Distribution-free composite Shewhart-GWMA Mann-Whitney charts for monitoring the process location

The Mann-Whitney (MW) statistic is one of the most recommended two-sample statistical tests when the assumption of normality fails to hold due to its robustness and fascinating properties especially when small sample sizes are involved. In order to improve the sensitivity of the generally weighted moving average (GWMA) monitoring scheme toward the detection of large shifts, in this paper, a new distribution-free phase II composite Shewhart-GWMA (CSG) scheme is proposed using the MW U statistic. The performance of the proposed scheme is investigated using the average run-length (ARL) and average extra quadratic loss (AEQL) values through extensive simulations. The performance of this newly proposed monitoring scheme is found to be superior when compared to numerous memory-type MW schemes (some existing and others introduced in this paper) in many situations. An illustrative example is given to demonstrate the implementation of the CSG MW U scheme using real-life data.     

Effects of water molecules on the formation of transfer films and the occurrence of superlow friction

The establishment of superlow friction in moist air is very important for the engineering application of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (H-DLC) films. Nevertheless, water molecules in the surrounding atmosphere always result in the failure of the near-frictionless state. This work aims to explore the effects of water molecules in the environment and the material of the counterparts on the tribological performance of a composite structure prepared by depositing MoS₂ on a H-DLC film. The results indicated that the existence of water molecules in the atmosphere is beneficial for achieving stable superlubricity for the material system because it helps retain the in-situ formed MoS₂ transfer film on the counterpart. In the presence of water molecules, the wear interface was replaced by a robust and incommensurate MoS₂ tribolayer/H-DLC sliding interface, which was responsible for the superlow friction achieved in this work. The results also revealed that the ZrO₂ counterpart was capable of retaining the as-formed MoS₂ transfer film and establishing long-lasting superlow friction even in dry air. The mechanisms behind this phenomenon are also discussed in this paper.     

Luminescent properties and X-ray imaging result of Lu2O3:Eu structured scintillation film on YSZ single crystal substrate by LCVD method

Micro-columnar structured europium doped lutecia (Lu₂O₃:Eu) scintillation film is one of the most attractive candidate materials for high-energy hard X-ray imaging detectors because of their excellent physical, scintillation properties and light guide effect. Lu₂O₃:Eu micro-columnar film (MCF) with 9 μm thickness was obtained on a yttrium stabilized zirconia (YSZ) (100) single crystal substrate by laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD), and its structure, morphology, photoluminescence and scintillation properties were characterized. The structure and morphology of obtained film were investigated by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and scan electron microscopy (SEM). The photoluminescence and scintillation properties, including photoluminescence excitation (PLE), photoluminescence (PL), PL decay, X-ray excited luminescence (XEL), were measured and discussed. The X-ray imaging result of Lu₂O₃:Eu MCF on YSZ substrate was obtained for the first time and spatial resolution of 2 μm was obtained at BL13W beamline at Shanghai synchrotron radiation facility (SSRF).     

Lead-free BiFeO3 film on glass fiber fabric: Wearable hybrid piezoelectric-triboelectric nanogenerator

Constructing hybrid nanogenerators (NGs) based on triboelectric effect and piezoelectric effect can combine the merits of the individual type of NG thus have drawn great attention in flexible wearable electronics. Herein, we prepared flexible BiFeO₃ (BFO) film in a simple and cost-effective way, which was used to fabricate a wearable hybrid piezoelectric-triboelectric nanogenerator (H–P/TENG) with silk fiber. By optimizing the experimental conditions, the highest open-circuit voltage of 110 V and short-circuit current density of 3.67 μA/cm² were achieved under 1 Hz contact-separation movement. The device also showed the best output power density of 151.42 μW/cm² with load resistance of 250 MΩ. Stimulating by moving body, the fabricated H–P/TENG successively realized the harvest and conversion of mechanical energy into electric energy, demonstrating great potential to monitor posture and establish a self-powered system. Moreover, the proposed H–P/TENG exhibited great stable output after 1800 contact-separation cycles, indicating the outstanding structure stability and fatigue resistance. This work will provide not only a facile and viable way to realize the application of ferroelectric materials in H–P/TENG but also new opportunities for developing monitor posture and self-powered systems.     

Interconnected SiC–Si network reinforced Al–20Si composites fabricated by high pressure solidification

The microstructures and mechanical properties of the interconnected SiC–Si network reinforced Al–20Si composites solidified under high pressures were investigated. The results demonstrate that the complete interconnected SiC–Si network can be obtained by high pressure solidification, and the connected micron-sized pores are uniformly distributed in the interconnected SiC–Si network. The compressive strength and microhardness of the SiC/Al–20Si composites solidified under 3 GPa were 723 MPa and 229 HV_0.05, respectively. Furthermore, the fracture process of SiC/Al–20Si composites was studied by in situ TEM tensile testing. The result shows that the crack first initiated and propagated at the Al/Si interface under an external load, and the SiC particles in the interconnected SiC–Si network can effectively hinder the crack propagation, thus enhancing the strength.     

Diluted chemical bath deposition of CdZnS as prospective buffer layer in CIGS solar cell

In this study, dilute chemical bath deposition technique has been used to deposit CdZnS thin films on soda-lime glass substrates. The structural, morphological, optoelectronic properties of as-grown films have been investigated as a function of different Zn²⁺ precursor concentrations. The X-ray diffractogram of CdS thin-film reveals a peak corresponding to (002) plane with wurtzite structure, and the peak shift has been observed with the increase of the Zn²⁺ concentration upon formation of CdZnS thin film. From morphological studies, it has been revealed that the diluted chemical bath deposition technique provides homogeneous distribution of film on the substrate even at a lower concentration of Zn²⁺. Optical characterization has shown that the transparency of the film is influenced by Zn²⁺ concentration and when the Zn²⁺ concentration is varied from 0 M to 0.0256 M, bandgap values of resulting films range from 2.42 eV to 3.90 eV while. Furthermore, electrical properties have shown that with increasing zinc concentration the resistivity of the film increases. Finally, numerical simulation validates and suggests that CdZnS buffer layer with composition of 0.0032 M Zn²⁺ concentration would be a promising candidate in CIGS solar cell.     

Preparation and characterization of Cf/Pollucite composites through geopolymer precursors

Continuous carbon-fibre-reinforced Cs-geopolymer composite (C_f/CsGP) were prepared, and its in-situ conversion was investigated during high-temperature treatments. The effect of treatment temperature on the thermal evolution process and mechanical properties of the resulting products were systematically evaluated. The results indicated that the crystallization temperature of C_f/CsGP composite was considerably delayed because the amorphous structure of carbon fibres was not conducive as a nucleation substrate for pollucite derived from the CsGP matrix. Moreover, the integrity of the corresponding resulting products derived from the C_f/CsGP composite were damaged due to thermal shrinkage that occurred during the high-temperature treatment process. When treatment temperature was ≤1200^oC, the mechanical properties of the corresponding products exhibited an upward trend, which was ascribed to the improvement of the densification degree of the resulting composite and well interface-bonding state between carbon fibres and pollucite. However, the mechanical properties of the resulting composites decreased with the treatment temperature continued increased from 1200 to 1400^oC. This phenomenon was attributed to the impairment of fibre properties caused by interfacial reactions.     

Effect of Y concentration and film thickness on microstructure and electrical properties of HfO2 based thin films

In this work, we introduced a simple solution processing method to prepare yttrium (Y) doped hafnium oxide (HfO₂) based dielectric films. The films had high densities, low surface roughness, maximum permittivity of about 32, leakage current < 1.0 × 10^?7 A/cm² at 2 MV/cm, and breakdown field >5.0 MV/cm. In addition to dielectric performance, we investigated the influence of YO_1.5 fraction on the electronic structure between Y doped HfO₂ thin films and silicon (Si) substrates. The valence band electronic structure, energy gap and conduction band structure changed linearly with YO_1.5 fraction. Given this cost-effective deposition technique and excellent dielectric performance, solution-processed Y doped HfO₂ based thin films have the potential for insulator applications.