In situ study of granular micromechanics in semi-solid carbon steels

The granular micromechanics of semi-solid steel at ～80% solid are studied by synchrotron radiography. A particulate soil mechanics approach to image analysis shows that deformation occurs by the translation and rotation of quasi-rigid grains under the action of contact forces, and that the changes in directional fabric and grain–grain contacts occur by mechanisms similar to those of highly compacted soils including “locked sands”. Grain-scale phenomena are then linked to the macroscopic displacement and strain fields and it is shown that shear-induced dilation is a fundamental response at both the grain and macro scales. Based on this, recommendations are made on future rheology experiments.     

Intermediate band photovoltaics based on interband–intraband transitions using In0.53Ga0.47As/InP superlattice

We present a theoretical model to incorporate the quantum mechanism of two‐photon transitions into macroscopic operations. The two‐photon transition is described as a two‐step interband–intraband transition within the one‐band envelope‐function framework and is coupled with drift–diffusion as well as the potential distribution. In_0.53Ga_0.47As/InP superlattices (SLs) are chosen as the initial candidate to simulate intermediate band solar cell operation. In this type of structure, the absorption spectrum of interband and intraband transitions is asymmetric and strongly depends on device structure and operating conditions. Our results also reveal that the intraband transition dominates the detailed balance. Both the intermediate band (IB) configuration and the conversion efficiency are determined by the SL structure. Only well‐designed SLs can form the appropriate IB. Furthermore, an efficiency contour plot has been calculated to guide quantum design: the peak efficiency is 45.61% when the well thickness is 4 nm and the barrier thickness is 2 nm. As the well or barrier thickness increases to 10 nm, the absorption peak of the intraband transition gradually redshifts and narrows, so the efficiency correspondingly decreases to below 40%. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electron cyclotron resonance plasma production by using pulse mode microwaves and dependences of ion beam current and plasma parameters on the pulse condition

We measure the ion beam current and the plasma parameters by using the pulse mode microwave operation in the first stage of a tandem type ECRIS. The time averaged extracted ion beam current in the pulse mode operation is larger than that of the cw mode operation with the same averaged microwave power. The electron density n(e) in the pulse mode is higher and the electron temperature T(e) is lower than those of the cw mode operation. These plasma parameters are considered to cause in the increase of the ion beam current and are suitable to produce molecular or cluster ions.     

Dynamic characteristics and dual control of a ball screw drive with integrated piezoelectric actuator

This paper describes the precision continuous path tracking control by using a dual-actuated single stage. First, fine-drive mechanism and the dynamic model of the entire drive system are described. In the simulation model, the dynamic characteristic of the dual-actuated stage is investigated to see whether it can provide precise motion by using dual control. Second, the fine motion controller is designed. Adjusting the control parameters, a positioning resolution of 20 nm and a bandwidth of 260 Hz were obtained. Third, the frequency responses of coarse and fine drives are experimentally investigated. After that, the dual controller is designed based on the investigated dynamics. Finally, whether coarse motion and fine motion could work complimentarily by the dual servo is examined in the experiments. By using the simultaneous dual controller, tracking errors were reduced sufficiently compared to the single coarse control.     

A chemically amplified molecular glass resist with an ionic photoacid generator and a single protection group

A molecular glass resist with an ionic photoacid generator and a single protection group (MR‐1) has been developed. MR‐1 exhibited good thermal properties, such as a 5% weight loss temperature (T_d5%) of 167°C and a glass transition temperature (T_g) of 80°C. MR‐1 showed the good sensitivity of 80 μC/cm² and high contrast of 4.9 with e‐beam exposure (50 keV). A relatively high resolution of 50 nm and low Line‐Edge‐Roughness of 3.8 nm were obtained by e‐beam exposure (100 keV). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 39769.     

Speciation of iodine in solid environmental samples by iodine K-edge XANES: application to soils and ferromanganese oxides

A method was developed for speciation of iodine in solid materials using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES). This method was used to identify the iodine species (mainly inorganic iodine) in environmental samples. It was shown that the XANES spectra of iodide and iodate sorbed within solid materials can be simulated by the linear combination of the spectra of iodide and iodate ions in water. The distribution coefficient (Kd) between soil and water was obtained independently for iodide and iodate, based on iodine speciation both in the solid phase, by XANES, and in the aqueous phase, by HPLC-ICP-MS. It was found that the Kd of iodate is larger than that of iodide by a factor of more than six, showing the more soluble nature of iodide. It was suggested that iodate can form in soil even when iodide is injected into the soil-water system under conditions within the iodide-stable field of the Eh-pH diagram of iodine. This is caused by the much higher affinity of iodate for solid surfaces than iodide. In soil samples under various water saturation conditions, or various Eh conditions, the iodide fraction in water increases with decreasing Eh, which results in an increase in the dissolved total iodine fraction in soil water. The speciation method using XANES was also applied to iodine in a natural soil sample and marine ferromanganese oxides. It is suggested that iodine K-edge XANES is a promising tool for determining the iodide/iodate ratio in natural solid samples, which contributes to better understanding of the behavior of iodine at the Earth's surface.     

Novel HDD-type SNDM ferroelectric data storage system aimed at high-speed data transfer with single probe operation

In this study, several read/write tests were conducted using a novel ferroelectric data storage test system equipped with a spindle motor, targeted at high-speed data transfer using a single probe head. A periodically inverted signal can be read out correctly with a bit rate of 100 kbps using this test system, and 10 Mbps data transfer is also possible during writing operations. The effect of a dc-offset voltage applied to the writing waveform with high-speed probe scanning is discussed. In addition, a novel noncontact probe height control technique was adopted to solve the problem of tip abrasion.     

D-Amino Acids in Non-gelling Components of Gelatin

Abstract

As a possible cause of the non-gelling property of the sol fraction of gelatin, we considered that higher D-amino acid content should result in decreased formation of helices. The sol fractions ivere extracted from gelatin gels and hydrolyzed to amino acid mixtures. The rates of reaction with D-amino acid oxidase (D-AOX) were recorded for thehydrolyzates. For a comparison, residual gels were also treated similarly. The sol fractions always gave higher results than the residual gels for the three types of gelatin examined. The result also showed that the rates obtained from the sol fractions were in the order: limed ossein > limed hide > acid pigskin.

To examine the reliability of this procedure the D-form content for each amino acid in the sol from the limed hide gelatin was compared with that of the residual gel. The contents in the sol were higher than those in the residue for most of the amino acids which racemized. The results indicate that the increased racemization of amino acids on the extraction of gelatin from raw materials is a cause of the non-gelling property.     

Unusual Two-Step Assembly of a Minimalistic Dipeptide-Based Functional Hypergelator

Self-assembled peptide hydrogels represent the realization of peptide nanotechnology into biomedical products. There is a continuous quest to identify the simplest building blocks and optimize their critical gelation concentration (CGC). Herein, a minimalistic, de novo dipeptide, Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-Asp, as an hydrogelator with the lowest CGC ever reported, almost fourfold lower as compared to that of a large hexadecapeptide previously described, is reported. The dipeptide self-assembles through an unusual and unprecedented two-step process as elucidated by solid-state NMR and molecular dynamics simulation. The hydrogel is cytocompatible and supports 2D/3D cell growth. Conductive composite gels composed of Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-Asp and a conductive polymer exhibit excellent DNA binding. Fmoc-Lys(Fmoc)-Asp exhibits the lowest CGC and highest mechanical properties when compared to a library of dipeptide analogues, thus validating the uniqueness of the molecular design which confers useful properties for various potential applications.     

Diffusion-controlled size-selective chloride ion sensing in the presence of bromide ion using a thin, nanoporous, plasma-polymerized coating on an Ag/AgCl electrode

We have developed a diffusion-controlled size-selective method for sensing chloride ion in the presence of bromide ion, based on a thin, nanoporous, plasma-polymerized coating of hexamethyldisiloxane on an Ag/AgCl electrode. Sub-nanometer-sized pores responsible for a highly cross-linked polymer network in the plasma-polymerized coating allowed diffusion-controlled permeation of chloride ion while blocking the larger bromide ion. An electrode coating of thickness greater than 70 nm enabled chloride detection in the concentration range 1-10 mM in the presence of 0.63 mM bromide ion. Advantages of this approach are: (1) simple design compared with ionophore-based strategies and (2) compatibility with microfabrication and mass production processes.