Low Earth Orbit Environmental Effects on Space Tether Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Finckernor, Miria M.; Gitlemeier, Keith A.; Hawk, Clark W.; Watts, Ed

2005-01-01

Atomic oxygen (AO) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation erode and embrittle most polymeric materials. This research was designed to test several different materials and coatings under consideration for their application to space tethers, for resistance to these effects. The samples were vacuum dehydrated, weighed and then exposed to various levels of AO or UV radiation at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. They were then re-weighed to determine mass loss due to atomic oxygen erosion, inspected for damage and tensile tested to determine strength loss. The experiments determined that the Photosil coating process, while affording some protection, damaged the tether materials worse than the AO exposure. TOR-LM also failed to fully protect the materials, especially from UV radiation. The POSS and nickel coatings did provide some protection to the tethers, which survived the entire test regime. M5 was tested, uncoated, and survived AO exposure, though its brittleness prevented any tensile testing.

Investigation of electrodynamic stabilization and control of long orbiting tethers

Science.gov (United States)

Colombo, G.; Arnold, D.

1984-01-01

The state-of-the-art in tether modelling among participants in the Tethered Satellite System (TSS) Program, the slack tether and its behavior, and certain advanced applications of the tether to problems in orbital mechanics are identified. The features and applications of the TSS software set are reviewed. Modelling the slack tether analytically with as many as 50 mass points and the application of this new model to a study of the behavior of a broken tether near the Shuttle are described. A reel control algorithm developed by SAO and examples of its use are described, including an example which also demonstrates the use of the tether in transferring a heavy payload from a low-orbiting Shuttle to a high circular orbit. Capture of a low-orbiting payload by a Space Station in high circular orbit is described. Energy transfer within a dumbbell-type spacecraft by cyclical reeling operations or gravitational effects on the natural elasticity of the connecting tether, it is shown, can circularize the orbit of the spacecraft.

Radiation resistant low bandgap InGaAsP solar cell for multi-junction solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Aurangzeb; Yamaguchi, Masafumi; Dharmaras, Nathaji; Yamada, Takashi; Tanabe, Tatsuya; Takagishi, Shigenori; Itoh, Hisayoshi; Ohshima, Takeshi

2001-01-01

We have explored the superior radiation tolerance of metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown, low bandgap, (0.95eV) InGaAsP solar cells as compared to GaAs-on-Ge cells, after 1 MeV electron irradiation. The minority carrier injection due to forward bias and light illumination under low concentration ratio, can lead to enhanced recovery of radiation damage in InGaAsP n + -p junction solar cells. An injection anneal activation energy (0.58eV) of the defects involved in damage/recovery of the InGaAsP solar cells has been estimated from the resultant recovery of the solar cell properties following minority carrier injection. The results suggest that low bandgap radiation resistant InGaAsP (0.95eV) lattice matched to InP substrates provide an alternative to use as bottom cells in multi-junction solar cells instead of less radiation ressitant conventional GaAs based solar cells for space applications. (author)

Structural correlations in the generation of polaron pairs in low-bandgap polymers for photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Tautz, Raphael; da Como, Enrico; Limmer, Thomas; Feldmann, Jochen; Egelhaaf, Hans-Joachim; von Hauff, Elizabeth; Lemaur, Vincent; Beljonne, David; Yilmaz, Seyfullah; Dumsch, Ines; Allard, Sybille; Scherf, Ullrich

2012-07-01

Polymeric semiconductors are materials where unique optical and electronic properties often originate from a tailored chemical structure. This allows for synthesizing conjugated macromolecules with ad hoc functionalities for organic electronics. In photovoltaics, donor-acceptor co-polymers, with moieties of different electron affinity alternating on the chain, have attracted considerable interest. The low bandgap offers optimal light-harvesting characteristics and has inspired work towards record power conversion efficiencies. Here we show for the first time how the chemical structure of donor and acceptor moieties controls the photogeneration of polaron pairs. We show that co-polymers with strong acceptors show large yields of polaron pair formation up to 24% of the initial photoexcitations as compared with a homopolymer (η=8%). π-conjugated spacers, separating the donor and acceptor centre of masses, have the beneficial role of increasing the recombination time. The results provide useful input into the understanding of polaron pair photogeneration in low-bandgap co-polymers for photovoltaics.

Semiconductor Metal-Organic Frameworks: Future Low-Bandgap Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Usman, Muhammad; Mendiratta, Shruti; Lu, Kuang-Lieh

2017-02-01

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with low density, high porosity, and easy tunability of functionality and structural properties, represent potential candidates for use as semiconductor materials. The rapid development of the semiconductor industry and the continuous miniaturization of feature sizes of integrated circuits toward the nanometer (nm) scale require novel semiconductor materials instead of traditional materials like silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide etc. MOFs with advantageous properties of both the inorganic and the organic components promise to serve as the next generation of semiconductor materials for the microelectronics industry with the potential to be extremely stable, cheap, and mechanically flexible. Here, a perspective of recent research is provided, regarding the semiconducting properties of MOFs, bandgap studies, and their potential in microelectronic devices. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design of a Polymer-Based Hollow-Core Bandgap Fiber for Low-Loss Terahertz Transmission

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barh, Ajanta; Varshney, Ravi K.; Pal, Bishnu P.

2016-01-01

wavelength-scale circular air holes in a hexagonal pattern, embedded in a uniform Teflon matrix. The THz guidance in this fiber is achieved by exploiting the photonic bandgap (PBG) effect. In our low index contrast Teflon-air (1.44:1) hexagonal periodic lattice, the PBG appears only for a certain range...

Attitude control analysis of tethered de-orbiting

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, T. V.; Briz Valero, José Francisco; Escorial Olmos, Diego; Lappas, V.; Jakowski, P.; Gray, I.; Tsourdos, A.; Schaub, H.; Biesbroek, R.

2018-05-01

The increase of satellites and rocket upper stages in low earth orbit (LEO) has also increased substantially the danger of collisions in space. Studies have shown that the problem will continue to grow unless a number of debris are removed every year. A typical active debris removal (ADR) mission scenario includes launching an active spacecraft (chaser) which will rendezvous with the inactive target (debris), capture the debris and eventually deorbit both satellites. Many concepts for the capture of the debris while keeping a connection via a tether, between the target and chaser have been investigated, including harpoons, nets, grapples and robotic arms. The paper provides an analysis on the attitude control behaviour for a tethered de-orbiting mission based on the ESA e.Deorbit reference mission, where Envisat is the debris target to be captured by a chaser using a net which is connected to the chaser with a tether. The paper provides novel insight on the feasibility of tethered de-orbiting for the various mission phases such as stabilization after capture, de-orbit burn (plus stabilization), stabilization during atmospheric pass, highlighting the importance of various critical mission parameters such as the tether material. It is shown that the selection of the appropriate tether material while using simple controllers can reduce the effort needed for tethered deorbiting and can safely control the attitude of the debris/chaser connected with a tether, without the danger of a collision.

High-efficiency, monolithic, multi-bandgap, tandem photovoltaic energy converters

Science.gov (United States)

Wanlass, Mark W [Golden, CO

2011-11-29

A monolithic, multi-bandgap, tandem solar photovoltaic converter has at least one, and preferably at least two, subcells grown lattice-matched on a substrate with a bandgap in medium to high energy portions of the solar spectrum and at least one subcell grown lattice-mismatched to the substrate with a bandgap in the low energy portion of the solar spectrum, for example, about 1 eV.

Synthesis, characterization, and photophysical properties of a thiophene-functionalized bis(pyrazolyl) pyridine (BPP) tricarbonyl rhenium(I) complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Lytwak, Lauren A; Stanley, Julie M; Mejía, Michelle L; Holliday, Bradley J

2010-09-07

A bromo tricarbonyl rhenium(I) complex with a thiophene-functionalized bis(pyrazolyl) pyridine ligand (L), ReBr(L)(CO)(3) (1), has been synthesized and characterized by variable temperature and COSY 2-D (1)H NMR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and photophysical methods. Complex 1 is highly luminescent in both solution and solid-state, consistent with phosphorescence from an emissive (3)MLCT excited state with an additional contribution from a LC (3)(pi-->pi*) transition. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction structure of the title ligand is also reported.

Densely Aligned Graphene Nanoribbon Arrays and Bandgap Engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su, Justin [Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Chen, Changxin [Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Gong, Ming [Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Kenney, Michael [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

2017-01-04

Graphene has attracted great interest for future electronics due to its high mobility and high thermal conductivity. However, a two-dimensional graphene sheet behaves like a metal, lacking a bandgap needed for the key devices components such as field effect transistors (FETs) in digital electronics. It has been shown that, partly due to quantum confinement, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with ~2 nm width can open up sufficient bandgaps and evolve into semiconductors to exhibit high on/off ratios useful for FETs. However, a challenging problem has been that, such ultra-narrow GNRs (~2 nm) are difficult to fabricate, especially for GNRs with smooth edges throughout the ribbon length. Despite high on/off ratios, these GNRs show very low mobility and low on-state conductance due to dominant scattering effects by imperfections and disorders at the edges. Wider GNRs (>5 nm) show higher mobility, higher conductance but smaller bandgaps and low on/off ratios undesirable for FET applications. It is highly desirable to open up bandgaps in graphene or increase the bandgaps in wide GNRs to afford graphene based semiconductors for high performance (high on-state current and high on/off ratio) electronics. Large scale ordering and dense packing of such GNRs in parallel are also needed for device integration but have also been challenging thus far. It has been shown theoretically that uniaxial strains can be applied to a GNR to engineer its bandgap. The underlying physics is that under uniaxial strain, the Dirac point moves due to stretched C-C bonds, leading to an increase in the bandgap of armchair GNRs by up to 50% of its original bandgap (i.e. bandgap at zero strain). For zigzag GNRs, due to the existence of the edge states, changes of bandgap are smaller under uniaxial strain and can be increased by ~30%. This work proposes a novel approach to the fabrication of densely aligned graphene nanoribbons with highly smooth edges afforded by anisotropic etching and uniaxial strain for

Tunable bandgaps in a deployable metamaterial

Science.gov (United States)

Nanda, Aditya; Karami, M. A.

2018-06-01

In this manuscript, we investigate deployable structures (such as solar arrays) and origami-inspired foldable structures as metamaterials capable of tunable wave manipulation. Specifically, we present a metamaterial whose bandgaps can be modulated by changing the fold angle of adjacent panels. The repeating unit cell of the structure consists of a beam (representing a panel) and a torsional spring (representing the folding mechanism). Two important cases are considered. Firstly, the fold angle (angle between adjacent beams), Ψ, is zero and only flexural waves propagate. In the second case, the fold angle is greater than zero (Ψ > 0). This causes longitudinal and transverse vibration to be coupled. FEM models are used to validate both these analyses. Increasing the fold angle was found to inflict notable changes to the wave transmission characteristics of the structure. In general, increasing the fold angles caused the bandwidth of bandgaps to increase. For the lowest four bandgaps we found bandwidth increases of 252 %, 177 %, 230 % and 163 % respectively at Ψ = 90 deg (relative to the bandwidths at Ψ = 0). In addition, non-trivial increases in bandwidth of the odd-numbered bandgaps occurs even at small fold angles-the bandwidth for the first and third bandgaps effectively double in size (increase by 100 %) at Ψ = 20 deg relative to those at Ψ = 0. This could have ramifications in the context of tunable wave manipulation and adaptive filtering. In addition, by expanding out the characteristic equation of transfer matrix for the straight structure, we prove that the upper band edge of the nth bandgap will always equal the nth simply supported natural frequency of the constituent beam. Further, we found that the ratio (EI/kt) is a pertinent parameter affecting the bandwidth of bandgaps. For low values of the ratio, effectively, no bandgap exists. For higher values of the ratio (EI/kt), we obtain a relatively large bandgap over which no waves propagate. This can

The PROPEL Electrodynamic Tether Demonstration Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Bilen, Sven G.; Johnson, C. Les; Wiegmann, Bruce M.; Alexander, Leslie; Gilchrist, Brian E.; Hoyt, Robert P.; Elder, Craig H.; Fuhrhop, Keith P.; Scadera, Michael

2012-01-01

The PROPEL ("Propulsion using Electrodynamics") mission will demonstrate the operation of an electrodynamic tether propulsion system in low Earth orbit and advance its technology readiness level for multiple applications. The PROPEL mission has two primary objectives: first, to demonstrate the capability of electrodynamic tether technology to provide robust and safe, near-propellantless propulsion for orbit-raising, de-orbit, plane change, and station keeping, as well as to perform orbital power harvesting and formation flight; and, second, to fully characterize and validate the performance of an integrated electrodynamic tether propulsion system, qualifying it for infusion into future multiple satellite platforms and missions with minimal modification. This paper provides an overview of the PROPEL system and design reference missions; mission goals and required measurements; and ongoing PROPEL mission design efforts.

Tethers in Space

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Les; Bilén, Sven G.; Gilchrist, Brian E.; Krause, Linda Habash

2017-09-01

This Special Section of Acta Astronautica contains several peer-reviewed papers selected from among those presented at the Fifth International Conference on Tethers in Space (TiS2016). After a hiatus of 21 years since the last Conference on Tethers in Space, TiS2016 brought together experts, practitioners, and other interested in space tethers and related fields. TiS2016 was held May 24-26, 2016 at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. Leveraging the hard work of a great many volunteers, the conference co-chairs Prof. Brian Gilchrist and Prof. Sven Bilén welcomed an international contingent with authors from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Spain, China, Finland, Estonia, and Italy. The community provided updates on what has transpired since their last gathering by providing lessons learned; describing new technologies and subsystems; and proposing new tether missions and applications. Papers overviewed de-orbit systems, power generation, orbital maneuvering, momentum capture, debris removal, space tugs, space elevators, collision avoidance, and tether dynamics, among others.

Incorporation of Furan into Low Band-Gap Polymers for Efficient Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Woo, Claire H.

2010-11-10

The design, synthesis, and characterization of the first examples of furan-containing low band-gap polymers, PDPP2FT and PDPP3F, with substantial power conversion efficiencies in organic solar cells are reported. Inserting furan moieties in the backbone of the conjugated polymers enables the use of relatively small solubilizing side chains because of the significant contribution of the furan rings to overall polymer solubility in common organic solvents. Bulk heterojunction solar cells fabricated from furan-containing polymers and PC71BM as the acceptor showed power conversion efficiencies reaching 5.0%. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Incorporation of Furan into Low Band-Gap Polymers for Efficient Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Woo, Claire H.; Beaujuge, Pierre M.; Holcombe, Thomas W.; Lee, Olivia P.; Fréchet, Jean M. J.

2010-01-01

The design, synthesis, and characterization of the first examples of furan-containing low band-gap polymers, PDPP2FT and PDPP3F, with substantial power conversion efficiencies in organic solar cells are reported. Inserting furan moieties in the backbone of the conjugated polymers enables the use of relatively small solubilizing side chains because of the significant contribution of the furan rings to overall polymer solubility in common organic solvents. Bulk heterojunction solar cells fabricated from furan-containing polymers and PC71BM as the acceptor showed power conversion efficiencies reaching 5.0%. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

A Fluorine-18 Radiolabeling Method Enabled by Rhenium(I) Complexation Circumvents the Requirement of Anhydrous Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Klenner, Mitchell A; Pascali, Giancarlo; Zhang, Bo; Sia, Tiffany R; Spare, Lawson K; Krause-Heuer, Anwen M; Aldrich-Wright, Janice R; Greguric, Ivan; Guastella, Adam J; Massi, Massimiliano; Fraser, Benjamin H

2017-05-11

Azeotropic distillation is typically required to achieve fluorine-18 radiolabeling during the production of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents. However, this time-consuming process also limits fluorine-18 incorporation, due to radioactive decay of the isotope and its adsorption to the drying vessel. In addressing these limitations, the fluorine-18 radiolabeling of one model rhenium(I) complex is reported here, which is significantly improved under conditions that do not require azeotropic drying. This work could open a route towards the investigation of a simplified metal-mediated late-stage radiofluorination method, which would expand upon the accessibility of new PET and PET-optical probes. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Why Not Space Tethers?

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Noble H.

2007-01-01

The Tethered Satellite System Space Shuttle missions, TSS-1 in 1993 and TSS-1R in 1996, were the height of space tether technology development. Since NASA's investment of some $200M and two Shuttle missions in those two pioneering missions, there have been several smaller tether flight experiments, but interest in this promising technology has waned within NASA as well as the DOD agencies. This is curious in view of the unique capabilities of space tether systems and the fact that they have been flight validated and shown to perform as, or better than, expected in earth orbit. While it is true that the TSS-1, TSS-1R and SEDS-2 missions experienced technical difficulties, the causes of these early developmental problems are now known to be design or materials flaws that are (1) unrelated to the basic viability of space tether technology, and (2) they are readily corrected. The purpose of this paper is to review the dynamic and electrodynamic fundamentals of space tethers and the unique capabilities they afford (that are enabling to certain types of space missions); to elucidate the nature, cause, and solution of the early developmental problems; and to provide an update on progress made in development of the technology. Finally, it is shown that (1) all problems experienced during early development of the technology now have solutions; and (2) the technology has been matured by advances made in strength and robustness of tether materials, high voltage engineering in the space environment, tether health and status monitoring, and the elimination of the broken tether hazard. In view of this, it is inexplicable why this flight-validated technology has not been utilized in the past decade, considering the powerful and unique capabilities that space tethers can afford that are, not only required to carryout, otherwise, unobtainable missions, but can also greatly reduce the cost of certain on-going space operations.

Monolithic, multi-bandgap, tandem, ultra-thin, strain-counterbalanced, photovoltaic energy converters with optimal subcell bandgaps

Science.gov (United States)

Wanlass, Mark W [Golden, CO; Mascarenhas, Angelo [Lakewood, CO

2012-05-08

Modeling a monolithic, multi-bandgap, tandem, solar photovoltaic converter or thermophotovoltaic converter by constraining the bandgap value for the bottom subcell to no less than a particular value produces an optimum combination of subcell bandgaps that provide theoretical energy conversion efficiencies nearly as good as unconstrained maximum theoretical conversion efficiency models, but which are more conducive to actual fabrication to achieve such conversion efficiencies than unconstrained model optimum bandgap combinations. Achieving such constrained or unconstrained optimum bandgap combinations includes growth of a graded layer transition from larger lattice constant on the parent substrate to a smaller lattice constant to accommodate higher bandgap upper subcells and at least one graded layer that transitions back to a larger lattice constant to accommodate lower bandgap lower subcells and to counter-strain the epistructure to mitigate epistructure bowing.

Analytical investigation of the dynamics of tethered constellations in Earth orbit, phase 2

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzini, Enrico C.; Gullahorn, Gordon E.; Cosmo, Mario L.; Estes, Robert D.; Grossi, Mario D.

1994-01-01

This final report covers nine years of research on future tether applications and on the actual flights of the Small Expendable Deployment System (SEDS). Topics covered include: (1) a description of numerical codes used to simulate the orbital and attitude dynamics of tethered systems during station keeping and deployment maneuvers; (2) a comparison of various tethered system simulators; (3) dynamics analysis, conceptual design, potential applications and propagation of disturbances and isolation from noise of a variable gravity/microgravity laboratory tethered to the Space Station; (4) stability of a tethered space centrifuge; (5) various proposed two-dimensional tethered structures for low Earth orbit for use as planar array antennas; (6) tethered high gain antennas; (7) numerical calculation of the electromagnetic wave field on the Earth's surface on an electrodynamically tethered satellite; (8) reentry of tethered capsules; (9) deployment dynamics of SEDS-1; (10) analysis of SEDS-1 flight data; and (11) dynamics and control of SEDS-2.

Low-Cost Propellant Launch From a Tethered Balloon

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox, Brian

2006-01-01

A document presents a concept for relatively inexpensive delivery of propellant to a large fuel depot in low orbit around the Earth, for use in rockets destined for higher orbits, the Moon, and for remote planets. The propellant is expected to be at least 85 percent of the mass needed in low Earth orbit to support the NASA Exploration Vision. The concept calls for the use of many small ( 10 ton) spin-stabilized, multistage, solid-fuel rockets to each deliver 250 kg of propellant. Each rocket would be winched up to a balloon tethered above most of the atmospheric mass (optimal altitude 26 2 km). There, the rocket would be aimed slightly above the horizon, spun, dropped, and fired at a time chosen so that the rocket would arrive in orbit near the depot. Small thrusters on the payload (powered, for example, by boil-off gases from cryogenic propellants that make up the payload) would precess the spinning rocket, using data from a low-cost inertial sensor to correct for small aerodynamic and solid rocket nozzle misalignment torques on the spinning rocket; would manage the angle of attack and the final orbit insertion burn; and would be fired on command from the depot in response to observations of the trajectory of the payload so as to make small corrections to bring the payload into a rendezvous orbit and despin it for capture by the depot. The system is low-cost because the small rockets can be mass-produced using the same techniques as those to produce automobiles and low-cost munitions, and one or more can be launched from a U.S. territory on the equator (Baker or Jarvis Islands in the mid-Pacific) to the fuel depot on each orbit (every 90 minutes, e.g., any multiple of 6,000 per year).

The Science and Applications Tethered Platform (SATP) project

Science.gov (United States)

Merlina, P.

1986-01-01

The capabilities of tether systems in orbit are going to be demonstrated by the first planned flights of the Tethered Satellite System (TSS). These test flights will investigate the properties of tether systems as low altitude atmospheric research facilities and as electric power generators. Studies are being conducted with the purpose of testing a variety of concepts and approaches. A comparative analysis of results will allow the choosing of the most promising ideas for further development. The broad range of applications presently under study include applications in electrodynamics, transportation, microgravity in addition to basic research. The SATP project definition study is now about midway through its first phase. The analyses conducted have led to an appraisal of users interest in the project and to a deeper understanding of the problems associated with large, long-lived tether systems in space. In addition, two specialized platform designs, devoted to microgravity and precise pointing applications, are being studied because of their potential usefulness and the promise of technical feasibility.

Tethering sockets and wrenches

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, E. P.

1990-01-01

The tethering of sockets and wrenches was accomplished to improve the safety of working over motor segments. To accomplish the tethering of the sockets to the ratchets, a special design was implemented in which a groove was machined into each socket. Each socket was then fitted with a snap ring that can spin around the machined groove. The snap ring is tethered to the handle of the ratchet. All open end wrenches are also tethered to the ratchet or to the operator, depending upon the type. Tests were run to ensure that the modified tools meet torque requirements. The design was subsequently approved by Space Safety.

Tethering sockets and wrenches

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, E. P.

1990-07-01

The tethering of sockets and wrenches was accomplished to improve the safety of working over motor segments. To accomplish the tethering of the sockets to the ratchets, a special design was implemented in which a groove was machined into each socket. Each socket was then fitted with a snap ring that can spin around the machined groove. The snap ring is tethered to the handle of the ratchet. All open end wrenches are also tethered to the ratchet or to the operator, depending upon the type. Tests were run to ensure that the modified tools meet torque requirements. The design was subsequently approved by Space Safety.

Low work-function thermionic emission and orbital-motion-limited ion collection at bare-tether cathodic contact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Xin, E-mail: xin.chen@upm.es; Sanmartín, J. R., E-mail: juanr.sanmartin@upm.es [Departamento de Física Aplicada, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Aeronáutica y del Espacio, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Plaza Cardenal Cisneros, 3, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2015-05-15

With a thin coating of low-work-function material, thermionic emission in the cathodic segment of bare tethers might be much greater than orbital-motion-limited (OML) ion collection current. The space charge of the emitted electrons decreases the electric field that accelerates them outwards, and could even reverse it for high enough emission, producing a potential hollow. In this work, at the conditions of high bias and relatively low emission that make the potential monotonic, an asymptotic analysis is carried out, extending the OML ion-collection analysis to investigate the probe response due to electrons emitted by the negatively biased cylindrical probe. At given emission, the space charge effect from emitted electrons increases with decreasing magnitude of negative probe bias. Although emitted electrons present negligible space charge far away from the probe, their effect cannot be neglected in the global analysis for the sheath structure and two thin layers in between sheath and the quasineutral region. The space-charge-limited condition is located. It is found that thermionic emission increases the range of probe radius for OML validity and is greatly more effective than ion collection for cathodic contact of tethers.

Experiments and Numerical Simulations of Electrodynamic Tether

Science.gov (United States)

Iki, Kentaro; Kawamoto, Satomi; Takahashi, Ayaka; Ishimoto, Tomori; Yanagida, Atsushi; Toda, Susumu

As an effective means of suppressing space debris growth, the Aerospace Research and Development Directorate of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been investigating an active space debris removal system that employs highly efficient electrodynamic tether (EDT) technology for orbital transfer. This study investigates tether deployment dynamics by means of on-ground experiments and numerical simulations of an electrodynamic tether system. Some key parameters used in the numerical simulations, such as the elastic modulus and damping ratio of the tether, the spring constant of the coiling of the tether, and deployment friction, must be estimated, and various experiments are conducted to determine these values. As a result, the following values were obtained: The elastic modulus of the tether was 40 GPa, and the damping ratio of the tether was 0.02. The spring constant and the damping ratio of the tether coiling were 10-4 N/m and 0.025 respectively. The deployment friction was 0.038ν + 0.005 N. In numerical simulations using a multiple mass tether model, tethers with lengths of several kilometers are deployed and the attitude dynamics of satellites attached to the end of the tether and tether libration are calculated. As a result, the simulations confirmed successful deployment of the tether with a length of 500 m using the electrodynamic tether system.

Analysis of phononic bandgap structures with dissipation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andreassen, Erik; Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard

2013-01-01

and longer wavelengths, we show that the two formulations produce nearly identical results in terms of propagation constant and wave decay. We use the k(ω)-formulation to compute loss factors with dissipative bandgap materials for steady-state wave propagation and create simplified diagrams that unify...... the spatial loss factor from dissipative and bandgap effects. Additionally, we demonstrate the applicability of the k(ω)-formulation for the computation of the band diagram for viscoelastic composites and compare the computed loss factors for low frequency wave propagation to existing results based on quasi...

Tethered Satellite System Contingency Investigation Board

Science.gov (United States)

1992-11-01

The Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1) was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-46) on July 31, 1992. During the attempted on-orbit operations, the Tethered Satellite System failed to deploy successfully beyond 256 meters. The satellite was retrieved successfully and was returned on August 6, 1992. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Associate Administrator for Space Flight formed the Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1) Contingency Investigation Board on August 12, 1992. The TSS-1 Contingency Investigation Board was asked to review the anomalies which occurred, to determine the probable cause, and to recommend corrective measures to prevent recurrence. The board was supported by the TSS Systems Working group as identified in MSFC-TSS-11-90, 'Tethered Satellite System (TSS) Contingency Plan'. The board identified five anomalies for investigation: initial failure to retract the U2 umbilical; initial failure to flyaway; unplanned tether deployment stop at 179 meters; unplanned tether deployment stop at 256 meters; and failure to move tether in either direction at 224 meters. Initial observations of the returned flight hardware revealed evidence of mechanical interference by a bolt with the level wind mechanism travel as well as a helical shaped wrap of tether which indicated that the tether had been unwound from the reel beyond the travel by the level wind mechanism. Examination of the detailed mission events from flight data and mission logs related to the initial failure to flyaway and the failure to move in either direction at 224 meters, together with known preflight concerns regarding slack tether, focused the assessment of these anomalies on the upper tether control mechanism. After the second meeting, the board requested the working group to complete and validate a detailed integrated mission sequence to focus the fault tree analysis on a stuck U2 umbilical, level wind mechanical interference, and slack tether in upper tether

Space Station tethered elevator system

Science.gov (United States)

Haddock, Michael H.; Anderson, Loren A.; Hosterman, K.; Decresie, E.; Miranda, P.; Hamilton, R.

1989-01-01

The optimized conceptual engineering design of a space station tethered elevator is presented. The tethered elevator is an unmanned, mobile structure which operates on a ten-kilometer tether spanning the distance between Space Station Freedom and a platform. Its capabilities include providing access to residual gravity levels, remote servicing, and transportation to any point along a tether. The report discusses the potential uses, parameters, and evolution of the spacecraft design. Emphasis is placed on the elevator's structural configuration and three major subsystem designs. First, the design of elevator robotics used to aid in elevator operations and tethered experimentation is presented. Second, the design of drive mechanisms used to propel the vehicle is discussed. Third, the design of an onboard self-sufficient power generation and transmission system is addressed.

Coat/Tether Interactions—Exception or Rule?

Science.gov (United States)

Schröter, Saskia; Beckmann, Sabrina; Schmitt, Hans Dieter

2016-01-01

Coat complexes are important for cargo selection and vesicle formation. Recent evidence suggests that they may also be involved in vesicle targeting. Tethering factors, which form an initial bridge between vesicles and the target membrane, may bind to coat complexes. In this review, we ask whether these coat/tether interactions share some common mechanisms, or whether they are special adaptations to the needs of very specific transport steps. We compare recent findings in two multisubunit tethering complexes, the Dsl1 complex and the HOPS complex, and put them into context with the TRAPP I complex as a prominent example for coat/tether interactions. We explore where coat/tether interactions are found, compare their function and structure, and comment on a possible evolution from a common ancestor of coats and tethers. PMID:27243008

Coat/Tether Interactions-Exception or Rule?

Science.gov (United States)

Schroeter, Saskia; Beckmann, Sabrina; Schmitt, Hans Dieter

2016-01-01

Coat complexes are important for cargo selection and vesicle formation. Recent evidence suggests that they may also be involved in vesicle targeting. Tethering factors, which form an initial bridge between vesicles and the target membrane, may bind to coat complexes. In this review, we ask whether these coat/tether interactions share some common mechanisms, or whether they are special adaptations to the needs of very specific transport steps. We compare recent findings in two multisubunit tethering complexes, the Dsl1 complex and the HOPS complex, and put them into context with the TRAPP I complex as a prominent example for coat/tether interactions. We explore where coat/tether interactions are found, compare their function and structure, and comment on a possible evolution from a common ancestor of coats and tethers.

Coupled-resonator-induced plasmonic bandgaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yujia; Sun, Chengwei; Gong, Qihuang; Chen, Jianjun

2017-10-15

By drawing an analogy with the conventional photonic crystals, the plasmonic bandgaps have mainly employed the periodic metallic structures, named as plasmonic crystals. However, the sizes of the plasmonic crystals are much larger than the wavelengths, and the large sizes considerably decrease the density of the photonic integration circuits. Here, based on the coupled-resonator effect, the plasmonic bandgaps are experimentally realized in the subwavelength waveguide-resonator structure, which considerably decreases the structure size to subwavelength scales. An analytic model and the phase analysis are established to explain this phenomenon. Both the experiment and simulation show that the plasmonic bandgap structure has large fabrication tolerances (>20%). Instead of the periodic metallic structures in the bulky plasmonic crystals, the utilization of the subwavelength plasmonic waveguide-resonator structure not only significantly shrinks the bandgap structure to be about λ 2 /13, but also expands the physics of the plasmonic bandgaps. The subwavelength dimension, together with the waveguide configuration and robust realization, makes the bandgap structure easy to be highly integrated on chips.

Recent Advances in Wide-Bandgap Photovoltaic Polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Yunhao; Huo, Lijun; Sun, Yanming

2017-06-01

The past decade has witnessed significant advances in the field of organic solar cells (OSCs). Ongoing improvements in the power conversion efficiency of OSCs have been achieved, which were mainly attributed to the design and synthesis of novel conjugated polymers with different architectures and functional moieties. Among various conjugated polymers, the development of wide-bandgap (WBG) polymers has received less attention than that of low-bandgap and medium-bandgap polymers. Here, we briefly summarize recent advances in WBG polymers and their applications in organic photovoltaic (PV) devices, such as tandem, ternary, and non-fullerene solar cells. Addtionally, we also dissuss the application of high open-circuit voltage tandem solar cells in PV-driven electrochemical water dissociation. We mainly focus on the molecular design strategies, the structure-property correlations, and the photovoltaic performance of these WBG polymers. Finally, we extract empirical regularities and provide invigorating perspectives on the future development of WBG photovoltaic materials. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

FCAPD Protective Coating for Space Tethers, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Alameda Applied Sciences Corporation (AASC) proposes to demonstrate extended service lifetime of space tethers in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment by using...

TMBM: Tethered Micro-Balloons on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Sims, M. H.; Greeley, R.; Cutts, J. A.; Yavrouian, A. H.; Murbach, M.

2000-01-01

The use of balloons/aerobots on Mars has been under consideration for many years. Concepts include deployment during entry into the atmosphere from a carrier spacecraft, deployment from a lander, use of super-pressurized systems for long duration flights, 'hot-air' systems, etc. Principal advantages include the ability to obtain high-resolution data of the surface because balloons provide a low-altitude platform which moves relatively slowly. Work conducted within the last few years has removed many of the technical difficulties encountered in deployment and operation of balloons/aerobots on Mars. The concept proposed here (a tethered balloon released from a lander) uses a relatively simple approach which would enable aspects of Martian balloons to be tested while providing useful and potentially unique science results. Tethered Micro-Balloons on Mars (TMBM) would be carried to Mars on board a future lander as a stand-alone experiment having a total mass of one to two kilograms. It would consist of a helium balloon of up to 50 cubic meters that is inflated after landing and initially tethered to the lander. Its primary instrumentation would be a camera that would be carried to an altitude of up to tens of meters above the surface. Imaging data would be transmitted to the lander for inclusion in the mission data stream. The tether would be released in stages allowing different resolutions and coverage. In addition during this staged release a lander camera system may observe the motion of the balloon at various heights above he lander. Under some scenarios upon completion of the primary phase of TMBM operations, the tether would be cut, allowing TMBM to drift away from the landing site, during which images would be taken along the ground.

Two Tethered Balloon Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Youngbluth, Otto; Owens, Thomas L.; Storey, Richard W.

1990-01-01

Systems take meteorological measurements for variety of research projects. Report describes work done by NASA Langley Research Center in atmospheric research using tethered balloon systems composed of commercially available equipment. Two separate tethered balloon systems described in report have payloads and configurations tailored to requirements of specific projects. Each system capable of measuring atmospheric parameter or species in situ and then telemetering this data in real time to ground station. Meteorological data and concentration of ozone typically measured. Indicates instrumented tethered balloon systems have distinct advantages over other systems for gathering data on troposphere.

Research on bandgaps in two-dimensional phononic crystal with two resonators.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Nansha; Wu, Jiu Hui; Yu, Lie

2015-02-01

In this paper, the bandgap properties of a two-dimensional phononic crystal with the two resonators is studied and embedded in a homogenous matrix. The resonators are not connected with the matrix but linked with connectors directly. The dispersion relationship, transmission spectra, and displacement fields of the eigenmodes of this phononic crystal are studied with finite-element method. In contrast to the phononic crystals with one resonators and hollow structure, the proposed structures with two resonators can open bandgaps at lower frequencies. This is a very interesting and useful phenomenon. Results show that, the opening of the bandgaps is because of the local resonance and the scattering interaction between two resonators and matrix. An equivalent spring-pendulum model can be developed in order to evaluate the frequencies of the bandgap edge. The study in this paper is beneficial to the design of opening and tuning bandgaps in phononic crystals and isolators in low-frequency range. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two-Stage Winch for Kites and Tethered Balloons or Blimps

Science.gov (United States)

Miles, Ted; Bland, Geoff

2011-01-01

A winch system provides a method for launch and recovery capabilities for kites and tethered blimps or balloons. Low power consumption is a key objective, as well as low weight for portability. This is accomplished by decoupling the tether-line storage and wind ing/ unwinding functions, and providing tailored and efficient mechanisms for each. The components of this system include rotational power input devices such as electric motors or other apparatus, line winding/unwinding reel(s), line storage reel(s), and independent drive trains. Power is applied to the wind/unwind reels to transport the tether line. Power is also applied to a line storage reel, from either the wind/unwind power source, the wind/unwind reel itself, or separate power source. The speeds of the two reels are synchronized, but not dependent on each other. This is accomplished via clutch mechanisms, variable transmissions, or independent motor controls. The speed of the storage reel is modulated as the effective diameter of the reel changes with line accumulation.

Electron Emitter for small-size Electrodynamic Space Tether using MEMS Technology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fleron, René A. W.; Blanke, Mogens

2004-01-01

Adjustment of the orbit of a spacecraft using the forces created by an electro-dynamic space-tether has been shown as a theoretic possibility in recent literature. Practical implementation is being pursued for larger scale missions where a hot filament device controls electron emission...... and the current flowing in the electrodynamic space tether. Applications to small spacecraft, or space debris in the 1–10 kg range, possess difficulties with electron emission technology, as low power emitting devices are needed. This paper addresses the system concepts of a small spacecraft electrodynamic tether...... system with focus on electron emitter design and manufacture using micro-electro-mechanical- system (MEMS) technology. The paper addresses the system concepts of a small size electrodynamic tether mission and shows a novel electron emitter for the 1-2 mA range where altitude can be effectively affected...

Space tether dynamics: an introduction

Science.gov (United States)

Denny, Mark

2018-05-01

The dynamics of orbiting tethers (space elevators and skyhooks) is developed from an unusual direction: Lagrangian rather than Newtonian mechanics. These basic results are derived among others: space elevator required length with and without counterweight, location and magnitude of maximum tether tension, skyhook orbital parameters and tether tension. These conceptual devices are being increasingly discussed as technologically feasible; here they make an interesting pedagogical application of Lagrangian mechanics suitable for undergraduate physics students.

The space station tethered elevator system

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Loren A.

1989-01-01

The optimized conceptual engineering design of a space station tethered elevator is presented. The elevator is an unmanned mobile structure which operates on a ten kilometer tether spanning the distance between the Space Station and a tethered platform. Elevator capabilities include providing access to residual gravity levels, remote servicing, and transportation to any point along a tether. The potential uses, parameters, and evolution of the spacecraft design are discussed. Engineering development of the tethered elevator is the result of work conducted in the following areas: structural configurations; robotics, drive mechanisms; and power generation and transmission systems. The structural configuration of the elevator is presented. The structure supports, houses, and protects all systems on board the elevator. The implementation of robotics on board the elevator is discussed. Elevator robotics allow for the deployment, retrieval, and manipulation of tethered objects. Robotic manipulators also aid in hooking the elevator on a tether. Critical to the operation of the tethered elevator is the design of its drive mechanisms, which are discussed. Two drivers, located internal to the elevator, propel the vehicle along a tether. These modular components consist of endless toothed belts, shunt-wound motors, regenerative power braking, and computer controlled linear actuators. The designs of self-sufficient power generation and transmission systems are reviewed. Thorough research indicates all components of the elevator will operate under power provided by fuel cells. The fuel cell systems will power the vehicle at seven kilowatts continuously and twelve kilowatts maximally. A set of secondary fuel cells provides redundancy in the unlikely event of a primary system failure. Power storage exists in the form of Nickel-Hydrogen batteries capable of powering the elevator under maximum loads.

Multi-fidelity machine learning models for accurate bandgap predictions of solids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pilania, Ghanshyam; Gubernatis, James E.; Lookman, Turab

2016-01-01

Here, we present a multi-fidelity co-kriging statistical learning framework that combines variable-fidelity quantum mechanical calculations of bandgaps to generate a machine-learned model that enables low-cost accurate predictions of the bandgaps at the highest fidelity level. Additionally, the adopted Gaussian process regression formulation allows us to predict the underlying uncertainties as a measure of our confidence in the predictions. In using a set of 600 elpasolite compounds as an example dataset and using semi-local and hybrid exchange correlation functionals within density functional theory as two levels of fidelities, we demonstrate the excellent learning performance of the method against actual high fidelity quantum mechanical calculations of the bandgaps. The presented statistical learning method is not restricted to bandgaps or electronic structure methods and extends the utility of high throughput property predictions in a significant way.

Coat/tether interactions – exceptions or rule?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saskia eSchroeter

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Coat complexes are important for cargo selection and vesicle formation. Recent evidence suggests that they may also be involved in vesicle targeting. Tethering factors, which form an initial bridge between vesicles and the target membrane, may bind to coat complexes. In this review, we ask whether these coat/tether interactions share some common mechanisms, or whether they are special adaptations to the needs of very specific transport steps. We compare recent findings in two multisubunit tethering complexes, the Dsl1 complex and the HOPS complex, and put them into context with the TRAPP I complex as a prominent example for coat/tether interactions. We explore where coat/tether interactions are found, compare their function and structure, and comment on a possible evolution from a common ancestor of coats and tethers.

Transitions of tethered chain molecules under tension.

Science.gov (United States)

Luettmer-Strathmann, Jutta; Binder, Kurt

2014-09-21

An applied tension force changes the equilibrium conformations of a polymer chain tethered to a planar substrate and thus affects the adsorption transition as well as the coil-globule and crystallization transitions. Conversely, solvent quality and surface attraction are reflected in equilibrium force-extension curves that can be measured in experiments. To investigate these effects theoretically, we study tethered chains under tension with Wang-Landau simulations of a bond-fluctuation lattice model. Applying our model to pulling experiments on biological molecules we obtain a good description of experimental data in the intermediate force range, where universal features dominate and finite size effects are small. For tethered chains in poor solvent, we observe the predicted two-phase coexistence at transitions from the globule to stretched conformations and also discover direct transitions from crystalline to stretched conformations. A phase portrait for finite chains constructed by evaluating the density of states for a broad range of solvent conditions and tensions shows how increasing tension leads to a disappearance of the globular phase. For chains in good solvents tethered to hard and attractive surfaces we find the predicted scaling with the chain length in the low-force regime and show that our results are well described by an analytical, independent-bond approximation for the bond-fluctuation model for the highest tensions. Finally, for a hard or slightly attractive surface the stretching of a tethered chain is a conformational change that does not correspond to a phase transition. However, when the surface attraction is sufficient to adsorb a chain it will undergo a desorption transition at a critical value of the applied force. Our results for force-induced desorption show the transition to be discontinuous with partially desorbed conformations in the coexistence region.

Single-graded CIGS with narrow bandgap for tandem solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Feurer, Thomas; Bissig, Benjamin; Weiss, Thomas P; Carron, Romain; Avancini, Enrico; Löckinger, Johannes; Buecheler, Stephan; Tiwari, Ayodhya N

2018-01-01

Multi-junction solar cells show the highest photovoltaic energy conversion efficiencies, but the current technologies based on wafers and epitaxial growth of multiple layers are very costly. Therefore, there is a high interest in realizing multi-junction tandem devices based on cost-effective thin film technologies. While the efficiency of such devices has been limited so far because of the rather low efficiency of semitransparent wide bandgap top cells, the recent rise of wide bandgap perovskite solar cells has inspired the development of new thin film tandem solar devices. In order to realize monolithic, and therefore current-matched thin film tandem solar cells, a bottom cell with narrow bandgap (~1 eV) and high efficiency is necessary. In this work, we present Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 with a bandgap of 1.00 eV and a maximum power conversion efficiency of 16.1%. This is achieved by implementing a gallium grading towards the back contact into a CuInSe 2 base material. We show that this modification significantly improves the open circuit voltage but does not reduce the spectral response range of these devices. Therefore, efficient cells with narrow bandgap absorbers are obtained, yielding the high current density necessary for thin film multi-junction solar cells.

Tether Elevator Crawler Systems (TECS)

Science.gov (United States)

Swenson, Frank R.

1987-01-01

One of the needs of the experimenters on the space station is access to steady and controlled-variation microgravity environments. A method of providing these environments is to place the experiment on a tether attached to the space station. This provides a high degree of isolation from structural oscillations and vibrations. Crawlers can move these experiments along the tethers to preferred locations, much like an elevator. This report describes the motion control laws developed for these crawlers and the testing of laboratory models of these tether elevator crawlers.

Thermally controlled mid-IR band-gap engineering in all-glass chalcogenide microstructured fibers: a numerical study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barh, Ajanta; Varshney, Ravi K.; Pal, Bishnu P.

2017-01-01

Presence of photonic band-gap (PBG) in an all-glass low refractive index (RI) contrast chalcogenide (Ch) microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) is investigated numerically. The effect of external temperature on the position of band-gap is explored to realize potential fiber-based wavelength filters....... Then the temperature sensitivity of band-gaps is investigated to design fiber-based mid-IR wavelength filters/sensors....

Molecular Structure of Membrane Tethers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baoukina, Svetlana; Marrink, Siewert J.; Tieleman, D. Peter

2012-01-01

Membrane tethers are nanotubes formed by a lipid bilayer. They play important functional roles in cell biology and provide an experimental window on lipid properties. Tethers have been studied extensively in experiments and described by theoretical models, but their molecular structure remains

Space Environmental Effects on Coated Tether Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Gittemeier, Keith A.; Hawk, Clark W.; Finckenor, Miria M.; Watts, Ed

2005-01-01

The University of Alabama in Huntsville s Propulsion Research Center has teamed with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to research the effects of atomic oxygen (AO) bombardment on coated tether materials. Tethers Unlimited Inc. has provided several candidate tether materials with various coatings for AO exposure in MSFC s Atomic Oxygen Beam Facility. Additional samples were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation at MSFC. AO erodes most organic materials, and ultraviolet radiation embrittles polymers. This test series was performed to determine the effect of AO and UV on the mechanical integrity of tether materials that were treated with AO-protective coatings, such as polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) or metallization. Both TUI's Multi-Application Survivable Tether (MAST) Experiment and Marshall Space Flight Center s Momentum Exchange Electrodynamic Reboost (MXER) programs will benefit from this research by helping to determine tether materials and coatings that give the longest life with the lowest mass penalty.

Membrane tethering complexes in the endosomal system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne eSpang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Vesicles that are generated by endocytic events at the plasma membrane are destined to early endosomes. A prerequisite for proper fusion is the tethering of two membrane entities. Tethering of vesicles to early endosomes is mediated by the CORVET complex, while fusion of late endosomes with lysosomes depends on the HOPS complex. Recycling through the TGN and to the plasma membrane is facilitated by the GARP and EARP complexes, respectively. However, there are other tethering functions in the endosomal system as there are multiple pathways through which proteins can be delivered from endosomes to either the TGN or the plasma membrane. Furthermore, complexes that may be part of novel tethering complexes have been recently identified. Thus it is likely that more tethering factors exist. In this review, I will provide an overview of different tethering complexes of the endosomal system and discuss how they may provide specificity in membrane traffic.

High-Temperature Electronics: A Role for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors?

Science.gov (United States)

Neudeck, Philip G.; Okojie, Robert S.; Chen, Liang-Yu

2002-01-01

It is increasingly recognized that semiconductor based electronics that can function at ambient temperatures higher than 150 C without external cooling could greatly benefit a variety of important applications, especially-in the automotive, aerospace, and energy production industries. The fact that wide bandgap semiconductors are capable of electronic functionality at much higher temperatures than silicon has partially fueled their development, particularly in the case of SiC. It appears unlikely that wide bandgap semiconductor devices will find much use in low-power transistor applications until the ambient temperature exceeds approximately 300 C, as commercially available silicon and silicon-on-insulator technologies are already satisfying requirements for digital and analog very large scale integrated circuits in this temperature range. However, practical operation of silicon power devices at ambient temperatures above 200 C appears problematic, as self-heating at higher power levels results in high internal junction temperatures and leakages. Thus, most electronic subsystems that simultaneously require high-temperature and high-power operation will necessarily be realized using wide bandgap devices, once the technology for realizing these devices become sufficiently developed that they become widely available. Technological challenges impeding the realization of beneficial wide bandgap high ambient temperature electronics, including material growth, contacts, and packaging, are briefly discussed.

Tethering factors as organizers of intracellular vesicular traffic.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, I-Mei; Hughson, Frederick M

2010-01-01

Intracellular trafficking entails the budding, transport, tethering, and fusion of transport vesicles and other membrane carriers. Here we review recent progress toward a mechanistic understanding of vesicle tethering. The known tethering factors are large complexes important for one or more intracellular trafficking pathways and are capable of interacting directly with many of the other principal components of the cellular trafficking machinery. Our review emphasizes recent developments in the in vitro reconstitution of vesicle tethering and the structural characterization of multisubunit tethering factors. The combination of these and other approaches has led to exciting progress toward understanding how these essential nanomachines work.

Atmospheric Electricity and Tethered Aerostats, Volume 1

Science.gov (United States)

1976-05-11

CATALOG NUMBER AFETR -TR-76-07 __ 4. TITLE (and Subtitle) -. TYPE OF REPORT & PERIOD COVERED ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY AND TETHERED AEROSTATS, FINAL. 1...Electricity Faraday Capes Balloons Lightning Effects , Protection, Warning Systems Conducting and Non-Conducting ’Tethers Potential Geadient Anomalies...and identifying feasible protective systems. After a brief introductory section math models of effects of tethered balloons on surrounding

Silica-air photonic crystal fiber design that permits waveguiding by a true photonic bandgap effect

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barkou, Stig Eigil; Broeng, Jes; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard

1999-01-01

A theoretical investigation of a novel type of optical fiber is presented. The operation of the fiber relies entirely on wave guidance through the photonic bandgap effect and not on total internal reflection, thereby distinguishing that fiber from all other known fibers, including recently studied...... photonic crystal fibers. The novel fiber has a central low-index core region and a cladding consisting of a silica background material with air holes situated within a honeycomb lattice structure. We show the existence of photonic bandgaps for the silica–air cladding structure and demonstrate how light can...... be guided at the central low-index core region for a well-defined frequency that falls inside the photonic bandgap region of the cladding structure....

Tether Deployer And Brake

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Joseph A.; Alexander, Charles M.

1993-01-01

Design concept promises speed, control, and reliability. Scheme for deploying tether provides for fast, free, and snagless payout and fast, dependable braking. Developed for small, expendable tethers in outer space, scheme also useful in laying transoceanic cables, deploying guidance wires to torpedoes and missiles, paying out rescue lines from ship to ship via rockets, deploying antenna wires, releasing communication and power cables to sonobuoys and expendable bathythermographs, and in reeling out lines from fishing rods.

Review of deployment technology for tethered satellite systems

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, B. S.; Wen, H.; Jin, D. P.

2018-03-01

Tethered satellite systems (TSSs) have attracted significant attention due to their potential and valuable applications for scientific research. With the development of various launched on-orbit missions, the deployment of tethers is considered a crucial technology for operation of a TSS. Both past orbiting experiments and numerical results have shown that oscillations of the deployed tether due to the Coriolis force and environmental perturbations are inevitable and that the impact between the space tether and end-body at the end of the deployment process leads to complicated nonlinear phenomena. Hence, a set of suitable control methods plays a fundamental role in tether deployment. This review article summarizes previous work on aspects of the dynamics, control, and ground-based experiments of tether deployment. The relevant basic principles, analytical expressions, simulation cases, and experimental results are presented as well.

Dynamic multibody modeling for tethered space elevators

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Paul

2009-08-01

This paper presents a fundamental modeling strategy for dealing with powered and propelled bodies moving along space tethers. The tether is divided into a large number of discrete masses, which are connected by viscoelastic springs. The tether is subject to the full range of forces expected in Earth orbit in a relatively simple manner. Two different models of the elevator dynamics are presented. In order to capture the effect of the elevator moving along the tether, the elevator dynamics are included as a separate body in both models. One model treats the elevator's motion dynamically, where propulsive and friction forces are applied to the elevator body. The second model treats the elevator's motion kinematically, where the distance along the tether is determined by adjusting the lengths of tether on either side of the elevator. The tether model is used to determine optimal configurations for the space elevator. A modal analysis of two different configurations is presented which show that the fundamental mode of oscillation is a pendular one around the anchor point with a period on the order of 160 h for the in-plane motion, and 24 h for the out-of-plane motion. Numerical simulation results of the effects of the elevator moving along the cable are presented for different travel velocities and different elevator masses.

Contact and Bandgap Engineering in Two Dimensional Crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Tao

At the heart of semiconductor research, bandgap is one of the key parameters for materials and determine their applications in modern technologies. For traditional bulk semiconductors, the bandgap is determined by the chemical composition and specific arrangement of the crystal lattices, and usually invariant during the device operation. Nevertheless, it is highly desirable for many optoelectronic and electronic applications to have materials with continuously tunable bandgap available. In the past decade, 2D layered materials including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have sparked interest in the scientific community, owing to their unique material properties and tremendous potential in various applications. Among many newly discovered properties that are non-existent in bulk materials, the strong in-plane bonding and weak van der Waals inter-planar interaction in these 2D layered structures leads to a widely tunable bandgap by electric field. This provides an extra knob to engineer the fundamental material properties and open a new design space for novel device operation. This thesis focuses on this field controlled dynamic bandgap and can be divided into three parts: (1) bilayer graphene is the first known 2D crystal with a bandgap can be continuously tuned by electric field. However, the electrical transport bandgaps is much smaller than both theoretical predictions and extracted bandgaps from optical measurements. In the first part of the thesis, the limiting factors of preventing achieving a large transport bandgap in bilayer graphene are investigated and different strategies to achieve a large transport bandgap are discussed, including the vertically scaling of gate oxide and patterning channel into ribbon structure. With a record large transport bandgap of ~200meV, a dual-gated semiconducting bilayer graphene P/N junction with extremely scaled gap of 20nm in-between is fabricated. A tunable local maxima feature, associated with 1D v

Two-dimensional Kagome photonic bandgap waveguide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jens Bo; Søndergaard, Thomas; Libori, Stig E. Barkou

2000-01-01

The transverse-magnetic photonic-bandgap-guidance properties are investigated for a planar two-dimensional (2-D) Kagome waveguide configuration using a full-vectorial plane-wave-expansion method. Single-moded well-localized low-index guided modes are found. The localization of the optical modes...... is investigated with respect to the width of the 2-D Kagome waveguide, and the number of modes existing for specific frequencies and waveguide widths is mapped out....

Coupled Acoustic-Mechanical Bandgaps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard; Kook, Junghwan

2016-01-01

medium and the presence of acoustic resonances. It is demonstrated that corrugation of the plate structure can introduce bending wave bandgaps and bandgaps in the acoustic domain in overlapping and audible frequency ranges. This effect is preserved also when taking the physical coupling between the two...... domains into account. Additionally, the coupling is shown to introduce extra gaps in the band structure due to modal interaction and the appearance of a cut-on frequency for the fundamental acoustic mode....

Crowded, Confined, and Frustrated: Dynamics of Molecules Tethered to Nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Agarwal, Praveen; Kim, Sung A.; Archer, Lynden A.

2012-01-01

Above a critical chemistry-dependent molecular weight, all polymer molecules entangle and, as a result, exhibit slow dynamics, enhanced viscosity, and elasticity. Herein we report on the dynamics of low molecular weight polymers tethered

Atmospheric Electricity and Tethered Aerostats, Volume 2

Science.gov (United States)

1976-05-11

EASTERN TEST RANGE PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA 11 MAY 1976 028 099 AFETR -TR-76-07 ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY AND ~TETHERED AEROSTATS, VOLUME 11 Range...number) Atmospheric Electricity Lightning- Effects , Protection, Warning Balloons Systems Conducting & Nonconducting Tethers Potential Gradient Anomalies...if necessary and Identify by block number) Part A, "Atmospheric Electrical Effects of and on Tethered Balloon Systems," by Latham includes airborne

Review of wide band-gap semiconductors technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin Haiwei

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Silicon carbide (SiC and gallium nitride (GaN are typical representative of the wide band-gap semiconductor material, which is also known as third-generation semiconductor materials. Compared with the conventional semiconductor silicon (Si or gallium arsenide (GaAs, wide band-gap semiconductor has the wide band gap, high saturated drift velocity, high critical breakdown field and other advantages; it is a highly desirable semiconductor material applied under the case of high-power, high-temperature, high-frequency, anti-radiation environment. These advantages of wide band-gap devices make them a hot spot of semiconductor technology research in various countries. This article describes the research agenda of United States and European in this area, focusing on the recent developments of the wide band-gap technology in the US and Europe, summed up the facing challenge of the wide band-gap technology.

Photonic Bandgap (PBG) Shielding Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Bastin, Gary L.

2007-01-01

Photonic Bandgap (PBG) shielding technology is a new approach to designing electromagnetic shielding materials for mitigating Electromagnetic Interference (EM!) with small, light-weight shielding materials. It focuses on ground planes of printed wiring boards (PWBs), rather than on components. Modem PSG materials also are emerging based on planar materials, in place of earlier, bulkier, 3-dimensional PBG structures. Planar PBG designs especially show great promise in mitigating and suppressing EMI and crosstalk for aerospace designs, such as needed for NASA's Constellation Program, for returning humans to the moon and for use by our first human visitors traveling to and from Mars. Photonic Bandgap (PBG) materials are also known as artificial dielectrics, meta-materials, and photonic crystals. General PBG materials are fundamentally periodic slow-wave structures in I, 2, or 3 dimensions. By adjusting the choice of structure periodicities in terms of size and recurring structure spacings, multiple scatterings of surface waves can be created that act as a forbidden energy gap (i.e., a range of frequencies) over which nominally-conductive metallic conductors cease to be a conductor and become dielectrics. Equivalently, PBG materials can be regarded as giving rise to forbidden energy gaps in metals without chemical doping, analogous to electron bandgap properties that previously gave rise to the modem semiconductor industry 60 years ago. Electromagnetic waves cannot propagate over bandgap regions that are created with PBG materials, that is, over frequencies for which a bandgap is artificially created through introducing periodic defects

T-Rex: A Japanese Space Tether Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Les

2009-01-01

serves both to drive the current and then to act on the current to decelerate the system. One of the most important features of tether thrusters is that they use renewable energy sources to drive the electrical current flow in either the orbit-raising or orbit-lowering modes. Sources inherent to Earth orbit are used. To raise the orbit, sunlight can be converted to the electrical energy required to drive the tether current. To lower the orbit, the orbital energy itself (supplied by the Earth-to-orbit launcher when it raises the system into orbit) is the energy source of the tether current via the action of the Lorentz Force. Electrodynamic tethers can be directly applied to a wide spectrum of uses in space. As a propulsion system, they include satellite de-orbit, transfer of a satellite from one orbit to another, altitude maintenance for large spacecraft such as the International Space Station, and since it works wherever there is a magnetic field and an ionosphere planetary exploration missions. An electrodynamic tether upper stage could be used as an Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV) to move payloads within low earth orbit. The OTV would rendezvous with the payload and launch vehicle, grapple the payload and maneuver it to a new orbital altitude or inclination without the use of boost propellant. The tug could then lower its orbit to rendezvous with the next payload and repeat the process. Conceivably, such a system could perform several orbital maneuvering assignments without resupply, making it relatively inexpensive to operate.

GRASP: A multitasking tether

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catherine eRabouille

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Originally identified as Golgi stacking factors in vitro, the Golgi reassembly stacking protein (GRASP family has been shown to act as membrane tethers with multiple cellular roles. As an update to previous comprehensive reviews of the GRASP family (Vinke et al., 2011 (Giuliani et al., 2011;Jarvela and Linstedt, 2012, we outline here the latest findings concerning their diverse roles. New insights into the mechanics of GRASP-mediated tethering come from recent crystal structures. The models of how GRASP65 and GRASP55 tether membranes relate directly to their role in Golgi ribbon formation in mammalian cells and the unlinking of the ribbon at the onset of mitosis. However, it is also clear that GRASPs act outside the Golgi with roles at the ER and ER exit sites (ERES. Furthermore, the proteins of this family display other roles upon cellular stress, especially in mediating unconventional secretion of both transmembrane proteins (Golgi bypass and cytoplasmic proteins (through secretory autophagosomes.

Optimal design of tunable phononic bandgap plates under equibiaxial stretch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedayatrasa, Saeid; Abhary, Kazem; Uddin, M S; Guest, James K

2016-01-01

Design and application of phononic crystal (PhCr) acoustic metamaterials has been a topic with tremendous growth of interest in the last decade due to their promising capabilities to manipulate acoustic and elastodynamic waves. Phononic controllability of waves through a particular PhCr is limited only to the spectrums located within its fixed bandgap frequency. Hence the ability to tune a PhCr is desired to add functionality over its variable bandgap frequency or for switchability. Deformation induced bandgap tunability of elastomeric PhCr solids and plates with prescribed topology have been studied by other researchers. Principally the internal stress state and distorted geometry of a deformed phononic crystal plate (PhP) changes its effective stiffness and leads to deformation induced tunability of resultant modal band structure. Thus the microstructural topology of a PhP can be altered so that specific tunability features are met through prescribed deformation. In the present study novel tunable PhPs of this kind with optimized bandgap efficiency-tunability of guided waves are computationally explored and evaluated. Low loss transmission of guided waves throughout thin walled structures makes them ideal for fabrication of low loss ultrasound devices and structural health monitoring purposes. Various tunability targets are defined to enhance or degrade complete bandgaps of plate waves through macroscopic tensile deformation. Elastomeric hyperelastic material is considered which enables recoverable micromechanical deformation under tuning finite stretch. Phononic tunability through stable deformation of phononic lattice is specifically required and so any topology showing buckling instability under assumed deformation is disregarded. Nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (GA) NSGA-II is adopted for evolutionary multiobjective topology optimization of hypothesized tunable PhP with square symmetric unit-cell and relevant topologies are analyzed through finite

Synthesis, reactivity, and properties of N-fused porphyrin rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Toganoh, Motoki; Ikeda, Shinya; Furuta, Hiroyuki

2007-11-12

The thermal reactions of N-fused tetraarylporphyrins or N-confused tetraarylporphyrins with Re2(CO)10 gave the rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complexes bearing N-fused porphyrinato ligands (4) in moderate to good yields. The rhenium complexes 4 are characterized by mass, IR, 1H, and 13C NMR spectroscopy, and the structures of tetraphenylporphynato complex 4a and its nitro derivative 15 are determined by X-ray single crystal analysis. The rhenium complexes 4 show excellent stability against heat, light, acids, bases, and oxidants. The aromatic substitution reactions of 4 proceed without a loss of the center metal to give the nitro (15), formyl (16), benzoyl (17), and cyano derivatives (19), regioselectively. In the electrochemical measurements for 4, one reversible oxidation wave and two reversible reduction waves are observed. Their redox potentials imply narrow HOMO-LUMO band gaps of 4 and are consistent with their electronic absorption spectra, in which the absorption edges exceed 1000 nm. Theoretical study reveals that the HOMO and LUMO of the rhenium complexes are exclusively composed of the N-fused porphyrin skeleton. Protonation of 4 takes place at the 21-position regioselectively, reflecting the high coefficient of the C21 atom in the HOMO orbital. The skeletal rearrangement reaction from N-confused porphyrin Re(I) complex (8) to N-fused porphyrin Re(I) complex (4) is suggested from the mechanistic study as well as DFT calculations.

Passivity-Based Control of a Rigid Electrodynamic Tether

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Martin Birkelund; Blanke, Mogens

2011-01-01

Electrodynamic tethers provide actuation for performing orbit correction of spacecrafts. When an electrodynamic tether system is orbiting the Earth in an inclined orbit, periodic changes in the magnetic field result in a family of unstable periodic solutions in the attitude motion. This paper shows...... how these periodic solutions can be stabilized by controlling only the current through the tether. A port-controlled Hamiltonian formulation is employed to describe the tethered satellite system and a passive input-output connection is utilized in the control design. The control law consists of two...

Tethered elevator: A unique opportunity for space processing

Science.gov (United States)

Monti, R.

1986-01-01

The latest fluid dynamic and material science experiments in the microgravity environment have emphasized the importance of the residual gravity level and of the g-jitter on fluid physics phenomena. The tethered elevator presents the possibility of providing variable g-levels (both steady and g-jitter) around a very low steady g-level (that can be realized when the elevator is near the center of mass of the space station-tether complex). When positioning a variable periodic oscillation to the payload a clean g-jitter disturbance can be obtained that would not be otherwise obtainable by other systems. These two possibilities make the elevator a facility to help resolve a number of still open questions that are preventing wider utilization of the space environment in the microgravity area.

Assessing tether anchor labeling and usability in pickup trucks.

Science.gov (United States)

Klinich, Kathleen D; Manary, Miriam A; Malik, Laura A; Flannagan, Carol A; Jermakian, Jessica S

2018-04-03

The objective of this study was to investigate vehicle factors associated with child restraint tether use and misuse in pickup trucks and evaluate 4 labeling interventions designed to educate consumers on proper tether use. Volunteer testing was performed with 24 subjects and 4 different pickup trucks. Each subject performed 8 child restraint installations among the 4 pickups using 2 forward-facing restraints: a Britax Marathon G4.1 and an Evenflo Triumph. Vehicles were selected to represent 4 different implementations of tether anchors among pickups: plastic loop routers (Chevrolet Silverado), webbing routers (Ram), back wall anchors (Nissan Frontier), and webbing routers plus metal anchors (Toyota Tundra). Interventions included a diagram label, Quick Response (QR) Code linked to video instruction, coordinating text label, and contrasting text tag. Subjects used the child restraint tether in 93% of trials. However, tether use was completely correct in only 9% of trials. An installation was considered functional if the subject attached the tether to a tether anchor and had a tight installation (ignoring routing and head restraint position); 28% of subjects achieved a functional installation. The most common installation error was attaching the tether hook to the anchor/router directly behind the child restraint (near the top of the seatback) rather than placing the tether through the router and attaching it to the anchor in the adjacent seating position. The Nissan Frontier, with the anchor located on the back wall of the cab, had the highest rate of correct installations but also had the highest rate of attaching the tether to components other than the tether anchor (seat adjustor, child restraint storage hook, around head restraint). None of the labeling interventions had a significant effect on correct installation; not a single subject scanned the QR Code to access the video instruction. Subjects with the most successful installations spent extensive time

Mobile tethering: Overview, perspectives and challengess

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Constantinescu, M.; Onur, E.; Durmus, Y.; Nikou, S.; Reuver, M. de; Bouwman, H.; Djurica, M.; Glatz, P.M.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze mobile tethering from technological and social perspectives. Mobile tethering allows us to share cellular data connection with others over WiFi, Bluetooth or USB. Although the technology is ready and has promising outcomes, service providers and the

Membrane Tethering Complexes in the Endosomal System

OpenAIRE

Spang, Anne

2016-01-01

Vesicles that are generated by endocytic events at the plasma membrane are destined to early endosomes. A prerequisite for proper fusion is the tethering of two membrane entities. Tethering of vesicles to early endosomes is mediated by the class C core vacuole/endosome tethering (CORVET) complex, while fusion of late endosomes with lysosomes depends on the homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting (HOPS) complex. Recycling through the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and to the plasma membrane is...

Enabling Tethered Exploration on Mars, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Strong science motivations exist for exploring hard to reach terrain on Mars and the leading systems proposed to do so require tethers. While tethers are used...

Direct Bandgap Group IV Materials

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-21

AFRL-AFOSR-JP-TR-2017-0049 Direct Bandgap group IV Materials Hung Hsiang Cheng NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY Final Report 01/21/2016 DISTRIBUTION A...NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY 1 ROOSEVELT RD. SEC. 4 TAIPEI CITY, 10617 TW 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING...14. ABSTRACT Direct bandgap group IV materials have been long sought for in both academia and industry for the implementation of photonic devices

Intracellular distribution and stability of a luminescent rhenium(I) tricarbonyl tetrazolato complex using epifluorescence microscopy in conjunction with X-ray fluorescence imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wedding, Jason L.; Harris, Hugh H.; Bader, Christie A.; Plush, Sally E.; Mak, Rachel

2016-01-01

Optical fluorescence microscopy was used in conjunction with X-ray fluorescence microscopy to monitor the stability and intracellular distribution of the luminescent rhenium(I) complex fac-[Re(CO) 3 (phen)L], where phen = 1,10-phenathroline and L = 5-(4-iodophenyl)tetrazolato, in 22Rv1 cells. The rhenium complex showed no signs of ancillary ligand dissociation, a conclusion based on data obtained via X-ray fluorescence imaging aligning iodine and rhenium distributions. A diffuse reticular localisation was detected for the complex, in the nuclear/perinuclear region of cells, by either optical or X-ray fluorescence techniques. Furthermore, X-ray fluorescence also showed that the Re-I complex disrupted the homeostasis of some biologically relevant elements, such as chlorine, potassium and zinc.

Low-Cost Propellant Launch to Earth Orbit from a Tethered Balloon

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox, Brian H.

2006-01-01

Propellant will be more than 85% of the mass that needs to be lofted into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in the planned program of Exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This paper describes a possible means for launching thousands of tons of propellant per year into LEO at a cost 15 to 30 times less than the current launch cost per kilogram. The basic idea is to mass-produce very simple, small and relatively low-performance rockets at a cost per kilogram comparable to automobiles, instead of the 25X greater cost that is customary for current launch vehicles that are produced in small quantities and which are manufactured with performance near the limits of what is possible. These small, simple rockets can reach orbit because they are launched above 95% of the atmosphere, where the drag losses even on a small rocket are acceptable, and because they can be launched nearly horizontally with very simple guidance based primarily on spin-stabilization. Launching above most of the atmosphere is accomplished by winching the rocket up a tether to a balloon. A fuel depot in equatorial orbit passes over the launch site on every orbit (approximately every 90 minutes). One or more rockets can be launched each time the fuel depot passes overhead, so the launch rate can be any multiple of 6000 small rockets per year, a number that is sufficient to reap the benefits of mass production.

Tether applications for space station

Science.gov (United States)

Nobles, W.

1986-01-01

A wide variety of space station applications for tethers were reviewed. Many will affect the operation of the station itself while others are in the category of research or scientific platforms. One of the most expensive aspects of operating the space station will be the continuing shuttle traffic to transport logistic supplies and payloads to the space station. If a means can be found to use tethers to improve the efficiency of that transportation operation, it will increase the operating efficiency of the system and reduce the overall cost of the space station. The concept studied consists of using a tether to lower the shuttle from the space station. This results in a transfer of angular momentum and energy from the orbiter to the space station. The consequences of this transfer is studied and how beneficial use can be made of it.

The mechanics of motorised momentum exchange tethers when applied to active debris removal from LEO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caldecott, Ralph; Kamarulzaman, Dayangku N. S.; Kirrane, James P.; Cartmell, Matthew P.; Ganilova, Olga A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin St., Sheffield, S1 3JD, England (United Kingdom)

2014-12-10

The concept of momentum exchange when applied to space tethers for propulsion is well established, and a considerable body of literature now exists on the on-orbit modelling, the dynamics, and also the control of a large range of tether system applications. The authors consider here a new application for the Motorised Momentum Exchange Tether by highlighting three key stages of development leading to a conceptualisation that can subsequently be developed into a technology for Active Debris Removal. The paper starts with a study of the on-orbit mechanics of a full sized motorised tether in which it is shown that a laden and therefore highly massasymmetrical tether can still be forced to spin, and certainly to librate, thereby confirming its possible usefulness for active debris removal (ADR). The second part of the paper concentrates on the modelling of the centripetal deployment of a symmetrical MMET in order to get it initialized for debris removal operations, and the third and final part of the paper provides an entry into scale modelling for low cost mission design and testing. It is shown that the motorised momentum exchange tether offers a potential solution to the removal of large pieces of orbital debris, and that dynamic methodologies can be implemented to in order to optimise the emergent design.

The mechanics of motorised momentum exchange tethers when applied to active debris removal from LEO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldecott, Ralph; Kamarulzaman, Dayangku N. S.; Kirrane, James P.; Cartmell, Matthew P.; Ganilova, Olga A.

2014-01-01

The concept of momentum exchange when applied to space tethers for propulsion is well established, and a considerable body of literature now exists on the on-orbit modelling, the dynamics, and also the control of a large range of tether system applications. The authors consider here a new application for the Motorised Momentum Exchange Tether by highlighting three key stages of development leading to a conceptualisation that can subsequently be developed into a technology for Active Debris Removal. The paper starts with a study of the on-orbit mechanics of a full sized motorised tether in which it is shown that a laden and therefore highly massasymmetrical tether can still be forced to spin, and certainly to librate, thereby confirming its possible usefulness for active debris removal (ADR). The second part of the paper concentrates on the modelling of the centripetal deployment of a symmetrical MMET in order to get it initialized for debris removal operations, and the third and final part of the paper provides an entry into scale modelling for low cost mission design and testing. It is shown that the motorised momentum exchange tether offers a potential solution to the removal of large pieces of orbital debris, and that dynamic methodologies can be implemented to in order to optimise the emergent design

Beyond Donor-Acceptor (D-A) Approach: Structure-Optoelectronic Properties-Organic Photovoltaic Performance Correlation in New D-A1 -D-A2 Low-Bandgap Conjugated Polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Chochos, Christos L; Drakopoulou, Sofia; Katsouras, Athanasios; Squeo, Benedetta M; Sprau, Christian; Colsmann, Alexander; Gregoriou, Vasilis G; Cando, Alex-Palma; Allard, Sybille; Scherf, Ullrich; Gasparini, Nicola; Kazerouni, Negar; Ameri, Tayebeh; Brabec, Christoph J; Avgeropoulos, Apostolos

2017-04-01

Low-bandgap near-infrared polymers are usually synthesized using the common donor-acceptor (D-A) approach. However, recently polymer chemists are introducing more complex chemical concepts for better fine tuning of their optoelectronic properties. Usually these studies are limited to one or two polymer examples in each case study so far, though. In this study, the dependence of optoelectronic and macroscopic (device performance) properties in a series of six new D-A 1 -D-A 2 low bandgap semiconducting polymers is reported for the first time. Correlation between the chemical structure of single-component polymer films and their optoelectronic properties has been achieved in terms of absorption maxima, optical bandgap, ionization potential, and electron affinity. Preliminary organic photovoltaic results based on blends of the D-A 1 -D-A 2 polymers as the electron donor mixed with the fullerene derivative [6,6]-phenyl-C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester demonstrate power conversion efficiencies close to 4% with short-circuit current densities (J sc ) of around 11 mA cm -2 , high fill factors up to 0.70, and high open-circuit voltages (V oc s) of 0.70 V. All the devices are fabricated in an inverted architecture with the photoactive layer processed in air with doctor blade technique, showing the compatibility with roll-to-roll large-scale manufacturing processes. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Flowing Plasma Interaction with an Electric Sail Tether Element

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Todd; Vaughn, Jason; Wright, Kenneth; Anderson, Allen; Stone, Nobie

2017-01-01

Harnessing the power of the solar wind, an Electric Sail, or E-sail, is a relatively new concept that promises to deliver high speed propellant-less propulsion. The electric sail is an invention made in 2006 at the Kumpula Space Centre in Finland by Pekka Janhunen [Janhunen and Sandroos, 2007]. At its core, an electric sail utilizes multiple positively biased tethers which exchange momentum with solar wind protons via the repelling electric field established around each tether, in other words, by reflecting the solar wind protons. Recognizing the solar wind is a plasma, the effective repelling area of each tether is increased significantly by the formation a plasma sheath around each tether. Fig. 1 shows schematically a spacecraft employing an electric sail. The positive voltage bias (greater than10kV) applied to each tether naturally results in electron collection. Therefore, the electric sail concept necessarily includes an electron source (electron gun) to return collected electrons to space and maintain the positive bias of the tether system.

True photonic band-gap mode-control in VCSEL structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Romstad, F.; Madsen, M.; Birkedal, Dan

2003-01-01

Photonic band-gap mode confinement in novel nano-structured large area VCSEL structures is confirmed by the amplified spontaneous emission spectrum. Both guide and anti-guide VCSEL structures are experimentally characterised to verify the photonic band-gap effect.......Photonic band-gap mode confinement in novel nano-structured large area VCSEL structures is confirmed by the amplified spontaneous emission spectrum. Both guide and anti-guide VCSEL structures are experimentally characterised to verify the photonic band-gap effect....

Modeling and Simulation of a Tethered Harpoon for Comet Sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Quadrelli, Marco B.

2014-01-01

This paper describes the development of a dynamic model and simulation results of a tethered harpoon for comet sampling. This model and simulation was done in order to carry out an initial sensitivity analysis for key design parameters of the tethered system. The harpoon would contain a canister which would collect a sample of soil from a cometary surface. Both a spring ejected canister and a tethered canister are considered. To arrive in close proximity of the spacecraft at the end of its trajectory so it could be captured, the free-flying canister would need to be ejected at the right time and with the proper impulse, while the tethered canister must be recovered by properly retrieving the tether at a rate that would avoid an excessive amplitude of oscillatory behavior during the retrieval. The paper describes the model of the tether dynamics and harpoon penetration physics. The simulations indicate that, without the tether, the canister would still reach the spacecraft for collection, that the tether retrieval of the canister would be achievable with reasonable fuel consumption, and that the canister amplitude upon retrieval would be insensitive to variations in vertical velocity dispersion.

Tension waves in tethered satellite cables

Science.gov (United States)

Lallman, F. J.

1984-01-01

A one-degree-of-freedom simulation of the Tethered Satellite System (TSS) was programmed using a distributed system model of the tether based on the one-dimensional wave equation. This model represents the time varying tension profile along the tether as the sum of two traveling waves of tension moving in opposite directions. A control loop was devised which combines a deployment rate command with the measured tension at the deployer to produce a smooth, stable rate of deployment of the subsatellite. Simulation results show a buildup of periodic bursts of high frequency oscillation in tension. This report covers the mathematical modelling and simulation results and explains the reason for the observed oscillations. The design of a possible vibration damping device is discussed.

Synthesis, structural characterization and photoluminescence properties of rhenium(I) complexes based on bipyridine derivatives with carbazole moieties.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hong-Yan; Wu, Jing; Zhou, Xin-Hui; Kang, Ling-Chen; Li, Dong-Ping; Sui, Yan; Zhou, Yong-Hui; Zheng, You-Xuan; Zuo, Jing-Lin; You, Xiao-Zeng

2009-12-21

Three N,N-bidentate ligands, 5,5'-dibromo-2,2-bipyridine (L1) and two carbazole containing ligands of 5-bromo-5'-carbazolyl-2,2-bipyridine (L2), 5,5'-dicarbazolyl-2,2'-bipyridine (L3), and their corresponding rhenium Re(CO)3Cl(L) complexes (ReL1-ReL3) have been successfully synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, 1H NMR and IR spectra. Their photophysical properties and thermal analysis, along with the X-ray crystal structure analysis of L3 and complexes ReL1 and ReL3 are also described. In CH2Cl2 solution at room temperature, all complexes display intense absorption bands at ca. 220-350 nm, which can be assigned to spin-allowed intraligand (pi-->pi*) transitions, and the low energy broad bands in the 360-480 nm region are attributed to the metal to ligand charge-transfer d(Re)-->pi* (diimine) (MLCT). The introduction of carbazole moieties improves the MLCT absorption and molar extinction coefficient of these complexes. Upon excitation at the peak maxima, all complexes show strong emissions around 620 nm, which are assigned to d(Re)-->pi* (diimine) MLCT phosphorescence. The photoluminescence lifetime decay of Re(I) complexes were measured and the quantum efficiencies of the rhenium(I) complexes were calculated by using air-equilibrated [Ru(bpy)3]2+ x 2 Cl- aqueous solution as standard (phi(std) = 0.028). The complexes with appended carbazole moieties exhibit enhanced luminescence performances relative to ReL1.

The stochastic dynamics of tethered microcantilevers in a viscous fluid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robbins, Brian A.; Paul, Mark R. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 (United States); Radiom, Milad; Ducker, William A. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 (United States); Walz, John Y. [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506 (United States)

2014-10-28

We explore and quantify the coupled dynamics of a pair of micron scale cantilevers immersed in a viscous fluid that are also directly tethered to one another at their tips by a spring force. The spring force, for example, could represent the molecular stiffness or elasticity of a biomolecule or material tethered between the cantilevers. We use deterministic numerical simulations with the fluctuation-dissipation theorem to compute the stochastic dynamics of the cantilever pair for the conditions of experiment when driven only by Brownian motion. We validate our approach by comparing directly with experimental measurements in the absence of the tether which shows excellent agreement. Using numerical simulations, we quantify the correlated dynamics of the cantilever pair over a range of tether stiffness. Our results quantify the sensitivity of the auto- and cross-correlations of equilibrium fluctuations in cantilever displacement to the stiffness of the tether. We show that the tether affects the magnitude of the correlations which can be used in a measurement to probe the properties of an attached tethering substance. For the configurations of current interest using micron scale cantilevers in water, we show that the magnitude of the fluid coupling between the cantilevers is sufficiently small such that the influence of the tether can be significant. Our results show that the cross-correlation is more sensitive to tether stiffness than the auto-correlation indicating that a two-cantilever measurement has improved sensitivity when compared with a measurement using a single cantilever.

Models of dynamic extraction of lipid tethers from cell membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nowak, Sarah A; Chou, Tom

2010-01-01

When a ligand that is bound to an integral membrane receptor is pulled, the membrane and the underlying cytoskeleton can deform before either the membrane delaminates from the cytoskeleton or the ligand detaches from the receptor. If the membrane delaminates from the cytoskeleton, it may be further extruded and form a membrane tether. We develop a phenomenological model for this process by assuming that deformations obey Hooke's law up to a critical force at which the cell membrane locally detaches from the cytoskeleton and a membrane tether forms. We compute the probability of tether formation and show that tethers can be extruded only within an intermediate range of force loading rates and pulling velocities. The mean tether length that arises at the moment of ligand detachment is computed as are the force loading rates and pulling velocities that yield the longest tethers

Wide Bandgap Extrinsic Photoconductive Switches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sullivan, James S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2013-07-03

Semi-insulating Gallium Nitride, 4H and 6H Silicon Carbide are attractive materials for compact, high voltage, extrinsic, photoconductive switches due to their wide bandgap, high dark resistance, high critical electric field strength and high electron saturation velocity. These wide bandgap semiconductors are made semi-insulating by the addition of vanadium (4H and 6HSiC) and iron (2H-GaN) impurities that form deep acceptors. These deep acceptors trap electrons donated from shallow donor impurities. The electrons can be optically excited from these deep acceptor levels into the conduction band to transition the wide bandgap semiconductor materials from a semi-insulating to a conducting state. Extrinsic photoconductive switches with opposing electrodes have been constructed using vanadium compensated 6H-SiC and iron compensated 2H-GaN. These extrinsic photoconductive switches were tested at high voltage and high power to determine if they could be successfully used as the closing switch in compact medical accelerators.

Bandgap Optimization of Perovskite Semiconductors for Photovoltaic Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Zewen; Zhou, Yuanyuan; Hosono, Hideo; Kamiya, Toshio; Padture, Nitin P

2018-02-16

The bandgap is the most important physical property that determines the potential of semiconductors for photovoltaic (PV) applications. This Minireview discusses the parameters affecting the bandgap of perovskite semiconductors that are being widely studied for PV applications, and the recent progress in the optimization of the bandgaps of these materials. Perspectives are also provided for guiding future research in this area. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Lyapunov Orbits in the Jupiter System Using Electrodynamic Tethers

Science.gov (United States)

Bokelmann, Kevin; Russell, Ryan P.; Lantoine, Gregory

2013-01-01

Various researchers have proposed the use of electrodynamic tethers for power generation and capture from interplanetary transfers. The effect of tether forces on periodic orbits in Jupiter-satellite systems are investigated. A perturbation force is added to the restricted three-body problem model and a series of simplifications allows development of a conservative system that retains the Jacobi integral. Expressions are developed to find modified locations of equilibrium positions. Modified families of Lyapunov orbits are generated as functions of tether size and Jacobi integral. Zero velocity curves and stability analyses are used to evaluate the dynamical properties of tether-modified orbits.

Planar Circularly Symmetric Electromagnetic Band-Gap Antennas for Low Cost High Performance Integrated Antennas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neto, A.; LLombart, N.; Gerini, G.; Maagt, P.J. de

2009-01-01

The use of Planar Circularly Symmetric (PCS) Electromagnetic Band-Gap (EBG) structures for optimizing the performances of single antenna elements and arrays is been discussed. The key advantage of using this sort of super structures is that they are planar and thus very cheap to manufacture with

Planar circularly symmetric Electromagnetic Band-Gap antennas for low cost high performance integrated antennas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neto, A.; Llombart, N.; Gerini, G.; de Maagt, P.J.I.

2009-01-01

The use of planar circularly symmetric (PCS) electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structures for optimizing the performances of single antenna elements and arrays is been discussed. The key advantage of using this sort of super structures is that they are planar and thus very cheap to manufacture with

Wide bandgap engineering of (AlGa)2O3 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Fabi; Saito, Katsuhiko; Tanaka, Tooru; Nishio, Mitsuhiro; Guo, Qixin; Arita, Makoto

2014-01-01

Bandgap tunable (AlGa) 2 O 3 films were deposited on sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The deposited films are of high transmittance as measured by spectrophotometer. The Al content in films is almost the same as that in targets. The measurement of bandgap energies by examining the onset of inelastic energy loss in core-level atomic spectra using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is proved to be valid for determining the bandgap of (AlGa) 2 O 3 films as it is in good agreement with the bandgap values from transmittance spectra. The measured bandgap of (AlGa) 2 O 3 films increases continuously with the Al content covering the whole Al content range from about 5 to 7 eV, indicating PLD is a promising growth technology for growing bandgap tunable (AlGa) 2 O 3 films.

Use of top tethers with forward-facing child restraints: observations and driver interviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Eichelberger, Angela H; Decina, Lawrence E; Jermakian, Jessica S; McCartt, Anne T

2014-02-01

Despite the safety benefits, many parents do not use top tethers with forward-facing child restraints. Detailed information was collected about why parents are not using tethers. The sample included 479 drivers who had forward-facing child restraints installed in passenger vehicles equipped with tether anchors. The survey was conducted primarily at shopping centers, recreation facilities, child care facilities, car seat check events, and health care facilities in mostly suburban areas surrounding Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Fredericksburg (VA), and Seattle. Drivers were surveyed about their knowledge and use of tethers and experience with child restraints. Tether use was observed to verify whether tethers were being used correctly. Fifty-six percent of forward-facing child restraints were installed with the tether; 39% were installed with the tether used correctly. The tether was used with 71% of LATCH lower anchor installations and 33% of seat belt installations. Drivers who installed child restraints without tethers most often said they did not know about the tether or how to use it. Although the tether use rate was slightly higher in the current research than in previous studies, many parents and caregivers still use forward-facing child restraints without attaching the tether. Because the main problem is lack of awareness of the tether or how to use it, public education should focus specifically on the safety benefits of tethers and how to use them. Information about why caregivers fail to use top tethers is potentially useful to child restraint manufacturers, child passenger safety technicians, and others who work with parents to improve motor vehicle safety. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

Numerical modelling of elastic space tethers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristiansen, Kristian Uldall; Palmer, P. L.; Roberts, R. M.

2012-01-01

In this paper the importance of the ill-posedness of the classical, non-dissipative massive tether model on an orbiting tether system is studied numerically. The computations document that via the regularisation of bending resistance a more reliable numerical integrator can be produced. Furthermo....... It is also shown that on the slow manifold the dynamics of the satellites are well-approximated by the finite dimensional slack-spring model....

Modeling and Control of Electrodynamic Tethers - an Energy and Topology Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Martin Birkelund

A space tether is a cable used to connect spacecrafts in an orbiting structure. If an electrical current is lead through the tether, it can be utilized to provide propulsion for the spacecraft. In this case the cable is referred to as an electrodynamic tether. The system utilizes the magnetic field...... of the Earth for creating a Lorentz force along the tether which occur when a current carrying wire operates in a magnetic field. The use of electrodynamic tethers are interesting since they operate solely on electrical energy, which can be provided by solar panels of the spacecrafts. In this way the amount...... when using electrodynamic tethers is that the force created along the tether is based on an external uncontrollable condition, namely the magnetic field. Even whit a known model of the magnetic field, limitations to the creation of the Lorentz force still exists, since the force can only be generated...

One kilometer (1 km) electric solar wind sail tether produced automatically.

Science.gov (United States)

Seppänen, Henri; Rauhala, Timo; Kiprich, Sergiy; Ukkonen, Jukka; Simonsson, Martin; Kurppa, Risto; Janhunen, Pekka; Hæggström, Edward

2013-09-01

We produced a 1 km continuous piece of multifilament electric solar wind sail tether of μm-diameter aluminum wires using a custom made automatic tether factory. The tether comprising 90,704 bonds between 25 and 50 μm diameter wires is reeled onto a metal reel. The total mass of 1 km tether is 10 g. We reached a production rate of 70 m/24 h and a quality level of 1‰ loose bonds and 2‰ rebonded ones. We thus demonstrated that production of long electric solar wind sail tethers is possible and practical.

Enhanced Impurity-Free Intermixing Bandgap Engineering for InP-Based Photonic Integrated Circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xiao; Zhang, Can; Liang, Song; Zhu, Hong-Liang; Hou, Lian-Ping

2014-04-01

Impurity-free intermixing of InGaAsP multiple quantum wells (MQW) using sputtering Cu/SiO2 layers followed by rapid thermal processing (RTP) is demonstrated. The bandgap energy could be modulated by varying the sputtering power and time of Cu, RTP temperature and time to satisfy the demands for lasers, modulators, photodetector, and passive waveguides for the photonic integrated circuits with a simple procedure. The blueshift of the bandgap wavelength of MQW is experimentally investigated on different sputtering and annealing conditions. It is obvious that the introduction of the Cu layer could increase the blueshift more greatly than the common impurity free vacancy disordering technique. A maximum bandgap blueshift of 172 nm is realized with an annealing condition of 750°C and 200s. The improved technique is promising for the fabrication of the active/passive optoelectronic components on a single wafer with simple process and low cost.

Selected Tether Applications Cost Model

Science.gov (United States)

Keeley, Michael G.

1988-01-01

Diverse cost-estimating techniques and data combined into single program. Selected Tether Applications Cost Model (STACOM 1.0) is interactive accounting software tool providing means for combining several independent cost-estimating programs into fully-integrated mathematical model capable of assessing costs, analyzing benefits, providing file-handling utilities, and putting out information in text and graphical forms to screen, printer, or plotter. Program based on Lotus 1-2-3, version 2.0. Developed to provide clear, concise traceability and visibility into methodology and rationale for estimating costs and benefits of operations of Space Station tether deployer system.

Terahertz spectroscopy of three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oezbay, E.; Michel, E.; Tuttle, G.; Biswas, R.; Ho, K.M.; Bostak, J.; Bloom, D.M.

1994-01-01

We have fabricated and built three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystals with band-gap frequencies larger than 500 GHz. We built the crystals by stacking micromachined (110) silicon wafers. The transmission and dispersion characteristics of the structures were measured by an all-electronic terahertz spectroscopy setup. The experimental results were in good agreement with theoretical calculations. To our knowledge, our new crystal has the highest reported photonic band-gap frequency

Tensile-strain effect of inducing the indirect-to-direct band-gap transition and reducing the band-gap energy of Ge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inaoka, Takeshi, E-mail: inaoka@phys.u-ryukyu.ac.jp; Furukawa, Takuro; Toma, Ryo; Yanagisawa, Susumu [Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213 (Japan)

2015-09-14

By means of a hybrid density-functional method, we investigate the tensile-strain effect of inducing the indirect-to-direct band-gap transition and reducing the band-gap energy of Ge. We consider [001], [111], and [110] uniaxial tensility and (001), (111), and (110) biaxial tensility. Under the condition of no normal stress, we determine both normal compression and internal strain, namely, relative displacement of two atoms in the primitive unit cell, by minimizing the total energy. We identify those strain types which can induce the band-gap transition, and evaluate the critical strain coefficient where the gap transition occurs. Either normal compression or internal strain operates unfavorably to induce the gap transition, which raises the critical strain coefficient or even blocks the transition. We also examine how each type of tensile strain decreases the band-gap energy, depending on its orientation. Our analysis clearly shows that synergistic operation of strain orientation and band anisotropy has a great influence on the gap transition and the gap energy.

Space-coiling fractal metamaterial with multi-bandgaps on subwavelength scale

Science.gov (United States)

Man, Xianfeng; Liu, Tingting; Xia, Baizhan; Luo, Zhen; Xie, Longxiang; Liu, Jian

2018-06-01

Acoustic metamaterials are remarkably different from conventional materials, as they can flexibly manipulate and control the propagation of sound waves. Unlike the locally resonant metamaterials introduced in earlier studies, we designed an ultraslow artificial structure with a sound speed much lower than that in air. In this paper, the space-coiling approach is proposed for achieving artificial metamaterial for extremely low-frequency airborne sound. In addition, the self-similar fractal technique is utilized for designing space-coiling Mie-resonance-based metamaterials (MRMMs) to obtain a band-dispersive spectrum. The band structures of two-dimensional (2D) acoustic metamaterials with different fractal levels are illustrated using the finite element method. The low-frequency bandgap can easily be formed, and multi-bandgap properties are observed in high-level fractals. Furthermore, the designed MRMMs with higher order fractal space coiling shows a good robustness against irregular arrangement. Besides, the proposed artificial structure was found to modify and control the radiation field arbitrarily. Thus, this work provides useful guidelines for the design of acoustic filtering devices and acoustic wavefront shaping applications on the subwavelength scale.

Tethered Nanoparticle–Polymer Composites: Phase Stability and Curvature

KAUST Repository

Srivastava, Samanvaya

2012-04-17

Phase behavior of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) tethered silica nanoparticles dispersed in PEG hosts is investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering. Phase separation in dispersions of densely grafted nanoparticles is found to display strikingly different small-angle X-ray scattering signatures in comparison to phase-separated composites comprised of bare or sparsely grafted nanoparticles. A general diagram for the dispersion state and phase stability of polymer tethered nanoparticle-polymer composites incorporating results from this as well as various other contemporary studies is presented. We show that in the range of moderate to high grafting densities the dispersion state of nanoparticles in composites is largely insensitive to the grafting density of the tethered chains and chemistry of the polymer host. Instead, the ratio of the particle diameter to the size of the tethered chain and the ratio of the molecular weights of the host and tethered polymer chains (P/N) are shown to play a dominant role. Additionally, we find that well-functionalized nanoparticles form stable dispersions in their polymer host beyond the P/N limit that demarcates the wetting/dewetting transition in polymer brushes on flat substrates interacting with polymer melts. A general strategy for achieving uniform nanoparticle dispersion in polymers is proposed. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Structure and optical bandgap relationship of π-conjugated systems.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Leitão Botelho

Full Text Available In bulk heterojunction photovoltaic systems both the open-circuit voltage as well as the short-circuit current, and hence the power conversion efficiency, are dependent on the optical bandgap of the electron-donor material. While first-principles methods are computationally intensive, simpler model Hamiltonian approaches typically suffer from one or more flaws: inability to optimize the geometries for their own input; absence of general, transferable parameters; and poor performance for non-planar systems. We introduce a set of new and revised parameters for the adapted Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (aSSH Hamiltonian, which is capable of optimizing geometries, along with rules for applying them to any [Formula: see text]-conjugated system containing C, N, O, or S, including non-planar systems. The predicted optical bandgaps show excellent agreement to UV-vis spectroscopy data points from literature, with a coefficient of determination [Formula: see text], a mean error of -0.05 eV, and a mean absolute deviation of 0.16 eV. We use the model to gain insights from PEDOT, fused thiophene polymers, poly-isothianaphthene, copolymers, and pentacene as sources of design rules in the search for low bandgap materials. Using the model as an in-silico design tool, a copolymer of benzodithiophenes along with a small-molecule derivative of pentacene are proposed as optimal donor materials for organic photovoltaics.

Application of the NASCAP Spacecraft Simulation Tool to Investigate Electrodynamic Tether Current Collection in LEO

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Mitzi; HabashKrause, Linda

2012-01-01

Recent interest in using electrodynamic tethers (EDTs) for orbital maneuvering in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has prompted the development of the Marshall ElectroDynamic Tether Orbit Propagator (MEDTOP) model. The model is comprised of several modules which address various aspects of EDT propulsion, including calculation of state vectors using a standard orbit propagator (e.g., J2), an atmospheric drag model, realistic ionospheric and magnetic field models, space weather effects, and tether librations. The natural electromotive force (EMF) attained during a radially-aligned conductive tether results in electrons flowing down the tether and accumulating on the lower-altitude spacecraft. The energy that drives this EMF is sourced from the orbital energy of the system; thus, EDTs are often proposed as de-orbiting systems. However, when the current is reversed using satellite charged particle sources, then propulsion is possible. One of the most difficult challenges of the modeling effort is to ascertain the equivalent circuit between the spacecraft and the ionospheric plasma. The present study investigates the use of the NASA Charging Analyzer Program (NASCAP) to calculate currents to and from the tethered satellites and the ionospheric plasma. NASCAP is a sophisticated set of computational tools to model the surface charging of three-dimensional (3D) spacecraft surfaces in a time-varying space environment. The model's surface is tessellated into a collection of facets, and NASCAP calculates currents and potentials for each one. Additionally, NASCAP provides for the construction of one or more nested grids to calculate space potential and time-varying electric fields. This provides for the capability to track individual particles orbits, to model charged particle wakes, and to incorporate external charged particle sources. With this study, we have developed a model of calculating currents incident onto an electrodynamic tethered satellite system, and first results are shown

Relaxation Dynamics of Nanoparticle-Tethered Polymer Chains

KAUST Repository

Kim, Sung A

2015-09-08

© 2015 American Chemical Society. Relaxation dynamics of nanoparticle-tethered cis-1,4-polyisoprene (PI) are investigated using dielectric spectroscopy and rheometry. A model system composed of polymer chains densely grafted to spherical SiO2 nanoparticles to form self-suspended suspensions facilitates detailed studies of slow global chain and fast segmental mode dynamics under surface and geometrical confinement-from experiments performed in bulk materials. We report that unentangled polymer molecules tethered to nanoparticles relax far more slowly than their tethered entangled counterparts. Specifically, at fixed grafting density we find, counterintuitively, that increasing the tethered polymer molecular weight up to values close to the entanglement molecular weight speeds up chain relaxation dynamics. Decreasing the polymer grafting density for a fixed molecular weight has the opposite effect: it dramatically slows down chain relaxation, increases interchain coupling, and leads to a transition in rheological response from simple fluid behavior to viscoelastic fluid behavior for tethered PI chains that are unentangled by conventional measures. Increasing the measurement temperature produces an even stronger elastic response and speeds up molecular relaxation at a rate that decreases with grafting density and molecular weight. These observations are discussed in terms of chain confinement driven by crowding between particles and by the existence of an entropic attractive force produced by the space-filling constraint on individual chains in a self-suspended material. Our results indicate that the entropic force between densely grafted polymer molecules couples motions of individual chains in an analogous manner to reversible cross-links in associating polymers.

Climber Motion Optimization for the Tethered Space Elevator

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Williams, P.; Ockels, W.J.

The tethered space elevator could provide a revolutionary means for enabling cheap transportation to geostationary altitude and beyond. Assuming that such a system can be built, one of the dynamic design problems is determining a means of moving the elevator along the tether so as to minimize the

The effects of tether placement on antibody stability on surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Grawe, Rebecca W.; Knotts, Thomas A.

2017-06-01

Despite their potential benefits, antibody microarrays have fallen short of performing reliably and have not found widespread use outside of the research setting. Experimental techniques have been unable to determine what is occurring on the surface of an atomic level, so molecular simulation has emerged as the primary method of investigating protein/surface interactions. Simulations of small proteins have indicated that the stability of the protein is a function of the residue on the protein where a tether is placed. The purpose of this research is to see whether these findings also apply to antibodies, with their greater size and complexity. To determine this, 24 tethering locations were selected on the antibody Protein Data Bank (PDB) ID: 1IGT. Replica exchange simulations were run on two different surfaces, one hydrophobic and one hydrophilic, to determine the degree to which these tethering sites stabilize or destabilize the antibody. Results showed that antibodies tethered to hydrophobic surfaces were in general less stable than antibodies tethered to hydrophilic surfaces. Moreover, the stability of the antibody was a function of the tether location on hydrophobic surfaces but not hydrophilic surfaces.

Electrically tunable liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olausson, Christina Bjarnal Thulin; Scolari, Lara; Wei, Lei

2010-01-01

We demonstrate electrical tunability of a fiber laser by using a liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber. Tuning of the laser is achieved by combining the wavelength filtering effect of a liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber device with an ytterbium-doped photonic crystal fiber. We fabricate an al...

Phosphorene nanoribbons: Passivation effect on bandgap and effective mass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Li-Chun; Song, Xian-Jiang; Yang, Zhi; Cao, Ling; Liu, Rui-Ping; Li, Xiu-Yan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Hydrogenation and fluorination can passivate the metallic edge states of zPNRs. • The bandgap of each type of zPNRs decreases as the ribbon's width increases duo to the quantum confinement effect. • Two local configurations of passivated atoms can coexist in nanoribbons and affect the bandgap of narrow nanoribbons. • New passivation configuration can effectively reduce the effective mass of electrons. - Abstract: The edge passivation effect of phosphorene nanoribbons is systematically investigated using density functional theory. Hydrogen and fluorine atoms passivate the metallic edge states of nanoribbons and can open a bandgap up to 2.25 eV. The two configurations of passivated atoms can exist at two edges and affect the bandgap of narrow nanoribbons. The bandgap of each type of zPNRs decreases as the ribbon's width increases, which can be attributed to the quantum confinement effect. The new configuration, named C b , can effectively reduce the effective mass of electrons, which benefits the future design of phosphorene-based electronic devices

Phosphorene nanoribbons: Passivation effect on bandgap and effective mass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Li-Chun, E-mail: xulichun@tyut.edu.cn; Song, Xian-Jiang; Yang, Zhi; Cao, Ling; Liu, Rui-Ping; Li, Xiu-Yan

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Hydrogenation and fluorination can passivate the metallic edge states of zPNRs. • The bandgap of each type of zPNRs decreases as the ribbon's width increases duo to the quantum confinement effect. • Two local configurations of passivated atoms can coexist in nanoribbons and affect the bandgap of narrow nanoribbons. • New passivation configuration can effectively reduce the effective mass of electrons. - Abstract: The edge passivation effect of phosphorene nanoribbons is systematically investigated using density functional theory. Hydrogen and fluorine atoms passivate the metallic edge states of nanoribbons and can open a bandgap up to 2.25 eV. The two configurations of passivated atoms can exist at two edges and affect the bandgap of narrow nanoribbons. The bandgap of each type of zPNRs decreases as the ribbon's width increases, which can be attributed to the quantum confinement effect. The new configuration, named C{sub b}, can effectively reduce the effective mass of electrons, which benefits the future design of phosphorene-based electronic devices.

Mode Division Multiplexing Exploring Hollow-Core Photonic Bandgap Fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Jing; Lyngso, Jens Kristian; Leick, Lasse

2013-01-01

We review our recent exploratory investigations on mode division multiplexing using hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers (HC-PBGFs). Compared with traditional multimode fibers, HC-PBGFs have several attractive features such as ultra-low nonlinearities, low-loss transmission window around 2 µm etc....... After having discussed the potential and challenges of using HC-PBGFs as transmission fibers for mode multiplexing applications, we will report a number of recent proof-of-concept results obtained in our group using direct detection receivers. The first one is the transmission of two 10.7 Gbit/s non...

Tethered Pyrotechnic Apparatus for Acquiring a Ground Sample

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Jack; Zimmerman, Wayne; Wu, Jiunn Jenq; Badescu, Mircea; Sherrit, Stewart

2009-01-01

A proposed alternative design for the balloon-borne ground-sampling system described in the immediately preceding article would not rely on free fall to drive a harpoonlike sample-collecting device into the ground. Instead, the harpoon-like sample-collecting device would be a pyrotechnically driven, tethered projectile. The apparatus would include a tripod that would be tethered to the gondola. A gun for shooting the projectile into the ground would be mounted at the apex of the tripod. The gun would include an electronic trigger circuit, a chamber at the breech end containing a pyrotechnic charge, and a barrel. A sabot would be placed in the barrel just below the pyrotechnic charge, and the tethered projectile would be placed in the barrel just below the sabot. The tripod feet would be equipped with contact sensors connected to the trigger circuit. In operation, the tripod would be lowered to the ground on its tether. Once contact with the ground was detected by the sensors on all three tripod feet, the trigger circuit would fire the pyrotechnic charge to drive the projectile into the ground. (Requiring contact among all three tripod feet and the ground would ensure that the projectile would be fired into the ground, rather than up toward the gondola or the balloon.) The tethered projectile would then be reeled back up to the gondola for analysis of the sample.

Fluid-membrane tethers: minimal surfaces and elastic boundary layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, Thomas R; Huber, Greg; Goldstein, Raymond E

2002-04-01

Thin cylindrical tethers are common lipid bilayer membrane structures, arising in situations ranging from micromanipulation experiments on artificial vesicles to the dynamic structure of the Golgi apparatus. We study the shape and formation of a tether in terms of the classical soap-film problem, which is applied to the case of a membrane disk under tension subject to a point force. A tether forms from the elastic boundary layer near the point of application of the force, for sufficiently large displacement. Analytic results for various aspects of the membrane shape are given.

Orbital Propagation of Momentum Exchange Tether Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Westerhoff, John

2002-01-01

An advanced concept in in-space transportation currently being studied is the Momentum-Exchange/Electrodynamic Reboost Tether System (MXER). The system acts as a large momentum wheel, imparting a Av to a payload in low earth orbit (LEO) at the expense of its own orbital energy. After throwing a payload, the system reboosts itself using an electrodynamic tether to push against Earth's magnetic field and brings itself back up to an operational orbit to prepare for the next payload. The ability to reboost itself allows for continued reuse of the system without the expenditure of propellants. Considering the cost of lifting propellant from the ,ground to LEO to do the same Av boost at $10000 per pound, the system cuts the launch cost of the payload dramatically, and subsequently, the MXER system pays for itself after a small number of missions.1 One of the technical hurdles to be overcome with the MXER concept is the rendezvous maneuver. The rendezvous window for the capture of the payload is on the order of a few seconds, as opposed to traditional docking maneuvers, which can take as long ets necessary to complete a precise docking. The payload, therefore, must be able to match its orbit to meet up with the capture device on the end of the tether at a specific time and location in the future. In order to be able to determine that location, the MXER system must be numerically propagated forward in time to predict where the capture device will be at that instant. It should be kept in mind that the propagation computation must be done faster than real-time. This study focuses on the efforts to find and/or build the tools necessary to numerically propagate the motion of the MXER system as accurately as possible.

Autonomous Vision-Based Tethered-Assisted Rover Docking

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Dorian; Nesnas, Issa A.D.; Zarzhitsky, Dimitri

2013-01-01

Many intriguing science discoveries on planetary surfaces, such as the seasonal flows on crater walls and skylight entrances to lava tubes, are at sites that are currently inaccessible to state-of-the-art rovers. The in situ exploration of such sites is likely to require a tethered platform both for mechanical support and for providing power and communication. Mother/daughter architectures have been investigated where a mother deploys a tethered daughter into extreme terrains. Deploying and retracting a tethered daughter requires undocking and re-docking of the daughter to the mother, with the latter being the challenging part. In this paper, we describe a vision-based tether-assisted algorithm for the autonomous re-docking of a daughter to its mother following an extreme terrain excursion. The algorithm uses fiducials mounted on the mother to improve the reliability and accuracy of estimating the pose of the mother relative to the daughter. The tether that is anchored by the mother helps the docking process and increases the system's tolerance to pose uncertainties by mechanically aligning the mating parts in the final docking phase. A preliminary version of the algorithm was developed and field-tested on the Axel rover in the JPL Mars Yard. The algorithm achieved an 80% success rate in 40 experiments in both firm and loose soils and starting from up to 6 m away at up to 40 deg radial angle and 20 deg relative heading. The algorithm does not rely on an initial estimate of the relative pose. The preliminary results are promising and help retire the risk associated with the autonomous docking process enabling consideration in future martian and lunar missions.

New low band-gap alternating polyfluorene derivatives for photovoltaic cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang Kyu; Cho, Nam Sung; Kwak, Joong Hwan; Lim, Koeng Su; Shim, Hong-Ku; Hwang, Do-Hoon; Brabec, Christoph J.

2006-01-01

Bulk heterojunction polymer photovoltaic cells (PPVCs) were fabricated by using low energy band-gap conjugated polymers (PFR3-S and PFR4-S) as electron donors and C 60 as an electron acceptor material. The characterization of the structures of the PFR3-S : C 60 and PFR4-S : C 60 mixtures were carried out with atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the PPVCs were characterized with current density-voltage (J-V) and spectral photocurrent measurements. The PFR3-S : C 60 (1 : 1) and PFR4-S : C 60 (1 : 1) devices were constructed in ITO/PEDOT : PSS (100 nm)/polymer : C 60 (100 nm)/Ca (50 nm)/Al (100 nm) configurations. In the PFR4-S : C 60 PPVC, the spectral response was found to be extended to 700 nm, and exhibited an improved spectral match with solar radiation. The PFR3-S : C 60 (1 : 1) and PFR4-S : C 60 (1 : 1) devices were found to have higher energy conversion efficiencies and better short circuit current densities (J sc ), 3.18 mA/cm 2 and 3.09 mA/cm 2 , respectively, than a MEH-PPV : C 60 (1 : 1) device. The open-circuit voltages (V oc ) of the PFR3-S and PFR4-S devices were found to be 0.85 and 0.81 V, respectively. The energy conversion efficiencies (η e ) of the PFR3-S : C 60 (1 : 1) and PFR4-S : C 60 (1 : 1) devices under AM 1.5 solar illumination (100 mW/cm 2 ) were found to be as high as 0.98% and 1.02%, respectively

Advances in photonic bandgap fiber functionality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyngsøe, Jens Kristian

In order to take advantage of the many intriguing optical properties of photonic bandgap fibers, there are some technological challenges that have to be addressed. Among other things this includes transmission loss and the fibers ability to maintain field polarization. The work presented in this ......In order to take advantage of the many intriguing optical properties of photonic bandgap fibers, there are some technological challenges that have to be addressed. Among other things this includes transmission loss and the fibers ability to maintain field polarization. The work presented...

Wide Bandgap Extrinsic Photoconductive Switches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sullivan, James S. [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Plattsburgh, NY (United States); Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

2012-01-20

Photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) have been investigated since the late 1970s. Some devices have been developed that withstand tens of kilovolts and others that switch hundreds of amperes. However, no single device has been developed that can reliably withstand both high voltage and switch high current. Yet, photoconductive switches still hold the promise of reliable high voltage and high current operation with subnanosecond risetimes. Particularly since good quality, bulk, single crystal, wide bandgap semiconductor materials have recently become available. In this chapter we will review the basic operation of PCSS devices, status of PCSS devices and properties of the wide bandgap semiconductors 4H-SiC, 6H-SiC and 2H-GaN.

Optimum design of band-gap beam structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olhoff, Niels; Niu, Bin; Cheng, Gengdong

2012-01-01

The design of band-gap structures receives increasing attention for many applications in mitigation of undesirable vibration and noise emission levels. A band-gap structure usually consists of a periodic distribution of elastic materials or segments, where the propagation of waves is impeded...... or significantly suppressed for a range of external excitation frequencies. Maximization of the band-gap is therefore an obvious objective for optimum design. This problem is sometimes formulated by optimizing a parameterized design model which assumes multiple periodicity in the design. However, it is shown...... in the present paper that such an a priori assumption is not necessary since, in general, just the maximization of the gap between two consecutive natural frequencies leads to significant design periodicity. The aim of this paper is to maximize frequency gaps by shape optimization of transversely vibrating...

Tethered Forth system for FPGA applications

Science.gov (United States)

Goździkowski, Paweł; Zabołotny, Wojciech M.

2013-10-01

This paper presents the tethered Forth system dedicated for testing and debugging of FPGA based electronic systems. Use of the Forth language allows to interactively develop and run complex testing or debugging routines. The solution is based on a small, 16-bit soft core CPU, used to implement the Forth Virtual Machine. Thanks to the use of the tethered Forth model it is possible to minimize usage of the internal RAM memory in the FPGA. The function of the intelligent terminal, which is an essential part of the tethered Forth system, may be fulfilled by the standard PC computer or by the smartphone. System is implemented in Python (the software for intelligent terminal), and in VHDL (the IP core for FPGA), so it can be easily ported to different hardware platforms. The connection between the terminal and FPGA may be established and disconnected many times without disturbing the state of the FPGA based system. The presented system has been verified in the hardware, and may be used as a tool for debugging, testing and even implementing of control algorithms for FPGA based systems.

Learning characteristics of a space-time neural network as a tether skiprope observer

Science.gov (United States)

Lea, Robert N.; Villarreal, James A.; Jani, Yashvant; Copeland, Charles

1993-01-01

The Software Technology Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center is testing a Space Time Neural Network (STNN) for observing tether oscillations present during retrieval of a tethered satellite. Proper identification of tether oscillations, known as 'skiprope' motion, is vital to safe retrieval of the tethered satellite. Our studies indicate that STNN has certain learning characteristics that must be understood properly to utilize this type of neural network for the tethered satellite problem. We present our findings on the learning characteristics including a learning rate versus momentum performance table.

Trace gas measurements from tethered balloon platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Bandy, Alan R.; Bandy, Terese L.; Youngbluth, Otto; Owens, Thomas L.

1987-01-01

Instrumentation and chemical sampling and analysis procedures are described for making measurements of atmospheric carbon disulfide in the concentration range 1-1000 pptv from tethered balloon platforms. Results of a study on the CS2 composition of air downward of a saltwater marsh are reported. A method for obtaining the necessary data for solving the budget equations for surface fluxes, chemical formation rates and chemical destruction rates using data acquired from tethered balloon platforms is presented.

Micromachined millimeter-wave photonic band-gap crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oezbay, E.; Michel, E.; Tuttle, G.; Biswas, R.; Sigalas, M.; Ho, K.

1994-01-01

We have developed a new technique for fabricating three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystals. Our method utilizes an orderly stacking of micromachined (110) silicon wafers to build the periodic structure. A structure with a full three-dimensional photonic band gap centered near 100 GHz was measured, with experimental results in good agreement with theoretical predictions. This basic approach described should be extendable to build structures with photonic band-gap frequencies ranging from 30 GHz to 3 THz

Dynamic analysis of the tether transportation system using absolute nodal coordinate formulation

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Xin; Xu, Ming; Zhong, Rui

2017-10-01

Long space tethers are becoming a rising concern as an alternate way for transportation in space. It benefits from fuel economizing. This paper focuses on the dynamics of the tether transportation system, which consists of two end satellites connected by a flexible tether, and a movable vehicle driven by the actuator carried by itself. The Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation is applied to the establishment of the equation of motion, so that the influence caused by the distributed mass and elasticity of the tether is introduced. Moreover, an approximated method for accelerating the calculation of the generalized gravitational forces on the tether is proposed by substituting the volume integral every step into summation of finite terms. Afterwards, dynamic evolutions of such a system in different configurations are illustrated using numerical simulations. The deflection of the tether and the trajectory of the crawler during the transportation is investigated. Finally, the effect on the orbit of the system due to the crawler is revealed.

Thrust Control During Towing of Space Debris using an Elastic Tether

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. D. Ledkov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper considers a maneuver for deorbiting the large space debris using an active spacecraft connected with the debris by an elastic tether. Tether slacking during the maneuver can lead to the tether rupture, kinking, and winding on the descending object. Therefore it is important to prevent slacking. The objective of this work is to find the law of thrust force control of the active spacecraft to ensure a continuously strained tether during the maneuver.Using Lagrange formalism a mathematical model to describe the system plane motion is developed. This model considers the active spacecraft as a mass point, the space debris as a rigid body, and the tether as a weightless elastic rod. A thrust force is directed along the local horizon of the spacecraft. Linearization of nonlinear differential equation describing longitudinal oscillations of the tether length is performed. Its phase portrait is analyzed. An approximate expression describing the position of the center on the phase portrait is obtained. A time-optimal control with full feedback to ensure that the tether is in the strained state is found by solving the Bellman equation. To use the obtained optimal law it is necessary to set the measuring equipment on the spacecraft, which is capable of accurate measuring a distance to the space debris and its relative velocity. An alternative control law, which is simpler in terms of the practical implementation, is proposed. As an example, the descent from an orbit of nonfunctioning Soviet satellite Meteor-2 is considered. It is shown that both proposed laws provide continuous strain of the tether during deorbiting of the satellite. Moreover, slack does not occur even at the first period of oscillation of the tether length. It is shown that the use of the proposed control laws leads to slight increase of deorbiting time as compared to the case of using the constant thrust.The results can be used to develop the control systems of small spacecrafts

Sonography compared with MR imaging in the evaluation of card tethering following myelomeningocele repair

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newman, B.; Bowen, A.; Albright, L.

1989-01-01

This paper reports on MR imaging and videotaped US spine examinations to evaluate cord tethering were retrospectively compared in 12 children with prior myelomeningocele repair and correlated with clinical and surgical findings. Although US did not delineate normal or abnormal anatomy as well as MR imaging, both types of studies confirmed the presence of tethering in 10 patients. One child with a normal US examination and abnormal MR images had tethering confirmed surgically. A second child had a US study suggestive of tethering with equivocal MR images. Postoperative studies in eight patients correlated less well; US suggested persistent tethering in five patients and MR imaging indicated tethering in two

High-field MR imaging of tethered cord

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sigal, R.; Bicetre, L.; Blass, C.; Doyon, D.; Pariente, D.

1986-01-01

MR imaging examinations of 12 patients with tethered cord syndrome have been performed on a 1.5-T MR imaging unit. Patients ranged in age from 3 to 60 years. MR findings were compared with those of myelography and metrizamide CT in all cases. Five patients underwent surgical control and postoperative MR imaging. Sagittal and axial sections were obtained using a spin-echo multisection, multiecho technique. T1-axial weighted images (SE 600/25) were sufficient to locate the position of the tip of the conus. They also allowed identification of extraspinal and intraspinal lipomas and clear-cut demarcation form associated tethered cord. Drawbacks of MR imaging were lack of precise depiction of the bone structures and the fact that clear identification of abnormal roots was problematic. The craniovertebral junction was always checked; two asymptomatic Chiari malformations were visualized. This study leads the authors to conclude that MR imaging should be used as the examination of first choice in the management of tethered cord syndrome

The investigation of tethered satellite system dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzini, E. C.

1986-01-01

The analysis of the rotational dynamics of the satellite was focused on the rotational amplitude increase of the satellite, with respect to the tether, during retrieval. The dependence of the rotational amplitude upon the tether tension variation to the power 1/4 was thoroughly investigated. The damping of rotational oscillations achievable by reel control was also quantified while an alternative solution that makes use of a lever arm attached with a universal joint to the satellite was proposed. Comparison simulations between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Martin Marietta (MMA) computer code of reteival maneuvers were also carried out. The agreement between the two, completely independent, codes was extremely close, demonstrating the reliability of the models. The slack tether dynamics during reel jams was analytically investigated in order to identify the limits of applicability of the SLACK3 computer code to this particular case. Test runs with SLACK3 were also carried out.

Thermal tunability of photonic bandgaps in liquid crystal infiltrated microstructured polymer optical fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yuan, Scott Wu; Wei, Lei; Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard

2009-01-01

We demonstrate the photonic bandgap effect and the thermal tunability of bandgaps in microstructured polymer optical fibers infiltrated with liquid crystal. Two liquid crystals with opposite sign of the temperature gradient of the ordinary refractive index (E7 and MDA-00- 1444) are used to demons......We demonstrate the photonic bandgap effect and the thermal tunability of bandgaps in microstructured polymer optical fibers infiltrated with liquid crystal. Two liquid crystals with opposite sign of the temperature gradient of the ordinary refractive index (E7 and MDA-00- 1444) are used...... to demonstrate that both signs of the thermal tunability of the bandgaps are possible. The useful bandgaps are ultimately bounded to the visible range by the transparency window of the polymer....

Vesicle fusion observed by content transfer across a tethered lipid bilayer.

Science.gov (United States)

Rawle, Robert J; van Lengerich, Bettina; Chung, Minsub; Bendix, Poul Martin; Boxer, Steven G

2011-10-19

Synaptic transmission is achieved by exocytosis of small, synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters across the plasma membrane. Here, we use a DNA-tethered freestanding bilayer as a target architecture that allows observation of content transfer of individual vesicles across the tethered planar bilayer. Tethering and fusion are mediated by hybridization of complementary DNA-lipid conjugates inserted into the two membranes, and content transfer is monitored by the dequenching of an aqueous content dye. By analyzing the diffusion profile of the aqueous dye after vesicle fusion, we are able to distinguish content transfer across the tethered bilayer patch from vesicle leakage above the patch. Copyright © 2011 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tethered Balloon Operations at ARM AMF3 Site at Oliktok Point, AK

Science.gov (United States)

Dexheimer, D.; Lucero, D. A.; Helsel, F.; Hardesty, J.; Ivey, M.

2015-12-01

Oliktok Point has been the home of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program's (ARM) third ARM Mobile Facility, or AMF3, since October 2013. The AMF3 is operated through Sandia National Laboratories and hosts instrumentation collecting continuous measurements of clouds, aerosols, precipitation, energy, and other meteorological variables. The Arctic region is warming more quickly than any other region due to climate change and Arctic sea ice is declining to record lows. Sparsity of atmospheric data from the Arctic leads to uncertainty in process comprehension, and atmospheric general circulation models (AGCM) are understood to underestimate low cloud presence in the Arctic. Increased vertical resolution of meteorological properties and cloud measurements will improve process understanding and help AGCMs better characterize Arctic clouds. SNL is developing a tethered balloon system capable of regular operation at AMF3 in order to provide increased vertical resolution atmospheric data. The tethered balloon can be operated within clouds at altitudes up to 7,000' AGL within DOE's R-2204 restricted area. Pressure, relative humidity, temperature, wind speed, and wind direction are recorded at multiple altitudes along the tether. These data were validated against stationary met tower data in Albuquerque, NM. The altitudes of the sensors were determined by GPS and calculated using a line counter and clinometer and compared. Wireless wetness sensors and supercooled liquid water content sensors have also been deployed and their data has been compared with other sensors. This presentation will provide an overview of the balloons, sensors, and test flights flown, and will provide a preliminary look at data from sensor validation campaigns and test flights.

Hierarchical Structure in Semicrystalline Polymers Tethered to Nanospheres

KAUST Repository

Kim, Sung A

2014-01-28

We report on structural and dynamic transitions of polymers tethered to nanoparticles. In particular, we use X-ray diffraction, vibrational spectroscopy, and thermal measurements to investigate multiscale structure and dynamic transitions of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains densely grafted to SiO2 nanoparticles. The approach used for synthesizing these hybrid particles leads to homogeneous SiO2-PEG composites with polymer grafting densities as high as 1.5 chains/nm2, which allows the hybrid materials to exist as self-suspended suspensions with distinct hierarchical structure and thermal properties. On angstrom and nanometer length scales, the tethered PEG chains exhibit more dominant TTG conformations and helix unit cell structure, in comparison to the untethered polymer. The nanoparticle tethered PEG chains are also reported to form extended crystallites on tens of nanometers length scales and to exhibit more stable crystalline structure on small dimensions. On length scales comparable to the size of each hybrid SiO 2-PEG unit, the materials are amorphous presumably as a result of the difficulty fitting the nanoparticle anchors into the PEG crystal lattice. This structural change produces large effects on the thermal transitions of PEG molecules tethered to nanoparticles. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

NASA Langley Research Center tethered balloon systems

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, Thomas L.; Storey, Richard W.; Youngbluth, Otto

1987-01-01

The NASA Langley Research Center tethered balloon system operations are covered in this report for the period of 1979 through 1983. Meteorological data, ozone concentrations, and other data were obtained from in situ measurements. The large tethered balloon had a lifting capability of 30 kilograms to 2500 meters. The report includes descriptions of the various components of the balloon systems such as the balloons, the sensors, the electronics, and the hardware. Several photographs of the system are included as well as a list of projects including the types of data gathered.

New Light-Harvesting Materials Using Accurate and Efficient Bandgap Calculations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castelli, Ivano Eligio; Hüser, Falco; Pandey, Mohnish

2014-01-01

Electronic bandgap calculations are presented for 2400 experimentally known materials from the Materials Project database and the bandgaps, obtained with different types of functionals within density functional theory and (partial) self-consistent GW approximation, are compared for 20 randomly...

Tethered catalysts for the hydration of carbon dioxide

Science.gov (United States)

Valdez, Carlos A; Satcher, Jr., Joe H; Aines, Roger D; Wong, Sergio E; Baker, Sarah E; Lightstone, Felice C; Stolaroff, Joshuah K

2014-11-04

A system is provided that substantially increases the efficiency of CO.sub.2 capture and removal by positioning a catalyst within an optimal distance from the air-liquid interface. The catalyst is positioned within the layer determined to be the highest concentration of carbon dioxide. A hydrophobic tether is attached to the catalyst and the hydrophobic tether modulates the position of the catalyst within the liquid layer containing the highest concentration of carbon dioxide.

Numerical Simulation of Tethered Underwater Kites for Power Generation

Science.gov (United States)

Ghasemi, Amirmahdi; Olinger, David; Tryggvason, Gretar

2015-11-01

An emerging renewable energy technology, tethered undersea kites (TUSK), which is used to extract hydrokinetic energy from ocean and tidal currents, is studied. TUSK systems consist of a rigid-winged ``kite,'' or glider, moving in an ocean current which is connected by tethers to a floating buoy on the ocean surface. The TUSK kite is a current speed enhancement device since the kite can move in high-speed, cross-current motion at 4-6 times the current velocity, thus producing more power than conventional marine turbines. A computational simulation is developed to simulate the dynamic motion of an underwater kite and extendable tether. A two-step projection method within a finite volume formulation, along with an Open MP acceleration method, is employed to solve the Navier-Stokes equations. An immersed boundary method is incorporated to model the fluid-structure interaction of the rigid kite (with NACA 0012 airfoil shape in 2D and NACA 0021 airfoil shape in 3D simulations) and the fluid flow. PID control methods are used to adjust the kite angle of attack during power (tether reel-out) and retraction (reel-in) phases. Two baseline simulations (for kite motions in two and three dimensions) are studied, and system power output, flow field vorticity, tether tension, and hydrodynamic coefficients (lift and drag) for the kite are determined. The simulated power output shows good agreement with established theoretical results for a kite moving in two-dimensions.

Biomimicry enhances sequential reactions of tethered glycolytic enzymes, TPI and GAPDHS.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chinatsu Mukai

Full Text Available Maintaining activity of enzymes tethered to solid interfaces remains a major challenge in developing hybrid organic-inorganic devices. In nature, mammalian spermatozoa have overcome this design challenge by having glycolytic enzymes with specialized targeting domains that enable them to function while tethered to a cytoskeletal element. As a step toward designing a hybrid organic-inorganic ATP-generating system, we implemented a biomimetic site-specific immobilization strategy to tether two glycolytic enzymes representing different functional enzyme families: triose phosphoisomerase (TPI; an isomerase and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDHS; an oxidoreductase. We then evaluated the activities of these enzymes in comparison to when they were tethered via classical carboxyl-amine crosslinking. Both enzymes show similar surface binding regardless of immobilization method. Remarkably, specific activities for both enzymes were significantly higher when tethered using the biomimetic, site-specific immobilization approach. Using this biomimetic approach, we tethered both enzymes to a single surface and demonstrated their function in series in both forward and reverse directions. Again, the activities in series were significantly higher in both directions when the enzymes were coupled using this biomimetic approach versus carboxyl-amine binding. Our results suggest that biomimetic, site-specific immobilization can provide important functional advantages over chemically specific, but non-oriented attachment, an important strategic insight given the growing interest in recapitulating entire biological pathways on hybrid organic-inorganic devices.

Biomimicry enhances sequential reactions of tethered glycolytic enzymes, TPI and GAPDHS.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukai, Chinatsu; Gao, Lizeng; Bergkvist, Magnus; Nelson, Jacquelyn L; Hinchman, Meleana M; Travis, Alexander J

2013-01-01

Maintaining activity of enzymes tethered to solid interfaces remains a major challenge in developing hybrid organic-inorganic devices. In nature, mammalian spermatozoa have overcome this design challenge by having glycolytic enzymes with specialized targeting domains that enable them to function while tethered to a cytoskeletal element. As a step toward designing a hybrid organic-inorganic ATP-generating system, we implemented a biomimetic site-specific immobilization strategy to tether two glycolytic enzymes representing different functional enzyme families: triose phosphoisomerase (TPI; an isomerase) and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDHS; an oxidoreductase). We then evaluated the activities of these enzymes in comparison to when they were tethered via classical carboxyl-amine crosslinking. Both enzymes show similar surface binding regardless of immobilization method. Remarkably, specific activities for both enzymes were significantly higher when tethered using the biomimetic, site-specific immobilization approach. Using this biomimetic approach, we tethered both enzymes to a single surface and demonstrated their function in series in both forward and reverse directions. Again, the activities in series were significantly higher in both directions when the enzymes were coupled using this biomimetic approach versus carboxyl-amine binding. Our results suggest that biomimetic, site-specific immobilization can provide important functional advantages over chemically specific, but non-oriented attachment, an important strategic insight given the growing interest in recapitulating entire biological pathways on hybrid organic-inorganic devices.

Fullerene derivative-doped zinc oxide nanofilm as the cathode of inverted polymer solar cells with low-bandgap polymer (PTB7-Th) for high performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Sih-Hao; Jhuo, Hong-Jyun; Cheng, Yu-Shan; Chen, Show-An

2013-09-14

Modification of a ZnO cathode by doping it with a hydroxyl-containing derivative - giving a ZnO-C60 cathode - provides a fullerene-derivative-rich surface and enhanced electron conduction. Inverted polymer solar cells with the ZnO-C60 cathode display markedly improved power conversion efficiency compared to those with a pristine ZnO cathode, especially when the active layer includes the low-bandgap polymer PTB7-Th. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tethered Ozonesonde Measurements During FRAPPE July-August 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Oltmans, S. J.; Johnson, B.; Sterling, C. W.; Cullis, P.; Hall, E. G.; Jordan, A. F.; Wendell, J.; Schnell, R. C.; McClure-Begley, A.; Thompson, A. M.

2015-12-01

O3 and temperature profiles were measured from tethered ozonesondes from surface to 400 m above ground level on 9 days during the summer of 2014 Colorado Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (FRAPPE). The portable tethered ozonesonde system was set up at one of 3 sites located next to a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment surface monitoring station. The day and site chosen were based on the previous day O3 and weather forecast. Measurements typically began at 8:30 AM and ended at 4:30 PM, averaging 40 profiles in one day. The ozonesonde when sampling at the surface consistently read within 0-3 ppbv of the surface monitor at each of the sites with a typical daytime range of 20-90 ppbv. The hourly values were averaged at 50 meter intervals showing O3 production rates were consistently around 8 ppbv per hour from 50 to 300 meters above ground level. On sunny, light wind days the O3 mixing ratio reached a maximum of 80-90 ppbv between 14:00 and 15:00 local time. The generally constant mixing ratio with height and highest mixing ratios above the surface indicate that photochemical O3 production was taking place throughout the profile. Continuous O3 profiles from a tall tower (5 and 300 m) and daily ozonesondes tracked O3 variability through the experiment. High O3 at each site was associated with different local wind directions. At Ft. Collins winds were generally out of the southeast, at Chatfield from the northeast, and at City Park Golf Course more variable. The tether system was developed at NOAA/ESRL to provide a cost effective method to measure O3 profiles on a continuous basis. The tether system consisted of a deep sea fishing pole, electric motor driving the reel with light-weight fishing line attached to the balloon ozonesonde, a tether control box, and laptop. The in house software package monitored data and controlled the tether speed and turn-around point based on real time GPS altitude from the transmitting radiosonde.

Strain-Modulated Bandgap and Piezo-Resistive Effect in Black Phosphorus Field-Effect Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zuocheng; Li, Likai; Horng, Jason; Wang, Nai Zhou; Yang, Fangyuan; Yu, Yijun; Zhang, Yu; Chen, Guorui; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Chen, Xian Hui; Wang, Feng; Zhang, Yuanbo

2017-10-11

Energy bandgap largely determines the optical and electronic properties of a semiconductor. Variable bandgap therefore makes versatile functionality possible in a single material. In layered material black phosphorus, the bandgap can be modulated by the number of layers; as a result, few-layer black phosphorus has discrete bandgap values that are relevant for optoelectronic applications in the spectral range from red, in monolayer, to mid-infrared in the bulk limit. Here, we further demonstrate continuous bandgap modulation by mechanical strain applied through flexible substrates. The strain-modulated bandgap significantly alters the density of thermally activated carriers; we for the first time observe a large piezo-resistive effect in black phosphorus field-effect transistors (FETs) at room temperature. The effect opens up opportunities for future development of electromechanical transducers based on black phosphorus, and we demonstrate an ultrasensitive strain gauge constructed from black phosphorus thin crystals.

Fabrication of a three-dimensional photonic band-gap crystal of air-spheres in a titania matrix

Science.gov (United States)

Diop, M.; Maurin, G.; Tork, Amir; Lessard, Roger A.

2003-02-01

A three-dimensional (3D) colloidal crystal have been grown from an aqueous colloidal solution of highly monodisperse submicrometer-sized polystyrene spheres using a self-assembly processing technique. The electromagnetic waves diffracted by this crystal can interfere and give rise to a photonic band-gap. However, due to the low refractive index contrast within this material the band-gap is incomplete. By filling the voids between the spheres of the colloidal crystal with titania and removing the polystyrene beads by sublimation, we obtained an inverse-opal structure with an increased refractive index contrast showing strong opalescence.

An Effective Approach Control Scheme for the Tethered Space Robot System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongjie Meng

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The tethered space robot system (TSR, which is composed of a platform, a gripper and a space tether, has great potential in future space missions. Given the relative motion among the platform, tether, gripper and the target, an integrated approach model is derived. Then, a novel coordinated approach control scheme is presented, in which the tether tension, thrusters and the reaction wheel are all utilized. It contains the open-loop trajectory optimization, the feedback trajectory control and attitude control. The numerical simulation results show that the rendezvous between TSR and the target can be realized by the proposed coordinated control scheme, and the propellant consumption is efficiently reduced. Moreover, the control scheme performs well in the presence of the initial state's perturbations, actuator characteristics and sensor errors.

Modelling a tethered mammalian sperm cell undergoing hyperactivation

KAUST Repository

Curtis, M.P.

2012-09-01

The beat patterns of mammalian sperm flagella can be categorised into two different types. The first involves symmetric waves propagating down the flagellum with a net linear propulsion of the sperm cell. The second, hyperactive, waveform is classified by vigorous asymmetric waves of higher amplitude, lower wavenumber and frequency propagating down the flagellum resulting in highly curved trajectories. The latter beat pattern is part of the capacitation process whereby sperm prepare for the prospective penetration of the zona pellucida and fusion with the egg. Hyperactivation is often observed to initiate as sperm escape from epithelial and ciliary bindings formed within the isthmic regions of the female oviducts, leading to a conjecture in the literature that this waveform is mechanically important for sperm escape. Hence, we explore the mechanical effects of hyperactivation on a tethered sperm, focussing on a Newtonian fluid. Using a resistive force theory model we demonstrate that hyperactivation can indeed generate forces that pull the sperm away from a tethering point and consequently a hyperactivated sperm cell bound to an epithelial surface need not always be pushed by its flagellum. More generally, directions of the forces generated by tethered flagella are insensitive to reductions in beat frequency and the detailed flagellar responses depend on the nature of the binding at the tethering point. Furthermore, waveform asymmetry and amplitude increases enhance the tendency for a tethered flagellum to start tugging on its binding. The same is generally predicted to be true for reductions in the wavenumber of the flagellum beat, but not universally so, emphasising the dynamical complexity of flagellar force generation. Finally, qualitative observations drawn from experimental data of human sperm bound to excised female reproductive tract are also presented and are found to be consistent with the theoretical predictions. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Modelling a tethered mammalian sperm cell undergoing hyperactivation

KAUST Repository

Curtis, M.P.; Kirkman-Brown, J.C.; Connolly, T.J.; Gaffney, E.A.

2012-01-01

The beat patterns of mammalian sperm flagella can be categorised into two different types. The first involves symmetric waves propagating down the flagellum with a net linear propulsion of the sperm cell. The second, hyperactive, waveform is classified by vigorous asymmetric waves of higher amplitude, lower wavenumber and frequency propagating down the flagellum resulting in highly curved trajectories. The latter beat pattern is part of the capacitation process whereby sperm prepare for the prospective penetration of the zona pellucida and fusion with the egg. Hyperactivation is often observed to initiate as sperm escape from epithelial and ciliary bindings formed within the isthmic regions of the female oviducts, leading to a conjecture in the literature that this waveform is mechanically important for sperm escape. Hence, we explore the mechanical effects of hyperactivation on a tethered sperm, focussing on a Newtonian fluid. Using a resistive force theory model we demonstrate that hyperactivation can indeed generate forces that pull the sperm away from a tethering point and consequently a hyperactivated sperm cell bound to an epithelial surface need not always be pushed by its flagellum. More generally, directions of the forces generated by tethered flagella are insensitive to reductions in beat frequency and the detailed flagellar responses depend on the nature of the binding at the tethering point. Furthermore, waveform asymmetry and amplitude increases enhance the tendency for a tethered flagellum to start tugging on its binding. The same is generally predicted to be true for reductions in the wavenumber of the flagellum beat, but not universally so, emphasising the dynamical complexity of flagellar force generation. Finally, qualitative observations drawn from experimental data of human sperm bound to excised female reproductive tract are also presented and are found to be consistent with the theoretical predictions. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Tethered elevator and platforms as space station facilities: Systems studies and demonstrative experiments

Science.gov (United States)

1986-01-01

Several key concepts of the science and applications tethered platforms were studied. Some conclusions reached are herein listed. Tether elevator and platform could improve the space station scientific and applicative capabilities. The space elevator presents unique characteristics as microgravity facility and as a tethered platform servicing vehicle. Pointing platforms could represent a new kind of observation facility for large class of payloads. The dynamical, control and technological complexity of these concepts advised demonstrative experiments. The on-going tethered satellite system offers the opportunity to perform such experiments. And feasibility studies are in progress.

Transmission properties of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falk, Charlotte Ijeoma; Hald, Jan; Petersen, Jan C.

2010-01-01

Variations in optical transmission of four types of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers are measured as a function of laser frequency. These variations influence the potential accuracy of gas sensors based on molecular spectroscopy in hollow-core fibers.......Variations in optical transmission of four types of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers are measured as a function of laser frequency. These variations influence the potential accuracy of gas sensors based on molecular spectroscopy in hollow-core fibers....

Forces, energetics, and dynamics of conjugated-carbon ring tethers adhered to CNTs: a computational investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Filla, Nicholas; Ramasamy, Ramaraja; Wang, Xianqiao

2018-04-25

The strength and nature of the interactions between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and molecular tethers plays a vital role in technology such as CNT-enzyme sensors. Tethers that attach noncovalently to CNTs are ideal for retaining the electrical properties of the CNTs since they do not degrade the CNT surface and effect its electrical conductivity. However, leaching due to weak CNT-tether attachment is very common when using noncovalent tethers, and this has limited their use in commercial products including biosensors. Thus, understanding the fundamental mechanics governing the strength of CNT-tether adhesion is crucial for the design of highly sensitive, viable sensors. Here, we computationally investigate the adhesion strength of CNT-tether complexes with 8 different tethering molecules designed to adhere noncovalently to the CNT surface. We study the effects of CNT diameter, CNT chirality, and the size/geometry of the tethering molecule on the adhesion energy and force. Our results show an asymptotic relationship between adhesion strength and CNT diameter. Calculations show that noncovalent tethers tested here can reach adhesion forces and energies that are up to 21% and 54% of the strength of the carbon-carbon single bond force and bond energy respectively. We anticipate our results will help guide CNT-enzyme sensor design to produce sensors with high sensitivity and minimal leaching.

Novel roaming and stationary tethered aerial robots for continuous mobile missions in nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gu, Beom W.; Choi, Su Y.; Rim, Chun T. [Dept. of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Young Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cai, Guowei; Seneviratne, Lakmal [Dept. of Aerospace Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

2016-08-15

In this paper, new tethered aerial robots including roaming tethered aerial robots (RTARs) for radioactive material sampling and stationary tethered aerial robots (STARs) for environment monitoring are proposed to meet extremely-long-endurance missions of nuclear power plants. The flight of the proposed tethered aerial robots may last for a few days or even a few months as long as the tethered cable provides continuous power. A high voltage AC or DC power system was newly adopted to reduce the mass of the tethered cable. The RTAR uses a tethered cable spooled from the aerial robot and an aerial tension control system. The aerial tension control system provides the appropriate tension to the tethered cable, which is accordingly laid down on the ground as the RTAR roams. The STAR includes a tethered cable spooled from the ground and a ground tension control system, which enables the STAR to reach high altitudes. Prototypes of the RTAR and STAR were designed and successfully demonstrated in outdoor environments, where the load power, power type, operating frequency, and flight attitude of the RTAR and STAR were: 180 W, AC 100 kHz, and 20 m; and 300 W, AC or DC 100 kHz, and 80 m, respectively.

Novel Roaming and Stationary Tethered Aerial Robots for Continuous Mobile Missions in Nuclear Power Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beom W. Gu

2016-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper, new tethered aerial robots including roaming tethered aerial robots (RTARs for radioactive material sampling and stationary tethered aerial robots (STARs for environment monitoring are proposed to meet extremely-long-endurance missions of nuclear power plants. The flight of the proposed tethered aerial robots may last for a few days or even a few months as long as the tethered cable provides continuous power. A high voltage AC or DC power system was newly adopted to reduce the mass of the tethered cable. The RTAR uses a tethered cable spooled from the aerial robot and an aerial tension control system. The aerial tension control system provides the appropriate tension to the tethered cable, which is accordingly laid down on the ground as the RTAR roams. The STAR includes a tethered cable spooled from the ground and a ground tension control system, which enables the STAR to reach high altitudes. Prototypes of the RTAR and STAR were designed and successfully demonstrated in outdoor environments, where the load power, power type, operating frequency, and flight attitude of the RTAR and STAR were: 180 W, AC 100 kHz, and 20 m; and 300 W, AC or DC 100 kHz, and 80 m, respectively.

Ultrasensitive tunability of the direct bandgap of 2D InSe flakes via strain engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yang; Wang, Tianmeng; Wu, Meng; Cao, Ting; Chen, Yanwen; Sankar, Raman; Ulaganathan, Rajesh K.; Chou, Fangcheng; Wetzel, Christian; Xu, Cheng-Yan; Louie, Steven G.; Shi, Su-Fei

2018-04-01

InSe, a member of the layered materials family, is a superior electronic and optical material which retains a direct bandgap feature from the bulk to atomically thin few-layers and high electronic mobility down to a single layer limit. We, for the first time, exploit strain to drastically modify the bandgap of two-dimensional (2D) InSe nanoflakes. We demonstrated that we could decrease the bandgap of a few-layer InSe flake by 160 meV through applying an in-plane uniaxial tensile strain to 1.06% and increase the bandgap by 79 meV through applying an in-plane uniaxial compressive strain to 0.62%, as evidenced by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The large reversible bandgap change of ~239 meV arises from a large bandgap change rate (bandgap strain coefficient) of few-layer InSe in response to strain, ~154 meV/% for uniaxial tensile strain and ~140 meV/% for uniaxial compressive strain, representing the most pronounced uniaxial strain-induced bandgap strain coefficient experimentally reported in 2D materials. We developed a theoretical understanding of the strain-induced bandgap change through first-principles DFT and GW calculations. We also confirmed the bandgap change by photoconductivity measurements using excitation light with different photon energies. The highly tunable bandgap of InSe in the infrared regime should enable a wide range of applications, including electro-mechanical, piezoelectric and optoelectronic devices.

Regioregular narrow-bandgap-conjugated polymers for plastic electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Ying, Lei; Huang, Fei; Bazan, Guillermo C.

2017-03-01

Progress in the molecular design and processing protocols of semiconducting polymers has opened significant opportunities for the fabrication of low-cost plastic electronic devices. Recent studies indicate that field-effect transistors and organic solar cells fabricated using narrow-bandgap regioregular polymers with translational symmetries in the direction of the backbone vector often outperform those containing analogous regiorandom polymers. This review addresses the cutting edge of regioregularity chemistry, in particular how to control the spatial distribution in the molecular structures and how this order translates to more ordered bulk morphologies. The effect of regioregularity on charge transport and photovoltaic properties is also outlined.

Bandgap Engineering of Double Perovskites for One- and Two-photon Water Splitting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castelli, Ivano Eligio; Thygesen, Kristian Sommer; Jacobsen, Karsten Wedel

2013-01-01

Computational screening is becoming increasingly useful in the search for new materials. We are interested in the design of new semiconductors to be used for light harvesting in a photoelectrochemical cell. In the present paper, we study the double perovskite structures obtained by combining 46...... stable cubic perovskites which was found to have a finite bandgap in a previous screening-study. The four-metal double perovskite space is too large to be investigated completely. For this reason we propose a method for combining different metals to obtain a desired bandgap. We derive some bandgap design...... rules on how to combine two cubic perovskites to generate a new combination with a larger or smaller bandgap compared with the constituent structures. Those rules are based on the type of orbitals involved in the conduction bands and on the size of the two cubic bandgaps. We also see that a change...

BOU: Development of a low-cost tethered balloon sensing system for monitoring the lower atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Picos, Rodrigo; Lopez-Grifol, Alvaro; Martinez-Villagrassa, Daniel; Simó, Gemma; Wenger, Burkhard; Dünnermann, Jens; Jiménez, Maria Antonia; Cuxart, Joan

2016-04-01

The study of the atmospheric boundary layer, the lowest part of the atmosphere, and the processes that occur therein often requires the observation of vertical profiles of the main meteorological variables, i.e. air temperature and humidity, wind vector and barometric pressure. In particular, when the interest is focused on the air-surface interactions, a high vertical resolution over the first 500 m is required for the observations to describe the physical processes that occur immediately above the surface. Typically, these needs are covered with the use of captive balloons, which are helium-filled balloons tethered to a winch on the ground and a sensor package suspended a short distance below the balloon. Since the commercial version of such instrumental platforms are scarce and expensive, a new low-cost device has been developed in the last years: BOU (tethered Balloon sonde OWL-UIB). In this paper, we focus on the sensor package and data acquisition system part, that is able to fulfill the low-cost requirements. The system uses a low-cost Arduino Mega board as the processor, and stores all the data in a SD card, though an RF connection is also possible but more unreliable. The system has been configured to sample temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed, having also a magnetometer and an accelerometer. Sampling time was 1 second, though it was possible to set it faster. It is worth mentioning that the system is easily reconfigurable, and more sensors can be added. The system is powered by a Polymer battery of 1800mA , allowing the system to run continously for more than 6 hours. The temperature is acquired using three different sensors (a HYT 271 calibrated sensor with an accuracy of ±0.2 °C, plus the internal temperature sensors of the wind and pressure sensors, with accuracies around ±0.5 °C). The humidity is also sensed using the calibrated HYT 271 sensor, which features an accuracy of ±1.8%. Air pressure is sensed using a BMP080 sensor, which

Optically controlled photonic bandgap structures for microstrip circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadman, Darren Arthur

2003-01-01

This thesis is concerned with the optical control of microwave photonic bandgap circuits using high resistivity silicon. Photoconducting processes that occur within silicon are investigated. The influence of excess carrier density on carrier mobility and lifetime is examined. In addition, electron-hole pair recombination mechanisms (Shockley-Read-Hall, Auger, radiative and surface) are investigated. The microwave properties of silicon are examined, in particular the variation of silicon reflectivity with excess carrier density. Filtering properties of microstrip photonic bandgap structures and how they may be controlled optically are studied. A proof-of-concept microstrip photonic bandgap structure with optical control is designed, simulated and measured. With no optical illumination incident upon the silicon, the microstrip photonic bandgap structure's filtering properties are well-defined; a 3dB stopband width of 2.6GHz, a 6dB bandwidth of 2GHz and stopband depth of -11.6dB at the centre frequency of 9.9GHz. When the silicon is illuminated, the structure's filtering properties are suppressed. Under illumination the experimental results display an increase in S 21 of 6.5dB and a reduction in S 11 of more than 10dB at 9.9GHz. A comparison of measured and simulated results reveal that the photogenerated excess carrier density is between 4 x 10 15 cm -3 and 1.1 x 10 16 cm -3 . (author)

Origin of unusual bandgap shift and dual emission in organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Dar, M Ibrahim; Jacopin, Gwénolé; Meloni, Simone; Mattoni, Alessandro; Arora, Neha; Boziki, Ariadni; Zakeeruddin, Shaik Mohammed; Rothlisberger, Ursula; Grätzel, Michael

2016-10-01

Emission characteristics of metal halide perovskites play a key role in the current widespread investigations into their potential uses in optoelectronics and photonics. However, a fundamental understanding of the molecular origin of the unusual blueshift of the bandgap and dual emission in perovskites is still lacking. In this direction, we investigated the extraordinary photoluminescence behavior of three representatives of this important class of photonic materials, that is, CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 , CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 , and CH(NH 2 ) 2 PbBr 3 , which emerged from our thorough studies of the effects of temperature on their bandgap and emission decay dynamics using time-integrated and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. The low-temperature (photoluminescence of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 and CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 reveals two distinct emission peaks, whereas that of CH(NH 2 ) 2 PbBr 3 shows a single emission peak. Furthermore, irrespective of perovskite composition, the bandgap exhibits an unusual blueshift by raising the temperature from 15 to 300 K. Density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics simulations allow for assigning the additional photoluminescence peak to the presence of molecularly disordered orthorhombic domains and also rationalize that the unusual blueshift of the bandgap with increasing temperature is due to the stabilization of the valence band maximum. Our findings provide new insights into the salient emission properties of perovskite materials, which define their performance in solar cells and light-emitting devices.

Liquid Crystal photonic Bandgap Fiber Devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wei, Lei

In this Ph.D. thesis, an experimental investigation of liquid crystal photonic bandgap (LCPBG) fiber devices and applications is presented. Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) consist of a cladding microstructure with periodic index variations and a core defined by a defect of the structure. The prese......In this Ph.D. thesis, an experimental investigation of liquid crystal photonic bandgap (LCPBG) fiber devices and applications is presented. Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) consist of a cladding microstructure with periodic index variations and a core defined by a defect of the structure...... of each LCPBG fiber. Finally, the applications for LCPBG fiber devices based on the on-chip platform design have been demonstrated in realizing microwave true-time delay and creating an electrically tunable fiber laser. Referatet mailes...

Optimization and experimental validation of stiff porous phononic plates for widest complete bandgap of mixed fundamental guided wave modes

Science.gov (United States)

Hedayatrasa, Saeid; Kersemans, Mathias; Abhary, Kazem; Uddin, Mohammad; Van Paepegem, Wim

2018-01-01

Phononic crystal plates (PhPs) have promising application in manipulation of guided waves for design of low-loss acoustic devices and built-in acoustic metamaterial lenses in plate structures. The prominent feature of phononic crystals is the existence of frequency bandgaps over which the waves are stopped, or are resonated and guided within appropriate defects. Therefore, maximized bandgaps of PhPs are desirable to enhance their phononic controllability. Porous PhPs produced through perforation of a uniform background plate, in which the porous interfaces act as strong reflectors of wave energy, are relatively easy to produce. However, the research in optimization of porous PhPs and experimental validation of achieved topologies has been very limited and particularly focused on bandgaps of flexural (asymmetric) wave modes. In this paper, porous PhPs are optimized through an efficient multiobjective genetic algorithm for widest complete bandgap of mixed fundamental guided wave modes (symmetric and asymmetric) and maximized stiffness. The Pareto front of optimization is analyzed and variation of bandgap efficiency with respect to stiffness is presented for various optimized topologies. Selected optimized topologies from the stiff and compliant regimes of Pareto front are manufactured by water-jetting an aluminum plate and their promising bandgap efficiency is experimentally observed. An optimized Pareto topology is also chosen and manufactured by laser cutting a Plexiglas (PMMA) plate, and its performance in self-collimation and focusing of guided waves is verified as compared to calculated dispersion properties.

Results from a tethered rocket experiment (Charge-2)

Science.gov (United States)

Kawashima, N.; Sasaki, S.; Oyama, K. I.; Hirao, K.; Obayashi, T.; Raitt, W. J.; White, A. B.; Williamson, P. R.; Banks, P. M.; Sharp, W. F.

A tethered payload experiment (Charge-2) was carried out as an international program between Japan and the USA using a NASA sounding rocket at White Sands Missile Range. The objective of the experiment was to perform a new type of active experiment in space by injecting an electron beam from a mother-daughter rocket system connected with a long tether wire. The electron beam with voltage and current up to 1 kV and 80 mA (nominal) was injected from the mother payload. An insulated conductive wire of 426 m length connected the two payloads, the longest tether system flown so far. The electron gun system and diagnostic instruments (plasma, optical, particle and wave) functioned correctly throughout the flight. The potential rise of the mother payload during the electron beam emission was measured with respect to the daughter payload. The beam trajectory was detected by a camera onboard the mother rocket. Wave generation and current induction in the wire during the beam emission were also studied.

Synthesis of Isothianaphthene (ITN and 3,4-Ethylenedioxy-Thiophene (EDOT-Based Low-Bandgap Liquid Crystalline Conjugated Polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiromasa Goto

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Copolymers, consisting of isothianaphthene and phenylene derivatives with liquid crystal groups, were synthesized via Migita-Kosugi-Stille polycondensation reaction. IR absorption, UV-vis optical absorption, and PL spectroscopy measurements were carried out. Thermotropic liquid crystallinity of the polymers with bandgap of ~2.5 eV was confirmed.

Water-Dependent Photonic Bandgap in Silica Artificial Opals

OpenAIRE

Gallego-Gomez, Francisco; Blanco, Alvaro; Canalejas-Tejero, Victor; Lopez, Cefe

2011-01-01

Some characteristics of silica-based structuresa-like the photonic properties of artificial opals formed by silica spheresa-can be greatly affected by the presence of adsorbed water. The reversible modification of the water content of an opal is investigated here by moderate heating (below 300 °C) and measuring in situ the changes in the photonic bandgap. Due to reversible removal of interstitial water, large blueshifts of 30 nm and a bandgap narrowing of 7% are observed. The latter is partic...

Solar-light photocatalytic disinfection using crystalline/amorphous low energy bandgap reduced TiO2

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Youngmin; Hwang, Hee Min; Wang, Luyang; Kim, Ikjoon; Yoon, Yeoheung; Lee, Hyoyoung

2016-01-01

A generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from TiO2 under solar light has been long sought since the ROS can disinfect organic pollutants. We found that newly developed crystalline/amorphous reduced TiO2 (rTiO2) that has low energy bandgap can effectively generate ROS under solar light and successfully remove a bloom of algae. The preparation of rTiO2 is a one-pot and mass productive solution-process reduction using lithium-ethylene diamine (Li-EDA) at room temperature. Interestingly only the rutile phase of TiO2 crystal was reduced, while the anatase phase even in case of both anatase/rutile phased TiO2 was not reduced. Only reduced TiO2 materials can generate ROS under solar light, which was confirmed by electron spin resonance. Among the three different types of Li-EDA treated TiO2 (anatase, rutile and both phased TiO2), the both phased rTiO2 showed the best performance to produce ROS. The generated ROS effectively removed the common green algae Chlamydomonas. This is the first report on algae degradation under solar light, proving the feasibility of commercially available products for disinfection. PMID:27121120

Triple photonic band-gap structure dynamically induced in the presence of spontaneously generated coherence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Jinwei; Bao Qianqian; Wan Rengang; Cui Cuili; Wu Jinhui

2011-01-01

We study a cold atomic sample coherently driven into the five-level triple-Λ configuration for attaining a dynamically controlled triple photonic band-gap structure. Our numerical calculations show that three photonic band gaps with homogeneous reflectivities up to 92% can be induced on demand around the probe resonance by a standing-wave driving field in the presence of spontaneously generated coherence. All these photonic band gaps are severely malformed with probe reflectivities declining rapidly to very low values when spontaneously generated coherence is gradually weakened. The triple photonic band-gap structure can also be attained in a five-level chain-Λ system of cold atoms in the absence of spontaneously generated coherence, which however requires two additional traveling-wave fields to couple relevant levels.

Crowded, Confined, and Frustrated: Dynamics of Molecules Tethered to Nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Agarwal, Praveen

2012-12-01

Above a critical chemistry-dependent molecular weight, all polymer molecules entangle and, as a result, exhibit slow dynamics, enhanced viscosity, and elasticity. Herein we report on the dynamics of low molecular weight polymers tethered to nanoparticles and find that even conventionally unentangled chains manifest dynamical features similar to entangled, long-chain molecules. Our findings are shown to imply that crowding and confinement of polymers on particles produce topological constraints analogous to those in entangled systems. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Long-term evaluation of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring-assisted tethered cord surgery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dulfer, S E; Drost, G; Lange, F; Journee, H L; Wapstra, F H; Hoving, E W

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: Patients with tethered spinal cord have been investigated for short-term effects after tethered spinal cord surgery in the past. However, little is known about the long-term effects in this patient group. In this retrospective, longitudinal, observational study, a patient sample of a

Self-assembled tethered bimolecular lipid membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinner, Eva-Kathrin; Ritz, Sandra; Naumann, Renate; Schiller, Stefan; Knoll, Wolfgang

2009-01-01

This chapter describes some of the strategies developed in our group for designing, constructing and structurally and functionally characterizing tethered bimolecular lipid membranes (tBLM). We introduce this platform as a novel model membrane system that complements the existing ones, for example, Langmuir monolayers, vesicular liposomal dispersions and bimolecular ("black") lipid membranes. Moreover, it offers the additional advantage of allowing for studies of the influence of membrane structure and order on the function of integral proteins, for example, on how the composition and organization of lipids in a mixed membrane influence the ion translocation activity of integral channel proteins. The first strategy that we introduce concerns the preparation of tethered monolayers by the self-assembly of telechelics. Their molecular architecture with a headgroup, a spacer unit (the "tether") and the amphiphile that mimics the lipid molecule allows them to bind specifically to the solid support thus forming the proximal layer of the final architecture. After fusion of vesicles that could contain reconstituted proteins from a liposomal dispersion in contact to this monolayer the tethered bimolecular lipid membrane is obtained. This can then be characterized by a broad range of surface analytical techniques, including surface plasmon spectroscopies, the quartz crystal microbalance, fluorescence and IR spectroscopies, and electrochemical techniques, to mention a few. It is shown that this concept allows for the construction of tethered lipid bilayers with outstanding electrical properties including resistivities in excess of 10 MOmega cm2. A modified strategy uses the assembly of peptides as spacers that couple covalently via their engineered sulfhydryl or lipoic acid groups at the N-terminus to the employed gold substrate, while their C-terminus is being activated afterward for the coupling of, for example, dimyristoylphosphatidylethanol amine (DMPE) lipid molecules

Resonance fluorescence spectrum in a two-band photonic bandgap crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ray-Kuang; Lai, Yinchieh

2003-05-01

Steady state resonance fluorescence spectra from a two-level atom embedded in a photonic bandgap crystal and resonantly driven by a classical pump light are calculated. The photonic crystal is considered to be with a small bandgap which is in the order of magnitude of the Rabi frequency and is modeled by the anisotropic two-band dispersion relation. Non-Markovian noises caused by the non-uniform distribution of photon density states near the photonic bandgap are taken into account by a new approach which linearizes the optical Bloch equations by using the Liouville operator expansion. Fluorescence spectra that only exhibit sidebands of the Mollow triplet are found, indicating that there is no coherent Rayleigh scattering process.

Ab initio quasi-particle approximation bandgaps of silicon nanowires calculated at density functional theory/local density approximation computational effort

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribeiro, M., E-mail: ribeiro.jr@oorbit.com.br [Office of Operational Research for Business Intelligence and Technology, Principal Office, Buffalo, Wyoming 82834 (United States)

2015-06-21

Ab initio calculations of hydrogen-passivated Si nanowires were performed using density functional theory within LDA-1/2, to account for the excited states properties. A range of diameters was calculated to draw conclusions about the ability of the method to correctly describe the main trends of bandgap, quantum confinement, and self-energy corrections versus the diameter of the nanowire. Bandgaps are predicted with excellent accuracy if compared with other theoretical results like GW, and with the experiment as well, but with a low computational cost.

Ab initio quasi-particle approximation bandgaps of silicon nanowires calculated at density functional theory/local density approximation computational effort

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribeiro, M.

2015-01-01

Ab initio calculations of hydrogen-passivated Si nanowires were performed using density functional theory within LDA-1/2, to account for the excited states properties. A range of diameters was calculated to draw conclusions about the ability of the method to correctly describe the main trends of bandgap, quantum confinement, and self-energy corrections versus the diameter of the nanowire. Bandgaps are predicted with excellent accuracy if compared with other theoretical results like GW, and with the experiment as well, but with a low computational cost

Photonic bandgap narrowing in conical hollow core Bragg fibers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ozturk, Fahri Emre; Yildirim, Adem; Kanik, Mehmet [UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); Bayindir, Mehmet, E-mail: bayindir@nano.org.tr [UNAM-National Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); Institute of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey); Department of Physics, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara (Turkey)

2014-08-18

We report the photonic bandgap engineering of Bragg fibers by controlling the thickness profile of the fiber during the thermal drawing. Conical hollow core Bragg fibers were produced by thermal drawing under a rapidly alternating load, which was applied by introducing steep changes to the fiber drawing speed. In conventional cylindrical Bragg fibers, light is guided by omnidirectional reflections from interior dielectric mirrors with a single quarter wave stack period. In conical fibers, the diameter reduction introduced a gradient of the quarter wave stack period along the length of the fiber. Therefore, the light guided within the fiber encountered slightly smaller dielectric layer thicknesses at each reflection, resulting in a progressive blueshift of the reflectance spectrum. As the reflectance spectrum shifts, longer wavelengths of the initial bandgap cease to be omnidirectionally reflected and exit through the cladding, which narrows the photonic bandgap. A narrow transmission bandwidth is particularly desirable in hollow waveguide mid-infrared sensing schemes, where broadband light is coupled to the fiber and the analyte vapor is introduced into the hollow core to measure infrared absorption. We carried out sensing simulations using the absorption spectrum of isopropyl alcohol vapor to demonstrate the importance of narrow bandgap fibers in chemical sensing applications.

Two-Way Tether Gun

Science.gov (United States)

Sanger, George F.

1994-01-01

Safety-tether device enables crewmembers on spacecraft to retrieve crewmember drifting away from spacecraft. Alternatively, drifting crewmember who carries device uses it to grasp and return to spacecraft. Also used on Earth. For example, rescuer on vessel or pier uses it to retrieve and haul drowning or unconscious person to safety; drifting person or rescuer in water uses it to grasp and hold onto support.

Investigation of electrodynamic stabilization and control of long orbiting tethers. [space shuttle payloads

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, D. A.; Dobrowolny, M.

1981-01-01

An algorithm for using electric currents to control pendular oscillations induced by various perturbing forces on the Skyhook wire is considered. Transverse and vertical forces on the tether; tether instability modes and causes during retrieval by space shuttle; simple and spherical pendulum motion and vector damping; and current generation and control are discussed. A computer program for numerical integration of the in-plane and out-of-plane displacements of the tether vs time was developed for heuristic study. Some techniques for controlling instabilities during payload retrieval and methods for employing the tether for launching satellites from the space shuttle are considered. Derivations and analyses of a general nature used in all of the areas studied are included.

Reducing support loss in micromechanical ring resonators using phononic band-gap structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsu, Feng-Chia; Huang, Tsun-Che; Wang, Chin-Hung; Chang, Pin [Industrial Technology Research Institute-South, Tainan 709, Taiwan (China); Hsu, Jin-Chen, E-mail: fengchiahsu@itri.org.t, E-mail: hsujc@yuntech.edu.t [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Douliou, Yunlin 64002, Taiwan (China)

2011-09-21

In micromechanical resonators, energy loss via supports into the substrates may lead to a low quality factor. To eliminate the support loss, in this paper a phononic band-gap structure is employed. We demonstrate a design of phononic-crystal (PC) strips used to support extensional wine-glass mode ring resonators to increase the quality factor. The PC strips are introduced to stop elastic-wave propagation by the band-gap and deaf-band effects. Analyses of resonant characteristics of the ring resonators and the dispersion relations, eigenmodes, and transmission properties of the PC strips are presented. With the proposed resonator architecture, the finite-element simulations show that the leaky power is effectively reduced and the stored energy inside the resonators is enhanced simultaneously as the operating frequencies of the resonators are within the band gap or deaf bands. Realization of a high quality factor micromechanical ring resonator with minimized support loss is expected.

Reducing support loss in micromechanical ring resonators using phononic band-gap structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, Feng-Chia; Huang, Tsun-Che; Wang, Chin-Hung; Chang, Pin; Hsu, Jin-Chen

2011-01-01

In micromechanical resonators, energy loss via supports into the substrates may lead to a low quality factor. To eliminate the support loss, in this paper a phononic band-gap structure is employed. We demonstrate a design of phononic-crystal (PC) strips used to support extensional wine-glass mode ring resonators to increase the quality factor. The PC strips are introduced to stop elastic-wave propagation by the band-gap and deaf-band effects. Analyses of resonant characteristics of the ring resonators and the dispersion relations, eigenmodes, and transmission properties of the PC strips are presented. With the proposed resonator architecture, the finite-element simulations show that the leaky power is effectively reduced and the stored energy inside the resonators is enhanced simultaneously as the operating frequencies of the resonators are within the band gap or deaf bands. Realization of a high quality factor micromechanical ring resonator with minimized support loss is expected.

Position Control of an X4-Flyer Using a Tether

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

, Keigo Watanabe

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In Japan, aging of infrastructures, such as roads, bridges, and water and sewer services, etc. poses a problem, and it is required to extend the life-span of such infrastructures by maintenance. Among infrastructures, especially bridges are periodically inspected by short range visual observations, which check the damage and deterioration of the surface. However, since there are some cases where the short range visual observation is difficult, an alternative method is required so as to replace the short range visual observation with it. So, "X4-Flyer" is very attractive because of realizing a movement at high altitude easily. The objective of this study is to develop a tethered X4- Flyer, so that the conventional short range visual observation of bridges is replaced by it. In this paper, a method for the measurement and control of the position is described by using a tether for controlling the position of the X4-Flyer. In addition, it is checked whether the tethered X4-Flyer can control the position using the proposed method or not, letting it fly in a state in which a tether is being attached.

Electronic band-gap modified passive silicon optical modulator at telecommunications wavelengths.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui; Yu, Haohai; Zhang, Huaijin; Liu, Xiangdong; Lu, Qingming; Wang, Jiyang

2015-11-13

The silicon optical modulator is considered to be the workhorse of a revolution in communications. In recent years, the capabilities of externally driven active silicon optical modulators have dramatically improved. Self-driven passive modulators, especially passive silicon modulators, possess advantages in compactness, integration, low-cost, etc. Constrained by a large indirect band-gap and sensitivity-related loss, the passive silicon optical modulator is scarce and has been not advancing, especially at telecommunications wavelengths. Here, a passive silicon optical modulator is fabricated by introducing an impurity band in the electronic band-gap, and its nonlinear optics and applications in the telecommunications-wavelength lasers are investigated. The saturable absorption properties at the wavelength of 1.55 μm was measured and indicates that the sample is quite sensitive to light intensity and has negligible absorption loss. With a passive silicon modulator, pulsed lasers were constructed at wavelengths at 1.34 and 1.42 μm. It is concluded that the sensitive self-driven passive silicon optical modulator is a viable candidate for photonics applications out to 2.5 μm.

Direct-Indirect Nature of the Bandgap in Lead-Free Perovskite Nanocrystals

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Yuhai

2017-06-23

With record efficiencies achieved in lead halide perovskite-based photovoltaics, urgency has shifted toward finding alternative materials that are stable and less toxic. Bismuth-based perovskite materials are currently one of the most promising candidates among those alternatives. However, the band structures of these materials, including the nature of the bandgaps, remain elusive due to extremely low photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and scattering issues in their thin-film form. Here, we reveal the specific nature of the material\\'s electronic transitions by realizing monodisperse colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) of hexagonal-phase Cs3Bi2X9 perovskites, which afford well-resolved PL features. Interestingly, the PL profile exhibits a dual-spectral feature at room temperature with comparable intensities, based on which we propose an exciton recombination process involving both indirect and direct transitions simultaneously-an observation further supported by temperature-dependent and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our findings provide experimental and theoretical insights into the nature of the bandgaps in bismuth halide materials-essential information for assessing their viability in solar cells and optoelectronics.

Synthesis and insertion chemistry of mixed tether uranium metallocene complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siladke, Nathan A.; LeDuc, Jennifer; Ziller, Joseph W.; Evans, William J. [Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

2012-11-12

The synthesis of mixed tethered alkyl uranium metallocenes has been investigated by examining the reactivity of the bis(tethered alkyl) metallocene [(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}CH{sub 2}-κC){sub 2}U] (1) with substrates that react with only one of the U-C linkages. The effect of these mixed tether coordination environments on the reactivity of the remaining U-C bond has been studied by using CO insertion chemistry. One equivalent of azidoadamantane (AdN{sub 3}) reacts with 1 to yield the mixed tethered alkyl triazenido complex [(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}CH{sub 2}-κC)U(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}-CH{sub 2}NNN-Ad-κ{sup 2}N{sup 1,3})]. Similarly, a single equivalent of CS{sub 2} reacts with 1 to form the mixed tethered alkyl dithiocarboxylate complex [(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}CH{sub 2}-κC)U(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}- CH{sub 2}C(S){sub 2}-κ{sup 2}S,S{sup '})], a reaction that constitutes the first example of CS{sub 2} insertion into a U{sup 4+}-C bond. Complex 1 reacts with one equivalent of pyridine N-oxide by C-H bond activation of the pyridine ring to form a mixed tethered alkyl cyclometalated pyridine N-oxide complex [(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}CH{sub 2}-κC)(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 3})U(C{sub 6}H{sub 4}NO-κ{sup 2} C,O)]. The remaining (η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}CH{sub 2}-κC){sup 2-} ligand in each of these mixed tethered species show reactivity towards CO and tethered enolate ligands form by insertion. Subsequent rearrangement have been identified in [(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 3})U(C{sub 5}H{sub 4}NO-κ{sup 2}C,O)(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}C(=CH{sub 2})O- κO)] and [(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}CH{sub 2}NNN-Ad-κ{sup 2}N{sup 1,3})U(η{sup 5}-C{sub 5}Me{sub 4}SiMe{sub 2}C(=CH{sub 2})O-κO)]. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Simulations of momentum transfer process between solar wind plasma and bias voltage tethers of electric sail thruster

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Guangqing; Han, Yajie; Chen, Liuwei; Wei, Yanming; Yu, Yang; Chen, Maolin

2018-06-01

The interaction between the solar wind plasma and the bias voltage of long tethers is the basic mechanism of the electric sail thruster. The momentum transfer process between the solar wind plasma and electric tethers was investigated using a 2D full particle PIC method. The coupled electric field distribution and deflected ion trajectory under different bias voltages were compared, and the influence of bias voltage on momentum transfer process was analyzed. The results show that the high potential of the bias voltage of long tethers will slow down, stagnate, reflect and deflect a large number of ions, so that ion cavities are formed in the vicinity of the tether, and the ions will transmit the axial momentum to the sail tethers to produce the thrust. Compared to the singe tether, double tethers show a better thrust performance.

Below-bandgap photoreflection spectroscopy of semiconductor laser structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sotnikov, Aleksandr E; Chernikov, Maksim A; Ryabushkin, Oleg A; Trubenko, P; Moshegov, N; Ovchinnikov, A

2004-01-01

A new method of modulated light reflection - below-bandgap photoreflection, is considered. Unlike the conventional photoreflection method, the proposed method uses optical pumping by photons of energy smaller than the bandgap of any layer of a semiconductor structure under study. Such pumping allows one to obtain the modulated reflection spectrum for all layers of the structure without excitation of photoluminescence. This method is especially promising for the study of wide-gap semiconductors. The results of the study of semiconductor structures used in modern high-power multimode semiconductor lasers are presented. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

On the mechanism of bandgap formation in locally resonant finite elastic metamaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Sugino, Christopher; Leadenham, Stephen; Ruzzene, Massimo; Erturk, Alper

2016-10-01

Elastic/acoustic metamaterials made from locally resonant arrays can exhibit bandgaps at wavelengths much longer than the lattice size for various applications spanning from low-frequency vibration/sound attenuation to wave guiding and filtering in mechanical and electromechanical devices. For an effective use of such locally resonant metamaterial concepts in finite structures, it is required to bridge the gap between the lattice dispersion characteristics and modal behavior of the host structure with its resonators. To this end, we develop a novel argument for bandgap formation in finite-length elastic metamaterial beams, relying on the modal analysis and the assumption of infinitely many resonators. We show that the dual problem to wave propagation through an infinite periodic beam is the modal analysis of a finite beam with an infinite number of resonators. A simple formula that depends only on the resonator natural frequency and total mass ratio is derived for placing the bandgap in a desired frequency range, yielding an analytical insight and a rule of thumb for design purposes. A method for understanding the importance of a resonator location and mass is discussed in the context of a Riemann sum approximation of an integral, and a method for determining the optimal number of resonators for a given set of boundary conditions and target frequency is introduced. The simulations of the theoretical framework are validated by experiments for bending vibrations of a locally resonant cantilever beam.

Anomalous band-gap bowing of AlN1−xPx alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winiarski, M.J.; Polak, M.; Scharoch, P.

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Structural and electronic properties of AlN 1−x P x from first principles. •The supercell and the virtual crystall approximation methods applied and compared. •Anomalously high band-gap bowing found. •Similarities of band-gap behavior to that in BN 1−x P x noticed. •Performance of MBJLDA with the pseudopotential approach discussed. -- Abstract: Electronic structure of zinc blende AlN 1−x P x alloy has been calculated from first principles. Structural optimization has been performed within the framework of LDA and the band-gaps calculated with the modified Becke–Jonson (MBJLDA) method. Two approaches have been examined: the virtual crystal approximation (VCA) and the supercell-based calculations (SC). The composition dependence of the lattice parameter obtained from the SC obeys Vegard’s law whereas the volume optimization in the VCA leads to an anomalous bowing of the lattice constant. A strong correlation between the band-gaps and the structural parameter in the VCA method has been observed. On the other hand, in the SC method the supercell size and atoms arrangement (clustered vs. uniform) appear to have a great influence on the computed band-gaps. In particular, an anomalously big band-gap bowing has been found in the case of a clustered configuration with relaxed geometry. Based on the performed tests and obtained results some general features of MBJLDA are discussed and its performance for similar systems predicted

The motion and control of a complex three-body space tethered system

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Gefei; Zhu, Zhanxia; Chen, Shiyu; Yuan, Jianping; Tang, Biwei

2017-11-01

This paper is mainly devoted to investigating the dynamics and stability control of a three body-tethered satellite system which contains a main satellite and two subsatellites connected by two straight, massless and inextensible tethers. Firstly, a detailed mathematical model is established in the central gravitational field. Then, the dynamic characteristics of the established system are investigated and analyzed. Based on the dynamic analysis, a novel sliding mode prediction model (SMPM) control strategy is proposed to suppress the motion of the built tethered system. The numerical results show that the proposed underactuated control law is highly effective in suppressing the attitude/libration motion of the underactuated three-body tethered system. Furthermore, cases of different target angles are also examined and analyzed. The simulation results reveal that even if the final equilibrium states differ from different selections of the target angles, the whole system can still be maintained in acceptable areas.

Energy level alignment and sub-bandgap charge generation in polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsang, Sai-Wing; Chen, Song; So, Franky

2013-05-07

Using charge modulated electroabsorption spectroscopy (CMEAS), for the first time, the energy level alignment of a polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction photovoltaic cell is directly measured. The charge-transfer excitons generated by the sub-bandgap optical pumping are coupled with the modulating electric field and introduce subtle changes in optical absorption in the sub-bandgap region. This minimum required energy for sub-bandgap charge genreation is defined as the effective bandgap. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Emerging insights into the roles of membrane tethers from analysis of whole organisms: The tip of an iceberg?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Hong eToh

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Membrane tethers have been identified throughout different compartments of the endomembrane system. It is now well established that a number of membrane tethers mediate docking of membrane carriers in anterograde and retrograde transport and in regulating the organization of membrane compartments. Much of our information on membrane tethers have been obtained from the analysis of individual membrane tethers in cultured cells. In the future it will be important to better appreciate the network of interactions mediated by tethers and the potential co-ordination of their collective functions in vivo. There are now a number of studies which have analyzed membrane tethers in tissues and organisms which are providing new insights into the role of this class of membrane protein at the physiological level. Here we review recent advances in the understanding of the function of membrane tethers from knock outs (or knock downs in whole organisms and from mutations in tethers associated with disease.

Experiments and simulation of a net closing mechanism for tether-net capture of space debris

Science.gov (United States)

Sharf, Inna; Thomsen, Benjamin; Botta, Eleonora M.; Misra, Arun K.

2017-10-01

This research addresses the design and testing of a debris containment system for use in a tether-net approach to space debris removal. The tether-net active debris removal involves the ejection of a net from a spacecraft by applying impulses to masses on the net, subsequent expansion of the net, the envelopment and capture of the debris target, and the de-orbiting of the debris via a tether to the chaser spacecraft. To ensure a debris removal mission's success, it is important that the debris be successfully captured and then, secured within the net. To this end, we present a concept for a net closing mechanism, which we believe will permit consistently successful debris capture via a simple and unobtrusive design. This net closing system functions by extending the main tether connecting the chaser spacecraft and the net vertex to the perimeter and around the perimeter of the net, allowing the tether to actuate closure of the net in a manner similar to a cinch cord. A particular embodiment of the design in a laboratory test-bed is described: the test-bed itself is comprised of a scaled-down tether-net, a supporting frame and a mock-up debris. Experiments conducted with the facility demonstrate the practicality of the net closing system. A model of the net closure concept has been integrated into the previously developed dynamics simulator of the chaser/tether-net/debris system. Simulations under tether tensioning conditions demonstrate the effectiveness of the closure concept for debris containment, in the gravity-free environment of space, for a realistic debris target. The on-ground experimental test-bed is also used to showcase its utility for validating the dynamics simulation of the net deployment, and a full-scale automated setup would make possible a range of validation studies of other aspects of a tether-net debris capture mission.

Cooperative networks : The mobile tethering game

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Constantinescu, M.; Bouwman, H.; Djurica, M.; Durmus, Y.; Onur, E.; Reuver, M. de

2012-01-01

We propose an analysis of cooperation for data sharing and the behavioral aspects involved in the process of decision making. Starting with the tethering capabilities of recent devices we apply game theoretical principles and models, inquire what makes the cooperation work, and what are the

Coulomb engineering of the bandgap and excitons in two-dimensional materials

Science.gov (United States)

Raja, Archana; Chaves, Andrey; Yu, Jaeeun; Arefe, Ghidewon; Hill, Heather M.; Rigosi, Albert F.; Berkelbach, Timothy C.; Nagler, Philipp; Schüller, Christian; Korn, Tobias; Nuckolls, Colin; Hone, James; Brus, Louis E.; Heinz, Tony F.; Reichman, David R.; Chernikov, Alexey

2017-01-01

The ability to control the size of the electronic bandgap is an integral part of solid-state technology. Atomically thin two-dimensional crystals offer a new approach for tuning the energies of the electronic states based on the unusual strength of the Coulomb interaction in these materials and its environmental sensitivity. Here, we show that by engineering the surrounding dielectric environment, one can tune the electronic bandgap and the exciton binding energy in monolayers of WS2 and WSe2 by hundreds of meV. We exploit this behaviour to present an in-plane dielectric heterostructure with a spatially dependent bandgap, as an initial step towards the creation of diverse lateral junctions with nanoscale resolution. PMID:28469178

Novel start-up circuit with enhanced power-up characteristic for bandgap references

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tuan Vu, Cao; Wisland, Dag T.; Lande, Tor Sverre

This paper presents a new start-up circuit for low-power bandgap reference (BGR) voltage generators. The BGR is designed for providing a stable 0.3 V power supply for application in low power wireless sensor nodes. The BGR has an enhanced power-up characteristic and demonstrates a reduction...... of the total stand-by current. Simulated results confirm that the proposed start-up circuit does not affect the performance of the BGR even though the supply voltage (VDD) is higher and has more stable power-up characteristic than the conventional start-up circuits. The new start-up circuit is designed with 65...

ER-to-plasma membrane tethering proteins regulate cell signaling and ER morphology.

Science.gov (United States)

Manford, Andrew G; Stefan, Christopher J; Yuan, Helen L; Macgurn, Jason A; Emr, Scott D

2012-12-11

Endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane (ER-PM) junctions are conserved structures defined as regions of the ER that tightly associate with the plasma membrane. However, little is known about the mechanisms that tether these organelles together and why such connections are maintained. Using a quantitative proteomic approach, we identified three families of ER-PM tethering proteins in yeast: Ist2 (related to mammalian TMEM16 ion channels), the tricalbins (Tcb1/2/3, orthologs of the extended synaptotagmins), and Scs2 and Scs22 (vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated proteins). Loss of all six tethering proteins results in the separation of the ER from the PM and the accumulation of cytoplasmic ER. Importantly, we find that phosphoinositide signaling is misregulated at the PM, and the unfolded protein response is constitutively activated in the ER in cells lacking ER-PM tether proteins. These results reveal critical roles for ER-PM contacts in cell signaling, organelle morphology, and ER function. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tethered balloon-based measurements of meteorological variables and aerosols

Science.gov (United States)

Sentell, R. J.; Storey, R. W.; Chang, J. J. C.; Jacobsen, S. J.

1976-01-01

Tethered balloon based measurements of the vertical distributions of temperature, humidity, wind speed, and aerosol concentrations were taken over a 4-hour period beginning at sunrise on June 29, 1976, at Wallops Island, Virginia. Twelve consecutive profiles of each variable were obtained from ground to about 500 meters. These measurements were in conjuction with a noise propagation study on remotely arrayed acoustic range (ROMAAR) at Wallops Flight Center. An organized listing of these vertical soundings is presented. The tethered balloon system configuration utilized for these measurements is described.

A Direct Bandgap Copper-Antimony Halide Perovskite.

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas, Brenda; Ramos, Estrella; Pérez-Gutiérrez, Enrique; Alonso, Juan Carlos; Solis-Ibarra, Diego

2017-07-12

Since the establishment of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), there has been an intense search for alternative materials to replace lead and improve their stability toward moisture and light. As single-metal perovskite structures have yielded unsatisfactory performances, an alternative is the use of double perovskites that incorporate a combination of metals. To this day, only a handful of these compounds have been synthesized, but most of them have indirect bandgaps and/or do not have bandgaps energies well-suited for photovoltaic applications. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of a unique mixed metal ⟨111⟩-oriented layered perovskite, Cs 4 CuSb 2 Cl 12 (1), that incorporates Cu 2+ and Sb 3+ into layers that are three octahedra thick (n = 3). In addition to being made of abundant and nontoxic elements, we show that this material behaves as a semiconductor with a direct bandgap of 1.0 eV and its conductivity is 1 order of magnitude greater than that of MAPbI 3 (MA = methylammonium). Furthermore, 1 has high photo- and thermal-stability and is tolerant to humidity. We conclude that 1 is a promising material for photovoltaic applications and represents a new type of layered perovskite structure that incorporates metals in 2+ and 3+ oxidation states, thus significantly widening the possible combinations of metals to replace lead in PSCs.

Sound propagation in water containing large tethered spherical encapsulated gas bubbles with resonance frequencies in the 50 Hz to 100 Hz range.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kevin M; Hinojosa, Kevin T; Wochner, Mark S; Argo, Theodore F; Wilson, Preston S; Mercier, Richard S

2011-11-01

The efficacy of large tethered encapsulated gas bubbles for the mitigation of low frequency underwater noise was investigated with an acoustic resonator technique. Tethered latex balloons were used as the bubbles, which had radii of approximately 5 cm. Phase speeds were inferred from the resonances of a water and balloon-filled waveguide approximately 1.8 m in length. The Commander and Prosperetti effective-medium model [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 85, 732-746 (1989)] quantitatively described the observed dispersion from well below to just below the individual bubble resonance frequency, and it qualitatively predicted the frequency range of high attenuation for void fractions between 2% and 5% for collections of stationary balloons within the waveguide. A finite-element model was used to investigate the sensitivity of the waveguide resonance frequencies, and hence the inferred phase speeds, to changes in individual bubble size and position. The results indicate that large tethered encapsulated bubbles could be used mitigate low frequency underwater noise and that the Commander and Prosperetti model would be useful in the design of such a system.

A superhard sp3 microporous carbon with direct bandgap

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Yilong; Xie, Chenlong; Xiong, Mei; Ma, Mengdong; Liu, Lingyu; Li, Zihe; Zhang, Shuangshuang; Gao, Guoying; Zhao, Zhisheng; Tian, Yongjun; Xu, Bo; He, Julong

2017-12-01

Carbon allotropes with distinct sp, sp2, and sp3 hybridization possess various different properties. Here, a novel all-sp3 hybridized tetragonal carbon, namely the P carbon, was predicted by the evolutionary particle swarm structural search. It demonstrated a low density among all-sp3 carbons, due to the corresponding distinctive microporous structure. P carbon is thermodynamically stable than the known C60 and could be formed through the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) compression. P carbon is a direct bandgap semiconductor displaying a strong and superhard nature. The unique combination of electrical and mechanical properties constitutes P carbon a potential superhard material for semiconductor industrial fields.

A tethering complex drives the terminal stage of SNARE-dependent membrane fusion

Science.gov (United States)

D'Agostino, Massimo; Risselada, Herre Jelger; Lürick, Anna; Ungermann, Christian; Mayer, Andreas

2017-11-01

Membrane fusion in eukaryotic cells mediates the biogenesis of organelles, vesicular traffic between them, and exo- and endocytosis of important signalling molecules, such as hormones and neurotransmitters. Distinct tasks in intracellular membrane fusion have been assigned to conserved protein systems. Tethering proteins mediate the initial recognition and attachment of membranes, whereas SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) protein complexes are considered as the core fusion engine. SNARE complexes provide mechanical energy to distort membranes and drive them through a hemifusion intermediate towards the formation of a fusion pore. This last step is highly energy-demanding. Here we combine the in vivo and in vitro fusion of yeast vacuoles with molecular simulations to show that tethering proteins are critical for overcoming the final energy barrier to fusion pore formation. SNAREs alone drive vacuoles only into the hemifused state. Tethering proteins greatly increase the volume of SNARE complexes and deform the site of hemifusion, which lowers the energy barrier for pore opening and provides the driving force. Thereby, tethering proteins assume a crucial mechanical role in the terminal stage of membrane fusion that is likely to be conserved at multiple steps of vesicular traffic. We therefore propose that SNAREs and tethering proteins should be considered as a single, non-dissociable device that drives fusion. The core fusion machinery may then be larger and more complex than previously thought.

Observing Formation of Flux Rope by Tether-cutting Reconnection in the Sun

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xue, Zhike; Yan, Xiaoli; Yang, Liheng; Wang, Jincheng; Zhao, Li, E-mail: zkxue@ynao.ac.cn [Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Yunnan 650216 (China)

2017-05-10

Tether-cutting reconnection is considered as one mechanism for the formation of a flux rope. It has been proposed for more than 30 years; however, so far, direct observations of it are very rare. In this Letter, we present observations of the formation of a flux rope via tether-cutting reconnection in NOAA AR 11967 on 2014 February 2 by combining observations with the New Vacuum Solar Telescope and the Solar Dynamic Observatory . The tether-cutting reconnection occurs between two sets of highly sheared magnetic arcades. Comprehensive observational evidence of the reconnection is as follows: changes of the connections between the arcades, brightenings at the reconnection site, hot outflows, formation of a flux rope, slow-rise motion of the flux rope, and flux cancelation. The outflows are along three directions from the reconnection site to the footpoints with the velocities from 24 ± 1 km s{sup −1} to 69 ± 5 km s{sup −1}. Additionally, it is found that the newly formed flux rope connects far footpoints and has a left-handed twisted structure with many fine threads and a concave-up-shape structure in the middle. All the observations are in agreement with the tether-cutting model and provide evidence that tether-cutting reconnection leads to the formation of the flux rope associated with flux shear flow and cancelation.

Relaxation Dynamics of Nanoparticle-Tethered Polymer Chains

KAUST Repository

Kim, Sung A; Mangal, Rahul; Archer, Lynden A.

2015-01-01

© 2015 American Chemical Society. Relaxation dynamics of nanoparticle-tethered cis-1,4-polyisoprene (PI) are investigated using dielectric spectroscopy and rheometry. A model system composed of polymer chains densely grafted to spherical SiO2

Phobos L1 Operational Tether Experiment (PHLOTE)

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A sensor package that “floats” just above the surface of Phobos, suspended by a tether from a small spacecraft operating at the Mars/Phobos Lagrange 1 (L1) Point...

Actively doped solid core Photonic Bandgap Fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Broeng, Jes; Olausson, Christina Bjarnal Thulin; Lyngsøe, Jens Kristian

2010-01-01

Solid photonic bandgap fibers offer distributed spectral filtering with extraordinary high suppression. This opens new possibilities of artificially tailoring the gain spectrum of fibers. We present record-performance of such fibers and outline their future applications....

Bandgap tunability at single-layer molybdenum disulphide grain boundaries

KAUST Repository

Huang, Yu Li

2015-02-17

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides have emerged as a new class of semiconductor materials with novel electronic and optical properties of interest to future nanoelectronics technology. Single-layer molybdenum disulphide, which represents a prototype two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide, has an electronic bandgap that increases with decreasing layer thickness. Using high-resolution scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, we measure the apparent quasiparticle energy gap to be 2.40±0.05 eV for single-layer, 2.10±0.05 eV for bilayer and 1.75±0.05 eV for trilayer molybdenum disulphide, which were directly grown on a graphite substrate by chemical vapour deposition method. More interestingly, we report an unexpected bandgap tunability (as large as 0.85±0.05 eV) with distance from the grain boundary in single-layer molybdenum disulphide, which also depends on the grain misorientation angle. This work opens up new possibilities for flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices with tunable bandgaps that utilize both the control of two-dimensional layer thickness and the grain boundary engineering.

Lumbosacral arachnoid cyst with tethered cord: A rare case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S K Jain

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Arachnoid cysts are cerebrospinal fluid collections in the spine that can present with neurological symptoms or be discovered accidentally. Intradural location of such cysts especially in the lumbosacral region is relatively rare. The association of such cysts with other congenital anomalies such as tethered cord lends evidence to the developmental origin of arachnoid cysts. We report a case of lumbosacral arachnoid cyst with tethered cord in a 6-year-old male child and discuss the etiopathogenesis and management options.

Unilateral pedicle screws asymmetric tethering: an innovative method to create idiopathic deformity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Xuesong

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objective To evaluate the feasibility of the method that unilateral pedicle screws asymmetric tethering in concave side in combination with convex rib resection for creating idiopathic deformity. Summary of background data Various methods are performed to create idiopathic deformity. Among these methods, posterior asmmetric tethering of the spine shows satisfying result, but some drawbacks related to the current posterior asymmetric tether were still evident. Materials and methods Unilateral pedicle screws asymmetric tethering was performed to 14 female goats (age: 5–8 week-old, weight: 6–8 kg in concave side in combination with convex rib resection. Dorsoventral and lateral plain radiographs were taken of each thoracic spine in the frontal and sagittal planes right after the surgery and later every 4 weeks. Results All animals ambulated freely after surgery. For technical reasons, 2 goats were excluded (one animal died for anesthetic during the surgery, and one animal was lost for instrumental fail due to postoperative infection. Radiography showed that 11 goats exhibited scoliosis with convex toward to the right side, and as the curve increased with time, only 1 goat showed nonprogressive. The initial scoliosis generated in the progressors after the procedures measured 29.0° on average (range 23.0°–38.5° and increased to 43.0° on average (range 36.0°–58.0° over 8 to 10 weeks. The average progression of 14.0° was measured. The curvature immediately after tethering surgery (the initial Cobb angle did have a highly significant correlation with the final curvature (p Conclusion Unilateral pedicle screws asymmetric tethering is a practical method to create experimental scoliosis, especially for those who would like to study the correction of this deformity.

Titanium-tethered vancomycin prevents resistance to rifampicin in Staphylococcus aureus in vitro.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Rottman

Full Text Available Rifampicin is currently recognized as the most potent drug against Gram positive implant related infections. The use of rifampicin is limited by the emergence of bacterial resistance, which is often managed by coadministration of a second antibiotic. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of soluble rifampicin in combination with vancomycin tethered to titanium metal as a means to control bacterial growth and resistance in vitro. Bacterial growth was inhibited when the vancomycin-tethered titanium discs were treated with Staphylococcus aureus inocula of ≤2×10⁶ CFU, however inocula greater than 2×10⁶ CFU/disc adhered and survived. The combination of surface-tethered vancomycin with soluble rifampicin enhanced the inhibitory effect of rifampicin for an inoculum of 10⁶ CFU/cm² by one dilution (combination MIC of 0.008 mg/L versus 0.015 mg/L for rifampicin alone. Moreover, surface tethered vancomycin prevented the emergence of a rifampicin resistant population in an inoculum of 2×10⁸ CFU.

Large Bandgap Semiconductors for Solar Water Splitting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malizia, Mauro

Photoelectrochemical water splitting represents an eco-friendly technology that could enable the production of hydrogen using water as reactant and solar energy as primary energy source. The exploitation of solar energy for the production of hydrogen would help modern society to reduce the reliance...... on fossil fuels as primary feedstock for hydrogen production and diminish the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, weakening the global warming phenomenon.The dissertation reports the development of GaP (gallium phosphide) photocathodes as a large bandgap semiconductor for photoelectrochemical...... water splitting devices having tandem design. The increase of the photovoltage produced by GaP under illumination was the main goal of this work. GaP has a bandgap of 2.25 eV and could in theory produce a photovoltage of approximately 1.7 V. Instead, the photovoltage produced by the semiconductor...

Optical devices based on liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard

2005-01-01

the waveguiding mechanism of LC filled PCFs. The principle of tunable fibers based on LCs is thereafter discussed and an alignment and coating study of LC in capillaries is presented. Next, the Liquid Crystal Photonic BandGap (LCPBG) fiber is presented and the waveguiding mechanism is analyzed through plane...... hole. The presence of a LC in the holes of the PCF transforms the fiber from a Total Internal Reflection (TIR) guiding type into a Photonic BandGap (PBG) guiding type, where light is confined to the silica core by coherent scattering from the LC-billed holes. The high dielectric and optical anisotropy...

Experimental Methods for Implementing Graphene Contacts to Finite Bandgap Semiconductors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer-Holdt, Jakob

Present Ph.D. thesis describes my work on implanting graphene as electrical contact to finite bandgap semiconductors. Different transistor architectures, types of graphene and finite bandgap semiconductors have been employed. The device planned from the beginning of my Ph.D. fellowship...... contacts to semiconductor nanowires, more specifically, epitaxially grown InAs nanowires. First, we tried a top down method where CVD graphene was deposited on substrate supported InAs nanowires followed by selective graphene ashing to define graphene electrodes. While electrical contact between...

Complete three-dimensional photonic bandgap in a simple cubic structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Shawn-Yu; Fleming, J. G.; Lin, Robin; Sigalas, M. M.; Biswas, R.; Ho, K. M.

2001-01-01

The creation of a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal with simple cubic (sc) symmetry is important for applications in the signal routing and 3D waveguiding of light. With a simple stacking scheme and advanced silicon processing, a 3D sc structure was constructed from a 6-in. silicon wafer. The sc structure is experimentally shown to have a complete 3D photonic bandgap in the infrared wavelength. The finite size effect is also observed, accounting for a larger absolute photonic bandgap

Electromagnetic interference reduction using electromagnetic bandgap structures in packages, enclosures, cavities, and antennas

Science.gov (United States)

Mohajer Iravani, Baharak

dielectric constant. Meander lines can increase the effective inductive load which pushes down the lower edge of bandgap, thus resulting in a wider bandgap. Simulation results are included to show that the proposed EBG structures provide very wide bandgap (˜10GHz) covering the multiple harmonics of of currently available microprocessors and its harmonics. To speed up the design procedure, a model based on combination of lumped elements and transmission lines is proposed. The derived model predicts accurately the starting edge of bandgap. This result is verified with full-wave analysis. Finally, another novel compact wide band mushroom-type EBG structure using magneto-dielectric materials is designed. Numerical simulations show that the proposed EBG structure provides in-phase reflection bandgap which is several times greater than the one obtained from a conventional EBG operating at the same frequency while its cell size is smaller. This type of EBG structure can be used efficiently as a ground plane for low-profile wideband antennas.

The ATPases of cohesin interface with regulators to modulate cohesin-mediated DNA tethering

Science.gov (United States)

Çamdere, Gamze; Guacci, Vincent; Stricklin, Jeremiah; Koshland, Douglas

2015-01-01

Cohesin tethers together regions of DNA, thereby mediating higher order chromatin organization that is critical for sister chromatid cohesion, DNA repair and transcriptional regulation. Cohesin contains a heterodimeric ATP-binding Cassette (ABC) ATPase comprised of Smc1 and Smc3 ATPase active sites. These ATPases are required for cohesin to bind DNA. Cohesin’s DNA binding activity is also promoted by the Eco1 acetyltransferase and inhibited by Wpl1. Recently we showed that after cohesin stably binds DNA, a second step is required for DNA tethering. This second step is also controlled by Eco1 acetylation. Here, we use genetic and biochemical analyses to show that this second DNA tethering step is regulated by cohesin ATPase. Furthermore, our results also suggest that Eco1 promotes cohesion by modulating the ATPase cycle of DNA-bound cohesin in a state that is permissive for DNA tethering and refractory to Wpl1 inhibition. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.11315.001 PMID:26583750

First-principles study of bandgap tuning in Ge1-xPbxSe

Science.gov (United States)

Lohani, Himanshu

2018-03-01

Narrow bandgap and its tuning are important aspects of materials for their technological applications. In this context group IV-VI semiconductors are one of the interesting candidates. In this paper, we explore the possibility of bandgap tuning in one of the family member of this family GeSe by using isoelectronic Pb doping. Our study is first-principles based electronic structure calculations of Ge1-xPbxSe. This study reveals that the Ge-p and Se-p states are strongly hybridized in GeSe and shows a gap in the DOS at Ef in GeSe. This gap reduces systematically with simultaneous enhancement of the states in the near Ef region as a function of Pb doping. This leads tuning of the indirect bandgap in GeSe via Pb doping. The results of the indirect bandgap decrement are consistent with the experimental findings. We propose a mechanism where the electrostatic effect of dopant Pb cation could be responsible for these changes in the electronic structure of GeSe.

Electrodynamic Tethers and E-Sails as Active Experiment Testbeds and Technologies in Space

Science.gov (United States)

Gilchrist, B. E.; Wiegmann, B.; Johnson, L.; Bilen, S. G.; Habash Krause, L.; Miars, G.; Leon, O.

2017-12-01

The use of small-to-large flexible structures in space such as tethers continues to be studied for scientific and technology applications. Here we will consider tether electrodynamic and electrostatic interactions with magneto-plasmas in ionospheres, magnetospheres, and interplanetary space. These systems are enabling fundamental studies of basic plasma physics phenomena, allowing direct studies of the space environment, and generating technological applications beneficial for science missions. Electrodynamic tethers can drive current through the tether based on the Lorenz force adding or extracting energy from its orbit allowing for the study of charged bodies or plasma plumes moving through meso-sonic magnetoplasmas [1]. Technologically, this also generates propulsive forces requiring no propellant and little or no consumables in any planetary system with a magnetic field and ionosphere, e.g., Jupiter [2]. Further, so called electric sails (E-sails) are being studied to provide thrust through momentum exchange with the hypersonic solar wind. The E-sail uses multiple, very long (10s of km) charged, mostly bare rotating conducting tethers to deflect solar wind protons. It is estimated that a spacecraft could achieve a velocity over 100 km/s with time [3,4]. 1. Banks, P.M., "Review of electrodynamic tethers for space plasma science," J. Spacecraft and Rockets, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 234-239, 1989. 2. Talley, C., J. Moore, D. Gallagher, and L. Johnson, "Propulsion and power from a rotating electrodynamic tether at Jupiter," 38th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, January 2000. 3. Janhunen, P., "The electric sail—A new propulsion method which may enable fast missions to the outer solar system," J. British Interpl. Soc., vol. 61, no. 8, pp. 322-325, 2008. 4. Wiegman, B., T. Scheider, A. Heaton, J. Vaughn, N. Stone, and K. Wright, "The Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS)—Design, trades, and analyses performed in a two-year NASA investigation

Device Modeling of the Performance of Cu(In,GaSe2 Solar Cells with V-Shaped Bandgap Profiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shou-Yi Kuo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of Cu(In,GaSe2 (CIGS with V-shaped bandgap on device performance is investigated in detail. A series of Ga/(In+Ga ratio are set to study the influence of V-shaped bandgap profile on the electricity of CIGS thin film solar cells. The modeling of device current density-voltage (J-V curve and bandgap grading profile corresponded well to measurement results. Detailed characteristic and modeling results show that an increased gradient of bandgap from valley to the buffer layer CdS will result in a barrier and lead to an enhanced recombination in the valley. This phenomenon can be modified by the back electric field resulting from a gradient bandgap from valley (bandgap minimum to the Mo back contact. These results indicate CIGS-based solar cells can achieve higher performance by optimizing the V-shaped bandgap profile.

Gamma irradiation of minimal latency Hollow-Core Photonic Bandgap Fibres

CERN Document Server

Olanterae, L; Richardson, D J; Vasey, F; Wooler, J P; Petrovich, M N; Wheeler, N V; Poletti, F; Troska, J

2013-01-01

Hollow-Core Photonic-Bandgap Fibres (HC-PBGFs) offer several distinct advantages over conventional fibres, such as low latency and radiation hardness; properties that make HC-PBGFs interesting for the high energy physics community. This contribution presents the results from a gamma irradiation test carried out using a new type of HC-PBGF that combines sufficiently low attenuation over distances that are compatible with high energy physics applications together with a transmission bandwidth that covers the 1550 nm region. The radiation induced attenuation of the HC-PBGF was two orders of magnitude lower than that of a conventional fibre during a 67.5 h exposure to gamma-rays, resulting in a radiation-induced attenuation of only 2.1 dB/km at an accumulated dose of 940 kGy.

Elongated membrane tethers, individually anchored by high affinity α4β1/VCAM-1 complexes, are the quantal units of monocyte arrests.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Calvin Chu

Full Text Available The α4β1 integrin facilitates both monocyte rolling and adhesion to the vascular endothelium and is physiologically activated by monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1. The current study investigated the initial events in the adhesion of THP-1 cells to immobilized Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (VCAM-1. Using AFM force measurements, cell adhesion was shown to be mediated by two populations of α4β1/VCAM-1 complexes. A low affinity form of α4β1 was anchored to the elastic elements of the cytoskeleton, while a higher affinity conformer was coupled to the viscous elements of the cell membrane. Within 100 ms of contact, THP-1 cells, stimulated by co-immobilized MCP-1, exhibited a tremendous increase in adhesion to VCAM-1. Enhanced cell adhesion was accompanied by a local decoupling of the cell membrane from the cytoskeleton and the formation of long membrane tethers. The tethers were individually anchored by multiple α4β1/VCAM-1 complexes that prolonged the extension of the viscous tethers. In vivo, the formation of these membrane tethers may provide the quantal structural units for the arrest of rolling monocytes within the blood vessels.

Compact electrically controlled broadband liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber polarizer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wei, Lei; Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard

2009-01-01

An electrically controlled liquid crystal photonic-bandgap fiber polarizer is experimentally demonstrated. A maximum 21.3dB electrically tunable polarization extinction ratio is achieved with 45° rotatable transmission axis as well as switched on and off in 1300nm–1600nm.......An electrically controlled liquid crystal photonic-bandgap fiber polarizer is experimentally demonstrated. A maximum 21.3dB electrically tunable polarization extinction ratio is achieved with 45° rotatable transmission axis as well as switched on and off in 1300nm–1600nm....

Tethered Aerostat Effects on Nearby Seismometers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bowman, Daniel [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-12-01

This report assesses seismic interference generated by a tethered aerostat. The study was motivated by a planned aerostat deployment within the footprint of the Dry Alluvium Geology seismic network. No evidence was found for seismic interference generated by the aerostat, and thus the e ects on the Dry Alluvium Geology sensors will be negligible.

Template-directed ligation of tethered mononucleotides by t4 DNA ligase for kinase ribozyme selection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David G Nickens

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In vitro selection of kinase ribozymes for small molecule metabolites, such as free nucleosides, will require partition systems that discriminate active from inactive RNA species. While nucleic acid catalysis of phosphoryl transfer is well established for phosphorylation of 5' or 2' OH of oligonucleotide substrates, phosphorylation of diffusible small molecules has not been demonstrated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study demonstrates the ability of T4 DNA ligase to capture RNA strands in which a tethered monodeoxynucleoside has acquired a 5' phosphate. The ligation reaction therefore mimics the partition step of a selection for nucleoside kinase (deoxyribozymes. Ligation with tethered substrates was considerably slower than with nicked, fully duplex DNA, even though the deoxynucleotides at the ligation junction were Watson-Crick base paired in the tethered substrate. Ligation increased markedly when the bridging template strand contained unpaired spacer nucleotides across from the flexible tether, according to the trends: A(2>A(1>A(3>A(4>A(0>A(6>A(8>A(10 and T(2>T(3>T(4>T(6 approximately T(1>T(8>T(10. Bridging T's generally gave higher yield of ligated product than bridging A's. ATP concentrations above 33 microM accumulated adenylated intermediate and decreased yields of the gap-sealed product, likely due to re-adenylation of dissociated enzyme. Under optimized conditions, T4 DNA ligase efficiently (>90% joined a correctly paired, or TratioG wobble-paired, substrate on the 3' side of the ligation junction while discriminating approximately 100-fold against most mispaired substrates. Tethered dC and dG gave the highest ligation rates and yields, followed by tethered deoxyinosine (dI and dT, with the slowest reactions for tethered dA. The same kinetic trends were observed in ligase-mediated capture in complex reaction mixtures with multiple substrates. The "universal" analog 5-nitroindole (dNI did not support ligation when

Tunable Bandgap and Optical Properties of Black Phosphorene Nanotubes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunmei Li

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Black phosphorus (BP, a new two-dimensional material, has been the focus of scientists’ attention. BP nanotubes have potential in the field of optoelectronics due to their low-dimensional effects. In this work, the bending strain energy, electronic structure, and optical properties of BP nanotubes were investigated by using the first-principles method based on density functional theory. The results show that these properties are closely related to the rolling direction and radius of the BP nanotube. All the calculated BP nanotube properties show direct bandgaps, and the BP nanotubes with the same rolling direction express a monotone increasing trend in the value of bandgap with a decrease in radius, which is a stacking effect of the compression strain on the inner atoms and the tension strain on the outer atoms. The bending strain energy of the zigzag phosphorene nanotubes (zPNTs is higher than that of armchair phosphorene nanotubes (aPNT with the same radius of curvature due to the anisotropy of the BP’s structure. The imaginary part of the dielectric function, the absorption range, reflectivity, and the imaginary part of the refractive index of aPNTs have a wider range than those of zPNTs, with higher values overall. As a result, tunable BP nanotubes are suitable for optoelectronic devices, such as lasers and diodes, which function in the infrared and ultra-violet regions, and for solar cells and photocatalysis.

STICS: surface-tethered iterative carbohydrate synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pornsuriyasak, Papapida; Ranade, Sneha C; Li, Aixiao; Parlato, M Cristina; Sims, Charles R; Shulga, Olga V; Stine, Keith J; Demchenko, Alexei V

2009-04-14

A new surface-tethered iterative carbohydrate synthesis (STICS) technology is presented in which a surface functionalized 'stick' made of chemically stable high surface area porous gold allows one to perform cost efficient and simple synthesis of oligosaccharide chains; at the end of the synthesis, the oligosaccharide can be cleaved off and the stick reused for subsequent syntheses.

Hierarchical Structure in Semicrystalline Polymers Tethered to Nanospheres

KAUST Repository

Kim, Sung A; Archer, Lynden A.

2014-01-01

We report on structural and dynamic transitions of polymers tethered to nanoparticles. In particular, we use X-ray diffraction, vibrational spectroscopy, and thermal measurements to investigate multiscale structure and dynamic transitions of poly

Biomechanical simulations of costo-vertebral and anterior vertebral body tethers for the fusionless treatment of pediatric scoliosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Aubin, Carl-Éric; Clin, Julien; Rawlinson, Jeremy

2018-01-01

Compression-based fusionless tethers are an alternative to conventional surgical treatments of pediatric scoliosis. Anterior approaches place an anterior (ANT) tether on the anterolateral convexity of the deformed spine to modify growth. Posterior, or costo-vertebral (CV), approaches have not been assessed for biomechanical and corrective effectiveness. The objective was to biomechanically assess CV and ANT tethers using six patient-specific, finite element models of adolescent scoliotic patients (11.9 ± 0.7 years, Cobb 34° ± 10°). A validated algorithm simulated the growth and Hueter-Volkmann growth modulation over a period of 2 years with the CV and ANT tethers at two initial tensions (100, 200 N). The models without tethering also simulated deformity progression with Cobb angle increasing from 34° to 56°, axial rotation 11° to 13°, and kyphosis 28° to 32° (mean values). With the CV tether, the Cobb angle was reduced to 27° and 20° for tensions of 100 and 200 N, respectively, kyphosis to 21° and 19°, and no change in axial rotation. With the ANT tether, Cobb was reduced to 32° and 9° for 100 and 200 N, respectively, kyphosis unchanged, and axial rotation to 3° and 0°. While the CV tether mildly corrected the coronal curve over a 2-year growth period, it had sagittal lordosing effect, particularly with increasing initial axial rotation (>15°). The ANT tether achieved coronal correction, maintained kyphosis, and reduced the axial rotation, but over-correction was simulated at higher initial tensions. This biomechanical study captured the differences between a CV and ANT tether and indicated the variability arising from the patient-specific characteristics. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:254-264, 2018. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Manipulating neuronal circuits with endogenous and recombinant cell-surface tethered modulators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mandë Holford

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Neuronal circuits depend on the precise regulation of cell-surface receptors and ion channels. An ongoing challenge in neuroscience research is deciphering the functional contribution of specific receptors and ion channels using engineered modulators. A novel strategy, termed “tethered toxins”, was recently developed to characterize neuronal circuits using the evolutionary derived selectivity of venom peptide toxins and endogenous peptide ligands, such as lynx1 prototoxins. Herein, the discovery and engineering of cell-surface tethered peptides is reviewed, with particular attention given to their cell-autonomy, modular composition, and genetic targeting in different model organisms. The relative ease with which tethered peptides can be engineered, coupled with the increasing number of neuroactive venom toxins and ligand peptides being discovered, imply a multitude of potentially innovative applications for manipulating neuronal circuits and tissue-specific cell networks, including treatment of disorders caused by malfunction of receptors and ion channels.

Noise filtering in a multi-channel system using a tunable liquid crystal photonic bandgap fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Martin Nordal; Scolari, Lara; Tokle, Torger

2008-01-01

This paper reports on the first application of a liquid crystal infiltrated photonic bandgap fiber used as a tunable filter in an optical transmission system. The device allows low-cost amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise filtering and gain equalization with low insertion loss and broad...... tunability. System experiments show that the use of this filter increases for times the distance over which the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) is sufficient for error-free transmission with respect to the case in which no filtering is used....

A Polarization Maintaining Filter based on a Liquid-Crystal-Photonic-Bandgap-Fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scolari, Lara; Olausson, Christina Bjarnal Thulin; Turchinovich, Dmitry

2008-01-01

A polarization maintaining filter based on a liquid-crystal-photonic-bandgap-fiber is demonstrated. Its polarization extinction ratio is 14 dB at 1550 nm. Its tunability is 150 nm.......A polarization maintaining filter based on a liquid-crystal-photonic-bandgap-fiber is demonstrated. Its polarization extinction ratio is 14 dB at 1550 nm. Its tunability is 150 nm....

Position Control of an X4-Flyer Using a Tether

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yusuke Ouchi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In Japan, aging of infrastructures, such as roads,bridges, and water and sewer services, etc. poses a problem, andit is required to extend the life-span of such infrastructures bymaintenance. Among infrastructures, especially bridges areperiodically inspected by short range visual observations, whichcheck the damage and deterioration of the surface. However,since there are some cases where the short range visualobservation is difficult, an alternative method is required so as toreplace the short range visual observation with it. So, "X4-Flyer"is very attractive because of realizing a movement at high altitudeeasily. The objective of this study is to develop a tethered X4-Flyer, so that the conventional short range visual observation ofbridges is replaced by it. In this paper, a method for themeasurement and control of the position is described by using atether for controlling the position of the X4-Flyer. In addition, itis checked whether the tethered X4-Flyer can control the positionusing the proposed method or not, letting it fly in a state in whicha tether is being attached

Tethered Nanoparticle–Polymer Composites: Phase Stability and Curvature

KAUST Repository

Srivastava, Samanvaya; Agarwal, Praveen; Archer, Lynden A.

2012-01-01

different small-angle X-ray scattering signatures in comparison to phase-separated composites comprised of bare or sparsely grafted nanoparticles. A general diagram for the dispersion state and phase stability of polymer tethered nanoparticle-polymer

Passive band-gap reconfiguration born from bifurcation asymmetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernard, Brian P; Mann, Brian P

2013-11-01

Current periodic structures are constrained to have fixed energy transmission behavior unless active control or component replacement is used to alter their wave propagation characteristics. The introduction of nonlinearity to generate multiple stable equilibria is an alternative strategy for realizing distinct energy propagation behaviors. We investigate the creation of a reconfigurable band-gap system by implementing passive switching between multiple stable states of equilibrium, to alter the level of energy attenuation in response to environmental stimuli. The ability to avoid potentially catastrophic loads is demonstrated by tailoring the bandpass and band-gap regions to coalesce for two stable equilibria and varying an external load parameter to trigger a bifurcation. The proposed phenomenon could be utilized in remote or autonomous applications where component modifications and active control are impractical.

Tuning the hybridization bandgap by meta-molecules with in-unit interaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Yongqiang; Li, Yunhui, E-mail: liyunhui@tongji.edu.cn; Wu, Qian; Jiang, Haitao; Zhang, Yewen; Chen, Hong [Key Laboratory of Advanced Micro-Structured Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China)

2015-09-07

In this paper, we demonstrate that the hybridization bandgap (HBG) can be tuned conveniently by deep subwavelength meta-molecules with in-unit interaction. Spontaneous-emission-cancellation-like (SEC-like) effect is realized in a meta-molecule by introducing the destructive interference of two detuned meta-atoms. The meta-atoms consisting of subwavelength zero-index-metamaterial-based resonators are side-coupled to a microstrip. Compared to conventional HBG configurations, the presence of in-unit interaction between meta-atoms provides more flexibility in tuning the bandgap properties, keeping the device volume almost unchanged. Both numerical simulations and microwave experiments confirm that the width, depth, and spectrum shape of HBG can be tuned by simply introducing SEC-like interaction into the meta-molecule. Due to these features, our design may be promising to be applied in microwave or optics communications systems with strict limitation of device volume and flexible bandgap properties.

Dynamics Model for a Multi-Tethered Space-Based Interferometer

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gates, Stephen

2000-01-01

.... Tether constitutive behavior is discussed. Prescribed motion of any system degrees of freedom is treated, and expressions for the corresponding constraint force/torque components are established.

Simultaneous high crystallinity and sub-bandgap optical absorptance in hyperdoped black silicon using nanosecond laser annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franta, Benjamin, E-mail: bafranta@gmail.com; Pastor, David; Gandhi, Hemi H.; Aziz, Michael J.; Mazur, Eric [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States); Rekemeyer, Paul H.; Gradečak, Silvija [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

2015-12-14

Hyperdoped black silicon fabricated with femtosecond laser irradiation has attracted interest for applications in infrared photodetectors and intermediate band photovoltaics due to its sub-bandgap optical absorptance and light-trapping surface. However, hyperdoped black silicon typically has an amorphous and polyphasic polycrystalline surface that can interfere with carrier transport, electrical rectification, and intermediate band formation. Past studies have used thermal annealing to obtain high crystallinity in hyperdoped black silicon, but thermal annealing causes a deactivation of the sub-bandgap optical absorptance. In this study, nanosecond laser annealing is used to obtain high crystallinity and remove pressure-induced phases in hyperdoped black silicon while maintaining high sub-bandgap optical absorptance and a light-trapping surface morphology. Furthermore, it is shown that nanosecond laser annealing reactivates the sub-bandgap optical absorptance of hyperdoped black silicon after deactivation by thermal annealing. Thermal annealing and nanosecond laser annealing can be combined in sequence to fabricate hyperdoped black silicon that simultaneously shows high crystallinity, high above-bandgap and sub-bandgap absorptance, and a rectifying electrical homojunction. Such nanosecond laser annealing could potentially be applied to non-equilibrium material systems beyond hyperdoped black silicon.

Optimal design of lossy bandgap structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard

2004-01-01

The method of topology optimization is used to design structures for wave propagation with one lossy material component. Optimized designs for scalar elastic waves are presented for mininimum wave transmission as well as for maximum wave energy dissipation. The structures that are obtained...... are of the 1D or 2D bandgap type depending on the objective and the material parameters....

Ionic-Liquid-Tethered Nanoparticles: Hybrid Electrolytes

KAUST Repository

Moganty, Surya S.

2010-10-22

A new class of solventless electrolytes was created by tethering ionic liquids to hard inorganic ZrO2 nanostructures (see picture; NIM=nanoscale ionic material). These hybrid fluids exhibit exceptional redox stability windows, excellent thermal stability, good lithium transference numbers, long-term interfacial stability in the presence of a lithium anode and, when doped with lithium salt, reasonable ionic conductivities.

System Dynamics and Feedforward Control for Tether-Net Space Robot System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guang Zhai

2009-06-01

Full Text Available A new concept using flexible tether-net system to capture space debris is presented in this paper. With a mass point assumption the tether-net system dynamic model is established in orbital frame by applying Lagrange Equations. In order to investigate the net in-plane trajectories during after cast, the non-control R-bar and V-bar captures are simulated with ignoring the out-of-plane libration, the effect of in-plane libration on the trajectories of the capture net is demonstrated by simulation results. With an effort to damp the in-plane libration, the control scheme based on tether tension is investigated firstly, after that an integrated control scheme is proposed by introduced the thrusters into the system, the nonlinear close-loop dynamics is linearised by feedforward strategy, the simulation results show that feedforward controllor is effective for in-plane libration damping and enable the capture net to track an expected trajectory.

Emergence of an enslaved phononic bandgap in a non-equilibrium pseudo-crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Bachelard, Nicolas; Ropp, Chad; Dubois, Marc; Zhao, Rongkuo; Wang, Yuan; Zhang, Xiang

2017-08-01

Material systems that reside far from thermodynamic equilibrium have the potential to exhibit dynamic properties and behaviours resembling those of living organisms. Here we realize a non-equilibrium material characterized by a bandgap whose edge is enslaved to the wavelength of an external coherent drive. The structure dynamically self-assembles into an unconventional pseudo-crystal geometry that equally distributes momentum across elements. The emergent bandgap is bestowed with lifelike properties, such as the ability to self-heal to perturbations and adapt to sudden changes in the drive. We derive an exact analytical solution for both the spatial organization and the bandgap features, revealing the mechanism for enslavement. This work presents a framework for conceiving lifelike non-equilibrium materials and emphasizes the potential for the dynamic imprinting of material properties through external degrees of freedom.

Emergence of an enslaved phononic bandgap in a non-equilibrium pseudo-crystal.

Science.gov (United States)

Bachelard, Nicolas; Ropp, Chad; Dubois, Marc; Zhao, Rongkuo; Wang, Yuan; Zhang, Xiang

2017-08-01

Material systems that reside far from thermodynamic equilibrium have the potential to exhibit dynamic properties and behaviours resembling those of living organisms. Here we realize a non-equilibrium material characterized by a bandgap whose edge is enslaved to the wavelength of an external coherent drive. The structure dynamically self-assembles into an unconventional pseudo-crystal geometry that equally distributes momentum across elements. The emergent bandgap is bestowed with lifelike properties, such as the ability to self-heal to perturbations and adapt to sudden changes in the drive. We derive an exact analytical solution for both the spatial organization and the bandgap features, revealing the mechanism for enslavement. This work presents a framework for conceiving lifelike non-equilibrium materials and emphasizes the potential for the dynamic imprinting of material properties through external degrees of freedom.

Stability and bandgaps of layered perovskites for one- and two-photon water splitting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Castelli, Ivano Eligio; García Lastra, Juan Maria; Hüser, Falco

2013-01-01

in the Ruddlesden–Popper phase of the layered perovskite structure. Based on screening criteria for the stability, bandgaps and band edge positions, we suggest 20 new materials for the light harvesting photo-electrode of a one-photon water splitting device and 5 anode materials for a two-photon device with silicon...... as photo-cathode. In addition, we explore a simple rule relating the bandgap of the perovskite to the number of octahedra in the layered structure and the B-metal ion. Finally, the quality of the GLLB-SC potential used to obtain the bandgaps, including the derivative discontinuity, is validated against G0W......0@LDA gaps for 20 previously identified oxides and oxynitrides in the cubic perovskite structure....

Long distance cell communication using spherical tether balloons

Science.gov (United States)

Manchanda, R. K.; Rajagopalan, Vasudevan; Vasudevan, Rajagopalan; Mehrotra, R. K.; Sreenivasan, S.; Pawaskar, M.; Subba Rao Jonnalagadda, Venkata; Buduru, Suneelkumar; Kulkarni, P. M.

A proof-of-concept experiment was conducted for long-range cell communication for rural tele-phony and internet. We designed and fabricated a spherical tether balloon to carry the con-ventional micro base transceiver station (BTS) along with three slotted antenna to cover 2-pi radius. AC power and optical fiber were anchored along with the tether line. A special fre-quency license was obtained from Wireless Planning Commission (WPC) wing of Department of Telecommunication (DoT), India for the period of experiment so as not to affect the opera-tional networks. The experiments were carried out for different BTS heights up to 500 meter. Signal measurement both in data mode and voice quality were done in different quadrant using mobile vans. This paper describes the methodology (under patenting) and utility of technique for operational application.

Tethered "kiteplane" design for the Laddermill project

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Breukels, J.; Ockels, W.

2005-01-01

The Laddermill is an innovative concept for generating energy from wind using large kite-like wings on a tether. The wings are able to fly in both the regime of airplanes and kites. We therefore call these structures "kiteplanes". By providing a recurring motion with a large lift during ascending

Pressure-Induced Bandgap Optimization in Lead-Based Perovskites with Prolonged Carrier Lifetime and Ambient Retainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Gang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203 China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Kong, Lingping [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203 China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Gong, Jue [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb IL 60115 USA; Yang, Wenge [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203 China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Mao, Ho-kwang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203 China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Hu, Qingyang [Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Liu, Zhenxian [Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Schaller, Richard D. [Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne IL 60439 USA; Zhang, Dongzhou [Hawai' i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai' i at Manoa, Honolulu HI 96822 USA; Xu, Tao [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb IL 60115 USA

2016-12-05

Bond length and bond angle exhibited by valence electrons is essential to the core of chemistry. Using lead-based organic–inorganic perovskite compounds as an exploratory platform, it is demonstrated that the modulation of valence electrons by compression can lead to discovery of new properties of known compounds. Yet, despite its unprecedented progress, further efficiency boost of lead-based organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells is hampered by their wider bandgap than the optimum value according to the Shockley–Queisser limit. By modulating the valence electron wavefunction with modest hydraulic pressure up to 2.1 GPa, the optimized bandgap for single-junction solar cells in lead-based perovskites, for the first time, is achieved by narrowing the bandgap of formamidinium lead triiodide (HC(NH2)2PbI3) from 1.489 to 1.337 eV. Strikingly, such bandgap narrowing is partially retained after the release of pressure to ambient, and the bandgap narrowing is also accompanied with double-prolonged carrier lifetime. With First-principles simulation, this work opens a new dimension in basic chemical understanding of structural photonics and electronics and paves an alternative pathway toward better photovoltaic materials-by-design.

Pressure-Induced Bandgap Optimization in Lead-Based Perovskites with Prolonged Carrier Lifetime and Ambient Retainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Gang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203 China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Kong, Lingping [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203 China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Gong, Jue [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb IL 60115 USA; Yang, Wenge [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203 China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Mao, Ho-kwang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203 China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Hu, Qingyang [Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Liu, Zhenxian [Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington DC 20015 USA; Schaller, Richard D. [Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne IL 60439 USA; Zhang, Dongzhou [Hawai' i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai' i at Manoa, Honolulu HI 96822 USA; Xu, Tao [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb IL 60115 USA

2016-12-05

Bond length and bond angle exhibited by valence electrons is essential to the core of chemistry. Using lead-based organic–inorganic perovskite compounds as an exploratory platform, it is demonstrated that the modulation of valence electrons by compression can lead to discovery of new properties of known compounds. Yet, despite its unprecedented progress, further efficiency boost of lead-based organic–inorganic perovskite solar cells is hampered by their wider bandgap than the optimum value according to the Shockley–Queisser limit. By modulating the valence electron wavefunction with modest hydraulic pressure up to 2.1 GPa, the optimized bandgap for single-junction solar cells in lead-based perovskites, for the first time, is achieved by narrowing the bandgap of formamidinium lead triiodide (HC(NH₂)₂PbI₃) from 1.489 to 1.337 eV. Strikingly, such bandgap narrowing is partially retained after the release of pressure to ambient, and the bandgap narrowing is also accompanied with double-prolonged carrier lifetime. With First-principles simulation, this work opens a new dimension in basic chemical understanding of structural photonics and electronics and paves an alternative pathway toward better photovoltaic materials-by-design.

Measurement of calcium influx in tethered rings of rabbit aorta under tension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gleason, M.M.; Ratz, P.H.; Flaim, S.F.

1985-01-01

Calcium (Ca) influx in vascular smooth muscle is routinely measured in untethered preparations not under passive stretch, and Ca influx data are correlated with data for steady-state isometric tension obtained under parallel conditions from tethered preparations under passive stretch. The validity of this method was tested by simultaneous measurement of Ca influx and tension in tethered rings of rabbit thoracic aorta. Ca influx ( 45 Ca 3-min pulse) and tension were measured at 3 and 30 min after norepinephrine (NE) or KCl and under control (no agonist) conditions. Active tension was significantly altered by variations in passive tension. Ca influx was unaffected by passive tension under control, NE, or KCl conditions, and results were similar at 3 and 30 min. The results confirm the validity of correlating Ca influx data from untethered rings with steady-state contractile response data obtained from tethered rings under similar experimental conditions

Bandgap tunability at single-layer molybdenum disulphide grain boundaries

KAUST Repository

Huang, Yu Li; Chen, Yifeng; Zhang, Wenjing; Quek, Su Ying; Chen, Chang-Hsiao; Li, Lain-Jong; Hsu, Wei-Ting; Chang, Wen-Hao; Zheng, Yu Jie; Chen, Wei; Wee, Andrew T. S.

2015-01-01

represents a prototype two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide, has an electronic bandgap that increases with decreasing layer thickness. Using high-resolution scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy, we measure the apparent quasiparticle

Differential Regulation of Synaptic Vesicle Tethering and Docking by UNC-18 and TOM-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Gracheva, Elena O; Maryon, Ed B; Berthelot-Grosjean, Martine; Richmond, Janet E

2010-01-01

The assembly of SNARE complexes between syntaxin, SNAP-25 and synaptobrevin is required to prime synaptic vesicles for fusion. Since Munc18 and tomosyn compete for syntaxin interactions, the interplay between these proteins is predicted to be important in regulating synaptic transmission. We explored this possibility, by examining genetic interactions between C. elegans unc-18(Munc18), unc-64(syntaxin) and tom-1(tomosyn). We have previously demonstrated that unc-18 mutants have reduced synaptic transmission, whereas tom-1 mutants exhibit enhanced release. Here we show that the unc-18 mutant release defect is associated with loss of two morphologically distinct vesicle pools; those tethered within 25 nm of the plasma membrane and those docked with the plasma membrane. In contrast, priming defective unc-13 mutants accumulate tethered vesicles, while docked vesicles are greatly reduced, indicating tethering is UNC-18-dependent and occurs in the absence of priming. C. elegans unc-64 mutants phenocopy unc-18 mutants, losing both tethered and docked vesicles, whereas overexpression of open syntaxin preferentially increases vesicle docking, suggesting UNC-18/closed syntaxin interactions are responsible for vesicle tethering. Given the competition between vertebrate tomosyn and Munc18, for syntaxin binding, we hypothesized that C. elegans TOM-1 may inhibit both UNC-18-dependent vesicle targeting steps. Consistent with this hypothesis, tom-1 mutants exhibit enhanced UNC-18 plasma membrane localization and a concomitant increase in both tethered and docked synaptic vesicles. Furthermore, in tom-1;unc-18 double mutants the docked, primed vesicle pool is preferentially rescued relative to unc-18 single mutants. Together these data provide evidence for the differential regulation of two vesicle targeting steps by UNC-18 and TOM-1 through competitive interactions with syntaxin.

Differential regulation of synaptic vesicle tethering and docking by UNC-18 and TOM-1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena O Gracheva

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The assembly of SNARE complexes between syntaxin, SNAP-25 and synaptobrevin is required to prime synaptic vesicles for fusion. Since Munc18 and tomosyn compete for syntaxin interactions, the interplay between these proteins is predicted to be important in regulating synaptic transmission. We explored this possibility, by examining genetic interactions between C. elegans unc-18(Munc18, unc-64(syntaxin and tom-1(tomosyn. We have previously demonstrated that unc-18 mutants have reduced synaptic transmission, whereas tom-1 mutants exhibit enhanced release. Here we show that the unc-18 mutant release defect is associated with loss of two morphologically distinct vesicle pools; those tethered within 25nm of the plasma membrane and those docked with the plasma membrane. In contrast, priming defective unc-13 mutants accumulate tethered vesicles, while docked vesicles are greatly reduced, indicating tethering is UNC-18-dependent and occurs in the absence of priming. C. elegans unc-64 mutants phenocopy unc-18 mutants, losing both tethered and docked vesicles, whereas overexpression of open syntaxin preferentially increases vesicle docking, suggesting UNC-18/closed syntaxin interactions are responsible for vesicle tethering. Given the competition between vertebrate tomosyn and Munc18, for syntaxin binding, we hypothesized that C. elegans TOM-1 may inhibit both UNC-18-dependent vesicle targeting steps. Consistent with this hypothesis, tom-1 mutants exhibit enhanced UNC-18 plasma membrane localization and a concomitant increase in both tethered and docked synaptic vesicles. Furthermore, in tom-1;unc-18 double mutants the docked, primed vesicle pool is preferentially rescued relative to unc-18 single mutants. Together these data provide evidence for the differential regulation of two vesicle targeting steps by UNC-18 and TOM-1 through competitive interactions with syntaxin

Acquisition of Ice-Tethered Profilers with Velocity (ITP-V) Instruments for Future Arctic Studies

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-15

San Diego, CA, IEEE Xplore . Toole, J. M., R. A. Krishfield, M.-L. Timmennans, and A. Proshutinsky, 2011: The Ice-Tethered Profiler: Argo ofthe Arctic, Oceanogr., 24, 126-135. 4 ...observations from Ice-Tethered Profilers, MTS/ IEEE Oceans’ 2015, Washington DC, 1-10. Krishfield, R., J. Toole, A. Proshutinsky, and M.-L. Timmennans, 2008

Effects of corrugation shape on frequency band-gaps for longitudinal wave motion in a periodic elastic layer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sorokin, Vladislav

2016-01-01

The paper concerns determining frequency band-gaps for longitudinal wave motion in a periodic waveguide. The waveguide may be considered either as an elastic layer with variable thickness or as a rod with variable cross section. As a result, widths and locations of all frequency band-gaps are det......The paper concerns determining frequency band-gaps for longitudinal wave motion in a periodic waveguide. The waveguide may be considered either as an elastic layer with variable thickness or as a rod with variable cross section. As a result, widths and locations of all frequency band......, harmonic in the corrugation series. The revealed insights into the mechanism of band-gap formation can be used to predict locations and widths of all frequency band-gaps featured by any corrugation shape. These insights are general and can be valid also for other types of wave motion in periodic structures...

Space webs based on rotating tethered formations

Science.gov (United States)

Palmerini, Giovanni B.; Sgubini, Silvano; Sabatini, Marco

2009-07-01

Several on-going studies indicate the interest for large, light orbiting structures, shaped as fish nets or webs: along the ropes of the web small spacecraft can move like spiders to position and re-locate, at will, pieces of hardware devoted to specific missions. The concept could be considered as an intermediate solution between the large monolithic structure, heavy and expensive to realize, but easy to control, and the formations of satellites, where all system members are completely free and should manoeuvre in order to acquire a desired configuration. Instead, the advantage of having a "hard-but-light" link among the different grids lays in the partition of the tasks among system components and in a possible overall reduction of the control system complexity and cost. Unfortunately, there is no stable configuration for an orbiting, two-dimensional web made by light, flexible tethers which cannot support compression forces. A possible solution is to make use of centrifugal forces to pull the net, with a reduced number of simple thrusters located at the tips of the tethers to initially acquire the required spin. In this paper a dynamic analysis of a simplified rotating web is performed, in order to evaluate the spinning velocity able to satisfy the requirement for the stability of the system. The model adopted overlaps simpler elements, each of them given by a tether (made up of a number of linear finite elements) connecting two extreme bodies accommodating the spinning thrusters. The combination of these "diameter-like" elements provides the web, shaped according to the specific requirements. The net is primarily considered as subjected to Keplerian attraction and J2 and drag perturbations only, but its behaviour under thermal inputs is also investigated.

Monolithic all-PM femtosecond Yb-doped fiber laser using photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Xiaomin; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Turchinovich, Dmitry

2009-01-01

We present a monolithic Yb fiber laser, dispersion managed by an all-solid photonic bandgap fiber, and pulse compressed in a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. The laser delivers 9 nJ, 275-fs long pulses at 1035 nm.......We present a monolithic Yb fiber laser, dispersion managed by an all-solid photonic bandgap fiber, and pulse compressed in a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. The laser delivers 9 nJ, 275-fs long pulses at 1035 nm....

First principle analyses of direct bandgap solar cells with absorbing substrates versus mirrors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirk, Alexander P. [School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); Kirk, Wiley P. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas 76019 (United States)

2013-11-07

Direct bandgap InP, GaAs, CdTe, and Ga{sub 0.5}In{sub 0.5}P solar cells containing backside mirrors as well as parasitically absorbing substrates are analyzed for their limiting open circuit voltage and power conversion efficiency with comparison to record solar cells. From the principle of detailed balance, it is shown quantitatively that mirror solar cells have greater voltage and power conversion efficiency than their substrate counterparts. Next, the radiative recombination coefficient and maximum radiative lifetime of GaAs mirror and substrate solar cells are calculated and compared to the nonradiative Auger and Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) lifetimes. Mirror solar cells have greater radiative lifetime than their substrate variants. Auger lifetime exceeds radiative lifetime for both substrate and mirror cells while SRH lifetime may be less or greater than radiative lifetime depending on trap concentration and capture cross section. Finally, the change in free energy of the photogenerated carriers is analyzed in a comparison between InP, GaAs, CdTe, and Ga{sub 0.5}In{sub 0.5}P mirror and substrate solar cells in order to characterize the relationship between solar photon quality and free energy management in solar cells with differing bandgaps. Wider bandgap visible threshold Ga{sub 0.5}In{sub 0.5}P solar cells make better use of the available change in free energy of the photogenerated charge carriers, even when normalized to the bandgap energy, than narrower bandgap near-IR threshold InP, GaAs, and CdTe solar cells.

Optical tuning of photonic bandgaps in dye-doped nematic liquid crystal photonic crystal fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard; Hermann, David Sparre

2005-01-01

An all-optical modulator is demonstrated, which utilizes a pulsed 532 nm laser to modulate the spectral position of the bandgaps in a photonic crystal fiber infiltrated with a dye-doped nematic liquid crystal. In order to investigate the time response of the LCPBG fiber device, a low-power CW probe...... laser was coupled into the fiber together with the pulsed pump laser of 2.3 mW and we have demonstrated a modulation frequency of up to 2 kHz....

The shear flow processing of controlled DNA tethering and stretching for organic molecular electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Guihua; Kushwaha, Amit; Lee, Jungkyu K; Shaqfeh, Eric S G; Bao, Zhenan

2011-01-25

DNA has been recently explored as a powerful tool for developing molecular scaffolds for making reproducible and reliable metal contacts to single organic semiconducting molecules. A critical step in the process of exploiting DNA-organic molecule-DNA (DOD) array structures is the controlled tethering and stretching of DNA molecules. Here we report the development of reproducible surface chemistry for tethering DNA molecules at tunable density and demonstrate shear flow processing as a rationally controlled approach for stretching/aligning DNA molecules of various lengths. Through enzymatic cleavage of λ-phage DNA to yield a series of DNA chains of various lengths from 17.3 μm down to 4.2 μm, we have investigated the flow/extension behavior of these tethered DNA molecules under different flow strengths in the flow-gradient plane. We compared Brownian dynamic simulations for the flow dynamics of tethered λ-DNA in shear, and found our flow-gradient plane experimental results matched well with our bead-spring simulations. The shear flow processing demonstrated in our studies represents a controllable approach for tethering and stretching DNA molecules of various lengths. Together with further metallization of DNA chains within DOD structures, this bottom-up approach can potentially enable efficient and reliable fabrication of large-scale nanoelectronic devices based on single organic molecules, therefore opening opportunities in both fundamental understanding of charge transport at the single molecular level and many exciting applications for ever-shrinking molecular circuits.

Calculating Payload for a Tethered Balloon System

Science.gov (United States)

Charles D. Tangren

1980-01-01

A graph method to calculate payload for a tethered balloon system, with the supporting helium lift and payload equations. is described. The balloon system is designed to collect emissions data during the convective-lift and no-convective-lift phases of a forest fire. A description of the balloon system and a list of factors affecting balloon selection are included....

Design of photonic bandgap fibers by topology optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dühring, Maria Bayard; Sigmund, Ole; Feurer, Thomas

2010-01-01

A method based on topology optimization is presented to design the cross section of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers for minimizing energy loss by material absorption. The optical problem is modeled by the timeharmonic wave equation and solved with the finite element program Comsol Multiphysics...

Two Regimes of Bandgap Red Shift and Partial Ambient Retention in Pressure-Treated Two-Dimensional Perovskites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Gang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203, China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, United States; Kong, Lingping [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203, China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, United States; Guo, Peijun [Center; Stoumpos, Constantinos C. [Department; Hu, Qingyang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203, China; Liu, Zhenxian [Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, United States; Cai, Zhonghou [Advanced; Gosztola, David J. [Center; Mao, Ho-kwang [Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Shanghai 201203, China; Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, United States; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G. [Department; Schaller, Richard D. [Center; Department

2017-10-09

The discovery of elevated environmental stability in two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden–Popper hybrid perovskites represents a significant advance in low-cost, high-efficiency light absorbers. In comparison to 3D counterparts, 2D perovskites of organo-lead-halides exhibit wider, quantum-confined optical bandgaps that reduce the wavelength range of light absorption. Here, we characterize the structural and optical properties of 2D hybrid perovskites as a function of hydrostatic pressure. We observe bandgap narrowing with pressure of 633 meV that is partially retained following pressure release due to an atomic reconfiguration mechanism. We identify two distinct regimes of compression dominated by the softer organic and less compressible inorganic sublattices. Our findings, which also include PL enhancement, correlate well with density functional theory calculations and establish structure–property relationships at the atomic scale. These concepts can be expanded into other hybrid perovskites and suggest that pressure/strain processing could offer a new route to improved materials-by-design in applications.

Bandgap tuning with thermal residual stresses induced in a quantum dot.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Eui-Hyun; Joo, Soo-Hyun; Park, Hyun-Jin; Song, Seungwoo; Chang, Yong-June; Kim, Hyoung Seop; Jang, Hyun Myung

2014-09-24

Lattice distortion induced by residual stresses can alter electronic and mechanical properties of materials significantly. Herein, a novel way of the bandgap tuning in a quantum dot (QD) by lattice distortion is presented using 4-nm-sized CdS QDs grown on a TiO2 particle as an application example. The bandgap tuning (from 2.74 eV to 2.49 eV) of a CdS QD is achieved by suitably adjusting the degree of lattice distortion in a QD via the tensile residual stresses which arise from the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between CdS and TiO2. The idea of bandgap tuning is then applied to QD-sensitized solar cells, achieving ≈60% increase in the power conversion efficiency by controlling the degree of thermal residual stress. Since the present methodology is not limited to a specific QD system, it will potentially pave a way to unexplored quantum effects in various QD-based applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Relation between bandgap and resistance drift in amorphous phase change materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Rütten, Martin; Kaes, Matthias; Albert, Andreas; Wuttig, Matthias; Salinga, Martin

2015-12-01

Memory based on phase change materials is currently the most promising candidate for bridging the gap in access time between memory and storage in traditional memory hierarchy. However, multilevel storage is still hindered by the so-called resistance drift commonly related to structural relaxation of the amorphous phase. Here, we present the temporal evolution of infrared spectra measured on amorphous thin films of the three phase change materials Ag4In3Sb67Te26, GeTe and the most popular Ge2Sb2Te5. A widening of the bandgap upon annealing accompanied by a decrease of the optical dielectric constant ε∞ is observed for all three materials. Quantitative comparison with experimental data for the apparent activation energy of conduction reveals that the temporal evolution of bandgap and activation energy can be decoupled. The case of Ag4In3Sb67Te26, where the increase of activation energy is significantly smaller than the bandgap widening, demonstrates the possibility to identify new phase change materials with reduced resistance drift.

Towing Asteroids with Gravity Tractors Enhanced by Tethers and Solar Sails

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Haijun; Roithmayr, Carlos M.

2015-01-01

Material collected from an asteroid's surface can be used to increase gravitational attraction between the asteroid and a Gravity Tractor (GT); the spacecraft therefore operates more effectively and is referred to as an Enhanced Gravity Tractor (EGT). The use of tethers and solar sails to further improve effectiveness and simplify operations is investigated. By employing a tether, the asteroidal material can be placed close to the asteroid while the spacecraft is stationed farther away, resulting in a better safety margin and improved thruster efficiency. A solar sail on a spacecraft can naturally provide radial offset and inter-spacecraft separation required for multiple EGTs.

Stability control of a flexible maneuverable tethered space net robot

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Fan; Huang, Panfeng

2018-04-01

As a promising solution for active space debris capture and removal, a maneuverable Tethered Space Net Robot (TSNR) is proposed as an improved Space Tethered Net (TSN). In addition to the advantages inherit to the TSN, the TSNR's maneuverability expands the capture's potential. However, oscillations caused by the TSNR's flexibility and elasticity of make higher requests of the control scheme. Based on the dynamics model, a modified adaptive super-twisting sliding mode control scheme is proposed in this paper for TSNR stability control. The proposed continuous control force can effectively suppress oscillations. Theoretical verification and numerical simulations demonstrate that the desired trajectory can be tracked steadily and efficiently by employing the proposed control scheme.

Design for maximum band-gaps in beam structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olhoff, Niels; Niu, Bin; Cheng, Gengdong

2012-01-01

This paper aims to extend earlier optimum design results for transversely vibrating Bernoulli-Euler beams by determining new optimum band-gap beam structures for (i) different combinations of classical boundary conditions, (ii) much larger values of the orders n and n-1 of adjacent upper and lower...

Quasiperiodic one-dimensional photonic crystals with adjustable multiple photonic bandgaps.

Science.gov (United States)

Vyunishev, Andrey M; Pankin, Pavel S; Svyakhovskiy, Sergey E; Timofeev, Ivan V; Vetrov, Stepan Ya

2017-09-15

We propose an elegant approach to produce photonic bandgap (PBG) structures with multiple photonic bandgaps by constructing quasiperiodic photonic crystals (QPPCs) composed of a superposition of photonic lattices with different periods. Generally, QPPC structures exhibit both aperiodicity and multiple PBGs due to their long-range order. They are described by a simple analytical expression, instead of quasiperiodic tiling approaches based on substitution rules. Here we describe the optical properties of QPPCs exhibiting two PBGs that can be tuned independently. PBG interband spacing and its depth can be varied by choosing appropriate reciprocal lattice vectors and their amplitudes. These effects are confirmed by the proof-of-concept measurements made for the porous silicon-based QPPC of the appropriate design.

Electronic structure characterization and bandgap engineeringofsolar hydrogen materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Jinghua

2007-11-01

Bandgap, band edge positions as well as the overall band structure of semiconductors are of crucial importance in photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic applications. The energy position of the band edge level can be controlled by the electronegativity of the dopants, the pH of the solution (flatband potential variation of 60 mV per pH unit), as well as by quantum confinement effects. Accordingly, band edges and bandgap can be tailored to achieve specific electronic, optical or photocatalytic properties. Synchrotron radiation with photon energy at or below 1 keV is giving new insight into such areas as condensed matter physics and extreme ultraviolet optics technology. In the soft x-ray region, the question tends to be, what are the electrons doing as they migrated between the atoms. In this paper, I will present a number of soft x-ray spectroscopic study of nanostructured 3d metal compounds Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and ZnO.

Tethered spinal cord: the effect of neurosurgery on the lower urinary tract and male sexual function

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boemers, T. M.; van Gool, J. D.; de Jong, T. P.

1995-01-01

To determine the effect of neurosurgical untethering on the lower urinary tract and male sexual function, in patients with tethered spinal cord. Thirty-six children with tethered spinal cord due to neurospinal dysraphism were assessed clinically and urodynamically before and after surgical

Direct bandgap silicon: tensile-strained silicon nanocrystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kůsová, Kateřina; Hapala, Prokop; Valenta, J.; Jelínek, Pavel; Cibulka, Ondřej; Ondič, Lukáš; Pelant, Ivan

2014-01-01

Roč. 1, č. 2 (2014), "1300042-1"-"1300042-9" ISSN 2196-7350 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP108/12/G108; GA ČR GPP204/12/P235; GA ČR GAP204/10/0952 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : silicon nanocrystals * badstructure * light emission * direct bandgap * surface capping Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism

Advances in wide bandgap SiC for optoelectronics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ou, Haiyan; Ou, Yiyu; Argyraki, Aikaterini

2014-01-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) has played a key role in power electronics thanks to its unique physical properties like wide bandgap, high breakdown field, etc. During the past decade, SiC is also becoming more and more active in optoelectronics thanks to the progress in materials growth and nanofabrication...

Operator's Manual for SHEBA Powered Tether Balloon System

Science.gov (United States)

Lappen, Cara-Lyn; Randall, David A.

1998-01-01

The Surface Heat and Energy Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA) was an intensive field project which took place in the Arctic Ocean from October 1997 through October 1998. Its purpose was to measure as many facets of the Arctic environment as possible so that we would be able to better understand the interaction between the ice, atmosphere, and ocean and their interactions with global climate. One aspect of the atmospheric field component was launching tethered balloons to monitor the profiles of temperature, wind, pressure, and humidity, as well as examine the vertical structure of cloud droplet sizes and distributions. The tethered balloon that we used was one specially designed for use in freezing climates by SPEC Corporation in Boulder, Colorado. A special winch that was able to withstand Arctic temperature and weather became necessary when the testing of simple winch systems used in warmer climates failed under these extreme conditions. The purpose of this manual is to acquaint any new user to the powered tethered balloon system deployed at the The Surface Heat and Energy Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA ice camp. It includes a description of the preparations necessary to get ready for a launch, the mechanics of the actual launch, and an account of the proper procedure for taking down the equipment when finished. It will also include tips on how to minimize potential equipment failures, some trouble shooting, and some safety ideas. This manual is designed so that new operators can use the system with minimal previous training. At the end of this manual, the reader will find a quick checklist.

Analysis of optical band-gap shift in impurity doped ZnO thin films by using nonparabolic conduction band parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Won Mok; Kim, Jin Soo; Jeong, Jeung-hyun; Park, Jong-Keuk; Baik, Young-Jun; Seong, Tae-Yeon

2013-01-01

Polycrystalline ZnO thin films both undoped and doped with various types of impurities, which covered the wide carrier concentration range of 10 16 –10 21 cm −3 , were prepared by magnetron sputtering, and their optical-band gaps were investigated. The experimentally measured optical band-gap shifts were analyzed by taking into account the carrier density dependent effective mass determined by the first-order nonparabolicity approximation. It was shown that the measured shifts in optical band-gaps in ZnO films doped with cationic dopants, which mainly perturb the conduction band, could be well represented by theoretical estimation in which the band-gap widening due to the band-filling effect and the band-gap renormalization due to the many-body effect derived for a weakly interacting electron-gas model were combined and the carrier density dependent effective mass was incorporated. - Highlights: ► Optical band-gaps of polycrystalline ZnO thin films were analyzed. ► Experimental carrier concentration range covered from 10 16 to 10 21 cm −3 . ► Nonparabolic conduction band parameters were used in theoretical analysis. ► The band-filling and the band-gap renormalization effects were considered. ► The measured optical band-gap shifts corresponded well with the calculated ones

Feasibility study of Tethered Capsule Endomicroscopy (TCE) deployment in the small intestine (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Otuya, David O.; Verma, Yogesh; Dong, Jing; Gora, Michalina J.; Tearney, Guillermo J.

2017-02-01

Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is a poorly understood disease of the small intestine that causes nutrient malabsorption in children, predominantly from low and middle income countries. The clinical importance of EED is neurological and growth stunting that remains as the child grows into adulthood. Tethered capsule endomicroscopy (TCE) has the potential to improve the understanding of EED and could be used to determine the effectiveness of EED interventions. TCE in the adult esophagus and the duodenum has been demonstrated for Barrett`s esophagus and celiac disease diagnosis, respectively. While adult subjects can independently swallow these capsules, it is likely that infants will not, and, as a result, new strategies for introducing these devices in young children aged 0.5-2 years need to be investigated. Our first approach will be to introduce the TCE devices in infants under the aid of endoscopic guidance. To determine the most effective method, we have tested endoscopic approaches for introducing TCE devices into the small intestine of living swine. These methods will be compared and contrasted to discuss the most effective means for endoscopic tethered capsule introduction into the small intestine.

Electromechanical engineering in SnO2 nanoparticle tethered hybrid ionic liquid

Science.gov (United States)

Deb, Debalina; Bhattacharya, Subhratanu

2017-05-01

Challenge of developing electrolytes comprising synergic properties of high mechanical strength with superior electrical and electrochemical properties has so far been unmet towards the application of secondary storage devices. In this research, we have engineered the electromechanical properties of 2-(trimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide [TMEM]TFSI ionic liquid by tethering silane modified SnO2 nanoparticles within it. Different percentages of tethering are employed to achieve improved ionic conductivity, better discharge/ charging ratio (40%) along with gel like mechanical properties. Our findings appear to provide an optimal solution towards the future prospects in application in a number of areas, notably in energy-related technologies.

Systematic design of phononic band-gap materials and structures by topology optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sigmund, Ole; Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard

2003-01-01

Phononic band-gap materials prevent elastic waves in certain frequency ranges from propagating, and they may therefore be used to generate frequency filters, as beam splitters, as sound or vibration protection devices, or as waveguides. In this work we show how topology optimization can be used...... to design and optimize periodic materials and structures exhibiting phononic band gaps. Firstly, we optimize infinitely periodic band-gap materials by maximizing the relative size of the band gaps. Then, finite structures subjected to periodic loading are optimized in order to either minimize the structural...

Graded band-gap engineering for increased efficiency in CZTS solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ferhati, H.; Djeffal, F.

2018-02-01

In this paper, we propose a potential high efficiency Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4/CdS (CZTS) solar cell design based on graded band-gap engineering that can offer the benefits of improved absorption behavior and reduced recombination effects. Moreover, a new hybrid approach based on analytical modeling and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is proposed to determinate the optimal band-gap profile of the amended CZTS absorber layer to achieve further efficiency enhancement. It is found that the proposed design exhibits superior performance, where a high efficiency of 16.9% is recorded for the optimized solar cell with a relative improvement of 92%, compared with the reference cell efficiency of 8.8%. Likewise, the optimized CZTS solar cell with a graded band-gap enables achieving a higher open circuit voltage of 889 mV, a short-circuit current of 28.5 mA and a fill factor of 66%. Therefore, the optimized CZTS-based solar cell with graded-band gap paradigm pinpoints a new path toward recording high-efficiency thin-film solar cells through enhancing carrier collection and reducing the recombination rate.

A Simple Flight Mill for the Study of Tethered Flight in Insects.

Science.gov (United States)

Attisano, Alfredo; Murphy, James T; Vickers, Andrew; Moore, Patricia J

2015-12-10

Flight in insects can be long-range migratory flights, intermediate-range dispersal flights, or short-range host-seeking flights. Previous studies have shown that flight mills are valuable tools for the experimental study of insect flight behavior, allowing researchers to examine how factors such as age, host plants, or population source can influence an insects' propensity to disperse. Flight mills allow researchers to measure components of flight such as speed and distance flown. Lack of detailed information about how to build such a device can make their construction appear to be prohibitively complex. We present a simple and relatively inexpensive flight mill for the study of tethered flight in insects. Experimental insects can be tethered with non-toxic adhesives and revolve around an axis by means of a very low friction magnetic bearing. The mill is designed for the study of flight in controlled conditions as it can be used inside an incubator or environmental chamber. The strongest points are the very simple electronic circuitry, the design that allows sixteen insects to fly simultaneously allowing the collection and analysis of a large number of samples in a short time and the potential to use the device in a very limited workspace. This design is extremely flexible, and we have adjusted the mill to accommodate different species of insects of various sizes.

Temperature-modified photonic bandgap in colloidal photonic crystals fabricated by vinyl functionalized silica spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Tiansong; Zhang Junyan; Zhu Kongtao; Zhang Qifeng; Wu Jinlei

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: A thermal annealing procedure was described for fine modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals, which were self-assembled from vinyl-functionalized silica spheres by a gravity sedimentation process. Highlights: → We described a thermal annealing procedure for fine modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals. → The position of its stop band had more than 25% blue shift by annealing the sample from 60 to 600 deg. C. → The annealing temperature and the Bragg peak values have a linear relationship in the 120-440 deg. C range. → The effects provide a simple and controllable method for modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals. - Abstract: A thermal annealing procedure for fine modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals was described. The colloidal photonic crystals were assembled from monodisperse vinyl functionalized silica spheres by a gravity sedimentation process. The samples diffract light following Bragg's law combined with Snell's law. By annealing the sample at temperatures in the range of 60-600 deg. C, the position of its stop band shifted from 943 to 706 nm. It had more than 25% blue shift. In addition, the annealing temperature and the Bragg peak values have a linear relationship in the 120-440 deg. C range. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) curves of vinyl functionalized silica spheres confirmed the above results. The effects provide a simple and controllable method for modifying the photonic bandgap properties of colloidal photonic crystals.

Stationary Tether Device for Buoy Apparatus and System for Using

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — A rigid, neutrally buoyant hydrodynamicaly-faired tether and associated fastening hardware that loosely holds a bathymetric float at a predetermined distance from a...

Fiber Optic Shape Sensing for Tethered Marsupial Rovers, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Building upon the successful proof of concept work in Phase I, Luna Innovations Incorporated is proposing to design, build, and test a sensing tether for marsupial...

Semi-transparent polymer solar cells with excellent sub-bandgap transmission for third generation photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Beiley, Zach M.

2013-10-07

Semi-transparent organic photovoltaics are of interest for a variety of photovoltaic applications, including solar windows and hybrid tandem photovoltaics. The figure shows a photograph of our semi-transparent solar cell, which has a power conversion efficiency of 5.0%, with an above bandgap transmission of 34% and a sub-bandgap transmission of 81%. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

75 FR 47316 - Centennial Challenges 2010 Strong Tether Challenge

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-05

... NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION Centennial Challenges 2010 Strong Tether Challenge... teams that wish to compete may register. Centennial Challenges is a program of prize competitions to..., please visit: http://www.spaceward.org/elevator2010-ts . For general information on the NASA Centennial...

Effects of Ge- and Sb-doping and annealing on the tunable bandgaps of SnS films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsu, Hsuan-Tai; Chiang, Ming-Hung; Huang, Chen-Hao [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Lin, Wen-Tai, E-mail: wtlin@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Fu, Yaw-Shyan [Department of Greenergy, National University of Tainan, Tainan 700, Taiwan (China); Guo, Tzung-Fang [Department of Photonics, Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China)

2015-06-01

SnS, Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films with single orthorhombic SnS phase were fabricated via solvothermal routes and subsequent spin-coating, respectively. The substitution solubilities of Ge and Sb in SnS are about 6 and 5 at.%, respectively. The bandgaps of Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films can be tuned in the ranges of 1.25–1.35 and 1.30–1.39 eV, respectively. The possible mechanisms for the tunable bandgaps of Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films are discussed. For the Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films subjected to annealing at 200–350 °C in N{sub 2}, the bandgaps of 200 °C-annealed films remain unchanged, while those of 300 °C- and 350 °C-annealed films decrease with the annealing temperature because of the evaporation of Ge and Sb respectively. - Highlights: • Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films were fabricated via spin-coating. • The solubilities of Ge and Sb in SnS are about 6 and 5 at.%, respectively. • The bandgaps of SnS films can be tuned by Ge and Sb doping respectively. • Annealing above 300 °C reduces the bandgaps of Ge- and Sb-doped SnS films.

Physisorbed Polymer-Tethered Lipid Bilayer with Lipopolymer Gradient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph A. Naumann

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Physisorbed polymer-tethered lipid bilayers consisting of phospholipids and lipopolymers represent an attractive planar model membrane platform, in which bilayer fluidity and membrane elastic properties can be regulated through lipopolymer molar concentration. Herein we report a method for the fabrication of such a planar model membrane system with a lateral gradient of lipopolymer density. In addition, a procedure is described, which leads to a sharp boundary between regions of low and high lipopolymer molar concentrations. Resulting gradients and sharp boundaries are visualized on the basis of membrane buckling structures at elevated lipopolymer concentrations using epifluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Furthermore, results from spot photobleaching experiments are presented, which provide insight into the lipid lateral fluidity in these model membrane architectures. The presented experimental data highlight a planar, solid-supported membrane characterized by fascinating length scale-dependent dynamics and elastic properties with remarkable parallels to those observed in cellular membranes.

Clustering of tethered satellite system simulation data by an adaptive neuro-fuzzy algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, Sunanda; Pemmaraju, Surya

1992-01-01

Recent developments in neuro-fuzzy systems indicate that the concepts of adaptive pattern recognition, when used to identify appropriate control actions corresponding to clusters of patterns representing system states in dynamic nonlinear control systems, may result in innovative designs. A modular, unsupervised neural network architecture, in which fuzzy learning rules have been embedded is used for on-line identification of similar states. The architecture and control rules involved in Adaptive Fuzzy Leader Clustering (AFLC) allow this system to be incorporated in control systems for identification of system states corresponding to specific control actions. We have used this algorithm to cluster the simulation data of Tethered Satellite System (TSS) to estimate the range of delta voltages necessary to maintain the desired length rate of the tether. The AFLC algorithm is capable of on-line estimation of the appropriate control voltages from the corresponding length error and length rate error without a priori knowledge of their membership functions and familarity with the behavior of the Tethered Satellite System.

Small-bandgap semiconducting polymers with high near-infrared photoresponse

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hendriks, K.H.; Li, W.; Wienk, M.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.

2014-01-01

Lowering the optical bandgap of conjugated polymers while maintaining a high efficiency for photoinduced charge transfer to suitable electron acceptors such as fullerene has remained a formidable challenge in the area of organic photovoltaics. Here we present the synthesis and application of a

Bandgap Opening in Graphene Induced by Patterned Hydrogen Adsorption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balog, Richard; Jørgensen, Bjarke; Nilsson, Louis

2010-01-01

fermions, and graphene shows ballistic charge transport, turning it into an ideal material for circuit fabrication. However, graphene lacks a bandgap around the Fermi level, which is the defining concept for semiconductor materials and essential for controlling the conductivity by electronic means. Theory...

CMOS bandgap references and temperature sensors and their applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, G.

2005-01-01

Two main parts have been presented in this thesis: device characterization and circuit. In integrated bandgap references and temperature sensors, the IC(VBE, characteristics of bipolar transistors are used to generate the basic signals with high accuracy. To investigate the possibilities to

Tethered balloon operation for wintering aerosol measurements in the lower troposphere at Syowa Station, Antarctica

OpenAIRE

Keiichiro Hara; Kazuo Osada; Takashi Yamanouchi

2007-01-01

The 46th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE-46) carried out twenty seven tethered-balloon-borne aerosol measurements at Syowa Station for better understanding of aerosol chemical and physical properties in the lower troposphere from 6th January 2005 until 11 December 2005. This report summarizes the plan, preparation, field activities and some troubles/problems in the tethered-balloon observations.

Tethered balloon operation for wintering aerosol measurements in the lower troposphere at Syowa Station, Antarctica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keiichiro Hara

2007-03-01

Full Text Available The 46th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE-46 carried out twenty seven tethered-balloon-borne aerosol measurements at Syowa Station for better understanding of aerosol chemical and physical properties in the lower troposphere from 6th January 2005 until 11 December 2005. This report summarizes the plan, preparation, field activities and some troubles/problems in the tethered-balloon observations.

Lifting options for stratospheric aerosol geoengineering: advantages of tethered balloon systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Peter; Burgoyne, Chris; Hunt, Hugh; Causier, Matt

2012-09-13

The Royal Society report 'Geoengineering the Climate' identified solar radiation management using albedo-enhancing aerosols injected into the stratosphere as the most affordable and effective option for geoengineering, but did not consider in any detail the options for delivery. This paper provides outline engineering analyses of the options, both for batch-delivery processes, following up on previous work for artillery shells, missiles, aircraft and free-flying balloons, as well as a more lengthy analysis of continuous-delivery systems that require a pipe connected to the ground and supported at a height of 20 km, either by a tower or by a tethered balloon. Towers are shown not to be practical, but a tethered balloon delivery system, with high-pressure pumping, appears to have much lower operating and capital costs than all other delivery options. Instead of transporting sulphuric acid mist precursors, such a system could also be used to transport slurries of high refractive index particles such as coated titanium dioxide. The use of such particles would allow useful experiments on opacity, coagulation and atmospheric chemistry at modest rates so as not to perturb regional or global climatic conditions, thus reducing scale-up risks. Criteria for particle choice are discussed, including the need to minimize or prevent ozone destruction. The paper estimates the time scales and relatively modest costs required if a tethered balloon system were to be introduced in a measured way with testing and development work proceeding over three decades, rather than in an emergency. The manufacture of a tether capable of sustaining the high tensions and internal pressures needed, as well as strong winds, is a significant challenge, as is the development of the necessary pumping and dispersion technologies. The greatest challenge may be the manufacture and launch of very large balloons, but means have been identified to significantly reduce the size of such balloons or aerostats.

Wide-bandgap epitaxial heterojunction windows for silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Landis, Geoffrey A.; Loferski, Joseph J.; Beaulieu, Roland; Sekula-Moise, Patricia A.; Vernon, Stanley M.

1990-01-01

It is shown that the efficiency of a solar cell can be improved if minority carriers are confined by use of a wide-bandgap heterojunction window. For silicon (lattice constant a = 5.43 A), nearly lattice-matched wide-bandgap materials are ZnS (a = 5.41 A) and GaP (a = 5.45 A). Isotype n-n heterojuntions of both ZnS/Si and GaP/Si were grown on silicon n-p homojunction solar cells. Successful deposition processes used were metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD) for GaP and ZnS, and vacuum evaporation of ZnS. Planar (100) and (111) and texture-etched - (111)-faceted - surfaces were used. A decrease in minority-carrier surface recombination compared to a bare surface was seen from increased short-wavelength spectral response, increased open-circuit voltage, and reduced dark saturation current, with no degradation of the minority carrier diffusion length.

Stabilization of periodic solutions in a tethered satellite system by damping injection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Martin Birkelund; Blanke, Mogens

2009-01-01

presents a control design for stabilizing these periodic solutions. The design consists of a control law for stabilizing the open-loop equilibrium and a bias term which forces the system trajectory away from the equilibrium. The tether needs to be positioned away from open-loop equilibrium for the tether...... to affect the orbit parameters. An approximation of the periodic solutions of the closed loop system is found as a series expansion in the parameter plane spanned by the controller gain and the bias term. The stability of the solutions is investigated using linear Floquet analysis of the variational...

Disaster Coverage Predication for the Emerging Tethered Balloon Technology: Capability for Preparedness, Detection, Mitigation, and Response.

Science.gov (United States)

Alsamhi, Saeed H; Samar Ansari, Mohd; Rajput, Navin S

2018-04-01

A disaster is a consequence of natural hazards and terrorist acts, which have significant potential to disrupt the entire wireless communication infrastructure. Therefore, the essential rescue squads and recovery operations during a catastrophic event will be severely debilitated. To provide efficient communication services, and to reduce casualty mortality and morbidity during the catastrophic events, we proposed the Tethered Balloon technology for disaster preparedness, detection, mitigation, and recovery assessment. The proposed Tethered Balloon is applicable to any type of disaster except for storms. The Tethered Balloon is being actively researched and developed as a simple solution to improve the performance of rescues, facilities, and services of emergency medical communication in the disaster area. The most important requirement for rescue and relief teams during or after the disaster is a high quality of service of delivery communication services to save people's lives. Using our proposed technology, we report that the Tethered Balloon has a large disaster coverage area. Therefore, the rescue and research teams are given higher priority, and their performance significantly improved in the particular coverage area. Tethered Balloon features made it suitable for disaster preparedness, mitigation, and recovery. The performance of rescue and relief teams was effective and efficient before and after the disaster as well as can be continued to coordinate the relief teams until disaster recovery. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:222-231).

Refining the tethering of American oysters (Crassostrea virginica) to measure the effects of two environmental stressors.

Science.gov (United States)

Poirier, Luke A; Gilbert, Shane T C; St-Hilaire, Sophie; Davidson, Jeff; Cox, Ruth; Quijón, Pedro A

2018-02-01

Tethering assays, or the physical restraint of test organisms, has been used in the past to measure selected organisms' response to stressors while removing the observer from the experimental setting. Although informative for monitoring and hypothesis testing, these assays often used microfilaments that have been found to be too invasive or prone to biases given their effects on test organisms' behavior. Here, we describe a new variation of tethering using American oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and illustrate its use in the study of their mortality rates as a result of two stressors: siltation and predation by a non-indigenous species. Our protocol identified a resistant (non-toxic) glue that could be used to attach oysters to stone slabs, thus partially mimicking the natural cementation of the shell to natural substrates. This variation of tethering was harmless and maintained oysters' body position and natural ability to filter feed. Using tethered oysters in separate two-week field cage experiments, we also show how siltation and predation by a non-indigenous species (the European green crab, Carcinus maenas), caused a gradual, easily measurable increase in oyster mortality rates. We argue that this variation of tethering is a cost-effective and advantageous way to monitor or test the effects of these and other stressors on oysters and similar species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Water-dependent photonic bandgap in silica artificial opals.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallego-Gómez, Francisco; Blanco, Alvaro; Canalejas-Tejero, Victor; López, Cefe

2011-07-04

Some characteristics of silica--based structures-like the photonic properties of artificial opals formed by silica spheres--can be greatly affected by the presence of adsorbed water. The reversible modification of the water content of an opal is investigated here by moderate heating (below 300 °C) and measuring in situ the changes in the photonic bandgap. Due to reversible removal of interstitial water, large blueshifts of 30 nm and a bandgap narrowing of 7% are observed. The latter is particularly surprising, because water desorption increases the refractive index contrast, which should lead instead to bandgap broadening. A quantitative explanation of this experiment is provided using a simple model for water distribution in the opal that assumes a nonclose-packed fcc structure. This model further predicts that, at room temperature, about 50% of the interstitial water forms necks between nearest-neighbor spheres, which are separated by 5% of their diameter. Upon heating, dehydration predominantly occurs at the sphere surfaces (in the opal voids), so that above 65 °C the remaining water resides exclusively in the necks. A near-close-packed fcc arrangement is only achieved above 200 °C. The high sensitivity to water changes exhibited by silica opals, even under gentle heating of few degrees, must be taken into account for practical applications. Remarkably, accurate control of the distance between spheres--from 16 to 1 nm--is obtained with temperature. In this study, novel use of the optical properties of the opal is made to infer quantitative information about water distribution within silica beads and dehydration phenomena from simple reflection spectra. Taking advantage of the well-defined opal morphology, this approach offers a simple tool for the straightforward investigation of generic adsorption-desorption phenomena, which might be extrapolated to many other fields involving capillary condensation. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGa

Isothermal pumping analysis for high-altitude tethered balloons.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Kirsty A; Hunt, Hugh E M

2015-06-01

High-altitude tethered balloons have potential applications in communications, surveillance, meteorological observations and climate engineering. To maintain balloon buoyancy, power fuel cells and perturb atmospheric conditions, fluids could be pumped from ground level to altitude using the tether as a hose. This paper examines the pumping requirements of such a delivery system. Cases considered include delivery of hydrogen, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and powders as fluid-based slurries. Isothermal analysis is used to determine the variation of pressures and velocities along the pipe length. Results show that transport of small quantities of hydrogen to power fuel cells and maintain balloon buoyancy can be achieved at pressures and temperatures that are tolerable in terms of both the pipe strength and the current state of pumping technologies. To avoid solidification, transport of SO2 would require elevated temperatures that cannot be tolerated by the strength fibres in the pipe. While the use of particle-based slurries rather than SO2 for climate engineering can reduce the pipe size significantly, the pumping pressures are close to the maximum bursting pressure of the pipe.

Creation of tunable absolute bandgaps in a two-dimensional anisotropic photonic crystal modulated by a nematic liquid crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Chenyang

2008-01-01

Photonic crystals (PCs) have many potential applications because of their ability to control light-wave propagation. We have investigated the tunable absolute bandgap in a two-dimensional anisotropic photonic crystal structures modulated by a nematic liquid crystal. The PC structure composed of an anisotropic-dielectric cylinder in the liquid crystal medium is studied by solving Maxwell's equations using the plane wave expansion method. The photonic band structures are found to exhibit absolute bandgaps for the square and triangular lattices. Numerical simulations show that the absolute bandgaps can be continuously tuned in the square and triangular lattices consisting of anisotropic-dielectric cylinders by infiltrating nematic liquid crystals. Such a mechanism of bandgap adjustment should open up a new application for designing components in photonic integrated circuits

Associative visual learning by tethered bees in a controlled visual environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Buatois, Alexis; Pichot, Cécile; Schultheiss, Patrick; Sandoz, Jean-Christophe; Lazzari, Claudio R; Chittka, Lars; Avarguès-Weber, Aurore; Giurfa, Martin

2017-10-10

Free-flying honeybees exhibit remarkable cognitive capacities but the neural underpinnings of these capacities cannot be studied in flying insects. Conversely, immobilized bees are accessible to neurobiological investigation but display poor visual learning. To overcome this limitation, we aimed at establishing a controlled visual environment in which tethered bees walking on a spherical treadmill learn to discriminate visual stimuli video projected in front of them. Freely flying bees trained to walk into a miniature Y-maze displaying these stimuli in a dark environment learned the visual discrimination efficiently when one of them (CS+) was paired with sucrose and the other with quinine solution (CS-). Adapting this discrimination to the treadmill paradigm with a tethered, walking bee was successful as bees exhibited robust discrimination and preferred the CS+ to the CS- after training. As learning was better in the maze, movement freedom, active vision and behavioral context might be important for visual learning. The nature of the punishment associated with the CS- also affects learning as quinine and distilled water enhanced the proportion of learners. Thus, visual learning is amenable to a controlled environment in which tethered bees learn visual stimuli, a result that is important for future neurobiological studies in virtual reality.

A Fiber-Optic Tether for the Hull Search UUV System Documentation

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Buescher, J. G

2006-01-01

...) conducting ship hull inspection missions, defines the required specifications that will allow the integration and installation of a FO tether system on UUVs with ship hull inspection capability...

Growth of Bulk Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Crystals and Their Potential Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kuo-Tong; Shi, Detang; Morgan, S. H.; Collins, W. Eugene; Burger, Arnold

1997-01-01

Developments in bulk crystal growth research for electro-optical devices in the Center for Photonic Materials and Devices since its establishment have been reviewed. Purification processes and single crystal growth systems employing physical vapor transport and Bridgman methods were assembled and used to produce high purity and superior quality wide bandgap materials such as heavy metal halides and II-VI compound semiconductors. Comprehensive material characterization techniques have been employed to reveal the optical, electrical and thermodynamic properties of crystals, and the results were used to establish improved material processing procedures. Postgrowth treatments such as passivation, oxidation, chemical etching and metal contacting during the X-ray and gamma-ray device fabrication process have also been investigated and low noise threshold with improved energy resolution has been achieved.

A simplified tether model for molecular motor transporting cargo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang-Zhen, Li; Li-Chun, Jiang

2010-01-01

Molecular motors are proteins or protein complexes which function as transporting engines in biological cells. This paper models the tether between motor and its cargo as a symmetric linear potential. Different from Elston and Peskin's work for which performance of the system was discussed only in some limiting cases, this study produces analytic solutions of the problem for general cases by simplifying the transport system into two physical states, which makes it possible to discuss the dynamics of the motor–cargo system in detail. It turns out that the tether strength between motor and cargo should be greater than a threshold or the motor will fail to transport the cargo, which was not discussed by former researchers yet. Value of the threshold depends on the diffusion coefficients of cargo and motor and also on the strength of the Brownian ratchets dragging the system. The threshold approaches a finite constant when the strength of the ratchet tends to infinity. (general)

Phase 3 study of selected tether applications in space. Volume 2: Study results

Science.gov (United States)

1986-01-01

Engineering designs were developed relative to a tethered launch assist from the Shuttle for payloads up to 10,000 kg mass and the tethering of a 15,000 kg science platform from the space station. These designs are used for a cost benefit analysis which assesses the feasibility of using such systems as a practical alternative to what would otherwise be accomplished by conventional means. The term conventional as related to both these applications is intended to apply to the use of some form(s) of chemical propulsion system.

Tethered Contactless Mobile Nuclear Environment Monitoring Robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, S. Y.; Lee, E. S.; Lee, Kun J.; Kim, Su H.; Rim, C. T.

2013-01-01

In fact, the nuclear environment monitoring is significantly crucial for early detection of NPP accident, radiological emergency, the estimation of radiation exposure to nearby residents as well as the long term radioactivity. In the UAE, the nuclear environment monitoring is, however, quite challenging because sampling locations are far from NPPs and the outdoor temperature and humidity are very high for NPP workers to collect soil, air, and water samples. Therefore, nuclear environment monitoring robots (Nubos) are strongly needed for the NPPs in the UAE. The Nubos can be remotely controlled to collect samples in extreme environment instead of NPP workers. Moreover, the Nubos can be unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) to collect soil, air, and water samples, respectively. In this paper, the prototype development of UGV type Nubos using power cable for a long distance power delivery, called Tethered contactless mobile Nubo is introduced and validated by experiments. In this paper, the prototype development of Tethered Contactless Mobile (TeCoM) Nubo, which can be powered continuously within several km distance and avoid tangled cable, and the indoor test are finished. As further works, outdoor demonstration and a grand scale R and D proposal of practical Nubo will be proceeded

Tethered Contactless Mobile Nuclear Environment Monitoring Robot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, S. Y.; Lee, E. S.; Lee, Kun J.; Kim, Su H.; Rim, C. T. [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-05-15

In fact, the nuclear environment monitoring is significantly crucial for early detection of NPP accident, radiological emergency, the estimation of radiation exposure to nearby residents as well as the long term radioactivity. In the UAE, the nuclear environment monitoring is, however, quite challenging because sampling locations are far from NPPs and the outdoor temperature and humidity are very high for NPP workers to collect soil, air, and water samples. Therefore, nuclear environment monitoring robots (Nubos) are strongly needed for the NPPs in the UAE. The Nubos can be remotely controlled to collect samples in extreme environment instead of NPP workers. Moreover, the Nubos can be unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) to collect soil, air, and water samples, respectively. In this paper, the prototype development of UGV type Nubos using power cable for a long distance power delivery, called Tethered contactless mobile Nubo is introduced and validated by experiments. In this paper, the prototype development of Tethered Contactless Mobile (TeCoM) Nubo, which can be powered continuously within several km distance and avoid tangled cable, and the indoor test are finished. As further works, outdoor demonstration and a grand scale R and D proposal of practical Nubo will be proceeded.

Stability analysis and trend study of a balloon tethered in a wind, with experimental comparisons

Science.gov (United States)

Redd, L. T.; Bland, S. R.; Bennett, R. M.

1973-01-01

A stability analysis and trend study for a balloon tethered in a steady wind are presented. The linearized, stability-derivative type analysis includes balloon aerodynamics, buoyancy, mass (including apparent mass), and static forces resulting from the tether cable. The analysis has been applied to a balloon 7.64 m in length, and the results are compared with those from tow tests of this balloon. This comparison shows that the analysis gives reasonable predictions for the damping, frequencies, modes of motion, and stability boundaries exhibited by the balloon. A trend study for the 7.64-m balloon was made to illustrate how the stability boundaries are affected by changes in individual stability parameters. The trends indicated in this study may also be applicable to many other tethered-balloon systems.

Tethered by Self-Generated Flow: Mucus String Augmented Feeding Current Generation in Larval Oysters

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, H.; Wheeler, J.; Anderson, E.

2016-02-01

Marine zooplankton live in a nutritionally dilute environment. To survive, they must process an enormous volume of water relative to their own body volume for food. To achieve this, many zooplankters including copepods, invertebrate larvae, and protists create a feeding current to concentrate and transport food items to their food gathering structures. To enhance the efficiency of the feeding current, these zooplankters often rely on certain "tethering" mechanisms to retard their translational motion for producing a strong feeding current. The tethering force may include excess weight due to gravity, force from attachment to solid surfaces, and drag experienced by strategically placed morphological structures. Larval oysters are known from previous studies to release mucus strings during feeding, presumably for supplying a tethering force to enhance their feeding-current efficiency. But the underlying mechanism is unclear. In this study, we used a high-speed microscale imaging system (HSMIS) to observe the behavior of freely swimming and feeding larval oysters. We also used HSMIS to measure larval imposed feeding currents via a micro-particle image velocimetry (µPIV) technique. HSMIS allows observations along a vertically oriented focal plane in a relatively large water vessel with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. Our high-speed videos show that a feeding larval oyster continuously released a long mucus string into its feeding current that flows downward; the feeding current subsequently dragged the mucus string downward. Analysis of our µPIV data combined with a hydrodynamic model further suggests that the drag force experienced by the mucus string in the feeding current contributes significantly to the tethering force required to generate the feeding current. Thus, mucus strings in larval oysters act as "anchors" in larval self-generated flow to actively tether the feeding larvae.

Doping of wide-bandgap titanium-dioxide nanotubes: optical, electronic and magnetic properties

Science.gov (United States)

Alivov, Yahya; Singh, Vivek; Ding, Yuchen; Cerkovnik, Logan Jerome; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-08-01

Doping semiconductors is an important step for their technological application. While doping bulk semiconductors can be easily achieved, incorporating dopants in semiconductor nanostructures has proven difficult. Here, we report a facile synthesis method for doping titanium-dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes that was enabled by a new electrochemical cell design. A variety of optical, electronic and magnetic dopants were incorporated into the hollow nanotubes, and from detailed studies it is shown that the doping level can be easily tuned from low to heavily-doped semiconductors. Using desired dopants - electronic (p- or n-doped), optical (ultraviolet bandgap to infrared absorption in co-doped nanotubes), and magnetic (from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic) properties can be tailored, and these technologically important nanotubes can be useful for a variety of applications in photovoltaics, display technologies, photocatalysis, and spintronic applications.Doping semiconductors is an important step for their technological application. While doping bulk semiconductors can be easily achieved, incorporating dopants in semiconductor nanostructures has proven difficult. Here, we report a facile synthesis method for doping titanium-dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes that was enabled by a new electrochemical cell design. A variety of optical, electronic and magnetic dopants were incorporated into the hollow nanotubes, and from detailed studies it is shown that the doping level can be easily tuned from low to heavily-doped semiconductors. Using desired dopants - electronic (p- or n-doped), optical (ultraviolet bandgap to infrared absorption in co-doped nanotubes), and magnetic (from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic) properties can be tailored, and these technologically important nanotubes can be useful for a variety of applications in photovoltaics, display technologies, photocatalysis, and spintronic applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr02417f

Heterobifunctional crosslinkers for tethering single ligand molecules to scanning probes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riener, Christian K.; Kienberger, Ferry; Hahn, Christoph D.; Buchinger, Gerhard M.; Egwim, Innocent O.C.; Haselgruebler, Thomas; Ebner, Andreas; Romanin, Christoph; Klampfl, Christian; Lackner, Bernd; Prinz, Heino; Blaas, Dieter; Hinterdorfer, Peter; Gruber, Hermann J.

2003-01-01

Single molecule recognition force microscopy (SMRFM) is a versatile atomic force microscopy (AFM) method to probe specific interactions of cognitive molecules on the single molecule level. It allows insights to be gained into interaction potentials and kinetic barriers and is capable of mapping interaction sites with nm positional accuracy. These applications require a ligand to be attached to the AFM tip, preferably by a distensible poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain between the measuring tip and the ligand molecule. The PEG chain greatly facilitates specific binding of the ligand to immobile receptor sites on the sample surface. The present study contributes to tip-PEG-ligand tethering in three ways: (i) a convenient synthetic route was found to prepare NH 2 -PEG-COOH which is the key intermediate for long heterobifunctional crosslinkers; (ii) a variety of heterobifunctional PEG derivatives for tip-PEG-ligand linking were prepared from NH 2 -PEG-COOH; (iii) in particular, a new PEG crosslinker with one thiol-reactive end and one terminal nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) group was synthesized and successfully used to tether His 6 -tagged protein molecules to AFM tips via noncovalent NTA-Ni 2+ -His 6 bridges. The new crosslinker was applied to link a recombinant His 6 -tagged fragment of the very-low density lipoprotein receptor to the AFM tip whereupon specific docking to the capsid of human rhinovirus particles was observed by force microscopy. In a parallel study, the specific interaction of the small GTPase Ran with the nuclear import receptor importin β1 was studied in detail by SMRFM, using the new crosslinker to link His 6 -tagged Ran to the measuring tip [Nat. Struct. Biol. (2003), 10, 553-557

Simulation of push-pull inverter using wide bandgap devices

Science.gov (United States)

Al-badri, Mustafa; Matin, Mohammed A.

2016-09-01

This paper discusses the use of wide bandgap devices (SiC-MOSFET) in the design of a push-pull inverter which provides inexpensive low power dc-ac inverters. The parameters used were 1200V SiC MOSFET(C2M0040120D) made by power company ROHM. This modeling was created using parameters that were provided from a device datasheet. The spice model is provided by this company to study the effect of adding this component on push-pull inverter ordinary circuit and compared results between SiC MOSFET and silicon MOSFET (IRFP260M). The results focused on Vout and Vmos stability as well as on output power and MOSFET power loss because it is a very crucial aspect on DC-AC inverter design. These results are done using the National Instrument simulation program (Multisim 14). It was found that power loss is better in the 12 and 15 vdc inverter. The Vout in the SIC MOSFET circuit shows more stability in the high current low resistance load in comparison to the Silicon MOSFET circuit and this will improve the overall performance of the circuit.

Myocardial Infarction Alters Adaptation of the Tethered Mitral Valve

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dal-Bianco, Jacob P; Aikawa, Elena; Bischoff, Joyce; Guerrero, J Luis; Hjortnaes, Jesper; Beaudoin, Jonathan; Szymanski, Catherine; Bartko, Philipp E; Seybolt, Margo M; Handschumacher, Mark D; Sullivan, Suzanne; Garcia, Michael L; Mauskapf, Adam; Titus, James S; Wylie-Sears, Jill; Irvin, Whitney S; Chaput, Miguel; Messas, Emmanuel; Hagège, Albert A; Carpentier, Alain; Levine, Robert A

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: In patients with myocardial infarction (MI), leaflet tethering by displaced papillary muscles induces mitral regurgitation (MR), which doubles mortality. Mitral valves (MVs) are larger in such patients but fibrosis sets in counterproductively. The investigators previously reported that

Development of a Tethered Formation Flight Testbed for ISS, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The development of a testbed for the development and demonstration of technologies needed by tethered formation flying satellites is proposed. Such a testbed would...

Cu2I2Se6: A Metal-Inorganic Framework Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor for Photon Detection at Room Temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Wenwen; Stoumpos, Constantinos C; Kontsevoi, Oleg Y; Liu, Zhifu; He, Yihui; Das, Sanjib; Xu, Yadong; McCall, Kyle M; Wessels, Bruce W; Kanatzidis, Mercouri G

2018-02-07

Cu 2 I 2 Se 6 is a new wide-bandgap semiconductor with high stability and great potential toward hard radiation and photon detection. Cu 2 I 2 Se 6 crystallizes in the rhombohedral R3̅m space group with a density of d = 5.287 g·cm -3 and a wide bandgap E g of 1.95 eV. First-principles electronic band structure calculations at the density functional theory level indicate an indirect bandgap and a low electron effective mass m e * of 0.32. The congruently melting compound was grown in centimeter-size Cu 2 I 2 Se 6 single crystals using a vertical Bridgman method. A high electric resistivity of ∼10 12 Ω·cm is readily achieved, and detectors made of Cu 2 I 2 Se 6 single crystals demonstrate high photosensitivity to Ag Kα X-rays (22.4 keV) and show spectroscopic performance with energy resolutions under 241 Am α-particles (5.5 MeV) radiation. The electron mobility is measured by a time-of-flight technique to be ∼46 cm 2 ·V -1 ·s -1 . This value is comparable to that of one of the leading γ-ray detector materials, TlBr, and is a factor of 30 higher than mobility values obtained for amorphous Se for X-ray detection.

Theoretical prediction of sandwiched two-dimensional phosphide binary compound sheets with tunable bandgaps and anisotropic physical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, C. Y.; Yu, M.

2018-03-01

Atomic layers of GaP and InP binary compounds with unique anisotropic structural, electronic and mechanical properties have been predicted from first-principle molecular dynamics simulations. These new members of the phosphide binary compound family stabilize to a sandwiched two-dimensional (2D) crystalline structure with orthorhombic lattice symmetry and high buckling of 2.14 Å-2.46 Å. Their vibration modes are similar to those of phosphorene with six Raman active modes ranging from ˜80 cm-1 to 400 cm-1. The speeds of sound in their phonon dispersions reflect anisotropy in their elastic constants, which was further confirmed by their strong directional dependence of Young’s moduli and effective nonlinear elastic moduli. They show wide bandgap semiconductor behavior with fundamental bandgaps of 2.89 eV for GaP and 2.59 eV for InP, respectively, even wider than their bulk counterparts. Such bandgaps were found to be tunable under strain. In particular, a direct-indirect bandgap transition was found under certain strains along zigzag or biaxial orientations, reflecting their promising applications in strain-induced bandgap engineering in nanoelectronics and photovoltaics. Feasible pathways to realize these novel 2D phosphide compounds are also proposed.

Optical spectroscopy and imaging of the higher energy excitons and bandgap of monolayer MoS2

Science.gov (United States)

Borys, Nicholas; Bao, Wei; Barnard, Edward; Ko, Changhyun; Tongay, Sefaatin; Wu, Junqiao; Yang, Li; Schuck, P. James

Monolayer MoS2 (ML-MoS2) exhibits a rich manifold of excitons that dictate optoelectronic performance and functionality. Disentangling these states, which include the quasi-particle bandgap, is critical for developing 2D optoelectronic devices that operate beyond the optical bandgap. Whereas photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy only probes the lowest-energy radiative state and absorption spectroscopy fails to discriminate energetically degenerate states, photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectroscopy selectively probes only the excited states that thermalize to the emissive ground state exciton. Using PLE spectroscopy of ML-MoS2, we identify the Rydberg series of the exciton A and exciton B states as well as signatures of the quasi-particle bandgap and coupling between the indirect C exciton and the lowest-energy A exciton, which have eluded previous PLE studies. The assignment of these states is confirmed with density functional theory. Mapping the PLE spectrum reveals spatial variations of the higher-energy exciton manifold and quasi-particle bandgap which mirror the heterogeneity in the PL but also indicate variations in local exciton thermalization processes and chemical potentials.

High-Power Yb-Doped Solid-Core Photonic Bandgap Fiber Amplifier at 1150-1200nm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maruyama, H.; Shirakawa, A.; Ueda, K.

2008-01-01

Solid-core photonic-bandgap fiber amplification at the long-wavelength edge of ytterbium band is reported. A 32W output at 1156nm with a 66% slope efficiency and 9.1W output at 1178nm were succesfully obtained.......Solid-core photonic-bandgap fiber amplification at the long-wavelength edge of ytterbium band is reported. A 32W output at 1156nm with a 66% slope efficiency and 9.1W output at 1178nm were succesfully obtained....

Materials for advancement of MXER tether design (1000-371), Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — There exist a need to develop, identify, and classify various materials that can be used in the fabrication of electrodynamic tethers for various applications. These...

Implementation Options for the PROPEL Electrodynamic Tether Demonstration Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Bilen, Sven G.; Johnson, C. Les; Gilchrist, Brian E.; Hoyt, Robert P.; Elder, Craig H.; Fuhrhop, Keith P.; Scadera, Michael; Stone, Nobie

2014-01-01

The PROPEL ("Propulsion using Electrodynamics") flight demonstration mission concept will demonstrate the use of an electrodynamic tether (EDT) for generating thrust, which will allow the propulsion system to overcome the limitations of the rocket equation. The mission concept has been developed by a team of government, industry, and academia partners led by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). PROPEL is being designed for versatility of the EDT system with multiple end users in mind and to be flexible with respect to platform. Previously, we reported on a comprehensive mission design for PROPEL with a mission duration of six months or longer with multiple mission goals including demonstration of significant boost, deboost, inclination change, and drag make-up activities. To explore a range of possible configurations, primarily driven by cost considerations, other mission concept designs have been pursued. In partnership with the NASA's Office of Chief Technologist (OCT) Game Changing Program, NASA MSFC Leadership, and the MSFC Advanced Concepts Office, a mission concept design was developed for a near-term EDT propulsion flight validation mission. The Electrodynamic Tether Propulsion Study (ETPS) defined an EDT propulsion system capable of very large delta-V for use on future missions developed by NASA, DoD, and commercial customers. To demonstrate the feasibility of an ETPS, the study focused on a space demonstration mission concept design with configuration of a pair of tethered satellite busses, one of which is the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). The HTV would fly its standard ISS resupply mission. When resupply mission is complete, the ISS reconfigures and releases the HTV to perform the EDT experiment at safe orbital altitudes below the ISS. Though the focus of this particular mission concept design addresses a scenario involving the HTV or a similar vehicle, the propulsion system's capability is relevant to a number of applications, as noted above

Folding of multidomain proteins: biophysical consequences of tethering even in apparently independent folding.

Science.gov (United States)

Arviv, Oshrit; Levy, Yaakov

2012-12-01

Most eukaryotic and a substantial fraction of prokaryotic proteins are composed of more than one domain. The tethering of these evolutionary, structural, and functional units raises, among others, questions regarding the folding process of conjugated domains. Studying the folding of multidomain proteins in silico enables one to identify and isolate the tethering-induced biophysical determinants that govern crosstalks generated between neighboring domains. For this purpose, we carried out coarse-grained and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of two two-domain constructs from the immunoglobulin-like β-sandwich fold. Each of these was experimentally shown to behave as the "sum of its parts," that is, the thermodynamic and kinetic folding behavior of the constituent domains of these constructs seems to occur independently, with the folding of each domain uncoupled from the folding of its partner in the two-domain construct. We show that the properties of the individual domains can be significantly affected by conjugation to another domain. The tethering may be accompanied by stabilizing as well as destabilizing factors whose magnitude depends on the size of the interface, the length, and the flexibility of the linker, and the relative stability of the domains. Accordingly, the folding of a multidomain protein should not be viewed as the sum of the folding patterns of each of its parts, but rather, it involves abrogating several effects that lead to this outcome. An imbalance between these effects may result in either stabilization or destabilization owing to the tethering. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biomimetic chimeric peptide-tethered hydrogels for human mesenchymal stem cell delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Shim, Gayong; Kim, Gunwoo; Choi, Junhyeok; Yi, TacGhee; Cho, Yun Kyoung; Song, Sun Uk; Byun, Youngro; Oh, Yu-Kyoung

2015-12-01

Here, we report a chimeric peptide-tethered fibrin hydrogel scaffold for delivery of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). Osteopontin-derived peptide (OP) was used as an hMSC-tethering moiety. OP showed hMSC adhesion properties and enhanced hMSC proliferation. A natural fibrin-binding protein-derived peptide (FBP) was tested for its ability to tether hMSC to the fibrin gel matrix. FBP loading on fibrin gels was 8.2-fold higher than that of a scrambled peptide (scFBP). FBP-loaded fibrin gels were retained at injection sites longer than scFBP-loaded fibrin gels, showing a 15.9-fold higher photon intensity of fluorescent FBP-grafted fibrin gels than fluorescent scFBP-loaded fibrin gels 48 h after injection. On the basis of the fibrin gel-binding properties of FBP and the hMSC-binding and proliferation-supporting properties of OP, we constructed chimeric peptides containing FBP and OP linked with a spacer (FBPsOP). Four days after transplantation, the survival of hMSC in FBPsOP-grafted fibrin gels was 3.9-fold higher than hMSC in fibrin gels alone. Our results suggest the potential of FBPsOP-grafted fibrin gels as a bioactive delivery system for enhanced survival of stem cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acquisition of Human Operation Characteristics for Kite-based Tethered Flying Robot using Human Operation Data

OpenAIRE

Todoroki, Chiaki; Takahashi, Yasutake; Nakamura, Takayuki

2015-01-01

This paper shows human skill acquisition systems to control the kite-based tethered flying robot. The kite-based tethered flying robot has been proposed as a flying observation system with long-term activity capability[1]. It is a relatively new system and aimed to complement other information gathering systems using a balloon or an air vehicle. This paper shows some approaches of human operation characteristics acquisition based on fuzzy learning controller, knearest neighbor algorithm, and ...

In- and Ga-based inorganic double perovskites with direct bandgaps for photovoltaic applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Jun; Ma, Liang; Ju, Minggang; Huang, Jinsong; Zeng, Xiao Cheng

2017-08-16

Double perovskites in the form of A 2 B'B''X 6 (A = Cs, B' = Ag, B'' = Bi) have been reported as potential alternatives to lead-containing organometal trihalide perovskites. However, all double perovskites synthesized to date exhibit indirect bandgaps >1.95 eV, which are undesirable for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications. Herein, we report a comprehensive computer-aided screening of In- and Ga-based double perovskites for potential photovoltaic applications. To this end, several preconditions are implemented for the screening of optimal candidates, which include structural stability, electronic bandgaps, and optical absorption. Importantly, four In- and Ga-based double perovskites are identified to possess direct bandgaps within the desirable range of 0.9-1.6 eV for photovoltaic applications. Dominant optical absorption of the four double perovskites is found to be in the UV range. The structural and thermal stability of the four double perovskites are examined using both the empirical Goldschmidt ratio and convex-hull calculations. Only Cs 2 AgInBr 6 is predicted to be thermodynamically stable.

Automating Energy Bandgap Measurements in Semiconductors Using LabVIEW

Science.gov (United States)

Garg, Amit; Sharma, Reena; Dhingra, Vishal

2010-01-01

In this paper, we report the development of an automated system for energy bandgap and resistivity measurement of a semiconductor sample using Four-Probe method for use in the undergraduate laboratory of Physics and Electronics students. The automated data acquisition and analysis system has been developed using National Instruments USB-6008 DAQ…

Control by damping Injection of Electrodynamic Tether System in an Inclined Orbit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Martin Birkelund; Blanke, Mogens

2009-01-01

dynamical system. Based on this model, a nonlinear controller is designed that will make the system asymptotically stable around its open-loop equilibrium. The control scheme handles the time-varying nature of the system in a suitable manner resulting in a large operational region. The performance...... of the closed loop system is treated using Floquet theory, investigating the closed loop properties for their dependency of the controller gain and orbit inclination.......Control of a satellite system with an electrodynamic tether as actuator is a time-periodic and underactuated control problem. This paper considers the tethered satellite in a Hamiltonian framework and determines a port-controlled Hamiltonian formulation that adequately describes the nonlinear...

Light Absorption Enhancement of Silicon-Based Photovoltaic Devices with Multiple Bandgap Structures of Porous Silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuen-Hsien Wu

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Porous-silicon (PS multi-layered structures with three stacked PS layers of different porosity were prepared on silicon (Si substrates by successively tuning the electrochemical-etching parameters in an anodization process. The three PS layers have different optical bandgap energy and construct a triple-layered PS (TLPS structure with multiple bandgap energy. Photovoltaic devices were fabricated by depositing aluminum electrodes of Schottky contacts on the surfaces of the developed TLPS structures. The TLPS-based devices exhibit broadband photoresponses within the spectrum of the solar irradiation and get high photocurrent for the incident light of a tungsten lamp. The improved spectral responses of devices are owing to the multi-bandgap structures of TLPS, which are designed with a layered configuration analog to a tandem cell for absorbing a wider energy range of the incidental sun light. The large photocurrent is mainly ascribed to an enhanced light-absorption ability as a result of applying nanoporous-Si thin films as the surface layers to absorb the short-wavelength light and to improve the Schottky contacts of devices. Experimental results reveal that the multi-bandgap PS structures produced from electrochemical-etching of Si wafers are potentially promising for development of highly efficient Si-based solar cells.

A Correlational Analysis of Tethered Swimming, Swim Sprint Performance and Dry-land Power Assessments.

Science.gov (United States)

Loturco, I; Barbosa, A C; Nocentini, R K; Pereira, L A; Kobal, R; Kitamura, K; Abad, C C C; Figueiredo, P; Nakamura, F Y

2016-03-01

Swimmers are often tested on both dry-land and in swimming exercises. The aim of this study was to test the relationships between dry-land, tethered force-time curve parameters and swimming performances in distances up to 200 m. 10 young male high-level swimmers were assessed using the maximal isometric bench-press and quarter-squat, mean propulsive power in jump-squat, squat and countermovement jumps (dry-land assessments), peak force, average force, rate of force development (RFD) and impulse (tethered swimming) and swimming times. Pearson product-moment correlations were calculated among the variables. Peak force and average force were very largely correlated with the 50- and 100-m swimming performances (r=- 0.82 and -0.74, respectively). Average force was very-largely/largely correlated with the 50- and 100-m performances (r=- 0.85 and -0.67, respectively). RFD and impulse were very-largely correlated with the 50-m time (r=- 0.72 and -0.76, respectively). Tethered swimming parameters were largely correlated (r=0.65 to 0.72) with mean propulsive power in jump-squat, squat-jump and countermovement jumps. Finally, mean propulsive power in jump-squat was largely correlated (r=- 0.70) with 50-m performance. Due to the significant correlations between dry-land assessments and tethered/actual swimming, coaches are encouraged to implement strategies able to increase leg power in sprint swimmers. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Band structure of germanium carbides for direct bandgap silicon photonics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephenson, C. A., E-mail: cstephe3@nd.edu; Stillwell, R. A.; Wistey, M. A. [Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); O' Brien, W. A. [Rigetti Quantum Computing, 775 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, California 94710 (United States); Penninger, M. W. [Honeywell UOP, Des Plaines, Illinois 60016 (United States); Schneider, W. F. [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Gillett-Kunnath, M. [Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244 (United States); Zajicek, J. [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Yu, K. M. [Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China); Kudrawiec, R. [Institute of Physics, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wybrzeze Wyspianskiego 27, 50-370 Wroclaw (Poland)

2016-08-07

Compact optical interconnects require efficient lasers and modulators compatible with silicon. Ab initio modeling of Ge{sub 1−x}C{sub x} (x = 0.78%) using density functional theory with HSE06 hybrid functionals predicts a splitting of the conduction band at Γ and a strongly direct bandgap, consistent with band anticrossing. Photoreflectance of Ge{sub 0.998}C{sub 0.002} shows a bandgap reduction supporting these results. Growth of Ge{sub 0.998}C{sub 0.002} using tetrakis(germyl)methane as the C source shows no signs of C-C bonds, C clusters, or extended defects, suggesting highly substitutional incorporation of C. Optical gain and modulation are predicted to rival III–V materials due to a larger electron population in the direct valley, reduced intervalley scattering, suppressed Auger recombination, and increased overlap integral for a stronger fundamental optical transition.

Visible light photoreactivity from hybridization states between carbon nitride bandgap states and valence states in Nb and Ti oxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hosik, E-mail: hosiklee@gmail.com [School of Mechanical and Advanced Materials Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Unist-gil 100 Eonyang-eup, Ulsan 689-798 (Korea, Republic of); Ohno, Takahisa, E-mail: OHNO.Takahisa@nims.go.jp [Global Research Center for Environment and Energy based on Nanomaterials Science (GREEN), National Institute for Material Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba (Japan); Computational Materials Science Unit (CMSU), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan)

2013-03-29

Highlights: ► Origin of bandgap reduction for visible photoreactivity is suggested. ► Carbon nitride adsorption in interlayer space can induce the bandgap reduction. ► The electronic structures are studied by density functional theory calculations. - Abstract: For better efficiency as photocatalysts, N-doping for visible light reactivity has been intensively studied in Lamellar niobic and titanic solid acids (HNb{sub 3}O{sub 8}, H{sub 2}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 9}), and its microscopic structures have been debated in this decade. We calculate the layered solid acids’ structures and bandgaps. Bandgap reduction by carbon nitride adsorption in interlayer space is observed computationally. It originates from localized nitrogen states which form delocalized top-valence states by hybridizing with the host oxygen states and can contribute to photo-current.

Pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals: effects on optoelectronics and thermoelectrics

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Vivek; Yu, Yixuan; Sun, Qi-C.; Korgel, Brian; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-11-01

While silicon nanostructures are extensively used in electronics, the indirect bandgap of silicon poses challenges for optoelectronic applications like photovoltaics and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we show that size-dependent pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals dominate the interactions between (photoexcited) charge carriers and phonons, and hence the optoelectronic properties of silicon nanocrystals. Direct measurements of the electronic density of states (DOS) for different sized silicon nanocrystals reveal that these pseudo-direct transitions, likely arising from the nanocrystal surface, can couple with the quantum-confined silicon states. Moreover, we demonstrate that since these transitions determine the interactions of charge carriers with phonons, they change the light emission, absorption, charge carrier diffusion and phonon drag (Seebeck coefficient) in nanoscaled silicon semiconductors. Therefore, these results can have important implications for the design of optoelectronics and thermoelectric devices based on nanostructured silicon.While silicon nanostructures are extensively used in electronics, the indirect bandgap of silicon poses challenges for optoelectronic applications like photovoltaics and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we show that size-dependent pseudo-direct bandgap transitions in silicon nanocrystals dominate the interactions between (photoexcited) charge carriers and phonons, and hence the optoelectronic properties of silicon nanocrystals. Direct measurements of the electronic density of states (DOS) for different sized silicon nanocrystals reveal that these pseudo-direct transitions, likely arising from the nanocrystal surface, can couple with the quantum-confined silicon states. Moreover, we demonstrate that since these transitions determine the interactions of charge carriers with phonons, they change the light emission, absorption, charge carrier diffusion and phonon drag (Seebeck coefficient) in

Single-Molecule Tethered Particle Motion: Stepwise Analyses of Site-Specific DNA Recombination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsiu-Fang Fan

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Tethered particle motion/microscopy (TPM is a biophysical tool used to analyze changes in the effective length of a polymer, tethered at one end, under changing conditions. The tether length is measured indirectly by recording the Brownian motion amplitude of a bead attached to the other end. In the biological realm, DNA, whose interactions with proteins are often accompanied by apparent or real changes in length, has almost exclusively been the subject of TPM studies. TPM has been employed to study DNA bending, looping and wrapping, DNA compaction, high-order DNA–protein assembly, and protein translocation along DNA. Our TPM analyses have focused on tyrosine and serine site-specific recombinases. Their pre-chemical interactions with DNA cause reversible changes in DNA length, detectable by TPM. The chemical steps of recombination, depending on the substrate and the type of recombinase, may result in a permanent length change. Single molecule TPM time traces provide thermodynamic and kinetic information on each step of the recombination pathway. They reveal how mechanistically related recombinases may differ in their early commitment to recombination, reversibility of individual steps, and in the rate-limiting step of the reaction. They shed light on the pre-chemical roles of catalytic residues, and on the mechanisms by which accessory proteins regulate recombination directionality.

Quinine-Promoted, Enantioselective Boron-Tethered Diels-Alder Reaction by Anomeric Control of Transition State Conformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholl, Katie; Dillashaw, John; Timpy, Evan; Lam, Yu-Hong; DeRatt, Lindsey; Benton, Tyler R; Powell, Jacqueline P; Houk, Kendall N; Morgan, Jeremy B

2018-05-01

Diels-Alder reactions of tethered vinyl-metal species offer the opportunity to fashion highly functionalized diol intermediates for synthesis. We have developed the first enantioselective boron-tethered Diels-Alder reaction using quinine as a chiral promoter. Quinine recovery, enantioselectivity enhancement, and manipulation of the cyclohexene core are also investigated. DFT modeling calculations confirm the role of quinine as a bidentate ligand enhancing reaction rates. The enantioselectivity of the cycloaddition is proposed to originate from a boron-centered anomeric effect.

Linewidth of Cyclotron Absorption in Band-Gap Graphene: Relaxation Time Approximation vs. Monte Carlo Method

OpenAIRE

S.V. Kryuchkov; E.I. Kukhar’; D.V. Zav’yalov

2015-01-01

The power of the elliptically polarized electromagnetic radiation absorbed by band-gap graphene in presence of constant magnetic field is calculated. The linewidth of cyclotron absorption is shown to be non-zero even if the scattering is absent. The calculations are performed analytically with the Boltzmann kinetic equation and confirmed numerically with the Monte Carlo method. The dependence of the linewidth of the cyclotron absorption on temperature applicable for a band-gap graphene in the...

UV-Curable Hybrid Nanocomposite Coating to Protect Tether Polymer Materials, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — To address the NASA need for coatings to protect and strengthen tether materials for Momentum-exchange Electrodynamic Reboost (MXER) technology, Luminit, LLC,...

Vertical distribution of hydrocarbons in the low troposphere below and above the mixing height: Tethered balloon measurements in Milan, Italy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sangiorgi, G., E-mail: giorgia.sangiorgi1@unimib.it [POLARIS Research Centre, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano (Italy); Ferrero, L.; Perrone, M.G.; Bolzacchini, E. [POLARIS Research Centre, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milano (Italy); Duane, M. [Institute for Environment and Sustainability, EU Joint Research Centre Ispra, 21020 Ispra, Varese (Italy); Larsen, B.R. [Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, EU Joint Research Centre Ispra, 21020 Ispra, Varese (Italy)

2011-12-15

A novel approach for measuring vertical profiles of HCs and particle number concentrations was described and applied in the low troposphere over Milan (Italy) during typical spring and summer days. Particle profiles yielded nearly homogeneous concentrations below the mixing height, with level-to-ground concentration ratios of 92-97%, while HCs showed a more pronounced decrease (74-95%). Vertical mixing and photochemical loss of HCs were demonstrated to cause these gradients. Much lower concentrations were observed for the profiles above the mixing height, where the HC mixtures showed also a different composition, which was partially explained by the horizontal advection of air with HC sources different to those prevailing at the site. The application of pseudo-first order kinetics for reactions between HCs and the hydroxyl radical allowed for the estimation of the vertical mixing time scale in the order of 100 {+-} 20 min. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: > Experimental vertical profiles of HCs and particle concentration by tethered balloon. > Effect of mixing height on the vertical distribution of HCs and particles. > Effect of tropospheric reactivity on vertical profiles of HCs. > Pseudo-first order kinetic reaction of HCs in convective systems. - Vertical transport and photochemical loss of HCs below and above the mixing height were studied by means of a novel and simple approach.

Oriented thin films of mixture of a low-bandgap polymer and a fullerene derivative prepared by friction-transfer method

Science.gov (United States)

Tanigaki, Nobutaka; Mizokuro, Toshiko; Miyadera, Tetsuhiko; Shibata, Yousei; Koganezawa, Tomoyuki

2018-02-01

We have been studying oriented thin films of polymers fabricated by the friction-transfer method, which allows the alignment of a variety of conjugated polymers into highly oriented films. In this study, we prepared oriented blend films of a mixture of a low-bandgap polymer, poly{4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b‧]dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophene-4,6-diyl} (PTB7), and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM), which is a promising combination for application in organic solar cells. We obtained oriented blend films of PTB7 and PC71BM by the friction-transfer method from a solid block. Polarized UV-visible spectra show that the PTB7 chains were aligned parallel to the friction direction in the blend films. Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) studies with synchrotron radiation suggested that the preferred orientation of PTB7 crystallites was face-on in the blend films. The GIXD results also showed the high uniaxial orientation of PTB7 chains in blend films. Photovoltaic devices were fabricated using the friction-transferred blend films of the PTB7 and PC71BM. These bulk heterojunction devices showed better performance than planar heterojunction devices fabricated using pure friction-transferred PTB7 films.

Mini-open spinal column shortening for the treatment of adult tethered cord syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Safaee, Michael M; Winkler, Ethan A; Chou, Dean

2017-10-01

Tethered cord syndrome (TCS) is a challenging entity characterized by adhesions at the caudal spinal cord that prevent upward movement during growth and result in stretching of the cord with a concomitant constellation of neurologic symptoms. Although growth in height stops in adulthood, some patients still develop progressive symptoms; many underwent detethering as a child or adolescent, resulting in significant scar tissue and re-tethering. Recent strategies have focused on spinal column shortening to reduce tension on the spinal cord without exposing the previous de-tethering site. Mini-open and minimally invasive approaches avoid the large dissection and exposure associated with traditional approaches and are associated with reduced blood loss, shorter hospital stay, and similar outcomes when compared to conventional open approaches. We describe a technique for mini-open spinal column shortening. Using intraoperative navigation pedicle screws were placed at T10, T11, L1, and L2. A mini-open 3-column "egg shell" decancellation osteotomy of T12 was performed through a transpedicular approach with preservation of the superior and inferior endplates. This procedure was performed on a 28year old male with recurrent TCS and neurogenic bladder. Postoperative imaging showed a reduction in spinal column length of 1.5cm and evidence of decreased tension on the spinal cord. At last follow-up he was recovering well with improved urinary function. Spinal column shortening for adult TCS can be safely achieved through a mini-open approach. Future studies should compare the efficacy of this technique to both traditional de-tethering and open spinal column shortening. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tuning peptide self-assembly by an in-tether chiral center

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Kuan; Xiong, Wei; Li, Hu; Zhang, Pei-Yu; Yin, Feng; Zhang, Qianling; Jiang, Fan; Li, Zigang

2018-01-01

The self-assembly of peptides into ordered nanostructures is important for understanding both peptide molecular interactions and nanotechnological applications. However, because of the complexity and various self-assembling pathways of peptide molecules, design of self-assembling helical peptides with high controllability and tunability is challenging. We report a new self-assembling mode that uses in-tether chiral center-induced helical peptides as a platform for tunable peptide self-assembly with good controllability. It was found that self-assembling behavior was governed by in-tether substitutional groups, where chirality determined the formation of helical structures and aromaticity provided the driving force for self-assembly. Both factors were essential for peptide self-assembly to occur. Experiments and theoretical calculations indicate long-range crystal-like packing in the self-assembly, which was stabilized by a synergy of interpeptide π-π and π-sulfur interactions and hydrogen bond networks. In addition, the self-assembled peptide nanomaterials were demonstrated to be promising candidate materials for applications in biocompatible electrochemical supercapacitors.

All-PM monolithic fs Yb-fiber laser, dispersion-managed with all-solid photonic bandgap fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Xiaomin; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Turchinovich, Dmitry

2009-01-01

All-in-fiber SESAM-modelocked self-starting fiber laser is demonstrated. Cavity dispersion is managed by a spliced-in PM all-solid photonic bandgap fiber. The laser directly delivers 1.25 nJ pulses of 280 fs duration.......All-in-fiber SESAM-modelocked self-starting fiber laser is demonstrated. Cavity dispersion is managed by a spliced-in PM all-solid photonic bandgap fiber. The laser directly delivers 1.25 nJ pulses of 280 fs duration....

Fabrication and characterization of porous-core honeycomb bandgap THz fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bao, Hualong; Nielsen, Kristian; Rasmussen, Henrik K.

We have fabricated a porous-core honeycomb fiber in the cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) Topas® by drill-draw technology [1]. A cross-sectional image of the fabricated fiber is shown in the left Panel of Fig. 1. Simulation of the electromagnetic properties of the fiber shows two wide bandgaps within......-TDS system (Picometrix T-Ray 4000). The reference pulse before coupling into the fiber is shown in Fig. 1(a) and the time trace of the THz pulse after propagation through a 5-cm long segment of fiber is shown in Fig. 1(b) (blue curve). After adding some water on the outside of the fiber surface......, the transmitted pulse experiences less pronounced oscillations at times later than 20 ps ( red curve in Fig. 1(b)). Figs. 1(c) and (d) show the short-time Fourier transforms of the two time-domain traces in Fig. 1(b), overlaid with the calculated group delay in the two bandgaps (black squares). The frequencies...

Electronic structure characterization and bandgap engineering of solar hydrogen materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Jinghua

2007-01-01

Bandgap, band edge positions as well as the overall band structure of semiconductors are of crucial importance in photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic applications. The energy position of the band edge level can be controlled by the electronegativity of the dopants, the pH of the solution (flatband potential variation of 60 mV per pH unit), as well as by quantum confinement effects. Accordingly, band edges and bandgap can be tailored to achieve specific electronic, optical or photocatalytic properties. Synchrotron radiation with photon energy at or below 1 keV is giving new insight into such areas as condensed matter physics and extreme ultraviolet optics technology. In the soft x-ray region, the question tends to be, what are the electrons doing as they migrated between the atoms. In this paper, I will present a number of soft x-ray spectroscopic study of nanostructured 3d metal compounds Fe 2 O 3 and ZnO

International survey on the management of skin stigmata and suspected tethered cord.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponger, Penina; Ben-Sira, Liat; Beni-Adani, Liana; Steinbok, Paul; Constantini, Shlomi

2010-12-01

We designed a survey to investigate current international management trends of neonates with lumbar midline skin stigmata suspicious of tethered cord, among pediatric neurosurgeons, focusing on the lower risk stigmata, simple dimples, deviated gluteal folds, and discolorations. Our findings will enable physicians to assess their current diagnosis routine and aid in clarifying management controversies. A questionnaire on the proposed diagnostic evaluation of seven case reports, each accompanied by relevant imaging, was distributed by e-mail to members of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, the European Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, and via the PEDS server list between March and August 2008. Sixty-two questionnaires, completed by experienced professionals with a rather uniform distribution of experience levels, were analyzed. Forty-eight percent do not recommend any imaging of simple dimples, 30% recommend US screening and 22% recommend MR. Seventy-nine percent recommend imaging of deviated gluteal fold with 30% recommending MR. Ninety-two percent recommend imaging infants with hemangiomas with 74% recommending MR. MR for sinus tracts is recommended by 90% if sacral and by 98% if lumber. Eighty-four percent recommend MR for filar cyst. Our survey demonstrates that management of low-risk skin stigmata, simple dimple, deviated gluteal fold, and discolorations lacks consensus. In addition, a significant sector of the professional community proposes a work-up of simple dimples, sacral tracts, and filar cysts that contradicts established recommendations. A simple classification system is needed to attain a better approach, enabling correct diagnosis of tethered cord without exposing neonates to unnecessary examinations.

Diamond surface functionalization with biomimicry – Amine surface tether and thiol moiety for electrochemical sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sund, James B., E-mail: jim@jamessund.com [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Causey, Corey P. [Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Wolter, Scott D. [Department of Physics, Elon University, Elon, NC 27244 (United States); Parker, Charles B., E-mail: charles.parker@duke.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Stoner, Brian R. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Toone, Eric J. [Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Glass, Jeffrey T. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States)

2014-05-01

Highlights: • Diamond surfaces were functionalized with organic molecules using a novel approach. • Used biomimicry to select a molecule to bind NO, similar to the human body. • Molecular orbital theory predicted the molecule-analyte oxidation behavior. • A thiol moiety was attached to an amine surface tether on the diamond surface. • XPS analysis verified each surface functionalization step. - Abstract: The surface of conducting diamond was functionalized with a terminal thiol group that is capable of binding and detecting nitrogen–oxygen species. The functionalization process employed multiple steps starting with doped diamond films grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition followed by hydrogen termination and photochemical attachment of a chemically protected amine alkene. The surface tether was deprotected to reveal the amine functionality, which enabled the tether to be extended with surface chemistry to add a terminal thiol moiety for electrochemical sensing applications. Each step of the process was validated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis.

Diamond surface functionalization with biomimicry – Amine surface tether and thiol moiety for electrochemical sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sund, James B.; Causey, Corey P.; Wolter, Scott D.; Parker, Charles B.; Stoner, Brian R.; Toone, Eric J.; Glass, Jeffrey T.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Diamond surfaces were functionalized with organic molecules using a novel approach. • Used biomimicry to select a molecule to bind NO, similar to the human body. • Molecular orbital theory predicted the molecule-analyte oxidation behavior. • A thiol moiety was attached to an amine surface tether on the diamond surface. • XPS analysis verified each surface functionalization step. - Abstract: The surface of conducting diamond was functionalized with a terminal thiol group that is capable of binding and detecting nitrogen–oxygen species. The functionalization process employed multiple steps starting with doped diamond films grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition followed by hydrogen termination and photochemical attachment of a chemically protected amine alkene. The surface tether was deprotected to reveal the amine functionality, which enabled the tether to be extended with surface chemistry to add a terminal thiol moiety for electrochemical sensing applications. Each step of the process was validated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis

Intermediate Bandgap Solar Cells From Nanostructured Silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Black, Marcie [Bandgap Engineering, Lincoln, MA (United States)

2014-10-30

This project aimed to demonstrate increased electronic coupling in silicon nanostructures relative to bulk silicon for the purpose of making high efficiency intermediate bandgap solar cells using silicon. To this end, we formed nanowires with controlled crystallographic orientation, small diameter, <111> sidewall faceting, and passivated surfaces to modify the electronic band structure in silicon by breaking down the symmetry of the crystal lattice. We grew and tested these silicon nanowires with <110>-growth axes, which is an orientation that should produce the coupling enhancement.

Technical and economical assessment on tethered wind-energy systems (TWES)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furuya, O.; Maekawa, S.

1982-06-01

The objective of the work reported was to establish the potential of tethered wind energy systems for energy conversion in the upper atmosphere. Of the concepts investigated, the Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) lift generation concept had the highest potential as compared to balloon, wind and hybrid concepts.

Diamond surface functionalization with biomimicry - Amine surface tether and thiol moiety for electrochemical sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Sund, James B.; Causey, Corey P.; Wolter, Scott D.; Parker, Charles B.; Stoner, Brian R.; Toone, Eric J.; Glass, Jeffrey T.

2014-05-01

The surface of conducting diamond was functionalized with a terminal thiol group that is capable of binding and detecting nitrogen-oxygen species. The functionalization process employed multiple steps starting with doped diamond films grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition followed by hydrogen termination and photochemical attachment of a chemically protected amine alkene. The surface tether was deprotected to reveal the amine functionality, which enabled the tether to be extended with surface chemistry to add a terminal thiol moiety for electrochemical sensing applications. Each step of the process was validated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis.

Colloidal Engineering for Infrared-Bandgap Solution-Processed Quantum Dot Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kiani, Amirreza

harvesting for the first time. Addition of short bromothiol ligands during the synthesis significantly reduces the agglomeration of 1 eV bandgap CQDs and maintains efficient charge extraction into the selective electrodes. The devices can augment the performance of the best silicon cells by 7 power points where 0.8 additive power points are demonstrated experimentally. A tailored solution exchanged process developed for 1 eV bandgap CQDs results in air-stable IR PV devices with improved manufacturability. The process utilizes a tailored combination of lead iodide (PbI2) and ammonium acetate for the solution exchange and hexylamine + MEK as the final solvent to yield solar thick films with the filtered (1100 nm and beyond) performance of 0.4%. This thesis pushes the limit of CQD device applications to waste heat recovery. I demonstrate successful harvesting of low energy photons emitted from a hot object by designing and developing the first solution-processed thermophotovoltaic devices. These devices are comprised of 0.7 eV bandgap CQDs that successfully harvest photons emitted from an 800°C heat source.

Ultrasonic bandgaps in 3D-printed periodic ceramic microlattices

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kruisová, Alena; Ševčík, Martin; Seiner, Hanuš; Sedlák, Petr; Román-Manso, B.; Miranzo, P.; Belmonte, M.; Landa, Michal

January (2018), s. 91-100 ISSN 0041-624X R&D Projects: GA ČR GA17-01618S Institutional support: RVO:61388998 Keywords : phononic crystals * ceramic s * additive manufacturing * bandgaps * wave propagation * finite elements method Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics OBOR OECD: Applied mechanics Impact factor: 2.327, year: 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ultras.2017.07.017

Phase coupling of a circadian neuropeptide with rest/activity rhythms detected using a membrane-tethered spider toxin.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Wu

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Drosophila clock neurons are self-sustaining cellular oscillators that rely on negative transcriptional feedback to keep circadian time. Proper regulation of organismal rhythms of physiology and behavior requires coordination of the oscillations of individual clock neurons within the circadian control network. Over the last decade, it has become clear that a key mechanism for intercellular communication in the circadian network is signaling between a subset of clock neurons that secrete the neuropeptide pigment dispersing factor (PDF and clock neurons that possess its G protein-coupled receptor (PDFR. Furthermore, the specific hypothesis has been proposed that PDF-secreting clock neurons entrain the phase of organismal rhythms, and the cellular oscillations of other clock neurons, via the temporal patterning of secreted PDF signals. In order to test this hypothesis, we have devised a novel technique for altering the phase relationship between circadian transcriptional feedback oscillation and PDF secretion by using an ion channel-directed spider toxin to modify voltage-gated Na(+ channel inactivation in vivo. This technique relies on the previously reported "tethered-toxin" technology for cell-autonomous modulation of ionic conductances via heterologous expression of subtype-specific peptide ion channel toxins as chimeric fusion proteins tethered to the plasma membrane with a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI anchor. We demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, the utility of the tethered-toxin technology in a transgenic animal, validating four different tethered spider toxin ion channel modifiers for use in Drosophila. Focusing on one of these toxins, we show that GPI-tethered Australian funnel-web spider toxin delta-ACTX-Hv1a inhibits Drosophila para voltage-gated Na(+ channel inactivation when coexpressed in Xenopus oocytes. Transgenic expression of membrane-tethered delta-ACTX-Hv1a in vivo in the PDF-secreting subset of clock neurons

Computer Programs for Calculating and Plotting the Stability Characteristics of a Balloon Tethered in a Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, R. M.; Bland, S. R.; Redd, L. T.

1973-01-01

Computer programs for calculating the stability characteristics of a balloon tethered in a steady wind are presented. Equilibrium conditions, characteristic roots, and modal ratios are calculated for a range of discrete values of velocity for a fixed tether-line length. Separate programs are used: (1) to calculate longitudinal stability characteristics, (2) to calculate lateral stability characteristics, (3) to plot the characteristic roots versus velocity, (4) to plot the characteristic roots in root-locus form, (5) to plot the longitudinal modes of motion, and (6) to plot the lateral modes for motion. The basic equations, program listings, and the input and output data for sample cases are presented, with a brief discussion of the overall operation and limitations. The programs are based on a linearized, stability-derivative type of analysis, including balloon aerodynamics, apparent mass, buoyancy effects, and static forces which result from the tether line.

Use of Tethered Enzymes as a Platform Technology for Rapid Analyte Detection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roy Cohen

Full Text Available Rapid diagnosis for time-sensitive illnesses such as stroke, cardiac arrest, and septic shock is essential for successful treatment. Much attention has therefore focused on new strategies for rapid and objective diagnosis, such as Point-of-Care Tests (PoCT for blood biomarkers. Here we use a biomimicry-based approach to demonstrate a new diagnostic platform, based on enzymes tethered to nanoparticles (NPs. As proof of principle, we use oriented immobilization of pyruvate kinase (PK and luciferase (Luc on silica NPs to achieve rapid and sensitive detection of neuron-specific enolase (NSE, a clinically relevant biomarker for multiple diseases ranging from acute brain injuries to lung cancer. We hypothesize that an approach capitalizing on the speed and catalytic nature of enzymatic reactions would enable fast and sensitive biomarker detection, suitable for PoCT devices.We performed in-vitro, animal model, and human subject studies. First, the efficiency of coupled enzyme activities when tethered to NPs versus when in solution was tested, demonstrating a highly sensitive and rapid detection of physiological and pathological concentrations of NSE. Next, in rat stroke models the enzyme-based assay was able in minutes to show a statistically significant increase in NSE levels in samples taken 1 hour before and 0, 1, 3 and 6 hours after occlusion of the distal middle cerebral artery. Finally, using the tethered enzyme assay for detection of NSE in samples from 20 geriatric human patients, we show that our data match well (r = 0.815 with the current gold standard for biomarker detection, ELISA-with a major difference being that we achieve detection in 10 minutes as opposed to the several hours required for traditional ELISA.Oriented enzyme immobilization conferred more efficient coupled activity, and thus higher assay sensitivity, than non-tethered enzymes. Together, our findings provide proof of concept for using oriented immobilization of active

Spinal column shortening for tethered cord syndrome associated with myelomeningocele, lumbosacral lipoma, and lipomyelomeningocele in children and young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Aldave, Guillermo; Hansen, Daniel; Hwang, Steven W; Moreno, Amee; Briceño, Valentina; Jea, Andrew

2017-06-01

OBJECTIVE Tethered cord syndrome is the clinical manifestation of an abnormal stretch on the spinal cord, presumably causing mechanical injury, a compromised blood supply, and altered spinal cord metabolism. Tethered cord release is the standard treatment for tethered cord syndrome. However, direct untethering of the spinal cord carries potential risks, such as new neurological deficits from spinal cord injury, a CSF leak from opening the dura, and retethering of the spinal cord from normal scar formation after surgery. To avoid these risks, the authors applied spinal column shortening to children and transitional adults with primary and secondary tethered cord syndrome and report treatment outcomes. The authors' aim with this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of spinal column shortening for tethered cord syndrome by analyzing their experience with this surgical technique. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the demographic and procedural data of children and young adults who had undergone spinal column shortening for primary or secondary tethered cord syndrome. RESULTS Seven patients with tethered cord syndrome caused by myelomeningocele, lipomyelomeningocele, and transitional spinal lipoma were treated with spinal column shortening. One patient with less than 24 months of follow-up was excluded from further analysis. There were 3 males and 4 females; the average age at the time was surgery was 16 years (range 8-30 years). Clinical presentations for our patients included pain (in 5 patients), weakness (in 4 patients), and bowel/bladder dysfunction (in 4 patients). Spinal column osteotomy was most commonly performed at the L-1 level, with fusion between T-12 and L-2 using a pedicle screw-rod construct. Pedicle subtraction osteotomy was performed in 6 patients, and vertebral column resection was performed in 1 patient. The average follow-up period was 31 months (range 26-37 months). Computed tomography-based radiographic outcomes showed solid

Endogenous opioids are involved in abnormal stereotyped behaviour of tethered sows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cronin, G.M.; Wiepkema, P.R.; Ree, van J.M.

1985-01-01

Tethered sows continuously performed stereotypies during a substantial part of the day time. A single subcutaneous injection with naloxone significantly decreased the profound stereotypies, while explorative behaviours of pigs were not affected by naloxone. In addition a long-term effect of naloxone

Endogenous opioids are involved in abnormal stereotyped behaviours of tethered sows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cronin, G.M.; Wiepkema, P.R.; Ree, J.M. van

1985-01-01

Tethered sows continuously performed stereotypies during a substantial part of the day time. A single subcutaneous injection with naloxone significantly decreased the profound stereotypies, while explorative behaviours of pigs were not affected by naloxone. In addition a long-term effect of naloxone

TETHERED BALLOON MEASUREMENTS OF BIOGENIC VOCS IN THE ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER

Science.gov (United States)

Measurements of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) have been made on a tethered balloon platform in eleven field deployments between 1985 and 1996. A series of balloon sampling packages have been developed for these campaigns and they have been used to describe boundary ...

In vivo imaging of the morphology and changes in pH along the gastrointestinal tract of Japanese medaka by photonic band-gap hydrogel microspheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Xuemin; Lei, Ngai-Yu; Hu, Peng; Lei, Zhang; Ong, Daniel Hock-Chun; Ge, Xuewu; Zhang, Zhicheng; Lam, Michael Hon-Wah

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Fabrication of pH-responsive photonic colloidal crystalline microspheres. •Specific photonic band-gap responses occurred in the pH range of 4–5. •Remarkably low in vivo toxicity to Japanese medaka (Oryzia latipes). •In vivo imaging of the morphology and pH along GI tract of Japanese medaka. •Demonstrates bio-imaging potentials of stimuli-responsive photonic materials. -- Abstract: Colloidal crystalline microspheres with photonic band-gap properties responsive to media pH have been developed for in vivo imaging purposes. These colloidal crystalline microspheres were constructed from monodispersed core–shell nano-size particles with poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) (PS-co-PAA) cores and poly(acrylic acid-co-N-isopropylacrylamide) (PAA-co-PNIPAM) hydrogel shells cross-linked by N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide. A significant shift in the photonic band-gap properties of these colloidal crystalline microspheres was observed in the pH range of 4–5. This was caused by the discontinuous volume phase transition of the hydrogel coating, due to the protonation/deprotonation of its acrylic acid moieties, on the core–shell nano-sized particles within the microspheres. The in vivo imaging capability of these pH-responsive photonic microspheres was demonstrated on a test organism – Japanese medaka, Oryzia latipes – in which the morphology and change in pH along their gastrointestinal (GI) tracts were revealed under an ordinary optical microscope. This work illustrates the potential of stimuli-responsive photonic band-gap materials in tissue-/organ-level in vivo bio-imaging

Defects induced luminescence and tuning of bandgap energy narrowing in ZnO nanoparticles doped with Li ions

KAUST Repository

Awan, Saif Ullah; Hasanain, S. K.; Hassnain Jaffari, G.; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Qurashi, Umar S.

2014-01-01

Microstructural and optical properties of Zn1-yLiyO (0.00 ≤y ≤0.10) nanoparticles are investigated. Li incorporation leads to substantial changes in the structural characterization. From micro-structural analysis, no secondary phases or clustering of Li was detected. Elemental maps confirmed homogeneous distribution of Li in ZnO. Sharp UV peak due to the recombination of free exciton and defects based luminescence broad visible band was observed. The transition from the conduction band to Zinc vacancy defect level in photoluminescence spectra is found at 518±2.5nm. The yellow luminescence was observed and attributed to Li related defects in doped samples. With increasing Li doping, a decrease in energy bandgap was observed in the range 3.26±0.014 to 3.17±0.018eV. The bandgap narrowing behavior is explained in terms of the band tailing effect due to structural disorder, carrier-impurities, carrier-carrier, and carrier-phonon interactions. Tuning of the bandgap energy in this class of wide bandgap semiconductor is very important for room temperature spintronics applications and optical devices. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Defects induced luminescence and tuning of bandgap energy narrowing in ZnO nanoparticles doped with Li ions

KAUST Repository

Awan, Saif Ullah

2014-08-28

Microstructural and optical properties of Zn1-yLiyO (0.00 ≤y ≤0.10) nanoparticles are investigated. Li incorporation leads to substantial changes in the structural characterization. From micro-structural analysis, no secondary phases or clustering of Li was detected. Elemental maps confirmed homogeneous distribution of Li in ZnO. Sharp UV peak due to the recombination of free exciton and defects based luminescence broad visible band was observed. The transition from the conduction band to Zinc vacancy defect level in photoluminescence spectra is found at 518±2.5nm. The yellow luminescence was observed and attributed to Li related defects in doped samples. With increasing Li doping, a decrease in energy bandgap was observed in the range 3.26±0.014 to 3.17±0.018eV. The bandgap narrowing behavior is explained in terms of the band tailing effect due to structural disorder, carrier-impurities, carrier-carrier, and carrier-phonon interactions. Tuning of the bandgap energy in this class of wide bandgap semiconductor is very important for room temperature spintronics applications and optical devices. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Self-stabilization of a mode-locked femtosecond fiber laser using a photonic bandgap fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Xiaomin; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Turchinovich, Dmitry

2010-01-01

We demonstrate a self-stabilization mechanism of a semiconductor saturable absorber mode-locked linearcavity Yb-doped fiber laser using an intracavity photonic bandgap fiber. This mechanism relies on the spectral shift of the laser pulses to a spectral range of higher anomalous dispersion...... and higher loss of the photonic bandgap fiber, as a reaction to the intracavity power buildup. This, in particular, results in a smaller cavity loss for the stably mode-locked laser, as opposed to the Q-switched mode-locking scenario. The laser provides stable 39–49 pJ pulses of around 230 fs duration at 29...

Analytical investigation of the dynamics of tethered constellations in Earth orbit, phase 2

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzini, E. C.; Arnold, D. A.; Cosmo, M.; Grossi, M. D.

1986-10-01

The following topics related to the dynamics of the 4-mass tethered system are addressed: (1) the development of damping algorithms for damping the out-of-plane libration of the system and the interaction of the out-of-plane control with the other degrees of freedom; and (2) the development of environmental models to be added to the dynamics simulation computer code. The environmental models are specifically a new drag routine based on the Jacchia's 1977 model, a J(2) model and an accurate thermal model of the wire. Regarding topic (1) a survey of various out-of-plane libration control laws was carried out. Consequently a yo-yo control law with amplitude of the tether length variation proportional to the amplitude of the out-of-game libration has been selected. This control law provides good damping when applied to a (theoretical) two-dimensional system. In the actual 3-dimensional 4-mass tethered system, however, energy is transferred to the least damped degrees of freedom (the out-of-plane lateral deflections are still undamped in the present simulations) in such a way as to decrease the effectiveness of the algorithm for out-of-plane libration control. The addition of damping algorithms for the out-of-plane lateral deflections is therefore necessary.

Wide bandgap, strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions on InP substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumb, M. P.; Yakes, M. K.; Schmieder, K. J.; Affouda, C. A.; Walters, R. J.; González, M.; Bennett, M. F.; Herrera, M.; Delgado, F. J.; Molina, S. I.

2016-01-01

In this work, the electrical performance of strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions with varying designs is presented. Strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions comprising compressively strained InAlAs wells and tensile-strained InAlAs barriers were grown on InP substrates using solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. The use of InAlAs enables InP-based tunnel junction devices to be produced using wide bandgap layers, enabling high electrical performance with low absorption. The impact of well and barrier thickness on the electrical performance was investigated, in addition to the impact of Si and Be doping concentration. Finally, the impact of an InGaAs quantum well at the junction interface is presented, enabling a peak tunnel current density of 47.6 A/cm 2 to be realized.

Wide bandgap Mg-doped ZnAlO thin films for optoelectronic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, R.K.; Ghosh, K.; Patel, R.; Kahol, P.K.

2009-01-01

Magnesium-doped ZnAlO thin films were grown on quartz substrate by ablating the sintered target with a KrF excimer laser. The effect of growth temperature from 30 deg. C to 700 deg. C on structural, optical, and electrical properties has been studied. These films are highly transparent in visible spectrum with average transmittance of 82%. The films grown at low temperature are amorphous while films grown at high temperature are crystalline in nature. These films are highly oriented along (0 0 2) direction. The electrical conductivity, carrier concentration, and electron mobility is found to increase with increase in temperature and then decreases with further increase in temperature. The bandgap is found to vary from 3.86 eV to 4.00 eV for various films

Wide bandgap, strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions on InP substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lumb, M. P. [The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037 (United States); US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); Yakes, M. K.; Schmieder, K. J.; Affouda, C. A.; Walters, R. J. [US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); González, M.; Bennett, M. F. [Sotera Defense Solutions, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20701 (United States); US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); Herrera, M.; Delgado, F. J.; Molina, S. I. [University of Cádiz, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz (Spain)

2016-05-21

In this work, the electrical performance of strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions with varying designs is presented. Strain-balanced quantum well tunnel junctions comprising compressively strained InAlAs wells and tensile-strained InAlAs barriers were grown on InP substrates using solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. The use of InAlAs enables InP-based tunnel junction devices to be produced using wide bandgap layers, enabling high electrical performance with low absorption. The impact of well and barrier thickness on the electrical performance was investigated, in addition to the impact of Si and Be doping concentration. Finally, the impact of an InGaAs quantum well at the junction interface is presented, enabling a peak tunnel current density of 47.6 A/cm{sup 2} to be realized.

Nanoscale probing of bandgap states on oxide particles using electron energy-loss spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Qianlang [School for the Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, 85287 AZ (United States); March, Katia [Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Bâtiment 510, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Crozier, Peter A., E-mail: CROZIER@asu.edu [School for the Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, 85287 AZ (United States)

2017-07-15

Surface and near-surface electronic states were probed with nanometer spatial resolution in MgO and TiO{sub 2} anatase nanoparticles using ultra-high energy resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) coupled to a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). This combination allows the surface electronic structure determined with spectroscopy to be correlated with nanoparticle size, morphology, facet etc. By acquiring the spectra in aloof beam mode, radiation damage to the surface can be significantly reduced while maintaining the nanometer spatial resolution. MgO and TiO{sub 2} showed very different bandgap features associated with the surface/sub-surface layer of the nanoparticles. Spectral simulations based on dielectric theory and density of states models showed that a plateau feature found in the pre-bandgap region in the spectra from (100) surfaces of 60 nm MgO nanocubes is consistent with a thin hydroxide surface layer. The spectroscopy shows that this hydroxide species gives rise to a broad filled surface state at 1.1 eV above the MgO valence band. At the surfaces of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles, pronounced peaks were observed in the bandgap region, which could not be well fitted to defect states. In this case, the high refractive index and large particle size may make Cherenkov or guided light modes the likely causes of the peaks. - Highlights: • Bandgap states detected with aloof beam monochromated EELS on oxide nanoparticle surfaces. • Dielectric theory applied to simulate the spectra and interpret surface structure. • Density of states models also be employed to understand the surface electronic structure. • In MgO, one states associate with water species was found close to the valence band edge. • In anatase, two mid-gap states associated with point defects were found.

Compact, planar, translational piezoelectric bimorph actuator with Archimedes’ spiral actuating tethers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Chenye; Liu, Sanwei; Livermore, Carol; Xie, Xin

2016-01-01

The design, analytical modelling, finite element analysis (FEA), and experimental characterization of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) out-of-plane (vertical) translational piezoelectric lead–zirconate–titanate (PZT) bimorph actuator supported on Archimedes’ spiral tethers are presented. Three types of bimorph actuators with different electrode patterns (with spiral tethers half actuated, fully actuated with uniform polarity, or fully actuated with reversed polarity) are designed and modelled. The two actuators with the highest predicted performance (half actuated and fully actuated with uniform polarity) are implemented and characterized. Both designs are fabricated by commercial processes and are compatible with integration into more complex MEMS systems. Analytical modelling and FEA are used to analyze and predict the actuators’ displacements and blocking forces. Experimental measurements of the deflections and blocking forces of actuators with full uniform actuation and half actuation validate the design. At an applied voltage of 110 V, the out-of-plane deflections of the actuators with half actuation and full uniform actuation are measured at about 17 µ m and 29 µ m respectively, in good agreement with analytical predictions of 17.3 µ m and 34.2 µ m and FEA predictions of 17.1 µ m and 25.8 µ m. The blocking force for devices with half-actuated tethers is predicted to be 12 mN (analytical) and 10 mN (FEA), close to the experimental value of 9 mN. The blocking force for devices with full uniform actuation is predicted to be 23 mN (analytical) and 17 mN (FEA), as compared with 15 mN in experiments. (paper)

Probing defect states in polycrystalline GaN grown on Si(111) by sub-bandgap laser-excited scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Hsiao, F.-M.; Schnedler, M.; Portz, V.; Huang, Y.-C.; Huang, B.-C.; Shih, M.-C.; Chang, C.-W.; Tu, L.-W.; Eisele, H.; Dunin-Borkowski, R. E.; Ebert, Ph.; Chiu, Y.-P.

2017-01-01

We demonstrate the potential of sub-bandgap laser-excited cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to investigate the presence of defect states in semiconductors. The characterization method is illustrated on GaN layers grown on Si(111) substrates without intentional buffer layers. According to high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, the GaN layers consist of nanoscale wurtzite and zincblende crystallites with varying crystal orientations and hence contain high defect state densities. In order to discriminate between band-to-band excitation and defect state excitations, we use sub-bandgap laser excitation. We probe a clear increase in the tunnel current at positive sample voltages during sub-bandgap laser illumination for the GaN layer with high defect density, but no effect is found for high quality GaN epitaxial layers. This demonstrates the excitation of free charge carriers at defect states. Thus, sub-bandgap laser-excited scanning tunneling spectroscopy is a powerful complimentary characterization tool for defect states.

Wild Band Edges: The Role of Bandgap Grading and Band-Edge Fluctuations in High-Efficiency Chalcogenide Devices: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Repins, Ingrid; Mansfield, Lorelle; Kanevce, Ana; Jensen, Soren A.; Kuciauskas, Darius; Glynn, Stephen; Barnes, Teresa; Metzger, Wyatt; Burst, James; Jiang, Chun-Sheng; Dippo, Patricia; Harvey, Steve; Teeter, Glenn; Perkins, Craig; Egaas, Brian; Zakutayev, Andriy; Alsmeier, J.-H.; Lussky, T.; Korte, L.; Wilks, R. G.; Bar, M.; Yan, Y.; Lany, Stephan; Zawadzki, Pawel; Park, Ji-Sang; Wei, Suhuai

2016-06-16

Band-edge effects -- including grading, electrostatic fluctuations, bandgap fluctuations, and band tails -- affect chalcogenide device efficiency. These effects now require more careful consideration as efficiencies increase beyond 20%. Several aspects of the relationships between band-edge phenomena and device performance for NREL absorbers are examined. For Cu(In,Ga)Se2 devices, recent increases in diffusion length imply changes to optimum bandgap profile. The origin, impact, and modification of electrostatic and bandgap fluctuations are also discussed. The application of the same principles to devices based on CdTe, kesterites, and emerging absorbers (Cu2SnS3, CuSbS2), considering differences in materials properties and defect formation energies, is examined.

A 98 W 1178 nm Yb-doped solid-core photonic bandgap fiber oscillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Xinyan; Chen, Mingchen; Shirakawa, Akira; Ueda, Ken-ichi; Olausson, Christina B; Broeng, Jes

2013-01-01

A high-power ytterbium-doped solid-core photonic bandgap fiber laser directly oscillating at 1178 nm is reported. The sharp-cut bandpass distributed filtering effect of photonic bandgap fiber can suppress amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in the conventional high-gain spectral region. The oscillator is composed of a high reflection fiber Bragg grating spliced with a 39 m gain fiber and a Fresnel fiber end surface. A model based on rate equations is investigated numerically. A record output power of 98 W is achieved with a slope efficiency of 54%. The laser linewidth is 0.5 nm. The spectrum at 98 W indicates that ASE and parasitic lasing are suppressed effectively. (letter)

Broadband optically controlled switching effect in a microfluid-filled photonic bandgap fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Junqi; Liu, Yan-ge; Wang, Zhi; Luo, Mingming; Huang, Wei; Liu, Xiaoqi; Han, Tingting

2016-01-01

Broadband optically controlled switching in a microfluid-filled photonic bandgap fiber (MF-PBGF) was observed and investigated. The MF-PBGF was formed by infusing a temperature-sensitive high-index fluid into all of the cladding holes of a microstructured optical fiber (MOF). The fiber was then side pumped with a 532 nm continuous wave laser. An extinction ratio of greater than 20 dB at most of the bandgap wavelengths (more than 200 nm) was obtained with a switching power of ∼147 mW. Theoretical and experimental investigations revealed that the effect originated from changes in the temperature gradient induced by heat absorption of the fiber coating with laser illumination. These investigations offer a new and simple approach to achieve wideband and flexible all-optical fiber switching devices without using any photosensitive materials. (paper)

The secret life of tethers: the role of tethering factors in SNARE complex regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle L Dubuke

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Trafficking in eukaryotic cells is a tightly regulated process to ensure correct cargo delivery to the proper destination organelle or plasma membrane. In this review, we focus on how the vesicle fusion machinery, the SNARE complex, is regulated by the interplay of the multisubunit tethering complexes (MTC with the SNAREs and Sec1/Munc18 (SM proteins. Although these factors are used in different stages of membrane trafficking, e.g. Golgi to plasma membrane transport vs vacuolar fusion, and in a variety of diverse eukaryotic cell types, many commonalities between their functions are being revealed. We explore the various protein-protein interactions and findings from functional reconstitution studies in order to highlight both their common features and the differences in their modes of regulation. These studies serve as a starting point for mechanistic explorations in other systems.

Tethered Lubricants for Small Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lynden A. Archer

2006-01-09

The objective of this research project is two-fold. First, to fundamentally understand friction and relaxation dynamics of polymer chains near surfaces; and second, to develop novel self-lubricated substrates suitable for MEMS devices. During the three-year performance period of this study the PI and his students have shown using theory and experiments that systematic introduction of disorder into tethered lubricant coatings (e.g. by using self-assembled monolayer (SAM) mixtures or SAMs with nonlinear, branched architectures) can be used to significantly reduce the friction coefficient of a surface. They have also developed a simple procedure based on dielectric spectroscopy for quantifying the effect of surface disorder on molecular relaxation in lubricant coatings. Details of research accomplishments in each area of the project are described in the body of the report.

Theseus: tethered distributed robotics (TDR)

Science.gov (United States)

Digney, Bruce L.; Penzes, Steven G.

2003-09-01

The Defence Research and Development Canada's (DRDC) Autonomous Intelligent System's program conducts research to increase the independence and effectiveness of military vehicles and systems. DRDC-Suffield's Autonomous Land Systems (ALS) is creating new concept vehicles and autonomous control systems for use in outdoor areas, urban streets, urban interiors and urban subspaces. This paper will first give an overview of the ALS program and then give a specific description of the work being done for mobility in urban subspaces. Discussed will be the Theseus: Thethered Distributed Robotics (TDR) system, which will not only manage an unavoidable tether but exploit it for mobility and navigation. Also discussed will be the prototype robot called the Hedgehog, which uses conformal 3D mobility in ducts, sewer pipes, collapsed rubble voids and chimneys.

Vertical distribution of hydrocarbons in the low troposphere below and above the mixing height: Tethered balloon measurements in Milan, Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sangiorgi, G.; Ferrero, L.; Perrone, M.G.; Bolzacchini, E.; Duane, M.; Larsen, B.R.

2011-01-01

A novel approach for measuring vertical profiles of HCs and particle number concentrations was described and applied in the low troposphere over Milan (Italy) during typical spring and summer days. Particle profiles yielded nearly homogeneous concentrations below the mixing height, with level-to-ground concentration ratios of 92-97%, while HCs showed a more pronounced decrease (74-95%). Vertical mixing and photochemical loss of HCs were demonstrated to cause these gradients. Much lower concentrations were observed for the profiles above the mixing height, where the HC mixtures showed also a different composition, which was partially explained by the horizontal advection of air with HC sources different to those prevailing at the site. The application of pseudo-first order kinetics for reactions between HCs and the hydroxyl radical allowed for the estimation of the vertical mixing time scale in the order of 100 ± 20 min. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: → Experimental vertical profiles of HCs and particle concentration by tethered balloon. → Effect of mixing height on the vertical distribution of HCs and particles. → Effect of tropospheric reactivity on vertical profiles of HCs. → Pseudo-first order kinetic reaction of HCs in convective systems. - Vertical transport and photochemical loss of HCs below and above the mixing height were studied by means of a novel and simple approach.

Cholesterol tethered bioresponsive polycation as a candidate for gene delivery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu Ying [Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009 (China); Wang Youxiang, E-mail: yx_wang@zju.edu.cn [Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Hu Qiaoling; Shen Jiacong [Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China)

2009-04-30

The efficient unpacking of viral protein shell gave the inspiration for the synthesized vectors. In this research, novel cholesterol tethered bioresponsive polyethylenimine (PEI) was specially designed via disulfide-containing cross-linker. The cholesterol lipid had proved to increase the permeability of gene vector through cell membrane. The acid-base titration indicated that the synthesized polycation possessed efficient proton sponge effect, which was suggested to increase endosomal release of pDNA complexes into the cytoplasm. The cholesterol tethered polycation could effectively induce DNA condensation and form spherical particles with diameter about 200 nm at N/P ratio of 10. At glutathione concentration of 3 mM, the polyplexes were unpacked due to the bioresponsive cleavage of the disulfide bonds. The in-vitro experiment indicated that the polyplexes showed efficient transfection efficiency to HEK293T cells. All the results indicated that the bioresponsive polycation could be served as an effective trigger to control the release of DNA at the intracellular environment. The novel bioresponsive polycation might have great potential in non-viral gene delivery research and application.

Physical ageing in the above-bandgap photoexposured glassy arsenic selenides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kozdras, A [Faculty of Physics of Opole University of Technology, 75, Ozimska str., Opole, PL-45370 (Poland); Golovchak, R [Lviv Scientific Research Institute of Materials of SRC ' Carat' , 202, Stryjska str., Lviv, UA-79031 (Ukraine); Shpotyuk, O [Lviv Scientific Research Institute of Materials of SRC ' Carat' , 202, Stryjska str., Lviv, UA-79031 (Ukraine)

2007-08-15

Physical ageing induced by above-bandgap light illumination is studied in glassy As-Se using differential scanning calorimetry. It is shown that measurable effect like to known short-term physical ageing is observed only in Se-rich glasses. The kinetics of this effect is compared with that caused by natural storage in a dark.

Physical ageing in the above-bandgap photoexposured glassy arsenic selenides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kozdras, A; Golovchak, R; Shpotyuk, O

2007-01-01

Physical ageing induced by above-bandgap light illumination is studied in glassy As-Se using differential scanning calorimetry. It is shown that measurable effect like to known short-term physical ageing is observed only in Se-rich glasses. The kinetics of this effect is compared with that caused by natural storage in a dark

Copper-organic/octamolybdates: structures, bandgap sizes, and photocatalytic activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Lan; Lin, Haisheng; Li, Le; Smirnova, Tatyana I; Maggard, Paul A

2014-04-07

The structures, optical bandgap sizes, and photocatalytic activities are described for three copper-octamolybdate hybrid solids prepared using hydrothermal methods, [Cu(pda)]4[β-Mo8O26] (I; pda = pyridazine), [Cu(en)2]2[γ-Mo8O26] (II; en = ethylenediamine), and [Cu(o-phen)2]2[α-Mo8O26] (III; o-phen = o-phenanthroline). The structure of I consists of a [Cu(pda)]4(4+) tetramer that bridges to neighboring [β-Mo8O26](4-) octamolybdate clusters to form two-dimensional layers that stack along the a axis. The previously reported structures of II and III are constructed from [Cu2(en)4Mo8O26] and [Cu2(o-phen)4Mo8O26] clusters. The optical bandgap sizes were measured by UV-vis diffuse reflectance techniques to be ∼1.8 eV for I, ∼3.1 eV for II, and ∼3.0 eV for III. Electronic structure calculations show that the smaller bandgap size of I originates primarily from an electronic transition between the valence and conduction band edges comprised of filled 3d(10) orbitals on Cu(I) and empty 4d(0) orbitals on Mo(VI). Both II and III contain Cu(II) and exhibit larger bandgap sizes. Accordingly, aqueous suspensions of I exhibit visible-light photocatalytic activity for the production of oxygen at a rate of ∼90 μmol O2 g(-1) h(-1) (10 mg samples; radiant power density of ∼1 W/cm(2)) and a turnover frequency per calculated surface [Mo8O26](4-) cluster of ∼36 h(-1). Under combined ultraviolet and visible-light irradiation, I also exhibits photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production in 20% aqueous methanol of ∼316 μmol H2 g(-1) h(-1). By contrast, II decomposed during the photocatalysis measurements. The molecular [Cu2(o-phen)4(α-Mo8O26)] clusters of III dissolve into the aqueous methanol solution under ultraviolet irradiation and exhibit homogeneous photocatalytic rates for hydrogen production of up to ∼8670 μmol H2·g(-1) h(-1) and a turnover frequency of 17 h(-1). The clusters of III can be precipitated out by evaporation and redispersed into solution with

Using cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-c']dithiophene-4-one as a building block for low-bandgap conjugated copolymers applied in solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wei; Cao, Jiamin; Liu, Ying; Xiao, Zuo; Zhu, Weiguo; Zuo, Qiqun; Ding, Liming

2012-09-26

A novel electron-accepting unit cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-c']dithiophene-4-one (CPDTO-c'), which is an isomer of CPDTO-b' was developed. CPDTO-c' can be incorporated into the D-A backbone through 5, 7 positions. The 2 position of CPDTO-c' can be easily functionalized with an electron-withdrawing chain. By copolymerizing CPDTO-c' with four different donor units: benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT), dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]silole (DTS), carbazole, and fluorene, four new conjugated copolymers P1-P4 were obtained. All these polymers have good solubility and low-lying HOMO energy levels (-5.41 ∼ -5.92 eV). Among them, P1 and P2 exhibit broad absorption and narrow optical bandgaps of 1.91 and 1.72 eV, respectively. Solar cells based on P1/PC(71) BM afforded a PCE up to 2.72% and a high V(oc) up to ∼0.9 V. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of mass variation on dynamics of tethered system in orbital maneuvering

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Liang; Zhao, Guowei; Huang, Hai

2018-05-01

In orbital maneuvering, the mass variation due to fuel consumption has an obvious impact on the dynamics of tethered system, which cannot be neglected. The contributions of the work are mainly shown in two aspects: 1) the improvement of the model; 2) the analysis of dynamics characteristics. As the mass is variable, and the derivative of the mass is directly considered in the traditional Lagrange equation, the expression of generalized force is complicated. To solve this problem, the coagulated derivative is adopted in the paper; besides, the attitude dynamics equations derived in this paper take into account the effect of mass variation and the drift of orbital trajectory at the same time. The bifurcation phenomenon, the pendular motion angular frequency, and amplitudes of tether vibration revealed in this paper can provide a reference for the parameters and controller design in practical engineering. In the article, a dumbbell model is adopted to analyze the dynamics of tethered system, in which the mass variation of base satellite is fully considered. Considering the practical application, the case of orbital transfer under a transversal thrust is mainly studied. Besides, compared with the analytical solutions of librational angles, the effects of mass variation on stability and librational characteristic are studied. Finally, in order to make an analysis of the effect on vibrational characteristic, a lumped model is introduced, which reveals a strong coupling of librational and vibrational characteristics.

Rationally Controlled Synthesis of CdSexTe1-x Alloy Nanocrystals and Their Application in Efficient Graded Bandgap Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Shiya; Li, Miaozi; Yang, Junyu; Mei, Xianglin; Wu, Bin; Liu, Xiaolin; Heng, Jingxuan; Qin, Donghuan; Hou, Lintao; Xu, Wei; Wang, Dan

2017-11-08

CdSe x Te 1-x semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs), being rod-shaped/irregular dot-shaped in morphology, have been fabricated via a simple hot-injection method. The NCs composition is well controlled through varying molar ratios of Se to Te precursors. Through changing the composition of the CdSe x Te 1-x NCs, the spectral absorption of the NC thin film between 570-800 nm is proved to be tunable. It is shown that the bandgap of homogeneously alloyed CdSe x Te 1-x active thin film is nonlinearly correlated with the different compositions, which is perceived as optical bowing. The solar cell devices based on CdSe x Te 1-x NCs with the structure of ITO/ZnO/CdSe/CdSe x Te 1-x /MoO x /Au and the graded bandgap ITO/ZnO/CdSe( w / o )/CdSe x Te 1-x /CdTe/MoO x /Au are systematically evaluated. It was found that the performance of solar cells degrades almost linearly with the increase of alloy NC film thickness with respect to ITO/ZnO/CdSe/CdSe 0.2 Te 0.8 /MoO x /Au. From another perspective, in terms of the graded bandgap structure of ITO/ZnO/CdSe/CdSe x Te 1-x /CdTe/MoO x /Au, the performance is improved in contrast with its single-junction analogues. The graded bandgap structure is proved to be efficient when absorbing spectrum and the solar cells fabricated under the structure of ITO/ZnO/CdSe 0.8 Te 0.2 /CdSe 0.2 Te 0.8 /CdTe/MoO x /Au indicate power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.37%, a value among the highest for solution-processed inversely-structured CdSe x Te 1-x NC solar cells. As the NC solar cells are solution-processed under environmental conditions, they are promising for fabricating solar cells at low cost, roll by roll and in large area.

Calculating the electromagnetic field on the earth due to an electrodynamic tethered system in the ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Estes, Robert D.

1989-01-01

A method is presented for calculating the electromagnetic wave field on the earth's surface associated with the operation of an electrodynamic tethered satellite system of constant or slowly varying current in the upper ionosphere. The wave field at the ionospheric boundary and on the earth's surface is obtained by numerical integration. The results suggest that the ionospheric waves do not propagate into the atmosphere and that the image of the Alfven wings from a steady-current tether should be greatly broadened on the earth's surface.

Quantum state propagation in linear photonic bandgap structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Severini, S; Tricca, D; Sibilia, C; Bertolotti, M; Perina, Jan

2004-01-01

In this paper we investigate the propagation of a generic quantum state in a corrugated waveguide, which reproduces a photonic bandgap structure. We find the conditions that assure the outcoming state to preserve the quantum properties of the incoming state. Then, focusing on a particular quantum state (realized by two counter-propagating coherent states), we study the possibility of preserving the quantum properties of this particular double coherent state even in the presence of absorption phenomena during propagation in the structure

Elasticity of Hard-Spheres-And-Tether Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farago, O.; Kantor, Y.

1999-01-01

Physical properties of a large class of systems ranging from noble gases to polymers and rubber are primarily determined by entropy, while the internal energy plays a minor role. Such systems can be conveniently modeled and numerically studied using ''hard' (i.e., ''infinity-or-zero'') potentials, such as hard sphere repulsive interactions, or inextensible (''tether'') bonds which limit the distance between the bonded monomers, but have zero energy at all permitted distances. The knowledge of elastic constants is very important for understanding the behavior of entropy-dominated systems. Computational methods for determination of the elastic constants in such systems are broadly classified into ''strain'' methods and (fluctuation methods. In the former, the elastic constants are extracted from stress-strain relations, while in the latter they are determined from measurements of stress fluctuations. The fluctuation technique usually enables more accurate and well-controlled determination of the elastic constants since in this method the elastic constants are computed directly from simulations of the un strained system with no need to deform the simulation cell and perform numerical differentiations. For central forces systems, the original ''fluctuation'' formalism can be applied provided the pair potential is twice differentiable. We have extended this formalism to apply to hard-spheres-and-tether models in which this requirement is not fulfilled. We found that for such models the components of the tensor of elastic constants can be related to (two-, three- and four-point) probability densities of contacts between hard spheres and stretched bonds. We have tested our formalism on simple (phantom networks and three-dimensional hard spheres systems

Modification of structure and optical band-gap of nc-Si:H films with ion irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yabin; Wang Zhiguang; Sun Jianrong; Yao Cunfeng; Shen Tielong; Li Bingsheng; Wei Kongfang; Pang Lilong; Sheng Yanbin; Cui Minghuan; Li Yuanfei; Wang Ji; Zhu Huiping

2012-01-01

Hydrogenated nano-crystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) films fabricated by using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition are irradiated at room temperature with 6.0 MeV Xe-ions. The irradiation fluences are 1.0 × 10 13 , 5.0 × 10 13 and 1.0 × 10 14 Xe-ions/cm 2 . The structure and optical band-gap of the irradiated films varying with ion fluence are investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, Raman and UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopes, as well as transmission electron microscopy. It is found that the crystallite size, the crystalline fraction and the optical band-gap decrease continuously with increasing the ion fluence. The crystalline fraction of the films irradiated to the fluences from 0 to 1.0 × 10 14 Xe-ions/cm 2 decreases from about 65.7% to 2.9% and the optical band-gap decreases from about 2.1 to 1.6 eV. Possible origins of the modification of the nc-Si:H films under 6.0 MeV Xe-ions irradiation are briefly discussed.

II-VI Narrow-Bandgap Semiconductors for Optoelectronics

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Ian

The field of narrow-gap II-VI materials is dominated by the compound semiconductor mercury cadmium telluride, (Hg1-x Cd x Te or MCT), which supports a large industry in infrared detectors, cameras and infrared systems. It is probably true to say that HgCdTe is the third most studied semiconductor after silicon and gallium arsenide. Hg1-x Cd x Te is the material most widely used in high-performance infrared detectors at present. By changing the composition x the spectral response of the detector can be made to cover the range from 1 μm to beyond 17 μm. The advantages of this system arise from a number of features, notably: close lattice matching, high optical absorption coefficient, low carrier generation rate, high electron mobility and readily available doping techniques. These advantages mean that very sensitive infrared detectors can be produced at relatively high operating temperatures. Hg1-x Cd x Te multilayers can be readily grown in vapor-phase epitaxial processes. This provides the device engineer with complex doping and composition profiles that can be used to further enhance the electro-optic performance, leading to low-cost, large-area detectors in the future. The main purpose of this chapter is to describe the applications, device physics and technology of II-VI narrow-bandgap devices, focusing on HgCdTe but also including Hg1-x Mn x Te and Hg1-x Zn x Te. It concludes with a review of the research and development programs into third-generation infrared detector technology (so-called GEN III detectors) being performed in centers around the world.

Fabrication and characterization of an all-solid tellurite-phosphate photonic bandgap fiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Tonglei; Sakai, Yukiko; Suzuki, Takenobu; Ohishi, Yasutake

2015-05-01

We present an all-solid tellurite-phosphate photonic bandgap fiber (PBGF) with two layers of high-index rods (TeO2-Li2O-WO3-MoO3-Nb2O5, TLWMN) in the cladding (TeO2-ZnO-Li2O-K2O-Al2O3-P2O5, TZLKAP). TLWMN and TZLKAP glasses have good compatibility for fabricating the all-solid PBGF. Photonic bandgap (PBG) properties are calculated by the plane wave expansion method (PWM), and the results agree well with the measured transmission spectrum. Furthermore, the modal field patterns are measured at ∼1300 and 1520 nm, respectively. The light is confined to the core at ∼1300  nm and lost in the cladding at ∼1520  nm, which match well with the calculated modal field intensities.

Synthesis and characterization of macromolecular rhodamine tethers and their interactions with P-glycoprotein.

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Lindsey; Putnam, David

2014-08-20

Rhodamine dyes are well-known P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrates that have played an important role in the detection of inhibitors and other substrates of P-gp, as well as in the understanding of P-gp function. Macromolecular conjugates of rhodamines could prove useful as tethers for further probing of P-gp structure and function. Two macromolecular derivatives of rhodamine, methoxypolyethylene glycol-rhodamine6G and methoxypolyethylene glycol-rhodamine123, were synthesized through the 2'-position of rhodamine6G and rhodamine123, thoroughly characterized, and then evaluated by inhibition with verapamil for their ability to interact with P-gp and to act as efflux substrates. To put the results into context, the P-gp interactions of the new conjugates were compared to the commercially available methoxypolyethylene glycol-rhodamineB. FACS analysis confirmed that macromolecular tethers of rhodamine6G, rhodamine123, and rhodamineB were accumulated in P-gp expressing cells 5.2 ± 0.3%, 26.2 ± 4%, and 64.2 ± 6%, respectively, compared to a sensitive cell line that does not overexpress P-gp. Along with confocal imaging, the efflux analysis confirmed that the macromolecular rhodamine tethers remain P-gp substrates. These results open potential avenues for new ways to probe the function of P-gp both in vitro and in vivo.

Self-consistent field theory of tethered polymers: one dimensional, three dimensional, strong stretching theories and the effects of excluded-volume-only interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Suo, Tongchuan; Whitmore, Mark D

2014-11-28

We examine end-tethered polymers in good solvents, using one- and three-dimensional self-consistent field theory, and strong stretching theories. We also discuss different tethering scenarios, namely, mobile tethers, fixed but random ones, and fixed but ordered ones, and the effects and important limitations of including only binary interactions (excluded volume terms). We find that there is a "mushroom" regime in which the layer thickness is independent of the tethering density, σ, for systems with ordered tethers, but we argue that there is no such plateau for mobile or disordered anchors, nor is there one in the 1D theory. In the other limit of brushes, all approaches predict that the layer thickness scales linearly with N. However, the σ(1/3) scaling is a result of keeping only excluded volume interactions: when the full potential is included, the dependence is faster and more complicated than σ(1/3). In fact, there does not appear to be any regime in which the layer thickness scales in the combination Nσ(1/3). We also compare the results for two different solvents with each other, and with earlier Θ solvent results.

Self-consistent field theory of tethered polymers: One dimensional, three dimensional, strong stretching theories and the effects of excluded-volume-only interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suo, Tongchuan; Whitmore, Mark D.

2014-01-01

We examine end-tethered polymers in good solvents, using one- and three-dimensional self-consistent field theory, and strong stretching theories. We also discuss different tethering scenarios, namely, mobile tethers, fixed but random ones, and fixed but ordered ones, and the effects and important limitations of including only binary interactions (excluded volume terms). We find that there is a “mushroom” regime in which the layer thickness is independent of the tethering density, σ, for systems with ordered tethers, but we argue that there is no such plateau for mobile or disordered anchors, nor is there one in the 1D theory. In the other limit of brushes, all approaches predict that the layer thickness scales linearly with N. However, the σ 1/3 scaling is a result of keeping only excluded volume interactions: when the full potential is included, the dependence is faster and more complicated than σ 1/3 . In fact, there does not appear to be any regime in which the layer thickness scales in the combination Nσ 1/3 . We also compare the results for two different solvents with each other, and with earlier Θ solvent results

Cholesterol-Induced Buckling in Physisorbed Polymer-Tethered Lipid Monolayers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph A. Naumann

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The influence of cholesterol concentration on the formation of buckling structures is studied in a physisorbed polymer-tethered lipid monolayer system using epifluorescence microscopy (EPI and atomic force microscopy (AFM. The monolayer system, built using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB technique, consists of 3 mol % poly(ethylene glycol (PEG lipopolymers and various concentrations of the phospholipid, 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (SOPC, and cholesterol (CHOL. In the absence of CHOL, AFM micrographs show only occasional buckling structures, which is caused by the presence of the lipopolymers in the monolayer. In contrast, a gradual increase of CHOL concentration in the range of 0–40 mol % leads to fascinating film stress relaxation phenomena in the form of enhanced membrane buckling. Buckling structures are moderately deficient in CHOL, but do not cause any notable phospholipid-lipopolymer phase separation. Our experiments demonstrate that membrane buckling in physisorbed polymer-tethered membranes can be controlled through CHOL-mediated adjustment of membrane elastic properties. They further show that CHOL may have a notable impact on molecular confinement in the presence of crowding agents, such as lipopolymers. Our results are significant, because they offer an intriguing prospective on the role of CHOL on the material properties in complex membrane architecture.

Photonic bandgap structure of 3-D fcc silica nanospheres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woo, Y. K.; Ha, N. Y.; Hwang, Ji Soo; Chang, H. J.; Wu, J. W. [Dept. of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2002-07-01

Photonic crystal is an artificial optical material with a periodic dielectric potential, hence exhibiting a bandgap for a propagating electromagnetic wave. We fabricated crystal possessing 3-D fcc opal structure from silica nanospheres. The crystals are self-assembled on a flat glass by evaporating the solvent in the nanosphere suspension at the room temperature. The suspension consists of silica nanospheres with a diameter of 200 nm. The microscopic arrangement of nanospheres is identified by a scanning electron microscope, the resulting structure being fcc.Transmission spectrum of the fabricated photonic crystal in the visible and near-infrared regions is measured at different incident angles to find the distinct Bragg peaks, analysis of which further confirmed the fcc structure of the photonic crystal. From the optical microscopic image, we find that the opal domain varies from 30 μm to 125 μm in size. In order to relate the observed Bragg peaks with the microscopic arrangement of silica nanospheres, we introduced the scalar wave approximation, where the electric field in the medium is treated as a scalar rather than a vector quantity. It is found that the theoretical prediction of the position of bandgap is in a good agreement with the experimental measurement.

Photonic bandgap structure of 3-D fcc silica nanospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woo, Y. K.; Ha, N. Y.; Hwang, Ji Soo; Chang, H. J.; Wu, J. W.

2002-01-01

Photonic crystal is an artificial optical material with a periodic dielectric potential, hence exhibiting a bandgap for a propagating electromagnetic wave. We fabricated crystal possessing 3-D fcc opal structure from silica nanospheres. The crystals are self-assembled on a flat glass by evaporating the solvent in the nanosphere suspension at the room temperature. The suspension consists of silica nanospheres with a diameter of 200 nm. The microscopic arrangement of nanospheres is identified by a scanning electron microscope, the resulting structure being fcc.Transmission spectrum of the fabricated photonic crystal in the visible and near-infrared regions is measured at different incident angles to find the distinct Bragg peaks, analysis of which further confirmed the fcc structure of the photonic crystal. From the optical microscopic image, we find that the opal domain varies from 30 μm to 125 μm in size. In order to relate the observed Bragg peaks with the microscopic arrangement of silica nanospheres, we introduced the scalar wave approximation, where the electric field in the medium is treated as a scalar rather than a vector quantity. It is found that the theoretical prediction of the position of bandgap is in a good agreement with the experimental measurement.

Use of Tethered Enzymes as a Platform Technology for Rapid Analyte Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Roy; Lata, James P.; Lee, Yurim; Hernández, Jean C. Cruz; Nishimura, Nozomi; Schaffer, Chris B.; Mukai, Chinatsu; Nelson, Jacquelyn L.; Brangman, Sharon A.; Agrawal, Yash; Travis, Alexander J.

2015-01-01

Background Rapid diagnosis for time-sensitive illnesses such as stroke, cardiac arrest, and septic shock is essential for successful treatment. Much attention has therefore focused on new strategies for rapid and objective diagnosis, such as Point-of-Care Tests (PoCT) for blood biomarkers. Here we use a biomimicry-based approach to demonstrate a new diagnostic platform, based on enzymes tethered to nanoparticles (NPs). As proof of principle, we use oriented immobilization of pyruvate kinase (PK) and luciferase (Luc) on silica NPs to achieve rapid and sensitive detection of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a clinically relevant biomarker for multiple diseases ranging from acute brain injuries to lung cancer. We hypothesize that an approach capitalizing on the speed and catalytic nature of enzymatic reactions would enable fast and sensitive biomarker detection, suitable for PoCT devices. Methods and findings We performed in-vitro, animal model, and human subject studies. First, the efficiency of coupled enzyme activities when tethered to NPs versus when in solution was tested, demonstrating a highly sensitive and rapid detection of physiological and pathological concentrations of NSE. Next, in rat stroke models the enzyme-based assay was able in minutes to show a statistically significant increase in NSE levels in samples taken 1 hour before and 0, 1, 3 and 6 hours after occlusion of the distal middle cerebral artery. Finally, using the tethered enzyme assay for detection of NSE in samples from 20 geriatric human patients, we show that our data match well (r = 0.815) with the current gold standard for biomarker detection, ELISA—with a major difference being that we achieve detection in 10 minutes as opposed to the several hours required for traditional ELISA. Conclusions Oriented enzyme immobilization conferred more efficient coupled activity, and thus higher assay sensitivity, than non-tethered enzymes. Together, our findings provide proof of concept for using

Nanoscale probing of bandgap states on oxide particles using electron energy-loss spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qianlang; March, Katia; Crozier, Peter A

2017-07-01

Surface and near-surface electronic states were probed with nanometer spatial resolution in MgO and TiO 2 anatase nanoparticles using ultra-high energy resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) coupled to a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). This combination allows the surface electronic structure determined with spectroscopy to be correlated with nanoparticle size, morphology, facet etc. By acquiring the spectra in aloof beam mode, radiation damage to the surface can be significantly reduced while maintaining the nanometer spatial resolution. MgO and TiO 2 showed very different bandgap features associated with the surface/sub-surface layer of the nanoparticles. Spectral simulations based on dielectric theory and density of states models showed that a plateau feature found in the pre-bandgap region in the spectra from (100) surfaces of 60nm MgO nanocubes is consistent with a thin hydroxide surface layer. The spectroscopy shows that this hydroxide species gives rise to a broad filled surface state at 1.1eV above the MgO valence band. At the surfaces of TiO 2 nanoparticles, pronounced peaks were observed in the bandgap region, which could not be well fitted to defect states. In this case, the high refractive index and large particle size may make Cherenkov or guided light modes the likely causes of the peaks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the effect of tether composition on cis/trans selectivity in intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Paddon-Row, Michael N; Longshaw, Alistair I; Willis, Anthony C; Sherburn, Michael S

2009-01-05

Intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) transition structures (TSs) and energies have been computed at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d) and CBS-QB3 levels of theory for a series of 1,3,8-nonatrienes, H(2)C=CH-CH=CH-CH(2)-X-Z-CH=CH(2) [-X-Z- = -CH(2)-CH(2)- (1); -O-C(=O)- (2); -CH(2)-C(=O)- (3); -O-CH(2)- (4); -NH-C(=O)- (5); -S-C(=O)- (6); -O-C(=S)- (7); -NH-C(=S)- (8); -S-C(=S)- (9)]. For each system studied (1-9), cis- and trans-TS isomers, corresponding, respectively, to endo- and exo-positioning of the -C-X-Z- tether with respect to the diene, have been located and their relative energies (E(rel) (TS)) employed to predict the cis/trans IMDA product ratio. Although the E(rel) (TS) values are modest (typically NH or S), the IMDA cis stereoselectivity diminishes. The predicted stereochemical reaction preferences are explained in terms of two opposing effects operating in the cis-TS, namely (1) unfavorable torsional (eclipsing) strain about the C4-C5 bond, that is caused by the -C-X-C(=Y)- group's strong tendency to maintain local planarity; and (2) attractive electrostatic and secondary orbital interactions between the endo-(thio)carbonyl group, C=Y, and the diene. The former interaction predominates when X is weakly electronegative (X=N, S), while the latter is dominant when X is more strongly electronegative (X=O), or a methylene group (X=CH(2)) which increases tether flexibility. These predictions hold up to experimental scrutiny, with synthetic IMDA reactions of 1, 2, 3, and 4 (published work) and 5, 6, and 8 (this work) delivering ratios close to those calculated. The reactions of thiolacrylate 5 and thioamide 8 represent the first examples of IMDA reactions with tethers of these types. Our results point to strategies for designing tethers, which lead to improved cis/trans-selectivities in IMDAs that are normally only weakly selective. Experimental verification of the validity of this claim comes in the form of fumaramide 14, which undergoes a more trans-selective IMDA reaction

Tunable polarisation-maintaining filter based on liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibre

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scolari, Lara; Olausson, Christina Bjarnal Thulin; Weirich, Johannes

2008-01-01

A tunable and polarisation-maintaining all-in-fibre filter based on a liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibre is demonstrated. Its polarisation extinction ratio reaches 14 dB at 1550 nm wavelength. Its spectral tunability range spans over 250 nm in the temperature range 30–70°C. The measured...

Radiation resistance of wide-bandgap semiconductor power transistors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hazdra, Pavel; Popelka, Stanislav [Department of Microelectronics, Czech Technical University in Prague (Czech Republic)

2017-04-15

Radiation resistance of state-of-the-art commercial wide-bandgap power transistors, 1700 V 4H-SiC power MOSFETs and 200 V GaN HEMTs, to the total ionization dose was investigated. Transistors were irradiated with 4.5 MeV electrons with doses up to 2000 kGy. Electrical characteristics and introduced defects were characterized by current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V), and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements. Results show that already low doses of 4.5 MeV electrons (>1 kGy) cause a significant decrease in threshold voltage of SiC MOSFETs due to embedding of the positive charge into the gate oxide. On the other hand, other parameters like the ON-state resistance are nearly unchanged up to the dose of 20 kGy. At 200 kGy, the threshold voltage returns back close to its original value, however, the ON-state resistance increases and transconductance is lowered. This effect is caused by radiation defects introduced into the low-doped drift region which decrease electron concentration and mobility. GaN HEMTs exhibit significantly higher radiation resistance. They keep within the datasheet specification up to doses of 2000 kGy. Absence of dielectric layer beneath the gate and high concentration of carriers in the two dimensional electron gas channel are the reasons of higher radiation resistance of GaN HEMTs. Their degradation then occurs at much higher doses due to electron mobility degradation. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The effect of particle size on the morphology and thermodynamics of diblock copolymer/tethered-particle membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Bo; Edwards, Brian J.

2015-01-01

A combination of self-consistent field theory and density functional theory was used to examine the effect of particle size on the stable, 3-dimensional equilibrium morphologies formed by diblock copolymers with a tethered nanoparticle attached either between the two blocks or at the end of one of the blocks. Particle size was varied between one and four tenths of the radius of gyration of the diblock polymer chain for neutral particles as well as those either favoring or disfavoring segments of the copolymer blocks. Phase diagrams were constructed and analyzed in terms of thermodynamic diagrams to understand the physics associated with the molecular-level self-assembly processes. Typical morphologies were observed, such as lamellar, spheroidal, cylindrical, gyroidal, and perforated lamellar, with the primary concentration region of the tethered particles being influenced heavily by particle size and tethering location, strength of the particle-segment energetic interactions, chain length, and copolymer radius of gyration. The effect of the simulation box size on the observed morphology and system thermodynamics was also investigated, indicating possible effects of confinement upon the system self-assembly processes

The effect of particle size on the morphology and thermodynamics of diblock copolymer/tethered-particle membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bo; Edwards, Brian J

2015-06-07

A combination of self-consistent field theory and density functional theory was used to examine the effect of particle size on the stable, 3-dimensional equilibrium morphologies formed by diblock copolymers with a tethered nanoparticle attached either between the two blocks or at the end of one of the blocks. Particle size was varied between one and four tenths of the radius of gyration of the diblock polymer chain for neutral particles as well as those either favoring or disfavoring segments of the copolymer blocks. Phase diagrams were constructed and analyzed in terms of thermodynamic diagrams to understand the physics associated with the molecular-level self-assembly processes. Typical morphologies were observed, such as lamellar, spheroidal, cylindrical, gyroidal, and perforated lamellar, with the primary concentration region of the tethered particles being influenced heavily by particle size and tethering location, strength of the particle-segment energetic interactions, chain length, and copolymer radius of gyration. The effect of the simulation box size on the observed morphology and system thermodynamics was also investigated, indicating possible effects of confinement upon the system self-assembly processes.

Otolith tethering in the zebrafish otic vesicle requires Otogelin and α-Tectorin.

Science.gov (United States)

Stooke-Vaughan, Georgina A; Obholzer, Nikolaus D; Baxendale, Sarah; Megason, Sean G; Whitfield, Tanya T

2015-03-15

Otoliths are biomineralised structures important for balance and hearing in fish. Their counterparts in the mammalian inner ear, otoconia, have a primarily vestibular function. Otoliths and otoconia form over sensory maculae and are attached to the otolithic membrane, a gelatinous extracellular matrix that provides a physical coupling between the otolith and the underlying sensory epithelium. In this study, we have identified two proteins required for otolith tethering in the zebrafish ear, and propose that there are at least two stages to this process: seeding and maintenance. The initial seeding step, in which otolith precursor particles tether directly to the tips of hair cell kinocilia, fails to occur in the einstein (eis) mutant. The gene disrupted in eis is otogelin (otog); mutations in the human OTOG gene have recently been identified as causative for deafness and vestibular dysfunction (DFNB18B). At later larval stages, maintenance of otolith tethering to the saccular macula is dependent on tectorin alpha (tecta) function, which is disrupted in the rolling stones (rst) mutant. α-Tectorin (Tecta) is a major constituent of the tectorial membrane in the mammalian cochlea. Mutations in the human TECTA gene can cause either dominant (DFNA8/12) or recessive (DFNB21) forms of deafness. Our findings indicate that the composition of extracellular otic membranes is highly conserved between mammals and fish, reinforcing the view that the zebrafish is an excellent model system for the study of deafness and vestibular disease. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

A model for the direct-to-indirect band-gap transition in monolayer ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. A monolayer of MoSe2 is found to be a direct band-gap semiconductor. We show, ... In order to determine appropriate basis for the tight-binding model, the Mo and Se ..... RD thanks the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

Band-gap creation by icosahedral symmetry in nearly-free-electron materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlsson, A.E.

1993-01-01

A series of numerical electronic density-of-states calculations is performed for rational approximants to a model one-electron potential based on icosahedrally arranged plane-wave components. It is found that high-order approximants can have band gaps even if the low-order approximants do not; furthermore, the magnitude of the gap increases with the order of the approximant. The results are interpreted via a two- and three-wave analysis of the energy eigenvalues at the pseudo-Jones-zone faces and edges. It is also found that the mechanism of band-gap reduction in the rational approximants is the presence of a small density of gap states. An analytic calculation shows that these gap states result from a splitting of threefold and pseudothreefold states at the valence-band edge when the icosahedral symmetry is broken. The splitting is proportional to the error with which the ratio between the approximant indices approximates τ, the golden mean. Finally, an application to the AlCuLi system is presented

GW quasiparticle bandgaps of anatase TiO2 starting from DFT + U.

Science.gov (United States)

Patrick, Christopher E; Giustino, Feliciano

2012-05-23

We investigate the quasiparticle band structure of anatase TiO(2), a wide gap semiconductor widely employed in photovoltaics and photocatalysis. We obtain GW quasiparticle energies starting from density-functional theory (DFT) calculations including Hubbard U corrections. Using a simple iterative procedure we determine the value of the Hubbard parameter yielding a vanishing quasiparticle correction to the fundamental bandgap of anatase TiO(2). The bandgap (3.3 eV) calculated using this optimal Hubbard parameter is smaller than the value obtained by applying many-body perturbation theory to standard DFT eigenstates and eigenvalues (3.7 eV). We extend our analysis to the rutile polymorph of TiO(2) and reach similar conclusions. Our work highlights the role of the starting non-interacting Hamiltonian in the calculation of GW quasiparticle energies in TiO(2) and suggests an optimal Hubbard parameter for future calculations.

Ab initio study of the bandgap engineering of Al1−xGaxN for optoelectronic applications

KAUST Repository

Amin, B.; Ahmad, Iftikhar; Maqbool, M.; Goumri-Said, S.; Ahmad, R.

2011-01-01

A theoretical study of Al1−xGaxN, based on the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method, is used to investigate the variations in the bandgap,optical properties, and nonlinear behavior of the compound with the change in the Ga concentration. It is found that the bandgap decreases with the increase in Ga. A maximum value of 5.50 eV is determined for the bandgap of pure AlN, which reaches a minimum value of 3.0 eV when Al is completely replaced by Ga. The static index of refraction and dielectric constant decreases with the increase in the bandgap of the material, assigning a high index of refraction to pure GaN when compared to pure AlN. The refractive index drops below 1 for higher energy photons, larger than 14 eV. The group velocity of these photons is larger than the vacuum velocity of light. This astonishing result shows that at higher energies the optical properties of the material shifts from linear to nonlinear. Furthermore, frequency dependent reflectivity and absorption coefficients show that peak values of the absorption coefficient and reflectivity shift toward lower energy in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum with the increase in Ga concentration. This comprehensive theoretical study of the optoelectronic properties predicts that the material can be effectively used in the optical devices working in the visible and UV spectrum.

Ab initio study of the bandgap engineering of Al1−xGaxN for optoelectronic applications

KAUST Repository

Amin, B.

2011-01-19

A theoretical study of Al1−xGaxN, based on the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method, is used to investigate the variations in the bandgap,optical properties, and nonlinear behavior of the compound with the change in the Ga concentration. It is found that the bandgap decreases with the increase in Ga. A maximum value of 5.50 eV is determined for the bandgap of pure AlN, which reaches a minimum value of 3.0 eV when Al is completely replaced by Ga. The static index of refraction and dielectric constant decreases with the increase in the bandgap of the material, assigning a high index of refraction to pure GaN when compared to pure AlN. The refractive index drops below 1 for higher energy photons, larger than 14 eV. The group velocity of these photons is larger than the vacuum velocity of light. This astonishing result shows that at higher energies the optical properties of the material shifts from linear to nonlinear. Furthermore, frequency dependent reflectivity and absorption coefficients show that peak values of the absorption coefficient and reflectivity shift toward lower energy in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum with the increase in Ga concentration. This comprehensive theoretical study of the optoelectronic properties predicts that the material can be effectively used in the optical devices working in the visible and UV spectrum.

The Tethered Balloon Current Generator - A space shuttle-tethered subsatellite for plasma studies and power generation

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, P. R.; Banks, P. M.

1976-01-01

The objectives of the Tethered Balloon Current Generator experiment are to: (1) generate relatively large regions of thermalized, field-aligned currents, (2) produce controlled-amplitude Alfven waves, (3) study current-driven electrostatic plasma instabilities, and (4) generate substantial amounts of power or propulsion through the MHD interaction. A large balloon (a diameter of about 30 m) will be deployed with a conducting surface above the space shuttle at a distance of about 10 km. For a generally eastward directed orbit at an altitude near 400 km, the balloon, connected to the shuttle by a conducting wire, will be positive with respect to the shuttle, enabling it to collect electrons. At the same time, the shuttle will collect positive ions and, upon command, emit an electron beam to vary current flow in the system.

Optical bandgap of semiconductor nanostructures: Methods for experimental data analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Raciti, R.; Bahariqushchi, R.; Summonte, C.; Aydinli, A.; Terrasi, A.; Mirabella, S.

2017-06-01

Determination of the optical bandgap (Eg) in semiconductor nanostructures is a key issue in understanding the extent of quantum confinement effects (QCE) on electronic properties and it usually involves some analytical approximation in experimental data reduction and modeling of the light absorption processes. Here, we compare some of the analytical procedures frequently used to evaluate the optical bandgap from reflectance (R) and transmittance (T) spectra. Ge quantum wells and quantum dots embedded in SiO2 were produced by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and light absorption was characterized by UV-Vis/NIR spectrophotometry. R&T elaboration to extract the absorption spectra was conducted by two approximated methods (single or double pass approximation, single pass analysis, and double pass analysis, respectively) followed by Eg evaluation through linear fit of Tauc or Cody plots. Direct fitting of R&T spectra through a Tauc-Lorentz oscillator model is used as comparison. Methods and data are discussed also in terms of the light absorption process in the presence of QCE. The reported data show that, despite the approximation, the DPA approach joined with Tauc plot gives reliable results, with clear advantages in terms of computational efforts and understanding of QCE.

Electromagnetically induced photonic bandgap in hot Cs atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, D. W.; Zhang, L.; Su, X. M.; Zhuo, Z. C.; Kim, J. B

2010-01-01

Three-level Λ-type thermal Cs atoms are used to demonstrate the phenomenon of a photonic bandgap induced by quantum coherence with a standing wave (SW). We observed the transmitted signals of probe field driven by several kinds of SW, which are formed by a strong forward-traveling field and a backward-traveling field when a mirror reflects the forward-traveling beam. Considering Doppler inhomogeneous broadenings with a SW drive, we employ Fourier transformation to solve density-matrix equations for simulation results. The simulation results are found to be consistent with the experimental results.

Systematic Bandgap Engineering of Graphene Quantum Dots and Applications for Photocatalytic Water Splitting and CO2 Reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yibo; Chen, Jie; Li, Nan; Tian, Jingqi; Li, Kaixin; Jiang, Jizhou; Liu, Jiyang; Tian, Qinghua; Chen, Peng

2018-04-24

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs), which is the latest addition to the nanocarbon material family, promise a wide spectrum of applications. Herein, we demonstrate two different functionalization strategies to systematically tailor the bandgap structures of GQDs whereby making them snugly suitable for particular applications. Furthermore, the functionalized GQDs with a narrow bandgap and intramolecular Z-scheme structure are employed as the efficient photocatalysts for water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction under visible light. The underlying mechanisms of our observations are studied and discussed.

Nuclear pore complex tethers to the cytoskeleton.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldberg, Martin W

2017-08-01

The nuclear envelope is tethered to the cytoskeleton. The best known attachments of all elements of the cytoskeleton are via the so-called LINC complex. However, the nuclear pore complexes, which mediate the transport of soluble and membrane bound molecules, are also linked to the microtubule network, primarily via motor proteins (dynein and kinesins) which are linked, most importantly, to the cytoplasmic filament protein of the nuclear pore complex, Nup358, by the adaptor BicD2. The evidence for such linkages and possible roles in nuclear migration, cell cycle control, nuclear transport and cell architecture are discussed. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Diagnosis and surgical treatment of terminal syringomyelia within spinal cord combined with tethered cord syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing-cheng XIE

2016-04-01

months to 14.50 years (average 6.10 years. All patients presented neurological intactness (McCormick gradeⅠ, recovery of conus medullaris, rising of the end of spinal cord, no recurrence of syringomyelia with favorable alignment of spine during follow- up period.  Conclusions Terminal syringomyelia in the spinal cord with TCS is rarely occurred and characterized by chronic dysfunction of spinal cord and nerve. The manifestation in MRI imaging is characterized by low level of spinal cord, disappearing of conus medullaris, long T1 and long T2 signal of filum terminale and spinal cord, and no enhancement of capsule wall. The surgical treatment includes resection of filum terminale, drainage of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF in syringomyelia, and de-tethering of the spinal cord under microscope. The outcome is satisfactory. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2016.03.006

Approaching control for tethered space robot based on disturbance observer using super twisting law

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yongxin; Huang, Panfeng; Meng, Zhongjie; Wang, Dongke; Lu, Yingbo

2018-05-01

Approaching control is a key mission for the tethered space robot to perform the task of removing space debris. But the uncertainties of the TSR such as the change of model parameter have an important effect on the approaching mission. Considering the space tether and the attitude of the gripper, the dynamic model of the TSR is derived using Lagrange method. Then a disturbance observer is designed to estimate the uncertainty based on STW control method. Using the disturbance observer, a controller is designed, and the performance is compared with the dynamic inverse controller which turns out that the proposed controller performs better. Numerical simulation validates the feasibility of the proposed controller on the position and attitude tracking of the TSR.

The Tunable Bandgap of AB-Stacked Bilayer Graphene on SiO2 with H2O Molecule Adsorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Tao; Guo Qing; Liu Yan; Wang Wen-Bo; Sheng Kuang; Ao Zhi-Min; Yu Bin

2011-01-01

The atomic and electronic structures of AB-stacking bilayer graphene (BLG) in the presence of H 2 O molecules are investigated by density functional theory calculations. For free-standing BLG, the bandgap is opened to 0.101 eV with a single H 2 O molecule adsorbed on its surface. The perfectly suspended BLG is sensitive to H 2 O adsorbates, which break the BLG lattice symmetry and open an energy gap. While a single H 2 O molecule is adsorbed on the BLG surface with a SiO 2 substrate, the bandgap widens to 0.363 eV. Both the H 2 O molecule adsorption and the oxide substrate contribute to the BLG bandgap opening. The phenomenon is interpreted with the charge transfer process in 2D carbon nanostructures. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Bandgap Engineering of 1300 nm Quantum Dots/Quantum Well Nanostructures Based Devices

KAUST Repository

Alhashim, Hala H.

2016-05-29

The main objectives of this thesis are to develop viable process and/or device technologies for bandgap tuning of 1300-nm InGaAs/GaAs quantum-dot (QD) laser structures, and broad linewidth 1300-nm InGaAsP/InP quantum well (QW) superluminescent diode structures. The high performance bandgap-engineered QD laser structures were achieved by employing quantum-dot intermixing (QDI) based on impurity free vacancy diffusion (IFVD) technique for eventual seamless active-passive integration, and bandgap-tuned lasers. QDI using various dielectric-capping materials, such as HfO2, SrTiO3, TiO2, Al2O3 and ZnO, etc, were experimented in which the resultant emission wavelength can be blueshifted to ∼ 1100 nm ─ 1200 nm range depending on process conditions. The significant results extracted from the PL characterization were used to perform an extensive laser characterization. The InAs/GaAs quantum-dot lasers with QDs transition energies were blueshifted by ~185 nm, and lasing around ~1070 – 1190 nm was achieved. Furthermore, from the spectral analysis, a simultaneous five-state lasing in the InAs/InGaAs intermixed QD laser was experimentally demonstrated for the first time in the very important wavelength range from 1030 to 1125 nm. The QDI methodology enabled the facile formation of a plethora of devices with various emission wavelengths suitable for a wide range of applications in the infrared. In addition, the wavelength range achieved is also applicable for coherent light generation in the green – yellow – orange visible wavelength band via frequency doubling, which is a cost-effective way of producing compact devices for pico-projectors, semiconductor laser based solid state lighting, etc. [1, 2] In QW-based superluminescent diode, the problem statement lies on achieving a flat-top and ultra-wide emission bandwidth. The approach was to design an inhomogeneous active region with a comparable simultaneous emission from different transition states in the QW stacks, in

Effect of ripple taper on band-gap overlap in a coaxial Bragg structure operating at terahertz frequency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding Xueyong; Li Hongfan; Lv Zhensu

2012-01-01

Based on the mode-coupling method, numerical analysis is presented to demonstrate the influence of ripple taper on band-gap overlap in a coaxial Bragg structure operating at terahertz frequency. Results show that the interval between the band-gaps of the competing mode and the desired working mode is narrowed by use of positive-taper ripples, but is expanded if negative-taper ripples are employed, and the influence of the negative-taper ripples is obviously more advantageous than the positive-taper ripples; the band-gap overlap of modes can be efficiently separated by use of negative-taper ripples. The residual side-lobes of the frequency response in a coaxial Bragg structure with ripple taper also can be effectively suppressed by employing the windowing-function technique. These peculiarities provide potential advantage in constructing a coaxial Bragg cavity with high quality factor for single higher-order-mode operation of a high-power free-electron maser in the terahertz frequency range.

Lipoproteins tethered dendrimeric nanoconstructs for effective targeting to cancer cells

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Anupriya; Jain, Keerti; Mehra, Neelesh Kumar; Jain, N. K.

2013-10-01

In the present investigation, poly (propylene imine) dendrimers up to fifth generation (PPI G5.0) were synthesized using ethylene diamine and acrylonitrile. Lipoproteins (high-density lipoprotein; HDL and low-density lipoprotein; LDL) were isolated from human plasma by discontinuous density gradient ultracentrifugation, characterized and tethered to G5.0 PPI dendrimers to construct LDL- and HDL-conjugated dendrimeric nanoconstructs for tumor-specific delivery of docetaxel. Developed formulations showed sustained release characteristics in in vitro drug release and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies. The cancer targeting potential of lipoprotein coupled dendrimers was investigated by ex vivo cytotoxicity and cell uptake studies using human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2 cells) and biodistribution studies in albino rats of Sprague-Dawley strain. Lipoprotein anchored dendrimeric nanoconstructs showed significant uptake by cancer cells as well as higher biodistribution of docetaxel to liver and spleen. It is concluded that these precisely synthesized engineered dendrimeric nanoconstructs could serve as promising drug carrier for fighting with the fatal disease, i.e., cancer, attributed to their defined targeting and therapeutic potential.

Lipoproteins tethered dendrimeric nanoconstructs for effective targeting to cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jain, Anupriya; Jain, Keerti, E-mail: keertijain02@gmail.com; Mehra, Neelesh Kumar, E-mail: neelesh81mph@gmail.com; Jain, N. K., E-mail: dr.jnarendr@gmail.com [Dr. H. S. Gour University, Pharmaceutics Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (India)

2013-10-15

In the present investigation, poly (propylene imine) dendrimers up to fifth generation (PPI G5.0) were synthesized using ethylene diamine and acrylonitrile. Lipoproteins (high-density lipoprotein; HDL and low-density lipoprotein; LDL) were isolated from human plasma by discontinuous density gradient ultracentrifugation, characterized and tethered to G5.0 PPI dendrimers to construct LDL- and HDL-conjugated dendrimeric nanoconstructs for tumor-specific delivery of docetaxel. Developed formulations showed sustained release characteristics in in vitro drug release and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies. The cancer targeting potential of lipoprotein coupled dendrimers was investigated by ex vivo cytotoxicity and cell uptake studies using human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2 cells) and biodistribution studies in albino rats of Sprague-Dawley strain. Lipoprotein anchored dendrimeric nanoconstructs showed significant uptake by cancer cells as well as higher biodistribution of docetaxel to liver and spleen. It is concluded that these precisely synthesized engineered dendrimeric nanoconstructs could serve as promising drug carrier for fighting with the fatal disease, i.e., cancer, attributed to their defined targeting and therapeutic potential.

Aluminum doping of CuInSe{sub 2} synthesized by solution process and its effect on structure, morphology, and bandgap tuning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Zhi; Deng, Weizhi; Zhang, Xia; Yuan, Qian; Deng, Peiran; Sun, Lei [Material Engineering College, Shanghai University of Engineering Science (China); Liang, Jun [School of Advanced Materials, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen University Town (China)

2014-11-15

Al-doped CuInSe{sub 2} material is prepared by a low-cost wet chemical process. The key properties of Al-doped CuInSe{sub 2} as a successful solar cell material are investigated, such as crystal structure, morphology, optical properties, and bandgap. In situ X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that the doping of Al has induced noticeable lattice distortion. The material shows excellent thermal stability up to 600 C annealing temperature. By increasing the Al-doping concentration, the crystal unit-cell parameter of the material becomes smaller and the change of crystal structure leads to an increase of the grain size and surface roughness. The bandgap of Al-doped CuInSe{sub 2} can be continuously tuned in a range of 1.07-1.67 eV as Al/(Al + In) content ratio varies from 0 to 0.49. Finally, the effect mechanism on the properties of CuInSe{sub 2} after Al doping is discussed based on the ionic radius, crystal structure, and bonding state. (copyright 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A Quantitative Study of Tethered Chains in Various Solution Conditions Using Langmuir Diblock Copolymer Monolayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kent, Michael S.

1999-08-13

This article summarizes our investigations of tethered chain systems using Langmuir monolayer of polydimethysiloxane-poly styrene (PDMS-PS) diblock copolymers on organic liquids. In this system, the PDMS block adsorbs to the air surface while the PS block dangles into the subphase liquid. The air surface can be made either repulsive or attractive for the tethered PS chain segments by choosing a subphase liquid which has a surface tension lower or greater than that of PS, respectively. The segment profile of the PS block is determined by neutron reflection as a function of the surface density, the molecular weights of the PS and PDMS blocks, and the solution conditions. We cover the range of reduced surface density (SIGMA) characteristic of the large body of data in the literature for systems of chains tethered onto solid surfaces from dilute solution in good or theta solvent conditions (SIGMA < 12). We emphasize quantitative comparisons with analytical profile forms and scaling predictions. We find that the strong-stretching limit invoked in analytical SCF and scaling theories is not valid over this Z range. On the other hand, over a large portion of this range (SIGMA < 5) tethered layers are well described by a renormalization group theory addressing weakly interacting or noninteracting chains. Simultaneous with the study of the profile form, the free energy of the chains is examined through the surface tension. A strong increase in the surface pressure is observed with increasing surface density which determines the maximum surface density which can be achieved. This apparently nonequilibrium effect is attributed to steric interactions and limited lateral interpenetration. This effect may explain several outstanding discrepancies regarding the adsorption of end-functionalized chains and diblock copolymers onto solid surfaces.

Piperidinium tethered nanoparticle-hybrid electrolyte for lithium metal batteries

KAUST Repository

Korf, Kevin S.

2014-06-23

We report on the synthesis of novel piperidinium-based ionic liquid tethered nanoparticle hybrid electrolytes and investigate their physical and electrochemical properties. Hybrid electrolytes based on the ionic liquid 1-methyl-1-propylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfone) imide covalently tethered to silica nanoparticles (SiO2-PP-TFSI) were blended with propylene carbonate-1 M lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfone) imide (LiTFSI). We employed NMR analysis to confirm the successful creation of the hybrid material. Dielectric and rheological measurements show that these electrolytes exhibit exceptional room-temperature DC ionic conductivity (10-2 to 10 -3 S cm-1) as well as high shear mechanical moduli (105 to 106 Pa). Lithium transference numbers were found to increase with particle loading and to reach values as high as 0.22 at high particle loadings where the particle jam to form a soft glassy elastic medium. Analysis of lithium electrodeposits obtained in the hybrid electrolytes using SEM and EDX spectra show that the SiO2-PP-TFSI nanoparticles are able to smooth lithium deposition and inhibit lithium dendrite proliferation in Li metal batteries. LTOSiO2-PP-TFSI/PC in 1 M LiTFSILi half-cells based on the SiO2-PP-TFSI hybrid electrolytes exhibit attractive voltage profiles and trouble-free extended cycling behavior over more than 1000 cycles of charge and discharge. This journal is © the Partner Organisations 2014.

Wide bandgap collector III-V double heterojunction bipolar transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flitcroft, R.M.

2000-10-01

This thesis is devoted to the study and development of Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (HBTs) designed for high voltage operation. The work concentrates on the use of wide bandgap III-V semiconductor materials as the collector material and their associated properties influencing breakdown, such as impact ionisation coefficients. The work deals with issues related to incorporating a wide bandgap collector into double heterojunction structures such as conduction band discontinuities at the base-collector junction and results are presented which detail, a number of methods designed to eliminate the effects of such discontinuities. In particular the use of AlGaAs as the base material has been successful in eliminating the conduction band spike at this interface. A method of electrically injecting electrons into the collector has been employed to investigate impact ionisation in GaAs, GaInP and AlInP which has used the intrinsic gain of the devices to extract impact ionisation coefficients over a range of electric fields beyond the scope of conventional optical injection techniques. This data has enabled the study of ''dead space'' effects in HBT collectors and have been used to develop an analytical model of impact ionisation which has been incorporated into an existing Ebers-Moll HBT simulator. This simulator has been shown to accurately reproduce current-voltage characteristics in both the devices used in this work and for external clients. (author)

Shape optimization of solid-air porous phononic crystal slabs with widest full 3D bandgap for in-plane acoustic waves

Science.gov (United States)

D'Alessandro, Luca; Bahr, Bichoy; Daniel, Luca; Weinstein, Dana; Ardito, Raffaele

2017-09-01

The use of Phononic Crystals (PnCs) as smart materials in structures and microstructures is growing due to their tunable dynamical properties and to the wide range of possible applications. PnCs are periodic structures that exhibit elastic wave scattering for a certain band of frequencies (called bandgap), depending on the geometric and material properties of the fundamental unit cell of the crystal. PnCs slabs can be represented by plane-extruded structures composed of a single material with periodic perforations. Such a configuration is very interesting, especially in Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems industry, due to the easy fabrication procedure. A lot of topologies can be found in the literature for PnCs with square-symmetric unit cell that exhibit complete 2D bandgaps; however, due to the application demand, it is desirable to find the best topologies in order to guarantee full bandgaps referred to in-plane wave propagation in the complete 3D structure. In this work, by means of a novel and fast implementation of the Bidirectional Evolutionary Structural Optimization technique, shape optimization is conducted on the hole shape obtaining several topologies, also with non-square-symmetric unit cell, endowed with complete 3D full bandgaps for in-plane waves. Model order reduction technique is adopted to reduce the computational time in the wave dispersion analysis. The 3D features of the PnC unit cell endowed with the widest full bandgap are then completely analyzed, paying attention to engineering design issues.

The radiation budget of stratocumulus clouds measured by tethered balloon instrumentation: Variability of flux measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Duda, David P.; Stephens, Graeme L.; Cox, Stephen K.

1990-01-01

Measurements of longwave and shortwave radiation were made using an instrument package on the NASA tethered balloon during the FIRE Marine Stratocumulus experiment. Radiation data from two pairs of pyranometers were used to obtain vertical profiles of the near-infrared and total solar fluxes through the boundary layer, while a pair of pyrgeometers supplied measurements of the longwave fluxes in the cloud layer. The radiation observations were analyzed to determine heating rates and to measure the radiative energy budget inside the stratocumulus clouds during several tethered balloon flights. The radiation fields in the cloud layer were also simulated by a two-stream radiative transfer model, which used cloud optical properties derived from microphysical measurements and Mie scattering theory.

Energy dissipation/transfer and stable attitude of spatial on-orbit tethered system

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Weipeng; Song, Mingzhe; Deng, Zichen

2018-01-01

For the Tethered Satellite System, the coupling between the platform system and the solar panel is a challenge in the dynamic analysis. In this paper, the coupling dynamic behaviors of the Tethered Satellite System that is idealized as a planar flexible damping beam-spring-mass composite system are investigated via a structure-preserving method. Considering the coupling between the plane motion of the system, the oscillation of the spring and the transverse vibration of the beam, the dynamic model of the composite system is established based on the Hamiltonian variational principle. A symplectic dimensionality reduction method is proposed to decouple the dynamic system into two subsystems approximately. Employing the complex structure-preserving approach presented in our previous work, numerical iterations are performed between the two subsystems with weak damping to study the energy dissipation/transfer in the composite system, the effect of the spring stiffness on the energy distribution and the effect of the particle mass on the stability of the composite system. The numerical results show that: the energy transfer approach is uniquely determined by the initial attitude angle, while the energy dissipation speed is mainly depending on the initial attitude angle and the spring stiffness besides the weak damping. In addition, the mass ratio between the platform system and the solar panel determines the stable state as well as the time needed to reach the stable state of the composite system. The numerical approach presented in this paper provides a new way to deal with the coupling dynamic system and the conclusions obtained give some useful advices on the overall design of the Tethered Satellite System.

Linear Viscoelasticity of Spherical SiO 2 Nanoparticle-Tethered Poly(butyl acrylate) Hybrids

KAUST Repository

Goel, Vivek; Pietrasik, Joanna; Matyjaszewski, Krzysztof; Krishnamoorti, Ramanan

2010-01-01

The melt state linear viscoelastic properties of spherical silica nanoparticles with grafted poly(n-butyl acrylate) chains of varying molecular weight were probed using linear small amplitude dynamic oscillatory measurements and complementary linear stress relaxation measurements. While the pure silica-tethered-polymer hybrids with no added homopolymer exhibit solid-like response, addition of matched molecular weight free matrix homopolymer chains to this hybrid, at low concentrations of added homopolymer, maintains the solid-like response with a lowered modulus that can be factored into a silica concentration dependence and a molecular weight dependence. While the silica concentration dependence of the modulus is strong, the dependence on molecular weight is weak. On the other hand, increasing the amount of added homopolymer changes the viscoelastic response to that of a liquid with a relaxation time that scales exponentially with hybrid concentration. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Linear Viscoelasticity of Spherical SiO 2 Nanoparticle-Tethered Poly(butyl acrylate) Hybrids

KAUST Repository

Goel, Vivek

2010-12-01

The melt state linear viscoelastic properties of spherical silica nanoparticles with grafted poly(n-butyl acrylate) chains of varying molecular weight were probed using linear small amplitude dynamic oscillatory measurements and complementary linear stress relaxation measurements. While the pure silica-tethered-polymer hybrids with no added homopolymer exhibit solid-like response, addition of matched molecular weight free matrix homopolymer chains to this hybrid, at low concentrations of added homopolymer, maintains the solid-like response with a lowered modulus that can be factored into a silica concentration dependence and a molecular weight dependence. While the silica concentration dependence of the modulus is strong, the dependence on molecular weight is weak. On the other hand, increasing the amount of added homopolymer changes the viscoelastic response to that of a liquid with a relaxation time that scales exponentially with hybrid concentration. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

A computational study on the energy bandgap engineering in performance enhancement of CdTe thin film solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ameen M. Ali

Full Text Available In this study, photovoltaic properties of CdTe thin film in the configuration of n-SnO2/n-CdS/p-CdTe/p-CdTe:Te/metal have been studied by numerical simulation software named “Analysis of Microelectronic and Photonic Structure” (AMPS-1D. A modified structure for CdTe thin film solar cell has been proposed by numerical analysis with the insertion of a back contact buffer layer (CdTe:Te. This layer can serve as a barrier that will decelerate the copper diffusion in CdTe solar cell. Four estimated energy bandgap relations versus the Tellurium (Te concentrations and the (CdTe:Te layer thickness have been examined thoroughly during simulation. Correlation between energy bandgap with the CdTe thin film solar cell performance has also been established. Keywords: Numerical modelling, CdTe thin film, Solar cell, AMPS-1D, Bandgap

Efficient Sub-Bandgap Light Absorption and Signal Amplification in Silicon Photodetectors

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yu-Hsin

This thesis focuses on two areas in silicon photodetectors, the first being enhancing the sub-bandgap light absorption of IR wavelenghts in silicon, and the second being intrinsic signal amplification in silicon photodetectors. Both of these are achieved using heavily doped p-n junction devices which create localized states that relax the k-selection rule of indirect bandgap material. The probability of transitions between impurity band and the conduction/valence band would be much more efficient than the one between band-to-band transition. The waveguide-coupled epitaxial p-n photodetector was demonstrated for 1310 nm wavelength detection. Incorporated with the Franz-Keldysh effect and the quasi-confined epitaxial layer design, an absorption coefficient around 10 cm-1 has been measured and internal quantum efficiency nearly 100% at -2.5V. The absorption coefficient is calculated from the wave function of the electron and hole in p-n diode. The heavily doped impurity wave function can be formulated as a delta function, and the quasi-confined conduction band energy states, and the wave function on each level can be obtained from the Silvaco software. The calculated theoretical absorption coefficient increases with the increasing applied bias and the doping concentration, which matches the experimental results. To solve the issues of large excess noise and high operation bias for avalanche photodiodes based on impact ionization, I presented a detector using the Cycling Excitation Process (CEP) for signal amplification. This can be realized in a heavily doped and highly compensated Si p-n junction, showing ultra high gain about 3000 at very low bias (<4 V), and possessing an intrinsic, phonon-mediated regulation process to keep the device stable without any quenching device required in today's Geiger-mode avalanche detectors. The CEP can be formulated with the rate equations in conduction bands and impurity states. The gain expression, which is a function of the

Effect of background dielectric on TE-polarized photonic bandgap of metallodielectric photonic crystals using Dirichlet-to-Neumann map method.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedghi, Aliasghar; Rezaei, Behrooz

2016-11-20

Using the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map method, we have calculated the photonic band structure of two-dimensional metallodielectric photonic crystals having the square and triangular lattices of circular metal rods in a dielectric background. We have selected the transverse electric mode of electromagnetic waves, and the resulting band structures showed the existence of photonic bandgap in these structures. We theoretically study the effect of background dielectric on the photonic bandgap.

Reverse cope elimination of hydroxylamines and alkenes or alkynes: theoretical investigation of tether length and substituent effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Krenske, Elizabeth H; Davison, Edwin C; Forbes, Ian T; Warner, Jacqueline A; Smith, Adrian L; Holmes, Andrew B; Houk, K N

2012-02-01

Quantum mechanical calculations have been used to study the intramolecular additions of hydroxylamines to alkenes and alkynes ("reverse Cope eliminations"). In intermolecular reverse Cope eliminations, alkynes are more reactive than alkenes. However, competition experiments have shown that tethering the hydroxylamine to the alkene or alkyne can reverse the reactivity order from that normally observed. The exact outcome depends on the length of the tether. In agreement with experiment, a range of density functional theory methods and CBS-QB3 calculations predict that the activation energies for intramolecular reverse Cope eliminations follow the order 6-exo-dig hydroxylamine and alkyne. Cyclization onto an alkene in the 5-exo-trig fashion incurs slightly less tether strain than a 6-exo-dig alkyne cyclization, but its activation energy is higher because the hydroxylamine fragment must distort more before the TS is reached. If the alkene terminus is substituted with two methyl groups, the barrier becomes so much higher that it is also disfavored compared to the 5- and 7-exo-dig cyclizations. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Large bandgap narrowing in rutile TiO2 aimed towards visible light applications and its correlation with vacancy-type defects history and transformation

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Radhika V.; Gayathri, P. K.; Siva Gummaluri, Venkata; Nambissan, P. M. G.; Vijayan, C.

2018-01-01

Extension of photoactivity of TiO2 to the visible region is achievable via effective control over the intrinsic defects such as oxygen and Ti vacancies, which has several applications in visible photocatalysis and sensing. We present here the first observation of an apparent bandgap narrowing and bandgap tuning effect due to vacancy cluster transformation in rutile TiO2 structures to 1.84 eV from the bulk bandgap of 3 eV. A gradual transformation of divacancies (V Ti-O) to tri vacancies ({{V}Ti-O-T{{i-}}} ) achieved through a controlled solvothermal scheme appears to result in an apparent narrowing bandgap and tunability, as supported by positron annihilation lifetime and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements. Visible photocatalytic activity of the samples is demonstrated in terms of photodegradation of rhodamine B dye molecules.

Soliton formation in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægsgaard, Jesper

2009-01-01

of an approximate scaling relation is tested. It is concluded that compression of input pulses of several ps duration and sub-MW peak power can lead to a formation of solitons with ∼100 fs duration and multi-megawatt peak powers. The dispersion slope of realistic hollow-core fibers appears to be the main obstacle......The formation of solitons upon compression of linearly chirped pulses in hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers is investigated numerically. The dependence of soliton duration on the chirp and power of the input pulse and on the dispersion slope of the fiber is investigated, and the validity...

Contributions of oxygen vacancies and titanium interstitials to band-gap states of reduced titania

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jingfeng; Lazzari, Rémi; Chenot, Stéphane; Jupille, Jacques

2018-01-01

The spectroscopic fingerprints of the point defects of titanium dioxide remain highly controversial. Seemingly indisputable experiments lead to conflicting conclusions in which oxygen vacancies and titanium interstitials are alternately referred to as the primary origin of the Ti 3 d band-gap states. We report on experiments performed by electron energy loss spectroscopy whose key is the direct annealing of only the very surface of rutile TiO2(110 ) crystals and the simultaneous measurement of its temperature via the Bose-Einstein loss/gain ratio. By surface preparations involving reactions with oxygen and water vapor, in particular, under electron irradiation, vacancy- and interstitial-related band-gap states are singled out. Off-specular measurements reveal that both types of defects contribute to a unique charge distribution that peaks in subsurface layers with a common dispersive behavior.

Photonic bandgap fiber lasers and multicore fiber lasers for next generation high power lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shirakawa, A.; Chen, M.; Suzuki, Y.

2014-01-01

Photonic bandgap fiber lasers are realizing new laser spectra and nonlinearity mitigation that a conventional fiber laser cannot. Multicore fiber lasers are a promising tool for power scaling by coherent beam combination. © 2014 OSA....

Halogenation of SiC for band-gap engineering and excitonic functionalization

Science.gov (United States)

Drissi, L. B.; Ramadan, F. Z.; Lounis, S.

2017-11-01

The optical excitation spectra and excitonic resonances are investigated in systematically functionalized SiC with Fluorine and/or Chlorine utilizing density functional theory in combination with many-body perturbation theory. The latter is required for a realistic description of the energy band-gaps as well as for the theoretical realization of excitons. Structural, electronic and optical properties are scrutinized and show the high stability of the predicted two-dimensional materials. Their realization in laboratory is thus possible. Large band-gaps of the order of 4 eV are found in the so-called GW approximation, with the occurrence of bright excitons, optically active in the four investigated materials. Their binding energies vary from 0.9 eV to 1.75 eV depending on the decoration choice and in one case, a dark exciton is foreseen to exist in the fully chlorinated SiC. The wide variety of opto-electronic properties suggest halogenated SiC as interesting materials with potential not only for solar cell applications, anti-reflection coatings or high-reflective systems but also for a possible realization of excitonic Bose-Einstein condensation.

Defect Characterization, Imaging, and Control in Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors and Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Brillson, L. J.; Foster, G. M.; Cox, J.; Ruane, W. T.; Jarjour, A. B.; Gao, H.; von Wenckstern, H.; Grundmann, M.; Wang, B.; Look, D. C.; Hyland, A.; Allen, M. W.

2018-03-01

Wide-bandgap semiconductors are now leading the way to new physical phenomena and device applications at nanoscale dimensions. The impact of defects on the electronic properties of these materials increases as their size decreases, motivating new techniques to characterize and begin to control these electronic states. Leading these advances have been the semiconductors ZnO, GaN, and related materials. This paper highlights the importance of native point defects in these semiconductors and describes how a complement of spatially localized surface science and spectroscopy techniques in three dimensions can characterize, image, and begin to control these electronic states at the nanoscale. A combination of characterization techniques including depth-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, surface photovoltage spectroscopy, and hyperspectral imaging can describe the nature and distribution of defects at interfaces at both bulk and nanoscale surfaces, their metal interfaces, and inside nanostructures themselves. These features as well as temperature and mechanical strain inside wide-bandgap device structures at the nanoscale can be measured even while these devices are operating. These advanced capabilities enable several new directions for describing defects at the nanoscale, showing how they contribute to device degradation, and guiding growth processes to control them.

Postgrowth tuning of the bandgap of single-layer molybdenum disulfide films by sulfur/selenium exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Quan; Isarraraz, Miguel; Wang, Chen S; Preciado, Edwin; Klee, Velveth; Bobek, Sarah; Yamaguchi, Koichi; Li, Emily; Odenthal, Patrick Michael; Nguyen, Ariana; Barroso, David; Sun, Dezheng; von Son Palacio, Gretel; Gomez, Michael; Nguyen, Andrew; Le, Duy; Pawin, Greg; Mann, John; Heinz, Tony F; Rahman, Talat Shahnaz; Bartels, Ludwig

2014-05-27

We demonstrate bandgap tuning of a single-layer MoS2 film on SiO2/Si via substitution of its sulfur atoms by selenium through a process of gentle sputtering, exposure to a selenium precursor, and annealing. We characterize the substitution process both for S/S and S/Se replacement. Photoluminescence and, in the latter case, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provide direct evidence of optical band gap shift and selenium incorporation, respectively. We discuss our experimental observations, including the limit of the achievable bandgap shift, in terms of the role of stress in the film as elucidated by computational studies, based on density functional theory. The resultant films are stable in vacuum, but deteriorate under optical excitation in air.

Relationship between anaerobic capacity estimated using a single effort and 30-s tethered running outcomes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandro Moura Zagatto

Full Text Available The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between alternative anaerobic capacity method (MAODALT and a 30-s all-out tethered running test. Fourteen male recreational endurance runners underwent a graded exercise test, a supramaximal exhaustive effort and a 30-s all-out test on different days, interspaced by 48h. After verification of data normality (Shapiro-Wilk test, the Pearson's correlation test was used to verify the association between the anaerobic estimates from the MAODALT and the 30-s all-out tethered running outputs. Absolute MAODALT was correlated with mean power (r = 0.58; P = 0.03, total work (r = 0.57; P = 0.03, and mean force (r = 0.79; P = 0.001. In addition, energy from the glycolytic pathway (E[La-] was correlated with mean power (r = 0.58; P = 0.03. Significant correlations were also found at each 5s interval between absolute MAODALT and force values (r between 0.75 and 0.84, and between force values and E[La-] (r between 0.73 to 0.80. In conclusion, the associations between absolute MAODALT and the mechanical outputs from the 30-s all-out tethered running test evidenced the importance of the anaerobic capacity for maintaining force during the course of time in short efforts.

Overload control of artificial gravity facility using spinning tether system for high eccentricity transfer orbits

Science.gov (United States)

Gou, Xing-wang; Li, Ai-jun; Tian, Hao-chang; Wang, Chang-qing; Lu, Hong-shi

2018-06-01

As the major part of space life supporting systems, artificial gravity requires further study before it becomes mature. Spinning tether system is a good alternative solution to provide artificial gravity for the whole spacecraft other than additional devices, and its longer tether length could significantly reduce spinning velocity and thus enhance comfortability. An approximated overload-based feedback method is proposed to provide estimated spinning velocity signals for controller, so that gravity level could be accurately controlled without complicated GPS modules. System behavior in high eccentricity transfer orbits is also studied to give a complete knowledge of the spinning stabilities. The application range of the proposed method is studied in various orbit cases and spinning velocities, indicating that it is accurate and reliable for most of the mission phases especially for the final constant gravity level phase. In order to provide stable gravity level for transfer orbit missions, a sliding mode controller based on estimated angular signals is designed for closed-loop control. Numerical results indicate that the combination of overload-based feedback and sliding mode controller could satisfy most of the long-term artificial gravity missions. It is capable of forming flexible gravity environment in relatively good accuracy even in the lowest possible orbital radiuses and high eccentricity orbits of crewed space missions. The proposed scheme provides an effective tether solution for the artificial gravity construction in interstellar travel.

Opto-electronics of PbS quantum dot and narrow bandgap polymer blends

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kahmann, Simon; Mura, Andrea; Protesescu, Loredana; Kovalenko, Maksym V.; Brabec, Christoph J.; Loi, Maria A.

2015-01-01

Here we report on the interaction between the narrow bandgap polymer [2,6-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta-[2,1-b;3,4-b]dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) and lead sulphide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) upon photoexcitation. We show that the presence of both materials

High bandgap III-V alloys for high efficiency optoelectronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alberi, Kirstin; Mascarenhas, Angelo; Wanlass, Mark

2017-01-10

High bandgap alloys for high efficiency optoelectronics are disclosed. An exemplary optoelectronic device may include a substrate, at least one Al.sub.1-xIn.sub.xP layer, and a step-grade buffer between the substrate and at least one Al.sub.1-xIn.sub.xP layer. The buffer may begin with a layer that is substantially lattice matched to GaAs, and may then incrementally increase the lattice constant in each sequential layer until a predetermined lattice constant of Al.sub.1-xIn.sub.xP is reached.

Fullerenic structures and such structures tethered to carbon materials

Science.gov (United States)

Goel, Anish; Howard, Jack B.; Vander Sande, John B.

2010-01-05

The fullerenic structures include fullerenes having molecular weights less than that of C.sub.60 with the exception of C.sub.36 and fullerenes having molecular weights greater than C.sub.60. Examples include fullerenes C.sub.50, C.sub.58, C.sub.130, and C.sub.176. Fullerenic structure chemically bonded to a carbon surface is also disclosed along with a method for tethering fullerenes to a carbon material. The method includes adding functionalized fullerene to a liquid suspension containing carbon material, drying the suspension to produce a powder, and heat treating the powder.

Advanced Electrodynamic Tether Systems: Modeling of Scattering and Unsteady Effects

Science.gov (United States)

2008-06-06

spacecraft and satellites. A high altitude nuclear detonation would likely create a new high energy electron belt and increase the radiation risk to...our tether has no reason to roll, making O=0, and thus cosO =1. The y-component of the torque is thus expressed: < = < =< = FF cossin3 222 ’ (S...ions from the integral limits to manageable levels. Our goal is to isolate the permutations of initial velocities and impact parameters such that

The Reverse Cope Elimination of Hydroxylamines and Alkenes or Alkynes: Theoretical Investigation of Tether Length and Substituent Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Krenske, Elizabeth H.; Davison, Edwin C.; Forbes, Ian T.; Warner, Jacqueline A.; Smith, Adrian L.; Holmes, Andrew B.; Houk, K. N.

2012-01-01

Quantum mechanical calculations have been used to study the intramolecular additions of hydroxylamines to alkenes and alkynes (“reverse Cope eliminations”). In intermolecular reverse Cope eliminations, alkynes are more reactive than alkenes. However, competition experiments have shown that tethering the hydroxylamine to the alkene or alkyne can reverse the reactivity order from that normally observed. The exact outcome depends on the length of the tether. In agreement with experiment, a range of density functional theory methods and CBS-QB3 calculations predict that the activation energies for intramolecular reverse Cope eliminations follow the order 6-exo-dig hydroxylamine and alkyne. Cyclization onto an alkene in the 5-exo-trig fashion incurs slightly less tether strain than a 6-exo-dig alkyne cyclization, but its activation energy is higher because the hydroxylamine fragment must distort more before the TS is reached. If the alkene terminus is substituted with two methyl groups, the barrier becomes so much higher that it is also disfavored compared to the 5- and 7-exo-dig cyclizations. PMID:22280245

Effects of weak nonlinearity on dispersion relations and frequency band-gaps of periodic structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sorokin, Vladislav; Thomsen, Jon Juel

2015-01-01

of these for nonlinear problems is impossible or cumbersome, since Floquet theory is applicable for linear systems only. Thus the nonlinear effects for periodic structures are not yet fully uncovered, while at the same time applica-tions may demand effects of nonlinearity on structural response to be accounted for....... The present work deals with analytically predicting dynamic responses for nonlinear continuous elastic periodic structures. Specifically, the effects of weak nonlinearity on the dispersion re-lation and frequency band-gaps of a periodic Bernoulli-Euler beam performing bending os-cillations are analyzed......The analysis of the behaviour of linear periodic structures can be traced back over 300 years, to Sir Isaac Newton, and still attracts much attention. An essential feature of periodic struc-tures is the presence of frequency band-gaps, i.e. frequency ranges in which waves cannot propagate...

Comparison of technologies for deorbiting spacecraft from low-earth-orbit at end of mission

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Arriaga, G.; Sanmartín, J. R.; Lorenzini, E. C.

2017-09-01

An analytical comparison of four technologies for deorbiting spacecraft from Low-Earth-Orbit at end of mission is presented. Basic formulas based on simple physical models of key figures of merit for each device are found. Active devices - rockets and electrical thrusters - and passive technologies - drag augmentation devices and electrodynamic tethers - are considered. A basic figure of merit is the deorbit device-to-spacecraft mass ratio, which is, in general, a function of environmental variables, technology development parameters and deorbit time. For typical state-of-the-art values, equal deorbit time, middle inclination and initial altitude of 850 km, the analysis indicates that tethers are about one and two orders of magnitude lighter than active technologies and drag augmentation devices, respectively; a tether needs a few percent mass-ratio for a deorbit time of a couple of weeks. For high inclination, the performance drop of the tether system is moderate: mass ratio and deorbit time increase by factors of 2 and 4, respectively. Besides collision risk with other spacecraft and system mass considerations, such as main driving factors for deorbit space technologies, the analysis addresses other important constraints, like deorbit time, system scalability, manoeuver capability, reliability, simplicity, attitude control requirement, and re-entry and multi-mission capability (deorbit and re-boost) issues. The requirements and constraints are used to make a critical assessment of the four technologies as functions of spacecraft mass and initial orbit (altitude and inclination). Emphasis is placed on electrodynamic tethers, including the latest advances attained in the FP7/Space project BETs. The superiority of tape tethers as compared to round and multi-line tethers in terms of deorbit mission performance is highlighted, as well as the importance of an optimal geometry selection, i.e. tape length, width, and thickness, as function of spacecraft mass and initial

Metallic photonic band-gap materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sigalas, M.M.; Chan, C.T.; Ho, K.M.; Soukoulis, C.M.

1995-01-01

We calculate the transmission and absorption of electromagnetic waves propagating in two-dimensional (2D) and 3D periodic metallic photonic band-gap (PBG) structures. For 2D systems, there is substantial difference between the s- and p-polarized waves. The p-polarized waves exhibit behavior similar to the dielectric PBG's. But, the s-polarized waves have a cutoff frequency below which there are no propagating modes. For 3D systems, the results are qualitatively the same for both polarizations but there are important differences related to the topology of the structure. For 3D structures with isolated metallic scatterers (cermet topology), the behavior is similar to that of the dielectric PBG's, while for 3D structures with the metal forming a continuous network (network topology), there is a cutoff frequency below which there are no propagating modes. The systems with the network topology may have some interesting applications for frequencies less than about 1 THz where the absorption can be neglected. We also study the role of the defects in the metallic structures

Photolithography of thick photoresist coating for electrically controlled liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibre devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wei, Lei; Khomtchenko, Elena; Alkeskjold, Thomas Tanggaard

2009-01-01

Thick photoresist coating for electrode patterning in an anisotropically etched V-groove is investigated for electrically controlled liquid crystal photonic bandgap fibre devices. The photoresist step coverage at the convex corners is compared with and without soft baking after photoresist spin...

Reversibly tethering growth factors to surfaces : guiding cell function at the cell-material interface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cabanas Danés, Jordi

2013-01-01

Development of novel methodologies for tethering growth factors (GFs) to materials is highly desired for the generation of biomaterials with improved tissue repair properties. Progress in the development of biomaterials that incorporate GFs and the in vivo performance of such biomaterials in tissue

Bandgap engineering of InGaAsP/InP laser structure by photo-absorption-induced point defects

Science.gov (United States)

Kaleem, Mohammad; Nazir, Sajid; Saqib, Nazar Abbas

2016-03-01

Integration of photonic components on the same photonic wafer permits future optical communication systems to be dense and advanced performance. This enables very fast information handling between photonic active components interconnected through passive optical low loss channels. We demonstrate the UV-Laser based Quantum Well Intermixing (QWI) procedure to engineer the band-gap of compressively strained InGaAsP/InP Quantum Well (QW) laser material. We achieved around 135nm of blue-shift by simply applying excimer laser (λ= 248nm). The under observation laser processed material also exhibits higher photoluminescence (PL) intensity. Encouraging experimental results indicate that this simple technique has the potential to produce photonic integrated devices and circuits.

Band-gap sensitive adsorption of fluorine molecules on sidewalls of carbon nanotubes: an ab initio study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Woon Ih; Park, Sohee; Kim, Tae-Eun; Park, Noejung; Lee, Kwang-Ryeol; Lee, Young Hee; Ihm, Jisoon; Han, Seungwu

2006-01-01

We report from ab initio calculations that the band-gap sensitive side-wall functionalization of a carbon nanotube is feasible with the fluorine molecule (F 2 ), which can provide a route to the extraction of semiconducting nanotubes by etching away metallic ones. In the small diameter cases like (11, 0) and (12, 0), the nanotubes are easily functionalized with F 2 regardless of their electronic properties. As the diameter becomes larger, however, the fluorination is favoured on metallic CNTs with smaller activation barriers than those of semiconducting ones. Our results suggest that low-temperature exposure to F 2 molecules in the gas phase can make a dominant portion of fluorinated metallic nanotubes and unfluorinated semiconducting ones. This is consistent with recent experimental reports

Brownian motion of tethered nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Ota, Sadao; Li, Tongcang; Li, Yimin; Ye, Ziliang; Labno, Anna; Yin, Xiaobo; Alam, Mohammad-Reza; Zhang, Xiang

2014-05-01

Brownian motion of slender particles near a boundary is ubiquitous in biological systems and in nanomaterial assembly, but the complex hydrodynamic interaction in those systems is still poorly understood. Here, we report experimental and computational studies of the Brownian motion of silicon nanowires tethered on a substrate. An optical interference method enabled direct observation of microscopic rotations of the slender bodies in three dimensions with high angular and temporal resolutions. This quantitative observation revealed anisotropic and angle-dependent hydrodynamic wall effects: rotational diffusivity in inclined and azimuth directions follows different power laws as a function of the length, ∼ L(-2.5) and ∼ L(-3), respectively, and is more hindered for smaller inclined angles. In parallel, we developed an implicit simulation technique that takes the complex wire-wall hydrodynamic interactions into account efficiently, the result of which agreed well with the experimentally observed angle-dependent diffusion. The demonstrated techniques provide a platform for studying the microrheology of soft condensed matters, such as colloidal and biological systems near interfaces, and exploring the optimal self-assembly conditions of nanostructures.

Correlation between Photoluminescence and Carrier Transport and a Simple In Situ Passivation Method for High-Bandgap Hybrid Perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoddard, Ryan J; Eickemeyer, Felix T; Katahara, John K; Hillhouse, Hugh W

2017-07-20

High-bandgap mixed-halide hybrid perovskites have higher open-circuit voltage deficits and lower carrier diffusion lengths than their lower-bandgap counterparts. We have developed a ligand-assisted crystallization (LAC) technique that introduces additives in situ during the solvent wash and developed a new method to dynamically measure the absolute intensity steady-state photoluminescence and the mean carrier diffusion length simultaneously. The measurements reveal four distinct regimes of material changes and show that photoluminescence brightening often coincides with losses in carrier transport, such as in degradation or phase segregation. Further, the measurements enabled optimization of LAC on the 1.75 eV bandgap FA 0.83 Cs 0.17 Pb(I 0.66 Br 0.34 ) 3 , resulting in an enhancement of the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of over an order of magnitude, an increase of 80 meV in the quasi-Fermi level splitting (to 1.29 eV), an increase in diffusion length by a factor of 3.5 (to over 1 μm), and enhanced open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current from photovoltaics fabricated from the LAC-treated films.

Transitions of bandgap and built-in stress for sputtered HfZnO thin films after thermal treatments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Chih-Hung; Chen, Jian-Zhang [Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan (China); Cheng, I-Chun [Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics and Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei City 10617, Taiwan (China)

2013-08-28

HfZnO thin films with various Hf contents are sputter-deposited on glass substrates from Hf{sub x}Zn{sub 1−x}O (x = 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 at. %) targets at room temperature. The incorporation of Hf in the ZnO film leads to the amorphorization of the materials. The amorphous structures of high-Hf-content films remain after annealing at 600 °C for 30 min. The built-in stresses of as-deposited films are compressive. As the annealing temperature increases, the stresses are relaxed and even become tensile. The films exhibit a high transmission of 80% in the visible region. The optical bandgap increases with the Hf content, but it decreases with the annealing temperature. This can be attributed to the alteration of strain (stress) status in the films and atomic substitution. The reduction of bandgap partly results from the grain growth, which is due to the quantum confinement effect of the small grains. Hf doping increases the resistivity of ZnO owing to the disorder of the material structure and the higher bandgap, which result in more carrier traps and less thermally excited carriers in the conduction bands.

Bandgap engineering of Cu2CdxZn1−xSnS4 alloy for photovoltaic applications: A complementary experimental and first-principles study

KAUST Repository

Xiao, Zhen-Yu

2013-11-11

We report on bandgap engineering of an emerging photovoltaic material of Cu2CdxZn1-xSnS4 (CCZTS) alloy. CCZTS alloy thin films with different Cd contents and single kesterite phase were fabricated using the sol-gel method. The optical absorption measurements indicate that the bandgap of the kesterite CCZTS alloy can be continuously tuned in a range of 1.55-1.09 eV as Cd content varied from x = 0 to 1. Hall effect measurements suggest that the hole concentration of CCZTS films decreases with increasing Cd content. The CCZTS-based solar cell with x = 0.47 demonstrates a power conversion efficiency of 1.2%. Our first-principles calculations based on the hybrid functional method demonstrate that the bandgap of the kesterite CCZTS alloy decreases monotonically with increasing Cd content, supporting the experimental results. Furthermore, Cu2ZnSnS4/Cu 2CdSnS4 interface has a type-I band-alignment with a small valence-band offset, explaining the narrowing of the bandgap of CCZTS as the Cd content increases. Our results suggest that CCZTS alloy is a potentially suitable material to fabricate high-efficiency multi-junction tandem solar cells with different bandgap-tailored absorption layers. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Controlling spin-dependent tunneling by bandgap tuning in epitaxial rocksalt MgZnO films.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, D L; Ma, Q L; Wang, S G; Ward, R C C; Hesjedal, T; Zhang, X-G; Kohn, A; Amsellem, E; Yang, G; Liu, J L; Jiang, J; Wei, H X; Han, X F

2014-12-02

Widespread application of magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) for information storage has so far been limited by the complicated interplay between tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio and the product of resistance and junction area (RA). An intricate connection exists between TMR ratio, RA value and the bandgap and crystal structure of the barrier, a connection that must be unravelled to optimise device performance and enable further applications to be developed. Here, we demonstrate a novel method to tailor the bandgap of an ultrathin, epitaxial Zn-doped MgO tunnel barrier with rocksalt structure. This structure is attractive due to its good Δ1 spin filtering effect, and we show that MTJs based on tunable MgZnO barriers allow effective balancing of TMR ratio and RA value. In this way spin-dependent transport properties can be controlled, a key challenge for the development of spintronic devices.

Bandgap optimization of two-dimensional photonic crystals using semidefinite programming and subspace methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Men, H.; Nguyen, N.C.; Freund, R.M.; Parrilo, P.A.; Peraire, J.

2010-01-01

In this paper, we consider the optimal design of photonic crystal structures for two-dimensional square lattices. The mathematical formulation of the bandgap optimization problem leads to an infinite-dimensional Hermitian eigenvalue optimization problem parametrized by the dielectric material and the wave vector. To make the problem tractable, the original eigenvalue problem is discretized using the finite element method into a series of finite-dimensional eigenvalue problems for multiple values of the wave vector parameter. The resulting optimization problem is large-scale and non-convex, with low regularity and non-differentiable objective. By restricting to appropriate eigenspaces, we reduce the large-scale non-convex optimization problem via reparametrization to a sequence of small-scale convex semidefinite programs (SDPs) for which modern SDP solvers can be efficiently applied. Numerical results are presented for both transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) polarizations at several frequency bands. The optimized structures exhibit patterns which go far beyond typical physical intuition on periodic media design.

Low damage electrical modification of 4H-SiC via ultrafast laser irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Minhyung; Cahyadi, Rico; Wendorf, Joseph; Bowen, Willie; Torralva, Ben; Yalisove, Steven; Phillips, Jamie

2018-04-01

The electrical properties of 4H-SiC under ultrafast laser irradiation in the low fluence regime (engineering spatially localized structural and electronic modification of wide bandgap materials such as 4H-SiC with relatively low surface damage via low temperature processing.

High-Temperature, Wirebondless, Ultra-Compact Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Modules for Space Power Systems, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Silicon carbide (SiC) and other wide band-gap semiconductors offer great promise of high power rating, high operating temperature, simple thermal management, and...

Transmission properties of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers in relation to molecular spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falk, Charlotte Ijeoma; Hald, Jan; Petersen, Jan C.

2010-01-01

The transmission properties of five types of hollow-core photonic bandgap fibers (HC-PBFs) are characterized in the telecom wavelength range around 1:5 μm. The variations in optical transmission are measured as a function of laser frequency over a 2GHz scan range as well as a function of time over...

Low-Cost Production of Photonic Bandgap Materials Through Bubbling

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

O'Brien, Daniel J; Wetzel, Eric D

2007-01-01

.... This report proposes a simple low-cost method for PBGM production. A device has been constructed that produces micrometer-sized, monodisperse bubbles that can be assembled into a crystal lattice by surface tension...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Green emission and bandgap narrowing due to two-photon excitation in thin film CdS formed by spray pyrolysis

Science.gov (United States)

Ullrich, B.; Schroeder, R.

2001-08-01

Thin (10 µm) film CdS on Pyrex® formed by spray pyrolysis is excited below the gap at 804 nm with 200 fs laser pulses at room temperature. Excitation intensities up to 250 GW cm-2 evoke green bandgap emission due to two-photon transitions. This two-photon photoluminescence does not show a red emission contribution in contrast to the single-photon excited emission, which is dominated by broad emission in the red spectral range. It is demonstrated that two-photon excitation causes photo-induced bandgap narrowing due to Debye screening. At 250 GW cm-2 bandgap narrowing of 47 meV is observed, which corresponds to an excited electron density of 1.6×1018 cm-3.

Spectral mixture analyses of hyperspectral data acquired using a tethered balloon

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xuexia; Vierling, Lee

2006-01-01

Tethered balloon remote sensing platforms can be used to study radiometric issues in terrestrial ecosystems by effectively bridging the spatial gap between measurements made on the ground and those acquired via airplane or satellite. In this study, the Short Wave Aerostat-Mounted Imager (SWAMI) tethered balloon-mounted platform was utilized to evaluate linear and nonlinear spectral mixture analysis (SMA) for a grassland-conifer forest ecotone during the summer of 2003. Hyperspectral measurement of a 74-m diameter ground instantaneous field of view (GIFOV) attained by the SWAMI was studied. Hyperspectral spectra of four common endmembers, bare soil, grass, tree, and shadow, were collected in situ, and images captured via video camera were interpreted into accurate areal ground cover fractions for evaluating the mixture models. The comparison between the SWAMI spectrum and the spectrum derived by combining in situ spectral data with video-derived areal fractions indicated that nonlinear effects occurred in the near infrared (NIR) region, while nonlinear influences were minimal in the visible region. The evaluation of hyperspectral and multispectral mixture models indicated that nonlinear mixture model-derived areal fractions were sensitive to the model input data, while the linear mixture model performed more stably. Areal fractions of bare soil were overestimated in all models due to the increased radiance of bare soil resulting from side scattering of NIR radiation by adjacent grass and trees. Unmixing errors occurred mainly due to multiple scattering as well as close endmember spectral correlation. In addition, though an apparent endmember assemblage could be derived using linear approaches to yield low residual error, the tree and shade endmember fractions calculated using this technique were erroneous and therefore separate treatment of endmembers subject to high amounts of multiple scattering (i.e. shadows and trees) must be done with caution. Including the

Role of Double-Strand Break End-Tethering during Gene Conversion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suvi Jain

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Correct repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs is critical for maintaining genome stability. Whereas gene conversion (GC-mediated repair is mostly error-free, repair by break-induced replication (BIR is associated with non-reciprocal translocations and loss of heterozygosity. We have previously shown that a Recombination Execution Checkpoint (REC mediates this competition by preventing the BIR pathway from acting on DSBs that can be repaired by GC. Here, we asked if the REC can also determine whether the ends that are engaged in a GC-compatible configuration belong to the same break, since repair involving ends from different breaks will produce potentially deleterious translocations. We report that the kinetics of repair are markedly delayed when the two DSB ends that participate in GC belong to different DSBs (termed Trans compared to the case when both DSB ends come from the same break (Cis. However, repair in Trans still occurs by GC rather than BIR, and the overall efficiency of repair is comparable. Hence, the REC is not sensitive to the "origin" of the DSB ends. When the homologous ends for GC are in Trans, the delay in repair appears to reflect their tethering to sequences on the other side of the DSB that themselves recombine with other genomic locations with which they share sequence homology. These data support previous observations that the two ends of a DSB are usually tethered to each other and that this tethering facilitates both ends encountering the same donor sequence. We also found that the presence of homeologous/repetitive sequences in the vicinity of a DSB can distract the DSB end from finding its bona fide homologous donor, and that inhibition of GC by such homeologous sequences is markedly increased upon deleting Sgs1 but not Msh6.

Tether-directed synthesis of highly substituted oxasilacycles via an intramolecular allylation employing allylsilanes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cox Liam R

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Using a silyl tether to unite an aldehyde electrophile and allylsilane nucleophile into a single molecule allows a subsequent Lewis-acid-mediated allylation to proceed in an intramolecular sense and therefore receive all the benefits associated with such processes. However, with the ability to cleave the tether post allylation, a product that is the result of a net intermolecular reaction can be obtained. In the present study, four diastereoisomeric β-silyloxy-α-methyl aldehydes, which contain an allylsilane tethered through the β-carbinol centre, have been prepared, in order to probe how the relative configuration of the two stereogenic centres affects the efficiency and selectivity of the intramolecular allylation. Results Syn-aldehydes, syn-4a and syn-4b, both react poorly, affording all four possible diastereoisomeric oxasilacycle products. In contrast, the anti aldehydes anti-4a and anti-4b react analogously to substrates that lack substitution at the α-site, affording only two of the four possible allylation products. Conclusion The outcome of the reaction with anti-aldehydes is in accord with reaction proceeding through a chair-like transition state (T.S.. In these systems, the sense of 1,3-stereoinduction can be rationalised by the aldehyde electrophile adopting a pseudoaxial orientation, which will minimise dipole-dipole interactions in the T.S. The 1,4-stereoinduction in these substrates is modest and seems to be modulated by the R substituent in the starting material. In the case of the syn-substrates, cyclisation through a chair T.S. is unlikely as this would require the methyl substituent α to the reacting carbonyl group to adopt an unfavourable pseudoaxial position. It is therefore proposed that these substrates react through poorly-defined T.S.s and consequently exhibit essentially no stereoselectivity.

Stabilized platform for tethered balloon soundings of broadband long- and short-wave radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alzheimer, J.M.; Anderson, G.A.; Whiteman, C.D.

1993-01-01

Changes in the composition of trace gases in the earth's atmosphere have been reported by many observers, and a general concern has been expressed regarding possible changes to the earth's climate that may be caused by radiatively active gases introduced into the earth's atmosphere by man's activities. Radiatively active trace gases produce temperature changes in the earth's atmosphere through changes in radiative flux divergence. Our knowledge of and means of measuring radiative flux divergence is very limited. A few observations of vertical radiative flux divergences have been reported from aircraft from radiometersondes from towers and from large tethered balloons. These measurement techniques suffers from one or more drawbacks, including shallow sounding depths (towers), high cost (aircraft), complicated logistics (large tethered balloons), and limitation to nighttime hours (radiometersondes). Changes in radiative flux divergence caused by anthropogenic trace gases are expected to be quite small, and will be difficult to measure with existing broadband radiative flux instruments. The emphasis of present research in global climate change is thus being focused on improving radiative transfer algorithms in global climate models. The radiative parameterizations in these models are at an early stage of development and information is needed regarding their performance, especially in cloudy conditions. The impetus for the research reported in this paper is the need for a device that can supplement existing means of measuring vertical profiles of long- and short-wave irradiance and radiative flux divergence. We have designed a small tethered-balloon-based system that can make radiometric soundings through the atmospheric boundary layer. This paper discusses the concept, the design considerations, and the design and construction of this sounding system. The performance of the system will be tested in a series of balloon flights scheduled for the fall and winter of 1992

Significance of relative velocity in drag force or drag power estimation for a tethered float

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Vethamony, P.; Sastry, J.S.

There is difference in opinion regarding the use of relative velocity instead of particle velocity alone in the estimation of drag force or power. In the present study, a tethered spherical float which undergoes oscillatory motion in regular waves...

A magnetic tether system to investigate visual and olfactory mediated flight control in Drosophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Duistermars, Brian J; Frye, Mark

2008-11-21

It has been clear for many years that insects use visual cues to stabilize their heading in a wind stream. Many animals track odors carried in the wind. As such, visual stabilization of upwind tracking directly aids in odor tracking. But do olfactory signals directly influence visual tracking behavior independently from wind cues? Also, the recent deluge of research on the neurophysiology and neurobehavioral genetics of olfaction in Drosophila has motivated ever more technically sophisticated and quantitative behavioral assays. Here, we modified a magnetic tether system originally devised for vision experiments by equipping the arena with narrow laminar flow odor plumes. A fly is glued to a small steel pin and suspended in a magnetic field that enables it to yaw freely. Small diameter food odor plumes are directed downward over the fly's head, eliciting stable tracking by a hungry fly. Here we focus on the critical mechanics of tethering, aligning the magnets, devising the odor plume, and confirming stable odor tracking.

Tethered Balloon Technology in Design Solutions for Rescue and Relief Team Emergency Communication Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Alsamhi, Saeed Hamood; Ansari, Mohd Samar; Ma, Ou; Almalki, Faris; Gupta, Sachin Kumar

2018-05-23

The actions taken at the initial times of a disaster are critical. Catastrophe occurs because of terrorist acts or natural hazards which have the potential to disrupt the infrastructure of wireless communication networks. Therefore, essential emergency functions such as search, rescue, and recovery operations during a catastrophic event will be disabled. We propose tethered balloon technology to provide efficient emergency communication services and reduce casualty mortality and morbidity for disaster recovery. The tethered balloon is an actively developed research area and a simple solution to support the performance, facilities, and services of emergency medical communication. The most critical requirement for rescue and relief teams is having a higher quality of communication services which enables them to save people's lives. Using our proposed technology, it has been reported that the performance of rescue and relief teams significantly improved. OPNET Modeler 14.5 is used for a network simulated with the help of ad hoc tools (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;page 1 of 8).

Analysis of tethered balloon data from San Nicolas Island on 8 July 1987

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Stephen K.; Duda, David P.; Guinn, Thomas A.; Johnson-Pasqua, Christopher M.; Schubert, Wayne H.; Snider, Jack B.

1990-01-01

Analysis of the 8 July 1987 (Julian Day 189) tethered balloon flight from San Nicolas Island is summarized. The flight commenced at about 14:30 UTC (7:30 Pacific Daylight Time) and lasted six and one-half hours. The position of the Colorado State University (CSU) instrument package as a function of time is shown. For the purpose of presentation of results, researchers divided the flight into 13 legs. These legs consist of 20 minute constant level runs, with the exception of leg 1, which is a sounding from the surface to just above 930 mb. The laser ceilometer record of cloud base is also shown. The cloud base averaged around 970 mb during much of the flight but was more variable near the end. Before the tethered balloon flight commenced, a Communications Link Analysis and Simulation System (CLASS) sounding was released at 12:11 UTC (5:11 PDT). Temperature and moisture data below 927 mb for this sounding is shown. The sounding indicates a cloud top around 955 mb at this time.

Medium-Bandgap Small-Molecule Donors Compatible with Both Fullerene and Nonfullerene Acceptors.

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Yong; Yan, Cenqi; Kan, Bin; Liu, Xiao-Fei; Chen, Li-Chuan; Hu, Chen-Xia; Lau, Tsz-Ki; Lu, Xinhui; Sun, Chun-Lin; Shao, Xiangfeng; Chen, Yongsheng; Zhan, Xiaowei; Zhang, Hao-Li

2018-03-21

Much effort has been devoted to the development of new donor materials for small-molecule organic solar cells due to their inherent advantages of well-defined molecular weight, easy purification, and good reproducibility in photovoltaic performance. Herein, we report two small-molecule donors that are compatible with both fullerene and nonfullerene acceptors. Both molecules consist of an (E)-1,2-di(thiophen-2-yl)ethane-substituted (TVT-substituted) benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) as the central unit, and two rhodanine units as the terminal electron-withdrawing groups. The central units are modified with either alkyl side chains (DRBDT-TVT) or alkylthio side chains (DRBDT-STVT). Both molecules exhibit a medium bandgap with complementary absorption and proper energy level offset with typical acceptors like PC 71 BM and IDIC. The optimized devices show a decent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.87% for small-molecule organic solar cells and 6.63% for nonfullerene all small-molecule organic solar cells. Our results reveal that rationally designed medium-bandgap small-molecule donors can be applied in high-performance small-molecule organic solar cells with different types of acceptors.

Freedom from band-gap slavery: from diode lasers to quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Capasso, Federico

2010-02-01

Semiconductor heterostructure lasers, for which Alferov and Kromer received part of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000, are the workhorse of technologies such as optical communications, optical recording, supermarket scanners, laser printers and fax machines. They exhibit high performance in the visible and near infrared and rely for their operation on electrons and holes emitting photons across the semiconductor bandgap. This mechanism turns into a curse at longer wavelengths (mid-infrared) because as the bandgap, shrinks laser operation becomes much more sensitive to temperature, material defects and processing. Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL), invented in 1994, rely on a radically different process for light emission. QCLs are unipolar devices in which electrons undergo transitions between quantum well energy levels and are recycled through many stages emitting a cascade of photons. Thus by suitable tailoring of the layers' thickness, using the same heterostructure material, they can lase across the molecular fingerprint region from 3 to 25 microns and beyond into the far-infrared and submillimiter wave spectrum. High power cw room temperature QCLs and QCLs with large continuous single mode tuning range have found many applications (infrared countermeasures, spectroscopy, trace gas analysis and atmospheric chemistry) and are commercially available. )

Complex layered materials and periodic electromagnetic band-gap structures: Concepts, characterizations, and applications

Science.gov (United States)

Mosallaei, Hossein

The main objective of this dissertation is to characterize and create insight into the electromagnetic performances of two classes of composite structures, namely, complex multi-layered media and periodic Electromagnetic Band-Gap (EBG) structures. The advanced and diversified computational techniques are applied to obtain their unique propagation characteristics and integrate the results into some novel applications. In the first part of this dissertation, the vector wave solution of Maxwell's equations is integrated with the Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimization method to provide a powerful technique for characterizing multi-layered materials, and obtaining their optimal designs. The developed method is successfully applied to determine the optimal composite coatings for Radar Cross Section (RCS) reduction of canonical structures. Both monostatic and bistatic scatterings are explored. A GA with hybrid planar/curved surface implementation is also introduced to efficiently obtain the optimal absorbing materials for curved structures. Furthermore, design optimization of the non-uniform Luneburg and 2-shell spherical lens antennas utilizing modal solution/GA-adaptive-cost function is presented. The lens antennas are effectively optimized for both high gain and suppressed grating lobes. The second part demonstrates the development of an advanced computational engine, which accurately computes the broadband characteristics of challenging periodic electromagnetic band-gap structures. This method utilizes the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) technique with Periodic Boundary Condition/Perfectly Matched Layer (PBC/PML), which is efficiently integrated with the Prony scheme. The computational technique is successfully applied to characterize and present the unique propagation performances of different classes of periodic structures such as Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS), Photonic Band-Gap (PBG) materials, and Left-Handed (LH) composite media. The results are

Electrical and Optical Measurements of the Bandgap Energy of a Light-Emitting Diode

Science.gov (United States)

Petit, Matthieu; Michez, Lisa; Raimundo, Jean-Manuel; Dumas, Philippe

2016-01-01

Semiconductor materials are at the core of electronics. Most electronic devices are made of semiconductors. The operation of these components is well described by quantum physics which is often a difficult concept for students to understand. One of the intrinsic parameters of semiconductors is their bandgap energy E[subscript g]. In the case of…

Wide and ultra-wide bandgap oxides: where paradigm-shift photovoltaics meets transparent power electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Tomás, Amador; Chikoidze, Ekaterine; Jennings, Michael R.; Russell, Stephen A. O.; Teherani, Ferechteh H.; Bove, Philippe; Sandana, Eric V.; Rogers, David J.

2018-03-01

Oxides represent the largest family of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors and also offer a huge potential range of complementary magnetic and electronic properties, such as ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, antiferroelectricity and high-temperature superconductivity. Here, we review our integration of WBG and ultra WBG semiconductor oxides into different solar cells architectures where they have the role of transparent conductive electrodes and/or barriers bringing unique functionalities into the structure such above bandgap voltages or switchable interfaces. We also give an overview of the state-of-the-art and perspectives for the emerging semiconductor β- Ga2O3, which is widely forecast to herald the next generation of power electronic converters because of the combination of an UWBG with the capacity to conduct electricity. This opens unprecedented possibilities for the monolithic integration in solar cells of both self-powered logic and power electronics functionalities. Therefore, WBG and UWBG oxides have enormous promise to become key enabling technologies for the zero emissions smart integration of the internet of things.

Development of Radiation-hard Bandgap Reference and Temperature Sensor in CMOS 130 nm Technology

CERN Document Server

Kuczynska, Marika; Bugiel, Szymon; Firlej, Miroslaw; Fiutowski, Tomasz; Idzik, Marek; Michelis, Stefano; Moron, Jakub; Przyborowski, Dominik; Swientek, Krzysztof

2015-01-01

A stable reference voltage (or current) source is a standard component of today's microelectronics systems. In particle physics experiments such reference is needed in spite of harsh ionizing radiation conditions, i.e. doses exceeding 100 Mrads and fluences above 1e15 n/cm2. After such radiation load a bandgap reference using standard p-n junction of bipolar transistor does not work properly. Instead of using standard p-n junctions, two enclosed layout transistor (ELTMOS) structures are used to create radiation-hard diodes: the ELT bulk diode and the diode obtained using the ELTMOS as dynamic threshold transistor (DTMOS). In this paper we have described several sub-1V references based on ELTMOS bulk diode and DTMOS based diode, using CMOS 130 nm process. Voltage references the structures with additional PTAT (Proportional To Absolute Temperature) output for temperature measurements were also designed. We present and compare post-layout simulations of the developed bandgap references and temperature sensors, w...

Highly efficient luminescent solar concentrators based on earth-abundant indirect-bandgap silicon quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

Meinardi, Francesco; Ehrenberg, Samantha; Dhamo, Lorena; Carulli, Francesco; Mauri, Michele; Bruni, Francesco; Simonutti, Roberto; Kortshagen, Uwe; Brovelli, Sergio

2017-02-01

Building-integrated photovoltaics is gaining consensus as a renewable energy technology for producing electricity at the point of use. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) could extend architectural integration to the urban environment by realizing electrode-less photovoltaic windows. Crucial for large-area LSCs is the suppression of reabsorption losses, which requires emitters with negligible overlap between their absorption and emission spectra. Here, we demonstrate the use of indirect-bandgap semiconductor nanostructures such as highly emissive silicon quantum dots. Silicon is non-toxic, low-cost and ultra-earth-abundant, which avoids the limitations to the industrial scaling of quantum dots composed of low-abundance elements. Suppressed reabsorption and scattering losses lead to nearly ideal LSCs with an optical efficiency of η = 2.85%, matching state-of-the-art semi-transparent LSCs. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that optimized silicon quantum dot LSCs have a clear path to η > 5% for 1 m2 devices. We are finally able to realize flexible LSCs with performances comparable to those of flat concentrators, which opens the way to a new design freedom for building-integrated photovoltaics elements.

Estimation of added-mass and damping coefficients of a tethered spherical float using potential flow theory

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Vethamony, P.; Chandramohan, P.; Sastry, J.S.; Narasimhan, S.

Added-mass (alpha) and damping coefficients (beta) of a tethered spherical float, undergoing oscillatory motion in sinusoidal waves, have been derived from the motion generated velocity potential for one degree-of-freedom (surge) using potential...

Sub-bandgap optical absorption spectroscopy of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon thin films prepared using hot-wire CVD (Cat-CVD) process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goktas, O.; Isik, N.; Okur, S.; Gunes, M.; Carius, R.; Klomfass, J.; Finger, F.

2006-01-01

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) thin films with different silane concentration (SC) have been prepared using the HW-CVD technique. Dual beam photoconductivity (DBP), photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS), and transmission measurements have been used to investigate the optical properties of the μc-Si:H films. Two different sub-bandgap absorption, α(hν), methods have been applied and analyzed to obtain a better insight into the electronic states involved. A good agreement has been obtained in the absorption spectrum obtained from the PDS and DBP measurements at energies above the bandgap. Differences between PDS and DBP spectra exist below the bandgap energy where DBP spectra always give lower α(hν) values and show a dependence on the SC. For some films, differences exist in the α(hν) spectra when the DBP measurements are carried out through the film and substrate side. In addition, for some films, there remains fringe pattern left on the spectrum after the calculation of the fringe-free absorption spectrum, which indicates structural inhomogeneities present throughout the film

Palladium-Catalyzed Tandem Oxidative Arylation/Olefination of Aromatic Tethered Alkenes/Alkynes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yang; Gao, Yinglan; Wu, Wanqing; Jiang, Huanfeng; Yang, Xiaobo; Liu, Wenbo; Li, Chao-Jun

2017-01-18

We describe herein a palladium-catalyzed tandem oxidative arylation/olefination reaction of aromatic tethered alkenes/alkynes for the synthesis of dihydrobenzofurans and 2 H-chromene derivatives. This reaction features a 1,2-difunctionalization of C-C π-bond with two C-H bonds using O 2 as terminal oxidant at room temperature. The products obtained are valuable synthons and important scaffolds in biological agents and natural products. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tunable Bandgap Opening in the Proposed Structure of Silicon Doped Graphene

OpenAIRE

Azadeh, Mohammad S. Sharif; Kokabi, Alireza; Hosseini, Mehdi; Fardmanesh, Mehdi

2011-01-01

A specific structure of doped graphene with substituted silicon impurity is introduced and ab. initio density-functional approach is applied for energy band structure calculation of proposed structure. Using the band structure calculation for different silicon sites in the host graphene, the effect of silicon concentration and unit cell geometry on the bandgap of the proposed structure is also investigated. Chemically silicon doped graphene results in an energy gap as large as 2eV according t...

Microstructured and Photonic Bandgap Fibers for Applications in the Resonant Bio- and Chemical Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maksim Skorobogatiy

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We review application of microstructured and photonic bandgap fibers for designing resonant optical sensors of changes in the value of analyte refractive index. This research subject has recently invoked much attention due to development of novel fiber types, as well as due to development of techniques for the activation of fiber microstructure with functional materials. Particularly, we consider two sensors types. The first sensor type employs hollow core photonic bandgap fibers where core guided mode is confined in the analyte filled core through resonant effect in the surrounding periodic reflector. The second sensor type employs metalized microstructured or photonic bandgap waveguides and fibers, where core guided mode is phase matched with a plasmon propagating at the fiber/analyte interface. In resonant sensors one typically employs fibers with strongly nonuniform spectral transmission characteristics that are sensitive to changes in the real part of the analyte refractive index. Moreover, if narrow absorption lines are present in the analyte transmission spectrum, due to Kramers-Kronig relation this will also result in strong variation in the real part of the refractive index in the vicinity of an absorption line. Therefore, resonant sensors allow detection of minute changes both in the real part of the analyte refractive index (10−6–10−4 RIU, as well as in the imaginary part of the analyte refractive index in the vicinity of absorption lines. In the following we detail various resonant sensor implementations, modes of operation, as well as analysis of sensitivities for some of the common transduction mechanisms for bio- and chemical sensing applications. Sensor designs considered in this review span spectral operation regions from the visible to terahertz.

Tethered capsule OCT endomicroscopy: from bench to bedside at the primary care office (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Gora, Michalina J.; Simmons, Leigh H.; Tiernan, Aubrey R.; Grant, Catriona N.; Soomro, Amna R.; Walker Corkery, Elizabeth S.; Rosenberg, Mireille; Metlay, Joshua P.; Tearney, Guillermo J.

2016-03-01

We have developed a swallowable tethered capsule OCT endomicroscopy (TCE) device that acquires microscopic images of the entire esophagus in unsedated subjects in a quick and comfortable procedure. To test its capabilities of TCE to become a population-based screening device, we conducted a clinical feasibility study in the primary care office. The swept-source OCT imaging system (1310nm central wavelength, 40kHz A-line rate, 10um axial resolution) together with the tethered capsule catheter (11x25mm capsule attached to a flexible tether) were transferred to the PCP office where unsedated patients scheduled for non-urgent PCP visits swallowed the capsule and microscopic OCT images of the entire esophagus were collected. After the whole length of the esophagus was imaged, the catheter was disinfected for reuse. Twenty subjects were enrolled in the study, including nine female and eleven male. All TCE procedures were performed by a nurse and lasted in average 5:42 ± 1:54 min. High-resolution images of the esophagus were obtained in all seventeen subjects that swallowed the capsule. Our clinical experience in this cohort, subject feedback, image quality, and technological adaptations for efficient utilization in this setting will be presented. The ease and simplicity of the procedure combined with high quality of the images demonstrate the potential for this technology to become a population-based screening device. Technology limitations and future development guided by findings from this initial experience will be discussed with the goal of effectively translating TCE to the outpatient primary care setting.

Electrically pumped edge-emitting photonic bandgap semiconductor laser

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shawn-Yu; Zubrzycki, Walter J.

2004-01-06

A highly efficient, electrically pumped edge-emitting semiconductor laser based on a one- or two-dimensional photonic bandgap (PBG) structure is described. The laser optical cavity is formed using a pair of PBG mirrors operating in the photonic band gap regime. Transverse confinement is achieved by surrounding an active semiconductor layer of high refractive index with lower-index cladding layers. The cladding layers can be electrically insulating in the passive PBG mirror and waveguide regions with a small conducting aperture for efficient channeling of the injection pump current into the active region. The active layer can comprise a quantum well structure. The quantum well structure can be relaxed in the passive regions to provide efficient extraction of laser light from the active region.

On the escape transition of a tethered Gaussian chain; exact results in two conjugate ensembles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Skvortsov, A.M.; Klushin, L.I.; Leermakers, F.A.M.

2006-01-01

Upon compression between two pistons an end-tethered polymer chain undergoes an abrupt transition from a confined coil state to an inhomogeneous flower-like conformation that is partially escaped from the gap. In the thermodynamic limit the system demonstrates a first-order phase transition. A