ZnO@Porous Media, Their PL and Laser Effect

Optoelectronic nanocomposites are a new class of materials, which exhibit very interesting and particular properties and attract a growing attention due to their potential applications in information storage and optoelectronic devices. Zinc oxide, ZnO, is one of the most interesting binary semiconductor （3.37 eV） with very important optical properties, which can be used in the fields such as short wavelength lasers, blue light emitting diodes, UV detectors, gas sensors, etc. This paper reviews the very recent progress in the prepa- ration of silica-based ZnO nanocomposites. After an introduction reviewing the theoretical background, the article will begin with a survey of the optical properties and the quantum size effect （QSE） of ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites prepared by the inclusion of ZnO nanoclusters inside silica mesoporous materials. The second part will focus on one of the most interesting properties of ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites, which is the random lasing effect after one- and two-photon excitation. The final part will deal with the introduction of ZnO nanoparticles inside microporous zeolites and the observation of QSE. For comparison, the photoluminescence （PL） and QSE properties of ZnS nanoparticles occluded in mesoporous media are also described. New potential applications will be discussed since short-wavelength devices are required by industry to design, for instance, new information storage supports and biolabelling devices.     

Temperature effects on wave propagation in nanoplates

In this paper, the thermal effects on the ultrasonic wave propagation characteristics of a nanoplate are studied based on the nonlocal continuum theory. The nonlocal governing equations are derived for the nanoplate under thermal environment. The axial stress caused by the thermal effects is considered. The wave propagation analysis is carried out using spectral analysis. The influences of the nonlocal small scale coefficient, the room or low temperature, the high temperature and the axial half wave numbers on the wave dispersion properties of nanoplate are also discussed. Numerical results show that the small scale effects and the thermal effects are significant for larger half wavenumbers. The results are qualitatively different from those obtained based on the local plate theory and thus, are important for the development of graphene-based nanodevices such as strain sensor, mass and pressure sensors, atomic dust detectors, and enhancer of surface image resolution.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of sensing parameters in carbon nanotube‐based DNA sensor

Nowadays, sensitive biosensors with high selectivity, lower costs and short response time are required for detection of DNA. The most preferred materials in DNA sensor designing are nanomaterials such as carbon and Au nanoparticles, because of their very high surface area and biocompatibility which lead to performance and sensitivity improvements in DNA sensors. Carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be considered as a suitable DNA sensor platform due to their high surface‐to‐volume ratio, favourable electronic properties and fast electron transfer rate. Therefore, in this study, the CNTs which are synthesised by pulsed AC arc discharge method on a high‐density polyethylene substrate are used as conducting channels in a chemiresistor for the electrochemical detection of double stranded DNA. Moreover, the response of the proposed sensor is investigated experimentally and analytically in different temperatures, which confirm good agreement between the presented model and experimental data.Inspec keywords: electrochemical sensors, polymers, arcs (electric), biological techniques, nanosensors, carbon nanotubes, DNAOther keywords: C, chemiresistor, double stranded DNA detection, CNT, electronic properties, surface‐to‐volume ratio, nanoparticles, biosensors, electrochemical detection, high‐density polyethylene substrate, pulsed AC arc discharge method, electron transfer rate, carbon nanomaterials, carbon nanotube‐based DNA sensor     

高精度星敏感器星点光斑质心算法

高精度星敏感器星点光斑的质心精度是星敏感器整体精度的基础,它需要达到角秒级的量级。因此,提出了一种基于亚像元相关法的星像质心算法。这种算法是利用互相关匹配实现图像定位的原理,将星像质心定位到亚像素上来提高质心精度。它可以克服由于系统误差和图像采集所带来的误差。根据系统的光学参数设计以及星像的光谱、亮度及其在视场中的位置特征,仿真得到点列图模型,针对视场内与光轴的不同夹角仿真制作一系列亚像元理想模板,然后对星像加高斯随机噪声,把有随机噪声的星像与理想星像进行相关运算来求星像质心精度。通过仿真实验,得到相关法具有较高的星像质心精度,定位精度可以优于1/12个像素的量级。     

An object detection strategy for uncooled infrared imagery

Abstract

An overall strategy for the very difficult problem of object detection using uncooled infrared (UCIR) sensors is discussed. The UCIR sensors are based on micro-bolometer technology and thus differ significantly from cooled infrared sensors that employ photon-counting detectors. As such, UCIR imagery tends to be very low contrast, since the sensor operates over a broad spectral band; and blurry, because of the long integration times. Ideally, the UCIR imagery would be preprocessed using an appropriate image reconstruction/restoration algorithm. If the sources of image degradation are understood and lend themselves to accurate modelling, the image reconstruction can be solved as an inverse problem. Most often this is not the case and the problem is solved using minimization approaches, such as blind deconvolution. Because image reconstruction/restoration approaches tend to be very throughput intensive, they are rarely performed in a tactical environment. More typically, a detection algorithm is applied directly to the UCIR imagery. In this paper, Local Singular Value Decomposition (LSVD) is evaluated for anomaly detection. LSVD uses local statistics to identify anomalous regions and is very good at identifying local texture differences; it appears to work quite well on UCIR imagery. Target detection results are presented for a simulated data set.     

State of the Art in Alcohol Sensing with 2D Materials

Since the discovery of graphene,the star among new materials,there has been a surge of attention focused on the monatomic and monomolecular sheets which can be obtained by exfoliation of layered compounds.Such materials are known as two-dimensional(2D)materials and offer enormous versatility and potential.The ultimate single atom,or molecule,thickness of the 2D materials sheets provides the highest surface to weight ratio of all the nanomaterials,which opens the door to the design of more sensitive and reliable chemical sensors.The variety of properties and the possibility of tuning the chemical and surface properties of the 2D materials increase their potential as selective sensors,targeting chemical species that were previously difficult to detect.The planar structure and the mechanical flexibility of the sheets allow new sensor designs and put 2D materials at the forefront of all the candidates for wearable applications.When developing sensors for alcohol,the response time is an essential factor for many industrial and forensic applications,particularly when it comes to hand-held devices.Here,we review recent developments in the applications of 2D materials in sensing alcohols along with a study on parameters that affect the sensing capabilities.The review also discusses the strategies used to develop the sensor along with their mechanisms of sensing and provides a critique of the current limitations of 2D materials-based alcohol sensors and an outlook for the future research required to overcome the challenges.     

Comparisons between NO/sub 2/- and O/sub 3/-sensing properties of phthalocyanines and n-InP thin films in controlled and noncontrolled atmospheres

This paper describes two different semiconductor gas sensors devoted to the detection of oxidizing pollutants in the atmosphere. The first sensor consists of thin films of phthalocyanines as sensing layers (CuPc, ZnF/sub 16/Pc, and LuPc/sub 2/) evaporated onto alumina substrate fitted with interdigitated electrodes. The second sensor is realized with a mineral monocrystalline semiconductor: n-doped epitaxial layer grown on a semi-insulating substrate of indium phosphide. Each sensor has been submitted to low-controlled concentrations of ozone and nitrogen dioxide, and their detection characteristics, such as response time, stability, and sensitivity, are described. Comparison of these two sensors shows their complementary sensing characteristics, and NO/sub 2/ and O/sub 3/ act in the same way. Measurements under noncontrolled atmosphere (urban air) have been realized and have demonstrated the potentialities of these structures to be used as oxidizing pollutant detectors. Proposed methods to improve the detection of oxidizing species in urban air are discussed.     

Frequency response of multilayer pyroelectric sensors

The pyroelectric response of the multilayer system consisting of the front surroundings, the pyroelectric element, the intermediate layer, and the back surroundings is calculated. The general expression and simple relations are obtained between main geometric and thermophysical parameters of the system under consideration and characteristics of the pyroelectric response in a large variety of configurations of pyroelectric sensors, such as detectors with the pyroelectric element in a gas, detectors without air gap as well as detectors with air gap between the element and the substrate, and detectors in immersion systems, etc. In particular, it is shown that, for the detectors with air gap, the wide flat part of the frequency response appears with any properties of substrate if the double thermal resistance of the air gap exceed that of the pyroelectric element, whereas for the detectors without air gap it appears only if the substrate has relatively large complex thermal conductivity.     

Patterning of multilayer dielectric optical coatings for multispectral CCDs

The development of optical sensors for spacecraft applications requires that all components be as lightweight as possible. One method to reduce the weight of a multispectral optical system is to eliminate beamsplitting optics and multiple detectors by patterning a filter array directly onto a CCD. However, techniques commonly used in the production of these filter arrays result in decreased image resolutions. This can greatly impact the performance of sensors used for applications such as planetary probes. To address this issue, we have studied the patterning of multilayer dielectric optical coatings in a small scale, two dimensional array, which will allow development of a four color sensor with a resolution one-half that of monochromatic sensors (compared to one-fourth or less for a four color striped array). We have developed ion milling techniques for the preparation of optical filter arrays which are patterned on a scale as small as 7.5 μm, enabling each pixel of a CCD to have its own associated filter. This paper presents details of the fabrication of these multispectral arrays, and discusses problems associated with pixel-sized filters.     

Design of kilogram mass scale TES for the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search

Recently there has been much interest in the direct detection of the dark matter candidates known as WIMPs. We are developing very sensitive detectors based on phonon detection with transition edge sensors on silicon substrates. These detectors will be deploy ed as part of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search in collaboration with the Center for Particle Astrophysics. As we extend this technology to practical WIMP searches we will need much higher mass scale detectors. We have demonstrated detectors on 500 µm substrates. To reach the kilogram mass scales we need to pattern wafers that are an order of magnitude thicker with a detector that is at least two orders of magnitude more sensitive. Progress is reported on both these areas and a detector design is discussed.     

Intelligente Schichten für „denkende Oberflächen”︁

Smart coatings for intelligent surfaces The manufacturing of intelligent surfaces according to examples in nature is an important research topic for the near future. Nowadays several coatings exist which are able to adapt their properties to environmental conditions. Prominent examples are windows with switchable transmission or self‐cleaning surfaces based on photocatalysis. Novel thin films exhibiting excellent tribological as well as sensoric properties open new ways for the future design of driving components. Examples are diamond‐like carbon films which can be used as extremely hard force sensors. They are able to detect and influence the state of surfaces under mechanical load. There is a huge variety of potential applications for such sensors.     

Toward ultimate performance limits of thermoelectric (QVD) detectors

‘QVD’ detectors are based on thermoelectric heat-to-voltage (Q→V) conversion and digital (V→D) readout. In theory, they are competitive with superconducting tunnel junction detectors and transition edge sensor devices. We analyze the performance of the QVD detectors with different design architectures. It is concluded that the detectors with lanthanum–cerium hexaboride sensors can be very fast: up to 100 MHz counting rates for UV photons. In addition to traditional astrophysical applications, these detectors can be applied to the tasks of quantum computing and communication.     

Engineering the Charge Transport of Ag Nanocrystals for Highly Accurate,Wearable Temperature Sensors through All‐Solution Processes

All‐nanocrystal (NC)‐based and all‐solution‐processed wearable resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) are introduced. The charge transport mechanisms of Ag NC thin films are engineered through various ligand treatments to design high performance RTDs. Highly conductive Ag NC thin films exhibiting metallic transport behavior with high positive temperature coefficients of resistance (TCRs) are achieved through tetrabutylammonium bromide treatment. Ag NC thin films showing hopping transport with high negative TCRs are created through organic ligand treatment. All‐solution‐based, one‐step photolithography techniques that integrate two distinct opposite‐sign TCR Ag NC thin films into an ultrathin single device are developed to decouple the mechanical effects such as human motion. The unconventional materials design and strategy enables highly accurate, sensitive, wearable and motion‐free RTDs, demonstrated by experiments on moving or curved objects such as human skin, and simulation results based on charge transport analysis. This strategy provides a low cost and simple method to design wearable multifunctional sensors with high sensitivity which could be utilized in various fields such as biointegrated sensors or electronic skin.     

Vectorial, high-numerical-aperture study of phase-contrast microscopes

We describe, using a high-numerical-aperture vectorial model, the image formation of phase-contrast microscopes. In particular, imaging of a weak phase object is considered. We show that, partly owing to the fact that phase-contrast microscopes are interference microscopes, their image formation is fundamentally different from that of conventional transmission optical microscopes. Our detailed analysis reveals a number of yet undocumented properties of these microscopes, including that depending on the given configuration, they can exhibit an improved lateral resolution when larger detectors are used in comparison with that obtained for a small detector size. We present numerical examples to explain this phenomenon and discuss our analysis in detail.     

Ionization effect on arc plasma's optical diagnosis by the measurement of the refractive index

The effect of arc plasma ionization on its temperature diagnosis by the measurement of the refractive index is discussed. The refractive index of arc plasma in two conditions is compared: 1) only the first ionization is considered and 2) both the first and second ionizations are considered. In order to facilitate plasma temperature reconstruction, two corresponding refractive index models are deduced. For the sake of making this study universal, both the monatomic and dual-atomic molecule arc plasmas are chosen as typical examples for theoretical deduction and analysis. A condition, which can be adopted to estimate whether the second ionization should be considered in temperature reconstruction, is proposed. Finally, an argon arc plasma is chosen as an example for experiment, and the experimental results match well with the theoretical analysis. This study is crucial to arc plasma's optical diagnosis, which is based on the measurement of the refractive index.     

碳基复合材料烧蚀性能研究

利用以星型交流电弧加热器为核心的地面模拟系统对碳基复合材料再入过程中的烧蚀性能进行了模拟,并通过材料表面温度测量、图像采集和发射光谱在线检测等手段对烧蚀过程实时监测,为确定碳基复合材料的烧蚀机理,表征材料使用性能及材料优化设计提供必要的理论基础.     

Perovskite oxide nanowires: synthesis, property and structural characterization

Perovskite oxide materials display a wide spectrum of functional properties, including switchable polarization, piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, and non-linear dielectric behavior. These properties are indispensable for application in electronic devices such as non-volatile memories, sensors, microactuators, infrared detectors, microwave phase filters, and so on. Recent advances in science and technology of perovskite oxide materials have resulted in the feature sizes of perovskite oxides-based electronic devices entering into nanoscale dimensions. At nanoscale perovskite oxide materials exhibit a pronounced size effect manifesting itself in a significant deviation of the properties of low-dimensional structures from the bulk and film counterparts. In the last decade low-dimensional perovskite nanosized oxides have been received much attention because of their superior physical and chemical properties. Among them, perovskite oxide nanowires are especially attractive for nanoscience studies and nanotechnology applications. Compared to other low-dimensional perovskite oxide systems, perovskite oxide nanowires are not only used as the building blocks of future nanodevices, but also they offer fundamental scientific opportunities for investigating the intrinsic size effects of physical properties. In the recent years, much progress has been made both in synthesis and physical property testing of perovskite oxide nanowires, which have a profound impact on the nanoelectronics. In this work, an overview of the state of art in perovskite oxide nanowires is presented, which covers their synthesis, property, and structural characterization. In the first part, the recent literatures for fabricating perovskite oxide nanowires with promising features, are critically reviewed. The second part deals with the recent advances on the physical property testing of perovskite oxide nanowires. The third part summarizes the recent progress on microstructural characterizations of perovskite oxide nanowires, to improve their crystalline quality, morphology and uniformity. Finally, this review concludes with some perspectives and outlook on the future developments of perovskite oxide nanowires.     

Some Applications of Acoustic Emission in Particle Science and Technology

Acoustic emission (AE) has been used in many applications in the field of particle science and technology. AE sensors have been used in particle concentration measurements both in gas-continuous and oil-continuous flows in the oil and gas industry. To avoid formation sand flowing into pipelines, leading to erosion of valves and in many cases even to complete blockage of the flow of oil and gas, AE sensors are almost exclusively used in sand monitoring and control. These are very often among standard sensors stipulated by the operators of oil and gas production facilities in offshore, on shore, and subsea applications. Special types of sensor design have led to easy mounting of these AE sensors, which are very often clamp-on devices. This article presents a brief overview of AE-based particle monitoring in general and focuses on flange-mounted sensors in the monitoring of particle flow. By using two or more AE sensors located suitably in the process line, the particle velocity can also be evaluated, as is shown in examples using correlation in this article. The AE sensors can easily be adapted to detect malfunctioning of the process line, whether pneumatic lines or silos, just by analyzing the time series of signals from strategically based AE sensors along the process lines. Some examples are given based on recent measurement data. Finally, the article presents an overview of possibilities for improved particle flow monitoring using a multisensor suite incorporating AE sensors with other sensors/detectors such as those derived from capacitance, resistance, gamma ray, microwave, and optical devices. Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, such as fuzzy logic and neural network algorithms, used in handling the data from these sensors lead to faster and more reliable control. Some of these topics are addressed also.     

Some Applications of Acoustic Emission in Particle Science and Technology

Acoustic emission (AE) has been used in many applications in the field of particle science and technology. AE sensors have been used in particle concentration measurements both in gas-continuous and oil-continuous flows in the oil and gas industry. To avoid formation sand flowing into pipelines, leading to erosion of valves and in many cases even to complete blockage of the flow of oil and gas, AE sensors are almost exclusively used in sand monitoring and control. These are very often among standard sensors stipulated by the operators of oil and gas production facilities in offshore, on shore, and subsea applications. Special types of sensor design have led to easy mounting of these AE sensors, which are very often clamp-on devices. This article presents a brief overview of AE-based particle monitoring in general and focuses on flange-mounted sensors in the monitoring of particle flow. By using two or more AE sensors located suitably in the process line, the particle velocity can also be evaluated, as is shown in examples using correlation in this article. The AE sensors can easily be adapted to detect malfunctioning of the process line, whether pneumatic lines or silos, just by analyzing the time series of signals from strategically based AE sensors along the process lines. Some examples are given based on recent measurement data. Finally, the article presents an overview of possibilities for improved particle flow monitoring using a multisensor suite incorporating AE sensors with other sensors/detectors such as those derived from capacitance, resistance, gamma ray, microwave, and optical devices. Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, such as fuzzy logic and neural network algorithms, used in handling the data from these sensors lead to faster and more reliable control. Some of these topics are addressed also.     

Detection of photoacoustic transients originating from microstructures in optically diffuse media such as biological tissue

The generation and detection of broadband photoacoustic (PA) transients may be used for on-axis monitoring or for imaging of optically different structures in the interior of diffuse bodies such as biological tissue. Various piezoelectric sensors are characterized and compared in terms of sensitivity, depth response, and directivity with respect to spherical broadband acoustic pulses. The influence on the sensor output of acoustic interference and refraction of the PA transients at the sample-sensor interface is discussed. Ring detectors are suitable for deep on-axis detection thanks to their strong directional sensitivity, and small disk sensors are most suited for 3-D imaging of microstructures such as the (micro)vascular system. Voltage and charge preamplification schemes are compared in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In all cases, the preamplifier noise turns out to be the limiting factor for the sensitivity. Based on experimental data, for several sensor types and optical wavelengths, the theoretical detectability of PA signals generated by blood-like absorbers in biological tissue is discussed