Iranian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering

Formation of stray grain defects particularly around re-entrant features of the turbine blade airfoils is one of the major problems in directional and single crystal solidification processes. In this work, directional solidification tests of the GTD-111 Ni-based superalloy were conducted at different withdrawal velocities of 3, 6 and 9 mm.min^-1 using various stepped cylindrical and cubic designs. The process was also simulated using ProCAST finite element solver to characterize the crystal orientations. The phase transformation temperatures of the superalloy were estimated by the differential scanning calorimetry test. A process map was developed to predict the formation of stray grains in the platform regions of the stepped cylindrical and cubic specimens using the experimentally-validated simulation model. The process map shows critical values of the platform size, withdrawal velocity and initial sample size for the stray grain formation. The withdrawal velocity, platform size and initial sample size all had an inverse effect on the formation of stray grains.

Commercial dental lithium disilicate based glass-ceramics containing various amounts of P₂O₅ were synthesized. Regarding the crystallization behavior and physico-chemical properties of the glasses, the optimum percent of P₂O₅ was determined.as 8 %wt.
Crystallization behavior of the glasses was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The micro-hardness and chemical resistance of both glass and glass-ceramic searies were also determined.
According to our results, lithium phosphate was precipitated prior to crystallization of the main phases, i.e lithium meta silicate and lithium disilicate. This early precipitation led to evacuation of residual glass phase from lithium ions, which caused increasing the viscosity of glass and so shifting of crystallization to higher temperatures.
In addition, increasing in P₂O₅ amounts and consequently increasing in Li₃PO₄, led to significant decrease in the crystallite size and aspect ratio  of crystals.
Furthermore, while the chemical resistance of the glasses was decreased with P₂O₅, it was increased with P₂O₅ after heat treatment process.
The chemical solubility of these three glass-ceramics was between 2080~1188 μg/cm².

An efficient solid-state approach was established to synthesize (K_0.5Na_0.5) NbO₃ ceramics using calcination kinetics and microwave assisted sintering. Milling of carbonate and oxide raw materials were carried out for 15h to obtain homogeneous nano particles. The crystallite size of 5.30 nm was obtained for the KNN system after calcination through optimized parameters and observed to be stoichiometric in nature. The obtained nano particles showed phase transition from orthorhombic to tetragonal crystal structure without any secondary phases. The high relative density and tetragonality ratio of KNN ceramics obtained through optimized sintering parameters yielded with significant piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties.
 

Drug resistant pathogenic microbes have been causing serious health issues resulting in the substantial increase of death rates and morbidity paving the way for nanoparticles to be utilized as antimicrobial agents. This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of CuNPs on the growth of drug resistant clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis. Minimum inhibitory concentration of CuNPs against Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis was found to be 1.25. 1.25 and 0.625 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration against the same isolates was found to be 2.5, 2.5 and 5 mg/ml respectively. The ratio of MBC/MIC, referred to as tolerance level, was calculated for all the isolates which signifies the bactericidal or bacteriostatic effect of any antimicrobial agent. For Streptococcus pyogenes and Enterococcus faecium, the tolerance level was 2 while as for Enterococcus faecalis, it was 8. Antibiotic susceptibility results were calculated which showed that the isolates were resistant to Ampicillin (10 µg), Amoxycillin (30 µg) and Aztreonam (30 µg). Susceptibility results were followed by calculating multiple antibiotic resistance indices (MARI). MARI is an important tool which gives an idea about the bacterial resistance in a given population. For all the three isolates, MARI results were equivalent to 1 because of their resistance towards all the three antibiotics used. Antimicrobial activity through well-plate method was carried out and inhibitory effect of CuNPs on biofilm formation was evaluated.
 

An attempt has been focused to develop a new aluminum ion conducting non aqueous polymer electrolyte for high power rechargeable batteries having applications in rapidly growing markets, such as laptops, handy tele communication equipments, electric vehicles, camcorders, etc. These features have given a thrust to develop a suitable Nano composite GPE based on  PAN as polymer host and Sodium fluoride (NaF) as dopant salt and Al₂O₃ as nano filler in the form of thin films through solution casting technique consuming N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) as a common solvent. NCGPE films have been prepared by solution casting technique. The XRD pattern of 70PAN-30NaF with addition of wt% Al₂O₃ ceramic filler indicates reducing degree of crystallinity. Using IR studies revealed that the complexation of the polymer poly (acrylonitrle) with NaF. The conductivity of the GPEs was studied with enhancement of nano fillers. The sample containing 3% of Al₂O₃ exhibits the highest conductivity of 4.82x10^-3S cm^-1 at room temperature (303K) and 5.96x10^-3S cm^-1 at 378K. With the help of Wagner’s polarization technique electronic (t_e) and ionic (t_i) values can be determined.To determine profiles of discharge characteristics (70PAN-30NaF-3wt% Al₂O₃) NCGPE solid-state electrochemical cell was fabricated and various cell profiles were evaluated

One-step and two-step annealing techniques were used to examine the relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties during compression tests in iron-based ribbons and nanostructured 1- and 2.5mm cylindrical rods. The X-ray diffraction, microstructural, and mechanical results showed that substituting Nb for Fe had a minor effect on glass-forming ability but increased the formability index. The novel two-step annealing process resulted in a remarkable formability index of 16.62 GPa, yield stress of 2830 MPa, ultimate strength of 3866 MPa, and 4.3% plastic strain. A ductile nanosized α-Fe framework and boron-containing nano precipitations, which caused Zener pinning effect, were responsible for these novel mechanical properties.

In this study nanosized TiO2coatings on the 316L stainless steel substrate were prepared by means of dip-coating technique in which thickness of the coating layer increased byrepeating the coating cycles in two different routes: (I) dipping and drying,respectively, were repeated one, three and five times and finally the dried coated sample was heat treated (single); (II) multiple heat treatment performed after each dipping and drying cycle, respectively.The structural, morphological and optical characterizations of coatings as well as thickness of coatings were systematically studied.The photocatalytic activity of the various TiO₂ coatings was investigated based on the degradation of an aqueous solution of Methyl orange.Moreover, thecorrosion protective properties of coatings were evaluated in both dark and UV illumination conditions based on the obtained polarization curves. The results indicated 1.75 times improvement in photocatalytic reaction rate constant, a two orders of magnitude decrease in corrosion current density in dark condition and about 140 mV electrode potential reduction under UV illumination with optimum coating preparation procedure, repeating the cycle from dipping to heat treatment three times, than the sample prepared with one time coating and heat treatment since this procedure provided not only high thickness and defect-free coating but also transparent one.

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are synthesized through a metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) method using Si(100) substrates and silver (Ag) as a catalyst. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images confirmed that length of prepared SiNWs was increased when etching time increased. The prepared SiNWs demonstrated considerably low light reflectance at a wavelength range of 200–1100 nm. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the grown SiNWs showed a broad emission band peaked at a wavelength of about 750 nm. A solar cell and photodetector based on heterojunction SiNWs/PEDOT:PSS were fabricated using SiNWs that prepared with different etching time and its J–V, sensitivity, and time response were investigated. The conversion efficiency of fabricated solar cell was increased from 0.39% to 0.68% when wire length decreased from 24 µm to 21 µm, respectively. However, the sensitivity of the heterojunction SiNWs/PEDOT:PSS photodetector was decreased from 53774% to 36826% when wire length decreased from 24 µm to 21 µm, respectively.

Aluminum matrix composites are candidate materials for aerospace and automotive industries owing to their specific properties such as high elastic modulus (E), improved strength and low wear rate. The effect of thixoforming process on the wear behavior of an Al-Mg₂Si composite was studied in this paper. During applying thixoforming process, casting defects  such as macrosegration, shrinkage and porosity are being effectively reduced. These advantages are sufficient to attract more exploration works of thixoforming operation. Thermal analysis of the composite, as-cast microstructure, wear surface and subsurface area of the thixoformed alloy were  investigated. Wear behavior of  the specimens were examined using a pin-on-disk machine  based on ASTM-G99, at the applied loads of 25, 50 and 75 N and the constant sliding velocity of 0.25m/s. The worn surfaces and subsurfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results indicated that the thixoformed specimens exhibited superior wear resistance than the as-cast alloy. Moreover, the dominant wear mechanism is an adhesive wear followed by the formation of a mechanical mixed layer (MML). However, a severer wear regime occurs in the as cast specimens compared with the thixoformed ones

    The structural and dielectric properties of iron and bismuth co-substituted BaTiO₃ ceramic with the formula: B_0.95Bi_0.05Ti_1-xFe_xO₃ for x=0.00 to 1.00, synthesis with solid state route, were characterized.     The X-ray diffraction results show a tetragonal phase for x=0.00. While for x=0.40 to 0.80 we observed a coexistence of tree phase tetragonal, hexagonal and pseudo-cubic. And at x=1.00 only the pseudo-cubic phase is present and the other phase disappeared. The Raman results indicate the existence of tetragonal band for x≤0.40, and an appearance of characteristic bands of Fe³⁺ ions for more than 0.40 of Fe content. The SEM micrographs show an increase in grain size with the increase of Fe content and it reaches a maximum at x=0.40.  And the Mossbauer spectroscopy indicates that our samples is paramagnetic at room temperature and that the Fe is   oxidized under Fe³⁺ with no existence of Fe²⁺ and Fe⁴⁺ ions. The temperature dependence of dielectric permittivity was investigated in the frequency range from 20 Hz to 2MHz. The results show three dielectric relaxation phase transitions from a rhombohedral ferroelectric to orthorhombic ferroelectric (T_R-O) then to a tetragonal ferroelectric phase (at T_O-T), and finally to cubic paraelectric at the Curie temperature (T_C).  In addition, the temperature of phase transition shifted to the lower temperature with the increase of Fe content for all the phase transitions. And the maximum of dielectric permittivity increases for T_R-O while for T_T-O and T_m phases transitions, it reaches a maximum at x=0.60 and x=0.80 respectively and then decreases.

The influence of melt superheating treatment on the solidification characteristics and microstructure of Al–20%Mg₂Si in-situ composite has been investigated. The results revealed that melt superheating temperature has a significant effect on solidification parameters and morphology of primary Mg₂Si particles. Solidification parameters acquired using cooling curve thermal analysis method, indicate that both nucleation temperature and nucleation undercooling of primary Mg₂Si particles increase by increasing melt superheating temperature, while recalescence undercooling decrease under the same condition. Also, based on the microstructural evaluations, melt superheating treatment can refine primary Mg₂Si particles and alter their morphology from dendritic shape to more spherical shape and the eutectic microstructure of a-Al + Mg₂Si becomes finer and the distance between eutectic layers becomes smaller.
 

      In this study we have synthesis the Zr substituted BaTi_0.80Fe_0.20O₃ ceramics at different content of Zr from x=0.00 to 0.10 by using the solid-state route. The room temperature X-ray diffraction results confirmed the coexistence of the two tetragonal and hexagonal phases for x ≤ 0.050 of Zr content. While above 0.050 the hexagonal phase disappears in benefit of tetragonal phase. The Raman results confirmed the formation of these phases obtained with XRD. The scanning electron micrographs consist of both spherical and straight grain forms for x=0.000 to 0.075, and only spherical grain form for x=0.100 attributed to the tetragonal phase. Also, the grain size increases accompanied with a decrease in density of ceramics with increasing Zr content up to 0.050 then decreases accompanied with an increase in density. Detailed studies of dielectric permittivity measurement have provided a presence of two anomalies T_e and T_R-O at different temperatures, with a relaxation phenomenon and diffuse behavior which is very important for ceramic at x=0.075 of Zr content. The dielectric permittivity values of the two anomalies of Zr substituted BaTi_0.80Fe_0.20O₃ ceramics increase with increase of Zr content and the dielectric loss is minimal at x=0.100 of Zr content. The conductivity increases with the increasing of Zr substitution from 0.025 to 0.075 levels while for x = 0.100 the dielectric conductivity decreases.  And the Cole-Cole analysis indicates a negative thermal resistivity coefficient (NTCR) behavior of these materials and an ideal Debye-type behavior.

In the present work, monolithic gels were prepared through different drying procedures including
super critical, infrared wavelengths and traditional drying methods. Dense and transparent glasses
were obtained after controlled heat treatment of the dried porous xerogels in air atmosphere.
The chemical bonding as well as different properties of the prepared gels and the relevant glasses
were examined by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmitt-
Teller (BET) and UV-Vis spectrometer. Based on the obtained results, different drying conditions
affect the average pore size and the total pore volume of the studied gels. The mean pore size was
found to be 8.7 nm, 2.4 nm and 3.2 nm for super critical, IR radiation and slow drying in air
atmosphere, respectively. The glass network structure was significantly changed by heat treatment  temperature so that the B-O-Si bonds were formed only after 450 °C. It was found that the gel dried under super critical condition was unable to reach to its full density all over the selected sintering temperature interval.
 

Tin oxide (SnO2) is used as an electron transport layer (ETL) in perovskite solar cells with a planar
structure due to its good transparency and energy level alignment with the perovskite layer. The modification
interface of the electron transport layer and the perovskite absorber layer plays an important role in the efficient
charge extraction process at the interface. In this study, planar perovskite solar cells with configuration
(FTO/SnO2/mixed-cation perovskite/CuInS2/Au) were prepared to investigate the effect of UV-Ozone (UVO) treated
SnO2 as ETL on the performance of devices. ETL treatment was performed at different times (0 to 60 min). It is
shown that surface wetting was improved by UVO treating the SnO2 films prior to deposition of the perovskite layer.
The latter improves the contact between the ETL and the perovskite layer, allowing more efficient electron transport
at the interface. Contact angle, SEM, photoluminescence spectra, and the current density-voltage tests were
conducted to characterize the photovoltaic of the cells. The best PSC performance with a power conversion
efficiency of 10.96% was achieved using UVO-treated SnO2 ETL for 30 min, whereas the power conversion
efficiency of the perovskite solar cells with SnO2 ETL without UVO treatment was only 4.34%.

In this research, the effect of initial microstructure and solution treatment on rollability and crystallographic texture of a Cu-Mn-Ni-Sn alloy has been investigated. The initial tests indicated that the rolling of the alloy at different temperature conditions is not possible due to formation of second phases. Herein to eliminate the segregated phases, according to DTA analysis, proper temperature for solution treatment was selected as 750°C applied at different periods of time. The obtained results showed that after 15-hour solution treatment, the complete elimination of Sn, Mn, Ni, and Fe-rich phases can be achieved. Also, the peaks of XRD shifted to the higher angles indicating that the alloying elements are dissolved. Meanwhile, the intensity of the texture reduced and the dominant texture changed from Goss and Brass-texture to Copper-texture. Accordingly, the amount of maximum total reduction at the rolling process increased from 16.37 to 109.46 after solution treatment.