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A key factor affecting the energy storage performance of antiferroelectric materials is their electrical breakdown strength. Nanocomposition is one of the effective methods to improve the electrical breakdown strength of dielectric thin films. In this study, PbZrO3‒Al2O3 nanoparticle composite films were prepared by combining chemical solution deposition of PbZrO3 and vacuum evaporation deposition of Al, and the influence of size and distribution of Al2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) on electrical properties was investigated. The results show that the Al2O3 NPs are distributed in a layered form on the PZO matrix, and their distribution can be controlled by changing the thickness of PZO coatings. As the coating thickness decreases and the coating interface increases, the distribution of Al2O3 NPs becomes more uniform, resulting in a significant increase in maximum polarization and electrical breakdown strength, and a decrease in leakage current density, thereby enhancing the energy storage performance of the PbZrO3-Al2O3 composite films. The results indicate that the regulation of the microstructure of dielectric composite films is of great significance for improving their energy storage performance. Highlights: PbZrO3‒Al2O3 nanoparticle composite films were prepared by combining chemical solution deposition of PbZrO3 and vacuum evaporation deposition of Al. The distribution of Al2O3 NPs can be controlled by changing the thickness of the PbZrO3 coating. The energy storage performance of the PbZrO3-Al2O3 composite films can be effectively improved by adjusting the distribution of Al2O3 NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Al-CaB6 alloys were prepared by in situ melt reaction. The CaB6 particles through in situ growth are cubic with a regular shape, evenly distributed in the Al matrix. By edge-to-edge matching model’s calculation, mismatch between CaB6 particles and α-Al was ~2.34%, which is less than 6%, so CaB6 can serve as the core of α-Al nucleation. When the amount of CaB6 addition reaches 6 wt.%, hardness of the Al-CaB6 alloy reached 34.4 HV. Besides, CaB6-particle reinforced hypereutectic Al-Si composites were prepared, and the positive influence of CaB6 particles on microstructure and properties of hypereutectic Al-Si composites was studied. The CaB6 particles show significant effect on the modification of primary silicon. Owing to the addition of CaB6 particles, the hardness of hypereutectic Al-Si alloys increased and the hardness of Al-18Si-CaB6 reached 95.1 HV. The electrochemical test of the manufactured composites revealed that the corrosion resistance of Al-18Si-CaB6 composites improved as the amount of CaB6 particle content increased. This work serves as a reference for the investigation of Al and Al-Si composites reinforced with ceramic particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]