Microstructural Effects on the Creep Deformation of Alumina/Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Composites

The enhanced high-temperature creep resistance in alumina/single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) composites has been attributed to the unprecedented grain-boundary structure of these composites, where the SWNTs bundles segregated at the alumina grain boundaries partially impede grain-boundary sliding. In this study, the effect of SWNTs distributions at alumina grain boundaries on the creep behavior of alumina/SWNTs composites…

Spark Plasma Sintering of Ultrafine TiCxN1-x Powders Synthesized by a Mechanically Induced Self-Sustaining Reaction

High-purity, nanometer-sized titanium carbonitride powders, TiCxN1-x, were obtained with a mechanically induced self-sustaining reaction (MSR) in a high-energy planetary ball mill from a mixture of titanium and different carbon precursors under a nitrogen atmosphere. A promising method for developing dense TiCxN1-x materials is the coupling of MSR with the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The…

The Multistep Nature of the Kaolinite Dehydroxylation: Kinetics and Mechanism

The thermal dehydroxylation of kaolinite has been reexamined using small sample weights, a homogeneous particle size distribution and high-vacuum conditions in order to reduce the influences of heat and mass-transfer phenomena. The controlled rate thermal analysis (CRTA) technique, which was specially developed to minimize the pressure and temperature gradients through the sample, was employed to…

Synthesis, Rietveld Analysis, and Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of X2-Sc2SiO5

Compounds containing rare earths are of increasing technological interest especially because of their unique mechanical, magnetic, electrical, and optical properties. Among them, rare earth oxyorthosilicates are attractive scintillators for γ- and X-ray spectroscopy and detection. However, there are many structural aspects of those compounds that are not clear. In this research, the structure parameters for…