Using the Cu-Zr model system, we demonstrate that bulk amorphous alloys can be obtained by copper mold casting even in a binary metallic system. The narrow, off-eutectic, bulk-glass-forming range was found to require composition pinpointing to Ͻ1 at. %. A phase selection diagram is used to explain the success of our microstructure-based approach to pinpoint the best glass former in a given system. The implications of discovering simple binary bulk amorphous alloys are discussed, in terms of its impact on understanding the formation and physics of bulk metallic glasses.

Abstract-Pesticide use patterns in China have changed in recent years; however, the study of the environmental fate of current-use pesticides (CUPs) and their ecotoxicological significance in aquatic ecosystems is limited. In the present study, sediments were collected from an urban stream in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. Sediment-associated legacy organochlorine pesticides and CUPs-including organophosphates, pyrethroids, fipronil, and abamectin-were analyzed. Additionally, the relative toxicity of the sediments was evaluated with 10-d bioassays using Chironomus dilutus. Fifteen of 16 sediments collected from the stream were acutely toxic to C. dilutus, with 81% of the samples causing 100% mortality. Abamectin, fipronil, and pyrethroids (mainly cypermethrin) were identified as the principal contributors to the noted toxicity in the midges, with median predicted toxic units of 1.63, 1.63, and 1.03, respectively. Sediments taken from downstream sites, where residential and industrial regions were located, had elevated CUP concentrations and sediment toxicity compared with upstream sites. The present study is the first of its kind to link sediment CUPs, fipronil, and abamectin concentrations with toxicity in urban streams in China with a focus on shifting pesticide usage patterns.

No abstract

No abstract

Using a Ti–Cu–Ni–Sn–Ta alloy as an example, we demonstrate a strategy for the in situ formation of nanocomposite microstructures that can lead to simultaneous high strength and ductility. Our approach employs copper mold casting for the production of bulk alloys from the melt, and the solidification microstructure is designed to be composed of micrometer-sized ductile dendrites uniformly distributed inside a matrix of nanoscale eutectic reaction products. The nanostructured matrix is achieved at a relatively deep eutectic, which facilitates the formation of an ultrafine eutectic microstructure over a range of cooling rates. The multi-component recipe stabilizes a ductile solid solution as the toughening phase and helps to reduce the eutectic spacing down to nanoscale. The multi-phase microstructure (including phase distributions, morphologies, and interfaces) has been examined in detail using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM. The metastable eutectic reaction and the nanoscale spacing achieved are explained using thermodynamic and solidification modeling. The benefits expected from the microstructure design are illustrated using the high strength and large plasticity observed in mechanical property tests. Our nanocomposite design strategy is expected to be applicable to many alloy systems and constitutes another example of tailoring the microstructure on nanoscale for extraordinary properties.

No abstract

Guangzhou College City in the southeast of Guangzhou, China, became a home to 10 universities in 2003 after a largely agricultural past. The city has since experienced rapid urbanization with limited development of adjacent areas. Twenty-one sediment samples were collected in the city and its adjacent areas to evaluate the influence of urbanization in different functional zones on sediment quality in local waterways. Sediment toxicity was assessed by 10-day toxicity tests using two benthic invertebrates, Chironomus dilutus and Hyalella azteca. In addition, various organic contaminants-including current-use pesticides (pyrethroids and organophosphate insecticides) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons-were analyzed, and a toxic unit (TU) approach was applied to identify possible toxicity contributors. In general, 38 and 4.8% of the sediments exhibited acute toxicity to C. dilutus and H. azteca, respectively, with 9.5% of the samples resulting in 100% mortality to C. dilutus. Distribution analysis showed that the rural industrial area, which is south of the city, had the greatest contaminant concentrations and greatest toxicity to both organisms compared with the other areas. Pyrethroids, especially cypermethrin, appeared to contribute the most to the observed toxicity, yet the lack of relationship between the toxicity and TU of pyrethroids may reflect toxicity associated with other contaminants.

In a low-pressure radio-frequency (13.56 MHz), inductively coupled argon plasma generated by a normal cylindrical rf coil, electric field, current density, and absorbed power density is calculated from magnetic field measured with a phase-resolved magnetic probe. The anomalous skin effect (ASE) for the cylindrical rf coil is compared to those previously reported for the planar and re-entrant cylindrical rf coils. Physical reasons for our observed characteristics of ASE are presented. With the increasing discharge power, the size and the number of negative and positive power absorption regions evolve into several distinct patterns. For the low discharge power (at 156.9 W), there is one area of positive and one area of negative power absorption in the radial direction. For the medium discharge power (279 W–683.5 W), there are two areas of negative and two areas of positive power absorption. For the even higher discharge power (above 803.5 W), the number of areas is the same as that of the medium discharge power, but the size of the inner positive and negative power absorption areas is approximately doubled and halved, respectively, while the outer positive and negative power absorption areas slightly shrinks. The evolution of positive and negative power absorption regions is explained as a result of electron thermal diffusion and the energy conversion between rf current and electric field. The spatial decays of electric field and current density are also elucidated by linking them with the positive and negative power absorption pattern.