Optimization methods in inverse problems and applications to science and engineering

Optimization and Engineering -     

A Conversion Method for the Preparation of Calcium Formate

Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering - Calcium formate is widely used in construction, tanning, and textile manufacture and as an E238 biological additive in cosmetology and the food...     

The dynamic effect of Micro-MHD convection on bubble grown at a horizontal microelectrode

Relatively low efficiency is the biggest obstacle to the popularization of water electrolysis, which is a particularly feasible way to produce super-pure hydrogen. Imposing a magnetic field can increase the hydrogen production efficiency of water electrolysis. However, the enhancement's detailed mechanism still lacks an insightful understanding of the bubbles' micro vicinity. Our recent work aims to understand why the micro-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) convection hinders single bubbles' detachment on the microelectrode. A water electrolysis experiment by microelectrode is performed under an electrode-normal magnetic field, and dynamic analysis of the single bubble growing on microelectrodes is performed. The variation of bubble diameter with time in the presence or absence of the magnetic field was measured, and the forces acting on the bubble were quantified. The result shows that the micro-MHD convection, induced by Lorentz force, can give rise to a downward hydrodynamic pressure force that will not appear in large-scale MHD convection. This force can be of the same magnitude as the surface tension, so it dramatically hinders bubbles' detachment. Besides, the Kelvin force provides a new potential way for further improving the efficiency of water electrolysis.     

Dysprosium doped copper oxide (Cu1-xDyxO) nanoparticles enabled bifunctional electrode for overall water splitting

The production of hydrogen, a favourable alternative to an unsustainable fossil fuel remains as a significant hurdle with the pertaining challenge in the design of proficient, highly productive and sustainable electrocatalyst for both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, the dysprosium (Dy) doped copper oxide (Cu_1-xDy_xO) nanoparticles were synthesized via solution combustion technique and utilized as a non-noble metal based bi-functional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. Due to the improved surface to volume ratio and conductivity, the optimized Cu_1-xDy_xO (x = 0.01, 0.02) electrocatalysts exhibited impressive HER and OER performance respectively in 1 M KOH delivering a current density of 10 mAcm^?2 at a potential of ?0.18 V vs RHE for HER and 1.53 V vs RHE for OER. Moreover, the Dy doped CuO electrocatalyst used as a bi-functional catalyst for overall water splitting achieved a potential of 1.56 V at a current density 10 mAcm^?2 and relatively high current density of 66 mAcm^?2 at a peak potential of 2 V. A long term stability of 24 h was achieved for a cell voltage of 2.2 V at a constant current density of 30 mAcm^?2 with only 10% of the initial current loss. This showcases the accumulative opportunity of dysprosium as a dopant in CuO nanoparticles for fabricating a highly effective and low-cost bi-functional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.     

Effect of cooking temperature on texture and flavour binding of braised sauce porcine skin

To investigate the effect of cooking temperature (55, 65, 75, 85 and 95 °C) on texture and flavour binding of braised sauce porcine skin (BSPS), sensory acceptance, microstructure and flavour-binding capacity were investigated during the processing of BSPS. Samples cooked at 85 and 95 °C showed better texture and aroma scores. Hardness and chewiness of BSPS were obviously improved at 85 and 95 °C than control group. Collagen structure was significantly destroyed over 85 °C. The porcine skin collagen heated at 85 and 95 °C showed relatively higher flavour-binding capacity than other samples. The improvement of texture of BSPS was mainly attributed to the degradation of collagen. Higher aroma scores of BSPS were related to intense binding abilities with aroma compounds at 85 and 95 °C. Cooking at 85 or 95 °C could be an optimal cooking temperature for BSPS.     

Digital Tools for Statistical Quality Management in Automobile Production

Russian Engineering Research - Digital tools for managing improvements in automobile production are developed. An operative tool provides warnings regarding the operational quality of the vehicles...     

A review of phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors for fingerprint detection

Currently, the efficient detection of fingerprints is essential for the crime investigations. Revealing fingerprints is commonly achieved with fluorescent organic compounds but they are not efficient for fingerprint detection on porous or reflective surfaces. In order to solve the problem of collecting fingerprints on porous/reflective surfaces, inorganic phosphors have been employed, since they have characteristics of variable color emission, afterglow, high chemical stability and nano-size, which allow the fingerprint detection on any porous or non-porous surfaces. Due to these last properties, this review presents a summary about the use of phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors for the detection of latent fingerprints. First, we discussed the main physical and chemical characteristics of the fingerprints which permit their detection and collection from any surface. After this, we presented the main morphological, structural and luminescent properties of the phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors that allow their use for fingerprint detection. Later, we demonstrated with pictures of fingerprints (with and without light emission from the phosphors deposited on them) that both, phosphorescent and fluorescent phosphors can be used to visualize fingerprints with high resolution and high contrast without interference of the background surface, which is ideal for its collection and registration in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). We believe that this review could be useful to understand how to select an appropriate phosphorescent or fluorescent material for fingerprint detection depending on the type of surface (porous or non-porous, reflective or not reflective) where the fingerprint is deposited.     

Centimeter-scale low-damage micromachining on single-crystal 4H–SiC substrates using a femtosecond laser with square-shaped Flat-Top focus spots

Femtosecond (fs) lasers have been proved to be reliable tools for high-precision and high-quality micromachining of ceramic materials. Nevertheless, fs laser processing using a single-mode beam with a Gaussian intensity distribution is difficult to obtain large-area flat and uniform processed surfaces. In this study, we utilize a customized diffractive optical element (DOE) to redistribute the laser pulse energy from Gaussian to square-shaped Flat-Top profile to realize centimeter-scale low-damage micromachining on single-crystal 4H–SiC substrates. We systematically investigated the effects of processing parameters on the changes in surface morphology and composition, and an optimal processing strategy was provided. Mechanisms of the formation of surface nanoparticles and the removal of surface micro-burrs were discussed. We also examined the distribution of subsurface defects caused by fs laser processing by removing a thin surface layer with a certain depth through chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). Our results show that laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) covered by fine SiO₂ nanoparticles form on the fs laser-processed areas. Under optimal parameters, the redeposition of SiO₂ nanoparticles can be minimized, and the surface roughness Sa of processed areas reaches 120 ± 8 nm after the removal of a 10 μm thick surface layer. After the laser processing, micro-burrs on original surfaces are effectively removed, and thus the average profile roughness Rz of 2 mm long surface profiles decreases from 920 ± 120 nm to 286 ± 90 nm. No visible micro-pits can be found after removing ~1 μm thick surface layer from the laser-processed substrates.     

Multicriteria Minimax Problems: Localization of the Pareto Set and Suboptimal Control Design

Automation and Remote Control - We consider multicriteria minimax optimization problems with criteria in the form of the maxima of functionals given by the induced norms of linear operators taking...     

Effects of upholstery materials on the burning behavior of real‐scale residential upholstered furniture mock‐ups

Fire spread and growth on real‐scale four cushion mock‐ups of residential upholstered furniture (RUF) were investigated with the goal of identifying whether changes in five classes of materials (barrier, flexible polyurethane foam, polyester fiber wrap, upholstery fabric, and sewing thread), referred to as factors, resulted in statistically significant changes in burning behavior. A fractional factorial experimental design plus practical considerations yielded a test matrix with 20 material combinations. Experiments were repeated a minimum of two times. Measurements included fire spread rates derived from video recordings and heat release rates (HRRs). A total of 13 experimental parameters (3 based on the videos and 10 on the HRR results), referred to as responses, characterized the measurements. Statistical analyses based on Main Effects Plots (main effects) and Block Plots (main effects and factor interactions) were used. The results showed that three of the factors resulted in statistically significant effects on varying numbers of the 13 responses. The Barrier and Fabric factors had the strongest main effects with roughly comparable magnitudes. Foam was statistically significant for fewer of the responses and its overall strength was weaker than for Barrier and Fabric. No statistically significant main effects were identified for Wrap or Thread. Multiple two‐term interactions between factors were identified as being statistically significant. The Barrier*Fabric interaction resulted in the highest number of and strongest statistically significant effects. The existence of two‐term interactions means that it will be necessary to consider their effects in approaches designed to predict the burning behavior of RUF.