Ni nanocrystals (NCs) were embedded in BaTiO3 epitaxial films using the laser molecular beam epitaxy. The processes involving the self-organization of Ni NCs and the epitaxial growth of BaTiO3 were discussed. With the in situ monitoring of reflection high-energy electron diffraction, the nanocomposite films were engineered controllably by the fine alternation of the self-organization of Ni NCs ...

The objective of this study was to improve the oxidation resistance of electroplated Ni-Cr coatings by introducing a fine dispersion of yttria (Y2O3) nanoparticles to the coatings. A technique was developed to produce Y2O3 nanoparticles nm in size. Electroplating conditions were also investigated and it was found that pulse plating could produce high quality coatings without cracking. The Y2O3 ...

Purpose: This paper presents an efficient and reliable swarm intelligence-based approach, namely particle swarm optimization [PSO] technique, to optimize the hardness and the parameters that affect the hardness in the Ni-Diamond composite coatings. Design/methodology/approach: Particle swarm optimizers are inherently distributed algorithms, in which the solution for a problem emerges from the i...

A new method is reported on preparation of multifunctional free-standing Ni/epoxy composite films with comprehensive physical properties under an applied magnetic field. A water soluble poly(vinyl alcohol) film is used as an interlayer film to separate epoxy resin and glass wafer. Ultrafine Ni particles are incorporated into a self-designed flexible-type transparent epoxy resin to get composite...

Spray-drying and the nanoscale Kirkendall diffusion process are used to prepare nickel sulfide hollow nanospheres/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite powders with excellent Na-ion storage properties. Metallic Ni nanopowder-decorated rGO powders, formed as intermediate products, are transformed into composite powders of nickel sulfide hollow nanospheres/rGO with mixed crystal structures of Ni...

Due to its relatively low cost, high hydrogen yield, and environmentally friendly hydrolysis byproducts, magnesium hydride (MgH2) appears to be an attractive candidate for hydrogen generation. However, the hydrolysis reaction of MgH2 is rapidly inhibited by the formation of a magnesium hydroxide passivation layer. To improve the hydrolysis properties of MgH2-based hydrides we investigated three...

The most recently developed high temperature materials are known as in-situ composites or directionally solidified eutectics. Since the composites are formed during solidification, they have excellent morphological stabilities up to near their melting temperatures. The Ni-Al-Mo system has received the greatest attention for recent several years(1)~(3) since the alloy is expected to form a struc...

A low cost and non-precious metal composite material g-C3N4-LaNiO3 (CNL) was synthesized as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for the air electrode of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries. The composition strategy changed the electron structure of LaNiO3 and g-C3N4, ensures high Ni(3+)/Ni(2+) ratio and more absorbed hydroxyl on the surface of CNL that can promote the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) an...

One-dimensional flexible supercapacitor yarns are of considerable interest for future wearable electronics. The bottleneck in this field is how to develop devices of high energy and power density, by using economically viable materials and scalable fabrication technologies. Here we report a hierarchical graphene-metallic textile composite electrode concept to address this challenge. The hierarc...

Finely dispersed sandwich composite nanoparticles of Cu–Ni–Cu were prepared by a novel method combining template synthesis and an ultrasonic treatment method. The composite nanoparticles have uniform cylinder shape with tunable diameter and length. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction (ED) were employed to characterize the nanoparticles. This method can be used to fab...