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Layered 2D (PbI2 )1-x (BiI3 )x materials exhibit a nonlinear dependence in structural and charge transport properties unanticipated from the combination of PbI2 and BiI3 . Within (PbI2 )1-x (BiI3 )x crystals, phase integration yields deceptive structural features, while phase boundary separation leads to new conductance switching behavior observed as large peaks in current during current-voltage (I-V) measurements (±100 V). Temperature- and time-dependent electrical measurements demonstrate that the behavior is attributed to ionic transport perpendicular to the layers. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that the structure of (PbI2 )1-x (BiI3 )x is a "brick wall" consisting of two phases, Pb-rich and Bi-rich. These brick-like features are 10s nm a side and it is posited that iodide ion transport at the interfaces of these regions is responsible for the conductance switching action.

In article number 2004645, Weisheng Zhao and co‐workers develop a nano‐scale memristor device based on magnetic tunneling junction. A kind of chiral vortex spin texture plays a key role in forming the multi‐level magnetoresistance. Thanks to its advantages such as long endurance and high speed, this spintronic device may take neuromorphic computing one step further. [Image: see text]

Four β-nucleated polypropylene samples with increasing die draw ratio (DDR) were prepared to modify lamellae arrangement. The DSC, SEM, and 2D-XRD results show that all four cast films had similar crystallinity, high contents of β-crystal but lowering stability of β-lamellae with ascending DDR. Meanwhile, the anisotropy of β-lamellae distribution strengthens gently and the stacked lamellae structure perpendicular to the machine direction (MD) predominates dramatically. Tensile testing at 25 °C and 90 °C were conducted along MD and transverse direction (TD), respectively. The markedly expanding difference of deformation indicates the anisotropy highlighted significantly. Additionally, when the samples stretched along MD, a more homogeneous deformation occurs with ascending anisotropy, which is completely opposite to the β-lamellae stability. But samples deformed more heterogeneous when stretched along TD. The characterization of morphological evolutions during stretching shows that the stacked lamellae debonds uniformly and abundant microvoids formed when the sample stretched along MD with higher anisotropy, resulting in evenly dispersion of stress, consequently making a more uniform distribution of defects and a better isotropic deformation. Moreover, the microfibrils and defects distributed uniformly within higher orientation sample after longitudinal stretching stretched along MD, leading to the dramatic improvement of pore size distribution of the membrane after biaxial stretching. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017

The analysis of temperature variation inside an embankment dam is known as a feasible approach for seepage estimation in an embankment dam. The time needed for temperature surveillance could be considerably reduced when it is implemented under the condition of heat injection. However, a detailed description about the method as well as its capability has not been sufficiently presented in previous research. To fill this void, a realistic scale finite-element modeling was conducted to explain and assess the abilities of the approach. A 15 m dam segment containing a suffusion layer was simulated with 11 scenarios, where it was found that the applications of temperature measurement with the complement of high-power line heat sources in standpipes could give a solution for seepage determination in a dam segment with length up to 6 m, and the combination of fiber optic sensors and electrical wires provides an ability to assess seepage in a long dam distance. It is noteworthy that the efficiency in the perpendicular plane to the fiber optic sensor and electrical wire is limited.

Dendritic BaTiO3 ceramic powders (d-BT) were prepared by hydrothermal method in order to improve the dielectric properties of d-BT/P(VDF-TrFE) composites, in which, KOH was used as the branch-directing agent. The effect of hydrothermal time on the branch length of d-BT particle was mainly studied. The results showed that 1.0-2.5 μm d-BT particles were obtained after hydrothermal treating for 12 hours. The particle was composed of two kinds of branches, one was primary branch with about 800 nm in length and another with150-250 nm. A d-BT/P(VDF-TrFE) composites were formed by solution casting, in which d-BT powders as dielectric fillers and the composites exhibited high-energy storage performance. Its maximum energy density reached to 9.78 J/cm3, twice as compared with pure P(VDF-TrFE). The branches of d-BT particles may act as key roles when the composites existed in electric field. Some branches perpendicular to the external electric field provided the increase in the breakdown strength and others parallel to the external electric field brought the enhancement of the dielectric constant, which simultaneously resulted in high energy density of the composites.

Additive manufacturing receives nowadays opulent attention in both media and ongoing research. In particular, the techniques involving full melting of the raw material, enabling the fabrication of directly deployable components, are of high interest. To date, there are still secondary influences which are yet to be considered, leading to substantial, mainly directional dependent, deviations. The study at hand investigated the surface roughness dependencies in plane, focusing on the interaction of the unidirectional inert gas stream with the irradiation sequence; more precisely the weld splashes emerging from the melt pool, and the resulting in plane pattern. The surface roughness of the upwards orientated faces revealed clear fluctuations, being lowest close to the gas-inlet and also in the back area of the machine. Perpendicular to the fabrication plane aligned surfaces did not reveal any volatility regarding the inert gas stream. Increasing the energy density of the irradiation led to an increase in the surface roughness of all side faces, but to an improved roughness of the upwards facing surfaces coupled with a significant reduction in evident weld splashes.

In the present work, the dislocation structure evolution around and underneath the spherical indentations in (001) oriented single crystalline strontium titanate (STO) was revealed by using an etch-pit technique and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The 3D defect structure at various length scales and subsurface depths was resolved with the help of a sequential polishing, etching, and imaging technique. This analysis, combined with load–displacement data, shows that the incipient plasticity (manifested as sudden indenter displacement bursts) is strongly influenced by preexisting dislocations. In the early stage of plastic deformation, the dislocation pile-ups are all aligned in 〈100〉 directions, lying on {110}45 planes, inclined at 45° to the (001) surface. At higher mean contact pressure and larger indentation depth, however, dislocation pile-ups along 〈110〉 directions appear, lying on {110}90 planes, perpendicular to the (100) surface. MD simulations confirm the glide plane nature and provide further insights into the dislocation formation mechanisms by tracing the evolution of the complete dislocation line network as function of indentation depth.

Large tilt angle (LTA) implantation has been employed in Si manufacturing processes in many applications, such as lightly doped drain and halo implant. The depth profile of boron ions usually consists of only single peak at incident angle of 0° with respect to the perpendicular of the silicon surface. However, an abnormal dual-peak profile was observed at LTA (>40°) with incident energy of 160 keV. By using a Monte Carlo method to simulate the ion implant process, it was found that the projected range of boron ions agrees completely with the formation of the first peak position that is shallower in depth, while the cause for the second peak that corresponds with a depth much deeper in the Si substrate was unknown. During the simulation, it was also found that when the tilt angle was increased, the sputtering yields and Si displacements increased significantly, and this phenomenon indicates that during LTA implantation, Si damage may not be negligible anymore. The Si damage effect that was as due to either low Si density or transient Si displacement in the simulation could have led to partial incident boron ions penetrating much deeper into the Si substrate and thus, caused the emergence of the second peak. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We report Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) measurements on stage-I potassium intercalated graphite (KC$_8$). Angular dependent measurements show that the spin-lattice relaxation time is longer when the magnetic field is perpendicular to the graphene layer as compared to when the magnetic field is in the plane. This anisotropy is analyzed in the framework of the Elliott-Yafet theory of spin-relaxation in metals. The analysis considers an anisotropic spin-orbit Hamiltonian and the first order perturbative treatment of Elliott is reproduced for this model Hamiltonian. The result provides an experimental input for the first-principles theories of spin-orbit interaction in layered carbon and thus to a better understanding of spin-relaxation phenomena in graphene and in other layered materials as well.

Temozolomide was paired with guanine, 6-selenoguanine, and 6-thioguanine, as well as the SH tautomer of the latter. The potential energy surface of each heterodimer was searched for all minima, using Dispersion-Corrected Density Functional Theory and MP2 methods. Among the dozens of minima, three categories were observed. Stacked geometries place the aromatic systems of the two molecules parallel to one another, while the two systems are roughly perpendicular to one another in a second category. Also found are coplanar structures held together by H-bonds. Dispersion proves to be a dominating attractive force for the stacked structures, less so for perpendicular, and smallest for the coplanar dimers. Geometries and energetics are relatively insensitive to S and Se substitution, but tautomerization reverses relative stabilities of different geometries.

The promise of wearable and implantable devices has made stretchable organic semiconductors highly desirable. Though there are increasing attempts to design intrinsically stretchable conjugated polymers, their performance in terms of charge carrier mobility and maximum fracture strain is still lacking behind extrinsic approaches (i.e., buckling, Kirigami interconnects). Here, polymer crosslinking with flexible oligomers is applied as a strategy to reduce the tensile modulus and improve fracture strain, as well as fatigue resistance for a high mobility diketopyrrolopyrrole polymer. These polymers are crosslinked with siloxane oligomers to give stretchable films stable up to a strain e = 150% and 500 strain-and-release cycles of 100% strain without the formation of nanocracks. Organic field-effect transistors are prepared to assess the electrical properties of the crosslinked film under cyclic strain loading. An initial average mobility (μavg) of 0.66 cm2 V−1 s−1 is measured at 0% strain. A steady μavg above 0.40 cm2 V−1 s−1 is obtained in the direction perpendicular to the strain direction after 500 strain-and-release cycles of 20% strain. The μavg in the direction parallel to strain, however, is compromised due to the formation of wrinkles.

Silver nanowires (AgNW) in solution with isopropyl alcohol are deposited on photolithographed gratings of varying depth. The deposition results in a modified coffee ring where the flow is redirected along the grating direction. We investigate the anisotropic character of the flow by performing electrical measurements at different concentrations of the nanowires, and for each of the grating depths used. We measure the electrical current along the directions perpendicular and parallel to the gratings. The current anisotropy tends to disappear at higher concentrations. The flow arranges the NW's into a 2D anisotropic arrangement by analyzing how the electrical percolation behaves. By observing the properties this 2D anisotropic arrangement as a function of concentration and grating depth, we can predict where a quasi-1D interconnect can be obtained.

We synthesized a novel banana-shaped molecule based on a 1,7-naphthalene central core that exhibits a distinct mesomorphism of the nematic-to-nematic phase transition. Both the X-ray profile and direct imaging of atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations clearly indicates the formation of an anomalous nematic phase possessing a two-dimensional (2D) tetragonal lattice with a large edge (ca. 59 Å) directed perpendicular to the director in the low-temperature nematic phase. One plausible model is proposed by an analogy of skyrmion lattice in which two types of cylinders formed from left- and right-handed twist-bend helices stack into a 2D tetragonal lattice, diminishing the inversion domain wall.

Intriguing field emission microscopy (FEM) images reflecting subnanometer-sized structures of emitting sites and/or electronic orbitals have been observed from graphene edges. Graphene emitters with free edges (i.e. open edges) show a striped pattern (dubbed as a ‘lip pattern’) consisting of an array of streaked spots (or oval-shaped spots); the direction of striation is perpendicular to the graphene sheet, and each stripe is divided into two wings by a central dark band running parallel to the graphene sheet. The dark band may be due to the distractive interference of electrons emitted from π orbitals with a phase difference of π on either side of the graphene. From the magnification calibration using FEM images of an aluminum cluster with atomic resolution, the spacing of the streaked spots is found to be close to the distance between adjacent carbon atoms aligned along the zigzag and armchair edges. These observations suggest that the lip pattern reflects the symmetry of π states strongly delocalized at edge atoms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The initial simulation study of the neoclassical perpendicular self-diffusion transport in the SOL/Divertor regions for a realistic tokamak geometry with the IMPGYRO code has been performed in this paper. One of the most unique features of the IMPGYRO code is calculating exact Larmor orbit of the test particle instead of assuming guiding center approximation. Therefore, effects of the magnetic drifts in realistic tokamaks are naturally taken into account in the IMPGYRO code. This feature makes it possible to calculate neoclassical transport processes, which possibly become large in the SOL/divertor plasma. Indeed, neoclassical self-diffusion process, the resultant effect of the combination of magnetic drift and Coulomb collisions with background ions, has already been included in the IMPGYRO model. In the present paper, prior to implementing the detailed model of neoclassical transport process into IMPGYRO, we have investigated the effect of neoclassical selfdiffusion in a realistic tokamak geometry with lower single null X-point. We also use a model with guiding center approximation in order to compare with the IMPGYRO full orbit model. The preliminary calculation results of each model have shown differences in the perpendicular average velocity of impurity ions at the top region of the SOL. The mechanism which leads to the difference has been discussed. (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The effect of molecular weight on the molecular aggregation structure of polymers bearing a pendant perylenediimide (PDI) side chain, designated PAc12PDI, was investigated using synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction measurements. It was found that depending on molecular weight, either the main chain axis or the side chain axis behaves as the longitudinal axis in fiber samples and was aligned parallel to the fiber axis. A similar phenomenon is present in thin film samples, but was complicated by the additional influence of the interfacial free energy of the side chain group. Even in the case of the polymer with lower molecular weight, the face plane of PDI was found to show both parallel and perpendicular orientations to the substrate (i.e., flat-on and edge-on orientations). On the other hand, if the length of the main chain is sufficiently long with respect to the length of the side chain, the face plane of PDI was oriented perpendicular to the substrate, leading to an edge-on orientation in the thin film. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 2275–2283

This paper compares the design of two compact monopole antennas based on metamaterial inspired split ring structures. The effect of orientation of split axis to the direction of an incident EM wave is discussed. When the axis of the split is parallel to the direction of EM wave propagation, it results in a narrow band creation and when it is perpendicular, it leads to a notch frequency. Antenna 1 is intended for WLAN (2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz) application whereas antenna 2 operates on both WLAN and WiMAX (3.5 GHz) frequency bands. Both the antennas are printed on a 30 × 30 × 0.8 mm3 FR-4 substrate with a partial ground plane and is fed by a microstrip line. The structures mainly differ in their split positions. Analysis of the split ring structures is also discussed. Prototype of the proposed structures are fabricated and the measured results comply greatly with the simulated results. The antenna has consistent radiation pattern over all the working region. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:2117–2122, 2016

The interfacial reaction products and stress distribution in a selective laser melted Al12Si/SiC composite are studied using confocal Raman microscopy. Results reveal that needle-like Al4C3 and equiaxed Si are located at the interface between the Al matrix and SiC particles. This reaction is triggered by the high temperature within the SiC due to its high laser absorptivity. Raman frequency shifts to lower wavenumber are observed in both the SiC and Si, suggesting the existence of tensile stress within the interface. The tensile stress in SiC is higher in the build direction than in the direction perpendicular to the build direction. No such difference is observed in the Si. The reason is ascribed to the Gaussian distribution of the laser energy density and stress relief through the interfacial reaction.

A perpendicular E-plane transition between rectangular waveguide (WG) and suspended stripline (SSL) in the Ku-band is presented. The topology of coupling network is studied and design guidelines are provided. A 10-dB return loss bandwidth (BW) of 12% was obtained using a patch resonator on a double-sided single-layer dielectric substrate combined with a cavity behind the resonator of a very shallow depth as low as 1 mm for a compact design. An insertion loss of 0.18 dB at 13.8 GHz was achieved in the measurement of a back-to-back SSL–WG–SSL transition. Comparison of the measured performances with the state-of-the-art WG transitions to SSL shows a 1.5 times improvement in frequency bandwidth and a three times reduction in electrical dimensions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1831–1834, 2016

X-ray diffraction and TEM investigations of MOVPE grown AlN on sapphire with small off-cuts to a- and m-plane reveal the influence of the off-cut direction and angle on the reduction of threading dislocation density by annihilation during growth. Higher off-cut angles as well as off-cut to a-plane seem to facilitate the annihilation, with the main reduction taking place within the first 300 nm layer thickness. On planar substrate the thickness is limited by cracking to below 2 μm which also limits the ability to further reduce the defect density. By epitaxial lateral overgrowth on stripe patterned substrates the crack-free thickness is increased and further reduction of the defect density is possible. This process is effective up to 3–5 μm layer thickness. Using templates with off-cuts ≥0.2° to m-plane, step bunching perpendicular to the stripe direction occurs and bends the vertically directed threading dislocations into inclined grain boundaries starting from the point of coalescence. These partially block/incline threading dislocations over the ridge areas and thus further reduce the dislocation density. The dislocations are concentrated in stripes over the ridges and the coalescence areas. For smaller off-cut to m or especially for off-cut to a-plane, the dislocation distribution is more homogeneous but nevertheless stripe-like with alternating densities of low 108 cm−2 in the laterally overgrown areas and low 109 cm−2 in the areas over the ridges and the coalescence lines.

This report employed molecular statics simulation and density-functional-theory calculation to study the Poisson's ratios of face-centered-cubic materials. We provide numerical and theoretical evidences to show that cubic materials can exhibit auxetic behavior in a principal direction under proper loading conditions. When a stress perpendicular to the loading direction is applied, cubic materials can exhibit a negative Poisson's ratio at finite strain. The negative Poisson's ratio behavior, including its direction and value, is highly dependent on the direction and magnitude of the transversely applied stresses. As a result, we show that it is possible to tune the direction and magnitude of the negative Poisson's ratio behavior of cubic materials by controlling the transverse loadings.

In this paper a novel lateral block size characterization method based on X-ray diffractometry (XRD) is presented. The developed method based on scans of plans perpendicular to the surface visible from the edge of the sample and subconsequent numerical analysis based on Scherrer equation. In presented investigations as a reference sample bulk GaN substrate fabricated by AMMONO Ltd. was used. The GaN layers deposited on sapphire substrate were investigated as a case of study. Moreover, a method of analyzing the magnitude of the tilt and twist mosaicity based on the scans of rocking curves and reciprocal lattice maps (RLM) from the edge of sample is presented. As an example for this methodology highly mosaicited SiC crystal was used. Presented approach allows to directly determine the value of the angular deviation of mosaicity in a direction perpendicular and parallel to the sample surface.

Traditionally, it is believed that three-dimensional transport networks are preferable to those of lower dimensions. We demonstrate that inter-layer electronic couplings may result in a drastic decrease of charge mobilities by utilizing field-effect transistors (FET) based on two phases of titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc) crystals. The α-phase crystals with electronic couplings along two dimensions show a maximum mobility up to 26.8 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) . In sharp contrast, the β-phase crystals with extra significant inter-layer electronic couplings show a maximum mobility of only 0.1 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) . Theoretical calculations on the bulk crystals and model slabs reveal that the inter-layer electronic couplings for the β-phase devices will diminish remarkably the device charge transport abilities owing to the coupling direction perpendicular to the current direction. This work provides new insights into the impact of the dimensionality and directionality of the packing arrangements on charge transport in organic semiconductors.

The boundaries of 1:2 ordered domains in Ba[(Co, Zn, Mg)1/3Nb2/3]O3 perovskite ceramics are comprehensively studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) on the base of atomic position simulation. The atomic configurations for four types of twin boundaries are determined. A-type and B-type boundary, which lie along (001)c and (110)c planes, respectively, are conservative. C-type boundary parallels to (111)c plane, while Г-type boundary is perpendicular to (111)c plane. At C-type and Г-type boundary, atomic intersection leads to a buffer layer, among which the B-site cations are generally disordered. The width of Г-type boundary is larger than that of C-type boundary, so is the perturbation to the system. The energy of four types of twin boundaries is proved to be “A-type & B-type < C-type < Г-type” according to the magnitude of the destabilization to the system. Single antiphase boundary (APB) is considered to be nonconservative. However, when combined with conservative twin boundary, an extra ordered structure with a periodicity of 1.24 nm along [001]c direction and a periodicity of 0.87 nm along [110]c direction forms. The boundary regions are indeed stabilized by the new superlattice.

User-programmed meso- to microscale 2D shapes using magnetic nanoparticles as building blocks with magnetic-field-directed self-assembly are created. The assembly templates are magnetically recorded using perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) media. The results demonstrate that PMR can template user-designed features in two dimensions down to 30 nm in size, i.e., the nanoparticle diameter. It has been also shown that the nanoparticles assemble onto transitions between oppositely magnetized regions in the medium. At these transitions, the magnetic field gradients are extremely large (25 MT m−1 2 nm above the medium) and change rapidly with height (≈1015 T/m/m within 20 nm of the surface). It is found that 30 nm diameter particles assemble into 1–2 layers with feature widths ranging from 30 to 350 nm. It is hypothesized that large lateral growth can occur because the magnetic forces parallel to the disk extend up to 150 nm on either side of a recorded transition, falling off more slowly with distance than the vertical magnetic forces. Once lateral growth saturates, a second layer of nanoparticles begins to assemble on top of the first layer, suggesting strong potential for controlling layer-by-layer assembly through appropriate design of the medium and its resulting field gradient profiles.

Texture evolution is studied by EBSD in Mg–9Gd–4Y–0.4Zr (GW94), Mg–5Gd–4Y–0.4Zr (GW54), and Mg–5Gd–0.4Zr (GW50) alloys after processing with two extrusion-ratios of 19:1 and 8:1. While the alloys show common extrusion textures at the low extrusion-ratio of 8:1, an unusual extrusion texture is observed in the GW94 alloy at the high extrusion-ratio of 19:1 with the (0001) basal planes aligned perpendicular to the extrusion axis. This unusual texture decreases at lower extrusion-ratios and/or lower alloy contents. It is proposed that rare-earth (RE) elements modify the texture by retarding recrystallization in solute drag effects on grain boundaries and pinning effects of RE-rich precipitates.

authoren Abstractauthoren Structuring materials is one mechanism to influence the thermal conductivity and thus thermoelectric efficiency. In order to investigate the scattering of phonons in multilayer structures we developed a beam matching technique, which is based on the concept of individual phonons and their scattering at interfaces. One of the major goals is to efficiently determine the complex band structure of the bulk materials. The complex band structure is determined using selected k-points on a triangulated grid in the complex plane of wave vectors perpendicular to the interface. Matching the phonon modes at an interface is translated to a singular value problem. Its null-vectors provide the coupling coefficients of the phonon modes across the interface. Besides giving explicit access to the modes as they scatter at the interface, the technique provides the transfer matrices, that provide the transmission coefficient of any multilayer structure. The transmission coefficient, in turn, yields the phononic thermal conductance for coherent transport. The knowledge of the matched phonons forms the basis of investigating incoherent transport under the influence of phonon–phonon or impurity scattering.

International audience; Mesh network structures are visualized by peak force tapping atomic force microscopy on cross-linked poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) at the nanometer length scale. The images directly capture network mesh structures with mesh diameter values, from 10 to 16 nm at the free surface of PDMS. Perpendicular to the free surface, in cross-sectional areas exposed by cryo-fracturing, similar mesh structures are observed. When exposed to uniaxial stress, the circular mesh features become elongated, showing network deformation at the nanoscale, as a result of mechanical stress. Following Soxhlet solvent extraction the mesh-like appearance remains unchanged, but mesh diameter values decrease, which are attributed to the removal of non-crosslinked chains and silica filler.

Spin Hall effect (SHE) induced reversal of perpendicular magnetization has attracted significant interest, due to its potential to lead to low power memory and logic devices. However, the switching requires an assisted in-plane magnetic field, which hampers its practical applications. Here, we introduce a novel approach for external-field-free spin Hall switching of a perpendicular nanomagnet by utilizing a local dipolar field arising from an adjacent in-plane magnetic layer. Robust switching of perpendicular CoFeB nanopillars in a dipole-coupled composite stack is experimentally demonstrated in the absence of any external magnetic field, in consistent with the results of micromagnetic simulation. Large in-plane compensation field of about 135 Oe and out-of-plane loop shift of about 45 Oe / 10 7 A cm-2 are obtained in the nanopillar devices with composite structure. By performing micromagnetic simulations, we confirm the composite external-field-free switching strategy can also work for a 10 x 10 nm2 circular pillar. Compared with other proposed methods for external-field-free spin Hall switching of perpendicular magnetization, the dipole-coupled composite structure is compatible with a wide range of spin Hall systems and perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions, paving the way towards practical SHE-based MRAM and logic applications.

A complete analytical description of the dynamics of current and field driven transverse domain walls under the influence of the Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interaction using the q– model will be given. Five different scenarios will be observed where the Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya vector is either parallel or perpendicular to the easy axis anisotropy of the system and a direct reversal, respectively, precessional motion will be assumed.

We have investigated structural, optical, and electrical properties of MgZnO:(Al/Ga) thin films in dependence on Mg and Al/Ga concentrations. For this purpose, thin films with two perpendicular, lateral composition gradients, i.e., the Mg composition is varied in one direction whereas the Al/Ga concentration is varied in a perpendicular direction were grown at by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) using a threefold segmented PLD target and 2-inch in diameter c-plane sapphire substrates. It has been found that compensation by intrinsic acceptors limits efficient doping to dopant concentrations of about . Further, the electrical data suggests, that the compensating defect is doubly chargeable hinting to the zinc vacancy as microscopic origin. Increasing the dopant concentration above leads to a degradation of electrical and structural properties.

Three dimensional self-consistent field theoretic simulations have been performed to determine the equilibrium morphologies formed by linear ABC triblock polymer melts confined between two parallel plates that favor the middle block. Our primary goal is to elucidate the conditions under which the perpendicular lamella is stabilized, since this morphology plays a central role in many nanotechnology applications. Key factors, namely, the chain architecture, surface energy and the mismatch between the film thickness d and the bulk lamella period, L0, determine the final morphologies, e.g., perpendicular and parallel lamella, perforated lamella and wet substrate with parallel cylinders in the core, have been identified. Overall, our findings are fully consistent with the results of limited experimental studies focused on morphology development in thin films of triblock polymer melts. Finally, we have clearly demonstrated that ABC triblocks hold technological advantages over diblocks for nano-lithographic fabrications.

The photodetachment of hydrogen negative ion near different inelastic surfaces is investigated by the semiclassical closed orbit theory for arbitrary laser polarization direction . A two-term formula of photodetachment cross section consisting of a smooth background term and an oscillatory term is derived. The oscillatory term contains an extra angular factor that describes the dependence of oscillations in total cross section on the laser polarization direction. It is observed that the amplitude of oscillations in cross section reaches maximum at when laser polarization is parallel to the z-axis and it approaches zero as the laser polarization direction becomes perpendicular to the z-axis. It is also observed that as the reflection coefficient , which accounts for the inelastic behavior of the surfaces, increases the amplitude of oscillation also increases. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The ability to tune gauge factors in terms of magnitude and orientation is important for wearable and conformal electronics. Herein, a sensor device is described which is fabricated by assembling and printing molecularly linked thin films of gold nanoparticles on flexible microelectrodes with unusually high and anisotropic gauge factors. A sharp difference in gauge factors up to two to three orders of magnitude between bending perpendicular (B(⊥)) and parallel (B(||)) to the current flow directions is observed. The origin of the unusual high and anisotropic gauge factors is analyzed in terms of nanoparticle size, interparticle spacing, interparticle structure, and other parameters, and by considering the theoretical aspects of electron conduction mechanism and percolation pathway. A critical range of resistivity where a very small change in strain and the strain orientation is identified to impact the percolation pathway in a significant way, leading to the high and anisotropic gauge factors. The gauge anisotropy stems from molecular and nanoscale fine tuning of interparticle properties of molecularly linked nanoparticle assembly on flexible microelectrodes, which has important implication for the design of gauge sensors for highly sensitive detection of deformation in complex sensing environment or on complex curved surfaces such as wearable electronics and skin sensors.

We report on the epitaxial growth of Mn5Ge3 on Ge(001) by molecular beam epitaxy using solid phase epitaxy method. Mn5Ge3 grows as nanoislands, which are randomly distributed over the substrate surface. Select area electron diffraction analysis was used to determine the epitaxial relationship Mn5Ge3(001)[110]//Ge(001)[110], as well as to detect an induced tensile strain along [110] Mn5Ge3 direction to fit the Ge lattice, while the observation of Moire patterns indicates a complete relaxation along the direction. In-plane and out-of-plane M(H) loops were obtained at 200 K using a vibrating sample magnetometer, it was found that the easy axis of magnetization is perpendicular to the substrate surface and that the crystal magnetic anisotropy is K1 = 9.27 × 105 erg cm−3. The enhancement of the Curie temperature of the nanoislands ∼340 K, which is higher than 296 K of the bulk Mn5Ge3, is attributed to the induced strains.

Soils commonly exhibit hydraulic anisotropy under field conditions due to layering. Previous studies on saturation-dependent anisotropy were mostly focused on the impact of saturation degree, bulk density, and soil texture. In this study, the impact of layer composition and domain size on the anisotropy of unsaturated soils was investigated. We applied the same capillary pressure at top and bottom of the layered domain to simulate a mean unit hydraulic gradient condition and determined the anisotropy factor by the ratio of fluxes in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the layering. The anisotropy factors were then examined in relation to the layer composition, domain size, and mean capillary pressure for both two- and three-layer formations. In addition, the performance of the conveniently used conceptual anisotropy based on the harmonic and arithmetic mean hydraulic conductivities was also investigated for comparison. The maximum anisotropy is reached when the more permeable layer thickness is

Anatomic differences on the toe pad epithelial cells of torrent and tree frogs (elongated versus regular geometry) are believed to account for superior ability of torrent frogs to attach to surfaces in the presence of running water. Here, the friction properties of artificial hexagonal arrays of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pillars (elongated and regular) in the presence of water are compared. Elongated pillar patterns show significantly higher friction in a direction perpendicular to the long axis. A low bending stiffness of the pillars and a high edge density of the pattern in the sliding direction are the key design criteria for the enhanced friction. The elongated patterns also favor orientation-dependent friction. These findings have important implications for the development of new reversible adhesives for wet conditions.

Soft devices can be bent, stretched, and compressed reversibly, but conventional wires are rigid. This work describes stretchable composites that are easily fabricated with simple tools and commodity materials, and that can provide a strategy for electrical wiring that meets certain needs of soft devices. These composites are made by combining metal wool and elastomeric polymers. Embedding fi ne (average fi ber width ≈25 µm) steel wool (or other metal wools) in a silicone polymer creates an electrically conductive path through the nonconductive elastomer. This composite is fl stretchable, compressible, inexpensive, and simple to incorporate into the bodies of soft devices. It is also electrically anisotropic, and shows maximum conductivity along the majority axis of the fi bers, but maximum extension perpendicular to this axis. The utility of this composite for creating an electrically conductive path through an elastomer was demonstrated in several devices, including: a soft, solderless breadboard, a soft touch sensor, and a soft strain gauge.

Site-controlled growth of GaN nanowires (NWs) on GaN-on-sapphire templates with a patterned SiN mask has been carried out by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy using a continuous-flow growth mode. A low V/III ratio compared to that used for GaN layer growth, combined with low precursor flow rates for both Ga and N precursors, has been used to promote the nanowire growth on Ga-polar substrates. The lateral growth rate, that is, perpendicular to the c-axis, could be further controlled using appropriate growth temperatures and H2/N2 ratios. Besides, the influence of the pattern geometry on the nanowire aspect ratio and size homogeneity has been addressed.

We have studied twinning in GaAs nanowires grown via holes in a silica mask deposited on GaAs(111)B substrates by metal-organic chemical vapour epitaxy without catalysts. Twins perpendicular to the growth direction form in the nanowires, their {111}-type side facets leading to corrugation of their {110} side walls. The top facets are almost atomically smooth. Aberration corrected annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals all twins are rotational, commencing with layers of Ga and finishing with As atoms. Energy-loss spectroscopic profiling has shown no significant changes in the band-gap or bulk plasmon energy at those twin boundaries, and the observed reduction of the interface plasmon energy by ∼0.13 eV is close to the detection limit of the technique, reflecting the very low energetic electronic changes related to twin formation.

Achieving sub-10 nm high-aspect-ratio patterns from diblock copolymer self-assembly requires both a high interaction parameter (χ, which is determined by the incompatibility between the two blocks) and a perpendicular orientation of microdomains. However, these two conditions are extremely difficult to achieve simultaneously because the blocks in a high-χ copolymer typically have very different surface energies, favoring in-plane microdomain orientations. A fully perpendicular orientation of a high-χ block copolymer, poly(styrene-block-dimethylsiloxane) (PS-b-PDMS) is realized here using partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) top coats with a solvent annealing process, despite the large surface energy differences between PS and PDMS. The PVA top coat on the block copolymer films under a solvent vapor atmosphere significantly reduces the interfacial energy difference between two blocks at the top surface and provides sufficient solvent concentration gradient in the through-thickness direction and appropriate solvent evaporation rates within the film to promote a perpendicular microdomain orientation. The effects of interfacial energy differences and the swellability of PVA top coats controlled by the degree of hydrolysis on the orientation of micro­domains are examined. The thickness of the BCP film and top coats also affects the orientation of the BCP film.

Shave-off depth profiling uses a Ga focused ion beam micro-machining process to provide highly precise depth profiles with nanometer-scale resolution. This method is a very unique process for acquiring a depth profile using the shave-off scan mode, in which the primary ion beam perpendicular to the direction of depth irradiates the sample. In our previous study, we confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation that the shave-off scan mode has a low mixing effect compared with the conventional scan mode, which uses the normal incident angle. However, the current understanding of measurement using the shave-off scan mode is insufficient. In this study, in order to estimate the sample damage in the shave-off scan mode, we investigated the degree of mixing effects after the primary ion bombardment under shave-off conditions using atom probe tomography. To evaluate the mixing effects, the intermixing of silicon isotope multilayers induced by ion beam irradiation was investigated. The depth of the damage from the sample surface caused by Ga focused ion beams was analyzed for both the shave-off scan mode and the conventional scan mode using the normal incident angle. Results showed that the shave-off scan mode has a significantly smaller mixing effect thanthe conventionalscanmode. Inaddition, results showed that the attenuations of the damage and the Ga concentration exhibited almost the same tendency. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Nonlinear optical (NLO) responses of perovskite-type nanostructures have a variety of potential applications owing to the highly efficient frequency conversion guaranteed by both the material itself and the nanometer-scale configuration. KNbO3 (KN) nanoneedles have been identified as a promising NLO material because of the superior broadband frequency conversion efficiency, and if incident light is propagating in a direction perpendicular to the axis of a nanoneedle, then the phase-matching constraint can be relaxed. Here, the second-harmonic generation (SHG) and third-harmonic generation (THG) responses of both individual and clustered KN nanoneedles are reported. Based on these results, a novel method is proposed for determining the optimal excitation wavelength for NLO imaging of several biological samples, with KN nanoneedles acting as NLO agents. The method is shown to provide the optical features in the focal plane and a more reliable estimation of the optimal excitation wavelength for deep-tissue imaging.

The impact of dislocations on surface topology as well as on quantum well emission in c-plane, semipolar, and nonpolar InGaN/GaN heterostructures is being analyzed by micro-photoluminescence and white-light-interferometry. V-pits with (101) and (10) side facets are identified in a (102) semipolar heterostructure. Hillocks formed by spiral growth around screw dislocations change from hexagonal to triangular to rectangular shape in polar, semipolar, and nonpolar heterostructures, respectively, reflecting the symmetry of the individual surface. The emission in semipolar quantum wells, grown homoepitaxially on bulk GaN substrates, show dark stripes aligned with misfit dislocations. For (112) and (201) orientation, these dark stripes are perpendicular and parallel, respectively, to surface striation.

A biologically inspired, multilayer laminate structural design is deployed into nanocomposite films of graphene oxide-poly(methyl methacrylate) (GO-PMMA). The resulting multilayer GO-PMMA films show greatly enhanced mechanical properties compared to pure-graphene-oxide films, with up to 100% increases in stiffness and strength when optimized. Notably, a new morphology is observed at fracture surfaces: whereas pure-graphene-oxide films show clean fracture surfaces consistent with crack initiation and propagation perpendicular to the applied tensile load, the GO-PMMA multilayer laminates show terracing consistent with crack stopping and deflection mechanisms. As a consequence, these macroscopic GO-PMMA films become defect-tolerant and can maintain their tensile strengths as their sample volumes increase. Linear elastic fracture analysis supports these observations by showing that the stiffness modulation introduced by including PMMA layers within a graphene oxide film can act to shield or deflect cracks, thereby delaying failure and allowing the material to access more of its inherent strength. Together, these data clearly demonstrate that desirable defect-tolerant traits of structural biomaterials can indeed be incorporated into graphene- oxide-based nanocomposites.

A numerical simulation of heat conduction in a grain aggregate is carried out to determine the packing fraction (the spatial fraction occupied by grains or 1-porosity) dependence of the thermal conductivity of the aggregate. Arrangements of grains are given by random ballistic deposition. It is found that the packing fraction dependence is well approximated by an exponential function. The number of contacts between grains is the crucial quantity in the conduction, and its packing fraction dependence is exponential. Heat conduction is found to be anisotropic, where the conduction along the deposition direction is more efficient than that perpendicular to the deposition direction.