scholarly journals 3D Printing of BaTiO3 Piezoelectric Ceramics for a Focused Ultrasonic Array

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (19) ◽  
pp. 4078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Cheng ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Jun-Wei Wu ◽  
Xuan-Rong Ji ◽  
Shang-Hua Wu

BaTiO3 (BTO) ceramics were fabricated based on stereolithography technology. The microstructures and electric properties of the BTO ceramics were studied. X-ray patterns of sintered BTO ceramics indicated that the tetragonal phase had formed, and the grain size increased clearly as BTO weight percentage increased. Moreover, the BTO ceramics exhibited good electric properties, with a piezoelectric constant d33 of 166 pC/N at 80% BTO weight percentage. To evaluate the properties of 3D printed BTO ceramics, a 1.4 MHz focused ultrasonic array was fabricated and characterized. The −6dB bandwidth of the array was 40%, and the insertion loss at the center frequency was 50 dB. The results show that the printed BTO ceramics array have good potential to be used in ultrasonic transducers for various applications.

Author(s):  
Eva-Maria Mandelkow ◽  
Eckhard Mandelkow ◽  
Joan Bordas

When a solution of microtubule protein is changed from non-polymerising to polymerising conditions (e.g. by temperature jump or mixing with GTP) there is a series of structural transitions preceding microtubule growth. These have been detected by time-resolved X-ray scattering using synchrotron radiation, and they may be classified into pre-nucleation and nucleation events. X-ray patterns are good indicators for the average behavior of the particles in solution, but they are difficult to interpret unless additional information on their structure is available. We therefore studied the assembly process by electron microscopy under conditions approaching those of the X-ray experiment. There are two difficulties in the EM approach: One is that the particles important for assembly are usually small and not very regular and therefore tend to be overlooked. Secondly EM specimens require low concentrations which favor disassembly of the particles one wants to observe since there is a dynamic equilibrium between polymers and subunits.


Author(s):  
R. Sinclair ◽  
B.E. Jacobson

INTRODUCTIONThe prospect of performing chemical analysis of thin specimens at any desired level of resolution is particularly appealing to the materials scientist. Commercial TEM-based systems are now available which virtually provide this capability. The purpose of this contribution is to illustrate its application to problems which would have been intractable until recently, pointing out some current limitations.X-RAY ANALYSISIn an attempt to fabricate superconducting materials with high critical currents and temperature, thin Nb3Sn films have been prepared by electron beam vapor deposition [1]. Fine-grain size material is desirable which may be achieved by codeposition with small amounts of Al2O3 . Figure 1 shows the STEM microstructure, with large (∽ 200 Å dia) voids present at the grain boundaries. Higher quality TEM micrographs (e.g. fig. 2) reveal the presence of small voids within the grains which are absent in pure Nb3Sn prepared under identical conditions. The X-ray spectrum from large (∽ lμ dia) or small (∽100 Ǻ dia) areas within the grains indicates only small amounts of A1 (fig.3).


1996 ◽  
Vol 165 ◽  
pp. 313-319
Author(s):  
Mark H. Finger ◽  
Robert B. Wilson ◽  
B. Alan Harmon ◽  
William S. Paciesas

A “giant” outburst of A 0535+262, a transient X-ray binary pulsar, was observed in 1994 February and March with the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) onboard the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. During the outburst power spectra of the hard X-ray flux contained a QPO-like component with a FWHM of approximately 50% of its center frequency. Over the course of the outburst the center frequency rose smoothly from 35 mHz to 70 mHz and then fell to below 40 mHz. We compare this QPO frequency with the neutron star spin-up rate, and discuss the observed correlation in terms of the beat frequency and Keplerian frequency QPO models in conjunction with the Ghosh-Lamb accretion torque model.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
Andrea Petrella ◽  
Michele Notarnicola

Lightweight cement mortars containing end-of-life tire rubber (TR) as aggregate were prepared and characterized by rheological, thermal, mechanical, microstructural, and wetting tests. The mixtures were obtained after total replacement of the conventional sand aggregate with untreated TR with different grain sizes (0–2 mm and 2–4 mm) and distributions (25%, 32%, and 40% by weight). The mortars showed lower thermal conductivities (≈90%) with respect to the sand reference due to the differences in the conductivities of the two phases associated with the low density of the aggregates and, to a minor extent, to the lack of adhesion of tire to the cement paste (evidenced by microstructural detection). In this respect, a decrease of the thermal conductivities was observed with the increase of the TR weight percentage together with a decrease of fluidity of the fresh mixture and a decrease of the mechanical strengths. The addition of expanded perlite (P, 0–1 mm grain size) to the mixture allowed us to obtain mortars with an improvement of the mechanical strengths and negligible modification of the thermal properties. Moreover, in this case, a decrease of the thermal conductivities was observed with the increase of the P/TR dosage together with a decrease of fluidity and of the mechanical strengths. TR mortars showed discrete cracks after failure without separation of the two parts of the specimens, and similar results were observed in the case of the perlite/TR samples thanks to the rubber particles bridging the crack faces. The super-elastic properties of the specimens were also observed in the impact compression tests in which the best performances of the tire and P/TR composites were evidenced by a deep groove before complete failure. Moreover, these mortars showed very low water penetration through the surface and also through the bulk of the samples thanks to the hydrophobic nature of the end-of-life aggregate, which makes these environmentally sustainable materials suitable for indoor and outdoor elements.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 421
Author(s):  
Jorge Oevermann ◽  
Peter Weber ◽  
Steffen H. Tretbar

The aim of this work was to extend conventional medical implants by the possibility of communication between them. For reasons of data security and transmitting distances, this communication should be realized using ultrasound, which is generated and detected by capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs). These offer the advantage of an inherent high bandwidth and a high integration capability. To protect the surrounding tissue, it has to be encapsulated. In contrast to previous results of other research groups dealing with the encapsulation of CMUTs, the goal here is to integrate the CMUT into the housing of a medical implant. In this work, CMUTs were designed and fabricated for a center frequency of 2 MHz in water and experimentally tested on their characteristics for operation behind layers of Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and titanium, two typical materials for the housings of medical implants. It could be shown that with silicone as a coupling layer it is possible to operate a CMUT behind the housing of an implant. Although it changes the characteristics of the CMUT, the setup is found to be well suited for communication between two transducers over a distance of at least 8 cm.


2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (19) ◽  
pp. 11237-11247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Pötschke ◽  
Manisha Dahal ◽  
Mathias Herrmann ◽  
Anne Vornberger ◽  
Björn Matthey ◽  
...  

AbstractDense (Hf, Ta, Nb, Ti, V)C- and (Ta, Nb, Ti, V, W)C-based high-entropy carbides (HEC) were produced by three different sintering techniques: gas pressure sintering/sinter–HIP at 1900 °C and 100 bar Ar, vacuum sintering at 2250 °C and 0.001 bar as well as SPS/FAST at 2000 °C and 60 MPa pressure. The relative density varied from 97.9 to 100%, with SPS producing 100% dense samples with both compositions. Grain size measurements showed that the substitution of Hf with W leads to an increase in the mean grain size of 5–10 times the size of the (Hf, Ta, Nb, Ti, V,)C samples. Vacuum-sintered samples showed uniform grain size distribution regardless of composition. EDS mapping revealed the formation of a solid solution with no intermetallic phases or element clustering. X-ray diffraction analysis showed the structure of mostly single-phase cubic high-entropy carbides. Hardness measurements revealed that (Hf, Ta, Nb, Ti, V)C samples possess higher hardness values than (Ta, Nb, Ti, V, W)C samples.


2021 ◽  
pp. 174751982098472
Author(s):  
Lalmi Khier ◽  
Lakel Abdelghani ◽  
Belahssen Okba ◽  
Djamel Maouche ◽  
Lakel Said

Kaolin M1 and M2 studied by X-ray diffraction focus on the mullite phase, which is the main phase present in both products. The Williamson–Hall and Warren–Averbach methods for determining the crystallite size and microstrains of integral breadth β are calculated by the FullProf program. The integral breadth ( β) is a mixture resulting from the microstrains and size effect, so this should be taken into account during the calculation. The Williamson–Hall chart determines whether the sample is affected by grain size or microstrain. It appears very clearly that the principal phase of the various sintered kaolins, mullite, is free from internal microstrains. It is the case of the mixtures fritted at low temperature (1200 °C) during 1 h and also the case of the mixtures of the type chamotte cooks with 1350 °C during very long times (several weeks). This result is very significant as it gives an element of explanation to a very significant quality of mullite: its mechanical resistance during uses at high temperature remains.


Catalysts ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 290
Author(s):  
Tim Karsten ◽  
Vesna Middelkoop ◽  
Dorota Matras ◽  
Antonis Vamvakeros ◽  
Stephen Poulston ◽  
...  

This work presents multi-scale approaches to investigate 3D printed structured Mn–Na–W/SiO2 catalysts used for the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction. The performance of the 3D printed catalysts has been compared to their conventional analogues, packed beds of pellets and powder. The physicochemical properties of the 3D printed catalysts were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Performance and durability tests of the 3D printed catalysts were conducted in the laboratory and in a miniplant under real reaction conditions. In addition, synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction computed tomography technique (XRD-CT) was employed to obtain cross sectional maps at three different positions selected within the 3D printed catalyst body during the OCM reaction. The maps revealed the evolution of catalyst active phases and silica support on spatial and temporal scales within the interiors of the 3D printed catalyst under operating conditions. These results were accompanied with SEM-EDS analysis that indicated a homogeneous distribution of the active catalyst particles across the silica support.


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