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Nanosize titanium carbide (TiC) particles were fabricated by microwave heating at 1100 °C for 10 min using carbon and tetrabutyl titanate as raw materials. The as-sintered precursor was prepared using the sol-gel method. The phase composition, morphology and microwave heating behavior of the heated products were investigated. It was found that TiC particles can be synthesized in a closed capsule of SiO _2 with the combined action of high temperature and gaseous products. TiC particles with an average diameter of 50 nm can be synthesized through microwave heating at 1100 °C for 10 min. Higher temperature and longer holding time would lead to re-oxidation and the coalescence of as-formed TiC products. This work demonstrates that this rapid and low-temperature preparation method of nanosize TiC particles has potential application for industrial production.

We propose a new generalized Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model with hierarchical long-range hopping based on a one-dimensional tetratomic chain. The properties of the topological states and phase transition, which depend on the cointeraction of the intracell and intercell hoppings, are investigated using the phase diagram of the winding number. It is shown that topological states with large positive/negative winding numbers can readily be generated in this system. The properties of the topological states can be verified by the ring-type structures in the trajectory diagram of the complex plane. The topological phase transition is strongly related to the opening (closure) of an energy bandgap at the center (boundaries) of the Brillouin zone. Finally, the non-zero-energy edge states at the ends of the finite system are revealed and matched with the bulk–boundary correspondence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that under the framework of the massive gravity theory, the interaction between the mass gravitons and Schwarzschild black hole (BH) could make it carry a scalar charge, the phase transition process caused by this scalar charge is investigated in this analysis. The phase transition grade and microstructure of those BHs are investigated from both macroscopic and microscopic points of view. From the macroscopic point of view, it is found that Ehrenfest equations are satisfied at the phase transition critical point, which implies that the phase transition grade of those BHs is second-order. Based on the BH molecules model and Landau continuous phase transition theory, the phase transition of those BHs from the microcosmic point of view is analyzed. The critical exponents obtained from the two perspectives are consistent. By investigating the Ruppeiner geometry, the microstructure feature of those BHs is revealed. These results suggest that the phase transition of BH in massive gravity is a standard second-order phase transition at the critical point, and the microscopic details of those BHs are different from the Reissnerâ€"Nordström AdS BH in standard Einstein gravity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding redox activity into ionic liquids (ILs) extends their practical roles beyond an inert ionic conductor or electrolyte for applications in electrochemical energy storage. Especially for supercapatteries, redox ILs are desirable because they can contribute to increasing the charge storage capacity by merging the capacitive and Nernstian storage mechanisms without compromising their intrinsic wide potential windows. Several prospects of redox ILs are identified and discussed for optimising performance in supercapatteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering a charged black hole (BH) surrounded by a perfect fluid radiation field (PFRF) in Rastall gravity, we investigate this BH shadow and photon sphere on different spherical accretions backgrounds. The effect of the PFRF parameter/BH charge on the critical impact parameter is studied by investigating the light deflection near this BH. The luminosity of these BH shadows in different spherical accretions is obtained, respectively. It is found that the shadow of this BH with infalling spherical accretion is darker than static spherical accretion, and the photon sphere with infalling spherical accretion is brighter than a static one. We creatively investigate the effects of the BH charge/PFRF parameter on the luminosity of BH shadow and photon sphere. The results implying that the BH shadow is a signature of space-time geometry, and the photon sphere luminosity is affected by accretion materials and BH itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a novel architecture to suppress the multi-pulse formation in an all-polarization-maintaining figure-9 erbium-doped fiber laser under high pump power. A 2×2 fiber coupler is introduced into the phase-biased nonlinear amplifying loop mirror to extract part of intracavity laser power as a laser output, and the dependence of output couple ratio of fiber coupler on the mode-locking state is experimentally investigated. The intracavity nonlinear effect is mitigated by lowering the intracavity laser power, which is conducive to avoiding the multi-pulse formation. In the meantime, the loss-imbalance induced by fiber coupler is helpful in improving the self-starting ability. With the proposed laser structure, the multiple pulse formation can be suppressed and high power single pulse train can be obtained. The laser emits three pulse trains which is convenient for some applications. Finally, the output power values of three ports are 5.3 mW, 51.3 mW, and 13.2 mW, respectively. The total single pulse output power is 69.8 mW, which is more than 10 times the result without OC2. The total slope efficiency is about 10.1%. The repetition rate of three pulse trains is 21.17 MHz, and the pulse widths are 2.8 ps, 2.63 ps, and 6.66 ps, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubidium doped cathode materials RbxLi1.27-xCr0.2Mn0.53 O2 (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05) were prepared via a solid state reaction method. The influences of the amount of Rb+ incorporated in the cathodes on the electrochemical performance were investigated in detail. It was found that the initial specific capacity, coulombic efficiency and rate performance were improved by Rb doping. Among the prepared cathode samples, the Rb0.03Li1.24Cr0.2Mn0.53O2 material presented the best results. The material showed an initial discharging capacity of 224.9 mAh · g-1, a capacity retention of 98.8% after 50 cycles and excellent high-rate performance of 92.0 mAh · g-1 at 5C rate. The improved diffusion coefficient of Li ions in the Rb+ incorporated cathodes was confirmed by electrochemical impedance measurement. The changes in diffusion coefficient are in good accordance with the changes in lattice parameter of c axis obtained from XRD Rietveld refinement. With the increase in Rb concentration, the interlayer spacing increases, then the diffusion of Li ions is enhanced and finally the electrochemical properties is improved. However, when x reaches 0.05, the lattice distorsion happened, c axis begins to shrink, the Li ion diffusion is restricted, and therefore the electrochemical performance is reduced with further increase in Rb concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The R/Ba-ordered and R-site mixed compound Y0.5La0.5BaMn2O6 is synthesized, in which (Y, La) and Ba are regularly arranged, while Y and La randomly occupy the R-site. Y0.5La0.5BaMn2O6 has a tetragonal unit cell with a space group of P4/mmm. A structural transition between tetragonal and orthorhombic is observed at about 325 K by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Thermal magnetic measurement shows the occurrence of an antiferromagnetic transition at the temperature TN ~ 190 K. Anomalies in magnetization, resistivity and lattice parameters observed around 340 K indicate a charge/orbital order transition accompanying the structural phase transition. The R-site randomness effect is discussed to interpret the different properties of Y0.5La0.5BaMn2O6 between NdBaMn2O6 and SmBaMn2O6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining in-depth neutron diffraction and systematic bulk studies, we discover that the √5 × √5 Fe vacancy order, with its associated block antiferromagnetic order, is the ground state with varying occupancy ratios of the iron 16i and vacancy 4d sites across the phase-diagram of KxFe2-ySe2. The orthorhombic order, with one of the four Fe sites vacant, appears only at intermediate temperatures as a competing phase. The material experiences an insulator to metal crossover when the √5 × √5 order is highly developed. Superconductivity occurs in such a metallic phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining in-depth neutron diffraction and systematic bulk studies, we discover that the √5 × √5 Fe vacancy order, with its associated block antiferromagnetic order, is the ground state with varying occupancy ratios of the iron 16i and vacancy 4d sites across the phase-diagram of KxFe2-ySe2. The orthorhombic order, with one of the four Fe sites vacant, appears only at intermediate temperatures as a competing phase. The material experiences an insulator to metal crossover when the √5 × √5 order is highly developed. Superconductivity occurs in such a metallic phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trivalent terbium (Tb3+) doped double molybdate AGd(MoO4)2(A = Li+, Na+) phosphors have been synthesized by combustion reaction. The crystal structures and luminescent properties of the phosphors are investigated in this paper. The XRD patterns indicate that AGd(MoO4)2:Tb3+ phosphors take on single phase when the precursors are sintered at 700°C for 3 h. The average crystal size is about 2.0 μm. LiGd(MoO4)2:Tb3+ and NAGd(MoO4)2:Tb3+ phosphors have the similar luminescent properties. The influences of urea and Tb3+ concentration on the luminescent properties of phosphor samples are also discussed in detail. The results show that Tb3+ activated LiGd(MoO4)2 phosphors is a potential candidate for green phosphor in ultraviolet (UV) -based white LED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the collective excitation and stability of low-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates with two- and three-body interactions by the variational analysis of the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii-Ginzburg equation. The spectrum of the low-energy excitation and the effective potential for the width of the condensate are obtained. The results show that: (i) the repulsive two-body interaction among atoms makes the frequency red-shifted for the internal excitation and the repulsive or attractive three-body interaction always makes it blue-shifted; (ii) the region for the existence of the stable bound states is obtained by identifying the critical value of the two- and three-body interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a car-following model, in this paper, we propose a new traffic model for simulating train movement in railway traffic. In the proposed model, some realistic characteristics of train movement are considered, such as the distance headway and the safety stopping distance. Using the proposed traffic model, we analyse the space-time diagram of traffic flow, the trajectory of train movement, etc. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model can be successfully used for simulating the train movement. Some complex phenomena can be reproduced, such as the complex acceleration and deceleration of trains and the propagation of train delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the first-principles method, we investigate the thermal stability of cation point defects in LaAlO3bulk and films. The calculated densities of states indicate that cation vacancies and antisites act as acceptors. The formation energies show that cation vacancies are energetically favorable in bulk LaAlO3under O-rich conditions, while the AlLaantisites are stable in reducing atmosphere. However, the same behavior does not appear in the case of LaAlO3films. For LaO-terminated LaAlO3films, La or Al vacancies remain energetically favorable under O-rich and O-deficient conditions. For an AlO2-terminated surface, under O-rich condition the La interstitial atom is repelled from the outmost layer after optimization, which releases more stress leading to the decrease of total energy of the system. An Al interstitial atom has a smaller radius so that it can stay in distorted films and becomes more stable under O-deficient conditions, and the Al interstitial atoms can be another possible carrier source contribution to the conductivity of n-type interface under an ultrahigh vacuum. La and Al antisites have similar formation energy regardless of oxygen pressure. The results would be helpful to understand the defect structures of LaAlO3-related materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a structural design of ultrathin perovskite solar cells based on a conformal structure at the rear surface for potential applications in both single-junction and tandem cells. The light transmittances of the front and the rear surfaces are calculated in the wavelength range of 300–800 nm via the finite difference time domain numerical simulation method. Compared with the reference cell, significant photocurrent density enhancement of 27.5% and 29.7% are achieved when the ratios of height to width of the fluorine doped tin oxide nanoblock are 2 and 3, respectively. For the case with a hole transport material layer, the enhancements of photocurrent density enhancements are 19.2% and 29.0%, respectively. When back Au is removed, the photocurrent density also has notable enhancements of 23.3% and 45.9%, respectively. The achieved results are beneficial for the development of efficient ultrathin single-junction and tandem perovskite solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the first-principles method, the structural stability and the contribution of point defects such as O, Sr or Ti vacancies on two-dimensional electron gas of n- and p-type LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces are investigated. The results show that O vacancies at p-type interfaces have much lower formation energies, and Sr or Ti vacancies at n-type interfaces are more stable than the ones at p-type interfaces under O-rich conditions. The calculated densities of states indicate that O vacancies act as donors and give a significant compensation to hole carriers, resulting in insulating behavior at p-type interfaces. In contrast, Sr or Ti vacancies tend to trap electrons and behave as acceptors. Sr vacancies are the most stable defects at high oxygen partial pressures, and the Sr vacancies rather than Ti vacancies are responsible for the insulator-metal transition of n-type interface. The calculated results can be helpful to understand the tuned electronic properties of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterointerfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact and highly linear quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) sensor for the measurement of water vapor concentration in the air is demonstrated. A cost-effective quartz tuning fork (QTF) is used as the sharp transducer to convert light energy into an electrical signal based on the piezoelectric effect, thereby removing the need for a photodetector. The short optical path featured by the proposed sensing system leads to a decreased size. Furthermore, a pair of microresonators is applied in the absorbance detection module (ADM) for QTF signal enhancement. Compared with the system without microresonators, the detected QTF signal is increased to approximately 7-fold. Using this optimized QEPAS sensor with the proper modulation frequency and depth, we measure the water vapor concentration in the air at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The experimental result shows that the sensor has a high sensitivity of 1.058 parts-per-million. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystallographic and the magnetic structures of the composite compound Nd2Co7 at 300 K are investigated by a combined refinement of X-ray diffraction data and high-resolution neutron diffraction data. The compound crystallizes into a hexagonal Ce2Ni7-type structure and consists of alternately stacking MgZn2-type NdCo2 and CaCu5-type NdCo5 structural blocks along the c axis. A magnetic structure model with the moments of all atoms aligning along the c axis provides a satisfactory fitting to the neutron diffraction data and coincides with the easy magnetization direction revealed by the X-ray diffraction experiments on magnetically pre-aligned fine particles. The refinement results show that the derived atomic moments of the Co atoms vary in a range of 0.7 uB[?]1.1 uB and the atomic moment of Nd in the NdCo5 slab is close to the theoretical moment of a free trivalent Nd3+ ion, whereas the atomic moment of Nd in the NdCo2 slab is much smaller than the theoretical value for a free Nd3+ ion. The remarkable difference in the atomic moment of Nd atoms between different structural slabs at room temperature is explained in terms of the magnetic characteristics of the NdCo2 and NdCo5 compounds and the local chemical environments of the Nd atoms in different structural slabs of the Nd2Co7 compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofabrication on insulating and flexible films of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using a focused ion beam (FIB) has been illustrated in this study. The charge accumulation effect, which is inevitable in polymeric fabrication, was shown to be relieved by simultaneously introducing electron beam flooding in the area exposed to FIB. The topography of the fabricated pattern is subsequently characterized by using an atomic force microscope (AFM), by which the dependence of height/depth of the fabricated arrays on ion beam dose could be obtained. In addition, the swelling effect and milling effect relating to focused ion beam dose could be identified in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]