Percolation phenomena in the stabilized cubic zirconia solid solution

ABSTRACTZirconia containing actinides in solid solution, (Zr, An)Ox, where An = U, Pu, Am, Np, Cm is considered as a starting material for the synthesis of two durable crystalline host-phases for actinide immobilization: zircon (Zr, An)SiO4 and cubic zirconia (Zr,An)O2. The use of this starting material is necessary in order to provide for total actinide incorporation into the structures of the final phases, zircon and cubic zirconia, while avoiding the presence of unincorporated actinides. Difficulties arise when the chemically inert pure oxides, ZrO2 and AnOx are used as precursor materials. Melting techniques, which are commonly used to provide solid solution of inert oxides are not acceptable for ceramic preparation, particularly the synthesis of ceramic Pufuels. This paper presents a new approach utilizing plasma calcination. Solids containing both zirconium and actinides are calcined in a plasma. This allows the use of intermediate, stabilized actinide forms, for example, co-precipitated actinide-zirconium oxalates which have a low solubility level or a solid sol-gel precursor, such as (Zr, An)SiOx.Calcination was completed using an induction plasma in an argon gas mredium. Two types of material were used: co-precipitated oxalates of Zr and Ce with 10 wt.% Ce and a solidified sol-gel (Zr, Ce)SiOx with 10 wt.% Ce. Weakly milled material with a particle size of 0.34 mm was dropped through the plasma at a speed of 40-60 grams per hour. The final product was examined by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The calcined oxalate material consisted of aggregates of globular particles (tens to hundreds of nm) of monoclinic and tetragonal (Zr,Ce)O2. The calcined sol-gel consisted of globular particles (50 to 100s nm) of monoclinic and tetragonal (or pseudo-cubic) (Zr, Ce)O2 in an amorphous silica matrix. This paper discusses the application of plasma calcination to the immobilization of excess weapons Pu and other actinides. The plasma calcination of solid materials would be used for ceramic Pu-fuel fabrication, as well as for the final disposal in geological formations.

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NiAl precipitation in Fe-12w/o Cr-5w/o Ni-4w/o Al

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010007480x ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 202-203

Author(s):

L.E. Murr ◽

J.S. Dunning ◽

S. Shankar

Keyword(s):

Solid Solution ◽

Stainless Steel ◽

Stainless Steels ◽

Alloy Composition ◽

Chromium Content ◽

Scale Up ◽

Optical Metallography ◽

Property Evaluation ◽

310 Stainless Steel ◽

Microstructural Studies

Aluminum additions to conventional 18Cr-8Ni austenitic stainless steel compositions impart excellent resistance to high sulfur environments. However, problems are typically encountered with aluminum additions above about 1% due to embrittlement caused by aluminum in solid solution and the precipitation of NiAl. Consequently, little use has been made of aluminum alloy additions to stainless steels for use in sulfur or H2S environments in the chemical industry, energy conversion or generation, and mineral processing, for example.A research program at the Albany Research Center has concentrated on the development of a wrought alloy composition with as low a chromium content as possible, with the idea of developing a low-chromium substitute for 310 stainless steel (25Cr-20Ni) which is often used in high-sulfur environments. On the basis of workability and microstructural studies involving optical metallography on 100g button ingots soaked at 700°C and air-cooled, a low-alloy composition Fe-12Cr-5Ni-4Al (in wt %) was selected for scale up and property evaluation.

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Solid Solution Effects and Deformation Micros trueture of Shock-Loaded Iron Manganese Alloys

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100069090 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 28 ◽

pp. 420-421

Author(s):

A. Christou ◽

J. V. Foltz ◽

N. Brown

Keyword(s):

Solid Solution ◽

Shock Loading ◽

High Strain ◽

Local Stress ◽

Strain Rates ◽

Local Stress Concentration ◽

Bcc Metals ◽

Manganese Alloys ◽

Iron Manganese ◽

Transmission Microscope

In general, all BCC transition metals have been observed to twin under appropriate conditions. At the present time various experimental reports of solid solution effects on BCC metals have been made. Indications are that solid solution effects are important in the formation of twins. The formation of twins in metals and alloys may be explained in terms of dislocation mechanisms. It has been suggested that twins are nucleated by the achievement of local stress-concentration of the order of 15 to 45 times the applied stress. Prietner and Leslie have found that twins in BCC metals are nucleated at intersections of (110) and (112) or (112) and (112) type of planes.In this paper, observations are reported of a transmission microscope study of the iron manganese series under conditions in which twins both were and were not formed. High strain rates produced by shock loading provided the appropriate deformation conditions. The workhardening mechanisms of one alloy (Fe - 7.37 wt% Mn) were studied in detail.

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Fine Microstructure of a Mechanically Alloyed Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Nickel-Base Superalloy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100079012 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 298-299

Author(s):

Jordi Marti ◽

Timothy E. Howson ◽

David Kratz ◽

John K. Tien

Keyword(s):

Solid Solution ◽

Volume Fraction ◽

Stress Rupture ◽

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened ◽

Solid Solution Alloy ◽

Oxide Dispersion ◽

Creep And Stress Rupture ◽

Mechanically Alloyed ◽

Fine Microstructure ◽

Nickel Base

The previous paper briefly described the fine microstructure of a mechanically alloyed oxide dispersion strengthened nickel-base solid solution. This note examines the fine microstructure of another mechanically alloyed system. This alloy differs from the one described previously in that it is more generously endowed with coherent precipitate γ forming elements A1 and Ti and it contains a higher volume fraction of the finely dispersed Y2O3 oxide. An interesting question to answer in the comparative study of the creep and stress rupture of these two ODS systems is the role of the precipitate γ' in the mechanisms of creep and stress rupture in alloys already containing oxide dispersoids.The nominal chemical composition of this alloy is Ni - 20%Cr - 2.5%Ti - 1.5% A1 - 1.3%Y203 by weight. The system receives a three stage heat treatment-- the first designed to produce a coarse grain structure similar to the solid solution alloy but with a smaller grain aspect ratio of about ten.

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The Precipitation of Si in AlCuSi Thin Films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100070618 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 34-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R. M. Anderson

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Thin Films ◽

Heat Treatment ◽

Solid Solution ◽

Integrated Circuit ◽

Copper Film ◽

Solution Concentration ◽

X Ray ◽

Silicon Thin Films ◽

Before And After

Aluminum-copper-silicon thin films have been considered as an interconnection metallurgy for integrated circuit applications. Various schemes have been proposed to incorporate small percent-ages of silicon into films that typically contain two to five percent copper. We undertook a study of the total effect of silicon on the aluminum copper film as revealed by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and ion microprobe techniques as a function of the various deposition methods.X-ray investigations noted a change in solid solution concentration as a function of Si content before and after heat-treatment. The amount of solid solution in the Al increased with heat-treatment for films with ≥2% silicon and decreased for films <2% silicon.

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Precipitation in Al + 4% Cu Epitaxial Films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100101670 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 384-385

Author(s):

S. Herd ◽

S. M. Mader

Keyword(s):

Solid Solution ◽

Bulk Material ◽

Epitaxial Films ◽

Detectable Change ◽

Cu Films ◽

Solution Treated ◽

Single Crystal Films ◽

Crystal Films ◽

Diffraction Patterns ◽

Deposited Films

Single crystal films in (001) orientation, about 1500 Å thick, were produced by R-F sputtering of Al + 4 wt % Cu onto cleaved KCl at 150°C substrate temperature. The as-deposited films contained numerous θ-CuAl2 particles (C16 structure) about 0.1μ in size. They were transferred onto Mo screens, solution treated and rapidly cooled (within about ½ min) so as to retain a homogeneous solid solution. Subsequently, the films were aged in vacuum at various temperatures in order to induce precipitation and to compare structures and morphologies of precipitate particles in Al-Cu films with those found in age hardened bulk material.Aging for 3 weeks at 60°C or 48 hrs at 100°C did not produce any detectable change in high resolution micrographs or diffraction patterns. In this range Guinier-Preston zones (GP) form in quenched bulk material. The absence of GP in the present experiments in this aging range is perhaps due to the cooling rate employed, which might be more equivalent to an aged and reverted bulk material than to a quenched one.

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AEM investigation of ZrO2 solid solution formation in ZrO2/mullite composites

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100112087 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

pp. 408-409

Author(s):

T. R. Dinger

Keyword(s):

Solid Solution ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Analytical Electron Microscopy ◽

Transformation Toughening ◽

Solid Solution Formation ◽

Solution Formation ◽

Propagating Crack ◽

Analytical Electron ◽

Microcrack Toughening ◽

Made In

Zirconia (ZrO2) is often added to ceramic compacts to increase their toughness. The mechanisms by which this toughness increase occurs are generally accepted to be those of transformation toughening and microcracking. The mechanism of transformation toughening is based on the presence of metastable tetragonal ZrO2 which transforms to the monoclinic allotrope when stressed by a propagating crack. The decrease in volume which accompanies this transformation effectively relieves the applied stress at the crack tip and toughens the material; microcrack toughening arises from the deflection of a propagating crack around sharply angular inclusions.These mechanisms, however, do not explain the toughness increases associated with the class of composites investigated here. Analytical electron microscopy (AEM) has been used to determine whether solid solution effects could be the cause of this increased toughness. Specimens of a mullite (3Al2O3·2SiO2) + 15 vol. % ZrO2 were prepared by the usual technique of mechanical thinning followed by ion beam milling. All observations were made in a Philips EM400 TEM/STEM microscope fitted with EDXS and EELS spectrometers.

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A Tem Study of Slip Systems in MoSi2/WSi2 Alloys

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100089020 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 942-943

Author(s):

Stuart A. Maloy

Keyword(s):

Solid Solution ◽

Solid Solution Hardening ◽

Slip Systems ◽

High Melting ◽

Group 14 ◽

Solution Hardening ◽

Brittle To Ductile Transition ◽

High Melting Temperature ◽

Tetragonal Unit Cell ◽

Structural Applications

MoSi2 has recently been investigated as a potential material for high temperature structural applications. It has excellent oxidation resistance up to 1700°C, a high melting temperature, 2030°C, and a brittle-to-ductile transition temperature at 900-1000°C. WSi2 is isomorphous with MoSi2 and has a body-centered tetragonal unit cell of the space group 14/mmm. The lattice parameters are a=3.20 Å and c=7.84 Å for MoSi2 and a=3.21 Å and c=7.88 Å for WSi2. Therefore, WSi2 was added to MoSi2 to improve its strength via solid solution hardening. The purpose of this study was to investigate the slip systems in polycrystalline MoSi2/WSi2 alloys.

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High-resolution EM study of submicrometer-grained Al-Mg solid solution alloys

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100138993 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 524-525

Author(s):

Z. Horita ◽

D. J. Smith ◽

M. Furukawa ◽

M. Nemoto ◽

R. Z. Valiev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Solid Solution ◽

High Resolution ◽

Grain Boundaries ◽

Energy State ◽

High Energy ◽

Grain Structure ◽

Boundary Structure ◽

Solid Solution Alloy ◽

Average Grain Size

It is possible to produce metallic materials with submicrometer-grained (SMG) structures by imposing an intense plastic strain under quasi-hydrostatic pressure. Studies using conventional transmission electron microscopy (CTEM) showed that many grain boundaries in the SMG structures appeared diffuse in nature with poorly defined transition zones between individual grains. The implication of the CTEM observations is that the grain boundaries of the SMG structures are in a high energy state, having non-equilibrium character. It is anticipated that high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) will serve to reveal a precise nature of the grain boundary structure in SMG materials. A recent study on nanocrystalline Ni and Ni3Al showed lattice distortion and dilatations in the vicinity of the grain boundaries. In this study, HREM observations are undertaken to examine the atomic structure of grain boundaries in an SMG Al-based Al-Mg alloy.An Al-3%Mg solid solution alloy was subjected to torsion straining to produce an equiaxed grain structure with an average grain size of ~0.09 μm.

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