Liquid Marble Patchwork on Super-Repellent Surface

Liquid marble (LM) is a droplet that is wrapped by hydrophobic solid particles, which behave as a non-wetting soft solid. Based on these properties, LM can be applied in fluidics and soft device applications. A wide variety of functional particles have been synthesized to form functional LMs. However, the formation of multifunctional LMs by integrating several types of functional particles is challenging. Here, a general strategy for the flexible patterning of functional particles on droplet surfaces in a patchwork-like design is reported. It is shown that LMs can switch their macroscopic behavior between a stable and active state on super-repellent surfaces in situ by jamming/unjamming the surface particles. Active LMs hydrostatically coalesce to form a self-sorted particle pattern on the droplet surface. With the support of LM handling robotics, on-demand cyclic activation–manipulation–coalescence–stabilization protocols by LMs with different sizes and particle types result in the reliable design of multi-faced LMs. Based on this concept, a single bi-functional LM is designed from two mono-functional LMs as an advanced droplet carrier.     

Influence of LiBO2 addition on the microstructure and lithium-ion conductivity of Li1+xAlxTi2−x(PO4)3(x = 0.3) ceramic electrolyte

Concerning the safety problems of conventional Li-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes, it is crucial to develop reliable solid-state electrolytes with high ionic conductivity. Li_1+xAl_xTi_2?x(PO₄)₃ (LATP, x = 0.3) is regarded as one of the most promising solid electrolytes due to its high ionic conductivity and excellent chemical stability to humidity.Herein, a new strategy is proposed for improving the sintering behavior and enhancing the ionic conductivity of LATP by using LiBO₂ as the sintering aid via liquid phase sintering. The as-prepared sample LATP with homogeneous microstructure and high relative density of 97.1% was successfully synthesized, yielding high total ionic conductivity of 3.5 × 10^?4 S cm^?1 and low activation energy of 0.39 eV at room temperature. It was found that the addition of LiBO₂ could effectively enhance the densification and increase the ionic conductivity of LATP electrolyte, proving an effective way to synthesis LATP ceramics by a simple and reliable route.     

Fragility analysis for ballistic design

Effective structural design to resist ballistic effects such as small arms or fragmenting weapons has been a goal since weapons were developed. Approaches currently in use for ballistic design are predominantly deterministic and allow designers to decide what wall thickness should be used to stop a prescribed projectile impacting at a predefined velocity. The research presented in this paper provides a framework for conducting reliability analysis of structures subjected to bullet and fragment demands. Thus, pseudo-fragility curves are developed for the limit states related to spall and perforation of wall panels, residual velocities of bullets and fragments, and injury to personnel. The pseudo-fragility analysis provides engineers and owners with a tool to quickly assess the reliability of a wall system subjected to high velocity, low mass projectiles. In particular, the proposed analysis method allows designers and owners to determine the probability of spall and perforation, residual velocity, and injury as a function of wall thickness or threat standoff distance.

Abbreviations: Cumulative distribution function (CDF): Gives the probability that a stochastic variable ‘X’, with a proper probability density function, is equal to or less than a value (x). Coefficient of variation (COV): The quotient of the standard deviation and the mean     

Tensile Properties and Fracture Behavior of Different Carbon Nanotube-Grafted Polyacrylonitrile-Based Carbon Fibers

The tensile properties and fracture behavior of different carbon nanotube (CNT)-grafted polyacrylonitrile-based (T1000GB) single carbon fibers were investigated. Grafting of CNTs was achieved via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). When Fe(C₅H₅)₂ (also applied via CVD) was used as the catalyst, the tensile strength and Weibull modulus of the carbon fibers were improved, possibly due to the growth of dense CNT networks on the carbon fibers, which may have led to a reduction in the number of strength-limiting defects. Separately, at lower concentrations of an Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O catalyst in ethanol, which was applied via dipping, the tensile strength of CNT-grafted fibers was nearly identical to that of the as-received fibers, although the Weibull modulus was higher. For higher concentrations of the Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O catalyst, however, the tensile strength and the Weibull modulus were lower than those for the as-received material. Although the density of the CNT network increased with the concentration of the Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O catalyst in the ethanol solution, heating of the ethanolic Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O catalyst solution generated nitric acid (HNO₃) due to decomposition, which damaged the fiber surfaces, resulting in an increase in the number of flaws and consequently a reduction in the tensile strength. Therefore, the tensile strength and Weibull modulus of CNT-grafted carbon fibers vary due to the combination of these effects and as a function of the catalyst concentration.     

Study on FBR core concepts to increase proliferation resistance of plutonium in LWR–FBR transition period

The possibility to enhance proliferation resistance of discharged plutonium in fast breeder reactor (FBR) has been investigated in terms of reactor core-design aspects. The provisional target for proliferation resistance measures based on Saito's attractiveness (ATTR) is defined. It is found that a few percent of plutonium loading and/or Am/Cm loading, which come from various types of spent fuel, might satisfy the provisional target with a minimum impact on the core neutronic performances. On Am/Cm loading core, decay heat constraints for fuel-handling aspects are found to be important and should be considered in design. There is not significant change on the current developing scenarios for light water reactor–FBR transition period by applying the measures based on Saito's ATTR. It is found that applying Kimura's proposal, 15% ²³⁸Pu content requires about 7% MA loading fraction both in the core and the blanket, and it only can be applied at limited case. The period to consume minor actinides is shorter than to consume plutonium.     

Analysis of spatial smoothing effect of short‐term fluctuation of global solar radiation based on data including quantization error

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are attracting attention as one of the promising countermeasures against global warming and the environmental issues. However, the generation output from PV systems is generally unstable and unpredictable. Therefore, large penetration of PV systems may cause some serious impacts on power system operation, such as load frequency control, voltage regulation, etc. Estimation of the influences of PV system installation is becoming important, but it requires simultaneous multipoint solar radiation measurements. The Japan Meteorological Business Support Center has provided 1‐minute meteorological data observed in Japan, but its solar radiation data includes quantization errors. This paper proposes a regeneration method for solar radiation data including quantization errors. It also analyzes the spatial smoothing effect of global solar radiation fluctuations. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 180(3): 55–63, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21274     

Ductility Evaluation of Concrete-Encased Steel Bridge Piers Subjected to Lateral Cyclic Loading

An experimental and analytical study was conducted to investigate the ductility of concrete-encased steel piers, referred to as “steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) construction.” Based on the cyclic lateral loading tests of SRC column specimens, the restorable and ultimate limit states are defined as the point when concrete cover spalling occurs (equivalent to longitudinal bar buckling) and the point when flange buckling of the H-shaped steel occurs, respectively. To estimate the lateral displacement capacity at both the restorable and ultimate limit states, the curvature distribution of the column was calculated based on the buckling analysis of the longitudinal bar, which was restrained by a concrete cover and transverse reinforcement, and of the steel flange encased in concrete. The lateral displacement was obtained by integrating the curvature distribution. Comparison of the computed results with experimental results, including other writers’ reports, confirmed that the proposed method can appropriately estimate the lateral displacement at the restorable and ultimate limit states, and it can accurately evaluate the buckling characteristics of the longitudinal bar and steel flange components of SRC column specimens.     

Doping and alloying in atomically precise gold nanoparticles

The recent success in the synthesis and total structure determination of atomically precise gold nanoparticles has provided exciting opportunities for fundamental studies as well as the development of new applications. These unique nanoparticles are of molecular purity and possess well defined formulas （i.e., specific numbers of metal atoms and ligands）, resembling organic compounds. Crystallization of such molecularly pure nanoparticles into macroscopic single crystals allows for the determination of total structures of nanoparticles （i.e., the arrangement of metal core atoms and surface ligands） by X-ray crystallography. In this perspective article, we summarize recent efforts in doping and alloying gold nanoparticles with other metals, including Pd, Pt, Ag and Cu. With atomically precise gold nanoparticles, a specific number of foreign atoms （e.g., Pd, Pt） can be incorporated into the gold core, whereas a range of Ag and Cu substitutions is observed but, interestingly, the total number of metal atoms in the homogold nanoparticle is preserved. The heteroatom substitution of gold nanoparticles allows one to probe the optical, structural, and electronic properties truly at the single-atom level, and thus provides a wealth of information for understanding the intriguing properties of this new class of nanomaterials.