Dynamic response of Ti3SiC2 under shock compression up to 112 GPa

Ti₃SiC₂ is of interest due to its unique dual nature reminiscent of both brittle ceramics and ductile metals at ambient conditions. In this work, plate-impact experiments have been performed to study the dynamic behavior of Ti₃SiC₂ under shock compression up to 112 GPa by using laser velocity interferometer and electric pin techniques. Hugoniot elastic limits (HEL), spall strength, and Hugoniot equations of state have been obtained based on measured particle velocity profiles and shock wave velocities. The ratio of spall strength to HEL for Ti₃SiC₂ is larger than brittle ceramics but smaller than metals. This result indicates that the dual nature of Ti₃SiC₂ remains at least up to 10 GPa. On the other hand, the linearity of the Hugoniot equation of state, $D=6.9\text{0}1(22)+1.153(53)u_{\text{p}}$, suggests that the initial structure of Ti₃SiC₂ should be stable up to 112 GPa, in contrast to the result reported by Jordan et al. [J. Appl. Phys., 93 (2003) 9639].     

Synthesis of carbon nanocapsules containing Fe, Ni or Co by arc discharge in aqueous solution

A simple, inexpensive and one-step synthesis method of metal-containing carbon nanocapsules using an arc discharge in aqueous solution is reported. It was found that Ni, Co and Fe nanoparticles could be in situ encapsulated in carbon shells when the arc was performed respectively in aqueous solutions of NiSO₄, CoSO₄ and FeSO₄. Transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron diffraction patterns of selected areas were used to determine the crystalline phase of the metal cores. To explain the formation mechanism of metal-containing carbon nanocapsules, a model of discharge in solution is proposed. This result presents a simply controllable way to synthesize metal-containing carbon nanocapsules.     

Precise localization of eye centers with multiple cues

Automatic detection and precise localization of human eye centers are the essential processes in photo related multimedia applications. Since eye center points are used as reference base points for further intelligent processing, precise eye center localization is very important. In face recognition the accuracy of localization of eye centers directly influences the identification accuracy. A multiple stage approach with multiple cues for detection and precise localization of eye centers is presented in this paper. Multiple scopes searching strategy is used for correctly extracting eye patch images from the background. Dedicated gradient based features and curvelet based features are constructed and used for comprehensively revealing the intensity distribution characteristics and the edge based texture around eye centers. A rebuilt score calculation mechanism is proposed and the rebuilt scores are used as a specific measurement index reflecting the matching accuracy. The final localizations of eye centers are determined with integrating the gradient based scores and curvelet based scores. The experiment results testing on public face datasets show that the localization accuracy of proposed approach outperforms the accuracy with other state of the art methods.     

Integrated size and topology optimization of skeletal structures with exact frequency constraints

The present paper studies the integrated size and topology optimization of skeletal structures under natural frequency constraints. It is found that, unlike the conventional compliance-oriented topology optimization problems, the considered problem may be strongly singular in the sense that the corresponding feasible domain may be disconnected and the global optimal solutions are often located at the tips of some separated low dimensional sub-domains when the cross-sectional areas of the structural components are used as design variables. As in the case of stress-constrained topology optimization, this unpleasant behavior may prevent the gradient-based numerical optimization algorithms from finding the true optimal topologies. To overcome the difficulties posed by the strongly singular optima, some particular forms of area/moment of inertia-density interpolation schemes, which can restore the connectedness of the feasible domain, are proposed. Based on the proposed optimization model, the probability of finding the strongly singular optimum with gradient-based algorithms can be increased. Numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

Photoelectric conversion of photosynthetic reaction center in multilayered films fabricated by layer-by-layer assembly

Multilayered protein films which contained ordered layers of photosynthetic reaction center (RC) from Rhodobacter Sphaeroides (RS601) were assembled by means of alternate electrostatic adsorption with positively charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA). The assembly of RC was monitored by spectrometry and photocurrent measurement. Linear film growth was observed up to about 20 cycles of adsorption. For the monolayer film, the photocurrent was about 8.5 nA cm⁻². For the multilayered film, the total photocurrent was about 77 nA cm⁻² for the 24-layer RC film, while the average photocurrent increment per adsorption cycle was about 3.2 nA cm⁻². The overall light-to-electricity conversion efficiency for a 24-layer film was about eight times higher than that for the monolayer one. The effects of electrode potential and pH on the photocurrent were also measured to illustrate the light-to-electric converting mechanism.     

Zinc hydroxystannate and zinc stannate as flame‐retardant agents for flexible poly(vinyl chloride)

The flame‐retardant and smoke‐suppressant properties of inorganic tin compounds such as zinc hydroxystannate (ZHS) and zinc stannate (ZS) were investigated in a comparison with alumina trihydrate, magnesium hydroxide, and Sb₂O₃ through the limiting oxygen index test and smoke density test. The flame‐retardant mechanisms were studied through the char yield test, SEM, quantitative analysis, thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis. The thermal degradation in air of flexible PVC treated with the above compounds was studied by thermal analysis from ambient temperature to 800°C. The results showed that tin compounds such as ZHS and ZS could be used as a highly effective flame retardant for flexible PVC, and it appears that the tin compound may exert its action in both the condensed and vapor phases, but mainly in condensed phases as a Lewis acid. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1469–1475, 2005     

Synthesis and Morphology of TiO2 Nanotube Arrays by Anodic Oxidation Using Modified Glycerol-Based Electrolytes

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanotube arrays were prepared by electrochemical anodization of titanium sheets in the glycerol 176 mL/H₂O 44 mL/NH₄F 0.5 wt% electrolytes modified with H₂SO₄ and NaAc addition. The surface morphologies, average inner diameter, and the length of the nanotube arrays changed with the solution pH in the range from 5.6 to 4.0 by adding H₂SO₄. A uniform surface morphology of the nanotubes with average inner diameter of ∼80 nm and a length of ∼1000 nm was obtained when the solution pH was 5.0. The growth rates of the nanotubes were remarkably enhanced by NaAc addition in the range of 0.04–0.14 M . With NaAc addition of 0.10 M , the length of the nanotube arrays reached 4.16 μm after an 8-h anodization, increasing 3.23 μm compared with no NaAc addition. The relationship between solution pH and growth of TiO₂ nanotubes was analyzed by current–time curves, solution electrical conductivities, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the role of NaAc was also discussed based on SEM and solution electrical conductivities.     

Nanocrystalline CeO2 in SBA-15: Performance of Pt/CeO2/SBA-15 Catalyst for Water-gas-shift Reaction

CeO₂ particles confined within the pores of an SBA-15 mesoporous silica host were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation (IMP) and deposition precipitation (DP) methods. The materials were characterized by XRD, N₂-adsorption and temperature programmed reduction (TPR) to evaluate the structure, texture, and redox properties. The preparation procedure had significant impact on the assembling mode of CeO₂ inside the SBA-15 mesopores. A high dispersion of CeO₂ particles was achieved via DP, whereas the dispersion of CeO₂ prepared by IMP was found to be inhomogeneous and CeO₂ partially blocked the pores. The CO conversion in the water-gas-shift reaction was enhanced over 1 wt% Pt supported on CeO₂-modified SBA-15 obtained by DP.