Thermoelectric properties of Co substituted synthetic tetrahedrite

Transition metal atom (Co) substituted synthetic tetrahedrite compounds Cu12-xCoxSb4S13 (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0) were prepared by solid state synthesis. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed tetrahedrite as the main phase, whereas for the compounds with x = 0, 0.5 a trace of impurity phase Cu3SbS4 was observed. The surface morphology showed a large grain size with low porosity, which indicated appropriate compaction for the hot pressed samples. The phase purity, as monitored by Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) is in good agreement with the XRD data. The elemental composition for all the compounds almost matched with the nominal composition. The X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) data showed that Cu existed in both +1 and +2 states, while Sb exhibited +3 oxidation states. Elastic modulus and hardness showed a systematic variation with increasing Co content. The electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient increased with increase in the doping content due to the decrease in the number of carriers caused by the substitution of Co2+ on the Cu1+ site. The positive Seebeck coefficient for all samples indicates that the dominant carriers are holes. A combined effect of resistivity and Seebeck coefficient leads to the maximum power factor of 1.76 mW m(-1) K-2 at 673 K for Cu11.5Co0.5Sb4S13. This could be due to the optimization in the carrier concentration by the partial substitution of Co2+ on both the Cu1+ as well as Cu2+ site at the same doping levels, which is also supported by the XPS data. The total thermal conductivity systematically decreased with increase of doping content as it is mainly influenced by the decrease of carrier thermal conductivity. The maximum thermoelectric figure of merit zT = 0.98 was obtained at 673 K for Cu11.5Co0.5Sb4S13. (C) 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High performance sol-gel spin-coated titanium dioxide dielectric based MOS structures

High-kappa TiO2 thin films have been fabricated using cost effective sol-gel and spin-coating technique on p-Si (100) wafer. Plasma activation process was used for better adhesion between TiO2 films and Si. The influence of annealing temperature on the structure-electrical properties of titania films were investigated in detail. Both XRD and Raman studies indicate that the anatase phase crystallizes at 400 degrees C, retaining its structural integrity up to 1000 degrees C. The thickness of the deposited films did not vary significantly with the annealing temperature, although the refractive index and the RMS roughness enhanced considerably, accompanied by a decrease in porosity. For electrical measurements, the films were integrated in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structure. The electrical measurements evoke a temperature dependent dielectric constant with low leakage current density. The Capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of the films annealed at 400 degrees C exhibited a high value of dielectric constant (similar to 34). Further, frequency dependent C-V measurements showed a huge dispersion in accumulation capacitance due to the presence of TiO2/Si interface states and dielectric polarization, was found to follow power law dependence on frequency (with exponent `s'=0.85). A low leakage current density of 3.6 x 10(-7) A/cm(2) at 1 V was observed for the films annealed at 600 degrees C. The results of structure-electrical properties suggest that the deposition of titania by wet chemical method is more attractive and cost-effective for production of high-kappa materials compared to other advanced deposition techniques such as sputtering, MBE, MOCVD and AID. The results also suggest that the high value of dielectric constant kappa obtained at low processing temperature expands its scope as a potential dielectric layer in MOS device technology. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tailored nitrogen dioxide sensing response of three-dimensional graphene foam

Ultralight and macroporous three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foams are prepared by lyophilization (freeze-drying) technique to avoid a conventional template method. This method allows tailoring the porosity of the foams by varying the weight percentages of graphene oxide dispersions in water. Three different rGO foams of 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 wt% are used for NO2 sensing. Sensing response from the tailored structure of rGO is found to be directly related to the density. A maximum of 20% sensing response is observed for a higher porosity of the structure, better than the known results so far on graphene foams in the literature. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel in-situ polymer derived nano ceramic MMC by friction stir processing

Fiction stir processing (FSP) is a solid state technique used for material processing. Tool wear and the agglomeration of ceramic particles have been serious issues in FSP of metal matrix composites. In the present study, FSP has been employed to disperse the nanoscale particles of a polymer-derived silicon carbonitride (SiCN) ceramic phase into copper by an in-situ process. SiCN cross linked polymer particles were incorporated using multi-pass ESP into pure copper to form bulk particulate metal matrix composites. The polymer was then converted into ceramic through an in-situ pyrolysis process and dispersed by ESP. Multi-pass processing was carried out to remove porosity from the samples and also for the uniform dispersion of polymer derived ceramic particles. Microstructural observations were carried out using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) of the composite. The results indicate a uniform distribution of similar to 100 nm size particles of the ceramic phase in the copper matrix after ESP. The nanocomposite exhibits a five fold increase in microhardness (260HV(100)) which is attributed to the nano scale dispersion of ceramic particles. A mechanism has been proposed for the fracturing of PDC particles during multi pass FSP. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Effect of combined treatment with zoledronic acid and propranolol on mechanical strength in an rat model of disuse osteoporosis

Objectives: A model that uses right hind-limb unloading of rats is used to study the consequences of skeletal unloading during various conditions like space flights and prolonged bed rest in elderly. This study was aimed to investigate the additive effects of antiresorptive agent zoledronic acid (ZOL), alone and in combination with propranolol (PRO) in a rat model of disuse osteoporosis. Methods: In the present study, 3-month-old male Wistar rats had their right hind-limb immobilized (RHLI) for 10 weeks to induce osteopenia, then were randomized into four groups: 1-RHLI positive control, 2-RHLI plus ZOL (50 mu g/kg, i.v. single dose), 3-RHLI plus PRO (0.1 mg/kg, s.c. 5 days per week), 4-RHLI plus PRO (0.1 mg/kg, s.c. 5 days per week) plus ZOL (50 mu g/kg, i.v. single dose) for another 10 weeks. One group of non-immobilized rats was used as negative control. At the end of treatment, the femurs were removed and tested for bone porosity, bone mechanical properties, and bone dry and ash weight. Results: With respect to improvement in the mechanical strength of the femoral mid-shaft, the combination treatment with ZOL plus PRO was more effective than ZOL or PRO monotherapy. Moreover, combination therapy using ZOL plus PRO was more effective in improving dry bone weight and preserved the cortical bone porosity better than monotherapy using ZOL or PRO in right hind-limb immobilized rats. Conclusions: These data suggest that this combined treatment with ZOL plus PRO should be recommended for the treatment of disuse osteoporosis. (C) 2014 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Simulation of Effective Thermal Conductivity of Metal Hydride Packed Beds

Several mathematical models are available for estimation of effective thermal conductivity of nonreactive packed beds. Keeping in view the salient differences between metal hydride beds in which chemisorption of hydrogen takes place and conventional nonreactive packed beds, modified models are proposed here to predict the effective thermal conductivity. Variation in properties such as solid thermal conductivity and porosity during hydrogen absorption and desorption processes are incorporated. These extended models have been applied to simulate the effective thermal conductivity of the MmNi(4.5)Al(0.5) hydride bed and are compared with the experimental results. Applicability of the extended models for estimation of the effective thermal conductivity at different operating conditions such as pressure, temperature, and hydrogen concentration is discussed.