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Nonlinear rheology of Pickering emulsions is used to further investigate the nonlinear and unrecoverable transformation of inner structures, which is beyond the linear viscoelastic regime of tiny structural disturbances. Exploring various rheological methods plays a vital role in emulsion applications, such as simulating the macroscopic structural transformation between static and liquidlike flow states, strain overshoot, and regeneration for broken structures. According to our previous studies, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) Pickering emulsions are a typical system for investigating polymer-based emulsions with the auxiliary surfactant [didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB)] for enhancing CNF absorption. To further study different rheological properties by varying CNF or DDAB contents, multiple interval thixotropic test, large amplitude oscillatory shear, and concentration-time-dependent superposition are employed to study the linear viscoelasticity and structural transformation of nonlinear range. This research was conducted based on the previous published works [Cui et al., Materials 15, 8285 (2022)] as a further characterization for the same sample series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of the rotational Doppler effect (RDE) provides opportunities to achieve fast, accurate, and contactless measurement of angular velocity. As the RDE signal is sensitive to the illumination light and its scattering characteristic, how to effectively extract the angular velocity of a detected target becomes one of the key difficulties in this measurement technique. Here, we put forward a scattering modified RDE model to fully understand the frequency-domain behavior of an RDE signal in misaligned illumination. A robust strategy based on the peak-to-peak intervals in a wideband spectrum of the RDE signal is demonstrated to acquire accurate angular velocity, without strict requirement to the alignment of illumination and roughness of the detected surface. Furthermore, the feasibility to extract the spin angular velocity from a composite motion of spin and translation is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanisms of nucleation and growth of domains during ferroelectric phase transformation are investigated by using theoretical and computational approaches. It is shown that ferroelectric phase transformation exhibits some peculiar behaviors due to strong long-range dipole-dipole-like interactions involved in the system. Incorporation of electrostatic and elastostatic energies into the classical Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory effectively modifies the coefficients of the polynomial free energy function and introduces extra energy barrier for ferroelectric phase transformation. It is found that independent nucleation of ferroelectric phase in the context of classical nucleation theory is prohibited, because electrostatic interaction generates an insurmountable energy barrier to isolated nucleus. Phase field modeling and computer simulation reveals that, in order to circumvent such an energy barrier, ferroelectric nucleation exhibits strong spatial correlation and self-organization behaviors from the very beginning, and ferroelectric phase transformation proceeds via spatial and temporal evolution of self-accommodating domains that provide a low-energy kinetic pathway throughout the phase transformation process. Theoretical analysis of the critical wavelength of correlated nucleation agrees with the computer simulation. Heterogeneous nucleation as induced by externally applied local electric field and subsequent polarization evolution process is also simulated to further demonstrate such self-organized pattern formation behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic-inorganic halide perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3 (X= I, Br, Cl) quantum dots (QDs) possess the characters of easy solution-process, high luminescence yield, and unique size-dependent optical properties. In this work, we have improved the nonaqueous emulsion method to synthesize halide perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3 QDs with tunable sizes. Their sizes have been tailored from 5.29 to 2.81 nm in diameter simply by varying the additive amount of surfactant, n-octylamine from 5 to 120 μL. Correspondingly, the photoluminescence (PL) peaks shift markedly from 520 nm to very deep blue, 436 nm due to quantum confinement effect. The PL quantum yields exceed 90% except for the smallest QDs. These high-quality QDs have potential to build high-performance optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-aggregation of floccule-like ZnO nanostructures that were shaped by an anodic aluminum oxidation (AAO) template to improve photoactivation and sensing performance was demonstrated. Because of differences in the surface energy between the densely distributed nanopores of AAO templates, sputtered ZnO materials were located in constricted regions and aggregated into roughened nanostructures with a high surface-to-volume ratio. Because of the generation of oxygen ions by ultraviolet illumination, the room-temperature-sensing responses showed a high degree of linearity with a resistance variation of 1.758% per 100 ppm of octane gas. The optimized sensing performance of the self-organized ZnO nanostructures was increased and was 15.4 times higher than that of an unpatterned ZnO thin film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plasmonic infrared photodetector with narrow bandwidth infrared absorption was investigated. The structure is constructed by a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) film covered on a patterned Au layer consisting of the Au disk resonators and Au interdigitated electrodes on an Al2O3/Au substrate. This device exhibited narrow bandwidth infrared absorption corresponded to the localized surface plasmon resonance in the Au-disk/Al2O3/Au tri-layers resonators. The absorption of infrared energy heats up the top hydrogenated amorphous silicon film and reduces the film resistance which can be detected. The optical and electrical characteristics of the photodetector were studied. It was founded that the peak responsivities appeared at the wavelength which coincided with the localized surface plasmon resonance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer simulation is performed to study the mechanisms for controlling domain configurations and sizes in crystallographically engineered ferroelectric crystals. It is found that minimal domain sizes and highest domain wall densities are obtained with intermediate electric field applied along nonpolar axis of ferroelectric crystals, while lower and higher fields produce coarser domains, and temperature also plays important role in domain size control. The simulation shows that selection of polar domain variants by external electric field during nucleation stage of ferroelectric phase transition significantly affects subsequent domain growth and evolution kinetics, controlling the formation and sizes of lamellar domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]