Effect of H_2 dilution on the structure and properties of nc-CrC/a-C:H coatings deposited by a hybrid beams system

Nanocomposite Cr C/hydrogenated amorphous carbon(nc-CrC/a-C:H) coatings were deposited by a hybrid beams system comprised of a hollow cathode ion source and a cathodic arc ion-plating unit with varying H_2 flow rates. The influences of H_2 flow rates on the morphologies, microstructures, and properties of the coatings were systematically studied. The morphologies and microstructures of the coatings were characterized by SEM, AFM, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, GIXRD, and HRTEM. The mechanical and tribological properties were measured by a nano-indenter, scratch tester, and ball-ondisk tribometer. The wear tracks were evaluated using 3D profilometer, optical microscope, and EDS analysis. It has been found that a moderate H_2 flow rate can effectively smooth the surface, enlarge the fraction of a sp~3 bond, and improve the properties. The coating exhibits the highest hardness and elastic modulus at the H_2 flow rate of 40 sccm. A superior combination of adhesion strength,friction coefficient, and wear resistance can be achieved at the H_2 flow rate of 80 sccm.     

Procedural Synthesis using Vortex Particle Method for Fluid Simulation

We propose a fast and effective technique to improve sub‐grid visual details of the grid based fluid simulation. Our method procedurally synthesizes the flow fields coming from the incompressible Navier‐Stokes solver and the vorticity fields generated by vortex particle method for sub‐grid turbulence. We are able to efficiently animate smoke which is highly turbulent and swirling with small scale details. Since this technique does not solve the linear system in high‐resolution grids, it can perform fluid simulation more rapidly. We can easily estimate the influence of turbulent and swirling effect to the fluid flow.     

Stable sodium metal anode enhanced by advanced electrolytes with SbF3 additive

The practical application of sodium metal batteries (SMBs) is hampered due to the inferior interfacial stability between Na metal and conventional electrolytes....     

Self-assembly synthesis of cactuslike Cu2O 3D nanoarchitectures via a low-temperature solution approach

Cu₂O nanocactuses were synthesized via a simple, low-temperature, and no time-consuming wet chemical route. The synthesized products were systematically studied by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the formation of Cu₂O nanocactuses was strongly depended on the addition of CTAB and NaOH. The structural evolution of the cactuslike Cu₂O was found to follow dissolution and recrystallization processes. It is noteworthy that the stepwise synthetic procedure was crucial to the growth of the final nanoarchitectures. UV–vis spectrum was also used to estimate the absorption and photodegradation ability of the nanocactuses.     

Modulating lateral strain in GaN-based epitaxial layers by patterning sapphire substrates with aligned carbon nanotube films

A novel carbon nanotube-patterned sapphire substrate (CPSS) has been utilized for the growth of GaN material and fabrication of a InGaN/GaN light emitting diode (LED) by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. Different lateral strain distributions and stress reductions were observed in a GaN thin film on CPSS compared with those on a conventional sapphire substrate. Nanoheteroepitaxy induced by small size nucleation islands of about 50 nm is ascribed to this significant strain modulation. The crystalline quality of the GaN thin film was also improved, as illustrated by X-ray diffraction. Performances of 1 mm × 1 mm LEDs on CPSS were also enhanced, with an operational power increase of 37.5% and higher saturation current.