Experimental and theoretical study for the determination of thermal conductivity of porous building material made with pumice and tragacanth

In this study, porous solid materials were produced with mixture combinations of materials such as tragacanth, cement, and pumice aggregate. Thermal conductivities of the produced materials were determined using hot wire methodology. The thermal conductivities of the produced samples ranged from 0.433 to 0.177 W/mK, depending on pumice diameter, pumice, tragacanth, and cement rates. A new model was developed to determine the effective thermal conductivities of the produced samples. The thermal conductivities obtained by the measurements were compared to the ones predicted by the model. The predicted values deviated as 1–31% from the measured values. It was finally shown that the experimental results were in good agreement to the predicted results.     

Dynamic light scattering measurements on the polystyrene/ethyl acetate system at semi-dilute concentrations as a function of temperature

Summary Measurements of autocorrelation functions extending over a broad time range are reported for a sample of polystyrene in ethyl acetate as a function of temperature between –44°C (-temperature) and 70°C. The corresponding spectra of decay times are obtained by two mathematical methods. The existence of three dynamic processes is shown and their temperature and angular behaviour is studied.     

Measuring dispersion curves of acoustic waves using PVDF line-focus transducers

This paper presents a new method for measuring dispersion curves of elastic waves propagating in thin plates and layered media. The measurement is based on line-focus PVDF transducers that have been used successfully to measure surface acoustic wave velocities for both isotropic and anisotropic bulk materials. In this study, the transducer has been further applied to thin plates and layered media for measuring their wave velocity dispersion. In order to obtain the dispersion relation, a new waveform processing method is introduced. A theoretical analysis is given to explain how this method can be used for the determination of velocity dispersion curves. Experimental testing on two samples, a thin glass plate and a glass/silicon layered medium, were carried out using the line-focus PVDF transducer and the new waveform processing technique. The experimental results when compared to theoretical values indicate that the wave dispersion curves can be determined accurately. Discussions on the measurement system and its future application will be detailed.     

Mechanistic cutting force model in band sawing

In order to establish a mechanistic model of cutting force, specific cutting pressure was first obtained through cutting experiments. The band sawing process is similar to milling in that it involves multi-point cutting, so it is not an easy matter to evaluate specific cutting pressure. This was achieved by making the thickness of workpiece smaller than one pitch of the saw tooth, analogous to fly cutting in the face milling process. Then the cutting force was predicted by analysing the geometric shape of a saw tooth. The tooth shape used was the raker set style that is generally used in band sawing. A set of teeth comprises three teeth, ranked as left, straight, and right. The mechanistic model developed in the research considered the shape of each tooth in a set. The predicted cutting forces coincided well with those measured in the validation experiment. Therefore, the predicted cutting forces in band sawing can be used for the adaptive control of saw-engaging feed rate in band sawing.     

A study on the optimization of KCI-based index (Kor-Factor) in evaluating Korean journals

This study describes the development process of Kor-Factor, which is a novel composite evaluation index that was developed to promote Korean domestic academic journals. As more data accumulate, the Kor-Factor’s optimization process was modified in an attempt to address possible drawbacks of the original form; the result is presented in this study. This study compares Kor-Factor with the Impact Factor, which is the most well-known single element evaluation index. We found that Kor-Factor demonstrates a better power of differentiation and a greater capacity to reflect the reputability of key journals. The modified Kor-Factor, which has been developed through an optimization process, reveals a greater power of differentiation than the original Kor-Factor; however, the modified version has less capacity to reflect reputability. The evaluation elements of the modified Kor-Factor are better and are more evenly reflected on the index value than those of the original version. Finally, we propose the establishment of an appropriate data measurement period for the actual application of the index.     

Optically- and thermally-responsive programmable materials based on carbon nanotube-hydrogel polymer composites

A simple approach is described to fabricate reversible, thermally- and optically responsive actuators utilizing composites of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) loaded with single-walled carbon nanotubes. With nanotube loading at concentrations of 0.75 mg/mL, we demonstrate up to 5 times enhancement to the thermal response time of the nanotube-pNIPAM hydrogel actuators caused by the enhanced mass transport of water molecules. Additionally, we demonstrate the ability to obtain ultrafast near-infrared optical response in nanotube-pNIPAM hydrogels under laser excitation enabled by the strong absorption properties of nanotubes. The work opens the framework to design complex and programmable self-folding materials, such as cubes and flowers, with advanced built-in features, including tunable response time as determined by the nanotube loading.     

GaN epitaxial layers prepared on nano-patterned Si(001) substrate

We report the growth of GaN epitaxial layer on Si(001) substrate with nano-patterns prepared by dry etching facility used in integrated circuit (IC) industry. It was found that the GaN epitaxial layer prepared on nano-patterned Si(001) substrate exhibits both cubic and hexagonal phases. It was also found that threading dislocation observed from GaN prepared on nano-patterned Si(001) substrate was significantly smaller than that prepared on conventional unpatterned Si(111) substrate. Furthermore, it was found that we can reduce the tensile stress in GaN epitaxial layer by about 78% using the nano-patterned Si(001) substrate.     

Catalytic pyrolysis of oilsand bitumen over nanoporous catalysts

The catalytic cracking of oilsand bitumen was performed over nanoporous materials at atmospheric conditions. The yield of gas increased with application of nanoporous catalysts, with the catalytic conversion to gas highest for Meso-MFI. The cracking activity seemed to correlate with pore size rather than weak acidity or surface area.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectroscopy comparative studies of L-CVD SnO2 ultra thin films

In this paper we present the results of comparative studies of the chemical stability of L-CVD SnO₂ ultra thin films (20 nm) deposited on the atomically clean Si(100) substrate after their subsequent in situ hydrogenation and oxidation, and then after air exposure. For the control of surface chemistry of these films we used in a comparative way the X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS) combined with ion depth profiling (DP XPS) and Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS). Our XPS experiments showed that the L-CVD SnO₂ ultrathin films after subsequent in situ hydrogenation and oxidation consist of strongly nonstoichiometric layer at the top of Si dioxide substrate. After subsequent air exposure they were covered with undesired 3 monolayers of C contamination and various forms of oxygen. During the TDS procedure a two-step desorption of molecular hydrogen (H₂), water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and atomic oxygen (O) at the temperatures of ~ 530 K and 600 K was observed, respectively. The TDS results were in a good correlation with evident decreasing of the relative concentration of C contaminations, as well as variation of nonstoichiometry of the L-CVD SnO₂ ultra thin films as determined by XPS combined with ion depth profiling.     

Incorporation of carbon nanotubes into micro-coatings film formed on aluminum alloy via plasma electrolytic oxidation

The influence of the incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the coating structure of aluminum alloy processed by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) has been studied as a function of the current density. A series of PEO coatings was applied in a silicate-electrolyte containing CNTs at three current densities, such as 50, 100, and 150 mA/cm². As the current density increased, the responding voltage also increased due to a gradual increment in the amount of CNTs incorporated uniformly into the coating film. In addition, a number of CNTs were observed mainly near micro-pores formed in the coating film by plasma explosive arcs, resulting in a fairly uniform coating structure with a low density of micro-pores. This phenomenon was discussed based on the electrophoretic activity of CNTs.