ABSTRACT
New glass compositions containing high concentrations of Tb3+ ions were developed aiming at the production of magneto-optical (MO) fibers. This work reports on the structural and MO properties of a new glass composition based on (100 - x)(41GeO2-25B2O3-4Al2O3-10Na2O-20BaO) - xTb4O7. Morphological analysis (HR-TEM) of the sample with the highest concentration of Tb3+ ions confirmed the homogeneous distribution of Tb3+ ions and the absence of nanoclusters. All the samples presented excellent thermal stability against crystallization (ΔT > 100 °C). An optical fiber was manufactured by a fiber drawing process. The UV-Vis spectra of the glasses showed Tb3+ electronic transitions and optical windows varying from 0.4 to 1.6 µm. The magneto-optical properties and the paramagnetic behaviors of the glasses were investigated using Faraday rotation experiments. The Verdet constant (VB) values were calculated at 500, 650, 880, 1050, 1330, and 1550 nm. The maximum VB values obtained at 650 and 1550 nm for the glass with x = 18 mol% were -128 and - 17.6 rad T-1 m-1, respectively. The VB values at 500 and 1550 nm for the optical fiber containing 8 mol% of Tb4O7 were - 110.2 and - 9.5 rad T-1 m-1, respectively, while the optical loss at around 880 nm was 6.4 dB m-1.
ABSTRACT
CdFe2O4 nanoparticles of around 3.9 nm were synthesized using the coprecipitation method and protected by a silica layer. The nanoparticles were mixed with a coacervate and transformed into phosphate glasses with 1, 4 and 8% in mass of nanoparticles by the melt-quenching method. TEM images confirm that the nanoparticles were successfully incorporated into the matrix without inducing crystallization. 31P NMR and Raman spectral analyses show that new P-O-Si bonds are formed in the glasses containing nanoparticles. The glass transition increases as a function of the nanoparticle content due to an increase in the connectivity of the phosphate glass chains. The UV-Vis spectra show bands at 415 and 520 nm assigned to Fe3+ ions and at 1025 nm, characteristic of Fe2+ ions, indicating that some of the nanoparticles dissolve during the melting process. The sample with 8% CdFe2O4 presents a paramagnetic behavior. The glasses obtained are transparent, non-hygroscopic and possess enormous thermal stability which is important for the production of optical devices.
ABSTRACT
ß-Ti alloys have low elastic modulus, good specific strength and high corrosion resistance for biomaterial applications. Noble elements, such as Nb, Ta and Mo, are used to obtain ß-Ti due to their chemical biocompatibility. However, due to their refractory nature, ß-Ti requires specific processing routes. Powder metallurgy (P/M) allows for the development of new ß-Ti alloys with decreasing costs, but dealing with high-elemental-content alloys can lead to a lack of diffusion and grain growth. One method to refine the structure and improve mechanical properties is a severe plastic deformation technique through high-pressure torsion (HPT). The aim of this work was to evaluate the conversion of P/M porous ß-Ti-35Nb-10Ta-xFe alloys to dense nanostructures through high-pressure torsion in one deformation step and the influence of the structure variation on the properties and microstructure. TEM analysis and ASTAR crystallographic mapping was utilized to characterize the nanostructures, and the properties of P/M ß Ti-35Nb-10Ta-xFe alloys processed by HPT were compared. The initial microstructure consisted mainly by the ß-Ti phase with some α-Ti phase at the grain boundaries. The HPT process refined the microstructure from 50 µm (P/M) down to nanostructured grains of approximately 50 nm.
ABSTRACT
In the current work, process-related thermo-mechanical changes in the rivet microstructure, joint local and global mechanical properties, and their correlation with the rivet plastic deformation regime were investigated for Ti-6Al-4V (rivet) and glass-fiber-reinforced polyester (GF-P) friction-riveted joints of a single polymeric base plate. Joints displaying similar quasi-static mechanical performance to conventional bolted joints were selected for detailed characterization. The mechanical performance was assessed on lap shear specimens, whereby the friction-riveted joints were connected with AA2198 gussets. Two levels of energy input were used, resulting in process temperatures varying from 460 ± 130 °C to 758 ± 56 °C and fast cooling rates (178 ± 15 °C/s, 59 ± 15 °C/s). A complex final microstructure was identified in the rivet. Whereas equiaxial α-grains with ß-phase precipitated in their grain boundaries were identified in the rivet heat-affected zone, refined α' martensite, Widmanstätten structures and ß-fleck domains were present in the plastically deformed rivet volume. The transition from equiaxed to acicular structures resulted in an increase of up to 24% in microhardness in comparison to the base material. A study on the rivet material flow through microtexture of the α-Ti phase and ß-fleck orientation revealed a strong effect of shear stress and forging which induced simple shear deformation. By combining advanced microstructural analysis techniques with local mechanical testing and temperature measurement, the nature of the complex rivet plastic deformational regime could be determined.
ABSTRACT
beta-Ti alloys are highly attractive metallic materials for biomedical applications due to their high specific strength, high corrosion resistance and excellent biocompatibility, including low elastic modulus. This work aims to clarify the hardening mechanism of a beta-Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloy using different characterization techniques. Ingots (50 g) of Ti-35Nb-7Zr-5Ta (wt.%) alloy were arc furnace melted in an Ar((g)) atmosphere, homogenized, hot rolled, solubilized and finally aged at several temperatures from 200 to 700 degrees C for 4 h. Microstructure characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The 4 h aging showed that the highest hardness values were found when aged at 400 degrees C and the HR-TEM images confirmed splitting of spots on the Fourier space map, which indicated the presence of a coherent interface between separated phases (beta and beta') and explains the hardening mechanism of the alloy. Through geometric phase analysis analysis, using the HR-TEM image, the localized strain map showed 5-10 nm domains of the beta and beta' phases. The combination of suitable values of yield strength, hardness and low Young's modulus makes Ti-35Nb-7Zr-5Ta alloy suitable for medical applications as a metallic orthopedic implant.