An Artificial Nocturnal Flower via Humidity‐Gated Photoactuation in Liquid Crystal Networks

Beyond their colorful appearances and versatile geometries, flowers can self‐shape‐morph by adapting to environmental changes. Such responses are often regulated by a delicate interplay between different stimuli such as temperature, light, and humidity, giving rise to the beauty and complexity of the plant kingdom. Nature inspires scientists to realize artificial systems that mimic their natural counterparts in function, flexibility, and adaptation. Yet, many of the artificial systems demonstrated to date fail to mimic the adaptive functions, due to the lack of multi‐responsivity and sophisticated control over deformation directionality. Herein, a new class of liquid‐crystal‐network (LCN) photoactuators whose response is controlled by delicate interplay between light and humidity is presented. Using a novel deformation mechanism in LCNs, humidity‐gated photoactuation, an artificial nocturnal flower is devised that is closed under daylight conditions when the humidity level is low and/or the light level is high, while it opens in the dark when the humidity level is high. The humidity‐gated photoactuators can be fueled with lower light intensities than conventional photothermal LCN actuators. This, combined with facile control over the speed, geometry, and directionality of movements, renders the “nocturnal actuator” promising for smart and adaptive bioinspired microrobotics.     

Strain rate and orientation-dependent strain hardening of Mg–9Li–Al using crystal plasticity

A crystal plasticity finite element model was proposed considering slip and twinning interactions. The grain morphology and crystallographic orientations were introduced into the model to describe the microstructure of duplex polycrystalline Mg–9Li–Al. The activation of the slip systems and the strain localisation with respect to initial grain orientations were investigated. In addition, the effects of phase distributions and volume fractions on the macroscopic responses and on strain hardening rates were analysed. The results show that the strain hardening is rate-dependent but the texture is less sensitive to strain rate. The distribution of a phase and its volume fraction play primary roles in governing the mechanical response.     

What is a crystal to the new chemical crystallographer,after that first,automated structure analysis?

This educational review postulates the importance of maintaining an adequate level of crystallographic education among structure-dependent scientists whose interests are not primarily in crystallography, at a time when automation and validation have made it possible to obtain high-quality structure analyses in many cases with a minimum of crystallographic background. The topics addressed are intended to form a second round of crystallographic education for a novice user whose first round involved hands-on experience with structure solution and an introduction to elementary concepts. The specific topics, chosen for their relevance as basic knowledge and their lack of emphasis in many formal treatments, are (1) crystallographic reference frames and the utility of the reciprocal cell in geometrical calculations; (2) the relationship between the two concepts that constitute our model of the crystal, namely the unit cell and the lattice; (3) the manner in which an atom is represented in concept and in practice; (4) the importance of interleaved symmetry elements required by the presence of additional symmetry on a lattice; (5) the harnessing of the natural properties of the crystalline state for the potential manipulation of properties of synthetic crystals; and (6) useful terminology for navigating a crystal structure.     

往复式活塞压缩机中间喷液制冷系统的(火用)分析

通过对往复式活塞压缩机进行改造，在单级活塞压缩系统的基础上搭建了一种中间喷液冷却的准两级压缩系统并在蒸发温度为-20 ℃的工况下进行实验测量，根据实验数据对单级活塞压缩系统和新型中间喷液冷却活塞压缩系统的COP、〖HT5”，7”〗火〖KG-*3〗用〖HT5”〗损失和〖HT5”，7”〗火〖KG-*3〗用〖HT5”〗效率进行计算。结果表明：加入中间喷液冷却系统后，系统的COP由1.27提升至1.36，单位制冷量由155.1 kJ/kg提升至176.7 kJ/kg；单级活塞压缩系统〖HT5”，7”〗火〖KG-*3〗用〖HT5”〗损失较大的部分是压缩机和膨胀阀，分别占压缩机输入〖HT5”，7”〗火〖KG-*3〗用〖HT5”〗的16.2%和14.8%，加入中间喷液冷却系统后压缩机部分的〖HT5”，7”〗火〖KG-*3〗用〖HT5”〗损失明显降低，仅占压缩机输入〖HT5”，7”〗火〖KG-*3〗用〖HT5”〗的3.6%，冷凝器及膨胀阀的〖HT5”，7”〗火〖KG-*3〗用〖HT5”〗损比也有所下降。     

Suppression of diamond tool wear in machining of tungsten carbide by combining ultrasonic vibration and electrochemical processing

As an important ceramic material, tungsten carbide (WC) is utilized as the typical mold in precision glass molding, which has replaced conventional grinding and polishing to provide a highly replicative process for mass manufacturing of optical glass components. Ultra-precision grinding, which is time consuming and has low reproducibility, is the only method to machine such WC molds to high profile accuracy. Although diamond turning is the most widely used machining method for fabrication of optical molds made of metals, diamond turning of WC is still considered challenging due to fast abrasive wear of the diamond tool caused by high brittleness and hardness of WC. Ultrasonic vibration cutting has been proven to be helpful in realizing ductile-mode machining of brittle materials, but its tool life is still not long enough to be utilized in practical diamond turning of optical WC molds. In the current study, a hybrid method is proposed to combine electrochemical processing of WC workpiece surface into the diamond turning process. Cutting tests on WC using poly-crystalline diamond tools were conducted to evaluate its effect on improvement of tool wear and surface quality. Validation cutting tests using single crystal diamond tools has proven that the proposed hybrid method is able to significantly reduce the diamond tool wear and improve the surface quality of machined ultra-fine grain WC workpiece compared to ultrasonic vibration cutting without electrochemical processing.     

PLC与单片机之间的串行通信及应用

在工业自动化控制领域,较为重要的内容就是PLC和单元机之间的远距离控制,并且在自控系统设计过程中,经常遇到的难题就是PLC和单片机之间远距离通信,基于PLC和单片机两者优势充分发挥的基础上,能够确保PLC和单片机之间串行通信的良好实现。本文基于实际情况的基础上,通过对现阶段较为常见且应用较为广泛的单片机进行分析探讨。     

A series of Er~(3+)-activated SrLaGa_3O_7 single crystal fibers for mid-infrared laser application

A multidisciplinary approach for the production and characterization of a series of high concentration Er~(3+)activated SrLaGa_3 O_7(abbreviated as Er:SLGO) crystal fibers is shown to have a great promise for implementation in mid-infrared laser applications.The current approach includes the design and formation of unique layered tetrahedral network structures with several kinds of rare earth(RE) ions including Er ions distributing statistically between layers,such as Er:SLGO,Er,Nd:SLGO,Er,Yb,Ho:SLGO,Er,Eu:SLGO and Er,Ho:SLGO.Five kinds of Er:SLGO crystal fibers were designed to grow via a micropulling down method.Spectroscopic analyses show that Er,Yb,Ho:SLGO and Nd,Er:SLGO crystal fibers were superiorly endowed with inhomogeneous broadening absorption and strong emission.The unique structural components design enables the generation of improved absorption and emission recombination,and the inhibition of self-termination as well.Generally,the use of structural components design may warrant high-efficiency emissions in RE-doped crystal fibers.     

A novel proposal for all optical 3 to 8 decoder based on nonlinear ring resonators

In this paper, a 3 to 8 optical decoder was proposed using nonlinear photonic crystal ring resonators. For realizing the 3 to 8 decoder, we combined seven 1 to 2 optical decoders. In the proposed structure, X, Y and Z serve as input ports. By combination of these ports, one can control which output port to be ON. The maximum time delay of the proposed structure is about 6?ps.     

The structure solution of the F-type i-ZnMgHf from the X-ray diffraction

ABSTRACT

We report a successful growth of the ZnMgHf F-type icosahedral quasicrystal in the form of faceted single grains. By varying the heat treatment parameters we were able to obtain single crystals with a quality suitable for a single crystal X-ray diffraction which was conducted in a synchrotron facility. Ab initio structure solution by a charge flipping algorithm manifests the existence of two types of Bergman clusters. Clusters are differentiated by the preferential occupation of the high-symmetry positions by hafnium in a rhombic triacontahedron, being the outer shell of the atomic cluster.

This paper is part of a Thematic Issue on The Crystallographic Aspects of Metallic Alloys.