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The nucleation mechanism involving rapid solidification of undercooled La-Fe-Si melts has been studied experimentally and theoretically. The classical nucleation theory-based simulations show a competitive nucleation process between the α-(Fe,Si) phase (size approximately 10 to 30 nm) and the cubic NaZn13-type phase (hereinafter 1:13 phase, size approximately 200 to 400 nm) during rapid solidification, and that the undercooled temperature change ∆T plays an important factor in this process. The simulated results about the nucleation rates of the α-(Fe,Si) and 1:13 phases in La-Fe-Si ribbons fabricated by a melt-spinner using a copper wheel with a surface speed of 35 m/s agree well with the XRD, SEM, and TEM studies of the phase structure and microstructure of the ribbons. Our study paves the way for designing novel La-Fe-Si materials for a wide range of technological applications.

Elastic semiconductors are becoming more and more important to the development of flexible wearable electronic devices, which can be prepared by structural engineering design, blending, and the intrinsic elastification of organic semiconductors (intrinsically elastic organic semiconductor, IEOS). Compared with the elastic semiconductors prepared by structural engineering and blending, the IEOS prepared by organic synthesis has attracted numerous attentions for its solution processability and highly tunable chemical structures. For IEOSs, reasonable designs of synthetic routes and methods are the basis for realizing good mechanical and electrical properties. This brief review begins with a concise introduction of elastic semiconductors, then follows with several synthetic methods of IEOSs, and concludes the characteristics of each method, which provides guidance for the synthesis of IEOSs in the future. Furthermore, the properties of IEOSs are involved from the aspects of electrical, mechanical properties, and the applications of the IEOSs in elastic electronic devices. Finally, the challenge and an outlook which IEOSs are facing are presented in conclusion.

The magnetocaloric effect (MEC) in Gd 1-x Dy x (x = 0. 13, 0.20, 0.27, 0.34, 0.40) alloys is investigated using commercial elements with purity of up to 99.80% for Gd and Dy. These alloys are prepared by arc melting in stoichiometric proportions on a water-cooled copper crucible under high pure argon atmosphere. As a result, when x was changed from 0 to 40at%, the adiabatic temperature change (∆T ) increases from 1.6 K to 3.1 K, the Curie temperature decreased from 288 K to 245.5 K. Gy 73 Dy 27 exhibits the largest ∆T max value of 3.1 K at the T C value of 260 K among the alloys investigated up to 1.2 T (tesla) applied field, it is almost same as the ∆T of high pure unitary Gd (99.99%) and is clearly superior to commercial unitary Gd (99.80%). The T C of Gy 73 Dy 27 alloy is minor to high pure unitary Gd (99.99%) and commercially unitary Gd (99.80%). But this alloy prepared by commercial elements with low cost has better MEC to be a promising candidate for magnetic working substances for room temperature magnetic refrigeration.