Effects of nitridation temperature on properties of sintered reaction-bonded silicon nitride

We prepared sintered reaction-bonded silicon nitride ceramics by using yttria and magnesia as sintering additives and evaluated effects of the nitridation temperature on their microstructure, bending strength, fracture toughness, and thermal conductivity. The effects of the nitridation temperature were large, but different depending on the property. The ratio of β-phase in the nitrided compacts significantly increased with increasing the nitridation temperature, whereas their microstructures had no clear difference. Although the bending strength varied, it maintains a high value of 800 MPa. Fracture toughness was almost constant regardless the temperature. The thermal conductivity improved as the β-phase in the nitrided compact increases. This resulted in a decrease of the lattice oxygen content and increase of the thermal conductivity. Therefore, elevating the nitridation temperature and consequently the β-phase ratio should be a promising strategy for achieving compatibly high strength and high thermal conductivity, which are generally known to be in a trade-off relationship.     

Strain Anisotropy Driven Spontaneous Formation of Nanoscrolls from 2D Janus Layers

2D Janus transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted attention due to their emergent properties arising from broken mirror symmetry and self-driven polarization fields. While it has been proposed that their vdW superlattices hold the key to achieving superior properties in piezoelectricity and photovoltaic, available synthesis has ultimately limited their realization. Here, the first packed vdW nanoscrolls made from Janus TMDs through a simple one-drop solution technique are reported. The results, including ab initio simulations, show that the Bohr radius difference between the top sulfur and the bottom selenium atoms within Janus ${\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{Se}}^{\mathrm{S}}$ (M = Mo, W) results in a permanent compressive surface strain that acts as a nanoscroll formation catalyst after small liquid interaction. Unlike classical 2D layers, the surface strain in Janus TMDs can be engineered from compressive to tensile by placing larger Bohr radius atoms on top (${\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{Se}})$to yield inverted C scrolls. Detailed microscopy studies offer the first insights into their morphology and readily formed Moiré lattices. In contrast, spectroscopy and FETs studies establish their excitonic and device properties and highlight significant differences compared to 2D flat Janus TMDs. These results introduce the first polar Janus TMD nanoscrolls and introduce inherent strain-driven scrolling dynamics as a catalyst to create superlattices.     

Effects of nitrogen pressure on properties of sintered reaction-bonded silicon nitride

We prepared sintered reaction-bonded silicon nitride ceramics by using yttria and magnesia as sintering additives and evaluated the effects of nitrogen pressure (0.1–1.0 MPa) on their microstructure, bending strength, fracture toughness, and thermal conductivity. The ratio of β phase in the nitrided compacts varied with the pressure and increased with increasing it. Since many β grains in the nitrided compacts were formed and interlocked each other with a stable three-dimensional structure which restricted the shrinkage during the sintering procedure, many pores remained in the sintered body. Under the middle pressure (0.3–0.5 MPa), the grains grew large because the number of formed nuclei was small. On the other hand, under the high pressures (0.8–1.0 MPa), the grains were relatively fine and uniform because of a large number of nuclei. Since the porosity and grain length depended on the nitridation mechanism, which was affected by the nitrogen pressure, the properties largely varied accordingly. The nitridation at 0.1 MPa gave the best properties in this study.     

Evaluation of the contents and ratios of five fractionated proteins to elucidate the protein composition in soybean seeds

Selecting suitable soybean cultivars is important for food processing and exploring their endowment with desirable physiological functions. We applied the fractionation method previously established to compare soy protein composition among cultivars to promote such a selection. More than 95% of the proteins in soybean cotyledons were extracted from 13 soybean cultivars using a high-concentration salt solution. The extracted proteins were fractionated into five fractions, namely oil body-associated protein (OBAP), polar lipid-associated protein (PLAP), globulins (11S and 7S), and whey by centrifugation after tuning the solubility behavior of the proteins with various solutions. Protein species in each fraction were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Protein content in the total extract and five fractions was quantified to characterize the protein composition of soybean cultivars. The correlation between the protein content of each fraction and the total protein in cotyledon was investigated. A strong positive correlation was found only for the 11S fraction (r = 0.82), followed by a positive correlation in the 7S fraction (r = 0.65). Thus, we surmised that the increased protein content in soybean was due to increased globulin content. Furthermore, the calculation of the average ratio of protein content in each fraction indicated the globulin fraction (7S and 11S) to be 52%, the lipophilic protein fraction (OBAP and PLAP) to be 33%, and the whey fraction to be 13%. The preparation method employed in this study is a promising tool for efficiently comparing the protein composition of soybean cultivars to evaluate the potential use of cultivars for food production.     

Elucidation of mosaic patterns in gravel riverbeds using classifying flow velocity regimes obtained from a planar two-dimensional analysis

Gravel riverbeds in the middle reaches of Japanese rivers are essential habitats for various plants and animals. Disturbance from flooding is necessary for the formation of gravel riverbeds, but human control of rivers, such as dams and channelization, has altered flow and sediment regimes, thereby reducing disturbance. The flooding generates a mosaic pattern characterized by varying frequencies and intensities of disturbance in gravel riverbeds. Understanding the disturbance regimes that form mosaic patterns is important for the conservation of biodiversity in rivers. In this study, we proposed a method to extract mosaic patterns from flow velocity regimes obtained by planar two-dimensional analysis by classifying them with time-series clustering. Based on the distribution of Anaphalis margaritacea var. yedoensis on gravel riverbanks, we compared several past flooding events to identify mosaic patterns that are important for A. margaritacea var. yedoensis. The study site is the Echi River, which flows through Shiga Prefecture in Japan and into Lake Biwa. Using a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), orthomosaic images with an average ground resolution of 3.3 mm/pixel were created, and colony polygons of A. margaritacea var. yedoensis were created using image detection and visual correction. Hydraulic analysis was performed using iRIC ver2.3 (Nays2DH ver1.0). Time-series clustering was used to classify the flow velocity regimes for each computed mesh into 30 clusters. The relationship between the clusters of each flooding event and the distribution of A. margaritacea var. yedoensis was evaluated. Mosaic patterns were created by classifying the flow velocity regimes of each computational mesh calculated by planar 2D analysis into clusters using time-series clustering. After analyzing the relationship between each cluster and the area of distribution of A. margaritacea var. yedoensis, the first flooding event was determined to be the mosaic pattern that best explained the distribution of A. margaritacea var. yedoensis. Cluster 1, the “low peak, short duration type,” was considered the growth center of A. margaritacea var. yedoensis. The method used in this study is an innovative approach for obtaining mosaic patterns that quantifies these five elements of the disturbance regime.