Nanoindentation response of an ion irradiated Zr-based bulk metallic glass

Nanoindentation experiments were conducted on a Ni+ ion-irradiated Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG). The irradiation was carried out using 2.5, 5, 10 and 15 MeV ions and a flux of similar to 10(16) ions/cm(2). Post mortem imaging of the indents reveals a transition in the deformation mechanism of the irradiated regions from heterogeneous shear banding to homogeneous flow. Additionally, the load-displacement curves exhibit a transition from serrated to continuous flow with increasing severity of irradiation damage. The stress-strain response obtained from micro-pillar compression experiments complements the indentation response exhibiting a decrease in the flow stress and an `apparent' strain hardening at the lowest irradiation damage investigated, which is not observed in the as-cast alloy. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrical switching and optical studies on amorphous GexSe35-xTe65 thin films

The electrical switching behavior of amorphous GexSe35-xTe65 thin film samples has been studied in sandwich geometry of electrodes. It is found that these samples exhibit memory switching behavior, which is similar to that of bulk Ge-Se-Te glasses. As expected, the switching voltages of GexSe35-xTe65 thin film samples are lower compared to those of bulk samples. In both thin film amorphous and bulk glassy samples, the switching voltages are found to increase with the increase in Ge concentration, which is consistent with the increase in network connectivity with the addition of higher coordinated Ge atoms. A sharp increase is seen in the composition dependence of the switching fields of amorphous GexSe35-xTe65 films above x = 21, which can be associated with the stiffness transition. Further, the optical band gap of a-GexSe35-x Te-65 thin film samples, calculated from the absorption spectra, is found to show an increasing trend with the increase in Ge concentration, which is consistent with the variation of switching fields with composition. The increase in structural cross-linking with progressive addition of 4-fold coordinated Ge atoms is one of the main reasons for the observed increase in switching fields as well as band gaps of GexSe35-xTe65 samples. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of temperature on the plastic zone size and the shear band density in a bulk metallic glass

High temperature bonded interface indentation experiments are carried out on a Zr based bulk metallic glass (BMG) to examine the plastic deformation characteristics in subsurface deformation zone under a Vickers indenter. The results show that the shear bands are semi-circular in shape and propagate in radial direction. At all temperatures the inter-band spacing along the indentation axis is found to increase with increasing distance from the indenter tip. The average shear band spacing monotonically increases with temperature whereas the shear band induced plastic deformation zone is invariant with temperature. These observations are able to explain the increase in pressure sensitive plastic flow of BMGs with temperature. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of strain rate and temperature on the plastic deformation behaviour of a bulk metallic glass composite

The composites consisting of amorphous matrix reinforced with crystalline dendrites offer extraordinary combinations of strength, stiffness, and toughness and can be processed in bulk. Hence, they have been receiving intense research interest, with a primary focus to study their mechanical properties. In this paper, the temperature and strain rate effects on the uniaxial compression response of a tailored bulk metallic glass (BMG) composite has been investigated. Experimental results show that at temperatures ranging between ambient to 500 K and at all strain rates; the onset of plastic deformation in the composite is controlled by that in the dendrites. As the temperature is increased to the glass transition temperature of the matrix and beyond, flow in the amorphous matrix occurs readily and hence it dictates the composite's response. The role of the constituent phases in controlling the deformation mechanism of the composite has been verified by assessing the strain rate sensitivity and the activation volume for deformation. The composite is rate sensitive at room temperature with values of strain rate sensitivity and activation volume being similar to that of the dendrites. At test temperatures near to the glass transition temperature, the composite however becomes rate-insensitive corresponding to that of the matrix phase. At low strain rates, serrated flow akin to that of dynamic strain ageing in crystalline alloys was observed and the serration magnitude decreases with increasing temperature. Initiation of the shear bands at the dendrite/matrix interface and propagation of them through the matrix ligaments until their arrest at another interface is the responsible mechanism for this. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Observation of high pressure o-GeTe phase at ambient pressure in Si-Te-Ge glasses

Te-rich Si15Te85-xGex (1 <= x <= 11) glasses are found to exhibit an anomalous phase separations with germanium composition. The structural transformation of o-GeTe crystalline phase from o-GeTe with a = 11.76 angstrom, b = 16.59 angstrom, c = 17.44 angstrom, to high pressure o-GeTe with a new reduced lattice parameters a = 10.95 angstrom, b = 4.03 angstrom, c = 4.45 angstrom, is observed at T-c3 in the composition range 6 <= x <= 11. Raman studies support the possible existence of high pressure o-GeTe phase which is observed in X-ray diffraction experiments. Copyright 2012 Author(s). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3696862]

Estimation of the shear transformation zone size fin a bulk metallic glass through statistical a analysis of the first pop-in stresses during spherical nanoindentation

The size of the shear transformation zone (STZ) that initiates the elastic to plastic transition in a Zr-based bulk metallic glass was estimated by conducting a statistical analysis of the first pop-in event during spherical nanoindentation. A series of experiments led us to a successful description of the distribution of shear strength for the transition and its dependence on the loading rate. From the activation volume determined by statistical analysis the STZ size was estimated based on a cooperative shearing model. (C) 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemically functionalized glassy carbon spheres: a new covalent bulk modified composite electrode for the simultaneous determination of lead and cadmium

A new type of covalent bulk modified glassy carbon composite electrode has been fabricated and utilized in the simultaneous determination of lead and cadmium ions in aqueous medium. The covalent bulk modification was achieved by the chemical reduction of 2-hydroxybenzoic acid diazonium tetrafluroborate in the presence of hypophosphorous acid as a chemical reducing agent. The covalent attachment of the modifier molecule was examined by studying Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the surface morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy images. The electrochemistry of modified glassy carbon spheres was studied by its cyclic voltammetry to decipher the complexing ability of the modifier molecules towards Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions. The developed sensor showed a linear response in the concentration range 1-10 mu M with a detection limit of 0.18 and 0.20 mu M for lead and cadmium, respectively. The applicability of the proposed sensor has been checked by measuring the lead and cadmium levels quantitatively from sewage water and battery effluent samples.

Further evidence for room temperature, indentation-induced nanocrystallization in a bulk metallic glass

Room temperature nanoindentation experiments, employing two different pyramidal (Berkovich and cube-corner) indenters, were performed on a Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) to critically examine the possibility of indentation-induced nanocrystallization in BMGs. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy images obtained from high angle annular dark field ( HAADF) and high resolution (HR) modes clearly indicate to the occurrence of nanocrystallization. Pronounced nanocrystallite formation in the case of sharper cube-corner indenter suggests that the structural transformation is favored by the high strains introduced during nanoindentation. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A study on the formation of crystalline phases during solidification and crystallisation in the bulk metallic glass of Zr53Cu21Al10Ni8Ti8 composition

The present paper considers the formation of crystalline phases during solidification and crystallisation of the Zr53Cu21Al10Ni8Ti8 alloy. Solidification was carried out by a copper mould casting technique, which yielded a partially crystalline microstructure comprising a `big cube phase' in a dendritic morphology and a bct Zr2Ni phase. Detailed high-resolution microscopy was carried out to determine possible mechanisms for the formation of the crystalline phases. Based on microstructural examinations, it was established that the dendrites grew by the attachment of atomistic ledges. The bct Zr2Ni phase, formed during solidification and crystallisation, showed various types of faults depending on the crystallite size, and its crystallography was examined in detail. It has been shown that the presence of these faults could be explained by anti-site occupancy in the bct lattice of the Zr2Ni phase.

Thermo-physical and structural studies of sodium zinc borovanadate glasses in the region of high concentration of modifier oxides

This paper reports investigation of Na2O and ZnO modified borovanadate glasses in the highly modified regime of compositions. These glasses have been prepared by microwave route. Ultraviolet (UV) and visible, infrared (IR), Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (MAS NMR) and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopies have been used to characterize the speciation in the glasses. Together with the variation of properties such as molar volume and glass transition temperatures, spectroscopic data indicate that at high levels of modification, ZnO tends to behave like network former. It is proposed that the observed variation of all the properties can be reasonably well understood with a structural model. The model considers that the modification and speciation in glasses are strongly determined by the hierarchy of group electronegativities. Further, it is proposed that the width of the transitions of glasses obtained under same condition reflects the fragility of the glasses. An empirical expression has been suggested to quantify fragility on the basis of width of the transition regions. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal diffusivity measurements on ternary Ge-Te-Tl glasses using Photo-thermal Deflection method: Effect of thallium addition

Photo-thermal Deflection (PTD) technique is used to investigate the thermal diffusivity (alpha) of Ge17Te83 - xTlx (0 <= x <= 13) glasses as a function of composition. The thermal diffusivity of these glasses is found to lie in the range 0.020 to 0.048 cm(2)/s, which is consistent with the memory type of electrical switching exhibited by these samples. Further, it is found that alpha shows an initial increase with Tl addition, followed by a decrease. The observed composition dependence of thermal diffusivity has been understood on the basis that the thallium atoms are incorporated as a covalent species for lower values of x, increasing the network rigidity; however, they enter as ionic species for higher x values, fragmenting the network. The initial increase in a is due to the increasing network rigidity and the subsequent decrease is because of the fragmentation of the network. Also, there is a strong correlation between the composition dependence of switching voltages observed earlier and the variation with composition of electrical resistivity and thermal diffusivity of Ge17Te83 - xTlx glasses obtained in the present study. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optical Properties Study of S40Se60-xSbx Bulk Alloys

Bulk samples of S40Se60-xSbx (with x=10, 20, 30, 40 at. %) were prepared from high purity S, Se and Sb by melt quenching method. XRD studies revealed that all the samples have poly-crystalline phase. The variation in optical properties with composition has been investigated by XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The intensity of XPS core level spectra changes with addition of Sb clearly interprets the optical properties change due to compositional variation. The Raman shift and new peak formation in these samples clearly shows the structural modifications due to Sb addition.

Nonlinear Refraction and Two-Photon Absorption in Dense 2Bi(2)O(3)-B2O3 Glasses

High density transparent glasses (7.86 g/cc) were fabricated in the 2Bi(2)O(3)-B2O3 (BBO) system. Optical band gap of the obtained glasses was found to be 2.6eV. The refractive index measured for these glasses was 2.25 +/- 0.05 at lambda=543 nm. Nonlinear refraction and absorption studies were carried out on the BBO glasses using z-scan technique a lambda=532 nm of 10 ns pulse width. The nonlinear refractive index obtained was n(2)=12.1x10(-14) cm(2)/W and nonlinear absorption coefficient was beta=15.2 cm/GW. The n(2) and beta values of the BBO glasses were large compared to the other reported high index bismuth based oxide glass systems in the literature. These were attributed to the high density, high linear refractive index, low band gap and two photon absorption associated with these glasses. The electronic origin of large nonlinearities was discussed based on bond-orbital theory.

On the microstructure-tensile property correlations in bulk metallic glass matrix composites with crystalline dendrites

Bulk metallic glass (BMG) matrix composites with crystalline dendrites as reinforcements exhibit a wide variance in their microstructures (and thus mechanical properties), which in turn can be attributed to the processing route employed, which affects the size and distribution of the dendrites. A critical investigation on the microstructure and tensile properties of Zr/Ti-based BMG composites of the same composition, but produced by different routes, was conducted so as to identify ``structure-property'' connections in these materials. This was accomplished by employing four different processing methods-arc melting, suction casting, semi-solid forging and induction melting on a water-cooled copper boat-on composites with two different dendrite volume fractions, V-d. The change in processing parameters only affects microstructural length scales such as the interdendritic spacing, lambda, and dendrite size, delta, whereas compositions of the matrix and dendrite are unaffected. Broadly, the composite's properties are insensitive to the microstructural length scales when V-d is high (similar to 75%), whereas they become process dependent for relatively lower V-d (similar to 55%). Larger delta in arc-melted and forged specimens result in higher ductility (7-9%) and lower hardening rates, whereas smaller dendrites increase the hardening rate. A bimodal distribution of dendrites offers excellent ductility at a marginal cost of yield strength. Finer lambda result in marked improvements in both ductility and yield strength, due to the confinement of shear band nucleation sites in smaller volumes of the glassy phase. Forging in the semi-solid state imparts such a microstructure. (c) 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Random copolymers consisting of dithienylcyclopentadienone, thiophene and benzothiadiazole for bulk heterojunction solar cells

Novel random copolymers containing dithienylcyclopentadienone, thiophene and benzothiadiazole were synthesized and photovoltaic properties of these materials were evaluated. Thermal, structural, optical and electrochemical characterization of the synthesized copolymers was carried out. These thermally stable copolymers are solution processable unlike the homopolymer. The absorption spectra indicated that with the incorporation of alkyl chains in the thiophene moiety, the onset of absorption increases and hence band gap decreases (1.47 eV to 1.41 eV). Bulk heterojunction solar cells were fabricated with the blend of copolymer and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the active material and device parameters were extracted. The copolymer consists of alkyl thiophene exhibit higher open circuit voltage than the copolymer consisting of thiophene moiety. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.