We describe experimental approaches to real time examination of the microstructural evolution of Ti 6%Al 4%V upon cooling from above the beta transus (~995 °C) while imaging in the scanning electron microscope. Ti 6%Al 4%V is a two phase, α+β titanium alloy with high strength and corrosion resistance. The β →α transformation on cooling can give rise to different microstructures and properties through various thermal treatments. Fully lamellar microstructures, bi-modal microstructures, and equiaxed microstructures can each be obtained by accessing different cooling rates upon the final treatment above the beta temperature, each resulting in uniquely enhanced material properties.

Utilizing the capabilities of a heating/ tensile stage developed by Kammrath & Weiss Inc., are able to apply real-time imaging techniques in the scanning electron microscope to monitor the development of the microstructure. Annealing temperatures up to 1100 °C are attainable, with cooling rates ranging from 0.1 ° C per second to 3.3 °C per second. This has allowed us to directly observe the formation of lamellae at different annealing temperature/ cooling rate combinations to determine the lamellar microstructure width, separation, and colony size.

Immobilisation of Pu in a zirconolite matrix (CaZrTi2O7) is a viable pathway to disposition. A-site substitution, in which Pu4+ is accommodated into the Ca2+ site in zirconolite, coupled with sufficient trivalent M3+/Ti4+ substitution (where M3+ = Fe, Al, Cr), has been systematically evaluated using Ce4+ as a structural analogue for Pu4+. A broadly similar phase assemblage of zirconolite-2M and minor perovskite was observed when targeting low levels of Ce incorporation. As the targeted Ce fraction was elevated, secondary phase formation was influenced by choice of M3+ species. Co-incorporation of Ce/Fe resulted in the stabilisation of a minor Ce-containing perovskite phase at high wasteloading, whereas considerable phase segregation was observed for Cr3+ incorporation. The most favourable substitution approach appeared to be achieved with the use of Al3+, as no perovskite or free CeO2 was observed. However, high temperature treatments of Al containing specimens resulted in the formation of a secondary Ce-containing hibonite phase.

We present a systematic numerical analysis of the quantum yield of an electric dipole coupled to a plasmonic nanoparticle. We observe that the yield is highly dependent on the distance between the electric dipole and the nanoparticle, the size and permittivity of the nanoparticle, and the wavelength of the incident radiation. Our results indicate that enhancement of the quantum yield is only possible for electric dipoles coupled to a nanoparticle with a radius of 20 nm or larger. As the size of the nanoparticle is increased, emission enhancement occurs at wavelengths dependent on the coupling distance.

This paper presents shape-memory foams that can be temporarily fixed in their compressed state and be expanded on demand. Highly porous, nanocomposite foams were prepared from a solution of polyetherurethane with suspended nanoparticles (mean aggregate size 90 nm) which have an iron(III) oxide core with a silica shell. The polymer solution with suspended nanoparticles was cooled down to -20 °C in a two-stage process, which was followed by freeze-drying. The average pore size increases with decreasing concentration of nanoparticles from 158 µm to 230 µm while the foam porosity remained constant. After fixation of a temporary form of the nanocomposite foams, shape recovery can be triggered either by heat or by exposure to an alternating magnetic field. Compressed foams showed a recovery rate of up to 76 ± 4% in a thermochamber at 80 °C, and a slightly lower recovery rate of up to 65 ± 4% in a magnetic field.

Flexible and stretchable capacitive pressure sensors have been developed in recent years due to their potential applications in health monitoring, robot skins, body activity measurements and so on. In order to enhance sensor sensitivity, researchers have changed structure of the dielectric of parallel plate capacitive sensor . Here we enhance the sensor sensitivities by changing electrode composition and explore the use of a woven electrode structure sensor with silver coated nylon yarn and EcoflexTM. The woven structure enhanced sensitivity 2.3 times relative to a simple cross-grid geometry (sensitivity was 0.003 kPa-1). Furthermore, it is also observed that the sensor with the woven electrode also had better repeatability and showed less creep than a device using carbon black electrodes. The woven structure of the electrodes enabled the device to be compliant, despite the presence of the stiff nylon fibres – thereby enabling good sensitivity without the creep seen in softer electrodes.

The effect of length scale on mechanical strength is a significant consideration for semiconductor materials. In III-V semiconductors, such as InSb, a transition from partial to perfect dislocations occurs at the brittle-to-ductile transition temperature (~150 °C for InSb). High temperature micro-compression reveals InSb to show a small size effect below the transition, similar to ceramics, while in the ductile regime it shows a size effect consistent with fcc metals. The source truncation model is found to agree with the observed trends in strength with size once the change in Burgers vector and bulk strength are taken into account.

Observation of the dynamic interaction between dislocations and carbon atoms is important in steel design. Some steel materials are bake-hardened in several manufacturing processes. Solute carbons are known to segregate on dislocations; this hardens the steel even after low-temperature treatments. The purpose of this study was to develop a method of monitoring a series of microstructural changes in strain aging by in-situ measurement of the electrical resistance in low-carbon steel. In tensile deformation, elastic, Lüders, and uniform plastic deformations could be distinguished by monitoring the changes in electrical resistance. Electrical resistance rapidly increased in the plastic deformation region in the strain-aged specimen. Although the deformation stress hardly changed, the amount of lattice defects monotonously increased. These analyses provide useful information in steel design related to thermomechanical treatments of bake-hardenable steel.