Nanocrysrtalline Powders in the A12O3-ZrO2-CeO2-Y2O3 system for high-performance ceramics
X-ray diffraction, BET measurements, scanning electron and optical microscopy were used to analyze the properties variation of hydrothermal nanocrystalline powder with a composition 90 wt% Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>-10 wt%ZrO<inf>2</inf> (CeO<inf>2</inf>, Y<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>) after thermal treatment in the temperature range 400–1300 °C. The composition of the ZrO<inf>2</inf>-based solid solution was (mol %) 90ZrO<inf>2</inf>-8CeO<inf>2</inf>-2Y<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>. It was found that α-Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> is formed at 850 °C. Phase transformation F-ZrO<inf>2</inf>⇆T-ZrO<inf>2</inf> occurred at 1000 °C. Produced powder was sintered at 1300 °C. The present investigation demonstrates that heat treatment of composite nanocrystalline powders gives rise to complex processes. Understanding of such processes makes it possible to optimize conditions for fabrication of advanced ceramics with tailored properties.
Effect of heat treatment on the properties of nanocrystalline 80 wt % Al2O3-20 wt % ZrO2〈CeO2, Y2O3〉 powder
We have studied the evolution of nanocrystalline 80 wt % Al2O3-20 wt % ZrO2〈CeO2, Y2O3〉 powder prepared through hydroxide coprecipitation followed by hydrothermal decomposition of the hydroxides and firing at temperatures from 400 to 1300°C. α-Al2O3 has been shown to form at 850°C. The metastable phase F-ZrO2 persists up to this temperature. The variation in the morphology of the powder is topologically continuous. The processes induced by heat treatment of the nanocrystalline powder are interpreted in terms of the evolution of an open system.
Submicron polymer structures with X-ray lithography and hot embossing
This article describes the process chain for replication of submicron structures with varying aspect ratios (AR) up to 6 in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) by hot embossing to show the capability of the entire LIGA process to fabricate structures with these dimensions. Therefore a 4.7 μm thick layer of MicroChem 950k PMMA A11 resist was spin-coated on a 2.3 μm Ti/TiOx membrane. It was patterned with X-ray lithography at the electron storage ring ANKA (2.5 GeV and λc ≈ 0.4 nm) at a dose of 4 kJ/cm3 using a Si3N4 membrane mask with 2 μm thick gold-absorbers. The samples were developed in GG/BDG and resulted in AR of 6–14. Subsequent nickel plating at 52°C resulted in a 200 μm thick nickel tool of 100 mm diameter, which was used to replicate slit-nozzles and columns in PMMA. Closely packed submicron cavities with AR 6 in the nickel shim were filled to 60% during hot embossing.