SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FABRICATION OF BULK NANOCRYSTAL ALLOY

Info

Publication number: 20210197260
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 10, 2017
Publication Date: Jul 1, 2021
Applicant: SHENZHEN UNIVERSITY (Shenzhen, Guangdong)
Inventors: Zhiyuan LIU (Shenzhen), Peng CHEN (Shenzhen), Dengji GUO (Shenzhen), Feng GONG (Shenzhen)
Application Number: 16/066,235

Abstract

A system and a method for fabrication of bulk nanocrystal alloys is provided. The method may include subjecting powders of at least one material to an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitude. The method may also include heating the powders in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude, and treating the powders in a temperature range corresponding to the first temperature elevating rate. The method may further include obtaining a bulk material composed of a plurality of crystal grains, the plurality of crystal grains having an average linear dimension equal to or larger than 10 nm. The method may further include obtaining a bulk material with amorphous structure with sufficient temperature cooling rate.

Description

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2017/079890, filed on Apr. 10, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference to their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to material processing and more particularly, process nanocrystal alloy based on an ultrasonic vibration.

BACKGROUND

Powder materials sintering may be used to obtain a plurality of unique physical and mechanical properties, such as porosity controllable, homogenous, no macro-segregation, etc. The spark plasma sintering (SPS) may be used to process powder materials for obtaining a bulk material. However, the equipment for using the SPS technology may be expensive. Further, the sintering temperature may usually be required to be 0.8 times of the melting point of a material, and a large pressure may also be required to be imposed for sintering. Therefore, using the SPS technology to sinter powder materials may consume high energy and result in low economic effect. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method and a system to effectively process a powder material.

SUMMARY

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, systems and methods for processing a powder material are provided.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, a method for fabricating nanocrystal alloy is provided. The method may include: subjecting powders of at least one material to an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitude; heating the powders in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude; treating the powders in a temperature range corresponding to the first temperature elevating rate, the temperature range including a first temperature configured to be above a characteristic temperature of the at least one material; and obtaining a bulk material composed of a plurality of crystal grains, the plurality of crystal grains having an average linear dimension equal to or larger than 10 nm.

In some embodiments, the powders may be amorphous.

In some embodiments, the powders of at least one material may include at least one of polymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders, or ceramic powders.

In some embodiments, the characteristic temperature may include a crystallization temperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the average linear dimension of the crystal grains may be determined based on the first temperature elevating rate and the first temperature.

In some embodiments, the average linear dimension of the plurality of crystal grains may be further determined based on a time duration of the treatment of the powders in the temperature range, a stress imposed on the powders, or a linear dimension of a powder particle corresponding to each of the plurality of crystal grains.

In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration may be in a frequency range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz.

In some embodiments, the method may further include providing the powders in a mold. In some embodiments, a shape of the bulk material may be determined by a shape of the mold.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, a method for processing amorphous alloy is provided. The method may include: subjecting powders of at least on material to an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitude; heating the powders in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude; treating the powders in a temperature range corresponding to the first temperature elevating rate, the temperature range including a first temperature configured to be between a first characteristic temperature of the at least one material and a second characteristic temperature of the at least one material; and obtaining a bulk material in an amorphous state at a first temperature cooling rate.

In some embodiments, the powders may be amorphous.

In some embodiments, the powders of at least one material may include at least one of polymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders, or ceramic powders.

In some embodiments, the first characteristic temperature may include a glass transition temperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the second characteristic temperature may include a crystallization temperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the second characteristic temperature may include a melting temperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration may be in a frequency range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz.

In some embodiments, the method may further include providing the powders in a mold. In some embodiments, a shape of the bulk material may be determined by a shape of the mold.

In some embodiments, the amorphous state of the bulk material may be further determined based on a time duration of the treatment of the powders in the temperature range, a stress imposed on the powders, or a linear dimension of a powder particle.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, a system for processing amorphous alloy is provided. The system may include an ultrasonic generator configured to generate an electric signal and a transducer configured to generate an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitude based on the electric signal. The system may further include an indenter configured to heat powders of at least one material in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude, and treat the powders in a temperature range corresponding to the first temperature elevating rate. In some embodiments, the temperature range may include a first temperature configured to be above a first characteristic temperature of the at least one material.

Additional features will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The features of the present disclosure may be realized and attained by practice or use of various aspects of the methodologies, instrumentalities and combinations set forth in the detailed examples discussed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is further described in terms of exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in detail with reference to the drawings. These embodiments are non-limiting examples, in which like reference numerals represent similar structures throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary ultrasonic sintering system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary ultrasonic apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view for illustrating a portion of an exemplary ultrasonic sintering system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view for illustrating a portion of an exemplary ultrasonic sintering system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process for sintering powders of at least one material according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for sintering powders of at least one material according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary temperature curve diagram during a process of sintering powders according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8A is a transmission electron microscope (TEM) photograph of a bulk material according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a dimension distribution of crystal grains in the bulk material as illustrated in FIG. 8A according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant disclosure. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, systems, components, and/or circuitry have been described at a relatively high-level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirits and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown, but to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the claims.

It will be understood that the term “system,” “unit,” “module,” and/or “block” used herein are one method to distinguish different components, elements, parts, section or assembly of different level in ascending order. However, the terms may be displaced by other expression if they may achieve the same purpose.

It will be understood that when a unit, module or block is referred to as being “on,” “connected to” or “coupled to” another unit, module, or block, it may be directly on, connected or coupled to the other unit, module, or block, or intervening unit, module, or block may be present, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purposes of describing particular examples and embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “include,” and/or “comprise,” when used in this disclosure, specify the presence of integers, devices, behaviors, stated features, steps, elements, operations, and/or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other integers, devices, behaviors, features, steps, elements, operations, components, and/or groups thereof.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary ultrasonic processing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, an ultrasonic processing system 100 may include an ultrasonic apparatus 102, a power supply 104, a controller 106, an operator console 108, and a storage device 110. The ultrasonic processing system 100 may be implemented in different fields, such as material surface modification, material welding, material sintering, or the like, or a combination thereof. For example, the ultrasonic processing system 100 may be used in surface crystallization, surface coating, etc. As another example, the ultrasonic processing system 100 may be used in metal welding, plastic welding, ceramic welding, etc. As a further example, the ultrasonic processing system 100 may be used in metal powder sintering, polymer powder sintering, etc.

The ultrasonic apparatus 102 may generate an ultrasonic vibration. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration may be used to process a sample. The ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may correspond to various parameters, such as a frequency, an amplitude, a power density, etc. In some embodiments, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz. For example, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration may include at least one of 20 kHz, 25 kHz, 28 kHz, 30 kHz, 33 kHz, 35 kHz, 40 kHz, 70 kHz, etc. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration may have a frequency greater than 100 kHz, such as 110 kHz, 120 kHz, etc. In some embodiments, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be in an amplitude range from 5 μm to 100 μm. For example, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be in an amplitude range from 20 μm to 80 μm. As another example, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be in an amplitude range from 20 μm to 60 μm. As a further example, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be 45 μm. In some embodiments, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be greater than 100 μm. A sample to be sintered may be at least one of a metal material, a polymer material, an inorganic non-metallic material, a composite material, or the like, or a combination thereof. The metal material may include a pure metal, an alloy, an intermetallic compound, etc. The alloy material may include Fe-based crystalline alloy, Ti-based crystalline alloy, Ni-based crystalline alloy, Zn-based crystalline alloy, Zr-based crystalline alloy, etc. The pure metal material may include Ag, Fe, Al, Cu, Ti, Zn, Sn, Ni, etc. The inorganic non-metallic material may include an acid salt, an aluminate, a borate, a phosphate, an oxide, a nitride, a carbide, a boride, a silicide, a sulfide, a halide, etc. The polymer material may include molecular chains arranged in a high regularity degree, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), etc. The composite material may include a polymer-based composite material, a metal-based composite material, a ceramic-based composite material, etc.

In some embodiments, the sample may include a powder material, a bulk material, or the like, or a combination thereof. For example, the sample may be alloy powders including a plurality of powder particles. In some embodiments, the powder particles may have a linear dimension ranging from 1 μm to 100 μm. As used herein, the linear dimension may refer to the size of an object (e.g., a particle) in one direction. For example, if the object is in the shape of a sphere, the linear dimension of the object may be the diameter of the sphere. In some embodiments, the linear dimension of the powder particle may be greater than 100 μm. In some embodiments, the sample may be in an amorphous state, a crystalline state, etc. In some embodiments, the sample may be in a liquid state, a solid state, a glass state, etc.

The ultrasonic apparatus 102 may transform a material from one phase to another phase. The transformation may be achieved by heating the material in response to the ultrasonic vibration applied on the material. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may transform a material from powders to a bulk by applying the ultrasonic vibration on the powders. The bulk of the material may be amorphous, crystalline, or a combination thereof. For example, the bulk material may include a plurality of nanocrystal grains having an average linear dimension of 10 nm, or greater. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may transform a bulk material or at least some portions thereof (e.g., a surface layer of the bulk of the material) from an amorphous state to a crystalline state.

In some embodiments, the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may be connected to and/or communicate with the power supply 104, the controller 106, the operator console 108, and/or the storage device 110 via a wireless connection, a wired connection, or a combination thereof. For example, the power supply 104 may provide electric power for the ultrasonic apparatus 102 to generate an ultrasonic vibration via a wired connection, such as a metal cable. As another example, the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may be controlled by the controller 106 to generate an ultrasonic vibration. As a further example, the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may be operated by a user or an operator via the operator console 108. For example, the operator may set one or more parameters of the ultrasonic vibration (e.g., a frequency or an amplitude) via the operator console 108. The parameters may be set based on an input of the operator by, for example, a keyboard or a mouse.

The power supply 104 may provide electric power for the ultrasonic apparatus 102, the controller 106, the operator console 108, and/or the storage device 110. In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may include a power input that receives power from a power source and a power output that delivers the power to a device (e.g., the ultrasonic apparatus 102). In some embodiment, the power supply 104 may include an alternating current (AC) power supply, a direct current (DC) power supply, an AC-to-DC power supply, a switched-mode power supply, a programmable power supply, an uninterruptible power supply, a high voltage power supply, etc. In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may include one or more charging apparatuses. The power supply 104 may include one or more other internal components, e.g., a converter, a charge/discharge interface, or the like, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may be regulated or unregulated. The regulated power supply may maintain a constant output voltage or current despite the variations in the load current or input voltage. The voltage or current output by the unregulated power supply may change when its input voltage or load current changes. In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may be configured to be flexible to allow the output voltage or current to be controlled by mechanical controls (e.g., knobs on the power supply front panel), by means of an input by a user via the operator console 108, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more parameters of an ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may be determined based on the power supply 104. For example, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined based on an output voltage or current of the power supply 104.

In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may include an external power source, e.g., a power network with a household power outlet socket or an industrial power outlet socket, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may include an alternator for generating power. The power supply 104 may include a battery, e.g., a lithium battery, a lead acid storage battery, a nickel-cadmium battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, or the like, or a combination thereof.

The controller 106 may control the ultrasonic apparatus 102, the power supply 104, the operator console 108, and/or the storage device 110. For example, the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may be controlled by the controller 106 to process (e.g., vibrate) a sample (e.g., powders of a material). The controller 106 may control the generation of an ultrasonic vibration at, for example, a specific frequency or amplitude. In some embodiments, the controller 106 may control the storage device 110 to acquire and/or store operation data from the ultrasonic apparatus 102, the power supply 104, and/or the operator console 108. The processing data may include one or more processing parameters (e.g., the parameters related to the ultrasonic vibration), the data detected during a sintering process (e.g., a treatment temperature, a temperature change curve of the sample, the phase change of the sample). As used herein, the treatment temperature may denote a temperature for processing a sample (e.g., transforming the sample from one phase to another phase) in response to an ultrasonic vibration. The controller 106 may control the operator console 108 to display the operation data.

In some embodiments, the controller 106 may include a processor, a processing core, a memory, or the like, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller 106 may include a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application-specific instruction-set processor (ASIP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a physics processing unit (PPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a microcontroller unit, a microprocessor, an advanced RISC machines processor (ARM), or the like, or a combinations thereof.

The operator console 108 may include a user interface. In some embodiments, the operator console 108 may include an input device or a control panel, etc. For example, the input device may be a keyboard, a touch screen, a mouse, a remote controller, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the user may input information and/or manipulate the operator console 108 via a plurality of user devices including a smart input device. For example, the smart input device may include a speech input, an eye tracking input, a brain monitoring system, or any other comparable input mechanism. Other types of the input device may include a cursor control device, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, etc. In some embodiments, the operator console 108 may send a command or an instruction by a user or an operator to the ultrasonic apparatus 102, and/or the controller 106. In some embodiments, the operator console 108 may be operated by a user to set various parameters for the ultrasonic processing system 100. For example, a user may input an ultrasonic parameter (e.g., a frequency and an amplitude) by the operator console 108. As another example, a user may set a time duration of the treatment of an ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic apparatus 102 via the operator console 108. In some embodiments, the operator console 108 may display information associated with a relationship (e.g., in a form of a curve) of a time and a treatment temperature of a sample during a fabrication process.

The storage device 110 may store data related to the ultrasonic processing system 100. The data stored may be a processing parameter, information of a sample or a treated sample, an instruction and/or a signal to operate the ultrasonic apparatus 102, a model related to a fabrication process, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the processing parameter may include one or more parameters related to a fabrication process, such as a temperature parameter, a time parameter, a stress parameter, an ultrasonic parameter, a power supply parameter, etc. The temperature parameter may include a characteristic temperature of a sample (e.g., a glass transition temperature, a crystallization temperature, a melting temperature, etc.), a temperature elevating rate, a temperature cooling rate, etc. The time parameter may include a time duration of the treatment of a sample in a temperature range (e.g., a time duration of the treatment of a sample in a range from a glass transition temperature to a crystallization temperature), a time duration for temperature elevating or cooling, a time duration for subjecting a sample to an ultrasonic vibration, etc. The stress parameter may include the stress applied on a sample by the ultrasonic apparatus 102, or by any other apparatus (e.g., a container for placing a sample), an atmosphere pressure, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the stress applied on the sample may be in a range from 1N to 1000N. In some embodiments, the stress applied on the sample may be greater than 1000N. The ultrasonic parameter may include a frequency of the ultrasonic, an amplitude of the ultrasonic, etc. The power supply parameter may include an input/output voltage, an input/output current, a characteristic power (e.g., a maximum power, a rated power, etc.), etc. The information of a sample or a treated sample may include a dimension (e.g., a size of powder or a size of a crystal grain in the treated sample), a mechanical property (e.g., a tensile strength, a hardness, a fatigue strength, etc.), etc. The model related to a process may determine a relationship between different processing parameters, a property of a sample, a property of a treated sample, etc. For example, the model may include a relationship between a time duration of the treatment of a sample in a temperature range and the average linear dimension of crystal grains in a treated sample.

The storage device 110 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), or the like, or a combination thereof. The random access memory (RAM) may include a dekatron, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a thyristor random access memory (T-RAM), a zero capacitor random access memory (Z-RAM), or the like, or a combination thereof. The read only memory (ROM) may include a bubble memory, a magnetic button line memory, a memory thin film, a magnetic plate line memory, a core memory, a magnetic drum memory, a CD-ROM drive, a hard disk, a flash memory, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the storage device 110 may be a removable storage such as a U flash disk that may read data from and/or write data to the operator console 108 in a certain manner. The storage device 110 may also include other similar means for providing computer programs or other instructions to operate the devices/modules in the ultrasonic processing system 100. In some embodiments, the storage device 110 may be operationally connected with one or more virtual storage resources (e.g., a cloud storage, a virtual private network, other virtual storage resources, etc.) for transmitting or storing the data into the virtual storage resources.

The ultrasonic processing system 100 may be connected to a network (not shown in the figure). The network may be a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a public network, private network, a proprietary network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the Internet, a virtual network, a metropolitan area network, a telephone network, or the like, or a combination thereof. The connection between different devices/modules in the ultrasonic processing system 100 may be wired or wireless. The wired connection may include using a metal cable, an optical cable, a hybrid cable, an interface, or the like, or a combination thereof. The wireless connection may include using a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), a Bluetooth, a ZigBee, a Near Field Communication (NFC), or the like, or a combination thereof.

This description of the ultrasonic processing system 100 is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments. In some embodiments, the storage device 110 may be a database including cloud computing platforms, such as, a public cloud, a private cloud, a community and hybrid cloud, etc. In some embodiments, the operator console 108 and the controller 106 may be integrated into one device/module. In some embodiments, the controller 106 and the storage device 110 may be integrated into one device/module. In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may be integrated with the ultrasonic apparatus 102. However, those variations and modifications do not depart the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary ultrasonic apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, an ultrasonic apparatus 200 may include an ultrasonic generator 201, a transducer 202, an indenter 203, a sensor 204, an amplitude modulation device 205, and a container 206. In some embodiments, the different modules in the ultrasonic apparatus 200 may be connected with each other via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination thereof.

The ultrasonic generator 201 may generate an electric signal based on an electric power. In some embodiments, the electric power may be provided by the power supply 104. In some embodiments, the electric power may be generated by the ultrasonic generator 201. The electric power may include an alternating current, a direct current, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the electric signal may include a sinusoidal signal, a pulse signal, etc. In some embodiments, the frequency of the electric signal generated by the ultrasonic generator 201 may be in a range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz. For example, the frequency of the electric signal may include at least one of 20 kHz, 25 kHz, 28 kHz, 30 kHz, 33 kHz, 35 kHz, 40 kHz, 70 kHz, etc. In some embodiments, the electric signal may have a frequency greater than 100 kHz, such as 110 kHz, 120 kHz, etc. In some embodiments, a frequency of the transducer 202 may be determined based on the electric signal generated by the ultrasonic generator 201. For example, the frequency of the transducer 202 may be same with the frequency of the electric signal.

The transducer 202 may convert an electric signal generated by the ultrasonic generator 201 into an ultrasonic vibration. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration generated by the transducer 202 may be a fixed frequency in a range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz. For example, the fixed frequency may be 20 kHz, 25 kHz, 28 kHz, 33 kHz, 40 kHz, 60 kHz, 80 kHz, 100 kHz, etc. In some embodiments, the fixed frequency may be greater than 100 kHz. In some embodiments, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration may be adjustable. For example, the adjustable frequency may be determined based on the power provided by the power supply 104 (e.g., an output voltage of the power supply 104) or an instruction of the controller 106. As another example, the adjustable frequency may be determined by the ultrasonic generator 201. For example, the ultrasonic generator 201 may include a frequency modulation (FM) device (e.g., an FM serial resonance device) for adjusting the frequency. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration generated by the transducer 202 may have an amplitude in a amplitude range from 1 μm to 80 μm. Specifically, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be 48 μm. In some embodiments, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration generated by the transducer 202 may be adjustable via the amplitude modulation device 205.

The indenter 203 may subject a sample to an ultrasonic vibration generated by the transducer 202. The sample may include at least one material as described in connection with FIG. 1. The indenter 203 may apply an ultrasonic vibration generated by the transducer 202 on the sample via a wired connection, such as a metal cable. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration of the indenter 203 on the sample may be modulated by the amplitude modulation device 205. For example, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be decreased or increased by the amplitude modulation device 205.

In some embodiments, the indenter 203 may vibrate in one direction (e.g., a direction z₁illustrated in FIG. 3). In some embodiments, the indenter 203 may vibrate in different directions. In some embodiments, the indenter 203 may apply a stress on the sample. In some embodiments, the stress may be in a range from 1N to 1000N. In some embodiments, the stress may be greater than 1000N. In some embodiments, the stress may be acquired via a hydraulic device or an air cylinder that provides extra pressure on the indenter 203. Merely by way of example, the pressure applied on the indenter 203 via a hydraulic device may be in a range from 1 kgf/cm²to 10 kgf/cm².

The sensor 204 may detect signals generated during a fabrication process. The signals generated during a fabrication process may include a processing parameter as described elsewhere in the disclosure. The sensor may include a thermal sensor (e.g., a thermocouple probe), a gas sensor, a humidity sensor, a piezoresistive sensor, a speed sensor, a mechanical sensor, etc.

In some embodiments, the sensor 204 may be connected to the ultrasonic generator 201, the transducer 202, the indenter 203, the amplitude modulation device 205, and/or the container 206. For example, the sensor 204 may include a mechanical sensor (e.g., a pressure sensor). The pressure sensor may be connected to the indenter 203 to detect a stress applied on a sample. As another example, the sensor 204 may include a placement sensor. The placement sensor may be connected to the indenter 203 to detect an amplitude of an ultrasonic vibration. As another example, the sensor 204 may include a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor may be connected to the container 206 to detect the temperature change of a sample during a fabrication process. In some embodiments, the signals detected by the sensor 204 may be transmitted to the controller 106, the operator console 108, and/or the storage device 110 during or after a fabrication process of a sample. The signals may include a treatment temperature of the sample. In some embodiments, the controller 106 may control the sensor 204 to detect the signals during a fabrication process of the sample based on an input of a user or an operator via the operator console 108.

The amplitude modulation device 205 may adjust an amplitude of an ultrasonic vibration generated by the transducer 202. In some embodiments, the amplitude modulation device 205 may decrease or increase the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration transducer 202 based on an amplitude modulation circuit. The modulation of the amplitude may be determined by the temperature parameters of a sample. For example, the higher the crystallization temperature of the sample is, the greater the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be. The amplitude modulation circuit may include a high-level amplitude modulation circuit, a low-level amplitude modulation circuit, etc. The high-level amplitude modulation circuit may include an emitter amplitude modulation, a collector amplitude modulation, a base amplitude modulation, etc. The low-level amplitude modulation circuit may include a plate modulation, a heisting modulation, a control grid modulation, a clamp tube modulation, a Doherty modulation, an out phasing modulation, a pulse width modulation (PWM), a pulse duration modulation (PDM), etc.

The container 206 may be configured to place a sample. The container 206 may be in different shapes. In some embodiments, the shape of a treated sample (e.g., a bulk material) obtained by processing a sample (e.g., metal powders) may be determined by the shape of the container 206. In some embodiments, the container 206 may include a mold, and the shape of a treated sample may be determined by the shape of the mold. The shape of the treated sample may be a cube, a sphere, a coin, a cylinder, or any other shape. In some embodiments, the mold may include a specific structure, such as a porous structure, a thread structure, etc.

This description of the ultrasonic apparatus 200 is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments. For example, the ultrasonic generator 201 and the transducer 202 may be integrated into one device/module. In some embodiments, the amplitude modulation device 205 and the transducer 202 may be integrated into one device/module. In some embodiments, the amplitude modulation device 205 may be removed. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic apparatus 200 may include one or more auxiliary equipments and/or modules. For example, the ultrasonic apparatus 200 may include a vacuum device to keep a sample treated under a vacuum environment, or an environment with decreased oxygen level. As another example, the ultrasonic apparatus 200 may include an auxiliary device to heat a sample during the treatment with an ultrasonic vibration. As another example, the ultrasonic apparatus 200 may also include a hydraulic device or an air cylinder to apply a pressure on, for example, the indenter 203 during the treatment. However, those variations and modifications do not depart the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view for illustrating a portion of an exemplary ultrasonic processing system 300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, powders of a material 308 may be constrained in a container. The powders of material may include at least one of metal powders, polymer powders, alloy powders, ceramic powders, etc. In some embodiments, the powders may be amorphous, crystalline, or a combination thereof. The container may be formed by a substrate 304 and one or more side walls 302. In some embodiments, the substrate 304 may be detachable from the one or more side walls 302. In some embodiments, the one or more side walls 302 may move along one or more tracks on the substrate 304. For example, the substrate 304 may include one or more grooves and the one or more side walls 302 may move along the grooves. In some embodiments, the capacity of the container may be adjusted by sliding the one or more side walls 302 toward to or outward from the center of the container. In some embodiments, one or more side stresses may be applied on the powders by sliding the one or more side walls 302 toward the center of the container. For example, a side stress may be applied on the powders in the container in response to a movement of the side wall 302 in the z₂direction. In some embodiments, the side stress may be in a range from 1N to 1000N. In some embodiments, the side stress may be greater than 1000N. In some embodiments, the side stresses may be decreased by sliding the one or more side walls 302 outward from the center of the container. In some embodiments, the side walls 302 and the substrate 304 may be integrated as a whole structure. The ultrasonic vibration, generated by an ultrasonic transducer (e.g., the transducer 202 illustrated in FIG. 2) or modulated by an amplitude modulation device, may be transmitted to the indenter 306 to vibrate the powders of the material. The indenter 306 may vibrate in the z₁direction. In some embodiments, the z₁direction may be perpendicular to the upper surface of the substrate 304. In some embodiments, the indenter 306 may apply a stress on the powders when the indenter 306 contacts with the powders. In some embodiments, the stress may be in a range from 1N to 1000N. In some embodiments, the stress may be greater than 1000N. In some embodiments, the stress on the powders applied by the indenter 306 may be increased by a hydraulic device or an air cylinder that provides an extra pressure on the indenter 306.

Thus, during the vibration of the powders under the stress from the indenter 306 and/or the side walls 302, heat may be generated among the powders. Then, the powders may be transformed into another phase or another form (e.g., a bulk form) when the temperature reach a certain threshold. Because the temperature rise using the ultrasonic vibration treatment is limited, in some embodiments, a supplementary heating module may be added to the substrate to additionally heat the temperature during the treatment to overcome the limit. Further, a vacuum module may be added to the sintering room to decrease the oxygen level during the treatment to improve the purity of the obtained bulk materials.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view for illustrating a portion of an exemplary ultrasonic processing system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the ultrasonic processing system 400 may include an indenter 406a and an indenter 406b. A container may be formed by one or more side walls 402, the ultrasonic identifier 406a, and the ultrasonic indenter 406b. Powders of a material as described in connection with FIG. 3 may be placed in the container for treatment. In some embodiments, the indenter 406a and the indenter 406b may vibrate in the same direction, for example, the z₁direction. In some embodiments, the indenter 406a and the indenter 406b may vibrate in different directions. For example, the identifier 406a may vibrate in a direction perpendicular to the vibrating direction of the identifier 406b. In some embodiments, the vibrating direction of the indenter 406a and the indenter 406b may be in vertical direction. In some embodiments, the vibrating direction of the indenter 406a and the indenter 406b may be in horizontal direction. In some embodiments, one indenter (e.g., the indenter 406b) may vibrate in vertical direction, and the other indenter (e.g., the indenter 406a) may vibrate in horizontal direction.

In some embodiments, the ultrasonic processing system 400 may include more than two indenters vibrating in different directions. For example, the ultrasonic apparatus 400 may include three indenters. An angle formed between each two adjacent indenters may be same or different.

In some embodiments, the indenter 406a and the indenter 406b may apply a same stress or different stresses on the powders when the indenter 406a and the indenter 406b contact with the powders. Additionally or alternatively, a side stress may be applied on the powders of the material through at least one of the one or more side walls in response to a movement of the at least one of the one or more side walls 402 toward the center of the container. The movement may be manipulated by an operator manually and/or by a computer. In some embodiments, the stress on the powders applied by the indenter 406a and/or 406b may be increased by a hydraulic device or an air cylinder.

This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments. For example, the indenter 406a and the indenter 406b may be in different shapes. However, those variations and modifications do not depart the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process for sintering powders of at least one material according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

In 502, powders of at least one material may be provided in a container. The at least one material may include a metal material, a polymer material, an inorganic non-metallic material, a composite material, or the like, or a combination thereof as described elsewhere in the disclosure. In some embodiments, the powders of the at least one material may be amorphous, crystalline, or a combination thereof.

The powders of the at least one material may correspond to a plurality of characteristic parameters including a density of powders, an average linear dimension of particles, a mass of powders, a characteristic temperature of the at least one material, etc. In some embodiments, the average linear dimension of particles may be in a range from 20 μm to 100 μm. In some embodiments, the average linear dimension of particles may be in a range from 1 μm to 1 mm. In some embodiments, the characteristic temperature of the at least one material may include a glass transition temperature (T_g), a crystallization temperature (T_x), a melting temperature (T_m), a flowing temperature (T_f), a decomposition temperature (T_d), etc.

In 504, the powders may be subjected to an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitude. In some embodiments, the first amplitude may be determined by the transducer 202 and/or the amplitude modulation device 205 as illustrated in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the amplitude modulation device 205 may modulate the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration generated by, for example, the ultrasonic transducer 202.

In some embodiments, the first amplitude may be determined based on one or more characteristic parameters of the at least one material. For example, the higher a characteristic temperature (e.g., a crystallization temperature) is, the greater the first amplitude may be needed. As another example, the greater an average linear dimension is, the greater the first amplitude may be needed. In some embodiments, the first amplitude may be in a range from 5 μm to 25 μm. In some embodiments, the first amplitude may be in a range from 40 μm to 80 μm. In some embodiments, the first amplitude may be in a range from 30 μm to 100 μm. In some embodiments, the first amplitude may be greater than 100 μm

In some embodiments, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration at the first amplitude may be found elsewhere in the disclosure.

In some embodiments, the powders may be imposed with a stress by, for example, one or more loads. The loads may contribute a constant stress value in a range from 5N to 10N, from 3N to 15N, etc. In some embodiments, the stress may vary during the treatment of the powders. In some embodiments, the stress may be imposed in a direction parallel with the direction of the ultrasonic vibration. In some embodiments, the stress may be imposed in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the ultrasonic vibration. In some embodiments, the stress may be imposed by, for example, the indenter 203 when the ultrasonic vibration contact with the powders. In some embodiments, the stress may be imposed to the powders by, for example, the container 206 (e.g., the side walls 302 and/or the substrate 304) before subjecting the powders to the ultrasonic vibration. For example, an operator may manually move one or more side walls toward the center of the container to impose a stress on the powders in the container.

In some embodiments, the stress on the powders applied by the indenter 203 may be increased by a hydraulic device or an air cylinder that provides a pressure on the indenter 203 (i.e., the indenter 306). For example, the pressure provided by a hydraulic device may be in a range from 1 kgf/cm²to 10 kgf/cm². Specially, the powders may be treated under a vacuum environment.

In some embodiments, the powders may be treated under an anaerobic environment. The anaerobic environment may include one or more noble gases, such as nitrogen (N₂), helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), or the like, or a combination thereof.

In 506, the powders may be heated in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude. The powders subjected to the ultrasonic vibration at the first amplitude may vibrate at the first amplitude, or an amplitude smaller than the first amplitude. The powders may be heated at the first temperature elevating rate based on the ultrasonic vibration. In some embodiments, the first temperature elevating rate may be determined based on the first amplitude and the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration. In some embodiments, the larger the first amplitude is, the higher the first temperature elevating rate may be. In some embodiments, the greater the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration is, the higher the first temperature elevating rate may be.

In some embodiments, the first temperature elevating rate may be determined based on one or more characteristic parameters of the powders of the at least one material such as mass of the powders, an average linear dimension of the powders, etc. For example, the first temperature elevating rate may be smaller when the average linear dimension of the powders is larger. In some embodiments, the first temperature elevating rate may be determined based on the stress imposed on the powders. For example, the first temperature elevating rate may be higher when the stress is greater.

In some embodiments, the first temperature elevating rate in response to the ultrasonic vibration may range from 800° C./s to 3000° C./s. As used herein, the first temperature elevating rate may be an average elevating rate from a room temperature to a characteristic temperature (e.g., a glass transition temperature, a crystallization temperature, etc.).

In 508, the powders may be treated in a first temperature range corresponding to the first temperature elevating rate. In some embodiments, the powders may be heated at the first temperature elevating rate to a temperature in the first temperature range. Then, the treatment temperature of the powders may remain in the first temperature range. In some embodiment, the first characteristic temperature of the powders may include a glass transition temperature, a crystallization temperature, a melting temperature, a flowing temperature, a decomposition temperature, etc.

In some embodiments, the first temperature range may be in a range from the first characteristic temperature to a second characteristic temperature. The second characteristic temperature of the powders may include a glass transition temperature, a crystallization temperature, a melting temperature, a flowing temperature, a decomposition temperature, etc. For example, the first characteristic temperature may be the glass transition temperature, and the second characteristic temperature may be the crystallization temperature. As another temperature, the first characteristic temperature may be the crystallization temperature, and the second characteristic temperature may be the melting temperature. As another example, the first temperature range may be from the crystallization temperature to the decomposition temperature.

In the first temperature range, the phase of the powders may be changed in response to the temperature change. For example, the powders of a polymer material may change the phase from a glass state into a high elastic state at or above the glass transition temperature of the polymer material. As another example, the powders of an alloy material in an amorphous state may transform to crystalline state at a treatment temperature in a range from the crystallization temperature of the alloy material to the melting temperature of the alloy material.

In some embodiment, the powders may be treated in the first temperature range for a time duration with the ultrasonic vibration. In some embodiments, the time duration may range from 0.5 s to 5 s. For example, the time duration with the ultrasonic vibration in the first temperature range may be 2 s.

In some embodiments, the first amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be adjusted such that the treatment temperature of the powders may remain in the first temperature range. For example, the first amplitude may be decreased when the time duration of the powders treated in the first temperature range increases. As another example, the first amplitude may increase when the time duration of the powders treated in the first temperature range decreases.

In 510, a bulk material may be obtained. The bulk material may be amorphous, crystalline, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the bulk material may be amorphous when the first temperature range is from the glass transition temperature of the at least one material to the crystallization temperature of the at least one material. In some embodiments, the bulk material may be crystalline when the first temperature range is from the crystallization temperature of the at least one material to the melting temperature, or the decomposition temperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the bulk material may be composed of a plurality of crystal grains. In some embodiments, the crystal grains may be nanoscale grains. For example, the linear dimension of the crystal grains may have an average value (also referred to as “average linear dimension”) ranging from 10 nm to 50 nm. Alternatively, the linear dimension of the crystal grains may have an average value greater than 50 nm. In some embodiment, the average linear dimension of crystal grains in a bulk material may be determined based on the first amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration. An exemplary relationship between the first amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration and the average linear dimension of crystal grains in the bulk material is shown in Table 1. The powders of TiNbCuNiAl alloy were treated by ultrasonic vibrations with different amplitudes for 2 s at a pressure of 4 kgf/cm²that is provided by a hydraulic device or an air cylinder. The frequency of the ultrasonic vibrations was 20 kHz.

TABLE 1 Average linear dimension Sample Amplitude (μm) of crystal grains (nm) 1 33.6 29 2 38.4 34 3 43.2 35

It should be noted that the description of the imaging system is provided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art, various variations and modifications may be conduct under the teaching of the present disclosure. However, those variations and modifications may not depart from the protecting of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the powders of the material may be preprocessed before being provided in the container. In some embodiments, the bulk material obtained in 510 may be treated by the ultrasonic vibration at a second amplitude for modifying the surface layer in order to, for example, add a coating at the surface layer of the bulk material.

FIG. 6 illustrates a process for sintering powders of at least one material according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the process 600 may be performed by the operator console 108, and/or the controller 106. In some embodiments, the process 600 may be used to determine one or more processing parameters. For example, one or more expected parameters related to a bulk material, such as an average linear dimension of crystal grains in the bulk material, may be determined by the operator console 108 (e.g., a keyboard). Then, the controller 106 may determine one or more processing parameters for fabricating the bulk material with the one or more expected parameters and control the ultrasonic apparatus 102 to fabricate the bulk material to meet the expected parameters based on the determined processing parameters.

In 602, an average linear dimension of crystal grains in a bulk material may be determined. In some embodiments, the material may include alloy material, polymer material, pure metal material, inorganic non-metal material, etc., as described elsewhere in the disclosure.

In some embodiments, the bulk material may be composed of a plurality of the crystal grains. In some embodiments, the crystal grains may be nanoscale grains. For example, the linear dimension of the crystal grains may have an average value ranging from 10 nm to 50 nm. Alternatively, the linear dimension of the crystal grains may have an average value greater than 50 nm. In some embodiments, the average linear dimension of the crystal grains may relate to one or more processing parameters, including a temperature parameter, a time parameter, a stress parameter, an ultrasonic parameter, a power supply parameter as described elsewhere in the disclosure.

In some embodiments, a model describing the relationship of the average linear dimension of the crystal grains and one or more processing relating parameters may be generated. In some embodiments, the model may be established based on a variable-controlling method. In some embodiments, the model may be established based on a plurality of experiments for powder sintering, a plurality of computer simulation experiments for powder sintering, or a combination thereof. For example, a model describing a relationship of one or more ultrasonic parameters and the average linear dimension of crystal grains in a bulk material may be established. As another example, a model describing a relationship of the treatment time and the average linear dimension of crystal grains in a bulk material may be established. In some embodiments, the model may be stored in a storage device (e.g., the storage device 110).

In 604, one or more temperature parameters may be determined based on the average linear dimension of the crystal grains as determined in step 602. The temperature parameters may include a characteristic temperature as described elsewhere in the disclosure, a treatment temperature, a temperature elevating rate, a temperature cooling rate, etc. In some embodiments, the temperature elevating rate may be determined based on the ultrasonic parameters. In a fixed time duration, the higher the characteristic temperature, the higher the temperature elevating rate may be.

In some embodiments, the dimensions of crystal grains in the bulk material may be determined based on the temperature elevating rate. The higher the temperature elevating rate is, the smaller the dimensions of crystal grains in the bulk material may be.

In 606, the frequency of an ultrasonic vibration may be determined based on the temperature parameters. In some embodiments, the frequency of an ultrasonic vibration may be determined based on a relationship between the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration and the temperature parameters (e.g., the temperature elevating rate, one or more characteristic temperatures, etc.). For example, the greater the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration is, the higher the temperature elevating rate may be. In some embodiments, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined based on one or more characteristic temperatures. For example, the crystal grains in the bulk material may be obtained when the treatment temperature is in a range from the crystallization temperature of the material to the melting temperature of the material. Then, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined such that the powder material may be heated to a temperature higher than or equal to the crystallization temperature.

In 608, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined based on the temperature parameters. In some embodiments, the amplitude of an ultrasonic vibration may be determined based on a model (e.g., a relationship between the amplitude and the temperature parameters. For example, the greater the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration is, the higher the temperature elevating rate may be. In some embodiments, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined based on one or more characteristic temperatures. For example, the crystal grains in the bulk material may be obtained when the treatment temperature is in a range from the crystallization temperature to the melting temperature. Then, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined such that the powders of the material may be heated to a temperature higher than or equal with the crystallization temperature.

In some embodiments, an amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined to keep the treatment temperature in the range from the crystallization temperature to the melting temperature.

In 610, a bulk material may be acquired by subjecting powders to the ultrasonic vibration. The powders of the material may be subjected to the ultrasonic vibration in the frequency determined in step 606, and/or the amplitude determined in step 608.

In some embodiments, a time duration for treating powders of the material in a temperature range (e.g., the platform stage T₂as described in connection with FIG. 7) may be determined based on a relationship between the time duration and an average linear dimension of crystals grains, and/or one or more temperature parameters. For example, the greater the average linear dimension of crystals grains is, the longer the time duration for treating powders of the material may be. In some embodiments, the time duration may include a treatment time in a temperature range from a crystallization temperature to a melting temperature.

In some embodiments, a stress imposed on the powders of the material may be determined based on a relationship of the stress and an average linear dimension of crystals grains. In some embodiments, the stress may be related to an indenter and a pressure applied on the indenter. The pressure applied on the indenter may be provided by, for example, a hydraulic device or an air cylinder.

It should be noted that the description of the imaging system is provided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art, various variations and modifications may be conduct under the teaching of the present disclosure. However, those variations and modifications may not depart from the protecting of the present disclosure. For example, different steps in process 600 may be performed synchronously.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary temperature curve diagram during a process of sintering powders according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The temperature curve was obtained by heating powders of TiNbCuNiAl alloy based on an ultrasonic vibration. The powders of TiNbCuNiAl alloy were amorphous. The powders had an average linear dimension of 20 μm. The powders of TiNbCuNiAl alloy were treated under a pressure of 4 kgf/cm². The time duration for subjecting the powders to the ultrasonic vibration was 2 s, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration was 20 kHz, and the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration was 0.384 μm. A bulk material composed of a plurality of crystal grains was obtained. The linear dimension of the crystal grains is described in connection with FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B.

The treatment temperature of the powders was detected based on a thermocouple. As shown, the temperature curve may include three stages: a temperature elevating stage T₁, a platform stage T₂, and a cooling stage T₃. In the temperature elevating stage T₁, the temperature is elevated from room temperature of about 25° C. to about 450° C. in about 0.5 s. The average temperature elevating rate was about 840° C./s. The maximum temperature elevating rate was about 1700° C. The phase of at least a portion of the powders may change from glass state to flow state (also referred to as glass transition), in the temperature elevating stage T₁. In the platform stage T₂, the treatment temperature of the powders was fluctuating in a range, for example, from about 450° C. to about 560° C. In some embodiments, the crystallization temperature and/or the melting temperature may be located in the temperature range of the platform stage T₂. The powders may crystallize in stage T₂. In the cooling stage T₃, the maximum temperature cooling rate was about 5000° C./s.

In some embodiments, the bulk material may be made to be amorphous by adjusting one or more processing parameters, such as the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration, as described in connection with FIG. 5. For example, an amorphous state of the bulk material may be obtained when the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration is adjusted to make the glass transition temperature of the material locate in the temperature range of the platform stage T₂. Then, in the platform stage T₂, the treatment temperature may be in a temperature range from the glass transition temperature to a crystallization temperature. Then, in the cooling stage T₃, the sample may be cooled quickly, and a bulk material may be obtained as an amorphous state.

FIG. 8A is a transmission electron microscope (TEM) photograph of a bulk material according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The bulk material was obtained by subjecting powders of TiNbCuNiAl alloy to an ultrasonic vibration as described in connection with FIG. 7. The TiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk may be crystalline composed of a plurality of crystal grains. The crystal grains was in an average dimension range from 10 nm to 50 nm.

FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a dimension distribution of crystal grains in the bulk material as illustrated in FIG. 8A according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the dimension of the crystal grains in the TiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk was in a range from 10 nm to 40 nm. Specially, the dimension of the crystal grains was mainly distributed in a range from 20 nm to 35 nm. Approximately 30% of the crystal grains have a dimension ranging from 23 nm to 26 nm. The TiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk was further tested using an indentation technique. The hardness of the TiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk is 11 GPa, and the strength of the TiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk is 3.6 GPa. The intensity of the TiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk with nanocrystal grains may increase 200% relative to the amorphous TiNbCuNiAl alloy.

This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments. However, those variations and modifications do not depart the scope of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that the above description of the embodiments are provided for the purposes of comprehending the present disclosure, and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art, various variations and modifications may be conducted in the light of the present disclosure. However, those variations and the modifications do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.

Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather apparent to those skilled in the art after reading this detailed disclosure that the foregoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way of example only and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, and modifications may occur and are intended to those skilled in the art, though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested by this disclosure, and are within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the terms “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and/or “some embodiments” mean that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or more references to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternative embodiment” in various portions of this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined as suitable in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Further, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present disclosure may be illustrated and described herein in any of a number of patentable classes or context including any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented entirely hardware, entirely software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or combining software and hardware implementation that may all generally be referred to herein as a “block,” “module,” “engine,” “unit,” “component,” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable media having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including electro-magnetic, optical, or the like, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that may communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer readable signal medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, or the like, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object-oriented programming language such as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C#, VB. NET, Python or the like, conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2003, Perl, COBOL 2002, PHP, ABAP, dynamic programming languages such as Python, Ruby and Groovy, or other programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider) or in a cloud computing environment or offered as a service such as a Software as a Service (SaaS).

Furthermore, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, or the use of numbers, letters, or other designations therefore, is not intended to limit the claimed processes and methods to any order except as may be specified in the claims. Although the above disclosure discusses through various examples what is currently considered to be a variety of useful embodiments of the disclosure, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose, and that the appended claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, are intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. For example, although the implementation of various components described above may be embodied in a hardware device, it may also be implemented as a software only solution—e.g., an installation on an existing server or mobile device.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description of embodiments of the present disclosure, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive embodiments. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive embodiments lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the application are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about,” “approximate,” or “substantially.” For example, “about,” “approximate,” or “substantially” may indicate ±20% variation of the value it describes, unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the application are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable.

Each of the patents, patent applications, publications of patent applications, and other material, such as articles, books, specifications, publications, documents, things, and/or the like, referenced herein is hereby incorporated herein by this reference in its entirety for all purposes, excepting any prosecution file history associated with same, any of same that is inconsistent with or in conflict with the present document, or any of same that may have a limiting affect as to the broadest scope of the claims now or later associated with the present document. By way of example, should there be any inconsistency or conflict between the description, definition, and/or the use of a term associated with any of the incorporated material and that associated with the present document, the description, definition, and/or the use of the term in the present document shall prevail.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the application disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the embodiments of the application. Other modifications that may be employed may be within the scope of the application. Thus, by way of example, but not of limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of the application may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein. Accordingly, embodiments of the present application are not limited to that precisely as shown and described.

Claims

1. A method for fabrication of bulk nanocrystal alloy comprising:

subjecting powders of at least one material to an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitude;

heating the powders in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude;

treating the powders in a temperature range corresponding to the first temperature elevating rate, wherein the temperature range includes a first temperature configured to be above a characteristic temperature of the at least one material; and

obtaining a bulk material composed of a plurality of crystal grains, the plurality of crystal grains having an average linear dimension equal to or larger than 10 nm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the powders are amorphous.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the powders of at least one material include at least one of polymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders, or ceramic powders.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the characteristic temperature is a crystallization temperature of the at least one material.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the average linear dimension of the crystal grains is determined based on the first temperature elevating rate and the first temperature.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the average linear dimension of the plurality of crystal grains is further determined based on a time duration of the treatment of the powders in the temperature range, a stress imposed on the powders, or a linear dimension of a powder particle corresponding to each of the plurality of crystal grains.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic vibration is in a frequency range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the powders in a mold, wherein a shape of the bulk material is determined by a shape of the mold.

9. A method for fabrication of bulk nanocrystal alloy comprising:

subjecting powders of at least on material to an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitude;

heating the powders in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude;

treating the powders in a temperature range corresponding to the first temperature elevating rate, wherein the temperature range includes a first temperature configured to be between a first characteristic temperature of the at least one material and a second characteristic temperature of the at least one material; and

obtaining a bulk material at a first temperature cooling rate, wherein the bulk material is in an amorphous state.

10. The method of the claim 9, wherein the powders are amorphous.

11. The method of the claim 10, wherein the powders of at least one material include at least one of polymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders, or ceramic powders.

12. The method of the claim 9, wherein the first characteristic temperature is a glass transition temperature of the at least one material.

13. The method of the claim 12, wherein the second characteristic temperature is a crystallization temperature of the at least one material.

14. The method of the claim 12, wherein the second characteristic temperature is a melting temperature of the at least one material.

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. The method of the claim 9, wherein the amorphous state of the bulk material is further determined based on a time duration of the treatment of the powders in the temperature range, a stress imposed on the powders, or a linear dimension of a powder particle.

18. A system for fabrication of bulk nanocrystal alloy comprising:

an ultrasonic generator configured to generate an electric signal;

a transducer configured to generate an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitude based on the electric signal; and

an indenter configured to heat powders of at least one material in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude, and treat the powders in a temperature range corresponding to the first temperature elevating rate, wherein the temperature range includes a first temperature configured to be above a first characteristic temperature of the at least one material.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one characteristic temperature of the at least one material includes a glass transition temperature, a crystallization temperature, or a melting temperature.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the powders are amorphous or crystalline.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the powders of at least one material include at least one of polymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders, or ceramic powders.

22. (canceled)

23. The system of the claim 18, further comprising a mold configured to place the powders of the at least one material.