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This paper aims to investigate the effect of solder alloying with a small amount of La and Y on bond formation with the Si and Cu substrates.

Bi₂La and Bi₂Y solders were studied. Soldering was performed using a fluxless method in air and with ultrasonic activation.

It was found that in the process of ultrasonic soldering, the La and Y were distributed at the interface with Si and Cu substrates, which enhanced the bond formation. Addition of La or Y elements in a Bi-based solder also ensured wetting of non-metallic materials such as Si, Al₂O₃ and SiC ceramics.

The addition of lanthanides offers a method for ensuring wetting of non-metallic materials. The bond with Si was of an adhesive character without the formation of a new contact interlayer. This resulted in lower shear strength of the bond with Si (8-10 MPa). The shear strength of the bond with a Cu substrate was 22-30 MPa.

The research work in this paper aims to focus on understanding the corrosion inhibition of 6061‐8 (vol.%) SiC in 3.5 per cent NaCl solution using different concentrations (250, 500, 750 and 1,000 ppm) of cerium and lanthanum chloride.

The corrosion inhibition of 6061‐SiC in 3.5 per cent NaCl solution using the rare earth chloride inhibitors was analyzed by different electrochemical techniques. The techniques employed were linear polarization, Tafel extrapolation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Further, surface characterization, before and after inhibitor addition, was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive analysis using X‐ray.

It was observed that the polarization resistance increased after addition of LaCl₃ and CeCl₃, with maximum increase noticed for 250 ppm LaCl₃ and 1,000 ppm CeCl₃. CeCl₃ addition showed better improvement in polarization resistance value compared with LaCl₃ addition. Pitting nucleation resistance also increased with addition of LaCl₃ and CeCl₃, with maximum obtained for 250 ppm LaCl₃ and 500 ppm CeCl₃. EIS studies showed that there was a significant increase in resistance of areas not covered by the surface film after addition of LaCl₃ and CeCl₃, when compared with the case without inhibitor, with a maximum increase observed with 1,000 ppm CeCl₃. Rare earth chloride addition resulted in an increase in resistance on both cathodic intermetallic sites as well as the pitted regions by formation of precipitates of their oxide/hydroxide on those locations. This gave the high pitting nucleation resistance as well as improved corrosion resistance.

It was observed that optimum concentrations of CeCl₃ and LaCl₃ resulted in good corrosion resistance properties on 6061‐SiC in 3.5 per cent NaCl solutions. Even small quantities of these inhibitors resulted in high corrosion resistance. However, it should be noted that both LaCl₃ and CeCl₃ did not follow a simple increase in corrosion resistance with composition, despite both being rare earth chloride inhibitors, and this issue merits further research.

Metal matrix composites (MMC) are of great use in the aerospace, military and automotive industries due to their good mechanical strength/density and stiffness/density ratios. A typical example might be the reinforcement of Al alloys with SiC particulates, which leads to a new generation of engineering materials. However, the addition of a reinforcing phase can cause discontinuities in any protective surface film, increasing the number of sites where corrosion can be initiated and rendering the composite liable to severe attack. Thus, this research work was performed to investigate if a suitable concentration of lanthanide salts (LaCl₃ and CeCl₃) could be identified that could improve both uniform and pitting corrosion resistance.

Earlier studies on the corrosion inhibition of 6061‐SiC used cerium conversion coatings. More recently (i.e. during the last 1‐2 years) work has started on lanthanum conversion coating on Al alloys. However, little work has been carried out on use of these lanthanide salts (CeCl₃ and LaCl₃) as corrosion inhibitors for 6061‐SiC. The present research work was performed in order to better understand the effectiveness of these inhibitors to reduce corrosion attack on 6061‐8(vol.%) SiC.

As there is a strong inducement to develop new colored inorganic materials to substitute the current industrial pigments that are based on toxic metals hazardous to health and the environment, the purpose of this paper is to invent environmentally benign rare earth-based colorants as viable alternatives to the traditional toxic pigment formulations. Herein, the authors developed a series of rare earth pigments having the general formula Ca0.1 Ln0.9 PO4 ( Ln = Y , Pr , mixed rare earth oxides, RE and Di). After studying all the optical properties, the authors have gone for some coloring application in plastic like PMMA.

The designed pigments were synthesized by traditional solid-state method. Stoichiometric amounts of each reagent were mixed in an agate mortar and the mixtures were calcined at optimized temperature 1000 °C for 4 h in electric furnace followed by auto–cooling. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction diffraction, UV–vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), particle size distribution, color coordinates determination, acid/alkali test, thermo gravimetric (TG) analysis and CIE–1976 L*a*b* color scales. Among the various lanthanide ions and calcium ion as dopant, the pigment composition shows various hues ranges from green to yellow. The designed pigments consist of non–toxic elements and were further found to possess high thermal and chemical stability. The pigments were also found to be appropriate candidates for the coloration of polymer substrates like PMMA.

The present investigations establish that various color hues can be achieved by the incorporation of suitable chromophore metal ions like calcium in various rare earth host lattice by tuning of the band gaps. The coloring mechanism is based on the strong absorption of the pigments in the blue and red regions due to electronic transitions of the micro states of rare earth ion. The pigment composition shows various hues ranges from green to yellow. The coloring mechanism is based on the tuning of band gap by the dopant like calcium in various rare earth host lattice. In addition, this pigment was chemically and thermally stable. Finally, it has applied in plastics like PMMA.

Mechanism of the color appearance using band calculations and on possible applications of rare earth phosphate powders as pigments in plastics and paints have not been explored much. However, the properties of the Ca-doped rare earth phosphate implies that this material has a potential to be applied as a satisfactory pigment for coating or coloring except for glaze, which may cause a side reaction at high temperatures, especially taking into consideration the economics and ecologies. The possibility of Ca2+ incorporation in CePO4 with monazite structure-type has been established.

The designed pigments consist of non-toxic elements and were further found to possess high thermal and chemical stability. The pigments were also found to be appropriate candidates for the coloration of polymer substrates. Thus, the present environmental friendly pigment powders may find potential alternative to the classical toxic inorganic pigments for various applications.

There is a strong incentive to design new colorants based on inorganic materials to substitute for industrial pigments that are based on heavy elements hazardous to health and the environment. However, several industrial yellow pigments such as cadmium yellow (CdS), chrome yellow (PbCrO4) and nickel titanium yellow (TiO2-NiO-Sb2O3) contain the harmful elements (e.g. Cd, Pb, Cr and Sb) for the human body as well as the environment. The designed pigments consist of non-toxic elements and were further found to possess high thermal and chemical stability. The pigments were also found to be appropriate candidates for the coloration of polymer substrates. Thus, the present environmental friendly pigment powders may find potential alternative to the classical toxic inorganic pigments for various applications.

There is a strong incentive to design new colorants based on inorganic materials to substitute for industrial pigments that are based on heavy elements hazardous to health and the environment. However, several industrial yellow pigments such as cadmium yellow (CdS), chrome yellow (PbCrO4) and nickel titanium yellow (TiO2-NiO-Sb2O3) contain the harmful elements (e.g. Cd, Pb, Cr and Sb) for the human body as well as the environment. So, the authors have developed new class of inorganic pigments that are both non-toxic and environmentally unimpeachable, while preserving or even exceeding the optical, thermal and chemical characteristics of the existing commercial pigments. The developed colorants find practical applications in polymer matrix like PMMA.

The paper seeks to review the undesirable side‐effects of some measures to protect the environment, particularly the results of increased demand for certain metals used in hybrid cars and wind turbines, and for tantalum for mobile phones. The increased demands for indium and lithium due to technical developments are also discussed although they do not pose corresponding dilemmas.

The aim is to review developments on the internet, especially those of general cybernetic interest.

Undesirable side‐effects need to be considered, though means of overcoming them are not always apparent.

In the case of tantalum and mobile phones, attention has been given to ethical sourcing. The possibility of indium extraction in the UK is a welcome development.

It is hoped this is a valuable periodic review.

The purpose of this study is to develop luminescence sensors for the detection of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) and metal ions to protect human health and prevent environmental pollution.

The composition and morphology of Eu-metal-organic frameworks (MOF) (1) were well characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analyses, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The emission spectrum displays that 1 has significant characteristic emission bands of Eu(III) ions. The authors further investigated the fluorescence sensing performances of 1 to NACs and metal ions.

The results show that Eu-MOF (1) exhibits significant fluorescence quenching effect toward p-nitroaniline and Fe³⁺ ions with good stability and recyclability. This means that 1 can be used as a multifunctional sensing material for the detection of p-nitroaniline and Fe³⁺ ions.

The authors have successfully synthesized a fluorescence Eu-based sensing material under hydrothermal conditions. In addition, the fluorescence property and sensing performances for detecting NACs and metal ions were studied. The results suggest that 1 has highly selective fluorescence quenching toward p-nitroaniline and Fe³⁺ ions with not only high sensitivity and selectivity but also excellent stability and recyclability. Furthermore, this study has confirmed that the multifunctional MOF material is very useful in environment pollutants’ detection and monitoring.

A simple interaction‐potential model has been established to calculate the higher order elastic constants of intermetallic YbAl2 in the temperature range from 10‐300K. Temperature dependent second and third order elastic constants are used for the determination of the ultrasonic attenuation, velocity, Grüneisen numbers, Acoustic‐coupling constants, and thermal relaxation time at the different temperatures. Temperature dependency of the ultrasonic properties of YbAl2 is similar at low temperatures to that of pure metals and the low carrier heavy fermion systems ‐ LaSb, YbAs and YbP having simple NaCl‐type structures. Thermal energy density makes significant contribution to the total attenuation in the compound at the higher temperatures from 100‐300K. Effect of the magnetic field on the ultrasonic attenuation is also evaluated using the magneto resistance data. At 100K, the effect of the magnetic field becomes insignificant. The attenuation decreases with the field at 3K to 50K.

The work aims to study the direct bonding of silicon substrate with solders type Sn-Ag-Ti.

During the bonding process with ultrasound assistance, the active element (Ti,Ce,Mg) is distributed from the solder to interface with a silicon substrate, where it supports the bond formation.

Formation of a reaction layer, 1-2 μm in thickness, was observed. The new Si2Ti phases and Mg2Si phase were identified in the reaction layer.

The results of analysis suggest that the Si/Sn-Ag-Ti joint is of diffusion character. The highest average strength on silicon substrate (39 MPa) was achieved with Sn-Ag-Ti(Mg) solder.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of copolymer and starting material concentrations in homogeneous precipitation synthesis of Yttria nanoparticles and red‐emitting nanophosphors Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺. N‐isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid (NIPAM/AAc) and urea are used.

To optimise synthesis condition of Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ nanophosphor NIPAM/AAc copolymer was used as a modifier and the effect of various concentration of yttrium ions, urea and precipitation time on size, morphology and emission spectra were investigated.

Using NIPAM/AAc copolymer shows significant improvement on size and dispersion of nanoparticles. It is found that yttrium concentration, varying between 0.006 and 0.03 M, has a profound impact on the average size of particles, which systematically increases from 65 to over 165 nm. The rate of precipitation reaction, however, is shown to be independent of yttrium concentration. In contrast, as urea concentration increases from 0.2 to 5 M, the average particle size exhibits a gradual decrease from 183 to 70 nm. At extremely high urea concentration such as 5 M, a significant level of inter‐particle agglomeration is observed.

Based on this paper, the authors have successfully prepared some promising nanophosphors. The nanoparticles are studied by X‐ray diffraction, transmission electronic microscopy, zeta sizer, Infra red and photoluminescence spectroscopy.

This study aims to investigate the effect of trisodium nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) on the physical and luminescence emission properties of NaLuF4:Yb, Tm Upconversion (UC) particles and compared with trisodium citrate (CA). Upconversion materials have been remarkably considered in many applications in the past decades. However, the morphology of the UC particles affects their emission properties, depending on the synthesis situation.

The UC particles were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. Properties such as crystal phase, particle morphology, particle size, smoothness and uniformity of particle surface and their emission intensity in the UV–Vis region were studied.

Observations showed that pH is an essential factor in determining the crystalline phase. In addition, quality factors affect the morphology, particle size and surface smoothness of crystalline facets. It was also found that the UC particles synthesized in the presence of trisodium NTA have a much higher emission intensity than those synthesized in the presence of CA. The use of UC particles in security inks to maintain the brand was also investigated.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, the effect of trisodium NTA as a chelating agent was investigated on morphology and UC intensity of NaLuF4:Yb,Tm phosphor.

This study aims to solder AlN ceramics with a Cu substrate using an active type Sn-Ag-Ti solder. Soldering was performed with power ultrasound. The Sn3.5Ag2Ti alloy was first studied.

It was found to contain a Sn matrix, where both Ag phase – ɛ-Ag₃Sn – and Ti phases ɛ-Ti₆Sn₅ and Ti₂Sn₃ – were identified. Ti contained in these phases is distributed to the interface with ceramic material. A reaction layer was thus formed. This layer varies in thickness from 0.5 to 3.5 µm and ensures the wettability of an active solder on the surfaces of ceramic materials.

X-ray diffraction analysis proved the presence of new NTi and AlTi₂ phases on the fractured surface. Sn plays the main role in bond formation when soldering the Cu substrate with Sn-Ag-Ti solder. The Cu₃Sn and Cu₆Sn₅ phases, which grow in direction from the phase interface to solder matrix, were found in all cases within the solder/Cu substrate interface. The combination of AlN ceramics/Cu joint maintained a shear strength of 29.5 MPa, whereas the Cu/Cu joint showed a somewhat higher shear strength of 39.5 MPa.

The present study was oriented towards soldering of AlN ceramics with a Cu substrate by the aid of ultrasound, and the fluxless soldering method was applied. Soldering alloy type Sn-Ag-Ti was analysed, and the interactions between the solder and ceramic and/or Cu substrate were studied. The shear strength of fabricated soldered joints was measured.