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The effect of Nb content on the corrosion behavior of in-situ (Ti0.45Zr0.31Be0.17Cu0.07)100−xNbx (x = 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) was evaluated in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4, 0.6 mol/L NaCl, and 1 mol/L NaOH solutions. A dual-phase microstructure which composed of an amorphous matrix and dendrites was observed. Electrochemical measurements in each corrosion medium showed the same trend. The corrosion resistance first increased and then decreased with the addition of Nb content from 4 to 12 at.%. The results show the best corrosion resistance in terms of × = 8 for the alloys. Notably, Nb addition improved the pitting-corrosion resistance of samples in a chloride-containing solution, whereas spontaneous passivation occurred in chloride-free solutions. A preferential solution was observed in the amorphous matrix region in NaCl solution, but a part of dark spots and dents appeared on the surface after the polarization in chloride-free solutions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements showed that Nb addition promoted the formation of metal oxide on the surface film, thus inducing a superior corrosion resistance for the bulk metallic glass matrix composites.

Soil aggregation is one of the most important factors affecting soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization, and the stability of aggregates depends in part on soil microbial diversity and composition. Interactions between the soil bacterial community and SOC content in soil aggregates after afforestation are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated difference in the diversity of soil bacterial with high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing, as well as the SOC content in soil aggregates representing a chronosequence of 42, 27, and 17 years of Robinia pseudoacacia L. succession (RP42, RP27, and RP17), and in farmland (FL) soil for comparison (millet (Setaria italica) and soybean (Glycine max) rotation).The SOC content in RP17, RP27, and RP42 plots were significantly higher than that of FL by an average of 85.57%, 142.37%, and 76.69% in large macro-aggregates (>1 mm), small macro-aggregates (0.25–1 mm), and micro-aggregates (

High-resolution (0.2 nm) images are used to locate chemical domains occurring with length scales of 1–5 nm in the dielectric relaxor lead magnesium niobate (PMN). The experimental HRTEM images are analysed using computer simulations and image matching in order to clarify and characterize the nature of the chemical ordering. Madelung electrostatic energy calculations are used to rank a set of structural models for possible ordered and disordered distributions of Nb and Mg over the B sites of perovskite ABO3. Next, the chemical domain textures are modelled using next-nearest-neighbour Ising (NNNI) models and Monte Carlo methods. These simulations allow us to understand and quantify the local structures of clusters of Nb and Mg atoms and how these interact to form chemical domain walls and other configurations including charged chemical defects. This results in a preferred model for the B-site distribution (the extended NNNI model), which is used for image simulations. Both HRTEM many-beam bright- and dark-field and single-beam dark-field TEM images are obtained and compared with the experimental images. The final result is a realistic atomic model for the Nb, Mg distribution of PMN.