The Au-Ni nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by oleylamine solvothermal synthesis from metal precursors. The Au-Ni phase diagram prediction respecting the particle size was calculated by the CALPHAD method. The hydrodynamic size of the AuNi NPs in a nonpolar organic solvent was measured by the dynamic light scattering (DLS) method. The average hydrodynamic sizes of the nanoparticle samples were between 18 and 25 nm. The metallic composition of the AuNi NP samples was obtained by inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The metallic fraction inside AuNi NPs was varied Au-(30-70) wt%Ni. The steric alkylamine stabilization was observed. The individual AuNi NPs were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The dry nanopowder was also studied. The structures of the aggregated samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The AuNi NPs reveal randomly mixed face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal lattices. The phase transformations were studied under inert gas and air. The samples were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Two Cu-Zn-Al alloys with variable content of Zn (25 and 30 wt%) and constant Al content (4 wt%) prepared by induction melting of pure metals and hot rolled into strips of 0.5 mm thickness were thermally processed by using three different heat treatments: direct quenching, step-quenching and upquenching with boiling water and room temperature water as the quenchants. The effects of composition and different methods of heat treatment on the microstructure and transformation temperatures of the investigated Cu-Zn-Al alloys were investigated using SEM-EDS and DSC techniques.

a b s t r a c tTernary Cu-Sb-Zn system has been thermodynamically assessed by using CALPHAD method and experimentally by DSC and SEM-EDS methods. The liquidus projection, invariant equilibria, several vertical sections and isothermal sections at 450 • C and 25 • C were predicted using COST 531 Thermodynamic Database. Phase transition temperatures of alloys along three predicted vertical sections of the Cu-Sb-Zn ternary system with molar ratios Cu:Zn = 1:3, Cu:Zn = 1 and Sb:Zn = 1, were determined by DSC analysis. Predicted isothermal sections at 450 • C and 25 • C were compared with the results of the SEM-EDS analysis. The calculated values were found to be in a good agreement with the experimentally obtained values and literature data.

The influence of Ag addition on microstructure and thermal properties of the Cu-10%Al–8%Mn alloy was investigated in this work. Two alloys with designed compositions Cu-10%Al–8%Mn and Cu-10%Al–8%Mn-4%Ag (in wt.%) were prepared by induction melting of pure metals. Microstructures of the prepared samples were investigated in the as-cast state, after homogenization annealing and after quenching. The effects of different methods of heat treatment on the microstructure and transformation temperatures of the investigated Cu-10%Al–8%Mn and Cu-10%Al–8%Mn-4%Ag alloys were investigated using SEM-EDS and DSC techniques.It was determined that after induction melting microstructure of the both investigated alloys are primarily composed of martensite and a small amount of α-phase precipitates.Fully martensitic structure in both investigated alloys was obtained after direct quenching from the 850 °C into the ice water. Based on the DSC cooling curves it was determined that two-step martensite transformation for the both investigated alloys occur in the temperature interval from about 30 to -40 °C.

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