Interface energy and its influence on interface fracture between metal and ceramic thin films in nanoscale

A theoretical model about the size-dependent interface energy between two thin films with different materials is developed by considering the chemical bonding contribution based on the thermodynamic expressions and the structure strain contribution based on the mechanical characteristics. The interface energy decreases with reducing thickness of thin films, and is determined by such available thermodynamic and mechanical parameters as the melting entropy, the melting enthalpy, the shear modulus of two materials, etc. The predicted interface energies of some metal/MgO and metal/Al2O3 interfaces based on the model are consistent with the results based on the molecular mechanics calculation. Furthermore, the interface fracture properties of Ag/MgO and Ni/Al2O3 based on the atomistic simulation are further compared with each other. The fracture strength and the toughness of the interface with the smaller structure interface energy are both found to be lower. The intrinsic relations among the interface energy, the interface strength, and the fracture toughness are discussed by introducing the related interface potential and the interface stress. The microscopic interface fracture toughness is found to equal the structure interface energy in nanoscale, and the microscopic fracture strength is proportional to the fracture toughness. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3501090]

Crack Patterns in Ceramic Plates after Quenching

The crack patterns generated in a real ceramic plate and in a plate stacked by ceramic slabs under quenching are experimentally studied. The results here reveal that there are some distinct differences between the two crack patterns. The reasons that caused the differences are the size and boundary effects of the slabs. These crack patterns are very useful to understand the failure mechanisms of ceramic materials in thermal shock.

Universal Biot number determining stress duration and susceptibility of ceramic cylinders to quenching

A universal Biot number, which not only describes the susceptibility of ceramic cylinders to quenching but also determines the duration that ceramic cylinders are subjected to thermal stress during thermal shock, is theoretically obtained. The analysis proves that thermal shock failure of ceramic cylinders with a Biot number greater than the critical value is a rapid process, which only occurs in the initial heat conduction regime. The results provide a guide to the selection of ceramic materials for thermostructural engineering, with particular reference to thermal shock.

稀土区质子滴线核~(142)Ho的β缓发质子衰变

通过重离子引起的核反应106Cd(40Ca,p3n)合成了新的β缓发质子先驱核142Ho,并且配合氦喷嘴快速带传输系统用“p-γ”符合方法对它进行了首次鉴别.观测了142Ho的β缓发质子衰变,测定其半衰期为(0.4±0.1)s.利用统计模型拟合实验估计的对质子女儿核141Tb中末态的相对分支比和缓发质子能谱,142Ho的基态自旋被指认为5,6或7.用Woods-Xason Strutinsky方法计算了142Ho的核位能面,其结果支持指认142Ho的基态自旋宇称为7-.作为副产品,还首次观测到了来自先驱核139Gd,140Tb,142Tb和143Dy的β缓发质子衰变产生的质子女儿核中的一些γ跃迁.

Properties of the beta-delayed proton decay of Ho-146

The proton-rich isotope Ho-148 was produced via the fusion-evaporation reaction Mo-92 (Ni-58, 3p1n). The beta-delayed proton decay of Ho-146 was studied by proton-gamma coincidence measurements using a He-jet tape transport system. The gamma-transitions in Tb-145 following the proton emissions were observed, and the beta-delayed proton branching ratios to the final states in the grand-daughter nucleus Tb-145 were determined. According to the relative branching ratios, the ground-state spin of Ho-146 has been proposed and the possible configuration discussed.