There are studied the structure formation of the high-strength casting Cu-Al alloys. Providing high level of properties for such alloys is connected by maintaining the necessary Cu content and alloying special strengthening additives. The most effective additives are unfortunately toxic Cd or expensive Ag. It is proposed to remove such components from the composition of alloys. To provide the structure dispersion and an increasing of properties, other alloying and modifying components, in particular, Mn and Zr, should be used. There are developed the technological bases for obtaining master alloys Al-Mn and Al-Zr with applying the energy of electromagnetic fields and magnetodynamic equipment. Modes for adding made master alloys into experimental liquid high-strength casting Cu-Al alloy are worked. As result, it is provided the substantiate refining of the cast alloy structure. To provide further structural transformations and to increase the properties of the experimental alloy, as well as due to a change in its chemical composition, the modes of its heat treatment are clarified. The proposed mode is similar to T6 and includes two- stages' homogenization (annealing) under quenching in water and subsequent artificial ageing. The further development of research consists in determining the new alloying components for such alloys. These components should make a strengthening effect on the structure, promote properties' increasing, and, at the same time, are non-toxic and relatively cheap.

The work is aimed at the development of a new sintered aluminium alloy with a low temperature coefficient of linear expansion that opens fundamentally new opportunities for solving the modern needs of domestic machine-building and instrument-making enterprises in light materials with special physical properties. Phase composition, structure and properties of cast aluminium alloys Al-Si-Ni with different contents of silicon and nickel, as well as powders obtained by grinding rapidly-quenched metal ribbons of these alloys in a high-energy ball mill are studied using various methods of structural analysis. The obtained values of the coefficient of linear expansion of the studied alloys in the cast state are significantly lower than those of pure aluminium, and they amount to congruent to(11-15)& sdot;10(-6 )K(-1). The method of obtaining a powder of a rapidly-crystallized alloy by manufacturing a rapidly-quenched metal ribbons using melt spinning followed by its dispersion in a high-energy ball mill is proposed for the fabrication of finely-dispersed powder and subsequent hot pressing.

A simple approach is presented to synthesise the high-purity MAX phase by the pressureless method. This method is featured by the short time in duration. The process is executed with a high heating rate (up to congruent to 10 2 K/min) that inhibits the formation of the objectionable phases and limits elemental loss due to the short-time process. The samples containing congruent to 96% wt. of the MAX phase Ti 3 AlC 2 are successfully synthesised using the proposed technique.

Among many aluminium alloys, high-strength casting 'aluminium - copper' alloys are ones of the main structural materials in aircraft construction. According to the results of the latest research by specialists from different countries of the world, these alloys also have a perspective for application at manufacturing of parts (hulls and pistons) of engines for the aviation and automotive equipment. However, presence of toxic (cadmium) or expensive (silver) components in the composition of such alloys as strengthening additives limits significantly the potential of their industrial production and practical application. We propose using the energy of electromagnetic fields and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects to process the alloy in liquid state. Implementation of such actions takes place in specialized casting magnetodynamic installation. The developed MHD processing of melts ensures refining of the structure and increasing main mechanical properties of aluminium alloys in the solid state. Actually, it is some kind of physical modifying without reagents. Regarding high-strength casting 'aluminium - copper' alloys, their MHD-processing in the liquid state in a foundry magnetodynamic installation allows to ensure quite high level of strength and plasticity even without application of strengthening additives. At the same time, the standard-compliant level of the main technological properties (mainly fluidity and hot cracking susceptibility) is ensured. This indicates the possibility of obtaining thin-walled parts of complicated geometry from such alloys by casting methods. Further research will be focused on improving the mechanical and operational properties of experimental 'aluminium - copper' alloys due to the introduction of non-toxic and relatively cheap strengthening and modifying additives.

Nanodispersed powders with different proportions of the content of the initial components are synthesized by the method of electric explosion in distilled water of compact samples produced from powder mixtures of iron and graphite. Electron microscopy studies show that iron particles are spherical and their sizes depend on the diameter of a compact powder sample. The results of X-ray studies show that the phase composition of the nanodispersed powders depends on the ratio between the amount of the initial powders of iron and graphite in the compact samples. As established, there exists an optimal ratio of the powders of iron and graphite, when the nanodispersed powders contain the minimum amount of oxides and carbides.

Comprehensive studies of fullerites C-60/70 after the high-temperature annealing are carried out. As revealed, two effects are observed during annealing; at the early stages of heat treatment of the mixture C-60/70, there is an amorphization, and after treatment at a temperature of 1600 degrees C for 120 minutes, there is a graphitization.

Comprehensive studies of a structure of carbon nanomaterials (CNM) fabricated by the methods of electric-discharge treatment from carbonaceous gases, namely, by a high-voltage electrical breakdown of the dielectric medium and a high-frequency discharge in gases, are carried out. Dependence of the CNM structure on the chemical nature of used carbonaceous gases is revealed.

The crystal structure of C-60 fullerene films doped with indium was studied. Formation of new phases was observed. The lattice parameters of these phases decrease at penetration of indium atoms into the film. The character of the fine structure of vibrational bands of the high-temperature phase doped with indium evidences for amplification of molecular interaction.

A powder of amorphous carbon with graphitelike type of short-range order is synthesised by the technique of electrical breakdown of organic liquids. As shown, the type of short-range order of the amorphous carbon is controlled by the characteristics of the working liquid, namely, by the degree of hybridization of carbon atoms in its molecules, which are the sources of carbon. Synthesis energy parameters effect on the chemical composition of the fabricated materials. The main feature of the synthesized powders is the stability of the graphitelike structure of short-range order during a heat treatment. It can be explained by the presence of Fe-contain nanodispersed phases in the initial nanopowders, which inhibit formation of the ideal graphite structure.

The hydrogen sorption by the magnesium carbon composites during the reactive ball milling under hydrogen positive pressure is investigated. As revealed, the reactive ball milling of magnesium with the different carbon allotropic modifications (graphite, multiwall nanotubes, ultradispersed diamonds, and amorphous carbon powders produced by electric discharge of organic liquids) leads to increase of hydrogen sorption rate. The fastest hydrogen sorption takes place when graphite or amorphous carbon powders with a high specific surface area are added to magnesium before mechanical activation. A hydrogenation rate during ball milling of magnesium and graphite is strongly affected by the initial specific surface area of the graphite powder. The higher is specific surface area of the graphite powder added to the magnesium, the more is the specific surface area of the synthesized composites and the faster is hydrogen sorption during the reactive ball milling.

Wide spectra of carbon nanomaterials (nanodiamonds, nanotubes, fullerene-like structures, and amorphous carbon) are fabricated by means of the techniques based on exploding wires and electric breakdown of hydrocarbon liquids. There is an effective possibility to control the phase composition of the synthesis products by means of a variation of both the time-energy parameters of an explosion process and the operating-liquid type. The fact of fabrication of the fullerene-like clusters without the use of graphite as a material for the synthesis is revealed. As shown, the carbon nanomaterials have strong ferromagnetic properties comparable with ones of typical ferromagnetics.

Phase composition and structure state of the as-milled and hydrogenated magnesium-carbon nanomaterials and magnesium-nickel-carbon nanocomposites are investigated. The effect of different kinds of nanocarbon additives on the hydrogen-sorption kinetics in magnesium-carbon nanocomposite is analyzed. To prepare magnesium-based composites, graphite and carbon nanomaterials (CNM) obtained by the electroexplosion technique are used. The CNM additives to magnesium essentially improve the hydrogen-sorption kinetics and lead to the reduction of activation temperature and pressure of hydrogen sorption into the nanocomposite.

The structure of the polycrystalline W powder near-surface layers, which was treated in plasma of the Ar normal glow discharge, is considered. The x-ray diffraction investigations show the formation of metastable solid solution of Ar and the 40% -increase of a density of the dislocation-type defects inside the layers at a depth up to 4 mu m. As revealed, the material microhardness is changed with depth, and it goes to the initial values at a depth of 8 mu m.

The nanocrystalline nickel powders obtained by the mechanical grinding within the ultrasonic ball mill in an alternating magnetic field are studied by x-ray analysis, electronic microscopy and magnetic measurements. Original diffraction effects and changes of the nanopowder magnetic properties, which depend on the treatment duration and subsequent heating, are revealed. Supposition is made that the observed features of the structural state and magnetic properties are conditioned by the presence of oxygen, carbon and hydrogen impurities within the nickel nanopowders. The working-fluid destruction process due to the ultrasonic cavitation treatment conditions the appearance of these admixtures in a free state within the working fluid.

Microstructural parameters of superdispersed powders (SDP) of nickel and iron are determined by the traditional x-ray methods (such as Scherrer equation, Warren-Averbach method and Williamson-Hall plot). These powders are fabricated by the mechanical ball-milling and by the method of electrical explosion of wires. As revealed, the most informative method of determination of microstructural characteristics is a Williamson-Hall plot, inasmuch as it gives information not only about both the coherent domain sizes and a level of microstrain, but also it allows estimating the form of particles. This estimation agrees with the data of electron microscopy.

The powders of ferromagnetics fabricated by the thermochemical,method are studied by the x-ray, TEM, and Mossbauer spectroscopies. As revealed, the particles of these powders have the shape close to the spherical one, and their average sizes settled within the interval of 0.05-0-08 mu m. During the process of thermal decomposition of oxalates, the Fe-based Fe-Co-Ni solid solution is formed. As shown, such thermochemical. powders are also composed of the oxygen and carbon in abundance. These elements form the peculiar layer composed of their various compounds with metal atoms on the particles' surf aces that protects such particles from subsequent oxidation.

Structural states of the Ti-Zr-Ni-based melt spun ribbons and Ti-Zr-Ni powders obtained by the spark-erosion method are investigated by means of the X-ray diffraction analysis. The ribbon structural state is found to be strongly affected by the production conditions. A small amount of Si (0.20-0.3% at.) within the Ti-Zr-Ni alloy leads to the formation of amorphous or mixed amorphous-quasi-crystalline states in the ribbons produced at the different hardening rates. As shown, the powders exhibit greater ability to hydrogen storage in contrast to the bulk alloys or ribbons.

Products of electrical explosion and electrical erosion of graphite, nickel, and iron in organic medium are tested by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and mass-spectroscopy. A wide spectrum of fullerene-like materials including the highest ones (C-70 and higher) is obtained and studied. Ferromagnetic properties of carbon nanomaterials are detected.

Using the method of electrical explosion of wires, the nanosized powders of nickel are obtained. Characteristic size of particles is within the range from 2 to 20 nm. As shown, these objects are characterized by the enlarged interatomic distance comparing to massive crystals and by the presence of broaden diffraction lines. By means of both x-ray spectroscopy and quantum-mechanical calculations within the framework of the X-a(SW)-approximation, an electronic structure of nickel nanoparticles is studied. Calculation results are in a good agreement with experimental data. By the minimum of cluster's total-energy, the equilibrium interatomic distances in systems of 6, 14 or 38 atoms are estimated (these are 3.955, 4.25, and 3.931 Angstrom, respectively).