Simulation studies on a rotating ring disk electrode: Effects of ionic migration with kinetic complication-disk results

In continuation to my previous work (Guha S. AIChE J. 2013;59(4):1390-1399), in this work, effects of ionic migration are evaluated for disk region of a rotating ring disk electrode system by numerically solving complex differential equations, developed for mass transfer along with kinetic complication in presence of ionic migration under limiting current condition. The system for simulation is 0.01 M Fe₂(SO₄)₃ solution with H₂SO₄ as supporting electrolyte. Simulation cases are presence and absence of ionic migration with kinetic complication (oxidation of Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺ under O₂ pressure). Results show that concentration boundary layer thickness of reactant Fe³⁺ reduces appreciably and steady-state disk current reduces substantially in presence of migration. Simulated steady-state disk current in absence of migration case agrees well with published data. Results indicate higher Fe²⁺ concentration in presence of migration and thereby higher rate of oxidation of Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺ at all rate constant values.     

Homotopy continuation enhanced branch and bound algorithms for strongly nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear optimization

Large-scale strongly nonlinear and nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) models frequently appear in optimization-based process synthesis, integration, intensification, and process control. However, they are usually difficult to solve by existing algorithms within acceptable time. In this study, we propose two robust homotopy continuation enhanced branch and bound (HCBB) algorithms (denoted as HCBB-FP and HCBB-RB) where the homotopy continuation method is employed to gradually approach the optimum of the NLP subproblem at a node from the solution at its parent node. A variable step length is adapted to effectively balance feasibility and computational efficiency. The computational results from solving four existing process synthesis problems demonstrate that the proposed HCBB algorithms can find the same optimal solution from different initial points, while the existing MINLP algorithms fail or find much worse solutions. In addition, HCBB-RB is superior to HCBB-FP due to much lower computational effort required for the same locally optimal solution.     

Effect of ultrasonic waveforms on gas–liquid mass transfer in microreactors

This study aims to investigate the effect of ultrasonic waveforms on the gas–liquid mass transfer process. For a given load power (P), continuous rectangular wave yielded stronger bubble oscillation and higher mass transfer coefficient (k_La) than continuous triangular and sinusoidal wave. For pulsed ultrasound, the k_La decreased monotonically with decreasing duty ratio (D), resulting in weak enhancement at low D (≤33%). For a given average load power (P_A), concentrating the P for a shorter period resulted in a higher k_La due to stronger cavitation behavior. For a given P_A and D, decreasing the pulse period (T) led to an increase in k_La, which reached a constant high level when the T fell below a critical value. By optimizing the D and T, a k_La equivalent to 92% of that under continuous ultrasound was obtained under pulsed ultrasound at a D of 67%, saving 33% in power consumption.     

Large electrocaloric effect in two-step-SPS processed Pb(Sc0.25In0.25Nb0.25Ta0.25)O3 medium-entropy ceramics

Ferroelectric ceramic with a large electrocaloric (EC) effect at a very low electric field is very attractive in the next solid state refrigeration technology. In this work, two Pb(Sc_0.25In_0.25Nb_0.25Ta_0.25)O₃ (PSINT) medium-entropy ceramics were successfully synthesized by a spark plasma sintering (SPS) technology, including one-step-SPS processed and two-step-SPS processed samples. A large EC effect (△T ～ 0.85 K) with a high EC strength (△T/△E ～ 0.021 K cm/kV) around room temperature are obtained at a very low electric field (～40 kV/cm) in the two-step-SPS processed sample. Moreover, the working temperature range is very broad (～120 K), which can be responsible for the high relaxation degree of the dielectric peak. It can be believed that the PSINT medium-entropy ceramics can be promising candidates for application in the next-generation EC cooling devices.     

High ultraviolet transparent conducting electrodes formed using tantalum oxide/Ag multilayer

We investigated the optical and electrical properties of Ta₂O₅/Ag/Ta₂O₅ films as functions of the thicknesses of the Ta₂O₅ and Ag layers. It was found that with an increase in the thicknesses of the Ta₂O₅ and Ag layers from 10 to 40 nm and from 12 to 24 nm, respectively, the sheet resistance, carrier concentration, electron mobility, and resistivity of the Ta₂O₅/Ag/Ta₂O₅ film varied from 2.02 to 8.95 Ω/sq, 5.74 × 10²¹ to 2.92 × 10²² cm^–3, from 13.21 to 24.07 cm²/V·s, and from 8.89 × 10^-6 to 8.24 × 10^-5 Ω cm, respectively. The average transmittance (T_av) of the multilayer samples ranged from 57.18% to 93.99%, and it depended on the Ta₂O₅ and Ag layer thicknesses. The highest T_av of 93.99% was observed for the film with 35 nm thick Ta₂O₅ and 18 nm thick Ag layers, and the peak Haacke's figure of merit (157.04 × 10^–3 Ω^–1) was obtained for 20 nm thick Ta₂O₅ and 21 nm thick Ag layers. Ta₂O₅ (100 nm) and Ta₂O₅/Ag/Ta₂O₅ (20 nm/21 nm/20 nm) samples had optical bandgaps of 4.70 and 4.45 eV, respectively. Film Wizard simulations were conducted to understand the dependence of the transmittance of the multilayer on the thicknesses of the Ta₂O₅ and Ag layers, and phasor analyses were performed to determine how the transmittance of the Ta₂O₅/Ag/Ta₂O₅ (20 nm/21 nm/20 nm) film depended on the Ta₂O₅ layer's thickness.     

Energy storage performance of 0.55Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.45SrTiO3 ceramics doped with lanthanide elements (Ln = La,Nd, Dy,Sm) using a viscous polymer processing route

Lead-free bismuth sodium titanate-strontium titanate (NBT-ST) dielectric ceramic materials have been extensively investigated energy storage materials because of their relaxor characteristics. In this study, four different lanthanide elements were introduced into the ferroelectric NBT-ST ceramic to improve their relaxor properties. The introduction of the lanthanide resulted in an increase in disorder at location A within the perovskite lattice and improved relaxor characteristics, leading to a stored energy density of more than 3.5 J/cm³. In particular, an ultrahigh recoverable stored energy density of 4.94 J/cm³ and efficiency of 88.45% were achieved at 440 kV/cm when the NBT-ST ceramic was modified with neodymium. The modified ceramic also exhibited good thermal stability in the range of 30–120 °C, as well as a fast discharge time of ～153 ns, indicating that Nd-incorporated NBT-ST is a promising candidate for electrical energy storage ceramic.     

A three-dimensional surface measurement system implemented with Gaussian process based adaptive sampling

Self-adaptive surface measurements that can reduce data redundancy and improve time efficiency are in high demand in many fields of science and technology. For this purpose, a system implemented with Gaussian process (GP) adaptive sampling is developed. The non-parametric GP model is applied to reconstruct the topography and guide the subsequent sampling position, which is determined from the inference uncertainty estimation. A criterion is proposed to terminate the GP adaptive measurement automatically without any prior model or data of the topography. Experiments on typical surfaces validate the intelligence, adaptability, and high accuracy of the GP method along with the stabilization of the automatic iteration termination. Compared with traditional raster sampling, data redundancy is reduced and the time efficiency is improved without sacrificing the surface reconstruction accuracy. The proposed method can be implemented in other systems with similar measurement principles, thus benefitting surface characterizations.     

Synthesis of cubic and monoclinic hafnia nanoparticles by pulsed plasma in liquid method

Hafnia (HfO₂, hafnium dioxide) is a wide band gap and high-κ material, and the metastable cubic hafnia has a much higher permittivity compared with the normal monoclinic hafnia. Here, we employ a one-step process, the pulsed plasma in liquid (PPL) method to synthesize two types of hafnia nanoparticles (NPs): one which is mainly in cubic phase (cubic: 81.7 at%, monoclinic: 18.3 at%) and the other which is in monoclinic phase. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images showed that the particles were small (particle size ~3 nm). X-ray absorption fine structure analysis showed no chemical shifts, indicating that the synthetic hafnia NPs contained no oxygen vacancy. The synthetic hafnia NPs mainly in cubic phase showed a much higher relative permittivity than that of the commercial hafnia (monoclinic), and have a larger band gap than the synthetic monoclinic hafnia NPs.     

Vibrational Spectroscopic Investigation of Blood Plasma and Serum by Drop Coating Deposition for Clinical Application

In recent decades, vibrational spectroscopic methods such as Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy are widely applied to investigate plasma and serum samples. These methods are combined with drop coating deposition techniques to pre-concentrate the biomolecules in the dried droplet to improve the detected vibrational signal. However, most often encountered challenge is the inhomogeneous redistribution of biomolecules due to the coffee-ring effect. In this study, the variation in biomolecule distribution within the dried-sample droplet has been investigated using Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging method. The plasma-sample from healthy donors were investigated to show the spectral differences between the inner and outer-ring region of the dried-sample droplet. Further, the preferred location of deposition of the most abundant protein albumin in the blood during the drying process of the plasma has been illustrated by using deuterated albumin. Subsequently, two patients with different cardiac-related diseases were investigated exemplarily to illustrate the variation in the pattern of plasma and serum biomolecule distribution during the drying process and its impact on patient-stratification. The study shows that a uniform sampling position of the droplet, both at the inner and the outer ring, is necessary for thorough clinical characterization of the patient’s plasma and serum sample using vibrational spectroscopy.     

The cold sintering process: A review on processing features,densification mechanisms and perspectives

Since its first introduction in 2016, cold sintering process (CSP) has gained worldwide interest from the scientific community as green and innovative fabrication route due to the dramatic reduction of processing time, energy, and costs. Cold sintering resembles the geological formation of rocks where a ceramic powder is densified with the aid of a liquid phase under an intense external pressure and limited heating conditions (below 350 °C). Up to date, tens of different materials, including composites, have been successfully processed through CSP and extraordinary results in terms of densification, microstructure and final properties have been achieved. In the present review, processing features and variables, possible densification mechanisms and issues also for the realization of ceramic-based composites are explored. Advantages with respect to existing techniques are analysed and current challenges are described to lay the ground for new processing opportunities to be faced in the near future.