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MgB 2 superconductor bulks were fabricated using Mg and B precursors. The physical state of Mg (solid, liquid, or gas) significantly influences the final product, MgB 2 bulk. In this study, the Solid-Solid, Liquid-Solid, and Gas-Solid methods were employed to fabricate MgB 2 bulks. The superconducting properties and microstructure of various samples were systematically investigated. Notably, for the first time, nano-CT was utilized to comprehensively and non-destructively analyze the microstructure of MgB 2 bulks, particularly the size and distribution of voids, which serve as the primary barrier affecting the superconducting properties. By examining the microstructure characteristics, the infiltration effect of Mg in different physical states during the reaction was analyzed, and a feasible reaction model was established. This research contributes to a better understanding of the reaction mechanism of MgB 2 , which may aid other researchers in enhancing the properties of MgB 2 superconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MgB 2 superconductor pellets were synthesized through Mg gas infiltration method using nanosized- and microsized B powders. There was a marked difference in the superconducting properties of the two samples, particularly in the pinning force and dominant pinning mechanism. The microstructures of the samples were observed using HR-TEM and STEM-HAADF, and the results showed that the primary reason for the difference in the superconducting properties is the distribution of the nanosized second-phase particle MgO. Additionally, a feasible reaction model for the Mg gas infiltration method was established. Compared to the Mg liquid infiltration method, the gas infiltration showed better penetrability ability with a small amount of residual Mg. This study presents a novel synthesis process to fabricate an MgB 2 pellet with superior density and superconducting properties. This method can be used in multiple applications such as superconducting bearings, compact superconductor magnets, and magnetic shielding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a novel doping strategy for YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO) superconducting films by using a positive mismatch, Ba 2 YNbO 6 (BYNO), and a negative mismatch, LaAlO 3 (LAO), simultaneously. Double doping can significantly reduce the c -strain in the YBCO film by canceling the strain between the two dopants. By systematically optimizing the doping amount of both BYNO and LAO, it was found that BYNO and LAO do not act equally. The microstructure and distribution of both BYNO and LAO were investigated with magneto-optic microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of BYNO and LAO on pinning was confirmed. The results of this study will help select appropriate positive mismatch and negative mismatch dopants, which is fundamental to the design and fabrication of pinning centers to fit different application scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient performance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) by utilizing safe and cost effective hydrocarbon fuels at low temperature is really a challenging task due to C –H activation and sluggish oxidation/reduction kinetics. In this study a novel [Sr 0.4 La 0.6 (Fe 0.75 Ti 0.25) 0.6 Ni 0.4 O 3-δ ] (SLFTNO) nanocomposite was synthesized via solid state reaction route and was evaluated electrochemically in presence of multifuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, methane and ethanol. Phase purity and structural analysis was carried out through X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The average crystallite size calculated was ranged from 60-100 nm. The electrical conductivity and power density was measured between (89–226) S/cm and (147–318) mW/cm2 respectively among different fuels. This study indicated the synthesized SLFTNO nanocomposite as stable and efficient multifuels candidate for SOFCs. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The malonic acid was proved to be an effective carbon source. • The carbon atoms were released by the reaction of Mg and CO 2. • The x value in Mg(B 1-x C x) 2 increased with a higher amount of malonic acid addition. • A moderate amount of malonic acid addition resulted in grain refinement. • Bulk MgB 2 with 10 wt% malonic acid addition showed the highest J c value. Abstract In this paper, malonic acid was tested as a new carbon source and its effects on the structural and superconducting properties of bulk MgB 2 have been systematically investigated. The detailed pyrolysis process of malonic acid was analyzed to understand the possible doping mechanism of malonic acid added MgB 2 samples. The weight fraction of MgO phase and the actual carbon substitution level in bulk MgB 2 increased with a higher amount of malonic acid addition, which was proven to be mainly caused by the reaction of Mg and CO 2 gas. A moderate amount of malonic acid addition resulted in grain refinement and enhanced flux pinning. Bulk MgB 2 with 10 wt% malonic acid addition showed much higher J c values in the entire magnetic field range. Three different doping methods with the same amount of malonic acid addition were compared. MgB 2 samples using malonic acid and ethanol processed boron showed the highest J c value, which was 7.2 times larger than that of the pure MgB 2 at 20 K and 5 T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The 40 μm ultra thin Ni5W substrate having 97.6% cube texture is obtained. • Intermediate annealing at the appropriate deformation quantities is the key to cube texture. • All the samples have a RMS surface roughness around 10 nm. In this work, a series of studies have been carried out on ultra-thin Ni-5at%W (Ni5W) alloy substrates used for the coated conductors. The ultra-thin Ni5W alloy substrate can be fabricated for the large square REBCO film with a size of over 40 mm × 40 mm, which is normally used in scenarios to support a magnetic field in a specific area. To obtain a stronger recrystallized cubic texture, the intermediate annealing was added to optimize the rolling texture during the rolling process of the Ni5W alloy substrate. A typical copper-type rolling texture was obtained in the substrate which intermediate annealed at 96.25%, and the cube texture reached 97.6% after annealing recrystallization. Moreover, The deformation and recrystallization of 40 μm thick Ni-5at%W (Ni5W) alloy thin substrates were investigated by the quasi- in situ method. The fabrication of ultra-thin Ni5W substrates increases the potential of miniaturizing lightweight coated conductors, which helps to further promote and accelerate the manufacturing process of the entire coated conductor strip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper states the epitaxial growth of La2Zr2O7(LZO) buffer layers on the cube textured nickel alloy substrate, with the nitrate as the precursor. The solution stability and the heat treatment processing were discussed respectively. The solution of hydrated nitrates dissolved in ethanol being a sol at a higher temperature, the precursor was pre-dried and methanol was substituted with a higher dielectric constant. Because of the multi-step decomposition of the nitrates, a multi-step heat treatment route was followed, the complete decomposition of the intermediate phases being essential. The orientation analysis shows a cube textured film with the FWHM values of the (222) phi-scan and of the (400) ω-scan being 8.50° and 8.10° respectively. The SEM image shows a dense and homogeneous film without cracks and holes. The analysis above indicates that the present route is feasible for the preparation of LZO buffer layers [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The onset resistivity transition temperature (Tc) is as high as 56.5K in the SmO0.7F0.3FeAs sample prepared by the two-step solid state reaction method. The Jc of the sample is 2.3×105A/cm2 (10K and 0T). The Tc of the fluorin over-doped SmO0.7F0.35FeAs and SmO0.7F0.4FeAs samples prepared by the two-step solid state reaction method at 1100°C for 20 hours are 56K and 55K, and the Jc are 1.9×105A/cm2 and 1.7×105A/cm2 (10K and 0T), respectively. The XRD results show that the lattice parameters a and c decrease systematically with increasing x between 00.3, the lattice parameters a and c increase with the decreasing of x in the SmO1-xFxFeAs. But the lattice parameters a and c decrease with modest increasing of δ in the SmO1-xFδFeAs(δ≥x) compound, the values of a=3.9233 Å, c=8.4768 Å in the SmO0.7F0.35FeAs sample is obtained. It is shown that the decrease of the lattice parameters results in an increase of Tc. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Thin, biaxially textured Ni5W/Ni12W/Ni5W composite substrates for coated conductor applications have been fabricated. The particularity of this three-layer composite configuration resides in the elemental diffusion between the outer layer and the core layer. Due to the migration of elemental W, the diffusion layer in the as-annealed substrate becomes broader than that of the as-rolled substrate. The obtained tape has a sharp cubic texture on the Ni5W outer layers, and the volume fraction of cubic grains exceeds 98.8% (<10°) at the outer surfaces. In situ electron backscatter diffraction strain–stress analysis shows that the high-quality cubic texture was stable until elongations as high as 2%. The yield strength of the composite substrate approaches 240MPa and its saturation magnetization at 77K has been strongly reduced with respect to pure Ni and Ni5W substrates. The present results demonstrate that this advanced three-layer substrate is suitable for the epitaxial growth of the LZO buffer layers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: One of the main challenges for coated conductor applications is to produce sharp cubic textured alloy substrates with high strength and low magnetism. In this work, the cubic textured Ni–7at.%W substrates were prepared from different powder metallurgy ingots by rolling-assisted biaxially textured substrate processing. The fabrication processes of cubic texture in the Ni–7at.%W tapes by two powder metallurgy routes are described in detail. Through the optimized process, full width at half maximum values of 6.7° and 5.0° were obtained, as estimated by X-ray (111) phi scan and (200) rocking curve in the textured Ni–7at.%W tape, respectively. By electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) analysis, the percentage of the cubic textured component in the Ni–7at.%W tape surface was found to reach 97.0% within a tolerance angle smaller than 10°. Moreover, the formation mechanism of the cubic texture in the Ni–7at.%W tape were also investigated by EBSD. Particular attention was focused on the difference in the texture components along the thickness of the partially recrystallized samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The development of reinforced and biaxially textured Ni5W/Ni9W/Ni5W composite substrate for coated conductor applications is presented. The configuration of this substrate is a thin, sharp cubic textured Ni5W outer layer on a Ni9W alloy core that provides the mechanical strength while decreasing the magnetization of the whole substrate. The key technique is to use thin Ag and Cu foils between initial Ni5W and Ni9W alloy pieces to bond them together, followed by cold-rolling and recrystallization. The obtained composite substrate has a very sharp cubic texture on the Ni5W outer layer and its yield strength approaches 200MPa, thus being 50MPa higher than commercially used Ni5W substrates. The saturation magnetization of this composite substrate at 77K was reduced by 75% and 40% compared with pure Ni and Ni5W substrates, respectively. The present results show that this new substrate is suitable for the epitaxial growth of the CeO2 buffer layers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A Ni-based tri-layer composite substrate designed as a substitute for traditional substrate architecture, was obtained by sintering together two Ni–5at.%W layers on both sides of a metallurgically prepared powder Ni–12at.%W inner layer. An advanced sparking plasma sintering technology was used, followed by cold rolling and annealing. The composite substrates obtained have a very sharp cube texture on the Ni–5at.%W outer layer and the yield strength exceeds 320MPa, while the magnetization behaviour was dramatically reduced. These properties render these tri-layer substrates suitable for the epitaxial growth of buffer layers for coated conductor applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

New, reinforced {1 1 0}〈1 1 0〉 textured Ag/Ni-alloys composite ribbons were developed as possible substrates for coated conductors without any buffer layer. The texture quality and tensile strength were investigated. A new technique to bond the Ag and Ni or alloy layers through a Cu foil was presented. The Ag/Ni-alloys composite ribbons were fabricated by choosing proper sintering processing to bond the different layers followed by cold rolling and recrystallization. A thin Cu foil was intercalated between the initial Ag and Ni or alloy pieces to get a tough bond. A unique and stable {1 1 0}〈1 1 0〉 annealing texture was obtained in 300 μm thick Ag/Ni composite ribbon after annealing. X-ray ODF analysis and EBSD measurements in the top Ag layer showed distribution of misorientation angles around 10–15°. A {1 1 0}〈1 1 0〉 texture was also found in ribbons as thin as 50 μm, which cannot be obtained with pure Ag ribbons. A pronounced reduction of Ag amount was obtained in 60 μm thick Ag/NiCrV ribbons, with a textured Ag top layer being as thin as 7 μm. The amount of Ag was decreased by 75% compared to pure Ag ribbons of the same thickness. A strong enhancement of the mechanical properties was observed. The yield strength σ0.2 at 77 K was 220 MPa for Ag/NiCrV ribbons, i.e. considerably higher than the 30 MPa for pure Ag ribbons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In-situ MgB2/Fe tapes were fabricated by powder-in-tube (PIT) technology using Mg and B powders. The tapes were sintered by advanced spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The effects of the annealing parameters on the properties of the MgB2 tapes were investigated by the analysis of XRD, SEM and the magnetic J c measurements. It was shown that at 10K, 0T, the J c value of the tape sintered using SPS machine at 800°C for 15min under 40MPa was close to 106 A/cm2, which was higher than that of the same tapes annealed by conventional method. It was supposed that the density and the homogeneity of the MgB2 core were strongly improved using fast SPS sintering process. Further enhancement of J c in the tapes is expected for the understanding of the SPS sintering mechanism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report on a novel technique of sparking plasma sintering to prepare Ni–W alloy composite substrates with strong cube texture, high yield strength and reduced magnetization for coated conductors. It was found that an outer Ni–5at.% W layer in as-obtained composite substrates has a sharp and pure cube texture, while the use of the Ni alloy with high W content in the core of the composite substrates not only enhances the mechanical property, but also degrades the ferromagnetism of the whole substrates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In depth and detailed study about various classes of aerosols over an urban city of Beijing has been carried out, with the help of cluster technique during the period from (2005–2017). Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), retrieved data for Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), Angstrom Exponent (AE), Extinction Angstrom Exponent (EAE), Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE), Single Scattering Albedo (SSA), Real and Imaginary index of Refraction (RRI & IRI respectively), Asymmetry Parameter (ASY) has been utilized for discrimination of aerosols over the study site. Higher mean values of AOD and AE were found in winter and spring season as (0.86 ± 0.38, 0.85 ± 0.32) and (1.06 ± 0.36, 1.19 ± 0.21), while lower values (0.75 ± 0.33, 0.75 ± 0.33) and (0.97 ± 0.22, 0.85 ± 0.17) for summer and autumn season respectively, representing mixed anthropogenic aerosols over the site. Three main types of aerosol were reported in this study: Mixed Carbonaceous (MC), Biomass Residuals (BR), and coarse mode local and transported Dust Particles (DP). Various aerosol parameters and their inter-relationship were investigated in detail to analyze the dominant aerosol type and its seasonal variations. The EAE and AAE values ranged from (0.10–1.77 and 0.00–1.70 respectively), could mainly be attributed towards MC aerosols. Real and Imaginary parts of Index (RRI & IRI) were recorded in the range from (1.33–1.60 and 0–0.010) respectively. Similarly, the range for SSA and ASY was found as (0.79–0.99 and 0.43–0.78) respectively. Back-trajectories using Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model revealed transportation of air masses from Mongolian deserts, Gobi desert, and other neighboring regions (i.e. Russia and Kazakhstan). • Aerosols study of Beijing • AERONET • AOD • Carbonaceous aerosols [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are widely used as insulating layers to protect the underlying metallic structure of gas turbine blades. However, the thermal cycling performance of TBCs is affected by their complex working environments, which may shorten their service life. Previous studies have shown that preparing a mesh structure in the bonding layer can relieve thermal stress and improve the bonding strength, thereby prolonging the service life of TBCs. In this paper, a micromesh structure was prepared on the surface of the bonding layer via wet etching. The microstructure and failure mechanism of the micromesh TBCs after CMAS (CaO-MgO-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2) thermal erosion were investigated. Numerical simulation was combined with thermal shock experiments to study the stress distribution of the micromesh-structured TBCs. The results showed that the circular convex structure can effectively improve the CMAS corrosion resistance and thermal shock resistance of TBCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A pronounced effect of overheating is observed on the thermal stability and mechanical properties of Cu36Zr48Ag8Al8 bulk metallic glass. Higher overheated temperature enhances the thermal stability of bulk amorphous alloys, corresponding to higher specific-heat capacity and the smaller initial defect concentration. And a threshold overheating temperature is found for the fully amorphous structure. Bulk amorphous alloys exhibit good compressive plasticity at small overheat levels, whereas the compressive fracture strength and micro-hardness exhibit a significant increase first and then a slightly decrease. Mechanical properties of BMGs can be tailored in certain extent by controlling the overheated level, which is correlated with free volume and residual stresses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A single Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 (CGO) buffer layer was successfully grown on the home-made textured Ni–5at.%W (Ni–5W) substrates for YBCO coated conductors by a simple metal–organic deposition (MOD) technique. The precursor solution was prepared using a newly developed process and only contained common metal–organic salts of both Ce and Gd dissolved into a propionic acid solvent. The precursor solution at 0.4M concentration was spin coated on short samples of Ni–5W substrates and heat-treated at 1100°C in a mixture gas of 5% H2 in Ar for an hour. X-ray studies indicated that the CGO films had good out-of-plane and in-plane textures with full-width-half-maximum values of 4.18° and 6.19°, respectively. Atomic force microscope (AFM) investigations of the CGO films revealed that most of the grain boundary grooves on the Ni–5W surface were found to be well covered by CGO layers, which had a fairly dense and smooth microstructure without cracks and porosity. These results indicate that our MOD technique is very promising for further development of single buffer layer architecture for YBCO coated conductors, due to its low cost and simple process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Different films comprising pure chitosan (CS) and chitosan coated sodium zeolites composites films designated as CSZ1, CSZ2, CSZ3 and CSZ4 respectively are presented here for the sequestration of MO dye. The as-synthesized films were characterized by using FSESM, XPS XRD, and TGA analysis. The sequestration of methyl orange dye (MO) was studied under various adsorption parameters i.e. pH effect, reaction temperature, catalytic dosage, interaction period, and original dye concentration in batch experiments. The adsorption power of MO dye sequestration in the presence of CSZ3 was 287 mg g−1 higher than the fine CS (201 mg g−1), and lowest for CSZ4 (173 mg g−1). The experimental data is fitted in the pseudo-second order of chemical kinetics. The Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models were used on behalf of the analysis of experimental data that revealed multilayered adsorption of MO dye. Kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamic process were discussed in detailed, suggesting the endothermic and spontaneous process of the adsorption of MO dye on the exterior of films. The present work is general for the MO adsorption, however, it can be applied on large scale applications and can be easily adjustable in the water purification assemblies. Unlabelled Image • Synthesis of CS coated sodium zeolite films • Loading of different weight of sodium zeolite to CS film • Application in the adsorption of MO dye • Kinetics and thermodynamics studies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The cube texture has been realized by consuming other orientation grains. • A perfect domain structure formed because of larger grain size and more SAGBs. • Higher hysteresis loss caused by complex domain structure and sharp cube texture. • There is a discrepancy between sharp cube texture and reduction of AC loss. Abstract The metallic Ni–5 at.%W (Ni5W) substrate with sharp cube texture is found as one of the promising candidates used for fabrication of coated conductors. However, the alternating current (AC) loss, partly contributed by the ferromagnetic Ni5W substrate is unavoidable. In this work, we analyzed the evolution of magnetic properties of Ni5W substrates via the cube texture development. The results revealed that the cube texture has an important impact related to size advantage during recrystallization, leading towards the consumption of the deformation and other orientational grains, and hence giving rise to form a sharp cube texture. Increasing the annealing temperature, the grain size is found to be increased. In the fully developed cube-textured substrate, the grain boundary was replaced by small angle grain boundaries (SAGBs). Also the magnetic domain structure was transformed from 180°-structure to a branched one with the increasing annealing temperature. This transformation is dependent on the increase of grain size, particularly, the SAGBs plays an important role in the formation of perfect domain structure. Increased coercivity and hysteresis loss in the fully textured substrate can be attributed towards the ideal cube texture and perfect complex domain structure. Therefore, a potential solution has been proposed to resolve this limitation of the sharp cube texture and increased hysteresis loss in Ni5W substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • BaHfO 3 doped Eu 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ films was fabricated by an ultra-fast pulsed laser deposition. • The periodic change of growth conditions during the multi-turn dynamic deposition results a distinct lamellar structure in doped film. • A strong correlation between dopant content and BaHfO 3 self-assembly mechanism was established. • The predominant pinning mechanism transforms form random pinning to correlated pinning with the increase of dopant content. Structure modulation of rare-earth barium cuperates (REBCO) superconducting films plays an essential role in the flux pinning behaviors. In this paper, nano-composite EuBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ -BaHfO 3 (EuBCO/BHO) films were deposited by the ultra-fast pulsed laser deposition technique. All nano-composite films exhibited high-quality orientation under the growth rates up to 100 nm/s. TEM cross-sectional analysis reveals that the EuBCO/BHO films have a distinct lamellar structure, which is related to the periodic change of growth conditions during the multi-turn dynamic deposition. In addition, the morphology of BHO varies with dopant content, which suggests a strong correlation between dopant content and the BHO self-assembly mechanism. Consequently, the vortex behavior shifts from giant-flux creep to vortex-glass formation at the thermally activated flux flow region as the dopant content increases. The primary flux pinning behaviors change from random to correlated pinning with the increase of dopant content at 4.2 K. Due to the larger contribution of the correlated pinning machinimas, the 8% BHO-doped EuBCO film exhibits the highest J c value at 4.2 K, with moderate fields (below 8 T) among all the three films. At 4.2 K and 14 T, the 6% BHO doped EuBCO film has the highest F p value attributing to the predominate random pinning mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A co-precipitation process was used to recover composite powders from a NdFeB slurry. The most appropriate concentration of HCl and a v/w ratio were obtained in the leaching process. The optimum pH range for the co-precipitation process was determined by the log[Me(Nd, Fe, Co, Pr)]–pH curve simulated using a thermodynamics model. Fe 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 ·Nd 2 O 3 , and Pr 2 CoO 4 phases were detected in the final composite powders after firing the co-precipitated products at 1273 K for 2 h. The content of the valuable metals (Nd, Pr, Co, Fe) in the obtained composite powders was greater than 99.4%, which meets the raw material requirements for preparing recycled NdFeB magnetic powders. The main advantages of the co-precipitation process are that it is efficient, low-cost, and environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used for distinguishing crystallographic orientations and local lattice misfits of a La2Zr2O7 (LZO) buffer layer epitaxially grown on a cube textured Ni-5.%W (Ni–W) substrate for a YBCO superconductor film. Orientation data were obtained from the LZO epilayer using low energy primary electrons (5keV) and from the Ni–W substrate by increasing the voltage to 15keV. In-plane and out-of-plane orientations of the LZO epilayer were revealed with respect to its Ni–W substrate. A strong {100} 〈011〉 rotated-cube texture in the LZO epilayer was formed on the {100} 〈001〉 cube-textured Ni–W substrates. LZO and Ni in-plane crystallographic axes are related by an expected 45° rotation. The step-misorientations and the local misfit strains between the LZO epilayer and the substrate were also analyzed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• For the first time, we confirmed that the Cu stabilizer in different commercial REBCO tape with the same thickness could have a significant effect on the turn-to-turn contact resistance. • The less-dense microstructure and the higher impurity chemical compound such as oxide and carbide was thought to be the primary reason for tremendous different resistance. • The research uncovers a possibility of a new partial insulation technique of REBCO coil by adjusting the microstructure and chemical compound of Cu stabilizer. Although all the commercial REBCO tapes claim the stabilizer layer is pure Cu, the turn-to-turn contact resistance of coils wound from conductors sourced from different manufacturers may have a difference of more than an order of magnitude. The Cu layer in the REBCO tape with high contact resistance has a less dense microstructure and a higher impurity chemical compound such as oxide and carbide after systematically investigating. Such a phenomenon can reveal a possible new partial insulation strategy that the contact resistance could be increased without further co-winded with other materials by adjusting the microstructure and chemical composition in the Cu layer. Increasing the contact resistance with no co-winded with other materials will decrease the charging decay rate and not sacrifice the J e value, which has application potential in the extremely high field superconducting magnets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel heterogeneous nanoparticles (NPs) composed of Al–Co and Al–Zn were successfully synthesized by co-precipitation route. The as prepared samples were investigated through XRD, TGA, DRS, FTIR, XPS, BET, and SEM. XRD patterns showed well crystallinity and phase purity for the synthesized samples. SEM micrographs presented small size, irregular grains with some agglomeration for both the NPs. Al–Co and Al–Zn displayed an effective band gap ~2.75, 2.50eV and BET surface area ~166.52 m2/g, 27.22 m2/g respectively. The catalytic yield (%) recorded for both the NPs against widely used toxic industrial dyes such as methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), crystal violet (CV), and acridine orange (AO) was much higher (>90%), whereas for rhodamine B (RB) it was only 47 and 65% with Al–Co and Al–Zn respectively. The frequency and temperature related conductance, dielectric behaviour and tangent loss was also analyzed for the fabricated NPs. Polarized induction and Koop's model of dielectrics were followed by both the samples. Extensive characterization and investigation, categorized the prepared NPs as promising candidates in photocatalytic elimination of organic pollutants from industrial effluents as well as best suited for opto and microelectronics. Image 1 • Al–Co and Al–Zn nanoparticles. • Toxic dyes Photo-degradation. • Induced polarization model. • Koop's dielectric behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high operating temperature for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) is one of the major obstacles in the advancement and marketing of the fuel cell technology. Mixed metal oxides Cu 0.5 Sr 0.5 (CS) and La 0.2 doped Cu 0.4 Sr 0.4 (LCS) nanocomposites, fabricated through a mild and cost effective pechini method were used as an efficient remedy in this context. The nanocomposites were evaluated for phase purity and structural analysis through X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Particle size calculated was ~37.21 nm (for CS) and 62.43 nm (for LCS) via XRD, while SEM revealed the size ranged from (43–72) nm. Performance of the symmetrical triple layered cells was tested in the temperature range of 500–600 °C with H 2 fuel. LCS nanocomposites exhibited higher electrical conductivity ~4.70 S/cm and greater power density ~782 mW/cm2 as compared to CS nanocomposites for which the electrical conductivity and power density were achieved as 4.40 S/cm and 725 mW/cm2 respectively. The activation energy for CS and LCS were found to be 0.23 and 0.26eV respectively. The reliable and enhanced power densities make the synthesized nanocomposites as potential candidates for low temperature SOFCs as anode and cathode. Image 1 • Mixed metal oxides nanocomposites. • Symmetrical Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). • Low working temperature. • Enhanced power density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]