The initial stage of liquid phase sintering, involving liquid penetration, agglomerate separation, particle spreading and growth has been investigated in experiments using tungsten heavy alloys. The particle composites used were produced by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of pure powder mixtures of W-Ni-Fe-(Co). By using different HIP temperatures, volume fractions of tungsten, alloying elements like Cobalt and Sulphur or excluding Iron from the matrix, liquid penetration, agglomerate separation and particle growth conditions were affected. The investigations were performed mainly under microgravity (sounding rockets or parabolic trajectories by airplanes) but at high tungsten particle fractions, short sintering times or at infiltration of solid pure tungsten, they were performed at normal gravity. The liquid penetration of the tungsten agglomerates is explained by initial wetting under non-equilibrium conditions, due to the reaction between the liquid matrix and the particles, and a decrease of interfacial energy. The dissolving of tungsten gives a pressure drop in the penetrating liquid and a driving force for the liquid movement by a suggested parabolic penetration model. For cold worked tungsten, a penetration theory was proposed, where an internal stress release in the penetrated tungsten grains creates space for the advancing liquid. The spreading of the tungsten agglomerates is explained by an interagglomerate melt swelling due to a Kirkendall effect. The liquid matrix undergoes a volume increase since the diffusion rates of Ni-Fe are higher than for W and initial concentration gradients of W and Ni, Fe exists. The suggested model by Kirkendall are also used for an analysis of the interaction behaviour between solid particles and a solidification front and inclusion behaviour in iron base alloys during teeming and deoxidation. The average tungsten particles size decrease initially since part of the tungsten particles is dissolved when the non-equilibrium matrix phase is melting. When equilibrium is reached, the tungsten particles grow in accordance with the Ostwald ripening process by an approximately 1/3 power law. Larger particle fraction of particles showed a higher growth rate, due to shorter diffusion distances between the particles. Cobalt, Sulphur and absence of iron in the matrix were found to increase the growth rate of the tungsten particles due to a higher surface tension between the solid tungsten particles and the matrix melt. / QC 20100528

Surface energy plays a major role in many phenomena that are important in technological and industrial processes, for example in wetting, grain growth and sintering. In this thesis, such surface-energy driven processes are studied by means of the phase-field method. The phase-field method is often used to model mesoscale microstructural evolution in materials. It is a diffuse interface method, i.e., it considers the surface or phase boundary between two bulk phases to have a non-zero width with a gradual variation in physical properties such as energy density, composition and crystalline structure. Neck formation and coarsening are two important diffusion-controlled features in solid-state sintering and are studied using our multiphase phase-field method. Inclusion of Navier-Stokes equation with surface-tension forces and convective phase-field equations into the model, enables simulation of reactive wetting and liquid-phase sintering. Analysis of a spreading liquid on a surface is investigated and is shown to follow the dynamics of a known hydrodynamic theory. Analysis of important capillary phenomena with wetting and motion of two particles connected by a liquid bridge are studied in view of important parameters such as contact angles and volume ratios between the liquid and solid particles. The interaction between solute atoms and migrating grain boundaries affects the rate of recrystallization and grain growth. The phenomena is studied using a phase-field method with a concentration dependent double-well potential over the phase boundary. We will show that with a simple phase-field model it is possible to model the dynamics of grain-boundary segregation to a stationary boundary as well as solute drag on a moving boundary. Another important issue in phase-field modeling has been to develop an effective coupling of the phase-field and CALPHAD methods. Such coulping makes use of CALPHAD's thermodynamic information with Gibbs energy function in the phase-field method. With the appropriate thermodynamic and kinetic information from CALPHAD databases, the phase-field method can predict mictrostructural evolution in multicomponent multiphase alloys. A phase-field model coupled with a TQ-interface available from Thermo-Calc is developed to study spinodal decomposition in FeCr, FeCrNi and TiC-ZrC alloys. / QC 20100622

Efficiency droop is a critical issue for the Group III-nitride based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to be competitive in the general lighting application. Carrier spill-over have been suggested as an origin of the efficiency droop, and an InAlN electron-blocking layer (EBL) is suggested as a replacement of the conventional AlGaN EBL for improved performance of LED. Optimum growth condition of InAlN layer was developed, and high quality InAlN layer was grown by using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). A LED structure employing an InAlN EBL was grown and its efficiency droop performance was compared with a LED with an AlGaN EBL. Characterization results suggested that the InAlN EBL delivers more effective electron blocking over AlGaN EBL. Hole-injection performance of the InAlN EBL was examined by growing and testing a series of LEDs with different InAlN EBL thickness. Analysis results by using extended quantum efficiency model shows that further improvement in the performance of LED requires better hole-injection performance of the InAlN EBL. Advanced EBL structures such as strain-engineered InAlN EBL and compositionally-graded InAlN EBLs for the delivery of higher hole-injection efficiency were also grown and tested.

The problem of inaccurate measurement techniques for quantifying isothermal solidification kinetics during transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding in binary and ternary systems; and resulting uncertainty in the accuracy of analytical and numerical models has been addressed by the development of a new technique using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This has enabled characterization of the process kinetics in binary and ternary solid/liquid diffusion couples resulting in advancement of the fundamental theoretical understanding of the mechanics of isothermal solidification. The progress of isothermal solidification was determined by measuring the fraction of liquid remaining after an isothermal hold period of varying length. A 'TLP half sample', or a solid/liquid diffusion couple was setup in the sample crucible of a DSC enabling measurement of the heat flow relative to a reference crucible containing a mass of base metal. A comparison of the endotherm from melting of an interlayer with the exotherm from solidification of the residual liquid gives the fraction of liquid remaining. The Ag-Cu and Ag-Au-Cu systems were employed in this study. Metallurgical techniques were used to compliment the DSC results. The effects of sample geometry on the DSC trace have been characterized. The initial interlayer composition, the heating rate, the reference crucible contents, and the base metal coating must be considered in development of the experimental parameters. Furthermore, the effects of heat conduction into the base metal, baseline shift across the initial melting endotherm, and the exclusion of primary solidification upon cooling combine to systematically reduce the measured fraction of liquid remaining. These effects have been quantified using a modified temperature program, and corrected using a universal factor. A comparison of the experimental results with the predictions of various analytical solutions for isothermal solidification reveals that the moving interface solution can accurately predict the interface kinetics given accurate diffusion data. The DSC method has been used to quantify the process kinetics of isothermal solidification in a ternary alloy system, with results compared to a finite difference model for interface motion. The DSC results show a linear relationship between the interface position and the square root of the isothermal hold time. While the numerical simulations do not agree well with the experimental interface kinetics due to a lack of accurate thermodynamic data, the model does help develop an understanding of the isothermal solidification mechanics. Compositional shift at the solid/liquid interface has been measured experimentally and compared with predictions. The results show that the direction of tie-line shift can be predicted using numerical techniques. Furthermore, tie-line shift has been observed in the DSC results. This study has shown that DSC is an accurate and valuable tool in the development of parameters for processes employing isothermal solidification, such as TLP bonding.

The problem of inaccurate measurement techniques for quantifying isothermal solidification kinetics during transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding in binary and ternary systems; and resulting uncertainty in the accuracy of analytical and numerical models has been addressed by the development of a new technique using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). This has enabled characterization of the process kinetics in binary and ternary solid/liquid diffusion couples resulting in advancement of the fundamental theoretical understanding of the mechanics of isothermal solidification. The progress of isothermal solidification was determined by measuring the fraction of liquid remaining after an isothermal hold period of varying length. A 'TLP half sample', or a solid/liquid diffusion couple was setup in the sample crucible of a DSC enabling measurement of the heat flow relative to a reference crucible containing a mass of base metal. A comparison of the endotherm from melting of an interlayer with the exotherm from solidification of the residual liquid gives the fraction of liquid remaining. The Ag-Cu and Ag-Au-Cu systems were employed in this study. Metallurgical techniques were used to compliment the DSC results. The effects of sample geometry on the DSC trace have been characterized. The initial interlayer composition, the heating rate, the reference crucible contents, and the base metal coating must be considered in development of the experimental parameters. Furthermore, the effects of heat conduction into the base metal, baseline shift across the initial melting endotherm, and the exclusion of primary solidification upon cooling combine to systematically reduce the measured fraction of liquid remaining. These effects have been quantified using a modified temperature program, and corrected using a universal factor. A comparison of the experimental results with the predictions of various analytical solutions for isothermal solidification reveals that the moving interface solution can accurately predict the interface kinetics given accurate diffusion data. The DSC method has been used to quantify the process kinetics of isothermal solidification in a ternary alloy system, with results compared to a finite difference model for interface motion. The DSC results show a linear relationship between the interface position and the square root of the isothermal hold time. While the numerical simulations do not agree well with the experimental interface kinetics due to a lack of accurate thermodynamic data, the model does help develop an understanding of the isothermal solidification mechanics. Compositional shift at the solid/liquid interface has been measured experimentally and compared with predictions. The results show that the direction of tie-line shift can be predicted using numerical techniques. Furthermore, tie-line shift has been observed in the DSC results. This study has shown that DSC is an accurate and valuable tool in the development of parameters for processes employing isothermal solidification, such as TLP bonding.

This thesis is mainly concerned with some important properties of complex fluids, and how these properties are influenced by structures in the nano/mesoscopic scale. Short-range assembly of the constituent molecules results in an amazing variety of phase behavior in these systems. Liquid-liquid phase transitions, or transitions from a homogeneous(mixed) phase to an immiscible phase (two-phase coexistence), are the outcome of a competition between entropy and short-ranged attractive forces, and form an important part of this thesis. A rich phase behavior is uncovered by a detailed study of liquid-liquid phase transitions in a mixture of ethanol(E) and water(W), induced by the addition of ammonium sulfate(AS) ions (E and W are otherwise completely soluble in each other). This is the main motivation for choosing this system. Furthermore, experimental evidence of the presence of supramolecular association in alcohol-water mixtures [J.-H. Guo et al., Phys. Rev Lett, 91, 15401(2003)] enhances our interest to study the phase behavior in more detail. The presence of a critical point, at which there is a second order phase transition, is quite common in complex fluids. An issue which has been the subject of extensive scientific research in recent years is the influence of nano/mesoscopic structure on the critical behavior of these fluids corresponds to the Ising universality class. However, the approach to the asymptotic regime is governed by a competition between the correlation length of critical concentration fluctuations and the additional length scale arising due to structuring., which results in a crossover from the universal Ising behavior to the mean-field behavior, sometimes within the critical domain. This phenomenon of crossover criticality is presently explored in the E + W + AS system. A significant portion of the thesis presents explorations on the critical behavior in the vicinity of special critical points (SCP), which are formed by the coalescence of two or more critical points. Recentrant liquid-liquid phase transitions observed in the E + W + AS system, furnishes an unique opportunity for the realization of three SCPs – the double critical point(DCP) and the critical double point(CDP) formed by the merger of two critical points , and a critical inflection point(CIP), formed by the merger of three critical points. A CIP had not been experimentally realized prior to the studies presented in this thesis. Apart from the above studies investigations are also carried out on the conformational changes of a technologically important conducting polymer, polyethylene dioxythiophene doped with polystyrene suflonate (PEDOT-PSS), in various solvents. The electrical and optical properties of the polymer films get enhanced when solution processed with specific solvents. The experiments presented in this thesis are directed at unraveling the role of conformational modifications in the electrical and optical properties of these systems. The experimental techniques that were employed in the present studies are: Laser light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering(SAXS) measurements and visual observations. The eoexistence surface of the system E + W + AS was determined by visual observations. Laser light scattering measurements were conducted to study the critical behavior of osmotic susceptibility (xr) of E + W + As, whereas SAXS studies were conducted to ascertain the existence, and quantify the spatial extent of the additional length scale in the two systems investigated. The main objectives of this research were: (i) to study the phase behavior of the ternary mixture E + W + AS at atmospheric pressure; (ii) to check the existence of crossover from 3-D Ising to mean-field critical behavior while moving away from Tc in this system; (iii) to determine the nature (monotonic or nonmonotonic) of crossover; (iv) to provide some insight into the origin of this crossover behavior in terms of an additional length scale characteristic of the system; (v) to understand the evolution of the critical behavior in the proximity of CDP, and DCP; (vi) to experimentally realize the CIP; and (vii) to investigate the presence of solvent-induced conformational changes in conducting polymer.

<p>The convective drying of thin layers of multicomponentliquid mixtures into an inert gas, and the influence ofdifferent process controlling mechanisms on drying selectivityis studied. Drying experiments under gas-phase-controlledconditions are performed by low intensity evaporation, fromfree liquid surfaces, of ternary mixtures without non-volatilesolutes. Liquid-side-controlled experiments are carried out bydrying a multicomponent polymeric solution containing twovolatile components, one non-volatile polymer and an optionalnonvolatile softening substance.</p><p>Mathematical models to describe gas- andliquid-side-controlled drying based on interactive diffusion inboth liquid and gas phases as the main mechanisms for masstransfer are developed. For gas-phase-controlled drying, astability analysis of the ordinary differential equations thatdescribes the evaporation process is performed. Isothermal andnon-isothermal drying processes are considered in batch andcontinuous modes. The mathematical model to describe thecomposition profiles during batch drying of the polymeric film,considering liquid resistance, is solved numerically. Due tothe lack of experimental data, properties for this polymericsystem are estimated by using established methods. Ananalytical solution of the diffusion equation, by assuming anisothermal drying process and a constant matrix ofmulticomponent diffusion coefficients is developed. For thecontinuous case, liquid-side resistance is studied by modellingevaporation of a multicomponent falling liquid film into aninert gas including indirect heating.</p><p>The results of the gas-phase-controlled model are in goodagreement with experimental results. For the polymeric film,the agreement is only qualitative since the model does notaccount for a membrane that develops on the film surface. Thestability analysis permits the prediction of trajectories andfinal state of a liquid mixture in a gas-phase-controlleddrying process. For isothermal evaporation of ternary mixturesinto pure gas, the solutions are trajectories in the phaseplane represented by a triangular diagram of compositions. Thepredicted ternary dynamic azeotropic points are unstable orsaddle. On the other hand, binary azeotropes are stable whenthe combination of the selectivities of the correspondingcomponents is negative. In addition, pure component singularpoints are stable when they are contained within theirrespective isolated negative selectivity zones. Undernon-isothermal conditions, maximum temperature valuescharacterise stable azeotropes. Incremental loading of the gaswith one or more of the components leads to a node-saddlebifurcation, where a saddle azeotrope and a stable azeotropecoalesce and disappear. For continuous drying, the singularpoints are infinite and represent dynamic equilibrium pointswhose stability is mainly dependent on the ratio of inletgas-to-liquid flow rates. As long as the process isgas-phasecontrolled, these results also apply to a porous solidcontaining a liquid mixture.</p><p>In general, liquid-side control makes the drying processless selective but it is difficult to maintain this conditionduring the whole process. Under the influence of its owndynamics, a process starting as liquid-side-controlled tendstowards a gas-phase-controlled process. The presence ofnon-volatile components and indirect heating may delay thisdevelopment. Considering the evolution of the processcontrolling steps and its influence on selectivity, a modelaimed at describing the complete trajectory of a drying orevaporation process must include the coexistence of allrelevant mechanisms.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>ternary mixture, falling film, diffusionequation, gas-phase control, liquid-phase control, selectivity,stability analysis, polymeric solution, evaporation, azeotrope,batch drying, continuous drying.</p>

Bioanalytical chemistry is a challenging field, often involving complex samples, such as blood, plasma, serum or urine. In many applications, sample cleanup is the most demanding and time-consuming step. In the work underlying this thesis a novel dynamic miniature extractor, known as a hollow-fibre liquid-phase microextractor (HF-LPME), was designed, evaluated and studied closely when used to clean plasma samples. Aqueous-organic-aqueous liquid extraction, in which the organic liquid is immobilised in a porous polypropylene membrane, was the principle upon which the extractor was based, and this is discussed in all the papers associated with this thesis. This type of extraction is known as supported-liquid membrane extraction (SLM). The aim of this work was the development of a dynamic system for SLM. It was essential that the system could handle small sample volumes and had the potential for hyphenations and on-line connections to, for instance, LC/electrospray-MS. The design of a miniaturised HF-LPME device is presented in Paper I. The extraction method was developed for some weakly acidic pesticides and these were also used for evaluation. In the work described in Paper II, the method was optimised on the basis of an experimental design using spiked human plasma samples. Paper III presents a detailed study of the mass-transfer over the liquid membrane. The diffusion through the membrane pores was illustrated by a computer-simulation. Not surprisingly, the more lipophilic, the greater the retention of the compounds, as a result of dispersive forces. The main focus of the work described in Paper IV was to make the HF/LPME system more versatile and user-friendly; therefore, the extractor was automated by hyphenation to a SIA system. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Manuscript.

In the present dissertation the formation of microstructure, the kinetics of densification and the formation of surface layers developing during liquid phase sintering of silicon carbide are studied. The focus is on the additive systems Al2O3 plus Y2O3 and AlN plus Y2O3. Phase and especially liquid phase formation in both of the systems SiC, Al2O3 , Y2O3 and AlN, Al2O3 , Y2O3 are investigated in detail examining 12 espectively 17 different compositions per system. Melting temperatures have been determined by TG/DTA, in both systems for the first time. Phase composition of samples was analysed by the combination of XRD, SEM and EDX. In the system SiC, Al2O3 , Y2O3 the formation of the phases expected from the quasibinary Al2O3 , Y2O3 could be observed thus silicon carbide has to be in equilibrium with the oxide additives. The low solubility of SiC in the oxide melt, which was suggested by Hoffmann and Nader, could be confirmed. In the system AlN, Al2O3 , Y2O3 the formation of phases as stated by Medraj was confirmed, except for the dimension of the stability region of the γ- spinel and YAG which is wider in the present work. For the first time diffusion coefficients of the species Y3+ and Al3+ in the oxide melt formed by Al2O3 and Y2O3 at temperatures above 1825 ◦ C were determined. The values are in the order of 2 · 10−6 cm2 /s which results in a diffusion length of 14.1 μm for a diffusion time of one second. This allows the fast equilibration of Y and Al deficiencies. Kinetics of densification was modeled by kinetic field, master curve and thermokinetic method, based on detailed experimental investigation of the shrinkage during liquid phase sintering of SiC. It could be proved that the first 30 − 40 % of densification are controlled by solid phase reactions which accelerate particle rearrangement without presence of a liquid phase. During the remaining 60 − 70 % of densification a liquid is present, resulting in the predominance of mechanisms of liquid phase sintering. The models deliver activation energies in the range from 608 KJ/mol to 1668 kJ/mol and allow, within the scope of validity of each method the prediction of densification during liquid phase sintering of silicon carbide. When sintering silicon carbide with Al2O3 plus Y2O3 the formation of several surface layers, depending on atmosphere, maximum temperature, dwelling time and amount and composition of additives was observed. In nitrogen atmosphere with low partial pressures a surface layer consisting of AlN is forming whilst at high partial pressures SiAlON- polytypes occur. After sintering in Argon or Ar-CO- atmosphere three main types of surface layers are present. One consists of alumina, one contains only YAG and one shows highly porous, additive depleted regions. An explanation for the formation of the several surface layers could be given by the combination of the determined diffusion coefficients with the results achieved in the thermodynamics part. The results achieved in this work can be a contribution to the knowledge based design of the production process of liquid phase sintering of silicon carbide.

Im Hinblick auf eine spätere Anwendung als Katalysatorträger in Hydrierungsreaktionen wurden in dieser Arbeit Adsorptionseigenschaften von Metall-Organischen Gerüstverbindungen (MOFs) in der Flüssigphasenadsorption untersucht. In den Experimenten wurden Materialien gegenübergestellt, bei denen entweder freie Koordinationsstellen am Metallatom (MIL 101, DUT 9, HKUST 1) oder eine abgeschlossene Koordinationssphäre (MOF 5, Zn4O(btb)2, Zn2(bdc)2dabco, ZIF 8, DUT 4, DUT 6) in der Struktur vorlagen. Die Substrate und Lösungsmittel wurden hinsichtlich auf die spätere Verwendung als Edukte in der Hydrierungsreaktion ausgewählt. Neben dem polaren Zimtsäureethylester kamen unpolare Substrate wie Styrol, cis-Cyccloocten und Diphenylacetylen zum Einsatz. Die Materialien wurden desweiteren auf ihre Eignung und Stabilität in der Flüssigphasenhydrierung getestet. Da die untersuchten Metall-Organischen Gerüstverbindungen selbst nicht hydrieraktiv sind, wurden sie als Matrix für die Synthese von Palladium-Nanopartikeln (mittels Incipient Wetness Infiltration) verwendet. Als Referenzkatalysatoren kamen kommerziell erhältliche Pd-Trägerkatalysatoren (Pd@C, Pd@NoritA) und Pd@MOF 5 zum Einsatz. Bei den Experimenten erwies sich Pd@MIL 101 als besonders stabil gegenüber den Reduktions- und Reaktionsbedingungen, sowohl in Gasphasen- als auch Flüssigphasenhydrierungen. Die erzielten Ergebnisse zeigen den starken Einfluss des spezifischen Porenvolumens, der Form der Pore bzw. des Poreneingangs, der Polarität des Substrates und des verwendeten Lösungsmittels auf die adsorbierte Substratmenge. Sie verdeutlichen die Relevanz von Adsorptionsuntersuchungen an neuen Materialien. Das Verständnis der Wechselwirkungen zwischen den verwendeten Lösungsmitteln, Substraten und Adsorbentien ist ein entscheidender Faktor bei der Optimierung von Adsorptionsprozessen und bei der Verwendung von MOFs in heterogen katalysierten Reaktionen. Diese Arbeit zeigt das hohe Potential von Metall-Organischen Materialien im Bereich der heterogenen Katalyse. Unter Verwendung dieser Verbindungen als Trägermaterialien für Palladium können sehr hohe Aktivitäten in Hydrierungsreaktionen erreicht werden, welche z.T. auch industriell genutzte, Aktivkohle basierte Pd-Trägerkatalysatoren übertreffen.