Theoretical Predictions of the Structural and Mechanical Properties of Tungsten–Rare Earth Element Alloys

Tungsten (W) is considered as the potential plasma facing material of the divertor and the first wall material in fusion. To further improve the ductility of W, the structural and mechanical properties of W–M (M = rare earth element Y, La, Ce and Lu) alloys are systematically investigated by first-principles calculations. Our results reveal that all the W1−xMx (x = 0.0625, 0.125, 0.1875, 0.25) alloys can form binary solid solution at the atomic level, and the alloys keep bcc lattice structures until the concentration of M increases to a certain value. Although the moduli of the alloys are reduced compared to that of pure W metal, the characteristic B/G ratio and Poisson’s ratio significantly increase, implying all the four rare earth elements can efficiently improve the ductility of W metal. Considering both factors of mechanical strength and ductility, La and Ce are better alloying elements than Y and Lu.

Synthesis of a binary alloy nanoparticle catalyst with an immiscible combination of Rh and Cu assisted by hydrogen spillover on a TiO2 support

This work demonstrates the use of TiO2 as a promising platform for the synthesis of non-equilibrium binary solid solution alloy nanoparticles with a combination of immiscible Rh and Cu assisted by the hydrogen spillover.

Dielectric Phase Transition Behaviour Study of Dry Route Derived (BA0.5 SN0.5) TIO3 Ceramics

Ceramic materials display a wide range of properties that facilitate their use in many different product areas. Currently, there has been keen interest in the field of ceramic materials due to their excellent mechanical and physical properties. Barium Stannate Titanate (BST) is a binary solid solution system composed of ferroelectric Barium titanate and non-ferroelectric barium titanate. In this study, the phase transition behavior of (Ba1-xSnx)TiO3 (x = 0.5) (BST) ceramics was obtained by the dry-route method. The previous studies were based on Sn 2+ on the Ti site with varying values of x. The powders after calcination are compacted in the form of pellets using a hydraulic press at an optimized load above 70KN. The experimental density of our sample measured by liquid displacement method with glycerin was lower than theoretical density, giving the shape is highly dense with low porosity. The structure shows that on increasing the Sn2+ content volume decreases due to the size of Sn2+, which is smaller than that of Ba2+, in comparison to BaTiO3. As the demand of lead-free environment-friendly sensor is increasing, thus obtained BST has great applications as a sensor material in modern electronic devices.

The Study of Crystal Structure on Grossular–Andradite Solid Solution

The effects of Al3+–Fe3+ substitution on 10 synthesized garnet samples along the grossular–andradite binary solid solution were investigated using both powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Results showed that cell volume increased with andradite content. Small negative excess volume was observed in the Al-rich samples. By measuring the bond length, polyhedral volume, octahedral distortion parameter (σ), and tetrahedral rotation angle (α), we determined that the distortion occurred on the dodecahedral site. The width of the diffraction peaks was obviously related to the composition of the solid solution. Full width at half maximum of diffraction peaks was used to calculate the microstrain, which may have a relationship with enthalpy of mixing.