Formation of droplets on Si surfaces bombarded by In from a capillary type liquid metal ion source

Droplet formation on Si surfaces bombarded by 10 keV beams from a liquid metal indium ion source has been observed. It has been verified that excess indium is transported in the ion beam, probably in the form of charged droplets. SIMS, SEM and RBS techniques have been used to study the distribution of droplets at the surface. At the specified ion source operating conditions, equilibrium droplet coverage is of the order of 25%. Individual droplets have an average diameter of 0.35 ωm and an average height of 2.2 nm. At a bombardment current density of 0.1 mA cm^?2, equilibrium coverage is reached in about 1 s.     

Laser manipulation in liquid crystals: an approach to microfluidics and micromachines

Laser trapping of particles in three dimensions can occur as a result of the refraction of strongly focused light through micrometre-sized particles. The use of this effect to produce laser tweezers is extremely common in fields such as biology, but it is only relatively recently that the technique has been applied to liquid crystals (LCs). The possibilities are exciting: droplets of LCs can be trapped, moved and rotated in an isotropic fluid medium, or both particles and defects can be trapped and manipulated within a liquid crystalline medium. This paper considers both the possibilities. The mechanism of transfer of optical angular momentum from circularly polarized light to small droplets of nematic LCs is described. Further, it is shown that droplets of chiral LCs can be made to rotate when illuminated with linearly polarized light and possible mechanisms are discussed. The trapping and manipulation of micrometre-sized particles in an aligned LC medium is used to provide a measure of local shear viscosity coefficients and a unique test of theory at low Ericksen number in LCs.     

Formation of “negative” silicon whiskers

An approach has been proposed for producing “negative” whiskers in Si wafers which is based on the thermal migration of silicon–metal (Si + M) melt droplets in the field of a transverse temperature gradient. We have obtained regular systems of negative whiskers in the form of through holes in Si {111} wafers. It has been shown that the thermal migration of Si + M melt droplets is driven by the difference between the chemical potentials of Si in the liquid and crystalline phases, which arises from the difference in curvature between the liquid/vapor and solid/liquid interfaces and leads to Si dissolution and desorption.     

Liquid marbles,formation and locomotion using external fields and forces

Liquid marbles may be traditionally formed by rolling a droplet on a bed of non-wetting particles resulting in encapsulation and stabilisation. Particles used in this process may range from nanometre to millimetre if handled with sufficient care. This method, however, runs the risk of droplet coalescence and is limited to non-wetting particles. Currently there exist some alternative methods of formulation including using electrostatics to either deliver a particle bed to the droplet or pull the droplet to the particles. The former has shown some promise in potential batch processes but is hindered by interparticle forces. Additional production methods include a form of blender, but this has shown to be unable to produce marbles of a narrow size distribution. Once formed, liquid marbles have demonstrated value as potential blood typing devices, as micro-reaction vessels due to the inherent barrier between the internal phase and the substrate whilst maintaining gas permeability, and as contaminant sensors. Liquid marbles also demonstrate a remarkable level of elasticity under compressive force and reduced evaporation rates when compared to bare water droplets, a function of the size and composition of the stabilising particles. In addition to this, liquid marbles have been proposed as actuators. Locomotion may easily be induced in these structures, using electrostatics, sound, magnetism or light depending on the particle/liquid combinations used in formation, and the environment of deployment. This review seeks to present and summarise recent advances in the field of liquid marble manufacture and methods for actuation. We also aim to highlight potential future avenues of further study within this arena.     

Rapid solidification of zirconium-based alloys

Zr based metal-metal binary and ternary alloys can be obtained in the amorphous state in very wide composition ranges. Several eutectic reactions and intermetallic compounds are present in these alloy systems which provide opportunities for examining the validity of different theories on glass formation. The amorphous phases in these alloys decompose by a variety of crystallization mechanisms. Instances of polymorphic, primary and eutectic crystallization have been encountered in these glasses. Zr-based metallic glasses possess excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. In several studies their properties have been compared with that of their crystalline counterparts and interesting differences have emerged. In the solute lean Zr-based alloys very large freezing ranges are available for studying the liquid to solid transformation. It has been possible to study the formation of some of the low temperature phases directly from the liquid. This paper describes some of the aforementationed studies carried out on Zr-based amorphous and crystalline alloys.     

Influence of Liquid Structure on Solid Transformation of CuA1Ni Shape Memory Alloy

Molten Cu-13Al and Cu-13AI-4Ni (mass fraction) alloys have been investigated using X-ray diffraction method. A distinct pre-peak has been found in the structure factors. The pre-peak increases its intensity with decreasing temperature and addition of Ni. The structural unit size corresponding to the pre-peak equals to magnitude of (111) planar distance of β phase. The appearance of a pre-peak is due to existence of clusters with β-phase-like structure in melt. Quantity and size of clusters increase with decreasing temperature but their structural unit size remains constant. Cu-13AI-4Ni shape memory alloy ribbons can be fabricated by rapid solidification technique. Order degree of martensite and temperature of the reverse martensitic transformation increase with decreasing liquid quenching temperature.β phase particles develop from incorporating and growing of the clusters during solidification, thus result in the correlation between liquid structure and solid transformation,     

Influence of Liquid Structure on Solid Transformation of CuAlNi Shape Memory Alloy

Molten Cu-13Al and Cu-13Al-4Ni (mass fraction) alloys have been investigated using X-ray diffraction method.A distinct pre-peak has been found in the structure factors. The pre-peak increases its intensity with decreasing temperature and addition of Ni. The structural unit size corresponding to the pre-peak equals to magnitude of (111)planar distance ofβ phase. The appearance of a pre-peak is due to existence of clusters withβ-phase-like structure in melt. Quantity and size of clusters increase with decreasing temperature but their structural unit size remains constant. Cu-13Al-4Ni shape memory alloy ribbons can be fabricated by rapid solidification technique. Order degree of martensite and temperature of the reverse martensitic transformation increase with decreasing liquid quenching temperature. Β phase particles develop from incorporating and growing of the clusters during solidification, thus result in the correlation between liquid structure and solid transformation.     

Influence of Liquid Structure on Solid Transformation of CuAINi Shape Memory Alloy

Molten Cu-13AI and Cu-13AI-4Ni (mass fraction) alloys have been investigated using X-ray diffraction method. A distinct pre-peak has been found in the structure factors. The pre-peak increases its intensity with decreasing temperature and addition of Ni. The structural unit size corresponding to the pre-peak equals to magnitude of (111) planar distance of phase. The appearance of a pre-peak is due to existence of clusters with -phase-like structure in melt. Quantity and size of clusters increase with decreasing temperature but their structural unit size remains constant. Cu-13AI-4Ni shape memory alloy ribbons can be fabricated by rapid solidification technique. Order degree of martensite and temperature of the reverse martensitic transformation increase with decreasing liquid quenching temperature. phase particles develop from incorporating and growing of the clusters during solidification, thus result in the correlation between liquid structure and solid transformation.     

Laser-induced migration of oil particles suspended in a water matrix

The thermoconvective flow induced in oil samples and oil-in-water emulsions by irradiation with a laser beam is studied experimentally. The samples are irradiated by He-Ne and CO2 lasers at different power levels. Time-resolved records of temperature and surface waves that propagate in a liquid surface are presented. In laser-heated emulsions the thermoconvective flow leads the dispersed oil droplets to the water-free surface where they agglomerate to form a floating oil layer. The reflected light beam is formed by a speckle pattern whose intensity and contrast show a spiking, quasi-periodic time variation. A theoretical model is proposed to explain this phenomenon.     

Observation of self-diffraction effect in acid blue 7 dye soaked gelatin films

Abstract

Permanent self-diffraction gratings are formed in red sensitive Acid blue 7 dye soaked gelatin films under illumination of an interference pattern by two linearly polarized beams from a He-Ne laser at 632.8 nm. Growth of the self-diffraction grating is monitored by measuring intensities of various diffraction orders. Systematic studies are carried out to investigate the influence of various parameters involved in diffraction efficiency of the grating such as time of exposure, concentration of dye in the gelatin-coated plate, intensity of interfering beams and intensity ratio of interfering beams. Efficient gratings with ten diffracted orders are formed. Several interesting observations are made by blocking one of the writing beams and an attempt is made to analyse these results.     

Carbon nanotube dispersion in nematic liquid crystals: An overview

The aim of present review article is to present a comprehensive and current overview of scientific advancement in liquid crystal and carbon nanotube suspension. Particular attention has been paid to the recent developments and fundamental understanding of carbon nanotube dispersion in nematic liquid crystals. The dispersion and interaction of carbon nanotube in liquid crystal matrices and more elaborately the effect of dispersion on the properties of liquid crystalline materials has been extensively discussed. Recent progress has shown that even a very minute concentration of carbon nanotube in liquid crystals can have a reflective impact on the electrical and optical properties of liquid crystals. Liquid crystals provide a distinctive environment for controlling the alignment of carbon nanotubes whereas carbon nanotubes are important for the enhancement and fine-tuning of liquid crystalline properties. Potential applications of liquid crystal and carbon nanotube suspension are briefly discussed. Conclusion and future perspectives of this rapidly emerging field is provided at the end.     

Real-Time Sensing of the Thermal Diffusivity for Dynamic Control of Anisotropic Heat Conduction of Liquid Crystals

Molecular orientational order can be used to characterize the anisotropic behavior in mechanical, optical, and thermophysical properties. The creation of appropriate molecular orientation has the potential for producing a novel material or thermal switching device, which can control anisotropic heat conduction. Liquid crystals, which are widely used in display elements, have anisotropy not only in their optical, but also in their thermophysical properties, under given molecular orientational alignment conditions; this material can be a variable device with anisotropic heat conduction by controlling the molecular alignment. In the present study, a real-time sensing system for thermal diffusivity using the forced Rayleigh scattering (FRS) method was developed to investigate the transient behavior in the thermal anisotropy of nematic liquid crystals. This technique can be used to measure the in-plane thermal diffusivity perpendicular to the transient thermal grating created by interfering pulsed laser beams, and the thermal anisotropy of the sample can be determined using this non-contact method. The present FRS system can provide continuous measurements of the thermal diffusivity with subsecond time resolution, allowing evaluation of the dynamic behavior of anisotropy in the thermal diffusivity even during a transient process. In this article, the anisotropy of the in-plane thermal diffusivity of 4-4′-pentyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (5CB) with molecular alignment induced by either a rubbed substrate or an electric field has been measured. Also, the time evolution of the anisotropic thermal diffusivity in real-time under a dynamically controlled external electric field has been measured. The experimental results demonstrate the capability of dynamic anisotropic control of heat conduction by molecular alignment variations.     

含有双酚-S基团的液晶双马来酰亚胺的合成与表征

合成了一种含有双酚-S基团的液晶双马来酰亚胺(BPSBMI),并利用傅立叶红外光谱(FT-IR)、核磁共振氢谱(1H-NMR)、差示扫描量热分析(DSC)以及热台偏光显微镜(HSPM)对其结构和液晶行为进行了表征。结果表明,合成的含有双酚-S基团的双马来酰亚胺结构符合分子设计,具有向列态球粒织构。     

Patterning of Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals by Photoalignment with Photonic Metamasks

Controlling supramolecular self‐assembly in water‐based solutions is an important problem of interdisciplinary character that impacts the development of many functional materials and systems. Significant progress in aqueous self‐assembly and templating has been demonstrated by using lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs) as these materials show spontaneous orientational order caused by unidirectional stacking of plank‐like molecules into elongated aggregates. In this work, it is demonstrated that the alignment direction of chromonic assemblies can be patterned into complex spatially‐varying structures with very high micrometer‐scale precision. The approach uses photoalignment with light beams that exhibit a spatially‐varying direction of light polarization. The state of polarization is imprinted into a layer of photosensitive dye that is protected against dissolution into the LCLC by a liquid crystalline polymer layer. The demonstrated level of control over the spatial orientation of LCLC opens opportunities for engineering materials and devices for optical and biological applications.     

Numerical evaluation of droplet sizing based on the ratio of fluorescent and scattered light intensities (LIF/Mie technique)

The dependence of fluorescent and scattered light intensities from spherical droplets on droplet diameter was evaluated using Mie theory. The emphasis is on the evaluation of droplet sizing, based on the ratio of laser-induced fluorescence and scattered light intensities (LIF/Mie technique). A parametric study is presented, which includes the effects of scattering angle, the real part of the refractive index and the dye concentration in the liquid (determining the imaginary part of the refractive index). The assumption that the fluorescent and scattered light intensities are proportional to the volume and surface area of the droplets for accurate sizing measurements is not generally valid. More accurate sizing measurements can be performed with minimal dye concentration in the liquid and by collecting light at a scattering angle of 60° rather than the commonly used angle of 90°. Unfavorable to the sizing accuracy are oscillations of the scattered light intensity with droplet diameter that are profound at the sidescatter direction (90°) and for droplets with refractive indices around 1.4.     

用原子转移自由基聚合方法合成胆甾侧链液晶聚合物

以胆固醇氯甲酸酯和丙烯酸羟乙酯为原料。合成了丙烯酸羟乙酯基胆甾醇碳酸酯(简称GMCC),作为一种含液晶基元的单体,使之在苯甲醚溶液中在Ebib／CuBr／MA3-DETA催化系统下进行原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP)．动力学分析表明。转化率随着反应时间呈线性增加,Ln[M]0／[M]与反应时间呈良好线性关系。反应产物的分子量分布较窄(1．3左右)．所得产物可作为大引发剂引发丙烯酸甲(丁)酯通过同样的催化体系．进一步聚合成嵌段共聚物．胆甾侧链液晶聚合物的相转变温度和织构偏光显微镜观察表明,这种聚合物具有良好的液晶性能．     

A random laser made of nematic liquid crystal doped with a laser dye

We report on random laser emission obtained in 5CB and E7 nematic liquid crystal (LC) mixtures doped with 1% weight to weight ratio of DCM laser dye. The LC cell was used as asymmetric planar waveguide were emission was collected from the edge of the sample. Variable stripe length method was utilized to estimate the gain and the losses coefficients. Both systems have shown the threshold energy fluence in order of several mJ/cm². In both cases above Fredericks potential, significant increase of emission intensity was observed due to the increase of light scattering on liquid crystalline domains. Moreover the use of fifth order of diffraction grating covered with thin alumina film resulted in strong multimode and directional laser emission.     

Bulk synthesis of amorphous and nano‐crystalline materials by spray forming

Bulk amorphous and nano‐crystalline metallic materials have been observed to possess excellent mechanical and physical properties. The conventional process routes, to synthesize such materials, are restricted by their ability to achieve rapid solidification, which limits the dimensions of the materials produced. In the last 10–12 years, spray forming has been employed to avoid these limitations by using its capability of layer by layer deposition of undercooled droplets. The current literature indicates that the opportunities provided by this process can be effectively utilized to produce bulk materials in a single step. In this paper, an attempt has been made to bring out the developments in the synthesis of bulk amorphous and/or nano‐crystalline materials by spray forming. The effect of process parameters, droplet size distribution in the atomized spray, the thermal conditions of droplets prior to deposition and the deposition surface conditions have been discussed. It has been demonstrate that a layer by layer deposition of undercooled droplets of glass forming alloys on a relatively cold deposition surface is the suitable condition to achieve bulk amorphous/nano‐crystalline materials.     

Cover Picture: Bistable Nematic Liquid Crystals with Self‐Assembled Fibers (Adv. Mater. 6/2005)

The cover shows a recording process using nematic liquid crystal alignment. On p. 692, Kato and co‐workers report that reversibly bistable states have been achieved for nematic liquid crystals incorporating a small amount of self‐assembled fibers. Homeotropic monodomains and non‐aligned multidomains can be fixed and switched by thermal treatment in electric fields. The technique is applied to the formation of rewritable light scattering patterns, as shown on the cover.