Sharif Digital Repository

Pyrochlore free (x)PMN-(1 - x)PZT ceramics were synthesized successfully by a seeding method. In this method, the mixture of PbO, MgO and Nb2O5 was added to the prepared PZT sol to from PMN-PZT gel. The gel was fired to vaporize the organic contents of gel and obtain powder. Two-step sintering process was used to produce pyrochlore free ceramics. The samples produced by this method showed higher relative densities, lower sintering temperature and higher dielectric properties relative to the mixed oxide method, mostly due to the higher homogeneity of the prepared powder. The measured dielectric properties of PZT-rich and PMN-rich materials were high while the other samples exhibited low... 

The densification and microstructural evolution during co-sintering of M2 tool steel/316L stainless steel composite layers with and without boron addition was studied. A pressureless sintering method in conjunction with a powder layering technique was used to fabricate the stepwise graded composite layers. Isothermal and non-isothermal sintering response of the individual and composite layers was examined and the microstructural features of the bonding zone were studied. Shear strength and microhardness of the bonding zone were also measured. It was shown that an enhanced densification is obtained in the composite layers due to (i) sintering shrinkage incompatibility between two steels, (ii)... 

We study the effect of thermal fluctuations in a recently proposed protocol for transmission of unknown quantum states through quantum spin chains. We develop a low-temperature expansion for general spin chains. We then apply this formalism to study exactly thermal effects on short spin chains of four spins. We show that optimal times for extraction of output states are almost independent of the temperature, which lowers only the fidelity of the channel. Moreover we show that thermal effects are smaller in the antiferromagnetic chains than the ferromagnetic ones. © 2005 The American Physical Society  

Synthesis temperature and purity of perovskite materials are key challenges facing the scientific community. This work aims to address these challenges by developing an innovative low temperature synthesis pathway for preparation of carbonate-free perovskite nanocrystals. The method is based on an ultrasound-Assisted wet chemical processing method. Nanocrystals are characterized and observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques. XRD studies show that very fine BaTiO3 nanocrystals (<11 nm) free from any by-products such as BaTi2O5 and BaCO3 are synthesized at 50°C. Moreover, the method developed... 

The aim of this work is to investigate thermal stability of expanded martensite. For this purpose, two martensitic stainless steels, PH 17-4 and 13-8Mo, were low temperature gas carburized. After heat treatment, it was found out that thermal stability of expanded layer of PH 17-4 is higher than that of PH 13-8Mo. Auger Electron Spectroscopy and microhardness machines were used to investigate carbon concentration and hardness of samples, respectively. X-ray diffraction was done to study crystal structures of samples before and after heat treatment  

The formation of atomic nanoclusters on suspended graphene sheets has been investigated by employing a molecular dynamics simulation at finite temperature. Our systematic study is based on temperature-dependent molecular dynamics simulations of some transition and alkali atoms on suspended graphene sheets. We find that the transition atoms aggregate and make various size nanoclusters distributed randomly on graphene surfaces. We also report that most alkali atoms make one atomic layer on graphene sheets. Interestingly, the potassium atoms almost deposit regularly on the surface at low temperature. We expect from this behavior that the electrical conductivity of a suspended graphene doped by... 

In this research, full density, single phase microstructure (in the XRD and SEM detection limits), and fine-grained SnO2 varistors with an average grain size of 0.65 μm was acquired at low temperature by the two-step sintering technique. The sintering temperature was successfully decreased from 1300 °C in the normal sintering to 1150 °C and 1100 °C of respectively the first and the second stage in the two-step sintering. The mechanism of grain growth suppression of the two-step sintered samples was discussed and it was suggested that in addition to triple point junction, solute drag and/or nano-secondary phases contribute to cease the grain growth. These SnO2 varistors exhibited ultra-high... 

This work aims to develop an innovative low-temperature sonochemical synthesis pathway for synthesizing the carbonate-free SrTiO3 nanocrystals with tailored morphology. Ultrasonication causes the formation of stoichiometric SrTiO3 nanocrystals and accelerates their formation. Moreover, SrTiO3 nanocrystals are synthesized at low temperature. The methodology described here is simple, fast, cost-effective, and useful for large-scale production purposes  

In this article, we have studied the properties (especially water repellency) of cotton coated by a thin layer of aluminum. The process has been performed in a low temperature plasma medium, using a magnetron sputtering device. We have also investigated the effect of different gases such as argon and oxygen as the discharge medium on the properties of the obtained samples. The results which are exposure time dependent show a good repellent property for 30 min of treating in argon medium under the condition of our experiment. However, when O2 is used in the system, the cotton property changes to become hydrophilic of which the factor decreases as we increase the time of treating. © 2006... 

The entanglement between two spins in the ferromagnetic Heisenberg chain at low temperatures was calculated. It was shown that if a magnetic field is applied to a ferromagnetic Heisenberg chain, then pairwise entanglement develops between spins at arbitrary given states. It was also shown that the entanglement profile is a Gaussian with a characteristic length depending on the temperature and the coupling between spins only when the ground state and the one-particle states are populated. The magnetic field was shown to affect only the amplitude of the profile and not its characteristic length  

Thermal cracking is the prevalent type of distress experienced by asphalt pavements in cold regions. It is widely assumed that when thermal stresses induced in the pavement exceed the tensile strength of the asphalt surface layer, cracking occurs; however, the role of thermal fatigue should not be ignored. To better describe the low-temperature (LT) performance properties of modified asphalt binders, a new parameter, normalised tensile stress (NTS), was defined in this research. NTS values were compared with bending beam rheometer (BBR), direct tension (DT) and semi-circular bending (SCB) fracture test results. The m-value parameter of the BBR test specifies the type of asphalt binder. This... 

Thermal cracking is the prevalent type of distress experienced by asphalt pavements in cold regions. It is widely assumed that when thermal stresses induced in the pavement exceed the tensile strength of the asphalt surface layer, cracking occurs; however, the role of thermal fatigue should not be ignored. To better describe the low-temperature (LT) performance properties of modified asphalt binders, a new parameter, normalised tensile stress (NTS), was defined in this research. NTS values were compared with bending beam rheometer (BBR), direct tension (DT) and semi-circular bending (SCB) fracture test results. The m-value parameter of the BBR test specifies the type of asphalt binder. This... 

The fabrication of high performance, solution-processed CIGS family solar cells is based on high-temperature crystallization processes in chalcogen-containing atmosphere and/or using dangerous solvents like hydrazine. The non-hydrazine sulfurization- and selenization-free reports typically suffer from poor grain structures. We report a facile strategy to overcome grain growth limitations at very low temperature processing (250 °C). Selenium free Superstrate configuration CuInS2 (CIS) solar cells are fabricated using a nanocrystals ink which avoiding from high temperature selenization or/and sulfurization is targeted. We investigated the effect of intentional M doping (M = Sb, Zn, Cd and Sn)... 

H2O-assisted atmospheric pressure chemical vapor synthesis is a modern economical process for the gas-phase synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles. In the present work, the influence of synthesis temperatures (100-800 °C) on the phase structure, nanoparticle size, morphology, and agglomeration is investigated by transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, and differential thermal analysis. Down to 400 °C, crystalline TiO2 nanoparticles are synthesized and at 200 °C amorphous nanoparticles are formed. Therefore, a decrease in minimum synthesis temperature by more than 500 °C is achieved. In addition, the paper investigates the hypothesis... 

Ta0.8Hf0.2C ceramic has the highest melting point among the known materials (4000°C). Spark plasma sintering is a new route for consolidation of materials, specially ultra high temperature ceramics (UHTCs), which are difficult to be sintered at temperatures lower than 2000°C.The purpose of this study is to consolidate Ta0.8Hf0.2C by spark plasma sintering at low temperature using MoSi2 and TaSi2 as sintering aid. In this regard, effect of different amounts of sintering aids and carbides ratio on densification behavior and mechanical properties of Ta1-xHfxC were investigated.Fully consolidation of Ta0.8Hf0.2C was achieved in presence of 12vol.% sintering aid after sintering at 1650°C for 5min... 

We studied the mobility of p-carborane on a gold surface by analyzing the potential energy surfaces (PES) and simulating the motion of p-carborane using the classical molecular dynamics (MD) method. In the first section, we calculated the PES of p-carborane molecules on a gold surface during pure translation (sliding) and pure rotation independently and then employed this PES to predict the probable motion of p-carborane. These calculations were performed in several major orientations during sliding as well as different fixed positions during rotational movements to enable us to find the p-carborane motion threshold on a gold surface. In the second section, we use classical MD in isothermal...