Na<Superscript>+</Superscript>-fast ionic conducting glass-ceramics of silicophosphates

The Na⁺-fast ionic conducting glass-ceramics with Na₅YSi₄O₁₂ (N5)-type structure were successfully synthesized using the composition formula of Na_3+3x-y R_1-x P _y Si_3-y O₉ for a variety of rare earth ions, R, under the appropriate composition parameters. In the crystallization of N5-type glass-ceramics, its relatives (Na₃YSi₃O₉ (N3)- and Na₉YSi₆O₁₈ (N9)-type glass-ceramics) structurally belonging to the family of Na_24−3x Y _x Si₁₂O₃₆ were found to crystallize as the precursor phase at low temperatures. In order to produce N5 single phase glass-ceramics, the concentration of both phosphorus and rare earth was found important. The meaning of the composition was evaluated by thermodynamic and kinetic studies on the phase transformation of metastable N3 or N9 phases to stable N5 phase with Na⁺-fast ionic conductivity. The possible combinations of x and y became more limited for the crystallization of the fast ionic conducting phase as the ionic radius of R increased, while the Na⁺ conduction properties were more enhanced in the glass-ceramics of larger R. These results are discussed in view of the structure and the conduction mechanism. Also studied were the microstructural effects on the conduction properties, which were dependent upon the heating conditions of crystallization. These effects were understood in relation to the grain boundary conduction properties as well as the transmission electron microstructural morphology of grain boundaries.     

Molecular orientation induced by high-speed substrate transfer during vacuum vapor deposition of organic films

The authors investigate a relationship between substrate transfer speeds during vacuum vapor deposition and orientation characteristics of organic molecules. Results show that rod-shaped molecules of alpha-sexithiophene (α-6T) are oriented in a substrate transfer direction and an absorption dichroic ratio of 1.44 is obtained from the oriented α-6T molecule film when a high substrate transfer speed of 4 m s⁻¹ is used. By combining the substrate transfer technique with homoepitaxial growth of α-6T molecules on a rubbed surface, the absorption dichroic ratio further increases to 4.29. Polarized electroluminescence (EL) characteristics are investigated using rod-shaped molecules of 4,4′-bis[4-(di-p-tolylamino)styryl]biphenyl (DPAVBi) as a light-emitting hole-transport layer. An EL dichroic ratio of 2.12 is obtained due to an orientation of DPAVBi molecules caused by combining two techniques.     

Flame structures and combustion efficiency computed for a Mach 6 scramjet engine

Our hydrogen-fueled scramjet engines with a length of 2.1 m delivered net thrusts exceeding the engine drags and exhibited fuel specific impulses of about 10 km/s under Mach 4 to 8 flight conditions. A three-dimensional, reactive CFD code using unstructured hybrid grids was developed to accelerate the engine studies. Combustion in the scramjet engine under the Mach 6 condition was simulated by using this code. In this paper, the engine testing and the CFD code were outlined first. Timewise progress of hydroxyl radicals was investigated to understand autoignition and upstream-wise developments of combustion in the engine. Autoignition occurred from the cowl section at 0.1 ms after fuel mixing was completed. The reaction zones propagated upstream at speeds of about 500 m/s and reached the backward-facing steps in the combustor at 1 ms after the autoignition. Steady-state solutions showed small flames around individual fuel jets in the combustor and a large-scale diffusion flame downstream in the engine. Sonic combustion was autonomously realized in the combustor, resulting in delivery of a maximum thrust of 2250 N in the stoichiometric condition. Variations of combustion efficiency indicated that combustion performance was determined in a narrow region with a length of 0.15 m in the combustor and that the combustion downstream of the engine was rate-controlled by a large diffusion flame. The results found by the CFD computations enable us to not only improve engine performances but also to optimize computations for scramjet engines.     

Enhanced Electroluminescence from Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes with an Organic–Inorganic Perovskite Host Layer

The development of host materials with high performance is essential for fabrication of efficient and stable organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). Although host materials used in OLEDs are typically organics, in this study, it is shown that the organic–inorganic perovskite CH₃NH₃PbCl₃ (MAPbCl₃) can be used as a host layer for OLEDs. Vacuum‐evaporated MAPbCl₃ films have a wide band gap of about 3 eV and very high and relatively balanced hole and electron mobilities, which are suitable for the host material. Photoluminescence and electroluminescence take place through energy transfer from MAPbCl₃ to an organic emitter in films. Incorporation of an MAPbCl₃ host layer into OLEDs leads to a reduction of driving voltage and enhancement of external quantum efficiency as compared to devices with a conventional organic host layer. Additionally, OLEDs with an MAPbCl₃ host layer demonstrate very good operational stability under continuous current operation. These results can be extensively applied to organic‐ and perovskite‐based optoelectronics.     

Compact ellipsometer employing a static polarimeter module with arrayed polarizer and wave-plate elements

A portable ellipsometer with a compact static polarimeter using an arrayed polarizer, an arrayed wave plate, and a CCD image sensor is developed. A high level of repeatability at a measurement speed of 0.3 s is demonstrated by measurement of SiO(2) films ranging from 2 to 300 nm in thickness deposited on an Si wafer. There is the potential to realize an ultracompact ellipsometer module by integrating the optical source and receiver, suitable for deployment in a variety of manufacturing equipment and measurement instruments.     

Multilayer Mg-Stainless Steel Sheets,Microstructure, and Mechanical Properties

Different multilayer Mg AZ31 and SS304L steel sheet combinations were prepared with different volume fractions of Mg. Isolated stress–strain curves of the Mg layers showed significant improvements in the strength and elongation of multilayer samples. Results indicated that in the most extreme situation with the lowest Mg volume fraction (V _f  = 0.39), the ultimate strength was increased by 25 pct to 370 MPa and the elongation was improved by 70 pct to 0.34. Investigation of the fracture surface showed that failure occurs by the coalescence of cracks close to the interface region. The improved strength of the multilayer samples was due to the combined effect of surface crack prevention by the steel layer and the higher work-hardening rate caused by the possible increased activity of non-basal systems. It is suggested that the stronger work-hardening behavior and the enhanced activity of non-basal systems in the multilayer samples were due to the formation of new stress components in the transverse direction. The larger the volume fraction of steel in the multilayer, the longer the distance remaining unstrained before the UTS.

     

Multilayer Mg–Stainless Steel Sheets,Twinning and Texture Evolution

In the present study, different combinations of multilayer sheets were prepared from 1 and 2 mm Mg AZ31 along with 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mm 304 L stainless steel. The texture and microstructure of the elongated samples (20 and 30 pct strain) were studied. It was found that the transversal stress plays an important role in both texture evolution and twinning in these composites. The obtained pole figures revealed an axial texture tilt with increasing steel layer volume fraction (V _f). It was found that this is a direct effect of transverse stress, which becomes more significant upon reducing Mg V _f. This extra stress component tilts the basal planes away from the original normal direction in monolithic samples. Moreover, our results indicate that with decreasing Mg V _f, twinning activity was increased in the 20 pct deformed samples but reduced in the samples with 30 pct elongation. It is known that at high strains where sufficient transverse stress is generated, the activity of prismatic slip is significantly enhanced, which promotes the motion of dislocations and reduces the necessity of twinning. With decreasing Mg V _f, stronger transversal stress is generated and Mg reaches the critical threshold of prismatic activity at lower strains.

     

Toward a compression-based self-organizing recognizer: Preliminary implementation of PRDC-CSOR

The present paper introduces a new data analyzer, a compression-based self-organizing recognizer, the PRDC-CSOR (Pattern Representation scheme using Data Compression – Compression based Self ORganizing Recognizer), with a preliminary application to image data. The PRDC-CSOR is an extension of the authors’ previously proposed pattern representation scheme using data compression (PRDC). Contrary to the traditional statistical-model-based recognition system methods, the PRDC-CSOR constructs itself using incoming data only. The basic tool, compressibility, is an approximation of the Kolmogorov complexity K(x)$K(x)$ defined in an individual text x   as a countermeasure against the Shannon entropy H(X)$H(X)$ defined on an ensemble X. Due to this feature, a highly automatic self-organizing recognition system becomes possible as demonstrated in this paper.     

间冷冰箱回风道的优化除霜设计

间冷冰箱蒸发器霜层分布对除霜加热器除霜热量分布的不一致性会导致除霜时间增加和除霜效率的降低,因此,本文提出一种间冷式冰箱回风道的优化除霜设计方法。首先通过实验测量除霜加热器表面温度分布,确定除霜加热器除霜热量分布,进而确定与除霜热量相匹配的蒸发器结霜分布;然后基于蒸发器结霜分布确定回风道出口的最优风量分布;最后基于最优的风量分布设计回风道,使蒸发器上霜层分布与除霜加热器除霜热量分布相一致,达到优化除霜的目的。通过某间冷冰箱回风道的优化设计案例表明,优化后的回风道可实现出口风量分布与除霜加热器除霜热量分布相匹配,除霜时间缩短了38.9%,同时使冰箱的制冷量增加了3.43%。     

Fast calculation approach to semi-empirical molecular orbital method using real space division method

The authors have developed a new approach for large-scale systems including over 100,000 atoms to obtain physical strength from the viewpoint of atom–atom bonding energy. Combining the semi-empirical molecular orbital method with real space division method makes it possible to estimate structural parameters, electronic structures and bonding energy for various large systems. With this method, various quantum physical properties can be obtained quickly using the semi-empirical molecular orbital method, while adopting real space division improves the computational efficiency of parallelization. In this study, the authors applied this method to SiH₄ molecule and crystalline silica system, and carried out bond order and bonding energy analyses. In this analysis, the developed method offered almost the same analytical accuracy as the first principle method, while its calculation speed was much faster than that of the latter. The developed method was also suitable for parallel computing.