Heat capacity of metallic uranium and thorium from 80 to 1000 k

The heat capacities of metallic uranium and thorium from 80 to 1000 K have been determined by laser-flash calorimetry. The results on uranium agree very well with those in the literature over the temperature range investigated. The results on thorium are several percent lower than the heat-capacity values hitherto reported, while the enthalpy data at high temperatures in the literature are in good agreement with the present results. Shomate's analysis showed that the present results are the most consistent through the temperature range from 80 to 1000 K. On this, a revised table of thermodynamic functions of thorium from 80 to 1000 K is presented. The excess heat capacity on thorium has been found to be not appreciable up to 1000 K, in contrast with the large excess heat capacity above 300 K for uranium.     

Structure and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline Ag/MgO composites

Nanocrystalline Ag/MgO composites were prepared by the ultrafine-powder-compaction method. The structure was investigated for the first time by high-resolution electron microscopy. Nanometre-sized Ag grains and MgO grains in the composites bonded directly without any intermediate phase layer. Certain preferred orientation relationships were observed between the Ag and MgO grains. The nanocrystalline Ag/MgO composites retained their grain size during annealing up to 873 K. Vickers microhardness measurements were performed on the as-compacted and annealed specimens. Generation and propagation of cracks were less active in the nanocrystalline Ag/MgO composites than in a single-phase nanocrystalline MgO. The Vickers microhardness of the nanocrystalline Ag/MgO composites remained up to 1073 K. Hot-pressing deformation tests showed that the nanocrystalline Ag/MgO composites deformed plastically at 1073 K.     

Motion control of electric vehicles and prospects of supercapacitors

Novel motion control techniques for electric vehicles (EVs) on the basis of the quick torque generation in these vehicles have been developed at the Hori Laboratory. Because EVs are powered by electric motors, they have three major advantages: (i) motor torque generation is quick and accurate, (ii) a motor can be attached to each wheel, and (iii) motor torque can be estimated precisely. These advantages enable us to (i) easily realize high-performance antilock braking systems and traction control systems with minor feedback control of each wheel, (ii) control chassis motion, for example, direct yaw control, and (iii) estimate road surface condition. We have developed test vehicles and confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Recently, we have manufactured small EVs that are powered only by supercapacitors. Supercapacitors have long operating life, large current density, and are environmental friendly. Furthermore, their energy level can be estimated from their terminal voltage. Because EVs powered by supercapacitors can run for more than 20 min by charging only for 30 s, recharging EVs will not be a major problem. In the future, EVs will be recharged via contactless power transfer. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Grain refinement and superplasticity of pipes processed by high-pressure sliding

ABSTRACT

The high-pressure sliding (HPS) process was applied for grain refinement of a pipe form of an Al-3wt%Mg-0.2wt%Sc alloy by developing two types of straining techniques (called in this study anvil sliding and mandrel sliding). To achieve a homogeneous microstructure throughout the cross-section of the pipe, the sample is rotated around the longitudinal axis every after sliding operation by introducing multi-pass technique, named multi-pass HPS (MP-HPS) as developed earlier for rods. The MP-HPS-processed sample shows ultrafine-grained structures with an average grain size of ～260 and ～300?nm after the HPS processing using anvil sliding and mandrel sliding. The samples also exhibit superplasticity with total elongations well more than 400%, respectively. A finite-element method is used to simulate the evolution of strain in the HPS processing and demonstrates that the simulation well represents the experimental results.     

Engineering surface and development of a new DNA micro array chip

This paper proposes a new concept of the ‘engineering surface’, which extends the conventional idea of a functional surface by combining it with micro/nano manufacturing technology. Characteristic features and possibilities of the engineering surface are discussed in detail. This paper reviews studies on micro/nano fabrication technologies for advanced materials and evaluation technology for surface function. New fabrication technologies, micro machining and nano forming, are introduced, which will be basic manufacturing processes of the engineering surface. Also, a new surface evaluation technique is introduced for the surface energy of the nano fabricated surface. Design of a new DNA micro array chip is introduced as an example of applications of the engineering surface. Controllability of surface property by nano fabrication is studied.     

Brilliant cosmetic film for ambient displays,with cholesteric liquid crystal

We have successfully developed a cosmetic film with polymerized cholesteric material. The film features a variety of colors by helical pitch gradients, diffusive texture, and arbitrary color patterns. It hides the display when turned off, and transmits display images when turned on. We believe it could change the display in the OFF‐state from the conventional black wall to specially designed decorations. In addition, they can be applied to hidden sensors.     

Syntheses of photocrosslinkable polymer from modified poly(methyl vinyl ketone)

Photocrosslinkable polymer is prepared from amorphous poly(methyl vinyl ketone) (A-PMVK) obtained by anionic polymerization of methyl vinyl ketone. The reaction of A-PMVK with cinnamoyl chloride proceeds in pyridine at 50°C. The photosensitivity of the polymer obtained is measured by infrared and Ultraviolet photometry. The polymer is of a crosslinkable type and forms cyclobutane linkage by ultraviolet irradiation. The polymer is coated on a lithographic aluminum plate and exposed to arc and high-pressure mercury lamps. Development is with benzene, and standard inking by lithography is applied. The imaging area on the plate is stable and harder than poly(vinyl cinnamate), due to intra- and intermolecular cyclization of the main chain. Many good reproductions are produced in the lithographic proofing machine. The photosensitive polymer obtained by A-PMVK is very useful in relief plates requiring etching.     

Low‐frequency sound absorption of organic hybrid comprised of chlorinated polyethylene and N,N′‐dicyclohexyl‐2‐benzothiazolyl sulfenamide

We investigated the sound absorption characteristics of an organic hybrid material comprised of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) as the matrix polymer and N,N′‐dicyclohexyl‐2‐benzothiazolyl sulfenamide (DBS) as the second component of an organic low‐molecular‐weight compound. We found specific crystallites, obtained by annealing, that generated new absorption for a low‐frequency sound in a CPE/DBS blend. We observed two sound absorption peaks, around 300 and 1000 Hz, in the annealed CPE/DBS (50 : 50 w/w) blends, whereas those peaks were not observed in the untreated sample. There were two kinds of crystals with different melting points in the annealed samples. It was confirmed that the crystals with the lower melting point brought about sound absorption at a low frequency. The crystals that had the lower melting point were smaller and/or more disordered than the crystals that had the higher melting point. We calculated the fraction of these two types of crystals from differential scanning calorimetry and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction measurements. The annealing or reannealing temperature specified the fraction of the crystal with the lower melting point, and the obtained crystal fraction characterized sound absorption frequency. Therefore, it is possible to control the sound absorption frequency of an organic hybrid by heat treatment such as annealing. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

Polarization dependent optical absorption properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes and methodology for the evaluation of their morphology

Polarization dependence of the optical absorption properties of SWNTs is presented and investigated in detail for the energy range 0.5-6 eV. We found that the absorption peaks in the UV region at approximately 4.5 and 5.25 eV exhibit remarkable and different dependencies on the morphology of the SWNT film, or equivalently, on the incident light polarization relative to the SWNT axis. An analytical pathway to evaluate the physical degree of SWNT alignment for a vertically aligned SWNT film is developed with both transition dipoles parallel and perpendicular to the SWNT axis taken into account. This analytical procedure, coupled with polarized optical absorption measurements performed on the vertically aligned SWNT film grown on substrates, leads to the determination of the bare optical absorption cross-section of SWNTs for both parallel and perpendicular to SWNT axis. In the end, the proposed methodology for evaluating the SWNT film morphology is applied to investigate the transient change of the degree of alignment in the growth process of our vertically aligned SWNT films.