Metallization and metallicity: Universal conductivity limits

The Mott–Ioffe–Regel minimum metallic conductivity based on a minimum mean free path of inter-atomic spacing has been used as a robust criterion for signalling Fermi liquid behaviour. Instead we examine the conductivity of a system in universal terms of the excitation energy, E_exc, of a charge carrier bound to its hole. The expression for conductivity depends simply on probability of charge transfer expressed as E_exc/. The minimum conductivity for Fermi liquid state is obtained as  S cm⁻¹ (C = 1;  eV is the maximum excitonic binding energy for a mobile exciton). From simple considerations in the t–J model of the Larmor precession time, , due to an internal exchange magnetic field and the residence time, τ_W, for a charge carrier with energy E_W, we express condition for Fermi liquid () and non-Fermi liquid behaviour (). For such NFL liquids, we find that one requires C_NFL = (1/π²π^2/3)  1/21.2 to account for the reduced probability of charge transfer with conservation of spin in NFL systems. The maximum value of the conductivity, σ^±, at which the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) changes sign at an insulator metal transition is given by  S cm⁻¹. This value is close to that observed in several systems. We discuss these universal values of the conductivity in the context of the Herzfeld criterion, Mooij criterion, exciton transfer rates, chemical reaction rate theory, universal sheet resistance at insulator–superconductor transition, as well as the changes in resistivity during the metallization of molecular hydrogen, oxygen and iodine.     

Cadmium induced adaptive responses of certain biogeochemical cycling bacteria in an aquatic system

The population growth of some biogeochemical cycling bacteria (heterotrophic bacteria (HB), ammonifying bacteria (AB), ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), denitrifying bacteria (DNB) and cellulose decomposing bacteria (CDB)), as well as ammonification, and denitrification rates were determined in simulated pond systems treated with full doses (FDs) and split doses (SDs) of cadmium. Reductions in bacterial density and nitrogen activity rates were more severe for the FD and SD followed by a slight recovery in both. Among the test groups, reductions were maximal in the AOB and DNB and lowest for the CDB populations, suggesting that the latter had greater potential for cadmium resistance. Bicarbonate alkalinity of water was found to exert a profound influence in counteracting cadmium stress in the system, as strong negative correlations between this parameter and bacterial mass were evident in the SD treatment. Though the aquatic microbial populations were greatly altered by cadmium stress, the normal operating range of the system was restored at a later time with the CDB population showing higher degree of adaptive responses.     

Experimental and numerical characterization of shape memory polymer and metal laminates

The interface strength of a Shape Memory Polymer – Stainless Steel (SMP-SS) laminate system has been studied under a wide range of test conditions. The adhesive strength of the laminates has been explored using the peel test at room temperature as well as the glass transition temperature of the SMP. The analysis was also repeated at varying speeds and SMP thickness in order to quantify the effect of strain rate and adherend thickness on the bond strength of the laminate.

The experimental tests have been validated using finite element analysis of the SMP – SS laminate system. The finite element study further explores the role of polymer stresses and strains in the polymer film and adhesive layer in inducing delamination and wrinkling.

Significant decrease in strains in the adherend are observed on increasing its thickness. The adhesive strength of the laminate system is found to decrease at higher temperatures. Also the adherend is observed to wrinkle at longitudiunal strains nearing 35%.     

Ultrasensitive in situ label-free DNA detection using a GaN nanowire-based extended-gate field-effect-transistor sensor

In this study, we have successfully demonstrated that a GaN nanowire (GaNNW) based extended-gate field-effect-transistor (EGFET) biosensor is capable of specific DNA sequence identification under label-free in situ conditions. Our approach shows excellent integration of the wide bandgap semiconducting nature of GaN, surface-sensitivity of the NW-structure, and high transducing performance of the EGFET-design. The simple sensor-architecture, by direct assembly of as-synthesized GaNNWs with a commercial FET device, can achieve an ultrahigh detection limit below attomolar level concentrations: about 3 orders of magnitude higher in resolution than that of other FET-based DNA-sensors. Comparative in situ studies on mismatches ("hotspot" mutations related to human p53 tumor-suppressor gene) and complementary targets reveal excellent selectivity and specificity of the sensor, even in the presence of noncomplementary DNA strands, suggesting the potential pragmatic application in complex clinical samples. In comparison with GaN thin film, NW-based EGFET exhibits excellent performance with about 2 orders higher sensitivity, over a wide detection range, 10(-19)-10(-6) M, reaching about a 6-orders lower detection limit. Investigations illustrate the unique and distinguished feature of nanomaterials. Detailed studies indicate a positive effect of energy band alignment at the biomaterials-semiconductor hybrid interface influencing the effective capacitance and carrier-mobility of the system.     

Thermo-mechanical analysis of Wire and Arc Additive Layer Manufacturing process on large multi-layer parts

Wire and Arc Additive Layer Manufacturing (WAALM) is gaining increasing popularity as the process allows the production of large custom-made metal workpieces with high deposition rates. The high power input of the welding process, causes significant residual stress and distortion of the workpiece. This paper describes the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the multi-layer wall structure made by the WAALM process. A 3D thermo-elastic–plastic transient model and a model based on an advanced steady-state thermal analysis are employed in this study. This modelling approach shows a significant advantage with respect to the computational time. The temperature simulations and distortion predictions are verified by comparing with the experimental results from thermo-couples and laser scanners, while the residual stresses are verified with the neutron diffraction strain scanner ENGIN-X. The stress across the deposited wall is found uniform with very little influence of the preceding layers on the following layers. The stress redistributed after unclamping with a much lower value at the top of the wall than at the interface due to the bending distortion of the sample.     

Structural,dielectric and electrical properties of CaBa<Subscript>4</Subscript>SmTi<Subscript>3</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>7</Subscript>O<Subscript>30</Subscript> ferroelectric ceramic

The polycrystalline sample of CaBa₄SmTi₃Nb₇O₃₀, a member of tungsten bronze family, was prepared by solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the formation of single-phase compound with an orthorhombic structure at room temperature. Scanning electron micrograph of the material shows uniform distribution of grains. Detailed studies of dielectric properties of the compound as a function of temperature at different frequencies suggest that the compound has a dielectric anomaly of ferroelectric to paraelectric type at 198°C, and exhibits non-relaxor kind of diffuse phase transition. The ferroelectric nature of the compound has been confirmed by recording polarization-electric field hysteresis loop. Piezoelectric and pyroelectric studies of the compound have been discussed in this paper. Electrical properties of the material have been analyzed using complex impedance technique. The Nyquist plots manifest the contribution of grain boundaries (at higher temperature), in addition to granular contribution (at all temperatures) to the overall impedance. The temperature dependence of dc conductivity suggests that the compound has negative temperature coefficient of resistance (NTCR) behaviour. The frequency dependence of ac conductivity is found to obey Jonscher’s universal power law. The observed properties have been compared with calcium free Ba₅SmTi₃Nb₇O₃₀ compound.     

Study on soluble polyaniline by positron annihilation technique

The solubility, electrical conductivity, and other properties of polyaniline (PANI) are highly dependent on its oxidation state. In this work, polyaniline (PANI1) prepared by peroxodisulphate induced polymerization of aniline in acidic aqueous medium in presence of benzenediazonium chloride salt was found to exist in lower oxidation state than emeraldine form of PANI and was highly soluble in common organic solvents. This polymer was subjected to positron annihilation spectroscopic study to investigate the correlation between the oxidation state of the polymer and defect sites generated by different degrees of protonation that in turn affect its electrical conductivity. The positron annihilation lifetime data were resolved to yield a three‐component fit for PANI1 subjected to different levels of protonation. The variation of positron annihilation parameters (τ_1,I₂) and Doppler broadening parameters (R, S) as a function of protonation level of the polymer indicate the dopant sites increase initially on protonation and reach a saturation value after a certain level of acidification. The lower value of electrical conductivity and the intensity of intermediate lifetime component (I₂) for PANI1 compared to PANI in emeraldine oxidation state indicate the presence of lesser number of quinoid–imine moieties that could undergo protonation and thus yield highly enriched trapping centers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Improved mode decision algorithm based on residues and early zero block detection in H.264/AVC

Video compression standard H.264/AVC outperforms previous standards in terms of coding efficiency but at the cost of higher computational complexity. In H.264/AVC, the variable block size full motion estimation is the most time-consuming operation. This paper presents a method to reduce the complexity of motion estimation in two stages. The first stage exploits the similarities between frames for early SKIP mode decision for a macroblock (MB) based upon a criteria formulated on the basis of the statistics of the frame difference residues. MBs that fail to qualify for the SKIP mode in the first stage spills over to the second stage where mode decision depends upon the number of zero blocks (ZB) in the MB. The study of the full search motion estimation on different sequences show that there is a strong dependence between the number of ZBs in a MB and the likelihood of a particular mode being selected. The proposed algorithm utilizes this relationship for early mode decision for a MB. The algorithm is evaluated using a wide range of test sequences from different classes. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm gives considerable saving in encoding time and search points in the range of 36–87%. Furthermore, despite the reduction in computational complexity, the coding efficiency (picture quality and bitrate) in the proposed method is comparable to the H.264/AVC standard software Joint Model (JM12.4).     

Neutron structural investigations of Y1?xCaxBa2Cu3?yCoyO7±δ

The results of a systematic powder neutron study on Y_1–x CaxBa₂Cu_3–y Co _y O_7± for A (x=y=0), B (x=0;y=0.2), C (x= 0;y=0.4), D (x=y=0.2), and E (x=y=0.4) are investigated with a view to understanding the relation between the structural parameters and superconductivity. Rietveld refinements of the structures show that: (a) Co substitutes at the chain Cu(1) sites only, except for sample E, where the presence of a minor amount of Co at the planar Cu(2) site cannot be ruled out; (b) Co substitution reduced thec-parameter, which is reduced even further upon substitution of Ca at the Y-sites; (c) the occupancy factors of the chain O(1) site indicate an average coordination of 4.8 and 5.1 for Co for samples B and C, but only 4 for D and E; (d) Cu/Co(1) atoms for B and C display large thermal parameters, suggesting a displacement from their ideal centrosymmetric location; (e) the apical Cu(1)-O(4) bond lengthens upon substitution of Co in samples B and C but undergoes shortening upon substitution of Ca in the case of samples D and E. The apical Cu(2)-O(4) bond, on the other hand, shows just the opposite trend; (f) samples D and E show a reduction in the separation of CuO₂ layers and their oxygen content; and (e) the bond valence of the Cu(2) ion shows the lowest value of 2.127 for the nonsuperconducting sample C.