The failure of the Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) phase change memory cell has been investigated by the High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM). The HR-TEM results indicate that the both of hexagonal structured GeSbTe (GST) and meta stable GeTe phases are appeared after about 10 cycles of set/reset operations. The face centered cubic structured GST seems to be quickly changed from amorphous ...

Biogenic single crystals with complex shapes are believed to be generated by the crystallization of an amorphous precursor. Recent biomimetic experiments on the crystallization of calcite via amorphous-to-crystalline transition point to the fact that the transformation kinetics may be controlled by the micropattern and the macroscopic shape of the amorphous precursor phase. Here we analyse a si...

The thermodynamic functions of the phases in the Ni-Zr and the CO-Zr system are calculated from the experimental data by applying the CALPHAD method. In the case of the undercooled liquid its excess specific heat is taken into account resulting of a pronounced stabilization of the liquid state at lower temperatures. Below T the g amorphous phase is considered which exhibits a free energy compar...

Although the equilibrium phase diagram predicts that alloys in the central part of the V-Zr system should consist of V2Zr Laves phase with partial segregation of one element, it is known that under non-equilibrium conditions these materials can form amorphous structures. Here we examine the structures and stabilities of thin film V-Zr alloys deposited at room temperature by magnetron sputtering...

Colloidal nanocrystals have long been used to study the dependence of phase stability and transitions on size. Both structural phase stability and phase transitions change dramatically in the nanometre size regime where the surface plays a significant role in determining the overall energetics of the system. We investigate the solid–solid phase transformation of crystallization in amorphous GeT...

Many food materials exist in a disordered amorphous solid state due to processing. Therefore, understanding the concept of amorphous state, its important phase transition (i.e., glass transition), and the related phenomena (e.g., enthalpy relaxation) is important to food scientists. Food saccharides, including mono-, di-, oligo-, and polysaccharides, are among the most important major component...

Amorphous materials are used for both structural and functional applications. An amorphous solid usually forms under driven conditions such as melt quenching, irradiation, shock loading or severe mechanical deformation. Such extreme conditions impose significant challenges on the direct observation of the amorphization process. Various experimental techniques have been used to detect how the am...

Thin films ofCo-W, 300-500 A thick, were electrodeposited at various compositions under a wide range ofplattng conditions. The saturation magnetization, coercivity, and squareness ratio of the films were derived from the parallel (in-plane) and perpendicular hysteresis loops, measured by using a vibrating sample magnetometer. The magnetic properties of the films are strongly related to their mi...

Composites with a bulk metallic glass matrix were synthesized and characterized. This was made possible by the recent development of bulk metallic glasses that exhibit high resistance to crystallization in the undercooled liquid state. In this letter, experimental methods for processing metallic glass composites are introduced. Three different bulk metallic glass forming alloys were used as the...

ZIF-4, a metal-organic framework (MOF) with a zeolitic structure, undergoes a crystal-amorphous transition on heating to 300 degrees C. The amorphous form, which we term a-ZIF, is recoverable to ambient conditions or may be converted to a dense crystalline phase of the same composition by heating to 400 degrees C. Neutron and x-ray total scattering data collected during the amorphization proces...