Computer‐aided design methodology for linearity enhancement of multiwatt GaN HEMT amplifiers using multiple parallel devices

This article presents a design methodology for linearizing GaN HEMT amplifiers based on splitting a large FET into multiple parallel FETs with same total gate periphery and by biasing them individually. By varying the biases, the magnitude and the phase of the IMD3 components at the output of FET changes. A detailed simulation methodology using commercial microwave CAD software is presented. Simulation results show that by biasing one device in Class AB and other(s) in deep Class AB mode, IMD3 components of parallel FETs can be made out of phase to each other leading to cancellation and improvement in linearity. Three prototype circuits were simulated using (a) a single 5 mm FET (1 × 5 mm), (b) two parallel 2.5 mm FETs (2 × 2.5 mm), and (c) four parallel 1.25 mm FETs (4 × 1.25 mm), for a total gate periphery of 5 mm, over the frequency range of 0.8 to 1.0 GHz. IMD3 improvement up to 20 dBc was achieved with the 4 × 1.25 mm circuit when the FET biases were optimized. Measurement results show improvement in linearity up to 20 dBc for 4 × 1.25 mm circuit. The proposed method improves linearity without a substantial penalty on the power consumption and is straightforward to implement.     

An improved iterative stochastic multi-objective acceptability analysis method for robust alternative selection in new product development

Alternative selection in new product development (NPD) is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem. It usually starts with incomplete, imprecise or even partially missing information. Currently, most existing methods in dealing with this problem cannot work well if required information is incomplete or missing. It is acknowledged that stochastic multi-objective acceptability analysis (SMAA) can be applied to address MCDM problem with incomplete preference information and uncertain criteria measurements. In SMAA, alternatives are evaluated based on SMAA measurements (acceptability index, central weight vector and confidence factor). The discriminability of SMAA for the optimum alternative heavily depends on differences of SMAA measurements among different alternatives. Usually, a large number of alternatives and high level of uncertainty are involved in alternative selection in NPD. In this situation, the differences among SMAA measurements are not obvious, and therefore SMAA cannot deal with such problem very well. To this end, this paper proposes an improved SMAA method called Iterative-SMAA (I-SMAA) for alternative selection in NPD. In the I-SMAA, an iterative multi-step decision-making process is suggested to improve differences of SMAA measurements among different alternatives, and thus assist decision makers (DMs) to positively discern from the most preferred alternative. To enhance the decision-making efficiency, sensitive criteria are acquired in each iteration by ranking sensitivity analysis. DMs are guided to provide partial preference information and give more accurate criteria measurements for sensitive criteria rather than all criteria. Eventually, to verify the proposed method, a numerical example of the existing literature is solved with the method, and the results are compared. And then, a practical example of a preparation equipment for coal samples is further employed to verify the practicability of the proposed I-SMAA.     

Images of a First‐Order Spin‐Reorientation Phase Transition in a Metallic Kagome Ferromagnet

First‐order phase transitions, where one phase replaces another by virtue of a simple crossing of free energies, are best known between solids, liquids, and vapors, but they also occur in a wide range of other contexts, including even elemental magnets. The key challenges are to establish whether a phase transition is indeed first order, and then to determine how the new phase emerges because this will determine thermodynamic and electronic properties. Here it is shown that both challenges are met for the spin reorientation transition in the topological metallic ferromagnet Fe₃Sn₂. The magnetometry and variable temperature magnetic force microscopy experiments reveal that, analogous to the liquid–gas transition in the temperature–pressure plane, this transition is centered on a first‐order line terminating in a critical end point in the field‐temperature plane. The nucleation and growth associated with the transition is directly imaged, indicating that the new phase emerges at the most convoluted magnetic domain walls for the high temperature phase and then moves to self‐organize at the domain centers of the high temperature phase. The dense domain patterns and phase coexistence imply a complex inhomogenous electronic structure, which can yield anomalous contributions to the electrical conductivity.     

Experimental Study on Hybrid Organic Phase Change Materials Used for Solar Energy Storage

The solar energy utilization in built environment has been limited due to its low heat flux, uneven distribution in time and space and temporal difference in day and night. The phase change materials have been used to collect the fluctuant solar energy to form a stable energy source for the terminal equipment of the buildings. In this study, the hybrid organic phase change materials was prepared for the capillary radiant heating system which formed a cascade utilization of solar energy. Firstly, lauric acid and stearic acid were selected as the basic organic phase change materials and the binary equilibrium phase diagram was completed based on the method of step cooling curve according to the experimental tests data. The results showed that the phase transition temperature of the mixed acid at the lowest eutectic point was 31.2℃ and the latent heat value was 264.3 kJ/kg when the mass mixing ratio was 70% for lauric acid and 30% for stearic acid. Secondly, the expanded graphite was used as an additive to enwrap the mixed acid and enhance the heat conductivity. The experimental results showed that when the mass proportion of expanded graphite in the mixed acid was 10%, the mixed acid could be completely enclosed by expanded graphite and the stability of melting and solidification was optimal. Additionally, the phase transition temperature of the hybrid phase change material was 31.5℃ and the latent heat value was 217.4 kJ/kg. The novel hybrid phase change material has a lower eutectic point and a higher latent heat of phase change, so it has a large application space and is quite suitable for the cascade utilization of solar energy with capillary network heating system.     

Experimental Investigation of Heat Storage and Heat Transfer Rates during Melting of Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Materials (NePCM) in a Differentially-Heated Rectangular Cavity

In this work, an experimental study of melting heat transfer of nano-enhanced phase change materials(NePCM) in a differentially-heated rectangular cavity was performed. Two height-to-width aspect ratios of the cavity, i.e., 0.9 and 1.5, were investigated. The model Ne PCM samples were prepared by dispersing graphene nanoplatelets(GNP) into 1-tetradecanol, having a nominal melting point of 37℃, at loadings up to 3 wt.%. The viscosity was found to have a more than 10-fold increase at the highest loading of GNP. During the melting experiments, the wall superheat at the heating boundary was set to be 10℃ or 30℃. It was shown that with increasing the loading of GNP, both the heat storage and heat transfer rates during melting decelerate to some extent, at all geometrical and thermal configurations. This suggested that the use of NePCM in such cavity may not be able to enhance the heat storage rate due to the dramatic growth in viscosity, which deteriorates significantly natural convective heat transfer during melting to overweigh the enhanced heat conduction by only a decent increase in thermal conductivity. This also suggested that the numerically predicted melting accelerations and heat transfer enhancements, as a result of the increased thermal conductivity, in the literature are likely overestimated because the negative effects due to viscosity growth are underestimated.     

Short communication: In vitro rumen gas production and starch degradation of starch-based feeds depend on mean particle size

Our objective was to model the effect of mean particle size (mPS) on in vitro rumen starch degradation (IVSD) and the kinetics of gas production for different starch-based feeds. For each feed, 2 batches of the same grains were separately processed through 2 different mills (cutter or rotor speed mills), with or without different screens to achieve a wide range of mPS (0.32 to 3.31 mm for corn meals; 0.19 to 2.81 mm for barley meals; 0.16 to 2.13 mm for wheat meals; 0.28 to 2.32 mm for oat meals; 0.21 to 2.36 mm for rye meals; 0.40 to 1.79 for sorghum meals; 0.26 to 4.71 mm for pea meals; and 0.25 to 4.53 mm for faba meals). The IVSD data and gas production kinetics, obtained by fitting to a single-pool exponential model, were analyzed using a completely randomized design, in which the main tested effect was mPS (n = 6 for all tested meals, except n = 7 for corn meals and n = 5 for sorghum meals). Rumen inocula were collected from 2 fistulated Holstein dairy cows that were fed a total mixed ration consisting of 16.2% crude protein, 28.5% starch, and 35.0% neutral detergent fiber on a dry matter basis. The IVSD, evaluated after 7 h of rumen incubation, decreased linearly with increasing mPS for corn, barley, wheat, rye, pea, and faba meals, and decreased quadratically with increasing mPS for the other meals. The y-axis intercept for 7-h IVSD was below 90% starch for corn, barley, and rye feeds and greater than 90% for the other tested feeds. The mPS adjustment factors for the rate of rumen starch degradation varied widely among the different tested feeds. We found a linear decrease in starch degradation with increasing mPS for barley, wheat, rye, and pea meals, whereas we noted a quadratic decrease in starch degradation for the other tested meals. Further, we observed a linear decrease in the rate of gas production with increasing mPS in each tested feed, except for pea meal, which had a quadratic relationship. For each 1 mm increase in mPS, the gas production was adjusted by ?0.009 h^?1 for corn, ?0.011 h^?1 for barley, ?0.008 h^?1 for wheat, and ?0.006 h^?1 for faba, whereas numerically greater adjustments were needed for oat (?0.022 h^?1), rye (?0.017 h^?1), and sorghum (?0.014 h^?1). These mPS adjustment factors could be used to modify the starch-based feed energy values as a function of mean particle size, although in vivo validation is required.     

Development of the method of production of the ultrafine macrohomogeneous composite powder

ABSTRACT

A method of ultrafine macro-homogeneous composite powder – B₄C–ZrO₂ production using a planetary mill was developed. From the macro-homogeneous composite high-density ceramics, B₄C–ZrB₂ was produced by the method of reactive sintering (in situ) at 2000°C under the pressure of 41–42?MPa. The effect of ZrO₂ grain size and of its distribution in the matrix on the consolidation parameters, and the microstructure of the obtained ceramics was studied.     

Constructing γ-MnO2 hollow spheres with tunable microwave absorption properties

Hollow γ-MnO₂ sphere was obtained by annealing the precursor at 400 °C with different holding time. The influences of different holding time on the morphology and crystalline structure of final products have been discussed in detail, and the microwave absorption properties of the as-products were also investigated. The results exhibited that finer crystalline feature of the γ-MnO₂ and larger pore size in the hollow γ-MnO₂ sphere could be obtained with the extended holding time. The MnO₂/paraffin composites (50 wt% loading) present extraordinary microwave absorption performance, and the minimum reflection loss (RL) values is −51.3 dB at 4.9 GHz with the thickness of 3.5 mm. The excellent electromagnetic absorption properties can be ascribed to the hollow structure, perfect impedance matching behavior and the multiple interface polarization effect.     

Inhibition of stress corrosion cracking in 304 stainless steel through titanium ion implantation

The effects of titanium ion implantation on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behaviour of 304 austenitic stainless steel were studied. Slow strain rate tests (SSRTs) were conducted on 304 steel in air and in 5?wt-% NaCl solution. The microscopic effects of ion implantation were evaluated by Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter Procedures (SRIM). Fracture morphologies and microstructures were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The fracture surfaces illustrate that ion implantation significantly inhibits the corrosion pits that initiate SCC. A dense passive film, which inhibits SCC, was formed during the ion implantation process. SCC initiation was restrained due to the dense dislocation nets that were generated by titanium ion implantation.

Highlights

• Ion implantation inhibits SCC susceptibility.

• The lack of Cr at the grain boundary leads to the expansion of SCC along the grain boundary.

• Implantation-induced damage leads to high-density dislocations.

• The surface was amorphised due to high-density dislocations.

     

Retention of Eucalyptol,a Natural Volatile Insecticide,in Delivery Systems Based on Hydroxypropyl‐β‐Cyclodextrin and Liposomes

Eucalyptol (Euc) is a natural monoterpene with insecticide effects. Being highly volatile and sensitive to ambient conditions, its encapsulation would enlarge its application. Euc‐loaded conventional liposomes (CL), cyclodextrin/drug inclusion complex, and drug‐in‐cyclodextrin‐in‐liposomes (DCL) are prepared to protect Euc from degradation, reduce its evaporation, and provide its controlled release. The liposomal suspension is freeze‐dried using hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HP‐β‐CD) as cryoprotectant. The liposomes are characterized before and after freeze‐drying. The effect of Euc on the fluidity of liposomal membrane is also examined. A release study of Euc from delivery systems, in powder and reconstituted forms, is performed by multiple head extraction at 60 °C after 6 months of storage at 4 °C. CL and DCL suspensions are homogeneous, show nanometric vesicles size, spherical shape, and negative surface charge before and after freeze‐drying. Moreover, HP‐β‐CD does not affect the fluidity of liposomes. CL formulations present a weak encapsulation for Euc. The loading capacity of eucalyptol in DCL is 38 times higher than that in CL formulation. In addition, freeze‐dried DCL and HP‐β‐CD/Euc inclusion complex show a higher retention of eucalyptol than CL delivery system. Both carrier systems HP‐β‐CD/Euc and Euc‐loaded DCL decrease Euc evaporation and improve its retention. Practical Applications: Eucalyptol is a natural insecticide. It is highly volatile and poorly soluble in water. To enlarge its application, its encapsulation in three delivery systems (conventional liposomes, cyclodextrin/drug inclusion complex, combined system composed of cyclodextrin inclusion complex and liposome) is studied. In this paper it is proved that cyclodextrin/eucalyptol inclusion complex and eucalyptol‐in‐cyclodextrin‐in‐liposome are effective delivery systems for encalyptol encapsulation, retention, and release.