WorldWideScience

Sample records for high-quality polycrystalline specimens

  1. Zeeman perturbed nuclear quadrupole spin echo envelope modulations for spin 3/2 nuclei in polycrystalline specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramachandran, R.; Narasimhan, P. T.

    The results of theoretical and experimental studies of Zeeman-perturbed nuclear quadrupole spin echo envelope modulations (ZSEEM) for spin 3/2 nuclei in polycrystalline specimens are presented. The response of the Zeeman-perturbed spin ensemble to resonant two pulse excitations has been calculated using the density matrix formalism. The theoretical calculation assumes a parallel orientation of the external r.f. and static Zeeman fields and an arbitrary orientation of these fields to the principal axes system of the electric field gradient. A numerical powder averaging procedure has been adopted to simulate the response of the polycrystalline specimens. Using a coherent pulsed nuclear quadrupole resonance spectrometer the ZSEEM patterns of the 35Cl nuclei have been recorded in polycrystalline specimens of potassium chlorate, barium chlorate, mercuric chloride (two sites) and antimony trichloride (two sites) using the π/2-τ-π/2 sequence. The theoretical and experimental ZSEEM patterns have been compared. In the case of mercuric chloride, the experimental 35Cl ZSEEM patterns are found to be nearly identical for the two sites and correspond to a near-zero value of the asymmetry parameter, η, of the electric field gradient tensor. The difference in the η values for the two 35Cl sites (η ˜0·06 and η˜0·16) in antimony trichloride is clearly reflected in the experimental and theoretical ZSEEM patterns. The present study indicates the feasibility of evaluating η for spin 3/2 nuclei in polycrystalline specimens from ZSEEM investigations.

  2. Monokinetic electron backsttering from amorphous or polycrystalline specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, H.E.D.H.

    1983-06-01

    We have considered the interaction of electrons with thin amorphous specimens: one part of these electrons is transmitted through the substance, the other being backscattered. This last phenomena, which is not perfectly understood, has been studied in the energy range from 0.3 to 3 MeV. First this work deals with the realization of a fully automatic apparatus which has been adapted to the column of the 3 MeV electron microscope of the HVFM laboratory in Toulouse. The variation of the transmission and backscattering coefficients, for amorphous and polycrystalline specimens, is determined. From this coefficient the electron range in this substance can be deduced. In addition the experimental results can be used to understand the image contrast in scanning electron microscopy. A short presentation of the cross-section, introduces the theoretical study of Monte-Carlo calculation. The Monte-Carlo calculation is used to take into account all elementary processus, which take place during electron scattering [fr

  3. Low-temperature internal friction in high-purity monocrystalline and impure polycrystalline niobium after plastic deformation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wasserbaech, W.; Thompson, E.

    2001-01-01

    The internal friction Q -1 of plastically deformed, high-purity monocrystalline and impure polycrystalline niobium specimens was measured in the temperature range between 65 mK and about 2 K. Plastic deformation has a pronounced effect on the internal friction Q -1 of the high-purity monocrystalline specimens, and the effect has been found to be almost temperature independent. By contrast, surprisingly, the internal friction Q -1 of the impure polycrystalline specimens was found to be almost independent of the extent of plastic deformation. Comparison of the experimental results with different models of a dynamic scattering of acoustic phonons by dislocations leads to the conclusion that the results cannot be explained with the two-level tunneling model. Instead it is suggested that a strong interaction between acoustic phonons and geometrical kinks in non-screw dislocations is responsible for the observed internal friction Q -1 . (orig.)

  4. Grain tracing and strain determination in a Be compact tension specimen using synchrotron radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varma, R.; Green, R.; Garcia, M.D.; Satyam, P.V.; Yun, W.B.; Maser, J.; Kai, Z.; Lai, B.; Sinha, S.K.

    1999-01-01

    X-ray synchrotron radiation of high (11 KeV) energy and high flux (10 10 photons per square centimeter per second) has been used to measure strains and polycrystallinity in 6-mm thick polycrystalline beryllium compact tension (CT) specimens at and around the crack tip (for fatigue-precracked sample) or at chevron notch point under load or no-load conditions. The authors demonstrated the feasibility strain field mapping as well as determining the polycrystallinity at or near the points of maximum load in beryllium CT specimens. The experimental techniques and results will be discussed

  5. High temperature deformation of polycrystalline NiO and CoO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krishnamachari, V.; Notis, M.R.

    1977-01-01

    High temperature creep of polycrystalline NiO appears to be controlled by oxygen lattice diffusion at temperatures between 1273 and 1373 K and at stress levels from 34.5 to 79.8 MPa (5 to 11 ksi). Experimentally observed creep rates agree well with predictions obtained from deformation maps based on self-diffusion data. TEM examination indicates that dislocations present in crept NiO specimens are predominantly glide-type rather than climb-type dislocations as found in CoO. The difference in creep behavior of these materials is believed to be due to the difference in stacking fault energies and the nature of charge associated with lattice defects. 2 tables. 7 figs., 34 references

  6. Preparation of high-quality ultrathin transmission electron microscopy specimens of a nanocrystalline metallic powder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riedl, Thomas; Gemming, Thomas; Mickel, Christine; Eymann, Konrad; Kirchner, Alexander; Kieback, Bernd

    2012-06-01

    This article explores the achievable transmission electron microscopy specimen thickness and quality by using three different preparation methods in the case of a high-strength nanocrystalline Cu-Nb powder alloy. Low specimen thickness is essential for spatially resolved analyses of the grains in nanocrystalline materials. We have found that single-sided as well as double-sided low-angle Ar ion milling of the Cu-Nb powders embedded into epoxy resin produced wedge-shaped particles of very low thickness (coating on the sections consisting of epoxy deployed as the embedding material and considerable nanoscale thickness variations. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Growth of high-quality CuInSe sub 2 polycrystalline films by magnetron sputtering and vacuum selenization

    CERN Document Server

    Xie Da Tao; Wang Li; Zhu Feng; Quan Sheng Wen; Meng Tie Jun; Zhang Bao Cheng; Chen J

    2002-01-01

    High-quality CuInSe sub 2 thin films have been prepared using a two stages process. Cu and In were co-deposited onto glass substrates by magnetron sputtering method to produce a predominant Cu sub 1 sub 1 In sub 9 phase. The alloy films were selenised and annealed in vacuum at different temperature in the range of 200-500 degree C using elemental selenium in a closed graphite box. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the films. It is found that the polycrystalline and single-phase CuInSe sub 2 films were uniform and densely packed with a grain size of about 3.0 mu m

  8. High vacuum tribology of polycrystalline diamond coatings

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Polycrystalline diamond coatings; hot filament CVD; high vacuum tribology. 1. Introduction .... is a characteristic of graphite. We mark the (diamond ... coefficient of friction due to changes in substrate temperature. The average coefficient of.

  9. High-pressure-assisted synthesis of high-volume ZnGeP2 polycrystalline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Changbao; Wu, Haixin; Xiao, Ruichun; Chen, Shijing; Ma, Jiaren

    2018-06-01

    The pnictide and chalcogenide semiconductors are promising materials for the applications in the field of photoelectric. High-purity and high-volume polycrystalline required in the real-world applications is hard to be synthesized due to the high vapor pressure of phosphorus and sulfur components at high temperature. A new high-pressure-resisted method was used to investigate the synthesis of the nonlinear-optical semiconductor ZnGeP2. The high-purity ZnGeP2 polycrystalline material of approximately 500 g was synthesized in one run, which enables the preparation of nominally stoichiometric material. Since increasing internal pressure resistance of quartz crucible and reducing the reaction space, the high-pressure-resisted method can be used to rapidly synthesize other pnictide and chalcogenide semiconductors and control the components ratio.

  10. A model of electric breakdown in polycrystalline semiconductors with highly nonlinear I - V characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yildirim, E.H.; Tanatar, B.; Canessa, E.

    1993-07-01

    A deterministic algorithm to study the nonlinear current-voltage characteristics of polycrystalline semiconductors, such as ZnO-based metal oxide varistors, under dc bias and at room temperature is developed based on the electrical properties of individual grain boundaries. Assuming a thermionic emission type mechanism between individual grains and a nonuniform distribution of barrier heights at grain boundaries, the set of nonlinear Kirchhoff equations that determines the macroscopic current across the specimen and the nonlinearity coefficient α is solved numerically. The applied voltage dependence of the barrier height is found to be crucial to obtain α values reaching ∼50, indicating high nonlinearity as required by potential commercial applications. (author). 20 refs, 3 figs

  11. High-quality graphene grown on polycrystalline PtRh{sub 20} alloy foils by low pressure chemical vapor deposition and its electrical transport properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, He; Shen, Chengmin, E-mail: cmshen@iphy.ac.cn; Tian, Yuan; Bao, Lihong; Chen, Peng; Yang, Rong; Yang, Tianzhong; Li, Junjie; Gu, Changzhi; Gao, Hong-Jun [Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China)

    2016-02-08

    High-quality continuous uniform monolayer graphene was grown on polycrystalline PtRh{sub 20} alloy foils by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. The morphology of graphene was investigated by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Analysis results confirm that high quality single-layer graphene was fabricated on PtRh{sub 20} foil at 1050 °C using a lower flux of methane under low pressure. Graphene films were transferred onto the SiO{sub 2}/Si substrate by the bubbling transfer method. The mobility of a test field effect transistor made of the graphene grown on PtRh{sub 20} was measured and reckoned at room temperature, showing that the carrier mobility was about 4000 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}. The results indicate that desired quality of single-layer graphene grown on PtRh{sub 20} foils can be obtained by tuning reaction conditions.

  12. Overcoming challenges to the formation of high-quality polycrystalline TiO{sub 2}:Ta transparent conducting films by magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neubert, M.; Cornelius, S.; Fiedler, J. [Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden (Germany); Gebel, T.; Liepack, H. [DTF Technology GmbH, 01108 Dresden (Germany); Kolitsch, A. [Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, P.O. Box 510119, 01314 Dresden (Germany); HZDR Innovation GmbH, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Vinnichenko, M. [Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme, 01277 Dresden (Germany)

    2013-08-28

    The work is focused on understanding the physical processes responsible for the modification of the structure, electrical and optical properties of polycrystalline TiO{sub 2}:Ta films formed by annealing of initially amorphous films grown by direct current magnetron sputtering of electrically conductive ceramic targets. It is shown that fine tuning of the oxygen content during deposition of amorphous TiO{sub 2}:Ta films is critical to achieving low resistivity and high optical transmittance after annealing. Increasing the total pressure during magnetron sputter deposition is shown to decrease the sensitivity of the annealed films to the oxygen flow variation during deposition of the initially amorphous layers. Polycrystalline anatase TiO{sub 2}:Ta films of low electrical resistivity (ρ{sub H} = 1.5 × 10{sup −3}Ω cm), high free electron mobility (μ{sub H} = 8 cm{sup 2}/Vs), and low extinction (k{sub 550nm} = 0.006) are obtained in this way at a total pressure of 2 Pa. The dependence of the polycrystalline film electrical properties on the oxygen content is discussed in terms of Ta dopant electrical activation/deactivation taking into account the formation of compensating defects at different oxygen pressures. The temperature-dependent transport of the polycrystalline anatase TiO{sub 2}:Ta films is investigated showing the dominant role of the optical phonon scattering in the case of films with an optimum Ti/O ratio.

  13. Observations of Fabric Development in Polycrystalline Ice at Basal Pressures: Methods and Initial Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breton, D. J.; Baker, I.; Cole, D. M.

    2012-12-01

    Understanding and predicting the flow of polycrystalline ice is crucial to ice sheet modeling and paleoclimate reconstruction from ice cores. Ice flow rates depend strongly on the fabric (i.e. the distribution of grain sizes and crystallographic orientations) which evolves over time and enhances the flow rate in the direction of applied stress. The mechanisms for fabric evolution in ice have been extensively studied at atmospheric pressures, but little work has been done to observe these processes at the high pressures experienced deep within ice sheets where long-term changes in ice rheology are expected to have significance. We conducted compressive creep tests on a 917 kg m-3 polycrystalline ice specimen at 20 MPa hydrostatic pressure, thus simulating ~2,000 m depth. Initial specimen grain orientations were random, typical grain diameters were 1.2 mm, and the applied creep stress was 0.3 MPa. Subsequent microstructural analyses on the deformed specimen and a similarly prepared, undeformed specimen allowed characterization of crystal fabric evolution under pressure. Our microstructural analysis technique simultaneously collected grain shape and size data from Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) micrographs and obtained crystallographic orientation data via Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD). Combining these measurements allows rapid analysis of the ice fabric over large numbers of grains, yielding statistically useful numbers of grain size and full c- and a-axis grain orientation data. The combined creep and microstructural data demonstrate pressure-dependent effects on the mechanical and microstructural evolution of polycrystalline ice. We discuss possible mechanisms for the observed phenomena, and future directions for hydrostatic creep testing.

  14. Fabrication of high-quality single-crystal Cu thin films using radio-frequency sputtering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seunghun; Kim, Ji Young; Lee, Tae-Woo; Kim, Won-Kyung; Kim, Bum-Su; Park, Ji Hun; Bae, Jong-Seong; Cho, Yong Chan; Kim, Jungdae; Oh, Min-Wook; Hwang, Cheol Seong; Jeong, Se-Young

    2014-08-29

    Copper (Cu) thin films have been widely used as electrodes and interconnection wires in integrated electronic circuits, and more recently as substrates for the synthesis of graphene. However, the ultra-high vacuum processes required for high-quality Cu film fabrication, such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), restricts mass production with low cost. In this work, we demonstrated high-quality Cu thin films using a single-crystal Cu target and radio-frequency (RF) sputtering technique; the resulting film quality was comparable to that produced using MBE, even under unfavorable conditions for pure Cu film growth. The Cu thin film was epitaxially grown on an Al2O3 (sapphire) (0001) substrate, and had high crystalline orientation along the (111) direction. Despite the 10(-3) Pa vacuum conditions, the resulting thin film was oxygen free due to the high chemical stability of the sputtered specimen from a single-crystal target; moreover, the deposited film had >5× higher adhesion force than that produced using a polycrystalline target. This fabrication method enabled Cu films to be obtained using a simple, manufacturing-friendly process on a large-area substrate, making our findings relevant for industrial applications.

  15. Diffraction by disordered polycrystalline fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stroud, W.J.; Millane, R.P.

    1995-01-01

    X-ray diffraction patterns from some polycrystalline fibers show that the constituent microcrystallites are disordered. The relationship between the crystal structure and the diffracted intensities is then quite complicated and depends on the precise kind and degree of disorder present. The effects of disorder on diffracted intensities must be included in structure determinations using diffraction data from such specimens. Theory and algorithms are developed here that allow the full diffraction pattern to be calculated for a disordered polycrystalline fiber made up of helical molecules. The model accommodates various kinds of disorder and includes the effects of finite crystallite size and cylindrical averaging of the diffracted intensities from a fiber. Simulations using these methods show how different kinds, or components, of disorder produce particular diffraction effects. General properties of disordered arrays of helical molecules and their effects on diffraction patterns are described. Implications for structure determination are discussed. (orig.)

  16. Polycrystalline diamond detectors with three-dimensional electrodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lagomarsino, S., E-mail: lagomarsino@fi.infn.it [University of Florence, Department of Physics, Via Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); INFN Firenze, Via B. Rossi 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Bellini, M. [INO-CNR Firenze, Largo E. Fermi 6, 50125 Firenze (Italy); Brianzi, M. [INFN Firenze, Via B. Rossi 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Carzino, R. [Smart Materials-Nanophysics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova (Italy); Cindro, V. [Joseph Stefan Institute, Jamova Cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Corsi, C. [University of Florence, Department of Physics, Via Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); LENS Firenze, Via N. Carrara 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Morozzi, A.; Passeri, D. [INFN Perugia, Perugia (Italy); Università degli Studi di Perugia, Dipartimento di Ingegneria, via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia (Italy); Sciortino, S. [University of Florence, Department of Physics, Via Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); INFN Firenze, Via B. Rossi 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Italy); Servoli, L. [INFN Perugia, Perugia (Italy)

    2015-10-01

    The three-dimensional concept in diamond detectors has been applied, so far, to high quality single-crystal material, in order to test this technology in the best available conditions. However, its application to polycrystalline chemical vapor deposited diamond could be desirable for two reasons: first, the short inter-electrode distance of three-dimensional detectors should improve the intrinsically lower collection efficiency of polycrystalline diamond, and second, at high levels of radiation damage the performances of the poly-crystal material are not expected to be much lower than those of the single crystal one. We report on the fabrication and test of three-dimensional polycrystalline diamond detectors with several inter-electrode distances, and we demonstrate that their collection efficiency is equal or higher than that obtained with conventional planar detectors fabricated with the same material. - Highlights: • Pulsed laser fabrication of polycristalline diamond detectors with 3D electrodes. • Measurement of the charge collection efficiency (CCE) under beta irradiation. • Comparation between the CCE of 3D and conventional planar diamond sensors. • A rationale for the behavior of three-dimensional and planar sensors is given.

  17. Studies on the polycrystalline silicon/SiO2 stack as front surface field for IBC solar cells by two-dimensional simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Shuai; Jia Rui; Tao Ke; Hou Caixia; Sun Hengchao; Li Yongtao; Yu Zhiyong

    2017-01-01

    Interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells can achieve a very high efficiency due to its less optical losses. But IBC solar cells demand for high quality passivation of the front surface. In this paper, a polycrystalline silicon/SiO 2 stack structure as front surface field to passivate the front surface of IBC solar cells is proposed. The passivation quality of this structure is investigated by two dimensional simulations. Polycrystalline silicon layer and SiO 2 layer are optimized to get the best passivation quality of the IBC solar cell. Simulation results indicate that the doping level of polycrystalline silicon should be high enough to allow a very thin polycrystalline silicon layer to ensure an effective passivation and small optical losses at the same time. The thickness of SiO 2 should be neither too thin nor too thick, and the optimal thickness is 1.2 nm. Furthermore, the lateral transport properties of electrons are investigated, and the simulation results indicate that a high doping level and conductivity of polycrystalline silicon can improve the lateral transportation of electrons and then the cell performance. (paper)

  18. Formation of polycrystalline MgB2 synthesized by powder in sealed tube method with different initial boron phase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yudanto, Sigit Dwi; Imaduddin, Agung; Kurniawan, Budhy; Manaf, Azwar

    2018-04-01

    Magnesium diboride, MgB2 is a new high critical temperature superconductor that discovered in the beginning of the 21st century. The MgB2 has a simple crystal structure and a high critical temperature, which can be manufactured in several forms like thin films, tapes, wires including bulk in the large scale. For that reason, the MgB2 has good prospects for various applications in the field of electronic devices. In the current work, we have explored the synthesis of MgB2 polycrystalline using powder in a sealed tube method. Different initial boron phase for the synthesized of MgB2 polycrystalline were used. These were, in addition to magnesium powders, crystalline boron, amorphous boron and combination both of them were respectively fitted in the synthesis. The raw materials were mixed in a stoichiometric ratio of Mg: B=1:2, ground using agate mortar, packed into stainless steel SS304. The pack was then sintered at temperature of 800°C for 2 hours in air atmosphere. Phase formation of MgB2 polycrystalline in difference of initial boron phase was characterized using XRD and SEM. Referring to the diffraction pattern and microstructure observation, MgB2 polycrystalline was formed, and the formation was effective when using the crystalline Mg and fully amorphous B as the raw materials. The critical temperature of the specimen was evaluated by the cryogenic magnet. The transition temperature of the MgB2 specimen synthesized using crystalline magnesium and full amorphous boron is 42.678 K (ΔTc = 0.877 K).

  19. Improved contact metallization for high efficiency EFG polycrystalline silicon solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dube, C.E.; Gonsiorawski, R.C.

    1990-01-01

    Improvements in the performance of polycrystalline silicon solar cells based on a novel, laser patterned contact process are described. Small lots of cells having an average conversion efficiency of 14 + %, with several cells approaching 15%, are reported for cells of 45 cm 2 area. The high efficiency contact design is based on YAG laser patterning of the silicon nitride anti-reflection coating. The Cu metallization is done using light-induced plating, with the cell providing the driving voltage for the plating process. The Cu electrodeposits into the laser defined windows in the AR coating for reduced contact area, following which the Cu bridges on top of the Ar coating to form a continuous finger pattern. The higher cell conversion efficiency is attributed to reduced shadow loss, higher junction quality, and reduced metal-semiconductor interfacial area

  20. CdTe polycrystalline films on Ni foil substrates by screen printing and their photoelectric performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao, Huizhen; Ma, Jinwen; Mu, Yannan; Su, Shi; Lv, Pin; Zhang, Xiaoling; Zhou, Liying; Li, Xue; Liu, Li; Fu, Wuyou; Yang, Haibin

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The sintered CdTe polycrystalline films by a simple screen printing. • The flexible Ni foil was chose as substrates to reduce the weight of the electrode. • The compact CdTe film was obtained at 550 °C sintering temperature. • The photoelectric activity of the CdTe polycrystalline films was excellent. - Abstract: CdTe polycrystalline films were prepared on flexible Ni foil substrates by sequential screen printing and sintering in a nitrogen atmosphere for the first time. The effect of temperature on the quality of the screen-printed film was investigated in our work. The high-quality CdTe films were obtained after sintering at 550 °C for 2 h. The properties of the sintered CdTe films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction pattern and UV–visible spectroscopy. The high-quality CdTe films have the photocurrent was 2.04 mA/cm 2 , which is higher than that of samples prepared at other temperatures. Furthermore, CdCl 2 treatment reduced the band gap of the CdTe film due to the larger grain size. The photocurrent of photoelectrode based on high crystalline CdTe polycrystalline films after CdCl 2 treatment improved to 2.97 mA/cm 2 , indicating a potential application in photovoltaic devices

  1. Impurity composition effect on work function in cylindrical specimens of niobium and low zirconium niobium base alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kobyakov, V.P.

    2000-01-01

    A study is made into poly- and single crystal cylindrical niobium specimens, prepared by various methods as well as into polycrystalline specimens of niobium base alloys doped with 1.2 and 1.6 % Zr. Thermionic work function is measured using a full current method. Several techniques are applied to determine the content of substitutional and interstitial impurities in specimens. The phase composition of polished section surface is also investigated. A work function increase is observed when a considerable amount of carbide phases occurs at the surface. This increase is comparable with the effect of going from a polycrystalline niobium specimen to a single crystal with (110) surface orientation [ru

  2. Comparisons of Fabric Strength and Development in Polycrystalline Ice at Atmospheric and Basal Hydrostatic Pressures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breton, Daniel; Baker, Ian; Cole, David

    2013-04-01

    Understanding and predicting the flow of polycrystalline ice is crucial to ice sheet modeling and paleoclimate reconstruction from ice cores. Ice flow rates depend strongly on the fabric (i.e. the distribution of grain sizes and crystallographic orientations) which evolves over time and enhances the flow rate in the direction of applied stress. The mechanisms for fabric evolution in ice have been extensively studied at atmospheric pressures, but little work has been done to observe these processes at the high pressures experienced deep within ice sheets where long-term changes in ice rheology are expected to have significance. We conducted compressive creep tests to ~10% strain on 917 kg m-3, initially randomly-oriented polycrystalline ice specimens at 0.1 (atmospheric) and 20 MPa (simulating ~2,000 m depth) hydrostatic pressures, performing microstructural analyses on the resulting deformed specimens to characterize the evolution and strength of crystal fabric. Our microstructural analysis technique simultaneously collects grain shape and size data from Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) micrographs and obtains crystallographic orientation data via Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD). Combining these measurements allows rapid analysis of the ice fabric over large numbers of grains, yielding statistically useful numbers of grain size and orientation data. We present creep and microstructural data to demonstrate pressure-dependent effects on the mechanical and microstructural evolution of polycrystalline ice and discuss possible mechanisms for the observed differences.

  3. Mechanical properties of porous PNZT polycrystalline ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Biswas, D.R.; Fulrath, R.M.

    1977-08-01

    Niobium-doped lead zirconate-titanate (PNZT) was used to investigate the effect of porosity on the mechanical properties of a polycrystalline ceramic. Spherical pores (110 to 150 μm diameter) were introduced by using organic materials in the initial specimen fabrication. The matrix grain size (2 to 5 μm) was kept constant. Small pores (2 to 3 μm diameter) of the order of the grain size were formed by varying the sintering conditions. The effect of porosity on strength was predicted quite well by Weibull's probabilistic approach. The Young's modulus showed a linear relationship with increase in porosity. A decrease in fracture toughness with increase in porosity was also observed. It was found that at equivalent porosities, small pore specimens gave higher strength, Young's modulus and fracture toughness compared to specimens containing large pores. Fracture surface analysis, by scanning electron microscopy, showed fracture originated either at the tensile surface or at the edge of the specimen

  4. Calculation of Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from highly stressed polycrystalline materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    MacDonald, M. J., E-mail: macdonm@umich.edu [Applied Physics Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States); Vorberger, J. [Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Gamboa, E. J.; Glenzer, S. H.; Fletcher, L. B. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States); Drake, R. P. [Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, Applied Physics, and Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)

    2016-06-07

    Calculations of Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from polycrystalline materials have typically been done in the limit of small deviatoric stresses. Although these methods are well suited for experiments conducted near hydrostatic conditions, more robust models are required to diagnose the large strain anisotropies present in dynamic compression experiments. A method to predict Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns for arbitrary strains has been presented in the Voigt (iso-strain) limit [Higginbotham, J. Appl. Phys. 115, 174906 (2014)]. Here, we present a method to calculate Debye-Scherrer diffraction patterns from highly stressed polycrystalline samples in the Reuss (iso-stress) limit. This analysis uses elastic constants to calculate lattice strains for all initial crystallite orientations, enabling elastic anisotropy and sample texture effects to be modeled directly. The effects of probing geometry, deviatoric stresses, and sample texture are demonstrated and compared to Voigt limit predictions. An example of shock-compressed polycrystalline diamond is presented to illustrate how this model can be applied and demonstrates the importance of including material strength when interpreting diffraction in dynamic compression experiments.

  5. Thermomechanical characterization of pure polycrystalline tantalum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rittel, D.; Bhattacharyya, A.; Poon, B.; Zhao, J.; Ravichandran, G.

    2007-01-01

    The thermomechanical behavior of pure polycrystalline tantalum has been characterized over a wide range of strain rates, using the recently developed shear compression specimen [D. Rittel, S. Lee, G. Ravichandran, Experimental Mechanics 42 (2002) 58-64]. Dynamic experiments were carried out using a split Hopkinson pressure bar, and the specimen's temperature was monitored throughout the tests using an infrared radiometer. The results of the mechanical tests confirm previous results on pure Ta. Specifically, in addition to its significant strain rate sensitivity, it was observed that pure Ta exhibits very little strain hardening at high strain rates. The measured temperature rise in the specimen's gauge was compared to theoretical predictions which assume a total conversion of the mechanical energy into heat (β = 1) [G.I. Taylor, H. Quinney, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, vol. A, 1934, pp. 307-326], and an excellent agreement was obtained. This result confirms the previous result of Kapoor and Nemat-Nasser [R. Kapoor, S. Nemat-Nasser, Mech. Mater. 27 (1998) 1-12], while a different experimental approach was adopted here. The assumption that β = 1 is found to be justified in this specific case by the lack of dynamic strain hardening of pure Ta. However, this assumption should be limited to non-hardening materials, to reflect the fact that strain hardening implies that part of the mechanical energy is stored into the material's microstructure

  6. Development of surface relief on polycrystalline metals due to sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Voitsenya, V.S. [IPP NSC KIPT, 61108 Kharkov (Ukraine); Balden, M. [Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, Garching (Germany); Bardamid, A.F. [Taras Shevchenko National University, 01033 Kiev (Ukraine); Bondarenko, V.N. [IPP NSC KIPT, 61108 Kharkov (Ukraine); Davis, J.W., E-mail: jwdavis@starfire.utias.utoronto.ca [University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, 4925 Dufferin St., Toronto, ON, Canada M3H5T6 (Canada); Konovalov, V.G.; Ryzhkov, I.V.; Skoryk, O.O.; Solodovchenko, S.I. [IPP NSC KIPT, 61108 Kharkov (Ukraine); Zhang-jian, Zhou [University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100 083 (China)

    2013-05-01

    The characteristics of surface microrelief that appear in sputtering experiments with polycrystalline metals of various grain sizes have been studied. Specimens with grain sizes varying from 30–70 nm in the case of crystallized amorphous alloys, to 1–3 μm for technical tungsten grade and 10–100 μm for recrystallized tungsten were investigated. A model is proposed for the development of roughness on polycrystalline metals which is based on the dependence of sputtering rate on crystal orientation. The results of the modeling are in good agreement with experiments showing that the length scale of roughness is much larger than the grain size.

  7. Experimental study of stress-induced localized transformation plastic zones in tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Q.; Zhao, Z.; Chen, W.; Qing, X.; Xu, X.; Dai, F.

    1994-01-01

    Stress-induced martensitic transformation plastic zones in ceria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline ceramics (Ce-TZP), under loading conditions of uniaxial tension, compression, and three-point bending, are studied by experiments. The transformed monoclinic phase volume fraction distribution and the corresponding plastic strain distribution and the surface morphology (surface uplift) are measured by means of moire interferometry, Raman microprobe spectroscopy, and the surface measurement system. The experimental results from the above three kinds of specimens and methods consistently show that the stress-induced transformation at room temperature of the above specimen is not uniform within the transformation zone and that the plastic deformation is concentrated in some narrow band; i.e., macroscopic plastic flow localization proceeds during the initial stage of plastic deformation. Flow localization phenomena are all observed in uniaxial tension, compression, and three-point bending specimens. Some implications of the flow localization to the constitutive modeling and toughening of transforming thermoelastic polycrystalline ceramics are explored

  8. Bone biopsy needles. Mechanical properties, needle design and specimen quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keulers, Annika; Penzkofer, T.; Cunha-Cruz, V.C.; Bruners, P.; Helmholtz Inst. fuer biomedizinische Technik, Aachen; Braunschweig, T.; Schmitz-Rode, T.; Mahnken, A.; Helmholtz Inst. fuer biomedizinische Technik, Aachen

    2011-01-01

    To quantitatively analyze differences in mechanical properties, needle design including signs of wear, subjective handling and specimen quality of bone biopsy needles. Materials and Methods: In this study 19 different bone biopsy systems (total 38; 2 /type) were examined. With each biopsy needle five consecutive samples were obtained from vertebral bodies of swine. During puncture a force-torques sensor measured the mechanical properties and subjective handling was assessed. Before and after each biopsy the needles were investigated using a profile projector and signs of wear were recorded. Afterwards, a pathologist semi-quantitatively examined the specimen regarding sample quality. The overall evaluation considered mechanical properties, needle wear, subjective handling and sample quality. Differences were assessed for statistical significance using ANOVA and t-test. Results: Needle diameter (p = 0.003) as well as needle design (p = 0.008) affect the mechanical properties significantly. Franseen design is significantly superior to other needle designs. Besides, length reduction recorded by the profile projector, as a quality criterion showed notable distinctions in between the needle designs. Conclusion: Bone biopsy needles vary significantly in performance. Needle design has an important influence on mechanical properties, handling and specimen quality. Detailed knowledge of those parameters would improve selecting the appropriate bone biopsy needle. (orig.)

  9. Approximate bilateral symmetry in evaporation-induced polycrystalline structures from droplets of wheat grain leakages and fluctuating asymmetry as quality indicator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kokornaczyk, Maria Olga; Dinelli, Giovanni; Betti, Lucietta

    2013-01-01

    The present paper reports on an observation that dendrite-like polycrystalline structures from evaporating droplets of wheat grain leakages exhibit bilateral symmetry. The exactness of this symmetry, measured by means of fluctuating asymmetry, varies depending on the cultivar and stress factor influence, and seems to correspond to the seed germination rate. In the bodies of plants, animals, and humans, the exactness of bilateral symmetry is known to reflect the environmental conditions of an organism's growth, its health, and its success in sexual selection. In polycrystalline structures, formed under the same conditions, the symmetry exactness depends on the properties of the crystallizing solution such as the composition and viscosity; however, it has never been associated with sample quality. We hypothesize here that, as in living nature, the exactness of approximate bilateral symmetry might be considered a quality indicator also in crystallographic methods applied to food quality analysis.

  10. Fabrication of Polycrystalline Lanthanum Manganite (La0.99 Mn0.01 O3) Powder and Fibres by Electrospinning Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Yin Win; That Htar Lwin; Than Than Win; Yin Maung Maung; Ko Ko Kyaw Soe

    2011-12-01

    Lanthanum manganite (La0.99 Mn0.01 O3) powder have been prepared by using pyrolysis methods. Lanthanum manganite fibres were successfully fabricated by electro-spinning utilizing precursors. Polycrystalline perovskite structure lanthanum manganite powder and fibres showed that the grain size and crystal grain increased significantly with the increase in calcination temperature. A variety of techniques (SEM, FT-IR and TG-DTA) were employed to study the morphology and fibre quality, crystal structure, and thermal analysis of La0.99 Mn0.01 O3 specimen respectively.

  11. Time-resolved x-ray diffraction techniques for bulk polycrystalline materials under dynamic loading

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lambert, P. K.; Hustedt, C. J.; Zhao, M.; Ananiadis, A. G.; Hufnagel, T. C. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 (United States); Vecchio, K. S. [Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States); Huskins, E. L. [Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 (United States); US Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland 21005 (United States); Casem, D. T. [US Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland 21005 (United States); Gruner, S. M. [Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Tate, M. W.; Philipp, H. T.; Purohit, P.; Weiss, J. T. [Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Woll, A. R. [Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Kannan, V.; Ramesh, K. T. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218 (United States); Kenesei, P.; Okasinski, J. S.; Almer, J. [X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States)

    2014-09-15

    We have developed two techniques for time-resolved x-ray diffraction from bulk polycrystalline materials during dynamic loading. In the first technique, we synchronize a fast detector with loading of samples at strain rates of ∼10{sup 3}–10{sup 4} s{sup −1} in a compression Kolsky bar (split Hopkinson pressure bar) apparatus to obtain in situ diffraction patterns with exposures as short as 70 ns. This approach employs moderate x-ray energies (10–20 keV) and is well suited to weakly absorbing materials such as magnesium alloys. The second technique is useful for more strongly absorbing materials, and uses high-energy x-rays (86 keV) and a fast shutter synchronized with the Kolsky bar to produce short (∼40 μs) pulses timed with the arrival of the strain pulse at the specimen, recording the diffraction pattern on a large-format amorphous silicon detector. For both techniques we present sample data demonstrating the ability of these techniques to characterize elastic strains and polycrystalline texture as a function of time during high-rate deformation.

  12. Polycrystalline indium phosphide on silicon by indium assisted growth in hydride vapor phase epitaxy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Metaferia, Wondwosen; Sun, Yan-Ting, E-mail: yasun@kth.se; Lourdudoss, Sebastian [Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials, Department of Materials and Nano Physics, KTH—Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, 164 40 Kista (Sweden); Pietralunga, Silvia M. [CNR-Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies, P. Leonardo da Vinci, 32 20133 Milano (Italy); Zani, Maurizio; Tagliaferri, Alberto [Department of Physics Politecnico di Milano, P. Leonardo da Vinci, 32 20133 Milano (Italy)

    2014-07-21

    Polycrystalline InP was grown on Si(001) and Si(111) substrates by using indium (In) metal as a starting material in hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) reactor. In metal was deposited on silicon substrates by thermal evaporation technique. The deposited In resulted in islands of different size and was found to be polycrystalline in nature. Different growth experiments of growing InP were performed, and the growth mechanism was investigated. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy for morphological investigation, Scanning Auger microscopy for surface and compositional analyses, powder X-ray diffraction for crystallinity, and micro photoluminescence for optical quality assessment were conducted. It is shown that the growth starts first by phosphidisation of the In islands to InP followed by subsequent selective deposition of InP in HVPE regardless of the Si substrate orientation. Polycrystalline InP of large grain size is achieved and the growth rate as high as 21 μm/h is obtained on both substrates. Sulfur doping of the polycrystalline InP was investigated by growing alternating layers of sulfur doped and unintentionally doped InP for equal interval of time. These layers could be delineated by stain etching showing that enough amount of sulfur can be incorporated. Grains of large lateral dimension up to 3 μm polycrystalline InP on Si with good morphological and optical quality is obtained. The process is generic and it can also be applied for the growth of other polycrystalline III–V semiconductor layers on low cost and flexible substrates for solar cell applications.

  13. Numerical simulation of large deformation polycrystalline plasticity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inal, K.; Neale, K.W.; Wu, P.D.; MacEwen, S.R.

    2000-01-01

    A finite element model based on crystal plasticity has been developed to simulate the stress-strain response of sheet metal specimens in uniaxial tension. Each material point in the sheet is considered to be a polycrystalline aggregate of FCC grains. The Taylor theory of crystal plasticity is assumed. The numerical analysis incorporates parallel computing features enabling simulations of realistic models with large number of grains. Simulations have been carried out for the AA3004-H19 aluminium alloy and the results are compared with experimental data. (author)

  14. Clinical evaluation of a mobile digital specimen radiography system for intraoperative specimen verification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yingbing; Ebuoma, Lilian; Saksena, Mansi; Liu, Bob; Specht, Michelle; Rafferty, Elizabeth

    2014-08-01

    Use of mobile digital specimen radiography systems expedites intraoperative verification of excised breast specimens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a such a system for verifying targets. A retrospective review included 100 consecutive pairs of breast specimen radiographs. Specimens were imaged in the operating room with a mobile digital specimen radiography system and then with a conventional digital mammography system in the radiology department. Two expert reviewers independently scored each image for image quality on a 3-point scale and confidence in target visualization on a 5-point scale. A target was considered confidently verified only if both reviewers declared the target to be confidently detected. The 100 specimens contained a total of 174 targets, including 85 clips (49%), 53 calcifications (30%), 35 masses (20%), and one architectural distortion (1%). Although a significantly higher percentage of mobile digital specimen radiographs were considered poor quality by at least one reviewer (25%) compared with conventional digital mammograms (1%), 169 targets (97%), were confidently verified with mobile specimen radiography; 172 targets (98%) were verified with conventional digital mammography. Three faint masses were not confidently verified with mobile specimen radiography, and conventional digital mammography was needed for confirmation. One faint mass and one architectural distortion were not confidently verified with either method. Mobile digital specimen radiography allows high diagnostic confidence for verification of target excision in breast specimens across target types, despite lower image quality. Substituting this modality for conventional digital mammography can eliminate delays associated with specimen transport, potentially decreasing surgical duration and increasing operating room throughput.

  15. Practical Approaches to Mitigation of Specimen Charging in High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Min Kim

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Specimen charging that is associated with the electron bombardment on the sample is a practical hindrance to high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM analysis because it causes a severe loss of resolution in either diffraction or image data. Conductive thin film deposition on an insulating specimen has been proposed as an effective approach to the mitigation of the specimen charging; however, this method is generally not useful in HRTEM imaging of materials because the deposited film induces another artifact in the HRTEM image contrast. In this study, we propose practical methods to mitigate the specimen charging that takes place during the HRTEM of materials. For bulk-type specimens prepared by either an ion-thinning or focused-ion beam (FIB process, a plasma cleaning treatment is significantly effective in eliminating the charging phenomenon. In the case of low-dimensional nanomaterials such as nanowires and nanoparticles, the plasma cleaning is not feasible; however, the charging effect can be effectively eliminated by adjusting the electron illumination condition. The proposed methods facilitate a decrease in the buildup of specimen charging, thereby enhancing the quality of high-resolution images significantly.

  16. Dislocation Substructures Formed After Fracture of Deformed Polycrystalline Cu-Al Alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koneva, N. A.; Trishkina, L. I.; Cherkasova, T. V.

    2017-08-01

    The paper deals with the dislocation substructure of polycrystalline FCC alloys modified by plastic deformation at a distance from the area of the specimen fracture. Observations are performed using the transmission electron microscopy. Cu-Al alloys with grain size ranging from 10 to 240 μm are studied in this paper. The parameters of the dislocation substructure are measured and their variation is determined by the increasing distance from the fracture area. It is shown how the grain size influences these processes. The different dislocation substructures which determine the specimen fracture at a mesocscale level are found herein.

  17. Comparison of Deformation in High-Purity Single/Large Grain and Polycrystalline Niobium Superconducting Cavities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganapati Rao Myneni; Peter Kneisel

    2005-01-01

    The current approach for the fabrication of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities is to roll and deep draw sheets of polycrystalline high-purity niobium. Recently, a new technique was developed at Jefferson Laboratory that enables the fabrication of single-crystal high-purity Nb SRF cavities. To better understand the differences between SRF cavities fabricated out of fine-grained polycrystalline sheet in the standard manner and single crystal cavities fabricated by the new technique, two half-cells were produced according to the two different procedures and compared using a variety of analytical techniques including optical microscopy, scanning laser confocal microscopy, profilometry, and X-ray diffraction. Crystallographic orientations, texture, and residual stresses were determined in the samples before and after forming and this poster presents the results of this ongoing study

  18. Stress-strain relationship and XRD line broadening in [0001] textured hexagonal polycrystalline materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yokoyama, Ryouichi

    2011-01-01

    Stress analysis with X-ray diffraction (XRD) for hexagonal polycrystalline materials in the Laue classes 6/mmm and 6/m has been studied on the basis of the crystal symmetry of the constituent crystallites which was proposed by R. Yokoyama and J. Harada ['Re-evaluation of formulae for X-ray stress analysis in polycrystalline specimens with fibre texture', Journal of Applied Crystallography, Vol.42, pp.185-191 (2009)]. The relationship between the stress and strain observable by XRD in a hexagonal polycrystalline material with [0001] fibre texture was formulated in terms of the elastic compliance defined for its single crystal. As a result, it was shown that the average strains obtained in the crystallites for both symmetries of 6/mmm and 6/m are different from each other under the triaxial or biaxial stress field. Then, it turned out that the line width of XRD changes depending on the measurement direction. (author)

  19. Deuterium transport and trapping in polycrystalline tungsten

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderl, R.A.; Holland, D.F.; Longhurst, G.R.; Pawelko, R.J.; Trybus, C.L.; Sellers, C.H.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that deuterium permeation studies for polycrystalline tungsten foil have been conducted to provide data for estimating tritium transport and trapping in tungsten-clad divertors proposed for advanced fusion-reactor concepts. Based on a detailed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) microstructural characterization of the specimen material and on analyses of permeation data measured at temperatures ranging form 610 to 823 K for unannealed and annealed tungsten foil (25 μm thick), the authors note the following key results: deuterium transport in tungsten foil is dominated by extensive trapping that varies inversely with prior anneal temperatures of the foil material, the reduction in the trapped fraction correlates with a corresponding elimination of a high density of dislocations in cell-wall structures introduced during the foil fabrication process, trapping behavior in these foils can be modelled using trap energies between 1.3 eV and 1.5 eV and trap densities ranging from 1 x 10 -5 atom fraction

  20. High-Quality Fe-doped TiO2 films with Superior Visible-Light Performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Su, Ren; Bechstein, Ralf; Kibsgaard, Jakob

    2012-01-01

    We report on high-quality polycrystalline Fe-doped TiO2 (Fe–TiO2) porous films synthesized via one-step electrochemical oxidation. We demonstrate that delicate properties such as the impurity concentration and the microstructure that strongly influence the performance of the material for photovol...

  1. Preparation and physical properties of polycrystalline (Bi1-xPbx)2Sr2Ca2Cu3Oy high Tc superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Awan, M.S.; Maqsood, M.; Mirza, S.A.; Yousaf, M.; Maqsood, A.

    1995-01-01

    (Bi 1-x Pb x ) 2 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O y (x = 0.3) high critical transition temperature (T c ) superconductors are synthesized by the solid-state reaction method in polycrystalline form. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, direct current (dc) electrical resistivity measurements, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) studies, critical current density measurements and zero-field alternating current (ac) susceptibility measurements are performed to investigate the physical changes, structural changes, and magnetic behavior of the superconducting samples. X-ray diffraction studies show that a high T c phase exists with orthorhombic symmetry in the specimen. According to the XRD data, the lattice parameters of the high T c phase were determined as a = 0.537(1) nm, b = 0.539(1) nm, and c = 3.70(1) nm. The compound exhibits a superconducting transition at 106 ± 1 K for zero resistance. The ac susceptibility measurements in zero field confirm the dc electrical resistivity results; hence both support the XRD results. The particle size and structural changes as a function of the cold-pressing and aging effect are also reported

  2. Shape memory behavior of high strength NiTiHfPd polycrystalline alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karaca, H.E.; Acar, E.; Ded, G.S.; Basaran, B.; Tobe, H.; Noebe, R.D.; Bigelow, G.; Chumlyakov, Y.I.

    2013-01-01

    Systematic characterization of the shape memory properties of a quaternary Ni 45.3 –Ti 29.7 –Hf 20 –Pd 5 (at.%) polycrystalline alloy was performed in compression after selected aging treatments. Precipitation characteristics were revealed by transmission electron microscopy. The effects of aging temperature and time on transformation temperatures, recoverable and residual strains, and temperature and stress hystereses were determined by differential scanning calorimetry, constant-load thermal cycling experiments and isothermal strain cycling (superelasticity) tests. The crystal structure and lattice parameters of the transforming phases were determined from X-ray diffraction analysis. It was revealed that precipitation hardening significantly improved the shape memory properties of the NiTiHfPd alloy. Under optimum aging conditions, shape memory strains of up to 4% under 1 GPa were possible, and superelasticity experiments resulted in full strain recovery without any plastic deformation, even at stress levels as high as 2 GPa. The NiTiHfPd polycrystalline alloy exhibited very high damping capacity/absorbed energy (30–34 J cm −3 ) and work output (30–35 J cm −3 ), which were attributed to the ability to operate at high stress levels without significant plastic deformation and to a high mechanical hysteresis (>900 MPa) at temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 80 °C

  3. Elasticity and hardness of nano-polycrystalline boron nitrides: The apparent Hall-Petch effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagakubo, A.; Ogi, H.; Hirao, M.; Sumiya, H.

    2014-01-01

    Nano-polycrystalline boron nitride (BN) is expected to replace diamond as a superhard and superstiff material. Although its hardening was reported, its elasticity remains unclear and the as-measured hardness could be significantly different from the true value due to the elastic recovery. In this study, we measured the longitudinal-wave elastic constant of nano-polycrystalline BNs using picosecond ultrasound spectroscopy and confirmed the elastic softening for small-grain BNs. We also measured Vickers and Knoop hardness for the same specimens and clarified the relationship between hardness and stiffness. The Vickers hardness significantly increased as the grain size decreased, while the Knoop hardness remained nearly unchanged. We attribute the apparent increase in Vickers hardness to the elastic recovery and propose a model to support this insight.

  4. MS-based monitoring of proteolytic decay of synthetic reporter peptides for quality control of plasma and serum specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Findeisen, Peter; Thumfart, Jörg Oliver; Costina, Victor; Hofheinz, Ralf; Neumaier, Michael

    2013-09-01

    To determine the preanalytical quality of serum and plasma by monitoring the time-dependent ex vivo decay of a synthetic reporter peptide (RP) with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Serum and plasma specimens were spiked with the RP and proteolytic fragments were monitored with LC/MS at different preanalytical time points ranging from 2 to 24 hours after blood withdrawal. The concentration of fragments changed in a time-dependent manner, and respective peptide profiles were used to classify specimens according to their preanalytical time span. Classification accuracy was high, with values always above 0.89 for areas under receiver operating characteristic curves. This "proteomics degradation clock" can be used to estimate the preanalytical quality of serum and plasma and might have impact on quality control procedures of biobanking repositories.

  5. High-performance flexible thin-film transistors fabricated using print-transferrable polycrystalline silicon membranes on a plastic substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin, Guoxuan; Yuan, Hao-Chih; Ma, Zhenqiang; Yang, Hongjun; Zhou, Weidong

    2011-01-01

    Inexpensive polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) with large grain size is highly desirable for flexible electronics applications. However, it is very challenging to directly deposit high-quality poly-Si on plastic substrates due to processing constrictions, such as temperature tolerance and residual stress. In this paper, we present our study on poly-Si membranes that are stress free and most importantly, are transferrable to any substrate including a low-temperature polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. We formed poly-Si-on-insulator by first depositing small-grain size poly-Si on an oxidized Si wafer. We then performed high-temperature annealing for recrystallization to obtain larger grain size. After selective doping on the poly-Si-on-insulator, buried oxide was etched away. By properly patterning the poly-Si layer, residual stress in the released poly-Si membranes was completely relaxed. The flat membrane topology allows the membranes to be print transferred to any substrates. High-performance TFTs were demonstrated on the transferred poly-Si membranes on a PET substrate

  6. Robust DNA Isolation and High-throughput Sequencing Library Construction for Herbarium Specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saeidi, Saman; McKain, Michael R; Kellogg, Elizabeth A

    2018-03-08

    Herbaria are an invaluable source of plant material that can be used in a variety of biological studies. The use of herbarium specimens is associated with a number of challenges including sample preservation quality, degraded DNA, and destructive sampling of rare specimens. In order to more effectively use herbarium material in large sequencing projects, a dependable and scalable method of DNA isolation and library preparation is needed. This paper demonstrates a robust, beginning-to-end protocol for DNA isolation and high-throughput library construction from herbarium specimens that does not require modification for individual samples. This protocol is tailored for low quality dried plant material and takes advantage of existing methods by optimizing tissue grinding, modifying library size selection, and introducing an optional reamplification step for low yield libraries. Reamplification of low yield DNA libraries can rescue samples derived from irreplaceable and potentially valuable herbarium specimens, negating the need for additional destructive sampling and without introducing discernible sequencing bias for common phylogenetic applications. The protocol has been tested on hundreds of grass species, but is expected to be adaptable for use in other plant lineages after verification. This protocol can be limited by extremely degraded DNA, where fragments do not exist in the desired size range, and by secondary metabolites present in some plant material that inhibit clean DNA isolation. Overall, this protocol introduces a fast and comprehensive method that allows for DNA isolation and library preparation of 24 samples in less than 13 h, with only 8 h of active hands-on time with minimal modifications.

  7. Effect of texture on grain boundary misorientation distributions in polycrystalline high temperature superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goyal, A.; Specht, E.D.; Kroeger, D.M.; Mason, T.A.

    1996-01-01

    Computer simulations were performed to determine the most probable grain boundary misorientation distribution (GBMD) in model polycrystalline superconductors. GBMDs in polycrystalline superconductors can be expected to dictate the macroscopic transport critical current density, J c . Calculations were performed by simulating model polycrystals and then determining the GBMD. Such distributions were calculated for random materials having cubic, tetragonal, and orthorhombic crystal symmetry. In addition, since most high temperature superconductors are tetragonal or pseudotetragonal, the effect of macroscopic uniaxial and biaxial grain orientation texture on the GBMD was determined for tetragonal materials. It is found that macroscopic texture drastically alters the grain boundary misorientation distribution. The fraction of low angle boundaries increases significantly with uniaxial and biaxial texture. The results of this study are important in correlating the macroscopic transport J c with the measured grain orientation texture as determined by x-ray diffraction copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

  8. Polycrystalline Diamond Schottky Diodes and Their Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ganming

    In this work, four-hot-filament CVD techniques for in situ boron doped diamond synthesis on silicon substrates were extensively studied. A novel tungsten filament shape and arrangement used to obtain large-area, uniform, boron doped polycrystalline diamond thin films. Both the experimental results and radiative heat transfer analysis showed that this technique improved the uniformity of the substrate temperature. XRD, Raman and SEM studies indicate that large area, uniform, high quality polycrystalline diamond films were obtained. Schottky diodes were fabricated by either sputter deposition of silver or thermal evaporation of aluminum or gold, on boron doped diamond thin films. High forward current density and a high forward-to-reverse current ratio were exhibited by silver on diamond Schottky diodes. Schottky barrier heights and the majority carrier concentrations of both aluminum and gold contacted diodes were determined from the C-V measurements. Furthermore, a novel theoretical C-V-f analysis of deep level boron doped diamond Schottky diodes was performed. The analytical results agree well with the experimental results. Compressive stress was found to have a large effect on the forward biased I-V characteristics of the diamond Schottky diodes, whereas the effect on the reverse biased characteristics was relatively small. The stress effect on the forward biased diamond Schottky diode was attributed to piezojunction and piezoresistance effects. The measured force sensitivity of the diode was as high as 0.75 V/N at 1 mA forward bias. This result shows that CVD diamond device has potential for mechanical transducer applications. The quantitative photoresponse characteristics of the diodes were studied in the spectral range of 300 -1050 nm. Semi-transparent gold contacts were used for better photoresponse. Quantum efficiency as high as 50% was obtained at 500 nm, when a reverse bias of over 1 volt was applied. The Schottky barrier heights between either gold or

  9. Effective polycrystalline sensor of ultraviolet radiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.Yu. Pavelets

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Deposition of special thin layers with high and low resistance in space charge region of surface barrier photoconverters based on the p-Cu1.8S/n-CdS structure leads to a sufficient increase in photosensitivity and decrease in dark tunneling-recombination current. Highly efficient and stable polycrystalline photoconverters of ultraviolet radiation based on polycrystalline CdS have been obtained. Electrical and photoelectric properties have been investigated, and the main operational parameters of ultraviolet sensors have been adduced. The reasons for high stability of the parameters inherent to the p-Cu1.8S/n-CdS sensors are as follows: the absence of impurity components additionally doped to the barrier structure and stability of the photocurrent photoemission component.

  10. Complex strain paths in polycrystalline copper: microstructural aspects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.F. Vieira

    1999-07-01

    Full Text Available Microstructural aspects of polycrystalline copper sheets subjected to complex strain paths were analysed in this work. Dislocation structures developed during the strain paths (rolling and tension and the evolution of this microstructure during reloading have been studied. The active slip systems developed in each strain path were used to explain the microstructural evolution. The heterogeneous surface deformation observed on polished tensile specimens prestrained in rolling was also analysed. The structural aspects are related with the mechanical behaviour of the material, namely with the increase in yield stress in reloading, the work hardening evolution and the premature occurrence of plastic instability for some prestrain values.

  11. Extralevator Abdominal Perineal Excision Versus Standard Abdominal Perineal Excision: Impact on Quality of the Resected Specimen and Postoperative Morbidity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habr-Gama, Angelita; São Julião, Guilherme P; Mattacheo, Adrian; de Campos-Lobato, Luiz Felipe; Aleman, Edgar; Vailati, Bruna B; Gama-Rodrigues, Joaquim; Perez, Rodrigo Oliva

    2017-08-01

    Abdominal perineal excision (APE) has been associated with a high risk of positive circumferential resection margin (CRM+) and local recurrence rates in the treatment of rectal cancer. An alternative extralevator approach (ELAPE) has been suggested to improve the quality of resection by avoiding coning of the specimen decreasing the risk of tumor perforation and CRM+. The aim of this study is to compare the quality of the resected specimen and postoperative complication rates between ELAPE and "standard" APE. All patients between 1998 and 2014 undergoing abdominal perineal excision for primary or recurrent rectal cancer at a single Institution were reviewed. Between 1998 and 2008, all patients underwent standard APE. In 2009 ELAPE was introduced at our Institution and all patients requiring APE underwent this alternative procedure (ELAPE). The groups were compared according to pathological characteristics, specimen quality (CRM status, perforation and failure to provide the rectum and anus in a single specimen-fragmentation) and postoperative morbidity. Fifty patients underwent standard APEs, while 22 underwent ELAPE. There were no differences in CRM+ (10.6 vs. 13.6%; p = 0.70) or tumor perforation rates (8 vs. 0%; p = 0.30) between APE and ELAPE. However, ELAPE were less likely to result in a fragmented specimen (42 vs. 4%; p = 0.002). Advanced pT-stage was also a risk factor for specimen fragmentation (p = 0.03). There were no differences in severe (Grade 3/4) postoperative morbidity (13 vs. 10%; p = 0.5). Perineal wound dehiscences were less frequent among ELAPE (52 vs 13%; p < 0.01). Despite short follow-up (median 21 mo.), 2-year local recurrence-free survival was better for patients undergoing ELAPE when compared to APE (87 vs. 49%; p = 0.04). ELAPE may be safely implemented into routine clinical practice with no increase in postoperative morbidity and considerable improvements in the quality of the resected specimen of patients with low rectal

  12. Study of EBSD Experiment Parameters Influence on Computation of Polycrystalline Pole Figures and Orientation Distribution Function

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonova Anastasia O.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Mathematical model for a polycrystalline specimen and EBSD experiment is proposed. As the measurement parameters, the scanning step and the threshold disorientation angle are considered. To study the impact of the measurement parameters Pole Figures and Orientation Distribution Function of model specimen and corresponding ones, calculated from model EBSD measurements, are compared. The real EBSD experiment was also performed. The results of the model experiment are correlated with such detected in the real EBSD data. The most significant results are formulated in the given work.

  13. High-Resolution Infrared and Raman Spectra of the Polycrystalline Sinomenine Hydrochloride

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Xiao-Dong

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available High-resolution infrared and Raman spectra of the polycrystalline sinomenine (SM hydrochloride have been measured to work out its whole really existing vibrational spectral bands. Except for the hydroxyl stretching modes and IR active bands less than 400 cm−1, most normal modes (about 34 are both IR and Raman active. In addition, 8 Raman bands less than 400 cm−1 are tentatively assigned, for the first time to our knowledge, to stretching/bending modes of the aromatic-ring−methoxyls and (SMH+–Cl− ions, respectively.

  14. The thermoviscoplastic response of polycrystalline tungsten in compression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lennon, A.M.; Ramesh, K.T.

    2000-01-01

    The thermomechanical response of commercially pure polycrystalline tungsten was investigated over a wide range of strain rates and temperatures. The material was examined in two forms: one an equiaxed recrystallized microstructure and the other a heavily deformed extruded microstructure that was loaded in compression along the extrusion axis. Low strain rate (10 -3 -10 0 s -1 ) compression experiments were conducted on an MTS servo-hydraulic load frame equipped with an infra-red furnace capable of sustaining specimen temperatures in excess of 600 C. High strain rate (10 3 -10 4 s -1 ) experiments were performed on a compression Kolsky bar equipped with an infra-red heating system capable of developing specimen temperatures as high as 800 C. Pressure-shear plate impact experiments were used to obtain shear stress versus shear strain curves at very high rates (∝10 4 -10 5 s -1 ). The recrystallized material was able to sustain very substantial plastic deformations in compression (at room temperature), with a flow stress that appears to be rate-dependent. Intergranular microcracks were developed during the compressive deformations. Under quasi-static loadings a few relatively large axial splitting cracks were formed, while under dynamic loadings a very large number of small, uniformly distributed microcracks (that did not link up to form macrocracks) were developed. The rate of nucleation of microcracks increased dramatically with strain rate. The extruded tungsten is also able to sustain large plastic deformations in compression, with a flow stress that increases with the rate of deformation. The strain hardening of the extruded material is lower than that of the recrystallized material, and is relatively insensitive to the strain rate. (orig.)

  15. Hysteresis effects on the high-temperature internal friction of polycrystalline zirconium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Povolo, F.; Molinas, B.J.; Rosario Univ. Nacional

    1985-01-01

    Hysteresis effects present on the high temperature internal friction of annealed polycrystalline zirconium are investigated in detail. It is shown that two internal friction maxima are present when the measurements are performed on heating. If a high enough temperature is reached, only one internal friction maximum is observed on cooling. Furthermore, when the temperature is not decreased below a certain value (critical temperature) only the lower temperature peak is present during a subsequent heating cycle. The critical temperature is strongly dependent on the grain size. Finally, both the hysteresis effects and the internal friction maxima are explained by relaxation mechanisms associated with grain boundary sliding and segregation of impurities to the grain boundaries. (author)

  16. Recent advances in FIB-TEM specimen preparation techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jian; Malis, T.; Dionne, S.

    2006-01-01

    Preparing high-quality transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimens is of paramount importance in TEM studies. The development of the focused ion beam (FIB) microscope has greatly enhanced TEM specimen preparation capabilities. In recent years, various FIB-TEM foil preparation techniques have been developed. However, the currently available techniques fail to produce TEM specimens from fragile and ultra-fine specimens such as fine fibers. In this paper, the conventional FIB-TEM specimen preparation techniques are reviewed, and their advantages and shortcomings are compared. In addition, a new technique suitable to prepare TEM samples from ultra-fine specimens is demonstrated

  17. Construction of High-Performance, Low-Cost Photoelectrodes with Controlled Polycrystalline Architectures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kyoung-Shin Choi

    2013-06-30

    The major goal of our research was to gain the ability in electrochemical synthesis to precisely control compositions and morphologies of various oxide-based polycrystalline photoelectrodes in order to establish the composition-morphology-photoelectrochemical property relationships while discovering highly efficient photoelectrode systems for use in solar energy conversion. Major achievements include: development of porous n-type BiVO{sub 4} photoanode for efficient and stable solar water oxidation; development of p-type CuFeO{sub 2} photocathode for solar hydrogen production; and junction studies on electrochemically fabricated p-n Cu{sub 2}O homojunction solar cells for efficiency enhancement.

  18. The influence of microstructure on surface strain distributions in a nickel micro-tension specimen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turner, T J; Shade, P A; Schuren, J C; Groeber, M A

    2013-01-01

    This work presents an integrated experimental and modeling approach for examining the deformation of a pure nickel polycrystal utilizing micro-mechanical testing and a crystal-based elasto-viscoplastic finite-element model (CPFEM). The objective is to study the influence of microstructure on the heterogeneous deformation in polycrystalline materials, and to utilize a modeling framework to explore aspects of the deformation that are difficult or impossible to measure experimentally. To accomplish this, a micro-tension specimen containing 259 grains was created from a pure nickel foil material and deformed in uniaxial tension. After the deformation, the specimen was destructively serial sectioned in concert with electron back scattering diffraction, and these data were used to instantiate a CPFEM simulation. The material parameters in the CPFEM model were calibrated by matching the experimental macroscopic stress-strain response of the micro-tension specimen, and then the simulation results were compared with experimental surface deformations measured with digital image correlation. After validating the simulation results by comparing measured and predicted surface strain distributions, a parametric study of the influence of both crystallographic texture and grain morphology is presented to better understand the influence of microstructure on the development of heterogeneous deformation in the pure nickel polycrystalline material. (paper)

  19. Near-infrared refractive index of synthetic single crystal and polycrystalline diamonds at high temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yurov, V. Yu.; Bushuev, E. V.; Popovich, A. F.; Bolshakov, A. P.; Ashkinazi, E. E.; Ralchenko, V. G.

    2017-12-01

    We measured the refractive index n(T) and thermo-optical coefficient β(T) = (1/n)(dn/dT) of high quality synthetic diamonds from room temperature to high temperatures, up to 1520 K, in near-infrared spectral range at wavelength 1.56 μm, using a low-coherence interferometry. A type IIa single crystal diamond produced by high pressure-high temperature technique and a transparent polycrystalline diamond grown by chemical vapor deposition were tested and revealed a very close n(T) behavior, with n = 2.384 ± 0.001 at T = 300 K, monotonically increasing to 2.428 at 1520 K. The n(T) data corrected to thermal expansion of diamond are well fitted with 3rd order polynomials, and alternatively, with the Bose-Einstein model with an effective oscillator frequency of 970 cm-1. Almost linear n(T) dependence is observed above 800 K. The thermo-optical coefficient is found to increase monotonically from (0.6 ± 0.1) × 10-5 K-1 (300 K) to (2.0 ± 0.1) × 10-5 K-1 (1300 K) with a tendency to saturation at >1200 K. These β(T) values are an order of magnitude lower than those known for Si, GaAs, and InP. The obtained results significantly extend the temperature range, where the refractive index of diamond was previously measured.

  20. Influence of hydrogen on high cycle fatigue of polycrystalline vanadium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, D.W.; Lee, K.S.; Stoloff, N.S.

    1977-02-01

    The room temperature fatigue behavior of several polycrystalline V-H 2 alloys is described. Hydrogen extends the life of unnotched vanadium but has a deleterious effect in notched materials. Crack propagation data are correlated with tensile yield stress and cyclic strain hardening data

  1. Representative volume element size of a polycrystalline aggregate with embedded short crack

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simonovski, I.; Cizelj, L.

    2007-01-01

    A random polycrystalline aggregate model is proposed for evaluation of a representative volume element size (RVE) of a 316L stainless steel with embedded surface crack. RVE size is important since it defines the size of specimen where the influence of local microstructural features averages out, resulting in the same macroscopic response for geometrically similar specimen. On the other hand macroscopic responses of specimen with size smaller than RVE will, due to the microstructural features, differ significantly. Different sizes and orientations of grains, inclusions, voids,... etc are examples of such microstructural features. If a specimen size is above RVE size, classical continuum mechanics can be applied. On the other hand, advanced material models should be used for specimen with size below RVE. This paper proposes one such model, where random size, shape and orientation of grains are explicitly modeled. Crystal plasticity constitutive model is used to account for slip in the grains. RVE size is estimated by calculating the crack tip opening displacements of aggregates with different grain numbers. Progressively larger number of grains are included in the aggregates until the crack tip displacements for two consecutive aggregates of increasing size differ less than 1 %. At this point the model has reached RVE size. (author)

  2. Automatic X-ray television rig for high-speed radiography of polycrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bezbakh, V.D.; Garasim, Yu.A.; Oshkaderov, S.P.; Pet'kov, V.V.

    1993-01-01

    The high-speed radiography method is used for studying the phase and structural transformation in metals and alloys during rapid changes in temperature. In order to improve the effectiveness of this method the Institute of Metal Physics, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, has developed an automatic rig for high-speed radiography of polycrystalline materials using a television method for recording the x-ray diffraction patterns. The rig, described here, consists of an x-ray block, a vacuum chamber, a device for programmed electro-contact heating of specimens, a system for imaging and scanning x-ray diffraction patterns, and a system for collecting and analyzing the data. Focusing is carried out by the Zeeman-Bolin method. The new rig helps to significantly reduce the recording time and ensures adequate quality and reliability of the recorded diffraction image over a wide range of temperatures. Data using the rig is presented for high-speed radiography for cooling a specimen of G20 steel. 4 refs., 4 figs

  3. Enhanced thermoelectric properties of N-type polycrystalline In4Se3-x compounds via thermally induced Se deficiency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ran; Shu, Yu-Tian; Guo, Fu

    2014-03-01

    In4Se3-x compound is considered as a potential thermoelectric material due to its comparably low thermal conductivity among all existing ones. While most studies investigated In4Se3-x thermoelectric properties by controlling selennium or other dopants concentrations, in the current study, it was found that even for a fixed initial In/Se ratio, the resulting In/Se ratio varied significantly with different thermal processing histories (i.e., melting and annealing), which also resulted in varied thermoelectric properties as well as fracture surface morphologies of In4Se3-x polycrystalline specimens. Single phase polycrystalline In4Se3-x compounds were synthesized by combining a sequence of melting, annealing, pulverizing, and spark plasma sintering. The extension of previous thermal history was observed to significantly improve the electrical conductivity (about 121%) and figure of merit (about 53%) of In4Se3-x polycrystalline compounds. The extended thermal history resulted in the increase of Se deficiency (x) from 0.39 to 0.53. This thermally induced Se deficiency was observed to associate with increasing carrier mobility but decreasing concentration, which differs from the general trend observed for the initially adjusted Se deficiency at room temperature. Unusually large dispersed grains with nanosize layers were observed in specimens with the longest thermal history. The mechanism(s) by which previous thermal processing enhances carrier mobility and affect microstructural evolution are briefly discussed.

  4. High-Efficiency Polycrystalline CdS/CdTe Solar Cells on Buffered Commercial TCO-Coated Glass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colegrove, E.; Banai, R.; Blissett, C.; Buurma, C.; Ellsworth, J.; Morley, M.; Barnes, S.; Gilmore, C.; Bergeson, J. D.; Dhere, R.; Scott, M.; Gessert, T.; Sivananthan, Siva

    2012-10-01

    Multiple polycrystalline CdS/CdTe solar cells with efficiencies greater than 15% were produced on buffered, commercially available Pilkington TEC Glass at EPIR Technologies, Inc. (EPIR, Bolingbrook, IL) and verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). n-CdS and p-CdTe were grown by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and close space sublimation, respectively. Samples with sputter-deposited CdS were also investigated. Initial results indicate that this is a viable dry-process alternative to CBD for production-scale processing. Published results for polycrystalline CdS/CdTe solar cells with high efficiencies are typically based on cells using research-grade transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) requiring high-temperature processing inconducive to low-cost manufacturing. EPIR's results for cells on commercial glass were obtained by implementing a high-resistivity SnO2 buffer layer and by optimizing the CdS window layer thickness. The high-resistivity buffer layer prevents the formation of CdTe-TCO junctions, thereby maintaining a high open-circuit voltage and fill factor, whereas using a thin CdS layer reduces absorption losses and improves the short-circuit current density. EPIR's best device demonstrated an NREL-verified efficiency of 15.3%. The mean efficiency of hundreds of cells produced with a buffer layer between December 2010 and June 2011 is 14.4%. Quantum efficiency results are presented to demonstrate EPIR's progress toward NREL's best-published results.

  5. Ultrastable gold substrates: Properties of a support for high-resolution electron cryomicroscopy of biological specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo, Christopher J.; Passmore, Lori A.

    2016-01-01

    Electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) allows structure determination of a wide range of biological molecules and specimens. All-gold supports improve cryo-EM images by reducing radiation-induced motion and image blurring. Here we compare the mechanical and electrical properties of all-gold supports to amorphous carbon foils. Gold supports are more conductive, and have suspended foils that are not compressed by differential contraction when cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures. These measurements show how the choice of support material and geometry can reduce specimen movement by more than an order of magnitude during low-dose imaging. We provide methods for fabrication of all-gold supports and preparation of vitrified specimens. We also analyse illumination geometry for optimal collection of high resolution, low-dose data. Together, the support structures and methods herein can improve the resolution and quality of images from any electron cryomicroscope. PMID:26592474

  6. Physics of grain boundaries in polycrystalline photovoltaic semiconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Yanfa, E-mail: yanfa.yan@utoledo.edu; Yin, Wan-Jian; Wu, Yelong; Shi, Tingting; Paudel, Naba R. [Department of Physics and Astronomy and Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, The University of Toledo, Ohio 43606 (United States); Li, Chen [Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 (United States); Poplawsky, Jonathan [The Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 (United States); Wang, Zhiwei [Department of Physics and Astronomy and Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, The University of Toledo, Ohio 43606 (United States); National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States); Moseley, John; Guthrey, Harvey; Moutinho, Helio; Al-Jassim, Mowafak M. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States); Pennycook, Stephen J. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 (United States)

    2015-03-21

    Thin-film solar cells based on polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} (CIGS) and CdTe photovoltaic semiconductors have reached remarkable laboratory efficiencies. It is surprising that these thin-film polycrystalline solar cells can reach such high efficiencies despite containing a high density of grain boundaries (GBs), which would seem likely to be nonradiative recombination centers for photo-generated carriers. In this paper, we review our atomistic theoretical understanding of the physics of grain boundaries in CIGS and CdTe absorbers. We show that intrinsic GBs with dislocation cores exhibit deep gap states in both CIGS and CdTe. However, in each solar cell device, the GBs can be chemically modified to improve their photovoltaic properties. In CIGS cells, GBs are found to be Cu-rich and contain O impurities. Density-functional theory calculations reveal that such chemical changes within GBs can remove most of the unwanted gap states. In CdTe cells, GBs are found to contain a high concentration of Cl atoms. Cl atoms donate electrons, creating n-type GBs between p-type CdTe grains, forming local p-n-p junctions along GBs. This leads to enhanced current collections. Therefore, chemical modification of GBs allows for high efficiency polycrystalline CIGS and CdTe thin-film solar cells.

  7. Sub-surface microstructure of single and polycrystalline tungsten after high flux plasma exposure studied by TEM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dubinko, A., E-mail: adubinko@sckcen.be [Institute for Nuclear Material Sciences, SCK-CEN, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Department of Applied Physics, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Terentyev, D. [Institute for Nuclear Material Sciences, SCK-CEN, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Bakaeva, A. [Institute for Nuclear Material Sciences, SCK-CEN, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Department of Applied Physics, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Hernández-Mayoral, M. [Division of Materials, CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); De Temmerman, G. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90 046, 13067 St Paul-lez-Durance Cedex (France); Buzi, L. [Forschungszentrum Julich, Inst. Energie & Klimaforsch Plasmaphys, D-52425 Julich (Germany); Noterdaeme, J.-M. [Department of Applied Physics, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Unterberg, B. [Forschungszentrum Julich, Inst. Energie & Klimaforsch Plasmaphys, D-52425 Julich (Germany)

    2017-01-30

    Highlights: • Plasma exposure induces dislocation-dominated microstructure as indicated by TEM. • Plasma exposure increases surface dislocation density by an order of magnitude in the polycrystalline tungsten. • Intensive dislocation-grain boundary interaction observed in polycrystalline tungsten. • Dislocation loops are observed in both polycrystalline and single crystal tungsten. - Abstract: We have performed high flux plasma exposure of tungsten and subsequent microstructural characterization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The aim was to reveal the nanometric features in the sub-surface region as well as to compare the microstructural evolution in tungsten single crystal and ITER-relevant specification. In both types of samples, TEM examination revealed the formation of a dense dislocation network and dislocation tangles. The estimated dislocation density in the sub-surface region was of the order of 10{sup 14} m{sup −2} and it gradually decreased with a depth position of the examined sample. Besides individual dislocation lines, networks and tangles, the interstitial dislocation loops have been observed in all examined samples only after the exposure. Contrary to that, examination of the pristine single crystal W and backside of the plasma-exposed samples did not reveal the presence of dislocation loops and tangles. This clearly proves that high flux plasma exposure induces severe plastic deformation in the sub-surface region irrespective of the presence of initial dislocations and sub-grains, and the formation of dislocation tangles, networks and interstitial loops is a co-product of thermal stress and intensive plasma particles uptake.

  8. Application of polycrystalline diffusion barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsymbal, V.A.; Kolupaev, I.N.

    2010-01-01

    Degradation of contacts of the electronic equipment at the raised temperatures is connected with active diffusion redistribution of components contact - metalized systems (CMS) and phase production on interphase borders. One of systems diffusion barriers (DB) are polycrystalline silicide a film, in particular silicides of the titan. Reception disilicide the titan (TiSi 2 ) which on the parameters is demanded for conditions of microelectronics from known silicides of system Ti-Si, is possible as a result of direct reaction of a film of the titan and a substrate of silicon, and at sedimentation of layer Ti-Si demanded stoichiometric structure. Simultaneously there is specific problem polycrystalline diffusion a barrier (PDB): the polycrystalline provides structural balance and metastability film disilicide, but leaves in it borders of grains - easy local ways of diffusion. In clause the analysis diffusion permeability polycrystalline and polyphase DB is made and recommendations for practical methods of increase of blocking properties PDB are made.

  9. Laser induced single-crystal transition in polycrystalline silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vitali, G.; Bertolotti, M.; Foti, G.; Rimini, E.

    1978-01-01

    Transition to single crystal of polycrystalline Si material underlying a Si crystal substrate of 100 orientation was obtained via laser irradiation. The changes in the structure were analyzed by reflection high energy electron diffraction and by channeling effect technique using 2.0 MeV He Rutherford scattering. The power density required to induce the transition in a 4500 A thick polycrystalline layer is about 70 MW/cm 2 (50ns). The corresponding amorphous to single transition has a threshold of about 45 MW/cm 2 . (orig.) 891 HPOE [de

  10. Evaluation of local stress and local hydrogen concentration at grain boundary using three-dimensional polycrystalline model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ebihara, Ken-ichi; Itakura, Mitsuhiro; Yamaguchi, Masatake; Kaburaki, Hideo; Suzudo, Tomoaki

    2010-01-01

    The decohesion model in which hydrogen segregating at grain boundaries reduces cohesive energy is considered to explain hydrogen embrittlement. Although there are several experimental and theoretical supports of this model, its total process is still unclear. In order to understand hydrogen embrittlement in terms of the decohesion model, therefore, it is necessary to evaluate stress and hydrogen concentration at grain boundaries under experimental conditions and to verify the grain boundary decohesion process. Under this consideration, we evaluated the stress and the hydrogen concentration at grain boundaries in the three-dimensional polycrystalline model which was generated by the random Voronoi tessellation. The crystallographic anisotropy was given to each grain. As the boundary conditions of the calculations, data extracted from the results calculated in the notched round-bar specimen model under the tensile test condition in which fracture of the steel specimen is observed was given to the polycrystalline model. As a result, it was found that the evaluated stress does not reach the fracture stress which was estimated under the condition of the evaluated hydrogen concentration by first principles calculations. Therefore, it was considered that the initiation of grain boundary fracture needs other factors except the stress concentration due to the crystallographic anisotropy. (author)

  11. Very high-cycle fatigue failure in micron-scale polycrystalline silicon films : Effects of environment and surface oxide thickness

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alsem, D. H.; Boyce, B. L.; Stach, E. A.; De Hosson, J. Th. M.; Ritchie, R. O.

    2007-01-01

    Fatigue failure in micron-scale polycrystalline silicon structural films, a phenomenon that is not observed in bulk silicon, can severely impact the durability and reliability of microelectromechanical system devices. Despite several studies on the very high-cycle fatigue behavior of these films (up

  12. Wavelength-tunable waveguides based on polycrystalline organic-inorganic perovskite microwires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ziyu; Liu, Jingying; Xu, Zai-Quan; Xue, Yunzhou; Jiang, Liangcong; Song, Jingchao; Huang, Fuzhi; Wang, Yusheng; Zhong, Yu Lin; Zhang, Yupeng; Cheng, Yi-Bing; Bao, Qiaoliang

    2016-03-01

    Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites have emerged as new photovoltaic materials with impressively high power conversion efficiency due to their high optical absorption coefficient and long charge carrier diffusion length. In addition to high photoluminescence quantum efficiency and chemical tunability, hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites also show intriguing potential for diverse photonic applications. In this work, we demonstrate that polycrystalline organic-inorganic perovskite microwires can function as active optical waveguides with small propagation loss. The successful production of high quality perovskite microwires with different halogen elements enables the guiding of light with different colours. Furthermore, it is interesting to find that out-coupled light intensity from the microwire can be effectively modulated by an external electric field, which behaves as an electro-optical modulator. This finding suggests the promising applications of perovskite microwires as effective building blocks in micro/nano scale photonic circuits.

  13. Final Report: Multi-Scale Analysis of Deformation and Failure in Polycrystalline Titanium Alloys Under High Strain-Rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-28

    element simulations of polycrystalline Tita - nium alloys. Jour. Mech. Phys. Solids, 59(10):2157–2176, 2011. 5. S. Ghosh and M. Anahid. Homogenized...2013) 111 – 124. [72] P. Shade, Private communication. [73] H. Ogi, S. Kai, H. Ledbetter, R. Tarumi, M. Hirao, K. Takashima, Tita - niums high-temperature

  14. Polycrystalline thin films : A review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Valvoda, V [Charles Univ., Prague (Czech Republic). Faculty of Mathematics and Physics

    1996-09-01

    Polycrystalline thin films can be described in terms of grain morphology and in terms of their packing by the Thornton`s zone model as a function of temperature of deposition and as a function of energy of deposited atoms. Grain size and preferred grain orientation (texture) can be determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. A review of XRD analytical methods of texture analysis is given with main attention paid to simple empirical functions used for texture description and for structure analysis by joint texture refinement. To illustrate the methods of detailed structure analysis of thin polycrystalline films, examples of multilayers are used with the aim to show experiments and data evaluation to determine layer thickness, periodicity, interface roughness, lattice spacing, strain and the size of diffraction coherent volumes. The methods of low angle and high angle XRD are described and discussed with respect to their complementary information content.

  15. Improved quality of patient care through routine second review of histopathology specimens prior to multidisciplinary meetings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuijpers, Chantal C H J; Burger, Gerard; Al-Janabi, Shaimaa; Willems, Stefan M; van Diest, Paul J; Jiwa, Mehdi

    2016-10-01

    Double reading may be a valuable tool for improving quality of patient care by identifying diagnostic errors before final sign-out, but standard double reading would significantly increase costs of pathology. We assessed the added value of intradepartmental routine double reading of histopathology specimens prior to multidisciplinary meetings. Diagnoses, treatment plans and prognoses of patients are often discussed at multidisciplinary meetings. As part of the daily routine, all pathology specimens to be discussed at upcoming multidisciplinary meetings undergo prior intradepartmental double reading. We identified all histopathology specimens from 2013 that underwent such double reading and determined major and minor discordance rates based on clinical relevance between the initial and consensus sign-out diagnoses. We included 6796 histopathology specimens that underwent double reading, representing approximately 8% of all histopathology cases at our institution in 2013. Double reading diagnoses were concordant in 6566 specimens (96.6%). Major and minor discordances were observed in 60 (0.9%) and 170 (2.5%) specimens, respectively. Urology specimens had significantly more discordances than other tissues of origin, Gleason grading of prostate cancer biopsies being the most frequent diagnostic problem. Furthermore, premalignant and malignant cases showed significantly higher discordance rates than the rest. The vast majority (90%) of discordances represented changes within the same diagnostic category (eg, malignant to malignant). Routine double reading of histopathology specimens prior to multidisciplinary meetings prevents diagnostic errors. It resulted in about 1% discordant diagnoses of potential clinical significance, indicating that second review is worthwhile in terms of patient safety and quality of patient care. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  16. Process Research On Polycrystalline Silicon Material (PROPSM). [flat plate solar array project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culik, J. S.

    1983-01-01

    The performance-limiting mechanisms in large-grain (greater than 1 to 2 mm in diameter) polycrystalline silicon solar cells were investigated by fabricating a matrix of 4 sq cm solar cells of various thickness from 10 cm x 10 cm polycrystalline silicon wafers of several bulk resistivities. Analysis of the illuminated I-V characteristics of these cells suggests that bulk recombination is the dominant factor limiting the short-circuit current. The average open-circuit voltage of the polycrystalline solar cells is 30 to 70 mV lower than that of co-processed single-crystal cells; the fill-factor is comparable. Both open-circuit voltage and fill-factor of the polycrystalline cells have substantial scatter that is not related to either thickness or resistivity. This implies that these characteristics are sensitive to an additional mechanism that is probably spatial in nature. A damage-gettering heat-treatment improved the minority-carrier diffusion length in low lifetime polycrystalline silicon, however, extended high temperature heat-treatment degraded the lifetime.

  17. Research and development of photovoltaic power system. Development of novel technologies for fabrication of high quality silicon thin films for solar cells; Taiyoko hatsuden system no kenkyu kaihatsu. Kohinshitsu silicon usumaku sakusei gijutsu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimizu, T [Kanazawa University, Ishikawa (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1994-12-01

    Described herein are the results of the FY1994 research program for development of novel technologies for fabrication of high quality thin films of silicon for solar cells. The study on the mechanisms and effects of chemical annealing reveals that the film structure greatly varies depending on substrate temperature during the hydrotreatment process, based on the tests with substrate temperature, deposition of superthin film (T1) and hydrotreatment (T2) as the variable parameters. Chemical annealing at low temperature produces a high-quality a-Si:H film of low defect content. The study on fabrication of thin polycrystalline silicon films at low temperature observes on real time the process of deposition of the thin films on polycrystalline silicon substrates, where a natural oxide film is removed beforehand from the substrate. The results indicate that a thin polycrystalline silicon film of 100% crystallinity can be formed even on a polycrystalline silicon substrate by controlling starting gas composition and substrate temperature. The layer-by-layer method is used as the means for forming the seed crystals on a glass substrate, where deposition and hydrotreatment are repeated alternately, to produce the thin crystalline silicon films of high crystallinity. 3 figs.

  18. Method for producing polycrystalline boron nitride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexeevskii, V.P.; Bochko, A.V.; Dzhamarov, S.S.; Karpinos, D.M.; Karyuk, G.G.; Kolomiets, I.P.; Kurdyumov, A.V.; Pivovarov, M.S.; Frantsevich, I.N.; Yarosh, V.V.

    1975-01-01

    A mixture containing less than 50 percent of graphite-like boron nitride treated by a shock wave and highly defective wurtzite-like boron nitride obtained by a shock-wave method is compressed and heated at pressure and temperature values corresponding to the region of the phase diagram for boron nitride defined by the graphite-like compact modifications of boron nitride equilibrium line and the cubic wurtzite-like boron nitride equilibrium line. The resulting crystals of boron nitride exhibit a structure of wurtzite-like boron nitride or of both wurtzite-like and cubic boron nitride. The resulting material exhibits higher plasticity as compared with polycrystalline cubic boron nitride. Tools made of this compact polycrystalline material have a longer service life under impact loads in machining hardened steel and chilled iron. (U.S.)

  19. Low-temperature growth of polycrystalline Ge thin film on glass by in situ deposition and ex situ solid-phase crystallization for photovoltaic applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsao, Chao-Yang; Weber, Juergen W.; Campbell, Patrick; Widenborg, Per I.; Song, Dengyuan; Green, Martin A.

    2009-01-01

    Poly-crystalline germanium (poly-Ge) thin films have potential for lowering the manufacturing cost of photovoltaic devices especially in tandem solar cells, but high crystalline quality would be required. This work investigates the crystallinity of sputtered Ge thin films on glass prepared by in situ growth and ex situ solid-phase crystallization (SPC). Structural properties of the films were characterized by Raman, X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet-visible reflectance measurements. The results show the transition temperature from amorphous to polycrystalline is between 255 deg. C and 280 deg. C for in situ grown poly-Ge films, whereas the transition temperature is between 400 deg. C and 500 deg. C for films produced by SPC for a 20 h annealing time. The in situ growth in situ crystallized poly-Ge films at 450 deg. C exhibit significantly better crystalline quality than those formed by solid-phase crystallization at 600 deg. C. High crystalline quality at low substrate temperature obtained in this work suggests the poly-Ge films could be promising for use in thin film solar cells on glass.

  20. Surface damages of polycrystalline W and La2O3-doped W induced by high-flux He plasma irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Lu; Li, Shouzhe; Liu, Dongping; Benstetter, Günther; Zhang, Yang; Hong, Yi; Fan, Hongyu; Ni, Weiyuan; Yang, Qi; Wu, Yunfeng; Bi, Zhenhua

    2018-04-01

    In this study, polycrystalline tungsten (W) and three oxide dispersed strengthened W with 0.1 vol %, 1.0 vol % and 5.0 vol % lanthanum trioxide (La2O3) were irradiated with low-energy (200 eV) and high-flux (5.8 × 1021 or 1.4 × 1022 ions/m2ṡs) He+ ions at elevated temperature. After He+ irradiation at a fluence of 3.0 × 1025/m2, their surface damages were observed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy-electron backscatter diffraction, and conductive atomic force microscopy. Micron-sized holes were formed on the surface of W alloys after He+ irradiation at 1100 K. Analysis shows that the La2O3 grains doped in W were sputtered preferentially by the high-flux He+ ions when compared with the W grains. For irradiation at 1550 K, W nano-fuzz was formed at the surfaces of both polycrystalline W and La2O3-doped W. The thickness of the fuzz layers formed at the surface of La2O3-doped W is 40% lower than the one of polycrystalline W. The presence of La2O3 could suppress the diffusion and coalescence of He atoms inside W, which plays an important role in the growth of nanostructures fuzz.

  1. Highly -oriented growth of polycrystalline silicon films on glass by pulsed magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reinig, P.; Selle, B.; Fenske, F.; Fuhs, W.; Alex, V.; Birkholz, M.

    2002-01-01

    Nominally undoped polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin films were deposited on glass at 450 deg. C at high deposition rate (>100 nm/min) by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering. The pulse frequency was found to have a significant influence on the preferred grain orientation. The x-ray diffraction pattern exhibits a strong enhancement of the (400) reflex with increasing pulse frequency. The quantitative evaluation reveals that over 90% of the grains are oriented. The observed change in preferred grain orientation in poly-Si films at low temperatures is associated with concurrent ion bombardment of the growing film

  2. Fixing Formalin: A Method to Recover Genomic-Scale DNA Sequence Data from Formalin-Fixed Museum Specimens Using High-Throughput Sequencing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah M Hykin

    Full Text Available For 150 years or more, specimens were routinely collected and deposited in natural history collections without preserving fresh tissue samples for genetic analysis. In the case of most herpetological specimens (i.e. amphibians and reptiles, attempts to extract and sequence DNA from formalin-fixed, ethanol-preserved specimens-particularly for use in phylogenetic analyses-has been laborious and largely ineffective due to the highly fragmented nature of the DNA. As a result, tens of thousands of specimens in herpetological collections have not been available for sequence-based phylogenetic studies. Massively parallel High-Throughput Sequencing methods and the associated bioinformatics, however, are particularly suited to recovering meaningful genetic markers from severely degraded/fragmented DNA sequences such as DNA damaged by formalin-fixation. In this study, we compared previously published DNA extraction methods on three tissue types subsampled from formalin-fixed specimens of Anolis carolinensis, followed by sequencing. Sufficient quality DNA was recovered from liver tissue, making this technique minimally destructive to museum specimens. Sequencing was only successful for the more recently collected specimen (collected ~30 ybp. We suspect this could be due either to the conditions of preservation and/or the amount of tissue used for extraction purposes. For the successfully sequenced sample, we found a high rate of base misincorporation. After rigorous trimming, we successfully mapped 27.93% of the cleaned reads to the reference genome, were able to reconstruct the complete mitochondrial genome, and recovered an accurate phylogenetic placement for our specimen. We conclude that the amount of DNA available, which can vary depending on specimen age and preservation conditions, will determine if sequencing will be successful. The technique described here will greatly improve the value of museum collections by making many formalin-fixed specimens

  3. Fixing Formalin: A Method to Recover Genomic-Scale DNA Sequence Data from Formalin-Fixed Museum Specimens Using High-Throughput Sequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hykin, Sarah M; Bi, Ke; McGuire, Jimmy A

    2015-01-01

    For 150 years or more, specimens were routinely collected and deposited in natural history collections without preserving fresh tissue samples for genetic analysis. In the case of most herpetological specimens (i.e. amphibians and reptiles), attempts to extract and sequence DNA from formalin-fixed, ethanol-preserved specimens-particularly for use in phylogenetic analyses-has been laborious and largely ineffective due to the highly fragmented nature of the DNA. As a result, tens of thousands of specimens in herpetological collections have not been available for sequence-based phylogenetic studies. Massively parallel High-Throughput Sequencing methods and the associated bioinformatics, however, are particularly suited to recovering meaningful genetic markers from severely degraded/fragmented DNA sequences such as DNA damaged by formalin-fixation. In this study, we compared previously published DNA extraction methods on three tissue types subsampled from formalin-fixed specimens of Anolis carolinensis, followed by sequencing. Sufficient quality DNA was recovered from liver tissue, making this technique minimally destructive to museum specimens. Sequencing was only successful for the more recently collected specimen (collected ~30 ybp). We suspect this could be due either to the conditions of preservation and/or the amount of tissue used for extraction purposes. For the successfully sequenced sample, we found a high rate of base misincorporation. After rigorous trimming, we successfully mapped 27.93% of the cleaned reads to the reference genome, were able to reconstruct the complete mitochondrial genome, and recovered an accurate phylogenetic placement for our specimen. We conclude that the amount of DNA available, which can vary depending on specimen age and preservation conditions, will determine if sequencing will be successful. The technique described here will greatly improve the value of museum collections by making many formalin-fixed specimens available for

  4. DNA extraction from herbarium specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drábková, Lenka Záveská

    2014-01-01

    With the expansion of molecular techniques, the historical collections have become widely used. Studying plant DNA using modern molecular techniques such as DNA sequencing plays an important role in understanding evolutionary relationships, identification through DNA barcoding, conservation status, and many other aspects of plant biology. Enormous herbarium collections are an important source of material especially for specimens from areas difficult to access or from taxa that are now extinct. The ability to utilize these specimens greatly enhances the research. However, the process of extracting DNA from herbarium specimens is often fraught with difficulty related to such variables as plant chemistry, drying method of the specimen, and chemical treatment of the specimen. Although many methods have been developed for extraction of DNA from herbarium specimens, the most frequently used are modified CTAB and DNeasy Plant Mini Kit protocols. Nine selected protocols in this chapter have been successfully used for high-quality DNA extraction from different kinds of plant herbarium tissues. These methods differ primarily with respect to their requirements for input material (from algae to vascular plants), type of the plant tissue (leaves with incrustations, sclerenchyma strands, mucilaginous tissues, needles, seeds), and further possible applications (PCR-based methods or microsatellites, AFLP).

  5. High energy argon ion irradiations of polycrystalline iron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunlop, A.; Lesueur, D.; Lorenzelli, N.; Boulanger, L.

    1986-09-01

    We present here the results of our recent irradiations of polycrystalline iron targets with very energetic (1.76 GeV) Ar ions. The targets consist of piles of thin iron samples, the total thickness of each target being somewhat greater than the theoretical range (450 μm) of the ions. We can thus separate the phenomena which occur at different average energies of the ions and study during the slowing-down process: the different types of induced nuclear reactions. They allow us to determine the experimental range of the ions, the defect profiles in the targets, the structure of the displacement cascades (electron microscopy) and their stability

  6. CVD-graphene growth on different polycrystalline transition metals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. P. Lavin-Lopez

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The chemical vapor deposition (CVD graphene growth on two polycrystalline transition metals (Ni and Cu was investigated in detail using Raman spectroscopy and optical microscopy as a way to synthesize graphene of the highest quality (i.e. uniform growth of monolayer graphene, which is considered a key issue for electronic devices. Key CVD process parameters (reaction temperature, CH4/H2flow rate ratio, total flow of gases (CH4+H2, reaction time were optimized for both metals in order to obtain the highest graphene uniformity and quality. The conclusions previously reported in literature about the performance of low and high carbon solubility metals in the synthesis of graphene and their associated reaction mechanisms, i.e. surface depositionand precipitation on cooling, respectively, was not corroborated by the results obtained in this work. Under the optimal reaction conditions, a large percentage of monolayer graphene was obtained over the Ni foil since the carbon saturation was not complete, allowing carbon atoms to be stored in the bulk metal, which could diffuse forming high quality monolayer graphene at the surface. However, under the optimal reaction conditions, the formation of a non-uniform mixture of few layers and multilayer graphene on the Cu foil was related to the presence of an excess of active carbon atoms on the Cu surface.

  7. Gelcasting polycrystalline alumina

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Janney, M.A. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1997-04-01

    This work is being done as part of a CRADA with Osram-Sylvania, Inc. (OSI) OSI is a major U.S. manufacturer of high-intensity lighting. Among its products is the Lumalux{reg_sign} line of high-pressure sodium vapor arc lamps, which are used for industrial, highway, and street lighting. The key to the performance of these lamps is the polycrystalline alumina (PCA) tube that is used to contain the plasma that is formed in the electric arc. That plasma consists of ionized sodium, mercury, and xenon vapors. The key attributes of the PCA tubes are their transparency (95% total transmittance in the visible region), their refractoriness (inner wall temperature can reach 1400{degrees}C), and their chemical resistance (sodium and mercury vapor are extremely corrosive). The current efficiency of the lamps is very high, on the order of several hundred lumens / watt. (Compare - incandescent lamps -13 lumens/watt fluorescent lamps -30 lumens/watt.) Osram-Sylvania would like to explore using gelcasting to form PCA tubes for Lumalux{reg_sign} lamps, and eventually for metal halide lamps (known as quartz-halogen lamps). Osram-Sylvania, Inc. currently manufactures PCA tubes by isostatic pressing. This process works well for the shapes that they presently use. However, there are several types of tubes that are either difficult or impossible to make by isostatic pressing. It is the desire to make these new shapes and sizes of tubes that has prompted Osram-Sylvania`s interest in gelcasting. The purpose of the CRADA is to determine the feasibility of making PCA items having sufficient optical quality that they are useful in lighting applications using gelcasting.

  8. Monitoring microstructural evolution in-situ during cyclic deformation by high resolution reciprocal space mapping

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Diederichs, Annika Martina; Thiel, Felix; Fischer, Torben

    2017-01-01

    The recently developed synchrotron technique High Resolution Reciprocal Space Mapping (HRRSM) is used to characterize the deformation structures evolving during cyclic deformation of commercially pure, polycrystalline aluminium AA1050. Insight into the structural reorganization within single grains...... is gained by in-situ monitoring of the microstructural evolution during cyclic deformation. By HRRSM, a large number of individual subgrains can be resolved within individual grains in the bulk of polycrystalline specimens and their fate, their individual orientation and elastic stresses, tracked during...

  9. Measurement of grain size of polycrystalline materials with confocal energy dispersive micro-X-ray diffraction technology based on polycapillary X-ray optics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Weiyuan; Liu, Zhiguo [The Key Laboratory of Beam Technology and Materials Modification of the Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Beijing Radiation Center, Beijing 100875 (China); Sun, Tianxi, E-mail: stx@bnu.edu.cn [The Key Laboratory of Beam Technology and Materials Modification of the Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Beijing Radiation Center, Beijing 100875 (China); Peng, Song [The Key Laboratory of Beam Technology and Materials Modification of the Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Beijing Radiation Center, Beijing 100875 (China); Ma, Yongzhong [Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Beijing, Beijing 100013 (China); Li, Fangzuo; Sun, Xuepeng; Ding, Xunliang [The Key Laboratory of Beam Technology and Materials Modification of the Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Beijing Radiation Center, Beijing 100875 (China)

    2014-11-11

    The confocal energy dispersive micro-X-ray diffraction (EDMXRD) based on polycapillary X-ray optics was used to determine the grain size of polycrystalline materials. The grain size of a metallographic specimen of nickel base alloy was measured by using the confocal EDMXRD. The experimental results demonstrated that the confocal EDMXRD had potential applications in measuring large grain size.

  10. Improved Specimen-Referral System and Increased Access to Quality Laboratory Services in Ethiopia: The Role of the Public-Private Partnership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kebede, Yenew; Fonjungo, Peter N; Tibesso, Gudeta; Shrivastava, Ritu; Nkengasong, John N; Kenyon, Thomas; Kebede, Amha; Gadde, Renuka; Ayana, Gonfa

    2016-04-15

    Nonstandardized specimen-transport logistics, lack of laboratory personnel to transport specimens, lack of standard specimen containers, and long turnaround time (TAT) hindered access to quality laboratory services. The objective of the Becton, Dickinson, and Company (BD)-US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) was to support country-specific programs to develop integrated laboratory systems, services, and quality improvement strategies, with an emphasis on strengthening the specimen-referral system (SRS). In 2007, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) joined with the BD-PEPFAR PPP to strengthen laboratory systems. A joint planning and assessment committee identified gaps in the SRS for prioritization and intervention and piloted the system in Addis Ababa and Amhara Region. The PPP established standardized, streamlined specimen logistics, using the Ethiopian Postal Service Enterprise to support a laboratory network in which 554 facilities referred specimens to 160 laboratories. The PPP supported procuring 400 standard specimen containers and the training of 586 laboratory personnel and 81 postal workers. The average TAT was reduced from 7 days (range, 2-14 days) to 2 days (range, 1-3 days) in Addis Ababa and from 10 days (range, 6-21 days) to 5 days (range, 2-6 days) in Amhara Region. This study highlights the feasibility and untapped potential of PPPs to strengthen laboratory systems. This planned and structured approach to improving specimen referral enhanced access to quality laboratory services. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Obtaining of polycrystalline silicon for semiconductor industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukashev, F.; Nauryzbaev, M.; Kolesnikov, B.; Ivanov, Y.

    1996-01-01

    The purpose of the project is to create pilot equipment and optimize the process of obtaining polycrystalline silicon on semi-industrial level. In the past several decades, the historical experience in the developing countries has shown that one of the most promising ways to improve the economy,of a country is to establish semiconductor industry. First of all, the results can help increase defense, national security and create industrial production. The silane method, which has been traditionally' used for obtaining technical and polycrystalline silicon, is to obtain and then to pyrolyzed mono-and poly silanes. Although the traditional methods of obtaining silicon hydrides have specific advantages, such as utilizing by-products, they also have clear shortcomings, i.e. either low output of the ultimate product ( through hydrolysis of Mg 2 Si) or high contents of by-products in it or high contents of dissolving vapors (through decomposing Mg 2 Si in non-water solutions)

  12. Effects of neutron irradiation on microstructure and deformation behaviour of mono- and polycrystalline molybdenum and its alloys

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Singh, B.N.; Evans, J.H.; Horsewell, A.

    1998-01-01

    The influence of neutron irradiation on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of mono- and polycrystalline molybdenum and its alloys has been investigated. Tensile specimens and 3 mm diameter discs of monocrystals of pure molybdenum and Mo-5%Re were irradiated with fission neutrons...... microscopy are presented and discussed in terms of intracascade clustering of self-interstitial atoms and the role of one-dimensional glide of these clusters in controlling microstructural evolution and the resulting mechanical properties....

  13. Strain Amount Dependent Grain Size and Orientation Developments during Hot Compression of a Polycrystalline Nickel Based Superalloy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guoai He

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Controlling grain size in polycrystalline nickel base superalloy is vital for obtaining required mechanical properties. Typically, a uniform and fine grain size is required throughout forging process to realize the superplastic deformation. Strain amount occupied a dominant position in manipulating the dynamic recrystallization (DRX process and regulating the grain size of the alloy during hot forging. In this article, the high-throughput double cone specimen was introduced to yield wide-range strain in a single sample. Continuous variations of effective strain ranging from 0.23 to 1.65 across the whole sample were achieved after reaching a height reduction of 70%. Grain size is measured to be decreased from the edge to the center of specimen with increase of effective strain. Small misorientation tended to generate near the grain boundaries, which was manifested as piled-up dislocation in micromechanics. After the dislocation density reached a critical value, DRX progress would be initiated at higher deformation region, leading to the refinement of grain size. During this process, the transformations from low angle grain boundaries (LAGBs to high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs and from subgrains to DRX grains are found to occur. After the accomplishment of DRX progress, the neonatal grains are presented as having similar orientation inside the grain boundary.

  14. Influence of specimen size and grain orientation to the life of a polycrystalline Ni-base alloy at LCF stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seibel, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    In the present work the LCF (Low Cycle Fatigue) crack initiation life of the conventionally cast Ni-base alloy RENE 80 was analyzed as a function of specimen size and grain orientation. Five specimen geometries with distinctly different gauge sections were used: 3 geometries with cylindrical gauge section (G1-G3) and two notched geometries with a stress concentration factor of α 1 = 1,62 (KG1) and α 2 = 2,60 (KG2), resulting in a maximum difference of the damage relevant surface area up to a factor of approximately 72. Correction factors were determined by FEM calculations for all specimen geometries with highly reduced gauge sections where direct strain measurement was not possible. Additionally a uniform failure criterion with a relatively small crack size of 0,962 mm 2 was defined. Totally, 116 isothermal LCF tests were carried out at the different specimen types at a temperature of 850 C in total strain control with a load ratio (minimum strain / maximum strain) of R ε = -1. The load cycles were applied with triangular waveform at a frequency of 0.1 Hz for high strain amplitudes and 1 Hz for low strain amplitudes, respectively. After the LCF-Tests the fracture surfaces of all samples were analyzed in more detail by SEM to identify the crack initiation mechanisms as well as the crack initiation sites. In this context it could be shown, that fatigue cracks were generally initiated at slip bands in surface grains. Accordingly, the grain orientations at the crack initiation sites were measured by electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) and the maximum shear stresses in the respective principal slip system (111) <110> was calculated using the Schmid approach. For this, longitudinal sections were be prepared exactly at the crack initiation sites of samples loaded with low strain amplitudes where clearly defined single crack initiation sites were observed. Afterwards the maximum shear stress in the principal slip system at the crack initiation site was correlated

  15. Growth of high quality large area MgB2 thin films by reactive evaporation

    OpenAIRE

    Moeckly, Brian H.; Ruby, Ward S.

    2006-01-01

    We report a new in-situ reactive deposition thin film growth technique for the production of MgB2 thin films which offers several advantages over all existing methods and is the first deposition method to enable the production of high-quality MgB2 films for real-world applications. We have used this growth method, which incorporates a rotating pocket heater, to deposit MgB2 films on a variety of substrates, including single-crystalline, polycrystalline, metallic, and semiconductor materials u...

  16. Influence of ammonia flow rate for improving properties of polycrystalline GaN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariff, A.; Ahmad, M. A.; Hassan, Z.; Zainal, N.

    2018-06-01

    Post-annealing treatment in ammonia ambient is widely accepted for GaN material, but less works have been done to investigate the influence of the ammonia (NH3) flow rate for reducing the N-deficiency as well as improving the quality of the material. In this work, we investigated the influence of NH3 flow rate at 1, 2, 3, and 4 slm in improving properties of a ∼1 μm thick polycrystalline GaN layer. Our simulation work suggested that the uniformity of temperature and pressure gradient of the NH3 gas did not lead to the reduction of N-deficiency of the polycrystalline GaN layer. Instead, it was found that the mitigation of the N-deficiency was strongly influenced by the fluid velocity of the NH3 gas, which had passed over the layer. Either at lower or higher fluid velocity, the chance for the active N atoms to incorporate into the GaN lattice structure was low. Therefore, the N-deficiency on the polycrystalline GaN layer could not be minimized under these conditions. As measured by EDX, the N atoms incorporation was the most effective when the NH3 flow rate at 3 slm, suggesting the flow rate significantly improved the N-deficiency of the polycrystalline GaN layer. Furthermore, it favored the formation of larger hexagonal faceted grains, with the smallest FWHM of XRD peaks from the GaN diffractions in (10 1 bar 0), (0002) and (10 1 bar 1) orientations, while allowing the polycrystalline GaN layer to show sharp and intense emissions peak of NBE in a PL spectrum.

  17. Electrical properties of grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials under intrinsic or low doping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chowdhury, M H; Kabir, M Z

    2011-01-01

    An analytical model is developed to study the electrical properties (electric field and potential distributions, potential energy barrier height and polarization phenomenon) of polycrystalline materials at intrinsic or low doping for detector and solar cell applications by considering an arbitrary amount of grain boundary charge and a finite width of grain boundary region. The general grain boundary model is also applicable to highly doped polycrystalline materials. The electric field and potential distributions are obtained by solving Poisson's equation in both depleted grains and grain boundary regions. The electric field and potential distributions across the detector are analysed under various doping, trapping and applied biases. The electric field collapses, i.e. a nearly zero-average electric field region exists in some part of the biased detector at high trapped charge densities at the grain boundaries. The model explains the conditions of existence of a zero-average field region, i.e. the polarization mechanisms in polycrystalline materials. The potential energy barrier at the grain boundary exists if the electric field changes its sign at the opposite side of the grain boundary. The energy barrier does not exist in all grain boundaries in the low-doped polycrystalline detector and it never exists in intrinsic polycrystalline detectors under applied bias condition provided that there is no charge trapping in the grain.

  18. Characterization of electrochemically modified polycrystalline platinum surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krebs, L.C.; Ishida, Takanobu.

    1991-12-01

    The characterization of electrochemically modified polycrystalline platinum surfaces has been accomplished through the use of four major electrochemical techniques. These were chronoamperometry, chronopotentiommetry, cyclic voltammetry, and linear sweep voltammetry. A systematic study on the under-potential deposition of several transition metals has been performed. The most interesting of these were: Ag, Cu, Cd, and Pb. It was determined, by subjecting the platinum electrode surface to a single potential scan between {minus}0.24 and +1.25 V{sub SCE} while stirring the solution, that the electrocatalytic activity would be regenerated. As a consequence of this study, a much simpler method for producing ultra high purity water from acidic permanganate has been developed. This method results in water that surpasses the water produced by pyrocatalytic distillation. It has also been seen that the wettability of polycrystalline platinum surfaces is greatly dependent on the quantity of oxide present. Oxide-free platinum is hydrophobic and gives a contact angle in the range of 55 to 62 degrees. We have also modified polycrystalline platinum surface with the electrically conducting polymer poly-{rho}-phenylene. This polymer is very stable in dilute sulfuric acid solutions, even under applied oxidative potentials. It is also highly resistant to electrochemical hydrogenation. The wettability of the polymer modified platinum surface is severely dependent on the choice of supporting electrolyte chosen for the electrochemical polymerization. Tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate produces a film that is as hydrophobic as Teflon, whereas tetraethylammonium perchlorate produces a film that is more hydrophilic than oxide-free platinum.

  19. Characterization of electrochemically modified polycrystalline platinum surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krebs, Leonard C. [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY (United States); Ishida, Takanobu [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY (United States)

    1991-12-01

    The characterization of electrochemically modified polycrystalline platinum surfaces has been accomplished through the use of four major electrochemical techniques. These were chronoamperometry, chronopotentiommetry, cyclic voltammetry, and linear sweep voltammetry. A systematic study on the under-potential deposition of several transition metals has been performed. The most interesting of these were: Ag, Cu, Cd, and Pb. It was determined, by subjecting the platinum electrode surface to a single potential scan between -0.24 and +1.25 VSCE while stirring the solution, that the electrocatalytic activity would be regenerated. As a consequence of this study, a much simpler method for producing ultra high purity water from acidic permanganate has been developed. This method results in water that surpasses the water produced by pyrocatalytic distillation. It has also been seen that the wettability of polycrystalline platinum surfaces is greatly dependent on the quantity of oxide present. Oxide-free platinum is hydrophobic and gives a contact angle in the range of 55 to 62 degrees. We have also modified polycrystalline platinum surface with the electrically conducting polymer poly-ρ-phenylene. This polymer is very stable in dilute sulfuric acid solutions, even under applied oxidative potentials. It is also highly resistant to electrochemical hydrogenation. The wettability of the polymer modified platinum surface is severely dependent on the choice of supporting electrolyte chosen for the electrochemical polymerization. Tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate produces a film that is as hydrophobic as Teflon, whereas tetraethylammonium perchlorate produces a film that is more hydrophilic than oxide-free platinum.

  20. Dried blood spot specimen quality and validation of a new pre-analytical processing method for qualitative HIV-1 PCR, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Govender, Kerusha; Parboosing, Raveen; Siyaca, Ntombizandile; Moodley, Pravikrishnen

    2016-01-01

    Poor quality dried blood spot (DBS) specimens are usually rejected by virology laboratories, affecting early infant diagnosis of HIV. The practice of combining two incompletely-filled DBS in one specimen preparation tube during pre-analytical specimen processing (i.e., the two-spot method) has been implemented to reduce the number of specimens being rejected for insufficient volume. This study analysed laboratory data to describe the quality of DBS specimens and the use of the two-spot method over a one-year period, then validated the two-spot method against the standard (one-spot) method. Data on HIV-1 PCR test requests submitted in 2014 to the Department of Virology at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa were analysed to describe reasons for specimen rejection, as well as results of the two-spot method. The accuracy, lower limit of detection and precision of the two-spot method were assessed. Of the 88 481 specimens received, 3.7% were rejected for pre-analytical problems. Of those, 48.9% were rejected as a result of insufficient specimen volume. Two health facilities had significantly more specimen rejections than other facilities. The two-spot method prevented 10 504 specimen rejections. The Pearson correlation coefficient comparing the standard to the two-spot method was 0.997. The two-spot method was comparable with the standard method of pre-analytical specimen processing. Two health facilities were identified for targeted retraining on specimen quality. The two-spot method of DBS specimen processing can be used as an adjunct to retraining, to reduce the number of specimens rejected and improve linkage to care.

  1. Dried blood spot specimen quality and validation of a new pre-analytical processing method for qualitative HIV-1 PCR, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parboosing, Raveen; Siyaca, Ntombizandile; Moodley, Pravikrishnen

    2016-01-01

    Background Poor quality dried blood spot (DBS) specimens are usually rejected by virology laboratories, affecting early infant diagnosis of HIV. The practice of combining two incompletely-filled DBS in one specimen preparation tube during pre-analytical specimen processing (i.e., the two-spot method) has been implemented to reduce the number of specimens being rejected for insufficient volume. Objectives This study analysed laboratory data to describe the quality of DBS specimens and the use of the two-spot method over a one-year period, then validated the two-spot method against the standard (one-spot) method. Methods Data on HIV-1 PCR test requests submitted in 2014 to the Department of Virology at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa were analysed to describe reasons for specimen rejection, as well as results of the two-spot method. The accuracy, lower limit of detection and precision of the two-spot method were assessed. Results Of the 88 481 specimens received, 3.7% were rejected for pre-analytical problems. Of those, 48.9% were rejected as a result of insufficient specimen volume. Two health facilities had significantly more specimen rejections than other facilities. The two-spot method prevented 10 504 specimen rejections. The Pearson correlation coefficient comparing the standard to the two-spot method was 0.997. Conclusions The two-spot method was comparable with the standard method of pre-analytical specimen processing. Two health facilities were identified for targeted retraining on specimen quality. The two-spot method of DBS specimen processing can be used as an adjunct to retraining, to reduce the number of specimens rejected and improve linkage to care. PMID:28879108

  2. Microcolumnar and polycrystalline growth of LaBr3:Ce scintillator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagarkar, V. V.; Miller, S.; Sia, R.; Gaysinskiy, V.

    2011-05-01

    While a wide variety of new scintillators are now available, cerium-doped lanthanide halide scintillators have shown a strong potential toward fulfilling the needs of highly demanding applications such as radioisotope identification at room temperature, homeland security, quantitative molecular imaging for medical diagnostics, and disease staging and research. Despite their extraordinary advantages in terms of light yield and response uniformity over a wide energy range, issues related to reliable, large volume manufacturing of these high-light-yield materials in a rapid and economic manner has not been resolved or purposefully addressed. Here we report on synthesizing LaBr3:Ce scintillator using a thermal evaporation technique, which offers the potential to synthesize large quantities of small-to-large volume, high-quality material in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner. To date we have successfully applied this method to form both microcolumnar films and thick polycrystalline slabs of LaBr3:Ce, and have characterized their light yield, response linearity, decay time and afterglow.

  3. Formation and evolution of tweed structures on high-purity aluminum polycrystalline foils under cyclic tension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuznetsov, P. V.; Vlasov, I. V.; Sklyarova, E. A.; Smekalina, T. V.

    2015-01-01

    Peculiarities of formation and evolution of tweed structures on the surface of high-purity aluminum polycrystalline foils under cyclic tension were studied using an atom force microscope and a white light interferometer. Tweed structures of micron and submicron sizes were found on the foils at different number of cycles. In the range of 42,000 < N < 95,000 cycles destruction of tweed patterns is observed, which leads to their disappearance from the surface of the foils. Formation of tweed structures of various scales is discussed in terms of the Grinfeld instability

  4. X-ray stress analysis in textured polycrystalline materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yokoyama, Ryouichi; Harada, Jimpei

    2010-01-01

    The relationship between stress and strain in polycrystalline materials with fibre texture is examined on the basis of the strain analysis in the constituent crystallites within the Reuss approximation. By introducing the symmetry of reciprocal lattices for the constituent crystallites, the physical meaning of taking an average of the strains observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) is made clear. By using formulae obtained by the present treatment for the stress-strain relation in cubic specimens with fibre texture in the Laue classes m3-bar m hkl Bragg reflections with h≠k≠l split into doublets owing to the existence of crystallites with two different orientations under the stress field. This technique was confirmed by the profile analysis in XRD data observed for reflections of 222 and 420 in a cubic TiN thin film sputtered on a polyimide film. The technique of the stress analysis and its confirmation are introduced. (author)

  5. Estimation of Single-Crystal Elastic Constants of Polycrystalline Materials from Back-Scattered Grain Noise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haldipur, P.; Margetan, F. J.; Thompson, R. B.

    2006-01-01

    Single-crystal elastic stiffness constants are important input parameters for many calculations in material science. There are well established methods to measure these constants using single-crystal specimens, but such specimens are not always readily available. The ultrasonic properties of metal polycrystals, such as velocity, attenuation, and backscattered grain noise characteristics, depend in part on the single-crystal elastic constants. In this work we consider the estimation of elastic constants from UT measurements and grain-sizing data. We confine ourselves to a class of particularly simple polycrystalline microstructures, found in some jet-engine Nickel alloys, which are single-phase, cubic, equiaxed, and untextured. In past work we described a method to estimate the single-crystal elastic constants from measured ultrasonic velocity and attenuation data accompanied by metallographic analysis of grain size. However, that methodology assumes that all attenuation is due to grain scattering, and thus is not valid if appreciable absorption is present. In this work we describe an alternative approach which uses backscattered grain noise data in place of attenuation data. Efforts to validate the method using a pure copper specimen are discussed, and new results for two jet-engine Nickel alloys are presented

  6. Thin polycrystalline diamond films protecting zirconium alloys surfaces: From technology to layer analysis and application in nuclear facilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ashcheulov, P. [Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences Czech Republic v.v.i, Na Slovance 2, CZ-182 21, Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Škoda, R.; Škarohlíd, J. [Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technická 4, Prague 6, CZ-160 07 (Czech Republic); Taylor, A.; Fekete, L.; Fendrych, F. [Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences Czech Republic v.v.i, Na Slovance 2, CZ-182 21, Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Vega, R.; Shao, L. [Texas A& M University, Department of Nuclear Engineering TAMU-3133, College Station, TX TX 77843 (United States); Kalvoda, L.; Vratislav, S. [Faculty of Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Brehova 7, CZ-115 19, Prague 1 (Czech Republic); Cháb, V.; Horáková, K.; Kůsová, K.; Klimša, L.; Kopeček, J. [Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences Czech Republic v.v.i, Na Slovance 2, CZ-182 21, Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Sajdl, P.; Macák, J. [University of Chemistry and Technology, Power Engineering Department, Technická 3, Prague 6, CZ-166 28 (Czech Republic); Johnson, S. [Nuclear Fuel Division, Westinghouse Electric Company, 5801 Bluff Road, Hopkins, SC 29209 (United States); Kratochvílová, I., E-mail: krat@fzu.cz [Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences Czech Republic v.v.i, Na Slovance 2, CZ-182 21, Prague 8 (Czech Republic); Faculty of Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Brehova 7, CZ-115 19, Prague 1 (Czech Republic)

    2015-12-30

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • In this work we showed that films prepared by MW-LA-PECVD technology can be used as anticorrosion protective layer for Zircaloy2 nuclear fuel claddings at elevated temperatures (950 °C) when α phase of zirconium changes to β phase (more opened for oxygen/hydrogen diffusion). Quality of PCD films was examined by Raman spectroscopy, XPS, SEM, AFM and SIMS analysis. • The polycrystalline diamond films were of high quality - without defects and contaminations. After hot steam oxidation (950 °C) a high level of structural integrity of PCD layer was observed. Both sp{sup 2} and sp{sup 3} C phases were present in the protective PCD layer. Higher resistance and a lower degree of impedance dispersion was found in the hot steam oxidized PCD coated Zircaloy2 samples, which may suggest better protection of the Zircaloy2 surface. The PCD layer blocks the hydrogen diffusion into the Zircaloy2 surface thus protecting the material from degradation. • Hot steam oxidation tests confirmed that PCD coated Zircaloy2 surfaces were effectively protected against corrosion. Presented results demonstrate that the PCD anticorrosion protection can significantly prolong service life of Zircaloy2 nuclear fuel claddings in nuclear reactors even at elevated temperatures. - Abstract: Zirconium alloys can be effectively protected against corrosion by polycrystalline diamond (PCD) layers grown in microwave plasma enhanced linear antenna chemical vapor deposition apparatus. Standard and hot steam oxidized PCD layers grown on Zircaloy2 surfaces were examined and the specific impact of polycrystalline Zr substrate surface on PCD layer properties was investigated. It was found that the presence of the PCD coating blocks hydrogen diffusion into the Zircaloy2 surface and protects Zircaloy2 material from degradation. PCD anticorrosion protection of Zircaloy2 can significantly prolong life of Zircaloy2 material in nuclear reactors even at temperatures above Zr

  7. Temperature-dependent plastic hysteresis in highly confined polycrystalline Nb films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waheed, S.; Hao, R.; Zheng, Z.; Wheeler, J. M.; Michler, J.; Balint, D. S.; Giuliani, F.

    2018-02-01

    In this study, the effect of temperature on the cyclic deformation behaviour of a confined polycrystalline Nb film is investigated. Micropillars encapsulating a thin niobium interlayer are deformed under cyclic axial compression at different test temperatures. A distinct plastic hysteresis is observed for samples tested at elevated temperatures, whereas negligible plastic hysteresis is observed for samples tested at room temperature. These results are interpreted using planar discrete dislocation plasticity incorporating slip transmission across grain boundaries. The effect of temperature-dependent grain boundary energy and dislocation mobility on dislocation penetration and, consequently, the size of plastic hysteresis is simulated to correlate with the experimental results. It is found that the decrease in grain boundary energy barrier caused by the increase in temperature does not lead to any appreciable change in the cyclic response. However, dislocation mobility significantly affects the size of plastic hysteresis, with high mobilities leading to a larger hysteresis. Therefore, it is postulated that the experimental observations are predominantly caused by an increase in dislocation mobility as the temperature is increased above the critical temperature of body-centred cubic niobium.

  8. High-temperature laser annealing for thin film polycrystalline silicon solar cell on glass substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chowdhury, A.; Schneider, J.; Dore, J.; Mermet, F.; Slaoui, A.

    2012-06-01

    Thin film polycrystalline silicon films grown on glass substrate were irradiated with an infrared continuous wave laser for defects annealing and/or dopants activation. The samples were uniformly scanned using an attachment with the laser system. Substrate temperature, scan speed and laser power were varied to find suitable laser annealing conditions. The Raman spectroscopy and Suns- V oc analysis were carried out to qualify the films quality after laser annealing. A maximum enhancement of the open circuit voltage V oc of about 100 mV is obtained after laser annealing of as-grown polysilicon structures. A strong correlation was found between the full width half maximum of the Si crystalline peak and V oc. It is interpreted as due to defects annealing as well as to dopants activation in the absorbing silicon layer. The maximum V oc reached is 485 mV after laser treatment and plasma hydrogenation, thanks to defects passivation.

  9. Dislocation structures around crack tips of fatigued polycrystalline copper

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaneko, Yoshihisa; Ishikawa, Masao; Hashimoto, Satoshi

    2005-01-01

    Dislocation structures near fatigue cracks of polycrystalline copper specimens were analyzed using the electron channelling contrast imaging (ECCI) technique. Prior to the ECCI observations, optical microscopy was conducted to classify the fatigue crack morphologies into several kinds. It was found that the dislocation structures were correlated with the slip morphologies observed using the optical microscope. The cell structure almost corresponded to the severely deformed plastic zone where the individual slip bands could not be identified. The labyrinth dislocation structure was detected at the double-slip region. Ladder-like dislocation structure was detected ahead of the Stage I type fatigue crack. Hence, it can be said that the persistent slip band (PSB) was a favorable crack path. However, the microscopic route of the crack growth was not along the PSB but along the cell structure, which was developed locally in the vicinity of the crack tip

  10. Investigation of smooth specimen scc test procedures; variations in environment, specimen size, stressing frame, and stress state. [for high strength aluminum alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lifka, B. W.; Sprowls, D. O.; Kelsey, R. A.

    1975-01-01

    The variables studied in the stress-corrosion cracking performance of high strength aluminum alloys were: (1) corrosiveness of the environment, (2) specimen size and stiffness of the stressing system, (3) interpretation of transgranular cracking, and (4) interaction of the state of stress and specimen orientation in a product with an anisotropic grain structure. It was shown that the probability of failure and time to fracture for a specimen loaded in direct tension are influenced by corrosion pattern, the stressing assembly stiffness, and the notch tensile strength of the alloy. Results demonstrate that the combination of a normal tension stress and a shear stress acting on the plane of maximum susceptibility in a product with a highly directional grain cause the greatest tendency for stress-corrosion cracking.

  11. Microscopic gate-modulation imaging of charge and field distribution in polycrystalline organic transistors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsuoka, Satoshi; Tsutsumi, Jun'ya; Kamata, Toshihide; Hasegawa, Tatsuo

    2018-04-01

    In this work, a high-resolution microscopic gate-modulation imaging (μ-GMI) technique is successfully developed to visualize inhomogeneous charge and electric field distributions in operating organic thin-film transistors (TFTs). We conduct highly sensitive and diffraction-limit gate-modulation sensing for acquiring difference images of semiconducting channels between at gate-on and gate-off states that are biased at an alternate frequency of 15 Hz. As a result, we observe unexpectedly inhomogeneous distribution of positive and negative local gate-modulation (GM) signals at a probe photon energy of 1.85 eV in polycrystalline pentacene TFTs. Spectroscopic analyses based on a series of μ-GMI at various photon energies reveal that two distinct effects appear, simultaneously, within the polycrystalline pentacene channel layers: Negative GM signals at 1.85 eV originate from the second-derivative-like GM spectrum which is caused by the effect of charge accumulation, whereas positive GM signals originate from the first-derivative-like GM spectrum caused by the effect of leaked gate fields. Comparisons with polycrystalline morphologies indicate that grain centers are predominated by areas with high leaked gate fields due to the low charge density, whereas grain edges are predominantly high-charge-density areas with a certain spatial extension as associated with the concentrated carrier traps. Consequently, it is reasonably understood that larger grains lead to higher device mobility, but with greater inhomogeneity in charge distribution. These findings provide a clue to understand and improve device characteristics of polycrystalline TFTs.

  12. Impact of specimen adequacy on the assessment of renal allograft biopsy specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cimen, S; Geldenhuys, L; Guler, S; Imamoglu, A; Molinari, M

    2016-01-01

    The Banff classification was introduced to achieve uniformity in the assessment of renal allograft biopsies. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of specimen adequacy on the Banff classification. All renal allograft biopsies obtained between July 2010 and June 2012 for suspicion of acute rejection were included. Pre-biopsy clinical data on suspected diagnosis and time from renal transplantation were provided to a nephropathologist who was blinded to the original pathological report. Second pathological readings were compared with the original to assess agreement stratified by specimen adequacy. Cohen's kappa test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analyses. Forty-nine specimens were reviewed. Among these specimens, 81.6% were classified as adequate, 6.12% as minimal, and 12.24% as unsatisfactory. The agreement analysis among the first and second readings revealed a kappa value of 0.97. Full agreement between readings was found in 75% of the adequate specimens, 66.7 and 50% for minimal and unsatisfactory specimens, respectively. There was no agreement between readings in 5% of the adequate specimens and 16.7% of the unsatisfactory specimens. For the entire sample full agreement was found in 71.4%, partial agreement in 20.4% and no agreement in 8.2% of the specimens. Statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test yielded a P value above 0.25 showing that - probably due to small sample size - the results were not statistically significant. Specimen adequacy may be a determinant of a diagnostic agreement in renal allograft specimen assessment. While additional studies including larger case numbers are required to further delineate the impact of specimen adequacy on the reliability of histopathological assessments, specimen quality must be considered during clinical decision making while dealing with biopsy reports based on minimal or unsatisfactory specimens.

  13. Process Research on Polycrystalline Silicon Material (PROPSM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culik, J. S.; Wrigley, C. Y.

    1985-01-01

    Results of hydrogen-passivated polycrysalline silicon solar cell research are summarized. The short-circuit current of solar cells fabricated from large-grain cast polycrystalline silicon is nearly equivalent to that of single-crystal cells, which indicates long bulk minority-carrier diffusion length. Treatments with molecular hydrogen showed no effect on large-grain cast polycrystalline silicon solar cells.

  14. Evolutionary selection growth of two-dimensional materials on polycrystalline substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vlassiouk, Ivan V.; Stehle, Yijing; Pudasaini, Pushpa Raj; Unocic, Raymond R.; Rack, Philip D.; Baddorf, Arthur P.; Ivanov, Ilia N.; Lavrik, Nickolay V.; List, Frederick; Gupta, Nitant; Bets, Ksenia V.; Yakobson, Boris I.; Smirnov, Sergei N.

    2018-03-01

    There is a demand for the manufacture of two-dimensional (2D) materials with high-quality single crystals of large size. Usually, epitaxial growth is considered the method of choice1 in preparing single-crystalline thin films, but it requires single-crystal substrates for deposition. Here we present a different approach and report the synthesis of single-crystal-like monolayer graphene films on polycrystalline substrates. The technological realization of the proposed method resembles the Czochralski process and is based on the evolutionary selection2 approach, which is now realized in 2D geometry. The method relies on `self-selection' of the fastest-growing domain orientation, which eventually overwhelms the slower-growing domains and yields a single-crystal continuous 2D film. Here we have used it to synthesize foot-long graphene films at rates up to 2.5 cm h-1 that possess the quality of a single crystal. We anticipate that the proposed approach could be readily adopted for the synthesis of other 2D materials and heterostructures.

  15. Museum genomics: low-cost and high-accuracy genetic data from historical specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rowe, Kevin C; Singhal, Sonal; Macmanes, Matthew D; Ayroles, Julien F; Morelli, Toni Lyn; Rubidge, Emily M; Bi, Ke; Moritz, Craig C

    2011-11-01

    Natural history collections are unparalleled repositories of geographical and temporal variation in faunal conditions. Molecular studies offer an opportunity to uncover much of this variation; however, genetic studies of historical museum specimens typically rely on extracting highly degraded and chemically modified DNA samples from skins, skulls or other dried samples. Despite this limitation, obtaining short fragments of DNA sequences using traditional PCR amplification of DNA has been the primary method for genetic study of historical specimens. Few laboratories have succeeded in obtaining genome-scale sequences from historical specimens and then only with considerable effort and cost. Here, we describe a low-cost approach using high-throughput next-generation sequencing to obtain reliable genome-scale sequence data from a traditionally preserved mammal skin and skull using a simple extraction protocol. We show that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the genome sequences obtained independently from the skin and from the skull are highly repeatable compared to a reference genome. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  16. Arsenic implantation into polycrystalline silicon and diffusion to silicon substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsukamoto, K.; Akasaka, Y.; Horie, K.

    1977-01-01

    Arsenic implantation into polycrystalline silicon and drive-in diffusion to silicon substrate have been investigated by MeV He + backscattering analysis and also by electrical measurements. The range distributions of arsenic implanted into polycrystalline silicon are well fitted to Gaussian distributions over the energy range 60--350 keV. The measured values of R/sub P/ and ΔR/sub P/ are about 10 and 20% larger than the theoretical predictions, respectively. The effective diffusion coefficient of arsenic implanted into polycrystalline silicon is expressed as D=0.63 exp[(-3.22 eV/kT)] and is independent of the arsenic concentration. The drive-in diffusion of arsenic from the implanted polycrystalline silicon layer into the silicon substrate is significantly affected by the diffusion atmosphere. In the N 2 atmosphere, a considerable amount of arsenic atoms diffuses outward to the ambient. The outdiffusion can be suppressed by encapsulation with Si 3 N 4 . In the oxidizing atmosphere, arsenic atoms are driven inward by growing SiO 2 due to the segregation between SiO 2 and polycrystalline silicon, and consequently the drive-in diffusion of arsenic is enhanced. At the interface between the polycrystalline silicon layer and the silicon substrate, arsenic atoms are likely to segregate at the polycrystalline silicon side

  17. Assembly and Delivery of Rabbit Capsules for Irradiation of Silicon Carbide Cladding Tube Specimens in the High Flux Isotope Reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koyanagi, Takaaki [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Petrie, Christian M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2017-09-01

    Neutron irradiation of silicon carbide (SiC)-based fuel cladding under a high radial heat flux presents a critical challenge for SiC cladding concepts in light water reactors (LWRs). Fission heating in the fuel provides a high heat flux through the cladding, which, combined with the degraded thermal conductivity of SiC under irradiation, results in a large temperature gradient through the thickness of the cladding. The strong temperature dependence of swelling in SiC creates a complex stress profile in SiCbased cladding tubes as a result of differential swelling. The Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) Program within the US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy is supporting research efforts to improve the scientific understanding of the effects of irradiation on SiC cladding tubes. Ultimately, the results of this project will provide experimental validation of multi-physics models for SiC-based fuel cladding during LWR operation. The first objective of this project is to irradiate tube specimens using a previously developed design that allows for irradiation testing of miniature SiC tube specimens subjected to a high radial heat flux. The previous “rabbit” capsule design uses the gamma heating in the core of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to drive a high heat flux through the cladding tube specimens. A compressible aluminum foil allows for a constant thermal contact conductance between the cladding tubes and the rabbit housing despite swelling of the SiC tubes. To allow separation of the effects of irradiation from those due to differential swelling under a high heat flux, a new design was developed under the NSUF program. This design allows for irradiation of similar SiC cladding tube specimens without a high radial heat flux. This report briefly describes the irradiation experiment design concepts, summarizes the irradiation test matrix, and reports on the successful delivery of six rabbit capsules to the HFIR. Rabbits of both low and high

  18. Preliminary microstructural examination of high and low ductility type 316 creep rupture specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolton, C.J.; Cordwell, J.E.; Hooper, A.J.; Marshall, P.; Steeds, J.; Wickens, A.

    1977-09-01

    A preliminary report is presented dealing with the examination of creep specimens from five casts of AISI Type 316 stainless steel which ruptured with variable ductility. Specimen microstructures and attempts to identify factors responsible for high or low creep ductility are discussed. (author)

  19. Inelastic x-ray scattering from polycrystalline materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fischer, I.

    2008-09-01

    Inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) is a tool to determine the phonon dispersion along high symmetry directions in single crystals. However, novel materials and crystals under extreme conditions are often only available in form of polycrystalline samples. Thus the investigation is limited to orientation-averaged properties. To overcome these limitations, a methodology to extract the single crystal phonon dispersion from polycrystalline materials was developed. The approach consists of recording IXS spectra over a large momentum transfer region and confront them with a Born - von Karman model calculation. A least-square refinement of the model IXS spectra then provides the single crystal dispersion scheme. In this work the method is developed on the test case Be. Further studies were performed on more and more complex systems, in order to explore the limitations. This novel application of IXS promises to be a valuable tool in cases where single crystalline materials are not available. (author)

  20. Unexpected pressure induced ductileness tuning in sulfur doped polycrystalline nickel metal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng Guo

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The sulfur induced embrittlement of polycrystalline nickel (Ni metal has been a long-standing mystery. It is suggested that sulfur impurity makes ductile Ni metal brittle in many industry applications due to various mechanisms, such as impurity segregation and disorder-induced melting etc. Here we report an observation that the most ductile measurement occurs at a critical sulfur doping concentration, 14 at.% at pressure from 14 GPa up to 29 GPa through texture evolution analysis. The synchrotron-based high pressure texturing measurements using radial diamond anvil cell (rDAC X-ray diffraction (XRD techniques reveal that the activities of slip systems in the polycrystalline nickel metal are affected by sulfur impurities and external pressures, giving rise to the changes in the plastic deformation of the nickel metal. Dislocation dynamics (DD simulation on dislocation density and velocity further confirms the pressure induced ductilization changes in S doped Ni metal. This observation and simulation suggests that the ductilization of the doped polycrystalline nickel metal can be optimized by engineering the sulfur concentration under pressure, shedding a light on tuning the mechanical properties of this material for better high pressure applications.

  1. Unexpected pressure induced ductileness tuning in sulfur doped polycrystalline nickel metal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Cheng; Yang, Yan; Tan, Liuxi; Lei, Jialin; Guo, Shengmin; Chen, Bin; Yan, Jinyuan; Yang, Shizhong

    2018-02-01

    The sulfur induced embrittlement of polycrystalline nickel (Ni) metal has been a long-standing mystery. It is suggested that sulfur impurity makes ductile Ni metal brittle in many industry applications due to various mechanisms, such as impurity segregation and disorder-induced melting etc. Here we report an observation that the most ductile measurement occurs at a critical sulfur doping concentration, 14 at.% at pressure from 14 GPa up to 29 GPa through texture evolution analysis. The synchrotron-based high pressure texturing measurements using radial diamond anvil cell (rDAC) X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques reveal that the activities of slip systems in the polycrystalline nickel metal are affected by sulfur impurities and external pressures, giving rise to the changes in the plastic deformation of the nickel metal. Dislocation dynamics (DD) simulation on dislocation density and velocity further confirms the pressure induced ductilization changes in S doped Ni metal. This observation and simulation suggests that the ductilization of the doped polycrystalline nickel metal can be optimized by engineering the sulfur concentration under pressure, shedding a light on tuning the mechanical properties of this material for better high pressure applications.

  2. Magneto-optical imaging of polycrystalline FeTe1-xSex prepared at various conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding, Q.; Taen, T.; Mohan, S.; Nakajima, Y.; Tamegai, T.

    2011-01-01

    High-quality FeTe 1-x Se x polycrystals with T c ∼ 14 K were prepared by sintering at different temperatures. Intragranular critical current density of FeTe 1-x Se x polycrystals estimated from M-H curve is 5 x 10 4 A/cm 2 at 5 K under zero field. The observed intragranular J c value was confirmed by the magneto-optical images in the remanent state. The weak-link feature of FeTe 1-x Se x polycrystals is also revealed through magneto-optical imaging. We have prepared high-quality polycrystalline FeTe 1-x Se x by sintering at different temperatures and characterized their structural and magnetic properties with X-ray diffraction, magnetization measurements, and magneto-optical imaging. The intragranular J c was estimated to be 5 x 10 4 A/cm 2 , which is smaller than the single crystal, but still in the range for practical applications.

  3. High inter-specimen variability of baseline data for the tibio-talar contact area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matricali, Giovanni A; Bartels, Ward; Labey, Luc; Dereymaeker, Greta Ph E; Luyten, Frank P; Vander Sloten, Jos

    2009-01-01

    The tibio-talar contact area has been widely investigated to monitor biomechanical changes due to articular incongruities or an altered loading. This study aims to investigate for the first time in a systematic way the extent of the inter-specimen variability of the tibio-talar contact area, and its repercussions when analyzing data concerning this parameter. Ten specimens were loaded to record the tibio-talar contact characteristics by use of pressure sensitive film. The size of the talar dome area, the size of the (normalized) tibio-talar contact area, the position of the tibio-talar contact area, and the shape of the latter were determined and analyzed. Inter-specimen variability was expressed as the coefficient of variation and was calculated for the datasets of previous studies as well. The size of the tibio-talar contact area showed a very high inter-specimen variability, as is the case in previous studies. This high variability persisted when a normalized tibio-talar contact area was calculated. The shape of the tibio-talar contact area showed some basic characteristics, but a high variation in details could be observed. Every specimen can be considered to have its own "ankle print". By this variability, articular incongruities are expected to have a different effect on local biomechanical characteristics in every single individual. Therefore, every single case has to be evaluated and reported for significant changes. In case of modeling, this also underscores the need to use subject specific models fed by sets of parameters derived from a series of single specimens.

  4. Nanofrictional behavior of amorphous, polycrystalline and textured Y-Cr-O films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gervacio-Arciniega, J.J.; Flores-Ruiz, F.J.; Diliegros-Godines, C.J.; Broitman, E.; Enriquez-Flores, C.I.; Espinoza-Beltrán, F.J.; Siqueiros, J.; Cruz, M.P.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Friction coefficient (μ) of ferroelectric textured and polycrystalline YCrO_3 films. • A simple method to evaluate μ from a single AFM image is presented. • The AFM-cantilever spring constant was determined from its dynamic response. • Polycrystalline and amorphous films have a lower μ than textured samples. - Abstract: Differences in friction coefficients (μ) of ferroelectric YCrO_3, textured and polycrystalline films, and non-ferroelectric Y-Cr-O films are analyzed. The friction coefficient was evaluated by atomic force microscopy using a simple quantitative procedure where the dependence of friction force with the applied load is obtained in only one topographical image. A simple code was developed with the MATLAB"® software to analyze the experimental data. The code includes a correction of the hysteresis in the forward and backward scanning directions. The quantification of load exerted on the sample surface was obtained by finite element analysis of the AFM cantilever starting from its experimental dynamic information. The results show that the ferroelectric YCrO_3 film deposited on a Pt(150 nm)/TiO_2(30 nm)/SiO_2/Si (100) substrate is polycrystalline and has a lower friction coefficient than the deposited on SrTiO_3 (110), which is highly textured. From a viewpoint of industrial application in ferroelectric memories, where the writing process is electrical or mechanically achieved by sliding AFM tips on the sample, polycrystalline YCrO_3 films seem to be the best candidates due to their lower μ.

  5. Nanofrictional behavior of amorphous, polycrystalline and textured Y-Cr-O films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gervacio-Arciniega, J.J. [Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología (CNyN), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), km. 107, Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, 22860 Ensenada, B.C. (Mexico); Flores-Ruiz, F.J., E-mail: fcojfloresr@gmail.com [Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología (CNyN), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), km. 107, Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, 22860 Ensenada, B.C. (Mexico); Diliegros-Godines, C.J. [Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología (CNyN), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), km. 107, Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, 22860 Ensenada, B.C. (Mexico); Broitman, E. [Thin Film Physics Division, IFM, Linköping University, SE-58183 Linköping (Sweden); Enriquez-Flores, C.I.; Espinoza-Beltrán, F.J. [CINVESTAV Unidad Querétaro, Lib. Norponiente 2000, Real de Juriquilla, 76230 Querétaro, Qro. (Mexico); Siqueiros, J.; Cruz, M.P. [Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología (CNyN), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), km. 107, Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, 22860 Ensenada, B.C. (Mexico)

    2016-08-15

    Highlights: • Friction coefficient (μ) of ferroelectric textured and polycrystalline YCrO{sub 3} films. • A simple method to evaluate μ from a single AFM image is presented. • The AFM-cantilever spring constant was determined from its dynamic response. • Polycrystalline and amorphous films have a lower μ than textured samples. - Abstract: Differences in friction coefficients (μ) of ferroelectric YCrO{sub 3}, textured and polycrystalline films, and non-ferroelectric Y-Cr-O films are analyzed. The friction coefficient was evaluated by atomic force microscopy using a simple quantitative procedure where the dependence of friction force with the applied load is obtained in only one topographical image. A simple code was developed with the MATLAB{sup ®} software to analyze the experimental data. The code includes a correction of the hysteresis in the forward and backward scanning directions. The quantification of load exerted on the sample surface was obtained by finite element analysis of the AFM cantilever starting from its experimental dynamic information. The results show that the ferroelectric YCrO{sub 3} film deposited on a Pt(150 nm)/TiO{sub 2}(30 nm)/SiO{sub 2}/Si (100) substrate is polycrystalline and has a lower friction coefficient than the deposited on SrTiO{sub 3} (110), which is highly textured. From a viewpoint of industrial application in ferroelectric memories, where the writing process is electrical or mechanically achieved by sliding AFM tips on the sample, polycrystalline YCrO{sub 3} films seem to be the best candidates due to their lower μ.

  6. Study on the Cross Plane Thermal Transport of Polycrystalline Molybdenum Nanofilms by Applying Picosecond Laser Transient Thermoreflectance Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tingting Miao

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Thin metal films are widely used as interconnecting wires and coatings in electronic devices and optical components. Reliable thermophysical properties of the films are required from the viewpoint of thermal management. The cross plane thermal transport of four polycrystalline molybdenum nanofilms with different thickness deposited on glass substrates has been studied by applying the picosecond laser transient thermoreflectance technique. The measurement is performed by applying both front pump-front probe and rear pump-front probe configurations with high quality signal. The determined cross plane thermal diffusivity of the Mo films greatly decreases compared to the corresponding bulk value and tends to increase as films become thicker, exhibiting significant size effect. The main mechanism responsible for the thermal diffusivity decrease of the present polycrystalline Mo nanofilms is the grain boundary scattering on the free electrons. Comparing the cross plane thermal diffusivity and inplane electrical conductivity indicates the anisotropy of the transport properties of the Mo films.

  7. Estimating minimum polycrystalline aggregate size for macroscopic material homogeneity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovac, M.; Simonovski, I.; Cizelj, L.

    2002-01-01

    During severe accidents the pressure boundary of reactor coolant system can be subjected to extreme loadings, which might cause failure. Reliable estimation of the extreme deformations can be crucial to determine the consequences of severe accidents. Important drawback of classical continuum mechanics is idealization of inhomogenous microstructure of materials. Classical continuum mechanics therefore cannot predict accurately the differences between measured responses of specimens, which are different in size but geometrical similar (size effect). A numerical approach, which models elastic-plastic behavior on mesoscopic level, is proposed to estimate minimum size of polycrystalline aggregate above which it can be considered macroscopically homogeneous. The main idea is to divide continuum into a set of sub-continua. Analysis of macroscopic element is divided into modeling the random grain structure (using Voronoi tessellation and random orientation of crystal lattice) and calculation of strain/stress field. Finite element method is used to obtain numerical solutions of strain and stress fields. The analysis is limited to 2D models.(author)

  8. Self-oriented Ag-based polycrystalline cubic nanostructures through polymer stabilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alonso, Amanda; Vigués, Núria; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Rosalía; Borrisé, Xavier; Muñoz, María; Muraviev, Dmitri N.; Mas, Jordi; Muñoz-Berbel, Xavier

    2016-10-01

    This paper presents the study of the dynamics of the formation of polymer-assisted highly-orientated polycrystalline cubic structures (CS) by a fractal-mediated mechanism. This mechanism involves the formation of seed Ag@Co nanoparticles by InterMatrix Synthesis and subsequent overgrowth after incubation at a low temperature in chloride and phosphate solutions. These ions promote the dissolution and recrystallization in an ordered configuration of pre-synthetized nanoparticles initially embedded in negatively-charged polymeric matrices. During recrystallization, silver ions aggregate in AgCl@Co fractal-like structures, then evolve into regular polycrystalline solid nanostructures (e.g. CS) in a single crystallization step on specific regions of the ion exchange resin (IER) which maintain the integrity of polycrystalline nanocubes. Here, we study the essential role of the IER in the formation of these CS for the maintenance of their integrity and stability. Thus, this synthesis protocol may be easily expanded to the composition of other nanoparticles providing an interesting, cheap and simple alternative for cubic structure formation and isolation.

  9. Polycrystalline diamond RF MOSFET with MoO3 gate dielectric

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeyang Ren

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available We report the radio frequency characteristics of the diamond metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor with MoO3 gate dielectric for the first time. The device with 2-μm gate length was fabricated on high quality polycrystalline diamond. The maximum drain current of 150 mA/mm at VGS = -5 V and the maximum transconductance of 27 mS/mm were achieved. The extrinsic cutoff frequency of 1.2 GHz and the maximum oscillation frequency of 1.9 GHz have been measured. The moderate frequency characteristics are attributed to the moderate transconductance limited by the series resistance along the channel. We expect that the frequency characteristics of the device can be improved by increasing the magnitude of gm, or fundamentally decreasing the gate-controlled channel resistance and series resistance along the channel, and down-scaling the gate length.

  10. Electrostrain in excess of 1% in polycrystalline piezoelectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narayan, Bastola; Malhotra, Jaskaran Singh; Pandey, Rishikesh; Yaddanapudi, Krishna; Nukala, Pavan; Dkhil, Brahim; Senyshyn, Anatoliy; Ranjan, Rajeev

    2018-05-01

    Piezoelectric actuators transform electrical energy into mechanical energy, and because of their compactness, quick response time and accurate displacement, they are sought after in many applications. Polycrystalline piezoelectric ceramics are technologically more appealing than single crystals due to their simpler and less expensive processing, but have yet to display electrostrain values that exceed 1%. Here we report a material design strategy wherein the efficient switching of ferroelectric-ferroelastic domains by an electric field is exploited to achieve a high electrostrain value of 1.3% in a pseudo-ternary ferroelectric alloy system, BiFeO3-PbTiO3-LaFeO3. Detailed structural investigations reveal that this electrostrain is associated with a combination of several factors: a large spontaneous lattice strain of the piezoelectric phase, domain miniaturization, a low-symmetry ferroelectric phase and a very large reverse switching of the non-180° domains. This insight for the design of a new class of polycrystalline piezoceramics with high electrostrains may be useful to develop alternatives to costly single-crystal actuators.

  11. Assessment of bone biopsy needles for sample size, specimen quality and ease of use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roberts, C.C.; Liu, P.T.; Morrison, W.B.; Leslie, K.O.; Carrino, J.A.; Lozevski, J.L.

    2005-01-01

    To assess whether there are significant differences in ease of use and quality of samples among several bone biopsy needles currently available. Eight commonly used, commercially available bone biopsy needles of different gauges were evaluated. Each needle was used to obtain five consecutive samples from a lamb lumbar pedicle. Subjective assessment of ease of needle use, ease of sample removal from the needle and sample quality, before and after fixation, was graded on a 5-point scale. The number of attempts necessary to reach a 1 cm depth was recorded. Each biopsy specimen was measured in the gross state and after fixation. The RADI Bonopty 15 g and Kendall Monoject J-type 11 g needles were rated the easiest to use, while the Parallax Core-Assure 11 g and the Bard Ostycut 16 g were rated the most difficult. Parallax Core-Assure and Kendall Monoject needles had the highest quality specimen in the gross state; Cook Elson/Ackerman 14 g and Bard Ostycut 16 g needles yielded the lowest. The MD Tech without Trap-Lok 11 g needle had the highest quality core after fixation, while the Bard Ostycut 16 g had the lowest. There was a significant difference in pre-fixation sample length between needles (P<0.0001), despite acquiring all cores to a standard 1 cm depth. Core length and width decrease in size by an average of 28% and 42% after fixation. Bone biopsy needles vary significantly in performance. Detailed knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of different needles is important to make an appropriate selection for each individual's practice. (orig.)

  12. Weak antilocalization and low-temperature characterization of sputtered polycrystalline bismuth selenide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahu, Protyush; Chen, Jun-Yang; Myers, Jason C.; Wang, Jian-Ping

    2018-03-01

    We report a thorough crystal and transport characterization of sputtered polycrystalline BixSe1 -x (20 nm), grown on a thermally oxidized silicon substrate. The crystal and grain structures of the sample are characterized by transmission electron microscopy. Selected-area electron diffraction shows a highly polycrystalline structure. Transport measurements suggest semiconducting behavior of the BixSe1 -x film with a very high carrier concentration (˜1020 cm3) and low mobility [˜8 cm2/(V s)]. High-field magnetoresistance measurements reveal weak antilocalization, to which both the low mobility and the angular dependence suggest an impurity-dominated contribution. Fitting parameters are obtained from 2D magnetoconductivity using the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka equation. The variation of the phase coherence length with temperature suggests electron-electron scattering for phase decoherence. Electron-electron interaction theory is used to analyze the low-temperature conductivity.

  13. Screen-film specimen radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shepard, S.J.; Hogan, J.; Schreck, B.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports on the reproducibility and quality of biopsy specimen radiographs, a unique phototimed cabinet x-ray system is being developed. The system utilizes specially modified Kodal Min-R cassettes and will be compatible with current mammographic films. Tube voltages are in the 14-20-kVp range with 0.1-1.0-second exposure times. A top-hat type compression device is used (1) to compress the specimen to uniform thickness, (2) to measure the specimen thickness and determine optimum kVp, and (3) to superimpose a grid over the specimen for identification of objects of radiographic interest. The phototiming circuit developed specifically for this purpose will be described along with the modified Min-R cassette. Characteristics of the generator and cabinet will also be described. Tests will be performed on phantoms to evaluate the system limitations

  14. Atomistic modeling of mechanical properties of polycrystalline graphene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mortazavi, Bohayra; Cuniberti, Gianaurelio

    2014-05-30

    We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the mechanical properties of polycrystalline graphene. By constructing molecular models of ultra-fine-grained graphene structures, we studied the effect of different grain sizes of 1-10 nm on the mechanical response of graphene. We found that the elastic modulus and tensile strength of polycrystalline graphene decrease with decreasing grain size. The calculated mechanical proprieties for pristine and polycrystalline graphene sheets are found to be in agreement with experimental results in the literature. Our MD results suggest that the ultra-fine-grained graphene structures can show ultrahigh tensile strength and elastic modulus values that are very close to those of pristine graphene sheets.

  15. Low temperature magnetron sputter deposition of polycrystalline silicon thin films using high flux ion bombardment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerbi, Jennifer E.; Abelson, John R.

    2007-01-01

    We demonstrate that the microstructure of polycrystalline silicon thin films depends strongly on the flux of low energy ions that bombard the growth surface during magnetron sputter deposition. The deposition system is equipped with external electromagnetic coils which, through the unbalanced magnetron effect, provide direct control of the ion flux independent of the ion energy. We report the influence of low energy ( + on the low temperature ( + ions to silicon neutrals (J + /J 0 ) during growth by an order of magnitude (from 3 to 30) enables the direct nucleation of polycrystalline Si on glass and SiO 2 coated Si at temperatures below 400 degree sign C. We discuss possible mechanisms for this enhancement of crystalline microstructure, including the roles of enhanced adatom mobility and the formation of shallow, mobile defects

  16. SurePath Specimens Versus ThinPrep Specimen Types on the COBAS 4800 Platform: High-Risk HPV Status and Cytology Correlation in an Ethnically Diverse Bronx Population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naeem, R C; Goldstein, D Y; Einstein, Mark H; Ramos Rivera, G; Schlesinger, K; Khader, S N; Suhrland, M; Fox, A S

    2017-08-01

    To compare the cytologic preparations of 130 cervical specimens (from women of various ethnicities at high risk for human papillomavirus [HPV] infection) using the SurePath (SP) collection system with specimens gathered using the ThinPrep (TP) system, as processed on the Cobas 4800 analyzer, to determine which collection method more accurately identifies HPV infection. In our prospective study, specimens were collected from 130 women of various ethnicities residing in or near Bronx County, NY. The SP-collected specimen was first processed for cytologic findings; if clinical HPV testing was requested on that specimen, it was tested using Hybrid Capture II (HC2) methodology. We tested the remnant SP-collected cell concentrate using the Cobas analyzer. Then, the TP-collected and SP-collected specimens were tested in the same run on that analyzer, and the results were compared. We also compared the results with the concurrent cytologic findings. The results were concordant for overall HR-HPV status in 93.8% of cases. Also, a statistically significant lower cycle threshold value was observed with Cobas testing of specimen concentrates tested via the BD SurePath Pap Test (P = .001), suggesting higher sensitivity compared with specimens tested via the ThinPrep Pap Test. Cobas 4800 HPV testing of SP-collected specimen concentrates yields comparable results to TP-collected specimen concentrates. Based on the limited data that we derived, SP collection may be a more favorable methodology than TP collection for HPV testing of individuals at high risk in our ethnically diverse, urban patient population. © American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  17. Helium-induced hardening effect in polycrystalline tungsten

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Fanhang; Qu, Miao; Yan, Sha; Zhang, Ailin; Peng, Shixiang; Xue, Jianming; Wang, Yugang

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, helium induced hardening effect of tungsten was investigated. 50 keV He2+ ions at fluences vary from 5 × 1015 cm-2 to 5 × 1017 cm-2 were implanted into polycrystalline tungsten at RT to create helium bubble-rich layers near the surface. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the irradiated specimens were studied by TEM and nano-indentor. Helium bubble rich layers are formed in near surface region, and the layers become thicker with the rise of fluences. Helium bubbles in the area of helium concentration peak are found to grow up, while the bubble density is almost unchanged. Obvious hardening effect is induced by helium implantation in tungsten. Micro hardness increases rapidly with the fluence firstly, and more slowly when the fluence is above 5 × 1016 cm-2. The hardening effect of tungsten can be attributed to helium bubbles, which is found to be in agreement with the Bacon-Orowan stress formula. The growing diameter is the major factor rather than helium bubbles density (voids distance) in the process of helium implantation at fluences below 5 × 1017 cm-2.

  18. Atomistic modeling of mechanical properties of polycrystalline graphene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mortazavi, Bohayra; Cuniberti, Gianaurelio

    2014-01-01

    We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the mechanical properties of polycrystalline graphene. By constructing molecular models of ultra-fine-grained graphene structures, we studied the effect of different grain sizes of 1–10 nm on the mechanical response of graphene. We found that the elastic modulus and tensile strength of polycrystalline graphene decrease with decreasing grain size. The calculated mechanical proprieties for pristine and polycrystalline graphene sheets are found to be in agreement with experimental results in the literature. Our MD results suggest that the ultra-fine-grained graphene structures can show ultrahigh tensile strength and elastic modulus values that are very close to those of pristine graphene sheets. (papers)

  19. Electroreduction of CO on Polycrystalline Copper at Low Overpotentials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertheussen, Erlend; Vagn Hogg, Thomas; Abghoui, Younes

    2018-01-01

    C uis the only monometallic electrocatalyst to produce highly reduced products from CO2 selectively because of its intermediate binding of CO. We investigate the performance of polycrystalline Cu for the electroreduction of CO in alkaline media (0.1 M KOH) at low overpotentials (−0.4 to −0.6 V vs...

  20. Using Mosaicity to Tune Thermal Transport in Polycrystalline AlN Thin Films

    KAUST Repository

    Singh, Shivkant

    2018-05-17

    The effect of controlling the c-axis alignment (mosaicity) to the cross-plane thermal transport in textured polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films is experimentally and theoretically investigated. We show that by controlling the sputtering conditions we are able to deposit AlN thin films with varying c-axis grain tilt (mosaicity) from 10° to 0°. Microstructural characterization shows that the films are nearly identical in thickness and grain size, and the difference in mosaicity alters the grain interface quality. This has a significant effect to thermal transport where a thermal conductivity of 4.22 W/mK vs. 8.09 W/mK are measured for samples with tilt angles of 10° vs. 0° respectively. The modified Callaway model was used to fit the theoretical curves to the experimental results using various phonon scattering mechanisms at the grain interface. It was found that using a non-gray model gives an overview of the phonon scattering at the grain boundaries, whereas treating the grain boundary as an array of dislocation lines with varying angle relative to the heat flow, best describes the mechanism of the thermal transport. Lastly, our results show that controlling the quality of the grain interface provides a tuning knob to control thermal transport in polycrystalline materials.

  1. Using Mosaicity to Tune Thermal Transport in Polycrystalline AlN Thin Films

    KAUST Repository

    Singh, Shivkant; Shervin, Shahab; Sun, Haiding; Yarali, Milad; Chen, Jie; Lin, Ronghui; Li, Kuang-Hui; Li, Xiaohang; Ryou, Jae-Hyun; Mavrokefalos, Anastassios

    2018-01-01

    The effect of controlling the c-axis alignment (mosaicity) to the cross-plane thermal transport in textured polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films is experimentally and theoretically investigated. We show that by controlling the sputtering conditions we are able to deposit AlN thin films with varying c-axis grain tilt (mosaicity) from 10° to 0°. Microstructural characterization shows that the films are nearly identical in thickness and grain size, and the difference in mosaicity alters the grain interface quality. This has a significant effect to thermal transport where a thermal conductivity of 4.22 W/mK vs. 8.09 W/mK are measured for samples with tilt angles of 10° vs. 0° respectively. The modified Callaway model was used to fit the theoretical curves to the experimental results using various phonon scattering mechanisms at the grain interface. It was found that using a non-gray model gives an overview of the phonon scattering at the grain boundaries, whereas treating the grain boundary as an array of dislocation lines with varying angle relative to the heat flow, best describes the mechanism of the thermal transport. Lastly, our results show that controlling the quality of the grain interface provides a tuning knob to control thermal transport in polycrystalline materials.

  2. Mechanisms limiting the performance of large grain polycrystalline silicon solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culik, J. S.; Alexander, P.; Dumas, K. A.; Wohlgemuth, J. W.

    1984-01-01

    The open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current of large-grain (1 to 10 mm grain diameter) polycrystalline silicon solar cells is determined by the minority-carrier diffusion length within the bulk of the grains. This was demonstrated by irradiating polycrystalline and single-crystal (Czochralski) silicon solar cells with 1 MeV electrons to reduce their bulk lifetime. The variation of short-circuit current with minority-carrier diffusion length for the polycrystalline solar cells is identical to that of the single-crystal solar cells. The open-circuit voltage versus short-circuit current characteristic of the polycrystalline solar cells for reduced diffusion lengths is also identical to that of the single-crystal solar cells. The open-circuit voltage of the polycrystalline solar cells is a strong function of quasi-neutral (bulk) recombination, and is reduced only slightly, if at all, by grain-boundary recombination.

  3. Giant 1/f noise in two-dimensional polycrystalline media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Snarskii, A.; Bezsudnov, I.

    2008-01-01

    The behaviour of excess (1/f noise) in two-dimensional polycrystalline media is investigated. On the base of current trap model, it is shown that there exists a certain anisotropy value of conductivity tensor for polycrystalline media when the amplitude of 1/f noise becomes giant

  4. Polycrystalline diamond film UV detectors for excimer lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ralchenko, V G; Savel'ev, A V; Konov, Vitalii I; Mazzeo, G; Spaziani, F; Conte, G; Polyakov, V I

    2006-01-01

    Photoresistive metal-semiconductor-metal detectors based on polycrystalline diamond films are fabricated for recording cw and pulsed UV radiation. The detectors have a high spectral selectivity (the UV-to-VIS response ratio is ∼10 5 ) and a temporal resolution of the order of 10 9 s. 'Solar-blind' photostable diamond detectors are promising for applications in UV lithography, laser micromachining, medicine, and space research. (letters)

  5. Blood specimen labelling errors: Implications for nephrology nursing practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duteau, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    Patient safety is the foundation of high-quality health care, as recognized both nationally and worldwide. Patient blood specimen identification is critical in ensuring the delivery of safe and appropriate care. The practice of nephrology nursing involves frequent patient blood specimen withdrawals to treat and monitor kidney disease. A critical review of the literature reveals that incorrect patient identification is one of the major causes of blood specimen labelling errors. Misidentified samples create a serious risk to patient safety leading to multiple specimen withdrawals, delay in diagnosis, misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment, transfusion reactions, increased length of stay and other negative patient outcomes. Barcode technology has been identified as a preferred method for positive patient identification leading to a definitive decrease in blood specimen labelling errors by as much as 83% (Askeland, et al., 2008). The use of a root cause analysis followed by an action plan is one approach to decreasing the occurrence of blood specimen labelling errors. This article will present a review of the evidence-based literature surrounding blood specimen labelling errors, followed by author recommendations for completing a root cause analysis and action plan. A failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) will be presented as one method to determine root cause, followed by the Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU) as a framework for implementation of strategies to reduce blood specimen labelling errors.

  6. Carrier transport in polycrystalline silicon thin films solar cells grown on a highly textured structure

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Honda, Shinya; Takakura, H.; Hamakawa, Y.; Muhida, R.; Kawamura, T.; Harano, T.; Toyama, T.; Okamoto, H.

    2004-01-01

    Roč. 43, 9A (2004), s. 5955-5959 ISSN 0021-4922 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : polycrystalline silicon thin film * solar cells * substrate texture Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.142, year: 2004

  7. Anelasticity of polycrystalline indium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sapozhnikov, K., E-mail: k.sapozhnikov@mail.ioffe.ru [A.F.Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Politekhnicheskaya 26, 194021 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Golyandin, S. [A.F.Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Politekhnicheskaya 26, 194021 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Kustov, S. [Dept. de Fisica, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Cra Valldemossa km 7.5, E 07122 Palma de Mallorca (Spain)

    2009-09-15

    Mechanisms of anelasticity of polycrystalline indium have been studied over wide ranges of temperature (7-320 K) and strain amplitude (2 x 10{sup -7}-3.5 x 10{sup -4}). Measurements of the internal friction and Young's modulus have been performed by means of the piezoelectric resonant composite oscillator technique using longitudinal oscillations at frequencies of about 100 kHz. The stages of the strain amplitude dependence of the internal friction and Young's modulus defect, which can be attributed to dislocation - point defect and dislocation - dislocation interactions, have been revealed. It has been shown that thermal cycling gives rise to microplastic straining of polycrystalline indium due to the anisotropy of thermal expansion and to appearance of a 'recrystallization' internal friction maximum in the temperature spectra of amplitude-dependent anelasticity. The temperature range characterized by formation of Cottrell's atmospheres of point defects around dislocations has been determined from the acoustic data.

  8. Practices for Identifying and Rejecting Hemolyzed Specimens Are Highly Variable in Clinical Laboratories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howanitz, Peter J; Lehman, Christopher M; Jones, Bruce A; Meier, Frederick A; Horowitz, Gary L

    2015-08-01

    Hemolysis is an important clinical laboratory quality attribute that influences result reliability. To determine hemolysis identification and rejection practices occurring in clinical laboratories. We used the College of American Pathologists Survey program to distribute a Q-Probes-type questionnaire about hemolysis practices to Chemistry Survey participants. Of 3495 participants sent the questionnaire, 846 (24%) responded. In 71% of 772 laboratories, the hemolysis rate was less than 3.0%, whereas in 5%, it was 6.0% or greater. A visual scale, an instrument scale, and combination of visual and instrument scales were used to identify hemolysis in 48%, 11%, and 41% of laboratories, respectively. A picture of the hemolysis level was used as an aid to technologists' visual interpretation of hemolysis levels in 40% of laboratories. In 7.0% of laboratories, all hemolyzed specimens were rejected; in 4% of laboratories, no hemolyzed specimens were rejected; and in 88% of laboratories, some specimens were rejected depending on hemolysis levels. Participants used 69 different terms to describe hemolysis scales, with 21 terms used in more than 10 laboratories. Slight and moderate were the terms used most commonly. Of 16 different cutoffs used to reject hemolyzed specimens, moderate was the most common, occurring in 30% of laboratories. For whole blood electrolyte measurements performed in 86 laboratories, 57% did not evaluate the presence of hemolysis, but for those that did, the most common practice in 21 laboratories (24%) was centrifuging and visually determining the presence of hemolysis in all specimens. Hemolysis practices vary widely. Standard assessment and consistent reporting are the first steps in reducing interlaboratory variability among results.

  9. Comparative study on Charpy specimen reconstitution techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourdiliau, B.; Decroix, G.-M.; Averty, X.; Wident, P.; Bienvenu, Y.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Welding processes are used to reconstitute previously tested Charpy specimens. → Stud welding is preferred for a quick installation, almost immediately operational. → Friction welding produces better quality welds, but requires a development effort. - Abstract: Reconstitution techniques are often used to allow material from previously fractured Charpy-V specimens to be reused for additional experiments. This paper presents a comparative experimental study of various reconstitution techniques and evaluates the feasibility of these methods for future use in shielded cells. The following techniques were investigated: arc stud welding, 6.0 kW CO 2 continuous wave laser welding, 4.5 kW YAG continuous wave laser welding and friction welding. Subsize Charpy specimens were reconstituted using a 400 W YAG pulsed wave laser. The best result was obtained with arc stud welding; the resilience of the reconstituted specimens and the load-displacement curves agreed well with the reference specimens, and the temperature elevation caused by the welding process was limited to the vicinity of the weld. Good results were also obtained with friction welding; this process led to the best quality welds. Laser welding seems to have affected the central part of the specimens, thus leading to different resilience values and load-displacement curves.

  10. Direct growth of transparent conducting Nb-doped anatase TiO2 polycrystalline films on glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Naoomi; Kasai, Junpei; Hitosugi, Taro; Hoang, Ngoc Lam Huong; Nakao, Shoichiro; Hirose, Yasushi; Shimada, Toshihiro; Hasegawa, Tetsuya

    2009-01-01

    This paper proposes a novel sputter-based method for the direct growth of transparent conducting Ti 1-x Nb x O 2 (TNO) polycrystalline films on glass, without the need for any postdeposition treatments, by the use of an initial seed-layer. Anatase TNO epitaxial films grown on LaAlO 3 (100) substrates under a reducing atmosphere exhibited a low resistivity (ρ) of (3-6)x10 -4 Ω cm. On glass, however, highly resistive rutile phase polycrystalline films (ρ∼100 Ω cm) formed preferentially under the same conditions. These results suggest that epitaxial stabilization of the oxygen-deficient anatase phase occurs on lattice-matched substrates. To produce a similar effect on a glass surface, we deposited a seed-layer of anatase TNO with excellent crystallinity under an increased oxygen atmosphere. As a result, anatase phase TNO polycrystalline films could be grown even under heavily reducing atmospheres. An optimized film exhibited ρ=1.1x10 -3 Ω cm and optical absorption lower than 10% in the visible region. This ρ value is more than one order of magnitude lower than values reported for directly deposited TNO polycrystalline films. This indicates that the seed-layer method has considerable potential for producing transparent conducting TNO polycrystalline films on glass.

  11. A mechanical microcompressor for high resolution imaging of motile specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zinskie, Jessica A; Shribak, Michael; Bruist, Michael F; Aufderheide, Karl J; Janetopoulos, Chris

    2015-10-01

    In order to obtain fine details in 3 dimensions (3D) over time, it is critical for motile biological specimens to be appropriately immobilized. Of the many immobilization options available, the mechanical microcompressor offers many benefits. Our device, previously described, achieves gentle flattening of a cell, allowing us to image finely detailed structures of numerous organelles and physiological processes in living cells. We have imaged protozoa and other small metazoans using differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, orientation-independent (OI) DIC, and real-time birefringence imaging using a video-enhanced polychromatic polscope. We also describe an enhancement of our previous design by engineering a new device where the coverslip mount is fashioned onto the top of the base; so the entire apparatus is accessible on top of the stage. The new location allows for easier manipulation of the mount when compressing or releasing a specimen on an inverted microscope. Using this improved design, we imaged immobilized bacteria, yeast, paramecia, and nematode worms and obtained an unprecedented view of cell and specimen details. A variety of microscopic techniques were used to obtain high resolution images of static and dynamic cellular and physiological events. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Fabrication of highly conductive Ta-doped SnO2 polycrystalline films on glass using seed-layer technique by pulse laser deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakao, Shoichiro; Yamada, Naoomi; Hitosugi, Taro; Hirose, Yasushi; Shimada, Toshihiro; Hasegawa, Tetsuya

    2010-01-01

    We discuss the fabrication of highly conductive Ta-doped SnO 2 (Sn 1-x Ta x O 2 ; TTO) thin films on glass by pulse laser deposition. On the basis of the comparison of X-ray diffraction patterns and resistivity (ρ) values between epitaxial films and polycrystalline films deposited on bare glass, we proposed the use of seed-layers for improving the conductivity of the TTO polycrystalline films. We investigated the use of rutile TiO 2 and NbO 2 as seed-layers; these are isostructural materials of SnO 2, which are expected to promote epitaxial-like growth of the TTO films. The films prepared on the 10-nm-thick seed-layers exhibited preferential growth of the TTO (110) plane. The TTO film with x = 0.05 on rutile TiO 2 exhibited ρ = 3.5 x 10 -4 Ω cm, which is similar to those of the epitaxial films grown on Al 2 O 3 (0001).

  13. Polycrystalline strengthening

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Niels

    1985-01-01

    for the understanding of polycrystalline strengthening is obtained mainly from surface relief patterns and from bulk structures observed by transmission electron microscopy of thin foils. The results obtained by these methods are discussed and correlations are proposed. A number of features characterizing the deformed...... structure are summarized and the behavior of a number of metals and alloys is reviewed with emphasis on the structural changes in the interior of the grains and in the vicinity of the grain boundaries. The models for strain accommodation during deformation are discussed on the basis of the microstructures...

  14. Effects of crystalline quality and electrode material on fatigue in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin film capacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, J.; Johnson, L.; Safari, A.; Ramesh, R.; Sands, T.; Gilchrist, H.; Keramidas, V. G.

    1993-07-01

    Pb(Zr(0.52)Ti(0.48))O3 (PZT)/Y1Ba2Cu3O(x) (YBCO) heterostructures were grown by pulsed laser deposition, in which PZT films were epitaxial, highly oriented, or polycrystalline. These PZT films were obtained by varying the deposition temperature from 550 to 760 C or by using various substrates such as SrTiO3 (100), MgO (100), and r-plane sapphire. PZT films with Pt top electrodes exhibited large fatigue with 35-50 percent loss of the remanent polarization after 10 exp 9 cycles, depending on the crystalline quality. Polycrystalline films showed better fatigue resistance than epitaxial or highly oriented films. However, PZT films with both top and bottom YBCO electrodes had significantly improved fatigue resistance for both epitaxial and polycrystalline films. Electrode material seems to be a more important parameter in fatigue than the crystalline quality of the PZT films.

  15. Diffusion phenomena in polycrystalline chromium near the upper homological temperature of intercrystalline diffusion manifestation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kajgorodov, V.N.; Klothman, S.M.; Kurkin, M.I.; Dyakin, V.V.; Zherebthov, D.V.

    1997-01-01

    A study is made into the temperature dependences of density of states in a zone of intercrystalline diffusion of atomic probes 57 Co in polycrystalline chromium as well as in the temperature dependences of isomer shift and line width in Moessbauer spectra near the upper temperature boundary of manifestation of intercrystalline diffusion. In polycrystalline chromium the release of states in the core of the crystallite conjugation region (CCR) takes place only at high temperatures due to the fact that a stationary zone of high point defect concentration in the vicinity of CCR is conserved up to high temperatures. The atomic probe escape from the core of CCR starts at the temperatures at which the equilibrium vacancy concentration in the bulk of crystallite is equal to that in a stationary zone of high defect concentration

  16. Apparatus and method for fatigue testing of a material specimen in a high-pressure fluid environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jy-An; Feng, Zhili; Anovitz, Lawrence M; Liu, Kenneth C

    2013-06-04

    The invention provides fatigue testing of a material specimen while the specimen is disposed in a high pressure fluid environment. A specimen is placed between receivers in an end cap of a vessel and a piston that is moveable within the vessel. Pressurized fluid is provided to compression and tension chambers defined between the piston and the vessel. When the pressure in the compression chamber is greater than the pressure in the tension chamber, the specimen is subjected to a compression force. When the pressure in the tension chamber is greater than the pressure in the compression chamber, the specimen is subjected to a tension force. While the specimen is subjected to either force, it is also surrounded by the pressurized fluid in the tension chamber. In some examples, the specimen is surrounded by hydrogen.

  17. Influence of lattice distortion on phase transition properties of polycrystalline VO{sub 2} thin film

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lin, Tiegui [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Wang, Langping, E-mail: aplpwang@hit.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Wang, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Yufen [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Yu, Yonghao, E-mail: yhyu@hit.edu.cn [Academy of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China)

    2016-08-30

    Highlights: • Polycrystalline VO{sub 2} thin films were fabricated by high power impulse magnetron sputtering. • The reported lowest phase transition temperature for undoped polycrystalline VO{sub 2} thin film was reduced to 32 °C by this research. • XRD patterns at varied temperatures revealed that the main structual change was a gradual shift in interplanar spacing with temperature. - Abstract: In this work, high power impulse magnetron sputtering was used to control the lattice distortion in polycrystalline VO{sub 2} thin film. SEM images revealed that all the VO{sub 2} thin films had crystallite sizes of below 20 nm, and similar configurations. UV–vis-near IR transmittance spectra measured at different temperatures showed that most of the as-deposited films had a typical metal–insulator transition. Four-point probe resistivity results showed that the transition temperature of the films varied from 54.5 to 32 °C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the as-deposited films revealed that most were polycrystalline monoclinic VO{sub 2}. The XRD results also confirmed that the lattice distortions in the as-deposited films were different, and the transition temperature decreased with the difference between the interplanar spacing of the as-deposited thin film and standard rutile VO{sub 2}. Furthermore, a room temperature rutile VO{sub 2} thin film was successfully synthesized when this difference was small enough. Additionally, XRD patterns measured at varied temperatures revealed that the phase transition process of the polycrystalline VO{sub 2} thin film was a coordinative deformation between grains with different orientations. The main structural change during the phase transition was a gradual shift in interplanar spacing with temperature.

  18. Tracking performance of a single-crystal and a polycrystalline diamond pixel-detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Menasce, D.; et al.

    2013-06-01

    We present a comparative characterization of the performance of a single-crystal and a polycrystalline diamond pixel-detector employing the standard CMS pixel readout chips. Measurements were carried out at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility, FTBF, using protons of momentum 120 GeV/c tracked by a high-resolution pixel telescope. Particular attention was directed to the study of the charge-collection, the charge-sharing among adjacent pixels and the achievable position resolution. The performance of the single-crystal detector was excellent and comparable to the best available silicon pixel-detectors. The measured average detection-efficiency was near unity, ε = 0.99860±0.00006, and the position-resolution for shared hits was about 6 μm. On the other hand, the performance of the polycrystalline detector was hampered by its lower charge collection distance and the readout chip threshold. A new readout chip, capable of operating at much lower threshold (around 1 ke$-$), would be required to fully exploit the potential performance of the polycrystalline diamond pixel-detector.

  19. Deformation localization and cyclic strength in polycrystalline molybdenum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sidorov, O.T.; Rakshin, A.F.; Fenyuk, M.I.

    1983-06-01

    Conditions of deformation localization and its interrelation with cyclic strength in polycrystalline molybdenum were investigated. A fatigue failure of polycrystalline molybdenum after rolling and in an embrittled state reached by recrystallization annealing under cyclic bending at room temperature takes place under nonuniform distribution of microplastic strain resulting in a temperature rise in separate sections of more than 314 K. More intensive structural changes take place in molybdenum after rolling than in recrystallized state.

  20. Polycrystalline silicon carbide dopant profiles obtained through a scanning nano-Schottky contact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golt, M. C.; Strawhecker, K. E.; Bratcher, M. S.; Shanholtz, E. R.

    2016-01-01

    The unique thermo-electro-mechanical properties of polycrystalline silicon carbide (poly-SiC) make it a desirable candidate for structural and electronic materials for operation in extreme environments. Necessitated by the need to understand how processing additives influence poly-SiC structure and electrical properties, the distribution of lattice defects and impurities across a specimen of hot-pressed 6H poly-SiC processed with p-type additives was visualized with high spatial resolution using a conductive atomic force microscopy approach in which a contact forming a nano-Schottky interface is scanned across the sample. The results reveal very intricate structures within poly-SiC, with each grain having a complex core-rim structure. This complexity results from the influence the additives have on the evolution of the microstructure during processing. It was found that the highest conductivities localized at rims as well as at the interface between the rim and the core. The conductivity of the cores is less than the conductivity of the rims due to a lower concentration of dopant. Analysis of the observed conductivities and current-voltage curves is presented in the context of nano-Schottky contact regimes where the conventional understanding of charge transport to diode operation is no longer valid.

  1. Polycrystalline silicon carbide dopant profiles obtained through a scanning nano-Schottky contact

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Golt, M. C.; Strawhecker, K. E.; Bratcher, M. S. [U.S. Army Research Laboratory, WMRD, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005 (United States); Shanholtz, E. R. [ORISE, Belcamp, Maryland 21017 (United States)

    2016-07-14

    The unique thermo-electro-mechanical properties of polycrystalline silicon carbide (poly-SiC) make it a desirable candidate for structural and electronic materials for operation in extreme environments. Necessitated by the need to understand how processing additives influence poly-SiC structure and electrical properties, the distribution of lattice defects and impurities across a specimen of hot-pressed 6H poly-SiC processed with p-type additives was visualized with high spatial resolution using a conductive atomic force microscopy approach in which a contact forming a nano-Schottky interface is scanned across the sample. The results reveal very intricate structures within poly-SiC, with each grain having a complex core-rim structure. This complexity results from the influence the additives have on the evolution of the microstructure during processing. It was found that the highest conductivities localized at rims as well as at the interface between the rim and the core. The conductivity of the cores is less than the conductivity of the rims due to a lower concentration of dopant. Analysis of the observed conductivities and current-voltage curves is presented in the context of nano-Schottky contact regimes where the conventional understanding of charge transport to diode operation is no longer valid.

  2. Laser beam machining of polycrystalline diamond for cutting tool manufacturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyszyński, Dominik; Ostrowski, Robert; Zwolak, Marek; Bryk, Witold

    2017-10-01

    The paper concerns application of DPSS Nd: YAG 532nm pulse laser source for machining of polycrystalline WC based diamond inserts (PCD). The goal of the research was to determine optimal laser cutting parameters for cutting tool shaping. Basic criteria to reach the goal was cutting edge quality (minimalization of finishing operations), material removal rate (time and cost efficiency), choice of laser beam characteristics (polarization, power, focused beam diameter). The research was planned and realised and analysed according to design of experiment rules (DOE). The analysis of the cutting edge was prepared with use of Alicona Infinite Focus measurement system.

  3. Elasticity of stishovite at high pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Baosheng; Rigden, Sally M.; Liebermann, Robert C.

    1996-08-01

    The elastic-wave velocities of stishovite, the rutile-structured polymorph of SiO 2, were measured to 3 GPa at room temperature in a piston cylinder apparatus using ultrasonic interferometry on polycrystalline samples. These polycrystalline samples (2-3 mm in length and diameter) were hot-pressed at 14 GPa and 1050°C in a 2000 ton uniaxial split-sphere apparatus (USSA-2000) using fused silica rods as starting material. They were characterized as low porosity (less than 1%), single phase, fine grained, free of cracks and preferred orientation, and acoustically isotropic by using density measurement, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and bench-top velocity measurements. On the basis of subsequent in situ X-ray diffraction study at high P and T on peak broadening on similar specimens, it is evident that the single crystal grains within these polycrystalline aggregates are well equilibrated and that these specimens are free of residual strain. P- and S-wave velocities measured at 1 atm are within 1.5% of the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds calculated from single-crystal elastic moduli. Measured pressure derivatives of the bulk and shear moduli, K' 0 = 5.3 ± 0.1 and G' 0 = 1.8 ± 0.1, are not unusual compared with values measured for other transition zone phases such as silicate spinel and majorite garnet. Isothermal compression curves calculated with the measured values of K0 and K' 0 agree well with experimental P-V data to 16 GPa. The experimental value of dG /dP is in excellent agreement with predictions based on elasticity systematics. Theoretical models are not yet able to replicate the measured values of K' 0 and G' 0.

  4. Molecular Auditing: An Evaluation of Unsuspected Tissue Specimen Misidentification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demetrick, Douglas J

    2018-06-18

    Context Specimen misidentification is the most significant error in laboratory medicine, potentially accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars in extra health care expenses and significant morbidity in patient populations in the United States alone. New technology allows the unequivocal documentation of specimen misidentification or contamination; however, the value of this technology currently depends on suspicion of the specimen integrity by a pathologist or other health care worker. Objective To test the hypothesis that there is a detectable incidence of unsuspected tissue specimen misidentification among cases submitted for routine surgical pathology examination. Design To test this hypothesis, we selected specimen pairs that were obtained at different times and/or different hospitals from the same patient, and compared their genotypes using standardized microsatellite markers used commonly for forensic human DNA comparison in order to identify unsuspected mismatches between the specimen pairs as a trial of "molecular auditing." We preferentially selected gastrointestinal, prostate, and skin biopsies because we estimated that these types of specimens had the greatest potential for misidentification. Results Of 972 specimen pairs, 1 showed an unexpected discordant genotype profile, indicating that 1 of the 2 specimens was misidentified. To date, we are unable to identify the etiology of the discordance. Conclusions These results demonstrate that, indeed, there is a low level of unsuspected tissue specimen misidentification, even in an environment with careful adherence to stringent quality assurance practices. This study demonstrates that molecular auditing of random, routine biopsy specimens can identify occult misidentified specimens, and may function as a useful quality indicator.

  5. A cylindrical specimen holder for electron cryo-tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palmer, Colin M.; Löwe, Jan

    2014-01-01

    The use of slab-like flat specimens for electron cryo-tomography restricts the range of viewing angles that can be used. This leads to the “missing wedge” problem, which causes artefacts and anisotropic resolution in reconstructed tomograms. Cylindrical specimens provide a way to eliminate the problem, since they allow imaging from a full range of viewing angles around the tilt axis. Such specimens have been used before for tomography of radiation-insensitive samples at room temperature, but never for frozen-hydrated specimens. Here, we demonstrate the use of thin-walled carbon tubes as specimen holders, allowing the preparation of cylindrical frozen-hydrated samples of ribosomes, liposomes and whole bacterial cells. Images acquired from these cylinders have equal quality at all viewing angles, and the accessible tilt range is restricted only by the physical limits of the microscope. Tomographic reconstructions of these specimens demonstrate that the effects of the missing wedge are substantially reduced, and could be completely eliminated if a full tilt range was used. The overall quality of these tomograms is still lower than that obtained by existing methods, but improvements are likely in future. - Highlights: • The missing wedge is a serious problem for electron cryo-tomography. • Cylindrical specimens allow the missing wedge to be eliminated. • Carbon nanopipettes can be used as cylindrical holders for tomography of frozen-hydrated specimens. • Cryo-tomography of cylindrical biological samples demonstrates a reduction of deleterious effects associated with the missing wedge

  6. Aluminum-doped Zn O polycrystalline films prepared by co-sputtering of a Zn O-Al target

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Becerril, M.; Silva L, H.; Guillen C, A.; Zelaya A, O. [Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados, Departamento de Fisica, Apdo. Postal 14-740, 07000 Mexico D. F. (Mexico)

    2014-07-01

    Aluminum-doped Zinc oxide polycrystalline thin films (Azo) were grown on 7059 Corning glass substrates at room temperature by co-sputtering from a Zn O-Al target. The target was designed as follows, high purity elemental Aluminum was evaporated onto a Zn O target covering small areas. The structural, optical and electrical properties were analyzed as a function of Al content. The Al doped Zn O polycrystalline films showed an n-type conductivity. It was found that the electrical resistivity drops and the carrier concentration increases as a consequence of Al incorporation within the Zn O lattice. In both cases, the changes are of several orders of magnitude. From the results, we conclude that, using these Zn O-Al targets, n-type Al doped Zn O polycrystalline films with high transmittance and low resistivity can be obtained. The crystalline structure of the films was determined by X-ray diffraction. Atomic Force Microscopy images were obtained with an Auto probe C P (Veeco Metrology Group) Microscope. (Author)

  7. Modeling the thermal deformation of TATB-based explosives. Part 1: Thermal expansion of “neat-pressed” polycrystalline TATB

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luscher, Darby J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2014-05-08

    We detail a modeling approach to simulate the anisotropic thermal expansion of polycrystalline (1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene) TATB-based explosives that utilizes microstructural information including porosity, crystal aspect ratio, and processing-induced texture. This report, the first in a series, focuses on nonlinear thermal expansion of “neat-pressed” polycrystalline TATB specimens which do not contain any binder; additional complexities related to polymeric binder and irreversible ratcheting behavior are briefly discussed, however detailed investigation of these aspects are deferred to subsequent reports. In this work we have, for the first time, developed a mesoscale continuum model relating the thermal expansion of polycrystal TATB specimens to their microstructural characteristics. A self-consistent homogenization procedure is used to relate macroscopic thermoelastic response to the constitutive behavior of single-crystal TATB. The model includes a representation of grain aspect ratio, porosity, and crystallographic texture attributed to the consolidation process. A quantitative model is proposed to describe the evolution of preferred orientation of graphitic planes in TATB during consolidation and an algorithm constructed to develop a discrete representation of the associated orientation distribution function. Analytical and numerical solutions using this model are shown to produce textures consistent with previous measurements and characterization for isostatic and uniaxial “die-pressed” specimens. Predicted thermal strain versus temperature for textured specimens are shown to be in agreement with corresponding experimental measurements. Using the developed modeling approach, several simulations have been run to investigate the influence of microstructure on macroscopic thermal expansion behavior. Results from these simulations are used to identify qualitative trends. Implications of the identified trends are discussed in the context of

  8. Nucleation and growth of polycrystalline SiC

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kaiser, M.; Schimmel, S.; Jokubavicius, V.

    2014-01-01

    The nucleation and bulk growth of polycrystalline SiC in a 2 inch PVT setup using isostatic and pyrolytic graphite as substrates was studied. Textured nucleation occurs under near-thermal equilibrium conditions at the initial growth stage with hexagonal platelet shaped crystallites of 4H, 6H and 15......R polytypes. It is found that pyrolytic graphite results in enhanced texturing of the nucleating gas species. Reducing the pressure leads to growth of the crystallites until a closed polycrystalline SiC layer containing voids with a rough surface is developed. Bulk growth was conducted at 35 mbar Ar...

  9. Investigation of the Anisotropic Thermoelectric Properties of Oriented Polycrystalline SnSe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yulong Li

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Polycrystalline SnSe was synthesized by a melting-annealing-sintering process. X-ray diffraction reveals the sample possesses pure phase and strong orientation along [h00] direction. The degree of the orientations was estimated and the anisotropic thermoelectric properties are characterized. The polycrystalline sample shows a low electrical conductivity and a positive and large Seebeck coefficient. The low thermal conductivity is also observed in polycrystalline sample, but slightly higher than that of single crystal. The minimum value of thermal conductivity was measured as 0.3 W/m·K at 790 K. With the increase of the orientation factor, both electrical and thermal conductivities decrease, but the thermopowers are unchanged. As a consequence, the zT values remain unchanged in the polycrystalline samples despite the large variation in the degree of orientation.

  10. Recovery Act : Near-Single-Crystalline Photovoltaic Thin Films on Polycrystalline, Flexible Substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venkat Selvamanickam; Alex Freundlich

    2010-11-29

    III-V photovoltaics have exhibited efficiencies above 40%, but have found only a limited use because of the high cost of single crystal substrates. At the other end of the spectrum, polycrystalline and amorphous thin film solar cells offer the advantage of low-cost fabrication, but have not yielded high efficiencies. Our program is based on single-crystalline-like thin film photovoltaics on polycrystalline substrates using biaxially-textured templates made by Ion Beam-Assisted Deposition (IBAD). MgO templates made by IBAD on flexible metal substrate have been successfully used for epitaxial growth of germanium films. In spite of a 4.5% lattice mismatch, heteroepitaxial growth of Ge was achieved on CeO2 that was grown on IBAD MgO template. Room temperature optical bandgap of the Ge films was identified at 0.67 eV indicating minimal residual strain. Refraction index and extinction coefficient values of the Ge films were found to match well with that measured from a reference Ge single crystal. GaAs has been successfully grown epitaxially on Ge on metal substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. RHEED patterns indicate self annihilation of antiphase boundaries and the growth of a single domain GaAs. The GaAs is found to exhibit strong photoluminescence signal and, an existence of a relatively narrow (FWHM~20 meV) band-edge excitons measured in this film indicates a good optoelectronic quality of deposited GaAs. While excellent epitaxial growth has been achieved in GaAs on flexible metal substrates, the defect density of the films as measured by High Resolution X-ray Diffraction and etch pit experiments showed a high value of 5 * 10^8 per cm^2. Cross sectional transmission electron microscopy of the multilayer architecture showed concentration of threading dislocations near the germanium-ceria interface. The defect density was found decrease as the Ge films were made thicker. The defects appear to originate from the MgO layer presumably because of large lattice mismatches

  11. The three-dimensional microstructure of polycrystalline materials unravelled by synchrotron light

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ludwig, W.; King, A.; Herbig, M.

    2011-01-01

    The three-dimensional microstructure of polycrystalline materials unravelled by synchrotron light Synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging and diffraction techniques offer new possibilities for non-destructive bulk characterization of polycrystalline materials. Minute changes in electron density (diff...

  12. Correlation between some mechanical and physical properties of polycrystalline graphites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoda, Shinichi; Fujisaki, Katsuo

    1982-01-01

    Mechanical and physical properties of polycrystalline graphites, tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural strength, Young's modulus, thermal expansion coefficient, electrical resistivity, volume fraction of porosity, and graphitisation were measured for ten brand graphites. Correlation between the mechanical and physical properties of the graphites were studied. Young's modulus and thermal expansion coefficient of the graphites depend on volume fraction of porosity. The Young's modulus of the graphites tended to increase with increasing the thermal expansion coefficient. For an anisotropic graphite, an interesting relationship between the Young's modulus E and the thermal expansion coefficient al pha was found in any specimen orientations; alpha E=constant. The value of alphah E was dependent upon the volume fraction of porosity. It should be noted here that the electrical resistivity increased with decreasing grain size. The flexural and the compressive strength were related with the volume fraction of porosity while the tensile strength was not, The relationships between the tensile, the compressive and the flexural strength can be approximately expressed as linear functions over a wide range of the stresses. (author)

  13. Ferromagnetic clusters in polycrystalline BaCoO3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Botta, P.M.; Pardo, V.; Calle, C. de la; Baldomir, D.; Alonso, J.A.; Rivas, J.

    2007-01-01

    Polycrystalline BaCoO 3 was synthesized by a citrate technique using thermal treatments at high oxygen pressure. Magnetic susceptibility measurements on the compound were carried out under AC conditions. The magnetic properties of the material at low temperatures were found to be determined by the appearance of nanoscale ferromagnetic (FM) regions and not by a true magnetic phase transition. These clusters have a mean size of about 1 nm in diameter and obey an Arrhenius-like thermal relaxation

  14. Enhanced thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline Bi2Te3 core fibers with preferentially oriented nanosheets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Sun

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Bi2Te3-based materials have been reported to be one of the best room-temperature thermoelectric materials, and it is a challenge to substantially improve their thermoelectric properties. Here novel Bi2Te3 core fibers with borosilicate glass cladding were fabricated utilizing a modified molten core drawing method. The Bi2Te3 core of the fiber was found to consist of hexagonal polycrystalline nanosheets, and polycrystalline nanosheets had a preferential orientation; in other words, the hexagonal Bi2Te3 lamellar cleavage more tended to be parallel to the symmetry axis of the fibers. Compared with a homemade 3-mm-diameter Bi2Te3 rod, the polycrystalline nanosheets’ preferential orientation in the 89-μm-diameter Bi2Te3 core increased its electrical conductivity, but deduced its Seebeck coefficient. The Bi2Te3 core exhibits an ultrahigh ZT of 0.73 at 300 K, which is 232% higher than that of the Bi2Te3 rod. The demonstration of fibers with oriented nano-polycrystalline core and the integration with an efficient fabrication technique will pave the way for the fabrication of high-performance thermoelectric fibers.

  15. Facile Formation of High-quality InGaN/GaN Quantum-disks-in-Nanowires on Bulk-Metal Substrates for High-power Light-emitters

    KAUST Repository

    Zhao, Chao; Ng, Tien Khee; Wei, Nini; Prabaswara, Aditya; Alias, Mohd Sharizal; Janjua, Bilal; Shen, Chao; Ooi, Boon S.

    2016-01-01

    High-quality nitride materials grown on scalable and low-cost metallic substrates are considerably attractive for high-power light emitters. We demonstrate here, for the first time, the high-power red (705 nm) InGaN/GaN quantum-disks (Qdisks)-in-nanowire light-emitting diodes (LEDs) self-assembled directly on metal-substrate. The LEDs exhibited a low turn-on voltage of ~2 V without efficiency droop up to injection current of 500 mA (1.6 kA/cm2) at ~5 V. This is achieved through the direct growth and optimization of high-quality nanowires on titanium (Ti) coated bulk polycrystalline-molybdenum (Mo) substrates. We performed extensive studies on the growth mechanisms, obtained high-crystal-quality nanowires, and confirmed the epitaxial relationship between the cubic titanium nitride (TiN) transition layer and the hexagonal nanowires. The growth of nanowires on all-metal stack of TiN/Ti/Mo enables simultaneous implementation of n-metal contact, reflector and heat-sink, which greatly simplifies the fabrication process of high-power light emitters. Our work ushers in a practical platform for high-power nanowires light emitters, providing versatile solutions for multiple cross-disciplinary applications that are greatly enhanced by leveraging on the chemical stability of nitride materials, large specific surface of nanowires, chemical lift-off ready layer structures, and reusable Mo substrates.

  16. Facile Formation of High-quality InGaN/GaN Quantum-disks-in-Nanowires on Bulk-Metal Substrates for High-power Light-emitters

    KAUST Repository

    Zhao, Chao

    2016-01-08

    High-quality nitride materials grown on scalable and low-cost metallic substrates are considerably attractive for high-power light emitters. We demonstrate here, for the first time, the high-power red (705 nm) InGaN/GaN quantum-disks (Qdisks)-in-nanowire light-emitting diodes (LEDs) self-assembled directly on metal-substrate. The LEDs exhibited a low turn-on voltage of ~2 V without efficiency droop up to injection current of 500 mA (1.6 kA/cm2) at ~5 V. This is achieved through the direct growth and optimization of high-quality nanowires on titanium (Ti) coated bulk polycrystalline-molybdenum (Mo) substrates. We performed extensive studies on the growth mechanisms, obtained high-crystal-quality nanowires, and confirmed the epitaxial relationship between the cubic titanium nitride (TiN) transition layer and the hexagonal nanowires. The growth of nanowires on all-metal stack of TiN/Ti/Mo enables simultaneous implementation of n-metal contact, reflector and heat-sink, which greatly simplifies the fabrication process of high-power light emitters. Our work ushers in a practical platform for high-power nanowires light emitters, providing versatile solutions for multiple cross-disciplinary applications that are greatly enhanced by leveraging on the chemical stability of nitride materials, large specific surface of nanowires, chemical lift-off ready layer structures, and reusable Mo substrates.

  17. High frequency of multiple HPV types in cervical specimens from Danish women

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mejlhede, Nina; Bonde, Jesper; Fomsgaard, Anders

    2009-01-01

    distribution among cervical specimens from more than 1000 Danish women. We also examined the HPV type distribution and the frequency of single and multiple HPV types for specimens from 113 women who underwent conization and were diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade II or worse (CIN2+). Using...... microarray technology, we found that 49% of the HPV-positive patients were infected with multiple HPV types. Among the CIN2+ diagnosed women, this frequency was 41%. The most frequently found high-risk HPV type was HPV-16, which was found in 25% of the HPV-positive cervical specimens. Among the HPV positive...... CIN2+ diagnosed women, 48% were HPV-16 positive. Women younger than 30 years of age had a higher frequency of multiple infections (61%) than women older than 30 years (39%). We conclude that cervical infection with multiple HPV types is common among women in all age groups and among women...

  18. Comparison of gross anatomy test scores using traditional specimens vs. QuickTime Virtual Reality animated specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maza, Paul Sadiri

    In recent years, technological advances such as computers have been employed in teaching gross anatomy at all levels of education, even in professional schools such as medical and veterinary medical colleges. Benefits of computer based instructional tools for gross anatomy include the convenience of not having to physically view or dissect a cadaver. Anatomy educators debate over the advantages versus the disadvantages of computer based resources for gross anatomy instruction. Many studies, case reports, and editorials argue for the increased use of computer based anatomy educational tools, while others discuss the necessity of dissection for various reasons important in learning anatomy, such as a three-dimensional physical view of the specimen, physical handling of tissues, interactions with fellow students during dissection, and differences between specific specimens. While many articles deal with gross anatomy education using computers, there seems to be a lack of studies investigating the use of computer based resources as an assessment tool for gross anatomy, specifically using the Apple application QuickTime Virtual Reality (QTVR). This study investigated the use of QTVR movie modules to assess if using computer based QTVR movie module assessments were equal in quality to actual physical specimen examinations. A gross anatomy course in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University was used as a source of anatomy students and gross anatomy examinations. Two groups were compared, one group taking gross anatomy examinations in a traditional manner, by viewing actual physical specimens and answering questions based on those specimens. The other group took the same examinations using the same specimens, but the specimens were viewed as simulated three-dimensional objects in a QTVR movie module. Sample group means for the assessments were compared. A survey was also administered asking students' perceptions of quality and user-friendliness of the QTVR

  19. Creep cavitation effects in polycrystalline alumina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, J.R.; Blumenthal, W.; Evans, A.G.

    1981-01-01

    Fine grained polycrystalline alumina has been deformed in creep at high temperatures, to examine the evolution of cavities at grain boundaries. Cavities with equilibrium and crack-like morphologies have been observed, distributed nonuniformly throughout the material. The role of these cavities during creep has been described. A transition from equilibrium to crack-like morphology has been observed and correlated with a model based on the influence of the surface to boundary diffusivity ratio and the local tensile stress. The contribution of cavitation to the creep rate and total creep strain has been analyzed and excluded as the principal cause of the observed non-linear creep rate

  20. Polycrystalline Materials as a Cold Neutron and Gamma Radiation Filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Habib, N.

    2009-01-01

    The total neutron cross-section of polycrystalline beryllium, graphite and iron has been calculated beyond their cut-off wavelength using a general formula. The computer Cold Filter code was developed in order to provide the required calculations. The code also permits the calculation of attenuation of reactor gamma radiation, The calculated neutron transmissions through polycrystalline Be graphite and iron at different temperatures were compared with the experimental data measured at the ETRR-1 reactor using two TOF spectrometers. An overall agreement is obtained between the formula fits and experimental data at different temperatures. A feasibility study is carried on using polycrystalline Be, graphite and iron an efficient filter for cold neutrons and gamma radiation.

  1. Near single-crystalline, high-carrier-mobility silicon thin film on a polycrystalline/amorphous substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Findikoglu, Alp T [Los Alamos, NM; Jia, Quanxi [Los Alamos, NM; Arendt, Paul N [Los Alamos, NM; Matias, Vladimir [Santa Fe, NM; Choi, Woong [Los Alamos, NM

    2009-10-27

    A template article including a base substrate including: (i) a base material selected from the group consisting of polycrystalline substrates and amorphous substrates, and (ii) at least one layer of a differing material upon the surface of the base material; and, a buffer material layer upon the base substrate, the buffer material layer characterized by: (a) low chemical reactivity with the base substrate, (b) stability at temperatures up to at least about 800.degree. C. under low vacuum conditions, and (c) a lattice crystal structure adapted for subsequent deposition of a semiconductor material; is provided, together with a semiconductor article including a base substrate including: (i) a base material selected from the group consisting of polycrystalline substrates and amorphous substrates, and (ii) at least one layer of a differing material upon the surface of the base material; and, a buffer material layer upon the base substrate, the buffer material layer characterized by: (a) low chemical reactivity with the base substrate, (b) stability at temperatures up to at least about 800.degree. C. under low vacuum conditions, and (c) a lattice crystal structure adapted for subsequent deposition of a semiconductor material, and, a top-layer of semiconductor material upon the buffer material layer.

  2. Solvent-free synthesis of nanosized hierarchical sodalite zeolite with a multi-hollow polycrystalline structure

    KAUST Repository

    Zeng, Shangjing; Wang, Runwei; Li, Ang; Huang, Weiwei; Zhang, Zongtao; Qiu, Shilun

    2016-01-01

    A solvent-free route is developed for preparing nanoscale sodalite zeolite with a multi-hollow structure. Furthermore, the synthesis of nanosized hollow sodalite polycrystalline aggregates with a mesoporous structure and high crystallinity

  3. Comparative analysis of different DNA extraction protocols in fresh and herbarium specimens of the genus Dalbergia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ribeiro, R A; Lovato, M B

    2007-03-29

    Five published DNA extraction protocols were compared for their ability to produce good quality DNA from fresh and herbarium leaves of several species of the genus Dalbergia. The leaves of these species contain high amounts of secondary metabolites, which make it difficult to perform a clean DNA extraction and thereby interfering with subsequent PCR amplification. The protocol that produced the best DNA quality in most of the Dalbergia species analyzed, utilizes polyvinylpyrrolidone to bind the phenolic compounds, a high molar concentration of NaCl to inhibit co-precipitation of polysaccharides and DNA, and LiCl for removing RNA by selective precipitation. The DNA quality of herbarium specimens was worse than that for fresh leaves, due to collecting conditions and preservation of samples. We analyzed 54 herbarium specimens, but the recovered DNA allowed successful PCR amplification in only eight. For the genus Dalbergia, the herbarium is an important source of material for phylogenetic and evolutionary studies; due to the occurrence of the different species in various geographical regions in Brazil, it is difficult to obtain fresh material in nature. Our results demonstrated that for Dalbergia species the methods used for the collection and preservation of herbarium specimens have a mayor influence on DNA quality and in the success of phylogenetic studies of the species.

  4. Spectral response of a polycrystalline silicon solar cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ba, B.; Kane, M.

    1994-10-01

    A theoretical study of the spectral response of a polycrystalline silicon n-p junction solar cell is presented. The case of a fibrously oriented grain structure, involving grain boundary recombination velocity and grain size effects is discussed. The contribution of the base region on the internal quantum efficiency Q int is computed for different grain sizes and grain boundary recombination velocities in order to examine their influence. Suggestions are also made for the determination of base diffusion length in polycrystalline silicon solar cells using the spectral response method. (author). 15 refs, 4 figs

  5. Flash-lamp-crystallized polycrystalline silicon films with high hydrogen concentration formed from Cat-CVD a-Si films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohdaira, Keisuke; Tomura, Naohito; Ishii, Shohei; Matsumura, Hideki

    2011-01-01

    We investigate residual forms of hydrogen (H) atoms such as bonding configuration in poly-crystalline silicon (poly-Si) films formed by the flash-lamp-induced crystallization of catalytic chemical vapor deposited (Cat-CVD) a-Si films. Raman spectroscopy reveals that at least part of H atoms in flash-lamp-crystallized (FLC) poly-Si films form Si-H 2 bonds as well as Si-H bonds with Si atoms even using Si-H-rich Cat-CVD a-Si films, which indicates the rearrangement of H atoms during crystallization. The peak desorption temperature during thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) is as high as 900 o C, similar to the reported value for bulk poly-Si.

  6. Electromechanical Response of Polycrystalline Barium Titanate Resolved at the Grain Scale

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Majkut, Marta; Daniels, John E.; Wright, Jonathan P.

    2017-01-01

    critical for understanding bulk polycrystalline ferroic behavior. Here, three-dimensional X-ray diffraction is used to reconstruct a 3D grain map (grain orientations and neighborhoods) of a polycrystalline barium titanate sample and track the grain-scale non-180° ferroelectric domain switching strains...

  7. A comparative study of transport properties in polycrystalline and epitaxial chromium nitride films

    KAUST Repository

    Duan, X. F.

    2013-01-08

    Polycrystalline CrNx films on Si(100) and glass substrates and epitaxial CrNx films on MgO(100) substrates were fabricated by reactive sputtering with different nitrogen gas flow rates (fN2). With the increase of fN2, a lattice phase transformation from metallic Cr2N to semiconducting CrN appears in both polycrystalline and epitaxial CrNx films. At fN2= 100 sccm, the low-temperature conductance mechanism is dominated by both Mott and Efros-Shklovskii variable-range hopping in either polycrystalline or epitaxial CrN films. In all of the polycrystalline and epitaxial films, only the polycrystalline CrNx films fabricated at fN2 = 30 and 50 sccm exhibit a discontinuity in ρ(T) curves at 260-280 K, indicating that both the N-vacancy concentration and grain boundaries play important roles in the metal-insulator transition. © 2013 American Institute of Physics.

  8. A new computer-aided simulation model for polycrystalline silicon film resistors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ching-Yuan Wu; Weng-Dah Ken

    1983-07-01

    A general transport theory for the I-V characteristics of a polycrystalline film resistor has been derived by including the effects of carrier degeneracy, majority-carrier thermionic-diffusion across the space charge regions produced by carrier trapping in the grain boundaries, and quantum mechanical tunneling through the grain boundaries. Based on the derived transport theory, a new conduction model for the electrical resistivity of polycrystalline film resitors has been developed by incorporating the effects of carrier trapping and dopant segregation in the grain boundaries. Moreover, an empirical formula for the coefficient of the dopant-segregation effects has been proposed, which enables us to predict the dependence of the electrical resistivity of phosphorus-and arsenic-doped polycrystalline silicon films on thermal annealing temperature. Phosphorus-doped polycrystalline silicon resistors have been fabricated by using ion-implantation with doses ranged from 1.6 × 10 11 to 5 × 10 15/cm 2. The dependence of the electrical resistivity on doping concentration and temperature have been measured and shown to be in good agreement with the results of computer simulations. In addition, computer simulations for boron-and arsenic-doped polycrystalline silicon resistors have also been performed and shown to be consistent with the experimental results published by previous authors.

  9. The fabrication of YBCO superconductor polycrystalline powder by CCSO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martirosyan, K S; Luss, D; Galstyan, E; Xue, Y Y

    2008-01-01

    We present a novel, cost-effective and simple method to produce polycrystalline superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (YBCO) powder by a self-sustaining one-step process called carbon combustion synthesis of oxides (CCSO). In this process the exothermic oxidation of carbon nanoparticles generates a thermal wave that propagates at a velocity of about 1 mm s -1 through the solid yttrium, barium, and copper precursors, converting them rapidly (in the order of seconds) to polycrystalline YBCO. The carbon is not incorporated in the product and is emitted as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the sample, generating a highly porous (∼70%) and friable product. Most of the grains have a plate-like shape, are well connected, and have a size of between 1 and 3 μm. The concentration of the residual carbon was less than 0.06 wt%. The magnetization of as-synthesized samples (without external post-annealing in oxygen), as determined by a SQUID magnetometer, showed an onset of the superconducting (SC) transition at ∼91 K, with a 44% shielding fraction of the -1/(4π) value

  10. IMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY OF POLYCRYSTALLINE TIN DIOXIDE FILMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. V. Adamchuck

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this work is the analysis of the influence of annealing in an inert atmosphere on the electrical properties and structure of non-stoichiometric tin dioxide films by means of impedance spectroscopy method. Non-stoichiometric tin dioxide films were fabricated by two-step oxidation of metallic tin deposited on the polycrystalline Al2O3 substrates by DC magnetron sputtering. In order to modify the structure and stoichiometric composition, the films were subjected to the high temperature annealing in argon atmosphere in temperature range 300–800 °С. AC-conductivity measurements of the films in the frequency range 20 Hz – 2 MHz were carried out. Variation in the frequency dependencies of the real and imaginary parts of the impedance of tin dioxide films was found to occur as a result of high-temperature annealing. Equivalent circuits for describing the properties of films with various structure and stoichiometric composition were proposed. Possibility of conductivity variation of the polycrystalline tin dioxide films as a result of аnnealing in an inert atmosphere was demonstrated by utilizing impedance spectroscopy. Annealing induces the recrystallization of the films, changing in their stoichiometry as well as increase of the sizes of SnO2 crystallites. Variation of electrical conductivity and structure of tin dioxide films as a result of annealing in inert atmosphere was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Analysis of the impedance diagrams of tin dioxide films was found to be a powerful tool to study their electrical properties. 

  11. Natural occurrence of pure nano-polycrystalline diamond from impact crater

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohfuji, Hiroaki; Irifune, Tetsuo; Litasov, Konstantin D.; Yamashita, Tomoharu; Isobe, Futoshi; Afanasiev, Valentin P.; Pokhilenko, Nikolai P.

    2015-10-01

    Consolidated bodies of polycrystalline diamond with grain sizes less than 100 nm, nano-polycrystalline diamond (NPD), has been experimentally produced by direct conversion of graphite at high pressure and high temperature. NPD has superior hardness, toughness and wear resistance to single-crystalline diamonds because of its peculiar nano-textures, and has been successfully used for industrial and scientific applications. Such sintered nanodiamonds have, however, not been found in natural mantle diamonds. Here we identified natural pure NPD, which was produced by a large meteoritic impact about 35 Ma ago in Russia. The impact diamonds consist of well-sintered equigranular nanocrystals (5-50 nm), similar to synthetic NPD, but with distinct [111] preferred orientation. They formed through the martensitic transformation from single-crystal graphite. Stress-induced local fragmentation of the source graphite and subsequent rapid transformation to diamond in the limited time scale result in multiple diamond nucleation and suppression of the overall grain growth, producing the unique nanocrystalline texture of natural NPD. A huge amount of natural NPD is expected to be present in the Popigai crater, which is potentially important for applications as novel ultra-hard material.

  12. Study on optimizing ultrasonic irradiation period for thick polycrystalline PZT film by hydrothermal method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohta, Kanako; Isobe, Gaku; Bornmann, Peter; Hemsel, Tobias; Morita, Takeshi

    2013-04-01

    The hydrothermal method utilizes a solution-based chemical reaction to synthesize piezoelectric thin films and powders. This method has a number of advantages, such as low-temperature synthesis, and high purity and high quality of the product. In order to promote hydrothermal reactions, we developed an ultrasonic assisted hydrothermal method and confirmed that it produces dense and thick lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) films. In the hydrothermal method, a crystal growth process follows the nucleation process. In this study, we verified that ultrasonic irradiation is effective for the nucleation process, and there is an optimum irradiation period to obtain thicker PZT films. With this optimization, a 9.2-μm-thick PZT polycrystalline film was obtained in a single deposition process. For this film, ultrasonic irradiation was carried out from the beginning of the reaction for 18 h, followed by a 6 h deposition without ultrasonic irradiation. These results indicate that the ultrasonic irradiation mainly promotes the nucleation process. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Polycrystalline silicon availability for photovoltaic and semiconductor industries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferber, R. R.; Costogue, E. N.; Pellin, R.

    1982-01-01

    Markets, applications, and production techniques for Siemens process-produced polycrystalline silicon are surveyed. It is noted that as of 1982 a total of six Si materials suppliers were servicing a worldwide total of over 1000 manufacturers of Si-based devices. Besides solar cells, the Si wafers are employed for thyristors, rectifiers, bipolar power transistors, and discrete components for control systems. An estimated 3890 metric tons of semiconductor-grade polycrystalline Si will be used in 1982, and 6200 metric tons by 1985. Although the amount is expected to nearly triple between 1982-89, research is being carried out on the formation of thin films and ribbons for solar cells, thereby eliminating the waste produced in slicing Czolchralski-grown crystals. The free-world Si production in 1982 is estimated to be 3050 metric tons. Various new technologies for the formation of polycrystalline Si at lower costs and with less waste are considered. New entries into the industrial Si formation field are projected to produce a 2000 metric ton excess by 1988.

  14. Equilibrium shapes of polycrystalline silicon nanodots

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Korzec, M. D., E-mail: korzec@math.tu-berlin.de; Wagner, B., E-mail: bwagner@math.tu-berlin.de [Department of Mathematics, Technische Universität Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 136, 10623 Berlin (Germany); Roczen, M., E-mail: maurizio.roczen@physik.hu-berlin.de [Department of Physics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstraße 15, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Schade, M., E-mail: martin.schade@physik.uni-halle.de [Zentrum für Innovationskompetenz SiLi-nano, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Karl-Freiherr-von-Fritsch-Straße 3, 06120 Halle (Germany); Rech, B., E-mail: bernd.rech@helmholtz-berlin.de [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics, Kekuléstraße 5, 12489 Berlin (Germany)

    2014-02-21

    This study is concerned with the topography of nanostructures consisting of arrays of polycrystalline nanodots. Guided by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements of crystalline Si (c-Si) nanodots that evolved from a “dewetting” process of an amorphous Si (a-Si) layer from a SiO{sub 2} coated substrate, we investigate appropriate formulations for the surface energy density and transitions of energy density states at grain boundaries. We introduce a new numerical minimization formulation that allows to account for adhesion energy from an underlying substrate. We demonstrate our approach first for the free standing case, where the solutions can be compared to well-known Wulff constructions, before we treat the general case for interfacial energy settings that support “partial wetting” and grain boundaries for the polycrystalline case. We then use our method to predict the morphologies of silicon nanodots.

  15. Fabrication of highly conductive Ta-doped SnO{sub 2} polycrystalline films on glass using seed-layer technique by pulse laser deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakao, Shoichiro, E-mail: tg-s-nakao@newkast.or.j [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Department of Chemistry, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Yamada, Naoomi [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Hitosugi, Taro [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Hirose, Yasushi; Shimada, Toshihiro; Hasegawa, Tetsuya [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Department of Chemistry, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan)

    2010-03-31

    We discuss the fabrication of highly conductive Ta-doped SnO{sub 2} (Sn{sub 1-x}Ta{sub x}O{sub 2}; TTO) thin films on glass by pulse laser deposition. On the basis of the comparison of X-ray diffraction patterns and resistivity ({rho}) values between epitaxial films and polycrystalline films deposited on bare glass, we proposed the use of seed-layers for improving the conductivity of the TTO polycrystalline films. We investigated the use of rutile TiO{sub 2} and NbO{sub 2} as seed-layers; these are isostructural materials of SnO{sub 2,} which are expected to promote epitaxial-like growth of the TTO films. The films prepared on the 10-nm-thick seed-layers exhibited preferential growth of the TTO (110) plane. The TTO film with x = 0.05 on rutile TiO{sub 2} exhibited {rho} = 3.5 x 10{sup -4} {Omega} cm, which is similar to those of the epitaxial films grown on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001).

  16. Characterisation of electrodeposited polycrystalline uranium dioxide thin films on nickel foil for industrial applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adamska, A.M.; Bright, E. Lawrence; Sutcliffe, J.; Liu, W.; Payton, O.D.; Picco, L.; Scott, T.B.

    2015-01-01

    Polycrystalline uranium dioxide thin films were grown on nickel substrates via aqueous electrodeposition of a precursor uranyl salt. The arising semiconducting uranium dioxide thin films exhibited a tower-like morphology, which may be suitable for future application in 3D solar cell applications. The thickness of the homogenous, tower-like films reached 350 nm. Longer deposition times led to the formation of thicker (up to 1.5 μm) and highly porous films. - Highlights: • Electrodeposition of polycrystalline UO_2 thin films • Tower-like morphology for 3D solar cell applications • Novel technique for separation of heavy elements from radioactive waste streams

  17. Georeferencing Animal Specimen Datasets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Erp, M.G.J.; Hensel, R.; Ceolin, D.; van der Meij, M.

    2014-01-01

    For biodiversity research, the field of study that is concerned with the richness of species of our planet, it is of the utmost importance that the location of an animal specimen find is known with high precision. Due to specimens often having been collected over the course of many years, their

  18. Nanopores creation in boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene: A molecular dynamics study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izadifar, Mohammadreza; Abadi, Rouzbeh; Nezhad Shirazi, Ali Hossein; Alajlan, Naif; Rabczuk, Timon

    2018-05-01

    In the present paper, molecular dynamic simulations have been conducted to investigate the nanopores creation on 10% of boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene by silicon and diamond nanoclusters. Two types of nanoclusters based on silicon and diamond are used to investigate their effect for the fabrication of nanopores. Therefore, three different diameter sizes of the clusters with five kinetic energies of 10, 50, 100, 300 and 500 eV/atom at four different locations in boron or nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene nanosheets have been perused. We also study the effect of 3% and 6% of boron doped polycrystalline graphene with the best outcome from 10% of doping. Our results reveal that the diamond cluster with diameter of 2 and 2.5 nm fabricates the largest nanopore areas on boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene, respectively. Furthermore, the kinetic energies of 10 and 50 eV/atom can not fabricate nanopores in some cases for silicon and diamond clusters on boron doped polycrystalline graphene nanosheets. On the other hand, silicon and diamond clusters fabricate nanopores for all locations and all tested energies on nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene. The area sizes of nanopores fabricated by silicon and diamond clusters with diameter of 2 and 2.5 nm are close to the actual area size of the related clusters for the kinetic energy of 300 eV/atom in all locations on boron doped polycrystalline graphene. The maximum area and the average maximum area of nanopores are fabricated by the kinetic energy of 500 eV/atom inside the grain boundary at the center of the nanosheet and in the corner of nanosheet with diameters of 2 and 3 nm for silicon and diamond clusters on boron and nitrogen doped polycrystalline graphene.

  19. Anisotropic etching of polycrystalline silicon with a hot Cl2 molecular beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, K.; Hiraoka, S.; Nishimatsu, S.

    1988-01-01

    A hot Cl 2 molecular (Cl/sup */ 2 ) beam was successfully applied to achieve highly anisotropic, highly selective, and almost damage-free etching of polycrystalline Si. The anisotropy, the ratio of etch rates in vertical and horizontal directions, was larger than 25. The selectivity, the ratio of polycrystalline Si and SiO 2 etch rates, was larger than 1000. The Cl/sup */ 2 beam was produced by free jet expansion of a Cl 2 gas heated in a graphite furnace. The furnace temperature was 830 0 C. The substrate temperature was 180 0 C. The average total energy (0.38 eV) of a Cl/sup */ 2 molecule impinging on a substrate surface is much lower than the critical energy (approximately 10 eV) to displace the atoms of the etched material and to cause surface damage. This is the essential reason why this highly selective and almost damage-free etching has been achieved. The highly anisotropic etching mechanism is explained by a model taking into account the directional incidence of Cl/sup */ 2 molecules to the surface, and the deactivation process of the Cl/sup */ 2 molecules on a cold surface

  20. Anisotropic electrical conduction and reduction in dangling-bond density for polycrystalline Si films prepared by catalytic chemical vapor deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niikura, Chisato; Masuda, Atsushi; Matsumura, Hideki

    1999-07-01

    Polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) films with high crystalline fraction and low dangling-bond density were prepared by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (Cat-CVD), often called hot-wire CVD. Directional anisotropy in electrical conduction, probably due to structural anisotropy, was observed for Cat-CVD poly-Si films. A novel method to separately characterize both crystalline and amorphous phases in poly-Si films using anisotropic electrical conduction was proposed. On the basis of results obtained by the proposed method and electron spin resonance measurements, reduction in dangling-bond density for Cat-CVD poly-Si films was achieved using the condition to make the quality of the included amorphous phase high. The properties of Cat-CVD poly-Si films are found to be promising in solar-cell applications.

  1. Synthesis and nonlinear optical property of polycrystalline MnTeMoO_6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Chengguo

    2017-01-01

    Polycrystalline MnTeMoO_6 powder has been synthesized by a new approach that MnO_2 is used as the manganese source. The transformation mechanism of manganese ions in the new approach has been discussed. The nonlinear optical property of polycrystalline MnTeMoO_6 has been investigated, and compared with single-crystalline samples. The transformation Mn"4"+ → Mn"2"+ may be formed directly without stable intermediates, and TeO_2 may serve as catalyst. The SHG response of polycrystalline MnTeMoO_6 powder is worse than that of single-crystalline powder in the same particle size distribution as its pseudo-size. The results indicate that it should pay special attention with the pseudo-size of polycrystalline powder when the potential nonlinear optical materials are screened by powder second harmonic generation measurements. (orig.)

  2. An electronic specimen collection protocol schema (eSCPS). Document architecture for specimen management and the exchange of specimen collection protocols between biobanking information systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eminaga, O; Semjonow, A; Oezguer, E; Herden, J; Akbarov, I; Tok, A; Engelmann, U; Wille, S

    2014-01-01

    The integrity of collection protocols in biobanking is essential for a high-quality sample preparation process. However, there is not currently a well-defined universal method for integrating collection protocols in the biobanking information system (BIMS). Therefore, an electronic schema of the collection protocol that is based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) is required to maintain the integrity and enable the exchange of collection protocols. The development and implementation of an electronic specimen collection protocol schema (eSCPS) was performed at two institutions (Muenster and Cologne) in three stages. First, we analyzed the infrastructure that was already established at both the biorepository and the hospital information systems of these institutions and determined the requirements for the sufficient preparation of specimens and documentation. Second, we designed an eSCPS according to these requirements. Finally, a prospective study was conducted to implement and evaluate the novel schema in the current BIMS. We designed an eSCPS that provides all of the relevant information about collection protocols. Ten electronic collection protocols were generated using the supplementary Protocol Editor tool, and these protocols were successfully implemented in the existing BIMS. Moreover, an electronic list of collection protocols for the current studies being performed at each institution was included, new collection protocols were added, and the existing protocols were redesigned to be modifiable. The documentation time was significantly reduced after implementing the eSCPS (5 ± 2 min vs. 7 ± 3 min; p = 0.0002). The eSCPS improves the integrity and facilitates the exchange of specimen collection protocols in the existing open-source BIMS.

  3. Predicting intragranular misorientation distributions in polycrystalline metals using the viscoplastic self-consistent formulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zecevic, Miroslav; Pantleon, Wolfgang; Lebensohn, Ricardo A.

    2017-01-01

    In a recent paper, we reported the methodology to calculate intragranular fluctuations in the instantaneous lattice rotation rates in polycrystalline materials within the mean-field viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) model. This paper is concerned with the time integration and subsequent use......, we calculate intragranular misorientations in face-centered cubic polycrystals deformed in tension and plane-strain compression. These predictions are tested by comparison with corresponding experiments for polycrystalline copper and aluminum, respectively, and with full-field calculations....... It is observed that at sufficiently high strains some grains develop large misorientations that may lead to grain fragmentation and/or act as driving forces for recrystallization. The proposed VPSC-based prediction of intragranular misorientations enables modeling of grain fragmentation, as well as a more...

  4. Impact of graphene polycrystallinity on the performance of graphene field-effect transistors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiménez, David; Chaves, Ferney [Departament d' Enginyeria Electrònica, Escola d' Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra (Spain); Cummings, Aron W.; Van Tuan, Dinh [ICN2, Institut Català de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) (Spain); Kotakoski, Jani [Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 Wien (Austria); Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 43, 00014 University of Helsinki (Finland); Roche, Stephan [ICN2, Institut Català de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona) (Spain); ICREA, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, 08070 Barcelona (Spain)

    2014-01-27

    We have used a multi-scale physics-based model to predict how the grain size and different grain boundary morphologies of polycrystalline graphene will impact the performance metrics of graphene field-effect transistors. We show that polycrystallinity has a negative impact on the transconductance, which translates to a severe degradation of the maximum and cutoff frequencies. On the other hand, polycrystallinity has a positive impact on current saturation, and a negligible effect on the intrinsic gain. These results reveal the complex role played by graphene grain boundaries and can be used to guide the further development and optimization of graphene-based electronic devices.

  5. Impact of graphene polycrystallinity on the performance of graphene field-effect transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiménez, David; Chaves, Ferney; Cummings, Aron W.; Van Tuan, Dinh; Kotakoski, Jani; Roche, Stephan

    2014-01-01

    We have used a multi-scale physics-based model to predict how the grain size and different grain boundary morphologies of polycrystalline graphene will impact the performance metrics of graphene field-effect transistors. We show that polycrystallinity has a negative impact on the transconductance, which translates to a severe degradation of the maximum and cutoff frequencies. On the other hand, polycrystallinity has a positive impact on current saturation, and a negligible effect on the intrinsic gain. These results reveal the complex role played by graphene grain boundaries and can be used to guide the further development and optimization of graphene-based electronic devices

  6. Ultrathin polycrystalline 6,13-Bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)-pentacene films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, Min-Cherl; Zhang, Dongrong; Nikiforov, Gueorgui O.; Lee, Michael V.; Qi, Yabing, E-mail: Yabing.Qi@oist.jp [Energy Materials and Surface Sciences Unit (EMSS), Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495 (Japan); Joo Shin, Tae; Ahn, Docheon; Lee, Han-Koo; Baik, Jaeyoon; Shin, Hyun-Joon [Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, POSTECH, Pohang 790-784 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-03-15

    Ultrathin (<6 nm) polycrystalline films of 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-P) are deposited with a two-step spin-coating process. The influence of spin-coating conditions on morphology of the resulting film was examined by atomic force microscopy. Film thickness and RMS surface roughness were in the range of 4.0–6.1 and 0.6–1.1 nm, respectively, except for small holes. Polycrystalline structure was confirmed by grazing incidence x-ray diffraction measurements. Near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure measurements suggested that the plane through aromatic rings of TIPS-P molecules was perpendicular to the substrate surface.

  7. Discrete Tomography and Imaging of Polycrystalline Structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alpers, Andreas

    High resolution transmission electron microscopy is commonly considered as the standard application for discrete tomography. While this has yet to be technically realized, new applications with a similar flavor have emerged in materials science. In our group at Ris� DTU (Denmark's National...... Laboratory for Sustainable Energy), for instance, we study polycrystalline materials via synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Several reconstruction problems arise, most of them exhibit inherently discrete aspects. In this talk I want to give a concise mathematical introduction to some of these reconstruction...... problems. Special focus is on their relationship to classical discrete tomography. Several open mathematical questions will be mentioned along the way....

  8. High quality transmission Kikuchi diffraction analysis of deformed alloys - Case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokarski, Tomasz; Cios, Grzegorz; Kula, Anna; Bała, Piotr

    2016-01-01

    Modern scanning electron microscopes (SEM) equipped with thermally assisted field emission guns (Schottky FEG) are capable of imaging with a resolution in the range of several nanometers or better. Simultaneously, the high electron beam current can be used, which enables fast chemical and crystallographic analysis with a higher resolution than is normally offered by SEM with a tungsten cathode. The current resolution that limits the EDS and EBSD analysis is related to materials' physics, particularly to the electron-specimen interaction volume. The application of thin, electron-transparent specimens, instead of bulk samples, improves the resolution and allows for the detailed analysis of very fine microstructural features. Beside the typical imaging mode, it is possible to use a standard EBSD camera in such a configuration that only transmitted and scattered electrons are detected. This modern approach was successfully applied to various materials giving rise to significant resolution improvement, especially for the light element magnesium based alloys. This paper presents an insight into the application of the transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) technique applied to the most troublesome, heavily-deformed materials. In particular, the values of the highest possible acquisition rates for high resolution and high quality mapping were estimated within typical imaging conditions of stainless steel and magnesium-yttrium alloy. - Highlights: •Monte Carlo simulations were used to simulate EBSD camera intensity for various measuring conditions. •Transmission Kikuchi diffraction parameters were evaluated for highly deformed, light and heavy elements based alloys. •High quality maps with 20 nm spatial resolution were acquired for Mg and Fe based alloys. •High speed TKD measurements were performed at acquisition rates comparable to the reflection EBSD.

  9. Instant Transport Media for Biopsied Soft Tissue Specimens: A Comparative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shankargouda Patil

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Formalin, a traditionally preferred fixative in the field of pathology, has restricted usage in private settings. Since its toxicity violates the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, an eco-friendly alternative would be the need of the hour. Hence an instant media which is economical and nontoxic and enables easy transport of biopsied soft tissue specimens in its original state is of vital importance. Materials and Methods. Commercially available fresh goat buccal mucosa specimens were sliced into smaller bits of equal dimensions and placed in six different containers containing 20% honey, 30% jaggery, milk, and ice for 1 hr, 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours each with formalin as a positive control. After the set time interval, the specimens were fixed in 10% buffered formalin for 24 hours followed by routine processing and staining. The histologic interpretations were a blinded procedure and evaluated by two experts. Results were statistically analysed. Results. 30% jaggery proved to be an ideal transport media showing high quality preservation after 24 hours. 20% honey and ice showed optimal tissue preservation up to 6 hours following which quality deteriorated. Tissues transported in milk showed poor preservation. Conclusion. 30% jaggery can be endorsed in routine histopathological analysis as a transport media.

  10. Transmission electron-microscopic studies of structural changes in polycrystalline graphite after high temperature irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Platonov, P.A.; Gurovich, B.A.; Shtrombakh, Ya.I.; Karpukhin, V.I.

    1985-01-01

    Transmission electron-microscopic investigation of polycrystalline graphite before and after irradiation is carried out. The direct use of graphite samples after ion thinning, as an inquiry subject is the basic peculiarity of the work. Main structural components of MPG-6 graphite before and after irradiation are revealed, the structural mechanism of the reactor graphite destruction under irradiation is demonstrated. The mean values of L αm and L cm crystallite dimensions are determined. Radiation defects, occuring in some crystallites after irradiation are revealed by the dark-field electron microscopy method

  11. PROPERTIES AND OPTICAL APPLICATION OF POLYCRYSTALLINE ZINC SELENIDE OBTAINED BY PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Dunaev

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Findings on production technology, mechanical and optical properties of polycrystalline zinc selenide are presented. The combination of its physicochemical properties provides wide application of ZnSe in IR optics. Production technology is based on the method of physical vapor deposition on a heated substrate (Physical Vapor Deposition - PVD. The structural features and heterogeneity of elemental composition for the growth surfaces of ZnSe polycrystalline blanks were investigated using CAMEBAX X-ray micro-analyzer. Characteristic pyramid-shaped crystallites were recorded for all growth surfaces. The measurements of the ratio for major elements concentrations show their compliance with the stoichiometry of the ZnSe compounds. Birefringence, optical homogeneity, thermal conductivity, mechanical and optical properties were measured. It is established that regardless of polycrystalline condensate columnar and texturing, the optical material is photomechanically isotropic and homogeneous. The actual performance of parts made of polycrystalline optical zinc selenide in the thermal spectral ranges from 3 to 5 μm and from 8 to 14 μm and in the CO2 laser processing plants with a power density of 500 W/cm2 is shown. The developed technology gives the possibility to produce polycrystalline optical material on an industrial scale.

  12. Measurement on the density resolution of industrial computerized tomography by using disc specimen with holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian, Y.; Gao, D.; Zhang, W.; Xia, Z.; Yang, C.

    2004-01-01

    Several ways mainly used for measuring the density resolution of industrial computerized tomography (ICT) are briefly introduced. Based on the equivalent conversion between volume variation and density variation, a kind of disc specimen with holes is designed to measure the density resolution of ICT. In this experiment, a kind of high quality polymethyl methacylate (PMMA) is selected to make specimens with diameter of 250mm, in which six sets of holes with diameter separately 0.5mm, 1.0mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.5mm, and 3.0mm are distributed in the radial directions with interval of 60 o between two neighboring sets, and in the same set, the distances of holes departing the center of the specimen are respectively 20mm, 40mm, 60mm, 80mm, and 100mm. The experiment shows that the method is sensitive, simple, flexible, and practical. About 0.2% density resolution of region of interest (ROI) with diameter 20mm can be verified, the relationship between CT value of ROI and its position can be obtained, and at the same time the spatial resolution of ICT can be measured in high quality. (author)

  13. Mesoscopic approach to modeling elastic-plastic polycrystalline material behaviour

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovac, M.; Cizelj, L.

    2001-01-01

    Extreme loadings during severe accident conditions might cause failure or rupture of the pressure boundary of a reactor coolant system. Reliable estimation of the extreme deformations can be crucial to determine the consequences of such an accident. One of important drawbacks of classical continuum mechanics is idealization of inhomogenous microstructure of materials. This paper discusses the mesoscopic approach to modeling the elastic-plastic behavior of a polycrystalline material. The main idea is to divide the continuum (e.g., polycrystalline aggregate) into a set of sub-continua (grains). The overall properties of the polycrystalline aggregate are therefore determined by the number of grains in the aggregate and properties of randomly shaped and oriented grains. The random grain structure is modeled with Voronoi tessellation and random orientations of crystal lattices are assumed. The elastic behavior of monocrystal grains is assumed to be anisotropic. Crystal plasticity is used to describe plastic response of monocrystal grains. Finite element method is used to obtain numerical solutions of strain and stress fields. The analysis is limited to two-dimensional models.(author)

  14. Tungsten silicide contacts to polycrystalline silicon and silicon-germanium alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srinivasan, G.; Bain, M.F.; Bhattacharyya, S.; Baine, P.; Armstrong, B.M.; Gamble, H.S.; McNeill, D.W.

    2004-01-01

    Silicon-germanium alloy layers will be employed in the source-drain engineering of future MOS transistors. The use of this technology offers advantages in reducing series resistance and decreasing junction depth resulting in reduction in punch-through and SCE problems. The contact resistance of metal or metal silicides to the raised source-drain material is a serious issue at sub-micron dimensions and must be minimised. In this work, tungsten silicide produced by chemical vapour deposition has been investigated as a contact metallization scheme to both boron and phosphorus doped polycrystalline Si 1- x Ge x , with 0 ≤x ≤ 0.3. Cross bridge Kelvin resistor (CKBR) structures were fabricated incorporating CVD WSi 2 and polycrystalline SiGe. Tungsten silicide contacts to control polysilicon CKBR structures have been shown to be of high quality with specific contact resistance ρ c values 3 x 10 -7 ohm cm 2 and 6 x 10 -7 ohm cm 2 obtained to boron and phosphorus implanted samples respectively. The SiGe CKBR structures show that the inclusion of Ge yields a reduction in ρ c for both dopant types. The boron doped SiGe exhibits a reduction in ρ c from 3 x 10 -7 to 5 x 10 -8 ohm cm 2 as Ge fraction is increased from 0 to 0.3. The reduction in ρ c has been shown to be due to (i) the lowering of the tungsten silicide Schottky barrier height to p-type SiGe resulting from the energy band gap reduction, and (ii) increased activation of the implanted boron with increased Ge fraction. The phosphorus implanted samples show less sensitivity of ρ c to Ge fraction with a lowest value in this work of 3 x 10 -7 ohm cm 2 for a Ge fraction of 0.3. The reduction in specific contact resistance to the phosphorus implanted samples has been shown to be due to increased dopant activation alone

  15. Hydrogen-induced structural changes in polycrystalline silicon as revealed by positron lifetime spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arole, V.M.; Takwale, M.G.; Bhide, V.G.

    1989-01-01

    Hydrogen passivation of polycrystalline silicon wafer is carried out in order to reduce the deleterious effects of grain boundaries. A systematic variation is made in the process parameters implemented during hydrogen passivation and the results of room temperature resistivity measurements are reported. As an efficient tool to study the structure change, positron lifetime spectroscopic measurements are performed on original and hydrogenated polycrystalline silicon wafers and a systematic correlation is sought between the changes that take place in the electrical and structural properties of polycrystalline silicon wafer, brought about by hydrogen passivation. (author)

  16. Surface Potential of Polycrystalline Hematite in Aqueous Medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tajana Preočanin

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The surface potential of polycrystalline hematite in aqueous sodium perchlorate environment as a function of pH was examined. Surface potential of hematite was obtained from measured electrode potential of a nonporous polycrystalline hematite electrode. Acidic solution was titrated with base, and the backward titration with acid was performed. Substantial hysteresis was obtained which enabled location of the point of zero potential and equilibrium values of surface potentials. The theoretical interpretation of the equilibrium data was performed by applying the surface complexation model and the thermodynamic equilibrium constants for the first and the second step of surface protonation was obtained as logK1∘=11.3;logK2∘=2.8.

  17. Effect of localized polycrystalline silicon properties on solar cell performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, D.; Iles, P. A.; Hyland, S.; Kachare, A.

    1984-01-01

    Several forms of polycrystalline silicon, mostly from cast ingots, (including UCP, SILSO and HEM) were studied. On typical slices, localized properties were studied in two ways. Small area (about 2.5 sq mm) mesa diodes were formed, and localized photovoltaic properties were measured. Also a small area (about .015 sq mm) light spot was scanned across the cells; the light spot response was calibrated to measure local diffusion length directly. Using these methods, the effects of grain boundaries, or of intragrain imperfections were correlated with cell performance. Except for the fine grain portion of SILSO, grain boundaries played only a secondary role in determining cell performance. The major factor was intra-grain material quality and it varied with position in ingots and probably related to solidification procedure.

  18. Solvent-free synthesis of nanosized hierarchical sodalite zeolite with a multi-hollow polycrystalline structure

    KAUST Repository

    Zeng, Shangjing

    2016-08-03

    A solvent-free route is developed for preparing nanoscale sodalite zeolite with a multi-hollow structure. Furthermore, the synthesis of nanosized hollow sodalite polycrystalline aggregates with a mesoporous structure and high crystallinity is investigated by adding an organosilane surfactant as a mesopore-generating agent.

  19. Development of high time-resolution laser flash equipment for thermal diffusivity measurements using miniature-size specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shikama, Tatsuo; Namba, Chusei; Kosuda, Michinori; Maeda, Yukio.

    1994-01-01

    For measurements of thermal diffusivity of miniature-size specimens heavily irradiated by neutrons, a new Q-switched laser-flash instrument was developed. In the present instrument the time-resolution was improved to 0.1 ms by using a laser-pulse width of 25 ns. The realization of high time-resolution made it possible to measure the thermal diffusivity of thin specimens. It is expected that copper of 0.7 mm thick, and SUS 304 of 0.1 mm could be used for the measurements. In case of ATJ graphite, 0.5 mm thick specimen could be used for the reliable measurement in the temperature range of 300-1300 K. (author)

  20. Hall measurements and grain-size effects in polycrystalline silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghosh, A.K.; Rose, A.; Maruska, H.P.; Eustace, D.J.; Feng, T.

    1980-01-01

    The effects of grain size on Hall measurements in polycrystalline silicon are analyzed and interpreted, with some modifications, using the model proposed by Bube. This modified model predicts that the measured effective Hall voltage is composed of components originating from the bulk and space-charge regions. For materials with large grain sizes, the carrier concentration is independent of the intergrain boundary barrier, whereas the mobility is dependent on it. However, for small grains, both the carrier density and mobility depend on the barrier. These predictions are consistent with experimental results of mm-size Wacker and μm-size neutron-transmutation-doped polycrystalline silicon

  1. A multiscale coupled finite-element and phase-field framework to modeling stressed grain growth in polycrystalline thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jamshidian, M., E-mail: jamshidian@cc.iut.ac.ir [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Institute of Structural Mechanics, Bauhaus-University Weimar, Marienstrasse 15, 99423 Weimar (Germany); Thamburaja, P., E-mail: prakash.thamburaja@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600 (Malaysia); Rabczuk, T., E-mail: timon.rabczuk@tdt.edu.vn [Division of Computational Mechanics, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam); Faculty of Civil Engineering, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam)

    2016-12-15

    A previously-developed finite-deformation- and crystal-elasticity-based constitutive theory for stressed grain growth in cubic polycrystalline bodies has been augmented to include a description of excess surface energy and grain-growth stagnation mechanisms through the use of surface effect state variables in a thermodynamically-consistent manner. The constitutive theory was also implemented into a multiscale coupled finite-element and phase-field computational framework. With the material parameters in the constitutive theory suitably calibrated, our three-dimensional numerical simulations show that the constitutive model is able to accurately predict the experimentally-determined evolution of crystallographic texture and grain size statistics in polycrystalline copper thin films deposited on polyimide substrate and annealed at high-homologous temperatures. In particular, our numerical analyses show that the broad texture transition observed in the annealing experiments of polycrystalline thin films is caused by grain growth stagnation mechanisms. - Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Developing a theory for stressed grain growth in polycrystalline thin films. • Implementation into a multiscale coupled finite-element and phase-field framework. • Quantitative reproduction of the experimental grain growth data by simulations. • Revealing the cause of texture transition to be due to the stagnation mechanisms.

  2. Model Equation for Acoustic Nonlinear Measurement of Dispersive Specimens at High Frequency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Dong; Kushibiki, Junichi; Zou, Wei

    2006-10-01

    We present a theoretical model for acoustic nonlinearity measurement of dispersive specimens at high frequency. The nonlinear Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov (KZK) equation governs the nonlinear propagation in the SiO2/specimen/SiO2 multi-layer medium. The dispersion effect is considered in a special manner by introducing the frequency-dependant sound velocity in the KZK equation. Simple analytic solutions are derived by applying the superposition technique of Gaussian beams. The solutions are used to correct the diffraction and dispersion effects in the measurement of acoustic nonlinearity of cottonseed oil in the frequency range of 33-96 MHz. Regarding two different ultrasonic devices, the accuracies of the measurements are improved to ±2.0% and ±1.3% in comparison with ±9.8% and ±2.9% obtained from the previous plane wave model.

  3. Friction and dynamically dissipated energy dependence on temperature in polycrystalline silicon MEMS devices

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gkouzou, A.; Kokorian, J.; Janssen, G.C.A.M.; van Spengen, W.M.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we report on the influence of capillary condensation on the sliding friction of sidewall surfaces in polycrystalline silicon micro-electromechanical
    systems (MEMS). We developed a polycrystalline silicon MEMS tribometer, which is a microscale test device with two components

  4. Method and Apparatus for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Small, Highly Insulating Specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Robert A (Inventor); Kuczmarski, Maria A (Inventor)

    2013-01-01

    A method and apparatus for the measurement of thermal conductivity combines the following capabilities: 1) measurements of very small specimens; 2) measurements of specimens with thermal conductivity on the same order of that as air; and, 3) the ability to use air as a reference material. Care is taken to ensure that the heat flow through the test specimen is essentially one-dimensional. No attempt is made to use heated guards to minimize the flow of heat from the hot plate to the surroundings. Results indicate that since large correction factors must be applied to account for guard imperfections when specimen dimensions are small, simply measuring and correcting for heat from the heater disc that does not flow into the specimen is preferable.

  5. Synthesis and nonlinear optical property of polycrystalline MnTeMoO{sub 6}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jin, Chengguo [Yibin University, Key Laboratory of Computational Physics of Sichuan Province, Yibin (China); Yibin University, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Yibin (China)

    2017-04-15

    Polycrystalline MnTeMoO{sub 6} powder has been synthesized by a new approach that MnO{sub 2} is used as the manganese source. The transformation mechanism of manganese ions in the new approach has been discussed. The nonlinear optical property of polycrystalline MnTeMoO{sub 6} has been investigated, and compared with single-crystalline samples. The transformation Mn{sup 4+} → Mn{sup 2+} may be formed directly without stable intermediates, and TeO{sub 2} may serve as catalyst. The SHG response of polycrystalline MnTeMoO{sub 6} powder is worse than that of single-crystalline powder in the same particle size distribution as its pseudo-size. The results indicate that it should pay special attention with the pseudo-size of polycrystalline powder when the potential nonlinear optical materials are screened by powder second harmonic generation measurements. (orig.)

  6. Two-scale characterization of deformation-induced anisotropy of polycrystalline metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Ikumu; Terada, Kenjiro

    2004-01-01

    The anisotropic macro-scale mechanical behavior of polycrystalline metals is characterized by incorporating the micro-scale constitutive model of single crystal plasticity into the two-scale modeling based on the mathematical homogenization theory. The two-scale simulations are conducted to analyze the macro-scale anisotropy induced by micro-scale plastic deformation of the polycrystalline aggregate. In the simulations, the micro-scale representative volume element (RVE) of a polycrystalline aggregate is uniformly loaded in one direction, unloaded to macroscopically zero stress in a certain stage of deformation and then re-loaded in the different directions. The last re-loading calculations provide different macro-scale responses of the RVE, which can be the appearance of material anisotropy. We then try to examine the effects of the intergranular and intragranular behaviors on the anisotropy by means of various illustrations of plastic deformation process in stead of the use of pole figures for the change of crystallographic orientations

  7. [Development of rapid setting-drying device for herbarium specimens and its application in survey of Chinese materia medica resources in Anhui].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Han; Xu, Tao; Li, Chuan-Run; Sun, Xiao-Mei; Xiang, Long; Zhao, Wei-Bo; Liu, He-Ling; Zhou, Jian-Li; Yang, Qing-Shan; Peng, Dai-Yin

    2016-07-01

    Herbarium specimens are the basis for the plant classification and indispensable media in teaching, scientific research and resources investigation. They have also played an important role in identifying and producing traditional Chinese medicine. High-quality herbarium specimens shall meet high requirements for integrity, smoothness, color and fabricating efficiency. Therefore, we designed a rapid setting and drying device for herbarium specimens, which could make the herbarium specimens smooth, colorful and not easy to mildew. In this paper, we pointed out the deficiency of traditional methods in making herbarium specimens, and introduced the structure and working principle of the device. Besides, we also discussed the effect of the device in setting and drying herbarium specimens and its application in the fourth national survey of the Chinese material medica resources (CMMR) in Anhui province. As a result, the device provides new ideas for producing herbarium specimens, with a reasonable design, good uniformity, high efficiency, safety and portability, and so is worthy of promotion and application in the national survey of CMMR. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

  8. Dominant pinning mechanisms in YBa2Cu3O7-x films on single and polycrystalline yttria stabilized zirconia substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harshavardhan, K. S.; Rajeswari, M.; Hwang, D. M.; Chen, C. Y.; Sands, T.; Venkatesan, T.; Tkaczyk, J. E.; Lay, K. W.; Safari, A.

    1992-04-01

    Critical-current densities have been measured in YBa2Cu3O7-x films deposited on (100) yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and polycrystalline YSZ substrates as a function of temperature (4.5-88 K), magnetic field (0-1 T) and orientation relative to the applied field. The results indicate that in films on polycrystalline substrates, surface and interface pinning play a dominant role at high temperatures. In films on (100) YSZ, pinning is mainly due to intrinsic layer pinning as well as extrinsic pinning associated with the interaction of the fluxoids with point defects and low energy planar (2D) boundaries. The differences are attributed to the intrinsic rigidity of single fluxoids which is reduced in films on polycrystalline substrates thereby weakening the intrinsic layer pinning.

  9. Process Research of Polycrystalline Silicon Material (PROPSM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culik, J. S.

    1984-01-01

    An investigation was begun into the usefulness of molecular hydrogen annealing on polycrystalline solar cells. No improvement was realized even after twenty hours of hydrogenation. Thus, samples were chosen on the basis of: (1) low open circuit voltage; (2) low shunt conductance; and (3) high light generated current. These cells were hydrogenated in molecular hydrogen at 300 C. The differences between the before and after hydrogenation values are so slight as to be negligible. These cells have light generated current densities that indicate long minority carrier diffusion lengths. The open circuit voltage appears to be degraded, and quasi-neutral recombination current enhanced. Therefore, molecular hydrogen is not usful for passivating electrically active defects.

  10. Fast polycrystalline CdTe detectors for bunch-by-bunch luminosity monitoring in the LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Brambilla, A; Jolliot, M; Bravin, E

    2008-01-01

    The luminosity at the four interaction points of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) must be continuously monitored in order to provide an adequate tool for the control and optimisation of beam parameters. Polycrystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) detectors have previously been tested, showing their high potential to fulfil the requirements of luminosity measurement in the severe environment of the LHC interaction regions. Further, the large signal yield and the fast response time should allow bunch-by-bunch measurement of the luminosity at 40 MHz with high accuracy. Four luminosity monitors with two rows of five polycrystalline CdTe detectors each have been fabricated and will be installed at both sides of the low-luminosity interaction points ALICE and LHC-b. A detector housing was specially designed to meet the mechanical constraints in the LHC. A series of elementary CdTe detectors were fabricated and tested, of which 40 were selected for the luminosity monitors. A sensitivity of 104 electrons per minimum ioni...

  11. Polycrystalline silicon semiconducting material by nuclear transmutation doping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cleland, John W.; Westbrook, Russell D.; Wood, Richard F.; Young, Rosa T.

    1978-01-01

    A NTD semiconductor material comprising polycrystalline silicon having a mean grain size less than 1000 microns and containing phosphorus dispersed uniformly throughout the silicon rather than at the grain boundaries.

  12. High-Resolution Ultrasonography (US) of Appendiceal Specimens: Differentiation of Acute Non-perforated Appendicitis from Perforated Appendicitis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Gyo Chang; Kim, Suk; Im, Han Hyeok; Lee, Sang Jin; Yang, Seung Boo; Lee, Seung Woo; Kim, Il Young [Soonchunhyang University Gumi Hospital, Gumi (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hae Kyung [Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon (Korea, Republic of); Kwon, Kui Hyang; Shin, Hyung Chul [Soonchunhyang University, College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-09-15

    To analyze surgical specimens from patients with acute non-perforated and perforated appendicitis using high-resolution ultrasonography (US), and to correlate the US features with the pathologic findings. One hundred and six surgical appendix specimens obtained from patients with suspected acute appendicitis were evaluated. The following US features were evaluated for differentiating acute non-perforated appendicitis from perforated appendicitis: circumferential loss of the echogenic submucosal layer, disruption of the serosal layer, asymmetrical wall thickening, the sum of opposing walls {>=} 9 mm and the presence of appendicoliths. The sensitivity and specificity of the US findings for diagnosing perforated appendicitis were determined. All US features were detected significantly more often in the perforated appendicitis group of specimens. The disruption of the serosal layer was the most significant independent predictor of perforation (p < .001). The sensitivity for circumferential loss of the echogenic submucosal layer, disruption of the serosal layer, asymmetrical wall thickening, wall thickness {>=} 9 mm, and the presence of appendicoliths individually was 84.6%, 69.2%, 61.5%, 73.1% and 46.2%, respectively. The specificity for all of these findings was 86.3%, 98.7%, 95.0%, 85.0% and 85.0%, respectively. High-resolution US of appendiceal specimens was very useful for differentiating acute non-perforated from perforated appendicitis

  13. Production of iodine-123 radiobiological specimen on 25 MeV electron beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oganesyan, Yu.Ts.; Starodub, G.Ya.; Buklanov, G.V.; Korotkin, Yu.S.; Belov, A.G.

    1988-01-01

    The technique is described and experimental results are presented for production of radioactive specimen-iodine-123 for medical biological investigations. It is shown that in ten hour irradiation of 124 Xe enriched target of 10 g weight by the 25 MeV electron beam at MT-25 microtron short lived 123 I with activity of about 200 mCl can be accumulated. The procedure was developed for extraction of radioactive atoms and preparing the solution that permits to obtain during 1-1.5 h after the end of irradiation the specimen which satisfies all pharmacopeia requirements. It follows from the results that using small-size electron accelerators with the beam energy up to 25 MeV permits to organize economical and large-scale production of high quality radioactive specimen of 123 I for servicing a large region of this country. 14 refs.; 4 figs.; 1 tab

  14. Extremal Overall Elastic Response of Polycrystalline Materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bendsøe, Martin P; Lipton, Robert

    1997-01-01

    Polycrystalline materials comprised of grains obtained from a single anisotropic material are considered in the framework of linear elasticity. No assumptions on the symmetry of the polycrystal are made. We subject the material to independent external strain and stress fields with prescribed mean...

  15. [Quality Management and Quality Specifications of Laboratory Tests in Clinical Studies--Challenges in Pre-Analytical Processes in Clinical Laboratories].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishibashi, Midori

    2015-01-01

    The cost, speed, and quality are the three important factors recently indicated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) for the purpose of accelerating clinical studies. Based on this background, the importance of laboratory tests is increasing, especially in the evaluation of clinical study participants' entry and safety, and drug efficacy. To assure the quality of laboratory tests, providing high-quality laboratory tests is mandatory. For providing adequate quality assurance in laboratory tests, quality control in the three fields of pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical processes is extremely important. There are, however, no detailed written requirements concerning specimen collection, handling, preparation, storage, and shipping. Most laboratory tests for clinical studies are performed onsite in a local laboratory; however, a part of laboratory tests is done in offsite central laboratories after specimen shipping. As factors affecting laboratory tests, individual and inter-individual variations are well-known. Besides these factors, standardizing the factors of specimen collection, handling, preparation, storage, and shipping, may improve and maintain the high quality of clinical studies in general. Furthermore, the analytical method, units, and reference interval are also important factors. It is concluded that, to overcome the problems derived from pre-analytical processes, it is necessary to standardize specimen handling in a broad sense.

  16. Histopathologic quality of prostate core biopsy specimens: comparison of an MR-compatible biopsy needle and a ferromagnetic biopsy needle used for ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franiel, T.; Hamm, B.; Beyersdorff, D.; Fritzsche, F.; Staack, A.; Rost, J.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: The histopathologic quality of core biopsy specimens obtained via MRI-guided prostate biopsy using a 16G MR-compatible needle was compared to that of biopsies obtained via ultrasound-guided biopsy using a conventional 18G stainless steel biopsy needle. Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for a total of 247 transrectal prostate biopsy specimens obtained from 32 patients. A total of 117 tissue cores were obtained from 15 patients (PSA of 10.8 ng/ml, age 64 years) who underwent an MRI-guided prostate biopsy using a 16G (1.7 mm) MR-compatible biopsy needle made of titanium alloy. The remaining 130 tissue cores were obtained from 17 patients (PSA of 6.7 ng/ml, age 68 years) who underwent a transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy using an 18G (1.3 mm) ferromagnetic stainless steel biopsy needle. The length and width of the histologic sections prepared from the tissue cores were measured to calculate the area. The histopathologic quality of the specimens was assessed microscopically using tissue fragmentation, the presence of crush artifacts, and the overall assessability as criteria. Each of these features was assigned a score from 0 to 3. All 3 features contributed equally to the overall score which ranged from 0 (no tissue) to 9 (optimal quality). Results: The overall quality scores assigned to the biopsies obtained with a 16G MR-compatible needle and an 18G ferromagnetic needle can be considered to be equivalent to a mean difference between patient related median scores of the specimens of -0.05 (95% confidence interval [-0.46; 0.36]) and a given equivalence limit of 1. The MRI biopsies showed more tissue fragmentation (p=0.001) but fewer crush artifacts (p=0.022) while the assessability did not differ significantly between the two needle types (p=0.064). There was also no significant difference in the calculated areas of the tissue cores (p=0.236). According to the different calibers of the biopsy needles, the lengths (p=0

  17. High resolution SAW elastography for ex-vivo porcine skin specimen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Kanheng; Feng, Kairui; Wang, Mingkai; Jamera, Tanatswa; Li, Chunhui; Huang, Zhihong

    2018-02-01

    Surface acoustic wave (SAW) elastography has been proven to be a non-invasive, non-destructive method for accurately characterizing tissue elastic properties. Current SAW elastography technique tracks generated surface acoustic wave impulse point by point which are a few millimeters away. Thus, reconstructed elastography has low lateral resolution. To improve the lateral resolution of current SAW elastography, a new method was proposed in this research. A M-B scan mode, high spatial resolution phase sensitive optical coherence tomography (PhS-OCT) system was employed to track the ultrasonically induced SAW impulse. Ex-vivo porcine skin specimen was tested using this proposed method. A 2D fast Fourier transform based algorithm was applied to process the acquired data for estimating the surface acoustic wave dispersion curve and its corresponding penetration depth. Then, the ex-vivo porcine skin elastogram was established by relating the surface acoustic wave dispersion curve and its corresponding penetration depth. The result from the proposed method shows higher lateral resolution than that from current SAW elastography technique, and the approximated skin elastogram could also distinguish the different layers in the skin specimen, i.e. epidermis, dermis and fat layer. This proposed SAW elastography technique may have a large potential to be widely applied in clinical use for skin disease diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

  18. A Power Case Study for Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline Solar Panels in Bursa City, Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayşegül Taşçıoğlu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available It was intended to reveal the time dependent power generation under different loads for two different solar panels under the conditions of Bursa province in between August 19 and 25, 2014. The testing sets include solar panels, inverter, multimeter, accumulator, regulator, pyranometer, pyrheliometer, temperature sensor, and datalogger. The efficiency of monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels was calculated depending on the climatic data’s measurements. As the result of the study, the average performances of monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels are 42.06 and 39.80 Wh, respectively. It was seen that 87.14 W instantaneous power could be obtained from monocrystalline solar panel and that 80.17 W instantaneous power could be obtained from polycrystalline solar panel under maximum total radiation (1001.13 W/m2. Within this frame, it was determined that monocrystalline solar panel is able to operate more efficiently under the conditions of Bursa compared to polycrystalline solar panel. When the multivariate correlations coefficients were examined statistically, a significant relationship in positive direction was detected between total and direct radiation and ambient temperature on energy generation from monocrystalline and polycrystalline panel.

  19. Polycrystalline oxides formation during transient oxidation of (001) Cu-Ni binary alloys studied by in situ TEM and XRD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, J.C.; Li, Z.Q.; Sun, L.; Zhou, G.W.; Eastman, J.A.; Fong, D.D.; Fuoss, P.H.; Baldo, P.M.; Rehn, L.E.; Thompson, L.J.

    2009-01-01

    The nucleation and growth of Cu 2 O and NiO islands due to oxidation of Cu x Ni 1-x (001) films were monitored, at various temperatures, by in situ ultra-high vacuum (UHV) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD). In remarkable contrast to our previous observations of Cu and Cu-Au oxidation, irregular-shaped polycrystalline oxide islands formed with respect to the Cu-Ni alloy film, and an unusual second oxide nucleation stage was noted. In situ XRD experiments revealed that NiO formed first epitaxially, then other orientations appeared, and finally polycrystalline Cu 2 O developed as the oxidation pressure was increased. The segregation of Ni and Cu towards or away, respectively, from the alloy surface during oxidation could disrupt the surface and cause polycrystalline oxide formation.

  20. Yield of two consecutive sputum specimens for the effective diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad R Islam

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: From long instances, it is debatable whether three sputum specimens are required for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB or TB can be diagnosed effectively using two consecutive sputum specimens. This study was set out to evaluate the significance of examining multiple sputum specimens in diagnosis of TB. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the acid-fast bacillus (AFB smear and culture results of three consecutive days' sputum specimens from 413 confirmed TB patients which were detected as part of a larger active case finding study in Dhaka Central Jail, the largest correctional facility in Bangladesh. RESULTS: AFB was detected from 81% (n = 334 patients, of which 89% (n = 297 were diagnosed from the first and additional 9% (n = 30 were from the second sputum specimen. M. tuberculosis growth was observed for 406 patients and 85% (n = 343 were obtained from the first sputum and additional 10% (n = 42 were from the second one. The third specimen didn't show significant additional diagnostic value for the detection of AFB by microscopy or growth of the M. tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded from our study results that examining two consecutive sputum specimens is sufficient enough for the effective diagnosis of TB. It can also decrease the laboratory workload and hence improve the quality of work in settings with high TB burden like Bangladesh.

  1. Yield of two consecutive sputum specimens for the effective diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, Mohammad R; Khatun, Razia; Uddin, Mohammad Khaja Mafij; Khan, Md Siddiqur Rahman; Rahman, Md Toufiq; Ahmed, Tahmeed; Banu, Sayera

    2013-01-01

    From long instances, it is debatable whether three sputum specimens are required for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) or TB can be diagnosed effectively using two consecutive sputum specimens. This study was set out to evaluate the significance of examining multiple sputum specimens in diagnosis of TB. We retrospectively reviewed the acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear and culture results of three consecutive days' sputum specimens from 413 confirmed TB patients which were detected as part of a larger active case finding study in Dhaka Central Jail, the largest correctional facility in Bangladesh. AFB was detected from 81% (n = 334) patients, of which 89% (n = 297) were diagnosed from the first and additional 9% (n = 30) were from the second sputum specimen. M. tuberculosis growth was observed for 406 patients and 85% (n = 343) were obtained from the first sputum and additional 10% (n = 42) were from the second one. The third specimen didn't show significant additional diagnostic value for the detection of AFB by microscopy or growth of the M. tuberculosis. We concluded from our study results that examining two consecutive sputum specimens is sufficient enough for the effective diagnosis of TB. It can also decrease the laboratory workload and hence improve the quality of work in settings with high TB burden like Bangladesh.

  2. Vapor transport deposition of large-area polycrystalline CdTe for radiation image sensor application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Keedong; Cha, Bokyung; Heo, Duchang; Jeon, Sungchae [Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, 111 Hanggaul-ro, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do 426-170 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-07-15

    Vapor transport deposition (VTD) process delivers saturated vapor to substrate, resulting in high-throughput and scalable process. In addition, VTD can maintain lower substrate temperature than close-spaced sublimation (CSS). The motivation of this work is to adopt several advantages of VTD for radiation image sensor application. Polycrystalline CdTe films were obtained on 300 mm x 300 mm indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass. The polycrystalline CdTe film has columnar structure with average grain size of 3 μm ∝ 9 μm, which can be controlled by changing the substrate temperature. In order to analyze electrical and X-ray characteristics, ITO-CdTe-Al sandwich structured device was fabricated. Effective resistivity of the polycrystalline CdTe film was ∝1.4 x 10{sup 9}Ωcm. The device was operated under hole-collection mode. The responsivity and the μτ product estimated to be 6.8 μC/cm{sup 2}R and 5.5 x 10{sup -7} cm{sup 2}/V. The VTD can be a process of choice for monolithic integration of CdTe thick film for radiation image sensor and CMOS/TFT circuitry. (copyright 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  3. The effect of image quality, repeated study, and assessment method on anatomy learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenesi, Barbara; Mackinnon, Chelsea; Cheng, Lucia; Kim, Joseph A; Wainman, Bruce C

    2017-06-01

    The use of two-dimensional (2D) images is consistently used to prepare anatomy students for handling real specimen. This study examined whether the quality of 2D images is a critical component in anatomy learning. The visual clarity and consistency of 2D anatomical images was systematically manipulated to produce low-quality and high-quality images of the human hand and human eye. On day 0, participants learned about each anatomical specimen from paper booklets using either low-quality or high-quality images, and then completed a comprehension test using either 2D images or three-dimensional (3D) cadaveric specimens. On day 1, participants relearned each booklet, and on day 2 participants completed a final comprehension test using either 2D images or 3D cadaveric specimens. The effect of image quality on learning varied according to anatomical content, with high-quality images having a greater effect on improving learning of hand anatomy than eye anatomy (high-quality vs. low-quality for hand anatomy P = 0.018; high-quality vs. low-quality for eye anatomy P = 0.247). Also, the benefit of high-quality images on hand anatomy learning was restricted to performance on short-answer (SA) questions immediately after learning (high-quality vs. low-quality on SA questions P = 0.018), but did not apply to performance on multiple-choice (MC) questions (high-quality vs. low-quality on MC questions P = 0.109) or after participants had an additional learning opportunity (24 hours later) with anatomy content (high vs. low on SA questions P = 0.643). This study underscores the limited impact of image quality on anatomy learning, and questions whether investment in enhancing image quality of learning aids significantly promotes knowledge development. Anat Sci Educ 10: 249-261. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

  4. High strain rate mechanical response of buttress-grooved tensile specimens which have undergone environmental exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weirick, L.J.

    1976-07-01

    The purpose of the corrosion compatibility program was to identify the effect of corrosion on the mechanical performance of the buttress-grooved section of the 105-mm penetrator, a section which must sustain a load during launch. It is important that the environment not deteriorate the mechanical integrity of these grooves during long-term storage. Both coated and uncoated test specimens which simulate both geometrical shape and residual stress patterns were exposed to corrosive environments of moist air, distilled water, and salt water. Some of these tests also incorporated the galvanic coupling caused by the aluminum sabot. After exposure to the corrosive environments, the specimens were pulled on a high strain rate tensile machine which simulated launch conditions. Results show that the galvanic coupling due to the aluminum sabot caused no deterioration of mechanical properties. Results do indicate that the coating applied caused a significant reduction in the fracture load. There was a dichotomy in the results as affected by the environment. Uncoated test specimens showed no change in fracture load with increasing severity of corrosion environment, whereas the coated specimens indicated a trend of decreasing load-bearing ability with increasing corrosion

  5. Origin of colossal dielectric permittivity of rutile Ti₀.₉In₀.₀₅Nb₀.₀₅O₂: single crystal and polycrystalline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Yongli; Wang, Xianjie; Sui, Yu; Liu, Ziyi; Zhang, Yu; Zhan, Hongsheng; Song, Bingqian; Liu, Zhiguo; Lv, Zhe; Tao, Lei; Tang, Jinke

    2016-02-12

    In this paper, we investigated the dielectric properties of (In + Nb) co-doped rutile TiO2 single crystal and polycrystalline ceramics. Both of them showed colossal, up to 10(4), dielectric permittivity at room temperature. The single crystal sample showed one dielectric relaxation process with a large dielectric loss. The voltage-dependence of dielectric permittivity and the impedance spectrum suggest that the high dielectric permittivity of single crystal originated from the surface barrier layer capacitor (SBLC). The impedance spectroscopy at different temperature confirmed that the (In + Nb) co-doped rutile TiO2 polycrystalline ceramic had semiconductor grains and insulating grain boundaries, and that the activation energies were calculated to be 0.052 eV and 0.35 eV for grain and grain boundary, respectively. The dielectric behavior and impedance spectrum of the polycrystalline ceramic sample indicated that the internal barrier layer capacitor (IBLC) mode made a major contribution to the high ceramic dielectric permittivity, instead of the electron-pinned defect-dipoles.

  6. Software optimization for electrical conductivity imaging in polycrystalline diamond cutters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bogdanov, G.; Ludwig, R. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Rd, Worcester, MA 01609 (United States); Wiggins, J.; Bertagnolli, K. [US Synthetic, 1260 South 1600 West, Orem, UT 84058 (United States)

    2014-02-18

    We previously reported on an electrical conductivity imaging instrument developed for measurements on polycrystalline diamond cutters. These cylindrical cutters for oil and gas drilling feature a thick polycrystalline diamond layer on a tungsten carbide substrate. The instrument uses electrical impedance tomography to profile the conductivity in the diamond table. Conductivity images must be acquired quickly, on the order of 5 sec per cutter, to be useful in the manufacturing process. This paper reports on successful efforts to optimize the conductivity reconstruction routine, porting major portions of it to NVIDIA GPUs, including a custom CUDA kernel for Jacobian computation.

  7. Impact of Joule heating, roughness, and contaminants on the relative hardness of polycrystalline gold

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freeze, Christopher R; Ji, Xiaoyin; Irving, Douglas L; Kingon, Angus I

    2013-01-01

    Asperities play a central role in the mechanical and electrical properties of contacting surfaces. Changes in trends of uniaxial compression of an asperity tip in contact with a polycrystalline substrate as a function of substrate geometry, compressive stress and applied voltage are investigated here by implementation of a coupled continuum and atomistic approach. Surprisingly, an unmodified Au polycrystalline substrate is found to be softer than one containing a void for conditions of high stress and an applied voltage of 0.2 V. This is explained in terms of the temperature distribution and weakening of Au as a function of temperature. The findings in this communication are important to the design of materials for electrical contacts because applied conditions may play a role in reversing relative hardness of the materials for conditions experienced during operation. (fast track communication)

  8. Tunable band structures of polycrystalline graphene by external and mismatch strains

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jiang-Tao Wu; Xing-Hua Shi; Yu-Jie Wei

    2012-01-01

    Lacking a band gap largely limits the application of graphene in electronic devices.Previous study shows that grain boundaries (GBs) in polycrystalline graphene can dramatically alter the electrical properties of graphene.Here,we investigate the band structure of polycrystalline graphene tuned by externally imposed strains and intrinsic mismatch strains at the GB by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.We found that graphene with symmetrical GBs typically has zero band gap even with large uniaxial and biaxial strain.However,some particular asymmetrical GBs can open a band gap in graphene and their band structures can be substantially tuned by external strains.A maximum band gap about 0.19 eV was observed in matched-armchair GB (5,5) | (3,7) with a misorientation of θ =13° when the applied uniaxial strain increases to 9%.Although mismatch strain is inevitable in asymmetrical GBs,it has a small influence on the band gap of polycrystalline graphene.

  9. Growth of high-quality large-area MgB2 thin films by reactive evaporation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moeckly, B H; Ruby, W S

    2006-01-01

    We report a new in situ reactive deposition thin film growth technique for the production of MgB 2 thin films which offers several advantages over all existing methods and is the first deposition method to enable the production of high-quality MgB 2 films for real-world applications. We have used this growth method, which incorporates a rotating pocket heater, to deposit MgB 2 films on a variety of substrates, including single-crystalline, polycrystalline, metallic, and semiconductor materials up to 4 inch in diameter. This technique allows growth of double-sided, large-area films in the intermediate temperature range of 400-600 deg. C. These films are clean, well-connected, and consistently display T c values of 38-39 K with low resistivity and residual resistivity values. They are also robust and uncommonly stable upon exposure to atmosphere and water. (rapid communication)

  10. Acoustic emission from polycrystalline graphites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ioka, I.; Yoda, S.; Oku, T.; Miyamoto, Y.

    1987-01-01

    Acoustic emission was monitored from polycrystalline graphites with different microstructure (pore size and pore volume) subjected to compressive loading. The graphites used in this study comprised five brands, that is, PGX, ISEM-1, IG-11, IG-15, and ISO-88. A root mean square (RMS) voltage and event counts of acoustic emission for graphites were measured during compressive loading. The acoustic emission was measured using a computed-based data acquisition and analysis system. The graphites were first deformed up to 80 % of the average fracture stress, then unloaded and reloaded again until the fracture occured. During the first loading, the change in RMS voltage for acoustic emission was detected from the initial stage. During the unloading, the RMS voltage became zero level as soon as the applied stress was released and then gradually rose to a peak and declined. The behavior indicated that the reversed plastic deformation occured in graphites. During the second loading, the RMS voltage gently increased until the applied stress exceeded the maximum stress of the first loading; there is no Kaiser effect in the graphites. A bicrystal model could give a reasonable explanation of this results. The empirical equation between the ratio of σ AE to σ f and σ f was obtained. It is considered that the detection of microfracture by the acoustic emission technique is effective in macrofracture prediction of polycrystalline graphites. (author)

  11. Magnetic properties of polycrystalline PrxY1-xBa2Cu3O7-δ

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stari, C.; Rivera, V.A.G.; Lanfredi, A.J.C.; Cardoso, C.A.; Leite, E.R.; Mombru, A.W.; Araujo-Moreira, F.M.

    2008-01-01

    In this work, we report a part of a systematic study of the influence of the synthesis routes on the properties of polycrystalline samples of Pr x Y 1-x Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ . We have prepared high-quality samples of this material by following a sol-gel method, associated with heat treatment in both an inert argon and an oxygen atmospheres in order to compare their influence on the formation of the superconducting phase. Magnetic measurement (AC susceptibility) show that the superconducting transition temperature (T C ) increases in samples prepared in argon when compared to those prepared in oxygen, for the same composition and Pr fraction less than 0.5. In addition to this, preliminary results of AC and DC magnetic susceptibility show superconductivity for samples with Pr fraction higher than 0.5 (and up to 0.9) prepared under argon flux, which may indicate the existence of stable superconductivity for all compositions, including pure Pr-123

  12. Characteristics of Schottky-barrier source/drain metal-oxide-polycrystalline thin-film transistors on glass substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Seung-Min; Cho, Won-Ju; Jung, Jong-Wan

    2012-01-01

    Polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) Schottky-barrier thin-film transistors (SB-TFTs) with Pt-silicided source /drain junctions were fabricated on glass substrates, and the electrical characteristics were examined. The amorphous silicon films on glass substrates were converted into high-quality poly-Si by using excimer laser annealing (ELA) and solid phase crystallization (SPC) methods. The crystallinity of poly-Si was analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The silicidation process was optimized by measuring the electrical characteristics of the Pt-silicided Schottky diodes. The performances of Pt-silicided SB-TFTs using poly-Si films on glass substrates and crystallized by using ELA and SPC were demonstrated. The SB-TFTs using the ELA poly-Si film demonstrated better electrical performances such as higher mobility (22.4 cm 2 /Vs) and on/off current ratio (3 x 10 6 ) and lower subthreshold swing value (120 mV/dec) than the SPC poly-Si films.

  13. Predicting the effective response of bulk polycrystalline ferroelectric ceramics via improved spectral phase field methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidyasagar, A.; Tan, W. L.; Kochmann, D. M.

    2017-09-01

    Understanding the electromechanical response of bulk polycrystalline ferroelectric ceramics requires scale-bridging approaches. Recent advances in fast numerical methods to compute the homogenized mechanical response of materials with heterogeneous microstructure have enabled the solution of hitherto intractable systems. In particular, the use of a Fourier-based spectral method as opposed to the traditional finite element method has gained significant interest in the homogenization of periodic microstructures. Here, we solve the periodic, electro-mechanically-coupled boundary value problem at the mesoscale of polycrystalline ferroelectrics in order to extract the effective response of barium titanate (BaTiO3) and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) under applied electric fields. Results include the effective electric hysteresis and the associated butterfly curve of strain vs. electric field for mean stress-free electric loading. Computational predictions of the 3D polycrystalline response show convincing agreement with our experimental electric cycling and strain hysteresis data for PZT-5A. In addition to microstructure-dependent effective physics, we also show how finite-difference-based approximations in the spectral solution scheme significantly reduce instability and ringing phenomena associated with spectral techniques and lead to spatial convergence with h-refinement, which have been major challenges when modeling high-contrast systems such as polycrystals.

  14. Intrinsic Compressive Stress in Polycrystalline Films is Localized at Edges of the Grain Boundaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasco, Enrique; Polop, Celia

    2017-12-01

    The intrinsic compression that arises in polycrystalline thin films under high atomic mobility conditions has been attributed to the insertion or trapping of adatoms inside grain boundaries. This compression is a consequence of the stress field resulting from imperfections in the solid and causes the thermomechanical fatigue that is estimated to be responsible for 90% of mechanical failures in current devices. We directly measure the local distribution of residual intrinsic stress in polycrystalline thin films on nanometer scales, using a pioneering method based on atomic force microscopy. Our results demonstrate that, at odds with expectations, compression is not generated inside grain boundaries but at the edges of gaps where the boundaries intercept the surface. We describe a model wherein this compressive stress is caused by Mullins-type surface diffusion towards the boundaries, generating a kinetic surface profile different from the mechanical equilibrium profile by the Laplace-Young equation. Where the curvatures of both profiles differ, an intrinsic stress is generated in the form of Laplace pressure. The Srolovitz-type surface diffusion that results from the stress counters the Mullins-type diffusion and stabilizes the kinetic surface profile, giving rise to a steady compression regime. The proposed mechanism of competition between surface diffusions would explain the flux and time dependency of compressive stress in polycrystalline thin films.

  15. Magnetic field induced low temperature upturn of magnetization in highly Ca-doped La{sub 0.1875}Ca{sub 0.8125}MnO{sub 3} polycrystalline compound

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Das, Kalipada, E-mail: kalipadadasphysics@gmail.com [Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, 2A and 2B Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032 (India); Dasgupta, P.; Poddar, A. [CMP Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700 064 (India)

    2017-06-15

    Highlights: • Magnetic field induced super paramagnetic nanoclusters formation. • Magnetic field dependent change of the curvature of the magnetization. • We report the training effect in polycrystalline La{sub 0.1875}Ca{sub 0.8125}MnO{sub 3} compound. - Abstract: In our present study we have reported the magnetic properties of highly Ca-doped polycrystalline compound La{sub 0.1875}Ca{sub 0.8125}MnO{sub 3}. Along with the conventional charge ordered antiferromagnetic ground state, a small ferromagnetic phase fraction is present at the low temperature. The effect of the external magnetic field markedly modifies the ground state of the compound. Our experimental results indicate that in addition to the ferromagnetic phase fraction, another field induced super paramagnetic phase grow at low temperature (T < 50 K) above H = 10 kOe magnetic field within the charge ordered antiferromagnetic matrix. The nature of the temperature dependent magnetization curves influenced by the external applied magnetic field was observed and analyzed using Langevin theory of super paramagnetism.

  16. Polycrystalline intrinsic zinc oxide to be used in transparent electronic devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pimentel, A.; Fortunato, E.; Goncalves, A.; Marques, A.; Aguas, H.; Pereira, L.; Ferreira, I.; Martins, R.

    2005-01-01

    In this paper we present results of intrinsic/non-doped zinc oxide deposited at room temperature by radio frequency magnetron sputtering able to be used as a semiconductor material on electronic devices, like for example ozone gas sensors, ultra-violet detectors and thin film transistors. These films present a resistivity as high as 2.5x10 8 Ω cm with an optical transmittance of 90%. Concerning the structural properties, these films are polycrystalline presenting a uniform and very smooth surface

  17. Integrated Pathology Informatics Enables High-Quality Personalized and Precision Medicine: Digital Pathology and Beyond.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volynskaya, Zoya; Chow, Hung; Evans, Andrew; Wolff, Alan; Lagmay-Traya, Cecilia; Asa, Sylvia L

    2018-03-01

    - The critical role of pathology in diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction demands high-quality subspecialty diagnostics that integrates information from multiple laboratories. - To identify key requirements and to establish a systematic approach to providing high-quality pathology in a health care system that is responsible for services across a large geographic area. - This report focuses on the development of a multisite pathology informatics platform to support high-quality surgical pathology and hematopathology using a sophisticated laboratory information system and whole slide imaging for histology and immunohistochemistry, integrated with ancillary tools, including electron microscopy, flow cytometry, cytogenetics, and molecular diagnostics. - These tools enable patients in numerous geographic locations access to a model of subspecialty pathology that allows reporting of every specimen by the right pathologist at the right time. The use of whole slide imaging for multidisciplinary case conferences enables better communication among members of patient care teams. The system encourages data collection using a discrete data synoptic reporting module, has implemented documentation of quality assurance activities, and allows workload measurement, providing examples of additional benefits that can be gained by this electronic approach to pathology. - This approach builds the foundation for accurate big data collection and high-quality personalized and precision medicine.

  18. Dynamic fuel retention in tokamak wall materials: An in situ laboratory study of deuterium release from polycrystalline tungsten at room temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bisson, R., E-mail: regis.bisson@univ-amu.fr [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, PIIM UMR 7345, 13397 Marseille (France); Markelj, S. [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, PIIM UMR 7345, 13397 Marseille (France); Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Mourey, O.; Ghiorghiu, F. [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, PIIM UMR 7345, 13397 Marseille (France); Achkasov, K. [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, PIIM UMR 7345, 13397 Marseille (France); CEA, IRFM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Layet, J.-M.; Roubin, P.; Cartry, G. [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, PIIM UMR 7345, 13397 Marseille (France); Grisolia, C. [CEA, IRFM, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Angot, T. [Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, PIIM UMR 7345, 13397 Marseille (France)

    2015-12-15

    Retention of deuterium ion implanted in polycrystalline tungsten samples is studied in situ in an ultra-high vacuum apparatus equipped with a low-flux ion source and a high sensitivity thermo-desorption setup. Retention as a function of ion fluence was measured in the 10{sup 17}–10{sup 21} D{sup +}·m{sup −2} range. By combining this new fluence range with the literature in situ experimental data, we evidence the existence of a retention ∝ fluence{sup 0.645±0.025} relationship which describes deuterium retention behavior on polycrystalline tungsten on 8 orders of magnitude of fluence. Evolution of deuterium retention as a function of the sample storage time in vacuum at room temperature was followed. A loss of 50% of the retained deuterium is observed when the storage time is increased from 2 h to 135 h. The role of the surface and of natural bulk defects on the deuterium retention/release in polycrystalline tungsten is discussed in light of the behavior of the single desorption peak obtained with Temperature Programmed Desorption.

  19. Low-temperature transport properties of chemical solution deposited polycrystalline La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 ferromagnetic films under a magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Junyu; Chen, Ying; Xu, Wenfei; Yang, Jing; Bai, Wei; Wang, Genshui; Duan, Chungang; Tang, Zheng; Tang, Xiaodong

    2011-01-01

    Polycrystalline La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 (LSMO) films were prepared on SiO 2 /Si (001) substrates by chemical solution deposition technique. Electrical and magnetic properties of LSMO were investigated. A minimum phenomenon in resistivity is found at the low temperature ( 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 films were grown by a modified chemical solution deposition route. → High quality LSMO thin films were prepared directly onto SiO 2 /Si substrates. → Abnormality in resistivity of LSMO films at low temperatures was studied in detail. → The abnormality was mainly attributed to Kondo-like spin dependent scattering.

  20. Preliminary investigation of candidate specimens for the Egyptian environmental specimen bank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shawky, S.; Amer, H.; Schladot, J.D.; Ostapczuk, P.; Emons, H.; Abou El-Nour, F.

    2000-01-01

    In the frame of establishing an environmental monitoring program related to environmental specimen banking in egypt, some candidate specimens from the aquatic environment (Fish muscle, fish liver; mussels) were investigated. The selection of specimens and sampling sites is described. Specimens are chemically characterised with respect to some major and trace elements and the results are compared with data obtained from comparable specimens collected in aquatic ecosystems of germany

  1. Technique for the residual life assessment of high temperature components based on creep-rupture testing on welded miniature specimens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garzillo, A.; Guardamagna, C.; Moscotti, L.; Ranzani, L. [Ente Nazionale per l`Energia Elettrica, Milan (Italy)

    1995-06-01

    Following the present trend in the development of advanced methodologies for residual life assessment of high temperature components operating in power plants, particularly in non destructive methods, a testing technique has been set up at ENEL-CRAM based on creep-rupture testa in an argon on welded miniature specimens. Five experimental systems for creep-rupture tests in an argon atmosphere have been set up which include high accuracy systems, vacuum chambers and exrwnsometer devices. With the aim of establishing and validating the suitability of the experimental methodology, creep-rupture and interrupted creep testing programmes have been performed on miniature specimens (2 mm diameter and 10 mm gauge lenght). On the basis of experience gathered by various European research laboratories, a miniature specimen construction procedure has been developed using a laser welding technique for joining threaded heads to sample material. Low alloy ferritic steels, such as virgin 2.25CrlMo, 0.5Cr 0.5Mo 0.25V, and IN 738 superalloy miniature specimens have been investigated and the results, compared with those from standard specimens, show a regular trend in deformation vs time. Additional efforts to provide guidelines for material sampling from each plant component will be required in order to reduce uncertainties in residual life prediction.

  2. In vitro study of color stability of polycrystalline and monocrystalline ceramic brackets

    OpenAIRE

    de Oliveira, Cibele Braga; Maia, Luiz Guilherme Martins; Santos-Pinto, Ary; Gandini J?nior, Luiz Gonzaga

    2014-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this in vitro study was to analyze color stability of monocrystalline and polycrystalline ceramic brackets after immersion in dye solutions. METHODS: Seven ceramic brackets of four commercial brands were tested: Two monocrystalline and two polycrystalline. The brackets were immersed in four dye solutions (coffee, red wine, Coke and black tea) and in artificial saliva for the following times: 24 hours, 7, 14 and 21 days, respectively. Color changes were measured by a...

  3. The importance of stress percolation patterns in rocks and other polycrystalline materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burnley, P C

    2013-01-01

    A new framework for thinking about the deformation behavior of rocks and other heterogeneous polycrystalline materials is proposed, based on understanding the patterns of stress transmission through these materials. Here, using finite element models, I show that stress percolates through polycrystalline materials that have heterogeneous elastic and plastic properties of the same order as those found in rocks. The pattern of stress percolation is related to the degree of heterogeneity in and statistical distribution of the elastic and plastic properties of the constituent grains in the aggregate. The development of these stress patterns leads directly to shear localization, and their existence provides insight into the formation of rhythmic features such as compositional banding and foliation in rocks that are reacting or dissolving while being deformed. In addition, this framework provides a foundation for understanding and predicting the macroscopic rheology of polycrystalline materials based on single-crystal elastic and plastic mechanical properties.

  4. Influence of wavelength on transient short-circuit current in polycrystalline silicon solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ba, B.; Kane, M.

    1993-10-01

    The influence of the wavelength of a monochromatic illumination on transient short-circuit current in an n/p polycrystalline silicon part solar cell junction is investigated. A wavelength dependence in the initial part of the current decay is observed in the case of cells with moderate grain boundary effects. This influence is attenuated in polycrystalline cells with strong grain boundary activity. (author). 10 refs, 6 figs

  5. Palladium assisted silver transport in polycrystalline SiC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neethling, J.H., E-mail: Jan.Neethling@nmmu.ac.za [Physics Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); O' Connell, J.H.; Olivier, E.J. [Physics Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa)

    2012-10-15

    The transport of silver in polycrystalline 3C-SiC and hexagonal 6H-SiC has been investigated by annealing the SiC samples in contact with a Pd-Ag compound at temperatures of 800 and 1000 Degree-Sign C and times of 24 and 67 h. The Pd was added in an attempt to improve the low wetting of SiC by Ag and further because Pd is produced in measurable concentrations in coated particles during reactor operation. Pd is also known to coalesce at the IPyC-SiC interface and to chemically attack the SiC layer. SEM, TEM and EDS were used to show that the Ag penetrates polycrystalline SiC along grain boundaries together with Pd. It is suggested that Ag transport in SiC takes place along grain boundaries in the form of moving nodules consisting of a Ag-Pd mixture. It is assumed that the nodules move along grain boundaries by dissolving the SiC at the leading edge followed by the reprecipitation of SiC at the trailing edge. Since the solubility of Cs in Ag and Pd is extremely low, it is unlikely that Cs will penetrate the SiC together with the Ag-Pd compound if present at the IPyC-SiC interface. If it is assumed that the dominant transport mechanism of Ag in intact polycrystalline SiC is indeed the Pd assisted mechanism, then the stabilization of Pd (and other metallic fission products) in the kernel could be a way of mitigating Ag release from TRISO-coated particles.

  6. Palladium assisted silver transport in polycrystalline SiC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neethling, J.H.; O’Connell, J.H.; Olivier, E.J.

    2012-01-01

    The transport of silver in polycrystalline 3C-SiC and hexagonal 6H-SiC has been investigated by annealing the SiC samples in contact with a Pd–Ag compound at temperatures of 800 and 1000 °C and times of 24 and 67 h. The Pd was added in an attempt to improve the low wetting of SiC by Ag and further because Pd is produced in measurable concentrations in coated particles during reactor operation. Pd is also known to coalesce at the IPyC–SiC interface and to chemically attack the SiC layer. SEM, TEM and EDS were used to show that the Ag penetrates polycrystalline SiC along grain boundaries together with Pd. It is suggested that Ag transport in SiC takes place along grain boundaries in the form of moving nodules consisting of a Ag–Pd mixture. It is assumed that the nodules move along grain boundaries by dissolving the SiC at the leading edge followed by the reprecipitation of SiC at the trailing edge. Since the solubility of Cs in Ag and Pd is extremely low, it is unlikely that Cs will penetrate the SiC together with the Ag–Pd compound if present at the IPyC–SiC interface. If it is assumed that the dominant transport mechanism of Ag in intact polycrystalline SiC is indeed the Pd assisted mechanism, then the stabilization of Pd (and other metallic fission products) in the kernel could be a way of mitigating Ag release from TRISO-coated particles.

  7. In Situ Observation of the Dislocation Structure Evolution During a Strain Path Change in Copper

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wejdemann, Christian; Poulsen, Henning Friis; Lienert, Ulrich

    2013-01-01

    The evolution of deformation structures in individual grains embedded in polycrystalline copper specimens during strain path changes is observed in situ by high-resolution reciprocal space mapping with high-energy synchrotron radiation. A large number of individual subgrains is resolved; their be......The evolution of deformation structures in individual grains embedded in polycrystalline copper specimens during strain path changes is observed in situ by high-resolution reciprocal space mapping with high-energy synchrotron radiation. A large number of individual subgrains is resolved...... and orientation of the resolved subgrains change only slightly, while their elastic stresses are significantly altered. This indicates the existence of a microplastic regime during which only the subgrains deform plastically and no yielding of the dislocation walls occurs. After reloading above 0.3% strain......, the elastic stresses of individual subgrains are about the same as in unidirectionally deformed reference specimens. They increase only slightly during further straining—accompanied by occasional emergence of new subgrains, abundant orientation changes, and disappearance of existing subgrains....

  8. Development of fatigue life evaluation technique using miniature specimen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nogami, Shuhei; Nishimura, Arata; Fujiwara, Masaharu; Hisaka, Tomoaki

    2012-01-01

    To develop the fatigue life evaluation technique using miniature specimen, the investigation of the effect of specimen size and specimen shape on the fatigue life and the development of the fatigue testing machine, especially the extensometer, were carried out. The effect of specimen size on the fatigue life was almost negligible for the round-bar specimens. The shorter fatigue life at relatively low strain range conditions for the hourglass specimen that the standard specimen were observed. Therefore the miniature round-bar specimen was considered to be adequate for the fatigue life evaluation using small specimen. Several types of the extensometer system using a strain gauge and a laser has been developed for realizing the fatigue test of the miniature round-bar specimen at high temperature in vacuum. (author)

  9. Techniques in human airway inflammation - Quantity and morphology of bronchial biopsy specimens taken by forceps of three sizes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aleva, RM; Kraan, J; Smith, M; ten Hacken, NHT; Postma, DS; Timens, W

    Background: In recent years, fiberoptic bronchoscopy has been introduced successfully in the research of bronchial asthma. Bronchial biopsy specimens obtained by this procedure are small, and an optimal biopsy technique is necessary to obtain high-quality tissue samples, as sufficient length of

  10. Validatin of miniaturised tensile testing on DMLS TI6AL4V (ELI specimens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Van Zyl, Ian

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS is a relatively new technology that is developing rapidly. Since DMLS material is created by melting/solidifying tracks and layers from powder, even building geometry can influence the mechanical properties. To certify a material, the testing specimens must be designed and manufactured according to the appropriate standards. Miniaturised tensile DMLS samples could be a good alternative for express quality control, and could reduce the cost of DMLS-specific testing. In this study, as-built and stress-relieved miniaturised tensile DMLS Ti6Al4V (ELI specimens with different surface qualities were investigated. The fracture surfaces and mechanical properties of the mini-tensile specimens were analysed and compared with standard full-sized specimens also manufactured by DMLS. The obtained data showed the applicability of mini-tensile tests for the express analysis of DMLS objects if a correction factor is applied for the calculation of the load-bearing cross-section of the specimen.

  11. EPR of gamma-irradiated polycrystalline alanine-in-glass dosimeter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Karmi, Anan M.; Morsy, M.A.

    2008-01-01

    This study attempts to overcome some of the reported discrepancies in alanine-EPR reproducibility that may be related to alanine dosimeter preparation and/or EPR spectrometer settings. The dosimeters were prepared by packing pure polycrystalline L-α-alanine directly as supplied by the manufacturer in glass tubes. This dosimeter production scheme avoids any possible contribution to the EPR signal from a binding material. The dosimeters were irradiated with gamma ray to low-dose ranges typical for medical therapy (0-20 Gy). Special attention has been paid to the study of minimum detectable dose, measurement repeatability and reproducibility, and post-irradiation stability. The dosimeter exhibited a linear dose response in the dose range from 0.1 to 20 Gy. These positive properties favor the polycrystalline alanine-in-glass tube as a radiation dosimeter

  12. Polycrystalline CVD diamond device level modeling for particle detection applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morozzi, A.; Passeri, D.; Kanxheri, K.; Servoli, L.; Lagomarsino, S.; Sciortino, S.

    2016-12-01

    Diamond is a promising material whose excellent physical properties foster its use for radiation detection applications, in particular in those hostile operating environments where the silicon-based detectors behavior is limited due to the high radiation fluence. Within this framework, the application of Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation tools is highly envisaged for the study, the optimization and the predictive analysis of sensing devices. Since the novelty of using diamond in electronics, this material is not included in the library of commercial, state-of-the-art TCAD software tools. In this work, we propose the development, the application and the validation of numerical models to simulate the electrical behavior of polycrystalline (pc)CVD diamond conceived for diamond sensors for particle detection. The model focuses on the characterization of a physically-based pcCVD diamond bandgap taking into account deep-level defects acting as recombination centers and/or trap states. While a definite picture of the polycrystalline diamond band-gap is still debated, the effect of the main parameters (e.g. trap densities, capture cross-sections, etc.) can be deeply investigated thanks to the simulated approach. The charge collection efficiency due to β -particle irradiation of diamond materials provided by different vendors and with different electrode configurations has been selected as figure of merit for the model validation. The good agreement between measurements and simulation findings, keeping the traps density as the only one fitting parameter, assesses the suitability of the TCAD modeling approach as a predictive tool for the design and the optimization of diamond-based radiation detectors.

  13. Polycrystalline CVD diamond device level modeling for particle detection applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morozzi, A.; Passeri, D.; Kanxheri, K.; Servoli, L.; Lagomarsino, S.; Sciortino, S.

    2016-01-01

    Diamond is a promising material whose excellent physical properties foster its use for radiation detection applications, in particular in those hostile operating environments where the silicon-based detectors behavior is limited due to the high radiation fluence. Within this framework, the application of Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation tools is highly envisaged for the study, the optimization and the predictive analysis of sensing devices. Since the novelty of using diamond in electronics, this material is not included in the library of commercial, state-of-the-art TCAD software tools. In this work, we propose the development, the application and the validation of numerical models to simulate the electrical behavior of polycrystalline (pc)CVD diamond conceived for diamond sensors for particle detection. The model focuses on the characterization of a physically-based pcCVD diamond bandgap taking into account deep-level defects acting as recombination centers and/or trap states. While a definite picture of the polycrystalline diamond band-gap is still debated, the effect of the main parameters (e.g. trap densities, capture cross-sections, etc.) can be deeply investigated thanks to the simulated approach. The charge collection efficiency due to β -particle irradiation of diamond materials provided by different vendors and with different electrode configurations has been selected as figure of merit for the model validation. The good agreement between measurements and simulation findings, keeping the traps density as the only one fitting parameter, assesses the suitability of the TCAD modeling approach as a predictive tool for the design and the optimization of diamond-based radiation detectors.

  14. The adhesion and tribology analysis of polycrystalline diamond coated on Si3N4 substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamzah, E.; Purniawan, A.

    2007-01-01

    Cauliflower and octahedral structure of polycrystalline diamond was deposited on silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) substrate by microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPACVD). In our earlier work, the effects of deposition parameters namely, % Methane (CH 4 ) diluted in hydrogen (H 2 ), microwave power and chamber pressure on surface morphology were studied. In the present work the polycrystalline diamond coating adhesion and tribology behaviour were investigated. Rockwell C hardness tester and pin-on-disk tribometer were used to determine the adhesion and tribology properties on diamond coating, respectively. The morphology of the diamond before and after indentation was observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Based on the adhesion analysis results, it was found that octahedral morphology has better adhesion than cauliflower structure. It was indicated by few cracks and less peel-off than cauliflower structure of polycrystalline diamond after indentation. Based on tribology analysis, polycrystalline diamond coated on substrate has better tribology properties than uncoated substrate. (author)

  15. A general mixed mode fracture mechanics test specimen: The DCB-specimen loaded with uneven bending moments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soerensen, B.F.; Joergensen, K.; Oestergaard, R.C. [Risoe National Lab., Materials Dept., Roskilde (Denmark); Jacobsen, T.K. [LM Glasfiber A/S, Lunderskov (Denmark)

    2004-03-01

    A mixed mode specimen is proposed for fracture mechanics characterisation of adhesive joints, laminates and multilayers. The specimen is a double cantilever beam specimen loaded with uneven bending moments at the two free beams. By varying the ratio between the two applied moments, the full mode mixity range from pure mode I to pure mode II can be generated for the same specimen geometry. The specimen allows stable crack growth. In case of large scale crack bridging, mixed mode cohesive laws can be obtained by a J integral based approach. As a preliminary example, fracture of adhesive joints between two glass-fibre laminates was studied. The mixed mode fracture resistance increased with increasing crack length due to fibre cross over bridging, eventually reaching a steady-state level (R-curve behaviour). The steady-state fracture toughness level increased with increasing tangential crack opening displacement. Cohesive stresses were determined by a J integral approach. The deducted shear stress was found to be relative high ({approx} = 20 MPa) in comparison with the normal stress ({approx} = 1 MPa). (au)

  16. Magnetostrictive properties of polycrystalline iron cobalt films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cooke, M.D.

    2000-10-01

    This thesis is concerned with the magnetic properties of magnetostrictive FeCo polycrystalline alloy films produced by RF magnetron sputter deposition. The bulk material is known to have highly magnetostrictive properties, coupled with the possibility of a low anisotropy with the correct thermal treatment to allow ordering. Significant reduction in the anisotropy was found by using post depostional thermal treatment in Ar/H. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to produce FeCo films with magnetostrictive properties similar to those found in the bulk. Detailed examination showed an increased peak in the magnetostriction with composition which had not been previously viewed in the bulk materials. Initial development was also made of a novel co-depositional technique to allow magnetostrictive determination as a function of composition in a single deposition. Development was made of a technique using the Daresbury Synchrotron research facility and the XRD equipment to allow determination of the magnetostriction coefficients of polycrystalline films. This is the first time this has been achieved for thin film materials and provides exciting new possibilities for the future. A critique was made of the optical cantilever technique for determining magnetostriction. Clear consideration has to be made of rotational and frequency effects. A new analytical theory was devised which allowing determination of the cantilever deflection for similar substrate and film thickness. This is essential for development of current trends in nanotechnology. The results were then optimised for use in sensor and actuator devices providing novel results. Finally investigation was made of the possible effects of surfaces on the magnetic properties. The magnetostriction of FeCo/Ag multilayers and Ag embedded in an FeCo matrix are compared. These clearly show the influence of surface and illustrate the importance of considering the technique used to determine the magnetostriction. (author)

  17. 'Observation' of dislocation motion in single crystal and polycrystalline aluminum during uniaxial deformation using photoemission technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai, M.; Levine, L.E.; Langford, S.C.; Dickinson, J.T.

    2005-01-01

    We report measurements of photostimulated electron emission (PSE) from single-crystalline aluminum (99.995%) and high-purity polycrystalline aluminum (>99.9%) during uniaxial tensile deformation. Photoelectron intensities are sensitive to changes in surface morphology accompanying deformation, including slip line and slip band formation. In the single crystalline material, the PSE intensity increases linearly with strain. In the polycrystalline material, the PSE intensity increases exponentially with strain. In both materials, time-resolved PSE measurements show step-like increases in intensity consistent with the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of slip bands during tensile deformation. In this sense, we have 'observed' dislocation motion by this technique. Slip bands on the surfaces of deformed samples were subsequently imaged by atomic-force microscopy (AFM). Photoelectron measurements can provide reliable, quantitative information for dislocation dynamics

  18. Surface damage on polycrystalline β-SiC by xenon ion irradiation at high fluence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baillet, J.; Gavarini, S.; Millard-Pinard, N.; Garnier, V.; Peaucelle, C.; Jaurand, X.; Duranti, A.; Bernard, C.; Rapegno, R.; Cardinal, S.; Escobar Sawa, L.; De Echave, T.; Lanfant, B.; Leconte, Y.

    2018-05-01

    Polycrystalline β-silicon carbide (β-SiC) pellets were prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). These were implanted at room temperature with 800 keV xenon at ion fluences of 5.1015 and 1.1017 cm-2. Microstructural modifications were studied by electronic microscopy (TEM and SEM) and xenon profiles were determined by Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS). A complete amorphization of the implanted area associated with a significant oxidation is observed for the highest fluence. Large xenon bubbles formed in the oxide phase are responsible of surface swelling. No significant gas release has been measured up to 1017 at.cm-2. A model is proposed to explain the different steps of the oxidation process and xenon bubbles formation as a function of ion fluence.

  19. Fabrication of poly-crystalline Si-based Mie resonators via amorphous Si on SiO2 dewetting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naffouti, Meher; David, Thomas; Benkouider, Abdelmalek; Favre, Luc; Ronda, Antoine; Berbezier, Isabelle; Bidault, Sebastien; Bonod, Nicolas; Abbarchi, Marco

    2016-02-07

    We report the fabrication of Si-based dielectric Mie resonators via a low cost process based on solid-state dewetting of ultra-thin amorphous Si on SiO2. We investigate the dewetting dynamics of a few nanometer sized layers annealed at high temperature to form submicrometric Si-particles. Morphological and structural characterization reveal the polycrystalline nature of the semiconductor matrix as well as rather irregular morphologies of the dewetted islands. Optical dark field imaging and spectroscopy measurements of the single islands reveal pronounced resonant scattering at visible frequencies. The linewidth of the low-order modes can be ∼20 nm in full width at half maximum, leading to a quality factor Q exceeding 25. These values reach the state-of-the-art ones obtained for monocrystalline Mie resonators. The simplicity of the dewetting process and its cost-effectiveness opens the route to exploiting it over large scales for applications in silicon-based photonics.

  20. Statistic derivation of Taylor factors for polycrystalline metals with application to pure magnesium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, J.H.; Li, Y.L.; Wei, Q.

    2013-01-01

    We have investigated the Taylor factors of textured as well as texture-free polycrystalline aggregates. We begin with examining the Schmid factors of single crystals. A statistical model is then introduced to describe the distribution of grain orientations as well as the Schmid factor of individual grains of the polycrystalline system. The grains are classified into “soft” and “hard” ones. Based on this, a model is proposed for the derivation of the Taylor factors of textured as well as texture-free polycrystalline metals, and as a case study it is applied to polycrystalline magnesium. The model predictions are in very good agreement with the available experimental results. No free parameters have been involved in the development of this model, and the physical processes are clearly defined. Based on the fundamental assumption that grains can be classified into “soft” and “hard” in metals, this model should also be applicable to other hexagonal close packed metals such as α-titanium, beryllium and zirconium, as well as metals of other lattice structures such as face-centered cubic and body-centered cubic. It will also be interesting to see if this model can be incorporated into existing crystal plasticity models for the prediction of texture evolution under mechanical loading

  1. Hydrogen retention and release from uranium dioxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sherman, D.F.

    1987-08-01

    The ceramic samples (UO 2 ) are exposed to high pressure hydrogen gas at a fixed temperature for a time sufficient to achieve equilibrium. After rapid quenching, the hydrogen-saturated sample is transferred to a vacuum-outgassing furnace. The sample is outgassed in a linear temperature ramp and the released hydrogen is detected by an in-situ mass spectrometer. This technique measures the rate of release of hydrogen with a sensitivity level of about 2 ng of hydrogen (as D 2 ) per hour. In this study, experiments were conducted on both polycrystalline and single-crystal UO 2 . Experimental variables included temperature (1000 to 1600 0 C) and infusion pressure (5 to 32 atm D 2 ), and for the polycrystalline specimen, stoichiometry. Dissolution of H 2 in both single-crystal and polycrystalline UO 2 was found to obey Seivert's law. The Sievert's law constant of deuterium in single-crystal UO 2 was determined to be: 3.0 x 10 7 exp(-235 kJ/RT) ppM atomic/√atm and for polycrystalline UO 2 : 5.5 x 10 4 exp(-100 kJ/RT) ppM atomic/√atm. The solubility of hydrogen in hypostoichiometric urania was found to be up to three orders of magnitude greater than in stoichiometric UO 2 depending on the O/U ratios, implying the anion vacancy is the primary solution site in the UO 2 lattice. The release-rate curves for the single crystal and polycrystalline UO 2 specimens exhibited multiple peaks, with most of the deuterium released between 600 and 1200 0 C for the polycrystalline samples, and between 700 and 1800 0 C in the single-crystal specimens. This release of hydrogen from UO 2 could not be adequately modeled as diffusion or diffusion with trapping and resolution. It was determined that release was governed by release from traps in both the polycrystalline and single crystal UO 2 specimens. 40 refs., 72 figs., 6 tabs

  2. Polycrystalline diamond on self-assembled detonation nanodiamond: a viable route for fabrication of all-diamond preformed microcomponents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Terranova, M L; Orlanducci, S; Tamburri, E; Guglielmotti, V; Toschi, F; Hampai, D; Rossi, M

    2008-01-01

    Surface assisted self-assembly of detonation nanodiamond particles (with typical sizes in the range 4-10 nm) has been obtained using different fractions of colloidal aqueous dispersions as starting material. The relationship between dispersion properties and structure/geometry of the aggregates deposited on Si or glass plates has been investigated. A series of differently shaped free-standing nanodiamond structures has been prepared, analysed and used as templates for the growth of polycrystalline diamond layers by the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique. The possibility of obtaining textured coating with a relatively strong preferred orientation (within a solid angle of about 0.6 srad) is also reported. Overall, the coupling of nanodiamond self-assembling to the CVD diamond growth enables one to produce specimens with complex 3D architectures. The proposed microfabrication methodology could represent a viable route for the production of free-standing all-diamond microcomponents, with tailored shapes and predefined crystalline features, to be used for advanced electronic applications

  3. Polycrystalline diamond on self-assembled detonation nanodiamond: a viable route for fabrication of all-diamond preformed microcomponents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Terranova, M L; Orlanducci, S; Tamburri, E; Guglielmotti, V; Toschi, F [Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, MINASlab, Universita di Roma ' Tor Vergata' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Roma (Italy); Hampai, D [INFN-LNF Via E Fermi 40, Frascati (Italy); Rossi, M [Dipartimento di Energetica, Universita di Roma ' Sapienza' , Via Antonio Scarpa 16, 00161 Roma (Italy)

    2008-10-15

    Surface assisted self-assembly of detonation nanodiamond particles (with typical sizes in the range 4-10 nm) has been obtained using different fractions of colloidal aqueous dispersions as starting material. The relationship between dispersion properties and structure/geometry of the aggregates deposited on Si or glass plates has been investigated. A series of differently shaped free-standing nanodiamond structures has been prepared, analysed and used as templates for the growth of polycrystalline diamond layers by the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique. The possibility of obtaining textured coating with a relatively strong <110> preferred orientation (within a solid angle of about 0.6 srad) is also reported. Overall, the coupling of nanodiamond self-assembling to the CVD diamond growth enables one to produce specimens with complex 3D architectures. The proposed microfabrication methodology could represent a viable route for the production of free-standing all-diamond microcomponents, with tailored shapes and predefined crystalline features, to be used for advanced electronic applications.

  4. Thiel embalming fluid--a new way to revive formalin-fixed cadaveric specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Amanda; Eisma, Roos; Lamb, Clare

    2014-09-01

    By soft fixing cadavers using the Thiel embalming method, our cadavers now exhibit a greater degree of flexibility and color retention compared to that of traditional formalin-fixed cadavers. The aim of this experiment was to discover whether Thiel embalming fluid could be used to revive and soften the muscles of formalin-fixed prosected specimens. Earlier this year, two severely dehydrated formalin-fixed forearm and hand specimens were fully submerged in a tank containing Thiel embalming fluid. After a period of six months the specimens were removed from the tank and noticeable changes were observed in flexibility, quality of the tissue, and color of the specimens. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Zero and low coefficient of thermal expansion polycrystalline oxides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skaggs, S.R.

    1977-09-01

    Polycrystalline oxide systems with zero to low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) investigated by the author include hafnia-titania and hafnia. The CTE for 30 to 40 mol% TiO 2 in HfO 2 is less than or equal to 1 x 10 -6 / 0 C, while for other compositions in the range 25 to 60 mol% it is approximately 4 x 10 -6 / 0 C. An investigation of the CTE of 99.999% HfO 2 yielded a value of 4.6 x 10 -6 / 0 C from room temperature to 1000 0 C. Correlation with data on HfO 2 by other investigators shows a definite relationship between the CTE and the amount of ZrO 2 present. Data are listed for comparison of the CTE of several other polycrystalline oxides investigated by Holcombe at Oak Ridge

  6. Zero and low coefficient of thermal expansion polycrystalline oxides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skaggs, S.R.

    1977-01-01

    Polycrystalline oxide systems with zero to low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) investigated by the author include hafnia-titania and hafnia. The CTE for 30 to 40 mol percent TiO 2 in HfO 2 is less than or equal to 1 x 10 -6 / 0 C, while for other compositions in the range 25 to 60 mol percent approximately 4 x 10 -6 / 0 C. An investigation of the CTE of 99.999 percent HfO 2 yielded a value of 4.6 x 10 -6 / 0 C from room temperature to 1000 0 C. Correlation with data on HfO 2 by other investigators shows a definite relationship between the CTE and the amount of ZrO 2 present. Data are listed for comparison of the CTE of several other polycrystalline oxides investigated by Holcombe at Oak Ridge

  7. Method for thinning specimen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Follstaedt, David M.; Moran, Michael P.

    2005-03-15

    A method for thinning (such as in grinding and polishing) a material surface using an instrument means for moving an article with a discontinuous surface with an abrasive material dispersed between the material surface and the discontinuous surface where the discontinuous surface of the moving article provides an efficient means for maintaining contact of the abrasive with the material surface. When used to dimple specimens for microscopy analysis, a wheel with a surface that has been modified to produce a uniform or random discontinuous surface significantly improves the speed of the dimpling process without loss of quality of finish.

  8. Large-grain polycrystalline silicon film by sequential lateral solidification on a plastic substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yong-Hae; Chung, Choong-Heui; Yun, Sun Jin; Moon, Jaehyun; Park, Dong-Jin; Kim, Dae-Won; Lim, Jung Wook; Song, Yoon-Ho; Lee, Jin Ho

    2005-01-01

    A large-grain polycrystalline silicon film was obtained on a plastic substrate by sequential lateral solidification. With various combinations of sputtering powers and Ar working gas pressures, the conditions for producing dense amorphous silicon (a-Si) and SiO 2 films were optimized. The successful crystallization of the a-Si film is attributed to the production of a dense a-Si film that has low argon content and can endure high-intensity laser irradiation

  9. Shear strength of shock-loaded polycrystalline tungsten

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asay, J.R.; Chhabildas, L.C.; Dandekar, D.P.

    1980-01-01

    Previous experiments have suggested that tungsten undergoes a significant loss of shear strength when shock loaded to stresses greater than 7 GPa. In order to investigate this effect in more detail, a series of experiments was conducted in which polycrystalline tungsten was first shock loaded to approximately 10 GPa and then either unloaded or reloaded from the shocked state. Analysis of measured time-resolved wave profiles indicates that during initial compression to 9.7 GPa, the shear stress in polycrystalline tungsten increases to a maximum value of 1.1 GPA near a longitudinal stress of 5 GPa, but decreases to a final value of 0.8 GPa for stresses approaching 10 GPa. During reloading from a longitudinal stress of 9.7 GPa to a final value of approx.14 GPa, the shear stress increases to a peak value of 1.2 GPa and softens to 1.0 GPa in the final state. During unloading from the shocked state, the initial response is elastic with a strong Baushinger effect. Examination of a recovered sample shows evidence for both deformation slipping and twinning, which may be responsible for the observed softening

  10. Characterization of Polycrystalline Materials Using Synchrotron X-ray Imaging and Diffraction Techniques

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ludwig, Wolfgang; King, A.; Herbig, M.

    2010-01-01

    The combination of synchrotron radiation x-ray imaging and diffraction techniques offers new possibilities for in-situ observation of deformation and damage mechanisms in the bulk of polycrystalline materials. Minute changes in electron density (i.e., cracks, porosities) can be detected using...... propagation based phase contrast imaging, a 3-D imaging mode exploiting the coherence properties of third generation synchrotron beams. Furthermore, for some classes of polycrystalline materials, one may use a 3-D variant of x-ray diffraction imaging, termed x-ray diffraction contrast tomography. X-ray...

  11. σ and η Phase formation in advanced polycrystalline Ni-base superalloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antonov, Stoichko, E-mail: santonov@hawk.iit.edu [Illinois Institute of Technology, 10 W. 32nd Street, Chicago, IL 60616 (United States); Huo, Jiajie; Feng, Qiang [State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Isheim, Dieter; Seidman, David N. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Northwestern University Center for Atom Probe Tomography (NUCAPT), 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Helmink, Randolph C.; Sun, Eugene [Rolls-Royce Corporation, 450 S. Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46225 (United States); Tin, Sammy [Illinois Institute of Technology, 10 W. 32nd Street, Chicago, IL 60616 (United States)

    2017-02-27

    In polycrystalline Ni-base superalloys, grain boundary precipitation of secondary phases can be significant due to the effects they pose on the mechanical properties. As new alloying concepts for polycrystalline Ni-base superalloys are being developed to extend their temperature capability, the effect of increasing levels of Nb alloying additions on long term phase stability and the formation of topologically close packed (TCP) phases needs to be studied. Elevated levels of Nb can result in increased matrix supersaturation and promote the precipitation of secondary phases. Long term thermal exposures on two experimental powder processed Ni-base superalloys containing various levels of Nb were completed to assess the stability and precipitation of TCP phases. It was found that additions of Nb promoted the precipitation of η-Ni{sub 6}AlNb along the grain boundaries in powder processed, polycrystalline Ni-base superalloys, while reduced Nb levels favored the precipitation of blocky Cr and Mo – rich σ phase precipitates along the grain boundary. Evaluation of the thermodynamic stability of these two phases in both alloys using Thermo-calc showed that while σ phase predictions are fairly accurate, predictions of the η phase are limited.

  12. Brine migration in hot-pressed polycrystalline sodium chloride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Biggers, J.V.; Dayton, G.O.

    1982-12-01

    This report describes experiments designed to provide data on brine migration in polycrystalline salt. Polycrystalling samples of various grain sizes, density, and purity were prepared from several commercial-grade salts by hot-pressing. Three distinct experimental set-ups were used to place salt billets in an induced thermal gradient in contact with brine source. The test designs varied primarily in the way in which the thermal gradient was applied and monitored and the way in which brine migration was determined. All migration was in enclosed vessels which precluded visual observation of brine movement through the microstructure. Migration velocities were estimated either by the timed appearance of brine at the hot face of the sample, or by determination of the penetration distance of migration artifacts in the microstructure after tests of fixed duration. For various reasons both of these methods were subject to a large degree of error. Our results suggest, however, that the migration velocity in dense polycrystalline salt may be at least an order of magnitude greater than that suggested by single-crystal experiments. Microstructural analysis shows that brine prefers to migrate along paths of high crystalline activity such as grain and subgrain boundaries and is dispersed rather quickly in the microstructure. A series of tests were performed using various types of tracers in brine in order to flag migration paths and locate brine in the microstructure more decisively. These attempts failed and it appears that only the aqueous portion of the brine moves through the microstructure with the dissolved ions being lost and replaced rather quickly. This suggests the use of deuterium as a tracer in future work

  13. Extremal Overall Elastic Response of Polycrystalline Materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bendsøe, Martin P; Lipton, Robert

    1996-01-01

    Polycrystalline materials comprised of grains obtained froma single anisotropic material are considered in the frameworkof linear elasticity. No assumptions on the symmetry of thepolycrystal are made. We subject the material to independentexternal strain and stress fields with prescribed mean...... values.We show that the extremal overall elastic response is alwaysachieved by a configuration consisting of a single properlyoriented crystal. This result is compared to results for isotropicpolycrystals....

  14. Hydrogen solubility in polycrystalline - and nonocrystalline niobium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishikawa, T.T.; Silva, J.R.G. da

    1981-01-01

    Hydrogen solubility in polycrystalline and monocrystalline niobium was measured in the range 400 0 C to 1000 0 C at one atmosphere hydrogen partial pressure. The experimental technique consists of saturation of the solvent metal with hydrogen, followed by quenching and analysis of the solid solution. It is presented solubility curves versus reciprocal of the absolute doping temperature, associated with their thermodynamical equation. (Author) [pt

  15. Reconstruction of the domain orientation distribution function of polycrystalline PZT ceramics using vector piezoresponse force microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kratzer, Markus; Lasnik, Michael; Röhrig, Sören; Teichert, Christian; Deluca, Marco

    2018-01-11

    Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is one of the prominent materials used in polycrystalline piezoelectric devices. Since the ferroelectric domain orientation is the most important parameter affecting the electromechanical performance, analyzing the domain orientation distribution is of great importance for the development and understanding of improved piezoceramic devices. Here, vector piezoresponse force microscopy (vector-PFM) has been applied in order to reconstruct the ferroelectric domain orientation distribution function of polished sections of device-ready polycrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT) material. A measurement procedure and a computer program based on the software Mathematica have been developed to automatically evaluate the vector-PFM data for reconstructing the domain orientation function. The method is tested on differently in-plane and out-of-plane poled PZT samples, and the results reveal the expected domain patterns and allow determination of the polarization orientation distribution function at high accuracy.

  16. Electrical Transport Properties of Polycrystalline Monolayer Molybdenum Disulfide

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-07-14

    Lou, Sina Najmaei, Matin Amani, Matthew L. Chin, Zheng Se. TASK NUMBER Liu Sf. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAMES AND ADDRESSES 8...Transport Properties of Polycrystalline Monolayer Molybdenum Disulfide Sina Najmaei,t.§ Matin Ama ni,M Matthew L. Chin,* Zhe ng liu/ ·"·v: A. Gle n

  17. Dielectric and modulus studies of polycrystalline BaZrO3 ceramic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saini, Deepash S.; Singh, Sunder; Kumar, Anil; Bhattacharya, D.

    2018-05-01

    In the present work, dielectric and modulus studies of polycrystalline BaZrO3 ceramic, prepared by modified combustion method followed by conventional sintering, are investigated over the frequency range of 100 Hz to 106 Hz at different temperatures from 250 to 500 °C in air. The high value of dielectric constant (ɛ' ˜ 103) of BaZrO3 at high temperature and low frequency can be attributed to the Maxwell-Wagner polarization mechanism as well as to the thermally activated mechanism of charge carriers. Electric modulus reveal two type relaxations in the 250 °C to 800 °C temperature region as studied at different frequencies over 100 Hz to 106 Hz in air.

  18. The influence of structure depth on image blurring of micrometres-thick specimens in MeV transmission electron imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Fang; Sun, Ying; Cao, Meng; Nishi, Ryuji

    2016-04-01

    This study investigates the influence of structure depth on image blurring of micrometres-thick films by experiment and simulation with a conventional transmission electron microscope (TEM). First, ultra-high-voltage electron microscope (ultra-HVEM) images of nanometer gold particles embedded in thick epoxy-resin films were acquired in the experiment and compared with simulated images. Then, variations of image blurring of gold particles at different depths were evaluated by calculating the particle diameter. The results showed that with a decrease in depth, image blurring increased. This depth-related property was more apparent for thicker specimens. Fortunately, larger particle depth involves less image blurring, even for a 10-μm-thick epoxy-resin film. The quality dependence on depth of a 3D reconstruction of particle structures in thick specimens was revealed by electron tomography. The evolution of image blurring with structure depth is determined mainly by multiple elastic scattering effects. Thick specimens of heavier materials produced more blurring due to a larger lateral spread of electrons after scattering from the structure. Nevertheless, increasing electron energy to 2MeV can reduce blurring and produce an acceptable image quality for thick specimens in the TEM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Fabrication, microstructure, and mechanical properties of high strength cobalt sub-micron structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin Sumin; Burek, Michael J.; Evans, Robert D.; Jahed, Zeinab; Leung, Michael C.; Evans, Neal D.; Tsui, Ting Y.

    2012-01-01

    The mechanical properties exhibited by sub-micron scale columnar structures of cobalt, fabricated by electron beam lithography and electroplating techniques, were investigated through uniaxial compression. Transmission electron microscopy analyses show these specimens possess a microstructure with sub-micron grains which are elongated and aligned near to the pillar loading axis. In addition, small nanocrystalline cobalt crystals are also present within the columnar structure. These specimens display exceptional mechanical strength comparable with both bulk polycrystalline and nanocrystalline cobalt deposited by electroplating. Size-dependent softening with shrinking sample dimensions is also observed in this work. Additionally, the strength of these sub-micron structures appears to be strain rate sensitive and comparable with bulk nanocrystalline cobalt specimens.

  20. RNA Sequencing of Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Specimens for Gene Expression Quantification and Data Mining

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Guo

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Proper rRNA depletion is crucial for the successful utilization of FFPE specimens when studying gene expression. We performed a study to evaluate two major rRNA depletion methods: Ribo-Zero and RNase H. RNAs extracted from 4 samples were treated with the two rRNA depletion methods in duplicate and sequenced (N=16. We evaluated their reducibility, ability to detect RNA, and ability to molecularly subtype these triple negative breast cancer specimens. Results. Both rRNA depletion methods produced consistent data between the technical replicates. We found that the RNase H method produced higher quality RNAseq data as compared to the Ribo-Zero method. In addition, we evaluated the RNAseq data generated from the FFPE tissue samples for noncoding RNA, including lncRNA, enhancer/super enhancer RNA, and single nucleotide variation (SNV. We found that the RNase H is more suitable for detecting high-quality, noncoding RNAs as compared to the Ribo-Zero and provided more consistent molecular subtype identification between replicates. Unfortunately, neither method produced reliable SNV data. Conclusions. In conclusion, for FFPE specimens, the RNase H rRNA depletion method performed better than the Ribo-Zero. Neither method generates data sufficient for SNV detection.

  1. Thermal and optical properties of polycrystalline CdS thin films deposited by the gradient recrystallization and growth (GREG) technique using photoacoustic methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albor-Aguilera, M.L.; Gonzalez-Trujillo, M.A.; Cruz-Orea, A.; Tufino-Velazquez, M.

    2009-01-01

    In this work we report the study of the thermal and optical properties of polycrystalline CdS thin films deposited by the gradient recrystallization and growth technique. CdS films were grown on pyrex glass substrates. These studies were carried out using an open photoacoustic cell made out of an electret microphone. From X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope and photoluminescence measurements we observed polycrystalline CdS films with good morphology and crystalline quality. We obtained a thermal diffusivity coefficient of our samples with values ranging from 3.15 to 3.89 x 10 -2 cm 2 /s. For comparison, we measured a value of 1.0 x 10 -2 cm 2 /s for the thermal diffusivity coefficient of a CdS single crystal. We measured an energy gap value of 2.42 eV for our samples by using a photoacoustic spectroscopy system

  2. Inherent structure features of beryllium and their influence on the performance polycrystalline metal under different conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khomutov, A.M.; Mikhailov, V.S.; Pronin, V.N.; Pakhomov, Ya.D. [State Scientific Center of Russian Federation `A.A. Bochvar All-Russia Research Inst. of Inorganic Materials (VNIINM)`, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    1998-01-01

    The anisotropy of physical properties of beryllium single crystals resulting from covalent bonds in crystal lattice leads to significant residual thermal microstresses (RTM) in the polycrystalline metal. It is demonstrated experimentally that there is a simple linear dependence between the magnitude of RTM and the ultimate tensile strength. The factors controlling RTM are analysed and in the framework of powder metallurgy process the technological methods of producing beryllium with the needed properties are recommended. Primarily it is necessary to control the quantity and extent of dispersity of intergranular oxide inclusions and mean grain size in combination with the high degree of macro- and microhomogenity of the structure. The requirements to beryllium microstructure for different operating conditions including neutron fluxes and transient temperature fields are formulated. In the framework of the concept under development one can explain formerly not fully understandable effects, which are characteristic of polycrystalline beryllium such as unexpected Petch-Stro curve, the role of twinning etc., and predict new ones. In particular, it can be possible to expect the growth of ductility of high strength beryllium grades as neutron irradiated. (author)

  3. Photoluminescence of polycrystalline CuIn 0.5 Ga 0.5 Te 2 thin films grown by flash evaporation

    KAUST Repository

    Yandjah, L.; Bechiri, L.; Benabdeslem, M.; Benslim, N.; Amara, A.; Portier, X.; Bououdina, M.; Ziani, Ahmed

    2018-01-01

    Polycrystalline CuIn0.5Ga0.5Te2 films were deposited by flash evaporation from ingot prepared by reacting, in stoichiometric proportions, high purity Cu, In, Ga and Te elements in vacuum sealed quartz . The as-obtained films were characterized by X

  4. Large-Scale PV Module Manufacturing Using Ultra-Thin Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Annual Subcontract Report, 1 October 2003--30 September 2004

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wohlgemuth, J.; Narayanan, M.

    2005-03-01

    The major objectives of this program are to continue the advancement of BP Solar polycrystalline silicon manufacturing technology. The program includes work in the following areas: Efforts in the casting area to increase ingot size, improve ingot material quality, and improve handling of silicon feedstock as it is loaded into the casting stations; developing wire saws to slice 100- m-thick silicon wafers on 290- m centers; developing equipment for demounting and subsequent handling of very thin silicon wafers; developing cell processes using 100- m-thick silicon wafers that produce encapsulated cells with efficiencies of at least 15.4% at an overall yield exceeding 95%; expanding existing in-line manufacturing data reporting systems to provide active process control; establishing a 50-MW (annual nominal capacity) green-field Mega-plant factory model template based on this new thin polycrystalline silicon technology; facilitating an increase in the silicon feedstock industry's production capacity for lower-cost solar-grade silicon feedstock.

  5. Grain-boundary unzipping by oxidation in polycrystalline graphene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexandre, Simone; Lucio, Aline; Nunes, Ricardo

    2011-03-01

    The need for large-scale production of graphene will inevitably lead to synthesis of the polycrystalline material [1,2]. Understanding the chemical, mechanical, and electronic properties of grain boundaries in graphene polycrystals will be crucial for the development of graphene-based electronics. Oxidation of this material has been suggested to lead to graphene ribbons, by the oxygen-driven unzipping mechanism. A cooperative-strain mechanism, based on the formation of epoxy groups along lines of parallel bonds in the hexagons of graphene's honeycomb lattice, was proposed to explain the unzipping effect in bulk graphene In this work we employ ab initio calculations to study the oxidation of polycrystalline graphene by chemisorption of oxygen at the grain boundaries. Our results indicate that oxygen tends to segregate at the boundaries, and that the unzipping mechanism is also operative along the grain boundaries, despite the lack of the parallel bonds due to the presence of fivefold and sevenfold carbon rings along the boundary core. We acknowledge support from the Brazilian agencies: CNPq, Fapemig, and INCT-Materiais de Carbono.

  6. Appropriate materials and preparation techniques for polycrystalline-thin-film thermophotovoltaic cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhere, Neelkanth G.

    1997-03-01

    Polycrystalline-thin-film thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells have excellent potential for reducing the cost of TPV generators so as to address the hitherto inaccessible and highly competitive markets such as self-powered gas-fired residential warm air furnaces and energy-efficient electric cars, etc. Recent progress in polycrystalline-thin-film solar cells have made it possible to satisfy the diffusion length and intrinsic junction rectification criteria for TPV cells operating at high fluences. Continuous ranges of direct bandgaps of the ternary and pseudoternary compounds such as Hg1-xCdxTe, Pb1-xCdxTe, Hg1-xZnxTe, and Pb1-xZnxS cover the region of interest of 0.50-0.75 eV for efficient TPV conversion. Other ternary and pseudoternary compounds which show direct bandgaps in most of or all of the 0.50-0.75 eV range are Pb1-xZnxTe, Sn1-xCd2xTe2, Pb1-xCdxSe, Pb1-xZnxSe, and Pb1-xCdxS. Hg1-xCdxTe (with x~0.21) has been studied extensively for infrared detectors. PbTe and Pb1-xSnxTe have also been studied for infrared detectors. Not much work has been carried out on Hg1-xZnxTe thin films. Hg1-xCdxTe and Pb1-xCdxTe alloys cover a wide range of cut-off wavelengths from the far infrared to the near visible. Acceptors and donors are introduced in these materials by excess non-metal (Te) and excess metal (Hg and Pb) respectively. Extrinsic acceptor impurities are Cu, Au, and As while and In and Al are donor impurities. Hg1-xCdxTe thin films have been deposited by isothermal vapor-phase epitaxy (VPE), liquid phase epitaxy (LPE), hot-wall metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), electrodeposition, sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), laser-assisted evaporation, and vacuum evaporation with or without hot-wall enclosure. The challenge in the preparation of Hg1-xCdxTe is to provide excess mercury incidence rate, to optimize the deposition parameters for enhanced mercury incorporation, and to achieve the requisite stoichiometry, grain size, and doping. MBE and MOCVD

  7. Magnetoelectric coupling effect in transition metal modified polycrystalline BiFeO3 thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreenivas Puli, Venkata; Kumar Pradhan, Dhiren; Gollapudi, Sreenivasulu; Coondoo, Indrani; Panwar, Neeraj; Adireddy, Shiva; Chrisey, Douglas B.; Katiyar, Ram S.

    2014-01-01

    Rare-earth (Sm) and transition metal (Co) modified polycrystalline BiFeO 3 (BFO) thin films have been deposited on Pt/TiO 2 /SiO 2 /Si substrate successfully through pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Piezoelectric, leakage current and temperature dependent dielectric and magnetic behaviour were investigated for the films. Typical “butterfly-shaped” loop were observed in BSFCO films with an effective piezoelectric constant (d 33 ) ∼94 pm/V at 0.6 MV/cm. High dielectric constant ∼900 and low dielectric loss ∼0.25 were observed at room temperature. M–H loops have shown relatively high saturation magnetization ∼35 emu/cm 3 at a maximum field of H ∼20 kOe. Enhanced magnetoelectric coupling response is observed under applied magnetic field. The multiferroic, piezoelectric, leakage current behaviours were explored. Such studies should be helpful in designing multiferroic materials based on BSFCO films. - Highlights: • Transition metal modified polycrystalline BiFeO 3 thin films prepared using PLD. • High ME-coupling response was observed in co-substituted BiFeO 3 thin films. • High magnetization ∼35 emu/cm 3 at a maximum field of H ∼20 kOe. • Low leakage current might be due to co-substitution in BiFeO 3 thin films. • A notable piezoelectric constant d 33 ∼94 pm/V was found in BiFeO 3 thin films

  8. Mn-implanted, polycrystalline indium tin oxide and indium oxide films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scarlat, Camelia; Vinnichenko, Mykola; Xu Qingyu; Buerger, Danilo; Zhou Shengqiang; Kolitsch, Andreas; Grenzer, Joerg; Helm, Manfred; Schmidt, Heidemarie

    2009-01-01

    Polycrystalline conducting, ca. 250 nm thick indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium oxide (IO) films grown on SiO 2 /Si substrates using reactive magnetron sputtering, have been implanted with 1 and 5 at.% of Mn, followed by annealing in nitrogen or in vacuum. The effect of the post-growth treatment on the structural, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties has been studied. The roughness of implanted films ranges between 3 and 15 nm and XRD measurements revealed a polycrystalline structure. A positive MR has been observed for Mn-implanted and post-annealed ITO and IO films. It has been interpreted by considering s-d exchange. Spectroscopic ellipsometry has been used to prove the existence of midgap electronic states in the Mn-implanted ITO and IO films reducing the transmittance below 80%.

  9. Polycrystalline Silicon Gettered by Porous Silicon and Heavy Phosphorous Diffusion

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LIU Zuming(刘祖明); Souleymane K Traore; ZHANG Zhongwen(张忠文); LUO Yi(罗毅)

    2004-01-01

    The biggest barrier for photovoltaic (PV) utilization is its high cost, so the key for scale PV utilization is to further decrease the cost of solar cells. One way to improve the efficiency, and therefore lower the cost, is to increase the minority carrier lifetime by controlling the material defects. The main defects in grain boundaries of polycrystalline silicon gettered by porous silicon and heavy phosphorous diffusion have been studied. The porous silicon was formed on the two surfaces of wafers by chemical etching. Phosphorous was then diffused into the wafers at high temperature (900℃). After the porous silicon and diffusion layers were removed, the minority carrier lifetime was measured by photo-conductor decay. The results show that the lifetime's minority carriers are increased greatly after such treatment.

  10. THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON THICK BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS BY HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetsuji Nagata

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Thick biological specimens prepared as whole mount cultured cells or thick sections from embedded tissues were stained with histochemical reactions, such as thiamine pyrophosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase, cytochrome oxidase, acid phosphatase, DAB reactions and radioautography, to observe 3-D ultrastructures of cell organelles producing stereo-pairs by high voltage electron microscopy at accerelating voltages of 400-1000 kV. The organelles demonstrated were Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysosomes, peroxisomes, pinocytotic vesicles and incorporations of radioactive compounds. As the results, those cell organelles were observed 3- dimensionally and the relative relationships between these organelles were demonstrated.

  11. CdCl2 passivation of polycrystalline CdMgTe and CdZnTe absorbers for tandem photovoltaic cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanson, Drew E.; Reich, Carey; Abbas, Ali; Shimpi, Tushar; Liu, Hanxiao; Ponce, Fernando A.; Walls, John M.; Zhang, Yong-Hang; Metzger, Wyatt K.; Sampath, W. S.; Holman, Zachary C.

    2018-05-01

    As single-junction silicon solar cells approach their theoretical limits, tandems provide the primary path to higher efficiencies. CdTe alloys can be tuned with magnesium (CdMgTe) or zinc (CdZnTe) for ideal tandem pairing with silicon. A II-VI/Si tandem holds the greatest promise for inexpensive, high-efficiency top cells that can be quickly deployed in the market using existing polycrystalline CdTe manufacturing lines combined with mature silicon production lines. Currently, all high efficiency polycrystalline CdTe cells require a chloride-based passivation process to passivate grain boundaries and bulk defects. This research examines the rich chemistry and physics that has historically limited performance when extending Cl treatments to polycrystalline 1.7-eV CdMgTe and CdZnTe absorbers. A combination of transmittance, quantum efficiency, photoluminescence, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy clearly reveals that during passivation, Mg segregates and out-diffuses, initially at the grain boundaries but eventually throughout the bulk. CdZnTe exhibits similar Zn segregation behavior; however, the onset and progression is localized to the back of the device. After passivation, CdMgTe and CdZnTe can render a layer that is reduced to predominantly CdTe electro-optical behavior. Contact instabilities caused by inter-diffusion between the layers create additional complications. The results outline critical issues and paths for these materials to be successfully implemented in Si-based tandems and other applications.

  12. Microscopic Analysis and Quality Assessment of Induced Sputum From Children With Pneumonia in the PERCH Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murdoch, David R; Morpeth, Susan C; Hammitt, Laura L; Driscoll, Amanda J; Watson, Nora L; Baggett, Henry C; Brooks, W Abdullah; Deloria Knoll, Maria; Feikin, Daniel R; Kotloff, Karen L; Levine, Orin S; Madhi, Shabir A; O'Brien, Katherine L; Scott, J Anthony G; Thea, Donald M; Ahmed, Dilruba; Awori, Juliet O; DeLuca, Andrea N; Ebruke, Bernard E; Higdon, Melissa M; Jorakate, Possawat; Karron, Ruth A; Kazungu, Sidi; Kwenda, Geoffrey; Hossain, Lokman; Makprasert, Sirirat; Moore, David P; Mudau, Azwifarwi; Mwaba, John; Panchalingam, Sandra; Park, Daniel E; Prosperi, Christine; Salaudeen, Rasheed; Toure, Aliou; Zeger, Scott L; Howie, Stephen R C

    2017-06-15

    It is standard practice for laboratories to assess the cellular quality of expectorated sputum specimens to check that they originated from the lower respiratory tract. The presence of low numbers of squamous epithelial cells (SECs) and high numbers of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells are regarded as indicative of a lower respiratory tract specimen. However, these quality ratings have never been evaluated for induced sputum specimens from children with suspected pneumonia. We evaluated induced sputum Gram stain smears and cultures from hospitalized children aged 1-59 months enrolled in a large study of community-acquired pneumonia. We hypothesized that a specimen representative of the lower respiratory tract will contain smaller quantities of oropharyngeal flora and be more likely to have a predominance of potential pathogens compared to a specimen containing mainly saliva. The prevalence of potential pathogens cultured from induced sputum specimens and quantity of oropharyngeal flora were compared for different quantities of SECs and PMNs. Of 3772 induced sputum specimens, 2608 (69%) had 25 PMNs per LPF, measures traditionally associated with specimens from the lower respiratory tract in adults. Using isolation of low quantities of oropharyngeal flora and higher prevalence of potential pathogens as markers of higher quality, 25 PMNs per LPF) was the microscopic variable most associated with high quality of induced sputum. Quantity of SECs may be a useful quality measure of induced sputum from young children with pneumonia. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

  13. Instrumented impact testing machine with reduced specimen oscillation effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rintamaa, R.; Rahka, K.; Wallin, K.

    1984-07-01

    Owing to small and inexpensive specimens the Charpy impact test is widely used in quality control and alloy development. Limitations in power reactor survellance capsules it is also widely used for safety analysis purposes. Instrumenting the tup and computerizing data acquisition, makes dynamic fracture mechanics data measurement possible and convenient. However, the dynamic effects (inertia forces, specimen oscillations) in the impact test cause inaccuracies in the recorded load-time diagram and hence diminish the reliability of the calculated dynamic fracture mechanics parameters. To decrease inaccuracies a new pendulum type of instrumented impact test apparatus has been developed and constructed in the Metals Laboratory of the Technical Research Centre of Finland. This tester is based on a new principle involving inverted test geometry. The purpose of the geometry inversion is to reduce inertia load and specimen oscillation effects. Further, the new impact tester has some other novel features: e.g. the available initia impact energy is about double compared to the conventional standard (300 J) impact tester allowing the use of larger (10 x 20 x 110 mm) bend specimens than normal Charpy specimens. Also, the rotation asix in the three point bending is nearly stationary making COD-measurements possible. An experimental test series is described in which the inertia effects and specimen oscillations are compared in the conventional and new impact tester utilizing Charpy V-notch specimens. Comparison of the two test geometries is also made with the aid of an analytical model using finite element method (FEM) analysis. (author)

  14. Significant enhancement of room temperature ferromagnetism in surfactant coated polycrystalline Mn doped ZnO particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jayakumar, O.D. [Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Gopalakrishnan, I.K. [Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)]. E-mail: ikgopal@barc.gov.in; Sudakar, C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201 (United States); Kadam, R.M. [Radiochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Kulshreshtha, S.K. [Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)

    2007-07-12

    We report a surfactant assisted synthesis of Mn doped ZnO polycrystalline samples showing robust room temperature ferromagnetism as characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance and DC magnetization measurements. This surfactant assisted synthesis method, developed by us, is found to be highly reproducible. Further, it can also be extended to the synthesis of other transition metal doped ZnO.

  15. Fabrication and electrical properties of metal-oxide semiconductor capacitors based on polycrystalline p-Cu{sub x}O and HfO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} high-{kappa} stack gate dielectrics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zou Xiao [Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430074 (China); Department of Electromachine Engineering, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056 (China); Fang Guojia, E-mail: gjfang@whu.edu.c [Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430074 (China); Yuan Longyan; Liu Nishuang; Long Hao; Zhao Xingzhong [Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430074 (China)

    2010-05-31

    Polycrystalline p-type Cu{sub x}O films were deposited after the growth of HfO{sub 2} dielectric on Si substrate by pulsed laser deposition, and Cu{sub x}O metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with HfO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} stack gate dielectric were primarily fabricated and investigated. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were applied to analyze crystalline structure and Cu{sup +}/Cu{sup 2+} ratios of Cu{sub x}O films respectively. SiO{sub 2} interlayer formed between the high-{kappa} dielectric and substrate was estimated by the transmission electron microscope. Results of electrical characteristic measurement indicate that the permittivity of HfO{sub 2} is about 22, and the gate leakage current density of MOS capacitor with 11.3 nm HfO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} stack dielectrics is {approx} 10{sup -4} A/cm{sup 2}. Results also show that the annealing in N{sub 2} can improve the quality of Cu{sub x}O/HfO{sub 2} interface and thus reduce the gate leakage density.

  16. Microdamage in polycrystalline ceramics under dynamic compression and tension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, K.S.; Zhang, D.; Feng, R.; Wu, M.S.

    2005-01-01

    In-grain microplasticity and intergranular microdamage in polycrystalline hexagonal-structure ceramics subjected to a sequence of dynamic compression and tension are studied computationally using the Voronoi polycrystal model, by which the topological heterogeneity and material anisotropy of the crystals are simulated explicitly. The constitutive modeling considers crystal plasticity by basal slip, intergranular shear damage during compression, and intergranular mode-I cracking during tension. The model parameters are calibrated with the available shock compression and spall strength data on polycrystalline α-6H silicon carbide. The numerical results show that microplasticity is a more plausible micromechanism for the inelastic response of the material under shock compression. On the other hand, the spallation behavior of the shocked material can be well predicted by intergranular mode-I microcracking during load reversal from dynamic compression to tension. The failure process and the resulting spall strength are, however, affected strongly by the intensity of local release heterogeneity induced by heterogeneous microplasticity, and by the grain-boundary shear damage during compression

  17. Loss of shear strength in polycrystalline tungsten under shock compression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dandekar, D.P.

    1976-01-01

    A reexamination of existing data on shock compression of polycrystalline tungsten at room temperature indicates that tungsten may be an exception to the common belief that metals do not behave like elastic-isotropic solids under shock compression

  18. High temperature thermoelectric properties of p-type skutterudites BaxYbyCo4-zFezSb12

    KAUST Repository

    Dong, Y.

    2012-01-01

    Several polycrystalline p-type skutterudites with compositions Ba xYb yCo 4-zFe zSb 12, with varying filler concentrations x and y, and z = 1 to 2, were synthesized by reacting the constituents and subsequent solid state annealing, followed by densification by hot-pressing. Their thermoelectric properties were evaluated from 300 to 820 K. The Yb filling fraction increased with Fe content while the amount of Fe substitution had little influence on the Ba filling fraction. High purity specimens were obtained when the Fe content was low. Bipolar conduction contributed to the thermal conductivity at elevated temperatures. A maximum ZT value of 0.7 was obtained at 750 K for the specimen with the highest Fe content and filling fraction. The potential for thermoelectric applications is also discussed. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.

  19. Methods of optimising ion beam induced charge collection of polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Witham, L.C.G.; Jamieson, D.N.; Bardos, R.A.

    1998-01-01

    Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) is a valuable method for the mapping of charge carrier transport and recombination in silicon solar cells. However performing IBIC analysis of polycrystalline silicon solar cells is problematic in a manner unlike previous uses of IBIC on silicon-based electronic devices. Typical solar cells have a surface area of several square centimeters and a p-n junction thickness of only few microns. This means the cell has a large junction capacitance in the many nanoFarads range which leads to a large amount of noise on the preamplifier inputs which typically swamps the transient IBIC signal. The normal method of improving the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio by biasing the junction is impractical for these cells as the low-quality silicon used leads to a large leakage current across the device. We present several experimental techniques which improve the S/N ratio which when used together should make IBIC analysis of many low crystalline quality devices a viable and reliable procedure. (authors)

  20. Large-Scale PV Module Manufacturing Using Ultra-Thin Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Annual Subcontract Report, 1 April 2002--30 September 2003 (Revised)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wohlgemuth, J.; Shea, S. P.

    2004-04-01

    The goal of BP Solar's Crystalline PVMaT program is to improve the present polycrystalline silicon manufacturing facility to reduce cost, improve efficiency, and increase production capacity. Key components of the program are: increasing ingot size; improving ingot material quality; improving material handling; developing wire saws to slice 100 ..mu..m thick silicon wafers on 200 ..mu..m centers; developing equipment for demounting and subsequent handling of very thin silicon wafers; developing cell processes using 100 ..mu..m thick silicon wafers that produce encapsulated cells with efficiencies of at least 15.4% at an overall yield exceeding 95%; expanding existing in-line manufacturing data reporting systems to provide active process control; establishing a 50 MW (annual nominal capacity) green-field Mega plant factory model template based on this new thin polycrystalline silicon technology; and facilitating an increase in the silicon feedstock industry's production capacity for lower-cost solar-grade silicon feedstock.

  1. Computer studies of the scattering of low energy hydrogen ions from polycrystalline solids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oen, O.S.; Robinson, M.T.

    1976-02-01

    Reflection of 50 eV to 10 keV H atoms from polycrystalline Cu, Nb and Au targets has been calculated using the binary collision cascade program MARLOWE. The fractions of particles and energy reflected (backscattered) increase with increasing atomic number of the target and decrease with increasing incident energy. The results indicate that the effects of polycrystallinity are modest, reducing the amorphous reflection coefficients by about 25 percent. The calculations agree quite well with the experimental data for Cu and Au, but are about a factor of two larger than is observed for Nb

  2. Hydrogenation of polycrystalline silicon thin films

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Honda, Shinya; Mates, Tomáš; Knížek, Karel; Ledinský, Martin; Fejfar, Antonín; Kočka, Jan; Yamazaki, T.; Uraoka, Y.; Fuyuki, T.

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 501, - (2006), s. 144-148 ISSN 0040-6090 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME 537; GA MŽP(CZ) SM/300/1/03; GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA1010316; GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA1010413; GA ČR(CZ) GA202/03/0789 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : polycrystalline silicon * atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition * hydrogen passivation * photoluminescence * Raman spectroscopy * Si-H 2 bonding * hydrogen molecules Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.666, year: 2006

  3. Carrier Transport, Recombination, and the Effects of Grain Boundaries in Polycrystalline Cadmium Telluride Thin Films for Photovoltaics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuteja, Mohit

    Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), a chalcogenide semiconductor, is currently used as the absorber layer in one of the highest efficiency thin film solar cell technologies. Current efficiency records are over 22%. In 2011, CdTe solar cells accounted for 8% of all solar cells installed. This is because, in part, CdTe has a low degradation rate, high optical absorption coefficient, and high tolerance to intrinsic defects. Solar cells based on polycrystalline CdTe exhibit a higher short-circuit current, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency than their single crystal counterparts. This is despite the fact that polycrystalline CdTe devices exhibit lower open-circuit voltages. This is contrary to the observation for silicon and III-V semiconductors, where material defects cause a dramatic drop in device performance. For example, grain boundaries in covalently-bonded semiconductors (a) act as carrier recombination centers, and (b) lead to localized energy states, causing carrier trapping. Despite significant research to date, the mechanism responsible for the superior current collection properties of polycrystalline CdTe solar cells has not been conclusively answered. This dissertation focuses on the macro-scale electronic band structure, and micro scale electronic properties of grains and grain boundaries in device-grade CdTe thin films to answer this open question. My research utilized a variety of experimental techniques. Samples were obtained from leading groups fabricating the material and devices. A CdCl 2 anneal is commonly performed as part of this fabrication and its effects were also investigated. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was employed to study the band structure and defect states in CdTe polycrystals. Cadmium vacancy- and chlorine-related states lead to carrier recombination, as in CdTe films grown by other methods. Comparing polycrystalline and single crystal CdTe, showed that the key to explaining the improved performance of polycrystalline CdTe does

  4. Protein patterning on polycrystalline silicon-germanium via standard UV lithography for bioMEMS applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lenci, S., E-mail: silvia.lenci@gmail.com [Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell' Informazione, University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso 16, I-56122 Pisa (Italy); imec, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven B-3001 (Belgium); Tedeschi, L.; Domenici, C.; Lande, C. [Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica, CNR, via G. Moruzzi 1, Pisa I-56124 (Italy); Nannini, A.; Pennelli, G.; Pieri, F. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell' Informazione, University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso 16, I-56122 Pisa (Italy); Severi, S. [imec, Kapeldreef 75, Leuven B-3001 (Belgium)

    2010-10-12

    Polycrystalline silicon-germanium (poly-SiGe) is a promising structural material for the post-processing of micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) on top of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) substrates. Combining MEMS and CMOS allows for the development of high-performance devices. We present for the first time selective protein immobilization on top of poly-SiGe surfaces, an enabling technique for the development of novel poly-SiGe based MEMS biosensors. Active regions made of 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES) were defined using silane deposition onto photoresist patterns followed by lift-off in organic solvents. Subsequently, proteins were covalently bound on the created APTES patterns. Fluorescein-labeled human serum albumin (HSA) was used to verify the immobilization procedure while the binding capability of the protein layer was tested by an antigen-labeled antibody pair. Inspection by fluorescence microscopy showed protein immobilization inside the desired bioactive areas and low non-specific adsorption outside the APTES pattern. Furthermore, the quality of the silane patches was investigated by treatment with 30 nm-diameter gold nanoparticles and scanning electron microscope observation. The developed technique is therefore a promising first step towards the realization of poly-SiGe based biosensors.

  5. Mechanical properties and deformation of polycrystalline lithium orthosilicate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bar, K.; Chu, C.Y.; Singh, J.P.; Goretta, K.C.; Routbort, J.L.; Billone, M.C.; Poeppel, R.B.

    1988-02-01

    Room-temperature strength, fracture toughness, Young's modulus, and thermal-shock resistance were determined for 68--98% dense lithium orthosilicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ) specimens. In the low-density regime, both strength and fracture toughness were controlled by the density of the specimen. At high density, the strength depends on grain size. Young's modulus values ranged from 30--103 GPa at densities between 68 and 98% TD. A critical quenching temperature difference in the range of 150--170/degree/C was observed in thermal-shock tests of bar specimens. Steady-state creep tests indicated 90% dense Li 4 SiO 4 fractures at T ≤ 800/degree/C before reaching steady state and deforms plastically at 900/degree/C. It is more creep-resistant at 900/degree/C than Li 2 O, about equal to Li 2 Zr) 3 , and less than LiA10 2 . 13 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

  6. Tailoring of in-plane magnetic anisotropy in polycrystalline cobalt thin films by external stress

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Dileep, E-mail: dkumar@csr.res.in [UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientic Research, Khandwa Road, Indore 452001 (India); Singh, Sadhana [UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientic Research, Khandwa Road, Indore 452001 (India); Vishawakarma, Pramod [School of Nanotechnology, RGPV, Bhopal 462036 (India); Dev, Arun Singh; Reddy, V.R. [UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientic Research, Khandwa Road, Indore 452001 (India); Gupta, Ajay [Amity Center for Spintronic Materials, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida 201303 (India)

    2016-11-15

    Polycrystalline Co films of nominal thickness ~180 Å were deposited on intentionally curved Si substrates. Tensile and compressive stresses of 100 MPa and 150 MPa were induced in the films by relieving the curvature. It has been found that, within the elastic limit, presence of stress leads to an in-plane magnetic anisotropy in the film and its strength increases with increasing stress. Easy axis of magnetization in the films is found to be parallel/ transverse to the compressive /tensile stresses respectively. The origin of magnetic anisotropy in the stressed films is understood in terms of magneto- elastic coupling, where the stress try to align the magnetic moments in order to minimize the magneto-elastic as well as anisotropy energy. Tensile stress is also found to be responsible for the surface smoothening of the films, which is attributed to the movement of the atoms associated with the applied stress. The present work provides a possible way to tailor the magnetic anisotropy and its direction in polycrystalline and amorphous films using external stress. - Highlights: • Tensile and compressive stresses were induced in Co films by removing the bending force from the substrates after film deposition. • Controlled external mechanical stress is found to be responsible for magnetic anisotropies in amorphous and polycrystalline thin films, where crystalline anisotropy is absent. • Tensile stress leads to surface smoothening of the polycrystalline Co films.

  7. Progress report on irradiation experiment on small size specimens in high temperature flux module

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramesh, M.; Jacquet, P.; Chaouadi, R.

    2011-02-15

    This report describes the progress made in IFREC/DEMO Research and Development Program during the year 2010 at SCK/CEN. This task is part of demonstrating the possibility to irradiate small specimens in the HFTM modules that will be used in DEMO. Different small specimens of three candidate materials of DEMO fusion reactor will be irradiated with the objective of validating the specimen geometry and size to reliably characterize the mechanical properties of unirradiated and in future of irradiated materials.

  8. Synchrotron radiation microprobe quantitative analysis method for biomedical specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Qing; Shao Hanru

    1994-01-01

    Relative changes of trace elemental content in biomedical specimens are obtained easily by means of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence microprobe analysis (SXRFM). However, the accurate assignment of concentration on a g/g basis is difficult. Because it is necessary to know both the trace elemental content and the specimen mass in the irradiated volume simultaneously. the specimen mass is a function of the spatial position and can not be weighed. It is possible to measure the specimen mass indirectly by measuring the intensity of Compton scattered peak for normal XRF analysis using a X-ray tube with Mo anode, if the matrix was consisted of light elements and the specimen was a thin sample. The Compton peak is not presented in fluorescence spectrum for white light SXRFM analysis. The continuous background in the spectrum was resulted from the Compton scattering with a linear polarization X-ray source. Biomedical specimens for SXRFM analysis, for example biological section and human hair, are always a thin sample for high energy X-ray, and they consist of H,C,N and O etc. light elements, which implies a linear relationship between the specimen mass and the Compton scattering background in the high energy region of spectrum. By this way , it is possible to carry out measurement of concentration for SXRFM analysis

  9. Synthesis and characterization of silicon-doped polycrystalline GaN ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Silicon-doped polycrystalline GaN films were successfully deposited at temperatures ranging from 300 to 623 K on fused silica and silicon substrates by radio frequency (r.f.) magnetron sputtering at a system pressure of ~ 5 Pa. The films were characterized by optical as well as microstructural measurements. The optical ...

  10. Substrate bias effect on crystallinity of polycrystalline silicon thin films prepared by pulsed ion-beam evaporation method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ali, Fazlat; Gunji, Michiharu; Yang, Sung-Chae; Suzuki, Tsuneo; Suematsu, Hisayuki; Jiang, Weihua; Yatsui, Kiyoshi [Nagaoka Univ. of Technology, Extreme Energy-Density Research Inst., Nagaoka, Niigata (Japan)

    2002-06-01

    The deposition of polycrystalline silicon thin films has been tried by a pulsed ion-beam evaporation method, where high crystallinity and deposition rate have been achieved without heating the substrate. The crystallinity and the deposition rate were improved by applying bias voltage to the substrate, where instantaneous substrate heating might have occurred by ion-bombardment. (author)

  11. Substrate bias effect on crystallinity of polycrystalline silicon thin films prepared by pulsed ion-beam evaporation method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, Fazlat; Gunji, Michiharu; Yang, Sung-Chae; Suzuki, Tsuneo; Suematsu, Hisayuki; Jiang, Weihua; Yatsui, Kiyoshi

    2002-01-01

    The deposition of polycrystalline silicon thin films has been tried by a pulsed ion-beam evaporation method, where high crystallinity and deposition rate have been achieved without heating the substrate. The crystallinity and the deposition rate were improved by applying bias voltage to the substrate, where instantaneous substrate heating might have occurred by ion-bombardment. (author)

  12. Platinum-induced structural collapse in layered oxide polycrystalline films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Jianlin; Liu, Changhui; Huang, Haoliang; Fu, Zhengping; Peng, Ranran; Zhai, Xiaofang; Lu, Yalin

    2015-01-01

    Effect of a platinum bottom electrode on the SrBi 5 Fe 1−x Co x Ti 4 O 18 layered oxide polycrystalline films was systematically studied. The doped cobalt ions react with the platinum to form a secondary phase of PtCoO 2 , which has a typical Delafossite structure with a weak antiferromagnetism and an exceptionally high in-plane electrical conductivity. Formation of PtCoO 2 at the interface partially consumes the cobalt dopant and leads to the structural collapsing from 5 to 4 layers, which was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements. Considering the weak magnetic contribution from PtCoO 2 , the observed ferromagnetism should be intrinsic of the Aurivillius compounds. Ferroelectric properties were also indicated by the piezoresponse force microscopy. In this work, the platinum induced secondary phase at the interface was observed, which has a strong impact on Aurivillius structural configuration and thus the ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties

  13. Amorphous and Polycrystalline Photoconductors for Direct Conversion Flat Panel X-Ray Image Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karim S. Karim

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available In the last ten to fifteen years there has been much research in using amorphous and polycrystalline semiconductors as x-ray photoconductors in various x-ray image sensor applications, most notably in flat panel x-ray imagers (FPXIs. We first outline the essential requirements for an ideal large area photoconductor for use in a FPXI, and discuss how some of the current amorphous and polycrystalline semiconductors fulfill these requirements. At present, only stabilized amorphous selenium (doped and alloyed a-Se has been commercialized, and FPXIs based on a-Se are particularly suitable for mammography, operating at the ideal limit of high detective quantum efficiency (DQE. Further, these FPXIs can also be used in real-time, and have already been used in such applications as tomosynthesis. We discuss some of the important attributes of amorphous and polycrystalline x-ray photoconductors such as their large area deposition ability, charge collection efficiency, x-ray sensitivity, DQE, modulation transfer function (MTF and the importance of the dark current. We show the importance of charge trapping in limiting not only the sensitivity but also the resolution of these detectors. Limitations on the maximum acceptable dark current and the corresponding charge collection efficiency jointly impose a practical constraint that many photoconductors fail to satisfy. We discuss the case of a-Se in which the dark current was brought down by three orders of magnitude by the use of special blocking layers to satisfy the dark current constraint. There are also a number of polycrystalline photoconductors, HgI2 and PbO being good examples, that show potential for commercialization in the same way that multilayer stabilized a-Se x-ray photoconductors were developed for commercial applications. We highlight the unique nature of avalanche multiplication in a-Se and how it has led to the development of the commercial HARP video-tube. An all solid state version of the

  14. Magnetoelectric coupling effect in transition metal modified polycrystalline BiFeO{sub 3} thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sreenivas Puli, Venkata, E-mail: pvsri123@gmail.com [Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118 (United States); Department of Physics and Institute of Functional Nanomaterials, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936 (United States); Kumar Pradhan, Dhiren [Department of Physics and Institute of Functional Nanomaterials, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936 (United States); Gollapudi, Sreenivasulu [Department of Physics, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309-4401 (United States); Coondoo, Indrani [Department of Materials and Ceramic and CICECO, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Panwar, Neeraj [Department of Physics, Central University of Rajasthan, Bandar Sindri, Kishangarh 305801, Rajasthan (India); Adireddy, Shiva; Chrisey, Douglas B. [Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118 (United States); Katiyar, Ram S. [Department of Physics and Institute of Functional Nanomaterials, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936 (United States)

    2014-11-15

    Rare-earth (Sm) and transition metal (Co) modified polycrystalline BiFeO{sub 3} (BFO) thin films have been deposited on Pt/TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2}/Si substrate successfully through pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Piezoelectric, leakage current and temperature dependent dielectric and magnetic behaviour were investigated for the films. Typical “butterfly-shaped” loop were observed in BSFCO films with an effective piezoelectric constant (d{sub 33}) ∼94 pm/V at 0.6 MV/cm. High dielectric constant ∼900 and low dielectric loss ∼0.25 were observed at room temperature. M–H loops have shown relatively high saturation magnetization ∼35 emu/cm{sup 3} at a maximum field of H ∼20 kOe. Enhanced magnetoelectric coupling response is observed under applied magnetic field. The multiferroic, piezoelectric, leakage current behaviours were explored. Such studies should be helpful in designing multiferroic materials based on BSFCO films. - Highlights: • Transition metal modified polycrystalline BiFeO{sub 3} thin films prepared using PLD. • High ME-coupling response was observed in co-substituted BiFeO{sub 3} thin films. • High magnetization ∼35 emu/cm{sup 3} at a maximum field of H ∼20 kOe. • Low leakage current might be due to co-substitution in BiFeO{sub 3} thin films. • A notable piezoelectric constant d{sub 33} ∼94 pm/V was found in BiFeO{sub 3} thin films.

  15. Polycrystalline Silicon: a Biocompatibility Assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pecheva, E.; Fingarova, D.; Pramatarova, L.; Hikov, T.; Laquerriere, P.; Bouthors, Sylvie; Dimova-Malinovska, D.; Montgomery, P.

    2010-01-01

    Polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) layers were functionalized through the growth of biomimetic hydroxyapatite (HA) on their surface. HA is the mineral component of bones and teeth and thus possesses excellent bioactivity and biocompatibility. MG-63 osteoblast-like cells were cultured on both HA-coated and un-coated poly-Si surfaces for 1, 3, 5 and 7 days and toxicity, proliferation and cell morphology were investigated. The results revealed that the poly-Si layers were bioactive and compatible with the osteoblast-like cells. Nevertheless, the HA coating improved the cell interactions with the poly-Si surfaces based on the cell affinity to the specific chemical composition of the bone-like HA and/or to the higher HA roughness.

  16. Characterization of high quality Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} thin films prepared by rf-magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bouchama, Idris [Departement d' Electronique, Faculte de Technologie, Universite de Msila (Algeria); Djessas, Kamal [Laboratoire Procedes Materiaux et Energie Solaire, PROMES-CNRS, Rambla de la Thermodynamique, Technosud, 66100 Perpignan (France); Bouloufa, Abdeslam [Laboratoire d' Electrochimie et Materiaux, Universite Ferhat Abbas de Setif (Algeria); Gauffier, Jean-Luc [Departement de Physique, INSA de Toulouse, 135, Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)

    2013-01-15

    This paper reports the production of high quality polycrystalline thin layers of CuIn{sub 0.7}Ga{sub 0.3}Se{sub 2} (CIGS), using rf-magnetron sputtering, from a powder target. These films are designed to be used as absorbers in solar cells. The depositions were carried out at substrate temperatures below 250 C and glass substrates was used. The influence of the substrate temperatures on the crystalline quality as well as structural, optical and electrical properties of thin layers obtained has been studied. X-ray diffraction showed that the films were highly orientated in the (112) and/or (204)/(220) direction. In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} secondary phase was observed on the samples grown at lower substrate temperatures. The surface morphology of CIGS layers studied by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) has been also discussed. The most surprising and exciting outcome of this study was that the as grown films were of near stoichiometric composition. Resistivity measurements were carried out using the four point probe method. The optical absorption showed that energy gap values are between 1.13 and 1.18 eV and rather sharp absorption fronts. Thin film resistivities are between 10.7 and 60.9 {Omega}.cm depending on the experimental growth conditions (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  17. Photoluminescence of epitactical and polycrystalline CuInS2 layers for thin-film solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eberhardt, J.

    2007-01-01

    The present thesis deals with one- and polycrystalline CuInS 2 absorber layers for thin-film solar cells and especially with their optical and structural characterization. By means of detailed temperature- and power-dependent photoluminescence measurements in epitactical and polycrystalline absorber layers different radiative transitions could be analyzed and identified. The spectra were dominated by broad luminescence bands of deep perturbing levels. The implantation of hydrogen at low energies led to a passivation of these perturbing levels. On the base of the optical studies on epitactical and polycrystalline absorber layers a new improved defect model for CuInS 2 could be developed. The model contains two donor and two acceptor levels with following ionization energies: D-1=46 meV, D-2=87 meV, A-1=70 meV, and A-2=119 meV

  18. A study of ultrasonic velocity and attenuation on polycrystalline Ni ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    tion of Fe3O4 particles at 800°C. Industrial grade particles of Ni and Zn oxides were ..... domain wall movements, which leads to electronic migrations: this can ... properties of polycrystalline Mn–Zn Ferrites, Ph.D. Thesis,. Osmania University ...

  19. Quantitative measurement of mean inner potential and specimen thickness from high-resolution off-axis electron holograms of ultra-thin layered WSe{sub 2}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Winkler, Florian, E-mail: f.winkler@fz-juelich.de [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons (ER-C), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Peter Grünberg Institute 5 (PGI-5), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Tavabi, Amir H. [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons (ER-C), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Peter Grünberg Institute 5 (PGI-5), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Barthel, Juri [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons (ER-C), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Gemeinschaftslabor für Elektronenmikroskopie (GFE), RWTH Aachen University, D-52074 Aachen (Germany); Duchamp, Martial [Ernst Ruska-Centre for Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Electrons (ER-C), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Peter Grünberg Institute 5 (PGI-5), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Yucelen, Emrah [FEI Company, Achtseweg Noord 5, Eindhoven 5600 KA (Netherlands); Borghardt, Sven; Kardynal, Beata E. [Peter Grünberg Institute 9 (PGI-9), Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); and others

    2017-07-15

    The phase and amplitude of the electron wavefunction that has passed through ultra-thin flakes of WSe{sub 2} is measured from high-resolution off-axis electron holograms. Both the experimental measurements and corresponding computer simulations are used to show that, as a result of dynamical diffraction, the spatially averaged phase does not increase linearly with specimen thickness close to an [001] zone axis orientation even when the specimen has a thickness of only a few layers. It is then not possible to infer the local specimen thickness of the WSe{sub 2} from either the phase or the amplitude alone. Instead, we show that the combined analysis of phase and amplitude from experimental measurements and simulations allows an accurate determination of the local specimen thickness. The relationship between phase and projected potential is shown to be approximately linear for extremely thin specimens that are tilted by several degrees in certain directions from the [001] zone axis. A knowledge of the specimen thickness then allows the electrostatic potential to be determined from the measured phase. By using this combined approach, we determine a value for the mean inner potential of WSe{sub 2} of 18.9±0.8 V, which is 12% lower than the value calculated from neutral atom scattering factors. - Highlights: • Quantitative analysis of high resolution electron holograms of WSe{sub 2}. • Local specimen thickness determination and estimation of tilt angle. • Mean inner potential evaluation of WSe2 avoiding dynamical diffraction.

  20. High-Throughput Testing of Urogenital and Extragenital Specimens for Detection of Chlamydia Trachomatis and Neisseria Gonorrhoeae with Cobas® CT/NG.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marlowe, Elizabeth M; Hardy, David; Krevolin, Mark; Gohl, Peter; Bertram, Alexander; Arcenas, Rodney; Seiverth, Britta; Schneider, Tanja; Liesenfeld, Oliver

    2017-09-01

    We compared the analytical and clinical performance of cobas ® CT/NG for use on the Cobas ® 6800/8800 Systems with the Cobas ® 4800 CT/NG Test from urogenital and extragenital specimens in over 12,000 specimens from both male and female subjects in Germany and the United States. The analytical sensitivity was ≤40 EB/ml for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and ≤1 CFU/ml for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG). Using clinical specimens, the overall percent agreement with the Cobas ® 4800 CT/NG Test was >98.5%. Across urogenital specimens, there were 93 discrepant specimens; 76 (93.8%) of 81 CT discrepant specimens were 6800+/4800- and 10 (83.3%) of 12 NG discrepant specimens were 6800+/4800-. Sequencing verified CT results for 45 (61.6%) of 73 samples positive by 6800 and 1 (20%) of 5 positive by 4800. Similarly, 7 (70.0%) of 10 NG samples positive by 6800 and 1 of 2 positive by 4800 were confirmed by sequencing. Among discrepant extragenital specimens (all 6800+/4800-), 7 (50%) of 14 oropharyngeal and 23 (76.7%) of 30 anorectal CT discordant samples were confirmed as CT positive by sequencing; all 8 anorectal and 20 (90.9%) of 22 oropharyngeal NG discordant results were also confirmed as NG positive. In conclusion, Cobas ® CT/NG for use on the Cobas ® 6800/8800 Systems provides high-throughput automated solutions for sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening programs.

  1. The X-ray sensitivity of semi-insulating polycrystalline CdZnTe thick films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Won, Jae Ho; Kim, Ki Hyun; Suh, Jong Hee; Cho, Shin Hang; Cho, Pyong Kon; Hong, Jin Ki; Kim, Sun Ung

    2008-01-01

    The X-ray sensitivity is one of the important parameters indicating the detector performance. The X-ray sensitivity of semi-insulating polycrystalline CdZnTe:Cl thick films was investigated as a function of electric field, mean photon energy, film thickness, and charge carrier transport parameters and, compared with another promising detector materials. The X-ray sensitivities of the polycrystalline CdZnTe films with 350 μm thickness were about 2.2 and 6.2 μC/cm 2 /R in the ohmic-type and Schottky-type detector at 0.83 V/μm, respectively

  2. Slip activity of persistent slip bands in polycrystalline nickel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weidner, A.; Beyer, R.; Blochwitz, C.; Holste, C.; Schwab, A.; Tirschler, W.

    2006-01-01

    The appearance of glide localizations after cyclic deformation in the saturation stage was investigated for polycrystalline nickel. It was shown that persistent slip bands (PSBs) are formed in a wide range of grain orientations. Concerning the grain size it was found, that the probability for the appearance of PSBs is higher for larger grains. The local slip activity of the formed PSBs was studied after half-cycle deformation using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The fraction of grains with glide-active PSBs and the glide-active PSB volume itself is very small after the half-cycle loading. The obtained local shear strain amplitudes are quite high and vary in the range of 0.2-5%. They are comparable with those found in nickel single crystals at the same loading procedure

  3. Conformational order of n-dodecanethiol and n-dodecaneselenol monolayers on polycrystalline copper investigated by PM-IRRAS and SFG spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonder, G.; Cecchet, F.; Peremans, A.; Thiry, P. A.; Delhalle, J.; Mekhalif, Z.

    2009-08-01

    Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of n-dodecanethiol (C 12H 25SH) and n-dodecaneselenol (C 12H 25SeH) on polycrystalline copper have been elaborated with the purpose of achieving densely packed and crystalline-like assemblies. By combining the surface sensitivity of polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and sum-frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG), the effect of the self-assembly time (15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h and 24 h) on the formation of n-dodecanethiol and n-dodecaneselenol monolayers on untreated and electrochemically reduced polycrystalline copper has been investigated. On electrochemically reduced copper, PM-IRRAS spectroscopy shows that both molecules are able to form well organized layers. SFG spectroscopy indicates that the C 12H 25SeH SAMs are slightly better ordered than those achieved with C 12H 25SH. On untreated copper, the two molecules lead to different film organizations. Both PM-IRRAS and SFG indicate that C 12H 25SH SAMs are of the same film quality as those obtained on electrochemically reduced copper. On the contrary, C 12H 25SeH monolayers are invariably poorly organized at the molecular level.

  4. Effect of Grain Boundaries on the Performance of Thin-Film-Based Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells: A Numerical Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chhetri, Nikita; Chatterjee, Somenath

    2018-01-01

    Solar cells/photovoltaic, a renewable energy source, is appraised to be the most effective alternative to the conventional electrical energy generator. A cost-effective alternative of crystalline wafer-based solar cell is thin-film polycrystalline-based solar cell. This paper reports the numerical analysis of dependency of the solar cell parameters (i.e., efficiency, fill factor, open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density) on grain size for thin-film-based polycrystalline silicon (Si) solar cells. A minority carrier lifetime model is proposed to do a correlation between the grains, grain boundaries and lifetime for thin-film-based polycrystalline Si solar cells in MATLAB environment. As observed, the increment in the grain size diameter results in increase in minority carrier lifetime in polycrystalline Si thin film. A non-equivalent series resistance double-diode model is used to find the dark as well as light (AM1.5) current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for thin-film-based polycrystalline Si solar cells. To optimize the effectiveness of the proposed model, a successive approximation method is used and the corresponding fitting parameters are obtained. The model is validated with the experimentally obtained results reported elsewhere. The experimentally reported solar cell parameters can be found using the proposed model described here.

  5. Large-Scale PV Module Manufacturing Using Ultra-Thin Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Final Subcontract Report, 1 April 2002--28 February 2006

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wohlgemuth, J.; Narayanan, M.

    2006-07-01

    The major objectives of this program were to continue advances of BP Solar polycrystalline silicon manufacturing technology. The Program included work in the following areas. (1) Efforts in the casting area to increase ingot size, improve ingot material quality, and improve handling of silicon feedstock as it is loaded into the casting stations. (2) Developing wire saws to slice 100-..mu..m-thick silicon wafers on 290-..mu..m-centers. (3) Developing equipment for demounting and subsequent handling of very thin silicon wafers. (4) Developing cell processes using 100-..mu..m-thick silicon wafers that produce encapsulated cells with efficiencies of at least 15.4% at an overall yield exceeding 95%. (5) Expanding existing in-line manufacturing data reporting systems to provide active process control. (6) Establishing a 50-MW (annual nominal capacity) green-field Mega-plant factory model template based on this new thin polycrystalline silicon technology. (7) Facilitating an increase in the silicon feedstock industry's production capacity for lower-cost solar-grade silicon feedstock..

  6. Creep of Polycrystalline Magnesium Aluminate Spinel Studied by an SPS Apparatus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratzker, Barak; Sokol, Maxim; Kalabukhov, Sergey; Frage, Nachum

    2016-06-20

    A spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus was used for the first time as an analytical testing tool for studying creep in ceramics at elevated temperatures. Compression creep experiments on a fine-grained (250 nm) polycrystalline magnesium aluminate spinel were successfully performed in the 1100-1200 °C temperature range, under an applied stress of 120-200 MPa. It was found that the stress exponent and activation energy depended on temperature and applied stress, respectively. The deformed samples were characterized by high resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The results indicate that the creep mechanism was related to grain boundary sliding, accommodated by dislocation slip and climb. The experimental results, extrapolated to higher temperatures and lower stresses, were in good agreement with data reported in the literature.

  7. Reconstucted topographs of polycrystalline (110) Fe-3 wt% Si samples and the observation of their magnetic domain images using synchrotron radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stephenson, J.D.; Kelhae, V.; Tilli, M.; Tuomi, T.

    1978-01-01

    'White' synchrotron radiation topography has been employed to reconstruct almost complete, though slightly shape distorted topographs of polycrystalline samples. Those used in the experiments were commercial (110) Fe-3wt%Si crystals containing several misorientated subgrains and were of thickness between 0.15 and 0.20 mm. The topographs were reassembled 'jig-saw puzzle' fashion from photographically enlarged subgrain mini-topographs located near the centres of each film. Magnetic domains were observed in several subgrain topographs recorded in the Laue-reflection and Laue-transmission modes. The technique emphasizes one of the advantages in using 'white' synchrotron radiation to produce rapid high resolution topographs of polycrystalline samples in relatively hazard free radiation conditions. (Auth.)

  8. Systematic study of polycrystalline flow during tension test of sheet 304 austenitic stainless steel at room temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muñoz-Andrade, Juan D.

    2013-01-01

    By systematic study the mapping of polycrystalline flow of sheet 304 austenitic stainless steel (ASS) during tension test at constant crosshead velocity at room temperature was obtained. The main results establish that the trajectory of crystals in the polycrystalline spatially extended system (PCSES), during irreversible deformation process obey a hyperbolic motion. Where, the ratio between the expansion velocity of the field and the velocity of the field source is not constant and the field lines of such trajectory of crystals become curved, this accelerated motion is called a hyperbolic motion. Such behavior is assisted by dislocations dynamics and self-accommodation process between crystals in the PCSES. Furthermore, by applying the quantum mechanics and relativistic model proposed by Muñoz-Andrade, the activation energy for polycrystalline flow during the tension test of 304 ASS was calculated for each instant in a global form. In conclusion was established that the mapping of the polycrystalline flow is fundamental to describe in an integral way the phenomenology and mechanics of irreversible deformation processes

  9. Systematic study of polycrystalline flow during tension test of sheet 304 austenitic stainless steel at room temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muñoz-Andrade, Juan D., E-mail: jdma@correo.azc.uam.mx [Departamento de Materiales, División de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Azcapotzalco, Av. San Pablo No. 180, Colonia Reynosa Tamaulipas, C.P. 02200, México Distrito Federal (Mexico)

    2013-12-16

    By systematic study the mapping of polycrystalline flow of sheet 304 austenitic stainless steel (ASS) during tension test at constant crosshead velocity at room temperature was obtained. The main results establish that the trajectory of crystals in the polycrystalline spatially extended system (PCSES), during irreversible deformation process obey a hyperbolic motion. Where, the ratio between the expansion velocity of the field and the velocity of the field source is not constant and the field lines of such trajectory of crystals become curved, this accelerated motion is called a hyperbolic motion. Such behavior is assisted by dislocations dynamics and self-accommodation process between crystals in the PCSES. Furthermore, by applying the quantum mechanics and relativistic model proposed by Muñoz-Andrade, the activation energy for polycrystalline flow during the tension test of 304 ASS was calculated for each instant in a global form. In conclusion was established that the mapping of the polycrystalline flow is fundamental to describe in an integral way the phenomenology and mechanics of irreversible deformation processes.

  10. Giant strain with ultra-low hysteresis and high temperature stability in grain oriented lead-free K0.5Bi0.5TiO3-BaTiO3-Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 piezoelectric materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maurya, Deepam; Zhou, Yuan; Wang, Yaojin; Yan, Yongke; Li, Jiefang; Viehland, Dwight; Priya, Shashank

    2015-02-26

    We synthesized grain-oriented lead-free piezoelectric materials in (K0.5Bi0.5TiO3-BaTiO3-xNa0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (KBT-BT-NBT) system with high degree of texturing along the [001]c (c-cubic) crystallographic orientation. We demonstrate giant field induced strain (~0.48%) with an ultra-low hysteresis along with enhanced piezoelectric response (d33 ~ 190pC/N) and high temperature stability (~160°C). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) results demonstrate smaller size highly ordered domain structure in grain-oriented specimen relative to the conventional polycrystalline ceramics. The grain oriented specimens exhibited a high degree of non-180° domain switching, in comparison to the randomly axed ones. These results indicate the effective solution to the lead-free piezoelectric materials.

  11. Biobanking of fresh frozen tissue from clinical surgical specimens: transport logistics, sample selection, and histologic characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botling, Johan; Micke, Patrick

    2011-01-01

    Access to high-quality fresh frozen tissue is critical for translational cancer research and molecular -diagnostics. Here we describe a workflow for the collection of frozen solid tissue samples derived from fresh human patient specimens after surgery. The routines have been in operation at Uppsala University Hospital since 2001. We have integrated cryosection and histopathologic examination of each biobank sample into the biobank manual. In this way, even small, macroscopically ill-defined lesions can be -procured without a diagnostic hazard due to the removal of uncharacterized tissue from a clinical -specimen. Also, knowledge of the histomorphology of the frozen tissue sample - tumor cell content, stromal components, and presence of necrosis - is pivotal before entering a biobank case into costly molecular profiling studies.

  12. Surgical specimen handover from the operating theatre to laboratory-Can we improve patient safety by learning from aviation and other high-risk organisations?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brennan, Peter A; Brands, Marieke T; Caldwell, Lucy; Fonseca, Felipe Paiva; Turley, Nic; Foley, Susie; Rahimi, Siavash

    2018-02-01

    Essential communication between healthcare staff is considered one of the key requirements for both safety and quality care when patients are handed over from one clinical area to other. This is particularly important in environments such as the operating theatre and intensive care where mistakes can be devastating. Health care has learned from other high-risk organisations (HRO) such as aviation where the use of checklists and human factors awareness has virtually eliminated human error and mistakes. To our knowledge, little has been published around ways to improve pathology specimen handover following surgery, with pathology request forms often conveying the bare minimum of information to assist the laboratory staff. Furthermore, the request form might not warn staff about potential hazards. In this article, we provide a brief summary of the factors involved in human error and introduce a novel checklist that can be readily completed at the same time as the routine pathology request form. This additional measure enhances safety, can help to reduce processing and mislabelling errors and provides essential information in a structured way assisting both laboratory staff and pathologists when handling head and neck surgical specimens. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. X-ray measurements of elastic deformation of individual crystallites in polycrystalline Al-Cu alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kato, Hiroshi; Urashima, Ken-ichi; Miyawaki, Noburo; Yoshikawa, Keiji

    1982-01-01

    Equations and angular limits for X-ray stress measurements of individual crystallites in polycrystalline aggregates are obtained, and the stresses in grains of Al-4 -- 5 mass% Cu alloys containing large grains are measured under tension to compare the analytical results. Stresses in grains are not affected by the aging treatment, but diffraction spots are blurred out by the eigen strain occurred during the aging. Deviation angles theta 1 of the principal stress from the tensile direction have a linear relation to the shear factor F sub(S), which consists of the direction cosines of axes of the specimen with respect to axes of the crystallographic grain, and the proportional constant α is about 10 0 . The principal stress σ 1 is not affected by the factor F sub(S). Stress distributions are numerically analized for rectangular grains to clarify quantitatively the relations obtained experimentally. Numerical results also show the linear relation between the angle theta 1 and the factor F sub(S). The proportional constant α increases from zero to a constant αinfinity with the ratio R of the width to the length of the grain. The principal stress σ 1 is not affected by the shear factor F sub(S), but varies with the ratio R. (author)

  14. 16 CFR Figure 3 to Part 1610 - Specimen Holder Supported in Specimen Rack

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Specimen Holder Supported in Specimen Rack 3 Figure 3 to Part 1610 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACT... Holder Supported in Specimen Rack ER25MR08.002 ...

  15. Development of piezoelectric ceramics driven fatigue testing machine for small specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saito, S.; Kikuchi, K.; Onishi, Y.; Nishino, T.

    2002-01-01

    A new fatigue testing machine with piezoelectric ceramics actuators was developed and a prototype was manufactured for high-cycle fatigue tests with small specimens. The machine has a simple mechanism and is compact. These features make it easy to set up and to maintain the machine in a hot cell. The excitation of the actuator can be transmitted to the specimen using a lever-type testing jig. More than 100 μm of displacement could be prescribed precisely to the specimen at a frequency of 50 Hz. This was sufficient performance for high-cycle bend fatigue tests on specimens irradiated at the SINQ target in Paul Scherrer Institute. The relationship of a displacement applied to the specimen and the strain of the necking part were obtained by experimental methods and by finite element method (FEM) calculations. Both results showed good agreement. This fact makes it possible to evaluate the strain of irradiated specimens by FEM simulations

  16. High throughput screening of ligand binding to macromolecules using high resolution powder diffraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Von Dreele, Robert B.; D'Amico, Kevin

    2006-10-31

    A process is provided for the high throughput screening of binding of ligands to macromolecules using high resolution powder diffraction data including producing a first sample slurry of a selected polycrystalline macromolecule material and a solvent, producing a second sample slurry of a selected polycrystalline macromolecule material, one or more ligands and the solvent, obtaining a high resolution powder diffraction pattern on each of said first sample slurry and the second sample slurry, and, comparing the high resolution powder diffraction pattern of the first sample slurry and the high resolution powder diffraction pattern of the second sample slurry whereby a difference in the high resolution powder diffraction patterns of the first sample slurry and the second sample slurry provides a positive indication for the formation of a complex between the selected polycrystalline macromolecule material and at least one of the one or more ligands.

  17. Sequencing historical specimens: successful preparation of small specimens with low amounts of degraded DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sproul, John S; Maddison, David R

    2017-11-01

    Despite advances that allow DNA sequencing of old museum specimens, sequencing small-bodied, historical specimens can be challenging and unreliable as many contain only small amounts of fragmented DNA. Dependable methods to sequence such specimens are especially critical if the specimens are unique. We attempt to sequence small-bodied (3-6 mm) historical specimens (including nomenclatural types) of beetles that have been housed, dried, in museums for 58-159 years, and for which few or no suitable replacement specimens exist. To better understand ideal approaches of sample preparation and produce preparation guidelines, we compared different library preparation protocols using low amounts of input DNA (1-10 ng). We also explored low-cost optimizations designed to improve library preparation efficiency and sequencing success of historical specimens with minimal DNA, such as enzymatic repair of DNA. We report successful sample preparation and sequencing for all historical specimens despite our low-input DNA approach. We provide a list of guidelines related to DNA repair, bead handling, reducing adapter dimers and library amplification. We present these guidelines to facilitate more economical use of valuable DNA and enable more consistent results in projects that aim to sequence challenging, irreplaceable historical specimens. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Polycrystalline Mg2Si thin films: A theoretical investigation of their electronic transport properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balout, H.; Boulet, P.; Record, M.-C.

    2015-01-01

    The electronic structures and thermoelectric properties of a polycrystalline Mg 2 Si thin film have been investigated by first-principle density-functional theory (DFT) and Boltzmann transport theory calculations within the constant-relaxation time approximation. The polycrystalline thin film has been simulated by assembling three types of slabs each having the orientation (001), (110) or (111) with a thickness of about 18 Å. The effect of applying the relaxation procedure to the thin film induces disorder in the structure that has been ascertained by calculating radial distribution functions. For the calculations of the thermoelectric properties, the energy gap has been fixed at the experimental value of 0.74 eV. The thermoelectric properties, namely the Seebeck coefficient, the electrical conductivity and the power factor, have been determined at three temperatures of 350 K, 600 K and 900 K with respect to both the energy levels and the p-type and n-type doping levels. The best Seebeck coefficient is obtained at 350 K: the S yy component of the tensor amounts to about ±1000 μV K −1 , depending on the type of charge carriers. However, the electrical conductivity is much too small which results in low values of the figure of merit ZT. Structure–property relationship correlations based on directional radial distribution functions allow us to tentatively draw some explanations regarding the anisotropy of the electrical conductivity. Finally, the low ZT values obtained for the polycrystalline Mg 2 Si thin film are paralleled with those recently reported in the literature for bulk chalcogenide glasses. - Graphical abstract: Structure of the polycrystalline thin film of Mg 2 Si. - Author-Highlights: • Polycrystalline Mg 2 Si film has been modelled by DFT approach. • Thermoelectric properties have been evaluated by semi-classical Boltzmann theory. • The structure was found to be slightly disordered after relaxation. • The highest value of Seebeck

  19. Resistivity and morphology of TiSi2 formed on Xe+-implanted polycrystalline silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuwano, H.; Phillips, J.R.; Mayer, J.W.

    1990-01-01

    Xe ion irradiation of polycrystalline silicon before Ti deposition is found to affect subsequent silicide formation. Silicide films were prepared by implanting 60, 100, or 240 keV Xe + ions into 500-nm-thick undoped polycrystalline silicon before depositing Ti and annealing in vacuum. Preimplantation altered the subsequent silicide resistivity, x-ray diffraction patterns, and morphology as compared to films prepared on unimplanted polycrystalline Si substrates. We found that minimal TiSi 2 resistivities were achieved at lower temperatures with preimplantation, indicating that the Xe-implanted substrate promotes a lower temperature transition from the metastable C49 phase to the low-resistivity equilibrium C54 phase of TiSi 2 . X-ray diffraction results confirmed the lower temperature formation of the C54 phase with preimplantation. Low-temperature annealing (650 degree C, 30 min) of 6x10 16 cm -2 , 240 keV Xe + -implanted samples yielded low-resistivity (∼22 μΩ cm) silicide films, while simultaneously annealed samples without preimplantation had resistivity five times higher. Lower doses were effective at lower implant energies, with low resistivity achieved after 725 degree C, 30 min annealing for 2x10 15 cm -2 , 60 keV Xe + preimplantation

  20. Evaluation of A-1 reactor heavy-water calandria specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brumovsky, M.

    1976-01-01

    Container chains with surveillance specimens were placed in two special channels of the core peripheral part to test changes in mechanical properties due to reactor operation of caisson tube material. The specimens were made from the caisson tube material and placed by eight pieces on the outer surface of the containers. The first removed specimens were tested for corrosion losses, tensile strength, and fractured surfaces were then assessed. The changes in strength properties were found to be similar in both base material and welded joints. The corrosion film on surveillance specimens did not practically affect strength properties nor ductility. It was found that the Al-Mg-Si alloy used for the heavy water vessel caisson tubes following stabilization annealing was fully stable at operating temperatures of up to 100 degC. Slio.ht changes in properties can be attributed to the effect of a high neutron dose. Thus, the high radiation and temperature stability of the alloy was confirmed. (O.K.)

  1. Field performance of a polycrystalline silicon module

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adegboyega, G.A.; Kuku, T.A.; Salau, A.A.M.

    1985-12-01

    The field performance of a polycrystalline silicon module is reported. The recorded data include the ambient temperature, solar insolation and the module output power. The module has given efficiencies in the range of 2-4% and has demonstrated good stability over a ten month period. From the field data, equations that could be used to predict performance for various seasons of the year for this location have been developed and the fit between predicted and actual performance has been found to be quite good. (author)

  2. Tension test system for irradiated small specimens operated by remote control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okada, Akira

    1993-01-01

    A robot-based tension test system has been developed to aid in the mechanical testing of highly radioactive specimens. This system reduces radiation hazards from specimens and allows for the uniform precision of testing results independent of experimenters' skills. The robot system is designed to accommodate a miniaturized tension specimen with a gage section 5.5 by 1.2 mm, with a total length and width of 12.5 and 2.3 mm, respectively, and thickness of about 0.2 mm. The system is composed of a manipulating robot, a vibrational-type specimen feeder, a rotating-type specimen tray, a specimen observation system, a simulated tension text fixture, and a microcomputer for controlling the system. This system accomplishes specimen arrangement in the specimen tray, specimen transportation and loading to the test fixture and testing, and removal of the broken specimen from the fixture. These procedures are performed quickly, safely, and with uniform testing precision by computer control remotely by an unskilled experimenter

  3. The three-dimensional microstructure of polycrystalline materials unravelled by synchrotron light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ludwig, W.; Herbig, M.; Ludwig, W.; King, A; Reischig, P.; Marrow, J.; Babout, L.; Mejdal Lauridsen, E.; Proudhon, H.

    2011-01-01

    Synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging and diffraction techniques offer new possibilities for non-destructive bulk characterization of polycrystalline materials. Minute changes in electron density (different crystallographic phases, cracks, porosities) can be detected using 3D imaging modes exploiting Fresnel diffraction and the coherence properties of third generation synchrotron beams. X-ray diffraction contrast tomography, a technique based on Bragg diffraction imaging, provides access to the 3D shape, orientation and elastic strain state of the individual grains from polycrystalline sample volumes containing several hundred up to a few thousand grains. Combining both imaging modalities allows a comprehensive description of the microstructure of the material at the micrometer length scale. Repeated observations during (interrupted) mechanical tests provide unprecedented insight into crystallographic and grain microstructure related aspects of polycrystal deformation and degradation mechanisms in materials, fulfilling some conditions on grain size and deformation state. (authors)

  4. Oxygen deficiency in MoO{sub 3} polycrystalline nanowires and nanotubes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Varlec, Ana, E-mail: ana.varlec@ijs.si [Condensed Matter Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Arčon, Denis [Condensed Matter Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska cesta 19, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Škapin, Srečo D. [Advanced Materials Department, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Remškar, Maja [Condensed Matter Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

    2016-02-15

    We report on the synthesis of polycrystalline molybdenum oxide (MoO{sub 3}) nanowires via oxidation of molybdenum-sulfur-iodine (Mo{sub 6}S{sub 2}I{sub 8}) nanowires. This unique synthesis route results in an interesting morphology comprising porous nanowires and nanotubes. We found the nanowires to have the orthorhombic MoO{sub 3} structure. The structure is slightly oxygen deficient which results in the appearance of a new resonant Raman band (1004 cm{sup −1}) and paramagnetic defects (Mo{sup 5+}) of both the point and crystallographic shear plane nature. - Highlights: • Polycrystalline MoO{sub 3} nanowires were obtained via oxidation of Mo{sub 6}S{sub 2}I{sub 8} nanowires. • Nanowires are porous and tubular with either filled or empty interior. • Nanowires are slightly oxygen deficient which leads to a new Raman band.

  5. Polycrystalline Mn-alloyed indium tin oxide films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scarlat, Camelia; Schmidt, Heidemarie; Xu, Qingyu; Vinnichenko, Mykola; Kolitsch, Andreas; Helm, Manfred; Iacomi, Felicia

    2008-01-01

    Magnetic ITO films are interesting for integrating ITO into magneto-optoelectronic devices. We investigated n-conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) films with different Mn doping concentration which have been grown by chemical vapour deposition using targets with the atomic ratio In:Sn:Mn=122:12:0,114:12:7, and 109:12:13. The average film roughness ranges between 30 and 50 nm and XRD patterns revealed a polycrystalline structure. Magnetotransport measurements revealed negative magnetoresistance for all the samples, but high field positive MR can be clearly observed at 5 K with increasing Mn doping concentration. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) has been used to prove the existence of midgap states in the Mn-alloyed ITO films revealing a transmittance less than 80%. A reasonable model for the ca. 250 nm thick Mn-alloyed ITO films has been developed to extract optical constants from SE data below 3 eV. Depending on the Mn content, a Lorentz oscillator placed between 1 and 2 eV was used to model optical absorption below the band gap

  6. Proper Generalized Decomposition (PGD) for the numerical simulation of polycrystalline aggregates under cyclic loading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasri, Mohamed Aziz; Robert, Camille; Ammar, Amine; El Arem, Saber; Morel, Franck

    2018-02-01

    The numerical modelling of the behaviour of materials at the microstructural scale has been greatly developed over the last two decades. Unfortunately, conventional resolution methods cannot simulate polycrystalline aggregates beyond tens of loading cycles, and they do not remain quantitative due to the plasticity behaviour. This work presents the development of a numerical solver for the resolution of the Finite Element modelling of polycrystalline aggregates subjected to cyclic mechanical loading. The method is based on two concepts. The first one consists in maintaining a constant stiffness matrix. The second uses a time/space model reduction method. In order to analyse the applicability and the performance of the use of a space-time separated representation, the simulations are carried out on a three-dimensional polycrystalline aggregate under cyclic loading. Different numbers of elements per grain and two time increments per cycle are investigated. The results show a significant CPU time saving while maintaining good precision. Moreover, increasing the number of elements and the number of time increments per cycle, the model reduction method is faster than the standard solver.

  7. Role of interfacial defect creation-annihilation processes at grain boundaries on the diffusional creep of polycrystalline alumina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikuma, Y.; Gordon, R.S.

    1981-01-01

    It is generally assumed in the diffusional creep of a polycrystalline solid that grain boundaries act as perfect sources and sinks for lattice defects. However, if this assumption is not valid, then diffusional creep can become rate limited by interfacial defect reactions at grain boundaries. Steady state diffusional creep data will be presented at 1450 to 1500 0 C for polycrystalline alumina doped with Ti and a Mg-Ti co-dopant, which are consistent with interfacial controlled kinetics over an intermediate grain size range. A new type of creep deformation map will be presented which reveals the range of grain sizes and impurity concentrations over which interfacial defect creation and/or annihilation processes are important in the steady state creep of polycrystalline alumina

  8. On the I-V characteristic in the non-linear tenary mixture model for polycrystalline semiconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen Van Lien; Nguyen Hoai Nam

    2000-08-01

    A simple expression for the voltage dependence of grain-boundary potential barrier heights is proposed and the Effective Medium Approximation is extended for calculating the I-V characteristic in tenary mixtures of highly non-linear circuit elements. Numerical calculations are performed for the case of polycrystalline semiconductors, such as ZnO-based varistors, where the thermoionic emission is believed to be the dominant mechanism for the electric conduction across double Schottky barriers at room temperature. (author)

  9. 1.5 MeV Kr+ irradiation of polycrystalline Ge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, L.M.; Birtcher, R.C.; Rehn, L.E.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports 1.5 MeV Kr + irradiation of polycrystalline Ge at room temperature, and subsequent annealing carried out with in situ TEM observations. After a Kr + dose of 1.2 x 10 14 ions/cm 2 , Ge in the electron transparent region was completely amorphized. Continuous irradiation of the amorphized Ge resulted in a high density of small cavities. These cavities, first observed after 7 x 10 14 ions/cm 2 with an average diameter of ∼3 nm, grew into large (∼50 nm) irregular-shaped holes, transforming the irradiated Ge into a sponge-like material after 8.5 x 10 15 ions/cm 2 . The crystallization temperature and the morphology of the crystallized Ge after annealing were found to be dependent on the Kr + dose. The sponge-like structure was retained after crystallization at ∼600 degrees C

  10. The influence of specimen size on creep crack growth rate in cross-weld CT specimens cut out from a welded component

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andersson, Peder; Segle, Peter; Samuelson, Lars Aa.

    1999-04-01

    A 3D finite element study of creep crack growth in cross-weld CT specimens with material properties of 2.25Cr1Mo at 550 deg C is carried out, where large strain and displacement theory is used. The creep crack growth rate is calculated using a creep ductility based damage model, in which the creep strain rate perpendicular to the crack plane ahead of the crack tip is integrated, considering the multiaxial stress state. The influence of specimen size on creep crack growth rate under constant load is given special attention, but the possibility to transfer results from cross-weld CT specimens to welded high temperature components is also investigated. The creep crack growth rate of a crack in a circumferentially welded pipe is compared with the creep crack growth rate of cross-weld CT specimens of three different sizes, cut out from the pipe. Although the constraint ahead of the crack tip is higher for a larger CT specimen, the creep crack growth rate is higher for a smaller specimen than for a larger one if they are loaded to attain the same stress intensity factor. If the specimens are loaded to the same C* value, however, a more complicated pattern occurs; depending on the material properties of the weldment constituents, the CT specimen with the intermediate size will either yield the highest or the lowest creep crack growth rate

  11. Crystallite-conjugation regions in polycrystalline transition and noble metals. 1. Composition and properties of point defects in the cores of crystallite-conjugation regions in polycrystalline Cr, Ta and W

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klotsman, S.M.; Kajgorodov, V.N.; Ermakov, A.V.; Rudenko, V.K.

    2004-01-01

    With the use of available results of theoretical investigations on structure and properties of crystallite conjugation regions (CCR) the types and relaxation volumes of point defects arising in a core of the CCR of polycrystalline Ta, W and Cr after vacuum annealing (10 -6 - 10 -5 torr) are determined. Temperature dependences are studied for isomer shifts δ 1 and δ 2 of -1 and -2 components of emission spectra of NGR-irradiation 57 Co( 57 Fe) atomic probes localized in a core of the CCR and in adjacent zones of the lattice of polycrystalline solid solutions of O(Ta), O(W) and O(Cr). A comparison of the dependences obtained is carried and the specific features observed are explained for O(Cr) [ru

  12. Polycrystalline CdTe solar cells on elastic substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sibinski, M.; Lisik, Z.

    2007-01-01

    The presented article is a report on progress in photovoltaic devices and material processing. A cadmium telluride solar cell as one of the most attractive option for thin-film polycrystalline cell constructions is presented. All typical manufacturing steps of this device, including recrystallisation and junction activation are explained. A new potential field of application for this kind of device - the BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic) is named and discussed. All possible configuration options for this application, according to material properties and exploitation demands are considered. The experimental part of the presented paper is focused on practical implementation of the high - temperature polymer foil as the substrate of the newly designed device by the help of ICSVT (Isothermal Close Space Vapour Transport) technique. The evaluation of the polyester and polyamide foils according to the ICSVT/CSS manufacturing process parameters is described and discussed. A final conclusion on practical verification of these materials is also given. (authors)

  13. Synthesis and optical properties of polycrystalline Li{sub 2}Al{sub 2}B{sub 2}O{sub 7} (LABO)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dagdale, S. R., E-mail: shiva.dagdale68@gmail.com; Muley, G. G., E-mail: gajananggm@yahoo.co.in [Department of Physics Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, Amravati, Maharashtra, India-444602 (India)

    2016-05-06

    A polycrystalline lithium aluminum borate (Li{sub 2}Al{sub 2}B{sub 2}O{sub 7}, LABO) has been synthesized by using simple solid-state technique. The obtained LABO polycrystalline was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction; Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency measurement. The functional groups were identified using the FT-IR spectroscopic data. The SHG efficiency of the polycrystalline material was obtained by the classic Kurtz powder technique using a fundamental wavelength 1064 nm of Nd:YAG laser and it is found to be 1.4 times that of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP).

  14. Considerations for improved polycrystalline cuprate superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shinde, S.L.; Shaw, T.M.

    1990-01-01

    Polycrystalline cuprate superconductors exhibit two-stage superconducting transitions, that are characteristic of granular systems. This behaviour suggests approaches involving improvements in intra and inter-grain properties in order to improve the technologically important superconducting properties such as the magnetic remanent moment and transport critical current density. This paper reports results of our studies on oxygenation, twin density control through grain size and changes in flux pinning within the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ matrix with Ag substitution under the heading of intra-grain properties and the detrimental effect of grain boundary phases and the effect of Ag substitution on grain boundary pinning under the heading of inter-grain properties

  15. Improved PID control for triaxial testing liquefied specimen

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sabaliauskas, Tomas; Ibsen, Lars Bo

    Using a frictionless triaxial apparatus, sand specimens can be tested at relatively high axial strains, even while liquefying. However, liquefying specimens have extremely nonlinear stiffness, thus standard PID control does not perform well. To maintain control over applied loads, the PID...... controller was modified to adapt to disturbed soil states. The proposed methods expand the scope of testing towards options which are otherwise inaccessible by triaxial testing....

  16. Visible and ultraviolet emission from pulse irradiated amorphous and polycrystalline H2O ice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freeman, C.G.; Quickenden, T.I.; Litjens, R.A.J.; Sangster, D.F.

    1984-01-01

    Luminescence peaking at 405 nm was observed when thin films of amorphous or polycrystalline ice at 97 K were irradiated with a pulsed beam of 0.53 MeV electrons. These emissions differed from the luminescence emitted by crystalline ice in that memory effects were not observed; the peak wavelengths were red shifted by approx.20 nm; and the half-lives were 6--9 ns instead of approx.400 ns. The emission spectra of polycrystalline ice samples produced by rapid deposition or by annealing amorphous ice were similar, but both had substantially lower intensities than amorphous ice spectra

  17. Design and use of nonstandard tensile specimens for irradiated materials testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panayotou, N.F.

    1984-10-01

    Miniature, nonstandard, tensile-type specimens have been developed for use in radiation effects experiments at high energy neutron sources where the useful radiation volume is as small as a few cubic centimeters. The end result of our development is a sheet-type specimen, 12.7 mm long with a 5.1 mm long, 1.0 mm wide gage section, which is typically fabricated from 0.25 mm thick sheet stock by a punching technique. Despite this miniature geometry, it has been determined that the data obtained using these miniature specimens are in good agreement with data obtained using much larger specimens. This finding indicates that miniature tensile specimen data may by used for engineering design purposes. Furthermore, it is clear that miniature tensile specimen technology is applicable to fields other than the study of radiation effects. This paper describes the miniature specimen technology which was developed and compares the data obtained from these miniature specimens to data obtained from much larger specimens. 9 figures

  18. Synthesis of 1D, 2D, and 3D ZnO Polycrystalline Nanostructures Using the Sol-Gel Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yung-Kuan Tseng

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This study employed various polyol solvents to synthesize zinc oxide polycrystalline nanostructures in the form of fibers (1D, rhombic flakes (2D, and spheres (3D. The synthetic process primarily involved the use of zinc acetate dihydrate in polyol solutions, which were used to derive precursors of zinc alkoxides. Following hydrolysis at 160°C, the zinc alkoxide particles self-assembled into polycrystalline nanostructures with different morphologies. Following calcination at 500°C for 1 h, polycrystalline ZnO with good crystallinity was obtained. FE-SEM explored variations in surface morphology; XRD was used to analyze the crystalline structures and crystallinity of the products, which were confirmed as ZnO wurtzite structures. FE-TEM verified that the ZnO nanostructures were polycrystalline. Furthermore, we employed TGA/DSC to observe the phase transition. According to the results of property analyses, we proposed models of the relevant formation mechanisms. Finally, various ZnO structures were applied in the degradation of methylene blue to compare their photocatalytic efficiency.

  19. Effects of Specimen Diameters on the Distribution of Corrosion Fatigue Cracks

    OpenAIRE

    石原, 外美; 塩澤, 和章; 宮尾, 嘉寿

    1988-01-01

    The distribution of corrosion fatigue cracks observed on the un-notched round specimen surface differs with specimen diameter, especially in the low stress amplitude region. At a constant fatigue life ratio, many long cracks are initiated on the larger specimen, 12 mm (diameter), in comparison with the smaller specimen, 6 mm (diameter). On the other hand, in the high stress amplitude region of corrosion fatigue and fatigue in laboratory air, the distribution of cracks during the fatigue proce...

  20. Fiscal 2000 achievement report. Research and development of fast-acting innovative energy-environment technology (Development of fast-acting high-efficiency solar cell technology - Development of high-quality ingot manufacturing technology); 2000 nendo shin energy sangyo gijutsu sogo kaihatsu kiko itaku kenkyu gyomu seika hokokusho. Sokkoteki kakushinteki energy kankyo gijutsu kenkyu kaihatsu (Sokkogata kokoritsu taiyo denchi gijutsu kaihatsu - Kohinshitsu ingot seizo gijutsu kaihatsu)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    Research and development was conducted of a technology for manufacturing an ultrathin polycrystalline silicon solar cell capable of efficiency enhancement and cost reduction earlier than the types of polycrystalline solar cells now available on the market. In this fiscal year, a silicon melt/solidification experimenting apparatus was built for manufacturing high-quality silicon ingots. Using an apparatus with its performance similar to the newly built one, a preliminary experiment was conducted involving high-purity silicon ingot manufacturing. In the experiment, boron was added to 75 kg of silicon for semiconductor devices so that its resistivity may be 0.5 ohm-cm. The silicon was melted in a quartz mold, and then subjected to unidirectional coagulation at 0.13 mm/min that started at the bottom to proceed upward. The result was a silicon ingot 44 cm times 44 cm times 17 cm (height). The ingot thus obtained exhibited 0.4-0.8 ohm-cm in resistivity distribution. Solar cells produced from the ingot showed a conversion rate of 16.9%. (NEDO)

  1. Natural History Specimen Digitization: Challenges and Concerns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Vollmar

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available A survey on the challenges and concerns invovled with digitizing natural history specimens was circulated to curators, collections managers, and administrators in the natural history community in the Spring of 2009, with over 200 responses received. The overwhelming barrier to digitizing collections was a lack of funding, based on a limited number of sources, leaving institutions mostly responsible for providing the necessary support. The uneven digitization landscape leads to a patchy accumulation of records at varying qualities, and based on different priorities, ulitimately influencing the data's fitness for use. The survey also found that although the kind of specimens found in collections and their storage can be quite varible, there are many similar challenges when digitizing including imaging, automated text scanning and parsing, geo-referencing, etc. Thus, better communication between domains could foster knowledge on digitization leading to efficiencies that could be disseminated through documentation of best practices and training.

  2. Structural evolution and mechanisms of fatigue in polycrystalline brass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vejloe Carstensen, J.

    1998-03-01

    The plastic strain controlled fatigue behaviour of polycrystalline Cu-15%Zn and Cu-30%Zn has been investigated with the aim of studying the effect of slip mode modification by the addition of zinc to copper. It has been clearly demonstrated, that true cyclic saturation does not occur in the plastic strain controlled fatigue of brass. This complicates the contstruction of a cyclic stress-strain (CSS) curve and thus the comparison with copper. A method to overcome this complication has been suggested. Surface observations on fatigued brass specimens show that individual grains tend to deform by Sachs type single slip. This behaviour has been described by the self-consistent Sachs-Eshelby model, which provides estimates of the CSS curve for brass polycrystals. Successive stages of primary hardening, softening and secondary hardening has been observed in the plastic strain controlled fatigue of brass. It has been found that the primary hardening is attributed to an increase of intergranular stresses whereas the secondary hardening apparently is attributed to an increase of friction stresses. Investigations of the structural evolution show that the softening behaviour can be explained by the presence of short-range order (SRO). SRO promote the formation of extended dipole arrays which hardens the material. The formation of intense shear bands destroy the dipole arrays, which explains the cyclic softening. The present results reveal that Cu-30%Zn in a pure planar slip alloy, while Cu-15%Zn displays both planar and wavy slip. The mechanical and structural behaviour observed in brass resembles recent observations in 316L austenitic stainless steels, and the present results reveal that Cu-30%Zn and 316L have approximately the same fatigue life curve. This emphasizes brass as being a convenient model system for the industrially important austenitic steels. (au)

  3. Compressive intrinsic stress originates in the grain boundaries of dense refractory polycrystalline thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magnfält, D., E-mail: danma@ifm.liu.se; Sarakinos, K. [Nanoscale Engineering Division, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden); Fillon, A.; Abadias, G. [Institut P' , Département Physique et Mécanique des Matériaux, Université de Poitiers-CNRS-ENSMA, SP2MI, Téléport 2, Bd M. et P. Curie, F-86962 Chasseneuil-Futuroscope (France); Boyd, R. D.; Helmersson, U. [Plasma and Coatings Physics Division, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, SE-581 83 Linköping (Sweden)

    2016-02-07

    Intrinsic stresses in vapor deposited thin films have been a topic of considerable scientific and technological interest owing to their importance for functionality and performance of thin film devices. The origin of compressive stresses typically observed during deposition of polycrystalline metal films at conditions that result in high atomic mobility has been under debate in the literature in the course of the past decades. In this study, we contribute towards resolving this debate by investigating the grain size dependence of compressive stress magnitude in dense polycrystalline Mo films grown by magnetron sputtering. Although Mo is a refractory metal and hence exhibits an intrinsically low mobility, low energy ion bombardment is used during growth to enhance atomic mobility and densify the grain boundaries. Concurrently, the lateral grain size is controlled by using appropriate seed layers on which Mo films are grown epitaxially. The combination of in situ stress monitoring with ex situ microstructural characterization reveals a strong, seemingly linear, increase of the compressive stress magnitude on the inverse grain size and thus provides evidence that compressive stress is generated in the grain boundaries of the film. These results are consistent with models suggesting that compressive stresses in metallic films deposited at high homologous temperatures are generated by atom incorporation into and densification of grain boundaries. However, the underlying mechanisms for grain boundary densification might be different from those in the present study where atomic mobility is intrinsically low.

  4. Fabrication and testing of prestressed composite rotor blade spar specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gleich, D.

    1974-01-01

    Prestressed composite spar specimens were fabricated and evaluated by crack propagation and ballistic penetration tests. The crack propagation tests on flawed specimens showed that the prestressed composite spar construction significantly suppresses crack growth. Damage from three high velocity 30 caliber projectile hits was confined to three small holes in the ballistic test specimen. No fragmentation or crack propagation was observed indicating good ballistic damage resistance. Rotor attachment approaches and improved structural performance configurations were identified. Design theory was verified by tests. The prestressed composite spar configuration consisted of a compressively prestressed high strength ARDEFORM 301 stainless steel liner overwrapped with pretensioned S-994 fiberglass.

  5. Fracture properties of polycrystalline YBa2Cu3Ox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, R.F.; Shaw, T.M.; Duncombe, P.R.

    1987-01-01

    Polycrystalline YBa 2 Cu 3 O x has been prepared by sintering pre-reacted powder in oxygen to yield a material with 15 μm grain size, 86% relative density and which superconducts above liquid nitrogen temperatures. Indentation crack length measurements give a toughness K c = 1.3 ± 0.2 MPa m 1/2 , above a threshold contact load for radial crack initiation of approximately 5 N (compared with 1.1 MPa m 1/2 and < 0.1 N, respectively, for single crystals). The increased toughness and threshold contact load are controlled by the deviation of cracks from the plane of maximum driving force for fracture by weak grain boundaries and preferred fracture planes within grains. Optical microscopy of indentation cracks and scanning electron microscopy of fracture surfaces reveals approximately 50% intergranular fracture. The hardness of the polycrystal was H = 2.0 ± 0.5 GPa (compared with 8.7 GPa for single crystals). The decreased hardness arises from the porosity of the polycrystalline material and grain boundary sliding under the indentation contact. Time dependent growth of lateral cracks at the indentation contacts suggests that these materials are susceptible to moisture controlled non-equilibrium crack growth

  6. Phase-Field Modeling of Polycrystalline Solidification: From Needle Crystals to Spherulites—A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gránásy, László; Rátkai, László; Szállás, Attila; Korbuly, Bálint; Tóth, Gyula I.; Környei, László; Pusztai, Tamás

    2014-04-01

    Advances in the orientation-field-based phase-field (PF) models made in the past are reviewed. The models applied incorporate homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation of growth centers and several mechanisms to form new grains at the perimeter of growing crystals, a phenomenon termed growth front nucleation. Examples for PF modeling of such complex polycrystalline structures are shown as impinging symmetric dendrites, polycrystalline growth forms (ranging from disordered dendrites to spherulitic patterns), and various eutectic structures, including spiraling two-phase dendrites. Simulations exploring possible control of solidification patterns in thin films via external fields, confined geometry, particle additives, scratching/piercing the films, etc. are also displayed. Advantages, problems, and possible solutions associated with quantitative PF simulations are discussed briefly.

  7. On elastic moduli and elastic anisotropy in polycrystalline martensitic NiTi

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiu, S.; Clausen, B.; Padula, S.A.; Noebe, R.D.; Vaidyanathan, R.

    2011-01-01

    A combined experimental and computational effort was undertaken to provide insight into the elastic response of B19' martensitic NiTi variants as they exist in bulk, polycrystalline aggregate form during monotonic tensile and compressive loading. The experimental effort centered on using in situ neutron diffraction during loading to measure elastic moduli in several directions along with an average Young's modulus and a Poisson's ratio. The measurements were compared with predictions from a 30,000 variant, self-consistent polycrystalline deformation model that accounted for the elastic intergranular constraint, and also with predictions of single crystal behavior from previously published ab initio studies. Variant conversion and detwinning processes that influenced the intergranular constraint occurred even at stresses where the macroscopic stress-strain response appeared linear. Direct evidence of these processes was revealed in changes in texture, which were captured in inverse pole figures constructed from the neutron diffraction measurements.

  8. Splitting tests on rock specimens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davies, J D; Stagg, K G

    1970-01-01

    Splitting tests are described for a square-section sandstone specimens line loaded through steel or timber packings on the top face and supported on the bottom face either on similar packings (type A specimen) or directly on the lower platen plate of the testing machine (type B specimens). The stress distribution across the vertical central plane and the horizontal central plane were determined from a linear elastic finite element analysis for both types. Two solutions were obtained for the type B specimen: one assuming no friction between the base of the specimen and the platen plate and the other assuming no relative slip between the surfaces. Vertical and horizontal strains were measured at the center of the specimens for all loads up to failure.

  9. Post-deformation examination of specimens subjected to SCC testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gussev, Maxim N. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Field, Kevin G. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Busby, Jeremy T. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Leonard, Keith J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2016-09-01

    This report details the results of post-radiation and post-deformation characterizations performed during FY 2015–FY 2016 on a subset of specimens that had previously been irradiated at high displacement per atom (dpa) damage doses. The specimens, made of commercial austenitic stainless steels and alloys, were subjected to stress-corrosion cracking tests (constant extension rate testing and crack growth testing) at the University of Michigan under conditions typical of nuclear power plants. After testing, the specimens were returned to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for further analysis and evaluation.

  10. Improvement in ductility of high strength polycrystalline Ni-rich Ni{sub 3}Al alloy produced by EB-PVD

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, J.Y.; Pei, Y.L.; Li, S.S.; Zhang, H.; Gong, S.K., E-mail: gongsk@buaa.edu.cn

    2014-11-25

    Highlights: • High strength and high ductility of polycrystalline Ni-rich Ni{sub 3}Al alloy sheets were produced. • The elongation could be enhanced from ∼0.5% to ∼14.6% by microstructural control. • The fracture strength (∼820 MPa) was enhanced by the precipitation strengthening. • This work provides a general processing for repairing the worn single crystal blades. - Abstract: A 300 μm Ni-rich Ni{sub 3}Al sheet was produced by electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) and followed by different heat treatments to obtain fine γ′/γ two-phase structures with large elongation. Tensile testing was performed at room-temperature, and the corresponding mechanisms were investigated in detail. Results indicated that the as-deposited Ni{sub 3}Al alloy exhibited non-equilibrium directional columnar crystal, and transited to equiaxed crystal with uniformly distributed tough γ phase after heat treatment. Meanwhile, the fracture mechanism transited from brittleness to a mixture of ductility and brittleness modes. With an appropriate heat treatment, high strength (ultimate tensile strength obtained 828 MPa) and high ductility (elongation obtained 14.6%) Ni{sub 3}Al alloy has been achieved, which was due to the mesh network microstructure. A series of transmission electron microscope (TEM) characterizations confirmed that the increasing flow stress of Ni{sub 3}Al alloy was attributed to the cubical secondary γ′ phase precipitates (25–50 nm) within the γ phase. This work provides a potential strategy for repairing the worn tip of single crystal engine blades using Ni-rich Ni{sub 3}Al alloy by EB-PVD.

  11. Report on achievements in fiscal 1999. Research and development of immediately effective and innovative energy environment technology (Development of immediately effective and high-efficiency solar cell technology, development of high-quality ingot manufacturing technology, and development of high-efficiency cell making technology); 1999 nendo sokkoteki kakushinteki energy kankyo gijutsu kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Sokkogata kokoritsu taiyo denchi gijutsu kaihatsu (kohinshitsu ingot seizo gijutsu kaihatsu / kohinshitsu cell ka gijutsu kaihatsu)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    Research and development has been made on improving quality of ingots for substrates, manufacturing high-quality thin type substrates, and making high-efficiency cells. This paper summarizes the achievements in fiscal 1999. In developing the high-quality ingot manufacturing technology, discussions were given on a method for assessing impurities and crystal defects by using the total reflection scattering type infrared tomography, and on the optimal solidifying and cooling conditions during the ingot manufacturing by using simulation calculation for solidification. As a result of analyses and discussions, such findings were found effective that the ingot should be solidified through making the solid-liquid interface shape flat, and the temperature falling rate in an ingot should be maintained constant. In developing the high-efficiency cell making technology, discussions were given on the optimal construction based on a simulation that assumes the light sealing structure using the RIE method, and on the optimal construction of polycrystalline silicon solar cells by using a device simulator (PCID). The important factors in achieving a conversion efficiency of 20% are the light sealing structure, surface passivation, and substrate thickness. (NEDO)

  12. Evaluation of Hole Quality in Hardened Steel with High-Speed Drilling Using Different Cooling Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lincoln Cardoso Brandão

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This work evaluates the hole quality on AISI H13 hardened steel using high-speed drilling. Specimens were machined with new and worn out drills with 8.6 mm diameter and (TiAlN coating. Two levels of cutting speed and three levels of cooling/lubrication systems (flooded, minimum lubrication quantity, and dry were used. The hole quality is evaluated on surface roughness (Ra parameter, diameter error, circularity, and cylindricity error. A statistical analysis of the results shows that the cooling/lubrication system significantly affects the hole quality for all measured variables. This analysis indicates that dry machining produces the worst results. Higher cutting speeds not only prove beneficial to diameter error and circularity errors, but also show no significant difference on surface roughness and cylindricity errors. The effects of the interaction between the cooling/lubrication systems, tool wear, and cutting speed indicate that only cylindricity error is influenced. Thus, the conclusion is that the best hole quality is produced with a higher cutting speed using flooded or minimum lubrication quantity independent of drill wear.

  13. Polycrystalline Diamond Coating of Additively Manufactured Titanium for Biomedical Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rifai, Aaqil; Tran, Nhiem; Lau, Desmond W; Elbourne, Aaron; Zhan, Hualin; Stacey, Alastair D; Mayes, Edwin L H; Sarker, Avik; Ivanova, Elena P; Crawford, Russell J; Tran, Phong A; Gibson, Brant C; Greentree, Andrew D; Pirogova, Elena; Fox, Kate

    2018-03-14

    Additive manufacturing using selective laser melted titanium (SLM-Ti) is used to create bespoke items across many diverse fields such as medicine, defense, and aerospace. Despite great progress in orthopedic implant applications, such as for "just in time" implants, significant challenges remain with regards to material osseointegration and the susceptibility to bacterial colonization on the implant. Here, we show that polycrystalline diamond coatings on these titanium samples can enhance biological scaffold interaction improving medical implant applicability. The highly conformable coating exhibited excellent bonding to the substrate. Relative to uncoated SLM-Ti, the diamond coated samples showed enhanced mammalian cell growth, enriched apatite deposition, and reduced microbial S. aureus activity. These results open new opportunities for novel coatings on SLM-Ti devices in general and especially show promise for improved biomedical implants.

  14. Preparation of polycrystalline lithium-yttrium fluoride for subsequent mono crystallization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kowalczyk, E.; Radomski, J.; Diduszko, R.; Iwanejko, J.; Kowalczyk, Z.; Grasza, K.

    1994-01-01

    High purity lithium-yttrium (YLF) doped with rare earth elements (Nd, Pr, Ho or Tm) was obtained in a two-stage synthesis consisting of (1) reaction of ammonium fluoride with a mixture of lithium carbonate, yttrium oxide, and oxides of lanthanides, and (2) heating of the obtained reaction products at a temperature of about 700 C in an inert gas atmosphere. The phase and chemical purities of the obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry techniques. Single crystal growth tests were carried out by means of the Bridgman method. The results showed that the proposed method for manufacture of polycrystalline YLF doped with rare earth elements is appropriate in principle but some parameters of the preparation process are to be more strictly defined. (author). 9 refs, 4 figs, 1 tab

  15. Preparation of polycrystalline lithium-yttrium fluoride for subsequent mono crystallization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kowalczyk, E.; Radomski, J.; Diduszko, R.; Iwanejko, J. [Institute of Vacuum Technology, Warsaw (Poland); Kowalczyk, Z. [Warsaw Univ. (Poland); Grasza, K. [Polska Akademia Nauk, Warsaw (Poland). Inst. Fizyki

    1994-12-31

    High purity lithium-yttrium (YLF) doped with rare earth elements (Nd, Pr, Ho or Tm) was obtained in a two-stage synthesis consisting of (1) reaction of ammonium fluoride with a mixture of lithium carbonate, yttrium oxide, and oxides of lanthanides, and (2) heating of the obtained reaction products at a temperature of about 700 C in an inert gas atmosphere. The phase and chemical purities of the obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry techniques. Single crystal growth tests were carried out by means of the Bridgman method. The results showed that the proposed method for manufacture of polycrystalline YLF doped with rare earth elements is appropriate in principle but some parameters of the preparation process are to be more strictly defined. (author). 9 refs, 4 figs, 1 tab.

  16. 3D ductile crack propagation within a polycrystalline microstructure using XFEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beese, Steffen; Loehnert, Stefan; Wriggers, Peter

    2018-02-01

    In this contribution we present a gradient enhanced damage based method to simulate discrete crack propagation in 3D polycrystalline microstructures. Discrete cracks are represented using the eXtended finite element method. The crack propagation criterion and the crack propagation direction for each point along the crack front line is based on the gradient enhanced damage variable. This approach requires the solution of a coupled problem for the balance of momentum and the additional global equation for the gradient enhanced damage field. To capture the discontinuity of the displacements as well as the gradient enhanced damage along the discrete crack, both fields are enriched using the XFEM in combination with level sets. Knowing the crack front velocity, level set methods are used to compute the updated crack geometry after each crack propagation step. The applied material model is a crystal plasticity model often used for polycrystalline microstructures of metals in combination with the gradient enhanced damage model. Due to the inelastic material behaviour after each discrete crack propagation step a projection of the internal variables from the old to the new crack configuration is required. Since for arbitrary crack geometries ill-conditioning of the equation system may occur due to (near) linear dependencies between standard and enriched degrees of freedom, an XFEM stabilisation technique based on a singular value decomposition of the element stiffness matrix is proposed. The performance of the presented methodology to capture crack propagation in polycrystalline microstructures is demonstrated with a number of numerical examples.

  17. Assessment of plastic flow and fracture properties with small specimens test techniques for IFMIF-designed specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spaetig, P.; Campitelli, E.N.; Bonade, R.; Baluc, N.

    2005-01-01

    The primary mission of the International Fusion Material Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) is to generate a material database to be used for the design of various components, for the licensing and for the assessment of the safe operation of a demonstration fusion reactor. IFMIF is an accelerator-based high-energy neutron source whose irradiation volume is quite limited (0.5 l for the high fluence volume). This requires the use of small specimens to measure the irradiation-induced changes on the physical and mechanical properties of materials. In this paper, we developed finite element models to better analyze the results obtained with two different small specimen test techniques applied to the tempered martensitic steel F82H-mod. First, one model was used to reconstruct the load-deflection curves of small ball punch tests, which are usually used to extract standard tensile parameters. It was shown that a reasonable assessment of the overall plastic flow can be done with small ball punch tests. Second, we investigated the stress field sensitivity at a crack tip to the constitutive behavior, for a crack modeled in plane strain, small-scale yielding and fracture mode I conditions. Based upon a local criterion for cleavage, that appears to be the basis to account for the size and geometry effects on fracture toughness, we showed that the details of the constitutive properties play a key role in modeling the irradiation-induced fracture toughness changes. Consequently, we suggest that much more attention and efforts have to be paid in investigating the post-yield behavior of the irradiated specimens and, in order to reach this goal, we recommend the use of not only tensile specimens but also that of compression ones in the IFMIF irradiation matrices. (author)

  18. Thermal processing of polycrystalline NiTi shape memory alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frick, Carl P.; Ortega, Alicia M.; Tyber, Jeffrey; Maksound, A.El.M.; Maier, Hans J.; Liu Yinong; Gall, Ken

    2005-01-01

    The objective of this study is to examine the effect of heat treatment on polycrystalline Ti-50.9 at.% Ni in hot-rolled and cold-drawn states. In particular, we examine microstructure, transformation temperatures as well as mechanical behavior in terms of both uniaxial monotonic testing and instrumented Vickers micro-indentation. The results constitute a fundamental understanding of the effect of heat treatment on thermal/stress-induced martensite and resistance to plastic flow in NiTi, all of which are critical for optimizing the mechanical properties. The high temperature of the hot-rolling process caused recrystallization, recovery, and hindered precipitate formation, essentially solutionizing the NiTi. The subsequent cold-drawing-induced a high density of dislocations and martensite. Heat treatments were carried out on hot-rolled, as well as, hot-rolled then cold-drawn materials at various temperatures for 1.5 h. Transmission Electron Microscopy observations revealed that Ti 3 Ni 4 precipitates progressively increased in size and changed their interface with the matrix from being coherent to incoherent with increasing heat treatment temperature. Accompanying the changes in precipitate size and interface coherency, transformation temperatures were observed to systematically shift, leading to the occurrence of the R-phase and multiple-stage transformations. Room temperature stress-strain tests illustrated a variety of mechanical responses for the various heat treatments, from pseudoelasticity to shape memory. The changes in stress-strain behavior are interpreted in terms of shifts in the primary martensite transformation temperatures, rather then the occurrence of the R-phase transformation. The results confirm that Ti 3 Ni 4 precipitates can be used to elicit a desired isothermal stress-strain behavior in polycrystalline NiTi. Instrumented micro-indention tests revealed that Martens (Universal) Hardness values are more dependent on the resistance to dislocation

  19. [Safety management in pathology laboratory: from specimen handling to confirmation of reports].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minato, Hiroshi; Nojima, Takayuki; Nakano, Mariko; Yamazaki, Michiko

    2011-03-01

    Medical errors in pathological diagnosis give a huge amount of physical and psychological damage to patients as well as medical staffs. We discussed here how to avoid medical errors in surgical pathology laboratory through our experience. Handling of surgical specimens and diagnosing process requires intensive labor and involves many steps. Each hospital reports many kinds of accidents or incidents, however, many laboratories share common problems and each process has its specific risk for the certain error. We analyzed the problems in each process and concentrated on avoiding misaccessioning, mislabeling, and misreporting. We have made several changes in our system, such as barcode labels, digital images of all specimens, putting specimens in embedding cassettes directly on the endoscopic biopsied specimens, and using a multitissue control block as controls in immunohistochemistry. Some problems are still left behind, but we have reduced the errors by decreasing the number of artificial operation as much as possible. A pathological system recognizing the status of read or unread the pathological reports by clinician are now underconstruction. We also discussed about quality assurance of diagnosis, cooperation with clinicians and other comedical staffs, and organization and method. In order to operate riskless work, it is important for all the medical staffs to have common awareness of the problems, keeping careful observations, and sharing all the information in common. Incorporation of an organizational management tool such as ISO 15189 and utilizing PDCA cycle is also helpful for safety management and quality improvement of the laboratory.

  20. Laparoscopic specimen retrieval bags.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smorgick, Noam

    2014-10-01

    Specimen retrieval bags have long been used in laparoscopic gynecologic surgery for contained removal of adnexal cysts and masses. More recently, the concerns regarding spread of malignant cells during mechanical morcellation of myoma have led to an additional use of specimen retrieval bags for contained "in-bag" morcellation. This review will discuss the indications for use retrieval bags in gynecologic endoscopy, and describe the different specimen bags available to date.

  1. Low-field tunnel-type magnetoresistance properties of polycrystalline and epitaxial La sub 0 sub . sub 6 sub 7 Sr sub 0 sub . sub 3 sub 3 MnO sub 3 thin films

    CERN Document Server

    Shim, I B; Choi, S Y

    2000-01-01

    The low-field tunnel-type magnetoresistance (TMB) properties of sol-gel derived polycrystalline and epitaxial La sub 0 sub . sub 6 sub 7 Sr sub 0 sub . sub 3 sub 3 MnO sub 3 (LSMO) thin films were investigated. The polycrystalline thin films were fabricated on Si (100) with a thermally oxidized SiO sub 2 layer while the epitaxial thin films were grown on LaAlO sub 3 (001) single-crystal substrates. The epitaxial thin films displayed both typical intrinsic colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) and abnormal extrinsic tunnel-type magnetoresistance behaviors. Tunnel-type MR ratio as high as 0.4% were observed in the polycrystalline thin films at a field of 120 Oe at room temperature (300 K) whereas the ratios were less than 0.1% for the epitaxial films in the same field range. The low-field tunnel-type MR of polycrystalline LSMO/SiO sub 2 ?Si (100) thin films originated from the behaviors of the grain-boundary properties.

  2. High-temperature thermoelectric properties of p-type skutterudites Ba0.15Yb x Co3FeSb12 and Yb y Co3FeSb9As3

    KAUST Repository

    Dong, Yongkwan

    2014-08-28

    Two series of p-type polycrystalline skutterudites, Ba0.15YbxCo3FeSb12 and YbyCo3FeSb9As3 with varying Yb concentrations, were synthesized by solid-state reaction and then densified by hot pressing. The phase and stoichiometries of the resulting materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy, while their high-temperature transport properties were investigated from 300 to 800 K. The Seebeck coefficients and electrical resistivities increased linearly with increasing temperature for the double-filled specimens. The Seebeck coefficients and electrical resistivities did not change very much for the As-substituted specimens. The thermal conductivity for all specimens decreased with increasing temperature up to 700 K, corresponding to the plateau in the Seebeck coefficient, and then increased again due to bipolar diffusion. We find that double filling is a more feasible approach to thermoelectric property optimization than single filling with As substitution. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

  3. Use of globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) to link herbarium specimen records to physical specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Gil; Sweeney, Patrick; Gilbert, Edward

    2018-02-01

    With the advent of the U.S. National Science Foundation's Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections program and related worldwide digitization initiatives, the rate of herbarium specimen digitization in the United States has expanded exponentially. As the number of electronic herbarium records proliferates, the importance of linking these records to the physical specimens they represent as well as to related records from other sources will intensify. Although a rich and diverse literature has developed over the past decade that addresses the use of specimen identifiers for facilitating linking across the internet, few implementable guidelines or recommended practices for herbaria have been advanced. Here we review this literature with the express purpose of distilling a specific set of recommendations especially tailored to herbarium specimen digitization, curation, and management. We argue that associating globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) with physical herbarium specimens and including these identifiers in all electronic records about those specimens is essential to effective digital data curation. We also address practical applications for ensuring these associations.

  4. Analysis of twelve-month degradation in three polycrystalline photovoltaic modules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, T.; Potter, B. G.; Simmons-Potter, K.

    2016-09-01

    Polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules have the advantage of lower manufacturing cost as compared to their monocrystalline counterparts, but generally exhibit both lower initial module efficiencies and more significant early-stage efficiency degradation than do similar monocrystalline PV modules. For both technologies, noticeable deterioration in power conversion efficiency typically occurs over the first two years of usage. Estimating PV lifetime by examining the performance degradation behavior under given environmental conditions is, therefore, one of continual goals for experimental research and economic analysis. In the present work, accelerated lifecycle testing (ALT) on three polycrystalline PV technologies was performed in a full-scale, industrial-standard environmental chamber equipped with single-sun irradiance capability, providing an illumination uniformity of 98% over a 2 x 1.6m area. In order to investigate environmental aging effects, timedependent PV performance (I-V characteristic) was evaluated over a recurring, compressed day-night cycle, which simulated local daily solar insolation for the southwestern United States, followed by dark (night) periods. During a total test time of just under 4 months that corresponded to a year equivalent exposure on a fielded module, the temperature and humidity varied in ranges from 3°C to 40°C and 5% to 85% based on annual weather profiles for Tucson, AZ. Removing the temperature de-rating effect that was clearly seen in the data enabled the computation of normalized efficiency degradation with time and environmental exposure. Results confirm the impact of environmental conditions on the module long-term performance. Overall, more than 2% efficiency degradation in the first year of usage was observed for all thee polycrystalline Si solar modules. The average 5-year degradation of each PV technology was estimated based on their determined degradation rates.

  5. Influence of copper foil polycrystalline structure on graphene anisotropic etching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sharma, Kamal P. [Department of Frontier Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Mahyavanshi, Rakesh D. [Department of Physical Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Kalita, Golap, E-mail: kalita.golap@nitech.ac.jp [Department of Frontier Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Department of Physical Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Tanemura, Masaki [Department of Frontier Materials, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan); Department of Physical Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555 (Japan)

    2017-01-30

    Graphical abstract: Hexagonal hole formation with anisotropic etching independent of the stripes and wrinkles in the synthesized graphene. We also observed variation in etched pattern of the graphene depending on the base Cu grain orientations, attributing to difference in nucleation and growth process. - Highlights: • Reveal the influence of copper polycrystalline structure on anisotropic etching of graphene. • Hexagonal hole formation with etching is observed to be independent of stripes and wrinkles in graphene. • Variation in etched pattern of graphene depending on the base Cu grain is confirmed. • This finding will help to understand the nature of microscopic etched pattern in graphene. - Abstract: Anisotropic etching of graphene and other two dimensional materials is an important tool to understand the growth process as well as enabling fabrication of various well-defined structures. Here, we reveal the influence of copper foil polycrystalline structure on anisotropic etching process of as-synthesized graphene. Graphene crystals were synthesized on the polycrystalline Cu foil by a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) system. Microscopic analysis shows difference in shape, size and stripes alignment of graphene crystals with dissimilar nucleation within closure vicinity of neighboring Cu grains. Post-growth etching of such graphene crystals also significantly affected by the crystallographic nature of Cu grains as observed by the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis. Hexagonal hole formation with anisotropic etching is observed to be independent of the stripes and wrinkles in the synthesized graphene. We also observed variation in etched pattern of the graphene depending on the base Cu grain orientations, attributing to difference in nucleation and growth process. The findings can facilitate to understand the nature of microscopic etched pattern depending on metal

  6. Influence of copper foil polycrystalline structure on graphene anisotropic etching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, Kamal P.; Mahyavanshi, Rakesh D.; Kalita, Golap; Tanemura, Masaki

    2017-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Hexagonal hole formation with anisotropic etching independent of the stripes and wrinkles in the synthesized graphene. We also observed variation in etched pattern of the graphene depending on the base Cu grain orientations, attributing to difference in nucleation and growth process. - Highlights: • Reveal the influence of copper polycrystalline structure on anisotropic etching of graphene. • Hexagonal hole formation with etching is observed to be independent of stripes and wrinkles in graphene. • Variation in etched pattern of graphene depending on the base Cu grain is confirmed. • This finding will help to understand the nature of microscopic etched pattern in graphene. - Abstract: Anisotropic etching of graphene and other two dimensional materials is an important tool to understand the growth process as well as enabling fabrication of various well-defined structures. Here, we reveal the influence of copper foil polycrystalline structure on anisotropic etching process of as-synthesized graphene. Graphene crystals were synthesized on the polycrystalline Cu foil by a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) system. Microscopic analysis shows difference in shape, size and stripes alignment of graphene crystals with dissimilar nucleation within closure vicinity of neighboring Cu grains. Post-growth etching of such graphene crystals also significantly affected by the crystallographic nature of Cu grains as observed by the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis. Hexagonal hole formation with anisotropic etching is observed to be independent of the stripes and wrinkles in the synthesized graphene. We also observed variation in etched pattern of the graphene depending on the base Cu grain orientations, attributing to difference in nucleation and growth process. The findings can facilitate to understand the nature of microscopic etched pattern depending on metal

  7. Hydrogen retention properties of polycrystalline tungsten and helium irradiated tungsten

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hino, T.; Koyama, K.; Yamauchi, Y.; Hirohata, Y.

    1998-01-01

    The hydrogen retention properties of a polycrystalline tungsten and tungsten irradiated by helium ions with an energy of 5 keV were examined by using an ECR ion irradiation apparatus and a technique of thermal desorption spectroscopy, TDS. The polycrystalline tungsten was irradiated at RT with energetic hydrogen ions, with a flux of 10 15 H cm -2 and an energy of 1.7 keV up to a fluence of 5 x 10 18 H cm -2 . Subsequently, the amount of retained hydrogen was measured by TDS. The heating temperature was increased from RT to 1000 C, and the heating rate was 50 C min -1 . Below 1000 C, two distinct hydrogen desorption peaks were observed at 200 C and 400 C. The retained amount of hydrogen was observed to be five times smaller than that of graphite, but the concentration in the implantation layer was comparable with that of graphite. Also, the polycrystalline tungsten was irradiated with 5 keV helium ions up to a fluence of 1.4 x 10 18 He cm -2 , and then re-irradiated with 1.7 keV hydrogen ions. The amount of retained hydrogen in this later experiment was close to the value in the case without prior helium ion irradiation. However, the amount of hydrogen which desorbed around the low temperature peak, 200 C, was largely enhanced. The desorption amount at 200 C saturated for the helium fluence of more than 5 x 10 17 He cm -2 . The present data shows that the trapping state of hydrogen is largely changed by the helium ion irradiation. Additionally, 5 keV helium ion irradiation was conducted on a sample pre-implanted with hydrogen ions to simulate a helium ion impact desorption of hydrogen retained in tungsten. The amount of the hydrogen was reduced as much as 50%. (orig.)

  8. Tritium diffusion in polycrystalline lithium tungstate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krutyakov, A.N.; Shadrin, A.A.; Saunin, E.I.; Gromov, V.V.; Shafiev, A.I.

    1984-01-01

    Using radiometric method the investigation of tritium separation from neutron irradiated (neutron flux density 1.2x10 13 n/cm 2 xs) polycrystalline Li 2 WO 4 in the temperature range 200-680 deg C has been carried out. It is established that the use of helium as gas-carrier of flow-type gas-discharge counter permits to conduct continuous stable measurements of concentrations of tritium extracted depending on its chemical state. It is shown that volume diffusion is the process, limiting tritiated particle separation rate from Li 2 WO 4 . It is found that the process of tritium volume diffusion in Li 2 WO 4 corresponds to two different mechanisms respectively in low- (200-300 deg C) and high-temperature (350-680 deg C) ranges. A supposition is made that in the low-temperature range the process of diffusion is conditioned by the dissociation of the radiation defect-tritiated particle complex, which is confirmed by the data on radiation defect annealing in Li 2 WO 4 . The value of activation energy of tritium separation process in the range 350-680 deg C, proved to be equal to 13.3 kJ/mol. Possible role of crystal structure peculiarities of Li 2 WO 4 for diffusion process is pointed out

  9. Mesh-morphing algorithms for specimen-specific finite element modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sigal, Ian A; Hardisty, Michael R; Whyne, Cari M

    2008-01-01

    Despite recent advances in software for meshing specimen-specific geometries, considerable effort is still often required to produce and analyze specimen-specific models suitable for biomechanical analysis through finite element modeling. We hypothesize that it is possible to obtain accurate models by adapting a pre-existing geometry to represent a target specimen using morphing techniques. Here we present two algorithms for morphing, automated wrapping (AW) and manual landmarks (ML), and demonstrate their use to prepare specimen-specific models of caudal rat vertebrae. We evaluate the algorithms by measuring the distance between target and morphed geometries and by comparing response to axial loading simulated with finite element (FE) methods. First a traditional reconstruction process based on microCT was used to obtain two natural specimen-specific FE models. Next, the two morphing algorithms were used to compute mappings from the surface of one model, the source, to the other, the target, and to use this mapping to morph the source mesh to produce a target mesh. The microCT images were then used to assign element-specific material properties. In AW the mappings were obtained by wrapping the source and target surfaces with an auxiliary triangulated surface. In ML, landmarks were manually placed on corresponding locations on the surfaces of both source and target. Both morphing algorithms were successful in reproducing the shape of the target vertebra with a median distance between natural and morphed models of 18.8 and 32.2 microm, respectively, for AW and ML. Whereas AW-morphing produced a surface more closely resembling that of the target, ML guaranteed correspondence of the landmark locations between source and target. Morphing preserved the quality of the mesh producing models suitable for FE simulation. Moreover, there were only minor differences between natural and morphed models in predictions of deformation, strain and stress. We therefore conclude that

  10. Urine culture - catheterized specimen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culture - urine - catheterized specimen; Urine culture - catheterization; Catheterized urine specimen culture ... urinary tract infections may be found in the culture. This is called a contaminant. You may not ...

  11. HMSRP Hawaiian Monk Seal Specimen Data (includes physical specimens, collection information, status, storage locations, and laboratory results associated with individual specimens)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set includes physical specimens, paper logs and Freezerworks database of all logged information on specimens collected from Hawaiian monk seals since 1975....

  12. Oxygen depth profiling in Kr+-implanted polycrystalline alpha titanium by means of 16O(α,α)16O resonance scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nsengiyumva, S.; Riviere, J.P.; Raji, A.T.; Comrie, C.M.; Britton, D.T.; Haerting, M.

    2011-01-01

    The 16 O(α,α) 16 O resonance scattering was applied to study the effects of ion implantation on the oxygen distribution in the near surface region of polycrystalline titanium implanted with 180 keV krypton ions at fluences, ranging between 1 x 10 14 and 5 x 10 15 Kr + /cm 2 . Two sample sets were chosen: as-received polycrystalline titanium discs rolled and annealed in half-hard condition which had a thick oxygen layer and similar samples in which this surface layer was removed by polishing. An increase of the mean oxygen concentration observed in both unpolished and polished samples at low fluence suggests a knock-on implantation of surface oxygen atoms. At high fluence, an overall decrease in the mean oxygen concentration and mean oxygen depth suggests an out-diffusion of near-surface oxygen atoms.

  13. COMPARISON BETWEEN WOOD DRYING DEFECT SCORES: SPECIMEN TESTING X ANALYSIS OF KILN-DRIED BOARDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Djeison Cesar Batista

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available It is important to develop drying technologies for Eucalyptus grandis lumber, which is one of the most planted species of this genus in Brazil and plays an important role as raw material for the wood industry. The general aim of this work was to assess the conventional kiln drying of juvenile wood of three clones of Eucalyptus grandis. The specific aims were to compare the behavior between: i drying defects indicated by tests with wood specimens and conventional kiln-dried boards; and ii physical properties and the drying quality. Five 11-year-old trees of each clone were felled, and only flatsawn boards of the first log were used. Basic density and total shrinkage were determined, and the drying test with wood specimens at 100 °C was carried out. Kiln drying of boards was performed, and initial and final moisture content, moisture gradient in thickness, drying stresses and drying defects were assessed. The defect scoring method was used to verify the behavior between the defects detected by specimen testing and the defects detected in kiln-dried boards. As main results, the drying schedule was too severe for the wood, resulting in a high level of boards with defects. The behavior between the defects in the drying test with specimens and the defects of kiln-dried boards was different, there was no correspondence, according to the defect scoring method.

  14. Four to seven random casual urine specimens are sufficient to estimate 24-h urinary sodium/potassium ratio in individuals with high blood pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwahori, T; Ueshima, H; Torii, S; Saito, Y; Fujiyoshi, A; Ohkubo, T; Miura, K

    2016-05-01

    This study was done to clarify the optimal number and type of casual urine specimens required to estimate urinary sodium/potassium (Na/K) ratio in individuals with high blood pressure. A total of 74 individuals with high blood pressure, 43 treated and 31 untreated, were recruited from the Japanese general population. Urinary sodium, potassium and Na/K ratio were measured in both casual urine samples and 7-day 24-h urine samples and then analyzed by correlation and Bland-Altman analyses. Mean Na/K ratio from random casual urine samples on four or more days strongly correlated with the Na/K ratio of 7-day 24-h urine (r=0.80-0.87), which was similar to the correlation between 1 and 2-day 24-h urine and 7-day 24-h urine (r=0.75-0.89). The agreement quality for Na/K ratio of seven random casual urine for estimating the Na/K ratio of 7-day 24-h urine was good (bias: -0.26, limits of agreements: -1.53-1.01), and it was similar to that of 2-day 24-h urine for estimating 7-day 24-h values (bias: 0.07, limits of agreement: -1.03 to 1.18). Stratified analyses comparing individuals using antihypertensive medication and individuals not using antihypertensive medication showed similar results. Correlations of the means of casual urine sodium or potassium concentrations with 7-day 24-h sodium or potassium excretions were relatively weaker than those for Na/K ratio. The mean Na/K ratio of 4-7 random casual urine specimens on different days provides a good substitute for 1-2-day 24-h urinary Na/K ratio for individuals with high blood pressure.

  15. Compound polycrystalline solar cells. Recent progress and Y2K perspective

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Birkmire, R.W. [Institute of Energy Conversion, University of Delaware, DE 19716 Newark (United States)

    2001-01-01

    A historical perspective on the development of polycrystalline thin-film solar cells based on CdTe and CuInSe{sub 2} is presented, and recent progress of these thin-film technologies is discussed. Impressive improvements in the efficiency of laboratory scale devices has not been easy to translate to the manufacturing environment, principally due to our lack of understanding of the basic science and engineering of these materials and devices. 'Next-generation' high-performance thin-film solar cells utilizing multijunction device configurations should achieve efficiencies of more than 25% within ten years. However, our cost-effective manufacturing of these more complex devices will be problematic unless the science and engineering issues associated with processing of thin-film PV devices are addressed.

  16. On elastic moduli and elastic anisotropy in polycrystalline martensitic NiTi

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qiu, S. [Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC), Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States); Clausen, B. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Padula, S.A.; Noebe, R.D. [NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH 44135 (United States); Vaidyanathan, R., E-mail: raj@mail.ucf.edu [Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC), Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States)

    2011-08-15

    A combined experimental and computational effort was undertaken to provide insight into the elastic response of B19' martensitic NiTi variants as they exist in bulk, polycrystalline aggregate form during monotonic tensile and compressive loading. The experimental effort centered on using in situ neutron diffraction during loading to measure elastic moduli in several directions along with an average Young's modulus and a Poisson's ratio. The measurements were compared with predictions from a 30,000 variant, self-consistent polycrystalline deformation model that accounted for the elastic intergranular constraint, and also with predictions of single crystal behavior from previously published ab initio studies. Variant conversion and detwinning processes that influenced the intergranular constraint occurred even at stresses where the macroscopic stress-strain response appeared linear. Direct evidence of these processes was revealed in changes in texture, which were captured in inverse pole figures constructed from the neutron diffraction measurements.

  17. In vitro study of color stability of polycrystalline and monocrystalline ceramic brackets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oliveira, Cibele Braga; Maia, Luiz Guilherme Martins; Santos-Pinto, Ary; Gandini Junior, Luiz Gonzaga

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this in vitro study was to analyze color stability of monocrystalline and polycrystalline ceramic brackets after immersion in dye solutions. Seven ceramic brackets of four commercial brands were tested: Two monocrystalline and two polycrystalline. The brackets were immersed in four dye solutions (coffee, red wine, Coke and black tea) and in artificial saliva for the following times: 24 hours, 7, 14 and 21 days, respectively. Color changes were measured by a spectrophotometer. Data were assessed by Multivariate Profile Analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Multiple Comparison Tests of means. There was a perceptible change of color in all ceramic brackets immersed in coffee (ΔE* Allure = 7.61, Inspire Ice = 6.09, Radiance = 6.69, Transcend = 7.44), black tea (ΔE* Allure = 6.24, Inspire Ice = 5.21, Radiance = 6.51, Transcend = 6.14) and red wine (ΔE* Allure = 6.49, Inspire Ice = 4.76, Radiance = 5.19, Transcend = 5.64), but no change was noticed in Coke and artificial saliva (ΔE brackets undergo color change when exposed to solutions of coffee, black tea and red wine. However, the same crystalline structure, either monocrystalline or polycrystalline, do not follow the same or a similar pattern in color change, varying according to the bracket fabrication, which shows a lack of standardization in the manufacturing process. Coffee dye produced the most marked color changes after 21 days of immersion for most ceramic brackets evaluated.

  18. High-resolution multicontrast-weighted MR imaging from human carotid endarterectomy specimens to assess carotid plaque components

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fabiano, Sebastiano; Mancino, Stefano; Stefanini, Matteo; Chiocchi, Marcello; Simonetti, Giovanni [University ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Molecular Imaging, Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy, Rome (Italy); Mauriello, Alessandro; Spagnoli, Luigi Giusto [University ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , Department of Biopathology and Image Diagnostics, Institute of Anatomic Pathology, Rome (Italy)

    2008-12-15

    The American Heart Association modified classification for atherosclerotic plaque lesions has defined vulnerable plaques as those prone to rupture. The aim of our study was to assess the sensitivity and specificity of 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of the characteristics of plaque components. Twelve carotid endarterectomy specimens were imaged by ex-vivo high-resolution 1.5-T MRI. Thirty-four cross-section axial images were selected for pixel-by-pixel basis analysis to demonstrate the most significant tissue features. Data were then submitted for histopathological examination and each specimen analysed in the light of the histological components (lipid core, fibrous tissue, fibrous/loose connective tissue, calcifications). The overall sensitivity and specificity rates for each tissue type were, respectively, 92% and 74% for the lipid core, 82% and 94% for the fibrous tissue, 72% and 87% for the fibrous/loose connective tissue, and 98% and 99% for calcification. The use of 1.5-T MRI appears to be a reliable tool to characterise plaque components and could help in the screening of patients with high risk of plaque rupture. The possibility of applying MRI in clinical daily practice may change the non-invasive approach to carotid artery diagnostic imaging, thus allowing an early identification of patients with vulnerable plaques. (orig.)

  19. Increased Optoelectronic Quality and Uniformity of Hydrogenated p-InP Thin Films

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Hsin-Ping; Sutter-Fella, Carolin M.; Lobaccaro, Peter; Hettick, Mark; Zheng, Maxwell; Lien, Der-Hsien; Miller, D. Westley; Warren, Charles W.; Roe, Ellis T; Lonergan, Mark C; Guthrey, Harvey L.; Haegel, Nancy M.; Ager, Joel W.; Carraro, Carlo; Maboudian, Roya; He, Jr-Hau; Javey, Ali

    2016-01-01

    The thin-film vapor-liquid-solid (TF-VLS) growth technique presents a promising route for high quality, scalable and cost-effective InP thin films for optoelectronic devices. Towards this goal, careful optimization of material properties and device performance is of utmost interest. Here, we show that exposure of polycrystalline Zn-doped TF-VLS InP to a hydrogen plasma (in the following referred to as hydrogenation) results in improved optoelectronic quality as well as lateral optoelectronic uniformity. A combination of low temperature photoluminescence and transient photocurrent spectroscopy were used to analyze the energy position and relative density of defect states before and after hydrogenation. Notably, hydrogenation reduces the intra-gap defect density by one order of magnitude. As a metric to monitor lateral optoelectronic uniformity of polycrystalline TF-VLS InP, photoluminescence and electron beam induced current mapping reveal homogenization of the grain versus grain boundary upon hydrogenation. At the device level, we measured more than 260 TF-VLS InP solar cells before and after hydrogenation to verify the improved optoelectronic properties. Hydrogenation increased the average open-circuit voltage (VOC) of individual TF-VLS InP solar cells by up to 130 mV, and reduced the variance in VOC for the analyzed devices.

  20. Increased Optoelectronic Quality and Uniformity of Hydrogenated p-InP Thin Films

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Hsin-Ping

    2016-06-08

    The thin-film vapor-liquid-solid (TF-VLS) growth technique presents a promising route for high quality, scalable and cost-effective InP thin films for optoelectronic devices. Towards this goal, careful optimization of material properties and device performance is of utmost interest. Here, we show that exposure of polycrystalline Zn-doped TF-VLS InP to a hydrogen plasma (in the following referred to as hydrogenation) results in improved optoelectronic quality as well as lateral optoelectronic uniformity. A combination of low temperature photoluminescence and transient photocurrent spectroscopy were used to analyze the energy position and relative density of defect states before and after hydrogenation. Notably, hydrogenation reduces the intra-gap defect density by one order of magnitude. As a metric to monitor lateral optoelectronic uniformity of polycrystalline TF-VLS InP, photoluminescence and electron beam induced current mapping reveal homogenization of the grain versus grain boundary upon hydrogenation. At the device level, we measured more than 260 TF-VLS InP solar cells before and after hydrogenation to verify the improved optoelectronic properties. Hydrogenation increased the average open-circuit voltage (VOC) of individual TF-VLS InP solar cells by up to 130 mV, and reduced the variance in VOC for the analyzed devices.

  1. Anomalous Hall effect in polycrystalline Ni films

    KAUST Repository

    Guo, Zaibing

    2012-02-01

    We systematically studied the anomalous Hall effect in a series of polycrystalline Ni films with thickness ranging from 4 to 200 nm. It is found that both the longitudinal and anomalous Hall resistivity increased greatly as film thickness decreased. This enhancement should be related to the surface scattering. In the ultrathin films (46 nm thick), weak localization corrections to anomalous Hall conductivity were studied. The granular model, taking into account the dominated intergranular tunneling, has been employed to explain this phenomenon, which can explain the weak dependence of anomalous Hall resistivity on longitudinal resistivity as well. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Effect of hydrogen passivation on polycrystalline silicon thin films

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Honda, Shinya; Mates, Tomáš; Ledinský, Martin; Oswald, Jiří; Fejfar, Antonín; Kočka, Jan; Yamazaki, T.; Uraoka, Y.; Fuyuki, T.

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 487, - (2005), s. 152-156 ISSN 0040-6090 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA1010316; GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA1010413; GA ČR(CZ) GD202/05/H003 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : hydrogen passivation * polycrystalline silicon * photoluminescence * Raman spectroscopy * Si-H 2 * hydrogen molecules Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.569, year: 2005

  3. Computer vision applied to herbarium specimens of German trees: testing the future utility of the millions of herbarium specimen images for automated identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unger, Jakob; Merhof, Dorit; Renner, Susanne

    2016-11-16

    Global Plants, a collaborative between JSTOR and some 300 herbaria, now contains about 2.48 million high-resolution images of plant specimens, a number that continues to grow, and collections that are digitizing their specimens at high resolution are allocating considerable recourses to the maintenance of computer hardware (e.g., servers) and to acquiring digital storage space. We here apply machine learning, specifically the training of a Support-Vector-Machine, to classify specimen images into categories, ideally at the species level, using the 26 most common tree species in Germany as a test case. We designed an analysis pipeline and classification system consisting of segmentation, normalization, feature extraction, and classification steps and evaluated the system in two test sets, one with 26 species, the other with 17, in each case using 10 images per species of plants collected between 1820 and 1995, which simulates the empirical situation that most named species are represented in herbaria and databases, such as JSTOR, by few specimens. We achieved 73.21% accuracy of species assignments in the larger test set, and 84.88% in the smaller test set. The results of this first application of a computer vision algorithm trained on images of herbarium specimens shows that despite the problem of overlapping leaves, leaf-architectural features can be used to categorize specimens to species with good accuracy. Computer vision is poised to play a significant role in future rapid identification at least for frequently collected genera or species in the European flora.

  4. Solid phase crystallized polycrystalline thin-films on glass from evaporated silicon for photovoltaic applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song Dengyuan; Inns, Daniel; Straub, Axel; Terry, Mason L.; Campbell, Patrick; Aberle, Armin G.

    2006-01-01

    Polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-films are made on planar and textured glass substrates by solid phase crystallization (SPC) of in situ doped amorphous silicon (a-Si) deposited by electron-beam evaporation. These materials are referred to by us as EVA materials (SPC of evaporated a-Si). The properties of EVA poly-Si films are characterised by Raman microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. A narrow and symmetrical Raman peak at a wave number of about 520 cm -1 is observed for all samples, showing that the films are fully crystallized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveals that the films are preferentially (111)-oriented. Furthermore, the full width at half maximum of the dominant (111) XRD peaks indicates that the structural quality of the films is affected by the a-Si deposition temperature and the surface morphology of the glass substrates. A-Si deposition at 200 instead of 400 deg. C leads to an enhanced poly-Si grain size. On textured glass, the addition of a SiN barrier layer between the glass and the Si improves the poly-Si material quality. No such effect occurs on planar glass. Mesa-type solar cells are made from these EVA films on planar and textured glass. A strong correlation between the cells' current-voltage characteristics and their crystalline material quality is observed

  5. Synthesis of polycrystalline Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanowires with excellent ammonium perchlorate catalytic decomposition property

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Hai [State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Lv, Baoliang, E-mail: lbl604@sxicc.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001 (China); Wu, Dong; Xu, Yao [State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001 (China)

    2014-12-15

    Graphical abstract: Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanowires with excellent ammonium perchlorate catalytic decomposition property were synthesized via a methanamide-assisted hydrolysis and subsequent dissolution–recrystallization process in the presence of methanamide. - Abstract: Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanowires, with the length of tens of micrometers and the width of several hundred nanometers, were produced by a hydrothermal treatment and a post-anneal process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) result showed that the Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanowires belong to cubic crystal system. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis indicated that the Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanowires, composed by single crystalline nanoparticles, were of polycrystalline nature. On the basis of time-dependent experiments, methanamide-assisted hydrolysis and subsequent dissolution–recrystallization process were used to explain the precursors' formation process of the polycrystalline Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanowires. The TGA experiments showed that the as-obtained Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanowires can catalyze the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) effectively.

  6. Simulation of inter- and transgranular crack propagation in polycrystalline aggregates due to stress corrosion cracking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Musienko, Andrey; Cailletaud, Georges

    2009-01-01

    The motivation of the study is the development of a coupled approach able to account for the interaction between environment and plasticity in a polycrystalline material. The paper recalls first the constitutive equations used to describe the behavior of the grain core and of the grain boundary (GB). The procedure that is applied to generate synthetic polycrystalline aggregates with an explicit representation of the grain boundary area by 2D or 3D finite elements is then described. The approach is applied to the modeling of iodine-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) in Zircaloy tubes used in nuclear power plants.

  7. Quantitative measurement of mean inner potential and specimen thickness from high-resolution off-axis electron holograms of ultra-thin layered WSe2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winkler, Florian; Tavabi, Amir H; Barthel, Juri; Duchamp, Martial; Yucelen, Emrah; Borghardt, Sven; Kardynal, Beata E; Dunin-Borkowski, Rafal E

    2017-07-01

    The phase and amplitude of the electron wavefunction that has passed through ultra-thin flakes of WSe 2 is measured from high-resolution off-axis electron holograms. Both the experimental measurements and corresponding computer simulations are used to show that, as a result of dynamical diffraction, the spatially averaged phase does not increase linearly with specimen thickness close to an [001] zone axis orientation even when the specimen has a thickness of only a few layers. It is then not possible to infer the local specimen thickness of the WSe 2 from either the phase or the amplitude alone. Instead, we show that the combined analysis of phase and amplitude from experimental measurements and simulations allows an accurate determination of the local specimen thickness. The relationship between phase and projected potential is shown to be approximately linear for extremely thin specimens that are tilted by several degrees in certain directions from the [001] zone axis. A knowledge of the specimen thickness then allows the electrostatic potential to be determined from the measured phase. By using this combined approach, we determine a value for the mean inner potential of WSe 2 of 18.9±0.8V, which is 12% lower than the value calculated from neutral atom scattering factors. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Dielectric and conducting behaviour of polycrystalline holmium octa-molybdate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Want, Basharat; Zahoor Ahmad, Bhat; Hamid Bhat, Bilal

    2014-01-01

    Polycrystalline holmium octa-molybdate spherulites have been obtained by using gel diffusion technique and characterized by different physio-chemical techniques. The surfaces of these spherulites are composed of nano-rod with an average diameter of about 80 nm. At room temperature the initial crystal structure is triclinic, space group P1. Thermal studies suggested a phase transition occurring in holmium octa-molybdate crystals at about 793 K. The electrical properties of the system have been studied as a function of frequency and temperature in the ranges of 20 Hz–3 MHz and 290–570 K, respectively. A giant dielectric constant and two loss peaks have been observed in the permittivity formalism. The conducting behaviour of the material is also discussed. The conductivity was found to be 1572 μ Ω −1 m −1 at room temperature and 3 MHz frequency. The conductivity of the polycrystalline material was attributed to the fact that it arises due to the migration of defects on the oxygen sub-lattice. Impedance studies were also performed in the frequency domain to infer the bulk and grain boundary contributions to the overall electric response of the material. The electrical responses have been attributed to the grain, grain-boundary, and interfacial effects. (paper)

  9. Improved orientation sampling for indexing diffraction patterns of polycrystalline materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Peter Mahler; Schmidt, Søren

    2017-01-01

    to that of optimally distributing points on a four‐dimensional sphere. In doing so, the number of orientation samples needed to achieve a desired indexing accuracy is significantly reduced. Orientation sets at a range of sizes are generated in this way for all Laue groups and are made available online for easy use.......Orientation mapping is a widely used technique for revealing the microstructure of a polycrystalline sample. The crystalline orientation at each point in the sample is determined by analysis of the diffraction pattern, a process known as pattern indexing. A recent development in pattern indexing...... in the presence of noise, it has very high computational requirements. In this article, the computational burden is reduced by developing a method for nearly optimal sampling of orientations. By using the quaternion representation of orientations, it is shown that the optimal sampling problem is equivalent...

  10. Deformation and Phase Transformation Processes in Polycrystalline NiTi and NiTiHf High Temperature Shape Memory Alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benafan, Othmane

    2012-01-01

    The deformation and transformation mechanisms of polycrystalline Ni49.9Ti50.1 and Ni50.3Ti29.7Hf20 (in at.%) shape memory alloys were investigated by combined experimental and modeling efforts aided by an in situ neutron diffraction technique at stress and temperature. The thermomechanical response of the low temperature martensite, the high temperature austenite phases, and changes between these two states during thermomechanical cycling were probed and reported. In the cubic austenite phase, stress-induced martensite, deformation twinning and slip processes were observed which helped in constructing a deformation map that contained the limits over which each of the identified mechanisms was dominant. Deformation of the monoclinic martensitic phase was also investigated where the microstructural changes (texture, lattice strains, and phase fractions) during room-temperature deformation and subsequent thermal cycling were compared to the bulk macroscopic response. When cycling between these two phases, the evolution of inelastic strains, along with the shape setting procedures were examined and used for the optimization of the transformation properties as a function of deformation levels and temperatures. Finally, this work was extended to the development of multiaxial capabilities at elevated temperatures for the in situ neutron diffraction measurements of shape memory alloys on the VULCAN Diffractometer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

  11. Effects of reductive annealing on insulating polycrystalline thin films of Nb-doped anatase TiO2: recovery of high conductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakao, Shoichiro; Hirose, Yasushi; Hasegawa, Tetsuya

    2016-01-01

    We studied the effects of reductive annealing on insulating polycrystalline thin films of anatase Nb-doped TiO 2 (TNO). The insulating TNO films were intentionally fabricated by annealing conductive TNO films in oxygen ambient at 400 °C. Reduced free carrier absorption in the insulating TNO films indicated carrier compensation due to excess oxygen. With H 2 -annealing, both carrier density and Hall mobility recovered to the level of conducting TNO, demonstrating that the excess oxygen can be efficiently removed by the annealing process without introducing additional scattering centers. (paper)

  12. Making mock-FNA smears from fresh surgical pathology specimens to improve smear preparation technique and to create cytohistological correlation series.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tibor Mezei

    Full Text Available Fine needle aspiration (FNA cytology is a well-established diagnostic method based on the microscopic interpretation of often scant cytological material; therefore, experience, good technique and smear quality are equally important in obtaining satisfactory results.We studied the use of fresh surgical pathology specimens for making so-called mock-FNA smears with the potential of cytohistological correlation. Additionally, we studied how this process aids the improvement of preparation technique and smear quality.Cytological aspirates from 32 fresh biopsy specimens from various sites: lung (20, lymph nodes (6, and breast (6 were obtained, all with a clinical diagnosis of tumor. Aspiration was performed from grossly palpable tumors. 25 G needle and Cameco-type syringe holder was used with minimal or no suction.Unfixed surgical specimens provided sufficient cytological material that resulted in good quality smears. After standard processing of specimens into microscopic sections from paraffin embedded tissues, cytohistological case-series were created. No significant alteration was reported in tissue architecture on hematoxylin-eosin stained sections after the aspiration procedure. A gradual, but steady improvement was observed in smear quality just after a few preparations.Our study proved that surgical specimens may be used as a source of cytological material to create cytohistological correlation studies and also to improve FNA cytology skills. The use of very fine gauge needle (25 G, 0,6 mm diameter during the sampling process does not alter tissue architecture therefore the final histopathological diagnosis is not compromised. We conclude that by using fresh surgical specimens useful cytohistological collections can be created both as a teaching resource and as improving experience.

  13. Investigation of the chlorine A-Center in polycrystalline CdTe layers by photoluminescence spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kraft, Christian; Metzner, Heiner; Haedrich, Mathias [Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Universitaet Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743 Jena (Germany); Schley, Pascal [Institut fuer Physik, Technische Universitaet Ilmenau, 98684 Ilmenau (Germany); Goldhahn, Ruediger [Institut fuer Experimentelle Physik, Universitaet Magdeburg, 39016 Magdeburg (Germany)

    2012-07-01

    Polycrystalline CdTe is a well known absorber material for thin film solar cells. However, the improvement of CdTe-based solar cells for industrial application is mainly based on empirical enhancements of certain process steps which are not concerning the absorber itself. Hence, the defect structure of CdTe is still not understood in detail. One of the most discussed defects in CdTe is the so called chlorine A-center. In general, the A-Center describes a defect complex of the intrinsic cadmium vacancy defect and an extrinsic impurity. By means of photoluminescence spectroscopy at temperatures of 5 K we investigated the behavior of the chlorine A-center under different CdTe activation techniques. Therefore, we were able to determine the electronic level of that defect and to analyze its influence on the crystal quality and the functionality of solar cells that were prepared of the corresponding samples.

  14. Direct imaging of dopant distribution in polycrystalline ZnO films

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Lorenzo, F.; Aebersold, A.B.; Morales-Masis, M.; Ledinský, Martin; Escrig, S.; Vetushka, Aliaksi; Alexander, D.T.L.; Hessler-Wyser, A.; Fejfar, Antonín; Hébert, C.; Nicolay, S.; Ballif, C.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 8 (2017), s. 7241-7248 ISSN 1944-8244 R&D Projects: GA ČR GC16-10429J Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : dopant distribution * film polarity * grain boundaries * NanoSIMS * polycrystalline film * zinc oxide Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism OBOR OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.) Impact factor: 7.504, year: 2016

  15. High-throughput live-imaging of embryos in microwell arrays using a modular specimen mounting system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donoughe, Seth; Kim, Chiyoung; Extavour, Cassandra G

    2018-04-30

    High-throughput live-imaging of embryos is an essential technique in developmental biology, but it is difficult and costly to mount and image embryos in consistent conditions. Here, we present OMMAwell, a simple, reusable device to easily mount dozens of embryos in arrays of agarose microwells with customizable dimensions and spacing. OMMAwell can be configured to mount specimens for upright or inverted microscopes, and includes a reservoir to hold live-imaging medium to maintain constant moisture and osmolarity of specimens during time-lapse imaging. All device components can be fabricated by cutting pieces from a sheet of acrylic using a laser cutter or by making them with a 3D printer. We demonstrate how to design a custom mold and use it to live-image dozens of embryos at a time. We include descriptions, schematics, and design files for 13 additional molds for nine animal species, including most major traditional laboratory models and a number of emerging model systems. Finally, we provide instructions for researchers to customize OMMAwell inserts for embryos or tissues not described herein. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  16. qPCR-High resolution melt analysis for drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium leprae directly from clinical specimens of leprosy patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araujo, Sergio; Goulart, Luiz Ricardo; Truman, Richard W; Goulart, Isabela Maria B; Vissa, Varalakshmi; Li, Wei; Matsuoka, Masanori; Suffys, Philip; Fontes, Amanda B; Rosa, Patricia S; Scollard, David M; Williams, Diana L

    2017-06-01

    Real-Time PCR-High Resolution Melting (qPCR-HRM) analysis has been recently described for rapid drug susceptibility testing (DST) of Mycobacterium leprae. The purpose of the current study was to further evaluate the validity, reliability, and accuracy of this assay for M. leprae DST in clinical specimens. The specificity and sensitivity for determining the presence and susceptibility of M. leprae to dapsone based on the folP1 drug resistance determining region (DRDR), rifampin (rpoB DRDR) and ofloxacin (gyrA DRDR) was evaluated using 211 clinical specimens from leprosy patients, including 156 multibacillary (MB) and 55 paucibacillary (PB) cases. When comparing the results of qPCR-HRM DST and PCR/direct DNA sequencing, 100% concordance was obtained. The effects of in-house phenol/chloroform extraction versus column-based DNA purification protocols, and that of storage and fixation protocols of specimens for qPCR-HRM DST, were also evaluated. qPCR-HRM results for all DRDR gene assays (folP1, rpoB, and gyrA) were obtained from both MB (154/156; 98.7%) and PB (35/55; 63.3%) patients. All PCR negative specimens were from patients with low numbers of bacilli enumerated by an M. leprae-specific qPCR. We observed that frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues or archival Fite's stained slides were suitable for HRM analysis. Among 20 mycobacterial and other skin bacterial species tested, only M. lepromatosis, highly related to M. leprae, generated amplicons in the qPCR-HRM DST assay for folP1 and rpoB DRDR targets. Both DNA purification protocols tested were efficient in recovering DNA suitable for HRM analysis. However, 3% of clinical specimens purified using the phenol/chloroform DNA purification protocol gave false drug resistant data. DNA obtained from freshly frozen (n = 172), formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues (n = 36) or archival Fite's stained slides (n = 3) were suitable for qPCR-HRM DST analysis. The HRM-based assay was also able to

  17. New phenomenological and differential model for hot working of metallic polycrystalline materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castellanos, J.; Munoz, J.; Gutierrez, V.; Rieiro, I.; Ruano, O. A.; Carsi, M.

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a new phenomenological and differential model (that use differential equations) to predict the flow stress of a metallic polycrystalline material under hot working. The model, called MCC, depends on six parameters and uses two internal variables to consider the strain hardening, dynamic recovery and dynamic recrystallization processes that occur under hot working. The experimental validation of the MCC model has been carried out by means of stress-strain curves from torsion tests at high temperature (900 degree centigrade a 1200 degree centigrade) and moderate high strain rate (0.005 s-1 to 5 s-1) in a high nitrogen steel. The results reveal the very good agreement between experimental and predicted stresses. Furthermore, the Garofalo a-parameter and the strain to reach 50 % of recrystallized volume fraction have been employed as a control check being a first step to the physical interpretation of variables and parameters of the MCC model. (Author) 26 refs.

  18. A mechanical microcompressor for high resolution imaging of motile specimens

    OpenAIRE

    Zinskie, Jessica A.; Shribak, Michael; Bruist, Michael F.; Aufderheide, Karl J.; Janetopoulos, Chris

    2015-01-01

    In order to obtain fine details in 3 dimensions (3D) over time, it is critical for motile biological specimens to be appropriately immobilized. Of the many immobilization options available, the mechanical microcompressor offers many benefits. Our device, previously described, achieves gentle flattening of a cell, allowing us to image finely detailed structures of numerous organelles and physiological processes in living cells. We have imaged protozoa and other small metazoans using differenti...

  19. Zerodur polishing process for high surface quality and high efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tesar, A.; Fuchs, B.

    1992-08-01

    Zerodur is a glass-ceramic composite importance in applications where temperature instabilities influence optical and mechanical performance, such as in earthbound and spaceborne telescope mirror substrates. Polished Zerodur surfaces of high quality have been required for laser gyro mirrors. Polished surface quality of substrates affects performance of high reflection coatings. Thus, the interest in improving Zerodur polished surface quality has become more general. Beyond eliminating subsurface damage, high quality surfaces are produced by reducing the amount of hydrated material redeposited on the surface during polishing. With the proper control of polishing parameters, such surfaces exhibit roughnesses of < l Angstrom rms. Zerodur polishing was studied to recommend a high surface quality polishing process which could be easily adapted to standard planetary continuous polishing machines and spindles. This summary contains information on a polishing process developed at LLNL which reproducibly provides high quality polished Zerodur surfaces at very high polishing efficiencies

  20. Comparison of five methods for extraction of Legionella pneumophila from respiratory specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Deborah; Yen-Lieberman, Belinda; Reischl, Udo; Warshawsky, Ilka; Procop, Gary W

    2004-12-01

    The efficiencies of five commercially available nucleic acid extraction methods were evaluated for the recovery of a standardized inoculum of Legionella pneumophila in respiratory specimens (sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] specimens). The concentrations of Legionella DNA recovered from sputa with the automated MagNA Pure (526,200 CFU/ml) and NucliSens (171,800 CFU/ml) extractors were greater than those recovered with the manual methods (i.e., Roche High Pure kit [133,900 CFU/ml], QIAamp DNA Mini kit [46,380 CFU/ml], and ViralXpress kit [13,635 CFU/ml]). The rank order was the same for extracts from BAL specimens, except that for this specimen type the QIAamp DNA Mini kit recovered more than the Roche High Pure kit.

  1. Uniaxially oriented polycrystalline thin films and air-stable n-type transistors based on donor-acceptor semiconductor (diC8BTBT)(FnTCNQ) [n = 0, 2, 4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shibata, Yosei; Tsutsumi, Jun'ya; Matsuoka, Satoshi; Matsubara, Koji; Yoshida, Yuji; Chikamatsu, Masayuki; Hasegawa, Tatsuo

    2015-04-01

    We report the fabrication of high quality thin films for semiconducting organic donor-acceptor charge-transfer (CT) compounds, (diC8BTBT)(FnTCNQ) (diC8BTBT = 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene and FnTCNQ [n = 0,2,4] = fluorinated derivatives of 7,7,8,8,-tetracyanoquinodimethane), which have a high degree of layered crystallinity. Single-phase and uniaxially oriented polycrystalline thin films of the compounds were obtained by co-evaporation of the component donor and acceptor molecules. Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) fabricated with the compound films exhibited n-type field-effect characteristics, showing a mobility of 6.9 × 10-2 cm2/V s, an on/off ratio of 106, a sub-threshold swing of 0.8 V/dec, and an excellent stability in air. We discuss the suitability of strong intermolecular donor-acceptor interaction and the narrow CT gap nature in compounds for stable n-type OTFT operation.

  2. [Quality management is associated with high quality services in health care].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, Tenna Hassert; Riis, Allan; Mainz, Jan; Jensen, Anne-Louise Degn

    2013-12-09

    In these years, quality management has been the focus in order to meet high quality services for the patients in Danish health care. This article provides information on quality management and quality improvement and it evaluates its effectiveness in achieving better organizational structures, processes and results in Danish health-care organizations. Our findings generally support that quality management is associated with high quality services in health care.

  3. Three dimensional grain boundary modeling in polycrystalline plasticity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yalçinkaya, Tuncay; Özdemir, Izzet; Fırat, Ali Osman

    2018-05-01

    At grain scale, polycrystalline materials develop heterogeneous plastic deformation fields, localizations and stress concentrations due to variation of grain orientations, geometries and defects. Development of inter-granular stresses due to misorientation are crucial for a range of grain boundary (GB) related failure mechanisms, such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and fatigue cracking. Local crystal plasticity finite element modelling of polycrystalline metals at micron scale results in stress jumps at the grain boundaries. Moreover, the concepts such as the transmission of dislocations between grains and strength of the grain boundaries are not included in the modelling. The higher order strain gradient crystal plasticity modelling approaches offer the possibility of defining grain boundary conditions. However, these conditions are mostly not dependent on misorientation of grains and can define only extreme cases. For a proper definition of grain boundary behavior in plasticity, a model for grain boundary behavior should be incorporated into the plasticity framework. In this context, a particular grain boundary model ([l]) is incorporated into a strain gradient crystal plasticity framework ([2]). In a 3-D setting, both bulk and grain boundary models are implemented as user-defined elements in Abaqus. The strain gradient crystal plasticity model works in the bulk elements and considers displacements and plastic slips as degree of freedoms. Interface elements model the plastic slip behavior, yet they do not possess any kind of mechanical cohesive behavior. The physical aspects of grain boundaries and the performance of the model are addressed through numerical examples.

  4. The effect of crystal symmetry on the maximum polarization of polycrystalline ferroelectric materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, Jacob L.

    2010-01-01

    In polycrystalline ceramics, the degree of domain orientation in all possible crystal orientations contributes to the total realizable polarization. The extent to which domains are oriented towards an applied field can be described by a polarization distribution function. Such representations are calculated and presented in the present work for several different crystal systems including monoclinic symmetries that exhibit a polarization rotation mechanism. The relationship between the polarization distribution functions and the attainable macroscopic polarization is also developed for polycrystalline ceramics that are initially randomly oriented. In these cases, polarization rotation allows a significant degree of preferred orientation parallel to the electric field (>1000 multiples of a random distribution). However, the fraction of single crystal polarization that can be achieved (97.5%) is only marginally better than those of higher crystal symmetry.

  5. Modeling elasto-plastic behavior of polycrystalline grain structure of steels at mesoscopic level

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovac, Marko; Cizelj, Leon

    2005-01-01

    The multiscale model is proposed to explicitly account for the inhomogeneous structure of polycrystalline materials. Grains and grain boundaries are modeled explicitly using Voronoi tessellation. The constitutive model of crystal grains utilizes anisotropic elasticity and crystal plasticity. Commercially available finite element code is applied to solve the boundary value problem defined at the macroscopic scale. No assumption regarding the distribution of the mesoscopic strain and stress fields is used, apart the finite element discretization. The proposed model is then used to estimate the minimum size of polycrystalline aggregate of selected reactor pressure vessel steel (22 NiMoCr 3 7), above which it can be considered macroscopically homogeneous. Elastic and rate-independent plastic deformation modes are considered. The results are validated by the experimental and simulation results from the literature

  6. Optical and electrical properties of polycrystalline and amorphous Al-Ti thin films

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Canulescu, Stela; Borca, C. N.; Rechendorff, Kristian

    2016-01-01

    The structural, optical, and transport properties of sputter-deposited Al-Ti thin films have been investigated as a function of Ti alloying with a concentration ranging from 2% to 46%. The optical reflectivity of Al-Ti films at visible and near-infrared wavelengths decreases with increasing Ti...... content. Xray absorption fine structure measurements reveal that the atomic ordering around Ti atoms increases with increasing Ti content up to 20% and then decreases as a result of a transition from a polycrystalline to amorphous structure. The transport properties of the Al-Ti films are influenced...... by electron scattering at the grain boundaries in the case of polycrystalline films and static defects, such as antisite effects and vacancies in the case of the amorphous alloys. The combination of Ti having a real refractive index (n) comparable with the extinction coefficient (k) and Al with n much smaller...

  7. Spray Pyrolyzed Polycrystalline Tin Oxide Thin Film as Hydrogen Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ganesh E. Patil

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Polycrystalline tin oxide (SnO2 thin film was prepared by using simple and inexpensive spray pyrolysis technique (SPT. The film was characterized for their phase and morphology by X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM, respectively. The crystallite size calculated from the XRD pattern is 84 nm. Conductance responses of the polycrystalline SnO2 were measured towards gases like hydrogen (H2, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG, ethanol vapors (C2H5OH, NH3, CO, CO2, Cl2 and O2. The gas sensing characteristics were obtained by measuring the sensor response as a function of various controlling factors like operating temperature, operating voltages (1 V, 5 V, 10 V 15 V, 20 V and 25 V and concentration of gases. The sensor response measurement showed that the SnO2 has maximum response to hydrogen. Furthermore; the SnO2 based sensor exhibited fast response and good recovery towards hydrogen at temperature 150 oC. The result of response towards H2 reveals that SnO2 thin film prepared by SPT would be a suitable material for the fabrication of the hydrogen sensor.

  8. Fractography evaluation of impact and tensile specimens from the HFBR [High Flux Beam Reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Czajkowski, C.J.

    1989-10-01

    The Materials Technology Group of the Department of Nuclear Energy (DNE) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has performed a fractographic examination of neutron irradiated and unirradiated tensile and Charpy ''V'' notch specimens. The evaluation was carried out using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to evaluate the fracture mode. Photomicrographs were then evaluated to determine the extent of ductility present on the fracture surfaces of the unirradiated specimens. Ductility area measurements ranged from 4.6--9.5% on typical photomicrographs examined. 12 figs

  9. Research on electrodischarge drilling of polycrystalline diamond with increased gap voltage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skoczypiec, Sebastian; Bizoń, Wojciech; Żyra, Agnieszka

    2018-05-01

    This paper presents an experimental investigation of the machining characteristics of polycrystalline diamond (PCD). Machining of PCD by conventional technologies is not an effective solution. Due to presence of cobalt this material can be machined by application of electrical discharges. On the other side, electrical conductivity of PCD is on the limit of electrodischarge machining (EDM) possibilities. Proposed paper reports experimental investigation on electrodischarge drilling of PCD samples. The test were carried out with application on of high-voltage (up to 550 V) pulse power unit for two kinds of dielectrics: carbon based (Exxsol D80) and de-ionized water. As output parameters machining accuracy (side gap), material removal rate were selected. Also, based on SEM photographs and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, a qualitative evaluation of the obtained results was presented.

  10. Fracture toughness measurements with subsize disk compact specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexander, D.J.

    1994-01-01

    Special fixtures and test methods have been developed for testing small disk compact specimens (1.25 mm diam by 4.6 mm thick). Specimens of European type 316L austenitic stainless steel were irradiated to damage levels of about 3 dpa at nominal irradiation temperatures of either 90 or 250 C and tested over a temperature range from 20 to 250 C. Results show that irradiation to this dose level at these temperatures reduces the fracture toughness but the toughness remains quite high. The toughness decreases as the test temperature increases. Irradiation at 250 C is more damaging than at 90 C, causing larger decreases in the fracture toughness. The testing shows that it is possible to generate useful fracture toughness data with a small disk compact specimens

  11. On the evolution of surface roughness during deformation of polycrystalline aluminum alloys

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vellinga, WP; van Tijum, Redmer; de Hosson, JTM

    Surface roughening of polycrystalline Al-Mg alloys during tensile deformation is investigated using white light confocal microscopy. Materials are tested that differ only in grain size. A height-height correlation technique is used to analyze the data. The surface obeys self-affine scaling on length

  12. Influence of polycrystalline silicon layer on flow through «metal — p-Si» contact

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smyntyna V. A.

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Based on the results of investigations of charge transport in the "metal — p-Si" contacts with different thickness of polycrystalline p-Si layer the mechanisms of charge transport through such structures are shown. It is established that with increasing thickness of the layer of polycrystalline p-Si current transport mechanism changes from a double injection into the drift-diffusion. This change is due to an increase in the drift current component in the space charge zone of "metal — p-Si" contact, which arises as a result of increased surface density of scattering barriers, which are localized at the boundaries of neighboring silicon polycrystals.

  13. Thermally stimulated currents in α-HgI2 polycrystalline films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiu, Y.-T.; Huang, T.-J.; Shih, C.-T.; Su, C.-F.; Lan, S.-M.; Chiu, K.-C.

    2007-01-01

    A study of thermally stimulated currents (TSC) is applied to α-HgI 2 polycrystalline films grown by physical vapour deposition with various thermal boundary conditions. Five TSC peaks are clearly observed and numerically fitted. The activation energy and the density of the trapping centre that corresponds to each TSC peak are then calculated. Finally, the effects of the deposition conditions on the TSC results are discussed

  14. Formation of photovoltaic modules based on polycrystalline solar cells

    OpenAIRE

    L. A. Dobrzański; A. Drygała; A. Januszka

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: The main aim of the paper is formation of photovoltaic modules and analysis of their main electric parameters.Design/methodology/approach: Photovoltaic modules were produced from four polycrystalline silicon solar cells, that were cut and next joined in series. Soft soldering technique and copper-tin strip were used for joining cells.Findings: In order to provide useful power for any application, the individual solar cells must be connected together to give the appropriate current an...

  15. Magnetic field induced enhancement of resistance in polycrystalline ZrTe5

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behera, Prakash; Bera, Sumit; Patidar, Manju Mishra; Singh, Durgesh; Mishra, A. K.; Krishnan, M.; Gangrade, M.; Deshpande, U. P.; Venkatesh, R.; Ganesan, V.

    2018-04-01

    Transport properties of the polycrystalline ZrTe5 showing a considerable positive Magneto-Resistance (MR) in the intermediate temperatures has been reported. Substantial shift of peak temperature by approximately 65 K with an applied magnetic field of 13.5 Tesla has been observed. Magneto resistance of this polycrystalline sample (˜100%) is comparable with its single crystalline counterpart reported in literature. The peak intensity scales with peak temperature and obeys reasonably the Dionne relationship that is a clear indication of polaron mediated conduction in this system. Magneto Resistance (MR) in this system is attributed to the two carrier polaronic conduction model similar to the Holstein's approach. The results are further complemented with the Peak shift in magnetic field expected for a system having a fraction of localized carrier density. This observation places this famous thermoelectric material that displays a topological Dirac to Weyl transition in magnetic field in to the family of materials that have potential technological applications in the liquid nitrogen temperature range viz. 85-150 K.

  16. A model-reduction approach to the micromechanical analysis of polycrystalline materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michel, Jean-Claude; Suquet, Pierre

    2016-03-01

    The present study is devoted to the extension to polycrystals of a model-reduction technique introduced by the authors, called the nonuniform transformation field analysis (NTFA). This new reduced model is obtained in two steps. First the local fields of internal variables are decomposed on a reduced basis of modes as in the NTFA. Second the dissipation potential of the phases is replaced by its tangent second-order (TSO) expansion. The reduced evolution equations of the model can be entirely expressed in terms of quantities which can be pre-computed once for all. Roughly speaking, these pre-computed quantities depend only on the average and fluctuations per phase of the modes and of the associated stress fields. The accuracy of the new NTFA-TSO model is assessed by comparison with full-field simulations on two specific applications, creep of polycrystalline ice and response of polycrystalline copper to a cyclic tension-compression test. The new reduced evolution equations is faster than the full-field computations by two orders of magnitude in the two examples.

  17. Porous silicon-based passivation and gettering in polycrystalline silicon solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dimassi, W.; Bouaiecha, M.; Saadoun, M.; Bessaies, B.; Ezzaouia, H.; Bennaceur, R.

    2002-01-01

    In this work, we report on the effect of introducing a superficial porous silicon (PS) layer on the electrical characteristics of polycrystalline silicon solar cells. The PS layer was formed using a vapour etching (VE)-based method. In addition to its known anti-reflecting action, the forming hydrogen-rich PS layer acts as a passivating agent for the surface of the cell. As a result we found an improvement of the I-V characteristics in dark conditions and AM1 illumination. We show that when the formation of a superficial PS layer is followed by a heat treatment, gettering of impurities from the polycrystalline silicon material is possible. After the removal of the PS layer and the formation of the photovoltaic (PV) structure, we observed an increase of the light-beam-induced-current (LBIC) for treatment temperatures not exceeding 900 deg. C. An improvement of the bulk minority carrier diffusion length and the grain boundary (GB) recombination velocity were observed as the temperature rises, although a global decrease of the LBIC current was observed for temperatures greater than 900 deg. C

  18. Standard practice for fracture testing with surface-crack tension specimens

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2003-01-01

    1.1 This practice covers the design, preparation, and testing of surface-crack tension (SCT) specimens. It relates specifically to testing under continuously increasing force and excludes cyclic and sustained loadings. The quantity determined is the residual strength of a specimen having a semielliptical or circular-segment fatigue crack in one surface. This value depends on the crack dimensions and the specimen thickness as well as the characteristics of the material. 1.2 Metallic materials that can be tested are not limited by strength, thickness, or toughness. However, tests of thick specimens of tough materials may require a tension test machine of extremely high capacity. The applicability of this practice to nonmetallic materials has not been determined. 1.3 This practice is limited to specimens having a uniform rectangular cross section in the test section. The test section width and length must be large with respect to the crack length. Crack depth and length should be chosen to suit the ultimate pu...

  19. High Throughput Analysis of Breast Cancer Specimens on the Grid

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Lin; Chen, Wenjin; Meer, Peter; Salaru, Gratian; Feldman, Michael D.; Foran, David J.

    2007-01-01

    Breast cancer accounts for about 30% of all cancers and 15% of all cancer deaths in women in the United States. Advances in computer assisted diagnosis (CAD) holds promise for early detecting and staging disease progression. In this paper we introduce a Grid-enabled CAD to perform automatic analysis of imaged histopathology breast tissue specimens. More than 100,000 digitized samples (1200 × 1200 pixels) have already been processed on the Grid. We have analyzed results for 3744 breast tissue ...

  20. Control of surface ripple amplitude in ion beam sputtered polycrystalline cobalt films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colino, Jose M., E-mail: josemiguel.colino@uclm.es [Institute of Nanoscience, Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Campus de la Fabrica de Armas, Toledo 45071 (Spain); Arranz, Miguel A. [Facultad de Ciencias Quimicas, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad Real 13071 (Spain)

    2011-02-15

    We have grown both polycrystalline and partially textured cobalt films by magnetron sputter deposition in the range of thickness (50-200 nm). Kinetic roughening of the growing film leads to a controlled rms surface roughness values (1-6 nm) increasing with the as-grown film thickness. Ion erosion of a low energy 1 keV Ar+ beam at glancing incidence (80{sup o}) on the cobalt film changes the surface morphology to a ripple pattern of nanometric wavelength. The wavelength evolution at relatively low fluency is strongly dependent on the initial surface topography (a wavelength selection mechanism hereby confirmed in polycrystalline rough surfaces and based on the shadowing instability). At sufficiently large fluency, the ripple wavelength steadily increases on a coarsening regime and does not recall the virgin surface morphology. Remarkably, the use of a rough virgin surface makes the ripple amplitude in the final pattern can be controllably increased without affecting the ripple wavelength.

  1. High-intensity x-ray holography: an approach to high-resolution snapshot imaging of biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solem, J.C.

    1982-08-01

    The crucial physical and technological issues pertaining to the holographic imaging of biological structures with a short-pulse, high-intensity, high-quantum-energy laser were examined. The limitations of x-ray optics are discussed. Alternative holographic techniques were considered, and it was concluded that far-field Fresnel transform holography (Fraunhofer holography) using a photoresist recording surface is most tractable with near term technology. The hydrodynamic expansion of inhomogeneities within the specimen is discussed. It is shown that expansion is the major source of image blurring. Analytic expressions were derived for the explosion of protein concentrations in an x-ray transparent cytoplasm, compared with numerical calculations, and corrections derived to account for the competitive transport processes by which these inhomogeneities lose energy. It is concluded that for the near term Fresnel transform holography, particularly, far-field or Fraunhofer holography, is more practical than Fourier transform holography. Of the alternative fine grain recording media for use with Fresnel transform holography, a photo-resist is most attractive. For best resolution, exposure times must be limited to a few picoseconds, and this calls for investigation of mechanisms to shutter the laser or gate the recording surface. The best contrast ratio between the nitrogen-bearing polymers (protein and the nucleic acids) and water is between the K-edges of oxygen and nitrogen

  2. High-intensity x-ray holography: an approach to high-resolution snapshot imaging of biological specimens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Solem, J.C.

    1982-08-01

    The crucial physical and technological issues pertaining to the holographic imaging of biological structures with a short-pulse, high-intensity, high-quantum-energy laser were examined. The limitations of x-ray optics are discussed. Alternative holographic techniques were considered, and it was concluded that far-field Fresnel transform holography (Fraunhofer holography) using a photoresist recording surface is most tractable with near term technology. The hydrodynamic expansion of inhomogeneities within the specimen is discussed. It is shown that expansion is the major source of image blurring. Analytic expressions were derived for the explosion of protein concentrations in an x-ray transparent cytoplasm, compared with numerical calculations, and corrections derived to account for the competitive transport processes by which these inhomogeneities lose energy. It is concluded that for the near term Fresnel transform holography, particularly, far-field or Fraunhofer holography, is more practical than Fourier transform holography. Of the alternative fine grain recording media for use with Fresnel transform holography, a photo-resist is most attractive. For best resolution, exposure times must be limited to a few picoseconds, and this calls for investigation of mechanisms to shutter the laser or gate the recording surface. The best contrast ratio between the nitrogen-bearing polymers (protein and the nucleic acids) and water is between the K-edges of oxygen and nitrogen.

  3. Janka hardness using nonstandard specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    David W. Green; Marshall Begel; William Nelson

    2006-01-01

    Janka hardness determined on 1.5- by 3.5-in. specimens (2×4s) was found to be equivalent to that determined using the 2- by 2-in. specimen specified in ASTM D 143. Data are presented on the relationship between Janka hardness and the strength of clear wood. Analysis of historical data determined using standard specimens indicated no difference between side hardness...

  4. Design and construction of OGL-1 Specimen Transfer System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Kunio; Saruta, Tohru; Nabeya, Hideaki; Nakagaki, Shogo; Nishizaki, Tadashi.

    1977-11-01

    OGL-1 is the first high temperature gas in-pile loop in Japan, which is installed in JMTR of Oarai Research Establishment, JAERI. As the JMTR is the PWR type, specimens must be set in the loop with a remote control system ''OGL-1 Specimen Transfer System'' because of the needs for moisture prevention and radiation shielding. Described in this report are design philosophy, loop development, problems in construction, inspection and operation. (auth.)

  5. Misoriented dislocation substructures and the fracture of polycrystalline Cu-Al alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koneva, N. A.; Trishkina, L. I.; Cherkasova, T. V.; Kozlov, E. V.

    2016-10-01

    The evolution of the dislocation substructure in polycrystalline Cu-Al alloys with various grain sizes is studied during deformation to failure. A relation between the fracture of the alloys and the forming misorientation dislocation substructures is revealed. Microcracks in the alloy are found to form along grain boundaries and the boundaries of misoriented dislocation cells and microtwins.

  6. LPTR irradiation of LLL vanadium tensile specimens and LLL Nb--1Zr tensile specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacLean, S.C.; Rowe, C.L.

    1977-01-01

    The LPTR irradiation of 14 LLL vanadium tensile specimens and 14 LLL Nb-1Zr tensile specimens is described. Sample packaging, the irradiation schedule and neutron fluences for three energy ranges are given

  7. Zinc-substituted ZIF-67 nanocrystals and polycrystalline membranes for propylene/propane separation

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Chongqing

    2016-09-09

    Continuous ZIF-67 polycrystalline membranes with effective propylene/propane separation performances were successfully fabricated through the incorporation of zinc ions into the ZIF-67 framework. The separation factor increases from 1.4 for the pure ZIF-67 membrane to 50.5 for the 90% zinc-substituted ZIF-67 membrane.

  8. Method of making quasi-grain boundary-free polycrystalline solar cell structure and solar cell structure obtained thereby

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, Franklin N.; Neugroschel, Arnost

    1984-02-14

    A new solar cell structure is provided which will increase the efficiency of polycrystalline solar cells by suppressing or completely eliminating the recombination losses due to the presence of grain boundaries. This is achieved by avoiding the formation of the p-n junction (or other types of junctions) in the grain boundaries and by eliminating the grain boundaries from the active area of the cell. This basic concept can be applied to any polycrystalline material; however, it will be most beneficial for cost-effective materials having small grains, including thin film materials.

  9. Physically-based modelling of polycrystalline semiconductor devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, S.

    2000-01-01

    Thin-film technology using polycrystalline semiconductors has been widely applied to active-matrix-addressed liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs) where thin-film transistors act as digital pixel switches. Research and development is in progress to integrate the driver circuits around the peripheral of the display, resulting in significant cost reduction of connections between rows and columns and the peripheral circuitry. For this latter application, where for instance it is important to control the greyscale voltage level delivered to the pixel, an understanding of device behaviour is required so that models can be developed for analogue circuit simulation. For this purpose, various analytical models have been developed based on that of Seto who considered the effect of monoenergetic trap states and grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials but not the contribution of the grains to the electrical properties. The principal aim of this thesis is to describe the use of a numerical device simulator (ATLAS) as a tool to investigate the physics of the trapping process involved in the device operation, which additionally takes into account the effect of multienergetic trapping levels and the contribution of the grain into the modelling. A study of the conventional analytical models is presented, and an alternative approach is introduced which takes into account the grain regions to enhance the accuracy of the analytical modelling. A physically-based discrete-grain-boundary model and characterisation method are introduced to study the effects of the multienergetic trap states on the electrical characteristics of poly-TFTs using CdSe devices as the experimental example, and the electrical parameters such as the density distribution of the trapping states are extracted. The results show excellent agreement between the simulation and experimental data. The limitations of this proposed physical model are also studied and discussed. (author)

  10. Optimization of specimen preparation of thin cell section for AFM observation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Xinhui [Nanobiology Laboratory, Bio-X Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240 (China); Ji Tong [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Affiliated Ninth People' s Hospital, Medical School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200011 (China); Hu Jun [Nanobiology Laboratory, Bio-X Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240 (China); Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (China); Sun Jielin [Nanobiology Laboratory, Bio-X Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240 (China)], E-mail: jlsun@sjtu.edu.cn

    2008-08-15

    High resolution imaging of intracellular structures of ultrathin cell section samples is critical to the performance of precise manipulation by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Here, we test the effect of multiple factors during section sample preparation on the quality of the AFM image. These factors include the embedding materials, the annealing process of the specimen block, section thickness, and section side. We found that neither the embedding materials nor the temperature and speed of the annealing process has any effect on AFM image resolution. However, the section thickness and section side significantly affect the surface topography and AFM image resolution. By systematically testing the image quality of both sides of cell sections over a wide range of thickness (40-1000 nm), we found that the best resolution was obtained with upper-side sections approximately 50-100 nm thick. With these samples, we could observe precise structure details of the cell, including its membrane, nucleoli, and other organelles. Similar results were obtained for other cell types, including Tca8113, C6, and ECV-304. In brief, by optimizing the condition of ultrathin cell section preparation, we were able to obtain high resolution intracellular AFM images, which provide an essential basis for further AFM manipulation.

  11. Semantic modeling of plastic deformation of polycrystalline rock

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babaie, Hassan A.; Davarpanah, Armita

    2018-02-01

    We have developed the first iteration of the Plastic Rock Deformation (PRD) ontology by modeling the semantics of a selected set of deformational processes and mechanisms that produce, reconfigure, displace, and/or consume the material components of inhomogeneous polycrystalline rocks. The PRD knowledge model also classifies and formalizes the properties (relations) that hold between instances of the dynamic physical and chemical processes and the rock components, the complex physio-chemical, mathematical, and informational concepts of the plastic rock deformation system, the measured or calculated laboratory testing conditions, experimental procedures and protocols, the state and system variables, and the empirical flow laws that define the inter-relationships among the variables. The ontology reuses classes and properties from several existing ontologies that are built for physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. With its flexible design, the PRD ontology is well positioned to incrementally develop into a model that more fully represents the knowledge of plastic deformation of polycrystalline rocks in the future. The domain ontology will be used to consistently annotate varied data and information related to the microstructures and the physical and chemical processes that produce them at different spatial and temporal scales in the laboratory and in the solid Earth. The PRDKB knowledge base, when built based on the ontology, will help the community of experimental structural geologists and metamorphic petrologists to coherently and uniformly distribute, discover, access, share, and use their data through automated reasoning and integration and query of heterogeneous experimental deformation data that originate from autonomous rock testing laboratories.

  12. Specimen rejection in laboratory medicine: Necessary for patient safety?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dikmen, Zeliha Gunnur; Pinar, Asli; Akbiyik, Filiz

    2015-01-01

    The emergency laboratory in Hacettepe University Hospitals receives specimens from emergency departments (EDs), inpatient services and intensive care units (ICUs). The samples are accepted according to the rejection criteria of the laboratory. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the sample rejection ratios according to the types of pre-preanalytical errors and collection areas. The samples sent to the emergency laboratory were recorded during 12 months between January to December, 2013 in which 453,171 samples were received and 27,067 specimens were rejected. Rejection ratios was 2.5% for biochemistry tests, 3.2% for complete blood count (CBC), 9.8% for blood gases, 9.2% for urine analysis, 13.3% for coagulation tests, 12.8% for therapeutic drug monitoring, 3.5% for cardiac markers and 12% for hormone tests. The most frequent rejection reasons were fibrin clots (28%) and inadequate volume (9%) for biochemical tests. Clotted samples (35%) and inadequate volume (13%) were the major causes for coagulation tests, blood gas analyses and CBC. The ratio of rejected specimens was higher in the EDs (40%) compared to ICUs (30%) and inpatient services (28%). The highest rejection ratio was observed in neurology ICU (14%) among the ICUs and internal medicine inpatient service (10%) within inpatient clinics. We detected an overall specimen rejection rate of 6% in emergency laboratory. By documentation of rejected samples and periodic training of healthcare personnel, we expect to decrease sample rejection ratios below 2%, improve total quality management of the emergency laboratory and promote patient safety.

  13. Structural evolution and mechanisms of fatigue in polycrystalline brass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vejloe Carstensen, J

    1998-03-01

    The plastic strain controlled fatigue behaviour of polycrystalline Cu-15%Zn and Cu-30%Zn has been investigated with the aim of studying the effect of slip mode modification by the addition of zinc to copper. It has been clearly demonstrated, that true cyclic saturation does not occur in the plastic strain controlled fatigue of brass. This complicates the contstruction of a cyclic stress-strain (CSS) curve and thus the comparison with copper. A method to overcome this complication has been suggested. Surface observations on fatigued brass specimens show that individual grains tend to deform by Sachs type single slip. This behaviour has been described by the self-consistent Sachs-Eshelby model, which provides estimates of the CSS curve for brass polycrystals. Successive stages of primary hardening, softening and secondary hardening has been observed in the plastic strain controlled fatigue of brass. It has been found that the primary hardening is attributed to an increase of intergranular stresses whereas the secondary hardening apparently is attributed to an increase of friction stresses. Investigations of the structural evolution show that the softening behaviour can be explained by the presence of short-range order (SRO). SRO promote the formation of extended dipole arrays which hardens the material. The formation of intense shear bands destroy the dipole arrays, which explains the cyclic softening. The present results reveal that Cu-30%Zn in a pure planar slip alloy, while Cu-15%Zn displays both planar and wavy slip. The mechanical and structural behaviour observed in brass resembles recent observations in 316L austenitic stainless steels, and the present results reveal that Cu-30%Zn and 316L have approximately the same fatigue life curve. This emphasizes brass as being a convenient model system for the industrially important austenitic steels. (au) 9 tabs., 94 ills., 177 refs.; The thesis is also available as DCAMM-R-S80 and as an electronic document on http://www.risoe.dk/rispubl

  14. Specimen Identification Errors in Breast Biopsies: Age Matters. Report of Two Near-Miss Events and Review of the Literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tozbikian, Gary; Gemignani, Mary L; Brogi, Edi

    2017-09-01

    The consequences of patient identification errors due to specimen mislabeling can be deleterious. We describe two near-miss events involving mislabeled breast specimens from two patients who sought treatment at our institution. In both cases, microscopic review of the slides identified inconsistencies between the histologic findings and patient age, unveiling specimen identification errors. By correlating the clinical information with the microscopic findings, we identified mistakes that had occurred at the time of specimen accessioning at the original laboratories. In both cases, thanks to a timely reassignment of the specimens, the patients suffered no harm. These cases highlight the importance of routine clinical and pathologic correlation as a critical component of quality assurance and patient safety. A review of possible specimen identification errors in the anatomic pathology setting is presented. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Analysis of the percentage voids of test and field specimens using computerized tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braz, D.; Lopes, R.T.; Motta, L.M.G. da

    1999-01-01

    Computerized tomography has been an excellent tool of analysis of asphaltics mixtures, because it allows comparison of the quality and integrity of test and field specimens. It was required to detect and follow the evolution of cracks, when these mixtures were submitted to fatigue tests, and also helping to interpret the distribution of tensions and deformations which occur in the several types of solicitations imposed to the mixtures. Comparing the medium values of percentage voids obtained from tomographic images with the project's values, it can be observed that the values of test and field specimens for the wearing course are closer to the ones of the project than the ones of the binder. It can be verified that the wearing course specimens always present a distribution of the aggregate, and voids quite homogeneously in the whole profile of the sample, while the binder specimens show an accentuated differentiation of the same factors in the several heights of the sample. Therefore, when choosing a slice for tomography, these considerations should be taken into account

  16. New opportunities for 3D materials science of polycrystalline materials at the micrometre lengthscale by combined use of X-ray diffraction and X-ray imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ludwig, W., E-mail: ludwig@esrf.fr [Universite de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, MATEIS CNRS UMR 5510, 69621Villeurbanne (France); European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP220, 38043 Grenoble (France); King, A. [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP220, 38043 Grenoble (France); School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Reischig, P. [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP220, 38043 Grenoble (France); Herbig, M. [Universite de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, MATEIS CNRS UMR 5510, 69621Villeurbanne (France); Lauridsen, E.M.; Schmidt, S. [Riso National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark, P.O. Box 49, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Proudhon, H.; Forest, S. [MINES ParisTech, Centre des materiaux, CNRS UMR 7633, BP 87, 91003 Evry Cedex (France); Cloetens, P.; Roscoat, S. Rolland du [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP220, 38043 Grenoble (France); Buffiere, J.Y. [Universite de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, MATEIS CNRS UMR 5510, 69621Villeurbanne (France); Marrow, T.J. [School of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Poulsen, H.F. [Riso National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark, P.O. Box 49, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark)

    2009-10-25

    Non-destructive, three-dimensional (3D) characterization of the grain structure in mono-phase polycrystalline materials is an open challenge in material science. Recent advances in synchrotron based X-ray imaging and diffraction techniques offer interesting possibilities for mapping 3D grain shapes and crystallographic orientations for certain categories of polycrystalline materials. Direct visualisation of the three-dimensional grain boundary network or of two-phase (duplex) grain structures by means of absorption and/or phase contrast techniques may be possible, but is restricted to specific material systems. A recent extension of this methodology, termed X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT), combines the principles of X-ray diffraction imaging, three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy (3DXRD) and image reconstruction from projections. DCT provides simultaneous access to 3D grain shape, crystallographic orientation and local attenuation coefficient distribution. The technique applies to the larger range of plastically undeformed, polycrystalline mono-phase materials, provided some conditions on grain size and texture are fulfilled. The straightforward combination with high-resolution microtomography opens interesting new possibilities for the observation of microstructure related damage and deformation mechanisms in these materials.

  17. New opportunities for 3D materials science of polycrystalline materials at the micrometre lengthscale by combined use of X-ray diffraction and X-ray imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ludwig, W.; King, A.; Reischig, P.; Herbig, M.; Lauridsen, E.M.; Schmidt, S.; Proudhon, H.; Forest, S.; Cloetens, P.; Roscoat, S. Rolland du; Buffiere, J.Y.; Marrow, T.J.; Poulsen, H.F.

    2009-01-01

    Non-destructive, three-dimensional (3D) characterization of the grain structure in mono-phase polycrystalline materials is an open challenge in material science. Recent advances in synchrotron based X-ray imaging and diffraction techniques offer interesting possibilities for mapping 3D grain shapes and crystallographic orientations for certain categories of polycrystalline materials. Direct visualisation of the three-dimensional grain boundary network or of two-phase (duplex) grain structures by means of absorption and/or phase contrast techniques may be possible, but is restricted to specific material systems. A recent extension of this methodology, termed X-ray diffraction contrast tomography (DCT), combines the principles of X-ray diffraction imaging, three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy (3DXRD) and image reconstruction from projections. DCT provides simultaneous access to 3D grain shape, crystallographic orientation and local attenuation coefficient distribution. The technique applies to the larger range of plastically undeformed, polycrystalline mono-phase materials, provided some conditions on grain size and texture are fulfilled. The straightforward combination with high-resolution microtomography opens interesting new possibilities for the observation of microstructure related damage and deformation mechanisms in these materials.

  18. Anomalous magnetoresistance in antiferromagnetic polycrystalline materials R2Ni3Si5 (R=rare earth)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazumdar, C.; Nigam, A.K.; Nagarajan, R.; Gupta, L.C.; Chandra, G.; Padalia, B.D.; Godart, C.; Vijayaraghaven, R.

    1997-01-01

    Magnetoresistance (MR) studies on polycrystalline R 2 Ni 3 Si 5 , (R=Y, rare earth) which order antiferromagnetically at low temperatures, are reported here. MR of the Nd, Sm, and Tb members of the series exhibit positive giant magnetoresistance, largest among polycrystalline materials (85%, 75%, and 58% for Tb 2 Ni 3 Si 5 , Sm 2 Ni 3 Si 5 , and Nd 2 Ni 3 Si 5 , respectively, at 4.4 K in a field of 45 kG). These materials have, to the best of our knowledge, the largest positive GMR reported ever for any bulk polycrystalline compounds. The magnitude of MR does not correlate with the rare earth magnetic moments. We believe that the structure of these materials, which can be considered as a naturally occurring multilayer of wavy planes of rare earth atoms separated by Ni endash Si network, plays a role. The isothermal MR of other members of this series (R=Pr,Dy,Ho) exhibits a maximum and a minimum, below their respective T N close-quote s. We interpret these in terms of a metamagnetic transition and short-range ferromagnetic correlations. The short-range ferromagnetic correlations seem to be dominant in the temperature region just above T N . copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

  19. Mechanical properties and dependence with temperature of tetragonal polycrystalline zirconia materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orange, G.

    1986-01-01

    Polycrystalline zirconia materials with a high content of metastable tetragonal phase have been obtained by pressureless sintering from experimental powders. Mechanical properties have been determined at room temperature and compared with similar materials. The fracture strength (σ /SUB f/ ) and fracture toughness (K /SUB 1c/ ) temperature dependence has been studied, in air environment up to 1000 0 C. Microstructure was studied by SEM examinations of fracture faces and TEM observations. Fracture toughness (of about 10 MPa √m at room temperature) decreases from 200 0 C to 800 0 C. The critical temperature (T /SUB c/ ) is estimated at 600 0 C. We observe an important decreases of fracture strength at 200 0 C. These mechanical properties are discussed on the basis of the stability of the tetragonal phase depending on additive content, grain size and temperature

  20. Strain Measurement System Developed for Biaxially Loaded Cruciform Specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krause, David L.

    2000-01-01

    A new extensometer system developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field measures test area strains along two orthogonal axes in flat cruciform specimens. This system incorporates standard axial contact extensometers to provide a cost-effective high-precision instrument. The device was validated for use by extensive testing of a stainless steel specimen, with specimen temperatures ranging from room temperature to 1100 F. In-plane loading conditions included several static biaxial load ratios, plus cyclic loadings of various waveform shapes, frequencies, magnitudes, and durations. The extensometer system measurements were compared with strain gauge data at room temperature and with calculated strain values for elevated-temperature measurements. All testing was performed in house in Glenn's Benchmark Test Facility in-plane biaxial load frame.

  1. Specimen size effects in Charpy impact testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexander, D.J.; Klueh, R.L.

    1989-01-01

    Full-size , half-size, and third-size specimens from several different steels have been tested as part of an ongoing alloy development program. The smaller specimens permit more specimens to be made from small trail heats and are much more efficient for irradiation experiments. The results of several comparisons between the different specimen sizes have shown that the smaller specimens show qualitatively similar behavior to large specimens, although the upper-shelf energy level and ductile-to-ductile transition temperature are reduced. The upper-shelf energy levels from different specimen sizes can be compared by using a simple volume normalization method. The effect of specimen size and geometry on the ductile-to-ductile transition temperature is more difficult to predict, although the available data suggest a simple shift in the transition temperature due to specimen size changes.The relatively shallower notch used in smaller specimens alters the deformation pattern, and permits yielding to spread back to the notched surface as well as through to the back. This reduces the constraint and the peak stresses, and thus the initiation of cleavage is more difficult. A better understanding of the stress and strain distributions is needed. 19 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

  2. Numerical analysis of the effect of surface roughness on mechanical fields in polycrystalline aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guilhem, Yoann; Basseville, Stéphanie; Curtit, François; Stéphan, Jean-Michel; Cailletaud, Georges

    2018-06-01

    This paper is dedicated to the study of the influence of surface roughness on local stress and strain fields in polycrystalline aggregates. Finite element computations are performed with a crystal plasticity model on a 316L stainless steel polycrystalline material element with different roughness states on its free surface. The subsequent analysis of the plastic strain localization patterns shows that surface roughness strongly affects the plastic strain localization induced by crystallography. Nevertheless, this effect mainly takes place at the surface and vanishes under the first layer of grains, which implies the existence of a critical perturbed depth. A statistical analysis based on the plastic strain distribution obtained for different roughness levels provides a simple rule to define the size of the affected zone depending on the rough surface parameters.

  3. Stroboscopic image capture: Reducing the dose per frame by a factor of 30 does not prevent beam-induced specimen movement in paraffin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Typke, Dieter; Gilpin, Christopher J.; Downing, Kenneth H.; Glaeser, Robert M.

    2007-01-01

    Beam-induced specimen movement may be the major factor that limits the quality of high-resolution images of organic specimens. One of the possible measures to improve the situation that was proposed by Henderson and Glaeser [Ultramicroscopy 16 (1985) 139-150], which we refer to here as 'stroboscopic image capture', is to divide the normal exposure into many successive frames, thus reducing the amount of electron exposure-and possibly the amount of beam-induced movement-per frame. The frames would then be aligned and summed. We have performed preliminary experiments on stroboscopic imaging using a 200-kV electron microscope that was equipped with a high dynamic range Charge-coupled device (CCD) camera for image recording and a liquid N 2 -cooled cryoholder. Single-layer paraffin crystals on carbon film were used as a test specimen. The ratio F(g)/F(0) of paraffin reflections, calculated from the images, serves as our criterion for the image quality. In the series that were evaluated, no significant improvement of the F image (g)/F image (0) ratio was found, even though the electron exposure per frame was reduced by a factor of 30. A frame-to-frame analysis of image distortions showed that considerable beam-induced movement had still occurred during each frame. In addition, the paraffin crystal lattice was observed to move relative to the supporting carbon film, a fact that cannot be explained as being an electron-optical effect caused by specimen charging. We conclude that a significant further reduction of the dose per frame (than was possible with this CCD detector) will be needed in order to test whether the frame-to-frame changes ultimately become small enough for stroboscopic image capture to show its potential

  4. A curved beam test specimen for determining the interlaminar tensile strength of a laminated composite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiel, Clement C.; Sumich, Mark; Chappell, David P.

    1991-01-01

    A curved beam type of test specimen is evaluated for use in determining the through-the-thickness strength of laminated composites. Two variations of a curved beam specimen configuration (semicircular and elliptical) were tested to failure using static and fatigue loads. The static failure load for the semicircular specimens was found to be highly sensitive to flaw content, with the specimens falling into two distinct groups. This result supports the use of proof testing for structural validation. Static design allowables are derived based on the Weibull distribution. Fatigue data indicates no measured increase in specimen compliance prior to final fracture. All static and fatigue failures at room temperature dry conditions occurred catastrophically. The elliptical specimens demonstrated unusually high failure strengths indicating the presence of phenomena requiring further study. Results are also included for specimens exposed to a wet environment showing a matrix strength degradation due to moisture content. Further testing is underway to evaluate a fatigue methodology for matrix dominated failures based on residual static strength (wearout).

  5. Internet of Things technology-based management methods for environmental specimen banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Lihong; Wang, Qian; Yu, Ang

    2015-02-01

    The establishment and management of environmental specimen banks (ESBs) has long been a problem worldwide. The complexity of specimen environment has made the management of ESB likewise complex. Through an analysis of the development and management of ESBs worldwide and in light of the sophisticated Internet of Things (IOT) technology, this paper presents IOT technology-based ESB management methods. An IOT technology-based ESB management system can significantly facilitate ESB ingress and egress management as well as long-term storage management under quality control. This paper elaborates on the design of IOT technology-based modules, which can be used in ESB management to achieve standardized, smart, information-based ESB management. ESB management has far-reaching implications for environmental management and for research in environmental science.

  6. The Impact of Storage Times of Museum Insect Specimens on PCR Success: Case Study on Moth Collections in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HARI SUTRISNO

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Museum specimens are vast repositories of genetic information of interests to biological researchers. Since a new method in DNA extraction, a non destructive method, has been reported to be successful in extracting DNA of museum specimens even fossils without any morphological damages, using museum specimens as resources of genetic information for molecular studies is becoming popular recently. However, the PCR success depends on the quality of the specimens. To evaluate the impact of the storage times of museum specimens on PCR success, we conducted DNA extraction of 14 dry museum specimens of the moths collected from 1992 to 2010 by using a non destructive method. The results showed that the DNA specimens museum were fragmented into various sizes (100-1000 bp depend on the storage times. On the other hand, fresh specimens which were preserved within absolute ethanol were almost not fragmented. The specimens of < 6 years old (2005-2010 succeed to amplify in 650 bp amplicon but for some specimens of 7 years old (2 of 3 specimens resulted in a very weak amplification. These specimens, however, were able to amplify strongly in 300 bp amplicon. The results also showed that specimens of 1-19 years old were success to amplify in 100 bp amplicon.

  7. Faraday effect of polycrystalline bismuth iron garnet thin film prepared by mist chemical vapor deposition method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao, Situ; Kamakura, Ryosuke; Murai, Shunsuke; Fujita, Koji; Tanaka, Katsuhisa

    2017-01-01

    We have synthesized polycrystalline thin film composed of a single phase of metastable bismuth iron garnet, Bi_3Fe_5O_1_2, on a fused silica substrate, one of the most widely utilized substrates in the solid-state electronics, by using mist chemical vapor deposition (mist CVD) method. The phase purity and stoichiometry are confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The resultant thin film shows a small surface roughness of 3.251 nm. The saturation magnetization at room temperature is 1200 G, and the Faraday rotation angle at 633 nm reaches −5.2 deg/μm. Both the magnetization and the Faraday rotation angles are somewhat higher than those of polycrystalline BIG thin films prepared by other methods. - Highlights: • Thin film of polycrystalline Bi_3Fe_5O_1_2 was prepared by the mist CVD method. • Optimized conditions were found for the synthesis of single phase of Bi_3Fe_5O_1_2. • The Faraday rotation angle at 633 nm is –5.2 deg/μm at room temperature. • The Faraday rotation is interpreted by the electronic transitions of Fe"3"+ ions.

  8. Study of microstructure and fracture properties of blunt notched and sharp cracked high density polyethylene specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Huanyu; Devasahayam, Sheila; Bandyopadhyay, Sri

    2017-07-21

    This paper examines the effect of a broad range of crosshead speed (0.05 to 100 mm/min) and a small range of temperature (25 °C and 45 °C) on the failure behaviour of high density polyethylene (HDPE) specimens containing a) standard size blunt notch and b) standard size blunt notch plus small sharp crack - all tested in air. It was observed that the yield stress properties showed linear increase with the natural logarithm of strain rate. The stress intensity factors under blunt notch and sharp crack conditions also increased linearly with natural logarithm of the crosshead speed. The results indicate that in the practical temperature range of 25 °C and 45 °C under normal atmosphere and increasing strain rates, HDPE specimens with both blunt notches and sharp cracks possess superior fracture properties. SEM microstructure studies of fracture surfaces showed craze initiation mechanisms at lower strain rate, whilst at higher strain rates there is evidence of dimple patterns absorbing the strain energy and creating plastic deformation. The stress intensity factor and the yield strength were higher at 25 °C compared to those at 45 °C.

  9. Large exchange bias induced by polycrystalline Mn3Ga antiferromagnetic films with controlled layer thickness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Haokaifeng; Sudoh, Iori; Xu, Ruihan; Si, Wenshuo; Vaz, C. A. F.; Kim, Jun-young; Vallejo-Fernandez, Gonzalo; Hirohata, Atsufumi

    2018-05-01

    Polycrystalline Mn3Ga layers with thickness in the range from 6–20 nm were deposited at room temperature by a high target utilisation sputtering. To investigate the onset of exchange-bias, a ferromagnetic Co0.6Fe0.4 layer (3.3–9 nm thick) capped with 5 nm Ta, were subsequently deposited. X-ray diffraction measurements confirm the presence of Mn3Ga (0 0 0 2) and (0 0 0 4) peaks characteristic of the D019 antiferromagnetic structure. The 6 nm thick Mn3Ga film shows the largest exchange bias of 430 Oe at 120 K with a blocking temperature of 225 K. The blocking temperature is found to decrease with increasing Mn3Ga thickness. These results in combination with x-ray reflectivity measurements confirm that the quality of the Mn3Ga/Co0.6Fe0.4 interface controls the exchange bias, with the sharp interface with the 6-nm-thick Mn3Ga inducing the largest exchange bias. The magneto-crystalline anisotropy for 6 nm thick Mn3Ga thin film sample is calculated to be . Such a binary antiferromagnetic Heusler alloy is compatible with the current memory fabrication process and hence has a great potential for antiferromagnetic spintronics.

  10. Using geographical and taxonomic metadata to set priorities in specimen digitization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walter G. Berendsohn

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Digitizing the information carried by specimens in natural history collections is a key endeavor providing falsifiable information about past and present biodiversity on a global scale, for application in a variety of research fields far beyond the current application in biosystematics. Existing digitization efforts are driven by individual institutional necessities and are not coordinated on a global scale. This led to an over-all information resource that is patchy in taxonomic and geographic coverage as well as in quality. Digitizing all specimens is not an achievable aim at present, so that priorities need to be set. Most biodiversity studies are both taxonomically and geographically restricted, but access to non-digitized collection information is almost exclusively by taxon name. Creating a “Geotaxonomic Index” providing metadata on the number of specimens from a specific geographic region belonging to a specific higher taxonomic category may provide a means to attract the attention of researchers and governments towards relevant non-digitized holdings of the collections and set priorities for their digitization according to the needs of information users outside the taxonomic community.

  11. An electrical conductivity inspection methodology of polycrystalline diamond cutters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogdanov, G.; Wiggins, J.; Bertagnolli, K.; Ludwig, R.

    2012-05-01

    The polycrystalline diamond cutter (PDC) is widely used in oil and gas drilling operations. It is manufactured by sintering diamond powder onto a tungsten carbide substrate at 6 GPa and 1500 C. During sintering, molten cobalt from the substrate infiltrates the diamond table. The residual metal content correlates with cutter performance. We present an instrument that employs electrical impedance tomography capable of imaging the 3D metal content distribution in the diamond table. These images can be used to predict cutter performance as well as detect flaws.

  12. Comparative Analytical Utility of DNA Derived from Alternative Human Specimens for Molecular Autopsy and Diagnostics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klassen, Tara L.; von Rüden, Eva-Lotta; Drabek, Janice; Noebels, Jeffrey L.; Goldman, Alica M.

    2013-01-01

    Genetic testing and research have increased the demand for high-quality DNA that has traditionally been obtained by venipuncture. However, venous blood collection may prove difficult in special populations and when large-scale specimen collection or exchange is prerequisite for international collaborative investigations. Guthrie/FTA card–based blood spots, buccal scrapes, and finger nail clippings are DNA-containing specimens that are uniquely accessible and thus attractive as alternative tissue sources (ATS). The literature details a variety of protocols for extraction of nucleic acids from a singular ATS type, but their utility has not been systematically analyzed in comparison with conventional sources such as venous blood. Additionally, the efficacy of each protocol is often equated with the overall nucleic acid yield but not with the analytical performance of the DNA during mutation detection. Together with a critical in-depth literature review of published extraction methods, we developed and evaluated an all-inclusive approach for serial, systematic, and direct comparison of DNA utility from multiple biological samples. Our results point to the often underappreciated value of these alternative tissue sources and highlight ways to maximize the ATS-derived DNA for optimal quantity, quality, and utility as a function of extraction method. Our comparative analysis clarifies the value of ATS in genomic analysis projects for population-based screening, diagnostics, molecular autopsy, medico-legal investigations, or multi-organ surveys of suspected mosaicisms. PMID:22796560

  13. Influence of specimen size and grain orientation to the life of a polycrystalline Ni-base alloy at LCF stress; Einfluss der Probengroesse und der Kornorientierung auf die Lebensdauer einer polykristallinen Ni-Basislegierung bei LCF-Beanspruchung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seibel, Thomas

    2014-07-01

    In the present work the LCF (Low Cycle Fatigue) crack initiation life of the conventionally cast Ni-base alloy RENE 80 was analyzed as a function of specimen size and grain orientation. Five specimen geometries with distinctly different gauge sections were used: 3 geometries with cylindrical gauge section (G1-G3) and two notched geometries with a stress concentration factor of α{sub 1} = 1,62 (KG1) and α{sub 2} = 2,60 (KG2), resulting in a maximum difference of the damage relevant surface area up to a factor of approximately 72. Correction factors were determined by FEM calculations for all specimen geometries with highly reduced gauge sections where direct strain measurement was not possible. Additionally a uniform failure criterion with a relatively small crack size of 0,962 mm{sup 2} was defined. Totally, 116 isothermal LCF tests were carried out at the different specimen types at a temperature of 850 C in total strain control with a load ratio (minimum strain / maximum strain) of R{sub ε} = -1. The load cycles were applied with triangular waveform at a frequency of 0.1 Hz for high strain amplitudes and 1 Hz for low strain amplitudes, respectively. After the LCF-Tests the fracture surfaces of all samples were analyzed in more detail by SEM to identify the crack initiation mechanisms as well as the crack initiation sites. In this context it could be shown, that fatigue cracks were generally initiated at slip bands in surface grains. Accordingly, the grain orientations at the crack initiation sites were measured by electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) and the maximum shear stresses in the respective principal slip system (111) <110> was calculated using the Schmid approach. For this, longitudinal sections were be prepared exactly at the crack initiation sites of samples loaded with low strain amplitudes where clearly defined single crack initiation sites were observed. Afterwards the maximum shear stress in the principal slip system at the crack initiation

  14. Polycrystalline CdTe Detectors A Luminosity Monitor for the LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Gschwendtner, E; Schmickler, Hermann

    2003-01-01

    The luminosity at the four interaction points of the Large Hadron Collider must be continuously monitored in order to provide an adequate tool for the control and optimization of the collision parameters and the beam optics. At both sides of the interaction points absorbers are installed to protect the super-conducting accelerator elements from quenches causes by the deposited energy of collision products. The luminosity detectors will be installed in the copper core of these absorbers to measure the electromagnetic and hadronic showers caused by neutral particles that are produced at the proton-proton collision in the interaction points. The detectors have to withstand extreme radiation levels (10^8 Gy/yr at the design luminosity) and their long-term operation has to be assured without requiring humain intervention. In addition the demand for bunch-by-bunch luminosity measurements, i.e. 40MHz detection speed, puts severe constraints on the detectors. Polycrystalline CdTe detectors have a high potential to fu...

  15. Surfaces and their effect on the magnetic properties of polycrystalline hollow γ-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} and MnO nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bah, Mohamed A. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Newark, DE (United States); Jaffari, G. Hassnain [Department of Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320 (Pakistan); Khan, F.A. [Department of Physics, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh); Shah, S. Ismat, E-mail: ismat@udel.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Newark, DE (United States); Department of Physics and Astronomy, Newark, DE (United States)

    2016-07-01

    Graphical abstract: Polycrystalline hollow nanoparticles composed of γ-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} and MnO were grown in an inert gas condensation system. Particles where found to range from 15 nm to 30 nm in diameter with different void sizes. Both γ-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} and MnO phases were found to exist in a single nanoparticle, and in close proximity. The oxides had different size and random lattice orientations. The morphology of the nanoparticles with the specific oxide is believed to be the leading cause for the observed high coercivity and exchange bias. - Highlights: • Polycrystalline hollow nanoparticles composed of γ-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} (ferrimagnetic(FiM)) and MnO (antiferromagnetic(AFM)) crystallites. • γ-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} and MnO co-exist in a single nanoparticles. • FC loops exhibited noticeably larger coercivity compared to the ZFC loops. • Compared to the core/shell counter parts, large coercivity and exchange bias, up to 11 kOe and 7 kOe, respectively, were observed at low temperature. • Strong coupling between the FiM and AFM phases. • Large horizontal and vertical shifts. - Abstract: Manganese oxide nanoparticles were prepared in an inert gas condensation system. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) studies revealed presence of multiple manganese oxide phases while high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) showed polycrystalline hollow nanoparticle morphology. The additional inner surface of the hollow nanoparticle directly affect the magnetic properties of these particles. Combined physical structure, electronic structure and magnetic susceptibility analyses led to the conclusion that the prepared nanoparticles are polycrystalline and composed of γ-Mn{sub 2}O{sub 3} and MnO crystallites. Magnetic study found a sharp peak around 38 K with no frequency dependence in the AC susceptibility measurement. Large coercivity (H{sub C}) and exchange bias (H{sub EB}) fields, up to 11 kOe and 7 kOe, respectively, were observed below the order

  16. Experimental study of surface quality and damage when drilling unidirectional CFRP composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eshetu D. Eneyew

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In this study, an experimental investigation on the drilling of unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced plastic (UD-CFRP composite was conducted using polycrystalline diamond (PCD tipped eight facet drill. The quality of the drilled hole surface was examined through surface roughness measurements and surface damage by scanning electron microscopy (SEM. It was found that fiber pullout occurred in two specific sectors relative to the angle between the cutting direction and the fiber orientation. The thrust force was highly influenced by the feed rate than the cutting speed and it shows a significant variation throughout the rotation of the drill.

  17. Functional and proteomic comparison of Bothrops jararaca venom from captive specimens and the Brazilian Bothropic Reference Venom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farias, Iasmim Baptista de; Morais-Zani, Karen de; Serino-Silva, Caroline; Sant'Anna, Sávio S; Rocha, Marisa M T da; Grego, Kathleen F; Andrade-Silva, Débora; Serrano, Solange M T; Tanaka-Azevedo, Anita M

    2018-03-01

    Snake venom is a variable phenotypic trait, whose plasticity and evolution are critical for effective antivenom production. A significant reduction of the number of snake donations to Butantan Institute (São Paulo, Brazil) occurred in recent years, and this fact may impair the production of the Brazilian Bothropic Reference Venom (BBRV). Nevertheless, in the last decades a high number of Bothrops jararaca specimens have been raised in captivity in the Laboratory of Herpetology of Butantan Institute. Considering these facts, we compared the biochemical and biological profiles of B. jararaca venom from captive specimens and BBRV in order to understand the potential effects of snake captivity upon the venom composition. Electrophoretic analysis and proteomic profiling revealed few differences in venom protein bands and some differentially abundant toxins. Comparison of enzymatic activities showed minor differences between the two venoms. Similar cross-reactivity recognition pattern of both venoms by the antibothropic antivenom produced by Butantan Institute was observed. Lethality and neutralization of lethality for B. jararaca venom from captive specimens and BBRV showed similar values. Considering these results we suggest that the inclusion of B. jararaca venom from captive specimens in the composition of BBRV would not interfere with the quality of this reference venom. Snakebite envenomation is a neglected tropical pathology whose treatment is based on the use of specific antivenoms. Bothrops jararaca is responsible for the majority of snakebites in South and Southeastern Brazil. Its venom shows individual, sexual, and ontogenetic variability, however, the effect of animal captivity upon venom composition is unknown. Considering the reduced number of wild-caught snakes donated to Butantan Institute in the last decades, and the increased life expectancy of the snakes raised in captivity in the Laboratory of Herpetology, this work focused on the comparative

  18. Polycrystalline semiconductor probes for monitoring the density distribution of an intense thermal neutron flux in nuclear reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graul, J.; Mueller, R.G.; Wagner, E.

    1975-05-01

    The applicability of semiconductor detectors for high thermal neutron flux densities is theoretically estimated and experimentally examined. For good thermal stability and low radiation capture rate silicon carbide is used as semiconductor material, produced in polycristalline layers to achieve high radiation resistance. The relations between crystallinity, photoelectric sensitivity and radiation resistance are shown. The radiation resistance of polycrystalline SiC-probes is approximately 100 times greater than that of conventional single crystal radiation detectors. For thermal neutron measurement they can be used in the flux range of approx. 10 10 13 (cm -2 sec -1 ) with operation times of 1.6 a >= tsub(b,max) >= 30 d, resp. (orig.) [de

  19. A comparative study of transport properties in polycrystalline and epitaxial chromium nitride films

    KAUST Repository

    Duan, X. F.; Mi, Wenbo; Guo, Zaibing; Bai, Haili

    2013-01-01

    Polycrystalline CrNx films on Si(100) and glass substrates and epitaxial CrNx films on MgO(100) substrates were fabricated by reactive sputtering with different nitrogen gas flow rates (fN2). With the increase of fN2, a lattice phase transformation

  20. Diffusion of the 65Zn radiotracer in ZnO polycrystalline ceramics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Auxiliadora das Neves Nogueira

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available Zinc self-diffusion coefficients were measured in polycrystalline ZnO of high density (>99% of the theoretical density and of high purity (> 99.999%. The diffusion experiments were performed from 1006 to 1377 °C, in oxygen atmosphere, for times between 16 and 574 h. The diffusion profiles were established by means of Residual Activity Method using the 65Zn radioactive isotope as zinc tracer. In our experimental conditions, the zinc volume diffusion coefficients can be described by the following Arrhenius relationship: D(cm²/s = 1.57×10-3 exp[(-2.66 ± 0.26 eV/kT]. In the same experimental conditions, the grain-boundary diffusion coefficients are approximately 4 orders of magnitude greater than the volume diffusion coefficients, and can be described by the Arrhenius relation: D'delta (cm³/s = 1.59×10-6 exp[(-2.44 ± 0.45 eV/kT], where D' is the grain-boundary diffusion coefficient and delta is the grain boundary width.