Study of amorphous alumina coatings for next-generation nuclear reactors: High-temperature in-situ and post-mortem Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction.

The present work focuses on the investigation of the thermal stability and structural integrity of amorphous alumina coatings intended for use as protective coatings on cladding tubes in Generation IV nuclear reactors, specifically in the Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) type. High-temperature Raman spectroscopy and high-temperature X-ray diffraction analyses were carried out up to 1050 °C on a 5 µm coating deposited by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique on a 316L steel substrate. The experiments involved the in-situ examination of structural changes in the material under increasing temperature, along with ex-situ Raman imaging of the surface and cross-section of the coating after thermal treatments of different lengths.

High-Pressure Synthesis and the Enhancement of the Superconducting Properties of FeSeTe.

A series of FeSeTe bulk samples have been prepared using the high gas pressure and high-temperature synthesis (HP-HTS) method to optimize the growth conditions for the first time and investigated for their superconducting properties using structural, microstructure, transport, and magnetic measurements to reach the final conclusions. Ex situ and in situ processes are used to prepare bulk samples under a range of growth pressures using Ta-tube and without Ta-tube. The parent compound synthesized by convenient synthesis method at ambient pressure (CSP) exhibits a superconducting transition temperature of 14.

Cometal Addition Effect on Superconducting Properties and Granular Behaviours of Polycrystalline FeSeTe.

The enhanced performance of superconducting FeSeTe materials with added micro-sized Pb and Sn particles is presented. A series of Pb- and Sn-added FeSeTe (FeSeTe + Pb + Sn; = = 0-0.1) bulks are fabricated by the solid-state reaction method and characterized through various measurements.

Oxycarbide MXenes and MAX phases identification using monoatomic layer-by-layer analysis with ultralow-energy secondary-ion mass spectrometry.

The MXene family of two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides already includes ~50 members with distinct numbers of atomic layers, stoichiometric compositions and solid solutions, in-plane or out-of-plane ordering of atoms, and a variety of surface terminations. MXenes have shown properties that make them attractive for applications ranging from energy storage to electronics and medicine. Although this compositional variability allows fine-tuning of the MXene properties, it also creates challenges during the analysis of MXenes because of the presence of multiple light elements (for example, H, C, N, O, and F) in close proximity.

Nano-Ag Particles Embedded in C-Matrix: Preparation, Properties and Application in Cell Metabolism.

The application of nano-Ag grains as antiviral and antibacterial materials is widely known since ancient times. The problem is the toxicity of the bulk or big-size grain materials. It is known that nano-sized silver grains affect human and animal cells in some medical treatments.

The crystal structure and thermal expansion of novel substitutionally disordered CaTM(VO) (TM = Co, Cu) orthovanadates.

The whitlockite-related materials have attracted researchers' attention because of their potential application in various fields, especially in optoelectronics. In the present work, the structure of novel whitlockite-related oxides CaTM(VO) (TM = Co, Cu) is studied at room and high temperatures, using X-ray powder diffraction. These compounds form by fractional substitution of divalent transition metal atoms into the Ca(VO) lattice.

Influence of Intermediate Annealing Treatment on the Kinetics of Bainitic Transformation in X37CrMoV5-1 Steel.

Intermediate annealing treatment (IAT) is a new process that accelerates the bainitic transformation in steels. This stimulation is crucial, especially in the prolonged production of nanobainitic steels. Among other recognised methods, it seems to be an effective and economical process.

Studies on Carbon Materials Produced from Salts with Anions Containing Carbon Atoms for Carbon Paste Electrode.

In the presented work, the properties of carbon materials obtained in the reaction of sodium bicarbonate (C-SB) and ammonium oxalate (C-AO) with magnesium by combustion synthesis were investigated. For the materials obtained in this way, the influence of the type of precursor on their properties was analyzed, including: Degree of crystallinity, porous structure, surface topography, and electrochemical properties. It has been shown that the products obtained in magnesiothermic process were found to contain largely the turbostratic carbon forming a petal-like graphene material.

Exploiting nonlinear properties of pure and Sn-doped BiTeSe for passive Q-switching of all-polarization maintaining ytterbium- and erbium-doped fiber lasers.

Due to their broadband nonlinear optical properties, low-dimensional materials are widely used for pulse generation in fiber and solid-state lasers. Here we demonstrate novel materials, BiTeSe (BTS) and Sn-doped BiTeSe (BSTS), which can be used as a universal saturable absorbers for distinct spectral regimes. The material was mechanically exfoliated from a bulk single-crystal and deposited onto a side-polished fiber.

Self-Phase-Matched Second-Harmonic and White-Light Generation in a Biaxial Zinc Tungstate Single Crystal.

Second-order nonlinear optical materials are used to generate new frequencies by exploiting second-harmonic generation (SHG), a phenomenon where a nonlinear material generates light at double the optical frequency of the input beam. Maximum SHG is achieved when the pump and the generated waves are in phase, for example through birefringence in uniaxial crystals. However, applying these materials usually requires a complicated cutting procedure to yield a crystal with a particular orientation.