Synthesis and characterization of PLZT (9/65/35) by the Pechini method and partial oxalate

ZrTiO4 (ZT), obtained by the Pechini method, was used as precursor for obtaining PLZT (lead lanthanum zirconium titanate). An aqueous solution of oxalic acid was prepared with particles of ZT, Pb(NO3)(2) and La2O3. After the PbC2O4 and La2O3 precipitate on ZT particles, the materials were calcined and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the cubic phase of PLZT. This material was sintered, in two steps, and a density of about 8.0 g/cm(3) was obtained. After the second sintering the XRD pattern showed the occurrence of tetragonal and rhombohedral phases. This was caused by a stoichiometric deviation and the material showed a high optical transparency. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of impedance spectroscopy in the study of the effect of Cr concentration on the electrical properties of SnO2-based ceramics

This paper reports a study of influence of Cr concentration on the electrical properties and microstructure of SnO2-based powders doped with Mn and Nb, prepared by an organic route (Pechini method). All the samples were compacted into discs and sintered at 1300 degrees C for 3h, resulting in ceramics with relative density varying between 78% and 98%. The powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. Impedance spectroscopy characterization indicated that the conductivity decreases as Cr concentration increases, probably due to Cr segregation at grain boundaries, which reduces grain size, increasing the number of resistive boundaries.

Structural and optical properties of GdAlO3:RE3+ (RE = Eu or Tb) prepared by the Pechini method for application as X-ray phosphors

In this work, GdAlO3:RE3+ (RE = Eu or Tb) was successfully prepared by the Pechini method at lower temperatures when compared to others methods as solid-state synthesis and sol-gel process. In accordance to the XRD data, the fully crystalline single-phase GdAlO3 could be obtained at 900 degrees C. The differential thermal analysis (DTA) shows a crystallization peak at 850 degrees C. The samples are composed by monocrystalline particles (50-120 nm) exhibiting the formation of aggregates among them, which indicates the beginning of the sinterization process. This feature indicates a strong tendency to the formation of aggregates, which is a suitable ability for the close-packing of particles, and hence a potential application in X-ray intensifying screens. Luminescence measurements indicate Gd3+ -> RE3+ energy transfer. The Eu3+ emission spectra exhibit all the characteristics D-5(0) -> F-7(j) transitions and the observed profile suggests that RE3+ ions occupy at least one site without center of symmetry. For terbium-doped samples, the D-5(3) -> F-7(j) (blue emission) and D-5(4) -> F-7(j) (green emission) transitions were observed and the ratio between them may depend on the Tb3+ content due to cross-relaxation processes. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlation between the spectroscopic and structural properties with the occupation of Eu3+ sites in powdered Eu3+-doped LiTaO3 prepared by the Pechini method

In this work we studied the structural and optical properties of lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) powders doped with Eu3+ ions. We have examined the different sites occupied by the rare earth ion through the correlation of the DRX data analyzed with the Rietveld method and some spectroscopic parameters derived from the Eu3+ luminescence. Adirect relation was established between the lattice parameters and the occupation fraction of Eu3+ in each LiTaO3 site. The occupation fraction was set as the relative population of Eu3+ ions for each site obtained by means of the intensity, baricenter, and the spontaneous emission coefficients of the D-5(0)-> F-7(0) transitions. We concluded that the unit cell parameter a presents the same behavior of the Eu3+ occupation fraction in Ta5+ sites as a function of the Eu3+ content in LiTaO3. The same was observed for the variation in Eu3+ occupation fraction in the Li+ site and the unit cell parameter c with the Eu3+ content. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3204967]

Influence of the concentration of Sb2O3 and the viscosity of the precursor solution on the electrical and optical properties of SnO2 thin films produced by the Pechini method

SnO2:Sb multi-layer coatings were prepared by the Pechini method. An investigation was made of the influence of the concentration of Sb2O3 and the viscosity of the precursor solution on the electrical and optical properties of SnO2 thin films. The use of a multi-layer system as an alternative form of increasing the packing and. thus. decreasing porosity proved to be efficient, decreasing the system's resistivity without altering its optical properties. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of TiO2 and AI(2)O(3) on the electrical and microstructural properties of SnO2 ceramics obtained by the Pechini method

Tin oxide has wakened up great scientific and technological interest for its potential use in varistors production and as gas sensor. In order to improve the microstructural and electrical properties in SnO2 varistor ceramics, the influence of differents dopants used, like TiO2 and Al2O3, is under research. The effect of TiO2 and Al2O3 on the properties of Sn-Co-Nb varistor systems obtained by the Pechini method has been investigated in this work. Characterization of synthesized raw material was performed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM). The microstructural and electrical characterization of sintered samples show that the TiO2 favors the grain growth and the Al2O3 contributes to the decrease it, effect that is manifested in the Sn-Co-Nb varistor systems. Breakdown field increase up to 6300V/cm with increasing Al2O3 content and non-linear coefficients with alpha=22 were obtained.

The effect of preparation method and Sb content on SnO2-CuO sintering

The sintering behavior of SnO2-CuO system has been investigated for two preparation methods and as a function of antimony concentration. A chemical preparation (Pechini's method) resulted in powders with smaller particle sizes than for a conventional oxide mixture. This led to smaller grain sizes in Pechini's method ceramics. The microstructures were heterogeneous in both systems, showing grain coarsening. The densification was aided by liquid phase formation, due to copper, in both systems, but the temperature of maximum shrinkage rate was larger for the Pechini's method ceramic because copper had to diffuse to the grain surface. Independently of the preparation method, antimony did not aid densification, and increasing its concentration led to a higher densification temperature and lower shrinkage rate. (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Synthesis by the polymeric precursor method and characterization of undoped and Sn, Cr and V-doped ZrTiO4

In this work, zirconium titanate doped with 0. 1, 0.2, and 0.4 mole% of tin, chromium and vanadium was synthesized by the polymeric precursors method and characterized by thermal analysis (TG/DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The powder presented two mass losses attributed to the exit of water and to the pyrolysis of the organic material. The surface area reduction observed from 500 degrees C indicates the beginning of the sintering process. All the dopants led to changes in the lattice parameters and to the decrease of both crystallite size and particle size. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Europium(III)-containing zinc oxide from Pechini method

ZnO:Eu3+ (0.1 and 3 at%) with average particle size of 500 nm were prepared by the Pechini method. Photoluminescence spectroscopy evidences that there is no energy transfer between ZnO and Eu3+ ion. The emission spectrum at 77 K shows that Eu3+ ions occupy at least three different sites in ZnO:Eu 3 at% sample. The experimental intensity parameter Omega(2) indicates that Eu3+ ions in the sample doped with 3 at% occupy sites where 4-configurational levels can better mix with opposite-parity states than those in the sample doped with 0.1 at%. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Seeding of PMN powders made by the Pechini method

The partial oxalate method, with the columbite route, associated with the Pechini method, was used to obtain a very fine ceramic powder at low temperature. Using this route it was possible to obtain a very reactive powder and to synthesize a lead magnesium niobate (PMN) powder with up to 100% of perovskite phase at a lower temperatures than the PbO melting point. The influence of the BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 seeds in the phase formation, along with time and temperature during the PMN calcination, was also investigated. The amount of 2% of BaTiO3 seeds promoted PMN powder formation with 100% of perovskite phase and a very narrow particle size distribution. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd and Techna S.r.l. All rights reserved.

Sequential spectrophotometric determination of chromium(III) and chromium(VI) using flow injection analysis

A flow injection analysis (FIA) procedure for the speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) using the 1,5-diphenylcarbazide (DPC) method is presented. As Cr(III) does not interfere in the Cr(VI) - DPC reaction, both Cr(VI) and total chromium [after the on-line oxidation of Cr(III) by Ce(IV)] are sequentially determined. Cr(III) is obtained by difference. Under the experimental conditions described, the calibration graphs are linear up to 2 μg mh1 of Cr(VI) and 4 μg ml-1 of Cr(III). The detection limits found were 18 ng ml -1 for Cr(VI) and 55 ng ml-1 for Cr(III), at a signal to noise ratio of 3. The common interfering elements in the Cr(VI) - DPC reaction were investigated under dynamic FIA conditions. The FIA method was also compared with the conventional spectrophotometric procedure.

New methodology for a faster synthesis of SrSnO3 by the modified Pechini method

SrSnO3, a perovskite-type complex oxide, was synthesized by the modified Pechini method using two different precursors, tin chloride and metallic tin. The first one is already traditional in the literature and it claims about 30 days, only for the cleaning of tin citrate aiming at the elimination of the chloride. The second route was developed by our research group and saves time, taking 6 h to complete the synthesis of the resin. The results show that SrSnO3 obtained from the metallic tin show a higher short range order, leading to a band gap value higher than those reported in the literature, besides a meaningful reduction in the formation of SrCO 3, as compared to the one obtained from tin chloride.

Candida spp.: manual identification (reference method) and automated identification (Vitek system platform)

Yeasts are becoming a common cause of nosocomial fungal infections that affect immunocompromised patients. Such infections can evolve into sepsis, whose mortality rate is high. This study aimed to evaluate the viability of Candida species identification by the automated system Vitek-Biomerieux (Durham, USA). Ninety-eight medical charts referencing the Candida spp. samples available for the study were retrospectively analyzed. The system Vitek-Biomerieux with Candida identification card is recommended for laboratory routine use and presents 80.6% agreement with the reference method. By separate analysis of species, 13.5% of C. parapsilosis samples differed from the reference method, while the Vitek system wrongly identified them as C. tropicalis, C. lusitaneae or as Candida albicans. C. glabrata presented a discrepancy of only one sample (25%), and was identified by Vitek as C. parapsilosis. C. guilliermondii also differed in only one sample (33.3%), being identified as Candida spp. All C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C. lusitaneae samples were identified correctly.

Alteration of blue pigment in artificial iris in ocular prosthesis: Effect of paint, drying method and artificial aging

The artificial iris is the structure responsible for the dissimulation and aesthetics of ocular prosthesis. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the color stability of artificial iris of microwaveable polymerized ocular prosthesis, as a function of paint type, drying method and accelerated aging. A total of 40 discs of microwaveable polymerized acrylic resin were fabricated, and divided according to the blue paint type ( n = 5): hydrosoluble acrylic, nitrocellulose automotive, hydrosoluble gouache and oil paints. Paints where dried either at natural or at infrared light bulb method. Each specimen was constituted of one disc in colorless acrylic resin and another colored with a basic sclera pigment. Painting was performed in one surface of one of the discs. The specimens were submitted to an artificial aging chamber under ultraviolet light, during 1008 h. A reflective spectrophotometer was used to evaluate color changes. Data were evaluated by 3-way repeated-measures ANOVA and the Tukey HSD test (alpha = 0.05). All paints suffered color alteration. The oil paint presented the highest color resistance to artificial aging regardless of drying method. (C) 2010 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The cross-entropy method and its application to minimize the ripple of magnetic levitation forces of a maglev system

This paper explores firstly the potential of a new evolutionary method - the Cross-Entropy (CE) method in solving continuous inverse electromagnetic problems. For this purpose, an adaptive updating formula for the smoothing parameter, some mutation operation, and a new termination criterion are proposed. The proposed CE based metaheuristics is applied to reduce the ripple of the magnetic levitation forces of a prototype Maglev system. The numerical results have shown that the ripple of the magnetic levitation forces of the prototype system is reduced significantly after the design optimization using the proposed algorithm.