artificial iron meteorites

Artificial ablation studies were performed on iron and nickel-iron samples using an arc-heated plasma of ionized air. Experiment conditions simulated a meteoroid traveling about 12 km/sec at an altitude of 70 km. The artificially produced fusion crusts and ablation debris show features very similar to natural fusion crusts of the iron meteorites Boguslavka, Norfork, and N'Kandhla and to magnetic spherules recovered from Mn nodules. X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe, optical, and scanning electron microscope analyses reveal that important mineralogical, elemental, and textural changes occur during ablation. Some metal is melted and ablated. The outer margin of the melted rind is oxidized and recrystallizes as a discontinuous crust of magnetite and wustite. Adjacent to the oxidized metallic ablation zone is an unoxidized metallic ablation zone in which structures such as Widmannstatten bands are obliterated as the metal is transformed to unequilibrated alpha 2 nickel-iron. Volatile elements are vaporized and less volatile elements undergo fractionation.

Blanchard, M. B.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Adsorption of oxygen on W/100/ - Adsorption kinetics and structure

The adsorption of oxygen on W(100) single-crystal surfaces is studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), flash desorption, low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and retarding-field work-function measurements. The AES results reveal stepwise changes in the sticking coefficients in the coverage range 0 to 1 and activated adsorption at higher coverages. Upon room-temperature adsorption, a series of complex LEED patterns is observed. In layers adsorbed at 1050 K and cooled to room temperature, the p(2 x 1) structure is the first ordered structure observed. This structure shows a reversible order-disorder transition between 700 and 1000 K and is characterized by a work function which is lower than that of the clean surface. Heating room-temperature adsorbates changes their structure irreversibly. At temperatures below 750 K, some new structures are observed.

Bauer, E.↗

NASA NTRS1976

76535 - Thermal history deduced from pyroxene precipitation in anorthite

Plagioclase in the slowly cooled lunar troctolite 76535 contains abundant rows of inclusions shown by transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and X-ray energy analysis to consist mainly of augite, pigeonite, orthopyroxene, pores, and an unidentified phase which is preferentially thinned out during sample preparation. A minor inclusion is Ni-Fe metal. The pyroxenes are interpreted to have exsolved from plagioclase in the solid state.

Nord, G. L., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Thermal degradation of the tensile strength of unidirectional boron/aluminum composites

The variation of ultimate tensile strength with thermal treatment of B-Al composite materials and of boron fibers chemically removed from these composites is studied systematically in an attempt to determine the mechanism of the resulting strength degradation. The results indicate that thermally cycling of B-Al represents a more severe condition than equivalent time at temperature. Degradation of composite tensile strength from about 1.3 GN/sq m to as low as 0.34 GN/sq m was observed after 3000 cycles to 420 C for 203-micron B-1100 Al composite. In general, the 1100 Al-matrix composites degraded somewhat more than the 6061 matrix material studied. Measurement of fiber strengths confirmed a composite strength loss due to the degradation of fiber strength. Microscopy indicated a highly flawed fiber surface. On the basis of various thermal-cycling studies and electron diffraction analysis, a mechanism is favored in which B reacts with Al, freshly exposed by cold working during cycling, to form AlB2. The nonuniform interface reaction leads to a highly flawed and weakened B fiber.

Grimes, H. H.↗

NASA NTRS1977

The adsorption and early stages of condensation of Ag and Au on W single-crystal surfaces

Silver and gold were evaporated up to several monolayers in thickness onto W single-crystal surfaces of the 110 and 100 plane types in the temperature range between 300 and 1300 K. The mode of growth and the structure of the layers were studied by Auger electron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction. The results are compared with thermal desorption spectroscopy data and work-function change measurements. They show certain similarities but also some striking differences between the two systems Ag/W and Au/W as well as a strong crystallographic anisotropy of adsorption and condensation.

Bauer, E.↗

NASA NTRS1978

The co-adsorption of copper and oxygen on a tungsten 100 plane-type surface

The coadsorption of Cu on O2 and a W 100 plane-type surface is studied by Auger electron spectroscopy, thermal desorption, low energy electron diffraction and by work function change measurements. It is shown that the presence of Cu on the surface initially decreases the sticking coefficient of O2. For longer oxygen exposures and for higher adsorption temperatures, the coverage of preadsorbed oxygen reaches values larger than those on the clean surface for the same O2 exposure. Except at the highest values and temperatures of the coverage of preadsorbed oxygen, the sticking coefficient for copper is unity and is independent of the oxygen coverage in the range studied. Coadsorption at room temperatures does not produce any long range order while coadsorption at elevated temperature leads to ordered structures. The saturation coverage of the two dimensional coadsorbate at 800 K is given by a relation. The work function is a complicated function of the coverage of preadsorbed oxygen and the coverage of preadsorbed Cu and is determined predominantly by the temperature at which oxygen is adsorbed. At high temperatures the sequence of adsorption has no influence, in contrast to the room temperature behavior.

Bauer, E.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Airborne particle monitoring by electrostatic precipitation

For qualitative analysis of atmospheric particulates by microscopy, the sampling device should preserve the particles in the state existing at the moment of capture. A collector is described that uses electrostatic precipitation to capture and disperse specimens on various substrates for direct insertion into microscopes. Sampling runs in various atmospheres are described. Micrographs are presented to show particle morphology and distribution on the substrates. Chemical identification by X-ray energy probe and electron diffraction is illustrated.

Robinson, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1979

The study of 'microsurfaces' using thermal desorption spectroscopy

The use of a newly combined ultrahigh vacuum technique for studying continuous and particulate evaporated thin films using thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and transmission electron diffraction (TED) is discussed. It is shown that (1) CO thermal desorption energies of epitaxially deposited (111) Ni and (111) Pd surfaces agree perfectly with previously published data on bulk (111) single crystal, (2) contamination and surface structural differences can be detected using TDS as a surface probe and TEM as a complementary technique, and (3) CO desorption signals from deposited metal coverages of one-thousandth of a monolayer should be detectable. These results indicate that the chemisorption properties of supported 'microsurfaces' of metals can now be investigated with very high sensitivity. The combined use of TDS and TEM-TED experimental methods is a very powerful technique for fundamental studies in basic thin film physics and in catalysis.

Thomas, M. E.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Carbynes - Carriers of primordial noble gases in meteorites

Five carbynes (triply bonded allotropes of carbon) have been found by electron diffraction in the Allende and Murchison carbonaceous chondrites: carbon VI, VIII, X, XI, and (tentatively) XII. From the isotopic composition of the associated noble-gas components, it appears that the carbynes in Allende (C3V chondrite) are local condensates from the solar nebula, whereas at least two carbynes in Murchison (C2 chondrite) are of exotic, presolar origin. They may be dust grains that condensed in stellar envelopes and trapped isotropically anomalous matter from stellar nucleosynthesis.

Whittaker, A. G.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Ordered mixed-layer structures in the Mighei carbonaceous chondrite matrix

High resolution transmission electron microscopy of the Mighei carbonaceous chondrite matrix has revealed the presence of a new mixed layer structure material. This mixed-layer material consists of an ordered arrangement of serpentine-type (S) and brucite-type (B) layers in the sequence SBBSBB. Electron diffraction and imaging techniques show that the basal periodicity is approximately 17 A. Discrete crystals of SBB-type material are typically curved, of small size (less than 1 micron) and show structural variations similar to the serpentine group minerals. Mixed-layer material also occurs in association with planar serpentine. Characteristics of SBB-type material are not consistent with known terrestrial mixed-layer clay minerals. Evidence for formation by a condensation event or by subsequent alteration of pre-existing material is not yet apparent.

Mackinnon, I. D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Carbyne forms of carbon - Do they exist

Carbynes, or polymorphs of elemental carbon first reported synthesized by Kasatochkin et al (1967), have generally been recognized by their characteristic hexagonal electron diffraction pattern. It is pointed out, however, that sheet silicate minerals give rise to hexagonal diffraction patterns with a similar range of interplanar spacings. A reexamination of reported occurrences of carbynes, including chaoite, by means of TEM shows that nontronite and quartz contaminants could account for most of the cases previously attributed to chaoite. It is recommended that in future searches for carbyne, energy-dispersive X-ray analyses should be conducted to verify the chemistry of individual, carbyne-candidate grains.

Smith, P. P. K.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Microhardness studies on thin carbon films grown on P-type, (100) silicon

A program to grow thin carbon films and investigate their physical and electrical properties is described. Characteristics of films grown by rf sputtering and vacuum arc deposition on p type, (100) silicon wafers are presented. Microhardness data were obtained from both the films and the silicon via the Vickers diamond indentation technique. These data show that the films are always harder than the silicon, even when the films are thin (of the order of 1000 A). Vacuum arc films were found to contain black carbon inclusions of the order of a few microns in size, and clusters of inclusions of the order of tens of microns. Transmission electron diffraction showed that the films being studied were amorphous in structure.

Kolecki, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Drastic reduction of adsorption of CO and H2 on (111)-type Pd layers

Clean surfaces of (111)-type Pd layers, grown from the vapor phase on Mo(110) at room temperature, were used to study the adsorption of CO and H2 by temperature-programmed desorption, Auger electron spectroscopy, and low-energy electron diffraction. Mild annealing of the as-grown layers during a single desorption cycle (to about 600 K) drastically reduces the adsorption for both adsorbates. Low-dose argon-ion bombardment introduces surface imperfections which restore a high adsorption probability. The results are interpreted in terms of particular (111)-type surface structures that persist tp layer thicknesses of about four monolayers; the results raise questions with respect to the surface structure of supported thin epitaxial islands and particles of Pd and possibly also with respect to conventional methods of preparing bulk surfaces of Pd for adsorption studies.

Poppa, H.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Enhanced adhesion from high energy ion irradiation

It has been found that the adhesion of thin metal films on insulators, semiconductors, and metals could be improved by subjecting the material to a high-energy ion bombardment. Griffith et al. (1982) have first suggested a use of this technique with insulators. The present investigation has the objective to determine the mechanism for the adhesion enhancement. A description is presented of a preliminary transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of thinned bonded samples of silver on silicon using electron diffraction. It is found that irradiation of a variety of thin film-substrate combinations by heavy ion beams will provide a remarkable improvement in the adherence of the film. The evidence for the mechanism involved in the enhancement of adhesion is discussed.

Werner, B. T.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Micas in experimentally shocked gneiss

Powder-propellant guns are used to shock biotites and muscovites from a gneiss at pressures between 18 and 70 GPa. It is shown that shock in biotite and muscovite can produce homogeneous and devolatilized glasses within microseconds. Shock-deformed micas are found to exhibit fracturing, kinking, and complex extinction patterns over the entire pressure range investigated. Localized melting of micas commences at 33 GPa and reaches completion at 70 GPa. Even though melted biotite and muscovite are opaque optically, they exhibit extensive microvesiculation and flow when observed with the SEM. It is confirmed through electron diffraction that biotite and muscovite have transformed to a glass. The distribution of vesicles in shock-vitrified mica reveals escape of volatiles within the short duration of the shock experiment. It is noted that experimentally shocked biotite and muscovite undergo congruent melting. It is noted that the compositions of the glasses are similar to the unshocked micas except for volatiles (H2O loss and and K loss). These unusual glasses produced from mica can be quenched by rapid cooling conditions during the shock experiment. On the basis of the results, it is pointed out that the extremely low H2O content of tektites can be reconciled with a terrestrial origin by impact.

Lambert, P.↗

NASA NTRS1984

The atomic geometries of GaP(110) and ZnS(110) revisited - A structural ambiguity and its resolution

The atomic geometries of GaP(110) and ZnS(110) are reexamined using the R-factor minimization procedure, developed for GaAs(110) and previously applied to GaSb(110), ZnTe(110), InAs(110), and AlP(110), to analyze experimental elastic low-energy electron diffraction intensities. Unlike most of the earlier cases, both GaP(110) and ZnS(110) exhibit two distinct minimum-Rx structures which cannot be distinguished by analysis of the shapes of the intensity profiles alone. One region of best-fit structures exhibits top-layer displacements normal to the surface characterized by a small bond-length-conserving, top-layer rotation (omega aproximately 2-3 deg), a small relaxation of the top layer away from the surface, and a 10 percent expansion of the top-layer bond length. The other region of best-fit structures is the conventional one: nearly bond-length-conserving rotations of omega = 26-28 deg in the top layer and a small (approximately 0.1 A) contraction of the uppermost layer spacing. This ambiguity may be removed, however, by consideration of the integrated beam intensities. The conventional region of structural parameters provides a decisively better description of the relative magnitudes of the integrated beam intensities and hence is the preferred structure.

Duke, C. B.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Oxidation of silicon nitride sintered with rare-earth oxide additions

The effects of rare-earth oxide additions on the oxidation of sintered Si3N4 were examined. Insignificant oxidation occurred at 700 and 1000 C, with no evidence of phase instability. At 1370 C, the oxidation rate was lowest for Y2O3 and increased for additions of La2O3, Sm2O3, and CeO2, in that order. Data obtained from X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, and scanning electron microscopy indicate that oxidation occurs via diffusion of cationic species from Si3N4 grain boundaries.

Mieskowski, D. M.↗