Sharif Digital Repository

In this work, nanostructured aluminum titanate (Al2TiO5 or AT) was synthesized by the citrate sol gel method. Then, different volume fractions of this ceramic were blended with Al powder through different durations of the high-energy vibratory milling. The effect of mechanical milling on the thermal degradation of AT in exposure to Al and formation mechanism of in-situ Al2O3 and Al3Ti particles were explored in three conditions: (i) in the powder form; (ii) after annealing of green compact; and (iii) after hot extrusion. In the powder form, it was shown that the mechanical milling is able to significantly diminish the thermal stability of AT, so that the required temperature for the Al3Ti... 

Aluminum-Al3Ti reinforced MMCs were produced with a large amount (up to ~30 vol%) of Al3Ti phase via mechanical alloying, hot extrusion and heat treatment (as a supplementary process) of the Al–Ti elemental powder mixture, respectively. Samples in each stage were studied precise and comprehensive by field emission electron microscope, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, densitometry, macro and micssro hardness, nanoindentation and tensile tests. The results indicated that after 4-h vibratory milling, the aluminum crystallite size reached 63 nm and Al3Ti phase formed in powder mixture. After hot extrusion, the volume percentage of Al3Ti... 

Abstract In this study, aluminium titanate (AT) particles and nanofibers were synthesized through citrate sol gel and sol gel-assisted electrospinning methods in both nanostructured powder and nanofiber forms. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and differential thermal analysis showed that the synthetic products benefit a nanostructured nature with a grain size less than 70 nm. The optimal values for time and temperature at which a roughly pure AT is attained were determined as 2 h and 900 C, respectively. It was found that the sol gel precursor bears an amorphous structure till 700 C and begins to be crystallized to alumina, anatase and AT... 

Nanostructured aluminum titanate (AT) was synthesized by the sol-gel method. The calcination temperature was selected as a processing variable to obtain different phase ratios of AT and its parent phases i.e. TiO2 and Al2O3. The main aim behind the present work was to cast light on the photocatalytic performance of AT-based nanocomposites and evaluate their capability to serve as a novel photocatalyst. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) studies were conducted to evaluate the microstructure-sensitive properties of the synthesized powders. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and the methylene blue degradation test were carried out to... 

In the present work, nanostructured aluminum titanate (Al2TiO5 or AT) was synthesized by the sol-gel method and potential effects of mechanical strain on its phase analysis, morphology, and thermal stability were investigated in some details for the first time, because the thermal instability of AT is beneficial to the fabrication of in-situ aluminum matrix composites. To characterize the particle distribution, microstructure and thermal durability of AT after the strain induction, field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) were utilized. The experimental results showed that a 3-h ball milling process... 

The present work focuses on the preparation of V2C MXene from Al-V2O5-C mixture heated in a microwave and etched under HF-based process. In the first stage of process, microwave heating caused the formation of an uncommon periodic pattern of V2AlC-Al2O3 MAX phase. In the second stage of process the aggressive leaching (temperature of 80 °C for 96 h) was performed in HF to remove the interlayer aluminum and Al2O3 particles as impurities. The leaching was not completed at room temperature even after 24 h. XRD and FESEM analyses confirmed the successful formation of V2C MXene and its distorted layer, respectively. HRTEM, XPS and Raman analyses also confirmed a perfect structure of V2C MXene. It... 

The technological and industrial needs for development of fully dense nanocomposites have led to significant advances in spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique and its enhanced forms. This technique has opened up a new prospect over carbon nanotube (CNT)-metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) with superior physical or mechanical characteristics. To date, a large number of authentic papers have been published over this ongoing field, but have not been comprehensively reviewed. The pertinent research works cover some significant aspects of CNT-MMNCs requiring a concise review on (i) the potential phase transformations of pure CNTs and microstructure evolution; (ii) the novel approaches for... 

The inclusion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into metallic systems has been the main focus of recent literature. The aim behind this approach has been the development of a new property or improvement of an inferior one in CNT-dispersed metal matrix nanocomposites. Although it has opened up new possibilities for promising engineering applications, some practical challenges have restricted the full exploitation of CNTs’ unique characteristics. Non-uniform dispersion of CNTs in the metallic matrix, poor interfacial adhesion at the CNT/metal interface, the unfavorable chemical reaction of CNTs with the matrix, and low compactability are the most significant challenges, requiring more examination.... 

In this work, silicon carbide (SiC) was utilized as a binding agent to fuse carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into highly tough dense CNT bulk nanocomposites through spark plasma sintering (SPS) method. Phase studies were performed using x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and obtained results were verified by the microstructural evolution. Also, the optimum processing temperature was determined as 1600 °C at which the undesired allotropic phase transformation of SiC (β) → SiC (α) was avoided and single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) were structurally preserved. Fracture toughness of the nanocomposite synthesized at optimum processing conditions was... 

The growing industrial needs for the development of strong load-bearing materials by powder metallurgy and casting technologies has led to recent progress in the synthesis of in situ hybrid aluminium matrix composites (AMCs). Unlike their conventional counterparts, this class of engineering materials and their physicomechanical properties are sparsely investigated with no satisfactorily systematic approach and are not reviewed up to now. This is why providing an overview summarizing the formation mechanisms of in situ phases and mechanical properties of hybrid AMCs can systematically guide the research path in this field. The present review strives to categorize hybrid AMCs based on their... 

Recently, a wide variety of research works have focused on carbon nanotube (CNT)-ceramic matrix nanocomposites. In many cases, these novel materials are produced through conventional powder metallurgy methods including hot pressing, conventional sintering, and hot isostatic pressing. However, spark plasma sintering (SPS) as a novel and efficient consolidation technique is exploited for the full densification of high-temperature ceramic systems. In these binary nanocomposites, CNTs are added to ceramic matrices to noticeably modify their inferior properties and SPS is employed to produce fully dense compacts. In this review, a broad overview of these systems is provided and the potential... 

ABSTRACTs: The need for fully dense material with well-engineered microstructures has led to the promising emergence of innovative sintering technologies among which the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) is one of the most favorite. Unlike the conventional sintering processes, SPS takes advantage of a current flow passing through the sintering die and metallic powders by which fast densification with minimal grain growth and enhanced physicomechanical properties can be obtained. Albeit there is a growing interest in the exploitation of SPS in producing sufficiently consolidated metallic parts, no analytical review has been released over the effects of SPS parameters on the densification behavior,... 

Metallic or ceramic micro/nanoporous materials have attracted particular attention due to some interesting structural and functional properties. There exist a variety of methods for producing porous materials by which optimized features can be reached. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is one of these new-emerging approaches. This technique is often combined with conventional technologies and produce a variety of porous structures with tailorable microstructure and physicomechanical properties. This review addresses SPS and obtainable porous materials with nanoscale and microscale microstructural features. The processing methods, microstructural phenomena, and physicomechanical properties of...