Near-threshold fatigue crack growth behavior has been investigated in niobium-hydrogen alloys. Compact tension specimens (CTS) with three hydrogen conditions are used: hydrogen-free, hydrogen in solid solution, and hydride alloy. The specimens are fatigued at a temperature of 296 K and load ratios of 0.05, 0.4, and 0.75. The results at load ratios of 0.05 and 0.4 show that the threshold stress intensity range (⌬K th ) decreases as hydrogen is added to niobium. It reaches a minimum at the critical hydrogen concentration (C cr ), where maximum embrittlement occurs. The critical hydrogen concentration is approximately equal to the solubility limit of hydrogen in niobium. As the hydrogen concentration exceeds C cr , ⌬K th increases slowly as more hydrogen is added to the specimen. At load ratio 0.75, ⌬K th decreases continuously as the hydrogen concentration is increased. The results provide evidence that two mechanisms are responsible for fatigue crack growth behavior in niobiumhydrogen alloys. First, embrittlement is retarded by hydride transformation-induced and plasticityinduced crack closures. Second, embrittlement is enhanced by the presence of hydrogen and hydride.
The field emission properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from various sources are investigated for the application of field emission displays. Comparisons are made between graphite with Ni metal as catalyst and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon as precursor by the arc discharge method. Cathode deposits are examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) to determine microstructure. Carbon structure is studied using Raman spectroscopy. Electron field emission characteristics are measured with the diode method at 10-6 torr pressure. In this study, SEM micrographs of cathode deposits show dense random fiber-like carbon nanotubes. The HRTEM images clearly exhibit characteristic features of multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Microstructural investigation provides evidence that both the metal catalyst and the precursor can be used to synthesize carbon nanotubes. The Raman spectrum shows a stronger peak at about 1580 cm-1 indicating formation of a well-graphitized carbon nanotube. The degree of carbon nanotube graphitization is high and is in good agreement with the HRTEM result. From field emission measurements, the lowest onset field is about 1.0 V/μm and can be attributed to highly sharp tips and the high density of carbon nanotubes. Based on microstructure characterization and field emission measurements, the influence on field emission properties including turn on voltage and threshold voltage of carbon nanotubes synthesized from different sources is discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.