The 84% Zr–16% Al nonevaporable getter alloy has been used for a long time in vacuum technology and, more recently, has been adopted in advanced applications such as fusion technology and particle accelerators. A new getter material consisting of a Zr–V–Fe ternary alloy having interesting characteristics for these applications has also been proposed. Particularly in fusion technology hydrogen and its isotopes must be sorbed in relatively large amounts. Therefore, the equilibrium pressures of H2 and D2 have been investigated for the above mentioned alloys as well as for the more traditional getter material, titanium. A temperature range from 500 to 800 °C at pressures less than about 100 Pa has been covered. Moreover, as the hydrogen isotopes will contain various gaseous impurities, of which carbon monoxide is usually the most important, the effects of this gas on the H2 and D2 equilibrium pressures have also been investigated.

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Nonevaporable getters have been widely used for many years in sealed vacuum or controlled atmosphere devices. They are also finding applications in other fields, where specific characteristics are required and tailor-made getters are requested, in some cases sacrificing speed in favor of lower activation temperatures, or lower operating temperature, while still maintaining an adequate sorption capacity. With these objectives, a decade long research project was undertaken which involved investigation of Zr–V–Fe alloys. The physico-chemical properties and the gettering characteristics (speed and capacity) of this family of alloys for some main gases usually present in vacuum devices (H2, CO, N2) have therefore been studied in a range of activation temperatures of less than about 700°C. The equilibrium pressure of H2 on these materials has also been studied as a function of concentration and temperature in a range of pressures less than ∠10 Pa. The results obtained, showing the efficiency of this type of alloy as a getter in a range of activation temperatures of about 500°C, are also discussed in comparison with some other well-known getter materials.

A review of the different technologies used to dose mercury in fluorescent lamps is presented. Conventional liquid mercury dosing is gradually being replaced with more reliable and environmentally friendly solutions that enable a significant reduction of the amount of mercury introduced in the lamp, so as to cope with more stringent regulations issued to minimize the environmental impact of exhausted lamps. This paper will review the most advanced novel methods to assure an accurate and fine dosing of mercury in fluorescent lamps, especially focusing on solutions based on the use of solid alloys.

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