Iranian Journal of Materials science and Engineering
Volume:16 Issue: 4, Dec 2019

In this paper the chemical interaction between catalyst and support has been studied to understand the observed different growth rate of CNTs in our previous paper. Both pure MgO and Mg(NO3)2 . 6H2O as sources of the MgO catalyst support and Fe2(SO4)3 · xH2O as the source of the Fe catalyst, were employed. A Fe catalyst supported on MgO has been synthesized using the wet impregnation method followed by calcination. To compare the catalyst grain size and its distribution, the sample were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and BET specific surface area (SSA) measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS technique have utilized complementary to demonstrate the existence of chemical interaction between MgO support and Fe catalyst. Results revealed that the type of precursor used to prepare the support has a significant influence on the morphology of the support and the associated distribution of the Fe catalysts. The highest yield of MgFe2O4 phase was obtained using a pure MgO precursor which after calcination results in a homogenous distribution of nano-sized Fe particles over the support surface

Mullite–zirconia composites were prepared using lanthanum oxide (La2O3) additive which three different mole ratio by the reaction sintering (RS) route of alumina, kaolinite and zircon. Starting materials were planetary milled, shaped into pellets and bars and sintered in the temperature range of 1450–1550 0C with 5 h soaking at peak temperature. In this work, the mullite-zirconia composites were characterized by thermal expansion coefficient, physical, microstructures and mechanical properties. The XRD method were employed for determining the crystalline phase composition of these composites. Microstructure of the composites was examined by SEM. ZrO2 takes part in both the intergranular as well as intragranular positions. However, intragranular zirconias are much smaller compared to intergranular zirconias.

Metal sulfides containing non-toxic and earth abundant elements have emerged as new environmentally friendly thermoelectric materials. In the present work, a new, fast and large scale route to synthesise bulk nanostructured Co1-xCuxSbS paracostibite is presented. Stoichiometric compositions of Co1-xCuxSbS nanoparticles with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.08 were first processed by high energy ball milling for 3 h, and then annealed at different temperatures between 400 ºC to 650 ºC for 1 h. The phase transitions and diffusion process during annealing were thoroughly studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Agglomerated nanoparticles with sizes in the range from 40 nm to 80 nm were obtained after 3 h of ball milling, and remained below 100 nm after annealing and hot pressing. The thermoelectric properties of hot pressed samples, including the Seebeck coefficient (S), electrical conductivity (σ) and thermal conductivity (k), were measured from room temperature up to 723 K. All the samples exhibited a p-type semiconductor character at room temperature and underwent a transition from p-type to n-type conduction above 473 K. a maximum ZT value of 0.12 was obtained for Co0.06Cu0.04SbS4 at 723 K.

Spread extrusion is a capable method to produce different samples with a wider cross-section from the smaller billets in a single processing pass. In this study, dish-shaped samples are successfully produced from the as-cast cylindrical AM60 magnesium alloy at 300 °C, the mechanical properties and microstructural changes of the final specimens are precisely evaluated. Due to the high amount of plastic strain, which is applied to the initial billet during the material flow in the expansion process, grain refinement occurred as a result of recrystallization and subsequently good mechanical properties achieved. Therefore, mean grain size reduced from 160 µm to 14 µm and initial equiaxed grains changed to the elongated ones surrounded by fine grains. Also, microhardness measurements indicate that hardness increased from 51 Hv to 70 Hv. Some fluctuations were also observed in the hardness profile of the sample which was mainly related to the bimodal structure of the final microstructure. Good mechanical properties, fine microstructure, and also the ability to produce samples with higher cross-section make the spread extrusion process a promising type of extrusion.

The aim of the present study is to assess the hardness, corrosion, and cytotoxicity of a commercially available cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloy before and after simulated heat treatments at porcelain firing temperature. Five Co-Cr samples were fabricated using lost wax casting procedure. Heat treatments were carried out at 650°C, 750°C, 850°C, and 950°C. Vickers hardness was measured for as-cast and heat treated samples. The corrosion test was carried out separately in 0.1 N NaCl, 1% citric acid and artificial saliva at room temperature using potentiodynamic polarization technique. Gingival tissue biopsy of patients was taken and cultured to measure the cell viability by MTT colorimetric assay. Lowest hardness was observed at 650°C. 0.1 N NaCl and 1% citric acid corrosion medium showed a similar trend of corrosion rate. The least corrosion rate was found in artificial saliva. Firing temperature has an impact on the physical, chemical and biological properties of Co-Cr alloy in long-term clinical use.

In this work, lithium meta titanate (Li2TiO3) nanocrystallites were synthesized by hydrothermal method and subsequent heat treatment. The shrinkage of the powder compact was measured under constant heating rate in order to study the sintering behavior of the synthesized powders. Densification curves of the synthesized powders were also constructed via the dilatometry analysis and evaluated at several heating rates. Two separate methods of analytical procedure and master curve sintering were employed to determine the activation energy of the initial sintering stage. The activation energy values were estimated based on these two distinct methods as 229±14 and 230 kJ/mol respectively, consistenting with each other. Moreover, surface diffusion was determined as the dominant mechanism of densification on initial sintering of Li2TiO3 nanocrystallites.

In the research, Titanium dioxide/Graphene Oxide thin films at different concentration of graphene oxide (0.0, 0.015, 0.030, 0.045 and 4.5 g/ml) were prepared by spin coating method. Characterization of the samples was performed using X-ray diffraction and Field Emission Scannig Eelectron Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope. X-ray diffraction results show that by adding the graphene oxide, the peak associated with (001) reflection is observed at the angle of 10.5°. The analysis of Eenergy Dispersive X-ray also confirms the formation of graphene oxide sheets. Considering the excellent photo catalytic and antibacterial properties of titanium dioxide, the effect of adding the different concentration of graphene oxide on these properties has been investigated. The results show that the presence of graphene oxide increases the inhibition of Escherichia coli bacterial growth.

In the present study, Zirconium modified aluminide coating on the nickel-base superalloy IN-738LC was first created by high activity high temperature aluminizing based on the out-of-pack cementation method. Then, Zr coatings were applied to simple aluminide coatings by sputtering and heat treatment in order to study the effect of Zr on the coating microstructure and oxide spallation. Microstructural studies were conducted by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) microanalysis. The results indicated that zirconium modified aluminide coating, like aluminide coating, has a two-layer structure including a uniform outer layer of NiAl and an interdiffusion layer in which zirconium is in a form of solid solution in the coating. Furthermore, the 300nm Zr-coated NiAl demonstrated an excellent scale adhesion, a slow oxidation rate and lower amounts of some other elements such as Ti and Cr in its oxide layer leading to a pure aluminide oxide layer.