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ZnO:Al (AZO) transparent conductive films used for solar cells were prepared by DC magnetron sputtering technology. The influence of substrate temperature on the electrical and optical properties of the films was studied. Further, the AZO films prepared were etched in diluted hydrochloric acid. The film surface morphology after etching for different time was researched.

In this paper, we investigated indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films on glass substrates deposited by RF magnetron sputtering using ceramic target to find the optimal condition for fabricating optoelectronic devices. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the ITO films prepared at various substrate temperatures were investigated. The results indicate the grain size increases with substrate temperature increases. As the substrate temperature grew up, the resistivity of ITO films greatly decreased. The ITO film possesses high quality in terms of electrode functions, when substrate temperature is 480°C. The resistivity is as low as 9.42 × 10^-5 Ω•cm, while the carrier concentration and mobility are as high as 3.461 × 10²¹ atom∕cm³ and 19.1 cm²∕V⋅s, respectively. The average transmittance of the film is about 95% in the visible region. The novel ITO/np-Silicon frame, which prepared by RF magnetron sputtering at 480°C substrate temperature, can be used not only for low-cost solar cell, but also for high quantum efficiency of UV and visible lights enhanced photodetector for various applications.

CrCuN films were deposited under different substrate temperatures by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. The structure and wear resistance of the films were then studied. The substrate temperature has almost no effect on the film composition, phase constitution and preferred orientation. The CrCuN films have 3 at.% Cu and consist of CrN phases with CrN(200) preferential growth independent of the substrate temperature. But a strong effect of the substrate temperature on the wear behavior is noticed. The film prepared under the substrate temperature of 100°C has the best wear performance. Its friction coefficient and wear rate are 0.1 and 6.6 × 10^-6 mm³/Nm, respectively.

We prepared the pulsed laser deposited Fe:LaSrFeO₄ (LSFO) composite films on quartz substrates by decomposing the La${}_{0.5}$Sr${}_{0.5}$FeO₃ target at room temperature in a high vacuum. Impacts of anneal temperature on the structural and physical properties have been investigated, and the systematic changes were found in structural, magnetic and optical absorption properties upon annealing. The LSFO (110) spacing decreases with the increase of annealing temperature, which can be attributed to the release of intrinsic strain; and there is an increase in spacing for the 750${}^{\circ }$C annealed sample, which is ascribed to the oxygen loss in LSFO films.

Ni–TiN thin films with different TiN nanoparticle contents were successfully fabricated from a nickel bath with the addition of four TiN nanoparticles loadings (2, 4, 6 and 8g/L). The influence of the TiN nanoparticle content on the film structure, micro-hardness, micro-strain and residual stress was examined, and the film wear behavior was investigated in detail. The results showed that the average size of the nickel grains and TiN nanoparticles is 68.1nm and 22.6nm, respectively, for the film deposited with 8g/L TiN. X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that the film deposited with 2g/L TiN displays the (2 0 0) preferred orientation; however, when the concentration of TiN in the bath was increased to 6g/L, such orientation was suppressed and a random arrangement showed up. The film wear loss gradually decreases as the concentration of TiN additive in the bath increases from 2g/L to 8g/L, and a minimum loss of approximately 39.7mg was obtained for the film deposited at 8g/L TiN, which also displayed the maximum average micro-hardness (789.4HV).

As the phenomenon of fatigue damage is a common failure mode of equipment, the reliability evaluation and life prediction have become a hot-spot. The precise prediction of fatigue life in the initiation stage has become necessary. The common prediction study for structural fatigue life takes less influence factors into consideration. The common prediction results of fatigue life cannot be quantitatively corrected by the influence factors at the same time. This paper presents a research on the prediction approach for structural fatigue life based on the multi-factor correction. The influence of some factors on the fatigue life was analyzed and the prediction approach for structural fatigue life based on multi-factor correction was raised. Then the fatigue life of axle housing was predicted by using the corrected approach, as the case study. Moreover, the result predicted by the local stress–strain approach and the experimental data were used to verify the accuracy of the corrected approach. It can be clearly demonstrated by the results that the corrected prediction approach can be used to achieve the precision fatigue life for engineering structures. Further, it is also a prediction approach endowed with engineering application prospects.

Ni thin films have been electrodeposited on $n$-Si (100) substrates for different deposition times at a fixed potential of 2V. The as-elaborated films have been characterized by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). From RBS spectra, we have extracted the Ni film thicknesses, $t(\mathrm{\text{nm}})$, which ranges from 105 nm to 710 nm. The analysis of XRD spectra shows the existence of a strong $⟨$111$⟩$ texture for all film thicknesses. The strain values ${\epsilon }^{hkl}$ are negative for all Ni films indicating that they are under compressive stresses. The grains size, $〈D(\AA )〉$, increases to reach a maximum for $t=465$nm then decreases again with increasing $t$(nm). From AFM images, we have shown that the films become progressively smoother with increasing thickness. We have shown that the coercive field measured in parallel geometry, $H_{C||}$, increases with increasing thickness.

The effect of iron content on the structure, morphology and magnetic properties of (Ni${}_{60}$Co${}_{40}$)${}_{100-}$${}_x$Fe${}_x$ powders synthesized by hydrothermal method has been studied. Several samples have been elaborated for different Fe content ($x$= 0, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 13.5). The as- prepared samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM). From XRD spectra and for all Fe content, we have shown the presence of both face centered cubic (FCC) and Hexagonal (HCP) nanosized phases. The lattice parameter increases with increasing Fe content and the grains size varies with Fe content to reach a minimum value of 32 nm for (Co${}_{40}$Ni${}_{60}$)${}_{90}$Fe${}_{10}$. From hysteresis curves, we have extracted the saturation magnetization, Ms, and the coercivity, Hc. We noticed that Ms increases and then decreases as a function of Fe content. The values of Hc vary from 156 Oe to 186 Oe depending on the particles shape.

Cellulose with at least one of its dimensions less than or equal to 100 nm is termed as nanocellulose. It is a unique and promising natural material extracted from native cellulose and produced by certain microbial cells and cell-free systems. Nanocellulose has received immense consideration in last couple of decades owing to its abundance, renewability, remarkable physical properties, special surface chemistry, and excellent biological features (biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity). Taking advantage of the structure and properties of nanocellulose, the current science of biomaterials aims at developing new and formerly non-existing materials with novel and multifunctional properties, in an attempt to meet current requirements in different fields such as biomedicine, the environment, energy, pharmaceutics, agriculture, food, etc. This chapter provides an overview of different synthesis methods of nanocellulose: mechanical approaches by applying high-pressure, grinding, crushing, sonication, and milling; chemical synthesis involving alkaline, acidic, oxidation, and enzymatic treatment; as well as by using bacteria and cell-free systems. It further discusses different morphological forms of nanocellulose including cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), and cellulose produced by cell-free systems, in terms of their features such as chemical structure, macrostructural morphology, physico-mechanical properties, thermal and biological properties, rheology, optical behavior, and their interrelationships and applications.

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Experimental Designs
  • Kratky Block Collimation System
  • Pinhole Collimation System
  • Advanced Polymers Beamline
  • ChemMat CARS Undulator Beamline at the APS
    • Undulator X-Ray Source
    • ChemMat CARS Beamline
    • X-Ray Beam Delivery
    • Beamline Layout

• Theoretical Background
  • Particulate Scattering
  • Nonparticulate Scattering
  • Scattering from Semicrystalline Polymers
  • Analysis from Time Resolved Measurements

• Scientific Examples for Synchrotron Research
  • Supramolecular Structures in Complex Fluids
    • Structures of Polyelectrolyte Surfactant Complexes
    • Block Copolymer in Solution
  • Kinetics of Phase Transition
    • Semistiff Chain Polymers
    • Flexible Chain Polymers and Blends
  • Experiments under Supercritical Conditions
  • Polymers under Deformation
  • In situ Study of Fiber Spinning

• Acknowledgments

• References