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The diffusion of moisture in the meta-aramid fiber (PMIA) oil-paper insulation system and the thermal decomposition of PMIA insulation paper in different moisture contents were studied via molecular dynamics simulations. The results showed that the PMIA insulation paper had a stronger ability to absorb water molecules than the insulating oil; therefore, water molecules in the insulating oil diffuse to the insulation paper, which further affects the thermal decomposition of the PMIA insulation paper. The activation energy of the water-bearing composite model was 129.96 kJ/mol, which was 5.5% lower than that of the pure PMIA (137.61 kJ/mol). It indicated that moisture could promote PMIA decomposition. The micromechanism of the enhanced thermal decomposition of PMIA with moisture contents could be described as follows: The O–H bond of the water can easily break to generate H atoms and hydroxyl radicals (•OH). The strong activity of H atoms allows it to easily combine with the ammonia base at the end of PMIA to generate NH3. Additionally, the free •OH radical can easily combine with the amido and carbonyl bonds at two ends of PMIA, undergo an oxidation reaction, and generate an oxhydryl. Therefore, it can reduce the chemical stability of the PMIA chain and further drive thermal decomposition. Statistical data on fragments generated by the thermal decomposition of the water-bearing PMIA composite system show that the main products include H2, C/H/O-containing molecules, hydrocarbon molecules, N-bearing molecules, and free radicals.

In this work, in-plane thermal conductivity measurement was carried out on graphene-based papers. Graphene-based papers were fabricated using various processing techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), hot pressing of graphene slurry, and evaporation induced self-assembly. The prepared materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. In-plane thermal conductivity measurement was performed via a steady state thin film thermal conductivity apparatus. The in-plane thermal conductivity measurements show that the CVD based sample has the highest thermal conductivity. COMSOL Multiphysics was used to simulate the in-plane thermal conductivity of graphene-based papers.

Holes and defects can greatly reduce the mechanical properties of multilayer graphene sheets under different loading conditions due to the stress concentration near the hole edge in each in-plane sheet and the lack of interlayer carbon–carbon bonds between the layers. Here, we report a novel design of multilayer open-hole graphene papers (MLGPs) formed through interlayer covalent bonding at the hole edges of multilayer open-hole graphene sheets (MLGSs) under high temperature using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our MD results show that the hybrid sp2–sp3 interlayer bonds of MLGPs can significantly improve their both tensile strength and interlayer shear strength. The tensile strength and interlayer shear strength of MLGPs increase by around 20% and 3 times by comparison with those of MLGSs with the same number of layers, respectively, which mainly depends on the uniformity of their interlayer bond distribution. This study can provide an effective way to improve the mechanical performances of multilayer graphene sheets with flaws and also offer corresponding guidance for the design of MLGS-based nanocomposites.

A novel method was developed for studying the ink-paper interface and the structural variations of a deposited layer of ink. Combining high-resolution x-ray tomography with laser ablation, the depth profile of ink (toner), i.e., its varying thickness, could be determined in a paper substrate. X-ray tomography was used to produce the 3D structure of paper with about 1 μm spatial resolution. Laser ablation combined with optical imaging was used to produce the 3D structure of the printed layer of ink on top of that paper with about 70 nm depth resolution. Ablation depth was calibrated with an optical profilometer. It can be concluded that a toner layer on a light-weight-coated paper substrate was strongly perturbed by protruding fibers of the base paper. Such fibers together with the surface topography of the base paper seem to be the major factors that control the leveling of toner and its penetration into a thinly coated paper substrate.

In this work, we describe the synthesis of novel electrically and magnetically dual-driven Janus particles for a handwriting-enabled twisting ball display via the microfluidic technique. One hemisphere of the Janus particles contains a charge control agent, which allows the display color to be controlled by applying a voltage and superparamagnetic nanoparticles, allows handwriting by applying a magnetic field to the display. We fabricated a twisting ball display utilizing these Janus particles and tested the electric color control and handwriting using a magnet. As a result, the display was capable of permitting handwriting with a small magnet in addition to conventional color control using an applied voltage (80 V). Handwriting performance was improved by increasing the concentration of superparamagnetic nanoparticles and was determined to be possible even when 80 V was applied across the electrodes for 4 wt. % superparamagnetic nanoparticles in one hemisphere. This improvement was impossible when the concentration was reduced to 2 wt. % superparamagnetic nanoparticles. The technology presented in our work can be applied to low-cost, lightweight, highly visible, and energy-saving electronic message boards and large whiteboards because the large-size display can be fabricated easily due to its simple structure.

Biocellulose or bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biocompatible (nano) material produced with a three-dimensional network structure composed of microfibrils having nanometric diameters obtained by the Gluconacetobacter xylinus bacteria. BC membranes present relatively high porosity, allowing the incorporation or synthesis in situ of inorganic nanoparticles for multifunctional applications and have been used as flexible membranes for incorporation of magnetic nanocomposite. In this work, highly stable superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION), functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG), with an average diameter of 5 nm and a saturation magnetization of 41 emu/g at 300 K were prepared. PEG-Fe2O3 hybrid was dispersed by mixing a pristine BC membrane in a stable aqueous dispersion of PEG-SPION. The PEG chains at PEG-SPION's surface provide a good permeability and strong affinity between the BC chains and SPION through hydrogen-bonding interactions. PEG-SPION also allow the incorporation of higher content of nanoparticles without compromising the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite. Structural and magnetic properties of the composite have been characterized by XRD, SEM, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), magnetization, Raman spectroscopy, and magnetic force microscopy.

Sustainable and microbiologically secure foodstuff production lines are of increasing scientific interest and are in the focus of recent research programs. Additionally, they are of great importance for the production industry due to the prevention of food-borne illnesses caused by pathogens such as Salmonella sp., Listeria monocytogenes, or Escherichia coli. These pathogens are responsible for production losses, loss of customer acceptance, and severe food-borne illnesses. A pathogenic threat is frequently combated with sanitizing steps of the production lines. For conveyor band cleaning, this study compares the cleaning abilities of nitric acid (HNO3) and plasma treated water (PTW), which have been sprayed via a commercially available nozzle on two different polymeric surfaces (polysiloxane and polyurethane). Additionally, the cleaning agents HNO3 and PTW have been characterized through their pH and their conductivity. These findings have been underpinned by experiments that focus on a possible influence of nozzle abrasion, such as brass and stainless-steel nanoparticles, on the antimicrobial potential of PTW and HNO3. Adversely acting effects like an enhanced abrasion of conveyer band materials due to PTW or HNO3 treatment have been checked by using light microscopic micrographs and topographic scans in high-resolution mode. Based on the presented results of the experiments, the suitability of an in-place sanitation step in foodstuff production lines has been demonstrated on a laboratory scale.

peer-reviewed Direct coating methods using metal particles from aqueous solutions or solvent-based inks become central in the roll-to-roll fabrication processes as these methods can lead to continuous or pre-defined conductive layers on a large variety of substrates. For good electrical conductivity, the metal particles have to be brought into contact, and traditionally, additional sintering treatments are required. Such treatments can degrade the sensitive substrates as paper or polymer films. In this study, the possibility of obtaining conductive layers at room temperature is investigated for direct coating methods with an emphasis on drop-casting and inkjet printing. Thus, it is shown that electrical conductive layers can be achieved if the metal particles can compact during the drop-substrate impact interaction. It is theoretically shown that the compaction process is directly related to the particle and ink drop size, the initial fractional particle loading of the ink, solvent viscosity, and drop velocity. The theoretical predictions on compaction are experimentally validated, and the particle compaction's influence on changes in the electrical conductivity of the resulting layers is demonstrated. (C) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC. PUBLISHED peer-reviewed

We demonstrate a simple interferometric probe to detect nanoscale dynamics of sessile fluid drops on arbitrary rough or flexible substrates. The technique relies on producing high-contrast Newton-ring like dynamical fringes by interference between a weak Fresnel reflection from the air-fluid interface of the drop and an air-glass interface of a convex lens placed above the drop in quasi-normal geometry. By analyzing the dynamical fringes, we observed 100–700 nm/s fluctuations in water drops evaporating on metal, leaves, insect wing, and sand paper due to their surface roughness. Similar fluctuations were also observed during spreading of non-volatile glycerin drops on various rough surfaces. Another application of the technique is demonstrated in precision measurement of change in evaporation rate of a water drop due to cooling of a metal substrate. This technique can be further miniaturized with a microscope objective with potential for wide applications.

The passivation of In0.53Ga0.47As surfaces is highly desired for transistor performance. In this study, the feasibility of a crystalline oxide passivation on In0.53Ga0.47As (100) is demonstrated experimentally. The (3 × 1) and (3 × 2) crystalline oxide reconstructions are formed on the de-capped In0.53Ga0.47As (100) surfaces through the control of the surface oxidation states. By monitoring the evolution of chemical states and associated structures of the In0.53Ga0.47As (100) surfaces upon O2 and subsequent atomic hydrogen exposure, we find that the control of the Ga oxide states is critical to the formation of the crystalline oxide reconstructions. The stability of the crystalline oxide layers upon the atomic layer deposition of HfO2 is investigated as well. Furthermore, the capacitance voltage behavior of metal oxide semiconductor capacitors with an HfO2 dielectric layer reveals that the crystalline oxide reconstructions result in a decrease in the density of interface traps (Dit) from ∼1 × 1013 cm−2 eV...

Boron-doped graphene (B-doped graphene) films with large area, high quality, and good uniformity are successfully prepared by chemical vapor deposition using ethylboronic acid (C2H7BO2) as the sole precursor. The pre-treatment of the copper foil and post-annealing are introduced to the growth process and proved to be greatly influential to the quality of B-doped graphene. The films prepared are mainly monolayer with the transmittance of about 97.1%, the B/C ratio of about 2.3%, the sheet resistance of 1.5–3 kΩ/◻, and the carrier density of 1.13 × 1013 cm−2 at room temperature.

Graphene has been successfully grown on commercial copper foil at low temperature of 500 °C by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). X-ray diffraction patterns showed that films have been grown in the presence of Cu(111) and Cu(200) facets. Raman spectroscopy was utilized to study the effects of temperature, surface structure, and cooling rate on the graphene growth. Raman spectra indicate that the synthesis of graphene layers rely on the surface quality of the Cu substrate together with the proper cooling profile coupled with graphene growth temperature. PLD-grown graphene film on Cu has been verified by transmission electron microscopy. Surface mediated growth of graphene on Cu foil substrate revealed to have a favorable catalytic effect. High growth rate of graphene and less defects can be derived using fast cooling rate.

We synthesized SiSn/(reduced graphene oxide (rGO)) nanocomposite powder for a Li-ion battery material and characterized the structure by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Graphene oxide was prepared by Hummers method. The graphene oxide powder processed by heat treatment was added together with Si powder into a solution of SnCl2 ⋅ 2(H2O) dissolved in N2 bubbled ethylene glycol, and the solution was reacted with NaBH4. The product had a nominal atomic ratio of Si: Sn: C = 14: 3.5: 100. High-resolution TEM/STEM analysis revealed that the powder consisted of crystalline particles of Sn, Si, and SiO as well as thin reduced graphene oxide (rGO) lamellae of amorphous-like graphite with distorted lattices that were often found in areas as local as a few nm2. The aggregated Si and SiO particles grew up to several hundred nm across. Sn particles grew as large as a few tens of nm while those as small as a few nm were scattered on the (0001) rGO s...

Graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide thin films are very promising materials because they can be used in optoelectronic devices and in a growing range of applications such as touch screens and flexible displays. In this work, graphene oxide (GO) and thermally reduced graphene oxide (rGO) thin films, deposited on Ti/glass substrates, have been obtained by electrophoretic deposition. The morphological and the structural properties of the samples have been investigated by micro-Raman technique, X-ray reflectometry, and SEM analysis. In order to study the optical and electrical properties, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and impedance analysis have been performed. The thermal annealing changes strongly the structural, electrical, and optical properties, because during the thermal processes some amount of sp3 bonds originally present in GO were removed. In particular, the annealing enhances the Ohmic behavior of the rGO film increasing its conductivity and the estimated optical density. Moreover...

We report a development of graphene tunnel junctions made by chemical vapor deposition grown graphene and sputtered aluminum insulating by an in-situ grown aluminum oxide. The thin oxide layer formed in between the metal layer and the two-dimensional material is a crucial part of a tunnel junction. We characterized surface morphology of oxide layers and studied tunneling spectra of lead and silver tunnel junctions to estimate the quality of the aluminum oxide. The Brinkman-Rowell-Dynes model was applied to fit the conductance-voltage plots to calculate the thickness of oxide layers. Junctions with graphene both on bottom and on top were fabricated and their tunneling properties were characterized after exposure to air for weeks to test time stability. Furthermore, the resistances of graphene tunnel junctions with aluminum oxide formed naturally and in an oxygen atmosphere were studied. Our results demonstrate that in-situ aluminum oxide is an effective barrier for graphene tunnel junctions. The methods of...

Intelligent engineering of graphene-based electronic devices on SiC(0001) requires a better understanding of processes used to deposit gate-dielectric materials on graphene. Recently, Al2O3 dielectrics have been shown to form conformal, pinhole-free thin films by functionalizing the top surface of the graphene with fluorine prior to atomic layer deposition (ALD) of the Al2O3 using a trimethylaluminum (TMA) precursor. In this work, the functionalization and ALD-precursor adsorption processes have been studied with angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It has been found that the functionalization process has a negligible effect on the electronic structure of the graphene, and that it results in a twofold increase in the adsorption of the ALD-precursor. In situ TMA-dosing and XPS studies were also performed on three different Si(100) substrates that were terminated with H, OH, or dangling Si-bonds. This dosing experiment revealed that OH is required for TMA adsorption. Based on those data along with supportive in situ measurements that showed F-functionalization increases the amount of oxygen (in the form of adsorbed H2O) on the surface of the graphene, a model for TMA-adsorption on graphene is proposed that is based on a reaction of a TMA molecule with OH.

Uniform and large-area graphene films grown directly on sapphire substrates by using a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition system are demonstrated in this paper. The evolution process and the similar Raman spectra of the samples with different growth durations have confirmed that the continuous graphene film is formed by graphene flakes with similar sizes. The layer-by-layer growth mechanism of this approach is attributed to the preferential graphene deposition on sapphire surfaces. The etching effect of H2 gas is demonstrated to be advantageous for the larger graphene grain formation. The smooth surface of substrates is also proved to be a key parameter for continuous graphene film formation with better crystalline quality.

Efficient control of intercalation of epitaxial graphene by specific elements is a way to change properties of the graphene. Results of several experimental techniques, such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, micro-Raman mapping, reflectivity, attenuated total reflection, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray reflectometry, gave a new insight into the intercalation of oxygen in the epitaxial graphene grown on 4H-SiC(0001). These results confirmed that oxygen intercalation decouples the graphene buffer layer from the 4H-SiC surface and converts it into the graphene layer. However, in contrast to the hydrogen intercalation, oxygen does not intercalate between carbon planes (in the case of few layer graphene) and the interlayer spacing stays constant at the level of 3.35–3.32 A. Moreover, X-ray reflectometry showed the presence of an oxide layer having the thickness of about 0.8 A underneath the graphene layers. Apart from the formation of the nonuniform thin oxide layer, generation of defects in graphene caused by...

Understanding and controlling growth of graphene on the carbon face (C-face) of SiC presents a significant challenge. In this work, we study the structural, vibrational, and dielectric function properties of graphene grown on the C-face of 4H-SiC by high-temperature sublimation in an argon atmosphere. The effect of growth temperature on the graphene number of layers and crystallite size is investigated and discussed in relation to graphene coverage and thickness homogeneity. An amorphous carbon layer at the interface between SiC and the graphene is identified, and its evolution with growth temperature is established. Atomic force microscopy, micro-Raman scattering spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and high-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy are combined to determine and correlate thickness, stacking order, dielectric function, and interface properties of graphene. The role of surface defects and growth temperature on the graphene growth mechanism and stacking is discussed, and a conclusion about the critical factors to achieve decoupled graphene layers is drawn.

A facile and effective technique to tune the electronic properties of graphene is essential to facilitate the flexibility of graphene-based device performances. Here, the use of hydrazine as a solution-processable and effective n-type dopant for graphene is described. By dropping hydrazine solutions at different concentrations on a graphene surface, the Dirac point of graphene can be remarkably tuned. The transport behavior of graphene can be changed from p-type to n-type accordingly, demonstrating the controllable and adjustable doping effect of the hydrazine solutions. Accompanying the Dirac point shift is an enhanced hysteretic behavior of the graphene conductance, indicating an increasing trap state density induced by the hydrazine adsorbates. The electron-doping of graphene by the hydrazine solutions can be additionally confirmed with graphene/p-type silicon heterojunctions. The decrease of the junction current after the hydrazine treatment demonstrates an increase of the junction barrier between graphene and silicon, which is essentially due to the electron-doping of graphene and the resultant upshift of the Fermi level. Finally, partially doped graphene is realized and its electrical property is studied to demonstrate the potential of the hydrazine solutions to selectively electron-doping graphene for future electronic applications.

Suspended graphene has the highest measured thermal conductivity of any material at room temperature. However, when graphene is supported by a substrate or encased between two materials, basal-plane heat transfer is suppressed by phonon interactions at the interfaces. We have used frequency domain thermoreflectance to create thermal conductance maps of graphene contacts, obtaining simultaneous measurements of the basal-plane thermal conductivity and cross-plane thermal boundary conductance for 1–7 graphitic layers encased between titanium and silicon dioxide. We find that the basal-plane thermal conductivity is similar to that of graphene supported on silicon dioxide. Our results have implications for heat transfer in two-dimensional material systems, and are relevant for applications such as graphene transistors and other nanoelectronic devices.

International audience; Contractile forces generated by cells and the stiffness of the surrounding extracellular matrix are two central mechanical factors that regulate cell function. To characterize the dynamic evolution of these two mechanical parameters during tissue morphogenesis, we developed a magnetically actuated micro-mechanical testing system in which fibroblast-populated collagen microtissues formed spontaneously in arrays of microwells that each contains a pair of elastomeric microcantilevers. We characterized the magnetic actuation performance of this system and evaluated its capacity to support long-term cell culture. We showed that cells in the microtissues remained viable during prolonged culture periods of up to 15 days, and that the mechanical properties of the microtissues reached and maintained at a stable state after a fast initial increase stage. Together, these findings demonstrate the utility of this microfabricated bio-magneto-mechanical system in extended mechanobiological studies in a physiologically relevant 3D environment.

Using sorbent materials to separate and concentrate ambient humidity is a promising option for atmospheric water harvesting in the face of impending worldwide freshwater scarcity. The method of cycled sorption and forced release can facilitate efficient condensation, but performance strongly depends on device-scale issues of heat and mass transfer. We examine the potential of using microwave radiation to liberate sorbed vapor, in proof-of-concept experiments with hygroscopic salt-infused paper towel as simple sorbents. We quantify performance as a function of tunable system parameters and ambient humidity. Our results demonstrate promising aspects: both rapid desorption and regeneration, owing to water-tuned dielectric heating and directing flow through fibrous sorbent, respectively; substantial efficiency of moisture separation toward very low ([Formula: see text]) relative humidity; and robust repeatability over many cycles, due to the targeted energy input and retention of hygroscopic salt within the paper scaffold.

This paper proposed a two-dimensional composite square lattice structure containing two kinds of inclusions (polymethylmethacrylate and T2 copper). To maximize the relative widths of the gaps between the adjacent energy bands of the phononic crystals (PnCs), an improved multi-parameter genetic algorithm was adopted in this paper. The material distribution and ligament sizes were considered simultaneously by ternary encoding and binary encoding. The propagation wave behaviors of the composite lattice structures were studied by the finite element method. The effects of different lattice shapes and other relevant influencing parameters on the bandgaps were discussed. The results showed that the lattice shape, ligament width, and material density affect the width and the location of the bandgaps, and the effectiveness of the proposed method was demonstrated by a transmission spectrum experiment.

The efficiency of quantum computing has recently been extended to machine learning, which has made a significant impact on quantum machine learning. The hybrid structure of quantum and classical ones has developed into the most successful application mode currently due to noisy intermediate scale quantum limitations. In this paper, an improved hybrid quantum-classic convolutional neural network (HQC-CNN) with fast training speed, lightweight, and high performance is proposed. Its convolution layer realizes feature mapping through parameterized quantum circuit, while other layers keep classic operation and finally complete the task of four classifications of brain tumors. The experiment in this paper is based on kaggle brain tumor magnetic resonance imaging public dataset. The final experimental results show that HQC-CNN can effectively classify meningioma, glioma, pituitary, and no tumor with a classification accuracy of 97.8%. When compared to numerous well-known landmark models, HQC-CNN has obvious advantages.

In spite of the flexoelectric effect being a universal phenomenon in the ferroelectric perovskites, the current understanding of flexoelectric aging in ferroelectrics is, actually, rather incomplete. In this paper, we have fabricated a series of Mn-doped BaTiO3 perovskite ceramics (BaTi1–xMnxO3, x = 0.1% and 1%, BTMO) to systematically investigate the corresponding flexoelectric aging behavior by controlling the concentration of Mn. We found that the variation of Mn dopant significantly effects the Curie temperature, dielectric constant, flexoelectric aging, and flexoelectric coefficient of the BTMO ceramics. Especially for the BTMO (0.1%) ceramics, obvious ferroelectric aging and flexoelectric aging phenomenon are observed at room temperature. The main reason for aging of BTMO ceramics is that the doping of Mn introduces oxygen vacancies, which tend to be stable under the action of strain gradient and electric field. Therefore, the results presented in this paper verify that the flexoelectric aging in Mn-doped BTO ceramics is closely related to ferroelectric fatigue.

This paper studies the magnetization mechanism of a hybrid high temperature superconducting (HTS) trapped field magnet. To address the size limitation of traditional HTS bulk materials, hybridization between HTS-stacked ring magnets and HTS bulks is proposed here. A jointless HTS-stacked ring magnet is used to increase the trapped field area for HTS bulks. A hybrid HTS magnet with 90 mm in length and 60 mm in width was tested to provide a trapped field of 7.35 T in a field cooling magnetization. The paper focuses mainly on understanding the novel magnetization mechanism of this hybrid HTS trapped field magnet. A numerical model based on homogenized H formulation was used to compare with experimental results, and a good match was found. Our experimental and numerical study of the electromagnetic interaction between the HTS-stacked ring magnet and the HTS bulks reveals that there are two magnetization stages, and the magnetization speed differs in these two stages by a sing criterion: whether the HTS-stacked ring magnet is fully penetrated or not. This study confirms that hybridization helps to build large HTS trapped field magnets.

Understanding the mechanisms of unidirectional magnetoresistance (UMR) has become an important topic for its potential application of a two-terminal spin–orbit torque device. Field sweep DC measurements have been proposed and adopted to measure the value of UMR instead of second harmonic measurements. In this paper, potential measurement errors in conventional DC measurements are investigated. Oersted field and field-like torque usually do not influence the measurement, but a large field-like torque was found to lead to an anisotropic magnetoresistance difference when the sample is not perfectly aligned with the external field. The existence of ordinary magnetoresistance was also found to contribute to a large background. In this paper, an alternative measurement method for UMR was proposed and demonstrated to address those issues related to previous DC measurements. Our work may broaden the understanding of the error sources of UMR measurements and provide a reliable DC measurement method for the characterization of UMR.

Since xenon (Xe) production is always an unavoidable part of the fission products in fuel pellets, the challenges of its presence have always been the subject of many papers. In line with these goals, in the present paper, the effect of the presence of grain boundaries (GBs) with misorientations ([Formula: see text]) of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] in 10%Xe-UO2 (uranium dioxide in which 10% of its uranium atoms have been replaced by xenon atoms) on the behavior of xenon (diffusion, nucleation, and formation of clusters) was investigated by performing molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results showed that xenon atoms aggregate in the GB with misorientations of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and form larger clusters relative to other GBs. This was interpreted due to the low formation energy of these two GBs in comparison with other misorientations. A decrease in the number of xenon atoms was also observed at a slight distance from these two GB regions, indicating their sink efficiency. The calculation of diffusion coefficients also indicated that the presence of these two GBs increases the coefficients (xenon, oxygen, and uranium). All of these demonstrate the effective role of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in swelling. To reduce the destructive effect of xenon atoms on the fuel pellet, a conceptual design in the form of nanoporous was proposed. The results of the MD simulation of such a design showed that the presence of nano-porosity significantly reduces xenon clusters.

This paper focused on developing a methodology and metrology using a differential photoacoustic (PA) system to determine the effective water vapor diffusion coefficient [Formula: see text] and the effective permeability coefficient [Formula: see text] in thin films as a piece of paper and standard polystyrene for a controlled relative humidity. The methodology proposes a new differential photoacoustic system, including the water reservoir, relative humidity, and temperature detectors. Two cells, reference/sample, were used to obtain the instrumental function to reduce the electronic and environmental noises. A method based on the study of [Formula: see text] and the behaviors of R2 as a function of the number of data was proposed to assess the region in which the photoacoustic signal should be processed to determine each effective coefficient. S is the amplitude of the PA signal, [Formula: see text] is the initial amplitude value, [Formula: see text] is the change, t (time), and [Formula: see text] is the water vapor diffusion time. The effective water diffusion coefficient [Formula: see text] for water and polystyrene was 1.90 × 10−11 m2/s and 3.09 × 10−11 m2/s, respectively. The permeability coefficient value for the piece of paper was 4.18 × 10−9 mol kg−1 cm−2 s−1 Pa−1, while for polystyrene, it was 6.80 × 10−9 mol kg−1 cm−2 s−1 Pa−1 for 70% of relative humidity. This methodology can be extended by changing the moisture content on the chamber to obtain the dependence of [Formula: see text] as a function of relative humidity.

Most models of quantum neural networks are optimized based on gradient descent, and like classical neural networks, gradient descent suffers from the barren plateau phenomenon, which reduces the effectiveness of optimization. Therefore, this paper establishes a new QNN model, the optimization process adopts efficient quantum particle swarm optimization, and tentatively adds a quantum activation circuit to our QNN model. Our model will inherit the superposition property of quantum and the random search property of quantum particle swarm. Simulation experiments on some classification data show that the model proposed in this paper has higher classification performance than the gradient descent-based QNN.

The mechanical properties of granular materials at a low shear rate are frequently viewed as rate-independent, and a rate-independent constitutive relation is used to describe the mechanical behaviors of the granular material. However, time-dependent behaviors (or creeping behaviors) become significant in the long run. In this paper, we conduct triaxial experiments to observe the creep of granular materials under both dynamic and static loading conditions. Three typical creeping behaviors, aging, transitional, and fluidic, have been observed. To describe the time-dependent behaviors, an internal state variable characterizing the fluidity of the granular system is introduced to propose a rate-dependent constitutive relation which we call in this paper, a state evolution model. A characteristic strain is also introduced into the model to account for the influences of historic strain on the current state. The experiments are analyzed using the proposed model and it has been found that our model can well discern the observed three creeping behaviors. A criterion to identify the stability of a granular system is also given out based on the proposed model. Two key factors dominating the stability of the granular system are recognized – shear wave velocity and critical velocity. Our laboratory experiments in combination with the proposed criterion offer a physical explanation of the intrinsic triggering mechanism of system evolution from a stable to fluidic state: decrease in wave velocity or/and critical velocity.

Recent optical time-resolved experiments on single supported nano-objects (gold nanodisks with various diameter over thickness ratios) have demonstrated a marked enhancement of their vibrational quality factors for specific nano-object morphologies, resulting from the near-suppression of radiative vibrational damping associated with the emission of acoustic waves in the nano-object environment. This paper clarifies the origin of this phenomenon, which is ascribed to the creation of a “quasi-bound state in the continuum” vibrational mode by radiative coupling between two nano-object modes whose frequencies become close for specific nano-object shapes. The symmetry breaking induced by the presence of a substrate, which limits nanodisk acoustic emission to a half-space, is shown to play an essential role in enabling such radiative coupling. The impact of the acoustic mismatch between the nano-object and the substrate is explored, and it is shown that a moderate acoustic mismatch can still enable the creation of near-localized vibrational modes with high radiative quality factors, while allowing radiative coupling effects to occur over a broad range of nano-object geometries. Although this paper focuses on the situation of a substrate-supported gold nanodisk, which has already been the object of experimental investigations, the effects that it describes are general and constitute a promising approach to enhance the vibrational quality factors of nano-objects.

Digital fringe projection profilometry based on phase-shifting technology is a reliable method for complex shape measurement, and the phase is one of the most important factors affecting measurement accuracy. The calculation of the absolute phase depends on the calculation of the wrapped phase and encoding technology. In this paper, a technique of obtaining the absolute phase of multi-frequency heterodyne fringe images using the Hilbert transform is presented. Since the wrapped phase can be calculated from only one fringe image of each frequency, the method does not need phase-shifting. The absolute phase can be obtained from the wrapped phase by applying the heterodyne method. The measurement time and computational complexity are dramatically reduced, the measurement efficiency is greatly improved, and this benefit from the number of images is greatly reduced. The experimental results show that the method presented in this paper performs well in the application, and the accuracy is no different from that of the phase-shifting method while the efficiency is greatly improved.

Two-dimensional layered materials, in general, and transition metal dichalcogenides, in particular, are promising as future device materials. Vanadium based dichalcogenides, i.e., VX2 (X = S, Se, and Te) are special in the class for showing a wide range of intriguing properties. Depending on the structural phases, VX2 can be metallic or semiconducting. The T-phase, i.e., the metallic one, is well known to host some exotic electronic properties like the charge density wave, anomalous Hall effect, ferromagnetism, etc., having strong bearing as an electronic device material. The H-phase, on the other hand, is also predicted to show ferromagnetism. The materials show properties strongly dependent on their physical dimensionality, a clear manifestation of quantum confinement effects. Several experimental attempts successfully demonstrated chemical and bio-medical applications also of this class of materials. Moreover, the heterostructures formed by VX2 with other electronically dissimilar materials could bring more variation in their existing properties. Therefore, the study of VX2 materials provides a fertile ground to explore several fascinating physical phenomena and their possibilities in future applications. Here, in the present paper, we have tried to review the current scenario in this particular field by highlighting some recent key findings. The paper is aimed at providing some insight into the recent theoretical and experimental achievements in this direction, especially in the context of electronic and magnetic properties in their lower physical dimensionality. This could furnish a comprehensive guiding tour toward exploration in the journey through VX2 materials.

In this paper, we study the electromechanical behaviors of a charge-controlled dielectric film that may encounter symmetry-breaking instability. With electric charges and the radial dead load, a circular film would gradually expand its area and become a large circular film; however, it will deform into an elliptical film when electromechanical loads increase to the threshold. This symmetry-breaking instability brings the change of shape and makes the dielectric film achieve large electro-actuation and high stored energy. Since the functionality of the dielectric devices is also limited by the electric breakdown, we give the phase diagram to show the competition between the symmetry-breaking instability and the electric breakdown in detail. This paper is desirable to further harness the symmetry-breaking instability for improving functionalities of actuators and harvesters.

In this paper, we present the physics and design-space exploration of a novel pulse compression photoconductive switch (PCPS) using semi-insulating gallium arsenide (GaAs) operating in the negative differential mobility (NDM) regime of electron transport. We systematically quantify the relationship between the PCPS performance and various design options, including contact separation, laser energy and placement, and trap dynamics. Specifically, we report the full-width at half-maximum and the peak output current generated by the PCPS as a function of applied electrical and optical bias. We discuss the optimal spacing between the electrodes and the distance of the laser spot to the anode to achieve higher electron confinement and superior radio-frequency (RF) metrics. Reducing the laser energy is important to prevent the appearance of secondary peaks due to diffusive transport, but there exists a trade-off between the bandwidth and the maximum current of the PCPS. We also compare the PCPS response with and without trap dynamics and find that the electrostatic screening from the trap-induced space charge is time-independent when the trapping time constant is set larger than the recombination lifetime. Overall, trap dynamics are detrimental to performance, unless the compensation doping scheme to achieve semi-insulating GaAs is carefully selected. Results presented in this paper can be used by experimentalists to fine-tune the PCPS design parameters to meet the specifications of various RF applications. Moreover, our results will provide a strong theoretical basis to the measurements of PCPS devices using GaAs and other NDM materials under investigation.

Microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging (TAI) is a hybrid imaging technique that combines electromagnetic radiation and ultrasonic waves to achieve high imaging contrast and submillimeter spatial resolution. These characteristics make TAI a good candidate to detect material anomalies that change the material electric properties without a noticeable variation in material density. Conventional pulsed TAI systems work by sending a single short pulse to the imaged target and then detecting the generated pressure signal; therefore, a very high peak power microwave pulse or data averaging is needed to produce images with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In this paper, we propose to enhance the SNR of pulsed TAI systems by using non-coherent pulse compression. In this approach, a predefined pulse coded signal is used to illuminate the imaged sample and the received pressure signal is cross correlated with a template that is related to the power profile of the excitation signal. The proposed approach can be easily deployed to pulsed TAI systems without the need for major system modifications to the RF source because it only requires a timing circuit to control the triggering time of the RF pulses. In this paper, we demonstrate experimentally that the proposed approach highly improves the SNR of TAI signals and images and can be used to reduce the acquisition time by lowering the number of data averaging or reduce the required peak power from RF sources.