快速大面积测量用原子力显微镜扫描速度对测量结果的影响

构建了一种可快速大面积测量光栅表面微结构的原子力显微镜(AFM)系统,研究了不同扫描模式下扫描速度对测量结果的影响。分别测量了微悬臂探针在恒高模式与恒力模式下的频谱,获得了这两种模式下微悬臂探针的有效带宽。基于恒高模式与恒力模式,在不同扫描速度下分别测量了光栅微结构表面上的一条直线与一个圆周,进而分析了扫描速度对测量结果的影响。基于该AFM系统,采用恒高模式下不失真扫描速度对光栅微结构表面进行了快速、大面积三维形貌测量实验。实验结果表明:测量光栅微结构表面上直径为4.0mm的圆形区域所用时间仅为40s。当扫描速度不超过微悬臂探针有效带宽所对应的速度时,所构建的AFM系统可无失真地实现微结构表面的快速、大面积测量。     

Modeling and estimation of deformation behavior of particle-reinforced metal–matrix composite

In order to estimate the characteristic feature of the deformation behavior of materials with a length scale, the strain gradient plasticity theories, corresponding variational principle and a finite element method are given. Then the finite element method is applied to the estimation of the mechanical characteristics of the particle reinforced metal–matrix composites modeled under plane strain conditions. The effects of the volume fraction, size and distribution pattern of the reinforcement particles on the macroscopic mechanical property of the composite are discussed. It has been clarified that the deformation resistance of the composite is substantially increased with decreasing particle size under a constant volume fraction of the reinforcement material. The main cause of the increase of the deformation resistance in the plastic range is the high strain gradient appearing in the matrix material, which increases with the reduction of the distance between particles.     

Enhancement in skin permeation of 5-aminolevulinic acid using l-menthol and its derivatives

Enhancing effect of l-menthol and its derivatives, l-menthyl formate, l-menthyl acetate, and l-menthyl propionate, on skin permeation of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) through Yucatan micropig full-thickness skin was investigated using a Franz-type diffusion cell. ALA solutions were prepared using ethanol-water mixed solvents with l-menthol or the derivative. Skin permeation coefficients (Kp) of ALA with more than 3.0 wt% of l-menthol was significantly larger than that without l-menthol. In addition, Kp of ALA with the derivative increased as follows: l-menthol approximately l-menthyl propionate < l-menthyl formate < l-menthyl acetate. These results suggest that l-menthol and the derivative are effective to enhance ALA skin permeation.     

Ice crystal growth in supercooled solution

Study on the crystal growth of ice in water-ethyleneglycol solution was carried out, experimentally. The ice crystal, which was seeded on top of the capillary tube, propagated inside the tube slowly and began to grow freely at the tip of the tube in subcooled solution. The outer diameter of the tip of the capillary tube was less than 0.1 mm, which was much smaller than that of other researchers. Hence, considerable reduction of the influence of the existence of a capillary was accomplished and the initial growth of a single crystal was observed, precisely. Under the condition of subcooling of less than 8 K, the shape of the crystal was observed to be different from that of the one in pure water. The velocity of dendrite ice growth and the radius of the curvature of the tip were measured. It was found that after the dendrite ice developed to a certain size, the velocity of the dendritic growth and the radius of curvature were kept steady, and its values were dependent on the degree of subcooling and the concentration of the solution.     

Preparation and properties of Cu-grafted transparent TiO2-nanosheet thin films

Transparent TiO₂ nanosheet thin films were prepared using layer-by-layer method with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) as a counter polymer. The possibility of photocatalysis by the light in the long wavelength range was examined by grafting Cu on the film. Photocatalytic decomposition activity for gaseous 2-propanol under UV illumination without light for electron excitation of TiO₂ nanosheet was increased by Cu grafting, suggesting that the interfacial charge transfer mechanism is effective also for nanosheet films.     

Single-walled carbon nanotube growth with non-iron-group “catalysts” by chemical vapor deposition

Various materials have been found to “catalyze” carbon nanotube growth in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) when they become nano-sized particles. These involve not only metals, such as Pd, Pt, Au, Ag, and Cu, but also semiconductors, such as Si, Ge, and SiC. Alumina and diamond nanoparticles also produce carbon nanotubes. These “catalysts”, which are better called “seeds”, can be categorized into two types: one type forms a eutectic liquid or highly-mobile alloy with carbon, and carbon atoms precipitate from the eutectic alloy; the other type remains as a solid phase and form a carbon surface layer during CVD growth. In this paper, we review recent studies of SWCNT growth with these non-iron-group materials and highlight the mechanisms involved.      

Optimized Dynamic Acousto-elasticity Applied to Fatigue Damage and Stress Corrosion Cracking

The dynamic acousto-elasticity (DAE) technique uniquely provides the elastic (speed of sound and attenuation) behavior over a dynamic strain cycle. This technique has been applied successfully to highly nonlinear materials such as rock samples, where nonlinear elastic sources are present throughout the material. DAE has shown different nonlinear elastic behavior in tension and compression as well as early-time memory effects (i.e. fast and slow dynamics) that cannot be observed with conventional dynamic techniques (e.g. resonance or wave mixing measurements). The main objective of the present study is to evaluate if the DAE technique is also sensitive to (1) fatigue damage and (2) a localized stress corrosion crack. A secondary objective is to adapt the DAE experimental setup to perform measurements in smaller specimens (thickness of few cm). Several samples (intact aluminium, fatigued aluminium and steel with a stress corrosion crack) were investigated. Using signal processing not normally applied to DAE, we are able to measure the nonlinear elastic response of intact aluminium, distinguish the intact from the fatigued aluminium sample and localize different nonlinear features in the stress corrosion cracked steel sample.     

Nondestructive investigation of β-FeSi2/Si interface by photoluminescence measurements

Ion-beam-synthesized β-FeSi₂/Si interfaces were investigated by carrier-injection photoluminescence (CPL) measurements. The CPL intensity of Al-doped β-FeSi₂/Si sample was larger than that of non-doped one. We obtained a carrier injection efficiency (γ) of γ = 0.41 in the Al-doped sample and γ = 0.19 in the non-doped one. These results revealed that Al-doping into β-FeSi₂ is an effective technique for the improvement of β-FeSi₂/Si interface which is defective due to ion implantation damages.     

Bioactivity of CaSiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/poly-lactic acid (PLA) composites prepared by various surface loading methods of CaSiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> powder

Mixing bioactive ceramic powders with polymers is an effective method for generating bioactivity to the polymer-matrix composites but it is necessary to incorporate up to 40 vol% of bioactive ceramic powder. However, such a high mixing ratio offsets the advantages of the flexibility and formability of polymer matrix and it would be highly advantageous to lower the mixing ratio. Since surface loading of ceramic powders in the polymer is thought to be an effective way of reducing the mixing ratio of the ceramic powder while maintaining bioactive activity, CaSiO₃/poly-lactic acid (PLA) composites were prepared by three methods; (1) casting, (2) spin coating and (3) hot pressing. In methods (1) and (2), a suspension was prepared by dissolving PLA in chloroform and dispersing CaSiO₃ powder in it. The suspension was cast and dried to form a film in the case of method (1) while it was spin-coated on a PLA substrate in method (2). In method (3), CaSiO₃ powder was surface loaded on to a PLA substrate by hot-pressing. The bioactivity of these samples was investigated in vitro using simulated body fluid (SBF). Apatite formation was not observed in the samples prepared by method (1) but some apatite formation was achieved by mixing polyethylene glycol (PEG) with the PLA, producing a porous polymer matrix. In method (2), apatite was clearly observed after soaking for 7 days. Enhanced apatite formation was observed in method (3), the thickness of the resulting apatite layers becoming about 20 μm after soaking for 14 days. Since the amount of CaSiO₃ powder used in these samples was only ≤0.4 vol%, it is concluded that this preparation method is very effective in generating bioactivity in polymer-matrix composites by loading with only very small amounts of ceramic powder.