Mild and neutral deprotections catalyzed by cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate

The development of a novel, chemoselective, and catalytic deprotection methodology that proceeds under mild and neutral conditions is described, and its mechanism of action is analyzed in some detail. The scope, limitations, and advantages of this protocol are discussed. Selected applications in synthesis are also highlighted.     

Fate of N-nitrosodimethylamine, trihalomethane and haloacetic acid precursors in tertiary treatment including biofiltration

The presence of disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs) and N-nitrosamines in water is of great concern due to their adverse effects on human health. In this work, the removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), total THM and five HAA precursors from secondary effluent by biological activated carbon (BAC) is investigated at full and pilot scale. In the pilot plant two filter media, sand and granular activated carbon, are tested. In addition, we evaluate the influence of ozonation prior to BAC filtration on its performance. Among the bulk of NDMA precursors, the fate of four pharmaceuticals containing a dimethylamino moiety in the chemical structure are individually investigated. Both NDMA formation potential and each of the studied pharmaceuticals are dramatically reduced by the BAC even in the absence of main ozonation prior to the filtration. The low removal of NDMA precursors at the sand filtration in comparison to the removal of NDMA precursors at the BAC suggests that adsorption may play an important role on the removal of NDMA precursors by BAC. Contrary, the precursors for THM and HAA formation are reduced in both sand filtration and BAC indicating that the precursors for the formation of these DBPs are to some extent biodegradable.     

Theoretical analysis of the influence of defect parameters on photovoltaic performances of composition graded InGaN solar cells

In this paper, we have used simulations to evaluate the impact of the distribution of electrically active defects on the photovoltaic performances of InGaN-based solar cell. The simulations were carried out using Silvaco's ATLAS software. We have modeled a P-GaN/Grad-InGaN/i-In_0.53Ga_0.47N/Grad-InGaN/N-ZnO where Grad-InGaN corresponds to an InGaN layer with a graded composition. This layer is inserted to eliminate the band discontinuities at the interface between InGaN and the GaN and ZnO layers. The defects were modeled through the introduction of band tails and a Gaussian distribution of defects in i-InGaN material. We have evaluated the influence of band tail widths as well as the parameters of the Gaussian distribution (i.e. defect density, mean position and standard deviation) on the short-circuit current, the open-circuit voltage and the fill-factor (efficiency) of the solar cell. These results have allowed us to identify key structural parameters useful for the optimization of InGaN solar cells, as well as to give realistic estimates of the performances of such cells.     

Influence of the surrounding ambient on the reliability of the electrical characterization of thin oxide layers using an atomic force microscope

Physical and electrical properties of thin oxide films have been studied using the atomic force microscope (AFM). Experiments have been done in three different surroundings: in air and in secondary vacuum (∼10⁻⁶ mbar) without and with a heating stage in order to study the influence of the surrounding ambient on the reliability of the electrical characterization of thin oxide films. It is shown that by applying a positive voltage at the AFM tip and in the presence of a water layer at the oxide’s surface in air ambient, the behavior of the oxide film is very different compared to the same experiment conducted in secondary vacuum. It is thought that in air, H⁺ ions are injected through the oxide, forming attached hydrogen defects in it. These electrically active defects form a path in the oxide between the tip and the substrate facilitating the passage of charges through the oxide, which can be described by a Trap Assisted Tunneling (TAT) mechanism. The results show that working in vacuum with a heating stage is an important condition for the reliability of the characterization of oxides since the breakdown phenomenon is largely reduced due to the absence of the water layer. Moreover, the creation of hillocks (protrusions appearing on the surface after the electrical stress) on the oxide’s surface is decreased under vacuum.     

Optimum Structural and Manufacturing Design of a Braided Hollow Composite Part

Simultaneous material consolidation and shaping, as performed in manufacturing of composite materials, causes a strong interconnection between structural and manufacturing parameters which makes the design process complicated. In this paper, the design of a carbon fiber bicycle stem is examined through the application of a multi-objective optimization method to illustrate the interconnection between structural and manufacturing objectives. To demonstrate the proposed method, a test case dealing with the design of composite part with complex geometry, small size and hollow structure is described. Bladder-assisted Resin Transfer Molding is chosen as the manufacturing method. A finite element model of the stem is created to evaluate the objectives of the structural design, while a simplified 2D model is used to simulate the flow inside the preform during the injection process. Both models are formulated to take into account the variation of fiber orientation, thickness and fiber volume fraction as a function of braid diameters, injection pressure and bladder pressure. Finally, a multiobjective optimization method, called Normalized Normal Constraint Method, is used to find a set of solutions that simultaneously optimizes weight, filling time and strength. The solution to the problem is a set of optimum designs which represent the Pareto frontier of the problem. Pareto frontier helps to gain insight into the trade-off among objectives, whose presence and importance is confirmed by the numerical results presented in this paper.     

Preheating Sensitization of a TATB Composition Part Three: Sensitization for Various Stimuli,Interpretation and Conclusions

Preheating induced sensitization has been commonly studied in the frame of SDT but a complete analysis in terms of pyrotechnic safety needs to take into account other kinds of stimuli like “moderate” mechanical ones (crushing, drops…︁), new thermal fluxes or combined insults. We present the results of connected studies and propose sensitization mechanisms based on these data and on previous chemical and microstructure characterizations.     

Dynamic response of ferrofluidic deformable mirrors using elastomer membrane and overdrive techniques

The experimental results obtained with a ferrofluidic deformable mirror controlled by electro-magnet actuators are presented here. Using a step input through a single actuator, we obtained a steady-state settling time of 100?ms; however, different combinations of overdrive inputs can be used to decrease it to 25?ms. A new technique which consists of laying down an elastomer membrane, coated with an aluminum film, on the ferrofluid is also discussed. By adding the membrane on the ferrofluid, it further decreases the time response by a factor of 2. Furthermore, the thin aluminum layer improves the reflectivity of the mirror. Finally, using the membrane and the overdrive techniques combined, the time response is improved by a factor of 20. Numerical simulations show that ferrofluidic mirrors using membranes and improved electronics should reach settling times of the order of a millisecond. Presumably, even lower settling times could be possible.     

The magnetic-distortion probe: velocimetry in conducting fluids

A new type of velocimeter, capable of local velocity measurements in conducting fluids, is introduced. The principle of the "magnetic-distortion probe" is based on the measurement of the induced magnetic field by the flow of a conducting fluid in the vicinity of a localized magnetic field. The new velocimeter has no moving parts, and can be enclosed in a sealed cap, easing the implementation in harsh environments, such as liquid metals. The proposed method allows one to probe both the continuous part and fluctuations of the velocity, the temporal and spatial resolution being linked to the actual geometric configuration of the probe. A prototype probe has been tested in a gallinstan pipe flow and in a fully turbulent flow of liquid gallium generated by the counter rotation of two coaxial impellers in a cylinder. The signals have been compared to a reference potential probe and show very good agreement both for time-averaged velocities and turbulent fluctuations. The prototype is shown to detect motion from a few cm s(-1) to a few m s(-1). Moreover, the use of the magnetic-distortion probe with large-scale applied magnetic field is discussed.