HR-TEM and FIB-SEM characterization of formation of eutectic-like structure from amorphous GdAlO3-Al2O3 system

The crystallization process of the eutectic composition of GdAlO_3-Al_2O_3 from the amorphous phase prepared by rapid-quenching of melt that leads to the formation of a cantaloupe skin-like microstructure was investigated using focused ion-beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM).The amorphous films were heat-treated at temperatures between 1000 °C and 1500 °C for up to 30min to form the eutectic phases of GdAlO_3 and Al_2O_3.The GdAlO_3 and Al_2O_3 crystal phases that formed from the amorphous phase were identified by FIB-SEM and HR-TEM.Both components began to crystallize and grow from the amorphous phase separately at different temperatures.The formation process of these crystal phases was different from that of the ordinary eutectic microstructure solidified from the GdAlO_3-Al_2O_3 system.Therefore,the observed structure is termed "eutectic-like" for distinction.The microstructures formed from the amorphous phases at sufficiently high temperatures consisted of ultra-fine microstructures of individually crystallized components and were similar to ordinary eutectic microstructures.By heat-treating the amorphous films at 1500 °C for either 2 min,8min or 30min,the ultra-fine components of GdAlO_3 and Al_2O_3 were found to crystallize following a eutectic-like stage after 8min of heat treatment.     

Computed tomographic evaluation of gas hole formation and structural quality in Gouda‐type cheese

Computed tomography (CT) was performed on Gouda‐type cheese during ripening to evaluate gas hole formation and structural quality. The cheese was exposed to different ripening conditions, including variations in ripening temperature and concentration of butyric acid bacteria. Computed tomography images were obtained every 2 weeks for 16 weeks to assess the volume, shape and location of gas holes. The results demonstrate that CT makes the nondestructive monitoring of cheese gas hole formation and evaluation of the structural features of cheese possible throughout the ripening period.     

Effective parameters on diameter of carbon nanotubes by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

The effective parameters on the diameter of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) were presented.Among lots of influential parameters,the effects of the catalytic film thickness and the pretreatment plasma power on the growth of CNTs were investigated.The results show that the size of catalytic islands increases by increasing the thickness of catalytic layer,but the density of CNTs decreases.The pretreatment duration time of 30 s is the optimal condition for growing CNTs with about 50 nm in diameter.By increasing the pretreatment plasma power,the diameter of CNTs decreases gradually.However,the diameter of CNTs does not change drastically from 80 to 120 W.The uniformly grown CNTs with the diameter of 50 nm are obtained at the pretreatment plasma power of 100 W.     

File and workload allocation on a local multi-access computer network: incorporating local processing and communication overhead

The paper presents an analytical model to allocate files and workload simultaneously among heterogeneous servers for a distributed database where the servers are connected by a local multi-access computer network. The allocation problem is presented in the form of a nonlinear integer programming model. The model incorporates both local processing and communication overhead. The problem is proved to be NP-complete and thus a heuristic is developed. To illustrate its suitability, the heuristic is compared with an exhaustive enumeration method for small problems and with a genetic algorithm for large problems. Computational results demonstrate that the proposed model and heuristic provide effective database designs     

Development of oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels with and without aluminum

Pure Fe,Cr,Al,Ti elemental powders and prealloyed Y2O3 powder were processed by high energy mechanical milling.The compositions of the mixed powders are designed as Fe-18Cr-0.2Ti-0.35Y2O3 and Fe-18Cr-5...     

平流层通信新思路——谷歌气球计划

平流层通信具有低延迟、信道衰落小、造价低廉、机动灵活等特点,在军事应用和应急通信领域都有重要的战略价值,也曾经引起各国的重视,并成为研究热点。然而平流层通信平台的稳定性对各国研究者而言一直是一个挑战,谷歌公司从鸟群飞行中得到启发,开启了Google Loon项目,其目的是为全球偏远地区2/3人口提供速度较快、价格可承受的互联网接入服务,同时为自然灾害发生地区提供通信服务。文中分析了谷歌气球的技术细节,谷歌气球初次试验的情况,以及谷歌气球面临的挑战。谷歌气球计划为平流层通信提供了又一新思路。     

Comparison of three‐dimensional analysis and stereological techniques for quantifying lithium‐ion battery electrode microstructures

Lithium‐ion battery performance is intrinsically linked to electrode microstructure. Quantitative measurement of key structural parameters of lithium‐ion battery electrode microstructures will enable optimization as well as motivate systematic numerical studies for the improvement of battery performance. With the rapid development of 3‐D imaging techniques, quantitative assessment of 3‐D microstructures from 2‐D image sections by stereological methods appears outmoded; however, in spite of the proliferation of tomographic imaging techniques, it remains significantly easier to obtain two‐dimensional (2‐D) data sets. In this study, stereological prediction and three‐dimensional (3‐D) analysis techniques for quantitative assessment of key geometric parameters for characterizing battery electrode microstructures are examined and compared. Lithium‐ion battery electrodes were imaged using synchrotron‐based X‐ray tomographic microscopy. For each electrode sample investigated, stereological analysis was performed on reconstructed 2‐D image sections generated from tomographic imaging, whereas direct 3‐D analysis was performed on reconstructed image volumes. The analysis showed that geometric parameter estimation using 2‐D image sections is bound to be associated with ambiguity and that volume‐based 3‐D characterization of nonconvex, irregular and interconnected particles can be used to more accurately quantify spatially‐dependent parameters, such as tortuosity and pore‐phase connectivity.