The Nucleation Effect of PbSe Additive on Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oδ Glass Ceramics

Glass and Ceramics - The crystallisation kinetics and effects of doping on Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oδ (BSCCO) glass ceramic system with 0.0%, 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5% PbSe were investigated in this study....     

Photocrosslinked biobased phase change material for thermal energy storage

A series of novel photocrosslinked biobased shape‐stabilized phase change materials (PCMs) based on octadecanol, eicosanol and docosanol have been prepared by UV technique for the purpose of thermal energy storage applications. Epoxidized soybean oil was reacted with acrylic acid to form acrylated soybean oil (ASO). The structure and composition, cross‐section morphology, thermal stability performances and phase change behaviors of ASO and UV‐cured PCMs were examined by using Attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis system (TGA), scanning electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The results indicate that the UV‐cured biobased PCMs possess perfect phase change properties and a suitable working temperature range. The heating process phase change enthalpy is measured between 30 and 68 J/g, and the freezing process phase change enthalpy is found between 18 and 70 J/g. The decomposition of UV‐cured PCMs started at 260 °C and reached a maximum of 430 °C. All the biobased UV‐cured PCMs improved latent heat storage capacity in comparison with the pristine ASO sample. With the obtained results we conclude that, these materials promise a great potential in thermal energy storage applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43757.     

Films formed from polystyrene latex/clay composites: A fluorescence study

This study reports a steady-state fluorescence (SSF) technique for studying film formation from surfactant-free polystyrene (PS) latex and Na-montmorillonite (SNaM) composites. The composite films were prepared from pyrene (P)-labeled PS particles and SNaM clay at room temperature and annealed at elevated temperatures in 10-min intervals above glass transition temperature (t₃) of polystyrene. During the annealing processes, the transparency of the film improved considerably. Scattered light (I_s) and fluorescence intensity (I_p) from P were measured after each annealing step to monitor the stages of film formation. Evolution of transparency of composite films was monitored by using photon transmission intensity, I_tr. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to detect the variation in physical structure of annealed composite films. Minimum film formation temperature, T_q, and healing temperatures, T_h, were determined. Void closure and interdiffusion stages were modeled and related activation energies were determined. It was observed that both activation energies increased as the percent of SNaM was increased in composite films.     

Modifying of Cotton Fabric Surface with Nano-ZnO Multilayer Films by Layer-by-Layer Deposition Method

ZnO nanoparticle–based multilayer nanocomposite films were fabricated on cationized woven cotton fabrics via layer-by-layer molecular self-assembly technique. For cationic surface charge, cotton fabrics were pretreated with 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (EP3MAC) by pad-batch method. XPS and SEM were used to examine the deposited nano-ZnO multilayer films on the cotton fabrics. The nano-ZnO films deposited on cotton fabrics exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The results also showed that the coated fabrics with nano-ZnO multilayer films enhanced the protection of cotton fabrics from UV radiation. Physical tests (tensile strength of weft and warp yarns, air permeability and whiteness values) were performed on the fabrics before and after the treatment with ZnO nanoparticles to evaluate the effect of layer-by-layer (LbL) process on cotton fabrics properties.     

A team-oriented design methodology for mixed model assembly systems

Team-oriented approaches are widely being used in modern real life assembly systems, as are other modern systems. In this paper, first the literature of single and mixed model assembly line balancing, which plays an important role for the design of assembly systems, is reviewed. The associated literature matrixes reveal that team-oriented approaches do not have an intensive research area. Second, a team-oriented mathematical programming model for creating assembly teams (physical stations) in mixed model assembly lines is devised. Owing to the fact that this model is NP hard, a scheduling based heuristic algorithm is developed. The mixed model assembly line design methodology, which includes a team-oriented algorithm as a step, is proposed. Both model sequencing and worker transfer systems are included in the methodology. The algorithms for each step of the methodology are also coded by using MATLAB and MS Excel is used as the user interface. Furthermore, the presented methodology was applied in a chosen segment of a real life mixed model tractor assembly system.     

Consistency management in Deno

We describe a new replicatedobject protocol designed for use in mobile and weaklyconnected environments. The protocol differs from previous protocols in combining epidemic information propagation with voting, and in using fixed perobject currencies for voting. The advantage of epidemic protocols is that data movement only requires pairwise communication. Hence, there is no need for a majority quorum to be available and simultaneously connected at any single time. The protocols increase availability by using voting, rather than primarycopy or primarycommit schemes. Finally, the use of perobject currencies allows voting to take place in an entirely decentralized fashion, without any server having complete knowledge of group membership. We show that currency allocation can be used to implement diverse policies. For example, uniform currency distributions emulate traditional voting schemes, while allocating all currency to a single server emulates a primarycopy scheme. We present simulation results showing both schemes, as well as the performance advantages of using currency proxies to temporarily reallocate currency during planned disconnections. Furthermore, we discuss an initial design of the underlying replicatedobject system and present a basic API.