Abstract: The present work reports on the microstructural evolution of a new heat of 24% cold worked austenitic DIN 1.4970 (15-15Ti) nuclear cladding steel subjected to ageing heat treatments of varying duration between 500 and 800 degrees C (by steps of 100 degrees C). The primary aim was studying the finely dispersed Ti-C nanoprecipitate population, which are thought to be beneficial for creep and swelling resistance during service. Their size distribution and number density were estimated through dark field imaging and bright field Moire imaging techniques in the transmission electron microscope. Nanoprecipitates formed at and above 600 degrees C, which is a lower temperature than previously reported. The observed nucleation, growth and coarsening behavior of the nanoprecipitates were consistent with simple diffusion arguments. The formation of nanoprecipitates coincided with significant dissociation of dislocations as evidenced by weak beam dark field imaging. Possible mechanisms, including Silcock's stacking fault growth model and Suzuki segregation, are discussed. Recrystallization observed after extended ageing at 800 degrees C caused the redissolution of nanoprecipitates. Large primary Ti(C,N) and (Ti,Mo)C precipitates that occur in the as-received material, and M23C6 precipitates that nucleate on grain boundaries at low temperatures were also characterized by a selective dissolution procedure involving filtration, X-ray diffraction and quantitative Rietveld refinement. The partitioning of key elements between the different phases was derived by combining these findings and was consistent with thermodynamic considerations and the processing history of the steel. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The permeation of water between neighboring graphene oxide (GO) flakes, i.e., 2D nanochannels, are investigated using a simple model for the GO membrane. We simulate the hydrophilic behavior of nanocapillaries and study the effect of surface charge on the dynamical properties of water flow and the influence of Na+ and Cl- ions on water permeation. Our approach is based on extensive equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to obtain a better understanding of water permeation through charged nanochannels in the presence of ions. We found significant change in the slippage dynamics of confined water such as a profound increase in viscosity/slip length with increasing charges over the surface. The slip length decreases one order of magnitude (i.e., 1/30) with increasing density of surface charge, while it increases by a factor of 2 with ion concentration. We found that commensurability induced by nanoconfinement plays an important role on the intrinsic dynamical properties of water.

Abstract: We report on a combined chemical vapor deposition (CVD)/radio frequency (RF) sputtering synthetic strategy for the controlled surface modification of ZnO nanostructures by Ti-containing species. Specifically, the proposed approach consists in the CVD of grown-on-tip ZnO nanopyramids, followed by titanium RF sputtering under mild conditions. The results obtained by a thorough characterization demonstrate the successful ZnO surface functionalization with dispersed Ti-containing species in low amounts. This phenomenon, in turn, yields a remarkable enhancement of photoactivated superhydrophilic behavior, self-cleaning ability, and photocatalytic performances in comparison to bare ZnO. The reasons accounting for such an improvement are unravelled by a multitechnique analysis, elucidating the interplay between material chemico-physical properties and the corresponding functional behavior. Overall, the proposed strategy stands as an amenable tool for the mastering of semiconductor-based functional nanoarchitectures through ad hoc engineering of the system surface.

Abstract: In this paper we employ first-principles calculations to investigate the effect of substitutional Si doping in the amorphous calcium-phosphate (a-HAP) structure on the work of adhesion, integral charge transfer, charge density difference and theoretical tensile strengths between an a-HAP coating and amorphous titanium dioxide (a-TiO2) substrate systemically. Our calculations demonstrate that substitution of a P atom by a Si atom in a-HAP (a-Si-HAP) with the creation of OH-vacancies as charge compensation results in a significant increase of the bonding strength of the coating to the substrate. The work of adhesion of the optimized Si-doped interfaces reaches a value of up to -2.52 J m(-2), which is significantly higher than for the stoichiometric a-HAP/a-TiO2. Charge density difference analysis indicates that the dominant interactions at the interface have significant covalent character, and in particular two Ti-O and three Ca-O bonds are formed for a-Si-HAP/a-TiO2 and one Ti-O and three Ca-O bonds for a-HAP/a-TiO2. From the stress-strain curve, the Young's modulus of a-Si-HAP/a-TiO2 is calculated to be about 25% higher than that of the a-HAP/a-TiO2, and the yielding stress is about 2 times greater than that of the undoped model. Our calculations therefore demonstrate that the presence of Si in the a-HAP structure strongly alters not only the bioactivity and resorption rates, but also the mechanical properties of the a-HAP/a-TiO2 interface. The results presented here provide an important theoretical insight into the nature of the chemical bonding at the a-HAP/a-TiO2 interface, and are particularly significant for the practical medical applications of HAP-based biomaterials.

Abstract: Transmission electron microscopy and finite element-based dislocation simulations were combined to study the development of dislocation microstructures after cyclic deformation of single crystal and bicrystal Ni micropillars oriented for multi-slip. A direct correlation between large accumulation of plastic strain and the presence of dislocation cell walls in the single crystal micropillars was observed, while the presence of the grain boundary hampered the formation of wall-like structures in agreement with a smaller accumulated plastic strain. Automated crystallographic orientation and nanostrain mapping using transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of lattice heterogeneities associated to the cell walls including long range elastic strain fields. By combining the nanostrain mapping with an inverse modelling approach, information about dislocation density, line orientation and Burgers vector direction was derived, which is not accessible otherwise in such dense dislocation structures. Simulations showed that the image forces associated with the grain boundary in this specific bicrystal configuration have only a minor influence on dislocation behavior. Thus, the reduced occurrence of “mature” cell walls in the bicrystal can be attributed to the available volume, which is too small to accommodate cell structures.

Abstract: New hybrid materials-photosensitized nanocomposites containing nanocrystal heterostructures with spatial charge separation, show high response for practically important sub-ppm level NO2 detection at room temperature. Nanocomposites ZnO/CdSe, ZnO/(CdS@CdSe), and ZnO/(ZnSe@CdS) were obtained by the immobilization of nanocrystals-colloidal quantum dots (QDs), on the matrix of nanocrystalline ZnO. The formation of crystalline core-shell structure of QDs was confirmed by HAADF-STEM coupled with EELS mapping. Optical properties of photosensitizers have been investigated by optical absorption and luminescence spectroscopy combined with spectral dependences of photoconductivity, which proved different charge localization regimes. Photoelectrical and gas sensor properties of nanocomposites have been studied at room temperature under green light (max = 535 nm) illumination in the presence of 0.12-2 ppm NO2 in air. It has been demonstrated that sensitization with type II heterostructure ZnSe@CdS with staggered gap provides the rapid growth of effective photoresponse with the increase in the NO2 concentration in air and the highest sensor sensitivity toward NO2. We believe that the use of core-shell QDs with spatial charge separation opens new possibilities in the development of light-activated gas sensors working without thermal heating.

Abstract: Novel stable ultra-thin phases of europium oxide are investigated by means of state-of-the-art first principles calculations. Total energy calculations show that single layers of EuO2 and Eu(OH)(2) can be stabilized in an octahedrally coordinated (1T) atomic structure. However, phonon calculations reveal that although both structures are energetically feasible, only the 1T-EuO2 phase has dynamical stability. The phonon spectrum of 1T-EuO2 displays three Raman active modes; a non-degenerate out-of-plane A(1g) mode at 353.5 cm(-1) and two doubly-degenerate in-plane E-g modes at 304.3 cm(-1). Furthermore, magnetic ground state and electronic band dispersion calculations show that the single layer EuO2 is a metal with net magnetic moment of 5(mu B) per unitcell resulting in a half-metallic ferrimagnetic behavior. Moreover, robustness of the half-metallic ferrimagnetic characteristics of EuO2 is confirmed by the application of electric field and charging. Single layer 1T-EuO2, with its stable ultra-thin structure and half-metallic ferrimagnetic feature, is a promising novel material for nanoscale electronic and spintronic applications.

Abstract: The demand of a full solid-state cooling technology based on magnetocaloric and thermoelectric effects has led to a growing interest in screening candidate materials with high-efficiency cooling performance, which also stimulates the exploration of magnetocaloric/thermoelectric hybrid cooling materials. A series of Gd/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 composites was fabricated in order to develop the hybrid cooling technology. The chemical composition, phase structure and diffusion kinetics across the reaction layers in Gd/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 composites were analyzed at different reaction temperatures. Micro-area elemental analysis indicates that the formation of interfacial phases is dominated by the diffusion of Gd and Te while the diffusion of Bi and Sb is impeded. The interfacial phases, including GdTe2, GdTe3, and intermediate phases GdTex, are identified by atomic-resolution electron microscopy. The concentration modulation of Gd and Te is adapted by altering the stacking of the Te square-net sheets and the corrugated GdTe sheets. Boltzmann-Marano analysis was applied to reveal the diffusion kinetics of Gd and Te in the interfacial layers. The diffusion coefficients of Te in GdTe2 and GdTe3 are much higher than that of Gd while in GdTe the situation is reversed. This study provides a clear picture to understand the interfacial phase structures down to an atomic scale as well as the interfacial diffusion kinetics in Gd/Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 hybrid cooling materials.

Abstract: Transition metal dichalcogenides, intercalated with transition metals, are studied for their potential applications as dilute magnetic semiconductors. We investigate the magnetic properties of WSe2 doped with third-row transition metals (Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ti and V). Using density functional theory in combination with Monte Carlo simulations, we obtain an estimate of the Curie or Neel temperature. We find that the magnetic ordering is highly dependent on the dopant type. While Ti and Cr-doped WSe2 have a ferromagnetic ground state, V, Mn, Fe and Co-doped WSe2 are antiferromagnetic in their ground state. For Fe doped WSe2, we find a high Curie-temperature of 327 K. In the case of V-doped WSe2, we find that there are two distinct magnetic phase transitions, originating from a frustrated in-plane antiferromagnetic exchange interaction and a ferromagnetic out-of-plane interaction. We calculate the formation energy and reveal that, in contrast to earlier reports, the formation energy is positive for the intercalated systems studied here. We also show that in the presence of W-vacancies, it becomes favorable for Ti, Fe, and Co to intercalate in WSe2.

Abstract: Hyperthermia, as the process of heating a malignant site above 42 °C to trigger cell death, has emerged as an effective and selective cancer therapy strategy. Various modalities of hyperthermia have been proposed, among which magnetic and photothermal hyperthermia are known to benefit from the use of nanomaterials. In this context, we introduce herein a hybrid colloidal nanostructure comprising plasmonic gold nanorods (AuNRs) covered by a silica shell, onto which iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are subsequently grown. The resulting hybrid nanostructures are responsive to both external magnetic fields and near-infrared irradiation. As a result, they can be applied for the targeted magnetic separation of selected cell populations – upon targeting by antibody functionalization – as well as for photothermal heating. Through this combined functionality, the therapeutic effect of photothermal heating can be enhanced. We demonstrate both the fabrication of the hybrid system and its application for targeted photothermal hyperthermia of human glioblastoma cells.

Abstract: Electron tomography (ET) is a powerful tool to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nanomaterials in a transmission electron microscope. However, the acquisition of a conventional tilt series for ET is a time-consuming process and can therefore not provide 3D structural information in a time-efficient manner. Here, we propose surface-sensitive secondary electron (SE) imaging as an alternative to ET for the investigation of the morphology of nanomaterials. We use the SE electron beam induced current (SEEBIC) technique that maps the electrical current arising from holes generated by the emission of SEs from the sample. SEEBIC imaging can provide valuable information on the sample morphology with high spatial resolution and significantly shorter throughput times compared with ET. In addition, we discuss the contrast formation mechanisms that aid in the interpretation of SEEBIC data.

Abstract: Silicon-based materials are attractive for thermoelectric applications due to their thermal stability, chemical inertness, and natural abundance of silicon. Here, using a combination of first-principles and Boltzmann transport calculations we report the thermoelectric properties of the recently synthesized compound Mg3Si2Te6. Our analysis reveals that Mg3Si2Te6 is a direct bandgap semiconductor with a bandgap of 1.6 eV. The combination of heavy and light valence bands, along with a high valley degeneracy, results in a large power factor under p-type doping. We also find that Mg is weakly bonded both within and between the layers, leading to low phonon group velocities. The vibrations of the Mg atoms are localized and make a significant contribution to phonon-phonon scattering. This high anharmonicity, coupled with low phonon group velocity, results in a low lattice thermal conductivity of & kappa;(l) = 0.5 W m(-1) K-1 at room temperature, along the cross-plane direction. Combining excellent electronic transport properties and low & kappa;(l), p-type Mg3Si2Te6 achieves figure-of-merit (zT) values greater than 1 at temperatures above 600 K. Specifically, a zT of 2.0 is found at 900 K along the cross-plane direction. Our findings highlight the importance of structural complexity and chemical bonding in electronic and phonon transport, providing guiding insights for further design of Si-based thermoelectrics.

Abstract: Ni4Ti3 precipitates play an important role in the shape memory and superelastic behaviour of thermo-mechanically treated Ni-Ti material. The 3D morphology and distribution of such precipitates with lenticular shape and rhombohedral atomic structure in the austenitic B2 matrix of a binary Ni-rich Ni-Ti alloy has been elucidated via a slice view procedure in a Dual-Beam FIB/SEM system. With the sequence of cross-section SE images obtained from the SEM, a 3D reconstruction has been achieved after proper alignment and image processing, from which both qualitative and quantitative analysis can be performed. Careful imaging is needed to ensure that all variants of the precipitates are observed with equal probability, regardless sample orientation. Moreover, due to the weak contrast of the precipitates, proper imaging conditions need to be selected to allow for semi-automated image treatment. Finally, a volume ratio of 10.2% for the Ni4Ti3 precipitates could be calculated, summed over all variants, which yields a net composition of Ni50.36Ti49.64 for the matrix, leading to an increase of 113 degrees for the martensitic start temperature Ms. Also, the expected relative orientation of the different variants of the precipitates could be confirmed. In the near future, other quantitative measures on the distribution of the precipitates can be expected.