Microwave dielectric and nonlinear optical studies on radio‐frequency sputtered Dy2O3‐doped KNN thin films

We report the effect of oxygen mixing percentage (OMP) on structural, microstructural, dielectric, linear, and nonlinear optical properties of Dy₂O₃‐doped (K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃ thin films. The (K_0.5Na_0.5)NbO₃ + 0.5 wt%Dy₂O₃ (KNN05D) ferroelectric thin films were deposited on to quartz and Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. An increase in the refractive index from 2.08 to 2.21 and a decrease in the optical bandgap from 4.30 to 4.28 eV indicate the improvement in crystallinity, which is also confirmed from Raman studies. A high relative permittivity (ε_r=281‐332) and low loss tangent (tanδ=1.2%‐1.9%) were obtained for the films deposited in 100% OMP, measured at microwave frequencies (5‐15 GHz). The leakage current of the films found to be as low as 9.90×10^?9 A/cm² at 150 kV/cm and Poole‐Frenkel emission is the dominant conduction mechanism in the films. The third order nonlinear optical properties of the KNN05D films were investigated using modified single beam z‐scan method. The third order nonlinear susceptibility (?χ⁽³⁾?) values of KNN05D films increased from 0.69×10^?3 esu to 1.40×10^?3 esu with an increase in OMP. The larger and positive nonlinear refractive index n₂=7.04×10^?6 cm²/W, and nonlinear absorption coefficient β=1.70 cm/W were obtained for the 100% OMP film, indicating that KNN05D films are good candidates for the applications in nonlinear photonics and high‐frequency devices.     

Kinetic study of the base-catalyzed transesterification of monoglycerides from <Emphasis Type="Italic">pongamia</Emphasis> oil

The kinetics of the transeterification of vegetable oil is known to follow a three-step reaction mechanism. The third step involves the transesterification of MG. In this study, the transesterification of MG obtained from crude Pongamia oil was achieved with methanol in the presence of KOH as the catalyst. A MG/methanol ratio of 1∶10 was used at different temperatures (30, 45, 55, and 60°C). ¹H NMR was used to monitor the progress of transesterification. The study revealed that the kinetics of this reaction followed a reversible second-order model, with a good fit obtained for all temperatures except 30°C. This result is explained as arising out of the importance of transport effects at low temperatures. The forward rate constant increased with an increase in temperature, whereas the reverse rate constant showed a decreasing trend, suggesting that the proposed reverse reaction was not an elementary step.     

Thin layer drying kinetics,characteristics and modeling of plaster of paris

Drying behavior of thin slabs of plaster of paris was investigated in microwave, convective and microwave assisted convective drier. The process parameters involved in the study include the microwave output power, air temperature used for drying, the initial moisture content of the sample, thickness and geometry of the sample. A typical drying profile, with no constant rate period followed by a falling rate period was obtained for all the three methodologies used. The mechanism of moisture movement within the sample during the falling period, as expressed by effective moisture diffusivity, was between 1.166 × 10⁻⁸ and 2.6927 × 10⁻⁸ (m² s⁻¹) for the least microwave output power of 180 W. The specific energy consumption and the drying efficiency involved in the microwave process, estimated from the energy supplied to the drier and the total time was found to be 0.4557 MJ kg⁻¹ and 82.56% for a sample thickness of 0.013 m. The microstructure of the fractured surfaces and qualitative phase analysis of microwave activated plaster of paris were extensively investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction techniques. The experimental moisture loss data with time was fitted to nine semiempirical thin layer equations. The suitability of the models was validated by comparing it with the predicted moisture ratio for any given set of operating conditions. The statistical analyses of the available literature correlations, for their applicability to the data of the present study showed greater deviation attributing their restricted range of applicability of individual correlations. As a result, a third order polynomial equation was developed from this study.     

Effect of elongational viscosity on axisymmetric entrance flow of polymers

A finite element simulation of the flow in a channel with an abrupt contraction is presented. The effects of the shear and elongational viscosities of a polymer on the entrance flow are analyzed employing a truncated power‐law model. The power‐law index and the strain rate characterizing the transition from Newtonian to power‐law behavior for the elongational viscosity are treated as being independent of the values of these two parameters for the shear viscosity. The effect of flow rate on entrance flow is also analyzed. It is confirmed that the Trouton ratio is important in determining the recirculating vortex and the extra pressure loss in entrance flow. Extra pressure loss and vortex length predicted by a finite element simulation of entrance loss are compared with the corresponding predictions from Binding's approximate analysis.     

Pyrroloquinoline Based Styryl Dyes Doped PMMA,PS, and PS/TiO2 Polymer for Fluorescent Applications

This article presents two highly fluorescent donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) moieties containing an electron-donating carbazole and phenothiazine donors fused with electron-withdrawing pyrrolo-quinoline acceptor dyes, PQC and PQPT. We also discussed the polymerization and film-forming process of dye PQC and PQPT doped in poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS) polymer to find their optical applications in polymer-based technology. We investigated the fluorescent properties of dyes PQC and PQPT from 0.01 to 1 wt% in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). We also investigated the changes in the spectrum shape and shift in wavelength with changes in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), and TiO₂ doped in polystyrene (PS/TiO₂). The analysis of surface morphology of prepared polymer samples was done with the help of a scanning electron microscope. The thermal and photostability of synthesized dyes in poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), and TiO₂ doped in polystyrene (PS/TiO₂) were investigated to get detailed information owing to the application of fluorescent polymers in the field of optoelectronic, nanohybrid coatings in solar concentrators, etc.

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