Electric conductivity of TlInTe2 monocrystal in strong electric fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zarbaliev, M.M.; Godzhaev, Eh.M.; Gadzhiev, V.A.

1980-01-01

Electric condUctivity of the TlInTe 2 single crystal in strong electric fields has been studied in the range of 77-300 K. The electron part of the TlInTe 2 dielectric constant has been found to be 4. The dependence of the activation energy of current carriers on the electric field strength is constructed and the value of the activation energy of current carriers in the absence of an electric field is determined by the extrapolation method. The results of the experiments are in good agreement with the Frenkel-Pool theory, and this affords grounds for asserting that the obtained dependences of electric conductivity on temperature and the electric field strength are defined by variation in the current carrier concentration due to action of the thermal-electron ionization mechanism

MgB2 superconducting particles in a strong electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao, R.; Xu, X.; Amr, E.

2003-01-01

The electric-field induced ball formation has been observed with MgB 2 powder in a strong static or quasi-static electric field. The effect of temperature and magnetic field on the ball formation shows surprising features. For quite a wide range of temperature from T c =39 K and below, the ball size is proportional to (1-T/T c ). As the temperature further goes below 20 K, the ball size becomes almost a constant. If MgB 2 particles are in a strong electric field and a moderate magnetic field, the electric-field induced balls align in the magnetic-field direction to form ball chains

Organic/inorganic electrochromic nanocomposites with various interfacial interactions: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiong, Shanxin, E-mail: xiongsx@xust.edu.cn; Yin, Siyuan; Wang, Yuyun; Kong, Zhenzhen; Lan, Jinpeng; Zhang, Runlan; Gong, Ming; Wu, Bohua; Chu, Jia; Wang, Xiaoqin

2017-07-15

Highlights: • We review the effects of interfacial interactions in electrochromic nanocomposites. • Interfacial interactions are useful for film fabrication and property-enhancement. • The strong interaction can enhance the electron conduction and structural strength. • The weak interactions exist widely between organic and inorganic phases. • Multiple weak interactions can provide various performance-adjusting approaches. - Abstract: Electrochromic properties of organic or inorganic materials can be improved through preparing organic/inorganic electrochromic nanocomposites. In electrochromic nanocomposites, the interfacial interactions between the organic and inorganic phases play three important roles in preparation and application of the nanocomposites. Firstly, the interfacial interactions result in stable molecular structures. Secondly, they also improve the electron conduction and ion transport process in the nanocomposites. Thirdly, they enhance the electrochemical and electrochromic properties of the nanocomposites. In this paper, we review the common interfacial interactions including covalent bond, coordination bond, electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bond and π-π stacking interaction between the organic and inorganic phases in the electrochromic nanocomposites. The preparation method, the relationship between the structure and properties, and the mechanism of modulation of electrochromic effect in the nanocomposites with various interfacial interactions are surveyed. The strong interfacial interaction, e.g., covalent bond, is helpful for obtaining electrochromic nanocomposites with high electron conduction and high structural strength. However it is very complicated to construct covalent bond between the organic and inorganic phases. Another strong interfacial interaction, the coordination bond is mainly confined to preparation of electrochromic complex of metal ion and pyridine derivative. While, the weak interfacial interactions, e

Organic/inorganic electrochromic nanocomposites with various interfacial interactions: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong, Shanxin; Yin, Siyuan; Wang, Yuyun; Kong, Zhenzhen; Lan, Jinpeng; Zhang, Runlan; Gong, Ming; Wu, Bohua; Chu, Jia; Wang, Xiaoqin

2017-01-01

Highlights: • We review the effects of interfacial interactions in electrochromic nanocomposites. • Interfacial interactions are useful for film fabrication and property-enhancement. • The strong interaction can enhance the electron conduction and structural strength. • The weak interactions exist widely between organic and inorganic phases. • Multiple weak interactions can provide various performance-adjusting approaches. - Abstract: Electrochromic properties of organic or inorganic materials can be improved through preparing organic/inorganic electrochromic nanocomposites. In electrochromic nanocomposites, the interfacial interactions between the organic and inorganic phases play three important roles in preparation and application of the nanocomposites. Firstly, the interfacial interactions result in stable molecular structures. Secondly, they also improve the electron conduction and ion transport process in the nanocomposites. Thirdly, they enhance the electrochemical and electrochromic properties of the nanocomposites. In this paper, we review the common interfacial interactions including covalent bond, coordination bond, electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bond and π-π stacking interaction between the organic and inorganic phases in the electrochromic nanocomposites. The preparation method, the relationship between the structure and properties, and the mechanism of modulation of electrochromic effect in the nanocomposites with various interfacial interactions are surveyed. The strong interfacial interaction, e.g., covalent bond, is helpful for obtaining electrochromic nanocomposites with high electron conduction and high structural strength. However it is very complicated to construct covalent bond between the organic and inorganic phases. Another strong interfacial interaction, the coordination bond is mainly confined to preparation of electrochromic complex of metal ion and pyridine derivative. While, the weak interfacial interactions, e

Interfacial Energy and Fine Defect Structures for Incoherent Films

OpenAIRE

Cermelli, Paolo; Gurtin, Morton E.; Leoni, Giovanni

1999-01-01

This note summarizes recent results in which modern techniques of the calculus of variations are used to obtain qualitative features of film-substrate interfaces for a broad class of interfacial energies. In particular, we show that the existence of a critical thickness for incoherency and the formation of interfacial dislocations depend strongly on the convexity and smoothness of the interfacial energy function.

Atom-Pair Kinetics with Strong Electric-Dipole Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Thaicharoen, N; Gonçalves, L F; Raithel, G

2016-05-27

Rydberg-atom ensembles are switched from a weakly to a strongly interacting regime via adiabatic transformation of the atoms from an approximately nonpolar into a highly dipolar quantum state. The resultant electric dipole-dipole forces are probed using a device akin to a field ion microscope. Ion imaging and pair-correlation analysis reveal the kinetics of the interacting atoms. Dumbbell-shaped pair-correlation images demonstrate the anisotropy of the binary dipolar force. The dipolar C_{3} coefficient, derived from the time dependence of the images, agrees with the value calculated from the permanent electric-dipole moment of the atoms. The results indicate many-body dynamics akin to disorder-induced heating in strongly coupled particle systems.

Monitoring the interfacial electric field in pure and doped SrTiO3 surfaces by means of phase-resolved optical second harmonic generation

Science.gov (United States)

Rubano, Andrea; Mou, Sen; Paparo, Domenico

2018-05-01

Oxides and new functional materials such as oxide-based hetero-structures are very good candidates to achieve the goal of the next generation electronics. One of the main features that rules the electronic behavior of these compounds is the interfacial electric field which confines the charge carriers to a quasi-two-dimensional space region. The sign of the confined charge clearly depends on the electric field direction, which is however a very elusive quantity, as most techniques can only detect its absolute value. Even more valuable would be to access the sign of the interfacial electric field directly during the sample growth, being thus able to optimize the growth conditions directly looking at the feature of interest. For this aim, solid and reliable sensors are needed for monitoring the thin films while grown. Recently optical second harmonic generation has been proposed by us as a tool for non-invasive, non-destructive, real-time, in-situ imaging of oxide epitaxial film growth. The spatial resolution of this technique has been exploited to obtain real-time images of the sample under investigation. Here we propose to exploit another very important physical property of the second harmonic wave: its phase, which is directly coupled with the electric field direction, as shown by our measurements.

Improved Gate Dielectric Deposition and Enhanced Electrical Stability for Single-Layer MoS2 MOSFET with an AlN Interfacial Layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Qingkai; Li, Baikui; Hua, Mengyuan; Zhang, Zhaofu; Lan, Feifei; Xu, Yongkuan; Yan, Ruyue; Chen, Kevin J

2016-06-09

Transistors based on MoS2 and other TMDs have been widely studied. The dangling-bond free surface of MoS2 has made the deposition of high-quality high-k dielectrics on MoS2 a challenge. The resulted transistors often suffer from the threshold voltage instability induced by the high density traps near MoS2/dielectric interface or inside the gate dielectric, which is detrimental for the practical applications of MoS2 metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). In this work, by using AlN deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) as an interfacial layer, top-gate dielectrics as thin as 6 nm for single-layer MoS2 transistors are demonstrated. The AlN interfacial layer not only promotes the conformal deposition of high-quality Al2O3 on the dangling-bond free MoS2, but also greatly enhances the electrical stability of the MoS2 transistors. Very small hysteresis (ΔVth) is observed even at large gate biases and high temperatures. The transistor also exhibits a low level of flicker noise, which clearly originates from the Hooge mobility fluctuation instead of the carrier number fluctuation. The observed superior electrical stability of MoS2 transistor is attributed to the low border trap density of the AlN interfacial layer, as well as the small gate leakage and high dielectric strength of AlN/Al2O3 dielectric stack.

Ionizing gas breakdown waves in strong electric fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Klingbeil, R.; Tidman, D. A.; Fernsler, R. F.

1972-01-01

A previous analysis by Albright and Tidman (1972) of the structure of an ionizing potential wave driven through a dense gas by a strong electric field is extended to include atomic structure details of the background atoms and radiative effects, especially, photoionization. It is found that photoionization plays an important role in avalanche propagation. Velocities, electron densities, and temperatures are presented as a function of electric field for both negative and positive breakdown waves in nitrogen.

Strong economic growth driving increased electricity consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tiusanen, P.

2000-01-01

The Finnish economy is growing faster today than anyone dared hope only a few years ago. Growth estimates for 2000 have already had to be raised. This strong level of economic growth has been reflected in electricity consumption, which has continued to increase, despite the exceptionally warm winter. A major part of this increased electricity usage has so far been met through imports. The continued growth in electricity imports has largely been a result of the fact that the good water level situation in Sweden and Norway, together with the mild winter, has kept electricity prices exceptionally low on the Nordic electricity exchange. The short period of low temperatures seen at the end of January showed, however, that this type of temperature fluctuation, combined with the restrictions that exist in regard to transfer capacity, can serve to push Nordic exchange electricity prices to record levels. This increase in price also highlights the fact that we are approaching a situation in which capacity will be insufficient to meet demand. A truly tough winter has not been seen since the Nordic region's electricity markets were deregulated. The lesson that needs to be learnt is that Finland needs sufficient capacity of her own to meet demand even during particularly cold winters. Finland used 77.9 billion kWh of electricity last year, up 1.6% or 1.3 billion kWh on 1998. This growth was relatively evenly distributed among different user groups. This year, electricity consumption is forecast to grow by 2-3%

Design of exceptionally strong and conductive Cu alloys beyond the conventional speculation via the interfacial energy-controlled dispersion of γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Seung Zeon; Kim, Kwang Ho; Kang, Joonhee; Joh, Hongrae; Kim, Sang Min; Ahn, Jee Hyuk; Lee, Jehyun; Lim, Sung Hwan; Han, Byungchan

2015-11-30

The development of Cu-based alloys with high-mechanical properties (strength, ductility) and electrical conductivity plays a key role over a wide range of industrial applications. Successful design of the materials, however, has been rare due to the improvement of mutually exclusive properties as conventionally speculated. In this paper, we demonstrate that these contradictory material properties can be improved simultaneously if the interfacial energies of heterogeneous interfaces are carefully controlled. We uniformly disperse γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles over Cu matrix, and then we controlled atomic level morphology of the interface γ-Al2O3//Cu by adding Ti solutes. It is shown that the Ti dramatically drives the interfacial phase transformation from very irregular to homogeneous spherical morphologies resulting in substantial enhancement of the mechanical property of Cu matrix. Furthermore, the Ti removes impurities (O and Al) in the Cu matrix by forming oxides leading to recovery of the electrical conductivity of pure Cu. We validate experimental results using TEM and EDX combined with first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which all consistently poise that our materials are suitable for industrial applications.

Interfacial effect on physical properties of composite media: Interfacial volume fraction with non-spherical hard-core-soft-shell-structured particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Wenxiang; Duan, Qinglin; Ma, Huaifa; Chen, Wen; Chen, Huisu

2015-11-02

Interfaces are known to be crucial in a variety of fields and the interfacial volume fraction dramatically affects physical properties of composite media. However, it is an open problem with great significance how to determine the interfacial property in composite media with inclusions of complex geometry. By the stereological theory and the nearest-surface distribution functions, we first propose a theoretical framework to symmetrically present the interfacial volume fraction. In order to verify the interesting generalization, we simulate three-phase composite media by employing hard-core-soft-shell structures composed of hard mono-/polydisperse non-spherical particles, soft interfaces, and matrix. We numerically derive the interfacial volume fraction by a Monte Carlo integration scheme. With the theoretical and numerical results, we find that the interfacial volume fraction is strongly dependent on the so-called geometric size factor and sphericity characterizing the geometric shape in spite of anisotropic particle types. As a significant interfacial property, the present theoretical contribution can be further drawn into predicting the effective transport properties of composite materials.

Pentacene Excitons in Strong Electric Fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhnke, Klaus; Turkowski, Volodymyr; Kabakchiev, Alexander; Lutz, Theresa; Rahman, Talat S; Kern, Klaus

2018-02-05

Electroluminescence spectroscopy of organic semiconductors in the junction of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) provides access to the polarizability of neutral excited states in a well-characterized molecular geometry. We study the Stark shift of the self-trapped lowest singlet exciton at 1.6 eV in a pentacene nanocrystal. Combination of density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) with experiment allows for assignment of the observation to a charge-transfer (CT) exciton. Its charge separation is perpendicular to the applied field, as the measured polarizability is moderate and the electric field in the STM junction is strong enough to dissociate a CT exciton polarized parallel to the applied field. The calculated electric-field-induced anisotropy of the exciton potential energy surface will also be of relevance to photovoltaic applications. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Comparison of the interfacial properties of Eugenia uniflora and Triticum vulgaris lectins.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Cesar A S; Oliveira, Maria D L; Santos-Magalhães, Nereide S; Correia, Maria T S; de Melo, Celso P

2009-01-01

We have investigated the interfacial and dielectric properties of EuniSL, a recently purified lectin obtained from seeds of Eugenia uniflora (EuniSL), through surface pressure (Pi) and surface potential (DeltaV) measurements of its floating monolayers at the 2.0interfacial properties of both lectins are strongly dependent upon the pH of bulk phase, in general terms EuniSL monolayers seem to be more structured than those of WGA. At the pH range investigated, the interfacial electric double layer values (Psi(0)) calculated from the surface potential are negative, both for EuniSL and WGA. While for EuniSL definite breakpoints in an otherwise linear dependence of Psi(0) and zeta-potential as a function of pH were detected at pH 6.5, similar changes were observed for WGA at pH 8.5, a value close to the isoelectric point (pI) of this lectin. We have then used electrical impedance spectroscopy to investigate the dielectric characteristics of aqueous solutions of the two lectins, assuming a simple Debye relaxation model, and determined the pI of EuniSL as 6.5. While it is well known that the pI of a protein dispersed as a Langmuir film can be determined by surface potential measurements, our results confirm the use of impedance spectroscopy as a valuable and convenient technique that allows the identification of the pI of proteins directly dispersed in aqueous solutions.

Interfacial, electrical, and spin-injection properties of epitaxial Co2MnGa grown on GaAs(100)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damsgaard, Christian Danvad; Hickey, M. C.; Holmes, S. N.

2009-01-01

The interfacial, electrical, and magnetic properties of the Heusler alloy Co2MnGa grown epitaxially on GaAs(100) are presented with an emphasis on the use of this metal-semiconductor combination for a device that operates on the principles of spin-injection between the two materials. Through...... was monitored in situ by reflection high energy electron diffraction and the bulk composition was measured ex situ with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The Co2MnGa L21 cubic structure is strained below a thickness of 20 nm on GaAs(100) but relaxed in films thicker than 20 nm...

Interfacial effects on the electrical properties of multiferroic BiFeO3/Pt/Si thin film heterostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yakovlev, S.; Zekonyte, J.; Solterbeck, C.-H.; Es-Souni, M.

2005-01-01

Polycrystalline BiFeO 3 thin films of various thickness were fabricated on (111)Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrates via chemical solution deposition. The electrical properties were investigated using impedance and leakage current measurements. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with Ar ion milling (depth profiling) was used to investigate elemental distribution near the electrode-film interface. It is shown that the dielectric constant depends on film thickness due to the presence of an interfacial film-electrode layer evidenced by XPS investigation. Direct current conductivity is found to be governed by Schottky and/or Poole-Frenkel mechanisms

Interfacial and Electrical Properties of Ge MOS Capacitor by ZrLaON Passivation Layer and Fluorine Incorporation

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yong; Xu, Jing-Ping; Liu, Lu; Cheng, Zhi-Xiang; Lai, Pui-To; Tang, Wing-Man

2017-09-01

Ge Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) capacitor with HfTiON/ZrLaON stacked gate dielectric and fluorine-plasma treatment is fabricated, and its interfacial and electrical properties are compared with its counterparts without the ZrLaON passivation layer or the fluorine-plasma treatment. Experimental results show that the sample exhibits excellent performances: low interface-state density (3.7×1011 cm-2eV-1), small flatband voltage (0.21 V), good capacitance-voltage behavior, small frequency dispersion and low gate leakage current (4.41×10-5 A/cm2 at Vg = Vfb + 1V). These should be attributed to the suppressed growth of unstable Ge oxides on the Ge surface during gate-dielectric annealing by the ZrLaON interlayer and fluorine incorporation, thus greatly reducing the defective states at/near the ZrLaON/Ge interface and improving the electrical properties of the device.

Improving Multi-Functional Properties in Polymer Based Nano Composites by Interfacial

Science.gov (United States)

Tajaddod, Navid

Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) have become an area of increasing interest for study in the field of polymer science and technology since the rise of nanotechnology research. Despite the significant amount of progress being made towards producing high quality PNC materials, improvement in the mechanical, electrical, thermal and other functional properties still remain a challenge. To date, these properties are only a fraction of the expected theoretical values predicted for these materials. Development of interfacial regions between the filler and matrix within the composite has been found to be an important focus in terms of processing. Proper interfacial control and development may ensure excellent interaction and property transfer between the filler and polymer matrix in addition to improvement of multi-functional properties of PNCs. The property-structure importance for the existence of the interfacial and interphase region within PNCs is discussed in this thesis work. Two specific PNC systems are selected for study as part of this dissertation in order to understand the effect of interfacial region development on influencing multi-functional property trends. Polyethylene (PE)/boron nitride (BN) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composites were selected to investigate their mechanical performance and thermal and electrical conductivity properties, respectively. For these systems it was found that the interfacial region structure is directly related to the enhancement of the subsequent multi-functional properties.

Electrically tunable single-dot nanocavities in the weak and strong coupling regimes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laucht, Arne; Hofbauer, Felix; Angele, Jacob

2008-01-01

We report the design, fabrication and optical investigation of electrically tunable single quantum dot - photonic crystal defect nanocavities [1] operating in both the weak and strong coupling regimes of the light matter interaction. Unlike previous studies, where the dot-cavity spectral detuning...... of the emitted photons from a single-dot nanocavity in the weak and strong coupling regimes. New information is obtained on the nature of the dot-cavity coupling in the weak coupling regime and electrical control of zero dimensional polaritons is demonstrated for the first time. Vacuum Rabi splittings up to 2g...... electrical readout of the strongly coupled dot-cavity system using photocurrent methods will be discussed. This work is financially supported by the DFG via SFB 631 and by the German Excellence Initiative via the “Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM)”....

Activating "Invisible" Glue: Using Electron Beam for Enhancement of Interfacial Properties of Graphene-Metal Contact.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Songkil; Russell, Michael; Kulkarni, Dhaval D; Henry, Mathias; Kim, Steve; Naik, Rajesh R; Voevodin, Andrey A; Jang, Seung Soon; Tsukruk, Vladimir V; Fedorov, Andrei G

2016-01-26

Interfacial contact of two-dimensional graphene with three-dimensional metal electrodes is crucial to engineering high-performance graphene-based nanodevices with superior performance. Here, we report on the development of a rapid "nanowelding" method for enhancing properties of interface to graphene buried under metal electrodes using a focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID). High energy electron irradiation activates two-dimensional graphene structure by generation of structural defects at the interface to metal contacts with subsequent strong bonding via FEBID of an atomically thin graphitic interlayer formed by low energy secondary electron-assisted dissociation of entrapped hydrocarbon contaminants. Comprehensive investigation is conducted to demonstrate formation of the FEBID graphitic interlayer and its impact on contact properties of graphene devices achieved via strong electromechanical coupling at graphene-metal interfaces. Reduction of the device electrical resistance by ∼50% at a Dirac point and by ∼30% at the gate voltage far from the Dirac point is obtained with concurrent improvement in thermomechanical reliability of the contact interface. Importantly, the process is rapid and has an excellent insertion potential into a conventional fabrication workflow of graphene-based nanodevices through single-step postprocessing modification of interfacial properties at the buried heterogeneous contact.

Polarization-dependent interfacial coupling modulation of ferroelectric photovoltaic effect in PZT-ZnO heterostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Dan-Feng; Bi, Gui-Feng; Chen, Guang-Yi; Zhang, Hao; Liu, Jun-Ming; Wang, Guang-Hou; Wan, Jian-Guo

2016-03-08

Recently, ferroelectric perovskite oxides have drawn much attention due to potential applications in the field of solar energy conversion. However, the power conversion efficiency of ferroelectric photovoltaic effect currently reported is far below the expectable value. One of the crucial problems lies in the two back-to-back Schottky barriers, which are formed at the ferroelectric-electrode interfaces and blocking most of photo-generated carriers to reach the outside circuit. Herein, we develop a new approach to enhance the ferroelectric photovoltaic effect by introducing the polarization-dependent interfacial coupling effect. Through inserting a semiconductor ZnO layer with spontaneous polarization into the ferroelectric ITO/PZT/Au film, a p-n junction with strong polarization-dependent interfacial coupling effect is formed. The power conversion efficiency of the heterostructure is improved by nearly two orders of magnitude and the polarization modulation ratio is increased about four times. It is demonstrated that the polarization-dependent interfacial coupling effect can give rise to a great change in band structure of the heterostructure, not only producing an aligned internal electric field but also tuning both depletion layer width and potential barrier height at PZT-ZnO interface. This work provides an efficient way in developing highly efficient ferroelectric-based solar cells and novel optoelectronic memory devices.

Single-Molecule Interfacial Electron Transfer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, H. Peter [Bowling Green State Univ., Bowling Green, OH (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Center for Photochemical Sciences

2017-11-28

This project is focused on the use of single-molecule high spatial and temporal resolved techniques to study molecular dynamics in condensed phase and at interfaces, especially, the complex reaction dynamics associated with electron and energy transfer rate processes. The complexity and inhomogeneity of the interfacial ET dynamics often present a major challenge for a molecular level comprehension of the intrinsically complex systems, which calls for both higher spatial and temporal resolutions at ultimate single-molecule and single-particle sensitivities. Combined single-molecule spectroscopy and electrochemical atomic force microscopy approaches are unique for heterogeneous and complex interfacial electron transfer systems because the static and dynamic inhomogeneities can be identified and characterized by studying one molecule at a specific nanoscale surface site at a time. The goal of our project is to integrate and apply these spectroscopic imaging and topographic scanning techniques to measure the energy flow and electron flow between molecules and substrate surfaces as a function of surface site geometry and molecular structure. We have been primarily focusing on studying interfacial electron transfer under ambient condition and electrolyte solution involving both single crystal and colloidal TiO₂ and related substrates. The resulting molecular level understanding of the fundamental interfacial electron transfer processes will be important for developing efficient light harvesting systems and broadly applicable to problems in fundamental chemistry and physics. We have made significant advancement on deciphering the underlying mechanism of the complex and inhomogeneous interfacial electron transfer dynamics in dyesensitized TiO₂ nanoparticle systems that strongly involves with and regulated by molecule-surface interactions. We have studied interfacial electron transfer on TiO₂ nanoparticle surfaces by using ultrafast single

Interfacial, Electrical, and Band Alignment Characteristics of HfO2/Ge Stacks with In Situ-Formed SiO2 Interlayer by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Yan-Qiang; Wu, Bing; Wu, Di; Li, Ai-Dong

2017-05-01

In situ-formed SiO2 was introduced into HfO2 gate dielectrics on Ge substrate as interlayer by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). The interfacial, electrical, and band alignment characteristics of the HfO2/SiO2 high-k gate dielectric stacks on Ge have been well investigated. It has been demonstrated that Si-O-Ge interlayer is formed on Ge surface during the in situ PEALD SiO2 deposition process. This interlayer shows fantastic thermal stability during annealing without obvious Hf-silicates formation. In addition, it can also suppress the GeO2 degradation. The electrical measurements show that capacitance equivalent thickness of 1.53 nm and a leakage current density of 2.1 × 10-3 A/cm2 at gate bias of Vfb + 1 V was obtained for the annealed sample. The conduction (valence) band offsets at the HfO2/SiO2/Ge interface with and without PDA are found to be 2.24 (2.69) and 2.48 (2.45) eV, respectively. These results indicate that in situ PEALD SiO2 may be a promising interfacial control layer for the realization of high-quality Ge-based transistor devices. Moreover, it can be demonstrated that PEALD is a much more powerful technology for ultrathin interfacial control layer deposition than MOCVD.

Interfacial structure of V2AlC thin films deposited on (112-bar 0)-sapphire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sigumonrong, Darwin P.; Zhang, Jie; Zhou, Yanchun; Music, Denis; Emmerlich, Jens; Mayer, Joachim; Schneider, Jochen M.

2011-01-01

Local epitaxy between V 2 AlC and sapphire without intentionally or spontaneously formed seed layers was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Our ab initio calculations suggest that the most stable interfacial structure is characterized by the stacking sequence ...C-V-Al-V//O-Al..., exhibiting the largest work of separation for the configurations studied and hence strong interfacial bonding. It is proposed that a small misfit accompanied by strong interfacial bonding enable the local epitaxial growth of V 2 AlC on (112-bar 0)-sapphire.

Temperature and compositional dependence of solid-liquid interfacial energy: application of the Cahn-Hilliard theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, I.; Takei, Y.

2005-01-01

A simple thermodynamic method to estimate the solid-liquid interfacial energy (or interfacial tension) is proposed, based on the Cahn-Hilliard theory. In the model, the liquid is treated as a regular solution, and the interfacial layers are assumed to have liquid-like thermodynamic properties. In eutectic systems, interfacial adsorption occurs within a few atomic layers, and interfacial energy monotonously increases with decreasing concentration of the solid species in the liquid phase. If non-ideal atomic interaction is strong and the liquid immiscibility region appears in the phase diagrams (this is the case of monotectic systems), the interfacial thickness drastically increases and the interfacial energy is reduced around the immiscibility gap

Frequency and voltage dependent profile of dielectric properties, electric modulus and ac electrical conductivity in the PrBaCoO nanofiber capacitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Demirezen

Full Text Available In this study, praseodymium barium cobalt oxide nanofiber interfacial layer was sandwiched between Au and n-Si. Frequency and voltage dependence of ε′, ε′, tanδ, electric modulus (M′ and M″ and σac of PrBaCoO nanofiber capacitor have been investigated by using impedance spectroscopy method. The obtained experimental results show that the values of ε′, ε′, tanδ, M′, M″ and σac of the PrBaCoO nanofiber capacitor are strongly dependent on frequency of applied bias voltage. The values of ε′, ε″ and tanδ show a steep decrease with increasing frequency for each forward bias voltage, whereas the values of σac and the electric modulus increase with increasing frequency. The high dispersion in ε′ and ε″ values at low frequencies may be attributed to the Maxwell–Wagner and space charge polarization. The high values of ε′ may be due to the interfacial effects within the material, PrBaCoO nanofibers interfacial layer and electron effect. The values of M′ and M″ reach a maximum constant value corresponding to M∞ ≈ 1/ε∞ due to the relaxation process at high frequencies, but both the values of M′ and M″ approach almost to zero at low frequencies. The changes in the dielectric and electrical properties with frequency can be also attributed to the existence of Nss and Rs of the capacitors. As a result, the change in the ε′, ε″, tanδ, M′, M″ and ac electric conductivity (σac is a result of restructuring and reordering of charges at the PrBaCoO/n-Si interface under an external electric field or voltage and interface polarization. Keywords: Thin films, Electrical properties, Interface/interphase

Redshift of A 1(longitudinal optical) mode for GaN crystals under strong electric field

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Hong; Wu, Kaijie; Zheng, Shunan; Shi, Lin; Zhang, Min; Liu, Zhenghui; Liu, Xinke; Wang, Jianfeng; Zhou, Taofei; Xu, Ke

2018-01-01

We investigated the property of GaN crystals under a strong electric field. The Raman spectra of GaN were measured using an ultraviolet laser, and a remarkable redshift of the A 1(LO) mode was observed. The role of the surface depletion layer was discussed, and the interrelation between the electric field and phonons was revealed. First-principles calculations indicated that, in particular, the phonons that vibrate along the [0001] direction are strongly influenced by the electric field. This effect was confirmed by a surface photovoltage experiment. The results revealed the origin of the redshift and presented the phonon property of GaN under a strong electric field.

Hyperbolic tangent variational approximation for interfacial profiles of binary polymer blends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lifschitz, M.; Freed, K.F.; Tang, H.

1995-01-01

Contemporary theories of binary polymer blend interfaces incorporate such features of real polymer blends as compressibility, local correlations, monomer structure, etc. However, these theories require complicated numerical schemes, and their solutions often cannot be interpreted in a physically clear fashion. We develop a variational formalism for computing interfacial properties of binary polymer blends based on a hyperbolic tangent representation for the interfaces. While such an analysis is straightforward in the incompressible limit, the extension to compressible binary blends requires two distinct width parameters and nontrivial analysis. When the profile width parameters are chosen to minimize the excess free energy of a phase separated binary blend, then the interfacial properties computed from our simplified interfacial theory closely match those computed with the much more sophisticated (and computationally intensive) treatments. Significant attention is devoted to describing the interfacial properties of blends in the regime intermediate between the strong and the weak segregation limits as well as to extrapolating between these limits. The extension of the square gradient theory to the Tang--Freed quartic approximation provides a more precise definition of the weak segregation limit, but the treatment is found to overestimate both the interfacial tension and width in the strong segregation limit. The width parameters for the different components of a strongly asymmetric compressible blend vary to a lesser extent than an asymptotic analysis in the bulk suggests. This finding indicates that the central portion of the profile contributes the most in the minimization of the excess free energy with respect to the variational width parameters. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Modification of the Interfacial Interaction between Carbon Fiber and Epoxy with Carbon Hybrid Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kejing Yu

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The mechanical properties of the hybrid materials and epoxy and carbon fiber (CF composites were improved significantly as compared to the CF composites made from unmodified epoxy. The reasons could be attributed to the strong interfacial interaction between the CF and the epoxy composites for the existence of carbon nanomaterials. The microstructure and dispersion of carbon nanomaterials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM and optical microscopy (OM. The results showed that the dispersion of the hybrid materials in the polymer was superior to other carbon nanomaterials. The high viscosity and shear stress characterized by a rheometer and the high interfacial friction and damping behavior characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA indicated that the strong interfacial interaction was greatly improved between fibers and epoxy composites. Remarkably, the tensile tests presented that the CF composites with hybrid materials and epoxy composites have a better reinforcing and toughening effect on CF, which further verified the strong interfacial interaction between epoxy and CF for special structural hybrid materials.

Inward transport of a toroidally confined plasma subject to strong radial electric fields

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, J. R.; Krawczonek, W. M.; Powers, E. J.; Hong, J.; Kim, Y.

1977-01-01

The paper aims at showing that the density and confinement time of a toroidal plasma can be enhanced by radial electric fields far stronger than the ambipolar values, and that, if such electric fields point into the plasma, radially inward transport can result. The investigation deals with low-frequency fluctuation-induced transport using digitally implemented spectral analysis techniques and with the role of strong applied radial electric fields and weak vertical magnetic fields on plasma density and particle confinement times in a Bumpy Torus geometry. Results indicate that application of sufficiently strong radially inward electric fields results in radially inward fluctuation-induced transport into the toroidal electrostatic potential well; this inward transport gives rise to higher average electron densities and longer particle confinement times in the toroidal plasma.

Interfacial Layer Engineering for Performance Enhancement in Polymer Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Zeng

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Improving power conversion efficiency and device performance stability is the most critical challenge in polymer solar cells for fulfilling their applications in industry at large scale. Various methodologies have been developed for realizing this goal, among them interfacial layer engineering has shown great success, which can optimize the electrical contacts between active layers and electrodes and lead to enhanced charge transport and collection. Interfacial layers also show profound impacts on light absorption and optical distribution of solar irradiation in the active layer and film morphology of the subsequently deposited active layer due to the accompanied surface energy change. Interfacial layer engineering enables the use of high work function metal electrodes without sacrificing device performance, which in combination with the favored kinetic barriers against water and oxygen penetration leads to polymer solar cells with enhanced performance stability. This review provides an overview of the recent progress of different types of interfacial layer materials, including polymers, small molecules, graphene oxides, fullerene derivatives, and metal oxides. Device performance enhancement of the resulting solar cells will be elucidated and the function and operation mechanism of the interfacial layers will be discussed.

Cavity opto-electromechanical system combining strong electrical actuation with ultrasensitive transduction

OpenAIRE

McRae, Terry G.; Lee, Kwan H.; Harris, Glen I.; Knittel, Joachim; Bowen, Warwick P.

2010-01-01

A cavity opto-electromechanical system is reported which combines the ultrasensitive transduction of cavity optomechanical systems with the electrical actuation of nanoelectromechanical systems. Ultrasensitive mechanical transduction is achieved via opto-mechanical coupling. Electrical gradient forces as large as 0.40 $\\mu$N are realized, facilitating strong actuation with ultralow dissipation. A scanning probe microscope is implemented, capable of characterizing the mechanical modes. The int...

Wavelength dependence of liquid-vapor interfacial tension of Ga

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Dongxu; Yang Bin; Rice, Stuart A.; Lin Binhua; Meron, Mati; Gebhardt, Jeff; Graber, Tim

2004-01-01

The wave-vector dependence of the liquid-vapor interfacial tension of Ga, γ(q), has been determined from diffuse x-ray scattering measurements. The ratio γ(q)/γ(0)=1 for q -1 decreases to 0.5 near q=0.22 Angstrom -1 , and increases strongly for larger q. The observed form for γ(q)/γ(0) is consistent with the prediction from the Mecke-Dietrich theory when the known stratified liquid-vapor interfacial density profile of Ga and a pseudopotential based pair interaction with appropriate asymptotic (r→∞) behavior are used. The detailed behavior of γ(q)/γ(0) depends on the particular forms of both the interfacial density profile and the asymptotic falloff of the atomic pair interaction

Titanium carbide nanocube core induced interfacial growth of crystalline polypyrrole/polyvinyl alcohol lamellar shell for wide-temperature range supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Yu-Ting; Pan, Hsiao-An; Wu, Nae-Lih; Chen, Geroge Zheng

2015-01-01

This is the first investigation on electrically conducting polymers-based supercapacitor electrodes over a wide temperature range, from -18 °C to 60 °C. A high-performance supercapacitor electrode material consisting of TiC nanocube core and conformal crystalline polypyrrole (PPy)/poly-vinyl-alcohol (PVA) lamellar shell has been synthesized by heterogeneous nucleation-induced interfacial crystallization. PPy is induced to crystallize on the negatively charged TiC nanocube surfaces via strong interfacial interactions. In this organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposite, the long chain PVA enables enhanced cycle life due to improved mechanical properties, and the TiC nanocube not only contributes to electron conduction, but also dictates the PPy morphology/crystallinity for maximizing the charging-discharging performance. The crystalline PPy/PAV layer on the TiC nanocube offers unprecedented high capacity (>350 F g-1-PPy at 300 mV s-1 with ΔV = 1.6 V) and cycling stability in a temperature range from -18 °C to 60 °C. The presented hybrid-filler and interfacial crystallization strategies can be applied to the exploration of new-generation high-power conducting polymer-based supercapacitor materials.

Hyper-cross-linked, hybrid membranes via interfacial polymerization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Raaijmakers, Michiel

2015-01-01

Hyper-cross-linked, hybrid membranes consist of covalent networks of alternating organic and inorganic, or biological groups. This thesis reports on the preparation of such hybrid networks via interfacial polymerization. The structure-property relationships of the hybrid networks depend strongly on

Interfacial Thermal Transport via One-Dimensional Atomic Junction Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guohuan Xiong

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In modern information technology, as integration density increases rapidly and the dimension of materials reduces to nanoscale, interfacial thermal transport (ITT has attracted widespread attention of scientists. This review introduces the latest theoretical development in ITT through one-dimensional (1D atomic junction model to address the thermal transport across an interface. With full consideration of the atomic structures in interfaces, people can apply the 1D atomic junction model to investigate many properties of ITT, such as interfacial (Kapitza resistance, nonlinear interface, interfacial rectification, and phonon interference, and so on. For the ballistic ITT, both the scattering boundary method (SBM and the non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF method can be applied, which are exact since atomic details of actual interfaces are considered. For interfacial coupling case, explicit analytical expression of transmission coefficient can be obtained and it is found that the thermal conductance maximizes at certain interfacial coupling (harmonic mean of the spring constants of the two leads and the transmission coefficient is not a monotonic decreasing function of phonon frequency. With nonlinear interaction—phonon–phonon interaction or electron–phonon interaction at interface, the NEGF method provides an efficient way to study the ITT. It is found that at weak linear interfacial coupling, the nonlinearity can improve the ITT, but it depresses the ITT in the case of strong-linear coupling. In addition, the nonlinear interfacial coupling can induce thermal rectification effect. For interfacial materials case which can be simulated by a two-junction atomic chain, phonons show interference effect, and an optimized thermal coupler can be obtained by tuning its spring constant and atomic mass.

Internal structure and interfacial velocity development for bubbly two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocamustafaogullari, G.; Huang, W.D.

1994-01-01

This paper describes an experimental study of the internal structure of air-water flowing horizontally. The double-sensor resistivity probe technique was applied for measurements of local interfacial parameters, including void fraction, interfacial area concentration, bubble size distributions, bubble passing frequency and bubble interface velocity. Bubbly flow patterns at several flow conditions were examined at three axial locations, L/D=25, 148 and 253, in which the first measurement represents the entrance region where the flow develops, and the second and third may represent near fully developed bubbly flow patterns. The experimental results are presented in three-dimensional perspective plots of the interfacial parameters over the cross-section. These multi-dimensional presentations showed that the local values of the void fraction, interfacial area concentration and bubble passing frequency were nearly constant over the cross-section at L/D=25, with slight local peaking close to the channel wall. Although similar local peakings were observed at the second and third locations, the internal flow structure segregation due to buoyancy appeared to be very strong in the axial direction. A simple comparison of profiles of the interfacial parameters at the three locations indicated that the flow pattern development was a continuous process. Finally, it was shown that the so-called ''fully developed'' bubbly two-phase flow pattern cannot be established in a horizontal pipe and that there was no strong correspondence between void fraction and interface velocity profiles. ((orig.))

Kinetic theory of wave spectra in semiconductors at the strong constant electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grinev, B.V.; Seminozhenko, V.P.; Yatsenko, A.A.

1984-01-01

With allowanse made for the effect of strong static electric field on the electronic interaction with collective oscillations in plasms, the Languemure oscillations, ion acoustic instability of plasma with current are considered in the collisionless limit. The electric field dependence of the collisionless damping of transversal wayes is determined borh in the degenerate and the nondegenerate cases. The influence of the constant electric field on the anomalous skineffect isstudied

Ethylene Removal in Strong Electric Field Formed by Floating Multi-Electrode

Science.gov (United States)

Nagasawa, Takeshi

Ethylene gas that contains the acetic acid ester element can be removed by applying the pulse voltage to the floating multi-electrode device. This phenomenon is caused in the weak discharge by the strong electric field between the narrow electrodes. This device is possible in very small electric power (apples, and 3.5ppm/30min for 2 melons. However, ethylene gas that doesn't contain the acetic acid ester cannot be removed (ex. ethylene pure gas and Japanese apricot).

Coupling of order parameters, chirality, and interfacial structures in multiferroic materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Conti, Sergio; Müller, Stefan; Poliakovsky, Arkady; Salje, Ekhard K H

2011-04-13

We study optimal interfacial structures in multiferroic materials with a biquadratic coupling between two order parameters. We discover a new duality relation between the strong coupling and the weak coupling regime for the case of isotropic gradient terms. We analyze the phase diagram depending on the coupling constant and anisotropy of the gradient term, and show that in a certain regime the secondary order parameter becomes activated only in the interfacial region.

Interfacial waves generated by electrowetting-driven contact line motion

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Jonghyun; Park, Jaebum; Kim, Yunhee; Shin, Bongsu; Bae, Jungmok; Kim, Ho-Young

2016-10-01

The contact angle of a liquid-fluid interface can be effectively modulated by the electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) technology. Rapid movement of the contact line can be achieved by swift changes of voltage at the electrodes, which can give rise to interfacial waves under the strong influence of surface tension. Here we experimentally demonstrate EWOD-driven interfacial waves of overlapping liquids and compare their wavelength and decay length with the theoretical results obtained by a perturbation analysis. Our theory also allows us to predict the temporal evolution of the interfacial profiles in either rectangular or cylindrical containers, as driven by slipping contact lines. This work builds a theoretical framework to understand and predict the dynamics of capillary waves of a liquid-liquid interface driven by EWOD, which has practical implications on optofluidic devices used to guide light.

The effect of interfacial layers on charge transport in organic solar cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mbuyise, Xolani G.; Tonui, Patrick; Mola, Genene Tessema, E-mail: mola@ukzn.ac.za

2016-09-01

The effect of interfacial buffer layers in organic photovoltaic cell (OPV) whose active layer is composed of poly(3 hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend was studied. The electrical properties of OPV devices produced with and without interfacial layers are compared and discussed in terms of measured parameters of the cells. The charge transport properties showed significant difference on the mobility and activation factor between the two types of device structures. The life time measurements in the unprotected conditions are also presented and discussed.

Visualization of interfacial behavior of liquid jet in pool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uchiyama, Yuta; Abe, Yutaka; Fujiwara, Akiko; Nariai, Hideki; Matsuo, Eiji; Chitose, Keiko; Koyama, Kazuya; Itoh, Kazuhiro

2008-01-01

For the safety design of the Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR), it is strongly required that the post accident heat removal (PAHR) is achieved after a postulated core disruptive accident (CDA). In the PAHR, it is important that the molten core material is quenched (breakup) in sodium coolant. In the previous studies, it is pointed out that the jet breakup behavior is significantly influenced by the fragmentation behavior on the jet surface in the coolant. However, the process from interfacial instability to fragmentation on the jet surface to jet breakup is not elucidated in detail yet. In the present study, the jet breakup behavior is observed to obtain the fragmentation behavior on the jet surface in coolant in detail. The transparent fluid is used as the core material and is injected into the water as the coolant. The velocity distribution of internal flow of the jet is measured by PIV technique and shear stress is calculated from PIV results. From experimental results, unstable interfacial wave is confirmed as upstream and grown up toward downstream. The fragments are torn apart at the end of developed wave. Shear stress is strongly acted on jet surface. From the results, the correlation between the interfacial behavior of the jet and the generation process of fragments are discussed. (author)

Polyindole/ carboxylated-multiwall carbon nanotube composites produced by in-situ and interfacial polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joshi, Leela; Singh, Arun Kumar; Prakash, Rajiv

2012-01-01

Composites of polyindole (PIn), a conducting polymer, with carboxylated-multiwalled carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNT/PIn) were synthesized; the synthesis was done using (i) two miscible solvents (in-situ method) and (ii) two immiscible solvents (interfacial method). A tubular composite, with a uniform coating of the polymer over c-MWCNTs, was observed in the case of interfacial synthesis. However, the in-situ synthesis of c-MWCNT/PIn composites exhibited a densely packed spherical morphology, with c-MWCNT incorporated within the polymer spheres. The spherical morphology was probably obtained due to fast polymerization kinetics and the formation of micelles in case of in-situ polymerization, whereas tubular morphology was obtained in case of interfacial polymerization due to the sufficient time provided for the growth of polymer chains over the c-MWCNT surfaces. Nanoscale electrical properties of composites, in a metal/(c-MWCNT/PIn) configuration, were studied using current sensing atomic force microscopy. Interfacial c-MWCNT/PIn composite, on Al metal substrate, exhibited a typical rectifying diode behavior. This composite had manifested enormous potential for electronic applications and fabrication of nanoscale organic devices. Highlights: ► Polyindole/c-MWNT nanocomposites produced by in-situ and interfacial polymerization. ► Densely packed spherical morphology was observed in in-situ polymerization route. ► Tubular core-shell morphology was observed in interfacial polymerization route. ► Interfacial nanocomposite manifested a nano-schottky junction with Al metal.

The Role of Water in Mediating Interfacial Adhesion and Shear Strength in Graphene Oxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Soler-Crespo, Rafael A; Gao, Wei; Mao, Lily; Nguyen, Hoang T; Roenbeck, Michael R; Paci, Jeffrey T; Huang, Jiaxing; Nguyen, SonBinh T; Espinosa, Horacio D

2018-06-05

Graphene oxide (GO), whose highly tunable surface chemistry enables the formation of strong interfacial hydrogen bond networks, has garnered increasing interest in the design of devices that operate in the presence of water. For instance, previous studies have suggested that controlling GO's surface chemistry leads to enhancements in interfacial shear strength, allowing engineers to manage deformation pathways and control failure mechanisms. However, these previous reports have not explored the role of ambient humidity, and only offer extensive chemical modifications to GO's surface as the main pathway to control GO's interfacial properties. Herein, through atomic force microscopy experiments on GO-GO interfaces, the adhesion energy and interfacial shear strength of GO were measured as a function of ambient humidity. Experimental evidence shows that adhesion energy and interfacial shear strength can be improved by a factor of two to three when GO is exposed to moderate (~30% water wt.) water content. Furthermore, complementary molecular dynamics simulations uncovered the mechanisms by which these nanomaterial interfaces achieve their properties. They reveal that the strengthening mechanism arises from the formation of strongly interacting hydrogen bond networks, driven by the chemistry of the GO basal plane and intercalated water molecules between two GO surfaces. In summary, the methodology and findings here reported provide pathways to simultaneously optimize GO's interfacial and in-plane mechanical properties, by tailoring the chemistry of GO and accounting for water content, in engineering applications such as sensors, filtration membranes, wearable electronics, and structural materials.

Electrical control of optical orientation of neutral and negatively charged excitons in an n -type semiconductor quantum well

Science.gov (United States)

Dzhioev, R. I.; Korenev, V. L.; Lazarev, M. V.; Sapega, V. F.; Gammon, D.; Bracker, A. S.

2007-01-01

We report electric field induced increase of spin orientation of negatively charged excitons (trions) localized in n -type GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well. Under resonant excitation of free neutral heavy-hole excitons, the polarization of trions increases dramatically with electrical injection of electrons. The polarization enhancement correlates strongly with trion/exciton luminescence intensity ratio. This effect results from a very efficient trapping of free neutral excitons by the quantum well interfacial fluctuations (“natural” quantum dots) containing resident electrons.

The Rayleigh-Taylor instability under electrical pulse discharge in water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kononov, A.V.; Porytskyy, P.V.; Starchyk, P.D.; Voitenko, L.M.

1999-01-01

The development of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability is studied on the interface between both the plasma channel and liquid medium under an electrical pulse discharge in water.It is shown that,growth of the irregularities of the contact interface leads to the increasing of heat flux from the discharge channel due to the growth of an interfacial area and the incoming of water matter into a discharge channel.As a result of these processes the characteristics of the discharge may be strongly varied

Interfacial structures - Thermodynamical and experimental studies of the interfacial mass transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morel, Jean-Emile

1972-01-01

In the first section, we put forward hypotheses concerning the structure of the interfacial regions between two immiscible liquid phases. It appears that the longitudinal structure is comparable with that of a crystallized solid and that the transversal structure is nearest of that of a liquid. In the second section, we present a thermodynamical treatment of the irreversible phenomena in the interfacial region. The equation of evolution of a system consisting of two immiscible liquid phases are deduced. The third part allows an experimental verification of the theoretical relations. We also make clear, in certain cases, the appearance of a great 'interfacial resistance' which slows down the interfacial mass transfer. (author) [fr

Effects of iron content on electrical resistivity of oxide films on Zr-base alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubo, Toshio; Uno, Masayoshi

1991-01-01

Measurements of electrical resistivity were made for oxide films formed by anodic oxidation and steam oxidation (400degC/12 h) on Zr plates with different Fe contents. When the Fe content was higher than about 1,000 ppm the electrical resistivity of the steam oxide films was almost equivalent to that of the anodic oxide films, while at lower Fe content the former exhibited lower electrical resistivity than the latter by about 1∼3 orders of magnitude. The anodic oxide film was an almost homogeneous single oxide layer. The steam oxide films, on the other hand, were composed of duplex oxide layers. The oxide layer formed in the vicinity of the oxide/metal interface had higher electrical resistivity than the near-surface oxide layer by about 1∼4 orders of magnitude. The oxide layer in the vicinity of the interface could act as a protective film against corrosion and its electrical resistivity is one important factor controlling the layer protectiveness. The electrical resistivity of the oxide/metal interfacial layer was strongly dependent on the Fe content. One possible reason for Fe to improve the corrosion resistance is that Fe ions would tend to stabilize the tetragonal (or cubic) phase and consequently suppress the formation of open pores and cracks in the interfacial layer. (author)

A nano-bio interfacial protein corona on silica nanoparticle.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hongyan; Peng, Jiaxi; Li, Xin; Liu, Shengju; Hu, Zhengyan; Xu, Guiju; Wu, Ren'an

2018-07-01

Nano-bio interaction takes the crucial role in bio-application of nanoparticles. The systematic mapping of interfacial proteins remains the big challenge as low level of proteins within interface regions and lack of appropriate technology. Here, a facile proteomic strategy was developed to characterize the interfacial protein corona (noted as IPC) that has strong interactions with silica nanoparticle, via the combination of the vigorous elution with high concentration sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the pre-isolation of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The trace level IPCs for silica nanoparticle were thus qualitatively and quantitatively identified. Bioinformatics analyses revealed the intrinsic compositions, relevance and potential regularity addressing the strong interactions between IPC and nanoparticle. This strategy in determining IPCs is opening an avenue to give a deep insight to understand the interaction between proteins and not only nanoparticles but also other bulk materials. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A biomimetic approach to enhancing interfacial interactions: polydopamine-coated clay as reinforcement for epoxy resin.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Liping; Phua, Si Lei; Teo, Jun Kai Herman; Toh, Cher Ling; Lau, Soo Khim; Ma, Jan; Lu, Xuehong

2011-08-01

A facile biomimetic method was developed to enhance the interfacial interaction in polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites. By mimicking mussel adhesive proteins, a monolayer of polydopamine was constructed on clay surface by a controllable coating method. The modified clay (D-clay) was incorporated into an epoxy resin, it is found that the strong interfacial interactions brought by the polydopamine benefits not only the dispersion of the D-clay in the epoxy but also the effective interfacial stress transfer, leading to greatly improved thermomechanical properties at very low inorganic loadings. Rheological and infrared spectroscopic studies show that the interfacial interactions between the D-clay and epoxy are dominated by the hydrogen bonds between the catechol-enriched polydopamine and the epoxy.

Experiments on plasma turbulence induced by strong, steady electric fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamberger, S.M.

1975-01-01

The author discusses the effect of applying a strong electric field to collisionless plasma. In particular are compared what some ideas and prejudices lead one to expect to happen, what computer simulation experiments tell one ought to happen, and what actually does happen in two laboratory experiments which have been designed to allow the relevant instability and turbulent processes to occur unobstructed and which have been studied in sufficient detail. (Auth.)

Hydrodynamical flows in dielectric liquid in strong inhomogeneous pulsed electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tereshonok, Dmitry V; Babaeva, Natalia Yu; Naidis, George V; Smirnov, Boris M

2016-01-01

We consider a hydrodynamical flow of dielectric liquid near a high voltage needle-shaped electrode in a strong inhomogeneous pulsed electric field. It was shown that under a small rise time, a negative pressure area (pressure is less than critical pressure) appears near the electrode leading to the formation of a cavity in which electric breakdown can develop. A comparison of the dependence of the velocity of fluid near an electrode for two cases (taking into account the dependence of dielectric permeability of the liquid on the electric field and without taking it into account) was made. A field-dependent dielectric coefficient leads to the appearance of two local maximums of the velocities and increases the minimum pressure, thus lowering the possibility of cavitation. While under the constant value of dielectric permeability only one local maximum appears. (paper)

Interfacial effects in multilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbee, T.W. Jr.

1998-01-01

Interfacial structure and the atomic interactions between atoms at interfaces in multilayers or nano-laminates have significant impact on the physical properties of these materials. A technique for the experimental evaluation of interfacial structure and interfacial structure effects is presented and compared to experiment. In this paper the impact of interfacial structure on the performance of x-ray, soft x-ray and extreme ultra-violet multilayer optic structures is emphasized. The paper is concluded with summary of these results and an assessment of their implications relative to multilayer development and the study of buried interfaces in solids in general

Strong and reversible modulation of carbon nanotube-silicon heterojunction solar cells by an interfacial oxide layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Yi; Cao, Anyuan; Kang, Feiyu; Li, Peixu; Gui, Xuchun; Zhang, Luhui; Shi, Enzheng; Wei, Jinquan; Wang, Kunlin; Zhu, Hongwei; Wu, Dehai

2012-06-21

Deposition of nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes on Si wafers to make heterojunction structures is a promising route toward high efficiency solar cells with reduced cost. Here, we show a significant enhancement in the cell characteristics and power conversion efficiency by growing a silicon oxide layer at the interface between the nanotube film and Si substrate. The cell efficiency increases steadily from 0.5% without interfacial oxide to 8.8% with an optimal oxide thickness of about 1 nm. This systematic study reveals that formation of an oxide layer switches charge transport from thermionic emission to a mixture of thermionic emission and tunneling and improves overall diode properties, which are critical factors for tailoring the cell behavior. By controlled formation and removal of interfacial oxide, we demonstrate oscillation of the cell parameters between two extreme states, where the cell efficiency can be reversibly altered by a factor of 500. Our results suggest that the oxide layer plays an important role in Si-based photovoltaics, and it might be utilized to tune the cell performance in various nanostructure-Si heterojunction structures.

Dynamic modeling of interfacial structures via interfacial area transport equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seungjin, Kim; Mamoru, Ishii

2004-01-01

Full text of publication follows:In the current thermal-hydraulic system analysis codes using the two-fluid model, the empirical correlations that are based on the two-phase flow regimes and regime transition criteria are being employed as closure relations for the interfacial transfer terms. Due to its inherent shortcomings, however, such static correlations are inaccurate and present serious problems in the numerical analysis. In view of this, a new dynamic approach employing the interfacial area transport equation has been studied. The interfacial area transport equation dynamically models the two-phase flow regime transitions and predicts continuous change of the interfacial area concentration along the flow field. Hence, when employed in the thermal-hydraulic system analysis codes, it eliminates artificial bifurcations stemming from the use of the static flow regime transition criteria. Therefore, the interfacial area transport equation can make a leapfrog improvement in the current capability of the two-fluid model from both scientific and practical point of view. Accounting for the substantial differences in the transport phenomena of various sizes of bubbles, the two-group interfacial area transport equations have been developed. The group 1 equation describes the transport of small-dispersed bubbles that are either distorted or spherical in shapes, and the group 2 equation describes the transport of large cap, slug or churn-turbulent bubbles. The source and sink terms in the right hand-side of the transport equations have been established by mechanistically modeling the creation and destruction of bubbles due to major bubble interaction mechanisms. The coalescence mechanisms include the random collision driven by turbulence, and the entrainment of trailing bubbles in the wake region of the preceding bubble. The disintegration mechanisms include the break-up by turbulence impact, shearing-off at the rim of large cap bubbles and the break-up of large cap

Pursuing Polymer Dielectric Interfacial Effect in Organic Transistors for Photosensing Performance Optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiaohan; Chu, Yingli; Liu, Rui; Katz, Howard E; Huang, Jia

2017-12-01

Polymer dielectrics in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are essential to provide the devices with overall flexibility, stretchability, and printability and simultaneously introduce charge interaction on the interface with organic semiconductors (OSCs). The interfacial effect between various polymer dielectrics and OSCs significantly and intricately influences device performance. However, understanding of this effect is limited because the interface is buried and the interfacial charge interaction is difficult to stimulate and characterize. Here, this challenge is overcome by utilizing illumination to stimulate the interfacial effect in various OFETs and to characterize the responses of the effect by measuring photoinduced changes of the OFETs performances. This systemic investigation reveals the mechanism of the intricate interfacial effect in detail, and mathematically explains how the photosensitive OFETs characteristics are determined by parameters including polar group of the polymer dielectric and the OSC side chain. By utilizing this mechanism, performance of organic electronics can be precisely controlled and optimized. OFETs with strong interfacial effect can also show a signal additivity caused by repeated light pulses, which is applicable for photostimulated synapse emulator. Therefore, this work enlightens a detailed understanding on the interface effect and provides novel strategies for optimizing OFET photosensory performances.

Ionic Liquids as the MOFs/Polymer Interfacial Binder for Efficient Membrane Separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Rijia; Ge, Lei; Diao, Hui; Rudolph, Victor; Zhu, Zhonghua

2016-11-23

Obtaining strong interfacial affinity between filler and polymer is critical to the preparation of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with high separation efficiency. However, it is still a challenge for micron-sized metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to achieve excellent compatibility and defect-free interface with polymer matrix. Thin layer of ionic liquid (IL) was immobilized on micron-sized HKUST-1 to eliminate the interfacial nonselective voids in MMMs with minimized free ionic liquid (IL) in polymer matrix, and then the obtained IL decorated HKUST-1 was incorporated into 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride-2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,3-phenyldiamine (6FDA-Durene) to fabricate MMMs. Acting as a filler/polymer interfacial binder, the favorable MOF/IL and IL/polymer interaction can facilitate the enhancement of MOF/polymer affinity. Compared to MMM with only HKUST-1 incorporation, MMM with IL decorated HKUST-1 succeeded in restricting the formation of nonselective interfacial voids, leading to an increment in CO 2 selectivity. The IL decoration method can be an effective approach to eliminate interfacial voids in MMMs, extending the filler selection to a wide range of large-sized fillers.

The molecular understanding of interfacial interactions of functionalized graphene and chitosan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Hong-ping; Luo, Xue-gang; Lin, Xiao-yan; Lu, Xiong; Tang, Youhong

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: The type of the functional groups can be used to modulating interactions between graphene sheet and chitosan. - Highlights: • Investigate interfacial interactions between chitosan and functionalized graphene by DFT. • Observe covalent linkages between COOH-modified graphene and chitosan units. • Multi-functionalized graphene regulates the interfacial interactions with chitosan. • It is useful for guiding the preparation of graphene/chitosan composites. - Abstract: Graphene-reinforced chitosan scaffolds have been extensively studied for several years as promising hard tissue replacements. However, the interfacial interactions between graphene and chitosan are strongly related to the solubility, processability, and mechanical properties of graphene-reinforced chitosan (G–C) composites. The functionalization of graphene is regarded as the most effective way to improve the abovementioned properties of the G–C composite. In this study, the interfacial interactions between chitosan and functionalized graphene sheets with carboxylization (COOH-), amination (NH 2 -), and hydroxylation (OH-) groups were systematically studied at the electronic level using the method of ab initio simulations based on quantum mechanics theory and the observations were compared with reported experimental results. The covalent linkages between COOH-modified graphene and the chitosan units were demonstrated and the combination of multi-functionalization on graphene could regulate the interfacial interactions between graphene and the chitosan. The interfacial interactions between chitosan and properly functionalized graphene are critical for the preparation of G–C-based composites for tissue engineering scaffolds and other applications.

Multilayered piezomagnetic/piezoelectric composites with periodic interfacial cracks subject to in-plane loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian, Wenxiang; Zhong, Zheng; Li, Yaochen

2016-01-01

A two-dimensional fracture problem of periodically distributed interfacial cracks in multilayered piezomagnetic/piezoelectric composites is studied under in-plane magnetic or electric loading. The magnetic permittivity of the piezoelectric material and the dielectric constant of the piezomagnetic material are considered. A system of singular integral equations of the second kind with a Cauchy kernel is obtained by means of Fourier transform and further solved by using Jacobi polynomials. The problem is solved in the real domain by constructing real fundamental solutions. The primary interfacial fracture mechanic parameters, such as the stress intensity factors (SIFs), the electric displacement intensity factors (EDIFs), the magnetic induction intensity factors (MIIFs) and the energy release rates (ERRs) are then obtained. It is found that a magnetic or electric loading normal to the crack surfaces can lead to a mixture of mode I and mode II type stress singularities at the crack tips. Numerical results show that increasing the thickness of the active layer will favor the crack initiation. Inversely, increasing the thickness of the passive layer will retard the crack initiation. Furthermore, the results indicate that the crack initiation can be inhibited by adjusting the direction of the applied magnetic or electric loading. (paper)

Interfacial tuning of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and spin magnetic moment in CoFe/Pd multilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ngo, D.-T., E-mail: ndthe82@gmail.com [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576 (Singapore); Meng, Z.L. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576 (Singapore); Tahmasebi, T. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576 (Singapore); Data Storage Institute, A-STAR (Agency for Science Technology and Research), 5 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117608 (Singapore); Yu, X. [Singapore Synchrotron Light Source, National University of Singapore, 5 Research Link, Singapore 117603 (Singapore); Thoeng, E. [Singapore Synchrotron Light Source, National University of Singapore, 5 Research Link, Singapore 117603 (Singapore); Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542 (Singapore); Yeo, L.H. [Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542 (Singapore); Rusydi, A., E-mail: phyandri@nus.edu.sg [Singapore Synchrotron Light Source, National University of Singapore, 5 Research Link, Singapore 117603 (Singapore); Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542 (Singapore); Han, G.C [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576 (Singapore); Teo, K.-L., E-mail: eleteokl@nus.edu.sg [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576 (Singapore)

2014-01-15

We report on a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in [CoFe 0.4 nm/Pd t]{sub 6} (t=1.0–2.0 nm) multilayers fabricated by DC sputtering in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber. Saturation magnetization, M{sub s}, and uniaxial anisotropy, K{sub u}, of the multilayers decrease with increasing the spacing thickness; with a M{sub s} of 155 emu/cc and a K{sub u} of 1.14×10{sup 5} J/m{sup 3} at a spacing thickness of t=2 nm. X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements reveal that spin and orbital magnetic moments of Co and Fe in CoFe film decrease as a function of Pd thickness, indicating the major contribution of surface/interfacial magnetism to the magnetic properties of the film. - Highlights: • Strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy essentially contributed by interfacial anisotropy. • Controllably magnetic properties with low M{sub s}, high K{sub u}, high P. • Interfacial magnetic moments modified by CoFe/Pd interfaces with strong spin–orbit coupling. • Narrow Bloch walls with Néel caps. • Superior magnetic characteristics for spin-torque applications.

Controlled self-assembly of multiferroic core-shell nanoparticles exhibiting strong magneto-electric effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sreenivasulu, Gollapudi; Hamilton, Sean L.; Lehto, Piper R.; Srinivasan, Gopalan, E-mail: srinivas@oakland.edu [Physics Department, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401 (United States); Popov, Maksym [Physics Department, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401 (United States); Radiophysics Department, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv 01601 (Ukraine); Chavez, Ferman A. [Chemistry Department, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401 (United States)

2014-02-03

Ferromagnetic-ferroelectric composites show strain mediated coupling between the magnetic and electric sub-systems due to magnetostriction and piezoelectric effects associated with the ferroic phases. We have synthesized core-shell multiferroic nano-composites by functionalizing 10–100 nm barium titanate and nickel ferrite nanoparticles with complementary coupling groups and allowing them to self-assemble in the presence of a catalyst. The core-shell structure was confirmed by electron microscopy and magnetic force microscopy. Evidence for strong strain mediated magneto-electric coupling was obtained by static magnetic field induced variations in the permittivity over 16–18 GHz and polarization and by electric field induced by low-frequency ac magnetic fields.

Improved Interfacial Bonding in Magnesium/Aluminum Overcasting Systems by Aluminum Surface Treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hui; Chen, Yiqing; Luo, Alan A.

2014-12-01

"Overcasting" technique is used to produce bimetallic magnesium/aluminum (Mg/Al) structures where lightweight Mg can be cast onto solid Al substrates. An inherent difficulty in creating strong Mg/Al interfacial bonding is the natural oxide film on the solid Al surfaces, which reduces the wettability between molten Mg and Al substrates during the casting process. In the paper, an "electropolishing + anodizing" surface treatment has been developed to disrupt the oxide film on a dilute Al-0.08 wt pct Ga alloy, improving the metallurgical bonding between molten Mg and Al substrates in the bimetallic experiments carried out in a high-vacuum test apparatus. The test results provided valuable information of the interfacial phenomena of the Mg/Al bimetallic samples. The results show significantly improved metallurgical bonding in the bimetallic samples with "electropolishing + anodizing" surface treatment and Ga alloying. It is recommended to adjust the pre-heating temperature and time of the Al substrates and the Mg melt temperature to control the interfacial reactions for optimum interfacial properties in the actual overcasting processes.

Tunable anomalous hall effect induced by interfacial catalyst in perpendicular multilayers

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, J. Y.; Peng, W. L.; Sun, Q. Y.; Liu, Y. W.; Dong, B. W.; Zheng, X. Q.; Yu, G. H.; Wang, C.; Zhao, Y. C.; Wang, S. G.

2018-04-01

The interfacial structures, playing a critical role on the transport properties and the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in thin films and multilayers, can be modified by inserting an ultrathin functional layer at the various interfaces. The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in the multilayers with core structure of Ta/CoFeB/X/MgO/Ta (X: Hf or Pt) is tuned by interfacial catalytic engineering. The saturation anomalous Hall resistance (RAH) is increased by 16.5% with 0.1 nm Hf insertion compared with the reference sample without insertion. However, the RAH value is decreased by 9.0% with 0.1 nm Pt insertion. The interfacial states were characterized by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XPS results indicate that a strong bonding between Hf and O for Hf insertion, but no bonding between Pt and O for Pt insertion. The bonding between metal and oxygen leads to various oxygen migration behavior at the interfaces. Therefore, the opposite behavior about the RAH originates from the different oxygen behavior due to various interfacial insertion. This work provides a new approach to manipulate spin transport property for the potential applications.

The influence of interfacial barrier engineering on the resistance switching of In2O3:SnO2/TiO2/In2O3:SnO2 device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Zi-Yu; Zhang Pei-Jian; Meng Yang; Li Dong; Meng Qing-Yu; Li Jian-Qi; Zhao Hong-Wu

2012-01-01

The I—V characteristics of In 2 O 3 :SnO 2 /TiO 2 /In 2 O 3 :SnO 2 junctions with different interfacial barriers are investigated by comparing experiments. A two-step resistance switching process is found for samples with two interfacial barriers produced by specific thermal treatment on the interfaces. The nonsynchronous occurrence of conducting filament formation through the oxide bulk and the reduction in the interfacial barrier due to the migration of oxygen vacancies under the electric field is supposed to explain the two-step resistive switching process. The unique switching properties of the device, based on interfacial barrier engineering, could be exploited for novel applications in nonvolatile memory devices. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Interfacial rheological properties of adsorbed protein layers and surfactants : a review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos, M.A.; Vliet, T. van

2001-01-01

Proteins and low molecular weight (LMW) surfactants are widely used for the physical stabilisation of many emulsions and foam based food products. The formation and stabilisation of these emulsions and foams depend strongly on the interfacial properties of the proteins and the LMW surfactants.

Influence of thermodynamic mechanism of inter- facial adsorption on purifying air-conditioning engineering under intensification of electric field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Yun-Yu

2016-12-01

Full Text Available As a kind of mass transfer process as well as the basis of separating and purifying mixtures, interfacial adsorption has been widely applied to fields like chemical industry, medical industry and purification engineering in recent years. Influencing factors of interfacial adsorption, in addition to the traditional temperature, intensity of pressure, amount of substance and concentration, also include external fields, such as magnetic field, electric field and electromagnetic field, etc. Starting from the point of thermodynamics and taking the Gibbs adsorption as the model, the combination of energy axiom and the first law of thermodynamics was applied to boundary phase, and thus the theoretical expression for the volume of interface absorption under electric field as well as the mathematical relationship between surface tension and electric field intensity was obtained. In addition, according to the obtained theoretical expression, the volume of interface absorption of ethanol solution under different electric field intensities and concentrations was calculated. Moreover, the mechanism of interfacial adsorption was described from the perspective of thermodynamics and the influence of electric field on interfacial adsorption was explained reasonably, aiming to further discuss the influence of thermodynamic mechanism of interfacial adsorption on purifying air-conditioning engineering under intensification of electric field.

Strong cooperative effect of oppositely charged surfactant mixtures on their adsorption and packing at the air-water interface and interfacial water structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Khoi T; Nguyen, Tuan D; Nguyen, Anh V

2014-06-24

Remarkable adsorption enhancement and packing of dilute mixtures of water-soluble oppositely-charged surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyl amine hydrochloride (DAH), at the air-water interface were observed by using sum frequency generation spectroscopy and tensiometry. The interfacial water structure was also observed to be significantly influenced by the SDS-DAH mixtures, differently from the synergy of the single surfactants. Most strikingly, the obtained spectroscopic evidence suggests that the interfacial hydrophobic alkyl chains of the binary mixtures assemble differently from those of single surfactants. This study highlights the significance of the cooperative interaction between the headgroups of oppositely charged binary surfactant systems and subsequently provides some insightful observations about the molecular structure of the air-aqueous interfacial water molecules and, more importantly, about the packing nature of the surfactant hydrophobic chains of dilute SDS-DAH mixtures of concentration below 1% of the CMC.

Surface and interfacial chemistry of high-k dielectric and interconnect materials on silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Kirsch, Paul Daniel

Surfaces and interfaces play a critical role in the manufacture and function of silicon based integrated circuits. It is therefore reasonable to study the chemistries at these surfaces and interfaces to improve existing processes and to develop new ones. Model barium strontium titanate high-k dielectric systems have been deposited on ultrathin silicon oxynitride in ultrahigh vacuum. The resulting nanostructures are characterized with secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). An interfacial reaction between Ba and Sr atoms and SiOxNy was found to create silicates, BaSixOy or SrSi xOy. Inclusion of N in the interfacial oxide decreased silicate formation in both Ba and Sr systems. Furthermore, inclusion of N in the interfacial oxide decreased the penetration of Ba and Sr containing species, such as silicides and silicates. Sputter deposited HfO2 was studied on nitrided and unnitrided Si(100) surfaces. XPS and SIMS were used to verify the presence of interfacial HfSixOy and estimate its relative amount on both nitrided and unnitrided samples. More HfSixOy formed without the SiNx interfacial layer. These interfacial chemistry results are then used to explain the electrical measurements obtained from metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitors. MOS capacitors with interfacial SiNx exhibit reduced leakage current and increased capacitance. Lastly, surface science techniques were used to develop a processing technique for reducing thin films of copper (II) and copper (I) oxide to copper. Deuterium atoms (D*) and methyl radicals (CH3*) were shown to reduce Cu 2+ and/or Cu1+ to Cu0 within 30 min at a surface temperature of 400 K under a flux of 1 x 1015 atoms/cm2s. Temperature programmed desorption experiments suggest that oxygen leaves the surface as D2O and CO2 for the D* and CH3* treated surfaces, respectively.

The roles of bulk and interfacial molecular orientations in determining the performance of organic bilayer solar cells

KAUST Repository

Ngongang Ndjawa, Guy O.

2014-09-09

Molecular orientation plays a significant role in determining the performance of small molecule solar cells. Key photovoltaic processes in these cells are strongly dependent on how the molecules are oriented in the active layer. We isolate contributions arising from the bulk molecular orientations vs. those from interfacial orientations in ZnPc/C60 bilayer systems and we probe these contributions by comparing device pairs in which only the bulk or the interface differ. By controlling the orientation in the bulk the current can be strongly modulated, whereas controlling the interfacial molecular orientation and degree of intermixing mediate the voltage.

The roles of bulk and interfacial molecular orientations in determining the performance of organic bilayer solar cells

KAUST Repository

Ngongang Ndjawa, Guy O.; Graham, Kenneth R.; Conron, Sarah; Erwin, Patrick; Li, Ruipeng; Chou, Kang Wei; Burkhard, George; Krishnan Jagadamma, Lethy; Hoke, Eric T.; McGehee, Michael D.; Thompson, Mark E.; Amassian, Aram

2014-01-01

Molecular orientation plays a significant role in determining the performance of small molecule solar cells. Key photovoltaic processes in these cells are strongly dependent on how the molecules are oriented in the active layer. We isolate contributions arising from the bulk molecular orientations vs. those from interfacial orientations in ZnPc/C60 bilayer systems and we probe these contributions by comparing device pairs in which only the bulk or the interface differ. By controlling the orientation in the bulk the current can be strongly modulated, whereas controlling the interfacial molecular orientation and degree of intermixing mediate the voltage.

Dynamic modeling of interfacial structures via interfacial area transport equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seungjin, Kim; Mamoru, Ishii

2005-01-01

The interfacial area transport equation dynamically models the two-phase flow regime transitions and predicts continuous change of the interfacial area concentration along the flow field. Hence, when employed in the numerical thermal-hydraulic system analysis codes, it eliminates artificial bifurcations stemming from the use of the static flow regime transition criteria. Accounting for the substantial differences in the transport phenomena of various sizes of bubbles, the two-group interfacial area transport equations have been developed. The group 1 equation describes the transport of small-dispersed bubbles that are either distorted or spherical in shapes, and the group 2 equation describes the transport of large cap, slug or churn-turbulent bubbles. The source and sink terms in the right-hand-side of the transport equations have been established by mechanistically modeling the creation and destruction of bubbles due to major bubble interaction mechanisms. In the present paper, the interfacial area transport equations currently available are reviewed to address the feasibility and reliability of the model along with extensive experimental results. These include the data from adiabatic upward air-water two-phase flow in round tubes of various sizes, from a rectangular duct, and from adiabatic co-current downward air-water two-phase flow in round pipes of two sizes. (authors)

Dynamics of particle production by strong electric fields in non-Abelian plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dawson, John F.; Mihaila, Bogdan; Cooper, Fred

2010-01-01

We develop methods for computing the dynamics of fermion pair production by strong color electric fields including backreaction using the semiclassical Boltzmann-Vlasov (B-V) equation. We implement the Schwinger pair production by inserting a source term in the B-V equation which includes Pauli-Blocking effects. We present numerical results for a model with SU(2) symmetries in (1+1) Cartesian dimensions.

Charge modulated interfacial conductivity in SrTiO3-based oxide heterostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Yunzhong; Stamate, Eugen; Pryds, Nini

2011-01-01

When depositing amorphous SrTiO3 (STO) films on crystalline STO substrates by pulsed laser deposition, metallic interfaces are observed, though both materials are band-gap insulators. The interfacial conductivity exhibits strong dependence on oxygen pressure during film growth, which is closely...

Phase diagrams of magnetic state transformations in multiferroic composites controlled by size, shape and interfacial coupling strain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Sheng

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This work aims to give a comprehensive view of magnetic state stability and transformations in PZT-film/FeGa-dot multiferroic composite systems due to the combining effects of size, shape and interfacial coupling strain. It is found that the stable magnetic state of the FeGa nanodots is not only a function of the size and shape of the nanodot but also strongly sensitive to the interfacial coupling strain modified by the polarization state of PZT film. In particular, due to the large magnetostriction of FeGa, the phase boundaries between different magnetic states (i.e., in-plane/out-of-plane polar states, and single-/multi-vortex states of FeGa nanodots can be effectively tuned by the polarization-mediated strain. Fruitful strain-mediated transformation paths of magnetic states including those between states with different orderings (i.e., one is polar and the other is vortex, as well as those between states with the same ordering (i.e., both are polar or both are vortex have been revealed in a comprehensive view. Our result sheds light on the potential of utilizing electric field to induce fruitful magnetic state transformation paths in multiferroic film-dot systems towards a development of novel magnetic random access memories.

Operating an EPR: A strong asset in the future European electricity market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esteve, Bernard; Beutier, Didier

2006-01-01

Recently, two nuclear units have been decided in Europe, both EPR 1,600 MWe. In Finland, TVO Company decided to commission a reactor in 2009 on Olkiluoto site. The license was granted in February 2005 and the construction started in summer. In 2004 in France, EDF Company decided an EPR to be commissioned in 2012 at Flamanville. In both cases, national Parliament vote has given the green light. It is interesting to understand why each company has made such decision. In TVO case, the main driving factor seems to be the need of industrial consumers for low and stable electricity price in a context of growing excess demand. In EDF case, no short term demand, but rather long term electricity company strategy seems to be the main reason. The relation to national energy policy is very clear in both cases. In Finland, the 5. Nuclear Power Plant was decided: - as a key element of the energy mix to meet growing electricity needs while replacing older plants, - to ensure, together with renewables, the fulfillment of the Kyoto commitments, - to secure stable and predictable electricity price for intensive industrial consumers (for instance, paper mills), - to reduce the dependence on electricity import. Here, it is argued more broadly that EPR will be a strong asset in the future European electricity market. To support this argument, we shall describe: 1) to what extent the evolving European electricity market may call for new nuclear units, 2) specific design features explaining why EPR especially fits with expectations, 3) cost assessments giving the conditions of EPR competitiveness, 4) main elements of risk assessment and how they are dealt with. (authors)

Magneto-Ionic Control of Interfacial Magnetic Anisotorpy

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Uwe; Emori, Satoru; Beach, Geoffrey

2014-03-01

Voltage control of magnetism could bring about revolutionary new spintronic memory and logic devices. Here, we examine domain wall (DW) dynamics in ultrathin Co films and nanowires under the influence of a voltage applied across a gadolinium oxide gate dielectric that simultaneously acts as an oxygen ion conductor. We investigate two electrode configurations, one with a continuous gate dielectric and the other with a patterned gate dielectric which exhibits an open oxide edge right underneath the electrode perimeter. We demonstrate that the open oxide edge acts as a fast diffusion path for oxygen ions and allows voltage-induced switching of magnetic anisotropy at the nanoscale by modulating interfacial chemistry rather than charge density. At room temperature this effect is limited to the vicinity of the open oxide edge, but at a temperature of 100°C it allows complete control over magnetic anisotropy across the whole electrode area, due to higher oxygen ion mobility at elevated temperature. We then harness this novel ``magneto-ionic'' effect to create unprecedentedly strong voltage-induced anisotropy modifications of 3000 fJ/Vm and create electrically programmable DW traps with pinning strengths of 650 Oe, enough to bring to a standstill DWs travelling at speeds of at least 20 m/s. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation through grant ECCS-1128439.

High-latitude dayside electric fields and currents during strong northward interplanetary magnetic field: Observations and model simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clauer, C.R.; Friis-Christensen, E.

1988-01-01

On July 23, 1983, the Interplanetary Magnetic Field turned strongly northward, becoming about 22 nT for several hours. Using a combined data set of ionospheric convection measurements made by the Sondre Stromfjord incoherent scatter radar and convection inferred from Greenland magnetometer measurements, we observe the onset of the reconfiguration of the high-latitude ionospheric currents to occur about 3 min following the northward IMF encountering the magnetopause. The large-scale reconfiguration of currents, however, appears to evolve over a period of about 22 min. Using a computer model in which the distribution of field-aligned current in the polar cleft is directly determined by the strength and orientation of the interplanetary electric field, we are able to simulate the time-varying pattern of ionospheric convection, including the onset of high-latitude ''reversed convection'' cells observed to form during the interval of strong northward IMF. These observations and the simulation results indicate that the dayside polar cap electric field observed during strong northward IMF is produced by a direct electrical current coupling with the solar wind. copyright American Geophysical Union 1988

Annealing-induced interfacial reactions and the effects on the electrical properties of Ga doped ZnO/CuxS contacts to p-GaN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu, Wen; Wu, Xingyang; Song, Peng; Zhang, Jianhua

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The electrical properties of GZO/CuS x contacts to p-GaN annealed at different temperatures in air have been studied. • Ohmic contacts were formed by annealing the contacts at 500 and 600 °C in air. • The oxygen in air was found to be essential for the formation of ohmic contact. • The possible formation mechanism of the ohmic contacts was illustrated. - Abstract: Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) contacts to p-GaN were investigated by using Cu x S interlayers under different annealing temperatures. It is shown that the GZO/Cu x S contacts annealed at 300 and 400 °C for 3 min in air exhibited non-ohmic characteristics. However, annealing the contacts at 500 and 600 °C in air resulted in linear current–voltage characteristics. The lowest specific contact resistivity of 1.66 × 10 −2 Ω cm 2 was obtained for the contact annealed at 500 °C. To account for the formation mechanism of the ohmic contact, AES and XPS were used to analyze the interfacial properties of the GZO/Cu x S/p-GaN and Cu x S/p-GaN interfaces, respectively. The possible reasons were discussed in detail, suggesting that the interfacial reactions and atomic diffusions are thought to be responsible for forming such a low contact resistance

Graphene derivatives/Fe_3O_4/polymer nanocomposite films: Optical and electrical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatel, Rhizlane; Goumri, Meryem; Ratier, Bernard; Baitoul, Mimouna

2017-01-01

This paper reports a simple solution casting method for the preparation of nanocomposite films in which graphene oxide (GO)/Fe_3O_4 nanocomposites are incorporated into poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix. The films obtained with different weight percent of GO/Fe_3O_4 (0.5, 0.7 and 1 wt%) are subjected an in situ chemical and thermal reduction in order to explore the evolution and interactions between these components under different treatments and get an insight into on how this can affects the optical and electrical properties of these nanocomposites. Characterization was carried out using, UV–Vis absorption, Photoluminescence, electrical conductivity measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy. Strong covalent functionalization occurs between the polymer and graphene derivatives (GD)/Fe_3O_4 hybrids. The experimental results obtained for our nanocomposites films exhibit significant enhancement in properties highlighted the efficiency of the in situ thermal reduction. The high absorption with strong photoluminescence and electrical conductivity achieved might promote these nanocomposites for opto-electronic devices in near future. - Highlights: • Novel inorganic-organic hybrid flexible films were successfully prepared. • Good interfacial interaction between the graphene/Fe_3O_4 and the hydroxyl-rich PVA. • Optical and electrical properties of Graphene Derivatives/Fe_3O_4/PVA were investigated. • Thermally reduced GO/Fe_3O_4/PVA films show high absorption and strong photoluminescence.

Dirac particles in the field of magnetic monopoles and of strong electric charges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schafer, A.; Muller, B.; Greiner, W.

1985-01-01

The field of a magnetic pointlike monopole acts in a similar way on a charged Dirac particle as the field of a very strong electric point charge. To explore this parallel it is constructed a field solution for an extended magnetic-charge distribution. In contrast to what is found for extended electric charges, the Hamiltonian remains nonself-adjoint for an extended magnetic monopole. This suggests that there exist a fundamental difference between the two cases. In particular, the appearance of undefined states for point monopoles is not a consequence of the mere strength of the magnetic-monopole charge, which has a minimum value fixed by Dirac's quantization condition

Investigation of energy band alignments and interfacial properties of rutile NMO2/TiO2 (NM = Ru, Rh, Os, and Ir) by first-principles calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Chen; Zhao, Zong-Yan

2017-11-08

In the field of photocatalysis, constructing hetero-structures is an efficient strategy to improve quantum efficiency. However, a lattice mismatch often induces unfavorable interfacial states that can act as recombination centers for photo-generated electron-hole pairs. If the hetero-structure's components have the same crystal structure, this disadvantage can be easily avoided. Conversely, in the process of loading a noble metal co-catalyst onto the TiO 2 surface, a transition layer of noble metal oxides is often formed between the TiO 2 layer and the noble metal layer. In this article, interfacial properties of hetero-structures composed of a noble metal dioxide and TiO 2 with a rutile crystal structure have been systematically investigated using first-principles calculations. In particular, the Schottky barrier height, band bending, and energy band alignments are studied to provide evidence for practical applications. In all cases, no interfacial states exist in the forbidden band of TiO 2 , and the interfacial formation energy is very small. A strong internal electric field generated by interfacial electron transfer leads to an efficient separation of photo-generated carriers and band bending. Because of the differences in the atomic properties of the components, RuO 2 /TiO 2 and OsO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures demonstrate band dividing, while RhO 2 /TiO 2 and IrO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures have a pseudo-gap near the Fermi energy level. Furthermore, NMO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures show upward band bending. Conversely, RuO 2 /TiO 2 and OsO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures present a relatively strong infrared light absorption, while RhO 2 /TiO 2 and IrO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures show an obvious absorption edge in the visible light region. Overall, considering all aspects of their properties, RuO 2 /TiO 2 and OsO 2 /TiO 2 hetero-structures are more suitable than others for improving the photocatalytic performance of TiO 2 . These findings will provide useful information

Interfacial bonding and electronic structure of GaN/GaAs interface: A first-principles study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Ruyue; Zhang, Zhaofu; Wang, Changhong; Li, Haobo; Dong, Hong; Liu, Hui; Wang, Weichao; Xie, Xinjian

2015-01-01

Understanding of GaN interfacing with GaAs is crucial for GaN to be an effective interfacial layer between high-k oxides and III-V materials with the application in high-mobility metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) devices. Utilizing first principles calculations, here, we investigate the structural and electronic properties of the GaN/GaAs interface with respect to the interfacial nitrogen contents. The decrease of interfacial N contents leads to more Ga dangling bonds and As-As dimers. At the N-rich limit, the interface with N concentration of 87.5% shows the most stability. Furthermore, a strong band offsets dependence on the interfacial N concentration is also observed. The valance band offset of N7 with hybrid functional calculation is 0.51 eV. The electronic structure analysis shows that significant interface states exist in all the GaN/GaAs models with various N contents, which originate from the interfacial dangling bonds and some unsaturated Ga and N atoms. These large amounts of gap states result in Fermi level pinning and essentially degrade the device performance

Interfacial spin-orbit splitting and current-driven spin torque in anisotropic tunnel junctions

KAUST Repository

Manchon, Aurelien

2011-05-17

Spin transport in magnetic tunnel junctions comprising a single magnetic layer in the presence of interfacial spin-orbit interaction (SOI) is investigated theoretically. Due to the presence of interfacial SOI, a current-driven spin torque can be generated at the second order in SOI, even in the absence of an external spin polarizer. This torque possesses two components, one in plane and one perpendicular to the plane of rotation, that can induce either current-driven magnetization switching from an in-plane to out-of-plane configuration or magnetization precessions, similar to spin transfer torque in spin valves. Consequently, it appears that it is possible to control the magnetization steady state and dynamics by either varying the bias voltage or electrically modifying the SOI at the interface.

Interfacial aspects in the production of advanced viscoelastic composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, M.B.

1997-01-01

The integrity and morphology of the interfacial junction often dictate the mechanical and thermal response of multiphase engineering materials. The production of materials with synergistic properties requires the effective generation and consolidation of material interfaces. The paper examines this theme in viscoelastic systems, comprising polymer alloys, reactive composites, electrical insulation and reinforced commodity polymers. Processing protocol is identified through TEM/SEM for the nylon/ABS composite material that alloys optimum utilization of reactive comptabilizers. Comparative results show that both reactive and miscibility are crucial for a compatibilizer to provide sufficient dispersion and adequate interfacial adhesion between the two phases. In discrete system, interfacial coupling is normally accomplished by bonding agents which form chemical bridges across the particle-matrix interface. A recent technique, however, utilizer a lateral modulus gradient across the material interface to increase fracture energy (Mechanical approach), Micro morphology of a convectional composite sans bonding agent is compared with the latter modified via the mechanical approach, Cryo-fracture surfaces of these composites reveal good particle-matrix adhesion in the modified composite, as opposed to visible particle pull-out observed in the other composite. A third approach toward interfacial coupling relies on the suitable modification of the particle surface to promote interaction between the particle and the polymer chains. This strategy is examined with particular reference to electoral cable sheathing and synthetic window profile, by using composite particles produced in the author's processing facility. ESCA spectrum of these particles is discussed, along with impact and TGA/DTA data for the modified PVC/EPDM composites. The impact strength of rigid PVC improved over a range of temperature, including the important region of zero degree centigrade and below. TGGA

Electric field induced dewetting at polymer/polymer interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lin, Z.Q.; Kerle, T.; Russell, T.P.; Schäffer, E.; Steiner, U

2002-01-01

External electric fields were used to amplify interfacial fluctuations in the air/polymer/polymer system where one polymer dewets the other. Two different hydrodynamic regimes were found as a function of electric field strength. If heterogeneous nucleation leads to the formation of holes before the

Dentin-cement Interfacial Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Atmeh, A.R.; Chong, E.Z.; Richard, G.; Festy, F.; Watson, T.F.

2012-01-01

The interfacial properties of a new calcium-silicate-based coronal restorative material (Biodentine™) and a glass-ionomer cement (GIC) with dentin have been studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and two-photon auto-fluorescence and second-harmonic-generation (SHG) imaging. Results indicate the formation of tag-like structures alongside an interfacial layer called the “mineral infiltration zone”, where the alkaline caustic effect of the calcium silicate cement’s hydration products degrades the collagenous component of the interfacial dentin. This degradation leads to the formation of a porous structure which facilitates the permeation of high concentrations of Ca2+, OH-, and CO32- ions, leading to increased mineralization in this region. Comparison of the dentin-restorative interfaces shows that there is a dentin-mineral infiltration with the Biodentine, whereas polyacrylic and tartaric acids and their salts characterize the penetration of the GIC. A new type of interfacial interaction, “the mineral infiltration zone”, is suggested for these calcium-silicate-based cements. PMID:22436906

Strong Adhesion of Silver/Polypyrrole Composite onto Plastic Substrates toward Flexible Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Kawakita, Jin; Hashimoto, Yasuo; Chikyow, Toyohiro

2013-06-01

Flexible electronics require sufficient adhesion to substrates, such as a plastic or a polymer, of the electric wiring for devices. A composite of a conducting metal and a polymer is a candidate alternative to pure metals in terms of wire flexibility. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adhesiveness of a silver/polypyrrole composite to plastic substrates and to clarify the mechanism of adhesion. The composite was prepared on various plastic substrates by dropping its fluid dispersion. Its adhesiveness was evaluated by the peel-off test and its interfacial structure was characterized by microscopy measurements. Some polymers including Teflon with generally weak adhesion to different materials showed a high adhesiveness of more than 90%. The strong adhesion was related to the anchoring effect of the composite penetrating into the pores near the surface of the substrate.

Pair production in a strong electric field with back-reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisenberg, J.M.

1992-01-01

A summary is presented of the current status of efforts to solve the problem in which pairs are produced in a strong electric field, are accelerated by it, and then react back on it through the counter-field produced by their current. A review of recent developments in this back-reaction problem is given. A simple version of the theory of pair tunneling from a fixed electric field, is first presented and then a sketch is provided as to how this has been applied to the quark-gluon plasma. Then I turn to a field formulation of the problem for charged bosons, which leads to the need to carry out a renormalization program, outlined again in simple terms. Numerical results for this program are presented for one and for three spatial dimensions, and the corresponding physical behaviour of the system is discussed. I exhibit a phenomenological transport equation embodying physics that is essentially identical to that of the field formulation. Lastly, I present the extension to the fermion case and to the formulation in terms of boost-invariant variables (as required for the quark-gluon plasma). 6 figs., 17 refs. (author)

Runaway breakdown in strong electric field as a source of terrestrial gamma flashes and gamma bursts in lightning leader steps

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gurevich, A.V. [P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation)]. E-mail: alex@lpi.ru; Zybin, K.P. [P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation); Medvedev, Yu.V. [Joint Institute for High Temperature, Russian Academy of Sciences, 127412 Moscow (Russian Federation)

2007-01-22

The new model of lightning step leader is proposed. It includes three main processes developing simultaneously in a strong electric field: conventional breakdown, effect of runaway electrons and runaway breakdown (RB). The theory of RB in strong electric field is developed. Comparison with the existing observational data shows that the model can serve as a background for the explanation of gamma bursts in step leader and TGF.

Runaway breakdown in strong electric field as a source of terrestrial gamma flashes and gamma bursts in lightning leader steps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurevich, A.V.; Zybin, K.P.; Medvedev, Yu.V.

2007-01-01

The new model of lightning step leader is proposed. It includes three main processes developing simultaneously in a strong electric field: conventional breakdown, effect of runaway electrons and runaway breakdown (RB). The theory of RB in strong electric field is developed. Comparison with the existing observational data shows that the model can serve as a background for the explanation of gamma bursts in step leader and TGF

Interfacial and Surface Science | Materials Science | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Science group within the Material Science Center. He oversees research studies of surfaces and interfaces Interfacial and Surface Science Interfacial and Surface Science Image of irregular-outlined, light address a broad range of fundamental and applied issues in surface and interfacial science that are

Effective Interfacially Polymerized Polyester Solvent Resistant Nanofiltration Membrane from Bioderived Materials

KAUST Repository

Abdellah, Mohamed H.

2018-05-18

Utilization of sustainable and environmentally friendly solvents for the preparation of membranes has attracted growing interest in recent years. In this work, a polyester thin film composite solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) membrane is prepared by interfacial polymerization on a cellulose support. The cellulose support is prepared by nonsolvent‐induced phase separation from a dope solution containing an ionic liquid as an environmentally friendly solvent (negligible vapor pressure). The polyester film is formed via the interfacial reaction between quercetin, a plant‐derived polyphenol, and terephthaloyl chloride. Alpha‐pinene is used as a green alternative solvent to dissolve terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) while quercetin is dissolved in a 0.2 m NaOH solution. The interfacial polymerization reaction is successfully confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy while scanning electron and atomic force microscopy are used to characterize the membrane structure. The composite membrane shows an outstanding performance with a molecular weight cut‐off around 330 Da combined with a dimethylformamide (DMF) permeance up to 2.8 L m−2 bar−1 h−1. The membrane is stable in strong aprotic solvents such as DMF offering potential application in the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries.

Stability of interfacial waves in two-phase flows

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, W S [Ontario Hydro, Toronto, ON (Canada)

1996-12-31

The influence of the interfacial pressure and the flow distribution in the one-dimensional two-fluid model on the stability problems of interfacial waves is discussed. With a proper formulation of the interfacial pressure, the following two-phase phenomena can be predicted from the stability and stationary criteria of the interfacial waves: onset of slug flow, stationary hydraulic jump in a stratified flow, flooding in a vertical pipe, and the critical void fraction of a bubbly flow. It can be concluded that the interfacial pressure plays an important role in the interfacial wave propagation of the two-fluid model. The flow distribution parameter may enhance the flow stability range, but only plays a minor role in the two-phase characteristics. (author). 20 refs., 3 tabs., 4 figs.

Propagation of SH waves in a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic plate: Effects of interfacial imperfection couplings and the related physical mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wei, Hong-Xing [Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Imaging Technology, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048 (China); Li, Yong-Dong, E-mail: LYDbeijing@163.com [Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Imaging Technology, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048 (China); Department of Mechanical Engineering, Academy of Armored Force Engineering, Beijing 100072 (China); Xiong, Tao [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Academy of Armored Force Engineering, Beijing 100072 (China); Guan, Yong [Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Imaging Technology, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048 (China)

2016-09-07

The problem of dispersive SH wave in a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic plate that contains an imperfect interface is considered in the present work. An imperfection coupling model is adopted to describe the magnetic, electric and mechanical imperfections on the interface. A transcendental dispersion equation is derived and numerically solved to get the phase velocity. The validity of the numerical procedure is verified in a degenerated case. The effects of the coupled interfacial imperfections on the dispersion behavior of SH waves are discussed in detail and the related underlying physical mechanisms are explained. - Highlights: • SH-wave is investigated in a multiferroic plate with coupled interfacial imperfections. • SH-wave is affected by both interfacial imperfections and their inter-couplings. • Physical mechanisms of the effects are explained via energy transformations.

Propagation of SH waves in a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic plate: Effects of interfacial imperfection couplings and the related physical mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Hong-Xing; Li, Yong-Dong; Xiong, Tao; Guan, Yong

2016-01-01

The problem of dispersive SH wave in a piezoelectric/piezomagnetic plate that contains an imperfect interface is considered in the present work. An imperfection coupling model is adopted to describe the magnetic, electric and mechanical imperfections on the interface. A transcendental dispersion equation is derived and numerically solved to get the phase velocity. The validity of the numerical procedure is verified in a degenerated case. The effects of the coupled interfacial imperfections on the dispersion behavior of SH waves are discussed in detail and the related underlying physical mechanisms are explained. - Highlights: • SH-wave is investigated in a multiferroic plate with coupled interfacial imperfections. • SH-wave is affected by both interfacial imperfections and their inter-couplings. • Physical mechanisms of the effects are explained via energy transformations.

Effect of short-chain branching on interfacial polymer structure and dynamics under shear flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Sohdam; Kim, Jun Mo; Cho, Soowon; Baig, Chunggi

2017-11-22

We present a detailed analysis on the effect of short-chain branches on the structure and dynamics of interfacial chains using atomistic nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of confined polyethylene melts in a wide range of shear rates. The intrinsically fast random motions of the short branches constantly disturb the overall chain conformation, leading to a more compact and less deformed chain structure of the short-chain branched (SCB) polymer against the imposed flow field in comparison with the corresponding linear polymer. Moreover, such highly mobile short branches along the backbone of the SCB polymer lead to relatively weaker out-of-plane wagging dynamics of interfacial chains, with highly curvy backbone structures in the intermediate flow regime. In conjunction with the contribution of short branches (as opposed to that of the backbone) to the total interfacial friction between the chains and the wall, the SCB polymer shows a nearly constant behavior in the degree of slip (d s ) with respect to shear rate in the weak-to-intermediate flow regimes. On the contrary, in the strong flow regime where irregular chain rotation and tumbling dynamics occur via intensive dynamical collisions between interfacial chains and the wall, an enhancement effect on the chain detachment from the wall, caused by short branches, leads to a steeper increase in d s for the SCB polymer than for the linear polymer. Remarkably, the SCB chains at the interface exhibit two distinct types of rolling mechanisms along the backbone, with a half-dumbbell mesoscopic structure at strong flow fields, in addition to the typical hairpin-like tumbling behavior displayed by the linear chains.

Electrical control of spontaneous emission and strong coupling for a single quantum dot

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laucht, A.; Hofbauer, F.; Hauke, N.

2009-01-01

We report the design, fabrication and optical investigation of electrically tunable single quantum dots—photonic crystal defect nanocavities operating in both the weak and strong coupling regimes of the light–matter interaction. Unlike previous studies where the dot–cavity spectral detuning...... switchable optical nonlinearity at the single photon level, paving the way towards on-chip dot-based nano-photonic devices that can be integrated with passive optical components....

Dielectrics in electric fields

CERN Document Server

Raju, Gorur G

2003-01-01

Discover nontraditional applications of dielectric studies in this exceptionally crafted field reference or text for seniors and graduate students in power engineering tracks. This text contains more than 800 display equations and discusses polarization phenomena in dielectrics, the complex dielectric constant in an alternating electric field, dielectric relaxation and interfacial polarization, the measurement of absorption and desorption currents in time domains, and high field conduction phenomena. Dielectrics in Electric Fields is an interdisciplinary reference and text for professionals and students in electrical and electronics, chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering; physical, surface, and colloid chemistry; materials science; and chemical physics.

Experimental density, viscosity, interfacial tension and water solubility of ethyl benzene-α-methyl benzyl alcohol–water system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barega, Esayas W.; Zondervan, Edwin; Haan, André B. de

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Properties were measured for MBA (methyl benzyl alcohol)-EB (ethyl benzene)-water. • MBA concentration was found to influence all the properties strongly. • The water solubility, density, and viscosity increased at high MBA concentration. • The interfacial tension decreased sharply at high MBA concentration. • MBA dictates the phase separation and mass transfer of the ternary system. -- Abstract: Density, viscosity, interfacial tension, and water solubility were measured for the (α-methyl benzyl alcohol (MBA) + Ethyl benzene (EB)) system at different concentrations of MBA in contact with water and sodium hydroxide solution (0.01 mol · kg −1 ) as aqueous phases. The properties were measured to identify the component which plays a governing role in changing the physical properties relevant to mass transfer and phase separation of the ternary system. The concentration of MBA was found to be the major factor influencing all the properties. The water solubility, the density, and the viscosity increased notably at higher concentrations of MBA; while, the interfacial tension decreased strongly. The use of 0.01 mol · kg −1 NaOH as an aqueous phase resulted in a decrease of the interfacial tension and a minor decrease in the water solubility. The density data were correlated using a quadratic mixing rule to describe the influence of concentration at any temperature. The viscosity data are correlated using the Nissan and Grunberg and Katti-Chaudhri equations. The Szyzkowski’s equation was used to correlate the interfacial tension data. The water solubility data were described using an exponential relationship. All the correlations described the experimental physical property data adequately

Interfacial Instabilities in Evaporating Drops

Science.gov (United States)

Moffat, Ross; Sefiane, Khellil; Matar, Omar

2007-11-01

We study the effect of substrate thermal properties on the evaporation of sessile drops of various liquids. An infra-red imaging technique was used to record the interfacial temperature. This technique illustrates the non-uniformity in interfacial temperature distribution that characterises the evaporation process. Our results also demonstrate that the evaporation of methanol droplets is accompanied by the formation of wave-trains in the interfacial temperature field; similar patterns, however, were not observed in the case of water droplets. More complex patterns are observed for FC-72 refrigerant drops. The effect of substrate thermal conductivity on the structure of the complex pattern formation is also elucidated.

Assessment of a new interfacial friction correlation in TRAC-BD1/MOD1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Analytis, G.T.

1986-01-01

Analysis of a number of 5-bar (and one 1-bar) boiloff experiments in the electrically heated 33-rod bundle NEPTUN at the Swiss Federal Institute for Reactor Research by TRAC-BD1 version 12 and MOD1 has shown that the code consistently underpredicts the collapsed liquid level histories, hence predicting earlier critical heat fluxes and higher peak rod surface temperatures than the measurements showed. Moreover, recent work has demonstrated that these differences can be attributed to the bubbly/churn interfacial friction model in TRAC-BD1 (resulting in rather large interfacial drag) whose appropriateness for rod bundles is questionable; decreasing the interfacial drag resulted in excellent agreement between measurements and code predictions. Recent analysis of boiloff experiments with the French code CATHARE and with a bubbly/churn interfacial drag force f/sub i/ similar to the one of TRAC-BD1 has also resulted in the underprediction of collapsed liquid level histories. In this work, it was shown that the usual vapor drift velocity correlations (through which f/sub i/ is derived) for this flow regime developed for tubes are not appropriate for rod bundles. Moreover, a new f/sub i/ correlation for bubbly/churn flow in rod bundles was developed based on the Froude number. The authors have modified this correlation slightly, implemented it in TRAC-BD1/MOD1, and reanalyzed most of the boiloff experiments in NEPTUN

Electrical transverse transport in Lorentz plasma with strong magnetic field and collision effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Baisong; Chong, L.V.; Li, Ziliang

2015-01-01

In inertial confinement fusion (ICF), the spontaneous magnetic field formed from laser interacting with the pellet may reach few hundreds of Megagauss (MG) which results in the cyclotron frequency ω at the same order of the collision frequency υ. Electrical transverse transport in this case would become very important so that we study it by the Boltzmann equation for different electron density distribution. For the Maxwell distribution, it is shown that transport coefficients decrease with the increase of Ω (the ratio of ω to υ), which means the electrons would be highly collimated by strong magnetic field. This is attributed to that the electron's gyroradius is smaller than the collisional mean free paths. Moreover, the electrical transverse transport is also studied for quasi-monoenergy distribution with different width ε, which is different from the Maxwell one. It is found that the transport coefficients decrease greatly as quasi-monoenergy degree increases. In particular when ε approaches to zero, i.e. the Delta distribution with almost perfect monoenergy electron density, the electric conductivity doesn't change while the thermal conductivity decreases with Ω. On the other hand the smaller the ε is the less amount the transverse transport exhibits. Our study indicates that they are beneficial to limit the electric transverse transport. (author)

Phonon Transport at Crystalline Si/Ge Interfaces: The Role of Interfacial Modes of Vibration

Science.gov (United States)

Gordiz, Kiarash; Henry, Asegun

2016-01-01

We studied the modal contributions to heat conduction at crystalline Si and crystalline Ge interfaces and found that more than 15% of the interface conductance arises from less than 0.1% of the modes in the structure. Using the recently developed interface conductance modal analysis (ICMA) method along with a new complimentary methodology, we mapped the correlations between modes, which revealed that a small group of interfacial modes, which exist between 12–13 THz, exhibit extremely strong correlation with other modes in the system. It is found that these interfacial modes (e.g., modes with large eigen vectors for interfacial atoms) are enabled by the degree of anharmonicity near the interface, which is higher than in the bulk, and therefore allows this small group of modes to couple to all others. The analysis sheds light on the nature of localized vibrations at interfaces and can be enlightening for other investigations of localization. PMID:26979787

Nonequilibrium Thermodynamic Treatment of a Warm Plasma in Strong Magnetic and Electric Fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abourabia, A.M.; Shahein, R.A.

2008-01-01

In the framework of the irreversible thermodynamics we study a rarefied and collisional warm electron plasma under the effects of external strong magnetic and electric fields which generate small wave amplitudes. We adopt the linear theory and normal mode solution in the MHD model to calculate the perturbations in pressure, mass density, components of velocity, electric and magnetic fields. By applying the second law of thermodynamics it is concluded that the change in the internal energy of the plasma particles predicts whether they gain from or lose energy to the generated waves .The obtained results agree with the physical ground bounded by the positive nature of the entropy production. The predictions have been carried out within the range of the frequency of the generated waves and the distance from the Debye sphere

Main tasks of studying strong regulation of excitation of complex electrical system generators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gruzdev, I.A.; Yekimova, M.M.

1982-01-01

A survey is made of the current state of studies of the damping properties of complex electricity systems. The calculation programs of stability are based on frequency methods using the method of D-division. Now, when ARV of strong effect dominates at the SG, the task of coordinating their adjustments develops. Consequently, the following questions are discussed: study of the properties of quality functional with several points of regulation in the circuits of different structure; development of the efficient procedures for coordinating the ARV adjustment of the related energy systems; and creation of resources for solving these tasks. Results are presented of coordinating the ARV adjustments of the generators of the 3-machine electricity system. As an example, nonlinear relationships are shown between the obtained degree of stability and the coefficient of stabilization.

Scaling of interfacial jump conditions; Escalamiento de condiciones de salto interfacial

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quezada G, S.; Vazquez R, A.; Espinosa P, G., E-mail: sequga@gmail.com [Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Unidad Iztapalapa, Area de Ingenieria en Recursos Energeticos, Apdo. Postal 55-535, 09340 Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico)

2015-09-15

To model the behavior of a nuclear reactor accurately is needed to have balance models that take into account the different phenomena occurring in the reactor. These balances have to be coupled together through boundary conditions. The boundary conditions have been studied and different treatments have been given to the interface. In this paper is a brief description of some of the interfacial jump conditions that have been proposed in recent years. Also, the scaling of an interfacial jump condition is proposed, for coupling the different materials that are in contact within a nuclear reactor. (Author)

Electrical Control of Structural and Physical Properties via Strong Spin-Orbit Interactions in Sr2IrO4

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, G.; Terzic, J.; Zhao, H. D.; Zheng, H.; De Long, L. E.; Riseborough, Peter S.

2018-01-01

Electrical control of structural and physical properties is a long-sought, but elusive goal of contemporary science and technology. We demonstrate that a combination of strong spin-orbit interactions (SOI) and a canted antiferromagnetic Mott state is sufficient to attain that goal. The antiferromagnetic insulator Sr2IrO4 provides a model system in which strong SOI lock canted Ir magnetic moments to IrO6 octahedra, causing them to rigidly rotate together. A novel coupling between an applied electrical current and the canting angle reduces the Néel temperature and drives a large, nonlinear lattice expansion that closely tracks the magnetization, increases the electron mobility, and precipitates a unique resistive switching effect. Our observations open new avenues for understanding fundamental physics driven by strong SOI in condensed matter, and provide a new paradigm for functional materials and devices.

Interfacial pH-gradient induced micro-capillary filling with the aid of transverse electrodes arrays in presence of electrical double layer effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jain, Avi; Chakraborty, Suman

2010-01-01

In the present work, we outline the design and analysis of a micro-capillary filling mechanism through the aid of interfacial pH gradients (and hence interfacial tension gradients) generated by employing arrays of transverse electrodes inducing step changes in voltages, in a natural buffer system that requires low power and no synthetic ampholytes. The capillary transport is modulated by a dynamic and non-trivial coupling between the interfacial tension and viscous resistances, as a consequence of the underlying intermolecular interactions. The competing effects of the driving and the retarding forces effectively determine the displacement, velocity and acceleration characteristics of the capillary front, in a dynamically evolving manner. A comprehensive theoretical model of capillary dynamics is developed here to address these issues in details, thereby revealing the combined influence of the interfacial electrochemistry and the applied transverse voltages, as guided by the pertinent fundamental thermodynamic principles governed by free energy considerations and the physico-chemical phenomena over interfacial scales. Non-trivial implications of the pH-gradient driven micro-capillary transport are aptly emphasized, so as to offer significant physical insights on the adopted strategy as a guiding principle for facilitating capillary filling processes by inducing a modulation in the effective interfacial energy. Particular implications on the capillary filling time are also pinpointed, revealing the effectiveness of the adopted design strategy. Finally, a universal scaling relationship of the capillary filling time as a function of the pertinent operating parameters is derived, so as to provide a generalized guideline for implementing the design scheme. A non-dimensional parameter, depending simultaneously on the inter-electrode pitch and the transverse voltage, is identified, which may be kept to a minimal limit within the other operating constraints of the chosen

Interfacial binding of cutinase rather than its catalytic activity determines the steady state interfacial tension during oil drop lipid hydrolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Flipsen, J A; van Schaick, M A; Dijkman, R; van der Hijden, H T; Verheij, H M; Egmond, M R

1999-02-01

Hydrolysis of triglycerides by cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi causes in oil drop tensiometer experiments a decrease of the interfacial tension. A series of cutinase variants with amino acid substitutions at its molecular surface yielded different values of the steady state interfacial tension. This tension value poorly correlated with the specific activity as such nor with the total activity (defined as the specific activity multiplied by the amount of enzyme bound) of the cutinase variants. Moreover, it appeared that at activity levels above 15% of that of wild type cutinase the contribution of hydrolysis to the decrease of the tension is saturating. A clear positive correlation was found between the interfacial tension plateau value and the interfacial binding of cutinase, as determined with attenuated total reflection Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). These results indicate that the interfacial steady state level is not determined by the rate of hydrolysis, but mainly by the interfacial binding of cutinase.

Interfacial reactions between titanium and borate glass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brow, R.K. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Saha, S.K.; Goldstein, J.I. [Lehigh Univ., Bethlehem, PA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science

1992-12-31

Interfacial reactions between melts of several borate glasses and titanium have been investigated by analytical scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A thin titanium boride interfacial layer is detected by XPS after short (30 minutes) thermal treatments. ASEM analyses after longer thermal treatments (8--120 hours) reveal boron-rich interfacial layers and boride precipitates in the Ti side of the interface.

Incorporating interfacial phenomena in solidification models

Science.gov (United States)

Beckermann, Christoph; Wang, Chao Yang

1994-01-01

A general methodology is available for the incorporation of microscopic interfacial phenomena in macroscopic solidification models that include diffusion and convection. The method is derived from a formal averaging procedure and a multiphase approach, and relies on the presence of interfacial integrals in the macroscopic transport equations. In a wider engineering context, these techniques are not new, but their application in the analysis and modeling of solidification processes has largely been overlooked. This article describes the techniques and demonstrates their utility in two examples in which microscopic interfacial phenomena are of great importance.

Minimizing performance degradation induced by interfacial recombination in perovskite solar cells through tailoring of the transport layer electronic properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Xu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The performance of hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite solar cells is investigated using one-dimensional drift-diffusion device simulations. We study the effects of interfacial defect density, doping concentration, and electronic level positions of the charge transport layer (CTL. Choosing CTLs with a favorable band alignment, rather than passivating CTL-perovskite interfacial defects, is shown to be beneficial for maintaining high power-conversion efficiency, due to reduced minority carrier density arising from a favorable local electric field profile. Insights from this study provide theoretical guidance on practical selection of CTL materials for achieving high-performance perovskite solar cells.

Interplay between Interfacial Structures and Device Performance in Organic Solar Cells: A Case Study with the Low Work Function Metal, Calcium.

Science.gov (United States)

Ju, Huanxin; Knesting, Kristina M; Zhang, Wei; Pan, Xiao; Wang, Chia-Hsin; Yang, Yaw-Wen; Ginger, David S; Zhu, Junfa

2016-01-27

A better understanding of how interfacial structure affects charge carrier recombination would benefit the development of highly efficient organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. In this paper, transient photovoltage (TPV) and charge extraction (CE) measurements are used in combination with synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy (SRPES) to gain insight into the correlation between interfacial properties and device performance. OPV devices based on PCDTBT/PC71BM with a Ca interlayer were studied as a reference system to investigate the interfacial effects on device performance. Devices with a Ca interlayer exhibit a lower recombination than devices with only an Al cathode at a given charge carrier density (n). In addition, the interfacial band structures indicate that the strong dipole moment produced by the Ca interlayer can facilitate the extraction of electrons and drive holes away from the cathode/polymer interface, resulting in beneficial reduction in interfacial recombination losses. These results help explain the higher efficiencies of devices made with Ca interlayers compared to that without the Ca interlayer.

Model of interfacial melting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mouritsen, Ole G.; Zuckermann, Martin J.

1987-01-01

A two-dimensional model is proposed to describe systems with phase transitions which take place in terms of crystalline as well as internal degrees of freedom. Computer simulation of the model shows that the interplay between the two sets of degrees of freedom permits observation of grain-boundar......-boundary formation and interfacial melting, a nonequilibrium process by which the system melts at the boundaries of a polycrystalline domain structure. Lipid membranes are candidates for systems with pronounced interfacial melting behavior....

Enhanced interfacial radiation-induced reaction for improving the interfacial adhesion of incompatible polymer blend PP/BR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Changhai; Yang Huili; Xu Jun

1995-01-01

γ-radiation induced interfacial changes of incompatible polymer isotactic polypropylene (PP) and cis1,4-polybutadiene (BR) blends containing polyfunctional monomer (PFM) triallyl isocyanurate (TAIC) were investigated. The results of the study are as following: PP is incompatible with BR; TAIC is hardly dissolved in both PP and BR; when blended with PP/BR, the concentration of TAIC in the interfacial region is higher than that in dispersion phase of BR or matrix of PP. The crosslinking and/or grafting of which TAIC occurred under radiation in the interfacial region anchored the dispersed BR phase to PP matrix. The interaction between adjacent phases is changed from sole van der Waals force to co-action of both chemical bond and molecular forces. Crosslinking between adjacent phases links the dispersed phase with PP matrix, and grafting in the boundary regions increases the thickness of interface. These result in a good interfacial adhesion between dispersed phase and matrix. (author)

Lepton electric dipole moment and strong CP violation

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, Diptimoy; Sato, Ryosuke

2018-02-01

Contribution of the strong CP angle, θ bar , to the Wilson Coefficients of electron and muon electric dipole moment (EDM) operators are discussed. Previously, θ bar contribution to the electron EDM operator was calculated by Choi and Hong [1]. However, the effect of CP-violating three meson coupling was missing in [1]. We include this missing contribution for the first time in the literature, and reevaluate the Wilson coefficients of the lepton EDM operator. We obtain de = - (2.2 - 8.6) ×10-28 θ bar e-cm which is 15-70% of the result obtained in [1]. We also estimated the muon EDM as dμ = - (0.5 - 1.8) ×10-25 θ bar e-cm. Using | θ bar | ≲10-10 suggested by the neutron EDM measurements, we obtain |de | ≲ 8.6 ×10-38e-cm and |dμ | ≲ 1.8 ×10-35e-cm. The θ bar contribution to the muon EDM is much below the sensitivities of the current and near future experiments. Our result shows that the θ bar contribution to de,μ can be larger than the CKM contributions by many orders of magnitude.

Interfacial charge separation and photovoltaic efficiency in Fe(ii)-carbene sensitized solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Pastore, Mariachiara; Duchanois, Thibaut; Liu, Li; Monari, Antonio; Assfeld, Xavier; Haacke, Stefan; Gros, Philippe C

2016-10-12

The first combined theoretical and photovoltaic characterization of both homoleptic and heteroleptic Fe(ii)-carbene sensitized photoanodes in working dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has been performed. Three new heteroleptic Fe(ii)-NHC dye sensitizers have been synthesized, characterized and tested. Despite an improved interfacial charge separation in comparison to the homoleptic compounds, the heteroleptic complexes did not show boosted photovoltaic performances. The ab initio quantitative analysis of the interfacial electron and hole transfers and the measured photovoltaic data clearly evidenced fast recombination reactions for heteroleptics, even associated with un unfavorable directional electron flow, and hence slower injection rates, in the case of homoleptics. Notably, quantum mechanics calculations revealed that deprotonation of the not anchored carboxylic function in the homoleptic complex can effectively accelerate the electron injection rate and completely suppress the electron recombination to the oxidized dye. This result suggests that introduction of strong electron-donating substituents on the not-anchored carbene ligand in heteroleptic complexes, in such a way of mimicking the electronic effects of the carboxylate functionality, should yield markedly improved interfacial charge generation properties. The present results, providing for the first time a detailed understanding of the interfacial electron transfers and photovoltaic characterization in Fe(ii)-carbene sensitized solar cells, open the way to a rational molecular engineering of efficient iron-based dyes for photoelectrochemical applications.

Application of the nuclear liquid drop model to a negative hydrogen ion in the strong electric field of a laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amusia, M.Ya.; Kornyushin, Y. [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem (Israel)]. E-mail: yurik@vms.huji.ac.il

2000-09-01

The nuclear liquid drop model is applied to describe some basic properties of a negative hydrogen ion in the strong electric field of a laser. The equilibrium ionic size, energy and polarizability of the ion are calculated. Collective modes of the dipole oscillations are considered. A barrier which arises in a strong electric field is studied. The barrier vanishes at some large value of the electric field, which is defined as a critical value. The dependence of the critical field on frequency is studied. At frequencies {omega}{>=}({omega}{sub d}/2{sup 1/2}) ({omega}{sub d} is the frequency of the dipole oscillations of the electronic cloud relative to the nucleus) the barrier remains for any field. At high frequencies a 'stripping' mechanism for instability arises. At the resonant frequency a rather low amplitude of the electric field causes the 'stripping' instability. (author)

Graphene derivatives/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/polymer nanocomposite films: Optical and electrical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hatel, Rhizlane [University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Laboratory of Solid State Physics, Group of Polymers and Nanomaterials, PO Box 1796, Atlas, Fez 30000 (Morocco); Goumri, Meryem [University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Laboratory of Solid State Physics, Group of Polymers and Nanomaterials, PO Box 1796, Atlas, Fez 30000 (Morocco); XLIM UMR 7252- University of Limoges/CNRS, 123 Avenue Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges Cedex (France); Ratier, Bernard [XLIM UMR 7252- University of Limoges/CNRS, 123 Avenue Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges Cedex (France); Baitoul, Mimouna, E-mail: baitoul@yahoo.fr [University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Laboratory of Solid State Physics, Group of Polymers and Nanomaterials, PO Box 1796, Atlas, Fez 30000 (Morocco)

2017-06-01

This paper reports a simple solution casting method for the preparation of nanocomposite films in which graphene oxide (GO)/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanocomposites are incorporated into poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix. The films obtained with different weight percent of GO/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} (0.5, 0.7 and 1 wt%) are subjected an in situ chemical and thermal reduction in order to explore the evolution and interactions between these components under different treatments and get an insight into on how this can affects the optical and electrical properties of these nanocomposites. Characterization was carried out using, UV–Vis absorption, Photoluminescence, electrical conductivity measurements, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy. Strong covalent functionalization occurs between the polymer and graphene derivatives (GD)/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} hybrids. The experimental results obtained for our nanocomposites films exhibit significant enhancement in properties highlighted the efficiency of the in situ thermal reduction. The high absorption with strong photoluminescence and electrical conductivity achieved might promote these nanocomposites for opto-electronic devices in near future. - Highlights: • Novel inorganic-organic hybrid flexible films were successfully prepared. • Good interfacial interaction between the graphene/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} and the hydroxyl-rich PVA. • Optical and electrical properties of Graphene Derivatives/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/PVA were investigated. • Thermally reduced GO/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/PVA films show high absorption and strong photoluminescence.

Cooperative Effects of Zwitterionic-Ionic Surfactant Mixtures on the Interfacial Water Structure Revealed by Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Xuecong; Yang, Fangyuan; Chen, Shunli; Zhu, Xuefeng; Wang, Chuanyi

2018-05-08

Cooperative effects of a series of equimolar binary zwitterionic-ionic surfactant mixtures on the interfacial water structure at the air-water interfaces have been studied by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS). For zwitterionic surfactant palmityl sulfobetaine (SNC 16 ), anionic surfactant sodium hexadecyl sulfate (SHS), and cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) with the same length of alkyl chain, significantly enhanced ordering of interfacial water molecules was observed for the zwitterionic-anionic surfactant mixtures SNC 16 -SHS, indicating that SNC 16 interacts more strongly with SHS than with CTAB because of the strong headgroup-headgroup electrostatic attraction for SNC 16 -SHS. Meanwhile, the SFG amplitude ratio of methyl and methylene symmetric stretching modes was used to verify the stronger interaction between SNC 16 and SHS. The conformational order indicator increased from 0.64 for SNC 16 to 7.17 for SNC 16 -SHS but only 0.94 for SNC 16 -CTAB. In addition, another anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was introduced to study the influence of chain-chain interaction. Decreased SFG amplitude of interfacial water molecules for SNC 16 -SDS was observed. Therefore, both the headgroup-headgroup electrostatic interaction and chain-chain van der Waals attractive interaction of the surfactants play an important role in enhancing the ordering of interfacial water molecules. The results provided experimental and theoretical bases for practical applications of the surfactants.

Local measurement of interfacial area, interfacial velocity and liquid turbulence in two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hibiki, T.; Hogsett, S.; Ishii, M.

1998-01-01

Double sensor probe and hotfilm anemometry methods were developed for measuring local flow characteristics in bubbly flow. The formulation for the interfacial area concentration measurement was obtained by improving the formulation derived by Kataoka and Ishii. The assumptions used in the derivation of the equation were verified experimentally. The interfacial area concentration measured by the double sensor probe agreed well with one by the photographic method. The filter to validate the hotfilm anemometry for measuring the liquid velocity and turbulent intensity in bubbly flow was developed based on removing the signal due to the passing bubbles. The local void fraction, interfacial area concentration, interfacial velocity, Sauter mean diameter, liquid velocity, and turbulent intensity of vertical upward air-water flow in a round tube with inner diameter of 50.8 mm were measured by using these methods. A total of 54 data sets were acquired consisting of three superficial gas flow rates, 0.039, 0.067, and 0.147 m/s, and three superficial liquid flow rates, 0.60, 1.00, and 1.30 m/s. The measurements were performed at the three locations: L/D=2, 32, and 62. This data is expected to be used for the development of reliable constitutive relations which reflect the true transfer mechanisms in two-phase flow. (author)

Fabrication of large-scale one-dimensional Au nanochain and nanowire networks by interfacial self-assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Minhua; Li Yongjun; Xie Zhaoxiong; Liu Cai; Yeung, Edward S.

2010-01-01

By utilizing the strong capillary attraction between interfacial nanoparticles, large-scale one-dimensional Au nanochain networks were fabricated at the n-butanol/water interface, and could be conveniently transferred onto hydrophilic substrates. Furthermore, the length of the nanochains could be adjusted simply by controlling the density of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) at the n-butanol/water interface. Surprisingly, the resultant Au nanochains could further transform into smooth nanowires by increasing the aging time, forming a nanowire network. Combined characterization by HRTEM and UV-vis spectroscopy indicates that the formation of Au nanochains stemmed from a stochastic assembly of interfacial AuNPs due to strong capillary attraction, and the evolution of nanochains to nanowires follows an Ostwald ripening mechanism rather than an oriented attachment. This method could be utilized to fabricate large-area nanochain or nanowire networks more uniformly on solid substrates than that of evaporating a solution of nanochain colloid, since it eliminates the three-dimensional aggregation behavior.

Comparison of crude oil interfacial behavior

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beetge, J.H.; Panchev, N. [Champion Technologies Inc., Fresno, TX (United States)

2008-07-01

The bulk properties of crude oil are used to predict its behaviour with regards to treatment, transport and processing. Surface active components, such as asphaltenes, are often used to study or explain critical interfacial behaviour of crude oil. This study investigated the differences and similarities in the interfacial behaviour of the collective surface active component in various crude oils from different sources. The properties of interfaces between crude oil and water were compared using a Teclis drop shape tensiometer. A portion of a crude oil sample was diluted in toluene and contacted with water in a rising drop configuration. Dynamic surface tension and interfacial rheology was examined as a function of time from the early stages of interface formation. Sinusoidal oscillation of the drop volume allowed for the evaluation of visco-elastic behaviour of the crude oil/water interface as it developed with time. The Gibbs elastic modulus, as well as its elastic and viscose components were calculated from the drop shape. The interfacial behaviour was expressed in terms of concentration, oscillation frequency and interface age. It was concluded that knowledge of crude oil interfacial character could be of value in the treatment, transport and processing of crude oils because the its behaviour may play a significant role in crude oil production and processing.

Measurement of local interfacial area concentration in boiling loop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kyoung, Ho Kang; Byong, Jo Yun; Goon, Cherl Park

1995-01-01

An accurate prediction of two-phase flow is essential to many energy systems, including nuclear reactors. To model the two-phase flow, detailed information on the internal flow structure is required. The void fraction and interfacial area concentration are important fundamental parameters characterizing the internal structure of two-phase flow. The interfacial area concentration is defined as the available interfacial area per unit volume of the two-phase mixture in calculations of the interfacial transport of mass, momentum, and energy. Although a number of studies have been made in this area, the interfacial area concentration in two-phase flow has not been sufficiently investigated either experimentally or analytically. Most existing models for interfacial area concentration are limited to area-averaged interfacial area concentration in a flow channel. And the studies on local interfacial area concentration are limited to the case of air-water two-phase flow. However, the internal flow structure of steam-water two-phase flow having various bubble sizes could be quite different from that of air-water two-phase flow, the reliability of which weak in practical applications. In this study, the local interfacial area concentration steam-water two-phase flow has been investigated experimentally in a circular boiling tube having a heating rod in the center, and for the low flow with liquid superficial velocity <1 m/s

Interfacial effects in a multistage mixer-settler operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiinshiung Horng; Daluh Lu; Yingchu Hoh

1988-01-01

A pilot-scale mixer-settler with twenty-one stages was used to investigate the interfacial tension change during extraction cycle for the complicated system: NdCl 3 -SmCl 3 -EuCl 3 -GdCl 3 -TbCl 3 -DyCl 3 -HCl- 1 M D2EHPA-kerosene. Interfacial tension, total rare earth (TRE) concentrations in both phases, aqueous acidities, and organic entrainment in the raffinate, etc., were measured for each stage. Murphree stage efficiencies based on organic phase were calculated and related to the interfacial tension profiles. In general, the lower the interfacial tension, the higher the stage efficiency observed. For the extraction section, the stage efficiency ranged from 80% - 100%, but for stripping (including scrubbing) section, it varied from 100% - 15%. For high acidic stripping agent, 5 M HCl, the relatively lower stage efficiency might be due to the protonation of the acidic extractant, therefore the interfacial resistance increased significantly. From the information of stage efficiency, mass transfer direction, and interfacial tension versus solute concentration etc., the Marangoni effect could be used to explain the interfacial phenomena of this complicated extraction system. The results of real stream tests in this investigation will be useful in future plant design. (author)

Superstretchable Nacre-Mimetic Graphene/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite Film Based on Interfacial Architectural Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Nifang; Yang, Miao; Zhao, Qian; Gao, Weiwei; Xie, Tao; Bai, Hao

2017-05-23

Through designing hierarchical structures, particularly optimizing the chemical and architectural interactions at its inorganic/organic interface, nacre has achieved an excellent combination of contradictory mechanical properties such as strength and toughness, which is highly demanded yet difficult to achieve by most synthetic materials. Most techniques applied to develop nacre-mimetic composites have been focused on mimicking the "brick-and-mortar" structure, but the interfacial architectural features, especially the asperities and mineral bridges of "bricks", have been rarely concerned, which are of equal importance for enhancing mechanical properties of nacre. Here, we used a modified bidirectional freezing method followed by uniaxial pressing and chemical reduction to assemble a nacre-mimetic graphene/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite film, with both asperities and bridges introduced in addition to the lamellar layers to mimic the interfacial architectural interactions found in nacre. As such, we have developed a composite film that is not only strong (up to ∼150.9 MPa), but also tough (up to ∼8.50 MJ/m 3 ), and highly stretchable (up to ∼10.44%), difficult to obtain by other methods. This was all achieved by only interfacial architectural engineering within the traditional "brick-and-mortar" structure, without introducing a third component or employing chemical cross-linker as in some other nacre-mimetic systems. More importantly, we believe that the design principles and processing strategies reported here can also be applied to other material systems to develop strong and stretchable materials.

Interfacial structures in downward two-phase bubbly flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paranjape, S.S.; Kim, S.; Ishii, M.; Kelly, J.

2003-01-01

Downward two-phase flow was studied considering its significance in view of Light Water Reactor Accidents (LWR) such as Loss of Heat Sink (LOHS) by feed water loss or secondary pipe break. The flow studied, was an adiabatic, air-water, co-current, vertically downward two-phase flow. The experimental test sections had internal hydraulic diameters of 25.4 mm and 50.8 mm. Flow regime map was obtained using the characteristic signals obtained from an impedance void meter, employing neural network based identification methodology to minimize the subjective judgment in determining the flow regimes. A four sensor conductivity probe was used to measure the local two phase flow parameters, which characterize the interfacial structures. The local time averaged two-phase flow parameters measured were: void fraction (α), interfacial area concentration (a i ), bubble velocity (v g ), and Sauter mean diameter (D Sm ). The flow conditions were from the bubbly flow regime. The local profiles of these parameters as well as their axial development revealed the nature of the interfacial structures and the bubble interaction mechanisms occurring in the flow. Furthermore, this study provided a good database for the development of the interfacial area transport equation, which dynamically models the changes in the interfacial area along the flow field. An interfacial area transport equation was developed for downward flow based on that developed for the upward flow, with certain modifications in the bubble interaction terms. The area averaged values of the interfacial area concentration were compared with those predicted by the interfacial area transport model. (author)

Comparative analysis of oxide phase formation and its effects on electrical properties of SiO{sub 2}/InSb metal-oxide-semiconductor structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jaeyel [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Sehun [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); WCU Hybrid Materials Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jungsub; Yang, Changjae; Kim, Sujin; Seok, Chulkyun [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jinsub [Department of Electronic Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Euijoon, E-mail: eyoon@snu.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); WCU Hybrid Materials Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon 443-270 (Korea, Republic of); Energy Semiconductor Research Center, Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon 443-270 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-06-01

We report on the changes in the interfacial phases between SiO{sub 2} and InSb caused by various deposition temperatures and heat treatments. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy were used to evaluate the relative amount of each phase present at the interface. The effect of interfacial phases on the electrical properties of SiO{sub 2}/InSb metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures was investigated by capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. The amount of both In and Sb oxides increased with the deposition temperature. The amount of interfacial In oxide was larger for all samples, regardless of the deposition and annealing temperatures and times. In particular, the annealed samples contained less than half the amount of Sb oxide compared with the as-deposited samples, indicating a strong interfacial reaction between Sb oxide and the InSb substrate during annealing. The interface trap density sharply increased for deposition temperatures above 240 Degree-Sign C. The C-V measurements and Raman spectroscopy indicated that elemental Sb accumulation due to the interfacial reaction of Sb oxide with InSb substrate was responsible for the increased interfacial trap densities in these SiO{sub 2}/InSb MOS structures. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We report the quantitative analysis of interfacial oxides at the SiO{sub 2}/InSb interface. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Interfacial oxides were measured quantitatively by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer As-grown and annealed samples showed different compositions of oxide phases. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Considerable reduction of antimony oxide phases was observed during annealing. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Interface trap densities at the SiO{sub 2}/InSb interface were calculated.

Lepton electric dipole moment and strong CP violation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diptimoy Ghosh

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Contribution of the strong CP angle, θ¯, to the Wilson Coefficients of electron and muon electric dipole moment (EDM operators are discussed. Previously, θ¯ contribution to the electron EDM operator was calculated by Choi and Hong [1]. However, the effect of CP-violating three meson coupling was missing in [1]. We include this missing contribution for the first time in the literature, and reevaluate the Wilson coefficients of the lepton EDM operator. We obtain de=−(2.2–8.6×10−28θ¯e-cm which is 15–70% of the result obtained in [1]. We also estimated the muon EDM as dμ=−(0.5–1.8×10−25θ¯e-cm. Using |θ¯|≲10−10 suggested by the neutron EDM measurements, we obtain |de|≲8.6×10−38e-cm and |dμ|≲1.8×10−35e-cm. The θ¯ contribution to the muon EDM is much below the sensitivities of the current and near future experiments. Our result shows that the θ¯ contribution to de,μ can be larger than the CKM contributions by many orders of magnitude.

Two-point concrete resistivity measurements: interfacial phenomena at the electrode–concrete contact zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarter, W J; Taha, H M; Suryanto, B; Starrs, G

2015-01-01

Ac impedance spectroscopy measurements are used to critically examine the end-to-end (two-point) testing technique employed in evaluating the bulk electrical resistivity of concrete. In particular, this paper focusses on the interfacial contact region between the electrode and specimen and the influence of contacting medium and measurement frequency on the impedance response. Two-point and four-point electrode configurations were compared and modelling of the impedance response was undertaken to identify and quantify the contribution of the electrode–specimen contact region on the measured impedance. Measurements are presented in both Bode and Nyquist formats to aid interpretation. Concretes mixes conforming to BSEN206-1 and BS8500-1 were investigated which included concretes containing the supplementary cementitious materials fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag. A measurement protocol is presented for the end-to-end technique in terms of test frequency and electrode–specimen contacting medium in order to minimize electrode–specimen interfacial effect and ensure correct measurement of bulk resistivity. (paper)

Interfacial Water-Transport Effects in Proton-Exchange Membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kienitz, Brian; Yamada, Haruhiko; Nonoyama, Nobuaki; Weber, Adam

2009-11-19

It is well known that the proton-exchange membrane is perhaps the most critical component of a polymer-electrolyte fuel cell. Typical membranes, such as Nafion(R), require hydration to conduct efficiently and are instrumental in cell water management. Recently, evidence has been shown that these membranes might have different interfacial morphology and transport properties than in the bulk. In this paper, experimental data combined with theoretical simulations will be presented that explore the existence and impact of interfacial resistance on water transport for Nafion(R) 21x membranes. A mass-transfer coefficient for the interfacial resistance is calculated from experimental data using different permeation cells. This coefficient is shown to depend exponentially on relative humidity or water activity. The interfacial resistance does not seem to exist for liquid/membrane or membrane/membrane interfaces. The effect of the interfacial resistance is to flatten the water-content profiles within the membrane during operation. Under typical operating conditions, the resistance is on par with the water-transport resistance of the bulk membrane. Thus, the interfacial resistance can be dominant especially in thin, dry membranes and can affect overall fuel-cell performance.

Effect of ultrathin GeOx interfacial layer formed by thermal oxidation on Al2O3 capped Ge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Le; Zhang Xiong; Wang Sheng-Kai; Xue Bai-Qing; Liu Hong-Gang; Wu Wang-Ran; Zhao Yi

2014-01-01

We propose a modified thermal oxidation method in which an Al 2 O 3 capping layer is used as an oxygen blocking layer (OBL) to form an ultrathin GeO x interfacial layer, and obtain a superior Al 2 O 3 /GeO x /Ge gate stack. The GeO x interfacial layer is formed in oxidation reaction by oxygen passing through the Al 2 O 3 OBL, in which the Al 2 O 3 layer could restrain the oxygen diffusion and suppress the GeO desorption during thermal treatment. The thickness of the GeO x interfacial layer would dramatically decrease as the thickness of Al 2 O 3 OBL increases, which is beneficial to achieving an ultrathin GeO x interfacial layer to satisfy the demand for small equivalent oxide thickness (EOT). In addition, the thickness of the GeO x interfacial layer has little influence on the passivation effect of the Al 2 O 3 /Ge interface. Ge (100) p-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (pMOSFETs) using the Al 2 O 3 /GeO x /Ge gate stacks exhibit excellent electrical characteristics; that is, a drain current on-off (I on /I off ) ratio of above 1×10 4 , a subthreshold slope of ∼ 120 mV/dec, and a peak hole mobility of 265 cm 2 /V·s are achieved. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

Sensitivity analysis of bubble size and probe geometry on the measurements of interfacial area concentration in gas-liquid two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kataoka, Isao; Ishii, Mamoru; Serizawa, Akimi

1994-01-01

Interfacial area concentration measurement is quite important in gas-liquid two-phase flow. To determine the accuracy of measurement of the interfacial area using electrical resistivity probes, numerical simulations of a passing bubble through sensors are carried out. The two-sensors method, the four-sensors method and the correlative method are tested and the effects of sensor spacing, bubble diameter and hitting angle of the bubbles on the accuracy of each measurement method are investigated. The results indicated that the two-sensors method is insensitive to the ratio between sensor spacing and bubble diameter, and hitting angle. It overestimates the interfacial area for small hitting angles while it gives a reasonable accuracy for smaller bubbles and large hitting angles. The four-sensors method gives accurate interfacial area measurements particularly for the larger bubble diameters and smaller hitting angles, while for smaller bubbles and larger hitting angles, the escape probability of bubbles through the sensors becomes large and the accuracy becomes worse. The correlative method gives an overall accuracy for interfacial area measurement. Particularly, it gives accurate measurements for large bubbles and larger hitting angles while for smaller hitting angles, the spatial dependence of the correlation functions affects the accuracy. (orig.)

Interfacial characterization of soil-embedded optical fiber for ground deformation measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Cheng-Cheng; Zhu, Hong-Hu; Shi, Bin; She, Jun-Kuan

2014-01-01

Recently fiber-optic sensing technologies have been applied for performance monitoring of geotechnical structures such as slopes, foundations, and retaining walls. However, the validity of measured data from soil-embedded optical fibers is strongly influenced by the properties of the interface between the sensing fiber and the soil mass. This paper presents a study of the interfacial properties of an optical fiber embedded in soil with an emphasis on the effect of overburden pressure. Laboratory pullout tests were conducted to investigate the load-deformation characteristics of a 0.9 mm tight-buffered optical fiber embedded in soil. Based on a tri-linear interfacial shear stress-displacement relationship, an analytical model was derived to describe the progressive pullout behavior of an optical fiber from soil matrix. A comparison between the experimental and predicted results verified the effectiveness of the proposed pullout model. The test results are further interpreted and discussed. It is found that the interfacial bond between an optical fiber and soil is prominently enhanced under high overburden pressures. The apparent coefficients of friction of the optical fiber/soil interface decrease as the overburden pressure increases, due to the restrained soil dilation around the optical fiber. Furthermore, to facilitate the analysis of strain measurement, three working states of a soil-embedded sensing fiber were defined in terms of two characteristic displacements. (paper)

Effect of strong coupling on interfacial electron transfer dynamics in ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

regarded as the best sensitizing dyes for solar energy conversion for their strong visible absorption bands, long-lived ... solar cells based on dye-sensitized nanocrystalline. TiO2. High affinity for the TiO2 surface, which is ... pump pulses at 400 nm, one part of 800 nm with. 200 µJ/pulse, is frequency doubled in BBO crystals.

Investigating interfacial contact configuration and behavior of single-walled carbon nanotube-based nanodevice with atomistic simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cui, Jianlei, E-mail: cjlxjtu@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Zhang, Jianwei [Xi’an Jiaotong University, State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering (China); He, Xiaoqiao, E-mail: bcxqhe@cityu.edu.hk [City University of Hong Kong, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering (Hong Kong); Mei, Xuesong; Wang, Wenjun [Xi’an Jiaotong University, State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering (China); Yang, Xinju [Fudan University, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics (China); Xie, Hui; Yang, Lijun; Wang, Yang [Harbin Institute of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems (China)

2017-03-15

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), including single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), are considered to be the promising candidates for next-generation interconnects with excellent physical and chemical properties ranging from ultrahigh mechanical strength, to electrical properties, to thermal conductivity, to optical properties, etc. To further study the interfacial contact configurations of SWNT-based nanodevice with a 13.56-Å diameter, the corresponding simulations are carried out with the molecular dynamic method. The nanotube collapses dramatically into the surface with the complete collapse on the Au/Ag/graphite electrode surface and slight distortion on the Si/SiO{sub 2} substrate surface, respectively. The related dominant mechanism is studied and explained. Meanwhile, the interfacial contact configuration and behavior, depended on other factors, are also analyzed in this article.

An Implementation of Interfacial Transport Equation into the CUPID code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Ik Kyu; Cho, Heong Kyu; Yoon, Han Young; Jeong, Jae Jun

2009-11-15

A component scale thermal hydraulic analysis code, CUPID (Component Unstructured Program for Interfacial Dynamics), is being developed for the analysis of components for a nuclear reactor, such as reactor vessel, steam generator, containment, etc. It adopted a three-dimensional, transient, two phase and three-field model. In order to develop the numerical schemes for the three-field model, various numerical schemes have been examined including the SMAS, semi-implicit ICE, SIMPLE. The governing equations for a 2-phase flow are composed of mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations for each phase. These equation sets are closed by the interfacial transfer rate of mass, momentum, and energy. The interfacial transfer of mass, momentum, and energy occurs through the interfacial area, and this area plays an important role in the transfer rate. The flow regime based correlations are used for calculating the interracial area in the traditional style 2-phase flow model. This is dependent upon the flow regime and is limited to the fully developed 2-phase flow region. Its application to the multi-dimensional 2-phase flow has some limitation because it adopts the measured results of 2-phase flow in the 1-dimensional tube. The interfacial area concentration transport equation had been suggested in order to calculate the interfacial area without the interfacial area correlations. The source terms to close the interfacial area transport equation should be further developed for a wide ranger usage of it. In this study, the one group interfacial area concentration transport equation has been implemented into the CUPID code. This interfacial area concentration transport equation can be used instead of the interfacial area concentration correlations for the bubbly flow region.

An Implementation of Interfacial Transport Equation into the CUPID code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ik Kyu; Cho, Heong Kyu; Yoon, Han Young; Jeong, Jae Jun

2009-11-01

A component scale thermal hydraulic analysis code, CUPID (Component Unstructured Program for Interfacial Dynamics), is being developed for the analysis of components for a nuclear reactor, such as reactor vessel, steam generator, containment, etc. It adopted a three-dimensional, transient, two phase and three-field model. In order to develop the numerical schemes for the three-field model, various numerical schemes have been examined including the SMAS, semi-implicit ICE, SIMPLE. The governing equations for a 2-phase flow are composed of mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations for each phase. These equation sets are closed by the interfacial transfer rate of mass, momentum, and energy. The interfacial transfer of mass, momentum, and energy occurs through the interfacial area, and this area plays an important role in the transfer rate. The flow regime based correlations are used for calculating the interracial area in the traditional style 2-phase flow model. This is dependent upon the flow regime and is limited to the fully developed 2-phase flow region. Its application to the multi-dimensional 2-phase flow has some limitation because it adopts the measured results of 2-phase flow in the 1-dimensional tube. The interfacial area concentration transport equation had been suggested in order to calculate the interfacial area without the interfacial area correlations. The source terms to close the interfacial area transport equation should be further developed for a wide ranger usage of it. In this study, the one group interfacial area concentration transport equation has been implemented into the CUPID code. This interfacial area concentration transport equation can be used instead of the interfacial area concentration correlations for the bubbly flow region

Single-Molecule Interfacial Electron Transfer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ho, Wilson [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

2018-02-03

Interfacial electron transfer (ET) plays an important role in many chemical and biological processes. Specifically, interfacial ET in TiO₂-based systems is important to solar energy technology, catalysis, and environmental remediation technology. However, the microscopic mechanism of interfacial ET is not well understood with regard to atomic surface structure, molecular structure, bonding, orientation, and motion. In this project, we used two complementary methodologies; single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, and scanning-tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM and STS) to address this scientific need. The goal of this project was to integrate these techniques and measure the molecular dependence of ET between adsorbed molecules and TiO₂ semiconductor surfaces and the ET induced reactions such as the splitting of water. The scanning probe techniques, STM and STS, are capable of providing the highest spatial resolution but not easily time-resolved data. Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy is capable of good time resolution but requires further development to match the spatial resolution of the STM. The integrated approach involving Peter Lu at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and Wilson Ho at the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) produced methods for time and spatially resolved chemical imaging of interfacial electron transfer dynamics and photocatalytic reactions. An integral aspect of the joint research was a significant exchange of graduate students to work at the two institutions. This project bridged complementary approaches to investigate a set of common problems by working with the same molecules on a variety of solid surfaces, but using appropriate techniques to probe under ambient (BGSU) and ultrahigh vacuum (UCI) conditions. The molecular level understanding of the fundamental interfacial electron transfer processes obtained in this joint project will be important for developing efficient light harvesting

Homogenization for rigid suspensions with random velocity-dependent interfacial forces

KAUST Repository

Gorb, Yuliya

2014-12-01

We study suspensions of solid particles in a viscous incompressible fluid in the presence of random velocity-dependent interfacial forces. The flow at a small Reynolds number is modeled by the Stokes equations, coupled with the motion of rigid particles arranged in a periodic array. The objective is to perform homogenization for the given suspension and obtain an equivalent description of a homogeneous (effective) medium, the macroscopic effect of the interfacial forces and the effective viscosity are determined using the analysis on a periodicity cell. In particular, the solutions uωε to a family of problems corresponding to the size of microstructure ε and describing suspensions of rigid particles with random surface forces imposed on the interface, converge H1-weakly as ε→0 a.s. to a solution of a Stokes homogenized problem, with velocity dependent body forces. A corrector to a homogenized solution that yields a strong H1-convergence is also determined. The main technical construction is built upon the Γ-convergence theory. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.

Impact of electrically formed interfacial layer and improved memory characteristics of IrOx/high-κx/W structures containing AlOx, GdOx, HfOx, and TaOx switching materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Prakash, Amit; Maikap, Siddheswar; Banerjee, Writam; Jana, Debanjan; Lai, Chao-Sung

2013-09-06

Improved switching characteristics were obtained from high-κ oxides AlOx, GdOx, HfOx, and TaOx in IrOx/high-κx/W structures because of a layer that formed at the IrOx/high-κx interface under external positive bias. The surface roughness and morphology of the bottom electrode in these devices were observed by atomic force microscopy. Device size was investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. More than 100 repeatable consecutive switching cycles were observed for positive-formatted memory devices compared with that of the negative-formatted devices (only five unstable cycles) because it contained an electrically formed interfacial layer that controlled 'SET/RESET' current overshoot. This phenomenon was independent of the switching material in the device. The electrically formed oxygen-rich interfacial layer at the IrOx/high-κx interface improved switching in both via-hole and cross-point structures. The switching mechanism was attributed to filamentary conduction and oxygen ion migration. Using the positive-formatted design approach, cross-point memory in an IrOx/AlOx/W structure was fabricated. This cross-point memory exhibited forming-free, uniform switching for >1,000 consecutive dc cycles with a small voltage/current operation of ±2 V/200 μA and high yield of >95% switchable with a large resistance ratio of >100. These properties make this cross-point memory particularly promising for high-density applications. Furthermore, this memory device also showed multilevel capability with a switching current as low as 10 μA and a RESET current of 137 μA, good pulse read endurance of each level (>105 cycles), and data retention of >104 s at a low current compliance of 50 μA at 85°C. Our improvement of the switching characteristics of this resistive memory device will aid in the design of memory stacks for practical applications.

Influences of electric current on the wettability and interfacial microstructure in Sn/Fe system

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Ping; Gu, Yan; Yang, Nan-Nan; Zheng, Rui-Peng; Ren, Li-Hua

2015-02-01

The wettability of oxidized and clean Fe substrates by liquid Sn was investigated using a dispensed sessile drop method with and without the application of a direct current (DC) and their interfacial microstructures were compared. The initial contact angles were 107 ± 3° at 623 K when the Fe substrate was covered by an oxide film, and they did not show an appreciable decrease during isothermal dwells in the absence of DC application but progressively decreased to 42 ± 3° when a 7.5 ampere current was applied. However, in the case of the oxide film being removed by a high-vacuum pre-annealing treatment at 1073 K, the current and its polarity had a negligible effect on the wetting behavior. Nevertheless, they had a noticeable influence on the interfacial microstructure. In the absence of DC, the interface was covered by a product layer consisting of a single FeSn2 phase for the samples tested at 623 K and the FeSn2/FeSn2 grain boundaries were incompletely wetted by the Sn melt; whereas, under DC, the reaction layer was much thicker and the Sn melt wet well the FeSn2/FeSn2 grain boundaries. Moreover, a FeSn phase also formed as a result of enhanced mass transfer. The amount of the FeSn phase was larger and the grain boundary wetting of FeSn2 by liquid Sn was better for the current flowing from the molten Sn drop to the Fe substrate due to an electromigration effect.

Mean free path dependent phonon contributions to interfacial thermal conductance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tao, Yi; Liu, Chenhan; Chen, Weiyu; Cai, Shuang; Chen, Chen; Wei, Zhiyong; Bi, Kedong; Yang, Juekuan; Chen, Yunfei, E-mail: yunfeichen@seu.edu.cn

2017-06-15

Interfacial thermal conductance as an accumulation function of the phonon mean free path is rigorously derived from the thermal conductivity accumulation function. Based on our theoretical model, the interfacial thermal conductance accumulation function between Si/Ge is calculated. The results show that the range of mean free paths (MFPs) for phonons contributing to the interfacial thermal conductance is far narrower than that for phonons contributing to the thermal conductivity. The interfacial thermal conductance is mainly contributed by phonons with shorter MFPs, and the size effects can be observed only for an interface constructed by nanostructures with film thicknesses smaller than the MFPs of those phonons mainly contributing to the interfacial thermal conductance. This is why most experimental measurements cannot detect size effects on interfacial thermal conductance. A molecular dynamics simulation is employed to verify our proposed model. - Highlights: • A model to account for the interfacial thermal conductance as an accumulation function of phonon mean free path is proposed; • The model predicts that the range of mean free paths (MFPs) for phonons contributing to the interfacial thermal conductance is far narrower than that contributing to the thermal conductivity; • This model can be conveniently implemented to estimate the size effects on the interfacial thermal conductance for the interfaces formed by a nanostructure contacting a substrate.

Non-Faradaic electrical impedimetric investigation of the interfacial effects of neuronal cell growth and differentiation on silicon nanowire transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shu-Ping; Vinzons, Lester U; Kang, Yu-Shan; Lai, Tung-Yen

2015-05-13

Silicon nanowire field-effect transistor (SiNW FET) devices have been interfaced with cells; however, their application for noninvasive, real-time monitoring of interfacial effects during cell growth and differentiation on SiNW has not been fully explored. Here, we cultured rat adrenal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells, a type of neural progenitor cell, directly on SiNW FET devices to monitor cell adhesion during growth and morphological changes during neuronal differentiation for a period of 5-7 d. Monitoring was performed by measuring the non-Faradaic electrical impedance of the cell-SiNW FET system using a precision LCR meter. Our SiNW FET devices exhibited changes in impedance parameters during cell growth and differentiation because of the negatively charged cell membrane, seal resistance, and membrane capacitance at the cell/SiNW interface. It was observed that during both PC12 cell growth and neuronal differentiation, the impedance magnitude increased and the phase shifted to more negative values. However, impedance changes during cell growth already plateaued 3 d after seeding, while impedance changes continued until the last observation day during differentiation. Our results also indicate that the frequency shift to above 40 kHz after growth factor induction resulted from a larger coverage of cell membrane on the SiNWs due to distinctive morphological changes according to vinculin staining. Encapsulation of PC12 cells in a hydrogel scaffold resulted in a lack of trend in impedance parameters and confirmed that impedance changes were due to the cells. Moreover, cytolysis of the differentiated PC12 cells led to significant changes in impedance parameters. Equivalent electrical circuits were used to analyze the changes in impedance values during cell growth and differentiation. The technique employed in this study can provide a platform for performing investigations of growth-factor-induced progenitor cell differentiation.

Pair production in a strong electric field with back-reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisenberg, J.M.; Kluger, Y.; Svetitsky, B.

1992-01-01

We present a summary of the present status of efforts to solve the problem in which pairs are produced in a strong electric field, are accelerated by it, and then react back on it through the counter-field produced by their current. This picture has been used by Bialas and Czyz and others as a model for effects that may possibly arise in the study of the quark-gluon plasma. We here give a didactic review of recent developments in this back-reaction problem. We first present a simple version of the theory of pair tunneling from a fixed electric field, and then sketch how this has been applied to the quark-gluon plasma. Then we turn to a field formulation of the problem for charged bosons, which leads to the need to carry out a renormalization program, outlined again in simple terms. Numerical results for this program are presented for one spatial dimension, the corresponding physical behaviour of the system is discussed, and the implications for three spatial dimensions are considered. We exhibit a phenomenological transport equation embodying physics that is essentially identical to that of the field formulation, thus helping to tie the model of Bialas and Czyz for the quark-gluon plasma to a field-theory formulation. Last, we note the status of extensions to the problem with three space dimensions; the fermion case; the formulation in terms of boost-invariant variables (as desirable for the quark-gluon plasma); and transport equations derived in a fundamental and consistent fashion. 5 figs., 13 refs. (author)

Stochastic level-set variational implicit-solvent approach to solute-solvent interfacial fluctuations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Shenggao, E-mail: sgzhou@suda.edu.cn, E-mail: bli@math.ucsd.edu [Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Center for Interdiscipline Research, Soochow University, 1 Shizi Street, Jiangsu, Suzhou 215006 (China); Sun, Hui; Cheng, Li-Tien [Department of Mathematics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0112 (United States); Dzubiella, Joachim [Soft Matter and Functional Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, 14109 Berlin, Germany and Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Li, Bo, E-mail: sgzhou@suda.edu.cn, E-mail: bli@math.ucsd.edu [Department of Mathematics and Quantitative Biology Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0112 (United States); McCammon, J. Andrew [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0365 (United States)

2016-08-07

Recent years have seen the initial success of a variational implicit-solvent model (VISM), implemented with a robust level-set method, in capturing efficiently different hydration states and providing quantitatively good estimation of solvation free energies of biomolecules. The level-set minimization of the VISM solvation free-energy functional of all possible solute-solvent interfaces or dielectric boundaries predicts an equilibrium biomolecular conformation that is often close to an initial guess. In this work, we develop a theory in the form of Langevin geometrical flow to incorporate solute-solvent interfacial fluctuations into the VISM. Such fluctuations are crucial to biomolecular conformational changes and binding process. We also develop a stochastic level-set method to numerically implement such a theory. We describe the interfacial fluctuation through the “normal velocity” that is the solute-solvent interfacial force, derive the corresponding stochastic level-set equation in the sense of Stratonovich so that the surface representation is independent of the choice of implicit function, and develop numerical techniques for solving such an equation and processing the numerical data. We apply our computational method to study the dewetting transition in the system of two hydrophobic plates and a hydrophobic cavity of a synthetic host molecule cucurbit[7]uril. Numerical simulations demonstrate that our approach can describe an underlying system jumping out of a local minimum of the free-energy functional and can capture dewetting transitions of hydrophobic systems. In the case of two hydrophobic plates, we find that the wavelength of interfacial fluctuations has a strong influence to the dewetting transition. In addition, we find that the estimated energy barrier of the dewetting transition scales quadratically with the inter-plate distance, agreeing well with existing studies of molecular dynamics simulations. Our work is a first step toward the

Development of interfacial area transport equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seung Jin; Ishii, Mamoru; Kelly, Joseph

2005-01-01

The interfacial area transport equation dynamically models the changes in interfacial structures along the flow field by mechanistically modeling the creation and destruction of dispersed phase. Hence, when employed in the numerical thermal-hydraulic system analysis codes, it eliminates artificial bifurcations stemming from the use of the static flow regime transition criteria. Accounting for the substantial differences in the transport mechanism for various sizes of bubbles, the transport equation is formulated for two characteristic groups of bubbles. The group 1 equation describes the transport of small-dispersed bubbles, whereas the group 2 equation describes the transport of large cap, slug or churn-turbulent bubbles. To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of interfacial area transport equation available at present, it is benchmarked by an extensive database established in various two-phase flow configurations spanning from bubbly to churn-turbulent flow regimes. The geometrical effect in interfacial area transport is examined by the data acquired in vertical air-water two-phase flow through round pipes of various sizes and a confined flow duct, and by those acquired in vertical co-current downward air-water two-phase flow through round pipes of two different sizes

Modeling and measurement of interfacial area concentration in two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paranjape, Sidharth; Ishii, Mamoru; Hibiki, Takashi

2010-01-01

This paper presents experimental and modeling approaches in characterizing interfacial structures in gas-liquid two-phase flow. For the modeling of the interfacial structure characterization, the interfacial area transport equation proposed earlier has been studied to provide a dynamic and mechanistic prediction tool for two-phase flow analysis. A state-of-the-art four-sensor conductivity probe technique has been developed to obtain detailed local interfacial structure information in a wide range of flow regimes spanning from bubbly to churn-turbulent flows. Newly obtained interfacial area data in 8 x 8 rod-bundle test section are also presented. This paper also reviews available models of the interfacial area sink and source terms and existing databases. The interfacial area transport equation has been benchmarked using condensation bubbly flow data.

Application of the Maxwell-Wagner-Hanai effective medium theory to the analysis of the interfacial polarization relaxations in conducting composite films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adohi, B J-P; Bouanga, C Vanga; Fatyeyeva, K; Tabellout, M

2009-01-01

A new approach to explain the interfacial polarization phenomenon in conducting composite films is proposed. HCl-doped poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and polyamide-6 (PA-6) matrices with embedded polyaniline (PANI) particles as filler were investigated and analysed, combining dielectric spectroscopy and AFM electrical images with the effective medium theory analysis. Up to three relaxation peaks attributed to the interfacial polarization phenomena were detected in the studied frequency range (0.1 Hz-1 MHz). The AFM electrical images revealed that the doped PA-6/PANI composite can be modelled as a single-type particle medium and the PET/PANI one as a two-type particle medium. A simple dielectric loss expression was derived from the Maxwell-Wagner-Hanai mixture equation and was applied to the experimental data to identify the interfaces involved in each of the relaxation peaks. The parameter values (permittivity, conductivity, volume fraction of the PANI particles) were found to agree well with the measured one, hence validating the models.

Uncertainty analysis of an interfacial area reconstruction algorithm and its application to two group interfacial area transport equation validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dave, A.J.; Manera, A.; Beyer, M.; Lucas, D.; Prasser, H.-M.

2016-01-01

Wire mesh sensors (WMS) are state of the art devices that allow high resolution (in space and time) measurement of 2D void fraction distribution over a wide range of two-phase flow regimes, from bubbly to annular. Data using WMS have been recorded at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) (Lucas et al., 2010; Beyer et al., 2008; Prasser et al., 2003) for a wide combination of superficial gas and liquid velocities, providing an excellent database for advances in two-phase flow modeling. In two-phase flow, the interfacial area plays an integral role in coupling the mass, momentum and energy transport equations of the liquid and gas phase. While current models used in best-estimate thermal-hydraulic codes (e.g. RELAP5, TRACE, TRACG, etc.) are still based on algebraic correlations for the estimation of the interfacial area in different flow regimes, interfacial area transport equations (IATE) have been proposed to predict the dynamic propagation in space and time of interfacial area (Ishii and Hibiki, 2010). IATE models are still under development and the HZDR WMS experimental data provide an excellent basis for the validation and further advance of these models. The current paper is focused on the uncertainty analysis of algorithms used to reconstruct interfacial area densities from the void-fraction voxel data measured using WMS and their application towards validation efforts of two-group IATE models. In previous research efforts, a surface triangularization algorithm has been developed in order to estimate the surface area of individual bubbles recorded with the WMS, and estimate the interfacial area in the given flow condition. In the present paper, synthetically generated bubbles are used to assess the algorithm’s accuracy. As the interfacial area of the synthetic bubbles are defined by user inputs, the error introduced by the algorithm can be quantitatively obtained. The accuracy of interfacial area measurements is characterized for different bubbles

Uncertainty analysis of an interfacial area reconstruction algorithm and its application to two group interfacial area transport equation validation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dave, A.J., E-mail: akshayjd@umich.edu [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Rad. Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (United States); Manera, A. [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Rad. Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (United States); Beyer, M.; Lucas, D. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Fluid Dynamics, 01314 Dresden (Germany); Prasser, H.-M. [Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich (Switzerland)

2016-12-15

Wire mesh sensors (WMS) are state of the art devices that allow high resolution (in space and time) measurement of 2D void fraction distribution over a wide range of two-phase flow regimes, from bubbly to annular. Data using WMS have been recorded at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) (Lucas et al., 2010; Beyer et al., 2008; Prasser et al., 2003) for a wide combination of superficial gas and liquid velocities, providing an excellent database for advances in two-phase flow modeling. In two-phase flow, the interfacial area plays an integral role in coupling the mass, momentum and energy transport equations of the liquid and gas phase. While current models used in best-estimate thermal-hydraulic codes (e.g. RELAP5, TRACE, TRACG, etc.) are still based on algebraic correlations for the estimation of the interfacial area in different flow regimes, interfacial area transport equations (IATE) have been proposed to predict the dynamic propagation in space and time of interfacial area (Ishii and Hibiki, 2010). IATE models are still under development and the HZDR WMS experimental data provide an excellent basis for the validation and further advance of these models. The current paper is focused on the uncertainty analysis of algorithms used to reconstruct interfacial area densities from the void-fraction voxel data measured using WMS and their application towards validation efforts of two-group IATE models. In previous research efforts, a surface triangularization algorithm has been developed in order to estimate the surface area of individual bubbles recorded with the WMS, and estimate the interfacial area in the given flow condition. In the present paper, synthetically generated bubbles are used to assess the algorithm’s accuracy. As the interfacial area of the synthetic bubbles are defined by user inputs, the error introduced by the algorithm can be quantitatively obtained. The accuracy of interfacial area measurements is characterized for different bubbles

Role of interfacial rheological properties in oil field chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lakatos-Szabo, J.; Lakatos, I.; Kosztin, B.

1996-12-31

Interfacial rheological properties of different Hungarian crude oil/water systems were determined in wide temperature and shear rate range and in presence of inorganic electrolytes, tensides, alkaline materials and polymers. The detailed laboratory study definitely proved that the interfacial rheological properties are extremely sensitive parameters towards the chemical composition of inmiscible formation liquids. Comparison and interpretation of the interfacial rheological properties may contribute significantly to extension of the weaponry of the reservoir characterization, better understanding of the displacement mechanism, development of the more profitable EOR/IOR methods, intensification of the surface technologies, optimization of the pipeline transportation and improvement of the refinery operations. It was evidenced that the interfacial rheology is an efficient and powerful detection technique, which may enhance the knowledge on formation, structure, properties and behaviour of interfacial layers. 17 refs., 18 figs., 2 tabs.

Electric-Field-Induced Magnetization Reversal in a Ferromagnet-Multiferroic Heterostructure

Science.gov (United States)

Heron, J. T.; Trassin, M.; Ashraf, K.; Gajek, M.; He, Q.; Yang, S. Y.; Nikonov, D. E.; Chu, Y.-H.; Salahuddin, S.; Ramesh, R.

2011-11-01

A reversal of magnetization requiring only the application of an electric field can lead to low-power spintronic devices by eliminating conventional magnetic switching methods. Here we show a nonvolatile, room temperature magnetization reversal determined by an electric field in a ferromagnet-multiferroic system. The effect is reversible and mediated by an interfacial magnetic coupling dictated by the multiferroic. Such electric-field control of a magnetoelectric device demonstrates an avenue for next-generation, low-energy consumption spintronics.

Electrochemically modulated liquid chromatography: Theoretical investigations and applications from the perspectives of chromatography and interfacial electrochemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, David W. [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2005-01-01

Electrochemically modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC) employs a conductive material as both a stationary phase for chromatographic separations and as a working electrode for performing electrochemistry experiments. This dual functionality gives EMLC the capacity to manipulate chromatographic separations by changing the potential applied (E_app) to the stationary phase with respect to an external reference. The ability to monitor retention as a function of E_app provides a means to chromatographically monitor electrosorption processes at solid-liquid interfaces. In this dissertation, the retention mechanism for EMLC is examined from the perspective of electrical double layer theory and interfacial thermodynamics. From the chromatographic data, it is possible to determine the interfacial excess (Λ) of a solute and changes in interfacial tension (dγ) as a function of both E_app and the supporting electrolyte concentration. Taken together, these two experimentally manipulated parameters can be examined within the context of the Gibbs adsorption equation to delineate the contribution of a variety of interfacial properties, including the charge of solute on the stationary phase and the potential of zero charge (PZC), to the mechanism behind EMLC-based retention. The chromatographic probing of interfacial phenomena is complemented by electroanalytical experiments that exploit the ability to monitor the electronic current flowing through an EMLC column. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry of an EMLC column are used to determine the electronic performance characteristics of an EMLC column. An electrochemical flow injection analysis of a column is provided in which the current required to maintain a constant E_app is monitored and provides a way to examine the influence that acetonitrile and supporting electrolyte composition, flow rate, column backpressure, and ionic strength have on the structure of electrified interfaces.

Controlling Interfacial Separation in Porous Structures by Void Patterning

Science.gov (United States)

Ghareeb, Ahmed; Elbanna, Ahmed

Manipulating interfacial response for enhanced adhesion or fracture resistance is a problem of great interest to scientists and engineers. In many natural materials and engineering applications, an interface exists between a porous structure and a substrate. A question that arises is how the void distribution in the bulk may affect the interfacial response and whether it is possible to alter the interfacial toughness without changing the surface physical chemistry. In this paper, we address this question by studying the effect of patterning voids on the interfacial-to-the overall response of an elastic plate glued to a rigid substrate by bilinear cohesive material. Different patterning categories are investigated; uniform, graded, and binary voids. Each case is subjected to upward displacement at the upper edge of the plate. We show that the peak force and maximum elongation at failure depend on the voids design and by changing the void size, alignment or gradation we may control these performance measures. We relate these changes in the measured force displacement response to energy release rate as a measure of interfacial toughness. We discuss the implications of our results on design of bulk heterogeneities for enhanced interfacial behavior.

Interfacial potential approach for Ag/ZnO (0001) interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Hong-Quan; Shen Jiang; Qian Ping; Chen Nan-Xian

2014-01-01

Systematic approaches are presented to extract the interfacial potentials from the ab initio adhesive energy of the interface system by using the Chen—Möbius inversion method. We focus on the interface structure of the metal (111)/ZnO (0001) in this work. The interfacial potentials of Ag—Zn and Ag—O are obtained. These potentials can be used to solve some problems about Ag/ZnO interfacial structure. Three metastable interfacial structures are investigated in order to check these potentials. Using the interfacial potentials we study the procedure of interface fracture in the Ag/ZnO (0001) interface and discuss the change of the energy, stress, and atomic structures in tensile process. The result indicates that the exact misfit dislocation reduces the total energy and softens the fracture process. Meanwhile, the formation and mobility of the vacancy near the interface are observed. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

The interfacial tension of the mercury —1 M HClO4− solution interface at high potentials; comparison with double-layer capacitance measurements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sluyters-Rehbach, M.; Woittiez, W.J.A.; Sluyters, J.H.

Interfacial tension values have been measured in order to calculate the electrical charge density as a function of potential. The results are in accordance with those obtained from double-layer capacitance data reported earlier2,3, also at highly positive potentials.

Electrical Control of Metallic Heavy-Metal-Ferromagnet Interfacial States

Science.gov (United States)

Bi, Chong; Sun, Congli; Xu, Meng; Newhouse-Illige, Ty; Voyles, Paul M.; Wang, Weigang

2017-09-01

Voltage-control effects provide an energy-efficient means of tailoring material properties, especially in highly integrated nanoscale devices. However, only insulating and semiconducting systems can be controlled so far. In metallic systems, there is no electric field due to electron screening effects and thus no such control effect exists. Here, we demonstrate that metallic systems can also be controlled electrically through ionic rather than electronic effects. In a Pt /Co structure, the control of the metallic Pt /Co interface can lead to unprecedented control effects on the magnetic properties of the entire structure. Consequently, the magnetization and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the Co layer can be independently manipulated to any desired state, the efficient spin toques can be enhanced about 3.5 times, and the switching current can be reduced about one order of magnitude. This ability to control a metallic system may be extended to control other physical phenomena.

A nonlinear efficient layerwise finite element model for smart piezolaminated composites under strong applied electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapuria, S; Yaqoob Yasin, M

2013-01-01

In this work, we present an electromechanically coupled efficient layerwise finite element model for the static response of piezoelectric laminated composite and sandwich plates, considering the nonlinear behavior of piezoelectric materials under strong electric field. The nonlinear model is developed consistently using a variational principle, considering a rotationally invariant second order nonlinear constitutive relationship, and full electromechanical coupling. In the piezoelectric layer, the electric potential is approximated to have a quadratic variation across the thickness, as observed from exact three dimensional solutions, and the equipotential condition of electroded piezoelectric surfaces is modeled using the novel concept of an electric node. The results predicted by the nonlinear model compare very well with the experimental data available in the literature. The effect of the piezoelectric nonlinearity on the static response and deflection/stress control is studied for piezoelectric bimorph as well as hybrid laminated plates with isotropic, angle-ply composite and sandwich substrates. For high electric fields, the difference between the nonlinear and linear predictions is large, and cannot be neglected. The error in the prediction of the smeared counterpart of the present theory with the same number of primary displacement unknowns is also examined. (paper)

Electrostatic Self-Assembly Enabling Integrated Bulk and Interfacial Sodium Storage in 3D Titania-Graphene Hybrid.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Gui-Liang; Xiao, Lisong; Sheng, Tian; Liu, Jianzhao; Hu, Yi-Xin; Ma, Tianyuan; Amine, Rachid; Xie, Yingying; Zhang, Xiaoyi; Liu, Yuzi; Ren, Yang; Sun, Cheng-Jun; Heald, Steve M; Kovacevic, Jasmina; Sehlleier, Yee Hwa; Schulz, Christof; Mattis, Wenjuan Liu; Sun, Shi-Gang; Wiggers, Hartmut; Chen, Zonghai; Amine, Khalil

2018-01-10

Room-temperature sodium-ion batteries have attracted increased attention for energy storage due to the natural abundance of sodium. However, it remains a huge challenge to develop versatile electrode materials with favorable properties, which requires smart structure design and good mechanistic understanding. Herein, we reported a general and scalable approach to synthesize three-dimensional (3D) titania-graphene hybrid via electrostatic-interaction-induced self-assembly. Synchrotron X-ray probe, transmission electron microscopy, and computational modeling revealed that the strong interaction between titania and graphene through comparably strong van der Waals forces not only facilitates bulk Na + intercalation but also enhances the interfacial sodium storage. As a result, the titania-graphene hybrid exhibits exceptional long-term cycle stability up to 5000 cycles, and ultrahigh rate capability up to 20 C for sodium storage. Furthermore, density function theory calculation indicated that the interfacial Li + , K + , Mg 2+, and Al 3+ storage can be enhanced as well. The proposed general strategy opens up new avenues to create versatile materials for advanced battery systems.

Electrostatic Self-Assembly Enabling Integrated Bulk and Interfacial Sodium Storage in 3D Titania-Graphene Hybrid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Gui-Liang [Chemical; Xiao, Lisong [Center; Sheng, Tian [Collaborative; Liu, Jianzhao [Chemical; Hu, Yi-Xin [Chemical; Department; Ma, Tianyuan [Chemical; Amine, Rachid [Materials; Xie, Yingying [Chemical; Zhang, Xiaoyi [X-ray Science; Liu, Yuzi [Nanoscience; Ren, Yang [X-ray Science; Sun, Cheng-Jun [X-ray Science; Heald, Steve M. [X-ray Science; Kovacevic, Jasmina [Center; Sehlleier, Yee Hwa [Center; Schulz, Christof [Center; Mattis, Wenjuan Liu [Microvast Power Solutions, 12603; Sun, Shi-Gang [Collaborative; Wiggers, Hartmut [Center; Chen, Zonghai [Chemical; Amine, Khalil [Chemical

2017-12-15

Room temperature sodium-ion batteries have attracted increased attention for energy storage due to the natural abundance of sodium. However, it remains a huge challenge to develop versatile electrode materials with favorable properties, which requires smart structure design and good mechanistic understanding. Herein, we reported a general and scalable approach to synthesize 3D titania-graphene hybrid via electrostatic-interaction-induced self-assembly. Synchrotron X-ray probe, transmission electron microscopy and computational modeling revealed that the strong interaction between Titania and graphene through comparably strong van-der-Waals forces not only facilitates bulk Na+ intercalation but also enhances the interfacial sodium storage. As a result, the titania-graphene hybrid exhibits exceptional long-term cycle stability up to 5000 cycles, and ultrahigh rate capability up to 20 C for sodium storage. Furthermore, density function theory calculation indicated that the interfacial Li+, K+, Mg2+ and Al3+ storage can be enhanced as well. The proposed general strategy opens up new avenues to create versatile materials for advanced battery systems.

The analysis of interfacial waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galimov, Azat Yu.; Drew, Donald A.; Lahey, Richard T.; Moraga, Francisco J.

2005-01-01

We present analytical results for stable stratified wavy two-phase flow and functional forms for the various interfacial force densities in a two-fluid model. In particular, we have derived analytically the components of the non-drag interfacial force density [Drew, D.A., Passman, S.L., 1998. Theory of Multicomponent Fluids. Springer-Verlag, New York; Nigmatulin, T.R., Drew, D.A., Lahey, R.T., Jr., 2000. An analysis of wavy annular flow. In: International Conference on Multiphase Systems, ICMS'2000, Ufa, Russia, June 15-17], Reynolds stress tensor, and the term, (p-bar cl i -p-bar cl )-bar α cl , where p-bar cl i is interfacial average pressure, p-bar cl the average pressure, and α cl is the volume fraction of the continuous liquid phase. These functional forms should be useful for assessing two-fluid closure relations and Computational Multiphase Fluid Dynamics (CMFD) numerical models for stratified wavy flows. Moreover, it appears that this approach can be generalized to other flow regimes (e.g., annular flows)

Understanding the electric field control of the electronic and optical properties of strongly-coupled multi-layered quantum dot molecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Usman, Muhammad

2015-10-21

Strongly-coupled quantum dot molecules (QDMs) are widely employed in the design of a variety of optoelectronic, photovoltaic, and quantum information devices. An efficient and optimized performance of these devices demands engineering of the electronic and optical properties of the underlying QDMs. The application of electric fields offers a way to realise such a control over the QDM characteristics for a desired device operation. We performed multi-million-atom atomistic tight-binding calculations to study the influence of electric fields on the electron and hole wave function confinements and symmetries, the ground-state transition energies, the band-gap wavelengths, and the optical transition modes. Electrical fields parallel (Ep) and anti-parallel (Ea) to the growth direction were investigated to provide a comprehensive guide for understanding the electric field effects. The strain-induced asymmetry of the hybridized electron states is found to be weak and can be balanced by applying a small Ea electric field, of the order of 1 kV cm(-1). The strong interdot couplings completely break down at large electric fields, leading to single QD states confined at the opposite edges of the QDM. This mimics a transformation from a type-I band structure to a type-II band structure for the QDMs, which is a critical requirement for the design of intermediate-band solar cells (IBSCs). The analysis of the field-dependent ground-state transition energies reveals that the QDM can be operated both as a high dipole moment device by applying large electric fields and as a high polarizability device under the application of small electric field magnitudes. The quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) red shifts the band-gap wavelength to 1.3 μm at the 15 kV cm(-1) electric field; however the reduced electron-hole wave function overlaps lead to a decrease in the interband optical transition strengths by roughly three orders of magnitude. The study of the polarisation-resolved optical

Modeling interfacial area transport in multi-fluid systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yarbro, Stephen Lee [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

1996-11-01

Many typical chemical engineering operations are multi-fluid systems. They are carried out in distillation columns (vapor/liquid), liquid-liquid contactors (liquid/liquid) and other similar devices. An important parameter is interfacial area concentration, which determines the rate of interfluid heat, mass and momentum transfer and ultimately, the overall performance of the equipment. In many cases, the models for determining interfacial area concentration are empirical and can only describe the cases for which there is experimental data. In an effort to understand multiphase reactors and the mixing process better, a multi-fluid model has been developed as part of a research effort to calculate interfacial area transport in several different types of in-line static mixers. For this work, the ensemble-averaged property conservation equations have been derived for each fluid and for the mixture. These equations were then combined to derive a transport equation for the interfacial area concentration. The final, one-dimensional model was compared to interfacial area concentration data from two sizes of Kenics in-line mixer, two sizes of concurrent jet and a Tee mixer. In all cases, the calculated and experimental data compared well with the highest scatter being with the Tee mixer comparison.

Theory of the Interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction in Rashba Antiferromagnets

Science.gov (United States)

Qaiumzadeh, Alireza; Ado, Ivan A.; Duine, Rembert A.; Titov, Mikhail; Brataas, Arne

2018-05-01

In antiferromagnetic (AFM) thin films, broken inversion symmetry or coupling to adjacent heavy metals can induce Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions. Knowledge of the DM parameters is essential for understanding and designing exotic spin structures, such as hedgehog Skyrmions and chiral Néel walls, which are attractive for use in novel information storage technologies. We introduce a framework for computing the DM interaction in two-dimensional Rashba antiferromagnets. Unlike in Rashba ferromagnets, the DM interaction is not suppressed even at low temperatures. The material parameters control both the strength and the sign of the interfacial DM interaction. Our results suggest a route toward controlling the DM interaction in AFM materials by means of doping and electric fields.

Exchange bias mediated by interfacial nanoparticles (invited)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berkowitz, A. E., E-mail: aberk@ucsd.edu [Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States); Center for Magnetic Recording Research, University of California, California 92093 (United States); Sinha, S. K. [Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States); Fullerton, E. E. [Center for Magnetic Recording Research, University of California, California 92093 (United States); Smith, D. J. [Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States)

2015-05-07

The objective of this study on the iconic exchange-bias bilayer Permalloy/CoO has been to identify those elements of the interfacial microstructure and accompanying magnetic properties that are responsible for the exchange-bias and hysteretic properties of this bilayer. Both epitaxial and polycrystalline samples were examined. X-ray and neutron reflectometry established that there existed an interfacial region, of width ∼1 nm, whose magnetic properties differed from those of Py or CoO. A model was developed for the interfacial microstructure that predicts all the relevant properties of this system; namely; the temperature and Permalloy thickness dependence of the exchange-bias, H{sub EX}, and coercivity, H{sub C}; the much smaller measured values of H{sub EX} from what was nominally expected; the different behavior of H{sub EX} and H{sub C} in epitaxial and polycrystalline bilayers. A surprising result is that the exchange-bias does not involve direct exchange-coupling between Permalloy and CoO, but rather is mediated by CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles in the interfacial region.

Interfacial condensation heat transfer for countercurrent steam-water wavy flow in a horizontal circular pipe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kyung Won; Chun, Moon Hyun [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technolgy, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Chu, In Cheol [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

2000-10-01

An experimental study of interfacial condensation heat transfer has been performed for countercurrent steam-water wavy flow in a horizontal circular pipe. A total of 105 local interfacial condensation heat transfer coefficients have been obtained for various combinations of test parameters. Two empirical Nusselt number correlations were developed and parametric effects of steam and water flow rates and the degree of water subcooling on the condensation heat transfer were examined. For the wavy interface condition, the local Nusselt number is more strongly sensitive to the steam Reynolds number than water Reynolds number as opposed to the case of smooth interface condition. Comparisons of the present circular pipe data with existing correlations showed that existing correlations developed for rectangular channels are not directly applicable to a horizontal circular pipe flow.

Probing Interfacial Water on Nanodiamonds in Colloidal Dispersion.

Science.gov (United States)

Petit, Tristan; Yuzawa, Hayato; Nagasaka, Masanari; Yamanoi, Ryoko; Osawa, Eiji; Kosugi, Nobuhiro; Aziz, Emad F

2015-08-06

The structure of interfacial water layers around nanoparticles dispersed in an aqueous environment may have a significant impact on their reactivity and on their interaction with biological species. Using transmission soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy in liquid, we demonstrate that the unoccupied electronic states of oxygen atoms from water molecules in aqueous colloidal dispersions of nanodiamonds have a different signature than bulk water. X-ray absorption spectroscopy can thus probe interfacial water molecules in colloidal dispersions. The impacts of nanodiamond surface chemistry and concentration on interfacial water electronic signature are discussed.

Probing and Manipulating the Interfacial Defects of InGaAs Dual-Layer Metal Oxides at the Atomic Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xing; Luo, Chen; Hao, Peng; Sun, Tao; Wang, Runsheng; Wang, Chaolun; Hu, Zhigao; Li, Yawei; Zhang, Jian; Bersuker, Gennadi; Sun, Litao; Pey, Kinleong

2018-01-01

The interface between III-V and metal-oxide-semiconductor materials plays a central role in the operation of high-speed electronic devices, such as transistors and light-emitting diodes. The high-speed property gives the light-emitting diodes a high response speed and low dark current, and they are widely used in communications, infrared remote sensing, optical detection, and other fields. The rational design of high-performance devices requires a detailed understanding of the electronic structure at this interface; however, this understanding remains a challenge, given the complex nature of surface interactions and the dynamic relationship between the morphology evolution and electronic structures. Herein, in situ transmission electron microscopy is used to probe and manipulate the structural and electrical properties of ZrO 2 films on Al 2 O 3 and InGaAs substrate at the atomic scale. Interfacial defects resulting from the spillover of the oxygen-atom conduction-band wavefunctions are resolved. This study unearths the fundamental defect-driven interfacial electric structure of III-V semiconductor materials and paves the way to future high-speed and high-reliability devices. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Interfacial structures and area transport in upward and downward two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paranjape, S. S.; Kim, S.; Ishii, M.; Kelly, J.

2003-01-01

An experimental study has been carried out for upward and downward two-phase flow to study local interfacial structures and interfacial area transport. The flow studied, is an adiabatic, air-water, co-current, two-phase flow, in 25.4 mm and 50.8 mm ID test sections. Flow regime map is obtained using the characteristic signals obtained from an impedance void meter, employing neural network based identification methodology. A four sensor conductivity probe is used to measure the local two phase flow parameters, in bubbly flow regime. The local profiles of these parameters as well as their axial development reveal the nature of the interfacial structures and the bubble interaction mechanisms occurring in the flow. Furthermore, this study provides a good database for the development of the interfacial area transport equation, which dynamically models the changes in the interfacial area along a flow field. An interfacial area transport equation is used for downward flow based on that developed for the upward flow, with certain modifications in the bubble interaction terms. The area averaged values of the interfacial area concentration are compared with those predicted by the interfacial area transport model. The differences in the interfacial structures and interfacial area transport in co-current downward and upward two-phase flows are studied

Electrical switching of antiferromagnets via strongly spin-orbit coupled materials

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xi-Lai; Duan, Xiaopeng; Semenov, Yuriy G.; Kim, Ki Wook

2017-01-01

Electrically controlled ultra-fast switching of an antiferromagnet (AFM) is shown to be realizable by interfacing it with a material of strong spin-orbit coupling. The proximity interaction between the sublattice magnetic moments of a layered AFM and the spin-polarized free electrons at the interface offers an efficient way to manipulate antiferromagnetic states. A quantitative analysis, using the combination with a topological insulator as an example, demonstrates highly reliable 90° and 180° rotations of AFM magnetic states under two different mechanisms of effective torque generation at the interface. The estimated switching speed and energy requirement are in the ps and aJ ranges, respectively, which are about two-three orders of magnitude better than the ferromagnetic counterparts. The observed differences in the magnetization dynamics may explain the disparate characteristic responses. Unlike the usual precessional/chiral motions in the ferromagnets, those of the AFMs can essentially be described as a damped oscillator with a more direct path. The impact of random thermal fluctuations is also examined.

Scaling of interfacial jump conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quezada G, S.; Vazquez R, A.; Espinosa P, G.

2015-09-01

To model the behavior of a nuclear reactor accurately is needed to have balance models that take into account the different phenomena occurring in the reactor. These balances have to be coupled together through boundary conditions. The boundary conditions have been studied and different treatments have been given to the interface. In this paper is a brief description of some of the interfacial jump conditions that have been proposed in recent years. Also, the scaling of an interfacial jump condition is proposed, for coupling the different materials that are in contact within a nuclear reactor. (Author)

Nanoscale interfacial defect shedding in a growing nematic droplet.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurevich, Sebastian; Provatas, Nikolas; Rey, Alejandro

2017-08-01

Interfacial defect shedding is the most recent known mechanism for defect formation in a thermally driven isotropic-to-nematic phase transition. It manifests in nematic-isotropic interfaces going through an anchoring switch. Numerical computations in planar geometry established that a growing nematic droplet can undergo interfacial defect shedding, nucleating interfacial defect structures that shed into the bulk as +1/2 point defects. By extending the study of interfacial defect shedding in a growing nematic droplet to larger length and time scales, and to three dimensions, we unveil an oscillatory growth mode involving shape and anchoring transitions that results in a controllable regular distributions of point defects in planar geometry, and complex structures of disclination lines in three dimensions.

First in situ measurement of electric field fluctuations during strong spread F in the Indian zone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. S. S. Sinha

2000-05-01

Full Text Available An RH-560 rocket flight was conducted from Sriharikota rocket range (SHAR (14°N, 80°E, dip 14°N along with other experiments, as a part of equatorial spread F (ESF campaign, to study the nature of irregularities in electric field and electron density. The rocket was launched at 2130 local time (LT and it attained an apogee of 348 km. Results of vertical and horizontal electric field fluctuations are presented here. Scale sizes of electric field fluctuations were measured in the vertical direction only. Strong ESF irregularities were observed in three regions, viz., 160-190 km, 210-257 km and 290-330 km. Some of the valley region vertical electric field irregularities (at 165 km and 168 km, in the intermediate-scale size range, observed during this flight, show spectral peak at kilometer scales and can be interpreted in terms of the image striation theory suggested by Vickrey et al. The irregularities at 176 km do not exhibit any peak at kilometer scales and appear to be of a new type. Scale sizes of vertical electric field fluctuations showed a decrease with increasing altitude. The most prominent scales were of the order of a few kilometers around 170 km and a few hundred meters around 310 km. Spectra of intermediate-scale vertical electric field fluctuations below the base of the F region (210-257 km showed a tendency to become slightly flatter (spectral index n = -2.1 ± 0.7 as compared to the valley region (n = -3.6 ± 0.8 and the region below the F peak (n = -2.8 ± 0.5. Correlation analysis of the electron density and vertical electric field fluctuations suggests the presence of a sheared flow of current in 160-330 km region.Keywords: Ionosphere (Electric fields and currents; ionospheric irregularities; Radio science (ionospheric physics

Charge trapping at organic/self-assembly molecule interfaces studied by electrical switching behaviour in a crosspoint structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Yun; Pan Lijia; Pu Lin; Shi Yi; Liu Chuan; Tsukagoshi, Kazuhito

2012-01-01

Charge trapping at organic/self-assembly molecule (SAM) interfaces is studied by the electrical switching behaviour in a crosspoint structure, where interfacial charge trapping tunes the potential barrier of the SAM layer. The sample with rubrene exhibits the write-once read-many-times memory effect, which is due to the interfacial charges trapped at deep states. On the other hand, the sample with 2-amino-4,5-dicyanoimidazole presents recyclable conduction transition, which results from the trapped charges distributed at shallow states. Moreover, the percentage of the charges trapped at shallow states can be estimated from electrical transition levels. (paper)

Charge trapping at organic/self-assembly molecule interfaces studied by electrical switching behaviour in a crosspoint structure

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yun; Liu, Chuan; Pan, Lijia; Pu, Lin; Tsukagoshi, Kazuhito; Shi, Yi

2012-01-01

Charge trapping at organic/self-assembly molecule (SAM) interfaces is studied by the electrical switching behaviour in a crosspoint structure, where interfacial charge trapping tunes the potential barrier of the SAM layer. The sample with rubrene exhibits the write-once read-many-times memory effect, which is due to the interfacial charges trapped at deep states. On the other hand, the sample with 2-amino-4,5-dicyanoimidazole presents recyclable conduction transition, which results from the trapped charges distributed at shallow states. Moreover, the percentage of the charges trapped at shallow states can be estimated from electrical transition levels.

Interfacial friction in low flowrate vertical annular flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, J.M.; Freitas, R.L.

1993-01-01

During boil-off and reflood transients in nuclear reactors, the core liquid inventory and inlet flowrate are largely determined by the interfacial friction in the reactor core. For these transients, annular flow occurs at relatively modest liquid flowrates and at the low heat fluxes typical of decay heat conditions. The resulting low vapor Reynolds numbers, are out of the data range used to develop the generally accepted interfacial friction relations for annular flow. In addition, most existing annular flow data comes from air/liquid adiabatic experiments with fully developed flows. By contrast, in a reactor core, the flow is continuously developing along the heated length as the vapor flowrate increases and the flow regimes evolve from bubbly to annular flow. Indeed, the entire annular flow regime may exist only over tens of L/D's. Despite these limitations, many of the advanced reactor safety analysis codes employ the Wallis model for interfacial friction in annular flow. Our analyses of the conditions existing at the end-of-reflood in the PERICLES tests have indicated that the Wallis model seriously underestimates the interfacial shear for low vapor velocity cocurrent upflow. To extend the annular flow data base to diabatic low flowrate conditions, the DADINE tests were re-analyzed. In these tests, both pressure drop and local cross-section averaged void fractions were measured. Thus, both the wall and interfacial shear can be deduced. Based on the results of this analysis, a new correlation is proposed for interfacial friction in annular flow. (authors). 5 figs., 12 refs

Interfacial area transport of bubbly flow in a small diameter pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hibiki, Takashi; Takamasa, Tomoji; Ishii, Mamoru

2001-01-01

In relation to the development of the interfacial area transport equation, this study focused on modeling of the interfacial area transport mechanism of vertical adiabatic air-water bubbly flows in a relatively small diameter pipe where the bubble size-to-pipe diameter ratio was relatively high and the radial motion of bubbles was restricted by the presence of the pipe wall. The sink term of the interfacial area concentration was modeled by considering wake entrainment as a possible bubble coalescence mechanism, whereas the source term was neglected by assuming negligibly small bubble breakup for low liquid velocity conditions based on visual observation. One-dimensional interfacial area transport equation with the derived sink term was evaluated by using five datasets of vertical adiabatic air-water bubbly flows measured in a 9.0 mm-diameter pipe (superficial gas velocity: 0.013-0.052 m/s, superficial liquid velocity: 0.58-1.0 m/s). The modeled interfacial area transport equation could reproduce the proper trend of the axial interfacial area transport and predict the measured interfacial area concentrations within an average relative deviation of ±11.1%. It was recognized that the present model would be promising for predicting the interfacial area transport of the examined bubbly flows. (author)

Interfacial crystalline structures in injection over-molded polypropylene and bond strength.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Bowen; Wu, Hong; Jiang, Genjie; Guo, Shaoyun; Huang, Jian

2010-11-01

This paper describes interfacial crystalline structures found in injection overmolded polypropylene components and the relationship of these structures to bond strength between the components. The combined effects of the development of hierarchical gradient structures and the particular thermomechanical environment near the interface on the interfacial crystalline structures were investigated in detail by PLM, SEM, DSC, WAXD, and infrared dichroism spectroscopy. The experimental results showed that during molding there was competitive formation of interfacial crystalline structures consisted of "shish-kebab" layer (SKL) and a transcrystalline layers (TCL). Variation in shear stress (controlled by injection pressure and injection speed) plays an important role in the formation of the SKL. The formation of TCL is influenced by the thermal environment, namely melt temperature and mold temperature. Increasing within certain limits, interfacial temperature and the thermal gradient near the interface promotes β-iPP growth. The relationship between interfacial crystalline structures and interfacial bond strength was established by lap shear measurement. The interfacial bond strength is improved by enhancing the formation of TCL, but reduced if SKL predominates.

Improvement in interfacial characteristics of low-voltage carbon nanotube thin-film transistors with solution-processed boron nitride thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeon, Jun-Young; Ha, Tae-Jun, E-mail: taejunha0604@gmail.com

2017-08-15

Highlights: • We demonstrate the potential of solution-processed boron nitride (BN) thin films for nanoelectronics. • Improved interfacial characteristics reduced the leakage current by three orders of magnitude. • The BN encapsulation improves all the device key metrics of low-voltage SWCNT-TFTs. • Such improvements were achieved by reduced interaction of interfacial localized states. - Abstract: In this article, we demonstrate the potential of solution-processed boron nitride (BN) thin films for high performance single-walled carbon nanotube thin-film transistors (SWCNT-TFTs) with low-voltage operation. The use of BN thin films between solution-processed high-k dielectric layers improved the interfacial characteristics of metal-insulator-metal devices, thereby reducing the current density by three orders of magnitude. We also investigated the origin of improved device performance in SWCNT-TFTs by employing solution-processed BN thin films as an encapsulation layer. The BN encapsulation layer improves the electrical characteristics of SWCNT-TFTs, which includes the device key metrics of linear field-effect mobility, sub-threshold swing, and threshold voltage as well as the long-term stability against the aging effect in air. Such improvements can be achieved by reduced interaction of interfacial localized states with charge carriers. We believe that this work can open up a promising route to demonstrate the potential of solution-processed BN thin films on nanoelectronics.

Optical pulling and pushing forces exerted on silicon nanospheres with strong coherent interaction between electric and magnetic resonances.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hongfeng; Panmai, Mingcheng; Peng, Yuanyuan; Lan, Sheng

2017-05-29

We investigated theoretically and numerically the optical pulling and pushing forces acting on silicon (Si) nanospheres (NSs) with strong coherent interaction between electric and magnetic resonances. We examined the optical pulling and pushing forces exerted on Si NSs by two interfering waves and revealed the underlying physical mechanism from the viewpoint of electric- and magnetic-dipole manipulation. As compared with a polystyrene (PS) NS, it was found that the optical pulling force for a Si NS with the same size is enlarged by nearly two orders of magnitude. In addition to the optical pulling force appearing at the long-wavelength side of the magnetic dipole resonance, very large optical pushing force is observed at the magnetic quadrupole resonance. The correlation between the optical pulling/pushing force and the directional scattering characterized by the ratio of the forward to backward scattering was revealed. More interestingly, it was found that the high-order electric and magnetic resonances in large Si NSs play an important role in producing optical pulling force which can be generated by not only s-polarized wave but also p-polarized one. Our finding indicates that the strong coherent interaction between the electric and magnetic resonances existing in nanoparticles with large refractive indices can be exploited to manipulate the optical force acting on them and the correlation between the optical force and the directional scattering can be used as guidance. The engineering and manipulation of optical forces will find potential applications in the trapping, transport and sorting of nanoparticles.

Microfluidic ultralow interfacial tensiometry with magnetic particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Scott S H; Wexler, Jason S; Wan, Jiandi; Stone, Howard A

2013-01-07

We describe a technique that measures ultralow interfacial tensions using paramagnetic spheres in a co-flow microfluidic device designed with a magnetic section. Our method involves tuning the distance between the co-flowing interface and the magnet's center, and observing the behavior of the spheres as they approach the liquid-liquid interface-the particles either pass through or are trapped by the interface. Using threshold values of the magnet-to-interface distance, we make estimates of the two-fluid interfacial tension. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique for measuring very low interfacial tensions, O(10(-6)-10(-5)) N m(-1), by testing solutions of different surfactant concentrations, and we show that our results are comparable with measurements made using a spinning drop tensiometer.

Energy storage in ferroelectric polymer nanocomposites filled with core-shell structured polymer@BaTiO3 nanoparticles: understanding the role of polymer shells in the interfacial regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Ming; Huang, Xingyi; Yang, Ke; Zhai, Xing; Zhang, Jun; He, Jinliang; Jiang, Pingkai

2014-11-26

The interfacial region plays a critical role in determining the electrical properties and energy storage density of dielectric polymer nanocomposites. However, we still know a little about the effects of electrical properties of the interfacial regions on the electrical properties and energy storage of dielectric polymer nanocomposites. In this work, three types of core-shell structured polymer@BaTiO3 nanoparticles with polymer shells having different electrical properties were used as fillers to prepare ferroelectric polymer nanocomposites. All the polymer@BaTiO3 nanoparticles were prepared by surface-initiated reversible-addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and the polymer shells were controlled to have the same thickness. The morphology, crystal structure, frequency-dependent dielectric properties, breakdown strength, leakage currents, energy storage capability, and energy storage efficiency of the polymer nanocomposites were investigated. On the other hand, the pure polymers having the same molecular structure as the shells of polymer@BaTiO3 nanoparticles were also prepared by RAFT polymerization, and their electrical properties were provided. Our results show that, to achieve nanocomposites with high discharged energy density, the core-shell nanoparticle filler should simultaneously have high dielectric constant and low electrical conductivity. On the other hand, the breakdown strength of the polymer@BaTiO3-based nanocomposites is highly affected by the electrical properties of the polymer shells. It is believed that the electrical conductivity of the polymer shells should be as low as possible to achieve nanocomposites with high breakdown strength.

Interfacial patterns in magnetorheological fluids: Azimuthal field-induced structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Dias, Eduardo O; Lira, Sérgio A; Miranda, José A

2015-08-01

Despite their practical and academic relevance, studies of interfacial pattern formation in confined magnetorheological (MR) fluids have been largely overlooked in the literature. In this work, we present a contribution to this soft matter research topic and investigate the emergence of interfacial instabilities when an inviscid, initially circular bubble of a Newtonian fluid is surrounded by a MR fluid in a Hele-Shaw cell apparatus. An externally applied, in-plane azimuthal magnetic field produced by a current-carrying wire induces interfacial disturbances at the two-fluid interface, and pattern-forming structures arise. Linear stability analysis, weakly nonlinear theory, and a vortex sheet approach are used to access early linear and intermediate nonlinear time regimes, as well as to determine stationary interfacial shapes at fully nonlinear stages.

Electrical circuit model of ITO/AZO/Ge photodetector.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Malkeshkumar; Kim, Joondong

2017-10-01

In this data article, ITO/AZO/Ge photodetector was investigated for electrical circuit model. Due to the double (ITO and AZO) transparent metal-oxide films (DOI:10.1016/j.mssp.2016.03.007) (Yun et al., 2016) [1], the Ge heterojunction device has a better interface quality due to the AZO layer with a low electrical resistance due to the ITO layer (Yun et al., 2015) [2]. The electrical and interfacial benefitted ITO/AZO/Ge heterojunction shows the quality Schottky junction. In order to investigate the device, the ITO/AZO/Ge heterojunction was analyzed by R-C circuit model using the impedance spectroscopy.

Aqueous electrolyte surfaces in strong electric fields: molecular insight into nanoscale jets and bridges

Science.gov (United States)

Jirsák, Jan; Moučka, Filip; Škvor, Jiří; Nezbeda, Ivo

2015-04-01

Exposing aqueous surfaces to a strong electric field gives rise to interesting phenomena, such as formation of a floating water bridge or an eruption of a jet in electrospinning. In an effort to account for the phenomena at the molecular level, we performed molecular dynamics simulations using several protocols on both pure water and aqueous solutions of sodium chloride subjected to an electrostatic field. All simulations consistently point to the same mechanisms which govern the rearrangement of the originally planar surface. The results show that the phenomena are primarily governed by an orientational reordering of the water molecules driven by the applied field. It is demonstrated that, for pure water, a sufficiently strong field yields a columnar structure parallel to the field with an anisotropic arrangement of the water molecules with their dipole moments aligned along the applied field not only in the surface layer but over the entire cross section of the column. Nonetheless, the number of hydrogen bonds per molecule does not seem to be affected by the field regardless of its strength and molecule's orientation. In the electrolyte solutions, the ionic charge is able to overcome the effect of the external field tending to arrange the water molecules radially in the first coordination shell of an ion. The ion-water interaction interferes thus with the water-electric field interaction, and the competition between these two forces (i.e., strength of the field versus concentration) provides the key mechanism determining the stability of the observed structures.

Interfacial adhesion of laser clad functionally graded materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pei, Y. T.; Ocelik, V.; De Hosson, J. T. M.

2003-01-01

Specially designed samples of laser clad AlSi40 functionally graded materials (FGM) are made for evaluating the interfacial adhesion. To obtain the interfacial bond strength notches are made right at the interface of the FGMs. In-situ microstructural observations during straining in a field-emission

Interfacial adhesion of laser clad functionally graded materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Hosson, JTM; Pei, YT; Ocelik, [No Value; Sudarshan, TS; Stiglich, JJ; Jeandin, M

2002-01-01

Specially designed samples of laser clad AlSi40 functionally graded materials (FGM) are made for evaluating the interfacial adhesion. To obtain the interfacial bond strength notches are made right at the interface of the FGMs. In-sitit microstructural observations during straining in an FEG-ESEM

Experimental study on interfacial area transport in downward two-phase flow

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guanyi

In view of the importance of two group interfacial area transport equations and lack of corresponding accurate downward flow database that can reveal two group interfacial area transport, a systematic database for adiabatic, air-water, vertically downward two-phase flow in a round pipe with inner diameter of 25.4 mm was collected to gain an insight of interfacial structure and provide benchmarking data for two-group interfacial area transport models. A four-sensor conductivity probe was used to measure the local two phase flow parameters and data was collected with data sampling frequency much higher than conventional data sampling frequency to ensure the accuracy. Axial development of local flow parameter profiles including void fraction, interfacial area concentration, and Sauter mean diameter were presented. Drastic inter-group transfer of void fraction and interfacial area was observed at bubbly to slug transition flow. And the wall peaked interfacial area concentration profiles were observed in churn-turbulent flow. The importance of local data about these phenomenon on flow structure prediction and interfacial area transport equation benchmark was analyzed. Bedsides, in order to investigate the effect of inlet conditions, all experiments were repeated after installing the flow straightening facility, and the results were briefly analyzed. In order to check the accuracy of current data, the experiment results were cross-checked with rotameter measurement as well as drift-flux model prediction, the averaged error is less than 15%. Current models for two-group interfacial area transport equation were evaluated using these data. The results show that two-group interfacial area transport equations with current models can predict most flow conditions with error less than 20%, except some bubbly to slug transition flow conditions and some churn-turbulent flow conditions. The disagreement between models and experiments could result from underestimate of inter

Interfacial shear stress in stratified flow in a horizontal rectangular duct

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lorencez, C.; Kawaji, M.; Murao, Y.

1995-01-01

Interfacial shear stress has been experimentally examined for both cocurrent and countercurrent stratified wavy flows in a horizontal interfacial shear stress from the measurements were examined and the results have been compared with existing correlations. Some differences were found in the estimated interfacial shear stress from the measurements were examined and the results have been compared with existing correlations. Some differences were found in the estimated interfacial shear stress values at high gas flow rates which could be attributed to the assumptions and procedures involved in each method. The interfacial waves and secondary motions were also found to have significant effects on the accuracy of Reynolds stress and turbulence kinetic energy extrapolation methods

Interfacial shear stress in stratified flow in a horizontal rectangular duct

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorencez, C.; Kawaji, M. [Univ. of Toronto (Canada); Murao, Y. [Tokushima Univ. (Japan)] [and others

1995-09-01

Interfacial shear stress has been experimentally examined for both cocurrent and countercurrent stratified wavy flows in a horizontal interfacial shear stress from the measurements were examined and the results have been compared with existing correlations. Some differences were found in the estimated interfacial shear stress from the measurements were examined and the results have been compared with existing correlations. Some differences were found in the estimated interfacial shear stress values at high gas flow rates which could be attributed to the assumptions and procedures involved in each method. The interfacial waves and secondary motions were also found to have significant effects on the accuracy of Reynolds stress and turbulence kinetic energy extrapolation methods.

Transient interfacial tension and dilatational rheology of diffuse polymer-polymer interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peters, G.W.M.; Zdravkov, A.N.; Meijer, H.E.H.

2005-01-01

We demonstrate the influence of molecular weight and molecular weightasymmetry across an interface on the transient behavior of the interfacial tension. The interfacial tension was measured as a function of time for a range of polymer combinations with a broadrange of interfacial properties using a

Electrical characterization of high-pressure reactive sputtered ScOx films on silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castan, H.; Duenas, S.; Gomez, A.; Garcia, H.; Bailon, L.; Feijoo, P.C.; Toledano-Luque, M.; Prado, A. del; San Andres, E.; Lucia, M.L.

2011-01-01

Al/ScO x /SiN x /n-Si and Al/ScO x /SiO x /n-Si metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors have been electrically characterized. Scandium oxide was grown by high-pressure sputtering on different substrates to study the dielectric/insulator interface quality. The substrates were silicon nitride and native silicon oxide. The use of a silicon nitride interfacial layer between the silicon substrate and the scandium oxide layer improves interface quality, as interfacial state density and defect density inside the insulator are decreased.

An improved interfacial bonding model for material interface modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Liqiang; Wang, Xiaodu; Zeng, Xiaowei

2016-01-01

An improved interfacial bonding model was proposed from potential function point of view to investigate interfacial interactions in polycrystalline materials. It characterizes both attractive and repulsive interfacial interactions and can be applied to model different material interfaces. The path dependence of work-of-separation study indicates that the transformation of separation work is smooth in normal and tangential direction and the proposed model guarantees the consistency of the cohesive constitutive model. The improved interfacial bonding model was verified through a simple compression test in a standard hexagonal structure. The error between analytical solutions and numerical results from the proposed model is reasonable in linear elastic region. Ultimately, we investigated the mechanical behavior of extrafibrillar matrix in bone and the simulation results agreed well with experimental observations of bone fracture. PMID:28584343

Densification rate and interfacial adhesion of bilayer cemented tungsten carbide and steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ojo-kupoluyi, Oluwatosin Job; Tahir, Suraya Mohd; Ariff, Azmah Hanim Mohamed; Baharudin, B.T. Hang Tuah [Univ. Putra Malaysia, Selangor (Malaysia). Dept. of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering; Matori, Khamirul Amin [Univ. Putra Malaysia, Selangor (Malaysia). Dept. of Physics; Univ. Putra Malaysia, Selangor (Malaysia). Inst. of Advanced Technology (ITMA); Shamsul Anuar, Mohd [Univ. Putra Malaysia, Selangor (Malaysia). Dept. of Process and Food Engineering

2017-12-15

Manufacturing tailored materials is commonly faced with the challenge of shrinkage mismatch between layers resulting in delamination. The effects of sintering temperature and carbon variation on the densification and interfacial bond strength of bilayer cemented tungsten carbide and steel processed through powder metallurgy are analyzed. It is revealed through field-emission scanning electron microscopy images that inter-layer diffusion induced by liquid-phase sintering plays a major role in the densification and bonding of layers. Through dimensional analysis of sintered bilayer specimens, the strain rate of cemented tungsten carbide is observed to surpass that of steel. An enhanced densification rate of 6.1 % and M{sub 6}C (eta carbide) reduction with increased carbon level results in strong interfacial bonding in specimens sintered at 1 280 C. At 1 295 C, diffusion accelerates and the axial and radial shrinkage increase by 14.05 % and 13.35 %, respectively, in 93.8 wt.% WC - 6 wt.% Fe - 0.2 wt.% C and 93.2 wt.% Fe - 6 wt.% WC - 0.8 wt.% C, thereby increasing the tendency for complete delamination.

Densification rate and interfacial adhesion of bilayer cemented tungsten carbide and steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ojo-kupoluyi, Oluwatosin Job; Tahir, Suraya Mohd; Ariff, Azmah Hanim Mohamed; Baharudin, B.T. Hang Tuah; Shamsul Anuar, Mohd

2017-01-01

Manufacturing tailored materials is commonly faced with the challenge of shrinkage mismatch between layers resulting in delamination. The effects of sintering temperature and carbon variation on the densification and interfacial bond strength of bilayer cemented tungsten carbide and steel processed through powder metallurgy are analyzed. It is revealed through field-emission scanning electron microscopy images that inter-layer diffusion induced by liquid-phase sintering plays a major role in the densification and bonding of layers. Through dimensional analysis of sintered bilayer specimens, the strain rate of cemented tungsten carbide is observed to surpass that of steel. An enhanced densification rate of 6.1 % and M 6 C (eta carbide) reduction with increased carbon level results in strong interfacial bonding in specimens sintered at 1 280 C. At 1 295 C, diffusion accelerates and the axial and radial shrinkage increase by 14.05 % and 13.35 %, respectively, in 93.8 wt.% WC - 6 wt.% Fe - 0.2 wt.% C and 93.2 wt.% Fe - 6 wt.% WC - 0.8 wt.% C, thereby increasing the tendency for complete delamination.

Using maleic anhydride functionalized graphene oxide for improving the interfacial properties of carbon fiber/BMI composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Li

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Maleic anhydride functionalized graphene oxide (MAH-GO was synthesized and then introduced into carbon fiber (CF reinforced bismaleimide (BMI composites, with the aim of improving the interfacial adhesion strength between CF and BMI resin. Various characterization techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA demonstrated that the maleic anhydride has been successfully grafted onto the GO surfaces. The study showed that the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS and flexural properties of CF/BMI composites were all improved by the incorporation of GO and MAH-GO, and the MAH-GO showed the substantially improved effect due to the strong interaction between the MAH-GO and the resin matrix. The maximum increment of the ILSS, flexural strength and flexural modulus of composites were 24.4, 28.7 and 49.7%, respectively. Scanning electron microscope (SEM photographs of the fracture surfaces revealed that the interfacial bonding between CF and resin matrix was significantly strengthened by the addition of MAH-GO. The results suggest that this feasible method may be an ideal substitute for the traditional method in the interfacial modification of composites.

Coupled Interfacial Tension and Phase Behavior Model Based on Micellar Curvatures

KAUST Repository

Torrealba, V. A.

2017-11-08

This article introduces a consistent and robust model that predicts interfacial tensions for all microemulsion Winsor types and overall compositions. The model incorporates film bending arguments and Huh\\'s equation and is coupled to phase behavior so that simultaneous tuning of both interfacial tension (IFT) and phase behavior is possible. The oil-water interfacial tension and characteristic length are shown to be related to each other through the hydrophilic-lipophilic deviation (HLD). The phase behavior is tied to the micelle curvatures, without the need for using the net average curvature (NAC). The interfacial tension model is related to solubilization ratios in order to introduce a coupled interfacial tension-phase behavior model for all phase environments. The approach predicts two- and three-phase interfacial tensions and phase behavior (i.e., tie lines and tie triangles) for changes in composition and HLD input parameters, such as temperature, pressure, surfactant structure, and oil equivalent alkane carbon number. Comparisons to experimental data show excellent fits and predictive capability.

Effects of electric field and magnetic induction on spin injection into organic semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.M.; Ren, J.F.; Yuan, X.B.; Dou, Z.T.; Hu, G.C.

2011-01-01

Spin-polarized injection and transport into ferromagnetic/organic semiconductor structure are studied theoretically in the presence of the external electric field and magnetic induction. Based on the spin-drift-diffusion theory and Ohm's law, we obtain the charge current polarization, which takes into account the special carriers of organic semiconductors. From the calculation, it is found that the current spin polarization is enhanced by several orders of magnitude by tuning the magnetic induction and electric fields. To get an apparent current spin polarization, the effects of spin-depended interfacial resistances and the special carriers in the organic semiconductor, which are polarons and bipolarons, are also discussed. -- Research highlights: → Current polarization in ferromagnetic/organic semiconductor structure is obtained. → Calculations are based on spin-drift-diffusion theory and Ohm's law. → Current polarization is enhanced by tuning magnetic induction and electric fields. → Effects of interfacial resistances and the special carriers are also discussed.

Basic equations of interfacial area transport in gas-liquid two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kataoka, I.; Yoshida, K.; Naitoh, M.; Okada, H.; Morii, T.

2011-01-01

The rigorous and consistent formulations of basic equations of interfacial area transport were derived using correlation functions of characteristic function of each phase and velocities of each phase. Turbulent transport term of interfacial area concentration was consistently derived and related to the difference between interfacial velocity and averaged velocity of each phase. Constitutive equations of turbulent transport terms of interfacial area concentration were proposed for bubbly flow. New transport model and constitutive equations were developed for churn flow. These models and constitutive equations are validated by experimental data of radial distributions of interfacial area concentration in bubbly and churn flow. (author)

First in situ measurement of electric field fluctuations during strong spread F in the Indian zone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. S. S. Sinha

Full Text Available An RH-560 rocket flight was conducted from Sriharikota rocket range (SHAR (14°N, 80°E, dip 14°N along with other experiments, as a part of equatorial spread F (ESF campaign, to study the nature of irregularities in electric field and electron density. The rocket was launched at 2130 local time (LT and it attained an apogee of 348 km. Results of vertical and horizontal electric field fluctuations are presented here. Scale sizes of electric field fluctuations were measured in the vertical direction only. Strong ESF irregularities were observed in three regions, viz., 160-190 km, 210-257 km and 290-330 km. Some of the valley region vertical electric field irregularities (at 165 km and 168 km, in the intermediate-scale size range, observed during this flight, show spectral peak at kilometer scales and can be interpreted in terms of the image striation theory suggested by Vickrey et al. The irregularities at 176 km do not exhibit any peak at kilometer scales and appear to be of a new type. Scale sizes of vertical electric field fluctuations showed a decrease with increasing altitude. The most prominent scales were of the order of a few kilometers around 170 km and a few hundred meters around 310 km. Spectra of intermediate-scale vertical electric field fluctuations below the base of the F region (210-257 km showed a tendency to become slightly flatter (spectral index n = -2.1 ± 0.7 as compared to the valley region (n = -3.6 ± 0.8 and the region below the F peak (n = -2.8 ± 0.5. Correlation analysis of the electron density and vertical electric field fluctuations suggests the presence of a sheared flow of current in 160-330 km region.

Keywords: Ionosphere (Electric fields and currents; ionospheric irregularities; Radio science (ionospheric physics

Schottky barrier and band edge engineering via the interfacial structure and strain for the Pt/TiO2 heterostructure.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xiangchao; Wu, Xin; Wang, Yucheng; Dai, Ying

2017-07-19

Charge transfer across the Pt/TiO 2 interface, which is mainly determined by the interface Schottky barrier height (SBH), is an important process in the (photo)catalytic and electronic applications of the Pt/TiO 2 composite. Therefore, systematic investigation of the factors that affect the interface SBH is indispensable for understanding and optimizing its performance. In this work, a systematic study of the effects of the interfacial structure and strain on the SBH of the Pt/TiO 2 (001) interface has been carried out based on the first-principles calculations. The results of interface adhesion energy show that two different interfacial structures for the Pt/TiO 2 (001) heterointerface may exist experimentally, namely, O-Pt bonding and Ti-Pt bonding. Moreover, the interfacial structures result in not only different values for the SBH, but also different dependences of the SBH on strain. Detailed investigations show that these versatile modulations of the SBH with the structure and strain are mainly attributed to the strong dependence of the band edges of TiO 2 and the interfacial potential alignments on the strain and structure, suggesting that these results are general and may be applicable to other metal/TiO 2 heterostructures.

Engineering High-Energy Interfacial Structures for High-Performance Oxygen-Involving Electrocatalysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Chunxian; Zheng, Yao; Ran, Jingrun; Xie, Fangxi; Jaroniec, Mietek; Qiao, Shi-Zhang

2017-07-10

Engineering high-energy interfacial structures for high-performance electrocatalysis is achieved by chemical coupling of active CoO nanoclusters and high-index facet Mn 3 O 4 nano-octahedrons (hi-Mn 3 O 4 ). A thorough characterization, including synchrotron-based near edge X-ray absorption fine structure, reveals that strong interactions between both components promote the formation of high-energy interfacial Mn-O-Co species and high oxidation state CoO, from which electrons are drawn by Mn III -O present in hi-Mn 3 O 4 . The CoO/hi-Mn 3 O 4 demonstrates an excellent catalytic performance over the conventional metal oxide-based electrocatalysts, which is reflected by 1.2 times higher oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity than that of Ru/C and a comparable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity to that of Pt/C as well as a better stability than that of Ru/C (95 % vs. 81 % retained OER activity) and Pt/C (92 % vs. 78 % retained ORR activity after 10 h running) in alkaline electrolyte. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The mechanism of strong electric field effect on the dispersed media in the rarefied gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagarin, A.G.; Savchenko, Y.N.; Vigdonchik, V.H.

1985-01-01

This paper discusses two approaches to the description of the flow of fluids and gases, that is, a phenomenological method and a molecular-kinetic method. Four dispersed admixtures are described using the model of solid spheres as for molecules and a system of aerodynamic equations is obtained. In this system interactions between gas molecules and admixtures are taken into consideration already in the zero approximation. The paper is also concerned with the experimental study of the motion of dispersed particles in corona discharge which is a typical example of a strong nonuniform electric field with a volume discharge. From the comparison of experimental and calculated paths it was found that the particles move five to seven times faster than they would have done under the action of the Coulomb force alone at a real amount of charge of the particle. The result of comparison also shows that their motion primarily depends on the jet flow of electric wind

Effects of interfacial layer on characteristics of TiN/ZrO2 structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Younsoo; Kang, Sang Yeol; Choi, Jae Hyoung; Lim, Jae Soon; Park, Min Young; Chung, Suk-Jin; Chung, Jaegwan; Lee, Hyung Ik; Kim, Ki Hong; Kyoung, Yong Koo; Heo, Sung; Yoo, Cha Young; Kang, Ho-Kyu

2011-09-01

To minimize the formation of unwanted interfacial layers, thin interfacial layer (ZrCN layer) was deposited between TiN bottom electrode and ZrO2 dielectric in TiN/ZrO2/TiN capacitor. Carbon and nitrogen were also involved in the layer because ZrCN layer was thermally deposited using TEMAZ without any reactant. Electrical characteristics of TiN/ZrO2/TiN capacitor were improved by insertion of ZrCN layer. The oxidation of TiN bottom electrode was largely inhibited at TiN/ZrCN/ZrO2 structure compared to TiN/ZrO2 structure. While the sheet resistance of TiN/ZrCN/ZrO2 structure was constantly sustained with increasing ZrO2 thickness, the large increase of sheet resistance was observed in TiN/ZrO2 structure after 6 nm ZrO2 deposition. When ZrO2 films were deposited on ZrCN layer, the deposition rate of ZrO2 also increased. It is believed that ZrCN layer acted both as a protection layer of TiN oxidation and a seed layer of ZrO2 growth.

Manipulating interfacial polymer structures through mixed surfactant adsorption and complexation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cattoz, Beatrice; de Vos, Wiebe M; Cosgrove, Terence; Crossman, Martin; Prescott, Stuart W

2012-04-17

The effects of a nonionic alcohol ethoxylate surfactant, C(13)E(7), on the interactions between PVP and SDS both in the bulk and at the silica nanoparticle interface are studied by photon correlation spectroscopy, solvent relaxation NMR, SANS, and optical reflectometry. Our results confirmed that, in the absence of SDS, C(13)E(7) and PVP are noninteracting, while SDS interacts strongly both with PVP and C(13)E(7) . Studying interfacial interactions showed that the interfacial interactions of PVP with silica can be manipulated by varying the amounts of SDS and C(13)E(7) present. Upon SDS addition, the adsorbed layer thickness of PVP on silica increases due to Coulombic repulsion between micelles in the polymer layer. When C(13)E(7) is progressively added to the system, it forms mixed micelles with the complexed SDS, reducing the total charge per micelle and thus reducing the repulsion between micelle and the silica surface that would otherwise cause the PVP to desorb. This causes the amount of adsorbed polymer to increase with C(13)E(7) addition for the systems containing SDS, demonstrating that addition of C(13)E(7) hinders the SDS-mediated desorption of an adsorbed PVP layer. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Characterization of interfacial waves in horizontal core-annular flow

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathi, Sumit; Bhattacharya, Amitabh; Singh, Ramesh; Tabor, Rico F.

2016-11-01

In this work, we characterize interfacial waves in horizontal core annular flow (CAF) of fuel-oil and water. Experimental studies on CAF were performed in an acrylic pipe of 15.5mm internal diameter, and the time evolution of the oil-water interface shape was recorded with a high speed camera for a range of different flow-rates of oil (Qo) and water (Qw). The power spectrum of the interface shape shows a range of notable features. First, there is negligible energy in wavenumbers larger than 2 π / a , where a is the thickness of the annulus. Second, for high Qo /Qw , there is no single dominant wavelength, as the flow in the confined annulus does not allow formation of a preferred mode. Third, for lower Qo /Qw , a dominant mode arises at a wavenumber of 2 π / a . We also observe that the power spectrum of the interface shape depends weakly on Qw, and strongly on Qo, perhaps because the net shear rate in the annulus appears to depend weakly on Qw as well. We also attempt to build a general empirical model for CAF by relating the interfacial stress (calculated via the mean pressure gradient) to the flow rate in the annulus, the annular thickness and the core velocity. Authors are thankful to Orica Mining Services (Australia) for the financial support.

Interfacial thermal conductance in multilayer graphene/phosphorene heterostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Ying-Yan; Pei, Qing-Xiang; Mai, Yiu-Wing; Lai, Siu-Kai

2016-01-01

Vertical integration of 2D materials has recently appeared as an effective method for the design of novel nano-scale devices. Using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, we study the interfacial thermal transport property of graphene/phosphorene heterostructures where phosphorene is sandwiched in between graphene. Various modulation techniques are thoroughly explored. We found that the interfacial thermal conductance at the interface of graphene and phosphorene can be enhanced significantly by using vacancy defects, hydrogenation and cross-plane compressive strain. By contrast, the reduction in the interfacial thermal conductance can be achieved by using cross-plane tensile strain. Our results provide important guidelines for manipulating the thermal transport in graphene/phosphorene based-nano-devices. (paper)

Computing optimal interfacial structure of modulated phases

OpenAIRE

Xu, Jie; Wang, Chu; Shi, An-Chang; Zhang, Pingwen

2016-01-01

We propose a general framework of computing interfacial structures between two modulated phases. Specifically we propose to use a computational box consisting of two half spaces, each occupied by a modulated phase with given position and orientation. The boundary conditions and basis functions are chosen to be commensurate with the bulk structures. It is observed that the ordered nature of modulated structures stabilizes the interface, which enables us to obtain optimal interfacial structures...

Electrical circuit model of ITO/AZO/Ge photodetector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malkeshkumar Patel

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In this data article, ITO/AZO/Ge photodetector was investigated for electrical circuit model. Due to the double (ITO and AZO transparent metal-oxide films (DOI:10.1016/j.mssp.2016.03.007 (Yun et al., 2016 [1], the Ge heterojunction device has a better interface quality due to the AZO layer with a low electrical resistance due to the ITO layer (Yun et al., 2015 [2]. The electrical and interfacial benefitted ITO/AZO/Ge heterojunction shows the quality Schottky junction. In order to investigate the device, the ITO/AZO/Ge heterojunction was analyzed by R–C circuit model using the impedance spectroscopy.

Studies on the disbonding initiation of interfacial cracks.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McAdams, Brian J. (Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA); Pearson, Raymond A. (Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA)

2005-08-01

With the continuing trend of decreasing feature sizes in flip-chip assemblies, the reliability tolerance to interfacial flaws is also decreasing. Small-scale disbonds will become more of a concern, pointing to the need for a better understanding of the initiation stage of interfacial delamination. With most accepted adhesion metric methodologies tailored to predict failure under the prior existence of a disbond, the study of the initiation phenomenon is open to development and standardization of new testing procedures. Traditional fracture mechanics approaches are not suitable, as the mathematics assume failure to originate at a disbond or crack tip. Disbond initiation is believed to first occur at free edges and corners, which act as high stress concentration sites and exhibit singular stresses similar to a crack tip, though less severe in intensity. As such, a 'fracture mechanics-like' approach may be employed which defines a material parameter--a critical stress intensity factor (K{sub c})--that can be used to predict when initiation of a disbond at an interface will occur. The factors affecting the adhesion of underfill/polyimide interfaces relevant to flip-chip assemblies were investigated in this study. The study consisted of two distinct parts: a comparison of the initiation and propagation phenomena and a comparison of the relationship between sub-critical and critical initiation of interfacial failure. The initiation of underfill interfacial failure was studied by characterizing failure at a free-edge with a critical stress intensity factor. In comparison with the interfacial fracture toughness testing, it was shown that a good correlation exists between the initiation and propagation of interfacial failures. Such a correlation justifies the continuing use of fracture mechanics to predict the reliability of flip-chip packages. The second aspect of the research involved fatigue testing of tensile butt joint specimens to determine lifetimes at sub

Strong CP violation and the neutron electric dipole form factor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuckei, J.; Dib, C.; Faessler, A.; Gutsche, T.; Kovalenko, S. G.; Lyubovitskij, V. E.; Pumsa-ard, K.

2007-01-01

We calculate the neutron electric dipole form factor induced by the CP-violating θ term of QCD within a perturbative chiral quark model which includes pion and kaon clouds. On this basis, we derive the neutron electric dipole moment and the electron-neutron Schiff moment. From the existing experimental upper limits on the neutron electric dipole moment, we extract constraints on the θ parameter and compare our results with other approaches

Interfacial area transport of subcooled boiling flow in a vertical annulus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brooks, Caleb S.; Ozar, Basar; Hibiki, Takashi; Ishii, Mamoru, E-mail: ishii@purdue.edu

2014-03-15

Highlights: • Discussion of boiling and wall nucleation dataset obtained in a vertical annulus. • Overview of the interfacial area transport equation modeling in boiling flow. • Comparison of bubble departure diameter and frequency with existing models. • Evaluation of the interfacial area transport equation prediction in boiling flow. - Abstract: In an effort to improve the prediction of void fraction and heat transfer characteristics in two-phase systems, the two-group interfacial area transport equation has been developed for use with the two-group two-fluid model. The two-group approach treats spherical/distorted bubbles as Group-1 and cap/slug/churn-turbulent bubbles as Group-2. Therefore, the interfacial area transport of steam-water two-phase flow in a vertical annulus has been investigated experimentally, including bulk flow parameters and wall nucleation characteristics. The theoretical modeling of interfacial area transport equation with phase change terms is introduced and discussed along with the experimental results. Benchmark of the interfacial area transport equation is performed considering the effects of bubble interaction mechanisms such as bubble break-up and coalescence, as well as, effects of phase change mechanisms such as wall nucleation and condensation for subcooled boiling. From the benchmark, sensitivity in the constitutive relations for Group-1 phase change mechanisms, such as wall nucleation and condensation is clear. The Group-2 interfacial area transport is shown to be dominated by the interfacial heat transfer mechanism causing expansion of Group-1 bubbles into Group-2 bubbles in the boiling flow.

Electrical Matching at Metal/Molecule Contacts for Efficient Heterogeneous Charge Transfer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Shino; Iwase, Shigeru; Namba, Kotaro; Ono, Tomoya; Hara, Kenji; Fukuoka, Atsushi; Uosaki, Kohei; Ikeda, Katsuyoshi

2018-02-27

In a metal/molecule hybrid system, unavoidable electrical mismatch exists between metal continuum states and frontier molecular orbitals. This causes energy loss in the electron conduction across the metal/molecule interface. For efficient use of energy in a metal/molecule hybrid system, it is necessary to control interfacial electronic structures. Here we demonstrate that electrical matching between a gold substrate and π-conjugated molecular wires can be obtained by using monatomic foreign metal interlayers, which can change the degree of d-π* back-donation at metal/anchor contacts. This interfacial control leads to energy level alignment between the Fermi level of the metal electrode and conduction molecular orbitals, resulting in resonant electron conduction in the metal/molecule hybrid system. When this method is applied to molecule-modified electrocatalysts, the heterogeneous electrochemical reaction rate is considerably improved with significant suppression of energy loss at the internal electron conduction.

Interfacial behavior of polar, weakly polar, and nonpolar compounds bound to activated carbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Gun'ko, V M; Turov, V V; Zarko, V I; Goncharuk, O V; Nychiporuk, Yu M; Kozynchenko, O P; Skubiszewska-Zięba, J; Leboda, R; Charmas, B; Balakin, D Yu; Ptushinskii, Yu G

2013-08-15

Detailed analysis of the interfacial behavior of water and weakly polar or nonpolar organics adsorbed alone or co-adsorbed onto activated carbons (AC) at different temperatures is a complex problem important for practical applications of adsorbents. Interaction of water, 1-decanol, and n-decane with AC possessing highly developed porosity (pore volume Vp≈1.4-2.3 cm(3)/g, specific surface area S(BET)≈1500-3500 m(2)/g) was studied over a broad temperature range using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermoporometry, (1)H NMR spectroscopy, cryoporometry, and temperature-programmed desorption with mass-spectrometry control methods. Comparison of the pore size distributions (PSD) calculated using the DSC thermoporometry, NMR cryoporometry, and nitrogen adsorption isotherms allows us to determine localization of adsorbates in different pores, as well as changes in the PSD of AC due to freezing of adsorbates in pores. Theoretical calculations (using ab initio HF/6-31G(d,p), DFT B3LYP/6-31G(d,p), and PM7 methods) explain certain aspects of the interfacial behavior of water, decane, and decanol adsorbed onto AC that appear in the experimental data. Obtained results show strong temperature dependence (above and below the freezing point, Tf, of bulk liquids) of the interfacial behavior of adsorbates on the textural characteristics and hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties of AC and the adsorbate amounts that affect the distributions of adsorbates unfrozen at T

Band Offsets and Interfacial Properties of HfAlO Gate Dielectric Grown on InP by Atomic Layer Deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lifeng; Wang, Tao; Zou, Ying; Lu, Hong-Liang

2017-12-01

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy have been used to determine interfacial properties of HfO 2 and HfAlO gate dielectrics grown on InP by atomic layer deposition. An undesirable interfacial InP x O y layer is easily formed at the HfO 2 /InP interface, which can severely degrade the electrical performance. However, an abrupt interface can be achieved when the growth of the HfAlO dielectric on InP starts with an ultrathin Al 2 O 3 layer. The valence and conduction band offsets for HfAlO/InP heterojunctions have been determined to be 1.87 ± 0.1 and 2.83 ± 0.1 eV, respectively. These advantages make HfAlO a potential dielectric for InP MOSFETs.

Strong dependence of ultracold chemical rates on electric dipole moments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quemener, Goulven; Bohn, John L.

2010-01-01

We use the quantum threshold laws combined with a classical capture model to provide an analytical estimate of the chemical quenching cross sections and rate coefficients of two colliding particles at ultralow temperatures. We apply this quantum threshold model (QT model) to indistinguishable fermionic polar molecules in an electric field. At ultracold temperatures and in weak electric fields, the cross sections and rate coefficients depend only weakly on the electric dipole moment d induced by the electric field. In stronger electric fields, the quenching processes scale as d 4(L+(1/2)) where L>0 is the orbital angular-momentum quantum number between the two colliding particles. For p-wave collisions (L=1) of indistinguishable fermionic polar molecules at ultracold temperatures, the quenching rate thus scales as d 6 . We also apply this model to pure two-dimensional collisions and find that chemical rates vanish as d -4 for ultracold indistinguishable fermions. This model provides a quick and intuitive way to estimate chemical rate coefficients of reactions occuring with high probability.

Interfacial structures in confined cap-turbulent and churn-turbulent flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Xiaodong; Kim, Seungjin; Cheng Ling; Ishii, Mamoru; Beus, Stephen G.

2004-01-01

The objective of the present work is to study and model the interfacial structure development of air-water two-phase flow in a confined flow passage. Experiments of a total of 13 flow conditions in cap-turbulent and churn-turbulent flow regimes are carried out in a vertical air-water upward two-phase flow experimental loop with a test section of 200 mm in width and 10 mm in gap. Miniaturized four-sensor conductivity probes are used to measure local two-phase parameters at three different elevations for each flow condition. Bubble characteristics captured by the probes are categorized into two groups in view of the two-group interfacial area transport equation, i.e., spherical/distorted bubbles as Group 1 and cap/churn-turbulent bubbles as Group 2. The acquired local parameters are time-averaged void fraction, interfacial velocity, bubble number frequency, interfacial area concentration, and bubble Sauter mean diameter for each group of bubbles. Also, the line-averaged and area-averaged data are presented and discussed in detail. The comparisons of these parameters at different elevations demonstrate the development of interfacial structures along the flow direction due to bubble interactions and the hydrodynamic effects. Furthermore, these data can serve as one part of the experimental data for investigation of the interfacial area transport in a confined two-phase flow

Interfacial Shear Strength and Adhesive Behavior of Silk Ionomer Surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sunghan; Geryak, Ren D; Zhang, Shuaidi; Ma, Ruilong; Calabrese, Rossella; Kaplan, David L; Tsukruk, Vladimir V

2017-09-11

The interfacial shear strength between different layers in multilayered structures of layer-by-layer (LbL) microcapsules is a crucial mechanical property to ensure their robustness. In this work, we investigated the interfacial shear strength of modified silk fibroin ionomers utilized in LbL shells, an ionic-cationic pair with complementary ionic pairing, (SF)-poly-l-glutamic acid (Glu) and SF-poly-l-lysine (Lys), and a complementary pair with partially screened Coulombic interactions due to the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) segments and SF-Glu/SF-Lys[PEG] pair. Shearing and adhesive behavior between these silk ionomer surfaces in the swollen state were probed at different spatial scales and pressure ranges by using functionalized atomic force microscopy (AFM) tips as well as functionalized colloidal probes. The results show that both approaches were consistent in analyzing the interfacial shear strength of LbL silk ionomers at different spatial scales from a nanoscale to a fraction of a micron. Surprisingly, the interfacial shear strength between SF-Glu and SF-Lys[PEG] pair with partially screened ionic pairing was greater than the interfacial shear strength of the SF-Glu and SF-Lys pair with a high density of complementary ionic groups. The difference in interfacial shear strength and adhesive strength is suggested to be predominantly facilitated by the interlayer hydrogen bonding of complementary amino acids and overlap of highly swollen PEG segments.

Curvature dependence of the electrolytic liquid-liquid interfacial tension

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bier, Markus; de Graaf, J.; Zwanikken, J.W.; van Roij, R.H.H.G.

2009-01-01

The interfacial tension of a liquid droplet surrounded by another liquid in the presence of microscopic ions is studied as a function of the droplet radius. An analytical expression for the interfacial tension is obtained within a linear Poisson–Boltzmann theory and compared with numerical results

Interfacial stresses in strengthened beam with shear cohesive zone ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The results of parametric study are compared with those of Smith and Teng. They confirm the accuracy of the proposed approach in predicting both interfacial shear and normal stresses. Keywords. Strengthened beam; interfacial stresses; cohesive zone; shear deformation. 1. Introduction. The FRP plates can be either ...

Analysis of interfacial energy states in Au/pentacene/polyimide/indium-zinc-oxide diodes by electroluminescence spectroscopy and electric-field-induced optical second-harmonic generation measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Taguchi, Dai; Manaka, Takaaki; Iwamoto, Mitsumasa

2016-03-01

By using electroluminescence (EL) spectroscopy and electric-field-induced optical second-harmonic generation (EFISHG) measurement, we analyzed interfacial energy states in Au/pentacene/polyimide/indium-zinc-oxide (IZO) diodes, to characterize the pentacene/polyimide interface. Under positive voltage application to the Au electrode with reference to the IZO electrode, the EFISHG showed that holes are injected from Au electrode, and accumulate at the pentacene/polyimide interface with the surface charge density of Qs = 3.8 × 10-7 C/cm2. The EL spectra suggested that the accumulated holes are not merely located in the pentacene but they are transferred to the interface states of polyimide. These accumulated holes distribute with the interface state density greater than 1012 cm-2 eV-1 in the range E = 1.5-1.8 and 1.7-2.4 eV in pentacene and in polyimide, respectively, under assumption that accumulated holes govern recombination radiation. The EL-EFISHG measurement is helpful to characterize organic-organic layer interfaces in organic devices and provides a way to analyze interface energy states.

Monolithic All-Phosphate Solid-State Lithium-Ion Battery with Improved Interfacial Compatibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Shicheng; Mertens, Andreas; Tempel, Hermann; Schierholz, Roland; Kungl, Hans; Eichel, Rüdiger-A

2018-06-22

High interfacial resistance between solid electrolyte and electrode of ceramic all-solid-state batteries is a major reason for the reduced performance of these batteries. A solid-state battery using a monolithic all-phosphate concept based on screen printed thick LiTi 2 (PO 4 ) 3 anode and Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 cathode composite layers on a densely sintered Li 1.3 Al 0.3 Ti 1.7 (PO 4 ) 3 solid electrolyte has been realized with competitive cycling performance. The choice of materials was primarily based on the (electro-)chemical and mechanical matching of the components instead of solely focusing on high-performance of individual components. Thus, the battery utilized a phosphate backbone in combination with tailored morphology of the electrode materials to ensure good interfacial matching for a durable mechanical stability. Moreover, the operating voltage range of the active materials matches with the intrinsic electrochemical window of the electrolyte which resulted in high electrochemical stability. A highly competitive discharge capacity of 63.5 mAh g -1 at 0.39 C after 500 cycles, corresponding to 84% of the initial discharge capacity, was achieved. The analysis of interfacial charge transfer kinetics confirmed the structural and electrical properties of the electrodes and their interfaces with the electrolyte, as evidenced by the excellent cycling performance of the all-phosphate solid-state battery. These interfaces have been studied via impedance analysis with subsequent distribution of relaxation times analysis. Moreover, the prepared solid-state battery could be processed and operated in air atmosphere owing to the low oxygen sensitivity of the phosphate materials. The analysis of electrolyte/electrode interfaces after cycling demonstrates that the interfaces remained stable during cycling.

Interfacial electronic charge transfer and density of states in short period Cu/Cr multilayers; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbee, T W; Bello, A F; Klepeis, J E; Van Buuren, T

1999-01-01

Nanometer period metallic multilayers are ideal structures to investigate electronic phenomena at interfaces between metal films since interfacial atoms comprise a large atomic fraction of the samples. The Cu/Cr binary pair is especially suited to study the interfaces in metals since these elements are mutually insoluble, thus eliminating mixing effects and compound formation and the lattice mismatch is very small. This allows the fabrication of high structural quality Cu/Cr multilayers that have a structure which can be approximated in calculations based on idealized atomic arrangements. The electronic structure of the Cu and the Cr layers in several samples of thin Cu/Cr multilayers were studied using x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Total electron yield was measured and used to study the white lines at the Cu L(sub 2) and L(sub 3) absorption edges. The white lines at the Cu absorption edges are strongly related to the unoccupied d-orbitals and are used to calculate the amount of charge transfer between the Cr and Cu atoms in interfaces. Analysis of the Cu white lines show a charge transfer of 0.026 electrons/interfacial Cu atom to the interfacial Cr atoms. In the Cu XAS spectra we also observe a van Hove singularity between the L(sub 2) and L(sub 3) absorption edges as expected from the structural analysis. The absorption spectra are compared to partial density of states obtained from a full-potential linear muffin-tin orbital calculation. The calculations support the presence of charge transfer and indicate that it is localized to the first two interfacial layers in both Cu and Cr

Electrical characteristics for Sn-Ag-Cu solder bump with Ti/Ni/Cu under-bump metallization after temperature cycling tests

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, T. I.; Lin, Y. C.; Duh, J. G.; Hsu, Tom

2006-10-01

Lead-free solder bumps have been widely used in current flip-chip technology (FCT) due to environmental issues. Solder joints after temperature cycling tests were employed to investigate the interfacial reaction between the Ti/Ni/Cu under-bump metallization and Sn-Ag-Cu solders. The interfacial morphology and quantitative analysis of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) were obtained by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and field emission electron probe microanalysis (FE-EPMA). Various types of IMCs such as (Cu1-x,Agx)6Sn5, (Cu1-y,Agy)3Sn, and (Ag1-z,Cuz)3Sn were observed. In addition to conventional I-V measurements by a special sample preparation technique, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) internal probing system was introduced to evaluate the electrical characteristics in the IMCs after various test conditions. The electrical data would be correlated to microstructural evolution due to the interfacial reaction between the solder and under-bump metallurgy (UBM). This study demonstrated the successful employment of an internal nanoprobing approach, which would help further understanding of the electrical behavior within an IMC layer in the solder/UBM assembly.

Interfacial shear behavior of composite flanged concrete beams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moataz Awry Mahmoud

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Composite concrete decks are commonly used in the construction of highway bridges due to their rapid constructability. The interfacial shear transfer between the top slab and the supporting beams is of great significance to the overall deck load carrying capacity and performance. Interfacial shear capacity is directly influenced by the distribution and the percentage of shear connectors. Research and design guidelines suggest the use of two different approaches to quantify the required interfacial shear strength, namely based on the maximum compressive forces in the flange at mid span or the maximum shear flow at the supports. This paper investigates the performance of flanged reinforced concrete composite beams with different shear connector’s distribution and reinforcing ratios. The study incorporated both experimental and analytical programs for beams. Key experimental findings suggest that concentrating the connectors at the vicinity of the supports enhances the ductility of the beam. The paper proposes a simple and straight forward approach to estimate the interfacial shear capacity that was proven to give good correlation with the experimental results and selected code provisions. The paper presents a method to predict the horizontal shear force between precast beams and cast in-situ slabs.

Liquid-liquid interfacial tension of electrolyte solutions

OpenAIRE

Bier, Markus; Zwanikken, Jos; van Roij, Rene

2008-01-01

It is theoretically shown that the excess liquid-liquid interfacial tension between two electrolyte solutions as a function of the ionic strength I behaves asymptotically as O(- I^0.5) for small I and as O(+- I) for large I. The former regime is dominated by the electrostatic potential due to an unequal partitioning of ions between the two liquids whereas the latter regime is related to a finite interfacial thickness. The crossover between the two asymptotic regimes depends sensitively on mat...

Cold welding of organic light emitting diode: Interfacial and contact models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Asare

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an analytical and computational study of the contacts and interfacial fracture associated with the cold welding of Organic Light Emitting diodes (OLEDs. The effects of impurities (within the possible interfaces are explored for contacts and interfacial fracture between layers that are relevant to model OLEDs. The models are used to study the effects of adhesion, pressure, thin film layer thickness and dust particle modulus (between the contacting surfaces on contact profiles around impurities between cold-welded thin films. The lift-off stage of thin films (during cold welding is then modeled as an interfacial fracture process. A combination of adhesion and interfacial fracture theories is used to provide new insights for the design of improved contact and interfacial separation during cold welding. The implications of the results are discussed for the design and fabrication of cold welded OLED structures.

Cantilever-based optical interfacial force microscope in liquid using an optical-fiber tip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Byung I. Kim

2013-03-01

Full Text Available We developed a novel cantilever-based optical interfacial force microscope (COIFM to study molecular interaction in liquid environments. The force sensor was created by attaching a chemically etched optical-fiber tip to the force sensor with UV epoxy, and characterized by imaging on a calibration grid. The performance of the COIFM was then demonstrated by measuring the force between two oxidized silicon surfaces in 1 mM KCl as a function of distance. The result was consistent with previously reported electrical double layer forces, suggesting that a COIFM using an optical-fiber tip is capable of measuring force in a liquid environment.

Interfacial compatibility of polymer-based structures in electronics

OpenAIRE

Turunen, Markus P. K.

2004-01-01

Interfacial compatibility of dissimilar materials was investigated to achieve a better understanding of interfacial adhesion in metal/polymer/metal systems. Surface modifications of polymers were applied to improve the adhesion. The modified surfaces were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurements accompanied by surface free energy evaluations. The pull-off test was employed to asses...

Interfacial Micromechanics in Fibrous Composites: Design, Evaluation, and Models

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Zhenkun; Li, Xuan; Qin, Fuyong; Qiu, Wei

2014-01-01

Recent advances of interfacial micromechanics in fiber reinforced composites using micro-Raman spectroscopy are given. The faced mechanical problems for interface design in fibrous composites are elaborated from three optimization ways: material, interface, and computation. Some reasons are depicted that the interfacial evaluation methods are difficult to guarantee the integrity, repeatability, and consistency. Micro-Raman study on the fiber interface failure behavior and the main interface mechanical problems in fibrous composites are summarized, including interfacial stress transfer, strength criterion of interface debonding and failure, fiber bridging, frictional slip, slip transition, and friction reloading. The theoretical models of above interface mechanical problems are given. PMID:24977189

New insights into the interface between a single-crystalline metal electrode and an extremely pure ionic liquid: slow interfacial processes and the influence of temperature on interfacial dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Drüschler, Marcel; Borisenko, Natalia; Wallauer, Jens; Winter, Christian; Huber, Benedikt; Endres, Frank; Roling, Bernhard

2012-04-21

Ionic liquids are of high interest for the development of safe electrolytes in modern electrochemical cells, such as batteries, supercapacitors and dye-sensitised solar cells. However, electrochemical applications of ionic liquids are still hindered by the limited understanding of the interface between electrode materials and ionic liquids. In this article, we first review the state of the art in both experiment and theory. Then we illustrate some general trends by taking the interface between the extremely pure ionic liquid 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate and an Au(111) electrode as an example. For the study of this interface, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was combined with in situ STM and in situ AFM techniques. In addition, we present new results for the temperature dependence of the interfacial capacitance and dynamics. Since the interfacial dynamics are characterised by different processes taking place on different time scales, the temperature dependence of the dynamics can only be reliably studied by recording and carefully analysing broadband capacitance spectra. Single-frequency experiments may lead to artefacts in the temperature dependence of the interfacial capacitance. We demonstrate that the fast capacitive process exhibits a Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman temperature dependence, since its time scale is governed by the ionic conductivity of the ionic liquid. In contrast, the slower capacitive process appears to be Arrhenius activated. This suggests that the time scale of this process is determined by a temperature-independent barrier, which may be related to structural reorganisations of the Au surface and/or to charge redistributions in the strongly bound innermost ion layer. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2012

Correlation between crystallization behaviour and interfacial interactions in plasticized PLA/POSS nanocomposites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kodal, Mehmet, E-mail: mehmet.kodal@kocaeli.edu.tr; Şirin, Hümeyra; Özkoç, Güralp, E-mail: guralp.ozkoc@kocaeli.edu.tr [Department of Chemical Engineering, Kocaeli University, 41380, Kocaeli Turkey (Turkey)

2016-03-09

In this study, the correlation between crystallization behavior and surface chemistry of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) for plasticized poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/POSS nanocomposites was investigated. Four different kinds of POSS particles having different chemical structures were used. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, 8000 g/mol) was utilized as the plasticiser. The nanocomposites were melt-compounded in an Xplore Instruments 15 cc twin screw microcompounder at 180°C barrel temperature and 100 rpm screw speed. Non-isothermal crystallization behaviour of PLA/PEG/POSS nanocomposites were evaluated from common kinetic models such as Avrami and Avrami-Ozawa and Kissinger by using the thermal data obtained from differantial scanning calorimetry (DSC). A polarized optical microscope (POM) equipped with a hot-stage was used to examine the morphology during the crystal growth. In order to investigate the interfacial interactions between POSS particles and plasticized PLA, thermodynamic work of adhesion approach was adopted using the experimentally determined surface energies. A strong correlation was obtained between interfacial chemistry and the nucleation rate in plasticized PLA/POSS nanocomposites. It was found that the polar interactions were the dominating factor which determines the nucleation activity of the POSS particles.

Correlation between crystallization behaviour and interfacial interactions in plasticized PLA/POSS nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodal, Mehmet; Şirin, Hümeyra; Özkoç, Güralp

2016-01-01

In this study, the correlation between crystallization behavior and surface chemistry of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) for plasticized poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/POSS nanocomposites was investigated. Four different kinds of POSS particles having different chemical structures were used. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, 8000 g/mol) was utilized as the plasticiser. The nanocomposites were melt-compounded in an Xplore Instruments 15 cc twin screw microcompounder at 180°C barrel temperature and 100 rpm screw speed. Non-isothermal crystallization behaviour of PLA/PEG/POSS nanocomposites were evaluated from common kinetic models such as Avrami and Avrami-Ozawa and Kissinger by using the thermal data obtained from differantial scanning calorimetry (DSC). A polarized optical microscope (POM) equipped with a hot-stage was used to examine the morphology during the crystal growth. In order to investigate the interfacial interactions between POSS particles and plasticized PLA, thermodynamic work of adhesion approach was adopted using the experimentally determined surface energies. A strong correlation was obtained between interfacial chemistry and the nucleation rate in plasticized PLA/POSS nanocomposites. It was found that the polar interactions were the dominating factor which determines the nucleation activity of the POSS particles.

Interfacial Area and Interfacial Transfer in Two-Phase Flow Systems (Volume I. Chapters 1-5)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, T.; Park, J.; Kojasoy, G.

2003-03-15

Experiments were performed on horizontal air-water bubbly two-phase flow, axial flow, stratified wavy flow, and annular flow. Theoretical studies were also undertaken on interfacial parameters for a horizontal two-phase flow.

Interfacial Area and Interfacial Transfer in Two-Phase Flow Systems (Volume IV. Chapters 15-19)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, T.; Park, J.; Kojasoy, G.

2003-03-15

Experiments were performed on horizontal air-water bubbly two-phase flow, axial flow, stratified wavy flow, and annular flow. Theoretical studies were also undertaken on interfacial parameters for a horizontal two-phase flow.

Interfacial Area and Interfacial Transfer in Two-Phase Flow Systems (Volume II. Chapters 6-10)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, T.; Park, J.; Kojasoy, G.

2003-03-15

Experiments were performed on horizontal air-water bubbly two-phase flow, axial flow, stratified wavy flow, and annular flow. Theoretical studies were also undertaken on interfacial parameters for a horizontal two-phase flow.

Interfacial Area and Interfacial Transfer in Two-Phase Flow Systems (Volume III. Chapters 11-14)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, T.; Park, J.; Kojasoy, G.

2003-03-15

Experiments were performed on horizontal air-water bubbly two-phase flow, axial flow, stratified wavy flow, and annular flow. Theoretical studies were also undertaken on interfacial parameters for a horizontal two-phase flow.

Molecular dynamics study on interfacial thermal conductance of unirradiated and irradiated SiC/C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Qingyu; Wang, Chenglong; Zhang, Yue; Li, Taosheng

2014-01-01

SiC f /SiC composite materials have been considered as candidate structural materials for several types of advanced nuclear reactors. Both experimental and computer simulations studies have revealed the degradation of thermal conductivity for this material after irradiation. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of SiC/graphite interface structure and irradiation on the interfacial thermal conductance by using molecular dynamics simulation. Five SiC/graphite composite models were created with different interface structures, and irradiation was introduced near the interfaces. Thermal conductance was calculated by means of reverse-NEMD method. Results show that there is a positive correlation between the interfacial energy and interfacial C–Si bond quantity, and irradiated models showed higher interfacial energy compared with their unirradiated counterparts. Except the model with graphite atom plane parallel to the interface, the interfacial thermal conductance of unirradiated and irradiated (1000 eV) models, increases as the increase of interfacial energy, respectively. For all irradiated models, lattice defects are of importance in impacting the interfacial thermal conductance depending on the interface structure. For the model with graphite layer parallel to the interface, the interfacial thermal conductance increased after irradiation, for the other models the interfacial thermal conductance decreased. The vibrational density of states of atoms in the interfacial region was calculated to analyze the phonon mismatch at the interface

Tuning the Interfacial Mechanical Behaviors of Monolayer Graphene/PMMA Nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Guorui; Dai, Zhaohe; Liu, Luqi; Hu, Hai; Dai, Qing; Zhang, Zhong

2016-08-31

The van der Waals (vdW) force dominated interface between graphene and polymer matrix creates weak points in the mechanical sense. Chemical functionalization was expected to be an effective approach in transfer of the outstanding performance of graphene across multiple length scales up to the macroscopic level, due to possible improvements in the interfacial adhesion. However, published works showed the contradiction that improvements, insensitivity, or even worsening of macro-mechanical performance have all been reported in graphene-based polymer nanocomposites. Particularly central cause of such discrepancy is the variations in graphene/polymer interfacial chemistry, which is critical in nanocomposites with vast interfacial area. Herein, O3/H2O gaseous mixture was utilized to oxidize monolayer graphene sheet with controlled functionalization degrees. Hydrogen bonds (H bonds) are expected to form between oxidized graphene sheet/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at the interface. On the basis of in situ tensile-micro Raman spectroscopy, the impacts of bonding types (vdW and H-bonds) on both key interfacial parameters (such as interfacial shear strength and critical length) and failure modes of graphene/PMMA nanocomposite were clarified for the first time at the microscopic level. Our results show that owing to improved interfacial interaction via H bonds, the interface tends to be stiffening and strengthening. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the functionalized graphene/PMMA interface will be set by the competition between the enhanced interfacial adhesion and the degraded elastic modulus of graphene, which was caused by structural defects in the graphene sheet during the functionalization process and could lead to catastrophic failure of graphene sheets in our experimental observation. Our results will be helpful to design various nanofiller-based nanocomposites with high mechanical performance.

Effect of interfacial layer on water flow in nanochannels: Lattice Boltzmann simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Yakang [State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong 266580 (China); College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, Shandong (China); Liu, Xuefeng, E-mail: liuxf@upc.edu.cn [College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, Shandong (China); Liu, Zilong [College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, Shandong (China); Lu, Shuangfang [Institute of Unconventional Oil & Gas and New Energy, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, Shandong (China); Xue, Qingzhong, E-mail: xueqingzhong@tsinghua.org.cn [State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong 266580 (China); College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, Shandong (China); National Production Equipment Research Center, Dongying 257064, Shandong (China)

2016-04-15

A novel interfacial model was proposed to understand water flow mechanism in nanochannels. Based on our pore-throat nanochannel model, the effect of interfacial layer on water flow in nanochannels was quantitatively studied using Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). It is found that both the permeability of nanochannel and water velocity in the nanochannel dramatically decrease with increasing the thickness of interfacial layer. The permeability of nanochannel with pore radius of 10 nm decreases by about three orders of magnitude when the thickness of interfacial layer is changed from 0 nm to 3 nm gradually. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the cross-section shape has a great effect on the water flow inside nanochannel and the effect of interfacial layer on the permeability of nanochannel has a close relationship with cross-section shape when the pore size is smaller than 12 nm. Besides, both pore-throat ratio and throat length can greatly affect water flow in nanochannels, and the influence of interfacial layer on water flow in nanochannels becomes more evident with increasing pore-throat ratio and throat length. Our theoretical results provide a simple and effective method to study the flow phenomena in nano-porous media, particularly to quantitatively study the interfacial layer effect in nano-porous media.

Interfacial behavior of alkaline protease at the air-water and oil-water interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jian; Li, Yanyan; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Yue

2018-03-01

The interfacial behavior of alkaline protease at the air-water and n-hexane-water interfaces was investigated using interfacial tension, dilatational rheology and dynamic light scattering. Additionally, different adsorption models which are Langmuir, Frumkin, Reorientation-A and Reorientation-R were used to fitting the data of equilibrium interfacial tension for further understanding the interfacial behavior of alkaline protease. Data fitting of the equilibrium interfacial tension was achieved by IsoFit software. The results show that the molecules arrangement of the alkaline protease at the n-hexane-water interface is more tightly than at the air-water interface. The data were further analyzed to indicate that the hydrophobic chains of alkaline protease penetrate into oil phase deeper than the air phase. Also data indicate that the electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic interactions at the n-hexane-water interface are stronger than at the air-water interface within molecules of the alkaline protease. Based on comprehensive analysis of the adsorption kinetics and interfacial rheological properties, interfacial structures mechanism of alkaline protease at n-hexane-water and air-water interfaces was proposed.

The Interfacial Transition Zone in Alkali-Activated Slag Mortars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rackel eSan Nicolas

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The interfacial transition zone (ITZ is known to strongly influence the mechanical and transport properties of mortars and concretes. This paper studies the ITZ between siliceous (quartz aggregates and alkali activated slag binders in the context of mortar specimens. Backscattered electron images (BSE generated in an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM are used to identify unreacted binder components, reaction products and porosity in the zone surrounding aggregate particles, by composition and density contrast. X-ray mapping is used to exclude the regions corresponding to the aggregates from the BSE image of the ITZ, thus enabling analysis of only the binder phases, which are segmented into binary images by grey level discrimination. A distinct yet dense ITZ region is present in the alkali-activated slag mortars, containing a reduced content of unreacted slag particles compared to the bulk binder. The elemental analysis of this region shows that it contains a (C,N-A-S-H gel which seems to have a higher content of Na (potentially deposited through desiccation of the pore solution and a lower content of Ca than the bulk inner and outer products forming in the main binding region. These differences are potentially important in terms of long-term concrete performance, as the absence of a highly porous interfacial transition zone region is expected to provide a positive influence on the mechanical and transport properties of alkali-activated slag concretes.

Aerosol Particle Interfacial Thermodynamics and Phase Partitioning Measurements Using Biphasic Microfluidics

Science.gov (United States)

Dutcher, Cari; Metcalf, Andrew

2015-03-01

Secondary organic aerosol particles are nearly ubiquitous in the atmosphere and yet there remain large uncertainties in their formation processes and ambient properties. These particles are complex microenvironments, which can contain multiple interfaces due to internal aqueous-organic phase partitioning and to the external liquid-vapor surface. Interfacial properties affect the ambient aerosol morphology, or internal structure of the particle, which in turn can affect the way a particle interacts with an environment of condensable clusters and organic vapors. To improve our ability to accurately predict ambient aerosol morphology, we must improve our knowledge of aerosol interfaces and their interactions with the ambient environment. Unfortunately, many techniques employed to measure interfacial properties do so in bulk solutions or in the presence of a ternary (e.g. solid) phase. In this talk, a novel method using biphasic microscale flows will be introduced for generating, trapping, and perturbing complex interfaces at atmospherically relevant conditions. These microfluidic experiments utilize high-speed imaging to monitor interfacial phenomena at the microscale and are performed with phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy on a temperature-controlled inverted microscope stage. From these experiments, interfacial thermodynamic properties such as surface or interfacial tension, rheological properties such as interfacial moduli, and kinetic properties such as mass transfer coefficients can be measured or inferred.

Determination of Interfacial Area in Gas-Liquid Two Phase by Light Transmission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghiasi, H.; Safekordi, A. A.; Babazadeh Shareh, F.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the present paper is to develop light beam method to measurement of interfacial area in a rectangular gas-liquid bubble column. Total interfacial area can be determined in bubble column filled by transparent liquid by light transmission method. According to pervious researches, the fraction of parallel light is function of interfacial area and optical path length that these two parameters imply Transmission Number or N T . The drop diameters were measured in the range of 2.2 to 5 mm, and in this range, the specific area is found to depend only upon the light transmission. Three different systems with various liquid phases have been used in this work. It had been proved that light transmission method for dilute suspension or stationary gas phase has a good consequence. In this work, good agreement between actual and calculated interfacial area proves that light transmission method would be able to determine interfacial area in multiple scattering, and it is possible to use earlier mathematic model to measure interfacial area in multiple scattering in gas-liquid bubble columns.

Interfacial stabilities of high-temperature composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Y.A.; DeKock, J.; Zhang, M.X.; Kieschke, R.

1993-01-01

The thermodynamic and kinetic principles necessary to control interfacial reactions between the matrix and reinforcement in composite materials are presented. The concept of interfacial control has been applied to Ti-based/Al 2 O 3 composite. Results are presented which include estimated diffusivities for the reaction in β-Ti/Al 2 O 3 composites, estimated phase relationships for the systems Ti-Al-O, Ti-Y-O, Nb-Y-O and Nb-Al-O at 1100 C, and a coating scheme for αAl 2 O 3 fibers. 71 refs

Scaling Laws for Unstable Interfaces Driven by Strong Shocks in Cylindrical Geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Q.; Graham, M.J.; Graham, M.J.

1997-01-01

The Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability is an interfacial interface between two fluids of different densities driven by shock waves and plays an important role in the studies of inertial confinement fusion and of supernovas. So far, most of the studies are for RM unstable interfaces driven by weak or intermediate shocks in planar geometry. For experiments conducted at the Nova laser, the unstable material interface is accelerated by very strong shocks. In this Letter, we present scaling laws for the RM unstable interface driven by strong imploding and exploding shocks. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

Interfacial Properties of EXXPRO(TM) and General Purpose Elastomers

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y.; Rafailovich, M.; Sokolov, Jon; Qu, S.; Ge, S.; Ngyuen, D.; Li, Z.; Peiffer, D.; Song, L.; Dias, J. A.; McElrath, K. O.

1998-03-01

EXXPRO(Trademark) elastomers are used for tires and many other applications. This elastomer (denoted as BIMS) is a random copolymer of p-methylstyrene (MS) and polyisobutylene (I) with varying degrees of PMS content and bromination (B) on the p-methyl group. BIMS is impermeable to gases, and has good heat, ozone and flex resistance. Very often general purpose elastomers are blended with BIMS. The interfacial width between polybutadiene and BIMS is a sensitive function of the Br level and PMS content. By neutron reflectivity (NR), we studied the dynamics of interface formation as a function of time and temperature for BIMS with varying degrees of PMS and Br. We found that in addition to the bulk parameters, the total film thickness and the proximity of an interactive surface can affect the interfacial interaction rates. The interfacial properties can also be modified by inclusion of particles, such as carbon black (a filler component in tire rubbers). Results will be presented on the relation between the interfacial width as measured by NR and compatibilization studies via AFM and LFM.

Effect of Oxygen Inhibition Layer of Universal Adhesives on Enamel Bond Fatigue Durability and Interfacial Characteristics With Different Etching Modes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouchi, H; Tsujimoto, A; Nojiri, K; Hirai, K; Takamizawa, T; Barkmeier, W W; Latta, M A; Miyazaki, M

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the oxygen inhibition layer of universal adhesive on enamel bond fatigue durability and interfacial characteristics with different etching modes. The three universal adhesives used were Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA), Adhese Universal (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Lichtenstein), and G-Premio Bond (GC, Tokyo, Japan). The initial shear bond strength and shear fatigue strength to enamel was determined in the presence and absence of the oxygen inhibition layer, with and without phosphoric acid pre-etching. The water contact angle was also measured in all groups using the sessile drop method. The enamel bonding specimens with an oxygen inhibition layer showed significantly higher (padhesive type and etching mode. Moreover, the water contact angles on the specimens with an oxygen inhibition layer were significantly lower (puniversal adhesives significantly increases the enamel bond fatigue durability and greatly changes interfacial characteristics, suggesting that the bond fatigue durability and interfacial characteristics of these adhesives strongly rely on its presence.

Strong Coupling between Nanofluidic Transport and Interfacial Chemistry: How Defect Reactivity Controls Liquid-Solid Friction through Hydrogen Bonding.

Science.gov (United States)

Joly, Laurent; Tocci, Gabriele; Merabia, Samy; Michaelides, Angelos

2016-04-07

Defects are inevitably present in nanofluidic systems, yet the role they play in nanofluidic transport remains poorly understood. Here, we report ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations of the friction of liquid water on defective graphene and boron nitride sheets. We show that water dissociates at certain defects and that these "reactive" defects lead to much larger friction than the "nonreactive" defects at which water molecules remain intact. Furthermore, we find that friction is extremely sensitive to the chemical structure of reactive defects and to the number of hydrogen bonds they can partake in with the liquid. Finally, we discuss how the insight obtained from AIMD can be used to quantify the influence of defects on friction in nanofluidic devices for water treatment and sustainable energy harvesting. Overall, we provide new insight into the role of interfacial chemistry on nanofluidic transport in real, defective systems.

Role of Electrical Double Layer Structure in Ionic Liquid Gated Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Jennifer M; Come, Jeremy; Bi, Sheng; Zhu, Mengyang; Zhao, Wei; Wong, Anthony T; Noh, Joo Hyon; Pudasaini, Pushpa R; Zhang, Pengfei; Okatan, Mahmut Baris; Dai, Sheng; Kalinin, Sergei V; Rack, Philip D; Ward, Thomas Zac; Feng, Guang; Balke, Nina

2017-11-22

Ionic liquid gating of transition metal oxides has enabled new states (magnetic, electronic, metal-insulator), providing fundamental insights into the physics of strongly correlated oxides. However, despite much research activity, little is known about the correlation of the structure of the liquids in contact with the transition metal oxide surface, its evolution with the applied electric potential, and its correlation with the measured electronic properties of the oxide. Here, we investigate the structure of an ionic liquid at a semiconducting oxide interface during the operation of a thin film transistor where the electrical double layer gates the device using experiment and theory. We show that the transition between the ON and OFF states of the amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide transistor is accompanied by a densification and preferential spatial orientation of counterions at the oxide channel surface. This process occurs in three distinct steps, corresponding to ion orientations, and consequently, regimes of different electrical conductivity. The reason for this can be found in the surface charge densities on the oxide surface when different ion arrangements are present. Overall, the field-effect gating process is elucidated in terms of the interfacial ionic liquid structure, and this provides unprecedented insight into the working of a liquid gated transistor linking the nanoscopic structure to the functional properties. This knowledge will enable both new ionic liquid design as well as advanced device concepts.

DNA Nanotechnology-Enabled Interfacial Engineering for Biosensor Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Dekai; Zuo, Xiaolei; Fan, Chunhai

2018-06-12

Biosensors represent biomimetic analytical tools for addressing increasing needs in medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, security, and biodefense. Nevertheless, widespread real-world applications of biosensors remain challenging due to limitations of performance, including sensitivity, specificity, speed, and reproducibility. In this review, we present a DNA nanotechnology-enabled interfacial engineering approach for improving the performance of biosensors. We first introduce the main challenges of the biosensing interfaces, especially under the context of controlling the DNA interfacial assembly. We then summarize recent progress in DNA nanotechnology and efforts to harness DNA nanostructures to engineer various biological interfaces, with a particular focus on the use of framework nucleic acids. We also discuss the implementation of biosensors to detect physiologically relevant nucleic acids, proteins, small molecules, ions, and other biomarkers. This review highlights promising applications of DNA nanotechnology in interfacial engineering for biosensors and related areas.

Interfacial trap states in junctions of molecular semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlettwein, D.; Oekermann, T.; Jaeger, N.; Armstrong, N.R.; Woehrle, D.

2002-01-01

Interfacial states that were established in contacts of molecular semiconductors with aqueous electrolytes or in contacts with another organic semiconductor as a solid film were analyzed by photoelectrochemical experiments and by photoelectron spectroscopy. A crucial role of such states was indicated in the interfacial charge transfer and recombination kinetics of light-induced charge carriers and also in the energetic alignment in the solid contacts. Unsubstituted zinc-phthalocyanine (PcZn) served as model compound. The role of chemical interactions in the establishment of these interfacial states was investigated by use of different reaction partners, i.e., different redox couples in the electrolyte contacts and molecular semiconductors of different ionization potential in the solid contacts. Implications of these results for the use of organic semiconductor thin films in devices of molecular electronics and of dye molecules in dye-sensitized solar cells were also discussed

Three-Dimensional Visualization of Interfacial Phenomena Using Confocal Microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Shieh, Ian C.

Surfactants play an integral role in numerous functions ranging from stabilizing the emulsion in a favorite salad dressing to organizing the cellular components that make life possible. We are interested in lung surfactant, which is a mixture of lipids and proteins essential for normal respiration because it modulates the surface tension of the air-liquid interface of the thin fluid lining in the lungs. Through this surface tension modulation, lung surfactant ensures effortless lung expansion and prevents lung collapse during exhalation, thereby effecting proper oxygenation of the bloodstream. The function of lung surfactant, as well as numerous interfacial lipid systems, is not solely dictated by the behavior of materials confined to the two-dimensional interface. Rather, the distributions of materials in the liquid subphase also greatly influence the performance of interfacial films of lung surfactant. Therefore, to better understand the behavior of lung surfactant and other interfacial lipid systems, we require a three-dimensional characterization technique. In this dissertation, we have developed a novel confocal microscopy methodology for investigating the interfacial phenomena of surfactants at the air-liquid interface of a Langmuir trough. Confocal microscopy provides the excellent combination of in situ, fast, three-dimensional visualization of multiple components of the lung surfactant system that other characterization techniques lack. We detail the solutions to the numerous challenges encountered when imaging a dynamic air-liquid interface with a high-resolution technique like confocal microscopy. We then use confocal microscopy to elucidate the distinct mechanisms by which a polyelectrolyte (chitosan) and nonadsorbing polymer (polyethylene glycol) restore the function of lung surfactant under inhibitory conditions mimicking the effects of lung trauma. Beyond this physiological model, we also investigate several one- and two-component interfacial films

Trap-assisted transition between Schottky emission and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling in the interfacial-memristor based on Bi2S3 nano-networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ye Tian

2018-03-01

Full Text Available For the usage of the memristors in functional circuits, a predictive physical model is of great importance. However, other than the developments of the memristive models accounting bulky effects, the achievements on simulating the interfacial memristance are still insufficient. Here we provide a physical model to describe the electrical switching of the memristive interface. It considers the trap-assisted transition between Schottky emission and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling, and successfully reproduces the memristive behaviors occurring on the interface between Bi2S3 nano-networks and F-doped SnO2. Such success not only allows us uncover several features of the memristive interface including the distribution nature of the traps, barrier height/thickness and so on, but also provides a foundation from which we can quantitatively simulate the real interfacial memristor.

The Interfacial Thermal Conductance of Epitaxial Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Ning

study, TiN-MgO was the only measured interface of this type, and maintained the record for the highest reported ITC for a metal-semiconductor interface. By varying the Group IV metal, the mass of the metal's light atom was independently tuned, allowing the ability to tune the acoustic phonon frequencies in the metal without significant effect to optical phonon band structure. We find that the ITC of all the studied interfaces are quite high, significantly exceeding the DMM predictions, and in the case of XN-ScN interfaces even exceed the radiative limit for elastic phonon transport. The results imply that mechanisms such as anharmonic phonon transmission, strong cross-interfacial electron phonon coupling, or direct electric transmission are required to explain the transport. The TiN-ScN interface conductance is the highest room temperature metal-dielectric conductance ever reported.

Electromagnetic processes in pulsars under strong electric and magnetic field conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayasli, S.; Hacinliyan, A.; Oegelman, H.B.; Daugherty, I.K.

1977-01-01

It is believed that pulsars possess huge electric and magnetic fields. However, the electric field is commonly neglected in calculations of the rate of pair production, a process which is thought to be greatly important in the radiation mechanisms of pulsars. To see the effect of the electric field, the pair production is calculated for arbitrary electric and magnetic field configurations. The formulae thus obtained are then applied to pulsars. It is shown that the correction to the ''polar gap'' height calculated in the Ruderman and Sutherland model is negligible, although it might be important for the spectrum of emerging photons. (author)

An arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method for interfacial flows with insoluble surfactants

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaofeng

Interfacial flows, fluid flows involving two or more fluids that do not mix, are common in many natural and industrial processes such as rain drop formation, crude oil recovery, polymer blending, fuel spray formation, and so on. Surfactants (surface active substances) play an important role in such processes because they significantly change the interfacial dynamics. In this thesis, an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method has been developed to numerically simulate interfacial flows with insoluble surfactants. The interface is captured using a coupled level set and volume of fluid method. To evolve the surfactant concentration, the method directly tracks the surfactant mass and the interfacial area. The surfactant concentration, which determines the local surface tension through an equation of state, is then computed as surfactant mass per interfacial area. By directly tracking the surfactant mass, the method conserves the surfactant mass exactly. To accurately approximate the interfacial area, the fluid interface is reconstructed using piecewise parabolas. The evolution of the level set function, volume fraction, interfacial area, and the surfactant mass is performed using an ALE approach. The fluid flow is governed by Stokes equations, which are solved using a finite element method. The surface forces are included in the momentum equation using a continuum surface stress formulation. To efficiently resolve the complex interfacial dynamics, interfacial regions of high surface curvature, and near contact regions between two interacting interfaces, the grid near the interface is adaptively refined. The method is extendible to axisymmetric and 3D spaces, and can be coupled with other flow solvers, such as Navier-Stokes and viscoelastic flow solvers, as well. The method has been applied to study the effect of surfactants on drop deformation and breakup in an extensional flow. Drop deformation results are compared with available experimental and theoretical

Temperature dependence of the interfacial magnetic anisotropy in W/CoFeB/MgO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyoung-Min Lee

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in W/CoFeB (1.2 ∼ 3 nm/MgO thin film structures is strongly dependent on temperature, and is significantly reduced at high temperature. The interfacial magnetic anisotropy is generally proportional to the third power of magnetization, but an additional factor due to thermal expansion is required to explain the temperature dependence of the magnetic anisotropy of ultrathin CoFeB films. The reduction of the magnetic anisotropy is more prominent for the thinner films; as the temperature increases from 300 K to 400 K, the anisotropy is reduced ∼50% for the 1.2-nm-thick CoFeB, whereas the anisotropy is reduced ∼30% for the 1.7-nm-thick CoFeB. Such a substantial reduction of magnetic anisotropy at high temperature is problematic for data retention when incorporating W/CoFeB/MgO thin film structures into magneto-resistive random access memory devices. Alternative magnetic materials and structures are required to maintain large magnetic anisotropy at elevated temperatures.

Two-Dimensional Layered Oxide Structures Tailored by Self-Assembled Layer Stacking via Interfacial Strain.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wenrui; Li, Mingtao; Chen, Aiping; Li, Leigang; Zhu, Yuanyuan; Xia, Zhenhai; Lu, Ping; Boullay, Philippe; Wu, Lijun; Zhu, Yimei; MacManus-Driscoll, Judith L; Jia, Quanxi; Zhou, Honghui; Narayan, Jagdish; Zhang, Xinghang; Wang, Haiyan

2016-07-06

Study of layered complex oxides emerge as one of leading topics in fundamental materials science because of the strong interplay among intrinsic charge, spin, orbital, and lattice. As a fundamental basis of heteroepitaxial thin film growth, interfacial strain can be used to design materials that exhibit new phenomena beyond their conventional forms. Here, we report a strain-driven self-assembly of bismuth-based supercell (SC) with a two-dimensional (2D) layered structure. With combined experimental analysis and first-principles calculations, we investigated the full SC structure and elucidated the fundamental growth mechanism achieved by the strain-enabled self-assembled atomic layer stacking. The unique SC structure exhibits room-temperature ferroelectricity, enhanced magnetic responses, and a distinct optical bandgap from the conventional double perovskite structure. This study reveals the important role of interfacial strain modulation and atomic rearrangement in self-assembling a layered singe-phase multiferroic thin film, which opens up a promising avenue in the search for and design of novel 2D layered complex oxides with enormous promise.

The role of interfacial defects in enhancing the critical current density of YBa2Cu3O7-delta coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Foltyn, Stephen R [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Wang, Haiyan [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Civale, Leonardo [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Maiorov, Boris A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Jia, Quanxi [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2009-01-01

The critical current density (J{sub c}) of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}0{sub 7-{delta}} (YBCO) films can approach 10 MA/cm{sup 2} at 77 K in self field , but only for very thin films. We have shown previously that strong thickness dependence results if J{sub c} is enhanced near the film-substrate interface. In the present work we investigate interfacial enhancement using laser-deposited YBCO films on NdGaO{sub 3} substrates, and find that we can adjust deposition conditions to switch the enhancement on and off. Interestingly, we find that the 'on' state is accompanied by interfacial misfit dislocations, establishing an unambiguous correlation between enhanced J{sub c} and dislocations at the film-substrate interface.

Improved interface and electrical properties of atomic layer deposited Al2O3/4H-SiC

Science.gov (United States)

Suvanam, Sethu Saveda; Usman, Muhammed; Martin, David; Yazdi, Milad. G.; Linnarsson, Margareta; Tempez, Agnès; Götelid, Mats; Hallén, Anders

2018-03-01

In this paper we demonstrate a process optimization of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 on 4H-SiC resulting in an improved interface and electrical properties. For this purpose the samples have been treated with two pre deposition surface cleaning processes, namely CP1 and CP2. The former is a typical surface cleaning procedure used in SiC processing while the latter have an additional weak RCA1 cleaning step. In addition to the cleaning and deposition, the effects of post dielectric annealing (PDA) at various temperatures in N2O ambient have been investigated. Analyses by scanning electron microscopy show the presence of structural defects on the Al2O3 surface after annealing at 500 and 800 °C. These defects disappear after annealing at 1100 °C, possibly due to densification of the Al2O3 film. Interface analyses have been performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight medium energy ion scattering (ToF MEIS). Both these measurements show the formation of an interfacial SiOx (0 < x < 2) layer for both the CP1 and CP2, displaying an increased thickness for higher temperatures. Furthermore, the quality of the sub-oxide interfacial layer was found to depend on the pre deposition cleaning. In conclusion, an improved interface with better electrical properties is shown for the CP2 sample annealed at 1100 °C, resulting in lower oxide charges, strongly reduced flatband voltage and leakage current, as well as higher breakdown voltage.

Simultaneously improving the mechanical and electrical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) composites by high-quality graphitic nanoribbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ming; Weng, Lin; Zhu, Hanxing; Zhang, Fan; Fan, Tongxiang; Zhang, Di

2017-12-07

Although carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown great potential for enhancing the performance of polymer matrices, their reinforcement role still needs to be further improved. Here we implement a structural modification of multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) to fully utilize their fascinating mechanical and electrical properties via longitudinal splitting of MWCNTs into graphitic nanoribbons (GNRs). This nanofiller design strategy is advantageous for surface functionalization, strong interface adhesion as well as boosting the interfacial contact area without losing the intrinsic graphitic structure. The obtained GNRs have planar geometry, quasi-1D structure and high-quality crystallinity, which outperforms their tubular counterparts, delivering a superior load-bearing efficiency and conductive network for realizing a synchronous improvement of the mechanical and electrical properties of a PVA-based composite. Compared to PVA/CNTs, the tensile strength, Young's modulus and electrical conductivity of the PVA/GNR composite at a filling concentration of 3.6 vol.% approach 119.1 MPa, 5.3 GPa and 2.4 × 10 -4 S m -1 , with increases of 17%, 32.5% and 5.9 folds, respectively. The correlated mechanics is further rationalized by finite element analysis, the generalized shear-lag theory and the fracture mechanisms.

Interfacial behaviour of biopolymer multilayers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Corstens, Meinou N.; Osorio Caltenco, Lilia A.; Vries, de Renko; Schroën, Karin; Berton-Carabin, Claire C.

2017-01-01

Although multilayered emulsions have been related to reduced lipolysis, the involved interfacial phenomena have never been studied directly. In this work, we systematically built multilayers of whey protein and pectin, which we further subjected to digestive conditions, using two different

Capillary pressure as a unique function of electric permittivity and water saturation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Plug, W.J.; Slob, E.; Van Turnhout, J.; Bruining, J.

2007-01-01

The relation between capillary pressure (Pc) and interfacial area has been investigated by measuring Pc and the electric permittivity at 100 kHz simultaneously as function of the water saturation, (Sw). Drainage and imbibition experiments have been conducted for sand-distilled water-gas (CO2/N2)

Correlating interfacial octahedral rotations with magnetism in (LaMnO3+δ)N/(SrTiO3)N superlattices.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Xiaofang; Cheng, Long; Liu, Yang; Schlepütz, Christian M; Dong, Shuai; Li, Hui; Zhang, Xiaoqiang; Chu, Shengqi; Zheng, Lirong; Zhang, Jing; Zhao, Aidi; Hong, Hawoong; Bhattacharya, Anand; Eckstein, James N; Zeng, Changgan

2014-07-09

Lattice distortion due to oxygen octahedral rotations have a significant role in mediating the magnetism in oxides, and recently attracts a lot of interests in the study of complex oxides interface. However, the direct experimental evidence for the interrelation between octahedral rotation and magnetism at interface is scarce. Here we demonstrate that interfacial octahedral rotation are closely linked to the strongly modified ferromagnetism in (LaMnO3+δ)N/(SrTiO3)N superlattices. The maximized ferromagnetic moment in the N=6 superlattice is accompanied by a metastable structure (space group Imcm) featuring minimal octahedral rotations (a(-)a(-)c(-), α~4.2°, γ~0.5°). Quenched ferromagnetism for Nmagnetism. Our study demonstrates that engineering superlattices with controllable interfacial structures can be a feasible new route in realizing functional magnetic materials.

Intermetallic Growth and Interfacial Properties of the Grain Refiners in Al Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chunmei; Cheng, Nanpu; Chen, Zhiqian; Xie, Zhongjing; Hui, Liangliang

2018-01-01

Al3TM(TM = Ti, Zr, Hf, Sc) particles acting as effective grain refiners for Al alloys have been receiving extensive attention these days. In order to judge their nucleation behaviors, first-principles calculations are used to investigate their intermetallic and interfacial properties. Based on energy analysis, Al3Zr and Al3Sc are more suitable for use as grain refiners than the other two intermetallic compounds. Interfacial properties show that Al/Al3TM(TM = Ti, Zr, Hf, Sc) interfaces in I-ter interfacial mode exhibit better interface wetting effects due to larger Griffith rupture work and a smaller interface energy. Among these, Al/Al3Sc achieves the lowest interfacial energy, which shows that Sc atoms should get priority for occupying interfacial sites. Additionally, Sc-doped Al/Al3(Zr, Sc) interfacial properties show that Sc can effectively improve the Al/Al3(Zr, Sc) binding strength with the Al matrix. By combining the characteristics of interfaces with the properties of intermetallics, the core-shell structure with Al3Zr-core or Al3Zr(Sc1-1)-core encircled with an Sc-rich shell forms. PMID:29677155

A systematic comparison of different approaches of density functional theory for the study of electrical double layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Guomin; Liu, Longcheng

2015-01-01

Based on the best available knowledge of density functional theory (DFT), the reference-fluid perturbation method is here extended to yield different approaches that well account for the cross correlations between the Columbic interaction and the hard-sphere exclusion in an inhomogeneous ionic hard-sphere fluid. In order to quantitatively evaluate the advantage and disadvantage of different approaches in describing the interfacial properties of electrical double layers, this study makes a systematic comparison against Monte Carlo simulations over a wide range of conditions. The results suggest that the accuracy of the DFT approaches is well correlated to a coupling parameter that describes the coupling strength of electrical double layers by accounting for the steric effect and that can be used to classify the systems into two regimes. In the weak-coupling regime, the approaches based on the bulk-fluid perturbation method are shown to be more accurate than the counterparts based on the reference-fluid perturbation method, whereas they exhibit the opposite behavior in the strong-coupling regime. More importantly, the analysis indicates that, with a suitable choice of the reference fluid, the weighted correlation approximation (WCA) to DFT gives the best account of the coupling effect of the electrostatic-excluded volume correlations. As a result, a piecewise WCA approach can be developed that is robust enough to describe the structural and thermodynamic properties of electrical double layers over both weak- and strong-coupling regimes

Solid/liquid interfacial free energies in binary systems

Science.gov (United States)

Nason, D.; Tiller, W. A.

1973-01-01

Description of a semiquantitative technique for predicting the segregation characteristics of smooth interfaces between binary solid and liquid solutions in terms of readily available thermodynamic parameters of the bulk solutions. A lattice-liquid interfacial model and a pair-bonded regular solution model are employed in the treatment with an accommodation for liquid interfacial entropy. The method is used to calculate the interfacial segregation and the free energy of segregation for solid-liquid interfaces between binary solutions for the (111) boundary of fcc crystals. The zone of compositional transition across the interface is shown to be on the order of a few atomic layers in width, being moderately narrower for ideal solutions. The free energy of the segregated interface depends primarily upon the solid composition and the heats of fusion of the component atoms, the composition difference of the solutions, and the difference of the heats of mixing of the solutions.

Interfacial characteristics of hybrid nanocomposite under thermomechanical loading

Science.gov (United States)

Choyal, Vijay; Kundalwal, Shailesh I.

2017-12-01

In this work, an improved shear lag model was developed to investigate the interfacial characteristics of three-phase hybrid nanocomposite which is reinforced with microscale fibers augmented with carbon nanotubes on their circumferential surfaces. The shear lag model accounts for (i) radial and axial deformations of different transversely isotropic constituents, (ii) thermomechanical loads on the representative volume element (RVE), and (iii) staggering effect of adjacent RVEs. The results from the current newly developed shear lag model are validated with the finite element simulations and found to be in good agreement. This study reveals that the reduction in the maximum value of the axial stress in the fiber and the interfacial shear stress along its length become more pronounced in the presence of applied thermomechanical loads on the staggered RVEs. The existence of shear tractions along the RVE length plays a significant role in the interfacial characteristics and cannot be ignored.

An Inverse Michaelis–Menten Approach for Interfacial Enzyme Kinetics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kari, Jeppe; Andersen, Morten; Borch, Kim

2017-01-01

Interfacial enzyme reactions are ubiquitous both in vivo and in technical applications, but analysis of their kinetics remains controversial. In particular, it is unclear whether conventional Michaelis–Menten theory, which requires a large excess of substrate, can be applied. Here, an extensive...... experimental study of the enzymatic hydrolysis of insoluble cellulose indeed showed that the conventional approach had a limited applicability. Instead we argue that, unlike bulk reactions, interfacial enzyme catalysis may reach a steady-state condition in the opposite experimental limit, where...... for kinetic analyses of interfacial enzyme reactions and that its analogy to established theory provides a bridge to the accumulated understanding of steady-state enzyme kinetics. Finally, we show that the ratio of parameters from conventional and inverted Michaelis–Menten analysis reveals the density...

Interfacial characterization of CVI-SiC/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, W.; Kohyama, A.; Noda, T.; Katoh, Y.; Hinoki, T.; Araki, H.; Yu, J.

2002-01-01

The mechanical properties of the interfaces of two families of chemical vapor infiltration SiC/SiC composites, advanced Tyranno-SA and Hi-Nicalon fibers reinforced SiC/SiC composites with various carbon and SiC/C interlayers, were investigated by single fiber push-out/push-back tests. Interfacial debonding and fibers sliding mainly occurred adjacent to the first carbon layer on the fibers. The interfacial debonding strengths and frictional stresses for both Tyranno-SA/SiC and Hi-Nicalon/SiC composites were correlated with the first carbon layer thickness. Tyranno-SA/SiC composites exhibited much larger interfacial frictional stresses compared to Hi-Nicalon/SiC composites. This was assumed to be mainly contributed by the rather rough surface of the Tyranno-SA fiber

Morphological Instability in InAs/GaSb Superlattices due to Interfacial Bonds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, J.H.; Moss, S.C.; Stokes, D.W.; Caha, O.; Bassler, K.E.; Ammu, S.L.; Bai, J.

2005-01-01

Synchrotron x-ray diffraction is used to compare the misfit strain and composition in a self-organized nanowire array in an InAs/GaSb superlattice with InSb interfacial bonds to a planar InAs/GaSb superlattice with GaAs interfacial bonds. It is found that the morphological instability that occurs in the nanowire array results from the large misfit strain that the InSb interfacial bonds have in the nanowire array. Based on this result, we propose that tailoring the type of interfacial bonds during the epitaxial growth of III-V semiconductor films provides a novel approach for producing the technologically important morphological instability in anomalously thin layers

Comparison of interfacial properties of electrodeposited single carbon fiber/epoxy composites using tensile and compressive fragmentation tests and acoustic emission.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Joung-Man; Kim, Jin-Won; Yoon, Dong-Jin

2002-03-01

Interfacial and microfailure properties of carbon fiber/epoxy composites were evaluated using both tensile fragmentation and compressive Broutman tests with an aid of acoustic emission (AE). A monomeric and two polymeric coupling agents were applied via the electrodeposition (ED) and the dipping applications. A monomeric and a polymeric coupling agent showed significant and comparable improvements in interfacial shear strength (IFSS) compared to the untreated case under both tensile and compressive tests. Typical microfailure modes including cone-shaped fiber break, matrix cracking, and partial interlayer failure were observed under tension, whereas the diagonal slipped failure at both ends of the fractured fiber exhibited under compression. Adsorption and shear displacement mechanisms at the interface were described in terms of electrical attraction and primary and secondary bonding forces. For both the untreated and the treated cases AE distributions were separated well in tension, whereas AE distributions were rather closely overlapped in compression. It might be because of the difference in molecular failure energies and failure mechanisms between tension and compression. The maximum AE voltage for the waveform of either carbon or large-diameter basalt fiber breakages in tension exhibited much larger than that in compression. AE could provide more likely the quantitative information on the interfacial adhesion and microfailure.

A quantitative analysis on the interfacial effect in the Pt/Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3/La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 heterostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miao, J; Wang, Y; Tian, H Y; Zhou, X Y; Chan, H L W; Choy, C L; Cao, L X; Zhao, B R

2006-01-01

The heterostructure of Pt/Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 /La 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 (Pt/BST/LSMO) with the BST thickness ranging from 120 to 550 nm was fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. The dielectric constant (ε) of the heterostructure was measured under different electrical fields (E) and frequency (f). A strong thickness dependence of the value of ε, the ε-E dependence and the ε-f dependence were observed, which can be well explained by the series-capacitor model, based on the assumption that the heterostructure electrically consists of a 'bulk' layer and an interfacial layer between the Pt and BST layers. The dielectric properties of the 'bulk' layer and the interface layer were obtained. At room temperature, the dielectric constant of the 'bulk' layer was 1204 (at 100 kHz) and had a power law dependence on frequency. The ratio of thickness over the dielectric constant (d i /ε i ) of the interface layer, which was used to characterize the property of the Pt/BST interface, was found to be around 0.08 nm at room temperature and to be independent of frequency

Impact of Interfacial Layers in Perovskite Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, An-Na; Park, Nam-Gyu

2017-10-09

Perovskite solar cells (PCSs) are composed of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite as the light harvester. Since the first report on a long-term-durable, 9.7 % efficient, solid-state perovskite solar cell, organic-inorganic halide perovskites have received considerable attention because of their excellent optoelectronic properties. As a result, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 22 % was certified. Controlling the grain size, grain boundary, morphology, and defects of the perovskite layer is important for achieving high efficiency. In addition, interfacial engineering is equally or more important to further improve the PCE through better charge collection and a reduction in charge recombination. In this Review, the type of interfacial layers and their impact on photovoltaic performance are investigated for both the normal and the inverted cell architectures. Four different interfaces of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)/electron-transport layer (ETL), ETL/perovskite, perovskite/hole-transport layer (HTL), and HTL/metal are classified, and their roles are investigated. The effects of interfacial engineering with organic or inorganic materials on photovoltaic performance are described in detail. Grain-boundary engineering is also included because it is related to interfacial engineering and the grain boundary in the perovskite layer plays an important role in charge conduction, recombination, and chargecarrier life time. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultrasonic Guided Waves in Piezoelectric Layered Composite with Different Interfacial Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao Chen

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Combining the propagation model of guided waves in a multilayered piezoelectric composite with the interfacial model of rigid, slip, and weak interfaces, the generalized dispersion characteristic equations of guided waves propagating in a piezoelectric layered composite with different interfacial properties are derived. The effects of the slip, weak, and delamination interfaces in different depths on the dispersion properties of the lowest-order mode ultrasonic guided wave are analyzed. The theory would be used to characterize the interfacial properties of piezoelectric layered composite nondestructively.

Mesoscale Interfacial Dynamics in Magnetoelectric Nanocomposites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shashank, Priya [Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)

2009-12-14

Biphasic composites are the key towards achieving enhanced magnetoelectric response. In order understand the control behavior of the composites and resultant symmetry of the multifunctional product tensors, we need to synthesized model material systems with the following features (i) interface formation through either deposition control or natural decomposition; (ii) a very high interphase-interfacial area, to maximize the ME coupling; and (iii) an equilibrium phase distribution and morphology, resulting in preferred crystallographic orientation relations between phases across the interphase-interfacial boundaries. This thought process guided the experimental evolution in this program. We initiated the research with the co-fired composites approach and then moved on to the thin film laminates deposited through the rf-magnetron sputtering and pulsed laser deposition process

Direct observation of interfacial Au atoms on TiO₂ in three dimensions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Wenpei; Sivaramakrishnan, Shankar; Wen, Jianguo; Zuo, Jian-Min

2015-04-08

Interfacial atoms, which result from interactions between the metal nanoparticles and support, have a large impact on the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles. However, they are difficult to observe; the lack of knowledge has been a major obstacle toward unraveling their role in chemical transformations. Here we report conclusive evidence of interfacial Au atoms formed on the rutile (TiO2) (110) surfaces by activation using high-temperature (∼500 °C) annealing in air. Three-dimensional imaging was performed using depth-sectioning enabled by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Results show that the interface between Au nanocrystals and TiO2 (110) surfaces consists of a single atomic layer with Au atoms embedded inside Ti-O. The number of interfacial Au atoms is estimated from ∼1-8 in an interfacial atomic column. Direct impact of interfacial Au atoms is observed on an enhanced Au-TiO2 interaction and the reduction of surface TiO2; both are critical to Au catalysis.

Research on the interfacial behaviors of plate-type dispersion nuclear fuel elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Qiming; Yan Xiaoqing [Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Ding Shurong, E-mail: dsr1971@163.co [Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Huo Yongzhong [Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)

2010-04-01

The three-dimensional constitutive relations are constructed, respectively, for the fuel particles, the metal matrix and the cladding of dispersion nuclear fuel elements, allowing for the effects of large deformation and thermal-elastoplasticity. According to the constitutive relations, the method of modeling their irradiation behaviors in ABAQUS is developed and validated. Numerical simulations of the interfacial performances between the fuel meat and the cladding are implemented with the developed finite element models for different micro-structures of the fuel meat. The research results indicate that: (1) the interfacial tensile stresses and shear stresses for some cases will increase with burnup, but the relative stresses will decrease with burnup for some micro-structures; (2) at the lower burnups, the interfacial stresses increase with the particle sizes and the particle volume fractions; however, it is not the case at the higher burnups; (3) the particle distribution characteristics distinctly affect the interfacial stresses, and the face-centered cubic case has the best interfacial performance of the three considered cases.

Interfacial structures of confined air-water two-phase bubbly flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S.; Ishii, M.; Wu, Q.; McCreary, D.; Beus, S.G.

2000-01-01

The interfacial structure of the two-phase flows is of great importance in view of theoretical modeling and practical applications. In the present study, the focus is made on obtaining detailed local two-phase parameters in the air-water bubbly flow in a rectangular vertical duct using the double-sensor conductivity probe. The characteristic wall-peak is observed in the profiles of the interracial area concentration and the void fraction. The development of the interfacial area concentration along the axial direction of the flow is studied in view of the interfacial area transport and bubble interactions. The experimental data is compared with the drift flux model with C 0 = 1.35

Improving the electrical properties of lanthanum silicate films on ge metal oxide semiconductor capacitors by adopting interfacial barrier and capping layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Yu Jin; Lim, Hajin; Lee, Suhyeong; Suh, Sungin; Kim, Joon Rae; Jung, Hyung-Suk; Park, Sanghyun; Lee, Jong Ho; Kim, Seong Gyeong; Hwang, Cheol Seong; Kim, HyeongJoon

2014-05-28

The electrical properties of La-silicate films grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on Ge substrates with different film configurations, such as various Si concentrations, Al2O3 interfacial passivation layers, and SiO2 capping layers, were examined. La-silicate thin films were deposited using alternating injections of the La[N{Si(CH3)3}2]3 precursor with O3 as the La and O precursors, respectively, at a substrate temperature of 310 °C. The Si concentration in the La-silicate films was further controlled by adding ALD cycles of SiO2. For comparison, La2O3 films were also grown using [La((i)PrCp)3] and O3 as the La precursor and oxygen source, respectively, at the identical substrate temperature. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis decreased with an increasing Si concentration in the La-silicate films, although the films showed a slight increase in the capacitance equivalent oxide thickness. The adoption of Al2O3 at the interface as a passivation layer resulted in lower C-V hysteresis and a low leakage current density. The C-V hysteresis voltages of the La-silicate films with Al2O3 passivation and SiO2 capping layers was significantly decreased to ∼0.1 V, whereas the single layer La-silicate film showed a hysteresis voltage as large as ∼1.0 V.

Two-group modeling of interfacial area transport in large diameter channels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlegel, J.P., E-mail: schlegelj@mst.edu [Department of Mining and Nuclear Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 301 W 14th St., Rolla, MO 65409 (United States); Hibiki, T.; Ishii, M. [School of Nuclear Engineering, Purdue University, 400 Central Dr., West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States)

2015-11-15

Highlights: • Implemented updated constitutive models and benchmarking method for IATE in large pipes. • New model and method with new data improved the overall IATE prediction for large pipes. • Not all conditions well predicted shows that further development is still required. - Abstract: A comparison of the existing two-group interfacial area transport equation source and sink terms for large diameter channels with recently collected interfacial area concentration measurements (Schlegel et al., 2012, 2014. Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow 47, 42) has indicated that the model does not perform well in predicting interfacial area transport outside of the range of flow conditions used in the original benchmarking effort. In order to reduce the error in the prediction of interfacial area concentration by the interfacial area transport equation, several constitutive relations have been updated including the turbulence model and relative velocity correlation. The transport equation utilizing these updated models has been modified by updating the inter-group transfer and Group 2 coalescence and disintegration kernels using an expanded range of experimental conditions extending to pipe sizes of 0.304 m [12 in.], gas velocities of up to nearly 11 m/s [36.1 ft/s] and liquid velocities of up to 2 m/s [6.56 ft/s], as well as conditions with both bubbly flow and cap-bubbly flow injection (Schlegel et al., 2012, 2014). The modifications to the transport equation have resulted in a decrease in the RMS error for void fraction and interfacial area concentration from 17.32% to 12.3% and 21.26% to 19.6%. The combined RMS error, for both void fraction and interfacial area concentration, is below 15% for most of the experiments used in the comparison, a distinct improvement over the previous version of the model.

Interfacial Healing and Transport Phenomena Modeling ff Biopolymers

Science.gov (United States)

Lebron, Karla

This research focuses on the characterization of bioplastics joined using ultrasonic welding and modeling of temperature distributions and interfacial healing. Polylactic acid (PLA), which is typically derived from starch-rich crops such as corn, was studied. While the measurement of activation energy for interfacial healing at weld interfaces of PLA films has been reported, here, this information is used to predict the weld strength of rigid PLA samples welded by ultrasonics. A characterization of the mechanical properties was completed with a tensile test to determine the effects of amplitude, melt velocity and collapse distance on weld strength. From previous interfacial healing activation energy measurements based on an impulse welding method, it was also possible to predict weld strength. It was found that the most influential parameters were weld time, collapse distance and weld velocity. In general, the model predicted weld strength reasonably well with r2 values between 0.77 and 0.78.

A three-dimensional vertically aligned functionalized multilayer graphene architecture: an approach for graphene-based thermal interfacial materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Qizhen; Yao, Xuxia; Wang, Wei; Liu, Yan; Wong, Ching Ping

2011-03-22

Thermally conductive functionalized multilayer graphene sheets (fMGs) are efficiently aligned in large-scale by a vacuum filtration method at room temperature, as evidenced by SEM images and polarized Raman spectroscopy. A remarkably strong anisotropy in properties of aligned fMGs is observed. High electrical (∼386 S cm(-1)) and thermal conductivity (∼112 W m(-1) K(-1) at 25 °C) and ultralow coefficient of thermal expansion (∼-0.71 ppm K(-1)) in the in-plane direction of A-fMGs are obtained without any reduction process. Aligned fMGs are vertically assembled between contacted silicon/silicon surfaces with pure indium as a metallic medium. Thus-constructed three-dimensional vertically aligned fMG thermal interfacial material (VA-fMG TIM) architecture has significantly higher equivalent thermal conductivity (75.5 W m(-1) K(-1)) and lower contact thermal resistance (5.1 mm2 K W(-1)), compared with their counterpart from A-fMGs that are recumbent between silicon surfaces. This finding provides a throughout approach for a graphene-based TIM assembly as well as knowledge of vertically aligned graphene architectures, which may not only facilitate graphene's application in current demanding thermal management but also promote its widespread applications in electrodes of energy storage devices, conductive polymeric composites, etc.

Cytogenetic characterization of the strongly electric Amazonian eel, Electrophorus electricus (Teleostei, Gymnotiformes, from the Brazilian rivers Amazon and Araguaia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soraia B.A. Fonteles

2008-01-01

Full Text Available A karyotype analysis of the electric eel, Electrophorus electricus (Teleostei, Gymnotiformes, a strongly electric fish from northern South America, is presented. Two female specimens were analyzed, one from the Amazon River and one from the Araguaia River. The specimens had a chromosomal number of 2n = 52 (42M-SM + 10A. C-bands were present in a centromeric and pericentromeric position on part of the chromosomes; some interstitial C-bands were also present. Heteromorphic nucleolus organizer regions (NORs were detected in two chromosome pairs of the specimen from the Amazon River. The chromosome number and karyotype characteristics are similar to those of other Gymnotidae species. The genera Electrophorus and Gymnotus are positioned as the basal lineages in the Gymnotiformes phylogeny.

The Vlasov equation with strong magnetic field and oscillating electric field as a model for isotop resonant separation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel Frenod

2002-01-01

Full Text Available We study the qualitative behavior of solutions to the Vlasov equation with strong external magnetic field and oscillating electric field. This model is relevant to the understanding of isotop resonant separation. We show that the effective equation is a kinetic equation with a memory term. This memory term involves a pseudo-differential operator whose kernel is characterized by an integral equation involving Bessel functions. The kernel is explicitly given in some particular cases.

Influence of interfacial reactions on the fiber push-out behavior in sapphire fiber-reinforced-NiAl(Yb) composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tewari, S.N.; Asthana, R.; Tiwari, R.; Bowman, R.R.

1993-01-01

The influence of microstructure of the fiber-matrix interface on the fiber push-out behavior has been examined in sapphire fiber-reinforced NiAl and NiAl(Yb) matrix composites synthesized using powder metallurgy techniques combined with zone directional solidification (DS). The push-out stress-displacement curves were observed to consist of an initial 'pseudoelastic' region, wherein the stress increased linearly with displacement, followed by an 'inelastic' region, where the slope of the stress-displacement plot decreased until a maximum stress was reached, and the subsequent stress drop to a constant 'frictional' stress. Chemical reaction between the fiber and the matrix resulted in higher interfacial shear strength in powder cloth processed sapphire-NiAl(Yb) composites as compared to the sapphire-NiAl composites. Grain boundaries in contact with the fibers on the back face of the push-out samples were the preferred sites for crack nucleation in PM composites. The frictional stress was independent of the microstructure and processing variables for NiAl composites, but showed strong dependence on these variables for the NiAl(Yb) composites. The DS processing enhanced the fiber-matrix interfacial shear strength of feedstock PM-NiAl/sapphire composites. However, it reduced the interfacial shear strength of PM-NiAl(Yb)-sapphire composites

Interfacial Studies of Sized Carbon Fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahrul, S. N.; Hartini, M. N.; Hilmi, E. A.; Nizam, A.

2010-01-01

This study was performed to investigate the influence of sizing treatment on carbon fiber in respect of interfacial adhesion in composite materials, Epolam registered 2025. Fortafil unsized carbon fiber was used to performed the experiment. The fiber was commercially surface treated and it was a polyacrylonitrile based carbon fiber with 3000 filament per strand. Epicure registered 3370 was used as basic sizing chemical and dissolved in two types of solvent, ethanol and acetone for the comparison purpose. The single pull out test has been used to determine the influence of sizing on carbon fiber. The morphology of carbon fiber was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The apparent interfacial strength IFSS values determined by pull out test for the Epicure registered 3370/ethanol sized carbon fiber pointed to a good interfacial behaviour compared to the Epicure registered 3370/acetone sized carbon fiber. The Epicure registered 3370/ethanol sizing agent was found to be effective in promoting adhesion because of the chemical reactions between the sizing and Epolam registered 2025 during the curing process. From this work, it showed that sized carbon fiber using Epicure registered 3370 with addition of ethanol give higher mechanical properties of carbon fiber in terms of shear strength and also provided a good adhesion between fiber and matrix compared to the sizing chemical that contain acetone as a solvent.

Interfacial Engineered Polyaniline/Sulfur-doped TiO2 Nanotube Arrays for Ultralong Cycle Lifetime Fiber-Shaped, Solid-State Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chun; Wang, Zhuanpei; Li, Shengwen; Cheng, Jianli; Zhang, Yanning; Zhou, Jingwen; Yang, Dan; Tong, Dong-Ge; Wang, Bin

2018-05-04

Fiber-shaped supercapacitors (FSCs) have great potential in wearable electronics applications. However, the limited specific surface area and inadequate structural stability caused by the weak interfacial interactions of the electrodes result in relatively low specific capacitance and unsatisfactory cycle lifetime. Herein, solid-state FSCs with high energy density and ultralong cycle lifetime based on polyaniline (PANI)/sulfur-doped TiO2 nanotubes array (PANI/S-TiO2) are fabricated by interfacial engineering. The experimental results and ab initio calculations reveal that S doping can effectively promote the conductivity of titania nanotubes and increase the binding energy of PANI anchored on the electrode surface, leading to much stronger binding of PANI on the surface of the electrode and excellent electrode structure stability. As a result, the FSCs using the PANI/S-TiO2 electrodes deliver a high specific capacitance of 91.9 mF cm-2, a capacitance retention of 93.78% after 12,000 charge/discharge cycles, and an areal energy density of 3.2 µWh cm-2, respectively. Meanwhile, the all-solid-state FSC device retains its excellent flexibility and stable electrochemical capacitance even after bending 150 cycles. The enhanced performances of FSCs could be attributed to the large surface area, short ion diffusion path, high electrical conductivity and engineered interfacial interaction of the rationally designed electrodes.

Interfacial adhesion of nanoparticles in polymer blends by intrinsic fluorescence spectra

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Intrinsic fluorescence was applied to quantitatively describe the interfacial adhesion of nanoparticles in polystyrene/poly(vinyl methyl ether (PS/PVME blends. Due to the aggregation of aromatic rings on PS chains, the temperature dependence of excimer fluorescence intensity (I324 showed the high sensitivity to the phase separation process. Consistent with Ginzburg thermodynamic model, it was found that the addition of spherical hydrophilic nanoparticles shifted the phase separation temperature to higher temperatures due to the aggregation of silica into PVME chains leading to the free energy reduction and slowing down the phase separation dynamics. A certain composition of polymer blend, i.e. 2/8, was focused on to shed light on the dynamic of spinodal decomposition (SD phase separation by using decomposition reaction model. It was shown that the addition of nanoparticles to polymer blends resulted in the deviation of linear relationship between the initial SD phase separation rate (Rp0 and thermodynamic driving force (ΔfSD. Besides, for PS/PVME (2/8 with 2 vol% silica nanoparticles, the apparent activation energy of phase separation (Ea was 196.61 kJ/mol, which was higher than that of neat PS/PVME (2/8 blend (Ea = 173.68 kJ/mol, which strongly confirmed the interfacial adhesion effect of silica nanoparticles as compatibilizers.

Stabilization effect of a strong HF electrical field on beam-plasma interaction in a relativistic plasma waveguide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Shorbagy, K.H.

2000-07-01

The influence effect of a strong HF electrical field on the excitation of surface waves by an electron beam under the development of instability of low-density electron beam passing through plane relativistic plasma is investigated. Starting from the two fluid plasma model we separate the problem into two parts. The 'temporal' (dynamical) part enables us to find the frequencies and growth rates of unstable waves. This part within the redefinition of natural (eigen) frequencies coincide with the system describing HF suppression of the Buneman instability in a uniform unbounded plasma. Natural frequencies of oscillations and spatial distribution of the amplitude of the self-consistent electrical field are obtained by solving a boundary value problem ('spatial' part) considering a specific spatial distribution of plasma density. Plasma electrons are considered to have a relativistic velocity. It is shown that a HF electric field has no essential influence on dispersion characteristics of unstable surface waves excited in a relativistic plasma waveguide by a low-density electron beam. The region of instability only slightly narrowing and the growth rate decreases by a small parameter and this result has been reduced compared to nonrelativistic plasma. Also, it is found that the plasma electrons have not affected the solution of the space part of the problem. (author)

Magnetism by interfacial hybridization and p-type doping of MoS(2) in Fe(4)N/MoS(2) superlattices: a first-principles study.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Nan; Mi, Wenbo; Cheng, Yingchun; Guo, Zaibing; Schwingenschlögl, Udo; Bai, Haili

2014-03-26

Magnetic and electronic properties of Fe4N(111)/MoS2(√3 × √3) superlattices are investigated by first-principles calculations, considering two models: (I) Fe(I)Fe(II)-S and (II) N-S interfaces, each with six stacking configurations. In model I, strong interfacial hybridization between Fe(I)/Fe(II) and S results in magnetism of monolayer MoS2, with a magnetic moment of 0.33 μB for Mo located on top of Fe(I). For model II, no magnetism is induced due to weak N-S interfacial bonding, and the semiconducting nature of monolayer MoS2 is preserved. Charge transfer between MoS2 and N results in p-type MoS2 with Schottky barrier heights of 0.5-0.6 eV. Our results demonstrate that the interfacial geometry and hybridization can be used to tune the magnetism and doping in Fe4N(111)/MoS2(√3 × √3) superlattices.

Towards the synthesis of hydroxyapatite/protein scaffolds with controlled porosities: bulk and interfacial shear rheology of a hydroxyapatite suspension with protein additives.

Science.gov (United States)

Maas, Michael; Bodnar, Pedro Marcus; Hess, Ulrike; Treccani, Laura; Rezwan, Kurosch

2013-10-01

The synthesis of porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds is essential for biomedical applications such as bone tissue engineering and replacement. One way to induce macroporosity, which is needed to support bone in-growth, is to use protein additives as foaming agents. Another reason to use protein additives is the potential to introduce a specific biofunctionality to the synthesized scaffolds. In this work, we study the rheological properties of a hydroxyapatite suspension system with additions of the proteins bovine serum albumin (BSA), lysozyme (LSZ) and fibrinogen (FIB). Both the rheology of the bulk phase as well as the interfacial shear rheology are studied. The bulk rheological data provides important information on the setting behavior of the thixotropic suspension, which we find to be faster with the addition of FIB and LSZ and much slower with BSA. Foam bubble stabilization mechanisms can be rationalized via interfacial shear rheology and we show that it depends on the growth of interfacial films at the suspension/air interface. These interfacial films support the stabilization of bubbles within the ceramic matrix and thereby introduce macropores. Due to the weak interaction of the protein molecules with the hydroxyapatite particles of the suspension, we find that BSA forms the most stable interfacial films, followed by FIB. LSZ strongly interacts with the hydroxyapatite particles and thus only forms thin films with very low elastic moduli. In summary, our study provides fundamental rheological insights which are essential for tailoring hydroxyapatite/protein suspensions in order to synthesize scaffolds with controlled porosities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrostatic and Electrochemical Nature of Liquid-Gated Electric-Double-Layer Transistors Based on Oxide Semiconductors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yuan, Hongtao; Shimotani, Hidekazu; Ye, Jianting; Yoon, Sungjae; Aliah, Hasniah; Tsukazaki, Atsushi; Kawasaki, Masashi; Iwasa, Yoshihiro

2010-01-01

The electric-double-layer (EDL) formed at liquid/solid interfaces provides a broad and interdisciplinary attraction in terms of electrochemistry, photochemistry, catalysts, energy storage, and electronics because of the large interfacial capacitance coupling and its ability for high-density charge

Iridium Interfacial Stack - IrIS

Science.gov (United States)

Spry, David

2012-01-01

Iridium Interfacial Stack (IrIS) is the sputter deposition of high-purity tantalum silicide (TaSi2-400 nm)/platinum (Pt-200 nm)/iridium (Ir-200 nm)/platinum (Pt-200 nm) in an ultra-high vacuum system followed by a 600 C anneal in nitrogen for 30 minutes. IrIS simultaneously acts as both a bond metal and a diffusion barrier. This bondable metallization that also acts as a diffusion barrier can prevent oxygen from air and gold from the wire-bond from infiltrating silicon carbide (SiC) monolithically integrated circuits (ICs) operating above 500 C in air for over 1,000 hours. This TaSi2/Pt/Ir/Pt metallization is easily bonded for electrical connection to off-chip circuitry and does not require extra anneals or masking steps. There are two ways that IrIS can be used in SiC ICs for applications above 500 C: it can be put directly on a SiC ohmic contact metal, such as Ti, or be used as a bond metal residing on top of an interconnect metal. For simplicity, only the use as a bond metal is discussed. The layer thickness ratio of TaSi2 to the first Pt layer deposited thereon should be 2:1. This will allow Si from the TaSi2 to react with the Pt to form Pt2Si during the 600 C anneal carried out after all layers have been deposited. The Ir layer does not readily form a silicide at 600 C, and thereby prevents the Si from migrating into the top-most Pt layer during future anneals and high-temperature IC operation. The second (i.e., top-most) deposited Pt layer needs to be about 200 nm to enable easy wire bonding. The thickness of 200 nm for Ir was chosen for initial experiments; further optimization of the Ir layer thickness may be possible via further experimentation. Ir itself is not easily wire-bonded because of its hardness and much higher melting point than Pt. Below the iridium layer, the TaSi2 and Pt react and form desired Pt2Si during the post-deposition anneal while above the iridium layer remains pure Pt as desired to facilitate easy and strong wire-bonding to the Si

Interfacial structures of confined air-water two-phase bubbly flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, S.; Ishii, M.; Wu, Q.; McCreary, D.; Beus, S.G.

2000-08-01

The interfacial structure of the two-phase flows is of great importance in view of theoretical modeling and practical applications. In the present study, the focus is made on obtaining detailed local two-phase parameters in the air-water bubbly flow in a rectangular vertical duct using the double-sensor conductivity probe. The characteristic wall-peak is observed in the profiles of the interracial area concentration and the void fraction. The development of the interfacial area concentration along the axial direction of the flow is studied in view of the interfacial area transport and bubble interactions. The experimental data is compared with the drift flux model with C{sub 0} = 1.35.

Strong electric and magnetic dipole excitations in deformed nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kneissl, U.

1993-01-01

Systematic nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) experiments have been performed at the bremsstrahlung facility of the Stutgart dynamitron to investigate the distribution of magnetic and electric dipole excitations in deformed nuclei

Electricity from wetlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wetser, K.

2016-01-01

<strong>Sustainable electricity generation by the plant microbial fuel cellstrong>

Fossil fuels are currently the main source of electricity production. Combustion of fossil fuels causes air pollution severely affecting human health and nature. This results in an increasing demand for

Degradation of AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors with Different AlGaN Layer Thicknesses under Strong Electric Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ling, Yang; Yue, Hao; Xiao-Hua, Ma; Jing-Jing, Ma; Cheng, Zhu

2010-01-01

The degradation of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) has a close relationship with a model of traps in AlGaN barriers as a result of high electric field. We mainly discuss the impacts of strong electrical field on the AlGaN barrier thickness of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. It is found that the device with a thin AlGaN barrier layer is more easily degraded. We study the degradation of four parameters, i.e. the gate series resistance R Gate , channel resistance R channel , gate current I G,off at V GS = −5 and V DS = 0.1 V, and drain current I D,max at V GS = 2 and V DS = 5 V. In addition, the degradation mechanisms of the device electrical parameters are also investigated in detail. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Interfacial area transport in a confined Bubbly flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, S.; Sun, X.; Ishii, M. [Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (United States). School of Nuclear Engineering; Lincoln, F. [Bettis Atomic Power Lab., West Mifflin, Bechtel Bettis, Inc., PA (United States)

2001-07-01

The interfacial area transport equation applicable to the bubbly flow is presented. The model is evaluated against the data acquired in an adiabatic air-water upward two-phase flow loop with a test section of 20 cm in width and 1 cm in gap. In general, a good agreement, within the measurement error of {+-}10%, is observed for a wide range in the bubbly flow regime. The sensitivity analysis on the individual particle interaction mechanisms demonstrates the active interactions between the bubbles and highlights the mechanisms playing the dominant role in interfacial area transport. (author)

Spin-Hall conductivity and electric polarization in metallic thin films

KAUST Repository

Wang, Xuhui

2013-02-21

We predict theoretically that when a normal metallic thin film (without bulk spin-orbit coupling, such as Cu or Al) is sandwiched by two insulators, two prominent effects arise due to the interfacial spin-orbit coupling: a giant spin-Hall conductivity due to the surface scattering and a transverse electric polarization due to the spin-dependent phase shift in the spinor wave functions.

Spin-Hall conductivity and electric polarization in metallic thin films

KAUST Repository

Wang, Xuhui; Xiao, Jiang; Manchon, Aurelien; Maekawa, Sadamichi

2013-01-01

We predict theoretically that when a normal metallic thin film (without bulk spin-orbit coupling, such as Cu or Al) is sandwiched by two insulators, two prominent effects arise due to the interfacial spin-orbit coupling: a giant spin-Hall conductivity due to the surface scattering and a transverse electric polarization due to the spin-dependent phase shift in the spinor wave functions.

Interfacial tension in systems involving TBP in dodecane, nitric acid, uranyl nitrate and water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolarik, Z.; Pipkin, N.

1982-08-01

The interfacial tension was measured at 25 0 C in the systems TBP - n-dodecane/nitric acid - water and TBP - n-dodecane/nitric acid - uranyl nitrate - water. Empirical equations describing the interfacial tension as a function of the concentration of TBP in the starting organic phase and of uranium-(VI) and nitric acid in the equilibrium aqueous phase were suggested. In the absence of uranium (VI), the interfacial tension can also be correlated with the concentration of water in the equilibrium organic phase. Free TBP, hydrated or nonhydrated, and hydrated TBP solvates of nitric acid are interfacially active. Anhydrous TBP solvates of nitric acid and the TBP solvate of uranyl nitrate, which neither is hydrated, do not exhibit any visible interfacial activity. (orig.) [de

Interfacial fracture of dentin adhesively bonded to quartz-fiber reinforced composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melo, Renata M.; Rahbar, Nima; Soboyejo, Wole

2011-01-01

The paper presents the results of an experimental study of interfacial failure in a multilayered structure consisting of a dentin/resin cement/quartz-fiber reinforced composite (FRC). Slices of dentin close to the pulp chamber were sandwiched by two half-circle discs made of a quartz-fiber reinforced composite, bonded with bonding agent (All-bond 2, BISCO, Schaumburg) and resin cement (Duo-link, BISCO, Schaumburg) to make Brazil-nut sandwich specimens for interfacial toughness testing. Interfacial fracture toughness (strain energy release rate, G) was measured as a function of mode mixity by changing loading angles from 0 deg. to 15 deg. The interfacial fracture surfaces were then examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) to determine the failure modes when loading angles changed. A computational model was also developed to calculate the driving forces, stress intensity factors and mode mixities. Interfacial toughness increased from ∼ 1.5 to 3.2 J/m 2 when the loading angle increases from ∼ 0 to 15 deg. The hybridized dentin/cement interface appeared to be tougher than the resin cement/quartz-fiber reinforced epoxy. The Brazil-nut sandwich specimen was a suitable method to investigate the mechanical integrity of dentin/cement/FRC interfaces.

Unusual interfacial phenomena at a surface of fullerite and carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gun’ko, Vladimir M.; Turov, Vladimir V.; Schur, Dmitry V.; Zarko, Vladimir I.; Prykhod’ko, Gennady P.; Krupska, Tetyana V.; Golovan, Alina P.; Skubiszewska-Zięba, Jadwiga; Charmas, Barbara; Kartel, Mykola T.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Interfacial behavior of polar and nonpolar adsorbates vs. structure of fullerite and MWCNT. • Confined space effects on the characteristics of water bound to carbons. • Broadening of "1H NMR spectra of water adsorbed to carbons toward strong downfield and upfield shifts. • Strongly and weakly associated and strongly and weakly bound waters. • Decreased activity of bound water as a solvent. - Abstract: Interactions of water, methane, HCl, C_6H_6, F_3CCOOD, and hyaluronic acid with fullerite C_6_0/C_7_0 and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were studied in various media using "1H NMR spectroscopy. The materials were characterized using microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, Raman spectroscopy, and quantum chemical methods. Water with weakly (WAW) and strongly (SAW) associated molecules bound to fullerite demonstrates unusual downfield shifts δ_H < 18 ppm. WAW in contrast to SAW cannot dissolve acids. Water bound to MWCNT demonstrates the downfield shift smaller than that observed for fullerite. Fullerite possesses low porosity due dense packing of fullerenes in molecular crystals. Therefore, noticeable adsorption is observed only for compounds, which are capable for intercalation (benzene, toluene, water), but nitrogen cannot be adsorbed by fullerite. For MWCNT with much looser structure than that of fullerite, pre-adsorbed water weakly affects methane adsorption. An increase in pre-adsorption of water results in decrease in adsorption of methane onto MWCNT.

Study on the plasma reaction process of hydroxyl generation by strong electric field ionization discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai Mindi; Deng Shufang; Bai Xiyao; Zhang Zhitao

2004-01-01

Considering the change in the structure of reaction room, dielectric materials and process technology, authors have specifically studied the plasma reaction process of creating hydroxyl radical OH * and e aq - from ionization of O 2 and H 2 O through a strong electric field discharge. The production volume of hydroxyl radical OH * is up to the project application level, and process technology meets the 12 laws of green chemistry, free from environmental pollution from the source. The authors have emphatically researched on the green method of flue gas desulfurization, which will ionize SO 2 , H 2 O and O 2 in the flue gas to synthesis H 2 SO 4 in molecular level within 0.8 s without absorbent and catalyst. (author)

Effect of antiferromagnetic interfacial coupling on spin-wave resonance frequency of multi-layer film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiu, Rong-ke, E-mail: rkqiu@163.com; Cai, Wei

2017-08-15

Highlights: • A quantum approach is developed to study the SWR of a bicomponent multi-layer films. • The comparison of the SWR in films with FM and AFM interfacial coupling has been made. • The present results show the method to enhance and adjust the SWR frequency of films. - Abstract: We investigate the spin-wave resonance (SWR) frequency in a bicomponent bilayer and triple-layer films with antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic interfacial couplings, as function of interfacial coupling, surface anisotropy, interface anisotropy, thickness and external magnetic field, using the linear spin-wave approximation and Green’s function technique. The microwave properties for multi-layer magnetic film with antiferromagnetic interfacial coupling is different from those for multi-layer magnetic film with ferromagnetic interfacial coupling. For the bilayer film with antiferromagnetic interfacial couplings, as the lower (upper) surface anisotropy increases, only the SWR frequencies of the odd (even) number modes increase. The lower (upper) surface anisotropy does not affect the SWR frequencies of the even (odd) number modes{sub .} For the multi-layer film with antiferromagnetic interfacial coupling, the SWR frequency of modes m = 1, 3 and 4 decreases while that of mode m = 2 increases with increasing thickness of the film within a proper parameter region. The present results could be useful in enhancing our fundamental understanding and show the method to enhance and adjust the SWR frequency of bicomponent multi-layer magnetic films with antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic interfacial coupling.

Frontiers of interfacial water research :workshop report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cygan, Randall Timothy; Greathouse, Jeffery A.

2005-10-01

Water is the critical natural resource of the new century. Significant improvements in traditional water treatment processes require novel approaches based on a fundamental understanding of nanoscale and atomic interactions at interfaces between aqueous solution and materials. To better understand these critical issues and to promote an open dialog among leading international experts in water-related specialties, Sandia National Laboratories sponsored a workshop on April 24-26, 2005 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The ''Frontiers of Interfacial Water Research Workshop'' provided attendees with a critical review of water technologies and emphasized the new advances in surface and interfacial microscopy, spectroscopy, diffraction, and computer simulation needed for the development of new materials for water treatment.

Interfacial tensions of binary mixtures of ethanol with octane, decane, dodecane, and tetradecane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mejia, Andres; Cartes, Marcela; Segura, Hugo

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Experimental interfacial tensions in binary mixtures with aneotropic behavior. → Experimental interfacial tensions for ethanol + hydrocarbon mixtures. → Aneotropic displacement in ethanol mixtures. - Abstract: This contribution is devoted to the experimental characterization of interfacial tensions of a representative group of binary mixtures pertaining to the (ethanol + linear hydrocarbon) series (i.e. octane, decane, dodecane, and tetradecane). Experimental measurements were isothermically performed using a maximum differential bubble pressure technique, which was applied over the whole mole fraction range and over the temperature range 298.15 K < T/K < 318.15 K. Experimental results show that the interfacial tensions of (ethanol + octane or decane) negatively deviate from the linear behavior and that sharp minimum points on concentration, or aneotropes, are observed for each isotherm. The interfacial tensions of (ethanol + dodecane or tetradecane), in turn, are characterized by combined deviations from the linear behavior, and inflecting behavior observed on concentration for each isotherm. The experimental evidence also shows that these latter mixtures are close to exhibit aneotropy. For the case of (ethanol + octane or decane) mixtures, aneotropy was clearly induced by the similarity of the interfacial tension values of the constituents. The inflecting behavior of the interfacial tensions of (ethanol + dodecane or tetradecane), in turn, was observed in the vicinity of the coordinates of the critical point of these mixtures, thus pointing to the fact that the quasi-aneotropic singularity that affects these mixtures was provoked by the proximity of an immiscibility gap of the liquid phase. Finally, the experimental data of interfacial tensions were smoothed with the Scott-Myers expansion, from which it is possible to conclude that the observed aneotropic concentrations weakly depend on temperature for all the analyzed mixtures.

Iridium Interfacial Stack (IRIS)

Science.gov (United States)

Spry, David James (Inventor)

2015-01-01

An iridium interfacial stack ("IrIS") and a method for producing the same are provided. The IrIS may include ordered layers of TaSi.sub.2, platinum, iridium, and platinum, and may be placed on top of a titanium layer and a silicon carbide layer. The IrIS may prevent, reduce, or mitigate against diffusion of elements such as oxygen, platinum, and gold through at least some of its layers.

Manipulation and control of the interfacial polarization in organic light-emitting diodes by dipolar doping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lars Jäger

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Most of the commonly used electron transporting materials in organic light-emitting diodes exhibit interfacial polarization resulting from partially aligned permanent dipole moments of the molecules. This property modifies the internal electric field distribution of the device and therefore enables an earlier flat band condition for the hole transporting side, leading to improved charge carrier injection. Recently, this phenomenon was studied with regard to different materials and degradation effects, however, so far the influence of dilution has not been investigated. In this paper we focus on dipolar doping of the hole transporting material 4,4-bis[N-(1-naphthyl-N-phenylamino]-biphenyl (NPB with the polar electron transporting material tris-(8-hydroxyquinolate aluminum (Alq3. Impedance spectroscopy reveals that changes of the hole injection voltage do not scale in a simple linear fashion with the effective thickness of the doped layer. In fact, the measured interfacial polarization reaches a maximum value for a 1:1 blend. Taking the permanent dipole moment of Alq3 into account, an increasing degree of dipole alignment is found for decreasing Alq3 concentration. This observation can be explained by the competition between dipole-dipole interactions leading to dimerization and the driving force for vertical orientation of Alq3 dipoles at the surface of the NPB layer.

Manipulation and control of the interfacial polarization in organic light-emitting diodes by dipolar doping

Science.gov (United States)

Jäger, Lars; Schmidt, Tobias D.; Brütting, Wolfgang

2016-09-01

Most of the commonly used electron transporting materials in organic light-emitting diodes exhibit interfacial polarization resulting from partially aligned permanent dipole moments of the molecules. This property modifies the internal electric field distribution of the device and therefore enables an earlier flat band condition for the hole transporting side, leading to improved charge carrier injection. Recently, this phenomenon was studied with regard to different materials and degradation effects, however, so far the influence of dilution has not been investigated. In this paper we focus on dipolar doping of the hole transporting material 4,4-bis[N-(1-naphthyl)-N-phenylamino]-biphenyl (NPB) with the polar electron transporting material tris-(8-hydroxyquinolate) aluminum (Alq3). Impedance spectroscopy reveals that changes of the hole injection voltage do not scale in a simple linear fashion with the effective thickness of the doped layer. In fact, the measured interfacial polarization reaches a maximum value for a 1:1 blend. Taking the permanent dipole moment of Alq3 into account, an increasing degree of dipole alignment is found for decreasing Alq3 concentration. This observation can be explained by the competition between dipole-dipole interactions leading to dimerization and the driving force for vertical orientation of Alq3 dipoles at the surface of the NPB layer.

State-of-the-art report on the theoretical modeling of interfacial area concentration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Won Jae; Euh, Dong Jin

1998-03-01

Classical approaches based on experimental correlations and the mechanistic approaches based on the interfacial area concentration were reviewed. The study focuses on the state-of-the-art researches based on the mechanistic modeling of the interfacial area concentration. The investigation is performed by classifying the mechanistic modeling approaches into those using the number density transport equations supported with a simple algebraic relation for obtaining interfacial area concentration and those using the direct interfacial area transport equations. The modeling approaches are subdivided into one group and multi-group models. The state-of-the-art source terms of transport equations are also investigated for their applicability and limitations. (author). 62 refs., 6 tabs., 49 figs

Quantitative analysis of liquid penetration kinetics and slaking of aggregates as related to solid-liquid interfacial properties

Science.gov (United States)

Goebel, Marc-O.; Woche, Susanne K.; Bachmann, Jörg

2012-06-01

SummaryAggregate stability is frequently shown to be enhanced by strong soil water repellency, however, there is limited systematic evidence on this effect for moderately (subcritically) water repellent soils. This study aimed to investigate the specific effects of interfacial properties on the liquid penetration kinetics in relation to the stability of subcritically water repellent aggregates (4-6.3 mm) from various arable and forest soils against breakdown by slaking. In contrast to many other studies, where aggregate stability was determined by wet sieving, we here assessed the stability by immersion of air-dry aggregates in water-ethanol solutions with surface tensions ranging from 30 to 70 mN m-1. This approach allowed a highly sensitive discrimination of different stability levels and the determination of breakdown kinetics also for less stable aggregates. Interfacial properties were characterized in terms of contact angle measured on crushed aggregates, θc, and calculated for intact aggregates, θi, based on infiltration measurements with water and ethanol. Aggregate stability turned out to be higher in forest soils compared to arable soils with topsoil aggregates generally found to be more stable than subsoil aggregates. For water repellent aggregates, characterized by contact angles >40° and low water infiltration rates (aggregates after 30 s of immersion was generally below 10%, whereas in case of the more wettable aggregates, characterized by contact angles 0.25 mm3 s-0.5) more than 80% of the aggregates were disrupted. In accordance, we found a close relationship between aggregate stability and wettability with differences between θc and θi being generally small. In addition, aggregate stability turned out to be related to organic carbon content. However, correlation analysis revealed that both persistence of aggregate stability and kinetics of aggregate breakdown were more strongly affected by the contact angle, θc (r = 0.90 and r = -0

Interfacial thermal resistance between high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and sapphire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng Kun; Ma Yong-Mei; Wang Fo-Song; Zhu Jie; Tang Da-Wei

2014-01-01

To improve the thermal conductivity of polymeric composites, the numerous interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) inside is usually considered as a bottle neck, but the direct measurement of the ITR is hardly reported. In this paper, a sandwich structure which consists of transducer/high density polyethylene (HDPE)/sapphire is prepared to study the interface characteristics. Then, the ITRs between HDPE and sapphire of two samples with different HDPE thickness values are measured by time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) method and the results are ∼ 2 × 10 −7 m 2 ·K·W −1 . Furthermore, a model is used to evaluate the importance of ITR for the thermal conductivity of composites. The model's analysis indicates that reducing the ITR is an effective way of improving the thermal conductivity of composites. These results will provide valuable guidance for the design and manufacture of polymer-based thermally conductive materials. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Interfacial thermodynamics of water and six other liquid solvents.

Science.gov (United States)

Pascal, Tod A; Goddard, William A

2014-06-05

We examine the thermodynamics of the liquid-vapor interface by direct calculation of the surface entropy, enthalpy, and free energy from extensive molecular dynamics simulations using the two-phase thermodynamics (2PT) method. Results for water, acetonitrile, cyclohexane, dimethyl sulfoxide, hexanol, N-methyl acetamide, and toluene are presented. We validate our approach by predicting the interfacial surface tensions (IFT--excess surface free energy per unit area) in excellent agreement with the mechanical calculations using Kirkwood-Buff theory. Additionally, we evaluate the temperature dependence of the IFT of water as described by the TIP4P/2005, SPC/Ew, TIP3P, and mW classical water models. We find that the TIP4P/2005 and SPC/Ew water models do a reasonable job of describing the interfacial thermodynamics; however, the TIP3P and mW are quite poor. We find that the underprediction of the experimental IFT at 298 K by these water models results from understructured surface molecules whose binding energies are too weak. Finally, we performed depth profiles of the interfacial thermodynamics which revealed long tails that extend far into what would be considered bulk from standard Gibbs theory. In fact, we find a nonmonotonic interfacial free energy profile for water, a unique feature that could have important consequences for the absorption of ions and other small molecules.

Interfacial phenomena as related to oil recovery mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melrose, J C

1970-12-01

Thermodynamic and hydrostatic principles are applied to commingled immiscible fluid phases occupying the interstices fo a porous solid. Particular attention is given to the conditions of hydrostatic equilibrium for systems which include both fluid-fluid interfacial and 3-phase contact line regions. The configurational stability of fluid interfaces also is examined. Some model pore systems are considered, and estimates obtained for the magnitude of the hysteresis in capillary pressure in such cases. These considerations define the role of interfacial phenomena in determining the extent to which a nonwetting fluid can be displaced from a porous solid. (31 refs.)

Interfacial free energy and stiffness of aluminum during rapid solidification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Nicholas T.; Martinez, Enrique; Qu, Jianmin

2017-01-01

Using molecular dynamics simulations and the capillary fluctuation method, we have calculated the anisotropic crystal-melt interfacial free energy and stiffness of aluminum in a rapid solidification system where a temperature gradient is applied to enforce thermal non-equilibrium. To calculate these material properties, the standard capillary fluctuation method typically used for systems in equilibrium has been modified to incorporate a second-order Taylor expansion of the interfacial free energy term. The result is a robust method for calculating interfacial energy, stiffness and anisotropy as a function of temperature gradient using the fluctuations in the defined interface height. This work includes the calculation of interface characteristics for temperature gradients ranging from 11 to 34 K/nm. The captured results are compared to a thermal equilibrium case using the same model and simulation technique with a zero gradient definition. We define the temperature gradient as the change in temperature over height perpendicular to the crystal-melt interface. The gradients are applied in MD simulations using defined thermostat regions on a stable solid-liquid interface initially in thermal equilibrium. The results of this work show that the interfacial stiffness and free energy for aluminum are dependent on the magnitude of the temperature gradient, however the anisotropic parameters remain independent of the non-equilibrium conditions applied in this analysis. As a result, the relationships of the interfacial free energy/stiffness are determined to be linearly related to the thermal gradient, and can be interpolated to find material characteristics at additional temperature gradients.

Accurate determination of interfacial protein secondary structure by combining interfacial-sensitive amide I and amide III spectral signals.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Shuji; Li, Hongchun; Yang, Weilai; Luo, Yi

2014-01-29

Accurate determination of protein structures at the interface is essential to understand the nature of interfacial protein interactions, but it can only be done with a few, very limited experimental methods. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy can unambiguously differentiate the interfacial protein secondary structures by combining surface-sensitive amide I and amide III spectral signals. This combination offers a powerful tool to directly distinguish random-coil (disordered) and α-helical structures in proteins. From a systematic study on the interactions between several antimicrobial peptides (including LKα14, mastoparan X, cecropin P1, melittin, and pardaxin) and lipid bilayers, it is found that the spectral profiles of the random-coil and α-helical structures are well separated in the amide III spectra, appearing below and above 1260 cm(-1), respectively. For the peptides with a straight backbone chain, the strength ratio for the peaks of the random-coil and α-helical structures shows a distinct linear relationship with the fraction of the disordered structure deduced from independent NMR experiments reported in the literature. It is revealed that increasing the fraction of negatively charged lipids can induce a conformational change of pardaxin from random-coil to α-helical structures. This experimental protocol can be employed for determining the interfacial protein secondary structures and dynamics in situ and in real time without extraneous labels.

Ultrathin ZnS and ZnO Interfacial Passivation Layers for Atomic-Layer-Deposited HfO2 Films on InP Substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seung Hyun; Joo, So Yeong; Jin, Hyun Soo; Kim, Woo-Byoung; Park, Tae Joo

2016-08-17

Ultrathin ZnS and ZnO films grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were employed as interfacial passivation layers (IPLs) for HfO2 films on InP substrates. The interfacial layer growth during the ALD of the HfO2 film was effectively suppressed by the IPLs, resulting in the decrease of electrical thickness, hysteresis, and interface state density. Compared with the ZnO IPL, the ZnS IPL was more effective in reducing the interface state density near the valence band edge. The leakage current density through the film was considerably lowered by the IPLs because the film crystallization was suppressed. Especially for the film with the ZnS IPL, the leakage current density in the low-voltage region was significantly lower than that observed for the film with the ZnO IPL, because the direct tunneling current was suppressed by the higher conduction band offset of ZnS with the InP substrate.

USING MOLECULAR PROBES TO STUDY INTERFACIAL REDOX REACTION AT FE-BEARING SMECTITES

Science.gov (United States)

The interfacial electron transfer of clay-water systems has a wide range of significance in geochemical and biogeochernical environments. However the mechanism of interfacial electron transport is poorly understood. The electron transfer mechanism at the solid-water interfaces of...

Preparation of carbon fiber unsaturated sizing agent for enhancing interfacial strength of carbon fiber/vinyl ester resin composite

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Weiwei; Cai, Yemeng; Liu, Wenbo; Yang, Fan; Jiang, Long; Jiao, Weicheng; Wang, Rongguo

2018-05-01

The practical application of carbon fiber (CF) reinforced vinyl ester resin (VE) composite was hampered seriously by the poor interfacial adhesion property. In this work, a novel unsaturated sizing agent was designed and prepared to improve the interfacial strength by covalently bonding CF with VE matrix. The main component of the sizing agent, N-(4‧4-diaminodiphenyl methane)-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (DMHM), was synthesized and confirmed by FTIR and NMR. XPS results of sized carbon fiber (SCF) showed that DMHM has adhered to desized fiber surface and reacted with some active functional groups on the surface. The SCF was characterized by high surface roughness and surface energy (especially the polar component), which means better wettability by VE. As a result, the interface shear strength and interlaminar shear strength of SCF/VE composite were enhanced by 96.56% and 66.07% respectively compared with CF/VE composite, benefited mainly from the strong and tough interphase.

Collisional ionization of Na by HBr in weak to strong electric fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Safinya, K.A.; Gallagher, T.F.; Sandner, W.; Gounand, F.

1985-01-01

We report the effect of static electric fields on the collisional ionization of highly excited sodium atoms by HBr. The binding energy dependence of the collisional ionization cross section is measured at zero field and in static electric fields up to that point at which the atom field ionizes. The applied electric field lowers the ionization threshold of the atom from its zero field value. Therefore an atom near the ionization threshold in an electric field is of smaller size than a free field atom with the same binding energy. Thus measuring the binding energy dependence of the cross section at different values of the electric field allows us to study the effects of the physical size of the atom on the cross section. The effect of the electric field was to lower the measured ionization cross section. However, the binding energy dependence of the cross section remains unchanged at the level of our measurement accuracy. The measured cross sections are larger for larger atoms, exhibit a drop with increasing binding energy characteristic of rotational to electronic excitation transfer, and are of order 10 -12 --10 -11 cm 2 . A simple calculation based on dipole (J→ J-1) excitation transfer from the molecule to the atom predicts, with good agreement, the binding energy dependence of the cross section. The electric field dependence of the data however, is not shown in the theory

Stability of negative ionization fronts: Regularization by electric screening?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arrayas, Manuel; Ebert, Ute

2004-01-01

We recently have proposed that a reduced interfacial model for streamer propagation is able to explain spontaneous branching. Such models require regularization. In the present paper we investigate how transversal Fourier modes of a planar ionization front are regularized by the electric screening length. For a fixed value of the electric field ahead of the front we calculate the dispersion relation numerically. These results guide the derivation of analytical asymptotes for arbitrary fields: for small wave-vector k, the growth rate s(k) grows linearly with k, for large k, it saturates at some positive plateau value. We give a physical interpretation of these results

Calculation of Interfacial Tensions of Hydrocarbon-water Systems under Reservoir Conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zuo, You-Xiang; Stenby, Erling Halfdan

1998-01-01

Assuming that the number densities of each component in a mixture are linearly distributed across the interface between the coexisting vapor-liquid or liquid-liquid phases, we developed in this research work a linear-gradient-theory (LGT) model for computing the interfacial tension of hydrocarbon......-brine systems. The new model was tested on a number of hydrocarbon-water/brine mixtures and two crude oil-water systems under reservoir conditions. The results show good agreement between the predicted and the experimental interfacial tension data.......Assuming that the number densities of each component in a mixture are linearly distributed across the interface between the coexisting vapor-liquid or liquid-liquid phases, we developed in this research work a linear-gradient-theory (LGT) model for computing the interfacial tension of hydrocarbon-water...... mixtures on the basis of the SRK equation of state. With this model, it is unnecessary to solve the time-consuming density-profile equations of the gradient-theory model. In addition, a correlation was developed for representing the effect of electrolytes on the interfacial tension of hydrocarbon...

Band alignment and interfacial chemical structure of the HfLaO/InGaZnO4 heterojunction investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian, Ling-Xuan; Wu, Ze-Han; Zhang, Yi-Yu; Liu, Xing-Zhao; Li, Yan-Rong; Liu, Yuan; Song, Jia-Qi

2017-01-01

Amorphous InGaZnO 4 thin film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs) with HfLaO gate dielectrics have been widely demonstrated to possess extremely excellent electrical characteristics, and thus show great potential for applications in various next-generation electronic products. Nevertheless, the in-depth understanding of HfLaO/IGZO interfacial features is still lacking, which makes further device optimization lack clear guidance. In this work, the band alignment and interfacial chemical structure of a sputtering-prepared HfLaO/IGZO heterojunction was investigated through x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The valence and conduction band offsets (Δ E v and Δ E c ) at the interface were determined to be 0.57 eV and 1.48 eV, respectively. The relatively large Δ E v is mainly attributed to the formation of the interfacial layer (IL) and thus the upward band bending from IGZO to the surface of HfLaO. Furthermore, it was found that the oxygen vacancies on the surface of IGZO were significantly suppressed upon the deposition of HfLaO, which not only explained the previously reported ultrahigh performance of a-IGZO/HfLaO TFTs to some extent, but also additionally validated the formation of the IL. Our findings have successfully revealed the importance of ILs in modifying the band alignment and interfacial trap states of HfLaO/IGZO heterojunctions, thus suggesting a potential route to further optimizing a-IGZO/HfLaO TFTs so as to satisfy the requirements of next-generation technologies. (paper)

Quantum electrodynamics of strong fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greiner, W.

1983-01-01

Quantum Electrodynamics of Strong Fields provides a broad survey of the theoretical and experimental work accomplished, presenting papers by a group of international researchers who have made significant contributions to this developing area. Exploring the quantum theory of strong fields, the volume focuses on the phase transition to a charged vacuum in strong electric fields. The contributors also discuss such related topics as QED at short distances, precision tests of QED, nonperturbative QCD and confinement, pion condensation, and strong gravitational fields In addition, the volume features a historical paper on the roots of quantum field theory in the history of quantum physics by noted researcher Friedrich Hund

Magnetism by interfacial hybridization and p-type doping of MoS2 in Fe4N/MoS2 superlattices: A first-principles study

KAUST Repository

Feng, Nan

2014-03-26

Magnetic and electronic properties of Fe4N(111)/MoS 2(√3 × √3) superlattices are investigated by first-principles calculations, considering two models: (I) FeIFe II-S and (II) N-S interfaces, each with six stacking configurations. In model I, strong interfacial hybridization between FeI/Fe II and S results in magnetism of monolayer MoS2, with a magnetic moment of 0.33 μB for Mo located on top of Fe I. For model II, no magnetism is induced due to weak N-S interfacial bonding, and the semiconducting nature of monolayer MoS2 is preserved. Charge transfer between MoS2 and N results in p-type MoS2 with Schottky barrier heights of 0.5-0.6 eV. Our results demonstrate that the interfacial geometry and hybridization can be used to tune the magnetism and doping in Fe4N(111)/MoS2(√3 × √3) superlattices. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Magnetism by interfacial hybridization and p-type doping of MoS2 in Fe4N/MoS2 superlattices: A first-principles study

KAUST Repository

Feng, Nan; Mi, Wenbo; Cheng, Yingchun; Guo, Zaibing; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Bai, Haili

2014-01-01

Magnetic and electronic properties of Fe4N(111)/MoS 2(√3 × √3) superlattices are investigated by first-principles calculations, considering two models: (I) FeIFe II-S and (II) N-S interfaces, each with six stacking configurations. In model I, strong interfacial hybridization between FeI/Fe II and S results in magnetism of monolayer MoS2, with a magnetic moment of 0.33 μB for Mo located on top of Fe I. For model II, no magnetism is induced due to weak N-S interfacial bonding, and the semiconducting nature of monolayer MoS2 is preserved. Charge transfer between MoS2 and N results in p-type MoS2 with Schottky barrier heights of 0.5-0.6 eV. Our results demonstrate that the interfacial geometry and hybridization can be used to tune the magnetism and doping in Fe4N(111)/MoS2(√3 × √3) superlattices. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Organic photovoltaic device with interfacial layer and method of fabricating same

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, Tobin J.; Hains, Alexander W.

2013-03-19

An organic photovoltaic device and method of forming same. In one embodiment, the organic photovoltaic device has an anode, a cathode, an active layer disposed between the anode and the cathode; and an interfacial layer disposed between the anode and the active layer, the interfacial layer comprising 5,5'-bis[(p-trichlorosilylpropylphenyl)phenylamino]-2,2'-bithiophene (PABTSi.sub.2).

Interfacial ionic 'liquids': connecting static and dynamic structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Uysal, Ahmet; Zhou, Hua; Feng, Guang; Lee, Sang Soo; Li, Song; Cummings, Peter T; Fulvio, Pasquale F; Dai, Sheng; McDonough, John K; Gogotsi, Yury; Fenter, Paul

2015-01-28

It is well known that room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) often adopt a charge-separated layered structure, i.e. with alternating cation- and anion-rich layers, at electrified interfaces. However, the dynamic response of the layered structure to temporal variations in applied potential is not well understood. We used in situ, real-time x-ray reflectivity to study the potential-dependent electric double layer (EDL) structure of an imidazolium-based RTIL on charged epitaxial graphene during potential cycling as a function of temperature. The results suggest that the graphene-RTIL interfacial structure is bistable in which the EDL structure at any intermediate potential can be described by the combination of two extreme-potential structures whose proportions vary depending on the polarity and magnitude of the applied potential. This picture is supported by the EDL structures obtained by fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations at various static potentials. The potential-driven transition between the two structures is characterized by an increasing width but with an approximately fixed hysteresis magnitude as a function of temperature. The results are consistent with the coexistence of distinct anion- and cation-adsorbed structures separated by an energy barrier (∼0.15 eV).

Migration of interfacial oxygen ions modulated resistive switching in oxide-based memory devices

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, C.; Gao, S.; Zeng, F.; Tang, G. S.; Li, S. Z.; Song, C.; Fu, H. D.; Pan, F.

2013-07-01

Oxides-based resistive switching memory induced by oxygen ions migration is attractive for future nonvolatile memories. Numerous works had focused their attentions on the sandwiched oxide materials for depressing the characteristic variations, but the comprehensive studies of the dependence of electrodes on the migration behavior of oxygen ions are overshadowed. Here, we investigated the interaction of various metals (Ni, Co, Al, Ti, Zr, and Hf) with oxygen atoms at the metal/Ta2O5 interface under electric stress and explored the effect of top electrode on the characteristic variations of Ta2O5-based memory device. It is demonstrated that chemically inert electrodes (Ni and Co) lead to the scattering switching characteristics and destructive gas bubbles, while the highly chemically active metals (Hf and Zr) formed a thick and dense interfacial intermediate oxide layer at the metal/Ta2O5 interface, which also degraded the resistive switching behavior. The relatively chemically active metals (Al and Ti) can absorb oxygen ions from the Ta2O5 film and avoid forming the problematic interfacial layer, which is benefit to the formation of oxygen vacancies composed conduction filaments in Ta2O5 film thus exhibit the minimum variations of switching characteristics. The clarification of oxygen ions migration behavior at the interface can lead further optimization of resistive switching performance in Ta2O5-based memory device and guide the rule of electrode selection for other oxide-based resistive switching memories.

Atomistic simulations of bulk, surface and interfacial polymer properties

Science.gov (United States)

Natarajan, Upendra

In chapter I, quasi-static molecular mechanics based simulations are used to estimate the activation energy of phenoxy rings flips in the amorphous region of a semicrystalline polyimide. Intra and intermolecular contributions to the flip activation energy, the torsional cooperativity accompanying the flip, and the effect of the flip on the motion in the glassy bulk state, are looked at. Also, comparison of the weighted mean activation energy is made with experimental data from solid state NMR measurements; the simulated value being 17.5 kcal/mol., while the experimental value was observed to be 10.5 kcal/mol. Chapter II deals with construction of random copolymer thin films of styrene-butadiene (SB) and styrene-butadiene-acrylonitrile (SBA). The structure and properties of the free surfaces presented by these thin films are analysed by, the atom mass density profiles, backbone bond orientation function, and the spatial distribution of acrylonitrile groups and styrene rings. The surface energies of SB and SBA are calculated using an atomistic equation and are compared with experimental data in the literature. In chapter III, simulations of polymer-polymer interfaces between like and unlike polymers, specifically cis-polybutadiene (PBD) and atatic polypropylene (PP), are presented. The structure of an incompatible polymer-polymer interface, and the estimation of the thermodynamic work of adhesion and interfacial energy between different incompatible polymers, form the focus here. The work of adhesion is calculated using an atomistic equation and is further used in a macroscopic equation to estimate the interfacial energy. The interfacial energy is compared with typical values for other immiscible systems in the literature. The interfacial energy compared very well with interfacial energy values for a few other immiscible hydrocarbon pairs. In chapter IV, the study proceeds to look at the interactions between nonpolar and polar small molecules with SB and SBA thin

Measurement of Interfacial Area Production and Permeability within Porous Media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crandall, Dustin; Ahmadi, Goodarz; Smith, Duane H.

2010-01-01

An understanding of the pore-level interactions that affect multi-phase flow in porous media is important in many subsurface engineering applications, including enhanced oil recovery, remediation of dense non-aqueous liquid contaminated sites, and geologic CO 2 sequestration. Standard models of two-phase flow in porous media have been shown to have several shortcomings, which might partially be overcome using a recently developed model based on thermodynamic principles that includes interfacial area as an additional parameter. A few static experimental studies have been previously performed, which allowed the determination of static parameters of the model, but no information exists concerning the interfacial area dynamic parameters. A new experimental porous flow cell that was constructed using stereolithography for two-phase gas-liquid flow studies was used in conjunction with an in-house analysis code to provide information on dynamic evolution of both fluid phases and gas-liquid interfaces. In this paper, we give a brief introduction to the new generalized model of two-phase flow model and describe how the stereolithography flow cell experimental setup was used to obtain the dynamic parameters for the interfacial area numerical model. In particular, the methods used to determine the interfacial area permeability and production terms are shown.

Models and Correlations of Interfacial and Wall Frictions for the SPACE code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Soo Hyung; Hwang, Moon Kyu; Chung, Bub Dong

2010-04-01

This report describes models and correlations for the interfacial and wall frictions implemented in the SPACE code which has the capability to predict thermal-hydraulic behavior of nuclear power plants. The interfacial and wall frictions are essential to solve the momentum conservation equations of gas, continuous liquid and droplet. The interfacial and wall frictions are dealt in the Chapter 2 and 3, respectively. In Chapter 4, selection criteria for models and correlations are explained. In Chapter 5, the origins of the selected models and correlations used in this code are examined to check whether they are in confliction with intellectual proprietary rights

Interfacial push-out measurements of fully-bonded SiC/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snead, L.L.; Steiner, D.; Zinkle, S.J.

1990-01-01

The direct measurement of interfacial bond strength and frictional resistance to sliding in a fully-bonded SiC/SiC composite is measured. It is shown that a fiber push-out technique can be utilized for small diameter fibers and very thin composite sections. Results are presented for a 22 micron thick section for which 37 out of 44 Nicalon fibers tested were pushed-out within the maximum nanoindentor load of 120 mN. Fiber interfacial yielding, push-out and sliding resistance were measured for each fiber. The distribution of interfacial strengths is treated as being Weibull in form. 14 refs., 5 figs

Multiscale structure, interfacial cohesion, adsorbed layers, miscibility and properties in dense polymer-particle mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Schweizer, Ken

2012-02-01

A major goal in polymer nanocomposite research is to understand and predict how the chemical and physical nature of individual polymers and nanoparticles, and thermodynamic state (temperature, composition, solvent dilution, filler loading), determine bulk assembly, miscibility and properties. Microscopic PRISM theory provides a route to this goal for equilibrium disordered mixtures. A major prediction is that by manipulating the net polymer-particle interfacial attraction, miscibility is realizable via the formation of thin thermodynamically stable adsorbed layers, which, however, are destroyed by entropic depletion and bridging attraction effects if interface cohesion is too weak or strong, respectively. This and related issues are quantitatively explored for miscible mixtures of hydrocarbon polymers, silica nanospheres, and solvent using x-ray scattering, neutron scattering and rheology. Under melt conditions, quantitative agreement between theory and silica scattering experiments is achieved under both steric stabilization and weak depletion conditions. Using contrast matching neutron scattering to characterize the collective structure factors of polymers, particles and their interface, the existence and size of adsorbed polymer layers, and their consequences on microstructure, is determined. Failure of the incompressible RPA, accuracy of PRISM theory, the nm thickness of adsorbed layers, and qualitative sensitivity of the bulk modulus to interfacial cohesion and particle size are demonstrated for concentrated PEO-silica-ethanol nanocomposites. Temperature-dependent complexity is discovered when water is the solvent, and nonequilibrium effects emerge for adsorbing entangled polymers that strongly impact structure. By varying polymer chemistry, the effect of polymer-particle attraction on the intrinsic viscosity is explored with striking non-classical effects observed. This work was performed in collaboration with S.Y.Kim, L.M.Hall, C.Zukoski and B.Anderson.

Interfacial recombination at /AlGa/As/GaAs heterojunction structures

Science.gov (United States)

Ettenberg, M.; Kressel, H.

1976-01-01

Experiments were conducted to determine the interfacial recombination velocity at Al0.25Ga0.75As/GaAs and Al0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs heterojunctions. The recombination velocity was derived from a study of the injected minority-carrier lifetime as a function of the junction spacing. It is found that for heterojunction spacings in excess of about 1 micron, the interfacial recombination can be characterized by a surface recombination velocity of 4,000 and 8,000 cm/sec for the two types of heterojunctions, respectively. For double-heterojunction spacings below 1 micron, the constancy of the minority-carrier lifetime suggests that the interfacial recombination velocity decreases effectively. This effect is technologically very important since it makes it possible to construct very low-threshold injection lasers. No such effect is observed in single-heterojunction diodes.

Liquid flow along a solid surface reversibly alters interfacial chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Lis, Dan; Backus, Ellen H G; Hunger, Johannes; Parekh, Sapun H; Bonn, Mischa

2014-06-06

In nature, aqueous solutions often move collectively along solid surfaces (for example, raindrops falling on the ground and rivers flowing through riverbeds). However, the influence of such motion on water-surface interfacial chemistry is unclear. In this work, we combine surface-specific sum frequency generation spectroscopy and microfluidics to show that at immersed calcium fluoride and fused silica surfaces, flow leads to a reversible modification of the surface charge and subsequent realignment of the interfacial water molecules. Obtaining equivalent effects under static conditions requires a substantial change in bulk solution pH (up to 2 pH units), demonstrating the coupling between flow and chemistry. These marked flow-induced variations in interfacial chemistry should substantially affect our understanding and modeling of chemical processes at immersed surfaces. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Interfacial Mechanics Analysis of a Brittle Coating–Ductile Substrate System Involved in Thermoelastic Contact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chi Zhang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, interfacial stress analysis for a brittle coating/ductile substrate system, which is involved in a sliding contact with a rigid ball, is presented. By combining interface mechanics theory and the image point method, stress and displacement responses within a coated material for normal load, tangential load, and thermal load are obtained; further, the Green’s functions are established. The effects of coating thickness, friction coefficient, and a coating’s thermoelastic properties on the interfacial shear stress, τxz, and transverse stress, σxx, distributions are discussed in detail. A phenomenon, where interfacial shear stress tends to be relieved by frictional heating, is found in the case of a coating material’s thermal expansion coefficient being less than a substrate material’s thermal expansion coefficient. Additionally, numerical results show that distribution of interfacial stress can be altered and, therefore, interfacial damage can be modified by adjusting a coating’s structural parameters and thermoelastic properties.

Experimental study of interfacial shear stress for an analogy model of evaporative heat transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Hyuk; Park, GoonCherl; Min, ByungJoo

2008-01-01

In this study, we conducted measurements of an evaporative interfacial shear stress in a passive containment cooling system (PCCS). An interfacial shear stress for a counter-current flow was measured from a momentum balance equation and the interfacial friction factor for evaporation was evaluated by using experimental data. A model for the evaporative heat transfer coefficient of a vertical evaporative flat surface was developed based on an analogy between heat and momentum transfer. It was found that the interfacial shear stress increases with the Jacob number, which incorporates the evaporation rate, and the air and water Reynolds numbers. The relationship between the evaporative heat transfer and the interfacial shear stress was evaluated by using the experimental results. This relationship was used to develop a model for an evaporative heat transfer coefficient by using an analogy between heat and mass transfer. The prediction of this model were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data obtained for evaporative heat transfer by Kang and Park. (author)

Effects of thermal oxidation duration on the structural and electrical properties of Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Si system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hetherin, Karuppiah; Ramesh, S.; Wong, Yew Hoong [University of Malaya, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2017-08-15

A study on the growth, structure and electrical properties of Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3} was carried out experimentally on RF sputtered thin film on Si followed by thermal oxidation at 700 C at different oxidation durations (5, 10, 15 and 20 min). The structural and chemical properties were studied by X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared analysis, Raman analysis and high resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis. The formation of cubic-Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3}, orthorhombic-Nd{sub 2}Si{sub 2}O{sub 7}, monoclinic-SiO{sub 2}, tetragonal-SiO{sub 2} and hexagonal-SiO{sub 2} was detected. A single interfacial layer was detected for the sample oxidized at 15 min and double interfacial layers were detected for the samples oxidized at 5, 10 and 20 min. The sample oxidized at 15 min possessed the best electrical properties which were attributed by the highest Nd{sub 2}O{sub 3} intensity, largest SiO{sub 2} crystallite structure, thinnest interfacial and oxide layer, highest barrier height, lowest effective oxide charges, slow trap density and average interface trap density. (orig.)

Simulations of molecular self-assembled monolayers on surfaces: packing structures, formation processes and functions tuned by intermolecular and interfacial interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Jin; Li, Wei; Chen, Shuang; Ma, Jing

2016-08-17

Surfaces modified with a functional molecular monolayer are essential for the fabrication of nano-scale electronics or machines with novel physical, chemical, and/or biological properties. Theoretical simulation based on advanced quantum chemical and classical models is at present a necessary tool in the development, design, and understanding of the interfacial nanostructure. The nanoscale surface morphology, growth processes, and functions are controlled by not only the electronic structures (molecular energy levels, dipole moments, polarizabilities, and optical properties) of building units but also the subtle balance between intermolecular and interfacial interactions. The switchable surfaces are also constructed by introducing stimuli-responsive units like azobenzene derivatives. To bridge the gap between experiments and theoretical models, opportunities and challenges for future development of modelling of ferroelectricity, entropy, and chemical reactions of surface-supported monolayers are also addressed. Theoretical simulations will allow us to obtain important and detailed information about the structure and dynamics of monolayer modified interfaces, which will guide the rational design and optimization of dynamic interfaces to meet challenges of controlling optical, electrical, and biological functions.

Interfacial interactions between some La-based perovskite thick films and ferritic steel substrate with regard to the operating conditions of SOFC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Przybylski, K.; Brylewski, T.; Morgiel, J.

2004-01-01

An overview is presented on the oxidation kinetics, electrical properties and microstructure investigations of the oxide products formed on Fe-25 wt.-%Cr steel uncoated and coated with electrical conducting films of (La,Ca)CrO 3 or (La,Sr)CoO 3 in air and H 2 /H 2 O gas mixture at 1023-1173 K for up to 480 hrs with regard to their application as the SOFC metallic interconnect. The application of the Fe-25Cr steel in SOFC operating at 1073 K requires its surface modification to improve the electrical conductivity of chromia scale forming on the uncoated steel surface. The thick films of (La,Ca)CrO 3 and (La,Sr)CoO 3 with the thickness range of 20-100 μm, coated on the Fe-25Cr steel by screen-printing method helped solve this problem. TEM-SAD, SEM-EDS and impedance spectroscopy investigations have shown significant influence of the multilayer products formation at the substrate steel/coating films interfacial zone on the electrical properties of the metallic interconnect. (orig.)

Second Harmonic Generation characterization of SOI wafers: Impact of layer thickness and interface electric field

Science.gov (United States)

Damianos, D.; Vitrant, G.; Lei, M.; Changala, J.; Kaminski-Cachopo, A.; Blanc-Pelissier, D.; Cristoloveanu, S.; Ionica, I.

2018-05-01

In this work, we investigate Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) as a non-destructive characterization method for Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) materials. For thick SOI stacks, the SHG signal is related to the thickness variations of the different layers. However, in thin SOI films, the comparison between measurements and optical modeling suggests a supplementary SHG contribution attributed to the electric fields at the SiO2/Si interfaces. The impact of the electric field at each interface of the SOI on the SHG is assessed. The SHG technique can be used to evaluate interfacial electric fields and consequently interface charge density in SOI materials.

Ordered mesoporous silica prepared by quiescent interfacial growth method - effects of reaction chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Acidic interfacial growth can provide a number of industrially important mesoporous silica morphologies including fibers, spheres, and other rich shapes. Studying the reaction chemistry under quiescent (no mixing) conditions is important for understanding and for the production of the desired shapes. The focus of this work is to understand the effect of a number of previously untested conditions: acid type (HCl, HNO3, and H2SO4), acid content, silica precursor type (TBOS and TEOS), and surfactant type (CTAB, Tween 20, and Tween 80) on the shape and structure of products formed under quiescent two-phase interfacial configuration. Results show that the quiescent growth is typically slow due to the absence of mixing. The whole process of product formation and pore structuring becomes limited by the slow interfacial diffusion of silica source. TBOS-CTAB-HCl was the typical combination to produce fibers with high order in the interfacial region. The use of other acids (HNO3 and H2SO4), a less hydrophobic silica source (TEOS), and/or a neutral surfactant (Tweens) facilitate diffusion and homogenous supply of silica source into the bulk phase and give spheres and gyroids with low mesoporous order. The results suggest two distinct regions for silica growth (interfacial region and bulk region) in which the rate of solvent evaporation and local concentration affect the speed and dimension of growth. A combined mechanism for the interfacial bulk growth of mesoporous silica under quiescent conditions is proposed. PMID:24237719

Separation performance and interfacial properties of nanocomposite reverse osmosis membranes

KAUST Repository

Pendergast, MaryTheresa M.; Ghosh, Asim K.; Hoek, E.M.V.

2013-01-01

Four different types of nanocomposite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were formed by interfacial polymerization of either polyamide (PA) or zeolite A-polyamide nanocomposite (ZA-PA) thin films over either pure polysulfone (PSf) or zeolite A-polysulfone nanocomposite (ZA-PSf) support membranes cast by wet phase inversion. All three nanocomposite membranes exhibited superior separation performance and interfacial properties relative to hand-cast TFC analogs including: (1) smoother, more hydrophilic surfaces (2) higher water permeability and salt rejection, and (3) improved resistance to physical compaction. Less compaction occurred for membranes with nanoparticles embedded in interfacially polymerized coating films, which adds further proof that flux decline associated with physical compaction is influenced by coating film properties in addition to support membrane properties. The new classes of nanocomposite membrane materials continue to offer promise of further improved RO membranes for use in desalination and advanced water purification. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.

A strong argument for using non-commodities to generate electricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santiago, Katarina Tatiana Marques; Campello de Souza, Fernando Menezes; Carvalho Bezerra, Diogo de

2014-01-01

An optimal control approach towards generating electricity is used to analyze the trade-off between using of primary sources which are regarded as commodities, such as fossil fuels, biomass and water to generate electricity, and exploiting these sources for their other economic uses (for example, in the petrochemical industry, in the production of fuels, in agriculture, in steelmaking, and so forth). In order to do so, a dynamic model is presented which establishes relationships between economic growth, the fossil fuel, water and biomass sectors, and energy policies, based on the application of the Pontryagin Maximum Principle. Among other results, the analysis establishes that, under the optimal path, the price of commodities for non-energy uses should be twice the price of the energy assets. This indicates that sources which are not commodities such as solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy, should be used to generate electricity. - Highlights: • We used an optimal control approach to analyze the trade-off between the multiple uses of energy resource. • We used a dynamic model which establishes relationships between economic growth, the fossil fuel, water and biomass sectors. • The analysis establishes that the price of commodities for non-energy uses should be twice the price of the energy assets

One-group interfacial area transport in vertical air-water bubbly flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Q.; Kim, S.; Ishii, M.; Beus, S.G.

1997-01-01

In the two-fluid model for two-phase flows, interfacial area concentration is one of the most important closure relations that should be obtained from careful mechanistic modeling. The objective of this study is to develop a one-group interfacial area transport equation together with the modeling of the source and sink terms due to bubble breakage and coalescence. For bubble coalescence, two mechanisms are considered to be dominant in vertical two-phase bubbly flow. These are the random collisions between bubbles due to turbulence in the flow field, and the wake entrainment process due to the relative motion of the bubbles in the wake region of a seeding bubble. For bubble breakup, the impact of turbulent eddies is considered. These phenomena are modeled individually, resulting in a one-group interfacial area concentration transport equation with certain parameters to be determined from experimental data. Compared to the measured axial distribution of the interfacial area concentration under various flow conditions, these parameters are obtained for the reduced one-group, one-dimensional transport equation. The results indicate that the proposed models for bubble breakup and coalescence are appropriate

Subthreshold slope as a measure of interfacial trap density in pentacene films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Yongwoo; Park, Byoungnam

2016-01-01

Electrical properties in organic field effect transistors (FETs) are dominated by charge transport in the accumulation layer, few molecular layers close to the gate dielectric. Through comparison of the subthreshold slope between monolayer (ML) and thick pentacene FETs, formation of the second layer islands on top of the complete first layer is found to be crucial in determining the charge transport in ML pentacene FETs. It is demonstrated that a pentacene ML field effect transistor (FET) is an excellent probe that can detect electronic states of organic semiconductors interfacing with the gate dielectric at nanometer scale. Far higher sub-threshold slope in ML FETs, as a measure of interfacial charge trap density, than that in thick pentacene FETs is translated that the path of the induced carriers in ML FETs is limited into the molecular layer interfacing with the gate dielectric with a high density of charge traps, while carriers in thicker films have alternative pathways through more electrically conductive layer above the first layer with much less trap density. - Highlights: • Sub-threshold slope is demonstrated to be a measure of interface traps. • For application to sensors, effective charge transport layer should be chosen. • Monolayer transistors can be used as a platform for probing localized states.

Subthreshold slope as a measure of interfacial trap density in pentacene films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Yongwoo; Park, Byoungnam, E-mail: metalpbn@hongik.ac.kr

2016-01-29

Electrical properties in organic field effect transistors (FETs) are dominated by charge transport in the accumulation layer, few molecular layers close to the gate dielectric. Through comparison of the subthreshold slope between monolayer (ML) and thick pentacene FETs, formation of the second layer islands on top of the complete first layer is found to be crucial in determining the charge transport in ML pentacene FETs. It is demonstrated that a pentacene ML field effect transistor (FET) is an excellent probe that can detect electronic states of organic semiconductors interfacing with the gate dielectric at nanometer scale. Far higher sub-threshold slope in ML FETs, as a measure of interfacial charge trap density, than that in thick pentacene FETs is translated that the path of the induced carriers in ML FETs is limited into the molecular layer interfacing with the gate dielectric with a high density of charge traps, while carriers in thicker films have alternative pathways through more electrically conductive layer above the first layer with much less trap density. - Highlights: • Sub-threshold slope is demonstrated to be a measure of interface traps. • For application to sensors, effective charge transport layer should be chosen. • Monolayer transistors can be used as a platform for probing localized states.

Resistive switching characteristics of interfacial phase-change memory at elevated temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Mitrofanov, Kirill V.; Saito, Yuta; Miyata, Noriyuki; Fons, Paul; Kolobov, Alexander V.; Tominaga, Junji

2018-04-01

Interfacial phase-change memory (iPCM) devices were fabricated using W and TiN for the bottom and top contacts, respectively, and the effect of operation temperature on the resistive switching was examined over the range between room temperature and 200 °C. It was found that the high-resistance (RESET) state in an iPCM device drops sharply at around 150 °C to a low-resistance (SET) state, which differs by ˜400 Ω from the SET state obtained by electric-field-induced switching. The iPCM device SET state resistance recovered during the cooling process and remained at nearly the same value for the RESET state. These resistance characteristics greatly differ from those of the conventional Ge-Sb-Te (GST) alloy phase-change memory device, underscoring the fundamentally different switching nature of iPCM devices. From the thermal stability measurements of iPCM devices, their optimal temperature operation was concluded to be less than 100 °C.

Diffuse x-ray scattering study of interfacial structure of self-assembled conjugated polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jun; Park, Y.J.; Lee, K.-B.; Hong, H.; Davidov, D.

2002-01-01

The interfacial structures of self-assembled heterostructures through alternate deposition of conjugated and nonconjugated polymers were studied by x-ray reflectivity and nonspecular scattering. We found that the interfacial width including the effects of both interdiffusion and interfacial roughness (correlated) was mainly contributed by the latter one. The self-assembled deposition induced very small interdiffusion between layers. The lateral correlation length ξ parallel grew as a function of deposition time (or film thickness) described by a power law ξ parallel ∝t β/H and was also observed from the off-specular scattering

Establishing a Quantitative Functional Relationship between Capillary Pressure Saturation and Interfacial Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlo Montemagno

2002-01-01

We propose to continue our collaborative research focused on advanced technologies for subsurface contamination problems. Our approach combines new multi-phase flow theory, novel laboratory experiments, and non-traditional computational simulators to investigate practical approaches to include interfacial areas in descriptions of subsurface contaminant transport and remediation. Because all inter-phase mass transfer occurs at fluid-fluid interfaces, and it is this inter-phase mass transfer that leads to the difficult, long-term ground-water contamination problems, it is critical to include interfacial behavior in the problem description. This is currently lacking in all standard models of complex ground-water contamination problems. In our earlier project, we developed tools appropriate for inclusion of interfacial areas under equilibrium conditions. These include advanced laboratory techniques and targeted computational experiments that validated certain key theoretical conjecture s. However, it has become clear that to include interfacial behavior fully into a description of the multi-phase flow and contamination problems, the fully dynamic case must be considered. Therefore, we need to develop both experimental and computational tools that can capture the dynamic nature of interfacial movements. Development and application of such tools will allow the theory to be evaluated, and will lead to significant improvements in our understanding of complex subsurface contamination problems, thereby allowing us to develop and evaluate improved remediation technologies

Liquid interfacial water and brines in the upper surface of Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Moehlmann, Diedrich

2013-04-01

Liquid interfacial water and brines in the upper surface of Mars Diedrich T.F. Möhlmann DLR Institut für Planetenforschung, Rutherfordstr. 2, D - 12489 Berlin, Germany dirk.moehlmann@dlr.de Interfacial water films and numerous brines are known to remain liquid at temperatures far below 0° C. The physical processes behind are described in some detail. Deliquescence, i.e. the liquefaction of hygroscopic salts at the threshold of a specific "Deliquescence Relative Humidity", is shown to be that process, which on present Mars supports the formation of stable interfacial water and bulk liquids in form of temporary brines on and in a salty upper surface of present Mars in a diurnally temporary and repetitive process. Temperature and relative humidity are the governing conditions for deliquescence (and the counterpart "efflorescence") to evolve. The current thermo-dynamical conditions on Mars support these processes to evolve on present Mars. The deliquescence-driven presence of liquid brines in the soil of the upper surface of Mars can expected to be followed by physical and chemical processes like "surface cementation", down-slope flows, and physical and chemical weathering processes. A remarkable and possibly also biologically relevant evolution towards internally interfacial water bearing structures of dendritic capillaries is related to their freezing - thawing driven formation. The internal walls of these network-pores or -tubes can be covered by films of interfacial water, providing that way possibly habitable crack-systems in soil and rock. These evolutionary processes of networks, driven by their tip-growth, can expected to be ongoing also at present.

Investigation of the histology and interfacial bonding between carbonated hydroxyapatite cement and bone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mao Keya; Hao Libo; Tang Peifu; Wang Zheng; Wen Ning; Du Mingkui; Wang Jifang; Wang Yan; Yang Yun; Li Jiangtao

2009-01-01

An ideal bone implant should facilitate the formation of a new bone layer as an osteo-integrated interface between bone and the implanted biomaterials. In the present work, the interface between carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) cement and bone was evaluated by interfacial bonding strength measurements and histological characterizations. CHA cement was implanted into a mongrel dog's femoral supracondylar and below the tibial plateau area, and was then tested ex vivo by, respectively, detaching and pullout experiments. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was used as a control. CHA cement could be directly injected and solidified in situ to repair bone defects. Histology results showed that CHA bonded with bone through gradual remodeling and was replaced by new bone tissue, which is an attribute for excellent biocompatibility. The interfacial bonding strength increased with implantation time. After 16 weeks implantation, the measured detaching force and the pullout force between CHA and bone were 281 ± 16 N and 512.5 ± 14.5 N, respectively. These values were several times higher compared to 5 days implantation. In contrast, the control showed a fibrous microstructure between PMMA and bone, and the detaching force and the pullout force decreased with implantation time. The results strongly suggest that CHA can form a better osteo-integrated interface compared to PMMA, and could be used as an ideal biomaterial for bone defect repair.

Interfacial effects in organic semiconductor heterojunctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stadler, P.

2011-01-01

The field of organic electronics has systematically gained interest in recent years, technologically and scientifically advances have been made leading to practical applications such as organic light emitting diodes, organic field-effect transistors and organic photo-voltaic cells. In this thesis a fundamental study on organic molecules is presented targeting on interfacial effects at organic heterojunctions. Generally in organic electronic devices interfaces are considered as key parameters for achieving high performance applications. Therefore in this work the emphasis is to investigate layer-by-layer heterojunctions of organic molecules. Defined heterojunctions at inorganic III-V semiconductors form superlattices and quantum-wells, which lead to interfacial effects summarized as quantum confinement and two-dimensional electron gases. Although organic molecules differ in many aspects from their inorganic counterparts, similar effects can be theoretically expected at organic heterojunctions as well. Organic molecules form van-der-Waals type crystals and domains which are macroscopically anisotropic and polycrystalline or amorphous. Organic molecules are intrinsic semiconductors and at interfaces dipoles are formed, which control the energy level alignment. In order to characterize such structures and compare them to inorganic superlattices and quantum-wells it is necessary to induce charge carriers. In this work this is established either by interfacial doping using high-performance dielectrics in a field-effect transistor structure or by photo-doping by exciting a donor-acceptor bilayer. In both cases C 60 was chosen as organic semiconductor exhibiting good acceptor properties and an electron mobility in the range of 0.5 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . The fabrication of well-defined few-molecular layers allows probing directly at the interface. Spectroscopic methods and transport measurements are applied for characterization: Photoemission spectroscopy, absorption and photo

Current induced torques and interfacial spin-orbit coupling: Semiclassical modeling

KAUST Repository

Haney, Paul M.

2013-05-07

In bilayer nanowires consisting of a ferromagnetic layer and a nonmagnetic layer with strong spin-orbit coupling, currents create torques on the magnetization beyond those found in simple ferromagnetic nanowires. The resulting magnetic dynamics appear to require torques that can be separated into two terms, dampinglike and fieldlike. The dampinglike torque is typically derived from models describing the bulk spin Hall effect and the spin transfer torque, and the fieldlike torque is typically derived from a Rashba model describing interfacial spin-orbit coupling. We derive a model based on the Boltzmann equation that unifies these approaches. We also consider an approximation to the Boltzmann equation, the drift-diffusion model, that qualitatively reproduces the behavior, but quantitatively differs in some regimes. We show that the Boltzmann equation with physically reasonable parameters can match the torques for any particular sample, but in some cases, it fails to describe the experimentally observed thickness dependencies.

Interfacial properties of chitosan/sodium dodecyl sulfate complexes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milinković Jelena R.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Contemporary formulations of cosmetic and pharmaceutical emulsions may be achieved by using combined polymer/surfactant system, which can form complexes with different structure and physicochemical properties. Such complexation can lead to additional stabilization of the emulsion products. For these reasons, the main goal of this study was to investigate the interfacial properties of chitosan/sodium dodecyl sulfate complexes. In order to understand the stabilization mechanism, the interface of the oil/water systems that contained mixtures of chitosan and sodium dodecyl sulfate, was studied by measuring the interfacial tension. Considering the fact that the properties of the oil phase has influence on the adsorption process, three different types of oil were investigated: medium-chain triglycerides (semi-synthetic oil, paraffin oil (mineral oil and natural oil obtained from the grape seed. The surface tension measurements at the oil/water interface, for chitosan water solutions, indicate a poor surface activity of this biopolymer. Addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate to chitosan solution causes a significant decrease in the interfacial tension for all investigated oils. The results of this study are important for understanding the influence of polymer-surfactant interactions on the properties of the solution and stability of dispersed systems. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III46010

Tuning Transpiration by Interfacial Solar Absorber-Leaf Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuang, Shendong; Zhou, Lin; Xu, Weichao; Xu, Ning; Hu, Xiaozhen; Li, Xiuqiang; Lv, Guangxin; Zheng, Qinghui; Zhu, Shining; Wang, Zhenlin; Zhu, Jia

2018-02-01

Plant transpiration, a process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts especially leaves, consumes a large component of the total continental precipitation (≈48%) and significantly influences global water distribution and climate. To date, various chemical and/or biological explorations have been made to tune the transpiration but with uncertain environmental risks. In recent years, interfacial solar steam/vapor generation is attracting a lot of attention for achieving high energy transfer efficiency. Various optical and thermal designs at the solar absorber-water interface for potential applications in water purification, seawater desalination, and power generation appear. In this work, the concept of interfacial solar vapor generation is extended to tunable plant transpiration by showing for the first time that the transpiration efficiency can also be enhanced or suppressed through engineering the solar absorber-leaf interface. By tuning the solar absorption of membrane in direct touch with green leaf, surface temperature of green leaf will change accordingly because of photothermal effect, thus the transpiration efficiency as well as temperature and relative humidity in the surrounding environment will be tuned. This tunable transpiration by interfacial absorber-leaf engineering can open an alternative avenue to regulate local atmospheric temperature, humidity, and eventually hydrologic cycle.

Tuning Transpiration by Interfacial Solar Absorber‐Leaf Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuang, Shendong; Zhou, Lin; Xu, Weichao; Xu, Ning; Hu, Xiaozhen; Li, Xiuqiang; Lv, Guangxin; Zheng, Qinghui; Zhu, Shining

2017-01-01

Abstract Plant transpiration, a process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts especially leaves, consumes a large component of the total continental precipitation (≈48%) and significantly influences global water distribution and climate. To date, various chemical and/or biological explorations have been made to tune the transpiration but with uncertain environmental risks. In recent years, interfacial solar steam/vapor generation is attracting a lot of attention for achieving high energy transfer efficiency. Various optical and thermal designs at the solar absorber–water interface for potential applications in water purification, seawater desalination, and power generation appear. In this work, the concept of interfacial solar vapor generation is extended to tunable plant transpiration by showing for the first time that the transpiration efficiency can also be enhanced or suppressed through engineering the solar absorber–leaf interface. By tuning the solar absorption of membrane in direct touch with green leaf, surface temperature of green leaf will change accordingly because of photothermal effect, thus the transpiration efficiency as well as temperature and relative humidity in the surrounding environment will be tuned. This tunable transpiration by interfacial absorber‐leaf engineering can open an alternative avenue to regulate local atmospheric temperature, humidity, and eventually hydrologic cycle. PMID:29619300

Effect of interfacial stresses in an elastic body with a nanoinclusion

Science.gov (United States)

Vakaeva, Aleksandra B.; Grekov, Mikhail A.

2018-05-01

The 2-D problem of an infinite elastic solid with a nanoinclusion of a different from circular shape is solved. The interfacial stresses are acting at the interface. Contact of the inclusion with the matrix satisfies the ideal conditions of cohesion. The generalized Laplace - Young law defines conditions at the interface. To solve the problem, Gurtin - Murdoch surface elasticity model, Goursat - Kolosov complex potentials and the boundary perturbation method are used. The problem is reduced to the solution of two independent Riemann - Hilbert's boundary problems. For the circular inclusion, hypersingular integral equation in an unknown interfacial stress is derived. The algorithm of solving this equation is constructed. The influence of the interfacial stress and the dimension of the circular inclusion on the stress distribution and stress concentration at the interface are analyzed.

Interfacial Fluid Mechanics A Mathematical Modeling Approach

CERN Document Server

Ajaev, Vladimir S

2012-01-01

Interfacial Fluid Mechanics: A Mathematical Modeling Approach provides an introduction to mathematical models of viscous flow used in rapidly developing fields of microfluidics and microscale heat transfer. The basic physical effects are first introduced in the context of simple configurations and their relative importance in typical microscale applications is discussed. Then,several configurations of importance to microfluidics, most notably thin films/droplets on substrates and confined bubbles, are discussed in detail.  Topics from current research on electrokinetic phenomena, liquid flow near structured solid surfaces, evaporation/condensation, and surfactant phenomena are discussed in the later chapters. This book also:  Discusses mathematical models in the context of actual applications such as electrowetting Includes unique material on fluid flow near structured surfaces and phase change phenomena Shows readers how to solve modeling problems related to microscale multiphase flows Interfacial Fluid Me...

Interfacial solvation thermodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben-Amotz, Dor

2016-01-01

Previous studies have reached conflicting conclusions regarding the interplay of cavity formation, polarizability, desolvation, and surface capillary waves in driving the interfacial adsorptions of ions and molecules at air–water interfaces. Here we revisit these questions by combining exact potential distribution results with linear response theory and other physically motivated approximations. The results highlight both exact and approximate compensation relations pertaining to direct (solute–solvent) and indirect (solvent–solvent) contributions to adsorption thermodynamics, of relevance to solvation at air–water interfaces, as well as a broader class of processes linked to the mean force potential between ions, molecules, nanoparticles, proteins, and biological assemblies. (paper)

A mechanical-electrical finite element method model for predicting contact resistance between bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer in PEM fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lai, Xinmin; Liu, Dong' an; Peng, Linfa [State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China); Ni, Jun [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2125 (United States)

2008-07-15

Contact resistance between the bipolar plate (BPP) and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) plays a significant role on the power loss in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. There are two types of contact behavior at the interface of the BPP and GDL, which are the mechanical one and the electrical one. Furthermore, the electrical contact behavior is dependent on the mechanical one. Thus, prediction of the contact resistance is a coupled mechanical-electrical problem. The current FEM models for contact resistance estimation can only simulate the mechanical contact behavior and moreover they are based on the assumption that the contact surface is equipotential, which is not the case in a real BPP/GDL assembly due to the round corner and margin of the BPP. In this study, a mechanical-electrical FEM model was developed to predict the contact resistance between the BPP and GDL based on the experimental interfacial contact resistivity. At first, the interfacial contact resistivity was obtained by experimentally measuring the contact resistance between the GDL and a flat graphite plate of the same material and processing conditions as the BPP. Then, with the interfacial contact resistivity, the mechanical and electrical contact behaviors were defined and the potential distribution of the BPP/GDL assembly was analyzed using the mechanical-electrical FEM model. At last, the contact resistance was calculated according to the potential drop and the current of the contact surface. The numerical results were validated by comparing with those of the model reported previously. The influence of the round corner of the BPP on the contact resistance was also studied and it is found that there exists an optimal round corner that can minimize the contact resistance. This model is beneficial in understanding the mechanical and electrical contact behaviors between the BPP and GDL, and can be used to predict the contact resistance in a new BPP/GDL assembly. (author)

The fuel-cladding interfacial friction coefficient in water-cooled reactor fuel rods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, E.

1979-01-01

A central problem in the development of cladding failure criteria and of effective operational, design or material remedies is to know whether the cladding stress is enhanced significantly near cladding ridges, pellet chips or fuel pellet cracks; the latter may also be coincident with cladding ridges at pellet-pellet interfaces. As regards the fuel pellet crack source of cladding stress concentration, the magnitude of the uranium dioxide-Zircaloy interfacial friction coefficient μ governs the magnitude and distribution of the enhanced cladding stress. Considerable discussion, particularly at a Post-Conference Seminar associated with the SMIRT 4 Conference, has focussed on the value of μ, the author taking the view that it is unlikely to be large (< 0.5). The reasoning behind this view is as follows. A fuel pellet should fracture during a power ramp when the tensile hoop stress within the pellet exceeds the fuel's fracture stress. Since the preferred position for a fuel pellet crack to form is at the fuel-cladding interface midway between existing fuel cracks, where the interfacial shear stress changes sign, the pellet segment size after a power ramp provides a limit to the magnitude of the interfacial shear stresses and consequently to the value of μ. With this argument as a basis, the author's early work used the Gittus fuel rod model, in which there is a symmetric distribution of fuel pellet cracks and symmetric interfacial slippage, to show that μ < 0.5 if it is assumed that the average hoop stress within the cladding attains yield levels. It was therefore suggested that a high interfacial friction coefficient is unlikely to be operative during a power ramp; this result was used to support the view that interfacial friction effects do not play a dominant role in stress corrosion crack formation within the cladding. (orig.)

Water's Interfacial Hydrogen Bonding Structure Reveals the Effective Strength of Surface-Water Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Sucheol; Willard, Adam P

2018-06-05

We combine all-atom molecular dynamics simulations with a mean field model of interfacial hydrogen bonding to analyze the effect of surface-water interactions on the structural and energetic properties of the liquid water interface. We show that the molecular structure of water at a weakly interacting ( i.e., hydrophobic) surface is resistant to change unless the strength of surface-water interactions are above a certain threshold. We find that below this threshold water's interfacial structure is homogeneous and insensitive to the details of the disordered surface, however, above this threshold water's interfacial structure is heterogeneous. Despite this heterogeneity, we demonstrate that the equilibrium distribution of molecular orientations can be used to quantify the energetic component of the surface-water interactions that contribute specifically to modifying the interfacial hydrogen bonding network. We identify this specific energetic component as a new measure of hydrophilicity, which we refer to as the intrinsic hydropathy.

A novel solution to the Klein–Gordon equation in the presence of a strong rotating electric field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raicher, E., E-mail: erez.raicher@mail.huji.ac.il [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Department of Applied Physics, Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Yavne 81800 (Israel); Eliezer, S. [Department of Applied Physics, Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Yavne 81800 (Israel); Nuclear Fusion Institute, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid (Spain); Zigler, A. [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel)

2015-11-12

The Klein–Gordon equation in the presence of a strong electric field, taking the form of the Mathieu equation, is studied. A novel analytical solution is derived for particles whose asymptotic energy is much lower or much higher than the electromagnetic field amplitude. The condition for which the new solution recovers the familiar Volkov wavefunction naturally follows. When not satisfied, significant deviation from the Volkov wavefunction is demonstrated. The new condition is shown to differ by orders of magnitudes from the commonly used one. As this equation describes (neglecting spin effects) the emission processes and the particle motion in Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) cascades, our results suggest that the standard theoretical approach towards this phenomenon should be revised.

The epitaxial growth and interfacial strain study of VO{sub 2}/MgF{sub 2} (001) films by synchrotron based grazing incidence X-ray diffraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, L.L. [Key Laboratory for Advanced Technology in Environmental Protection of Jiangsu Province, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng 224051 (China); National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230029 (China); Chen, S. [National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230029 (China); Liu, Q.H. [Science and Technology on Electro-optical Information Security Control Laboratory, Tianjin 300300 (China); Liao, G.M.; Chen, Y.L.; Ren, H. [National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230029 (China); Zou, C.W., E-mail: czou@ustc.edu.cn [National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230029 (China)

2016-09-05

High quality VO{sub 2} films with different thickness were epitaxially grown on MgF{sub 2} (001) substrates by oxide molecular beam epitaxy method. The evolution of interfacial strain was investigated by synchrotron based grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. By adjusting the incidence angles, the penetration depth of X-ray in VO{sub 2} film could be controlled and the thickness-depend lattice distortion in the epitaxial VO{sub 2} film was investigated. Due to the lattice mismatching, the pronounced tensile strain was observed in ultra-thin VO{sub 2} film. As the film thickness increasing, the interfacial strain relaxed gradually and became fully relaxed for thick VO{sub 2} films. Combined with the electric transport measurement, it was revealed that the phase transition temperature of ultra-thin VO{sub 2} film decreased greatly. The effect of interfacial strain induced phase transition modulation and the intrinsic mechanism was systematically discussed. - Highlights: • We prepared high quality VO{sub 2} epitaxial films on MgF{sub 2} (001) substrates by oxide molecular beam epitaxy method. • Synchrotron radiation grazing incidence X-ray diffraction was employed to detect evolution of strain along depth profile. • Based on a classic band structure model, the mechanism of strain controlled phase transition of VO{sub 2} was discussed.

Role of interfacial effects in carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposite behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Pécastaings, G; Delhaès, P; Derré, A; Saadaoui, H; Carmona, F; Cui, S

2004-09-01

The interfacial effects are critical to understand the nanocomposite behavior based on polymer matrices. These effects are dependent upon the morphology of carbon nanotubes, the type of used polymer and the processing technique. Indeed, we show that the different parameters, as the eventual surfactant use, the ultrasonic treatment and shear mixing have to be carefully examined, in particular, for nanotube dispersion and their possible alignment. A series of multiwalled nanotubes (MWNT) have been mixed with a regular epoxy resin under a controlled way to prepare nanocomposites. The influence of nanotube content is examined through helium bulk density, glass transition temperature of the matrix and direct current electrical conductivity measurements. These results, including the value of the percolation threshold, are analyzed in relationship with the mesostructural organization of these nanotubes, which is observed by standard and conductive probe atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements. The wrapping effect of the organic matrix along the nanotubes is evidenced and analyzed to get a better understanding of the final composite characteristics, in particular, for eventually reinforcing the matrix without covalent bonding.

Improvement of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction by introducing a Ta buffer layer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kim, N.H.; Han, D.S.; Jung, J.; Cho, J.; Kim, J.S.; Swagten, H.J.M.; You, C.Y.

2015-01-01

We report systematic measurements of the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (iDMI) by employing Brillouin light scattering in Pt/Co/AlOx and Ta/Pt/Co/AlOx structures. By introducing a tantalum buffer layer, the saturation magnetization and the interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

Curvature Dependence of Interfacial Properties for Associating Lennard—Jones Fluids: A Density Functional Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Zong-Li; Kang Yan-Shuang

2011-01-01

Classical density functional theory is used to study the associating Lennard—Jones fluids in contact with spherical hard wall of different curvature radii. The interfacial properties including contact density and fluid-solid interfacial tension are investigated. The influences of associating energy, curvature of hard wall and the bulk density of fluids on these properties are analyzed in detail. The results may provide helpful clues to understand the interfacial properties of other complex fluids. (condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties)

Molecular dynamics simulation of thin film interfacial strength dependency on lattice mismatch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Zhou; Lian, Jie; Wang, Junlan

2013-01-01

Laser-induced thin film spallation experiments have been previously developed to characterize the intrinsic interfacial strength of thin films. In order to gain insights of atomic level thin film debonding processes and the interfacial strength dependence on film/substrate lattice structures, in this study, molecular dynamics simulations of thin film interfacial failure under laser-induced stress waves were performed. Various loading amplitudes and pulse durations were employed to identify the optimum simulation condition. Stress propagation as a function of time was revealed in conjunction with the interface structures. Parametric studies confirmed that while the interfacial strength between a thin film and a substrate does not depend on the film thickness and the duration of the laser pulse, a thicker film and a shorter duration do provide advantage to effectively load the interface to failure. With the optimized simulation condition, further studies were focused on bulk Au/Au bi-crystals with mismatched orientations, and Ni/Al, Cu/Al, Cu/Ag and Cu/Au bi-crystals with mismatched lattices. The interfacial strength was found to decrease with increasing orientation mismatch and lattice mismatch but more significantly dominated by the bonding elements' atomic structure and valence electron occupancy. - Highlights: • Molecular dynamics simulation was done on stress wave induced thin film spallation. • Atomic structure was found to be a primary strength determining factor. • Lattice mismatch was found to be a secondary strength determining factor

Molecular dynamics study of interfacial thermal transport between silicene and substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jingchao; Hong, Yang; Tong, Zhen; Xiao, Zhihuai; Bao, Hua; Yue, Yanan

2015-10-07

In this work, the interfacial thermal transport across silicene and various substrates, i.e., crystalline silicon (c-Si), amorphous silicon (a-Si), crystalline silica (c-SiO2) and amorphous silica (a-SiO2) are explored by classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A transient pulsed heating technique is applied in this work to characterize the interfacial thermal resistance in all hybrid systems. It is reported that the interfacial thermal resistances between silicene and all substrates decrease nearly 40% with temperature from 100 K to 400 K, which is due to the enhanced phonon couplings from the anharmonicity effect. Analysis of phonon power spectra of all systems is performed to interpret simulation results. Contradictory to the traditional thought that amorphous structures tend to have poor thermal transport capabilities due to the disordered atomic configurations, it is calculated that amorphous silicon and silica substrates facilitate the interfacial thermal transport compared with their crystalline structures. Besides, the coupling effect from substrates can improve the interface thermal transport up to 43.5% for coupling strengths χ from 1.0 to 2.0. Our results provide fundamental knowledge and rational guidelines for the design and development of the next-generation silicene-based nanoelectronics and thermal interface materials.

Dynamics of Surfactant Clustering at Interfaces and Its Influence on the Interfacial Tension: Atomistic Simulation of a Sodium Hexadecane-Benzene Sulfonate-Tetradecane-Water System.

Science.gov (United States)

Paredes, Ricardo; Fariñas-Sánchez, Ana Isabel; Medina-Rodrı Guez, Bryan; Samaniego, Samantha; Aray, Yosslen; Álvarez, Luis Javier

2018-03-06

The process of equilibration of the tetradecane-water interface in the presence of sodium hexadecane-benzene sulfonate is studied using intensive atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Starting as an initial point with all of the surfactants at the interface, it is obtained that the equilibration time of the interface (several microseconds) is orders of magnitude higher than previously reported simulated times. There is strong evidence that this slow equilibration process is due to the aggregation of surfactants molecules on the interface. To determine this fact, temporal evolution of interfacial tension and interfacial formation energy are studied and their temporal variations are correlated with cluster formation. To study cluster evolution, the mean cluster size and the probability that a molecule of surfactant chosen at random is free are obtained as a function of time. Cluster size distribution is estimated, and it is observed that some of the molecules remain free, whereas the rest agglomerate. Additionally, the temporal evolution of the interfacial thickness and the structure of the surfactant molecules on the interface are studied. It is observed how this structure depends on whether the molecules agglomerate or not.

Multiwall carbon nanotube-filled natural rubber: Electrical and mechanical properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Bokobza

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The influence of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNTs contents on electrical and mechanical properties of MWNTs-reinforced natural rubber (NR composites is studied. The volume resistivity of the composites decreases with increasing the MWNTs content and the electrical percolation threshold is reached at less than 1 phr of MWNTs (phr = parts of filler by weight per hundred parts of rubber. This is caused by the formation of conductive chains in the composites. Electrical measurements under uniaxial deformation of a composite carried out at a filler loading above the percolation threshold, indicate a gradual disconnection of the conducting network with the bulk deformation. The drop in the storage modulus G' with the shear strain amplitude (Payne effect is also attributed to a breakdown of the filler network. Considerable improvement in the stiffness is obtained upon incorporation of MWNTs in the polymer matrix but the main factor for reinforcement of NR by MWNTs appears to be their high aspect ratio rather than strong interfacial interaction with rubber. The tensile strength and the elongation at break of the composites are reduced with regard to the unfilled sample. This is probably due to the presence of some agglomerates that increase with the nanotube content. This hypothesis is confirmed by a cyclic loading of the composites where it is seen that the deformation at break occurs at a much higher level of strain in the second stretch than in the first one. The overall significant property improvements are the result of a better nanotube dispersion attributed to the combined use of tip sonication and cyclohexane as dispersion aids during composite processing.

Effect of reactive compatibilization on the interfacial slip in Nylon-6/EPR blends

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Puyvelde, van P.C.J.; Oommen, Z.; Koets, P.P.; Groeninckx, G.; Moldenaers, P.

2003-01-01

The viscosity of uncompatibilized polymer blends often shows a negative deviation from a log-additivity rule at shear rates relevant to processing. This deviation has been attributed to interfacial slip, which is related to the loss of entanglements at the interface. In this work interfacial slip

Self-healing sandwich structures incorporating an interfacial layer with vascular network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Chunlin; Peters, Kara; Li, Yulong

2013-01-01

A self-healing capability specifically targeted for sandwich composite laminates based on interfacial layers with built-in vascular networks is presented. The self-healing occurs at the facesheet–core interface through an additional interfacial layer to seal facesheet cracks and rebond facesheet–core regions. The efficacy of introducing the self-healing system at the facesheet–core interface is evaluated through four-point bend and edgewise compression testing of representative foam core sandwich composite specimens with impact induced damage. The self-healing interfacial layer partially restored the specific initial stiffness, doubling the residual initial stiffness as compared to the control specimen after the impact event. The restoration of the ultimate specific skin strength was less successful. The results also highlight the critical challenge in self-healing of sandwich composites, which is to rebond facesheets which have separated from the core material. (paper)

The Electric Car Challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Diehl, Brian E.

1997-01-01

Describes the Electric Car Challenge during which students applied methods of construction to build lightweight, strong vehicles that were powered by electricity. The activity required problem solving, sheet metal work, electricity, design, and construction skills. (JOW)

The interfacial strength of carbon nanofiber epoxy composite using single fiber pullout experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Manoharan, M P; Sharma, A; Desai, A V; Haque, M A; Bakis, C E; Wang, K W

2009-07-22

Carbon nanotubes and nanofibers are extensively researched as reinforcing agents in nanocomposites for their multifunctionality, light weight and high strength. However, it is the interface between the nanofiber and the matrix that dictates the overall properties of the nanocomposite. The current trend is to measure elastic properties of the bulk nanocomposite and then compare them with theoretical models to extract the information on the interfacial strength. The ideal experiment is single fiber pullout from the matrix because it directly measures the interfacial strength. However, the technique is difficult to apply to nanocomposites because of the small size of the fibers and the requirement for high resolution force and displacement sensing. We present an experimental technique for measuring the interfacial strength of nanofiber-reinforced composites using the single fiber pullout technique and demonstrate the technique for a carbon nanofiber-reinforced epoxy composite. The experiment is performed in situ in a scanning electron microscope and the interfacial strength for the epoxy composite was measured to be 170 MPa.

Modification of Nafion Membranes by IL-Cation Exchange: Chemical Surface, Electrical and Interfacial Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Romero

2012-01-01

A study of time evolution of the impedance curves measured in the system “IL aqueous solution/Nafion-112 membrane/IL aqueous solution” was also performed. This study allows us monitoring the electrical changes associated to the IL-cation incorporation in both the membrane and the membrane/IL solution interface, and it provides supplementary information on the characteristic of the Nafion/DTA+ hybrid material. Moreover, the results also show the significant effect of water on the electrical resistance of the Nafion-112/IL-cation-modified membrane.

Interfacial evaluation and hydrophobicity of multi-functional Ni-nanopowder/epoxy composites for self-sensing and actuation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Joung-Man; Wang, Zuo-Jia; Kwon, Dong-Jun; Jang, Jung-Hoon; DeVries, K Lawrence

2010-01-01

Electrical and interfacial properties of Ni-nanopowder/epoxy composites were investigated for self-sensing and actuation. Contact resistance and electrical resistivity were measured using a micro-specimen with a gradient grid of electrical contact on its length. The specimens' self-sensing characteristics were monitored reasonably well under applied cyclic loading. Actuation in an electromagnetic field was evaluated by measurement of induced strain for three wavefunction voltages, i.e. sine, triangular and square. Due to the presence of hydrophobic domains on the heterogeneous surface, the static contact angle of Ni-nanopowder/epoxy composites exhibited hydrophobicity. The specimens responded well in both self-sensing and actuation tests, in electromagnetic fields, due to the intrinsic metallic property of Ni-nanopowder. Displacement of the actuator was evaluated to attain optimum performance as functions of wave type, frequency and voltage. The strain response followed the shape of the applied voltages better, and was much smoother and less erratic for applied voltages with sine and triangular waveforms than it was for voltages with a rectangular waveform. This is attributed to the sudden changes in voltage in the latter case. Such self-sensing and actuation, in conductive Ni-nanopowder/epoxy composites, might find uses in multi-functional composite devices such as biomimetic and micro-size generators

The Impact of Strong Climate Change on Inter-state Balancing in a Fully-renewable Simplified European Electricity System

Science.gov (United States)

Wohland, Jan; Witthaut, Dirk

2017-04-01

Electricity systems with a high penetration of renewables are strongly affected by weather patterns. Due to the variability of the climate system, a substantial fraction of energy supply needs to be provided by dispatchable power plants even if the consumption is on average balanced by renewables (e.g. Rodriguez et al. [2014]). In an interconnected system like the European electricity grid, benefits can arise from balancing generation mismatches spatially as long as overproduction in one region coincides with lack of generation in another region. These benefits might change as the climate changes and we thus investigate alterations of correlations between wind timeseries and Backup energy requirements. Our analysis is based on a five member model-ensemble from the EUROCORDEX initiative and we focus on onshore wind energy. We use the highest temporal (3h) and spatial (0.11°) resolution available to capture the intermittent and spatially diverse nature of renewable generation. In view of inter-model spread and other uncertainties, we use the strong climate change scenario rcp8.5 in order to obtain a high signal-to-noise ratio. We argue that rcp8.5 is best suited to reveal interesting interactions between climate change and renewable electricity system despite the fact that is in contradiction to the UNFCCC temperature goals (e.g. Schleussner et al. [2016]). We report spatially inhomogeneous alterations of correlations. In particular, we find increasing correlations between central and northern European states and decreasing correlations at the south-western and south-eastern margins of Europe. This hints to a lowering of balancing potentials within central and northern Europe due to climate change. A possible explanation might be associated to polar amplification and increasing frequencies of blocking events (Coumou [2015]). Moreover, we compute wind energy generation using a single-turbine model and a semi-random deployment procedure as developed in Monforti et al

Interfacial stability of soil covers on lined surface impoundments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchell, D.H.; Gates, T.E.

1986-04-01

The factors affecting the interfacial stability of soil covers on geomembranes were examined to determine the maximum stable slopes for soil cover/geomembrane systems. Several instances of instability of soil covers on geomembranes have occurred at tailings ponds, leaving exposed geomembranes with the potential for physical ddamage and possibly chemical and ultraviolet degradation. From an operator's viewpoint, it is desirable to maximize the slope of lined facilities in order to maximize the volume-to-area ratio; however, the likelihood for instability also increases with increasing slope. Frictional data obtained from direct shear tests are compared with stability data obtained using a nine-square-meter (m 2 ) engineering-scale test stand to verify that direct shear test data are valid in slope design calculations. Interfacial frictional data from direct shear tests using high-density polyethylene and a poorly graded sand cover agree within several degrees with the engineering-scale tests. Additional tests with other soils and geomembranes are planned. The instability of soil covers is not always an interfacial problem; soil erosion and limited drainage capacity are additional factors that must be considered in the design of covered slopes. 7 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs

Evaluating interfacial shear stresses in composite hollo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aiham Adawi

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Analytical evaluation of the interfacial shear stresses for composite hollowcore slabs with concrete topping is rare in the literature. Adawi et al. (2014 estimated the interfacial shear stiffness coefficient (ks that governs the behavior of the interface between hollowcore slabs and the concrete topping using push-off tests. This parameter is utilized in this paper to provide closed form solutions for the differential equations governing the behavior of simply supported composite hollowcore slabs. An analytical solution based on the deformation compatibility of the composite section and elastic beam theory, is developed to evaluate the shear stresses along the interface. Linear finite element modeling of the full-scale tests presented in Adawi et al. (2015 is also conducted to validate the developed analytical solution. The proposed analytical solution was found to be adequate in estimating the magnitude of horizontal shear stress in the studied composite hollowcore slabs.

Influence of oxidation temperature on the interfacial properties of n-type 4H-SiC MOS capacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jia, Yifan; Lv, Hongliang [School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Key Laboratory of Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, Xi’an 710071 (China); Song, Qingwen, E-mail: qwsong@xidian.edu.cn [School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Key Laboratory of Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, Xi’an 710071 (China); School of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071 (China); Tang, Xiaoyan, E-mail: xytang@xidian.edu.cn [School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Key Laboratory of Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, Xi’an 710071 (China); Xiao, Li; Wang, Liangyong; Tang, Guangming [Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment Corporation, Shenzhen 518057 (China); Zhang, Yimen; Zhang, Yuming [School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Key Laboratory of Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, Xi’an 710071 (China)

2017-03-01

Highlights: • Effect of oxidation temperature on interfacial properties of SiO{sub 2}/SiC is investigated. • Raising the oxidation temperature effectively decreases the density of NITs and N{sub eff}. • The higher oxidation temperature reduces the surface RMS roughness of the grow SiO{sub 2}. • SIMS and XPS results reveal the improvement mechanism of high temperature oxidation. - Abstract: The effect of oxidation temperature on interfacial properties of n-type 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors has been systematically investigated. Thermal dry oxidation process with three different oxidation temperatures 1200 °C, 1300 °C and 1350 °C were employed to grow SiO{sub 2} dielectric, following by the standard post-oxidation annealing (POA) in NO ambience at 1175 °C for 2 h. The root mean square (RMS) roughness measured by Atomic Force Microscopy for the thermally grown SiO{sub 2} before POA process is reduced with increasing the oxidation temperature, obtaining an atomically flat surface with a RMS of 0.157 nm from the sample oxidized at 1350 °C. Several kinds of electrical measurements were used to evaluate the densities of near interface traps and effective fixed dielectric charge for the samples, exhibiting a trend reduced with increasing the oxidation temperature. The interface state density of 3 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −2}eV{sup −1} at 0.2 eV from the conduction band edge was achieved from conductance method measurement for the sample oxidized at 1350 °C. The results from Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy demonstrate that high oxidation temperature can reduce the width of transition layer, the excess Si and silicon suboxide compositions near the interface, leading to effective improvement of the interfacial properties.

An Investigation of Interfacial Fatigue in Fiber Reinforced Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Yanhua, Chen; Zhifei, Shi

2005-09-01

Based on the shear-lag model and the modified degradation formula for coefficient of friction, the interfacial fatigue and debonding for fiber reinforced composites under cyclic loading are studied. The loading condition is chosen as the kind that is the most frequently used in fiber-pull-out experiments. The stress components in the debonded and bonded regions are obtained according to the maximum and minimum applied loading. By the aid of theory of fracture mechanics and Paris formula, the governing equation is solved numerically and the interfacial debonding is simulated. The relationships between the parameters (such as the debond rate, debond length, debond force) and the number of cycles are obtained.

TFB:TPDSi2 interfacial layer usable in organic photovoltaic cells

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, Iobin J [Evanston, IL; Hains, Alexander W [Evanston, IL

2011-02-15

The present invention, in one aspect, relates to a solar cell. In one embodiment, the solar cell includes an anode; an active organic layer comprising an electron-donating organic material and an electron-accepting organic material; and an interfacial layer formed between the anode and active organic layer, where the interfacial layer comprises a hole-transporting polymer characterized with a hole-mobility higher than that of the electron-donating organic material in the active organic layer, and a small molecule that has a high hole-mobility and is capable of crosslinking on contact with air.

Nanocomposite Prepared from In Situ Grafting of Polypyrrole to Aminobenzoyl-Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube and Its Electrochemical Properties

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

variety of poten- tial applications such as electrically conducting composites,6 actuators,7,8 supercapacitors,9 and electrochromic10 and photo- voltaic11...received much interest for their uses in fabricating a new class of advanced materials because of their unique structural , mechanical, and electrical...the supporting polymer matrices and interfacial interactions between them should be addressed first. Hence, harsh chemical treatments in strong acids

A novel solution to the Klein–Gordon equation in the presence of a strong rotating electric field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Raicher

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The Klein–Gordon equation in the presence of a strong electric field, taking the form of the Mathieu equation, is studied. A novel analytical solution is derived for particles whose asymptotic energy is much lower or much higher than the electromagnetic field amplitude. The condition for which the new solution recovers the familiar Volkov wavefunction naturally follows. When not satisfied, significant deviation from the Volkov wavefunction is demonstrated. The new condition is shown to differ by orders of magnitudes from the commonly used one. As this equation describes (neglecting spin effects the emission processes and the particle motion in Quantum Electrodynamics (QED cascades, our results suggest that the standard theoretical approach towards this phenomenon should be revised.

Interfacial layers in tape cast anode-supported doped lanthanum gallate SOFC elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maffei, N.; De Silveira, G. [Materials Technology Laboratory, Natural Resources Canada, CANMET, 405 Rochester Street, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) K1A OG3

2003-04-01

Lanthanum gallate doped with strontium and magnesium (LSGM) is a promising electrolyte system for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The reported formation of interfacial layers in monolithic type SOFCs based on lanthanum gallate is of concern because of its impact on the performance of the fuel cell. Planar anode-supported SOFC elements (without the cathode) were prepared by the tape casting technique in order to determine the nature of the anode/electrolyte interface after sintering. Two anode systems were studied, one a NiO-CeO{sub 2} cermet, and the other, a modified lanthanum gallate anode containing manganese. Sintering studies were conducted at 1250, 1300, 1350, 1400 and 1450 C to determine the effect of temperature on the interfacial characteristics. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a significant diffusion of Ni from the NiO-CeO{sub 2} anode resulting in the formation of an interfacial layer regardless of sintering temperature. Significant La diffusion from the electrolyte into the anode was also observed. In the case of the modified lanthanum gallate anode containing manganese, there was no interfacial layer formation, but a significant diffusion of Mn into the electrolyte was observed.

Interfacial behavior of resistive switching in ITO–PVK–Al WORM memory devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitcher, T J; Woon, K L; Wong, W S; Chanlek, N; Nakajima, H; Saisopa, T; Songsiriritthigul, P

2016-01-01

Understanding the mechanism of resistive switching in a memory device is fundamental in order to improve device performance. The mechanism of current switching in a basic organic write-once read-many (WORM) memory device is investigated by determining the energy level alignments of indium tin oxide (ITO), poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and aluminum (Al) using x-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, current–voltage characterization and Auger depth profiling. The current switching mechanism was determined to be controlled by the interface between the ITO and the PVK. The electric field applied across the device causes the ITO from the uneven surface of the anode to form metallic filaments through the PVK, causing a shorting effect within the device leading to increased conduction. This was found to be independent of the PVK thickness, although the switch-on voltage was non-linearly dependent on the thickness. The formation of these filaments also caused the destruction of the interfacial dipole at the PVK–Al interface. (paper)

Interfacial behavior of resistive switching in ITO-PVK-Al WORM memory devices

Science.gov (United States)

Whitcher, T. J.; Woon, K. L.; Wong, W. S.; Chanlek, N.; Nakajima, H.; Saisopa, T.; Songsiriritthigul, P.

2016-02-01

Understanding the mechanism of resistive switching in a memory device is fundamental in order to improve device performance. The mechanism of current switching in a basic organic write-once read-many (WORM) memory device is investigated by determining the energy level alignments of indium tin oxide (ITO), poly(9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and aluminum (Al) using x-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, current-voltage characterization and Auger depth profiling. The current switching mechanism was determined to be controlled by the interface between the ITO and the PVK. The electric field applied across the device causes the ITO from the uneven surface of the anode to form metallic filaments through the PVK, causing a shorting effect within the device leading to increased conduction. This was found to be independent of the PVK thickness, although the switch-on voltage was non-linearly dependent on the thickness. The formation of these filaments also caused the destruction of the interfacial dipole at the PVK-Al interface.

The Gas-Absorption/Chemical-Reaction Method for Measuring Air-Water Interfacial Area in Natural Porous Media

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Ying; Brusseau, Mark L.; El Ouni, Asma; Araujo, Juliana B.; Su, Xiaosi

2017-11-01

The gas-absorption/chemical-reaction (GACR) method used in chemical engineering to quantify gas-liquid interfacial area in reactor systems is adapted for the first time to measure the effective air-water interfacial area of natural porous media. Experiments were conducted with the GACR method, and two standard methods (X-ray microtomographic imaging and interfacial partitioning tracer tests) for comparison, using model glass beads and a natural sand. The results of a series of experiments conducted under identical conditions demonstrated that the GACR method exhibited excellent repeatability for measurement of interfacial area (Aia). Coefficients of variation for Aia were 3.5% for the glass beads and 11% for the sand. Extrapolated maximum interfacial areas (Am) obtained with the GACR method were statistically identical to independent measures of the specific solid surface areas of the media. For example, the Am for the glass beads is 29 (±1) cm-1, compared to 32 (±3), 30 (±2), and 31 (±2) cm-1 determined from geometric calculation, N2/BET measurement, and microtomographic measurement, respectively. This indicates that the method produced accurate measures of interfacial area. Interfacial areas determined with the GACR method were similar to those obtained with the standard methods. For example, Aias of 47 and 44 cm-1 were measured with the GACR and XMT methods, respectively, for the sand at a water saturation of 0.57. The results of the study indicate that the GACR method is a viable alternative for measuring air-water interfacial areas. The method is relatively quick, inexpensive, and requires no specialized instrumentation compared to the standard methods.

Determination of interfacial heat transfer coefficient for TC11 titanium alloy hot forging

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Baoshan; Wang, Leigang; Geng, Zhe; Huang, Yao

2017-10-01

In this paper, based on self-developed experimental apparatus, the upsetting test of TC11 titanium alloy on the hot flat die was conducted and Beck's nonlinear inverse estimation method was adopted to calculate the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) and the change rules of IHTC following billet deformation rate, average interfacial temperature and holding time were investigated respectively. Experimental results indicate that IHTC increases with the increase of deformation rate as a whole, and the billet deformation heat and interfacial friction heat during forming that remarkably contribute to IHTC and the contributions by heat conduction to IHTC is differ from that by friction; the glass lubricant coated on the billet surface that weakens the heat transfer situation in the early stage of forging, however, this blocking effect of lubricant on IHTC soon vanishes with increasing deformation rate and it enhances the interface heat transfer later; the average interfacial temperature impacts on IHTC in many aspects and a high average interfacial temperature IHTC corresponds to a high IHTC when the deformation rate is certain, but this changing trend is not monotonous; the IHTC decreases with the increase of holding time due to oxidation. After certain holding time, the IHTC is only related to temperature and pressure in the absence of deformation rate, and the influence of pressure on IHTC is larger than that of temperature on it.

Establishing a Quantitative Functional Relationship between Capillary Pressure Saturation and Interfacial Area; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlo Montemagno

2002-01-01

We propose to continue our collaborative research focused on advanced technologies for subsurface contamination problems. Our approach combines new multi-phase flow theory, novel laboratory experiments, and non-traditional computational simulators to investigate practical approaches to include interfacial areas in descriptions of subsurface contaminant transport and remediation. Because all inter-phase mass transfer occurs at fluid-fluid interfaces, and it is this inter-phase mass transfer that leads to the difficult, long-term ground-water contamination problems, it is critical to include interfacial behavior in the problem description. This is currently lacking in all standard models of complex ground-water contamination problems. In our earlier project, we developed tools appropriate for inclusion of interfacial areas under equilibrium conditions. These include advanced laboratory techniques and targeted computational experiments that validated certain key theoretical conjecture s. However, it has become clear that to include interfacial behavior fully into a description of the multi-phase flow and contamination problems, the fully dynamic case must be considered. Therefore, we need to develop both experimental and computational tools that can capture the dynamic nature of interfacial movements. Development and application of such tools will allow the theory to be evaluated, and will lead to significant improvements in our understanding of complex subsurface contamination problems, thereby allowing us to develop and evaluate improved remediation technologies

Chemical sensitive interfacial free volume studies of nanophase Al-rich alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lechner, W.; Puff, W.; Wuerschum, R.; Wilde, G.

2006-01-01

Full text: Al-based nanocrystalline alloys have attracted substantial interest due to their outstanding mechanical properties. These alloys can be obtained by crystallization of melt-spun amorphous precursors or by grain refinement upon repeated cold-rolling of elemental layers. For both synthesis routes, the nanocrystallization process is sensitively affected by interfacial chemistry and free volumes. In order to contribute to an atomistic understanding of the interfacial structure and processes during nanocrystallization, the present work deals with studies of interfacial free volumes by means of positron-annihilation-spectroscopy. In addition to positron lifetime spectroscopy which yields information on the size of free volumes, coincident Doppler broadening of the positron-electron annihilation photons is applied as novel technique for studying the chemistry of interfaces in nanophase materials on an atomistic scale. Al-rich alloys of the above mentioned synthesis routes were studied in this work. (author)

Interfacial reactions in the Sb–Sn/(Cu, Ni) systems: Wetting experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novakovic, R.; Lanata, T.; Delsante, S.; Borzone, G.

2012-01-01

Interfacial reactions in the Sb–Sn/Cu and Sb–Sn/Ni systems have been investigated by means of wetting experiments. The wetting behaviour of two lead-free alloys, namely, Sb 2.5 Sn 97.5 and Sb 14.5 Sn 85.5 (at.%), in contact with Cu and Ni-substrates has been studied in view of possible applications as high-temperature solders in the electronics industry. The contact angle measurements on Cu and Ni plates were performed by using a sessile drop apparatus. The solder/substrate interface was characterised by the SEM-EDS analyses. -- Highlights: ► Sb–Sn alloys are used as high temperature lead-free solders. ► Sb–Sn alloys have good wetting properties on Cu and Ni substrates. ► Interfacial reactions and products are important for joint properties. ► Interfacial reactions/products data can be used to study the phase diagrams.

Methanol and ethanol vapor conversion in gas discharge with strongly non-uniform distribution of electric field on atmospheric pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golota, V.I.; Zavada, L.M.; Kotyukov, O.V.; Kudin, D.V.; Rodionov, S.V.; Pis'menetskoj, A.S.; Dotsenko, Yu.V.

2010-01-01

The barrierless gas discharge of negative polarity with strongly non-uniform distribution of electrical field in the methanol and ethanol vapour was studied. It is shown that level of methanol and ethanol conversion depended from power consumed by the discharge and exposition time for gas mixture in discharge zone. The condition for deep conversion of the methanol and ethanol vapours were determined. The water and carbon dioxide are the end products for the methanol and ethanol conversion. Formaldehyde and formic acid are the intermediates products in the conversion of methanol. And ethanol has a number of different compounds, including acetic acid, acetaldehyde, etc.

Quantification of interfacial segregation by analytical electron microscopy

CERN Document Server

Muellejans, H

2003-01-01

The quantification of interfacial segregation by spatial difference and one-dimensional profiling is presented in general where special attention is given to the random and systematic uncertainties. The method is demonstrated for an example of Al-Al sub 2 O sub 3 interfaces in a metal-ceramic composite material investigated by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy in a dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope. The variation of segregation measured at different interfaces by both methods is within the uncertainties, indicating a constant segregation level and interfacial phase formation. The most important random uncertainty is the counting statistics of the impurity signal whereas the specimen thickness introduces systematic uncertainties (via k factor and effective scan width). The latter could be significantly reduced when the specimen thickness is determined explicitly. (orig.)

Contribution to the study of the interfacial diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perinet, Francois.

1975-07-01

The diffusion behaviour of matrix-precipitate boundaries is the same as that of interphase boundaries prepared by welding. Therefore the latter can be used to measure diffusivity along interphase boundaries. Diffusion rates of silver along copper-silver interfaces prepared by welding single crystals have been measured. The interfacial diffusion coefficients deduced through different analytical solutions of the diffusion equations, yield for the activation energy and the frequency factor values close to: Q(i)=65kcal/mole Dsub(i)sup(o) delta=100cm 3 .s -1 . These results seem to indicate that, in agreement with Bondy's and Job's previous results, the activation energies for interfacial diffusion are high. Furthermore it is shown that the misorientation between the two phases building the interface has an influence on the measured diffusion coefficients [fr

Electrical characteristics of schottky barriers on 4H-SiC: The effects of barrier height nonuniformity

Science.gov (United States)

Skromme, B. J.; Luckowski, E.; Moore, K.; Bhatnagar, M.; Weitzel, C. E.; Gehoski, T.; Ganser, D.

2000-03-01

Electrical properties, including current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics, have been measured on a large number of Ti, Ni, and Pt-based Schottky barrier diodes on 4H-SiC epilayers. Various nonideal behaviors are frequently observed, including ideality factors greater than one, anomalously low I-V barrier heights, and excess leakage currents at low forward bias and in reverse bias. The nonidealities are highly nonuniform across individual wafers and from wafer to wafer. We find a pronounced linear correlation between I-V barrier height and ideality factor for each metal, while C-V barrier heights remain constant. Electron beam induced current (EBIC) imaging strongly suggests that the nonidealities result from localized low barrier height patches. These patches are related to discrete crystal defects, which become visible as recombination centers in the EBIC images. Alternative explanations involving generation-recombination current, uniform interfacial layers, and effects related to the periphery are ruled out.

Gelation and interfacial behaviour of vegetable proteins

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vliet, T. van; Martin, A.H.; Bos, M.A.

2002-01-01

Recent studies on gelation and interfacial properties of vegetable protiens are reviewed. Attention is focused on legume proteins, mainly soy proteins, and on wheat proteins. The rheological properteis of vegetable protein gels as a function of heating time or temperature is discussed as well as the

Gelation and interfacial behaviour of vegetable proteins

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vliet, van T.; Martin, A.H.; Bos, M.A.

2002-01-01

Recent studies on gelation and interfacial properties of vegetable proteins are reviewed. Attention is focused on legume proteins, mainly soy proteins, and on wheat proteins. The rheological properties of vegetable protein gels as a function of heating time or temperature is discussed as well as the

Influence of interfacial layer on contact resistance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roy, D.; In 't Zand, M.A.A.; Delhounge, R.; Klootwijk, J.H.; Wolters, Robertus A.M.

2008-01-01

The contact resistance between two materials is dependent on the intrinsic properties of the materials in contact and the presence and properties of an interfacial layer at the contact. This article presents the difference in contact resistance measurements with and without the presence of a process

Interfacial properties of immiscible Co-Cu alloys

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egry, I.; Ratke, L.; Kolbe, M.

2010-01-01

Using electromagnetic levitation under microgravity conditions, the interfacial properties of an Cu75Co25 alloy have been investigated in the liquid phase. This alloy exhibits a metastable liquid miscibility gap and can be prepared and levitated in a configuration consisting of a liquid cobalt-ri...

Development and validation of bubble breakup and coalescence constitutive models for the one-group interfacial area transport equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pellacani, Filippo

2012-01-01

A local mechanistic model for bubble coalescence and breakup for the one-group interfacial area transport equation has been developed, in agreement and within the limits of the current understanding, based on an exhaustive survey of the theory and of the state of the art models for bubble dynamics simulation. The new model has been tested using the commercial 3D CFD code ANSYS CFX. Upward adiabatic turbulent air-water bubbly flow has been simulated and the results have been compared with the data obtained in the experimental facility PUMA. The range of the experimental data available spans between 0.5 to 2 m/s liquid velocity and 5 to 15 % volume fraction. For the implementation of the models, both the monodispersed and the interfacial area transport equation approaches have been used. The first one to perform a detailed analysis of the forces and models to reproduce the dynamic of the dispersed phase adequately and to be used in the next phases of the work. Also two different bubble induced turbulence models have been tested to consider the effect of the presence of the gas phase on the turbulence of the liquid phase. The interfacial area transport equation has been successfully implemented into the CFD code and the state of the art breakup and coalescence models have been used for simulation. The limitations of the actual theory have been shown and a new bubble interactions model has been developed. The simulations showed that a considerable improvement is achieved if compared to the state of the art closure models. Limits in the implementation derive from the actual understanding and formulation of the bubbly dynamics. A strong dependency on the interfacial non-drag force models and coefficients have been shown. More experimental and theory work needs to be done in this field to increase the prediction capability of the simulation tools regarding the distribution of the phases along the pipe radius.

Solar-Pumping Upconversion of Interfacial Coordination Nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishii, Ayumi; Hasegawa, Miki

2017-01-30

An interfacial coordination nanoparticle successfully exhibited an upconversion blue emission excited by very low-power light irradiation, such as sunlight. The interfacial complex was composed of Yb ions and indigo dye, which formed a nano-ordered thin shell layer on a Tm 2 O 3 nanoparticle. At the surface of the Tm 2 O 3 particle, the indigo dye can be excited by non-laser excitation at 640 nm, following the intramolecular energy transfer from the indigo dye to the Yb ions. Additionally, the excitation energy of the Yb ion was upconverted to the blue emission of the Tm ion at 475 nm. This upconversion blue emission was achieved by excitation with a CW Xe lamp at an excitation power of 0.14 mW/cm 2 , which is significantly lower than the solar irradiation power of 1.4 mW/cm 2 at 640 ± 5 nm.

Effect of Concentration on the Interfacial and Bulk Structure of Ionic Liquids in Aqueous Solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, H-W; Weiss, H; Stock, P; Chen, Y-J; Reinecke, C R; Dienemann, J-N; Mezger, M; Valtiner, M

2018-02-27

Bio and aqueous applications of ionic liquids (IL) such as catalysis in micelles formed in aqueous IL solutions or extraction of chemicals from biologic materials rely on surface-active and self-assembly properties of ILs. Here, we discuss qualitative relations of the interfacial and bulk structuring of a water-soluble surface-active IL ([C 8 MIm][Cl]) on chemically controlled surfaces over a wide range of water concentrations using both force probe and X-ray scattering experiments. Our data indicate that IL structuring evolves from surfactant-like surface adsorption at low IL concentrations, to micellar bulk structure adsorption above the critical micelle concentration, to planar bilayer formation in ILs with Interfacial structuring is controlled by mesoscopic bulk structuring at high water concentrations. Surface chemistry and surface charges decisively steer interfacial ordering of ions if the water concentration is low and/or the surface charge is high. We also demonstrate that controlling the interfacial forces by using self-assembled monolayer chemistry allows tuning of interfacial structures. Both the ratio of the head group size to the hydrophobic tail volume as well as the surface charging trigger the bulk structure and offer a tool for predicting interfacial structures. Based on the applied techniques and analyses, a qualitative prediction of molecular layering of ILs in aqueous systems is possible.

Nanoporous Mo2C functionalized 3D carbon architecture anode for boosting flavins mediated interfacial bioelectrocatalysis in microbial fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Long; Lu, Zhisong; Huang, Yunhong; Long, Zhong-er; Qiao, Yan

2017-08-01

An efficient microbial electrocatalysis in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) needs both high loading of microbes (biocatalysts) and robust interfacial electron transfer from microbes to electrode. Herein a nanoporous molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) functionalized carbon felt electrode with rich 3D hierarchical porous architecture is applied as MFC anode to achieve superior electrocatalytic performance. The nanoporous Mo2C functionalized anode exhibits strikingly improved microbial electrocatalysis in MFCs with 5-fold higher power density and long-term stability of electricity production. The great enhancement is attributed to the introduction of rough Mo2C nanostructural interface into macroporous carbon architecture for promoting microbial growth with great excretion of endogenous electron shuttles (flavins) and rich available nanopores for enlarging electrochemically active surface area. Importantly, the nanoporous Mo2C functionalized anode is revealed for the first time to have unique electrocatalytic activity towards redox reaction of flavins with more negative redox potential, indicating a more favourable thermodynamic driving force for anodic electron transfer. This work not only provides a promising electrode for high performance MFCs but also brings up a new insight into the effect of nanostructured materials on interfacial bioelectrocatalysis.

Engineering Pt/Pd Interfacial Electronic Structures for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution and Alcohol Oxidation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Jinchang; Qi, Kun; Zhang, Lei; Zhang, Haiyan; Yu, Shansheng; Cui, Xiaoqiang

2017-05-31

Tailoring the interfacial structure of Pt-based catalysts has emerged as an effective strategy to improve catalytic activity. However, little attention has been focused on investigating the relationship between the interfacial facets and their catalytic activity. Here, we design and implement Pd-Pt interfaces with controlled heterostructure features by epitaxially growing Pt nanoparticles on Pd nanosheets. On the basis of both density functional theory calculation and experimental results, we demonstrate that charge transfer from Pd to Pt is highly dependent on the interfacial facets of Pd substrates. Therefore, the Pd-Pt heterostructure with Pd(100)-Pt interface exhibits excellent activity and long-term stability for hydrogen evolution and methanol/ethanol oxidation reactions in alkaline medium, much better than that with Pd (111)-Pt interface or commercial Pt/C. Interfacial crystal facet-dependent electronic structural modulation sheds a light on the design and investigation of new heterostructures for high-activity catalysts.

Insights into the role of protein molecule size and structure on interfacial properties using designed sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Dwyer, Mirjana Dimitrijev; He, Lizhong; James, Michael; Nelson, Andrew; Middelberg, Anton P. J.

2013-01-01

Mixtures of a large, structured protein with a smaller, unstructured component are inherently complex and hard to characterize at interfaces, leading to difficulties in understanding their interfacial behaviours and, therefore, formulation optimization. Here, we investigated interfacial properties of such a mixed system. Simplicity was achieved using designed sequences in which chemical differences had been eliminated to isolate the effect of molecular size and structure, namely a short unstructured peptide (DAMP1) and its longer structured protein concatamer (DAMP4). Interfacial tension measurements suggested that the size and bulk structuring of the larger molecule led to much slower adsorption kinetics. Neutron reflectometry at equilibrium revealed that both molecules adsorbed as a monolayer to the air–water interface (indicating unfolding of DAMP4 to give a chain of four connected DAMP1 molecules), with a concentration ratio equal to that in the bulk. This suggests the overall free energy of adsorption is equal despite differences in size and bulk structure. At small interfacial extensional strains, only molecule packing influenced the stress response. At larger strains, the effect of size became apparent, with DAMP4 registering a higher stress response and interfacial elasticity. When both components were present at the interface, most stress-dissipating movement was achieved by DAMP1. This work thus provides insights into the role of proteins' molecular size and structure on their interfacial properties, and the designed sequences introduced here can serve as effective tools for interfacial studies of proteins and polymers. PMID:23303222

Influences of interfacial properties on second-harmonic generation of Lamb waves propagating in layered planar structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Mingxi; Wang Ping; Lv Xiafu

2006-01-01

This paper describes influences of interfacial properties on second-harmonic generation of Lamb waves propagating in layered planar structures. The nonlinearity in the elastic wave propagation is treated as a second-order perturbation of the linear elastic response. Due to the kinematic nonlinearity and the elastic nonlinearity of materials, there are second-order bulk and surface/interface driving sources in layered planar structures through which Lamb waves propagate. These driving sources can be thought of as forcing functions of a series of double frequency lamb waves (DFLWs) in terms of the approach of modal expansion analysis for waveguide excitation. The total second-harmonic fields consist of a summation of DFLWs in the corresponding stress-free layered planar structures. The interfacial properties of layered planar structures can be described by the well-known finite interfacial stiffness technique. The normal and tangential interfacial stiffness constants can be coupled with the equation governing the expansion coefficient of each DFLW component. On the other hand, the normal and tangential interfacial stiffness constants are associated with the degree of dispersion between Lamb waves and DFLWs. Theoretical analyses and numerical simulations indicate that the efficiency of second-harmonic generation by Lamb wave propagation is closely dependent on the interfacial properties of layered structures. The potential of using the effect of second-harmonic generation by Lamb wave propagation to characterize the interfacial properties of layered structures are considered. Some experimental results are presented

Nature and morphology of fumed oxides and features of interfacial phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gun’ko, V.M.; Zarko, V.I.; Goncharuk, O.V.; Matkovsky, A.K.; Remez, O.S.; Skubiszewska-Zięba, J.; Wojcik, G.; Walusiak, B.; Blitz, J.P.

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Effects of oxide surface structure on interfacial behavior of nonpolar and polar adsorbates. • Confined space effects on freezing and melting temperatures of bound adsorbates. • Equilibrium adsorption and evaporation rate vs. structure of nanooxide adsorbents. - Abstract: Individual and complex fumed nanooxides were studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, adsorption, desorption (evaporation), and quantum chemical methods. For mixed nanooxides in contrast to simple and small nanoparticles of individual silica or titania, complex core–shell nanoparticles (50–200 nm in size) with titania or alumina cores and silica or alumina shells can be destroyed under high-pressure cryogelation (HPCG), mechnochemical activation (MCA) that also affect the structure of aggregates of nanoparticles and agglomerates of aggregates becoming more compacted. This is accompanied by changes in color from white to beige of different tints and changes in the UV–vis spectra in the 300–600 nm range, as well as changes in crystalline structure of alumina. Any treatment of ‘soft’ nanooxides affects the interfacial behavior of polar and nonpolar adsorbates. For some of them, the hysteresis loops become strongly open. Rearrangement of secondary particles affects the freezing-melting point depression. Clusterization of adsorbates bound in pores causes diminution of heat effects during phase transition (freezing, fusion). Freezing point depression and increasing melting point cause significant hysteresis freezing-melting effects for adsorbates bound to oxide nanoparticles. The study shows that complex nanooxides can be more sensitive to external actions than simple nanooxides such as silica.

Nature and morphology of fumed oxides and features of interfacial phenomena

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gun’ko, V.M., E-mail: vlad_gunko@ukr.net [Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry, 17 General Naumov Street, 03164 Kyiv (Ukraine); Zarko, V.I.; Goncharuk, O.V.; Matkovsky, A.K.; Remez, O.S. [Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry, 17 General Naumov Street, 03164 Kyiv (Ukraine); Skubiszewska-Zięba, J.; Wojcik, G. [Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, 20-031 Lublin (Poland); Walusiak, B.; Blitz, J.P. [Eastern Illinois University, Department of Chemistry, Charleston, IL 61920 (United States)

2016-03-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Effects of oxide surface structure on interfacial behavior of nonpolar and polar adsorbates. • Confined space effects on freezing and melting temperatures of bound adsorbates. • Equilibrium adsorption and evaporation rate vs. structure of nanooxide adsorbents. - Abstract: Individual and complex fumed nanooxides were studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, adsorption, desorption (evaporation), and quantum chemical methods. For mixed nanooxides in contrast to simple and small nanoparticles of individual silica or titania, complex core–shell nanoparticles (50–200 nm in size) with titania or alumina cores and silica or alumina shells can be destroyed under high-pressure cryogelation (HPCG), mechnochemical activation (MCA) that also affect the structure of aggregates of nanoparticles and agglomerates of aggregates becoming more compacted. This is accompanied by changes in color from white to beige of different tints and changes in the UV–vis spectra in the 300–600 nm range, as well as changes in crystalline structure of alumina. Any treatment of ‘soft’ nanooxides affects the interfacial behavior of polar and nonpolar adsorbates. For some of them, the hysteresis loops become strongly open. Rearrangement of secondary particles affects the freezing-melting point depression. Clusterization of adsorbates bound in pores causes diminution of heat effects during phase transition (freezing, fusion). Freezing point depression and increasing melting point cause significant hysteresis freezing-melting effects for adsorbates bound to oxide nanoparticles. The study shows that complex nanooxides can be more sensitive to external actions than simple nanooxides such as silica.

Phase transition transistors based on strongly-correlated materials

Science.gov (United States)

Nakano, Masaki

2013-03-01

The field-effect transistor (FET) provides electrical switching functions through linear control of the number of charges at a channel surface by external voltage. Controlling electronic phases of condensed matters in a FET geometry has long been a central issue of physical science. In particular, FET based on a strongly correlated material, namely ``Mott transistor,'' has attracted considerable interest, because it potentially provides gigantic and diverse electronic responses due to a strong interplay between charge, spin, orbital and lattice. We have investigated electric-field effects on such materials aiming at novel physical phenomena and electronic functions originating from strong correlation effects. Here we demonstrate electrical switching of bulk state of matter over the first-order metal-insulator transition. We fabricated FETs based on VO2 with use of a recently developed electric-double-layer transistor technique, and found that the electrostatically induced carriers at a channel surface drive all preexisting localized carriers of 1022 cm-3 even inside a bulk to motion, leading to bulk carrier delocalization beyond the electrostatic screening length. This non-local switching of bulk phases is achieved with just around 1 V, and moreover, a novel non-volatile memory like character emerges in a voltage-sweep measurement. These observations are apparently distinct from those of conventional FETs based on band insulators, capturing the essential feature of collective interactions in strongly correlated materials. This work was done in collaboration with K. Shibuya, D. Okuyama, T. Hatano, S. Ono, M. Kawasaki, Y. Iwasa, and Y. Tokura. This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSAP) through its ``Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST Program).''

Liquid-liquid interfacial tension of electrolyte solutions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bier, Markus; Zwanikken, J.W.; van Roij, R.H.H.G.

2008-01-01

It is theoretically shown that the excess liquid-liquid interfacial tension between two electrolyte solutions as a function of the ionic strength I behaves asymptotically as (-) for small I and as (±I) for large I. The former regime is dominated by the electrostatic potential due to an unequal

International workshop on interfacial effects in quantum engineering systems (IEQES-96). Book of abstracts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

In the international workshop on 'interfacial effects in quantum engineering systems (IEQES-96)' organized by Nuclear Engineering Research Laboratory, the University of Tokyo and held on August 21-23, 1996, 108 items were discussed in following 3 sessions. In the first session, on interfacial effects in fusion energy systems, 29 items on Plasma-surface interactions in fusion devices and 14 items on blanket breeder-hydrogen isotope interactions were investigated. In the second session, 38 items on interfacial effects in fission energy systems were discussed. Furthermore, in the third session, 27 items of quantum beam-material interactions were investigated. (G.K.)

In-situ Raman spectroscopy to elucidate the influence of adsorption in graphene electrochemistry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Beld, Wesley T. E.; Odijk, Mathieu; Vervuurt, Rene H. J.; Weber, Jan-Willem; Bol, Ageeth A.; van den Berg, Albert; Eijkel, Jan C. T.

2017-01-01

Electrochemistry on graphene is of particular interest due to graphene’s high surface area, high electrical conductivity and low interfacial capacitance. Because the graphene Fermi level can be probed by its strong Raman signal, information on the graphene doping can be obtained which in turn can

DFT study on the interfacial properties of vertical and in-plane BiOI/BiOIO3 hetero-structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Wen-Wu; Zhao, Zong-Yan

2017-04-12

Composite photocatalysts with hetero-structures usually favor the effective separation of photo-generated carriers. In this study, BiOIO 3 was chosen to form a hetero-structure with BiOI, due to its internal polar field and good lattice matching with BiOI. The interfacial properties and band offsets were focused on and analyzed in detail by DFT calculations. The results show that the charge depletion and accumulation mainly occur in the region near the interface. This effect leads to an interfacial electric field and thus, the photo-generated electron-hole pairs can be easily separated and transferred along opposite directions at the interface, which is significant for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity. Moreover, according to the analysis of band offsets, the vertical BiOI/BiOIO 3 belongs to the type-II hetero-structure, while the in-plane BiOI/BiOIO 3 belongs to the type-I hetero-structure. The former type of hetero-structure has more favorable effects to enhance the photocatalytic activity of BiOI than that of the latter type of hetero-structure. In the case of the vertical BiOI/BiOIO 3 hetero-structure, photo-generated electrons can move from the conduction band of BiOI to that of BiOIO 3 , while holes can move from the valence band of BiOIO 3 to that of BiOI under solar radiation. In addition, the introduced internal electric field functions as a selector that can promote the separation of photo-generated carriers, resulting in the higher photocatalytic quantum efficiency. These findings illustrate the underlying mechanism for the reported experiments, and can be used as a basis for the design of novel highly efficient composite photocatalysts with hetero-structures.

Probing Interfacial Processes on Graphene Surface by Mass Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Kakenov, Nurbek; Kocabas, Coskun

2013-03-01

In this work we studied the mass density of graphene, probed interfacial processes on graphene surface and examined the formation of graphene oxide by mass detection. The graphene layers were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition method on copper foils and transfer-printed on a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The mass density of single layer graphene was measured by investigating the mechanical resonance of the QCM. Moreover, we extended the developed technique to probe the binding dynamics of proteins on the surface of graphene, were able to obtain nonspecific binding constant of BSA protein of graphene surface in aqueous solution. The time trace of resonance signal showed that the BSA molecules rapidly saturated by filling the available binding sites on graphene surface. Furthermore, we monitored oxidation of graphene surface under oxygen plasma by tracing the changes of interfacial mass of the graphene controlled by the shifts in Raman spectra. Three regimes were observed the formation of graphene oxide which increases the interfacial mass, the release of carbon dioxide and the removal of small graphene/graphene oxide flakes. Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) grant no. 110T304, 109T209, Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant (IRG) grant no 256458, Turkish Academy of Science (TUBA-Gebip).

Interfacial self-healing of nanocomposite hydrogels: Theory and experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qiming; Gao, Zheming; Yu, Kunhao

2017-12-01

Polymers with dynamic bonds are able to self-heal their fractured interfaces and restore the mechanical strengths. It is largely elusive how to analytically model this self-healing behavior to construct the mechanistic relationship between the self-healing properties (e.g., healed interfacial strength and equilibrium healing time) and the material compositions and healing conditions. Here, we take a self-healable nanocomposite hydrogel as an example to illustrate an interfacial self-healing theory for hydrogels with dynamic bonds. In the theory, we consider the free polymer chains diffuse across the interface and reform crosslinks to bridge the interface. We analytically reveal that the healed strengths of nanocomposite hydrogels increase with the healing time in an error-function-like form. The equilibrium self-healing time of the full-strength recovery decreases with the temperature and increases with the nanoparticle concentration. We further analytically reveal that the healed interfacial strength decreases with increasing delaying time before the healing process. The theoretical results quantitatively match with our experiments on nanosilica hydrogels, and also agree well with other researchers' experiments on nanoclay hydrogels. We expect that this theory would open promising avenues for quantitative understanding of the self-healing mechanics of various polymers with dynamic bonds, and offer insights for designing high-performance self-healing polymers.

Recent advances in interfacial engineering of perovskite solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Meidan; He, Chunfeng; Iocozzia, James; Liu, Xueqin; Cui, Xun; Meng, Xiangtong; Rager, Matthew; Hong, Xiaodan; Liu, Xiangyang; Lin, Zhiqun

2017-09-01

Due to recent developments, organometallic halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted even greater interest owing to their impressive photovoltaic properties and simple device manufacturing processes with the potential for commercial applications. The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of PSCs have surged from 3.8% for methyl ammonium lead halide-sensitized liquid solar cells, CH3NH3PbX3 (X  =  Cl, Br, I), in 2009, to more than 22% for all-solid-state solar cells in 2016. Over the past few years, significant effort has been dedicated to realizing PSCs with even higher performance. In this review, recent advances in the interfacial engineering of PSCs are addressed. The specific strategies for the interfacial engineering of PSCs fall into two categories: (1) solvent treatment and additives to improve the light-harvesting capabilities of perovskite films, and (2) the incorporation of various functional materials at the interfaces between the active layers (e.g. electron transporting layer, perovskite layer, and hole transporting layer). This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of strategies for the interfacial engineering of PSCs with potential benefits including enhanced light harvesting, improved charge separation and transport, improved device stability, and elimination of photocurrent hysteresis.

Holographic Floquet states I: a strongly coupled Weyl semimetal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, Koji; Kinoshita, Shunichiro; Murata, Keiju; Oka, Takashi

2017-01-01

Floquet states can be realized in quantum systems driven by continuous time-periodic perturbations. It is known that a state known as the Floquet Weyl semimetal can be realized when free Dirac fermions are placed in a rotating electric field. What will happen if strong interaction is introduced to this system? Will the interaction wash out the characteristic features of Weyl semimetals such as the Hall response? Is there a steady state and what is its thermodynamic behavior? We answer these questions using AdS/CFT correspondence in the N=2 supersymmetric massless QCD in a rotating electric field in the large N c limit realizing the first example of a “holographic Floquet state”. In this limit, gluons not only mediate interaction, but also act as an energy reservoir and stabilize the nonequilibrium steady state (NESS). We obtain the electric current induced by a rotating electric field: in the high frequency region, the Ohm’s law is satisfied, while we recover the DC nonlinear conductivity at low frequency, which was obtained holographically in a previous work. The thermodynamic properties of the NESS, e.g., fluctuation-dissipation relation, is characterized by the effective Hawking temperature that is defined from the effective horizon giving a holographic meaning to the “periodic thermodynamic” concept. In addition to the strong (pump) rotating electric field, we apply an additional weak (probe) electric field in the spirit of the pump-probe experiments done in condensed matter experiments. Weak DC and AC probe analysis in the background rotating electric field shows Hall currents as a linear response, therefore the Hall response of Floquet Weyl semimetals survives at the strong coupling limit. We also find frequency mixed response currents, i.e., a heterodyning effect, characteristic to periodically driven Floquet systems.

Holographic Floquet states I: a strongly coupled Weyl semimetal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimoto, Koji [Department of Physics, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043 (Japan); Kinoshita, Shunichiro [Department of Physics, Chuo University, Tokyo 112-8551 (Japan); Murata, Keiju [Keio University, 4-1-1 Hiyoshi, Yokohama 223-8521 (Japan); Oka, Takashi [Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme (MPI-PKS), Nöthnitzer Straße 38, Dresden 01187 (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Physik fester Stoffe (MPI-CPfS),Nöthnitzer Straße 40, Dresden 01187 (Germany)

2017-05-23

Floquet states can be realized in quantum systems driven by continuous time-periodic perturbations. It is known that a state known as the Floquet Weyl semimetal can be realized when free Dirac fermions are placed in a rotating electric field. What will happen if strong interaction is introduced to this system? Will the interaction wash out the characteristic features of Weyl semimetals such as the Hall response? Is there a steady state and what is its thermodynamic behavior? We answer these questions using AdS/CFT correspondence in the N=2 supersymmetric massless QCD in a rotating electric field in the large N{sub c} limit realizing the first example of a “holographic Floquet state”. In this limit, gluons not only mediate interaction, but also act as an energy reservoir and stabilize the nonequilibrium steady state (NESS). We obtain the electric current induced by a rotating electric field: in the high frequency region, the Ohm’s law is satisfied, while we recover the DC nonlinear conductivity at low frequency, which was obtained holographically in a previous work. The thermodynamic properties of the NESS, e.g., fluctuation-dissipation relation, is characterized by the effective Hawking temperature that is defined from the effective horizon giving a holographic meaning to the “periodic thermodynamic” concept. In addition to the strong (pump) rotating electric field, we apply an additional weak (probe) electric field in the spirit of the pump-probe experiments done in condensed matter experiments. Weak DC and AC probe analysis in the background rotating electric field shows Hall currents as a linear response, therefore the Hall response of Floquet Weyl semimetals survives at the strong coupling limit. We also find frequency mixed response currents, i.e., a heterodyning effect, characteristic to periodically driven Floquet systems.

Holographic Floquet states I: a strongly coupled Weyl semimetal

Science.gov (United States)

Hashimoto, Koji; Kinoshita, Shunichiro; Murata, Keiju; Oka, Takashi

2017-05-01

Floquet states can be realized in quantum systems driven by continuous time-periodic perturbations. It is known that a state known as the Floquet Weyl semimetal can be realized when free Dirac fermions are placed in a rotating electric field. What will happen if strong interaction is introduced to this system? Will the interaction wash out the characteristic features of Weyl semimetals such as the Hall response? Is there a steady state and what is its thermodynamic behavior? We answer these questions using AdS/CFT correspondence in the N = 2 supersymmetric massless QCD in a rotating electric field in the large N c limit realizing the first example of a "holographic Floquet state". In this limit, gluons not only mediate interaction, but also act as an energy reservoir and stabilize the nonequilibrium steady state (NESS). We obtain the electric current induced by a rotating electric field: in the high frequency region, the Ohm's law is satisfied, while we recover the DC nonlinear conductivity at low frequency, which was obtained holographically in a previous work. The thermodynamic properties of the NESS, e.g., fluctuation-dissipation relation, is characterized by the effective Hawking temperature that is defined from the effective horizon giving a holographic meaning to the "periodic thermodynamic" concept. In addition to the strong (pump) rotating electric field, we apply an additional weak (probe) electric field in the spirit of the pump-probe experiments done in condensed matter experiments. Weak DC and AC probe analysis in the background rotating electric field shows Hall currents as a linear response, therefore the Hall response of Floquet Weyl semimetals survives at the strong coupling limit. We also find frequency mixed response currents, i.e., a heterodyning effect, characteristic to periodically driven Floquet systems.

Sulfonated methyl esters of fatty acids in aqueous solutions: Interfacial and micellar properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Danov, Krassimir D; Stanimirova, Rumyana D; Kralchevsky, Peter A; Basheva, Elka S; Ivanova, Veronika I; Petkov, Jordan T

2015-11-01

The interest to sulfonated methyl esters of fatty acids (SME) has been growing during the last decade, because these surfactants are considered as an environmentally friendly and renewable alternative of the linear alkyl-benzene sulfonates (LAS). Here, we present a quantitative study on the properties of aqueous SME solutions, and especially on their surface tension isotherms, critical micelle concentration (CMC) and its dependence on the concentration of added NaCl. It is demonstrated that the CMC of an ionic surfactant determined by electrical conductivity is insensitive to the presence of a small nonionic admixture, so that the CMC values determined by conductivity represent the CMC of the pure surfactant. Using SME as an example, we have demonstrated the application of a new and powerful method for determining the physicochemical parameters of the pure ionic surfactant by theoretical data analysis ("computer purification") if the used surfactant sample contains nonionic admixtures, which are present as a rule. This method involves fits of the experimental data for surface tension and conductivity by a physicochemical model based on a system of mass-balance, chemical-equilibrium and electric-double-layer equations, which allows us to determine the adsorption and micellization parameters of C12-, C14-, C16- and C18-SME, as well the fraction of nonionic admixtures (if any). Having determined these parameters, we can further predict the interfacial and micellization properties of the surfactant solutions, such as surface tension, adsorption, degree of counterion binding, and surface electric potential at every surfactant, salt and co-surfactant concentrations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interfacial area, velocity and void fraction in two-phase slug flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojasoy, G.; Riznic, J.R.

1997-01-01

The internal flow structure of air-water plug/slug flow in a 50.3 mm dia transparent pipeline has been experimentally investigated by using a four-sensor resistivity probe. Liquid and gas volumetric superficial velocities ranged from 0.55 to 2.20 m/s and 0.27 to 2.20 m/s, respectively, and area-averaged void fractions ranged from about 10 to 70%. The local distributions of void fractions, interfacial area concentration and interface velocity were measured. Contributions from small spherical bubbles and large elongated slug bubbles toward the total void fraction and interfacial area concentration were differentiated. It was observed that the small bubble void contribution to the overall void fraction was small indicating that the large slug bubble void fraction was a dominant factor in determining the total void fraction. However, the small bubble interfacial area contribution was significant in the lower and upper portions of the pipe cross sections

Bulk and interfacial stresses in suspensions of soft and hard colloids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Truzzolillo, D; Roger, V; Dupas, C; Cipelletti, L; Mora, S

2015-01-01

We explore the influence of particle softness and internal structure on both the bulk and interfacial rheological properties of colloidal suspensions. We probe bulk stresses by conventional rheology, by measuring the flow curves, shear stress versus strain rate, for suspensions of soft, deformable microgel particles and suspensions of near hard-sphere-like silica particles. A similar behaviour is seen for both kinds of particles in suspensions at concentrations up to the random close packing volume fraction, in agreement with recent theoretical predictions for sub-micron colloids. Transient interfacial stresses are measured by analyzing the patterns formed by the interface between the suspensions and their solvent, due to a generalized Saffman–Taylor hydrodynamic instability. At odds with the bulk behaviour, we find that microgels and hard particle suspensions exhibit vastly different interfacial stress properties. We propose that this surprising behaviour results mainly from the difference in particle internal structure (polymeric network for microgels versus compact solid for the silica particles), rather than softness alone. (paper)

EFFECT OF INTERFACIAL ADHESION ON CRYSTALLIZATION AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF POLY (ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE)/GLASS BEAD COMPOSITES

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

OU Yuchun; YU Zhongzhen; ZHU Jin; LI Ge; ZHU Shanguang

1996-01-01

The interfacial adhesion between poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and glass bead was investigated by scanning electron microscope and parallel-plate rheometer. Effect of interfacial adhesion on the crystallization and mechanical properties of PET/glass bead composites was also studied by differential scanning calorimeter and mechanical testers.The results obtained indicate that the glass bead has a heterogeneous nucleation effect on the PET crystallization. Although better interfacial adhesion is advantageous to the increase of the tensile strength of the composite, yet it is unfavorable to the crystallization of PET. It should be pointed out that the crystallization rate of filled PET is always higher than that of pure PET, regardless of the state of interfacial adhesion.

An experimental investigation of the dielectric properties of electrorheological fluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Y; Thomas, M; Masounave, J

2009-01-01

A home-made electrorheological (ER) fluid, known as ETSERF, has been created with suspension-based powders dispersed in silicone oil. Because of the special structure of their particles, ETSERF suspensions present a complex behavior. In the absence of an electric field, the ETSERF fluid manifests a near-Newtonian behavior, but when an electric field is applied, it exhibits a pseudoplastic behavior with yield stress. The ER effect under DC electric fields has been experimentally investigated using both hydrous and anhydrous ER fluids. The ER properties are strongly dependent on the dielectric properties of ETSERF suspensions, and hydrous ER fluids have a high dielectric constant and a high relaxation frequency which show a strong electrorheological effect. The relationship between the electrorheological effect and the permittivity of ER fluids has also been extensively studied. Experimental results show that the interfacial polarization plays an important role in the electrorheological phenomenon. The ageing of ETSERF fluids was also studied and it was found that the dielectric properties (mainly the dielectric loss tangent) and ER properties are strongly related to the duration of ageing. A fresh ETSERF suspension exhibits high relaxation frequency and high dielectric constant. These results are mainly explained by the effect of interfacial polarizations

The influence of interfacial properties on the two-phase liquid flow of organic contaminants in groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demond, A.H.; Desai, F.N.; Hayes, K.F.

1992-01-01

DOE's waste sites are contaminated with a variety of organic liquids. Because of their low solubility in water, organic liquids such as these will persist as separate liquid phases and be transported as such in the subsurface. Thus, an improved understanding of the factors influencing the movement of a separate organic liquid phase in the subsurface is important to DOE's efforts to control groundwater contamination. Wettability is sometimes cited as the most important factor influencing two-phase flow in porous media. The wetting phase migrates preferentially through the smaller pores, whereas the nonwetting phase is concentrated in the larger pores. Typically, aquifers are thought of as strongly water-wet, implying that the organic liquid preferentially occupies the larger pores. But in fact, that state depends on the properties of the three interfaces of the system: between the organic liquid and water, water and the solid, and the organic liquid and the solid. Characteristics of the system which affect the interfacial properties also impact the wettability, such as the nature of the aquifer solids' surfaces, the composition of the goundwater and the properties of the organic contaminant. The alteration of wettability at DOE waste sites may be dominated by the presence of co-contaminants such as organic acids and bases which behave as surface-active agents or surfactants. Because of their physicochemical nature, surfactants will sorb preferentially at the interfaces of the system, thereby impacting the wettability and the distribution of the liquids in the porous medium. The over-all objective of this research was to determine how changes in interfacial properties affect two-phase flow. Specifically, the objective was to examine the effect of surfactant sorption on capillary pressure relationships by correlating measurements of sorption, zeta potential, interfacial tension and contact angle, with changes in the capillary pressure-saturation relationships

Testing temperature on interfacial shear strength measurements of epoxy resins at different mixing ratios

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Helga Nørgaard; Thomason, James L.; Minty, Ross

2015-01-01

The interfacial properties as Interfacial Shear Stress (IFSS) in fibre reinforced polymers are essential for further understanding of the mechanical properties of the composite. In this work a single fibre testing method is used in combination with an epoxy matrix made from Araldite 506 epoxy res...

Protein interfacial structure and nanotoxicology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, John W. [Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra (Australia)], E-mail: jww@rsc.anu.edu.au; Perriman, Adam W.; McGillivray, Duncan J.; Lin, J.-M. [Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra (Australia)

2009-02-21

Here we briefly recapitulate the use of X-ray and neutron reflectometry at the air-water interface to find protein structures and thermodynamics at interfaces and test a possibility for understanding those interactions between nanoparticles and proteins which lead to nanoparticle toxicology through entry into living cells. Stable monomolecular protein films have been made at the air-water interface and, with a specially designed vessel, the substrate changed from that which the air-water interfacial film was deposited. This procedure allows interactions, both chemical and physical, between introduced species and the monomolecular film to be studied by reflectometry. The method is briefly illustrated here with some new results on protein-protein interaction between {beta}-casein and {kappa}-casein at the air-water interface using X-rays. These two proteins are an essential component of the structure of milk. In the experiments reported, specific and directional interactions appear to cause different interfacial structures if first, a {beta}-casein monolayer is attacked by a {kappa}-casein solution compared to the reverse. The additional contrast associated with neutrons will be an advantage here. We then show the first results of experiments on the interaction of a {beta}-casein monolayer with a nanoparticle titanium oxide sol, foreshadowing the study of the nanoparticle 'corona' thought to be important for nanoparticle-cell wall penetration.

Protein interfacial structure and nanotoxicology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, John W.; Perriman, Adam W.; McGillivray, Duncan J.; Lin, J.-M.

2009-01-01

Here we briefly recapitulate the use of X-ray and neutron reflectometry at the air-water interface to find protein structures and thermodynamics at interfaces and test a possibility for understanding those interactions between nanoparticles and proteins which lead to nanoparticle toxicology through entry into living cells. Stable monomolecular protein films have been made at the air-water interface and, with a specially designed vessel, the substrate changed from that which the air-water interfacial film was deposited. This procedure allows interactions, both chemical and physical, between introduced species and the monomolecular film to be studied by reflectometry. The method is briefly illustrated here with some new results on protein-protein interaction between β-casein and κ-casein at the air-water interface using X-rays. These two proteins are an essential component of the structure of milk. In the experiments reported, specific and directional interactions appear to cause different interfacial structures if first, a β-casein monolayer is attacked by a κ-casein solution compared to the reverse. The additional contrast associated with neutrons will be an advantage here. We then show the first results of experiments on the interaction of a β-casein monolayer with a nanoparticle titanium oxide sol, foreshadowing the study of the nanoparticle 'corona' thought to be important for nanoparticle-cell wall penetration.

Interfacial intermixing in InAs/GaSb short-period-superlattices grown by molecular beam epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luna, E.; Satpati, B.; Trampert, A.; Rodriguez, J. B.; Baranov, A. N.; Tournie, E.

2010-01-01

The unique properties of the noncommon-atom InAs/GaSb short-period-superlattices (SPSL) strongly depend on the interface structure. These interfaces are characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The compositional sharpness is obtained from the comparison of the experimental contrast in g 002 two-beam dark-field TEM images with simulated intensity profiles, which are calculated assuming that the element distribution profiles are described by sigmoidal functions. The interfacial intermixing, defined by the chemical width, is obtained for SPSL with different periods and layer thicknesses, even in the extreme case of nominally less than 3 ML thick InAs layers. Nominal 1 ML InSb layers intentionally inserted are also identified.

Interfacial Mechanism in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: How Salts Mediate the Structure Evolution and Dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Shuang-Yan; Xiao, Rui-Juan; Gu, Lin; Guo, Yu-Guo; Wen, Rui; Wan, Li-Jun

2018-06-08

Lithium-sulfur batteries possess favorable potential for energy-storage applications due to their high specific capacity and the low cost of sulfur. Intensive understanding of the interfacial mechanism, especially the polysulfide formation and transformation under complex electrochemical environment, is crucial for the build-up of advanced batteries. Here we report the direct visualization of interfacial evolution and dynamic transformation of the sulfides mediated by the lithium salts via real-time atomic force microscopy monitoring inside a working battery. The observations indicate that the lithium salts influence the structures and processes of sulfide deposition/decomposition during discharge/charge. Moreover, the distinct ion interaction and diffusion in electrolytes manipulate the interfacial reactions determining the kinetics of the sulfide transformation. Our findings provide deep insights into surface dynamics of lithium-sulfur reactions revealing the salt-mediated mechanisms at nanoscale, which contribute to the profound understanding of the interfacial processes for the optimized design of lithium-sulfur batteries.

Governing Influence of Thermodynamic and Chemical Equilibria on the Interfacial Properties in Complex Fluids.

Science.gov (United States)

Harikrishnan, A R; Dhar, Purbarun; Gedupudi, Sateesh; Das, Sarit K

2018-04-12

We propose a comprehensive analysis and a quasi-analytical mathematical formalism to predict the surface tension and contact angles of complex surfactant-infused nanocolloids. The model rests on the foundations of the interaction potentials for the interfacial adsorption-desorption dynamics in complex multicomponent colloids. Surfactant-infused nanoparticle-laden interface problems are difficult to deal with because of the many-body interactions and interfaces involved at the meso-nanoscales. The model is based on the governing role of thermodynamic and chemical equilibrium parameters in modulating the interfacial energies. The influence of parameters such as the presence of surfactants, nanoparticles, and surfactant-capped nanoparticles on interfacial dynamics is revealed by the analysis. Solely based on the knowledge of interfacial properties of independent surfactant solutions and nanocolloids, the same can be deduced for complex surfactant-based nanocolloids through the proposed approach. The model accurately predicts the equilibrium surface tension and contact angle of complex nanocolloids available in the existing literature and present experimental findings.

Investigation of structural and electrical properties on substrate material for high frequency metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, M.; Yang, Sung-Hyun; Janardhan Reddy, K.; JagadeeshChandra, S. V.

2017-04-01

Hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin films were grown on cleaned P-type Ge and Si substrates by using atomic layer deposition technique (ALD) with thickness of 8 nm. The composition analysis of as-deposited and annealed HfO2 films was characterized by XPS, further electrical measurements; we fabricated the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices with Pt electrode. Post deposition annealing in O2 ambient at 500 °C for 30 min was carried out on both Ge and Si devices. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G-V) curves measured at 1 MHz. The Ge MOS devices showed improved interfacial and electrical properties, high dielectric constant (~19), smaller EOT value (0.7 nm), and smaller D it value as Si MOS devices. The C-V curves shown significantly high accumulation capacitance values from Ge devices, relatively when compare with the Si MOS devices before and after annealing. It could be due to the presence of very thin interfacial layer at HfO2/Ge stacks than HfO2/Si stacks conformed by the HRTEM images. Besides, from current-voltage (I-V) curves of the Ge devices exhibited similar leakage current as Si devices. Therefore, Ge might be a reliable substrate material for structural, electrical and high frequency applications.

Interfacial exciplex formation in bilayers of conjugated polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Nobuyasu, R. S.; Araujo, K. A. S.; Cury, L. A.; Jarrosson, T.; Serein-Spirau, F.; Lère-Porte, J.-P.; Dias, F. B.; Monkman, A. P.

2013-10-01

The donor-acceptor interactions in sequential bilayer and blend films are investigated. Steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) were measured to characterize the samples at different geometries of photoluminescence collection. At standard excitation, with the laser incidence at 45° of the normal direction of the sample surface, a band related to the aggregate states of donor molecules appears for both blend and bilayer at around 540 nm. For the PL spectra acquired from the edge of the bilayer, with the laser incidence made at normal direction of the sample surface (90° geometry), a new featureless band emission, red-shifted from donor and acceptor emission regions was observed and assigned as the emission from interfacial exciplex states. The conformational complexity coming from donor/acceptor interactions at the heterojunction interface of the bilayer is at the origin of this interfacial exciplex emission.

The electrostatic interaction between interfacial colloidal particles

Science.gov (United States)

Hurd, A. J.

1985-11-01

The electrostatic interaction between charged, colloidal particles trapped at an air-water interface is considered using linearised Poisson-Boltzmann results for point particles. In addition to the expected screened-Coulomb contribution, which decays exponentially, an algebraic dipole-dipole interaction occurs that may account for long-range interactions in interfacial colloidal systems.

Interfacial area concentration in gas–liquid bubbly to churn-turbulent flow regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozar, B.; Dixit, A.; Chen, S.W.; Hibiki, T.; Ishii, M.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A systematic approach to predict the interfacial area concentration is presented. ► Two group approach for categorizing bubbles is used. ► Prediction of Group-1 bubble size and void fraction are key elements of this work. ► The proposed approach compares well with selected databases. - Abstract: There are very few established correlations to predict the interfacial area concentration beyond the bubbly flow regime in cap-slug and churn-turbulent flow regimes. Present study shows a systematic approach to estimate the interfacial area concentration in bubbly, cap-slug and churn-turbulent flow regimes. Ishii and Mishima’s (1980) formulation and the two group approach for categorizing bubbles (Group-1: spherical or distorted bubble, Group-2: cap bubble) are used to estimate the interfacial area concentration. The key parameters in this framework are the estimation of Group-1 bubble size and the amount of void in the liquid slug, which is a function of Group-1 void fraction. Hibiki and Ishii’s (2002) correlation is utilized to predict the size of the Group-1 bubbles. A correlation is developed to estimate the Group-1 void fraction. The developed model for the estimation of interfacial area concentration is compared with the three existing datasets. These are data for air–water flow taken in annular geometry and round tube and also for air–NaOH solution taken in round tube. The estimation accuracies for these data sets are ±36.4%, ±26.5% and ±37.4%, respectively. These datasets cover a wide range of flow regimes and different physical properties.

Partitioning and interfacial tracers for differentiating NAPL entrapment configuration: column-scale investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, D; Barranco, F T; Illangasekare, T H

2001-12-15

Research on the use of partitioning and interfacial tracers has led to the development of techniques for estimating subsurface NAPL amount and NAPL-water interfacial area. Although these techniques have been utilized with some success at field sites, current application is limited largely to NAPL at residual saturation, such as for the case of post-remediation settings where mobile NAPL has been removed through product recovery. The goal of this study was to fundamentally evaluate partitioning and interfacial tracer behavior in controlled column-scale test cells for a range of entrapment configurations varying in NAPL saturation, with the results serving as a determinant of technique efficacy (and design protocol) for use with complexly distributed NAPLs, possibly at high saturation, in heterogeneous aquifers. Representative end members of the range of entrapment configurations observed under conditions of natural heterogeneity (an occurrence with residual NAPL saturation [discontinuous blobs] and an occurrence with high NAPL saturation [continuous free-phase LNAPL lens]) were evaluated. Study results indicated accurate prediction (using measured tracer retardation and equilibrium-based computational techniques) of NAPL amount and NAPL-water interfacial area for the case of residual NAPL saturation. For the high-saturation LNAPL lens, results indicated that NAPL-water interfacial area, but not NAPL amount (underpredicted by 35%), can be reasonably determined using conventional computation techniques. Underprediction of NAPL amount lead to an erroneous prediction of NAPL distribution, as indicated by the NAPL morphology index. In light of these results, careful consideration should be given to technique design and critical assumptions before applying equilibrium-based partitioning tracer methodology to settings where NAPLs are complexly entrapped, such as in naturally heterogeneous subsurface formations.

Electrical properties of ZnO thin films grown by MOCVD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pagni, O. [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Somhlahlo, N.N. [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Weichsel, C. [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Leitch, A.W.R. [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa)]. E-mail: andrew.leitch@nmmu.ac.za

2006-04-01

We report on the electrical characterization of ZnO films grown by MOCVD on glass and sapphire substrates. After correcting our temperature variable Hall measurements by applying the standard two-layer model, which takes into account an interfacial layer, scattering mechanisms in the ZnO films were studied as well as donor activation energies determined. ZnO films grown at different oxygen partial pressures indicated the importance of growth conditions on the defect structure by means of their conductivities and conductivity activation energies.

Electrical properties of ZnO thin films grown by MOCVD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pagni, O.; Somhlahlo, N.N.; Weichsel, C.; Leitch, A.W.R.

2006-01-01

We report on the electrical characterization of ZnO films grown by MOCVD on glass and sapphire substrates. After correcting our temperature variable Hall measurements by applying the standard two-layer model, which takes into account an interfacial layer, scattering mechanisms in the ZnO films were studied as well as donor activation energies determined. ZnO films grown at different oxygen partial pressures indicated the importance of growth conditions on the defect structure by means of their conductivities and conductivity activation energies

Measurements of the weak bonding interfacial stiffness by using air-coupled ultrasound

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen-Lin Wu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available An air-coupled ultrasonic method, focusing on the problem that weak bonding interface is difficult to accurately measure using conventional nondestructive testing technique, is proposed to evaluate the bond integrity. Based on the spring model and the potential function theory, a theoretical model is established to predict the through-transmission spectrum in double-layer adhesive structure. The result of a theoretical algorithm shows that all the resonant transmission peaks move towards higher frequency with the increase of the interfacial stiffness. The reason for these movements is related to either the normal stiffness (KN or the transverse stiffness (KT. A method to optimize the measurement parameters (i.e. the incident angle and testing frequency is put forward through analyzing the relationship between the resonant transmission peaks and the interfacial spring stiffness at the frequency below 1MHz. The air-coupled ultrasonic testing experiments at the normal and oblique incident angle respectively are carried out to verify the theoretical analysis and to accurately measure the interfacial stiffness of double-layer adhesive composite plate. The experimental results are good agreement with the results from the theoretical algorithm, and the relationship between bonding time and interfacial stiffness is presented at the end of this paper.

Charles J. McMahon Interfacial Segregation and Embrittlement Symposium

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Vitek, Vaclav

2003-01-01

.... McMahon Interfacial Segregation and Embrittlement Symposium: Grain Boundary Segregation and Fracture in Steels was sponsored by ASM International, Materials Science Critical Technology Sector, Structural Materials Division, Materials Processing...

Electric-field control of magnetism via strain transfer across ferromagnetic/ferroelectric interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Taniyama, Tomoyasu

2015-12-23

By taking advantage of the coupling between magnetism and ferroelectricity, ferromagnetic (FM)/ferroelectric (FE) multiferroic interfaces play a pivotal role in manipulating magnetism by electric fields. Integrating the multiferroic heterostructures into spintronic devices significantly reduces energy dissipation from Joule heating because only an electric field is required to switch the magnetic element. New concepts of storage and processing of information thus can be envisioned when the electric-field control of magnetism is a viable alternative to the traditional current based means of controlling magnetism. This article reviews some salient aspects of the electric-field effects on magnetism, providing a short overview of the mechanisms of magneto-electric (ME) coupling at the FM/FE interfaces. A particular emphasis is placed on the ME effect via interfacial magneto-elastic coupling arising from strain transfer from the FE to FM layer. Recent results that demonstrate the electric-field control of magnetic anisotropy, magnetic order, magnetic domain wall motion, and etc are described. Obstacles that need to be overcome are also discussed for making this a reality for future device applications.

Electric-field control of magnetism via strain transfer across ferromagnetic/ferroelectric interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taniyama, Tomoyasu

2015-01-01

By taking advantage of the coupling between magnetism and ferroelectricity, ferromagnetic (FM)/ferroelectric (FE) multiferroic interfaces play a pivotal role in manipulating magnetism by electric fields. Integrating the multiferroic heterostructures into spintronic devices significantly reduces energy dissipation from Joule heating because only an electric field is required to switch the magnetic element. New concepts of storage and processing of information thus can be envisioned when the electric-field control of magnetism is a viable alternative to the traditional current based means of controlling magnetism. This article reviews some salient aspects of the electric-field effects on magnetism, providing a short overview of the mechanisms of magneto-electric (ME) coupling at the FM/FE interfaces. A particular emphasis is placed on the ME effect via interfacial magneto-elastic coupling arising from strain transfer from the FE to FM layer. Recent results that demonstrate the electric-field control of magnetic anisotropy, magnetic order, magnetic domain wall motion, and etc are described. Obstacles that need to be overcome are also discussed for making this a reality for future device applications. (topical review)

Interfacial transport processes and rheology

CERN Document Server

Brenner, Howard

1991-01-01

This textbook is designed to provide the theory, methods of measurement, and principal applications of the expanding field of interfacial hydrodynamics. It is intended to serve the research needs of both academic and industrial scientists, including chemical or mechanical engineers, material and surface scientists, physical chemists, chemical and biophysicists, rheologists, physiochemical hydrodynamicists, and applied mathematicians (especially those with interests in viscous fluid mechanics and continuum mechanics).As a textbook it provides materials for a one- or two-semester graduate-level

Development of Interfacial Structure in a Confined Air-Water Cap-Turbulent and Churn-Turbulent Flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, X.; Kim, S.; Cheng, L.; Ishii, M.; Beus, S.G.

2001-01-01

The objective of the present work is to study and model the interfacial structure development of air-water two-phase flow in a confined test section. Experiments of a total of 9 flow conditions in a cap-turbulent and churn-turbulent flow regimes are carried out in a vertical air-water upward two-phase flow experimental loop with a test section of 20-cm in width and 1-cm in gap. The miniaturized four-sensor conductivity probes are used to measure local two-phase parameters at three different elevations for each flow condition. The bubbles captured by the probes are categorized into two groups in view of the two-group interfacial area transport equation, i.e., spherical/distorted bubbles as Group 1 and cap/churn-turbulent bubbles as Group 2. The acquired parameters are time-averaged local void fraction, interfacial velocity, bubble number frequency, interfacial area concentration, and bubble Sauter mean diameter for both groups of bubbles. Also, the line-averaged and area-averaged data are presented and discussed. The comparisons of these parameters at different elevations demonstrate the development of interfacial structure along the flow direction due to bubble interactions

Development of Interfacial Structure in a Confined Air-Water Cap-Turbulent and Churn-Turbulent Flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiaodong Sun; Seungjin Kim; Ling Cheng; Mamoru Ishii; Beus, Stephen G.

2002-01-01

The objective of the present work is to study and model the interfacial structure development of air-water two-phase flow in a confined test section. Experiments of a total of 9 flow conditions in cap-turbulent and churn-turbulent flow regimes are carried out in a vertical air-water upward two-phase flow experimental loop with a test section of 200-mm in width and 10-mm in gap. Miniaturized four-sensor conductivity probes are used to measure local two-phase parameters at three different elevations for each flow condition. The bubbles captured by the probes are categorized into two groups in view of the two-group interfacial area transport equation, i.e., spherical/distorted bubbles as Group 1 and cap/churn-turbulent bubbles as Group 2. The acquired parameters are time-averaged local void fraction, interfacial velocity, bubble number frequency, interfacial area concentration, and bubble Sauter mean diameter for both groups of bubbles. Also, the line-averaged and area-averaged data are presented and discussed. The comparisons of these parameters at different elevations demonstrate the development of interfacial structure along the flow direction due to bubble interactions. (authors)

Synthesis of colloidal metal nanocrystals in droplet reactors: the pros and cons of interfacial adsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lei; Wang, Yi; Tong, Limin; Xia, Younan

2014-07-09

Droplet reactors have received considerable attention in recent years as an alternative route to the synthesis and potentially high-volume production of colloidal metal nanocrystals. Interfacial adsorption will immediately become an important issue to address when one seeks to translate a nanocrystal synthesis from batch reactors to droplet reactors due to the involvement of higher surface-to-volume ratios for the droplets and the fact that nanocrystals tend to be concentrated at the water-oil interface. Here we report a systematic study to compare the pros and cons of interfacial adsorption of metal nanocrystals during their synthesis in droplet reactors. On the one hand, interfacial adsorption can be used to generate nanocrystals with asymmetric shapes or structures, including one-sixth-truncated Ag octahedra and Au-Ag nanocups. On the other hand, interfacial adsorption has to be mitigated to obtain nanocrystals with uniform sizes and controlled shapes. We confirmed that Triton X-100, a nonionic surfactant, could effectively alleviate interfacial adsorption while imposing no impact on the capping agent typically needed for a shape-controlled synthesis. With the introduction of a proper surfactant, droplet reactors offer an attractive platform for the continuous production of colloidal metal nanocrystals.

Interfacial Shear Rheology of β-Lactoglobulin - Bovine Submaxillary Mucin Layers Adsorbed at Air/Water Interface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Celebioglu, Hilal Yilmaz; Kmiecik-Palczewska, Joanna; Lee, Seunghwan

2017-01-01

The interfacial rheological properties of solutions of β-lactoglobulin (BLG), as a model food compound, mixed with bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM), a major salivary protein, have been investigated. Time, frequency, stress sweep and flow measurements have been performed at different pHs (7.4, 5.......0 and 3.0), to investigate the air/water interfacial properties. All protein layers (BLG, BSM, and BLG-BSM mixtures) formed an elastic network at the air/water interface with low frequency dependence of the interfacial modulus. The results indicated that BLG moves faster as smaller molecule than mucin...

Analysis on Interfacial Performance of CFRPConcrete with Different Thickness of Adhesive Layer and CFRP Plate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guo Qingyong

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The bond behavior of CFRP-concrete interface is the analysis foundation for concrete structures with external strengthening CFRP. In the paper, the influences of the thickness of CFRP plate and adhesive layer on interfacial adhesive properties are investigated through the finite element program. The influence rules of the thickness on the interfacial ultimate bearing capacity and the effective bond length are performed. The results show that the thickness of adhesive layer and CFRP plate has a significant effect on the interfacial performance of CFRP-concrete.

On the microstructure and interfacial properties of sputtered nickel ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

On the microstructure and interfacial properties of sputtered nickel ... (FE-SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) revealed columnar morphology with voided boundaries for ..... compound phase formation by performing the deposition.

Numerical Treatment of Two-phase Flow in Porous Media Including Specific Interfacial Area

KAUST Repository

El-Amin, Mohamed

2015-06-01

In this work, we present a numerical treatment for the model of two-phase flow in porous media including specific interfacial area. For numerical discretization we use the cell-centered finite difference (CCFD) method based on the shifting-matrices method which can reduce the time-consuming operations. A new iterative implicit algorithm has been developed to solve the problem under consideration. All advection and advection-like terms that appear in saturation equation and interfacial area equation are treated using upwind schemes. Selected simulation results such as pc–Sw–awn surface, capillary pressure, saturation and specific interfacial area with various values of model parameters have been introduced. The simulation results show a good agreement with those in the literature using either pore network modeling or Darcy scale modeling.

Invariance of the solid-liquid interfacial energy in electrowetting probed via capillary condensation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Rohini; Olivier, Gloria K; Frechette, Joelle

2010-07-20

Capillary condensation is employed to probe the solid-liquid interfacial energy in electrowetting on dielectric. The height of an annular water meniscus formed via capillary condensation inside the surface force apparatus is measured as a function of the potential applied across the meniscus and the dielectric stack where the meniscus is formed. According to the Kelvin equation, a decrease in the solid-liquid interfacial energy at constant temperature and relative humidity should lead to an increase in the meniscus height. Our experimental results on nanometer-sized meniscus are in agreement with the work of Mugele [J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 2007, 19, 375112] and unequivocally demonstrate that the real contact angle (or the solid-liquid interfacial energy) remains unaltered in electrowetting on dielectric.

Effect of surface modifications and environment on the interfacial adhesion of polymer/aluminum alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, X.F. [Xi' an High-technology Institute, Xi' an 710025 (China)], E-mail: xiaofang_liu@263.net; Wu, Q.Y.; Wang, H.G. [Xi' an High-technology Institute, Xi' an 710025 (China)

2008-06-15

This work investigates the influence of surface modifications and environmental conditions on the interfacial adhesion of epoxy resin films on a 6016 aluminum alloy, as measured by peeling experiments. The alloy surfaces were pretreated with an etching solution, and then modified, respectively, with aminopropyl silane solution, aminopropyl phosphonate solution, and hexamethyldisiloxane plasma. The modified surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy and their roughness was quantified by a fractal index. The peeling experiments show that the interfacial adhesion of epoxy on the aluminum alloy mainly results from the chemical and mechanical characteristics of the material surface. Environmental factors such as humidity can also weaken interfacial adhesion.

Effect of surface modifications and environment on the interfacial adhesion of polymer/aluminum alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, X.F.; Wu, Q.Y.; Wang, H.G.

2008-01-01

This work investigates the influence of surface modifications and environmental conditions on the interfacial adhesion of epoxy resin films on a 6016 aluminum alloy, as measured by peeling experiments. The alloy surfaces were pretreated with an etching solution, and then modified, respectively, with aminopropyl silane solution, aminopropyl phosphonate solution, and hexamethyldisiloxane plasma. The modified surfaces were examined by scanning electron microscopy and their roughness was quantified by a fractal index. The peeling experiments show that the interfacial adhesion of epoxy on the aluminum alloy mainly results from the chemical and mechanical characteristics of the material surface. Environmental factors such as humidity can also weaken interfacial adhesion

Cofiring behavior and interfacial structure of NiCuZn ferrite/PMN ferroelectrics composites for multilayer LC filters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miao Chunlin; Zhou Ji; Cui Xuemin; Wang Xiaohui; Yue Zhenxing; Li Longtu

2006-01-01

The cofiring behavior, interfacial structure and cofiring migration between NiCuZn ferrite and lead magnesium niobate (PMN)-based relaxor ferroelectric materials were investigated via thermomechanical analyzer (TMA), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Mismatched sintering shrinkage between NiCuZn ferrite and PMN was modified by adding an appropriate amount of sintering aids, Bi 2 O 3 , into NiCuZn ferrite. Pyrochlore phase appeared in the mixture of NiCuZn ferrite and PMN, which is detrimental to the final electric properties of LC filters. EDS results indicated that the interdiffusion at the heterogeneous interfaces in the composites, such as Fe, Pb, Zn, existed which can strengthen combinations between ferrite layers and ferroelectrics layers